Welcome back to the work week! Where I am working it’s currently very cold, very snowy and the worst is on the way. That said, what do you do if you are like me and you crave a good farmer’s market? You prefer fresh vegetables to packaged ones, organic produce to store-bought? Simple, you look for a winter market.
That’s right, a winter market, if available in your area, can be the perfect solution for filling your grocery bags with good, healthy, organic produce and food without having to head into your nearest Safeway or Albertons. According to the article I read, there are many great ways to utilize a Winter Farmer’s Market, here is what they had to say:
In case you did not know what today was, well, you’ve either been living under a rock for the last few months or…I don’t know what. Today we welcome in the 44th President of the United States of America. Today, is a big day. As you well know, Barack Obama has been a very vocal supporter of alternative energy and the need for as many of us as possible to live Green Lives. That said, wouldn’t he be happy if on this momentous Inauguration Day, we made it a Green one as well?
Lucky for all of us, I just found an incredibly helpful article that offers us all some very easy, very cool tips on how to make today a Green Inauguration Day. There are only 4 tips, and the 4th one is beyond obvious, so in reality, there are 3 great, easy, Green ways to make today both enjoyable, and Environmentally friendly. Check out these awesome ideas:
1. “Watch the Inauguration with Friends
Because spending the evening clutching your Obama ‘08 Move On sticker alone in your dimly lit living room is sort of depressing. Also, with millions upon millions of people tuning in, let’s cut back on a couple of those millions upon millions of TVs that will be turned on. Watch with friends, and consolidate TV usage, or even better, head to a local bar and watch with the entire neighborhood—just try to ignore that disgruntled McCain supporter who keeps talking about how Sarah Palin would’ve been a way hotter VP than Biden.
2. Do Not Drive to Washington D.C.
It’ll only be filled with screaming liberals anyways. Two million people are predicted to cram into the nation’s capital to watch what on paper sounds like the least riveting succession of events ever: a parade, a prayer, and an oath-taking. Oh yeah, and probably the most mind-blowingly eloquent speech since the Gettysburg Address. But seriously, you’ll be able to see it better on TV, and the traffic is going to be a grotesque, exhaust spewing gridlock.
3. Throw an Inauguration Day Party
A fine way to complete both #1 and #2 on this list. Just make sure you keep the ol’ impact as low as possible whilst you throw the block’s most rocking prayer/oath/speech observation fest. A few ideas—reuse all that campaign literature, those pamphlets and unused bumper stickers as décor. Offer up the finest green beer as beverages, and of course, have but a single TV on at your place (not sure what sort of Obama nuts would demand otherwise, so as to have an entire screen to themselves—but I’m sure they’re out there).
4. Oh yeah, and enjoy yourselves
It’s going to be one hell of a historic day.”
Do those and both Mother Nature and President Obama will be extremely pleased with you. Do those, and I will be too!
We are officially knee-deep into 2009, and while you might still be having trouble remembering to actually write the correct dates on your checks, letters and emails, a simple glance at your new calendar should remind you that it is not, in fact, 2008 any longer. That said, what do you do with all those old 2008 calendars you’ve got lying around?
You know the ones, the “Golden Retriever” calendar, the Outdoor Photography calendar, the golfing, knitting, cars, women, men or heck, even your old “Far Side” calendars are probably lying all around doing nothing but waiting for the trash or recycle bin. The fact is, there IS something else you can do with them to help recycle and reuse them…for starters, you don’t have to throw them away!
I just found an article that had 5 great ways to reuse those calendars of yours, doing nothing but taking up space. Every single little bit helps, I’ve said that time and time again, and in a world where we need as much alternative energy and recycling as possible, lets start here, and continue to do so every year! Here, according to the article, are 5 great ways to reuse them:
1. Place mats: Throw a dinner party for 12. Place a month beneath each place setting for a great conversation starter.
2. Framed art: Update your home decor with framed calendar images. Make unique art by collaging several months together or by incorporating your own drawing.
3. Packing material: Wrap fragile holiday ornaments in calendar pages for storage.
4. Envelopes: Turn colorful calendar art into distinctive envelopes and notecards. Find a tutorial here.
5. 2036 calendar: Save a 2008 calendar until 2036, when the dates will match up. Find out how what year old calendars can be used again by checking a repeating calendar calculator.
There you have it! Once you’ve done some, send us in some photos and we’ll put them up here. Any other creative ideas? Sound off…
I know that the weather in some parts of this country, Montana where I live especially, is not always conducive to getting up, getting dressed and actually making your way outside to get your fitness goals met each day. Sometimes it’s the sub-zero temperatures, sometimes it is the freezing rain, sometimes the snow, ice, wind or hail. Wherever you live, there are always going to be reasons to just work out inside, but guess what…there are so many BETTER reasons to work out outside, no matter what the weather is doing.
That’s right, this week’s “Green Fitness Tip” is to get outside and exercise. No matter what your weather, you can find at least 30 minutes a day to give all of those “electricity-heavy” machines you rely so heavily upon a much needed break, and the environment they affect an even better reprieve. Don’t believe me that they do in fact damage the Earth? Try this on for size:
“The average treadmill produces about 2 pounds of CO2 over the course of a 30-minute workout. Shrink your fitness footprint by adding an outdoor run, walk, or bike ride to your routine. In urban areas, choose side streets to decrease your exposure to car exhaust. Still snowbound? Burn those calories by snowshoeing, skiing, or shoveling the driveway.”
Surprising, no? The bottom line is, in a day and age where we’re so focuse on and so reliant upon electricty and gadgets and devices, sometimes the absolute best thing for our mind, bodies and yes, the Earth too, is to just turn it all off, step outside your front door, and take off. Try it, I guarantee the results will go much further than just your BMI.
Got $4 that is burning a hole in your pocket? I’m sure you do, Christmas was just here after all! Nevertheless, if you can scrounge up $4, there are few better ways to spend it this fine Friday than by purchasing the official plans on how to build your very own, Do-It-Yourself Plastic Bottle Greenhouse. With the plans in hand, basically all you’ll need is a TON of plastic bottles, some time, energy and a desire to do some great recycling good.
Who hasn’t wanted a greenhouse in their backyard? I know I want one, but can’t really afford to shell out for the real deal, so for me this New Year, I’m going to build my very own out of all of the old plastic bottles myself and my neighbors have been recycling for months. The ability to grow my own veggies in a greenhouse whilst doing it out of nothing but “trash?” Awesome, the perfect start to our New Year’s Resolutions!
Well, Christmas Day has come and gone. Here’s hoping that you gave, and received all the gifts you wanted, that you spent quality time with your friends and family, and last but certainly not least, that you did your best to make this the Greenest Christmas yet.
Now it’s the Day AFTER Christmas, which technically is the busiest shopping day as far as “returns” go. That makes me remember a very important, very timely message I want to get across to all of you…Do not forget to recycle your Christmas Tree! That’s right, that beautiful evergreen sitting in your living room can be recycled and turned into a very productive, very efficient means of fertilizing your lawn, helping restore fish habitats, helping sand dunes, and you know, probably a million other ideas. If you’re not sure, check out this site that will help you find a Christmas Tree Recycling Center near you!
“# There are approximately 30-35 million real Christmas trees sold in North America every year.
# Approximately 175,000 real Christmas trees are sold via e-commerce or catalog and shipped mail-order.
# North-American real Christmas trees are grown in all 50 states and Canada. Eighty-five percent of artificial trees are manufactured in China.
# Real Christmas trees are a renewable, recyclable resource. Artificial trees contain non-biodegradable plastics.
# For every real Christmas tree harvested, up to three seedlings are planted in its place the following spring.
# There are about 500,000 acres in production for growing Christmas trees. Each acre provides the daily oxygen requirements of 18 people.
# There are about 21,000 Christmas Tree growers in North America, and over 100,000 people employed full or part-time in the industry.
# It can take as many as 15 years to grow a tree of average retail sale height (six feet), but the average growing time is seven years.
# The top Christmas tree producing states are Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Washington.
# The top selling Christmas trees are: balsam fir, Douglas-fir, Fraser fir, noble fir, Scotch pine, Virginia pine, and white pine.“
Ladies & Gentlemen, I am not sure if you’re aware of it or not, but today is Monday, December 22. That means, officially, we only have today, and TWO More days to get all of our holiday shopping done for each and every member of our “Nice List” this year! Given the state of our economy this year, if you’re at all like me, your Christmas Stash is probably dwindling. Relax, I found a great way to stretch it!I just found an awesomely helpful little article that had 5 great tips that just so happened to be Green as well, that will help stretch your Holiday cash as far as possible AND ensure that everyone on your gift list will go home happy! As always, head over and check out the full article, but for now, for your brief viewing pleasure, here are the 5 ways you can greenly save your green while being a good gift giver…talk about 3 birds with 1 stone!
Bake Your Way Through The Holiday Gift List - Homemade treats = Genius. Do it.
Skip the Paper Christmas Cards This Year - Email Only. Save a Tree.
Donate To All Your Favorite Eco-Organizations - There is ALWAYS someone that needs more help than we do. Help them. Help the earth.
Cut The Consumption in YOUR Family - Less gifts all around. Give less, BE more.
Don’t Overfeed Your Family and Friends This Holiday Season - Stick to normal sized meals, don’t go overboard all the time.
There you go! Any one of those should be able to help you cut the costs down, help the planet, and still come out looking like the Jolly Old Elf we all know and love. Stay Green, even when it’s white outside!
It’s Wednesday, and we all know that means that the weekend is officially in sight. Personally, I can hardly wait. The weeks seem to go slower during the Winter, and to be truthful, one of the only things that makes it bearable with all the freezing weather, is that the TV shows seem to get a little bit better. I found an article today that made me realize each and every one of us TV Lovers probably should take a second look at how eco-friendly our habits are.
The great thing is, we can keep our TV loving habit, and be eco-friendly at the same time if we follow these 5 helpful tips I just stumbled across. As always, head over and check out the full article for more in-depth anaylsis, but for now, here in abbreviated form for your viewing pleasure, are 5 Eco-Friendly Ways to Watch The Tube!
“Never Sleep With The TV On” - Seems like a no-brianer, at the very least, use the Sleep Timer.
“Turn The TV Off” - Don’t leave the room, house, building with the TV still on. Who’s watching? No one, that’s who.
“Unplug the TV When Not in Use” - It’s called Vampire Energy, or Phantom Energy, even when turned off, your appliances are sucking energy, unplug them, save some.
“Turn Down The Brightness” - The brighter the TV, the more energy you’re using. Suck it up, dim it down.
“Use Power Saver Mode” - Some TV’s are equipped with a Power Saver mode that auto-adjust to use the smallest amount of energy possible. Use yours.
There you have it! See, you don’t have to miss your favorite episodes of “The Office,” “Lost” or “Little People Big World.” Thank goodness right, after all, who can handle this much cold and darkness without at least a LITTLE help!
I live in an old, VERY old, house. It was built a decade before the turn of the century. No, not 1990, 1890. The foundation is made of stone and the insulation is probably going to kill me one day. That said, my energy bills in the winter are some of the most terrifying pieces of paper that I will ever receive. What can I do to help keep some of those winter heating costs down? Simple, find out where the leaks are!
That’s right my friends, air leaks in your home are probably costing you a heck of a lot more money than you’d want to hear about, and the bad news is, it’s just going to get worse. That is, unless you do something about it, and do something now. Now, I have some good news, and some not so good news. I’ll start with the not-so-good news: Once you discover the leaks, you’re going to have to do something about them yourself. Whether it’s caulking, more insulating or finally biting the bullet and calling in a contractor or insulating specialist, that’s up to you, but you’ll have to do something.
Now, some good news. For about $40, you can find ALL the leaks in your house by yourself, saving you a ton of money on a full house inspection, and in the end, helping save you about 20% on your bills each month. The little Black & Decker Thermal Leak Detector shines a little blue light on any area of your house that’s as low as 1 degree different. Point it by your windows and BAM, you see exactly where the cold air is coming in, and warm air is rushing itself out. Plug that leak and viola, save money.
Hello and Happy Friday! You did it, yet again, made it through a work-week and now get to celebrate and enjoy the fruits of the first weekend in December! To cap off a great week, I thought it’d be wise to open our eyes to something on a global scale.
I just stumbled across this video from the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries that does amazing things to show not only the food crisis Japan might be facing, but the way it could be for almost any nation, anywhere. This video very quickly and even a bit entertainingly shows things that can be done to have healthy food for the future, not just tomorrow, but in the years to come. A dangerous combination of decreasing farmland, farmers aging, unhealthy eating habits and a great deal more food imports is creating a situation that could be dangerous in the years to come.
The question is, what happens if we Can Not produce enough food to live? What if the population exceeds the supply? These are all questions that need answers, and this video is a great, small indication of that. Check it out, and enjoy your weekend!
Welcome back to the work week! Where I am working it’s currently very cold, very snowy and the worst is on the way. That said, what do you do if you are like me and you crave a good farmer’s market? You prefer fresh vegetables to packaged ones, organic produce to store-bought? Simple, you look for a winter market.
In case you did not know what today was, well, you’ve either been living under a rock for the last few months or…I don’t know what. Today we welcome in the 44th President of the United States of America. Today, is a big day. As you well know, Barack Obama has been a very vocal supporter of alternative energy and the need for as many of us as possible to live Green Lives. That said, wouldn’t he be happy if on this momentous Inauguration Day, we made it a Green one as well?
We are officially knee-deep into 2009, and while you might still be having trouble remembering to actually write the correct dates on your checks, letters and emails, a simple glance at your new calendar should remind you that it is not, in fact, 2008 any longer. That said, what do you do with all those old 2008 calendars you’ve got lying around?
I know that the weather in some parts of this country, Montana where I live especially, is not always conducive to getting up, getting dressed and actually making your way outside to get your fitness goals met each day. Sometimes it’s the sub-zero temperatures, sometimes it is the freezing rain, sometimes the snow, ice, wind or hail. Wherever you live, there are always going to be reasons to just work out inside, but guess what…there are so many BETTER reasons to work out outside, no matter what the weather is doing.
