Posted on December 11th, 2007
While flowers are pretty, the flower industry is not. Most cut flowers are grown in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia in large greenhouses where underpaid, non-unionized workers spray them heavily with pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides, including those that are banned in the US, like DDT and methyl-bromide. These nasty performance-enhancers and bug-chasers wreak havoc on the health of flower industry workers and on the planet. If you’re going to buy flowers, consider buying organic, or at least locally grown varieties (think of the fuel used to ship flowers from their homeland!). Organic flowers are certified as such when their growing practices aims to improve the quality of farm working conditions, minimize damage to ecosystems, conserve biodiversity, and ...
Posted on December 7th, 2007
If you solved your tree dilemma by not getting a tree all together and using a well loved plant or tree you already own, kudos to you! Whatever your tree choice, now it's time to decorate the green way!
Challenge yourself to completely decorate your tree without having to buy anything. String popcorn or cranberries, or use tinsel left over from years past. Cut used paper into snowflakes to hang. Give your old glass ornaments a makeover by painting them with new patterns (we recommend the green lips, of course!).
Trim it up!
Posted on November 20th, 2007
This is the time of year when family meals become a little fancier and guests stop by with greater frequency. If you're the type to bring out the actual silver for Holiday meals, you'll most likely find yourself staring down the barrel of some serious silver cleaner. Stop! There's an eco-alternative that's chemical free and extra fast. Begin by boiling a kettle of water. As your water boils, find a pan or pot big enough to hold your silver pieces, then line the bottom of the pan with aluminum foil. Arrange your silver in the pan so that each piece is touching the aluminum. When the water has come to a boil, ...
Posted on November 18th, 2007
Is your wallet busting at the seams? Maybe not so much with money but with paper printouts? While we can’t solve your finances, we can suggest recycling your receipts as they start adding up to a lot of paper over a period of time. If you’re worried about leaking personal info, shred them first or cut them up like you would a credit card. Some merchants will print with soy ink so that your receipt can be composted too. If you think of it in time, ask the cashier if they can skip the receipt altogether or just pay the old fashioned way - with cold, hard cash.
Posted on November 17th, 2007
Ready for the holidays? Consider a free range turkey this season. Free range turkeys typically mean the turkeys were allowed to strut their stuff, free of confinement, during their days on the farm. Many organic turkeys are raised in a natural environment, free of hormones and subtherapeutic antibiotics, and are fed a diet of organic grains. The result is a fresh, wholesome turkey of incomparable flavor and tenderness.
Want to range even more freely? Consider going turkey free! "Tofurkey", a meat free meal, is made of organic tofu and stuffed with mushrooms, herbs and wild rice. Not only is this alternative lower in calories and fat, but it's actually quite tasty.
Go the ...
Posted on November 16th, 2007
Planning a wedding or another photo-worthy event? Try finding a photographer who will use digital equipment, as opposed to traditional cameras and film. Digital photography is much less consumptive and doesn't require all those nasty chemicals to develop the photos. In addition to using less energy and fewer resources, digital pics are easier to weed through post-party. Do you really need fifty proofs of your uncle Stan trying to moon-walk at your Bat-Mitzvah? Probably not. Save time, paper, chemicals and money while getting 2 or 3 times more photographs for your money by going digital. You (and the rest of Uncle Stan's family) won't be disappointed.
Thanks to Nicki Sefferman for suggesting ...
Posted on October 31st, 2007
This Halloween have your cake and eat it too: help kids fill their pillow cases full of organic and fair trade candy! This will not only help prevent expensive dentist bills due to refined-sugar overload, but will also help create sustainable ecology and economies all over the world.
Look for these alternatives to the usual synthetic loot:
Yummy-gummy goodness: Try Surf Sweets Gummy Worms or Organic Classic Gummi Bears from Surf Sweets or Let's Do Organic, both made with organic natural sweeteners and sans artificial colours and flavours.
The new chew: Look for Glee Gum, a natural gum (no synthetic plastics) in cinnamon, peppermint and tangerine flavours, made with sustainably harvested natural chicle from Central American rainforests.
A smarter kind ...
Posted on October 27th, 2007
If a blanket of leaves left on your lawn really gets your goat, avoid burning the fallen offenders, which only adds to air pollution and find an alternative use. Leaves carry 50% to 80% of the nutrients a tree extracts from the soil and air, including carbon, potassium, and phosphorus. Throw your pile on a compost heap where they will biodegrade and enhance your soil for years to come. You can also use the leaves as mulch to spread over your garden. This will limit weed growth, add organic matter and protect the soil (it will also hide your tulip bulbs from those rascal squirrels). Go hunting for the prettiest ones and bring them indoors ...
Posted on October 9th, 2007
Who says “something borrowed” has to be Grandma’s handkerchief? If you’re planning a big party this season, consider borrowing or renting items instead of buying them. Need a punch bowl? Ask your aunt. Need some extra chairs and tables or 30 more wine glasses? Call a party supply company. Extra coolers, linens and non-disposable silverware can be borrowed from neighbors and friends. Reduce is the most important of the three R’s, so reducing the amount of stuff you buy for one day of use is helpful to the planet. Still not convinced? Think of the money you’ll save! Renting items from a party-supply company is cheaper than buying new ...
Posted on September 26th, 2007
Feel like being more demanding in your life? Then go right ahead - and rent your movies "on demand". Many cable companies (especially if you have a digital cable service) now come with standard pay-per-view programs ready for you to enjoy instantly. Just think: if we all ordered our movies digitally, there would be less dvds & covers printed, less trips to (and back to!) the movie rental store, and less late fees to pay because you would never need to worry about returns... not that you are ever are late returning your movie rentals.
