Calling your Senators is this easy!

Did you know that one phone call to an Senator is equal in importance to about 100 emails? I guess they assume that everyone is able to click a button and shoot off an email, but only those who are really serious will make a phone call.

I called both of my Senators this morning and urged them to support the climate bill. As I mentioned in my post today on the Green Phone Booth, the climate bill is in trouble and it needs our help. Serious help. Phone call help.

Making the phone call is not hard in any way, shape or form. Once you do it, you'll wonder what the anxiety was all about.

First come, first served ~ Free lunch tote!

I've had this eco-friendly Owl Lunch Tote in a closet for about a year now and haven't used it once. It was part of a promotion but, since I work at home now, I don't have any real need to take my lunch anywhere. So...if you'd like to have it, it's yours!

The tote is black with cream colored stitching. It's 9" high, 8" wide and about 4" deep. Not huge, but good for a small to medium sized lunch or snacks. It's made with 100% post-consumer recycled materials.

First person to reply gets it!

Earth Day in Evergreen

After a morning of gray clouds and drizzle yesterday, we suited up in our winter gear to head to the Mountain Area Earth Day Fair. We've lived here for two years now and I've been thinking for awhile about getting more involved in the community, specifically with some of the "green" groups I've learned about recently.

Macy has been asking to join Daisy Scouts lately, so I was thrilled to learn about Green Scouts whose mission is "Educating the community to be action-oriented environmental leaders, providing green solutions for today and for a safer tomorrow." While I loved being a girl scout as a kid, I feel as though a program like this is really in line with our values and what we want to teach the kids. I hope that it grows into something amazing.

Right now there is no active Green Scouts program in Colorado, but the folks I met yesterday are currently applying for funding to start one. Once they're up and running here in Evergreen they can branch out to other areas of the state. Marc and I both signed up to volunteer with the group.

The local 350.org chapter also had a booth at the fair, so we were able to meet some of the members and sign up for their mailing / event list. They're fairly new here so it will be interesting to see what they do in the community.

Another new organization in our community is Evergreen Alliance for Sustainability & You (EASY). Membership and projects in this group seem to overlap with the Green Scouts, both of which are dedicated to bringing a community garden to our area. This would be an excellent alternative for us since our garden -- last year at least -- was completely consumed by deer, elk, bears and rabbits.

Finally we found the Nature Nuts, who provide environmental education programs to the "young and young at heart". They offer children the opportunity to increase their awareness and knowledge about the natural world around them through fun and interactive outdoor education experiences. Felix is having fun learning letters right now, so the Alphabet Nature Hike is right up his alley.

The kids planted daisy seeds at one of the Montessori school booths and Marc was able to get some information on a solar water heater. Best of all, we won a Kindle in a drawing! Marc just started back to school to get his principal's license, so he's had his eye on the Kindle so he can take the course's ebooks with him everywhere. What a nice surprise that was.

I'm so glad that we didn't let the inclement weather keep us home.

Going Green(s)

I've been hearing so many mentions of "green smoothies" lately on Facebook and Twitter that I finally had to head over to Google and see what the big deal is. I had no idea it was the (probably not-so-new) thing. I'm always so behind the times.

Well the big deal is not a secret ingredient, or anything you didn't already know. Plain and simple, greens are good for you. They give you energy, they're insanely nutritious, and they aid in digestion.

The internet is brimming with information on the subject. You can join the Green Smoothie Challenge or the Green Smoothie Revolution and get advice from the Green Smoothie Girl or, presumably her nemesis, the Green Smoothie Queen.


Many of the websites I visited recommended a 40% / 60% ratio of greens to fruit and most listed a simple recipe of romaine lettuce and a banana to start out. Always the rebel -- and because I didn't have either of those on hand -- I used some collard greens, an over-ripe pear, three wilting strawberries and a few spoons of yogurt. I won't tell you it tasted like chocolate ice cream, but it was surprisingly not bad.

This morning I noticed some dandelions starting to pop up outside my kitchen window, so in the blender went the leaves with a pear and yogurt. Dandelion leaves are rich in potassium, antioxidants, vitamin A and vitamin C. Plus, they run rampant in my yard in the summertime. What better way to reduce their presence and add a free, healthy ingredient to a smoothie?

Since I'm trying to loose a few pounds for the upcoming bathing suit season (blech) I thought these smoothies would be a great, healthy breakfast or lunchtime meal-replacement.

Has anyone else joined the green smoothie bandwagon?

Happy Earth Day!

My Earth Day post is up over on the Green Phone Booth, but I also wanted to ask you to take action on two important issues today. You don't have to leave your home or office, or make any phone calls. Just a few clicks to show your support for Mother Earth.

Climate: There is no environmental issue more urgent than climate change. And the Senate is poised to bring up new legislation as early as next week, giving us perhaps our last, best hope to solve the climate crisis.

Please take action now: Tell your Senators to support a strong climate and energy bill.

Health: America's toxic chemical standards are outdated and weak. Of more than 80,000 chemicals that have entered the market, only about 200 have been required to be tested. Every American alive today, including newborn babies, has hundreds of these chemicals flowing through our bloodstreams.

Please take action now: Tell your members of Congress to support stronger toxic chemicals standards.

Have a great Earth Day everyone!

Macy's Eco-Friendly Birthday Party

Every year I claim "This is the year!" for the completely sustainable birthday party. We do a lot of our parties at home because they tend to be big. At home we can better manage cost, but then things like plastic cups or paper plates sneak in because we don't have enough of the real stuff to serve all of our guests.

I've thought about buying plastic plates for such occasions, rationalizing that I can use them for a long long time to come. But the truth is that I'd probably get sick of them after a few years anyway and wish I had something new. And then there's that whole moral aspect and the fact that I really prefer not to buy plastic.

So...for Macy's first birthday with us, we decided to throw her party at a local pizza place. They have music and dancing and are very family- and kid-friendly. Mostly we like supporting a family-owned small business, but having the party there added the benefit of eliminating paper plates and other disposables.

Macy wanted "chocolate cake with pink frosting and a princess" which I was able to make for the most part. I made chocolate cupcakes and found a princess candle on clearance for $0.98 at Target.

One of the things that I dislike about kids' birthday parties is the goody bags. (Did they have those when we were kids??) I don't mean to sound ungrateful because I think they're a very generous gesture. My issue is that they often include lots of plastic bits that get broken quickly and easily, then end up in the landfill.

For Macy's friends, I ended up sewing some cute cloth drawstring bags and stuffing them with notebooks, pencils and some fruit snacks. I even saw one of the little girls carrying hers at school on Monday, so I guess they were a hit!

The only waste I ended up with was the plastic wrapper from the princess candle. I have to say, I feel really good about that! Since we're currently in "Earth Month" it was a great lesson for the kids about waste and sustainability.

Food, Inc. on PBS

If you're the last person on earth who hasn't seen Food, Inc. -- oh wait, that's me! -- you can catch it on PBS tomorrow, April 21st.

PBS is encouraging folks to host a potluck style viewing party of the movie. 

Invite your family and friends over for a healthy organic meal. Then watch the Oscar-nominated Food, Inc. and discuss what we eat, how it's produced and where we should go from here. PBS's Point Of View has free gifts to give away - books, gift cards, sustainable food items and more - and they'll be selecting some lucky potluck hosts and participants to receive them!

Sounds like my nerdy type of fun. Anyone want to come over?

Meatless Monday ~ Kitchen Sink Pasta

Pasta is my fall-back for those Meatless Mondays when I'm running low on time, or high on veggies that need to be used up. Today, for example, I have collard greens, carrots, zucchini, cukes, yams and broccoli in the fridge from my last organic produce delivery, and another delivery coming in 3 days. So tonight we have "kitchen sink pasta": mini farfalle with carrots, sauteed collard greens, zucchini and tomato sauce.

PSA: The Great TV Rebellion of 2010

{The following information was provided by the Biomimicry Institute.}

The Great TV Rebellion of 2010 starts today and runs through April 25th. The message is strong: television OFF, nature ON.

The goal of The Great TV Rebellion of 2010 is for 5,000 kids, parents, and teachers to turn off their TVs and electronic devices and spend time exploring the natural world around them.

To help, The Biomimicry Institute has created a FREE, downloadable workbook filled with fun outdoor activities that parents can do with kids as well as a nature journal that kids can use to record the fun sights, sounds, and smells they discover outside.

Cell phones, video games, television, and computers are becoming more widespread and more mobile, making it easier for children to use these technologies nearly everywhere, rather than physically playing, exploring, and learning in the outdoors without electronic devices. The Great TV Rebellion of 2010 is intended to positively encourage children and adults to spend quality time outside while fostering a connection to nature that will draw people back to the outdoors for the rest of their lives.

The Biomimicry Institute is a not-for-profit organization that promotes the study and imitation of nature’s remarkably efficient designs, bringing together scientists, engineers, architects and innovators who can use those models to create sustainable technologies. Their mission is to nurture and grow a global community of people who are learning from, emulating, and conserving life’s genius to create a healthier, more sustainable planet.

So, what do you think? Could you go a week without TV?

PSA: World Malaria Day

Sunday, April 25th is World Malaria Day. While Malaria is not something we think much about here in the U.S. anymore, there are more than 200 million new cases of Malaria each year (the World Health Organization actually says it's closer to 500 million), resulting in 1 million deaths. Most of these occur in Africa and most are young children.

Roll Back Malaria has created a Global Malaria Action Plan based on the specific needs of each affected country and the Pesticide Action Network has also been working with allies worldwide to combat the disease safely.

Unfortunately, several organizations support the spraying of DDT inside homes as a means of stopping the disease. Yes, the same DDT that was banned in the US. The same DDT that has been found to cause cancer, low sperm count, diabetes, endocrine disruption and adversely affect the immune system.

Let's not allow this to happen. Sign PAN's petition by April 22nd and they'll deliver the signatures to President Obama on World Malaria Day. Let's find a way to protect people from Malaria that doesn't involve negative, long term health effects. We would never consider spraying our own homes with DDT. Why is it okay for someone else?

A new kind of House Party

I've been to purse parties and candle parties, parties for jewelry and makeup, Mary Kay parties, Pampered Chef and some I can't even remember the names of anymore. Now there's a different kind of party - one that's truly "no obligation to buy" because there's nothing being sold.

The company is House Party and they're not selling a thing. Instead, they promote brand awareness.

How it works:

Members apply to host a party. It could be for Gerber baby products, Hasbro Game Night, or the Aperitif French Cocktail Hour. If you're selected, you invite people over to sample the products. You get a very generous gift for holding the event. Your guests get a few little things. Everyone gets coupons.

That's it.

I applied for the Fresh Taste of Summer Party by Jarden Home Brands (think Ball canning) where we'll make and can fresh salsa. Yum!

We're the government, trust us!

"This could be something quite big. We might be setting up a huge problem."

~Robert Kremer, USDA Soil Scientist, on the damage caused by Monsanto's genetically engineered RoundUp Ready technology

We hear frequently about the "revolving door" of professionals who go from FDA -> Monsanto -> Dept. of Agriculture -> CropLife -> the EPA and so on. It's gone on for years and years in both Republican and Democratic administrations.

President Obama promised during his campaign to “...tell ConAgra that it’s not the Department of Agribusiness. It’s the Department of Agriculture. We’re going to put the people’s interests ahead of the special interests.” Yet he's already appointed two members of the revolving door club to key posts. (And you know it pains me to point that out because I love me some Obama.)

1. Islam Siddiqui -- current VP of science and regulatory affairs at CropLife, and a former lobbyist -- has been nominated to the critical post of U.S. Chief Agricultural Negotiator. This position will enable him to keep pushing chemical pesticides, inappropriate biotechnologies, and unfair trade arrangements on nations that do not want and can least afford them.

I wonder if Michelle kicked her husbands butt over that? After all, it was CropLife who wrote to her when she planted the White House victory garden, nicely explaining why she should use pesticides, why promoting local foods isn't a good idea, and how she's taking business away from farmers. What a hussy.

#2 Roger Beachy -- long-time head of Monsanto’s defacto nonprofit research arm -- has been installed as director of the USDA’s newly created National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). This office comes with a $500 million budget, and therein control over the U.S. ag research agenda for years to come.

Beachy, as I've recently learned from the book I'm reading: Lords of the Harvest: Biotech, Big Money, and the Future of Food, is basically one of the fathers of genetic engineering. His work was what led to virus-resistant crops, so I'm kind of thinking he's all for GMOs.


Although our government seems to lean to the side of biotech companies like Monsanto and DuPont because of their loose purse strings, there are some government scientists and organizations out there who are speaking out about the issues with genetically engineered crops.

Doug Gurian-Sherman, a scientist who served on an FDA biotech advisory subcommittee from 2002 - 2005, argues that we just can't be sure of the long-term safety of these crops based on current testing. Gurian-Sherman is now a senior scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit environmental group who says "The U.S. response (to questions about biotech crop safety) has been an extremely patronizing one. They say 'We know best, trust us.'"

The Government Accountability Office has also looked at some sketchy happenings at the USDA, EPA and FDA and made suggestions regarding the safety of genetically engineered crops  Said suggestions were, naturally, never adopted, however the EPA did try to make us feel better by saying that they review products every 15 years or so, so they should get to everything eventually.

You can read more in this Special Report: Are regulators dropping the ball on biocrops? (I think we already know the answer to that.)

The best intentions...

I had the best intentions of posting every day this month in honor of Earth Day but I think I've spent more time combing through the 8 kabillion promotional emails I've been bombarded with instead. Every company seems to put an eco-spin on their product:

LifeStyles promoting eco-friendly condoms
A real estate agent promises to green your home for sale
All natural human-grade pet products
Green baby products
Green kids clothing
Green apartment rentals
Bags, purses, jewelry, clothing, accessories, food, sheets, and personal products

Although most have been quite a stretch, there have been a few products and causes that have caught my attention. I'll try to focus on one each day until Earth Day. Stay tuned for a giveaway too!

20% off at To-Go Ware

In celebration of Earth Day, one of my favorite companies, To-Go Ware, is offering 20% off for the entire month of April!

I bought Mr. Greenhab a set of To-Go Ware's bamboo utensils two Christmases ago. He thinks they're pretty rad and uses them for lunch every day at his school.  I love him more than stew.

Buy some for you or your sweetie using this coupon code for 20% off. It's also good on their tiffins, which are great for take-out, bringing leftovers home, or for lunch on the go.

(I was not paid or otherwise compensated for posting the above information.  I just think they're an awesome company.)

Glass Refrigerator Jars

Still storing your leftovers in plastic? As much as I'd love to ditch all of my tupperware, I just can't bear to part with something that's still functional. As each piece cracks or deteriorates, I send it on it's way to the recycling center and try to replace it with a glass alternative.

Over the weekend, I found these cute glass refrigerator jars at Goodwill for $0.99 each. I see them all the time, but the lids are usually missing, or they have cracks or chips. These two were perfect so I snatched them up. They make me smile.

Thrift Store Storage

My mom and I were musing yesterday about how people used to decorate the tops of their kitchen cabinets with jars of pasta and dry beans and other homey-looking things. I have a ton of that stuff on top of my cabinets too, only I now call it storage rather than decoration.

It's a nice reminder to me of how far we've come in greening our diets. Just a year ago I wouldn't need a canister for popcorn kernels because popcorn came in a microwavable bag, inside a plastic bag, inside a box. I had no need to store extra peanuts for making peanut butter, because I bought it in a plastic jar at the store. My rice and flour came in bags, not bulk. And all of the dry beans I keep on hand now, I used to buy in cans (complete with BPA lining).

Now the top of my cabinets hold a mish-mash of thrift store containers - hardly a great decorative look - but no boxes, bags or cellophane wrappers. We're making progress!

Free eco-tote & the chance to win a vacation!

My employer, iVillage, has partnered with CafePress to bring free eco-totes to everyone in honor of Earth Day! The totes are super cute and made from recycled plastic bottles. {You will need to pay shipping, which is only $1.25!}

Perhaps more exciting though is the Earth Day Photo Contest they're running. Upload your photo, share your green inspiration, and you'll be entered to win an Eco Vacation in the U.S. Virgin Islands, plus a Flip HD camera, personalized SIGG water bottles, and a $100 CafePress gift card.

As a side note - if you're thinking ahead to Mother's Day, CafePress has a lot of unique things that you can personalize: organic t-shirts, water bottles, aprons, etc. When you upload your photo to the contest you'll see what it would look like on a variety of their items.

Enjoy!

Meatless Monday at the Booth

It's the beginning of a new week and we've started a Meatless Monday challenge at the Green Phone Booth. Come and join us - for the health of the planet and your body!

Confessions of a sneaky mom...

{I preface this with a "Pardon the crazy hair. My kids evidently don't believe in showering over Spring Break."}

I always knew that having a girl would eventually mean struggles over clothing. I just didn't know it would happen at 5 years old!?! I bought Macy a handful of adorable turtlenecks at Target for the winter, but she absolutely refuses to wear them because of the neck.

After my "refashioning" success last week with my skinny jeans, I decided to see what I could do with these turtlenecks. They certainly weren't doing any good sitting on a shelf and, at only $1.98 each (love me a Target clearance rack!), who cares if they ended up in the scrap fabric pile.

So I took a few of these...

...and turned them into these mock turtlenecks with decorative stitching.

Maybe not the height of fashion, but definitely wearable for a 5 year old.

This morning I pulled the old "Look what mommy bought you  - new shirts!" and no one was ever the wiser. Mwahahahahaha....