One of the biggest contributors to climate change is deforestation. And if we don't pay attention to the labeling on things like paper products (tp, napkins, stationery), building materials, or furniture, we won't know if we're contributing, too.
When my boyfriend and I were renovating our kitchen last year, one of my criteria for cabinets was that they be made from FSC-certified wood (The Forest Stewardship Council is an independent organization that certifies if manufacturers of tree-based products are sourcing materials from sustainably managed forests). We did some initial shopping at big box stores like Lowe's and Home Depot. When I'd ask the sales people if they had any cabinets available in FSC-certified wood, they didn't know what the heck I was talking about. So we had to do some research.
Sick of the piles of disposable utensils and napkins that come with your takeout orders? Well thankfully, someone is speaking up against all that waste. A new movement started in NYC by ecoagents* is spreading the word to restaurants, that, well, some people don't need or want those plastic forks wrapped in cellophane. It's called eco to go and I hope it catches on. When you call to place your order, just say "eco to go" and they'll omit all the extra stuff you don't need. Find participating restaurants here: eco to go via ideal bite.
*Ecoagents is a non-profit working to protect the Amazon Rainforest and empower the indigenous communities to sustain their way of life and their native environment.
These days, everyone's going green. Even political pundits. Check out the Huffington Post's new blog here.
Silent Spring, Rachel Carson
The Botany of Desire, Michael Pollan
Collapse, Jared Diamond
Big Green Purse, Diane MacEachern
The World Without Us, Alan Weisman
Oh, it's me. I switched to deodorant that doesn't contain all the baddies (chiefly: aluminum, a heavy metal that's absorbed through the skin and has been linked to Alzheimer's, though this is a controversial point). And usually, the Weleda deodorant spray I use works. Really. But I recently changed from the Rose scented version to the Citrus. Old rosey was more reliable. Which is sad because I wanted a fresh citrus scent for summer. Guess I'll just have to carry it around with me all day and reapply. Or just deal with my own natural scent.
The fragrance,You can get Weleda Deodorant Spray here:
my friend, that floats
to you this moment
streams from the tent
of the secrets of God.
--Rumi
There was a time when if you said to someone that a clothing item was made of sustainable fabric you'd either get a blank stare or they'd imagine a burlap-like sack made of hemp. This, thankfully, is no longer the case.
One of my favorite places to shop for great-looking clothes made of sustainable materials is Kaight. The sort-of-eponymous shop owner, Kate, is so friendly and helpful. And she's got great taste in clothing. I get my haircut in the neighborhood and can't resist stopping there on my way home. I'm the type who, as you may have gathered, prefers buying a small number of quality goods over piles of whatever is the latest and cheapest trend. So here are a few of the items I've brought home with me from Kaight (most of them, on sale):
Prairie Underground organic cotton dress (above left, in periwinkle, not cranberry)
Viridis Luxe bamboo dress (above right, in black, not yellow)
Linda Loudermilk silk tuxedo dress
John Patrick Organic cashmere sweater dress
I also got a pair of black organic cotton leggings from Jaime Pressly's (yes the same from My Name Is Earl) clothing line J'aime.
If you're lucky enough to be in NYC to visit the shop, it's at 83 Orchard St (btwn Grand and Broome). If not, you can get a taste online.
If you don't already know this about me, I'm about to let you in on something: I'm a sucker for animals. There really isn't an animal I don't like. Even the ugliest, most bizarre creatures are fascinating to me. And the thought of actually communing with animals, on say my own piece of property, is -- while a bit intimidating -- very exciting.
Well there's a community out in Nevada, outside of Reno, where people live on little patches of land (around 1 acre or more) with their animals. These aren't farms and this isn't really rural country. It's where suburban sprawl meets the good ol' days when it was commonplace to have livestock in the backyard. Even my dad grew up with chickens in the yard -- in Hackensack, New Jersey.
So these people out in Golden Valley, NV, have horses, goats, chickens... and, yes, even donkeys. But now that the landscape is leaning toward suburbanization, their agricultural lifestyles may be threatened.
Sadly, one of these happy agrarian households was recently broken up. Seems the neighbor couldn't take the braying of the donkey any longer. I can understand that. The guy couldn't sleep because the donkey would bray in the middle of the night. But didn't this guy realize he was moving next door to someone who had livestock in their yard? Wouldn't you do a little research on the culture of a neighborhood before moving in?
The case went to court and despite a reasonable defense and much community support, the judge sided with the complainant. The community, outraged and fearful this case would set a precedent, sought that a stipulation be added to new home contracts in their town. Now, anyone new to the neighborhood will be forewarned. But who reads the fine print? And sadly, this may not protect the citizens from future litigation.
Check out the full story, plus interactive features, here.
To balance out the previous post about meat products, here's an ode to the peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
There's no dairy in your butter,
no meat in your jelly;
Oh, PB&J,
get into my belly!
Alright, I'm no ee cummings or Samuel Taylor Coleridge. But I do have an appreciation for this vegan-friendly sandwich. The PB&J is a near-perfect embodiment of the sustainable meal (if you wash it down with a glass of organic non-GMO soy milk, that is). And who doesn't like PB&J? (ok, except those with nut allergies.) Everyone has their preference. Skippy or Jif with grape jelly on Wonder Bread with the crusts cut off? Well that's not for me, but that may be what we all remember eating as kids.
This is how I like mine. First off, I call it an AB&J. Almond butter takes the place of peanut butter, probably more for health reasons -- the fat in almonds is healthier than in peanuts -- though the toasty almond taste is quite delicious. Usually, strawberry preserves represent the "J," so I guess I should really call it an AB&P. Then it goes on some kind of healthy whole grain bread, right now I'm liking Healthy Hemp Bread from French Meadow Bakery. It's full of protein and yummy seeds and stuff, and it toasts really well.
To find out more about how PB&J can save the world, check out the PB&J Campaign. They're trying to spread the message that replacing meat-based meals with PB&J (or any vegetarian or vegan dish) significantly reduces your carbon footprint. And if you're feeling so inclined, take the PB&J pledge. It's a simple step you can take to leave the world a better place.
It can be tough being an omnivore these days -- but it's not hopeless. Even before reading Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, I considered the impact of my culinary choices and thought of myself as a responsible eater. Buying from the farmer's market when I could, buying organic as much as possible, eating what I thought was meat from humanely treated animals (it's not always so easy to tell, sometimes you've got to take a leap of faith).
But since reading the book, I've made another change to my diet. I'm only eating grass-fed beef. If you don't plan on reading the book, trust me, grass-fed is not only healthier, it's easier on the animal (they really can't digest corn, which is what they're fed the bulk of their penned-up lives), and the environment -- especially if the beeves (yes, in farmer's parlance that's plural for beef) are pasture fed.
So this past Saturday my boyfriend and I went to a BBQ and brought our own hot dogs to accommodate for this new eating choice (see above). They were Applegate Farms Organic Grass-fed Hot Dogs (can't ya just picture pastures full of hot dogs grazing on grass?), and they were pretty damn tasty. We got them at our local Fairway supermarket. They may be available at your local grocer. You can also buy 'em on their site.
On to a different animal. The pig. I love pigs. They're so cute, and so tasty! (Sorry to the vegetarians reading this post. I think I felt a collective cringe and sigh from you.) I don't eat pork that often, but when I do, I'd prefer one that's had a relatively happy life. So we turn to Niman Ranch for their quality products. And they're pork bratwursts are even more delicious than the aforementioned hot dogs. A slight spicy bite from the ginger and spices, and like they say on their site, they're great on a roll with mustard.
You can get Niman Ranch products on their site, and sometimes on Amazon. You might be able to get them at your local Whole Foods or other supermarkets. And if you live in NYC, they're available at Fairway.
Ok, ya got me. This is a blog about things you can buy, which seems a bit contradictory to what I'm gonna say here. Buying less stuff is really one of the best things we can do for ourselves and the planet.
A few years ago while waiting in line for the dressing room at H&M, with multiple hangers leaving impressions on my tired fingers, a little voice came into my head and asked, "do you really need this $39.99 sweater made in Sri Lanka? or this dress made of who-knows-what material in the Philippines?" Then this happened: I started putting everything back on the racks. I walked out of the store, empty handed. This was the start of something big.
This is when my consumer's conscience woke up. I first started by reading labels. If something was made in China, I put it right back. I turned over every shoe, peered under every dress, searching for its provenance. I finally figured out that most stores I enjoyed shopping in -- Anthropologie, Club Monaco, Old Navy, even higher-end shops like Barney's Co-op -- all sold apparel made in far off lands. If on the rare occasion something was made in the good ol' USA, I gave a little cheer.
I've since sworn off these stores, and as a result have cut back significantly on my consumption. No more lunch hour shopping sprees at whichever store happened to be a few blocks away from the office. No more retail therapy. And a funny thing happened. Walking away from these old habits made me feel good. Letting the urge to shop pass was actually rewarding, not just for my bank account but for my psyche.
Of course I still buy clothing, but I don't do it based on the latest trends or sale at the nearest store. I try to buy mostly vintage, mostly made in the USA, or something made with sustainable materials (like organic cotton). I've even found some cool free clothes from fun events like the Swap-o-ramarama. I've discovered so many more interesting and unique things this way. I don't really need to worry about seeing someone out in the same dress. And since I'm not worrying about things like that anymore, I have more time to think about the important things... like what to share with you in my next post.
Have you jumped on the reusable water bottle bandwagon? With all the news about bisphenol A and other endocrine-altering chemicals leaching from baby bottles and other water bottles, I wonder why everyone isn't carrying around a safer container for drinking water. Like the Sigg or Klean Kanteen bottles that are now widely available.
Not only are they safer to drink from, they don't contribute to the giant waste stream we've created, like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch -- a veritable island of plastics estimated to be anywhere from the size of Texas to more than twice the size of the US.
So what kind of water does one fill these nifty reusable bottles with? Good ol' fashion tap. You can attach a filter to your sink, use a Brita, the office water cooler, or find a public water fountain.
And which to get? I have a couple of Siggs (which come in lots of fun designs) but if I were to buy them again, I think I'd go with the pure stainless steel construction of Klean Kanteen.
You can get both Sigg and Klean Kanteen at:
REI
Amazon
The American Dental Association recommends we use a toothbrush for about 3 to 4 months and then replace it. Instead of amassing a collection of used toothbrushes to reuse for cleaning the crevices around the toilet, or worse, just tossing them in the trash, there's Preserve by Recycline.
The toothbrush -- designed with the help of dentists -- is made mostly from recycled Stonyfield yogurt cups (#5 plastic, which comes from various partner organizations, one of which is right here in Brooklyn). And when it's time for a new brush, you can send them back to Recycline in a postage-paid envelope they provide. They'll integrate them into plastic lumber for park benches and decks.
You can buy them in bulk or sign up for a toothbrush subscription on their site to ensure you get a new toothbrush every 3 months.
They're also available at:
eConscious Market
Target
Amazon
