Food

I've talked some about food about how my wife & I are part of a CSA and most everything we buy after that comes from Wild Oats or the Turnip Truck. I've also mentioned eating "in season" and/or local foods. I considered healthier b/c you limit shipping time thus its fresher. It's healthier b/c you limit the need to add chemicals that will maintain or increase shelf life. Now there seem to be even more reasons:

A ten-year study comparing organic tomatoes with standard produce found that they had almost double the quantity of antioxidants called flavonoids which help to prevent high blood pressure and thus reduce the likelihood of heart disease and strokes.

Organic fruit and vegetables really are better for your heart

So, the next time you go to Kroger or some other grocery store look for organic & local labels on your produce.

Nectaur of the Gods

I love beer. I don't drink it as much as I used to b/c I spend my money on other stuff and Tara says I snore (louder) when I drink. Is that too much info? Anyway, there are all sorts of cultural considerations with beer and ecological ones - it is made with grain which means you can grow organic ingredients. Of course, there is also the microbrew factor...local product, blah blah woof woof.

My suggestion is drink local. There is not a state in this union, I imagine, that doesn't have a local brew. Most cities do...

Good Anglican, Bad Anglican.

Over on Blog Blog Woof Woof, I've talked about the crappy part of my Episcopal Heritage but here we see the good side.

Richard Chartres, the 132nd Bishop of London, is one of the Church of England’s most outspoken members on climate change issues. We recently featured news of his personal attempts to cut his own carbon emissions, but how is his fast progressing? The Guardian recently visited him to see if his home life was as green as he is trying to make the entire church.

To bottle or not to bottle

The great water debate.

I have never been a bottled water kind of person, except when it comes to sparkling...I love me some San Pellegrino (at least they use glass bottles). If I was on a road trip or out for awhile I would probably buy a bottle but only b/c of portability.

Tara is a filtered water kind of person but she learned somewhere along the lines to buy in bulk. She would buy a jug, fill it up at one of the health food places and refill her drinking bottles from that. When we remodeled the kitchen we decided to get a filter and drinking water spigot for the kitchen sink. We use it for cooking and drinking and the filter is changed once a year. Tara talks about a whole house system but I don't know why. I don't know why, I just don't think its justified.

Below are 2 articles that discuss bottled water.

Is bottled water safe?

The next time you feel thirsty, forgo the bottle and turn to the tap. You’ll not only lower your environmental impact but also save money—bottled water can cost up to 10,000 times more per gallon than tap water. And because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s standards for tap water are more stringent than the Food and Drug Administration’s standards for bottled water, you’ll be drinking water that is just as safe as, or safer than, bottled.

There is also the environmental impact. Which is an extremely ugly part of our consumer, appearances-mean-more culture

FTC wants to stop Whole Foods/Wild Oats deal

Nashville has limited options for organic food, the largest, most extensive selection is at Wild Oats of which there are two. Both are on the SW or West side of town closets to the richest of the rich in Nashville. The closest of the two for me is completely across town, about 12 miles, not convient and not terribly practical or eco-friendly. Fortunately my wife goes to church near there and can make a side trip on Sundays. My neighborhood is blessed with a wonderful, small independent store, Turnip Truck, about 3 miles from my home but they have no deli or fish monger or butcher. It could basically fit in the bread aisle of Wild Oats. A couple of years ago we all heard Whole Foods was coming to town and there was the faintest hope they would build east or north. Did they? Of course not. They built about 200 yards from Wild Oats, same side of the street and everything.

Greg Mays, chairman and CEO of Wild Oats, said in a statement that Wild Oats would cooperate with Whole Foods in fighting the FTC in court.

It means nothing to me if Whole Foods gets it's way. Neither chain is helping me by locating all on one side of town.

The article is here.

Green Coffee to Go

This tip is close to my heart. I love my coffee. I never seem to get enough. If you work in an office ceramic mugs works great. If you work in a retail type establishment where you might have a locker I would suggest a travel mug with a top. The purest coffee making process is the coffee press. Try it.

Papel Ecology

The more I read Buddhist Philosophy the more I recognize Christianity. With the right Pope the Catholic Church can stay closer to the these universal principals than anyone can imagine. It looks like the Church has the right Pope.

Whispers in the Loggia: On the Environment: A VP's "Inconvenient Truth" = The Vatican's "Inescapable Reality"

The fourth Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, the 54 year-old prelate's two direct predecessors were brought back to Rome and given red hats at the end of their UN days; before Migliore's 2002 arrival, the post was held for 15 years by then-Archbishop Renato Martino, now on double duty as cardinal-president of the Pontifical Councils for Justice and Peace and Migrants and Itinerant Peoples. In a recent speech in Columbus, the Observer cited the "inescapable reality" of the "degradation" of the cosmos and offered some tips on how to combat climate change:

It comes down to "working less, wanting less, spending less," thus reducing the impact each person has on the environment,

Archbishop Celestino Migliore told participants gathered in Columbus for the second in a series of regional Catholic conversations on climate change April 14. [In the interests of context, the full quote was "In the States this movement is often expressed in terms of so-called voluntary simplicity, that is, a way of life that tends to involve patterns of working less, wanting less and spending less. In other parts of the world, it focuses on a radical criticism and opposition to the current economic and market systems."

Technorati Tags: environment, catholic church, christianity, buddhism

Indoor Air Quality

We struggle with our houseplants. Neither Tara nor I have terribly green thumbs, we just let the plant do what it does. Outdoors we've been far more successful with this technique than indoors but we keep trying. I've mentioned over on Blog Blog Woof Woof that we used Feng Shui as a guideline for interior color choices. Another common "cure" for household ills is the use of houseplants. In Feng Shui it relates to life generating chi and living opjects moving chi. And come on, who doesn't smile a little when you see healthy plants. Ecologically houseplants help purify the inside air as well as raise humidity levels which helps reduce dust and dirt. They can literally "cure" ills.

I inherited a spider plant from one of my previous jobs, it grew and grew at my office but when I took it home it stagnated. It's still alive but it has grown much over the past few years. Last year we bought a plant for almost every room in the house and struggle to keep them alive. We tried again and so far, so good; they all are healthy. There is one room where we have a larger plant or two and these are a constant struggle. We try to make sure they have light and water but they are always dropping leaves. If you have suggestions I would love to hear them.

Principals

Working in a library gives me the opportunity to see all sorts of books I wouldn't necessarily know about. Just yesterday one came through that I have decided to check out in an effort to present you with solid, researched info on the topics at hand. The book is from 2001, it is called Green Living by Sarah Callard & Diane Mills.

In the introduction they present 5 principal changes we should all work to make in our lives in an effort to regain the balance of nature which we have most certainly upset. They are:

• Decrease reliance on fossil fuels - say energy, choose plant-based materials, avoid petrochemicals
• Reject all toxic pesticides - organic eating and gardening
• Stop buying plastic - duh!
• Recycle as much as possible - reuse, reject disposible stuff, & compost
• Buy from sustainable sources - buy FSC wood products, bamboo, fair-trade

Green & Black's Goodness

When I first started this blog I couldn't decide whether I wanted to call it Black & Green or Green & Black. I decided on Black & Green with the knowledge that some of the finest chocolates I have ever tasted come from Green & Black's I didn't want to take the chance of infringement. Of course, now that I am touting their glory maybe I can get some samples. Please?!?! Thanks to Marjorie for reminding me to mention them. And Marjorie I will share them with you if I get any.

If you are used to Hershey's, even their new found appreciation for dark chocolate, you have no concept of what a treat and shock you are in for the first time you try Green & Black's. Even knowing this I was flabbergasted when my adorable wife brought home some of their ice cream. You do not understand the glory of chocolate ice cream until you try some of this. Words do not suffice.

You must try Green & Black's!

From their website:

From those early days back in Portobello, London, it's unlikely Craig & Jo could have envisaged what a huge success Green & Black's would become. Today, we remain true to their original values of ethical trading & organic products and our aim continues to be the creation of chocolate products that gives a taste experience like no other. We believe every new creation has to be the best of its kind we've ever tasted & take time and care to bring out the intense flavor that has now become our trademark.

Native Landscaping

Last summer Tara and I started a landscaping project. We tore down a decaying wood fence along the property line and decided to replace it with shrubbery. Like most novices we went to Home Depot and bought some shrubs we liked. I had done research and thought I was getting native Tennessee plants but I was WRONG. More to this later. Most didn't do very well, which we figured was because it was Summer when we planted. Winter came and we finally got around to planting our anniversary tree (we decided to give ourselves a tree for our 1st wedding anniversary). To do this we called a nursery Tara's Mom has used and loves, Growild.

Let me stop here and say I cannot recommend these guys highly enough. They made the whole process one of the most satisfying shopping experiences I have ever had. I went to them with a few trees in mind and they made alternate suggestions based on where the tree would be placed and which ones would fair better for us. Keep in mind that they handle native plants only.

We chose a variegated tulip poplar, a yellowwood and a purple robe. They were planted in winter so I was quite excited to see what they would look like in spring. Spring sprang and they looked great, the purple robe was especially spectacular and then we had the record lows and extended freeze around Easter. These three trees have recovered wonderfully, I swear the purple robe is 5 feet taller already. The shrubs are a different story. Originally we bought a few butterfly bushes, a few burning bushes and a few crape myrtles. The crapes have done the best out of the lot. In the meantime we got a card for an open house type thing at Growild. There were nature walks and hay rides and food and music and a big sale. We took one of our nieces and came back with 3 shrubs and some ground cover plants (I am actually attempting to landscape).

Now I'll go back to what I said in the first paragraph about buying what I thought were native plants. I had a couple of books on landscaping and gardening in Tennessee which is where I got the idea for the shrubs we bought last year. This year at Growild I find out that none of them are native species and what's worse, Butterfly Bush is a "Category 3" invasive (Kudzu is a Category 1). Burning Bush is invasive & Crapes are non-natives but are not invasive. I ended up with three Nine-barks to replace the Butterfly Bushes. My point in talking about this is that you have to be very careful where you get your info. My sources were legit but at the least misleading, at the most incomplete and/or inaccurate. Last week a ran an experiment, I took Growild's list of available plants to Lowe's to see which natives they carried and out of all the plants Lowe's had only about half a dozen were natives. If you want native landscaping you won't find much at the big box home improvement stores.

Why am I stressing the use of natives? Two main reasons:

1. they are easier to maintain, they belong here so you really don't have to work too much with them
2. we've already caused enough chaos and destruction in our environment why not promote the growth of something natural.

The other plants I bought are used in an attempt to beautify my air conditioner compressors; you know, the big ugly outdoor part of a HVAC system. I wanted something that wouldn't get in the way but something that would look nice. I got several eco-lacquer spider plants and three heucheras; 2 "Autumn Brides" & 1 Purple Leaf Hairy Alumroot or maybe its a purple palace, I forget. These spider plants are small but they apparently grow a lot and quickly. They are low growing so they won't really cover up anything but I won't have to cut grass and these are interesting little plants. We'll see how it all looks after they grow and then I will chance some other areas, I already have ideas.

That is the saga of a landscaping novice.

Ten Things You Should Never Buy Again

Thanks to The Hip and Zen Pen for the Ten Things You Should Never Buy Again

1. Styrofoam cups
2. Paper towels
3. Bleached coffee filters
4. Overpackaged foods and other products
5. Teak and mahogany
6. Chemical pesticides and herbicides
7. Conventional household cleaners
8. Higher octane gas than you need
9. Toys made with PVC plastic
10. Plastic forks and spoons

Technorati Tags: eco-friendly, shopping, consumption

Ideal Bite

I've just added a widget for the "Daily Bite" to the sidebar and I highly suggest checking them out regularly or signing up for the daily bite in your inbox. These guys do lots of research for the tip of the day. If they suggest something to buy they always give you multiple options. Great source.

Ideal Bite: a sassier side of green

Mold sucks!

I have problems with mold in the shower. I try and try with natural cleaners but to no avail.

Hopefully these National Geographic suggestions will help: Fight Mold Without Chlorine

Helping Myself to Help Others

I read a lot of Buddhist philiosophy and as I see it, the prime directive is that by living better you will affect change all around you. I struggle with this, one because it's hard but also because sometimes it doesn't seem to be enough. I just finished the essays in Someday We'll All Be Free by Kevin Powell. He lays out, in a very personal way, that things are fucked up. The realities he presents are a downer and they make my attempts to become a better person, to spread the light by being the light, trite, selfish, and even silly. As I have digested this I have to say, where else to you start? If you can't commit to change of and for your self then how the hell are you gonna help change anything else.

One of my favorite blogs has a list of 29 Happiness Hacks to Feel Better Now:

• Hack One: Goals
• Hack Two: Chores
• Hack Three: Laugh
• Hack Four: Aid
• Hack Five: Socialize
• Hack Six: Inspiration
• Hack Seven: Exercise
• Hack Eight: Posture
• Hack Nine: Music
• Hack Ten: Nature
• Hack Eleven: Hug

I encourage you to go to Scott's blog and read through the other 18 hacks and well as all of the other incredible info. And recognize that when you engage yourself and encourage yourself to make your world better you will in essence be working to making the world of everyone around you better and at that point you are socially conscious.

Technorati Tags: socially conscious, self-impovment, buddhism, kevin powell

One More Reason to Love National Geographic

National Geographic's Green Guide Ten Tips for Earth Day: Preserving Biodiversity.

Yes, Earth Day has passed but of course, in my world "everyday is Earth Day." So there. :-P

Seriously, these are good. I've already discussed a few and I actually do some of them but hadn't thought about talking about them here...for example, paperless bills.

Home Energy Usage

I got this tip in my inbox this morning:

Make HER do it instead. Call a Home Energy Rater - a specialist who finds out how efficient your place is and can estimate how much you'll save by making specific improvements.

If you want to see how energy efficient your home is I suggest following through with something like this. Ideal Bite suggests hiring a Home Energy Rater which will cost b/t $250 and $600. I am sure this is more comprehensive than the one my power company offers but NES offers a free audit...check your power company and see if they do too.

Technorati Tags: home, energy, energy consumption, eco-friendly

Food

Mmmmm, food. Sometimes there is nothing better than a good (fill in the blank). This is also an area you can have the most impact with the smallest amount of effort.

Think about the food we eat. It comes from somewhere, it takes energy to produce and it creates waste. It impacts how you feel, which impacts what you do and so on.

In my household we eat organic and local foods as much as possible. My wife is a major proponent of all things organic. When we met I ate some organic food, used some organic items but I didn't really go out of my way. She does most of the shopping so the percentage of organic in my life has increased greatly. Why do we eat organic (or use organic products)? It's all about reducing the amount of chemicals we use, ingest, or require because of the manufatured goods we buy. And what does that matter? Well, selfishly we want to live as long as possible. In addition to that we feel a responsibility to our community. We believe that everyone in the community must do a share to make the world a better place. Why does that matter? Because that's what being a part of a community is about. Sen. Hillary Clinton wrote a book...It Takes a Village. From what I know of the book it takes the concept from traditional societies, in particular African societies, that a group (community, society, neighborhood, family, take your pick) will work best only when everyone works together. In sports and in the military you hear things like "you are only as strong as your weakest link". This concept, this ideal is the most practical and most efficient way to survive.

Here are some of the things we do:

1. Eat organic and local as much as possible and hopefully organic and local are the same thing.
2. Eat what's in season (farmer's markets are great places to learn this info).
3. Support a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).
4. Avoid chains and fast food.
5. Compost fruit and veggie scraps.
6. Cook as often as possible, freeze and/or take the leftovers to work.
7. Eat more fruits & veggies, less meat.

Easy Stuff - Socially Responsible Behavior

This concept mirrors the "buy black" movement that shows up every few years. Whenever you spend money check what the sources are. Buy items you conscious says are "drama free". Support items, manufacturers, and retailers who support treat their product, employees, customers, and environment with respect, fairness, and honesty.

If you don't know about a certain company just ask or go to the interweb, there are a few of sites to help:

1. Business Ethics Magazine Top 100 2006 (.pdf)
2. Co-Op America's Responsible Shopper
3. Care2's Shopping Page

Stop eating fast & chain food. If you must eat out go to an independently owned restaurant. Ask the server if they buy locally grown food. If they don't suggest that they might. My wife and I love Middle Eastern/Greek and there are a few places in Nashville (Istanbul, Chicago Gyro & House of Kabob) we frequent and they all have a mix of mass bought ingredients and not.

So as usual, there is no perfect answer we just have to do the best we can do.

More Easy Stuff - Cleaning Products & Their Substitutes

I've started this blog with cheap & simple changes you can make. Changes that don't really seem like changes. There are behaviors you can modify, there are substitutes you can make and you don't have to spend much money. Here are some notes about clearing out the toxins from your cleaning stash.

My parents grew up in an era when America discovered the power of the chemical. They could buy something in a jar or bottle that was strong enough to deep clean without much effort, they could see the dirt disappear. I have come full circle. I have come to a place where I recognize that those things are harmful in the house both for the possibility of ingestion and the inhaling of fumes. We (my wife and I) have gone back to our grandparents or great-grandparents era to tap their ideal of using simple, accessible things to do a great cleaning job (or supporting companies who make these products). I doubt my grandparents knew this stuff was safer, it was probably the only thing available.

So, here you go:

Baking Soda is sodium bicarbonate. It has a number of useful properties. It can neutralize acid, scrub shiny materials without scratching, deodorize, and extinguish grease fires. It can be used as a deodorizer in the refrigerator, on smelly carpets, on upholstery and on vinyl. It can help deodorize drains. It can clean and polish aluminum, chrome, jewelry, plastic, porcelain, silver, stainless steel, and tin. It also softens fabrics and removes certain stains. Baking soda can soften hard water and makes a relaxing bath time soak; it can be used as an underarm deodorant and as a toothpaste, too.

Borax is a naturally occurring mineral, soluble in water. It can deodorize, inhibit the growth of mildew and mold, boost the cleaning power of soap or detergent, remove stains, and can be used with attractants such as sugar to kill cockroaches.

Cornstarch, derived from corn, can be used to clean windows, polish furniture, shampoo carpets and rugs, and starch clothes.

Isopropyl Alcohol is an excellent disinfectant.

Lemon Juice, which contains citric acid, is a deodorant and can be used to clean glass and remove stains from aluminum, clothes, and porcelain. It is a mild lightener or bleach if used with sunlight.

Mineral Oil, derived from seeds, is an ingredient in several furniture polish and floor wax recipes.

Soap (NOT detergent) is made in several ways. Castle soap can beuse d as a shampoo or as a body soap. Olive-oil based soap is gentlest to the skin. An all-purpose liquid soap can be made by simple dissolving the old ends of bar soap (or grated slivers of bar soap) in warm water.

Steel Wool is an abrasive strong enough to remove rust and stubborn food residues and to scour barbeque grills.

TSP is trisodium phosphate, a mixture of soda ash and phosphoric acid. TSP is toxic if swallowed, but it can be used on many jobs, such as cleaning drains or removing old paint, that would normally require much more caustic and poisonous chemicals, and it does not create any fumes.

Vinegar is made from soured applied juice, grain, or wine. It contains about 5 percent acetic acid, which makes it a mild acid. Vinegar can dissolve mineral deposits, grease, remove traces of soap, remove mildew or wax buildup, polish some metals, and deodorize. Vinegar can clean brick or stone, and is an ingredient in some natural carpet cleaning recipes. Use vinegar to clean out the metallic taste in coffeepots and to shine windows without streaking. Vinegar is normally used in a solution with water, but it can be used straight.

Washing Soda or SAL Soda is a sodium carbonate decahydrate, a mineral. It can cut stubborn grease on grills, broiler pans, and ovens. It can be used with soda instead of laundry detergent, and it softens hard water. These items are available from drug and chemical-supply stores.

And here are some tips on what to do with this stuf:

Freshen air by opening windows and doors for a short period; distribute partially filled dishes of vinegar around the kitchen to combat unpleasant cooking odors; boil cinnamon and cloves in a pan of water to scent the air; sprinkle 1/2 cup borax in the bottom of garbage pails or diaper pails to inhibit mold and bacteria growth that can cause odors; rub vinegar on hands before and after slicing onions to remove the smell; use bowls of potpourri to give inside air a pleasant scent.

All-purpose cleaner can be made from a vinegar-and-salt mixture or from 4 tablespoons baking soda dissolved in 1 quart warm water.

Disinfectant means anything that will reduce the number of harmful bacteria on a surface. Practically no surface treatment will completely eliminate bacteria. Try regular cleaning with soap and hot water. Or mix 1/2 cup borax into 1 gallon of hot water to disinfect and deodorize. Isopropyl alcohol is an excellent disinfectant, but use gloves and keep it away from children.

Drain cleaner. Try a plunger first, though not after using any commercial drain opener. To open clogs, pour 1/2 cup baking soda down drain, add 1/2 cup white vinegar, and cover the drain. The resulting chemical reaction can break fatty acids down into the soap and glycerine, allowing the clog to wash down the drain. Again, do not use this method after trying a commercial drain opener--the vinegar can react with the drain opener to create dangerous fumes.

Floor cleaner and polish can be as simple as a few drops of vinegar in the cleaning water to remove soap traces. For vinyl or linoleum, add a capful of baby oil to the water to preserve and polish. For wood floors, apply a thin coat of 1:1 oil and vinegar and rub in well. For painted wooden floors, mix 1 teaspoon washing soda into 1 gallon hot water. For brick and stone tiles, use 1 cup white vinegar in 1 gallon water and rinse with clear water.

Metal cleaners and polishes are different for each metal -- just as in commercial cleaners. Clean aluminum with a solution of cream of tartar and water. Brass may be polished with a soft cloth dipped in lemon-and baking-soda solution, or vinegar- and-salt solution. Polish chrome with baby oil, vinegar, or aluminum foil shiny slide out. Clean tarnished copper by boiling the article in a pot of water with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 cup white vinegar, or try differing mixtures of salt, vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice, andcre am of tartar. Clean gold with toothpaste, pewter with a paste of salt, vinegar, and flour. Silver can be polished by boiling it in a pan lined with aluminum foil and filled with water to which a teaspoon each of baking soda and salt have been added. Stainless steel can be cleaned with undiluted white vinegar.

Oven cleaner. Sprinkle baking soda on moist surface and scrub with steel wool. Or use Arm & Hammer Oven Cleaner, declared nontoxic by Consumers Union.

Scouring powder can be made from baking soda or dry table salt. Or try Bon-Ami Cleaning Powder or Bon-Ami Polishing Cleaner.

Toilet bowl cleaner can be made from straight bleach (do NOT mix with any other substance except water), baking soda and vinegar, or borax and lemon juice.

Tub and tile cleaner can be as easy as rubbing in baking soda with a damp sponge and rinsing, or wiping with vinegar first and following with baking soda as a scouring powder.

Window and glass cleaner is easy with these tips: to avoid streaks, don't wash windows when the sun is shining. Use a vinegar-and-water solution, cornstarch-vinegar-and-water solution, or lemon-juice-and-water. Wipe with newspaper unless you are sensitive to the inks in newsprint.

Believe or not the government gave me these tips and they have more here

Technorati Tags: eco-friendly, money savings, household, cleaning, tips