Buying Seafood
May 09, 2008
Seafood, if not polluted by mercury and if harvested in an eco-friendly way, makes an excellent addition to a healthy diet. According to Ideal Bite there will no more seafood left in our oceans by 2048 if we continue to harvest seafood the way we do. Current methods of harvesting are unsustainable and need to be changed. We can do our part by buying only fish harvested using sustainable fishing practices.
Environmental Defense offers a pocket guide to selecting seafood (Pocket Seafood Selector) that I’ve found quite helpful. It’s nice and small so it’s easy to keep in your purse or wallet for reference when you’re at the grocery store or a restaurant.
Posted In: Nutrition/Health | Green Living • Comments (0)
Celebrate Earth Day
Apr 22, 2008
Happy Earth Day everyone! To celebrate Earth Day this year, I would like to challenge us all (myself included) to actually BE outside for awhile today. Even if only for a few minutes, being in nature can be such a healing and refreshing activity. Sometimes we can write about being green, buy green products, advocate for the environment and yet rarely even be in contact with creation.
So today go surround yourself with green (and no I don’t mean money)! Just sit in silence (outside) and feel the breeze, hear the birds and breath in the fresh air. If there’s a park nearby, have a picnic lunch or take a walk. If you’re stuck in an office all day, go buy a plant or two to put on your desk.
This planet with live on is absolutely stunning! May you be enchanted by its beauty today!
Posted In: Green Living • Comments (1)
Recycled project: Hopscotch rug
Mar 12, 2008
Here’s a green project we did recently. I found several carpet samples for sale at a thrift store and thought they would make a fun carpet for our play area. I originally planned on sewing them together in a rectangle shape but then came up with the idea to make a hopscotch rug. My daughter has been into hopscotch lately so she loves it. This not only added a colorful accent to our floor but is functional too in that Emma can play on it.
At 50 cents a square the rug cost only $5 to make! If you try to make this yourself here is what I recommend: I found it hard to get a needle through the thick carpet (even a thick needle) so I first poked holes in it with an icepick and that did the trick.
Posted In: Green Living | Parenting | Crafts • Comments (7)
My Dream Home
Mar 03, 2008
I just found my dream house! For awhile now I’ve wanted to build an eco-friendly home for our family. At this point in our lives it isn’t feasible but hopefully in the future we will be able to. Today I stumbled upon the most adorable and eco-friendly house I’ve ever seen. You should totally check it out! It’s quite amazing! My brother thinks it looks like a Hobbit house from Lord of the Rings.
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The Truth about Bottled Water
Jan 17, 2008
Many people assume that bottled water is healthier than water from the tap. What they may not realize is what they’re getting may not be any better than tap water. In fact, name-brand companies such as Dasani and Aquafina actually use just that, tap water. Consumers often pay 1,000 times more for bottled water, an unregulated and sometimes even inferior product. Images of sparkling mountain streams and gushing springs seduce the consumer right into a scam. That’s money being poured right down the drain!
Not only is the bottled water itself an issue, the plastic it’s packaged in is an environmental hazard. 60 million water bottles are thrown into landfills each DAY! Although recycling the bottles is better than throwing them away it still doesn’t solve the problem. Even if everyone recycled their water bottles there is still the issue of all the fossil fuels needed to make them in the first place, transport them across the country and then recycle them. Re-using the bottles isn’t the best option either because they are made from polyethylene terephthalate or PET plastic (Recycle code #1), a plastic made for one-time use only.
Consider a better and healthier alternative, reusable bottles. Stainless steel or aluminum (Sigg brand) water bottles don’t release any chemicals and leave your water tasting clean and fresh. My family uses stainless steel bottles made by Klean Kanteen. You can even purchase them with sippy lids for toddlers! Here’s where I bought mine: Reusablebags.com
While tap water is generally safe many of us feel better taking an additional step to insure healthy water. In-home water filtration is the best option out there. It’s more environmentally friendly, healthier and cheaper than bottled water. I’ve been using a Brita pitcher filter but am looking into upgrading to a Berkey filter. I love that it’s powered by gravity and doesn’t require any fancy hookup to the faucet. Apparently it can even filter straight lake water! That would be fun to try! I will probably purchase the fluoride removing attachment as well. If any of you have experience with this particular water filter please let me know. I’m eager to try it! I’ll be sure to let you know how I like it.
Comparison of Popular Water Filters
Sources: Earth Policy Institute, Bottled Water Blues
Posted In: Nutrition/Health | Green Living • Comments (1)
