mygreenerlife

3 Reasons Why Have Not Posted in 4 Months

2008-07-09T12:58:00.000-07:00

We all start blogs with great intentions. Though many bloggers intend to post frequently, it's pretty easy to fall off the wagon after a while, and go for weeks, even months with out posting. I apologize that I have neglected this blog for so long, but I have 3 decent excuses:

I broke my right wrist. It's my dominant hand, of course, and on March 13, 2008, I thought all the treacherous winter ice had melted. But I was wrong, and just as I was about to start jogging, I slipped onto my outstretched arm. I knew right away that I broke my poor little wrist, and so did the doctor in the emergency department. I returned to work the next day, but I had a plaster cast on my arm for 6 weeks, and writing was pretty challenging. I am now operating with about a 95% useful right wrist (it's still not that easy to ride a bike), so I can resume writing as much as I want.
I have been busy growing things. Just as I stated in my early March post, Spring turned out to be a busy time for me. Despite my broken wrist, I started seedlings in my basement, prepared my garden (with some help), and planted lettuce, Swiss chard, broccoli, carrots, bean, potatoes, watermelon, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and sunflowers. We had a cool late Spring, so some things are growing slowly, but we have already eaten some broccoli and lettuce, and can't wait until the tomatoes ripen and the raspberries burst onto the scene.
I am blogging for greenoptions media and AFreshSqueeze.com. Yep, I have moved into the big leagues, and now people actually pay me to contribute to their blogs. Please read my posts on ecopreneurist, ecolocalizer, and now primarily, planetsave. And log onto AFreshSqueeze.com to receive the e-mail newsletter that periodically features my writing, albeit without attribution.

Now that it's finally summer, and the days are longer, I promise to post more. I probably won't slip on ice and break a bone any time soon

It doesn't get any greener than this--part 1

2008-03-02T15:29:00.000-08:00

What's the greenest thing you can do? In other words, how can you lower your carbon footprint the most? Well, you could move to a tropical jungle or deserted island and become a hunter-gatherer, but I'll bet that for most people reading my blog right now, that's not quite plan A.

A last drastic way to reduce your use of fossil fuels, but very effective, is to grow your own food. I do not have a farm, and I live in a small house on a city lot, but I do have a community garden plot about 1 mile away. I enjoy gardening, and it's great to watch my vegetables grow, and walk my dog down to my garden in milder weather to plant, weed, water, and harvest, but I have never had much of a green thumb. In years past, I have successfully grown the things that grow easily in Chicago: tomatoes, basil, and peppers from seedlings and pumpkins and sunflowers from seeds I have sown directly into the ground. In anticipation of spring, and in my quest to become a little less dependent on fossil fuels in my daily life, I have decided to try something a little more ambitious this year: I will start my own organic seedlings in my basement, and then start to plant outside as the ground thaws.

To start the process, I decided I needed help in becoming a better gardner. So a few weeks ago, I asked my friend Kathy Shepherd to stop by and look through seed catalogs with me. Kathy, despite working part-time as a pediatrician, and spending the rest of her time with her three boys, aged 5 1/2, 3 1/2, and 6 months, is an avid and successful gardner. She grows vegetables in her backyard and uses words like 'cultivar' when talking about a cherry tree she is considering buying. She was a great first resource, and she gave me advice on which seeds to buy.

Then a few days ago, I attended a lecture on starting organic seedlings at a coffeehouse here in Evanston. The lecture was sponsored by thetalkingfarm.org, Evanston's first urban farm, which is still in the planning stages. The speaker, John, did an excellent job of explaining how to start seedlings from scratch at home in late winter. He aimed his lecture at people like me--those gardeners who need basic, detailed information, and I walked away with a list of which seeds to start when, and a lot of helpful notes.

Yesterday, I completed the first step of the process. I went to my local hardware store and I bought a florescent grow light, a peat moss mix, and some compostable containers. (I already have some seeds, but I will buy some more.) I took out my drill, and I installed the light myself in a warm corner of my basement. Next week I will plant my lettuce seeds, and the week after that, my chard seeds. Stay tuned as I recount the story (hopefully) of my first greener planting season.

My first eco-fest

2008-02-12T15:25:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday, I attended my first eco-fest to promote my new environmentally-friendly party planning business, http://www.chicagogreenlife.com/. Despite the day's high temp of 1 degree (no global warming this snowy, cold, icy month), many hearty souls stopped by the free festival, sponsored by local religious organizations and held at Temple Beth Emmett, here in Evanston. Well-known businesses and non-profits, such as I-Go Cars and the Evanston Ecology Center had representatives along with local vegan restaurants, fair-trade goods stores and green architects. I even got a little help promoting my business from my daughter.

How green is that salad in a bag?

2008-01-20T14:07:00.000-08:00

We eat salad almost every night at dinner, but I am going to stop buying those already prepared bags of lettuce. I like to go grocery shopping, and I do it frequently, and I admit I have been often tempted to buy those bags of pre-cut and washed lettuce, lined up in the grocery case, beckoning me by their ease at the end of a long day. Once I get home, I could just open the bag, toss on an organic dressing and maybe some nuts and cheese and a few dried cranberries...but at what environmental cost? I have been reading Michael Pollan's acclaimed book, "The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals," and I just finished reading about how large organic farms produce all those bags of prepared lettuce on display at Whole Foods. The energy expanded to pick the variety of lettuce leaves, wash and bag the lettuce, and then while keeping every single bag refrigerated it at 36 degrees, storing it and then shipping it from a farm in California all the way to the Whole Foods here in the mid-West where I shop is enormous! Starting tonight, I will prepare my own salads from intact heads that I buy in the store, at the farmers' market or grow in my own garden.

I want to eat truly green lettuce.

How I scooped the NYTimes on global warming and health

2008-01-09T13:36:00.000-08:00

Global warming can threaten more than just our ecology. It can threaten our health, as climate change allows infectious disease to emerge in different parts of the world.

On December 23, 2007, The New York Times published a story on the emergence of the Chikungunya virus in Italy:
As Earth Warms Up, Tropical Virus Moves to Italy

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/world/europe/23virus.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=chikungunya+virus&oref=slogin

But back in November, 2007, I published a similar story for Internal Medicine World Report:
Climate Change Culprit in Emerging Infections

http://www.imwr.com/issues/articles/2007-11_02.asp

For the latest on health and global warming, always read mygreenerlife.blogspot.com first.

Great friends, good bubbly, and a tiny bit of recycling

2007-12-28T05:27:00.000-08:00

Last week, on a cold December evening, I got together with a few friends for some holiday cheer. They are among my most environmentally-conscious friends (Beverly rides her bike or takes the elevated train to work every day and she and her husband do not eat animals, and Joy and her boyfriend don't own a car, and just returned from trekking in Bhutan), and we had a great time drinking champagne and catching up at Pops for Champagne here in Chicago. After we had emptied the bottle of champagne, and we were getting ready to leave the restaurant/jazz bar, I asked our waiter if the establishment would be recycling our bottle. Sadly, he reported that they don't recycle, because Chicago's recycling program has really never worked well.
I tried hard not to think about all the bottles they must toss into the trash every night, and I offered to bring home our bottle, and put it outside in my weekly recycling. Our waiter promptly returned with our bottle in a little take-out paper bag, grateful to see one less bottle tossed into the trash.
Beverly, Joy and I bundled up and headed out into the winter night. I brought along my little bag, and it is now sitting in a recycling bin somewhere rather than in a landfill.

Even the House is doing it

2007-12-21T04:24:00.000-08:00

Some news from www.grist.org:

House of Representatives' food service goes sustainable Cafeterias in the House of Representatives are getting a makeover today: out with the high-fructose corn syrup, in with the free-roaming hens. (Well, there won't actually be hens roaming in the cafeterias -- you get what we mean.) Under Speaker Nancy Pelosi's ambitious Greening the Capitol initiative, the privately owned House food service -- which provides more than 2.5 million meals a year -- will start dishing out local, organic, seasonal chow, which can be taken out in compostable containers and eaten with biodegradeable utensils. Unfortunately for hungry senators, the Senate-owned food service will continue to provide iceberg lettuce, processed chicken tenders, and is-it-OK-to-call-them-French-now? fries.

Bipartisan biodegradable utensils? Now that's green democracy!

turning blue and white green

2007-12-03T11:40:00.000-08:00

We are getting ready to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah tomorrow night, and I have done a few things to make our holidays a little more environmentally-friendly this year. Using the same theme of reuse, reduce, recycle, here are some things I have done so far: I saved Hanukkah wrapping paper from last year, and rewrapped presents for my husband and daughter in it. (I even reused some of the gift tags from last year.) I did not make any major trips to the mall in my car, about 5 miles from my home. Instead, I shopped in my local downtown, where I could park my car and walk to different stores, cutting back on the gas I would need to drive to the mall. I also ordered a few things online. One of my husband's gifts includes a completely biodegradable, reusable water bottle. One of my daughter's gifts includes a previously owned outfit from an upscale kids' resale shop. Finally, I will recycle any wrapping paper we can't use next year, and all the potato peals from the 5-6 lbs of potatoes I grated for out latkes are busy biodegrading in our composter.

Thanksgiving wrap up; Hanukkah ideas needed!

2007-11-28T09:52:00.000-08:00

My organic turkey was fantastic! Brined for 24 hours, it was the tastiest bird to ever come out of my oven. Despite minimal use of fresh flowers, my table was beautiful (see photo). Local apples were a knock-out in the apple pie my mother-in-law and husband created.
Now if I could just figure out a way to have a green Hanukkah, I would be pleased with my transition to greener holidays. Any suggestions?

The First (greener) Thanksgiving Report Card

2007-11-14T13:02:00.001-08:00

Though my ancestors hardly came over on the Mayflower (my grandparents and great-grandparents were Eastern European Jews who came through Ellis Island), I enjoy getting ready for Thanksgiving and hosting my friends and family every year. This year, I am trying really hard to reuse, reduce and recycle. Check out what I am doing below, and then tell me if I get an A or not.

Reuse
I set my table with items that I use every year: my grandmother's delicate china, my mother's beautiful silver, and my very favorite festive tablecloth. I also make use of antique serving bowls on my table, and except for paper napkins, I do not use any disposable items. Before I serve dinner, I mix and match my appetizer plates along with serving pieces I have picked up at garage sales to create a homey setting for hors d'ouerves in the living room.
I reuse the food I serve, too. We eat leftovers, of course, and I plan to use the picked-over turkey carcass and the giblets to make a classic turkey stock. Extra whipped cream (homemade from organic whipping cream) is great as a post-Thanksgiving treat in coffee. Cranberry sauce tastes delicious on turkey sandwiches. And my dog loves table scraps!

Reduce
Kudos to my in-laws who win the prize for reducing fossil fuel the most of any of our guests. Rather than fly in from the lovely city in South Carolina where they retired after way too many freezing Midwest winters, they travel the 900+ miles to our home in their Toyota Prius. My father-in-law, famous for his frugality (driving costs less than flying), is really an environmental hero in my book.
I will reduce the environmental impact of raising a turkey this year by buying an organic turkey from Whole Foods. In the past, I have bought a natural turkey from them, but I am looking forward to the authentic flavor and lower environmental impact of the bird I will cook.
On the Saturday before Thanksgiving, I will head to the final farmers' market of the year here in Evanston. It takes place indoors, and though local farmers cannot offer up the delicious tomatoes and peaches of summer, I will stock up on locally-grown apples for a pie my husband has promised to make, sweet potatoes for the annual sweet potato and marshmallow fluff side I must make or my friend Grace will never speak to me again, and Brussels sprouts, for a healthy addition to our laden table. I hope to pick up leaks, radishes, carrots, and some locally-made organic goat's milk soap. By buying as much local produce for my feast as I can, I will help reduce the use of fossil fuels needed to bring in produce that might travel much longer distances.
I will also substitute local pumpkins, gourds, and dried flowers on my table and throughout my home for an abundance of fresh flowers. I love flowers, but buying a big bouquet of flowers flown in from a tropical place does not do much to reduce my carbon footprint. Plus my daughter and I plan to use mini-pumpkins to hold the place cards at our table. They look great, and writing out 15 names on cards certainly keeps an 8-year-old busy.
And though we all love left-overs, I plan to cook slightly smaller amounts of food this year. I do not want to toss out any food left in my fridge that I discover, say in late December.

Recycle
Feel free to check out the recycling bin in my alley on the Sunday night following T-giving. Not only will it contain many empty wine bottles (Grace's husband, Bill, became an oenophile when their now teen-age triplets were babies--he spent a lot of time at home then, understandably--and he always brings wonderful wine to our table), but you will also find clean sparkling organic cider bottles from the kids' table, all the clean paper goods we did not need to toss into the garbage.

greener dry cleaner?

2007-11-08T13:08:00.000-08:00

Admittedly, dry cleaning does not have many redeeming features. It's easy to list all of the environmentally detrimental steps involved in the process: First I load dirty clothes into my car and use fossil fuels to drive to the dry cleaners to drop off the dirty clothes, then the dry cleaner uses chemicals to clean my clothes, and when the clothes are clean, the cleaners swaths each clothing item in non-reusable plastic, and hangs each item on its own metal hanger, and finally, I use fossil fuels to drive back over to the cleaners to pick up my clean clothes. The whole scheme is no better then say, driving an RV cross country. (Well, maybe not that bad.) Short of not ever setting foot in a dry cleaner's again, is there any possible way to improve this environmental sink-hole? (There no green cleaners where I live.) I recently started collecting those flimsy wire hangers instead of tossing them out, and when I had filled a recyclable Whole Foods bag full of hangers, I brought my loot back to my dry cleaner, and he accepted my recycled hangers handily. I don't think that my dry cleaner is enormously worried about global warming, I think he likes the money he saves from not needing to buy new hangers, but no matter: I bring my used hangers back with every visit.

stealth composting

2007-11-06T04:48:00.000-08:00

It's pretty common for couples to hide things from each other--credit card statements, shopping sprees, dirty laundry, even illicit affairs. In my attempts to lessen my family's impact on the environment, I try to get away with something a little more basic: adding coffee grounds, egg shells, and those biodegradable salad containers from Whole Foods to the compost machine in our backyard.
Why do I have to secretly gather the brown ends of lettuce, peels from apples I turned into applesauce, and used tea bags, and then sneak this collection of biodegradable trash outside when my husband's not home? Why can't I take dead flowers from vases and the now scrunched-faced Jack-o-lantern from the front entrance to our house and openly place these unwanted items into the black plastic compost machine in the corner of our yard in full view? Because my husband says the machine is nearly full, and that new additions will not turn into compost. He states then we open the machine next spring after a long, cold winter (of course, it could be 52 degrees in January like it was last winter), instead of finding a pile of rich dirt to enhance my vegetable garden, we will find trash. He has told me repeatedly that the little tops of string beans that I tried to sneak into the compost several times will not degrade into their basic components in the next 6 months. The smelly onion peels will still be just that--smelly and a bit rotten, but not part of a lovely mix of healthy, sustainable earth, ready to sprout vegetables in my 2008 garden. He has begged me not to add any more apple cores (chopped up a bit, so they degrade a little quicker) or broccoli stems to the compost machine until the current contents fully degrade next year.
I am the early riser in this family, though, and he is still asleep. I could throw my sweater on over my pajamas and run into the backyard with this morning's coffee grounds. I could throw in a mushy banana from the fruit bowl that no one wants to eat. Even the extra noodles that our daughter's sitter left cooked but untouched in the pot on the stove last night could go right into the compost machine. Shhh....

Why my greener life?

2007-11-02T17:32:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my blog, an online forum with useful advice on how to lead a more environmentally-friendly life. Why did I call my blog 'my greener life'? I wanted to call it 'mygreenlife,' but frankly, I am not there yet. I am an urban professional, and like most of my counterparts, I drive a car, I heat my home with natural gas, and when I plug my laptop into the wall to blog, I not using wind power, but electricity from a big coal-fired power plant in my state. My husband and I want to lead more environmentally-friendly lives, but we cannot afford to install solar panels throughout our house. I applaud wealthy celebrities who choose to make such enormous, expensive changes, but for now, we are starting with the smaller things. We recycle almost every scrap of clean paper. We bought a compost machine last spring. We reuse our grocery bags, and turn off the lights when we leave a room.
I hope you will join me as I tell the blogging community about the simple, every-day life changes that almost all of us can make in order to reduce our impact on the environment. I look forward to blogging about mygreenerlife.