Living Green with Farm to Table Meals

Living green and eating greens is an important part of any ethical consumer’s day.

Living green and eating greens is an important part of any ethical consumer’s day. As a society we have dissociated ourselves from our culture of food. Yet focusing on bringing our food straight from local farms to our dining rooms is a growing phenomena. With Jamie Oliver trying to transform school cafeterias from Mystery Meats to delicious and healthy alternatives, the Farm to Table meal hasn’t been this in style in a long time.

Where is the closest farm? Why not your own backyard or windowsill? Supplementing your meals with homegrown vegetables and fruits grown on your own turf is the smallest mileage food will travel! That means fresher food, cleaner air, and a direct return on your investment in seeds. For those hard to grow items including animals: Local Harvest, The Eat Well Guide and Community Supported Agriculture are all great places to get a jumpstart on sourcing your food locally.

Beyond fresh food and reduced food mileage Farm to Table helps with three things for living green: accountability, local economies, healthier environments. When you are purchasing food from Farmer Joe versus Corporation Joe, the Farmer has a greater incentive to stand by his product and provide you with the healthiest thing possible. Corporations on the other hand often win over Farmer Joe in terms of market share because of one simple factor: price. Hidden in that “low price” are some very high social and ecological costs.

One of the key social costs is the vitality of local economies. By investing in Farm to Table meals, you are living green while saving everyone ‘green’. For every $1 invested in local economies, 68 cents stays in the local economy. That means that by supporting Farmer Joe, you are able to fuel more money into your local system trickling into improved infrastructure and a strengthened social fabric.

The ecological impact of large-scale agriculture and animal husbandry is devastating, especially for those living green. The amount of pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides used into today’s agriculture including genetically modified organisms is so astounding that many ecologists and farmers do not believe the ecological system will be able to recover. Given that these practices are fueled by none other than us, the common consumer, it is easy to quickly remove yourself from aspects of this global cycle. Buying local food grown under ethical and ecologically safe conditions can reduce your impact, and take a “vote” away from large-scale systems.

Food is not a product, nor is it simply fuel. It is at the essence of our beings to respect and thrive based on the food we consume. Respecting the natural cycles of that food is the first step in making a monumental shift toward living green and ultimately creating a positive impact on our environment.

For Earth Day this year, try to attend a Farm to Table event available at local restaurants, support your Farmer’s markets, and see if you just may have a green thumb under those manicured nails after all. Happy growing!

Photo Credit: Simply Local Food

Living green and concocting your own eco-friendly shampoos

There are really so many facets of living green that even the most eco-friendly of sorts are finding that they still have room to grow. Sure you may have outfitted your entire home with energy saving appliances, piled those blankets on your bed during the chilly winters, and swapped out all of your outdated light bulbs, but chances are there are still things you can do to up your green factor. One of these potential outlets is in the kinds of shampoos and other beauty products that you purchase and use on if not a daily basis than still very regularly. The truth though is that a myriad of these very products are not only manufactured in anything but environmentally conscious ways but also they contain elements that pose a potential health risk to you.

There are a laundry list of ingredients used in standard shampoos that have been linked with such maladies as cancer but the top offenders are parabens, formaldehyde, 1 or 4 dioxane, and diethanolamine (DEA), so if you see these in the list of ingredients steer clear! What is also tough about trying to shop with your living green spirit in mind is that there are plenty of misleading labels, and if not false claims than those that sort of negate you away from the actual truth. The best way to avoid falling victim to a label trap is to be informed, know the honest certifications from the phony, and still be on the prowl through that list of ingredients. There has been headway in this area however and you can put more credence in an Australian Certified Organic, National Products Association certified, USDA Certified Organic or BDIH shampoo.

Still for those resourceful living green enthusiasts you can side step all of this investigative research and make your very own eco-friendly shampoos. Ingredients can be as minimal as adding 1 tablespoon of baking soda to a cup of warmed water and then mix it up until it is adequately dissolved and lather. If you want to add a little lemon zest to that you could follow up with a little bit of lemon squirted into warm water and run that through your hair. Still there is a recipe for those tea lovers out there and you can add ¼ of a cup of your herbal tea of choice to hot water until it is brewed rather strong; you will then add 8 ounces of castile soap in liquid form and continue to stir. Once done you can do your cleaning and keep the rest in a handy bottle…just make sure it is recyclable too.

There really are a myriad of home remedies (There is even an egg shampoo that will need only a single whisked egg yolk combined with 150ml of warmed water as you continue to stir; you will then rub it into your hair and let it set for at least a few minutes before you wash it out and you’re done!) which will ensure that you know exactly what goes into your lather and you can cut out any of the harmful toxins and in turn reduce your carbon footprint. And for those living green that is what it is all about!

Photo credit: Flickr

Bring your green living to work and inspire others to follow suit

Love it or hate it, unless you were lucky enough to be born into riches you’ll be spending plenty of time working. That being said, if you are into green living and want a few more ways to carry that over into the workplace, than read on. Much of the same tactics you adopted at your house can be applied to your office, and what’s more is that you have the potential to influence even more people to follow your lead. If your company doesn’t already have their recycling bins set up and labeled, take the initiative and you could not only be effecting how things run while everyone is on the clock, but you could even inspire your fellow coworkers to be more eco-friendly at home. Word of mouth can be a powerful tool, and by nature people follow by example, don’t think just because you are one Dilbert in a huge corporation your actions will go unnoticed.

Well, we’ve tackled the recycling bins, but even if you are using recycled paper for as many tasks as you can, the truth is that between the brands you may not be getting as much of a green living choice as you might think. Look at the percentage of post-consumer content as well as how much chlorine bleaching is done; as with many other kinds of ‘eco-friendly’ products there are some mixed messages so look closely. When you are printing, use both sides of the sheet and it’s even better if you can print off multiple pages just scaled down to use less paper.

The same old phantom energy is going to come up again, and this is especially crucial in a big business where computers, printers, faxes, and the like run aplenty. These are the prime energy suckers and what you can do to limit the amount of carbon you release is to set the timers on such items to the shortest interval before they lapse into an energy saving mode. If you have the ability to group all of the cords on your computer’s accessories (scanners, printers, etc) do that and then you can easily switch that powerstrip on and off at your will. Finally, if you’ve got a phone charger there don’t keep it plugged in all the time and only recharge when the battery in fact needs it.

For some things you can do when not at the job but still pertain to work, you should carpool and cut as much transporting gas emissions as you can. Send around a memo to see if anyone lives near you, you can take public transportation, and you could even walk or ride your bike depending on how far away you live. At lunch time keep up your green living habits by brown bagging it if you can; if you do go out make sure you wrap up whatever leftovers there are in recyclable containers and if you do travel to the café or restaurant go for one nearby so that you can walk there and avoid having to drive or travel a long distance too. Spreading that eco word around the office can be rather simple, it may not be as juicy as the latest office gossip, but I’m sure it is much more important.

Take out the chaos in your kitchen: save energy but also build a saner environment

We’ve already covered how to save energy and water in your kitchen and in terms your general habits when it comes to cooking and washing, but there is another little tendency people have when it comes to this especially sought after room. The problem is, my friends, just too much stuff. Many of us fall victim to the impulse buy, and I myself have caved on more than one occasion, why do you think they put all those tasty candy bars and eye-catching items around the checkout line? But in terms of cooking specifically I can’t even count how many infomercials are raving about some slapper chopper, a magic bullet, a knife set that can cut through steel (yes, I do like to get my daily recommended amount of steel, thank you very much), and all the pizza bakers, toaster ovens that leave a cute animal print on your toast, and the list goes on and on.

The truth is that not only are many of these items a waste of money, and even inane ideas, but they are wasting space, and should they be plugged in an even worse waste of electricity. But even if you’ve delegated them to the back of the cupboards they are still there and you can do a nice kitchen overhaul by sorting out the junk from the goods. Think about how much cooking, and what kind, that you do the most of and then be brutal. If you have never baked a cake in your life you may not need a mixer; and for the rare times you get hit by a Betty Crocker urge you can whip out that whisk and you’ll even save energy…of the electrical kind that is. While we all will need a knife at one time or another, do you really need a different one that will chop your eggs into paper thin slices, a mini chopper and a regular sized one, or even a garlic peeler too? Unless you are Emeril or a food connoisseur you can probably suffice off of a single high quality chef knife. Take care of it, don’t run it through the dishwasher, and sharpen it as it needs it, and you won’t need to be purchasing any replacements any time soon.

What should you be cutting on with that knife? While it is especially important to keep your cutting boards clean for health reasons, if you are diligent you don’t need to have multiple ones. You can find a good green cutting board, one that is made out of bamboo for instance, and take good care of it. Finally we come to all those pots, pans, saucers, etc. For the majority of cooking practices you only need a few high quality items. Get a pot that is large, match it to the correct burner so that you can save energy and don’t waste heat loss or conversely need too much time to get it heated up, and a skillet. If you skimp on quality here you’ll end up burning through multiple cheaper ones and thus creating more waste and there will also be a dent in your pocketbook.

Declutter that kitchen and you can not only be blessed with more space and less of a headache from looking at it all, but you will in the end save energy and waste too. For what you do get rid of you can either give it away, hold a garage sale, or recycle what you can. Paring down in this case is a good thing, and moving forward resist those temptation buys as best you can; if you feel yourself about to cave close your eyes and thing about how often you REALLY crave a pizza/waffle maker/onion dicer/juicer/egg timer all in one.

Photo credit: Flickr

Living green when dishing up dinner

Many cultures revolve around food, events are centered around it, holidays bring special dishes, and families guard their secret recipes fiercely; yet you can be living green while serving up all the most tantalizing fare at the same time. Whether you are catering to a party, serving the family dinner, hosting a school or business event, or having a picnic there are ways you can reduce the amount of waste and resources you consume in the way you serve those dishes and finger foods by opting for recyclable dishes.

Think for a moment about the amount of paper plates and even gasp standard plastic ones that get trashed after a single use at a large picnic or business luncheon. There are even some families that rely solely on these items and eat everything off of disposable dishes. So instead of getting regular brands seek out those that are made out of recyclable material.

There are not only plates and bowls that are made out of 100 percent recyclable plastic but forks, knives, and spoons as well. And what is great is that you don't even need to send them out to recycle after only one use because they are safe to run in the dishwasher as well. There are also matching recyclable cups to finish off the tableware, so should you be sitting on the lawn, dishing it up to the screaming and hungry kids, or serving some coworkers you can do so in an eco-friendly manner.

But there are other places that you can impart living green habits when it comes to eating and packing those lunches. When it comes to standard plastic sandwich bags and even saran wrapping dishes you can instead use ones that are made out of biodegradable celluose. Yes, you will in fact be packaging those foods out of plant materials which are far better for the environment than the usual petroleum based ones filling most pantries. They actually work better too at keeping your food fresh so they are great for leftovers. Then when they've done the job just add them to the recycling bin.

Finally, outfit your waste baskets with similar trash bags that are compostable and wholly biodegradable. Forget that 'Hefty, Hefty, Hefty' and instead be chanting 'Green, Green, Green' all the way to the compost heap. One such brand is the BioBag that will line your trash cans like a champ and avoid winding up in a landfill. When it comes to living green, these are easy measures to take to do the environment a favor while still taking part in all the fun that food and its festivities bring to all of us around the world. So the next time you raise your cup in a toast, be sure it’s one that is 100 percent recyclable.

Photo credit: Flickr

Growing number of hotels with environmental awareness

If you are planning your next vacation getaway and you're interesting in finding one that is in line with your own environmental awareness habits you are in luck. A growing trend is people taking off to destinations that are considered green and even staying in eco-friendly hotels.

These hotels and resorts have installed low-flow shower heads, low-flush toilets, dishwashing valves that limit water consumption, among other traits to reduce overall water usage and have taken care to limit their energy consumption as well. These green hotels also have limited the amount of laundry they do by encouraging guests to let their towels air dry with towel rack hangers left in the bathrooms and they then ask them to try to reuse their bedsheets instead of having them changed everyday. These green hotels are popping up across the World and supported by different organizations, all putting environmental awareness first and foremost. There are 'Green Key' awards that go to such restaurants, hotels, and hostels; other marinas and beaches can merit a 'Blue Flag' award by adopting water conservation and other eco-friendly practices, and in the US there is the Green Hotels Association that has a growing number of members. So no matter where you idea of paradise may lie you can stay there in the greenest of accommodations.

There are also destinations that you can hit that will further improve your stats as an ethical consumer. Visit a national park or other similar natural expanse; not only will you be helping to support tourism and the local economy there but will in turn gain an even greater appreciation of the importance of preserving these habitats. For some truly remarkable sights you may want to head out to Buck Island Reef National Monument in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands which is an underwater delight with its intricately balanced ecosystem. There is the Napo Wildlife Center in Quito, Ecuador where a walk around the lodge will meet you with chattering monkeys and exotic birds. This rain forest is one of the few left unmarred by the hand of man.

Even if you may not be able to head to one of the more tropical reaches of the planet you can still do your best to make your destination with the most environmental awareness as possible by traveling with your green habits. If you can't find hotels meriting of of these seals then you can encourage them to do so and then in your own room limit the amount of lights and electricity you use and inform the maids that you don't need linen service each and every day. Yet the best way you can be an ethical consumer is to support those establishments making the changes necessary to protecting our environment; spread the word to the hotels and resorts you stay at and who knows maybe one day it will be 'Green Motel 6'!

Living Green with Father Time

Time for a watch or clock upgrade?

These days most of us use our cell phones for just about everything, including a clock. Yet, most of our watches haven’t fallen to the wayside yet. Bearing in mind that living green is about being conscious of resource use through reducing what you use, reusing the items you already have, donating or sharing the items you no longer need, and properly disposing of the items that cannot be recycled, upcycled or composted. These simple principles apply to any measures within your lifestyle. Let’s take a quick look at the disappearing age of watches.

Here are a few tips for living green with father time and mother earth.

1. If it’s broke, fix it! These days it is often cheaper to buy new, instead of fix the old. With watches this is far from true. A typical watch battery costs less than $10 USD, while new watches cost anywhere from $10 USD to thousands of dollars. Living green means switching from a disposable viewpoint to a re-usable viewpoint. Not to mention it provides jobs for tradesmen and women.
2. Battery vs. Electricity. This is an unsolved debate because there are too many possible factors. There is great disagreement whether a battery-powered clock is more energy efficient and eco-friendly than device plugged into the wall like a phone or alarm clock. Obviously reduction is important. Having a plethora of clocks may not be necessary. The associated waste with batteries can be high dependent on the type of battery. While the toxic chemicals within a cell phone or electronic device are known to be highly hazardous. Yet with multiple uses for phones this debate is in the hands of the consumer.
3. Upcycle it! You can buy a “Clock Kit” and make your own clock out of plates, old records, or other unused things around the house. You just carve a hole out of the middle and insert the clock kit and viola! Anything becomes a clock. A nice way to reduce resources and have a fun project to do with family and friends.

What is happening in the trend-setting clock industry? Well drain plugs that also function as clocks, perhaps not appealing to the living green types and minimalists alike. There are also online clocks that give you the time, growing global population, growing disease counts, and other serious statistics. A Food Clock that counts the impact of animals consumed, clocks powered by human hands, the sun, the wind, clocks made out of …paper, clocks on wheels, the list goes on.

This is just one example of exploring your options for re-thinking how you use items around the house. Keeping in mind what is necessary, how the item will be used, how you can utilize the least amount of resources possible, and how to keep the chemical equation to a minimum can help streamline your eco-choices.

There is still time to innovate and think smart about how we want to develop through simple steps.