National Energy Saving Week - Families Day

As families, we do many things together. We eat together, play together, drive together, and make lots of garbage together.

Today is Families Day so I'd like to take a second to think about the ways you and your family can work together to save energy.

- Recycle, Recycle, RECYCLE

- I've said it before and I'll say it again, you need to unplug appliances when they are not in use. Patrick and I have our TV and stereo system plugged into a power strip which we turn off every night. If you use a power strip it's just a matter of flipping a switch.

- Watch less TV. Instead of eating dinner on the couch, eat at the table and talk. Talking consumes less energy than your television does. Plus, a family that eats together stays together.

- Take walks. Take family walks whenever possible. Instead of driving to the corner store or to the local park, perhaps you could walk there.

- Finally, turn lights off when you leave a room. This is a simple way to cut down your energy bill.

National Energy Saving Week - Digital Day

Today is Digital Day for National Energy Saving Week. How do you save energy when going digital?

- Recycle all batteries, including laptop batteries.

- Recycle electronics at a drop-off center specific for computers and other electronics.

- Don't keep your electronics plugged in when they are not in use. This still sucks up 80% of their total energy.

- Purchase digital music files instead of CDs. CDs take up more room and use more energy when they are created.

- Use a digital camera. Digital pictures are instant, you can take tons more and you don't have to worry about the nasty chemicals used in developing traditional photos.

National Energy Saving Week - Work Day

Today is "Work Day" for National Energy Saving Week. How can you save energy while you're working?

- If you work near a window take advantage of natural light before you flip that switch.

- Recycle all papers in the copy room.

- Talk to your company about implementing a recycling program if you don't already have one.

- Bring your own mug to work. Don't waste those paper or styrofoam cups.

- Look into purchasing shade grown coffee for the break room. Maybe you and some buddies can start a coffee club and pitch in for the coffee of the month program.

National Energy Saving Week

This week is National Energy Saving Week. Each day members of specific "communities" should be doing whatever they can to save energy. Today is Womens Day.

All women should be conserving as much as possible. Here are a few tips to help you make today a true conservation day.

- Let your hair air dry today instead of using the electricity it takes to blow it dry.

- While you're at it, keep the hair dryer and other electronics unplugged. Appliances suck up 80% of their energy just sitting there plugged in.

- Not that women should be doing all the laundry but if you do, let your clothes dry on a line or dryer rack instead of using an electric dryer.

- Let's watch less television today.

- If it's a nice day, keep your windows open and the heat/AC off.

- Of course, check your bulbs and make any replacements with compact flourescent lightbulbs.

Wedding Venue Take Three

We originally thought we'd have our wedding at Alba Vineyard. Alba is beautiful but the caterers aren't fitting our style. So we thought we'd have our celebration at Alstede Farms. Alstede would be perfect for us because we could use food grown right on the farm in our dinner and even cut our flowers grown on the farm without having to resort to a florist. However, the event manager (whom I thought was very nice and extremely helpful) has not been in touch with us for follow-up. This could be due to many reasons but I, as the bride, cannot wait around forever while other venues are getting booked up.

So here we are more than two months after our engagement and we've finally decided on a venue that I think (keep your fingers crossed for us) will stick. Rutgers Gardens is a beautiful area of preserved land used by students studying horticulture. It is also host to a variety of events, such as weddings. They have a log cabin and pavillion perfect for our wedding!

What Makes it Green?

Rutgers Gardens and Pavillion is green because it is a non-profit venue. All proceeds go toward maintaining the gardens. We are able to use the caterer of our choice and we're happy about that. Patrick's mother gave me the name of a caterer that has worked some of their big family parties. One was even a wedding. This caterer has done numerous weddings at Rutgers Gardens so we can feel confident that she will do a good job and we will be happy at the end of the night.

A Friday Wedding

Due to the fact that September is the new June when it comes to weddings, all Saturdays are booked so we had Fridays and Sundays to choose from. I got all excited thinking we could take the Sunday before Labor Day but, of course, that was the ONE Sunday that was booked. So....after much deliberation (and tears on my part), we decided on having a Friday evening wedding. We figured after all is said and done a Friday night would be easier on our guests than a Sunday because our close friends and family won't want to have to go to work the next day.

So Rutgers Gardens it is. I'm writing this at 10pm Wednesday night. I will be officially booking the site tomorrow morning. I'll keep you posted but in the meantime, please keep your fingers crossed that nothing goes wrong with this one. I don't think I can take starting all over yet again.

Blog Action Day: Don't let Us Blog In Vain

Today is Blog Action Day. More than 15,000 bloggers have pledged to write about the environment today. The problem, it seems, is that "the environment" is too broad a topic to write about and expect to make a dfference. Isn't it? That's the opinion of some bloggers. That we can't make a difference because we're preaching to the choir, so to speak.

The following is taken from an email I wrote to Patrick a little while ago in reaction to one of these skeptics. I thought it would be good to share the email with you because I was so revved up when I wrote it. The writer I am referring to below believes that blogging about the environment won't make a significant enough difference to bother with it. Instead, we should be joining forces to donate to a charity or protest or at the very least, sign a petition-like blog post that one person composes. While these are all good ideas, I don't see the harm in BAD. So, here is my two cents. (I don't want to mention the exact blogger I'm talking about because I enjoy reading that blog and I respect the writer.)

"Wow. That person makes a good point and I can't say I haven't already thought all that myself. I think the point is, however, that something is better than nothing and that people are uniting. Who's to say that the same people who created BAD aren't also out there doing "more"? If they had set up a donation page, how many bloggers would really donate? I think this was a good way to bring many, MANY more people together. A very strong approach would be to follow up with all the BAD participants to continue writing to make a difference.

Even when it makes some sense, I get kind of annoyed at opinions like these because as I stated, something is better than nothing. How many more charities can we create? How many more protests can take place? And seriously, are 15,000 bloggers going to pull together to do anything else so willingly? Blogging is easy and it's free. Even if "the environment" is a broad topic, there is no harm in educating each other. I undoubtedly will learn something new today by clicking on someone else's blog. Education is key and it can only help, not hurt. Ugh...I'll get off my soapbox. Maybe I should use this email as my post for today."

I, myself, have learned a great deal about "the environment" by randomly clicking on and reading many blogs. I feel that I am more knowledgeable and am able to make better decisions effecting our world and our future. I certainly hope that my blog has made a difference for you. If I can make just one person think before throwing a plastic bottle or soda can in the garbage instead of the recycling bin, then I've made a difference. Just think what 15,000 bloggers can do to educate the world, even if it is only the blogging world.

Birders Sit Big

Patrick and I spent the day at the Sandy Hook Bird Observatory. Patrick volunteers there through the New Jersey Audubon Society as an associate naturalist once a month and this month just happened to fall on the day of the yearly "Big Sit".

Each year dedicated birders choose a spot where they will stay all day and count the species they see perch or fly by. Since Patrick had to work today, the SHBO was our spot. We didn't see as many birds as we might have elsewhere but we didn't do too shabby considering our constraints. You can read all about our sightings (really Patrick's sightings since it was too cold for wimpy ol' me to keep walking outside) at The Hawk Owl's Nest.

National Wildlife Refuge Week

Today kicks off National Wildlife Refuge Week across the country. A National Wildlife Refuge is a protected area of land or water managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. There are over 500 refuges protecting wildlife in the US. You probably have one near you. Perhaps you can take a little time to either visit a refuge in person or do a little reading online about why these protected areas are so important to us.

Blog Action Day

Blog Action Day will take place on October 15th. Bloggers all around the world will write about one thing - the environment. Take a look at the video below to learn more.

King Corn

Corn is a great alternative for many things including fuel and plasticware. However, our nation has become dangerously reliant on the tall-stalked plant for more than you may realize. Check out the trailor for King Corn, a new documentary. Try to see the whole movie if it's running in a theater near you.

More Green Cleaning

If you watch Good Morning America, you saw their segment on green cleaning this morning. According to the woman visiting from Domino magazine (I apologize for not being able to find her name on the GMA website), there are specific ingredients to avoid and ones to look for.

AVOID: Chlorine, Amonia, Phosphates, Formaldahyde

LOOK FOR: Hydrogen Peroxide, Baking Soda, Essential Oils, Borax, Vinegar, Plant-Based Ingredients

These natural, green cleaners are becoming more and more affordable. In fact, if you're willing to mix your own solutions, you can make most (or all) of your household cleaners from a few products that cost under $1.00 each.

A good site to take a look at that Patrick found for me is Broomhuggers. They are an all natural cleaning service and just happen to have a wonderful blog chock full of helpful household hints.

Happy Cleaning!

Clean With Vinegar

Forget the commercial cleaners. Vinegar is all you need. Patrick was googling around to find a way to clean and deodorize our dishwasher when he came across this site. Not only does it state how to clean a dishwasher with vinegar, it also lists nearly thirty other useful ways to put this common household liquid to work. Indeed it does work. And hard.

Patrick put a bowl of vinegar and water in the microwave for about five minutes and voila! The grease and last week's pasta sauce wiped clean with ease. It was amazing! So before you hit the store for more toilet cleaner, degreaser or oven cleaner try some vinegar. Not only is it cheap, it's GREEN!

More Green Wedding Ideas

As you know, Patrick and I are trying to be as green as possible when it comes to our wedding. So far, Alba Vineyard has been the best venue that is outdoors, local and somewhat affordable (define affordable). Then I was reading about green weddings online and someone suggested using a farm.

It isn't that easy to find a farm that will host a wedding ceremony and the reception and allow you to have liquor. We did it, though. We found Alstede Farm on a list of NJ farms. Their website states that they host parties of all kinds so I made a phone call and the next thing we knew, we were visiting the farm and discussing our wedding with the event manager.

Alstede is a fun place. They have lots of fun family activities going on right now. You can visit them for apple picking, hayrides, berry picking, a corn maze and shopping in their store. Way beyond all the action, in the back of the farm is where our wedding could take place. We like it because it's outdoors, it's a secluded area surrounded by the farm and far-off trees. Of course number one is that we would be supporting local agriculture and setting a good example based on our beliefs. It really just suits us.

Alstede is preserved farmland so they do not allow the public to drive past the parking lot in the front. Therefor, our guests will be brought to the wedding on a hayride. I think it's charming and perfect. What do you think?