green books campaign: the raw milk revolution

This review is part of the Green Books campaign. Today 100 bloggers are reviewing 100 great books printed in an environmentally friendly way. Our goal is to encourage publishers to get greener and readers to take the environment into consideration when purchasing books. This campaign is organized by Eco-Libris, a a green company working to green up the book industry by promoting the adoption of green practices, balancing out books by planting trees, and supporting green books. A full list of participating blogs and links to their reviews is available on Eco-Libris website.



The Raw Milk Revolution: Behind America's Emerging Battle Over Food Rights
by David E. Gumpert
(with foreword by Joel Salatin)
Chelsea Green Publishing
Printed on recycled paper

What do government regulators have against raw milk?

The Raw Milk Revolution is an exploration of this and other relevant questions in a time when the entire industrialized food system is coming into question.

Based on his blog, The Complete Patient, David Gumpert provides a reasonable, balanced, and straightforward account of the pros and cons of raw milk consumption and the legal constraints placed on its production.

The book provides historic context of the dairy industry, from about the time of the Industrial Revolution to more recent regulatory history regarding food safety. It balances past events with the current trend toward consuming raw dairy, explaining both the purported risks and benefits of the product that comes unadulterated from the cow (or goat or sheep).

A taste of the past
Pasteurization was a response to the increasingly deplorable conditions and industrialization of dairy farming. As dairy operations crowded into cities and were coupled with distilleries for "efficient" use of grain (as cow feed, something cows do not naturally eat), cows became sicker, farms became a breeding ground for pathogens.

An emotionally charged debate
But is the method of pasteurization - slow on the uptake at the turn of the century, yet widely used today - still valid? Is it making us safer? The answer is somewhat unclear. The rates of raw-milk–related illness are debatable, depending on who you ask. According to some groups, like [grass-fed] raw-milk advocates the Weston A. Price Foundation, the rates are inflated, while state and federal agencies argue that raw milk carries an inherent risk to health. As do parents of children who may have become seriously ill from it.

Raw milk is outlawed in 28 out of 50 states. But the incidence of other food-borne illnesses is just as high, if not higher, than that of raw milk. Even pasteurized milk carries some risk. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the highest rates of listeria illness are due to deli meat. If deli meat is 10 times more likely to expose you to listeria illness than raw milk, why isn't it restricted or outlawed?

Another question I kept asking is: Why can't we just put a label on raw milk and let consumers decide whether they want to take the supposed risk? Or more to the point, why don't consumers have the right to choose their foods, raw or treated?

A question of rights
Joel Salatin, now famous farmer of Polyface Farms in Virginia, posits in the foreword,

The only reason the right to food choice was not guaranteed in the Bill of Rights is because the Founders of America could not have envisioned a day when selling a glass of raw milk or homemade pickles to a neighbor would be outlawed. At the time, such a thought was as strange as levitation.

Indeed, what good is the freedom to own guns, worship, or assemble if we don't have the freedom to eat the proper fuel to energize us to shoot, pray, and preach? Is not freedom to choose our food at least as fundamental a right as the freedom to worship?

Due to the current laws regarding the sale of raw milk, people who choose to produce it are putting themselves at risk of government crackdown in order to fulfill a growing demand. Something is compelling consumers to, in many cases, cross state lines to obtain raw milk. Often, these consumers are pregnant women and mothers. Why are people putting themselves and their families at risk of breaking the law in order to potentially put themselves at risk of illness?

Having tasted raw milk and, unknowingly, carrying it over state lines illegally, The Raw Milk Revolution left me wanting to take the risk again, maybe in order to prove that the benefits are worth the risks.

I think I now have more questions than answers regarding the raw milk debate, but perhaps this is the point - to keep the questions coming with regard to food and our right to choose what we consider healthful to eat.

For more on the raw milk debate, visit The Complete Patient.

Founded in 2007, Eco-Libris is a green company working to green up the book industry by promoting the adoption of green practices, balancing out books by planting trees, and supporting green books. To achieve this goal Eco-Libris is working with book readers, publishers, authors, bookstores and others in the book industry worldwide. Until now Eco-Libris balanced out over 110,000 books, which results in more than 120,000 new trees planted with its planting partners in developing countries.

now read this! a web roundup

Here's a collection of some of the information that's been shaping my world lately. It runs the gamut, so be prepared (and some of the titles have changed to suit my mood - so there!)

1.
"Old" SIGG reusable water bottles contain BPA [AlterNet]
Time to trade in for a Klean Kanteen! Even though SIGG has a trade-in program where you can return your old BPA-containing bottle for a new, improved BPA-free bottle, I'd rather support a company that was "klean" from the beginning (and didn't cover up the truth).

What's so bad about BPA (bisphenol A)?
= YES!

= NO!*

*Unless it was made after 2008. Check the article for a visual reference.


2.
Getting Real About the High Price of Cheap Food [Time]
If you haven't had a chance to read Omnivore's Dilemma or see Food, Inc., here's a relatively brief, yet in-depth look at the problems plaguing our industrialized food system.

3.
"Organic": Is It Healthier? [by Susun Weed]
Oh man, this article – part of my permaculture reading this week – made me laugh out loud. Susun has a great way of explaining the finer mechanisms of the world around us. She can make anything hysterical or completely logical just by the way she describes them. Here's a taste:

I live on an old quarry. When I went to the extension and said, "I'm looking to buy this piece of property," they pulled out the soil maps and they said, "Ah, there's no soil on your property, did you realize that?" I said, "Yeah, it's an old quarry." They said, "This place is useless. The only thing that you could possibly do there is raise goats or grow weeds. So I went to the people selling it, and I said, "It's a worthless piece of property, it will only grow weeds." I got it for a very good price.

She goes on to tell us that, yes, she grows a lot of weeds. Weeds that feed her rabbits and goats. Those rabbits and goats feed her. There are some other, more 'adult' things that made me laugh in this article, too. But I'll let you read those yourself!

4.
Why are we still using atrazine when 7 European countries have banned it? [Daily Kos]
The health and healthy presence of frogs are a good indicator of the health of an ecosystem, and therefore, the health of us. Well, hate to break it to y'all, but we're up sh*t's creek without a paddle, 'cause frogs are mutating and disappearing at alarming rates. Their permeable skin leaves them vulnerable to chemical contaminants like pesticides and herbicides – chemicals used in agriculture and on lawns like atrazine, methyl bromide, and chloropicrin (a nerve gas!) which end up in our drinking water, and in our bodies.

And just in case that wasn't enough to cheer you up, here's a related article [NY Times] about the legal allowable limits of atrazine in drinking water, and the detrimental effects of atrazine on women and children.

5.
Out of the Earth: Civilization and the Life of the Soil [by Daniel Hillel]
Soil is the skin of the earth. Yet we literally treat it like dirt. Some say it's our nation's biggest export (meaning it erodes away at a disturbingly steady rate). I've been really hot for this topic lately, and there's a chapter out of this book that made me melt. An excerpt:

Soil and water have a physical affinity. Dry soil is "thirsty," sucking up water the way an old-fashioned blotter sucked up ink. When the soil surface is wetted by rain, the suction force of the deeper soil layers, augmented by the force of gravity, draws the water downward. The soil drinks the rain in a process called "infiltration." The maximum rate at which the soil is able to absorb water applied to its surface is called the soil's infiltrability. It is greatest when the soil is dry, and diminishes gradually as the soil is wetted to progressively greater depth. Since the water permeating and seeping in the soil must make its way through the intricate labyrinthine passages between the irregularly shaped and oriented soil grains, it is obvious that a soil's infiltrability depends on the widths and tortuosities of these interstices, called pores...

Wow!



See also: i enjoyed a dirty movie today (my post about the film "Dirt")

simplify, simplify

My mantra for the year. I've been decluttering, refocusing, letting go of bad habits and saying hello to new (good) ones. Part of living in a sustainable way is making sure the ol' noggin' can sustain all that's thrown at it as well.

And who do I have to thank? Well, yours truly, of course. But I couldn't have done it without my loved ones, and a few dear strangers that I know mostly through books and blogs. Here's a list of those who get me through the day in one piece:

Thich Nhat Hanh

It doesn't matter which book you start with, all of this Vietnamese Buddhist monk's writings are simply stated and sure to calm the mind and spirit. Not one iota of religious dogma. I'm psyched to be hearing him speak at the Beacon Theatre this October.

Patanjali & Sri Swami Satchidananda

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - this is what yoga is all about. I read a sutra or two before I go to sleep at night.

Gail Blanke

I was skeptical of this one, especially since the title is telling me to 'throw out' things. I don't take kindly to that sort of message. But inside this little gem are some practical (and somewhat ecological) tips on letting go of the stuff that clutters your physical and mental space. Right on, Gail.

Elephant Journal

I can't quite remember how I stumbled upon the elephant, but I'm ever-so-glad I did. I caught them just as they were shutting down print ops to launch their all-online version. I knew as soon as I opened the first page and saw what kind of ads they were running (yoga, healthy food, eco stuff) it was my kind of magazine. Here's a little story: I was in a cafe in Sydney, Australia last year, reading one of the ol' paper & ink issues of the mag and a young lady (another American) sitting at the table next to me asked where I got it. I told her I subscribed. She told me she contributed, and was just so surprised to see someone in Oz reading the humble magazine from Boulder, Colorado. Small world.

Bikram

I'm not really talking about the man, here, more about the method. Not sure how I feel about all of his principles (the proprietary ones), but this 90-minute, hot & sweaty, 26-posture "open-eyed moving meditation" has sure gotten me through some tough days. I'd say it's at least 95% mental, and it ain't so bad for the bod, either.

Think Simple Now

Through a sparse and thoughtfully written blog, Tina Su, et al, help others do just as the title suggests: Think Simple - Now. I used to be skeptical of self-help stuff like this, but some little voice started telling me that it can actually help to be open-minded and take a serving of helpful advice once in awhile. It's good to listen to those little voices sometimes.

Zen Habits

Nope, this isn't a blog about monk's robes. It's another well-thought-out and simply stated blog that reminds me to keep it simple, and do it with a smile.

Lots of Tweeters
Twitter can be a distraction, but it's also been an amazing resource for connecting with some new friends and like-minded individuals. Here are a few (off the top of my head) who remind me to simplify:
@HappyLotus
@unitedyogis
@thedeeperwell

And here are a couple of tools that don't hurt:

My zafu & zabuton (meditation cushions)

Made in Vermont by Samadhi Cushions

Meditation candles

100% Beeswax & essential oils by Big Dipper Wax Works

Who keeps you sane?

this saturday, the great american book drive!

This Saturday, May 16 from 10am to 3pm at the Brooklyn Public Library, it's the Great American Book Drive. Bring your old, your tired, your weary books to the steps of the grand ol' library in Grand Army Plaza and give them a new home. Full details from BPL below:

As many of you know, this Saturday, May 16, is our second Great American Book Drive, held in conjunction with Better World Books (BWB). Better World Books, is an environmentally-friendly and socially-responsible company that collects and sells books to fund literacy initiatives worldwide. This event at Central Library offers you a chance to clean out your bookshelves and donate unwanted materials to a good cause -- your library!

But before you pack up that shopping back full of old textbooks and Windows '98 user manuals, we wanted to clarify our policy regarding donations:

1) Our first step when we receive a donation is to check the ISBNs of the books we receive with BWB's database to see if they're "sellable"
2) We send "sellable" ones to BWB, which they sell and give proceeds back to us
3) We recycle those books BWB cannot sell
4) We also weed our collections so that we recycle worn-out books, or those that do not circulate to make way for more popular materials

So before you come, please review our donation policy as it would be a shame for you to herniate a disc carrying old items to Central that we ultimately can't use.

leda reads from botany, ballet, and dinner from scratch

If you're curious about eating locally and foraging for food, or maybe you just have a penchant for dance, head on over to the Community Bookstore in Park Slope this coming Tuesday (Cinco de Mayo). Leda Meredith will be reading from her book Botany, Ballet, and Dinner from Scratch.

If you don't get a chance to catch her there, sign up for one of Leda's foraging tours in Prospect Park. The next one is on June 20th - prime berry picking season. Get the deets at GreenEdge NYC.

Read about Leda's adventures on her blog, Leda's Urban Homestead

Event info
Tuesday, May 5th @ 7:00 pm
Leda Meredith reads from Botany, Ballet, and Dinner from Scratch
@ the Community Bookstore 143 Seventh Avenue Brooklyn btwn Carroll & Garfield
718.783.3075

In August 2007, Leda Meredith stopped eating bananas. And lemons, chocolate, soy sauce, and avocadoes. On the day after her 45 birthday, she started “the 250,” a year-long experiment in eating foods grown within a 250-mile radius of her Brooklyn apartment. Thus began the process of retraining herself—planning every meal ahead, scouring the city for local beans and flour, canning countless jars of tomatoes so she could eat something other than potatoes all winter. Now, over a year later, Leda has emerged unscathed—healthier, she says, and a better cook—from her experiment in eating locally. And as if canning and dehydrating food weren’t enough to keep her busy all winter, she’s also written a book. Botany, Ballet and Dinner from Scratch is the story of Leda—from wild-haired kid to world-traveling professional ballet dancer to experienced botanist and forager—and of the recipes she uses to make saving the environment a delightful culinary adventure.

read 'em and swap

We've all got a pile of books that we've either read or abandoned just collecting dust on the shelf. So why not give them a second life at the Desk Set’s Writer/Reader Mingle and Book Swap at Pacific Standard this Monday at 7pm?
(Pacific Standard: 82 4th Ave, BKLYN)



[illustration by Sara Varon]

While you're at it, you can pick up some new wordy friends to curl up with... for free. That's what this swapping thing is all about.

All unswapped books will go to Books Through Bars, a program that donates books to prisons.


[via Brooklyn Based]

food matters

Common wisdom is often an oxymoron. Here's an example: "Never trust a skinny chef." I can't stand that saying. Why? Because it's total BS. Wouldn't you expect someone with a discerning palate to eat only the good stuff and not everything in sight?

I love to eat. And while I'm not a chef, I'm a decent cook and know really good food when I see it, smell it, taste it. I'm also pretty particular about what I consume. There are several reasons for this which break down into the categories of nutrition, ethical treatment of animals, and environmental impact.

So of course I'm excited about the latest book to tout responsible, wholesome, and delicious eating: Mark Bittman's Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating with More Than 75 Recipes. Bittman is one of my favorite foodies. He cooks simply with quality ingredients and over the past few years has really awakened to the horrendous state of this country's food industry and what it's doing to our bodies, planet, and pocketbooks.

Here's a bit of a review by Slate's Laura Miller:

For Bittman personally, the moment of truth was twofold. At 57, he'd gained 50 pounds over his college weight and had developed high cholesterol, high blood sugar (especially scary for someone with a family history of diabetes) and sleep apnea, a condition caused by his excess weight. At the same time, as a food writer he could no longer ignore his "increasing disgust with the way most meat is grown in this country." The lives of factory-farmed livestock can only be characterized as "misery," and the resulting meat and dairy products are full of nutritionally dubious additives like hormones and antibiotics (which in turn wind up in the water supply, further damaging everyone's health).

With a colleague, Kerri Conan, Bittman devised a plan they called "vegan until six." They ate almost no animal products at all until dinnertime, no simple carbohydrates and no junk food. (Simple carbs are sugars, white flours and other processed grains like white rice.) At dinner, they ate as they had before, although in time Bittman found that even his evening meals came to include more "vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains and less meat, sugar, junk food, and overrefined carbohydrates." It was easy, and in a matter of months he'd lost 35 pounds, lowered his cholesterol and blood sugar, and had no trouble sleeping through the night. Most important, he continues to eat this way and is content to do so for the rest of his life.

Read the rest.

I've pretty much adopted this way of eating already without giving it a name, but the idea of "vegan until six" seems fairly simple to me. Cutting out meat or reducing your intake is an easy way to significantly improve health and at the same time reduce your carbon footprint.

According to Miller, Bittman readily acknowledges the influence of Michael Pollan and his mantra"Eat food, not too much, mostly plants," in the creation of this manifesto/eating guide/cookbook.

A culinary writer who promotes conscious eating and is helping people how to adopt the lifestyle for themselves -- now, that's a skinny chef I can trust.

The Dominant Animal: Human Evolution and the Environment

Nature Conservancy Event

Books @ Butler Showcases
The Dominant Animal: Human Evolution and the Environment

Wednesday, October 22, 2008
6:00 - 8:00pm
The Cosmopolitan Club, NYC

Overview:

Paul Ehrlich helped ignite the modern environmental movement with The Population Bomb in 1968. Now, four decades after he first ignited debate and action around the globe, author and scientist Paul R. Ehrlich is back with a new book, The Dominant Animal: Human Evolution and the Environment.

In The Dominant Animal, Paul along with his wife, Anne H. Ehrlich, a prize-winning scientist herself, take a new look at our future on the planet as evidence mounts that the population bomb may have gone off. It is a powerful examination of how the humans today are creating the world of humans of tomorrow—and what it will take for our civilization to survive.

The lecture is free, but donations are suggested. Reservations are recommended. More details here.

3 books i want to read now

Two topics are on everyone's mind right now: the economy and energy. These 3 books offer insights into their critical link, offering solutions on how America can rise above while simultaneously saving the planet.

Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution--and How It Can Renew America by Thomas L. Friedman



The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems
by Van Jones



Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution
by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, and L. Hunter Lovins

this weekend in bklyn...

If you're in Brooklyn this weekend be sure to take advantage of one of these cool eco happenings:

Clean out your closet!

Collecther Clothing Swap
What: Dig in your closet for some tired old duds (12 of them, to be precise) and bring them to the swap. You'll get 100 fake bucks to bid on some "new" get-ups. $15 gets you in on all the action.
When: Saturday 10/4 @ 6pm
Where: Franklin btwn Lafayette and Clinton, Bed-Stuy

My So Called Swap
What: One lady's old sweater is another lady's treasure. Bring some clothes your willing to part with and mix with fellow swappers while swooning over Jordan Catalano as “My So Called Life” plays in the background. Drink specials, cupcakes, and Tarot readings are also in store.
When: Sunday 10/5 from 4-8pm
Where: K&M Bar, 225 North 8th at Roebling, W'burg, 718-388-3088



Bring out your read!

The Great American Book Drive
What: Dust off those old books you never read and bring them to the drive to support some worthy organizations, like Better World Books.
When: Saturday 10/4 from 10am - 3pm
Where: Brooklyn Central Library, Grand Army Plaza



It's open, come on in!

NYC Green Buildings Open House
What: GreenhomeNYC’s annual guided tour of green buildings all over NYC. Learn about sustainable building features like energy saving and indoor air quality while touring unique residences and businesses via bus, bike, or your own two feet.
When: Saturday 10/4, times vary
Where: Locations vary, check here for tour details

[Image: Greenbelt]

[via Brooklyn Based]

stalking the wild asparagus

This one's for you, Dad!


If you don't know who Euell Gibbons was (I didn't), let's just say he was an expert on wild edibles (he died a year before I was born). Growing up during the Dust Bowl era, his mother taught him how to forage. In the 1960s he was well known for his views on natural, wild eating -- he wrote the book Stalking the Wild Asparagus about the subject.



This seems to be my new favorite subject. Though I remember back in high school, on a sort of outward-bound-lite camping trip, eating clover leaves on my solo night when my tummy was grumbling for lack of food. They didn't fill my belly, but they did plant a seed in my mind for a future passion.

Related post
yesterday's brooklyn foraging tour

yesterday's brooklyn foraging tour

To round out our weekend of enjoying the great outdoors of this fair borough, my boyfriend and I joined a class called "Feasting for Free in Brooklyn" through the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (but led mainly through Prospect Park).

Our teacher/guide was Leda Meredith, a forager before she had even heard the term. Having Greek roots -- in Greece, foraging is not some fringe activity -- going after wild edibles is in her blood.

When Leda asked us, before starting the tour, why we decided to attend the class, my brain froze. Maybe because I was the first person to share, but most likely because I had so many reasons.

1. What a great tool to have in case our society collapses
2. If I'm in the park and hungry, I can just start snacking on some foliage
3. Dining on wild edibles is in line with a sustainable lifestyle
4. How cool to be aware of the plants around you, and to be able to identify a poisonous nightshade from a delicious allspice berry?
5. No need to make a trip to the supermarket, there's feasting to be had all around us
   
6. What better way to spend a beautiful summer Sunday afternoon but outdoors searching for food
7. The food is really free
   

Though I only managed to mutter something like, "I like food, I don't want to depend on the food system, bla-dee-bla."

So here are some of the things I learned on the walk. DISCLAIMER: Please consult a reputable field guide before harvesting and eating wild plants (there's a list of books below).

Some generalities about wild edibles (there aren't many):

• Any clover-shaped plant is edible (like wood sorrel, see image below)
  
• All pine trees are edible; in case of emergency you can chew pine needles for vitamin C
• Any plant that smells like onions or garlic is edible
• All fruit with a 5-point crown (like blueberries) are edible
• When identifying plants, always use more than one trait to identify! Sometimes two very different plants can have the same trait (like Elderberries and a look-alike plant, see below)
  

Specific plants that are edible (and tasty!):

Wood Sorrel (Oxalis)
Tender lemony leaf; pretty easy to identify by clover-shaped leaf and tiny yellow flowers.


Elderberries (Sambucus)
The images below highlight the importance of identifying plants by more than one trait. The berries shown in the third photo are not elderberries. How can one tell? Look at the leaves and stem. An elderberry plant has oblong divided leaves and a bumpy, knobby stem. The second plant below has leaves of a different shape and with a toothed edge.
Elderberries are better when you cook 'em -- for pies, jams, and syrup.

Elderberries (Image: Honey Gardens)


NOT Elderberries!
UPDATE: According to Leda, the berries above are a type of Viburnum, and while edible, these are not particularly tasty (even the birds won't eat 'em!).

Peppergrass (Lepidium)
The small green, tender seeds have a great peppery finish (after a bit of chewing). You can use them as you would pepper, just grind 'em first.


Chufa (Cyperus esculentus)
One of the cool characteristics of this plant is its triangular stem. It's also pretty fun looking with it's flowery tufts of yellow/green. At the roots of chufa are tubers that can be eaten cooked or raw and are said to be similar to water chestnuts.



Some plants that are useful for their medicinal purposes:

Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris)
Mugwort can be used as a seasoning in foods and as a remedy to relieve tension or unblock flow (such as stress or delayed menstruation). One of the distinguishing features of the plant is the white/silver underside of the leaf. Though depending on the age of the plant, the leaves can vary from wider and divided (almost like a divided parsley) and narrow (almost like rosemary). The leaves also have a strong herbal scent.


Rose Hips
These babies are high in vitamin C -- you've probably seen them as an ingredient in vitamin supplements. The orange/red flower has a little tuft of stamen on top. The leaves look like those of a rose and the stem has a characteristic thorn. Rose hips can be brewed in a tea, but be sure to filter out the fuzzy bits.


Plaintain (Plantago)
Not to be confused with the banana, plantago major is also known as "white man's footprint" because Native Americans claimed that everywhere a white man went he would leave one of these plants behind. (The plant was thought to have been brought here by early settlers from Europe.) Plantain is a natural anti-microbial and is useful in relieving insect bites and other skin ailments. The seeds in the conical part of the flower are the main ingredient of bulk laxatives like Metamucil.


Goldenrod (Solidago)
Often a mistaken cause of seasonal allergies, goldenrod does not even pollinate via the wind but through insects. The flowers and leaves can be made into a tea which can help alleviate sore throat.


Check out more photos here.

Interested in foraging? Here are some resources (as recommended by Leda):

• A Field Guide to Edible Plants (Peterson Field Guides) by Lee Allen Peterson & Roger Tory Peterson
• Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not So Wild) Places by Steve Brill
• Forager's Harvest by Samuel Thayer
• Botany, Ballet, and Dinner From Scratch by none other than Leda Meredith

kindle promo

I mentioned the Kindle a few days ago and I've been thinking that the price is probably a big deterrent for a lot of people (me included). So I wanted to let you know that there's a great promo going on. You can get $100 off the price if you sign up for the Amazon Rewards Visa Card. See the details below:

Get the Amazon Rewards Visa Card and Get $100 Off Kindle
Thanks to Chase, you get $100 off Kindle when you get the new Amazon.com Rewards Visa Card. Limited time only. Here's how this works: 1) Apply online. Get a response in as little as 30 seconds. If you’re approved, we will instantly add the card to your Amazon.com account and you’ll get $30 back on your credit card statement after your purchase. 2) Add a Kindle to your cart. 3) Place your order using the Amazon.com Rewards Visa Card and enter this promo code: VISACARDAdditional restrictions apply. to get the additional $70 savings at checkout.

If you're interested, click here to get one.

warming up to the kindle

There's nothing like losing yourself in a book. Not just the world within the book but the sensory experience -- the smell of the pages, the sound they make when you turn them, the feel of the paper between your fingers. But when I start to think about all of the paper used, the trees exterminated, to print books, magazines, and newspapers, it seems ridiculously wasteful. Especially since there's a paper-free alternative out there -- The Kindle (and other e-book devices).

And this little write-up on the Kindle is making me want one. Sheryl Eisenberg, for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), details her experience with the reading machine and the sacrifice of the good ol' fashioned printed word. In her words:

...I like the Kindle... a lot. What it lacks in the Proustian dimension, it makes up for in the practical. I would always want real physical books for the works I love best-- fine hardcover books at that. But for most of the ephemera I read, electronic versions are fine.

Years ago, I came to the same conclusion with regard to the newspaper when I gave up the print version to read it exclusively online. What I lost was the familiar smell and feel of newsprint and the fun of perusing the page layouts. What I gained was the web's look-up and cross-referencing capabilities and the knowledge that I was helping to preserve trees, whose dappled leaves, cooling shade and trilling birds exceed the delights of even the most beautifully printed page.

Read the whole story here.

While you're saving trees, you can also benefit from the convenience factor. You can carry around that 900-page classic, your favorite newspaper, and magazines, all in one small device that weighs less than the average paperback. Currently there are more than 150,000 books available, with more being added all the time. You can also upload Word documents, saving yourself the time and paper of printing out things like directions or manuscripts. One Kindle fan on Amazon even had her wedding officiated from the device.

My one hesitation to getting one is that it's another piece of electronics and it of course requires electricity. But it's apparently really efficient. With the wireless capabilities off it can last for a week without charging, so people recommend keeping it off when you're not actually downloading anything.

I'm probably not going to rush out and buy one, but maybe come holiday time I'll be asking Santa to leave one under the tree.

cool use for old books

It can be hard to get rid of old paperback books. Second hand bookshops often won't take your unwanted titles. You can try to sell them at your stoop sale. But how about this fun way to repurpose those pages -- a chair. [Rag and Bone Bindery via Make]

5 eco-minded books on my shelf

Silent Spring, Rachel Carson
The Botany of Desire, Michael Pollan
Collapse, Jared Diamond
Big Green Purse, Diane MacEachern
The World Without Us, Alan Weisman

my own private omnivore's dilemma

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.