Adventures in Eco-Living

Still looking for that perfect gift for dad? It’s not too late to send a green gift! Check out some of our most popular:

Wild Man Natural Sassafras Shaving Kit
This cool eco-gift pairs up an exotic and moisturizing natural shaving soap with a natural shaving brush and a hardwood soap dish with cover. Perfect for the dad who loves to shave the simple, old-fashioned way- with a razor and some good, clean suds. Our deliciously spicy shaving soap is made with cold pressed olive oil and organic aloe juice (instead of water) to soothe and soften plus castor oil and calcium bentonite clay for a rich creamy lather. All in a natural burlap drawstring gift bag, too!

Dynamo Crank Hurricane Lantern (No Batteries!)
This crank lantern is the ultimate eco-gadget! There are no batteries to replace- when you need light, simply wind the crank for a minute, and get up to 20 minutes of light. You will never have to worry about dead batteries again, so it is great for emergencies, like power outages (which is what we keep 2 of these on hand for) and car emergencies. It is also super-lightweight (under 2 pounds), making it great for travel and camping (you don’t have to worry about bringing spare batteries!)

Organic, Fair Trade, & Delicious Coffee
Is Dad a coffee lover? If so, then he will truly appreciate a good cup of joe. Equal Exchange features some of the best coffee we have found. Mind, Body, and Soul is a medium roast blend that is smooth, soft, and soulful, with a dark chocolate finish that makes this coffee truly fit for the connoisseur. Yum!






“Make Tea Not War” Men’s Organic Cotton T-Shirt
Send a statement of peace with this stylish organic cotton T-Shirt. We love the slogan!

Corn PLA Water Bottle with Filter
Corn is the new plastic! These cool bottles are the first step away from petroleum-based plastics and wasteful bottled drinking water. Made from a corn-based plastic that is compostable in a commercial composter, with no petroleum, and paired with a charcoal filter that allows you to fill up your bottle anywhere you go and still get the peace of mind and clean taste that comes with drinking filtered water.

It’s not too late to get your green Father’s Day gift, but you need to hurry! Please order by Monday, June 16 to guarantee timely delivery. And check out our website at www.thegreatergreen.com for more cool eco-products!

Don’t forget to join the international movement in support of ending global warming! Earth Hour is a global action event, and its organizers are hoping to rally one billion people worldwide to “Vote Earth” by switching all lights off for one hour tonight. Over 74 countries and territories have pledged their support!

It’s easy! All you have to do is turn off your lights from 8:30 to 9:30pm (your local time). Plan something fun and make an event of it: a campfire, playing cards by candlelight, flashlight tag…. the possibilities are endless! We’d love to hear your ideas- please share!

Check out the Earth Hour website for full details.

Have fun and Happy Earth Hour everyone!!

Add a twist of green to your Valentine’s Day this year! Not only will these fabulous and indulgent green gift ideas melt the heart of your loved one, you will be treating your planet, too- with healthy, sustainable, recycled, and organic products. There’s no better way to say “I love you”!

GREEN GIRL PASSION GIFT SET

This set makes green so romantic! Includes handmade recycled silver earrings with Fair Trade pearls, an aromatherapy soy candle scented with exotic essential oils, 100% natural Sensual Jasmine massage oil, Nag Champa incense, all in a recycled gift box, wrapped with recycled wrapping paper and tied with a natural Sinamay ribbon.

GREEN SPA GIFT SET

Ahhhh… nothing says “Pamper Me” like a relaxing day at the spa…. now you can bring the spa experience home, while enjoying some of our most popular natural, organic, and luxurious products. Set includes Organic Eye Relaxation Pillow (chamomile or lavender), Natural Passionflower Soap, Ayate Fiber Washcloth, Organic Comforting Clove Dead Sea Bath Salts, Sea Soap Natural Spa Shower Wash, and a pumice stone. And, of course, it’s all boxed and wrapped in recycled gift wrap!

GREEN MASSAGE GIFT SET

What better way to spend Valentine’s Day evening than getting a sensuous (and green!) massage? This set is definitely a gift that will be enjoyed by both of you! Includes Sensual Jasmine Natural Massage Oil, a laminated Massage Chart describing the important hand and foot pressure points, a wooden Footsie Massager, and an exotic aromatherapy soy candle, boxed and wrapped in recycled paper!

GROOVY GREEN GIRL GIFT SET

This is the gift for that groovy, fun-loving girl in your life! This set includes Organic Tie-Dyed Leg Warmers, Organic Cotton Scarf, Recycled Phone Card Fair Trade Earrings, Natural Lip Shimmer, and a natural soy Aromatherapy Candle. All boxed and wrapped in recycled paper and tied with a natural Sinamay ribbon, of course!

Need more green gift ideas? Check out our Valentine’s Day Gift Guide.

Delicious artisan bread!

In my quest to learn how to make bread that doesn’t come out of a bread machine, and doesn’t take all day to make, I have stumbled across this most excellent recipe for No-Knead Bread. Yes- this bread requires no kneading whatsoever, and pretty much no work on your part. And as you can see, it produces a wonderfully crispy and tasty bread.

You simply mix up a few ingredients (about 3 minutes of your time), let the dough sit for 12-20 hours, and then plop (literally) into a pan and bake. Couldn’t be easier! (And so perfect for the more lazier-inclined of us!) The secret is in the waiting: slow fermentation produces far superior results, and so is preferable (really, it is just an added bonus that you don’t have to do any work, either.)

There are a couple of versions of this recipe out there, so I am including links to a few of my favorites. I really like the YouTube Video, because you can get a good feel for what the dough should like at each stage. One of the things I realized after watching the video was that my dough was not moist enough, and I needed to add more water. When you are letting the dough ferment slowly, the dough can be much moister than a regular, quicker-fermenting dough should be. The video also recommends a higher baking temperature than the Steamy Kitchen recipe, and that worked well for me- but play around with your oven and see what works for you.

Now I can bake two loaves of the most heavenly bread each day with only about 10 minutes or so of my time. How cool is that??!!

Steamy Kitchen Recipe: No-Knead Bread that Even a 6-Year Old Can Make

YouTube Video: Easy Crusty Bread

NY Times Article: The Secret of Great Bread: Let Time Do the Work

Shameless Plug: The bread in the photo is resting on one of my husband’s hand-crafted cutting boards. They make great bread boards, and are made from sustainable wood. You can check them out at The Greater Green.

Happy Baking!

Argggghhh! Once again in early December, I eagerly unpacked my neatly-wound, relatively new Christmas lights- you know, the ones that are supposed to stay lit even if one of the bulbs in the circuit goes out- and sure enough, more than half the stands wouldn’t light. I thought I had avoided that problem by replacing my older strands last year…. and after nearly two hours of searching through bulb by bulb, replacing burnt-out bulbs, and still almost no luck getting them to light, I was ready to call it quits. I threw the useless strands back into my giant cardboard box, and sentenced them to another year in our basement, since there was no way I could justify throwing them out, couldn’t fathom giving them to the thrift store (who wants broken Christmas lights??), and wasn’t sure what else to do with them. What an eco-nightmare!

So what can be done with all these strands? I’ve finally found a solution! Once you have tried diligently to replace bulbs and nearly strangled yourself in holiday desperation, there is something “green” you can do with the Christmas lights that just won’t seem to twinkle…recycle them!

A company called Holiday LEDs has set up a Christmas light recycling program. Simply package all the old Christmas light strands you have that no longer work, or only partially work, into a box, and ship to the address listed below. You will even get a 15% off coupon good toward a future purchase of LED lights- a much greener alternative for holiday decorating, anyway. Hey, maybe I’ll use my coupon and get some energy-efficient LED lights for next year….

Want to learn more about the program? Visit the Holiday LED Recycling Page.

Details:
Where should I send my lights for recycling?

HolidayLEDs.com
Attn: Recycling Program
2500 W. Argyle St.
Jackson, MI 49202

What should information should I include?

The name and email address (clearly printed) of the participant. All coupons will be emailed so we must have an email address.

How should I package the lights?

Please DO NOT:

1. Include any packing material or anything other than the lights themselves

2. Send the lights in outer packaging such as retail boxes

3. Include any apparatus used to wind up or store the lights

4. Use any size box that is larger than what is needed to accommodate the lights.

5. Put your light sets in plastic bags or any other interior packaging.

Please DO:

1. Use cardboard boxes or other packaging that can easily be recycled.

2. Coordinate with your friends, neighbors, co-works, social groups, church groups, or other organizations when possible to collect lights and send in one bulk shipment (this reduces shipping costs for everyone and reduces environmental impact of shipping.)

3. Compact your light sets into the smallest space possible.

I’ve been meaning to write a post about why shopping at thrift stores is one of the best ways to reduce your carbon footprint. So many people want to live a greener lifestyle, but don’t want to spend money on the often more-expensive, new, eco-friendly options. But the truth is there is a very affordable way to shop green, that even supports the good work of many non-profits. Read on….


See, I’ve been shopping at thrift stores for quite some time now, since high school, in fact (approaching two decades ago…). At that time, I was on a limited budget, and my friends and I were also looking for funky (or so we thought) retro-styled clothing that was a little different than the 90s clothing so popular in the regular stores.

In college the thrift store became a mainstay in my life, because I was really on a budget, and I was undergoing this hippie-style revolution that entailed countless hours of sifting through other people’s old throw-aways to find that unique shirt, that perfect skirt. It was perfectly acceptable, because many of my friends were on very tight budgets and did the same.

Then I moved to Japan, the consumer capital of the world, where everyone buys everything new. They wouldn’t even take dogs that were “used”- animal shelters were non-existent (I discovered this when I took in a stray puppy, and no one would adopt her). We searched far and wide and finally found an upscale second-hand shop that catered to foreigners, where you could buy a very gently (or not-at-all) used shirt for $20. I definitely was not getting my thrift store fix there….

And then something interesting happened. After three years, I came back from Japan, and most of my friends had good-paying jobs and blossoming careers that “required” clothing to boot. I watched in amazement as one of my friends, who used to shop at thrift stores, spent $175 on a pair of jeans. It was suddenly “uncool” to shop at thrift stores. Why buy other people’s junk when we could now afford to buy new?

The thing is, now that I am in the business of eco-friendly, people often ask me what is the most green option to buy. And you know what? Just about any item that was meant to last that you can buy, no matter how green or organic or natural, is not as green as buying from the local thrift store. Using new materials to produce products that are already in existence is wasteful, unless of course the already-existing product is toxic or harmful to the environment in some daily way.

Remember the mantra “Reduce, reuse, recycle”? The first more important thing we can do is reduce the number of resources and the amount of energy needed to support our lifestyles. In other words, cut down on the “stuff” that we really don’t need. The next step, reuse, means that we should reuse something already in existence instead of buying something new whenever possible. The thrift store is the perfect manifestation of that mantra!

Let’s take a coffee maker, for example. After scouring local thrift stores, I found a small Krups cappuccino maker, barely used, with instruction manual, for $5. I am always very picky about buying used items. If there are any signs of mold, deterioration, or lack of cleaning or proper maintenance, I pass. If an item looks like it was used extensively, I usually pass. Any foul odors, pass. Any missing parts or pieces, pass. Basically, anything that couldn’t pass for a new item to the unknowing, and I look for something else.

I indeed thought a got a great deal, but that’s not the only reason I shop at thrift stores. See, if I had gone to my local Macy’s or Meijer’s and spent $50 a new machine, I would not only have wasted more money, but also the materials, the (most likely) Chinese under-age factory labor, the energy required to manufacture it, and the energy used up in shipping it overseas (it’s REALLY hard to find any electronics/appliances not manufactured overseas these days). Since there aren’t any real “green” options for a cappucino maker, there wasn’t any point, in my opinion, to buy new. Had I been looking for a new fridge, on the other hand, I would probably search for an Energy Star new appliance because the new ones are so much more energy efficient.

It’s like this: the most eco-friendly water bottle you could possibly use is a re-used glass bottle or jar. The most eco-friendly clothing you can wear is actually re-used, purchased-at-the-thrift-store items or hand-me-downs (even new organic items use up resources and energy to produce). The most eco-friendly dishes? You guessed it- a set from the local second-hand shop or your grandma’s old set (which, if your grandma is anything like my grandma, is most likely in perfect condition).

The problem is that many people have associated shopping at thrift stores with being cheap and as “dirty”. There are many, many people that have to shop at thrift stores, because they can’t afford new items, so perhaps some people see not going to thrift stores as some sort of “accomplishment”. And as for being dirty, well, sure, there are some stained and old items that I would not even consider touching. But for the most part, there are lots of items that simply sat in someone’ closet, never to be seen again for years. Many items still even have tags on them. All it takes is a good washing or sanitizing, and you’re ready to go. And don’t forget, new items in the store are often covered in various chemicals that were either part of the manufacturing process, or were sprayed on to protect the product from bugs and mildew during shipping. Not exactly “clean”, if you ask me.

What have I purchased at the local thrift store in the last few months? Here’s are just a few of my latest finds:

Krups Cappuccino Maker, like-new, $5
Panasonic Bread Machine, older model but like-new condition, $10 (which we use every day now)
Sunbeam Warm Steam Humidifier/Vaporizer, like-new condition, $5
Patagonia organic cotton long-sleeved men’s shirt, like-new, $3.99
Hand-crocheted nativity scene, $1
Christmas decorations, various, $0.25-$5
Gap Wool Sweater, like-new, $3.99
Land’s End men’s wool sweater, like-new, $3.99
20-piece set of Gibson dishes with snowflake pattern, $6

And an added bonus…. many thrift stores, like The Salvation Army’s, are run by non-profit organizations helping those in need. By shopping at their second-hand shops, you are helping to support the good work that they do!

So these days, when going green is becoming wildly popular, let’s not forget the humble thrift store. It’s the best way you can recycle and reuse, and show your commitment to using fewer resources and reducing your carbon footprint while saving money!

With all the news lately about BPA contamination in plastics, it’s no wonder that consumers are wondering what a safe choice might be for their families. Here is a brief summary of what we at The Greater Green recommend, based on the latest research and findings:

The best choice right now would be a glass water bottle. Consider reusing a glass juice jar that you purchased (filled with juice) and then ran through the dishwasher to sterilize it. There are absolutely no contamination concerns with glass, and it is easy to clean. Additionally, glass can hold just about any type of liquid. The one catch, of course, is that glass is breakable. A clever idea: wrap your glass jar in a hand towel before putting in your backpack or duffel bag, and then you can also use the hand towel throughout the day in restrooms,etc.

If glass will not work for you, your best bet is appearing to be stainless steel water bottles with no liner (liners can themselves cause problems), like the ones available at The Greater Green, 20 oz Stainless Steel Water Bottle with Carabiner, that is the perfect size for that on-the-go lifestyle. It fits in most cup holders in cars, attaches to a belt loop or backpack, and is perfect for hiking, biking, or even just running errands. Stainless is extremely crack- and break-resistant, and does not stain easily. Additionally, at less than ten dollars, these bottles are an affordable choice, especially when you consider that if well-taken care of, these bottles will certainly last for years For optimum performance, we recommend you only use your bottle for water (which will help keep it cleaner, too), though you can safely fill it with other cool liquids as well. Manufacturers do NOT recommend putting hot liquids into these bottles (use an insulated thermos for that).

The next best option for a safe water bottle would be aluminum bottles like SIGG, with an epoxy-resin liner. Though SIGG insists that their liner is totally safe, they will not reveal their patented liner. And because of all of the problems that have arisen lately due to lack of full disclosure with other products, we have opted to no longer carry SIGG this year. Also, the SIGG bottles were nearly twice as expensive as the stainless steel ones we now carry.

Our third choice for safe water bottles is the PLA Corn Resin Bottle. Now, this bottle serves a slightly different purpose, because it comes with a charcoal filter that makes the PLA bottle reusable for about 3 months, at which point it is compostable (though only in a commercial compost). We like the filter, because it means you can fill up with tap water wherever you are. Though PLA is not the perfect plastic, it is a good first step in creating sustainable plastics that are not so detrimental to the environment. We have discussed PLA at length in previous posts. Clicke HERE to read all about it.

Near the bottom of our list are the polycarbonate bottles. Because of contamination concerns with Bisphenol-A, we do not recommend these bottles. Please keep in mind that many baby bottles are also affected by the BPA concerns, so please look for BPA-free bottles, like those made by Born Free.

And, of course, the very last resort would be regular disposable plastic bottled water. First of all, this bottled water is often just plain old tap water anyway. And we now know that only a small fraction of plastic bottles actually enter the recycling stream, so we have a major problem with plastics that will potentially last for millions of year.
Read all about it in The Problem with Plastics.

Would you believe there is a possibility that the ban on Chinese poultry imports could be lifted? This, as we hear about the more than 50,000 sick Chinese infants from contaminated baby formula. It's time start seriously re-considering how much of our food is processed overseas, in plants that are turning up with gross violations of safety standards.

I was at the grocery store the other day and picked up a bag of frozen, wild-caught Alaskan salmon. I turned it over and it said "Product of China". How (and why) is Alaskan salmon a product of China??? I am starting to feel very uncomfortable with Chinese food imports. And besides, we are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of building local food systems for the health of our communities, our planet, and our bodies. And China is definitely not local….

The past year or two has shown us that Chinese safety standards are NOT up to par with our own. Additionally, we are seeing way too many jobs being lost to overseas factories because of cheaper labor. If we are going to protect our economy and ensure jobs for our workers, we do not need to be increasing the list of food imports coming in from China. Food is something that we definitely can, and should be, growing and processing locally.

 
U.S. inspectors have previously discovered filthy and unsanitary conditions at Chinese poultry processing plants (among other facilities there, apparently), and there have been ongoing problems with Chinese food safety standards and the entire inspection system. With the dangers of chicken and salmonella, not to mention chicken and avian flu, we do not need to be considering importing chicken from China.

Of course this has become an issue thanks to large corporations, like Tyson and Cargill, that are currently pressuring Congress to lift the ban, because they are building poultry factories in China and want to be able to sell that chicken to US consumers. But enough is enough….

Please visit the Food & Water Watch's petition page to sign this very important petition, urging Congress NOT to lift the ban on poultry imports!

Click HERE to learn even more about this issue from the Food & Water Watch Blog.

Last night I attended one of a series of documentary viewings on our nation's "Addiction to Oil", where we watched and discussed the documentary, "Everything's Cool".

We have finally reached a day and age in which most of our citizens believe that global warming is a real threat to our planet (recent polls suggest as many as 85% of Americans). But it has taken years and years to convince the general public of the dangers of imminent climate change, and it is NOT because the science was faulty, or the research inconclusive. Rather, the global warming debate was a direct result of intentional attempts by Big Oil and the energy industry to position global warming as theory rather than fact. 

How do you convince a country that the conclusions of eminent scientists are somehow mistaken? Some of the under-handed tactics which the energy industry employed included paying "pseudo-scientists" (scientists that are being paid by powerful interest groups rather than through impartial funding) to argue against the science of global warming (which, by the way, has been proven by hundreds of world-renowned scientists); creating new conservative think tanks and organizations whose sole purpose is to argue against global warming; and altering (and even suppressing) official climate reports to make them sound less definitive. The idea was that if the general public believed there was actual debate as to the veracity of the global warming issue, then they wouldn't take it seriously…. until now.

The Documentary "Everything's Cool" does a fabulous job of explaining the history of the global warming debate, following a number of important journalists, scientists, and environmentalists from 2003-2007, including Bill McKibben, Ross Gelbspan, Dr. Heidi Cullen, Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus, and Rick Piltz.

From the "Everything's Cool" website: "EVERYTHING'S COOL is a film about
America finally "getting" global warming in the wake of the most
dangerous chasm ever to emerge between scientific understanding and
political action. While industry funded nay-sayers sing what just might
be their swan song of pseudo-scientific deception, a group of global
warming messengers are on a high stakes quest to find the iconic image,
the magic language, the points of leverage that will finally create the
political will to move the United States from its reliance on fossil
fuels to the new clean energy economy – AND FAST."

This was a powerful and inspirational film (though to be honest, it's also a little depressing, too, to learn about the subversive forces at work against the movement and how powerful they have been).  It was also humorous and entertaining, which is nice to see in a documentary. Definitely a must-see!

We only have 50 or so days now until the election…. in past years, out of thousands of questions that were asked by media and debate moderators, only a small handful had anything to do with global warming and the current energy crisis. And this year, with one of the candidates publicly proclaiming that "I’m not an Al Gore, doom-and-gloom environmentalist blaming the changes in our climate on human activity," it is more important than ever to bring the topic to the forefront of discussion!

Environmental Defense Fund is sponsoring a petition that is urging debate moderators to ask about clean energy and global warming. This is our chance to let them know that we want tough environmental questions, and we want the moderators to push for specific, jargon-free answers that clearly outline candidate's plans to tackle both the current energy crisis and global warming. Click HERE to sign the petition.

Like others I've talked to, I often get angry when I hear people denying global warming, which does not help my argument in any way.

I often hear the argument that somehow this fight against global warming infringes on personal freedoms. As if continuing to live with callous disregard for our planet and the other people (because, really, this all comes back to the politics of selfishness) is somehow one's personal right.

When I advocate for environmental issues, protecting our planet and our eco-systems, and social justice for all peoples the world over, I am not just doing so for me. I am doing it because I believe there is a universal truth, and it involves caring for each other, caring for our planet, and living a respectful life with honesty, integrity, and morality. All major religions challenge us to live such a life. When I hear the politics of Big Oil, Big Spending, and corporate globalization, it is usually a politics of greed, material wealth, and personal gain. When I hear nay-sayers ask why they should believe in global warming, what I really hear is, "What's in it for me?"

I've been told that assuming others are acting selfishly is a self-righteous and selfish thing to do in and of itself…. and I don't mean to point a finger. I am simply asking us all to challenge ourselves to live a life that is not about "me", not about "us" and "them", but rather about "We"- what we can do together, what we can do to help each other, and what we can do to make our planet not just a healthy and safe place for some, but for all.

What do you say to someone who doesn't believe in global warming?
I personally know and am related to a number of people who do not "believe" that global warming is real. To them I say this:

If you believe that, despite YEARS of research done by world-renowned scientists, we are not heading toward a global warming crisis, and wonder why should we make all these changes for something that doesn't exist, then please consider this: if I am wrong and you are right, then we have made a number of changes that are beneficial to both people and the planet, created healthier environments for our families, cleaner air to breathe, built local food systems that give people greater access to healthy locally-grown food, lessened dependence on foreign oil, created millions of new jobs in the booming alternative energies field, encouraged people to live healthier lives full of bicycle rides and long walks and exercise, and developed new technologies that help us live with a smaller carbon footprint. These changes have both PERSONAL and GLOBAL benefits.

If I am right, however, and you are wrong, and we continue to do nothing about global warming, we will find ourselves in the midst of a worldwide crisis. Sea levels will rise, destroying entire coastal communities. Entire species will go instinct, as delicate eco-systems will be destroyed by the changing climate, pollution levels will reach all-time highs (have you seen how people in many pollution-laden developing countries have to wear masks as they go about their daily business?), and numerous other very serious, negative consequences will ensue. So I ask you this- why not go the route that only has POSITIVE outcomes, even in the unlikely event that it turns out to be a false alarm? See, it doesn't matter if we are right or wrong about global warming- everything that environmental advocates are urging us to do is good for our health, our happiness, and our planet. It's a win-win situation!

For an excellent overview of the science behind global warming, click HERE.

For a thorough look into the history of global warming denial, click HERE.

And lastly, No Impact Man says it way better than I do: he gives a great list of all the wonderful things that would happen if we treated global warming as a crisis, but it turned out it wouldn't- a must read! Click HERE to read his post.