Party time again. The end of summer is hear. This is a big weekend for parties. Many will throw caution to the wind and buy lots of Styrofoam. That's right the villain of all villains Styrofoam. I am begging you, Mom are you listening? I will wash dishes. Please use regular dishes. No way you say. Okay here are some tips. Plastic is better than Styrofoam but only by a weensy bit.
Paper is better that plastic but then there are the trees and the oxygen we breath.
Recycled paper is much better. Think paper towels, toilet paper, plates.
In the past couple of years I have had several parties and no trees were harmed and no Styrofoam was placed in the landfill to sit for 1000 years.
We use cloth napkins and washable dishes. Nobody cares that they don't match. You look noble, like you, um,care that the earth is turning into an Easy Bake Oven.
Then there are your groceries. Buy as little packaged as possible. Listen to me, It's okay to put your produce in your cart with out a plastic bag. Maybe not the grapes but everything else will survive. What you do buy packaged make sure its recyclable, clear glass, aluminum, plastic #1 and #2. Wash them out and place in a separate bag and the tree hugger in your family will take them away to be made into new carpet, playground cover, all kinds of good stuff that won't hurt our planet.
Have a healthy, happy holiday, set a good example. In case you've been living in a cave you should know :It's cool to be green these days.
In the words of Kermit the Frog. "Green is what I want to be and I am happy being Green".
Namaste'
Courtney
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
What can I do right now ?
So your thinking what can I do right now to save the planet? The question burns in your mind. It's all you can think about. Right? Well probably not, however there are little actions we do everyday that make a difference. So as I retrace my foot steps I think of what do I do each day that makes a bit of a difference. Easy things everyone can do.
A.M.
Breakfast was made up of granola cereal and milk on sale, organic yogurt, and fresh fruit in season.
Blake and I took our showers with a water saving shower head. Every one turns the water off to brush their teeth. Ditto for shaving. I make lunches to save money with very little prepackaged food. Some but not much, Hey, I am not a saint.
My pants are from the resale shop and my shoes are at least 10 years old but look nice. My purse was a hand me down. Ditto for most of my jewelry.
All lights go out and air is turned to 78 when we leave. Blinds are shut.
When I get to work every light is on in the building, as I leave my class room lights go off.
At lunch I share my meal with a girl friend.
P.M.
Calling on customers I go in a circle to reduce stops and right hand turns. This is more efficient as it cuts down on idling and saves time not crossing four of five lanes of traffic. It just takes a little time to think about this in no time you do it with out even a thought.
I park in the shade and crack my windows. If I need to work in the car I turn it off.
When I get home the ceiling fans come on and I leave the air alone only to turn it down to 76 when we go to bed.
Today the kids started riding the bus, Hallelujah. This saves me gas, idle time and heat stroke. Oh yeah and the pain and suffering of four hormonal kids in the car fighting, this is under the Saving sanity category.
We ordered pizza tonight, nothing virtuous there. Well I did not heat up the house.
Looking around it was pretty bright, so I turned off the lights: 7 of them. They are compact florescent. I wash the dishes and clothes in environmentally safe cleansers and use Method drier sheets. All recyclables are rinsed and put in bins.
The toilet is a low flow and by the way the brand is Gerber, it was only $100 and I highly recommend it. Sanity Saver: Not plunging the toilet every night.
My kids take showers every other night unless they get dirty or just want one, very rarely is that the case.
Lunches are packed, clothes are mostly ready.
Now this doesn't always agree with Simple Living philosophy but in saying that: I will go work out with a personal trainer at 6:oo a.m. and the cleaning lady comes on Friday. Yes I have to work to pay for these. However I love my work and It is worth every penny to me plus these services don't hurt the environment and help locals make money. If buying my clothes at resale shops and Target lets me have these things that's cool with me.
Namaste'
Courtney
A.M.
Breakfast was made up of granola cereal and milk on sale, organic yogurt, and fresh fruit in season.
Blake and I took our showers with a water saving shower head. Every one turns the water off to brush their teeth. Ditto for shaving. I make lunches to save money with very little prepackaged food. Some but not much, Hey, I am not a saint.
My pants are from the resale shop and my shoes are at least 10 years old but look nice. My purse was a hand me down. Ditto for most of my jewelry.
All lights go out and air is turned to 78 when we leave. Blinds are shut.
When I get to work every light is on in the building, as I leave my class room lights go off.
At lunch I share my meal with a girl friend.
P.M.
Calling on customers I go in a circle to reduce stops and right hand turns. This is more efficient as it cuts down on idling and saves time not crossing four of five lanes of traffic. It just takes a little time to think about this in no time you do it with out even a thought.
I park in the shade and crack my windows. If I need to work in the car I turn it off.
When I get home the ceiling fans come on and I leave the air alone only to turn it down to 76 when we go to bed.
Today the kids started riding the bus, Hallelujah. This saves me gas, idle time and heat stroke. Oh yeah and the pain and suffering of four hormonal kids in the car fighting, this is under the Saving sanity category.
We ordered pizza tonight, nothing virtuous there. Well I did not heat up the house.
Looking around it was pretty bright, so I turned off the lights: 7 of them. They are compact florescent. I wash the dishes and clothes in environmentally safe cleansers and use Method drier sheets. All recyclables are rinsed and put in bins.
The toilet is a low flow and by the way the brand is Gerber, it was only $100 and I highly recommend it. Sanity Saver: Not plunging the toilet every night.
My kids take showers every other night unless they get dirty or just want one, very rarely is that the case.
Lunches are packed, clothes are mostly ready.
Now this doesn't always agree with Simple Living philosophy but in saying that: I will go work out with a personal trainer at 6:oo a.m. and the cleaning lady comes on Friday. Yes I have to work to pay for these. However I love my work and It is worth every penny to me plus these services don't hurt the environment and help locals make money. If buying my clothes at resale shops and Target lets me have these things that's cool with me.
Namaste'
Courtney
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Holy Frustration
Does reading about the environment and poor people just make you feel guilty? What if we are guilty? The fact is if you live in America you are guilty to some extent. Some more than others. As consumers we don't always recognize how our purchases effect someone in a third world nation. It is often lack of education. To often we choose to be ignorant because it's to painful and to hard to face the fact that our choices have impact on others.
No longer is the leisurely Sunday drive something you can do without thinking about the energy that is wasted and the pollution that is generated by that drive.
It is frustrating for even the most ardent environmentalist like myself. At times I just want to buy some bananas, but I know about the deforestation in the rain forest
and the mob like business practices that Chiquita has going on. So I pay an extra .50 cents and buy organic Turbana bananas. My studies have led me to be educated about deforestation in Canada. So now I won't buy any paper products from Canada. Once or twice a month we purchase recycled paper products to reduce our consumption of the forest.
My youngest son has Asperger's syndrome a mild form of Autism. He also has mild Tourette's syndrome and is severely dyslexic. He is about 3 years behind in his reading and writing. The latest study indicates that the pesticides and herbicides a women ingest while she is pregnant may contribute to this. Did I unwillingly take in those things that caused this child to have these problems? Now my family eats local, organic and hormone free as much as possible. We don't use pesticide or herbicide in our yard. Once you educate yourself there are alternatives and the cost in the long run will save us all a lot of money on medical care and hearth ache to the health and well being of our loved ones.
1. Do not purchase anything from Chiquita. For more information search NPR's website.
2. Avoid paper products from Canada.
3. Be an activist. Stop and talk to your grocer, you never know they may actually care more than you think. This has been my experience on several occasions.
4. Pour vinegar on your weeds, it works wonders.
Namaste'
Courtney
No longer is the leisurely Sunday drive something you can do without thinking about the energy that is wasted and the pollution that is generated by that drive.
It is frustrating for even the most ardent environmentalist like myself. At times I just want to buy some bananas, but I know about the deforestation in the rain forest
and the mob like business practices that Chiquita has going on. So I pay an extra .50 cents and buy organic Turbana bananas. My studies have led me to be educated about deforestation in Canada. So now I won't buy any paper products from Canada. Once or twice a month we purchase recycled paper products to reduce our consumption of the forest.
My youngest son has Asperger's syndrome a mild form of Autism. He also has mild Tourette's syndrome and is severely dyslexic. He is about 3 years behind in his reading and writing. The latest study indicates that the pesticides and herbicides a women ingest while she is pregnant may contribute to this. Did I unwillingly take in those things that caused this child to have these problems? Now my family eats local, organic and hormone free as much as possible. We don't use pesticide or herbicide in our yard. Once you educate yourself there are alternatives and the cost in the long run will save us all a lot of money on medical care and hearth ache to the health and well being of our loved ones.
1. Do not purchase anything from Chiquita. For more information search NPR's website.
2. Avoid paper products from Canada.
3. Be an activist. Stop and talk to your grocer, you never know they may actually care more than you think. This has been my experience on several occasions.
4. Pour vinegar on your weeds, it works wonders.
Namaste'
Courtney
Monday, August 13, 2007
Environment Who ????
It's 104 outside. Is it Global Warming or just natural weather patterns? One has to wonder. Recently I called a honey farmer to ask about advertising with the magazine I work for and he confirmed that he just didn't have many bee's. Environmentalist like me talk a lot about the ENVIRONMENT. What exactly does that mean and why is it so polarizing between political parties?
So think of it like this: Your, Our Environment is the lake you swim in. The mountain you hike. The country road you drive down to see wildflowers. The peaches that all died from a May frost this year. The trail you bike. The sky above. The grass below. The air you breath. The ocean you visit.
No doubt you can figure that I am a liberal democrat by reading my blogs, however, that does not change that we share the same environment. Yours, Mine, Ours,there is no separation.
1. Quit using the chemical cleaners. The absolute best thing you can do is
use baking soda, soap flakes, vinegar, Borax, and Bon Ami. The cleaners you use filter down into the ground and run off into streams and lakes. Think of a coffee maker, All that yucky chemical stuff drains right through that dirt, i.e. coffee into the pot, i.e. your lake of stream or ocean.
2. Turn of your fans to high and turn the air up. Drink ice water. Keep cool while using less air conditioning.
3. Eat low on the food chain. Beans, Grains, etc.... you know the drill. It should look most similar to how it comes from the land. Meat and processed food takes a lot of energy to produce and get to your table.
Namaste'
Courtney
P.S. One person makes a diffrence. It may be a drop in the bucket, but, many drops make an ocean.
So think of it like this: Your, Our Environment is the lake you swim in. The mountain you hike. The country road you drive down to see wildflowers. The peaches that all died from a May frost this year. The trail you bike. The sky above. The grass below. The air you breath. The ocean you visit.
No doubt you can figure that I am a liberal democrat by reading my blogs, however, that does not change that we share the same environment. Yours, Mine, Ours,there is no separation.
1. Quit using the chemical cleaners. The absolute best thing you can do is
use baking soda, soap flakes, vinegar, Borax, and Bon Ami. The cleaners you use filter down into the ground and run off into streams and lakes. Think of a coffee maker, All that yucky chemical stuff drains right through that dirt, i.e. coffee into the pot, i.e. your lake of stream or ocean.
2. Turn of your fans to high and turn the air up. Drink ice water. Keep cool while using less air conditioning.
3. Eat low on the food chain. Beans, Grains, etc.... you know the drill. It should look most similar to how it comes from the land. Meat and processed food takes a lot of energy to produce and get to your table.
Namaste'
Courtney
P.S. One person makes a diffrence. It may be a drop in the bucket, but, many drops make an ocean.
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