Wordless Wednesday

Tortilla Chips Addiction

If you're addicted to tortilla chips like I am and if you have a Target you plan on visiting this week, pick up some Archer Farms Organic Tortilla Chips while they are on sale. 2/$5.00 is a steal. Who says eating organic food is expensive?

I Rub Plants On My Face

Yes, I do rub plants all over my face. In fact, I do it twice a day. Every morning and every night I rub bog bean, heather, seaweed, ginger, turmeric, holy basil and mushrooms (which aren't really plants, they're fungi) on my face. Why do I do this and who convinced me to do it? Well, I do it because it makes my skin look and feel better than it has in years and the person who convinced me is Dr. Andrew Weil.

Dr. Andrew Weil has a line of natural, plant-based products with Origins. Dr. Weil uses an approach called integrative medicine, which takes into account the whole body, not just the problem area. For instance, I had dry patches on my cheeks. Other products would target the dryness with chemicals and would work. But they would work only temporarily, and at what cost to the rest of my body? Who knows where those chemicals went...into my blood stream??? Dr. Weil uses the perfect combination of plant extracts found in nature to combat my dry skin and redness (the curse of the Irish). I've been using the serum and the face cream for a little more than a month and my skin hasn't been dry since I started. It feels and looks smooth and soft. You can read more about integrative medicine here.

I'm very happy to report that not only are these products amazing and natural, but Dr. Weil donates all after tax profits from sales and royalties to The Weil Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting integrative medicine through training, education and research.

Yay for Method!!!

While watching Gabby clean her granite topped kitchen counter on my favorite television show, Desperate Housewives, I recognized a small round bottle of cleaner in Gabby's hand. It was Method! I'm proud to see Method making it's way into popular mainstream television. My favorite cleaner and my favorite TV show make a great combo. What's next? Ecover Dishwasher tabs in the Walkers' kitchen on Brothers and Sisters? That would be awesome!

Tell me your eco-friendly I Spy TV moments.

Stinky Pits Be Gone

Lately I've been trying to find an all natural deodorant that works to my (and Patrick's) standards. I've tried three so far and here's what I've found:




1. Tom's of Maine - A wonderful product but not for the sensitive, like me. After using Tom's for about a week I found that I had raw, red and itchy skin. I like this deodorant because it keeps me dry but too dry is not a good thing and my sensitive armpits couldn't handle it every day.


2. Desert Essence - This product smells great and works well for a while but not for all day. I found I had to apply it twice a day for it to really work well. One day I had only applied it in the morning and by that evening Patrick hugged me and told me I smelled like B.O. Needless to say, I went to the store to find another deodorant.

3. Crystal Body Deodorant - Crystal has been around a long time. I remember hearing of it years ago but I never thought it would work well enough for me. I was wrong. I purchased a bottle of the liquid roll on and soon realized what I've been missing out on. I only need to apply it once in the morning and I'm good to go all day and night.


I copied this directly from Crystal's website:
How Does it Work?
The Crystal deodorants are composed of mineral salts which form a topical layer on the skin, creating an environment impossible for bacteria to thrive. They eliminate the odor-causing bacteria and therefore prevent body odor.
How is that different from mainstream deodorants? Most deodorants mask body odor with a perfumed scent, contain alcohol to shrink pores, or aluminum chlorohydrate/aluminum zirconium. These compounds enter the pores and physically block or clog them to reduce the flow of perspiration. In essence, they inhibit the body's natural expulsion of toxins.

So Crystal it is. I'll keep you posted if I develop any problems. I would like to point out that while doing research for this blog post, I found out that Tom's of Maine now has a new deodorant specifically for sensitive skin. I love other Tom's products so I may give their new deodorant a try. I'll let you know if and when I do. How about you? What do you use? How have your results turned out?

Wordless Wednesday

HAPPY EARTH DAY!!

So what will you do to celebrate? Since this blog is all about being easy, here are some easy ideas:

1. You've heard it before (probably a million times before) so for goodness sake make the switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs. You can buy them everywhere now. Don't let the price tag overwhelm you. You'll make the money back in savings on your power bill PLUS they last three years or more.

2. Recycle your glass, plastic, cardboard, newspaper and mixed paper. Not just today, but every day of the year. In most places, IT'S THE LAW!!!!

3. Eat Seasonally. Spring is here. Nature's bounty is everywhere. Feast on locally grown produce to reduce the miles that average food travels to land on your plate.

4. Choose chicken over beef. Beef is the largest consumer of energy in the food industry.

5. Turn the lights off. If you don't need them, don't use them. These days the sun sets so late that you could probably live by nature's light until well into the evening.

6. Compost your kitchen scraps. When you chop and peel all that local produce you are bound to have some scraps. Should you toss them in the trash? No. Instead, toss them in a compost bin out back. I recently bought a tall plastic hamper with a lid that has holes all over the sides and top. This is important because compost needs good air circulation. This is a very easy way to reduce your trash. Every little ounce makes a difference. The heavier the garbage truck is when it tows our kitchen waste that could have been composted, the more energy that is needlessly wasted. Composting is easy and fun. It's also a nutritious and natural way to feed your garden. You can compost with or without a garden but if you do garden, add some fresh compost around your plants every once in a while for cradle to cradle nourishment you can feel good about.

7.Don't shop today. We all have lists...grocery lists, hardware store lists, convenience store lists, yadda yadda yadda. Just take this one sacred day to stay away from shopping.

8. Speaking of sacred, I recently read that the best way to be green is to observe the Sabbath. For just one day this week, don't shop, don't watch TV, don't drive in your car. And oh, no computer either. Instead, take a walk, read a book, have a lively discussion, clean out your winter clothes for your spring and summer ones. It's just one day. Give it a try.

9. Go outside and pick up the garbage. I don't mean only on your property. Take a nice, long, leisurely walk with a bag and pick up all the trash you find. Take a few friends with you and make it a contest. The person with the most trash at the end wins! Even kids could do it.

10. Share this blog with everyone you know. Spreading the word is crucial to preserving a healthy environment.

Have a Happy Earth Day!

USE IT UP, WEAR IT OUT, MAKE IT DO OR DO WITHOUT.

Words we should all live by.

I Did It!

I made the switch from conventional big name hair dye to Herbatint. I'll admit I was scared. I was afraid it would be harder to apply, not cover my greys and possibly turn my hair brassy. None of the above happened and I have nothing but good things to say about this gentler brand.

Herbatint contains no ammonia, alcohol, peroxide or parabens so it's easier on your hair and the environment. My favorite part is that there was ZERO smell. This means no burning nose, no teary eyes and no stinky bathroom.

My result is soft, smooth hair with a natural blonde close to the color I was born with. Needless to say I'm quite happy and will be using Herbatint from now on.

Buying Organic is Not a Luxury

There is a common misconception out there that buying organic products is only for the wealthy or for hippies. I'm out of work, certainly not wealthy and not a hippie (although some like to joke that I am).

The thing is, organic food is REAL food. I agree that it costs more than conventional food but the money missing from the price equals the nutrients missing from the food. Conventional food is produced with numerous pesticides and chemicals used to push crops to grow faster and bigger than the next. Our meat and dairy is loaded with hormones to increase production. Those presticides, chemicals and hormones are like poison to humans. They lower our immune system, increase allergies and mess with our own hormone production and digestive system.

We are very spoiled by sales, cheap produce and manufacturers coupons. The sales and coupons are almost never for organic food. If we could learn to buy local, organic products and try our best to buy seasonal produce, it wouldn't hurt our wallets. Don't expect to buy cheap organic tomatoes in the middle of the winter when they are a summer crop. There are books and websites to help guide us like seasonalchef.com, The Food Network, Simply in Season and The Local Food Pocket Cookbook.

Another important point I'd like to make is that we are a nation of overconsumption. We eat too much, buy too much stuff and live in houses that are way too large for our needs. Maybe the reason we think organic food is too expensive is because we want to buy too much of it? Buy just what we need and it doesn't cost so much afterall.

If we stop thinking of organic food as a luxury and start seeing it as real food we might have a new perspective and realize the cost is worth the benefits.

Mighty Good Package

I am a die hard tea drinker. I drink all types and flavors. I have specific teas to drink in the morning, afternoon and evening, depending on caffeine levels. I am picky about my tea, to say the least. I prefer loose leaf because the quality and price is usually better. There are some bagged teas I'll drink, though, like my new Traditional Medicinals green tea that the Green Easter Bunny left in my basket. I'll even use less-potent, cheaper tea bags for iced tea and they get the job done. However, there are certain types of bagged tea that I have always been against for environmental reasons.



Teas that come in "silken" pouches just don't seem reasonable to me. Yes, they look nice and feel nice and claim to be better than the average tea bag but why would you buy something that's bad for the environment when you can get biodegradable paper tea bags or loose tea?



It turns out Mighty Leaf tea bags are indeed biodegradable. According to their site they are made of corn and unbleached cotton and will completely break down within one year. Okay, I stand corrected. Mighty Leaf isn't as bad as I thought. They even took their conservation a step further by printing their boxes with soy-based ink and using biodegradable packing peanuts and recycled brown paper packing materials. Kudos to them. I would like to see them get rid of their foil packets and conventional cotton strings. Paper packets and organic cotton would be superb but I must say that I am happy to see how well Mighty Leaf is doing otherwise.



PS- Those other silky bags made by Lipton and TeaForte are NOT biodegradable.

A Rant on Greenwashing

I've already shared with you all that Patrick and I have our wedding favors chosen but I decided to browse the David's Bridal website because I heard they have a section of eco-friendly favors. So I went to the site and looked at the favors. They are all made of paper with wildflower seeds embedded in them so you can plant the paper and watch a garden grow. They are pretty and it's good that DB is trying to be environmentally conscious but the problem with things that have seeds in them is that those wildflowers are not native everywhere and it isn't good to introduce new species to any environment where it doesn't belong and can run rampant.



It gets complicated but this is called greenwashing. Greenwashing happens when a product is marketed as "eco-friendly" but it isn't really that great for the environment afterall. They (the offending greenwashers) are hoping to make money off of people who want to do the right thing but in reality it would be better if David's Bridal just sold favors that were made from recycled, recyclable materials in the first place. A lot of this sort of thing is happening now because so many people are taking an interest in saving the world. Clorox, which is an awful company as far as the environment is concerned, now has a "green" line. That stuff is still full of toxic chemicals. They just made slight changes in their formulas, colored the liquids green and slapped a pretty label on the bottle and people think they're saving the earth when they buy it. I've also been seeing a lot of cosmetics marketed as "mineral"-something-or-other. 100% pure mineral makeup is non-toxic and great for your skin but most of these major cosmetics companies are just using their usual chemical-laden formulas and adding a mineral here and a mineral there and labeling it as mineral make-up. I could go on and on.



In this day and age of saving the earth, we want to do all we can to purchase non-toxic items. Major corporations just don't always make it very easy on us. It's a real shame because all we want to do is preserve our land and keep a safe environment for ourselves and our loved ones. My advice? Just be aware and if you want to try a new product do a little research. All it takes is a quick Google search to determine whether it's worth it or not. Or you can just ask me and I'll gladly do the research for you.

Watch Your Footprint

The National Geographic Channel will air a special on Sunday, April 13th titled, "Human Footprint". The show sheds light on how much waste we create in a lifetime from diapers, candy, soda, milk, water and more. Clever visuals include a river of rubber ducks representing one person's lifetime water consumption and a front yard full of dirty diapers for one child. The host, Elizabeth Vargas, points out that those diapers won't biodegrade within the lifetime of the child who wore them (at least 500 years). Not only do we get to see what and how much we consume but how those products are made and the materials consumed to make them.

Set your Tivos and DVRs for this Sunday, April 13th. The National Geographic Channel will air "Human Footprint" at 8pm EST. You can get a preview tonight on 20/20 at 10pm EST.

Oh. My. God.

Where have our little girls gone? :(

http://www.phillymag.com/articles/pretty_babies/page1

Green Wedding Update

I just thought I'd take some time to let you all know how we're doing with our wedding plans and what we're doing to keep it green.

1. We're using all digital photography which saves on materials (film) and chemicals (developing). This way we can choose what we want to have printed without wasting paper and energy.

2. We will be creating our own playlist on iTunes and have a friend emcee the event. Another friend will be loaning us his audio equipment so we will still have a professional sound. This takes a bit more planning and organization on our part but we're up for the task.

3. Our bridesmaids dresses will be simple and reuseable. It was top priority when choosing the dresses that my girls would wear them again. I've seen too much money and material wasted on dresses that are only worn once.

4. The groomsmen will be wearing simple slacks and dress shirts with matching ties. The tuxedo industry is very toxic. Not only do you spend tons of money on something you have to return but then the stores send the tuxes to dry cleaners that use harsh chemicals. Our guys will be able to spend the same amount or even less and be able to wear their outfits to work or another wedding.

5. We're limiting our flowers. Since we're getting married outside in a garden, we don't really need the use of a florist. We're planning to decorate with potted mums, pumkins and produce, fall foliage, etc. I'm not sure yet what I'll be doing about my bouquet and the girls' flowers. We might not carry any. If we do, it will be something very simple. Maybe we'll hold pumpkins. I'm kidding!

6. No rice, bird seed, bubbles or bells. Rice is wasteful. Think of all the people who could eat it. Seed is okay but I don't want to worry about it getting in my hair or down my dress. Bubbles are messy, expensive, wasteful and are always a pain in the butt to get those little bottles open. Bells are just plain pointless. I suppose I could collect them all and turn them into some kind of jingle bell instrument but that's okay. We would like our guests to simply clap for us.

7. Our food will be as organic, local and seasonal as possible. We won't be serving beef, which is a huge consumer of energy. We're having a buffet to hopefully cut down on wasted plates full of food. All leftovers will be donated to a soup kitchen. We have a wonderful caterer who is working with us to do the best we can to keep it green.

8. Our wedding site. We're getting married outside in a botanical garden and the reception will be on the same grounds. Not only will we have beautiful scenery but this is a non-profit organization. All money goes toward maintaining the gardens.

9. My makeup will be non-toxic 100% mineral makeup.

10. We will not be using a limo or any other type of hired transportation.

11. Our favors will be green. I don't want to give away what they are but they will be very earth friendly.

12. I am making our invitations on recycled paper.

13. We registered through the website www.idofoundation.org/bethandpatrick. By doing this, any gifts purchased online through this website will automatically generate a donation to the Nature Conservancy. Our guests can also opt to make a direct donation in lieu of a gift.

So there you have it. That's our green list so far. I'm sure there's more that we have planned that I forgot off the top of my head but these are the major things we're doing to keep it eco-friendly. I will gladly accept any other suggestions.

Ten Thousand Villages

I spent my day yesterday volunteering at our local Ten Thousand Villages shop.

Ten Thousand Villages is a non-profit organization with storefronts around the country. Everything in the store is hand made by women in third world countries. The profits from the sales goes back to those women to help support their communities.

It felt good to give back by volunteering at the store. They are always looking for help so maybe you can donate a couple hours, too.