OMG it's a Heat Wave

So the weather man says it's not... but it been over a week with heat advisory that the temps feel like over 100. In this area that is high temps.... goodness.

But my little green heart is thinking I can't wait for a cool night to open my windows!! I was told by a co-worker that that was using more energy (she heard) because the humidity will get into your walls and the air conditioner will have to work even harder the next morning.  Yea I don't believe half I hear and half I read... LOL so off the google.

I found many sites that says that running fans at night is more energy efficient. Because they don't use as much energy as the air conditioner. BUT most of them are not what I would call as a expert site...

So I will keep doing this because my electric bill only went up $10 when I do this... yea that got some raised eyebrows,, AND because I get stuffed up with the air on most of the time.  I really didn't like keeping it on during the night but with the lows in the high 70's and 70% humidity it was unbearable.  UN- BEAR-ABLE!!!

So I guess it is TMI so also tell you I did sleep naked... LOL   BUT it was so hot and sticky in my bedroom.

Now when I am home I have my window air conditioner on and a fan blowing the air to the rest of the house.  When I go to work I turn off my fan turn up  the temp to 75.   Keep the animals from roasted.

Keep cool everyone!!

Hydrogen Peroxide Craziness?

I really don't go blindly agree with everything I read. I guess I have the research gene. I read something and think ummm I wonder if there is some study to prove that is true. Really I get on line or I open a tab and search that stuff..  Like this hydrogen peroxide pin craziness... I searched and found no medical site that agreed with the claims.....

So I found this site from Truth or Fiction  that said basically that the cleaning proprieties are on the mark but the beauty parts or "cures" not so much.  I have hydrogen peroxide in my laundry area for the bloody noses and female opps from my daughter so I know it breaks down the blood cells.  Don't think I would drink it or use it as a cure for cancer.   I found a site that a woman died because she was getting IVs of hydrogen peroxide to cure her cancer... scary...

It's like bleach.  It is the ingredient that "oxygen" bleaches contain! So you can use it on clothes, cutting boards, food and counter tops. So I will keep my bottle with the spray head in the kitchen and the bottle in the laundry area. To clean. guess it can't hurt right?

Burn Baby Burn!

There is talk that Cleveland is getting a new plant that will burn the trash they collect and convert it into electricity. Of course there is a group fighting this saying it not good for the environment. Stated the closed site in Columbus. But the fact is the plant in Columbus burned everything and puffed toxic smoke into the air. This plant they are proposing to build with federal grants will protect the air. As many of the Europe sites are already.

So is burning trash bad? Well Earth 911  states that it is very clean combustion under very controlled conditions. The trash is sometimes burned just to make it a smaller amount. That the trash we produce is so large they need to make it smaller and many times burning some of our trash will help reduce the amount of trash in our landfills. Because burning 1,600 pounds of trash becomes 240 pounds of ash.

PLUS the fact on the same site I learned that Dayton; which is close to Columbus for non-Ohioans, has a plant that burns trash for energy. With no smoke!

 Britain is going to start using trash for energy on the Isle of Wight. Denmark has built what they call waste-to-energy plants. There is over 29 such plants, serving 98 municipalities in a country of 5.5 million people. With plans to build more (or have been built this was written in 2010).    Europe has over 400 waste to energy plants.

I agree that waste free would be the way to go, the end that is  we want to get to.  BUT we are no where near that. Not in the least.  So a trash burning plant that would produce electric is better than nothing.  Maybe even produce heat like in Europe. So if this country already has these sites that burn just to reduce the amount of trash for the land fill why not make them work for us.

I mean we really wanting  the future to look like  in Idiocracy? Really that was a horror story from the eco-friendly view.  Trash piled up everywhere and nothing growing? NOT  my idea of a future I would like to see.

 

Eat well

I swear you can find anything on the web.... I am not sure how I got here but I found a site called Eat Well. From there site they describe their site: Eat Well Guide® is a free online directory for anyone in search of fresh, locally grown and sustainably produced food in the United States and Canada.

The stores that are in my area that are certified organic... Stores you know that they are labeled "health food stores". They didn't have the newest in the area Earth Fare. which if you have a local Earth Fare you have to sign up for the site and emails and you will get some great coupons. I have gotten free apples, tomatoes, ground beef and bacon. And chicken for a dollar a pound!! Love that store...

Of course there was the local Chipole Mexican Grill  that we have learned uses meat and products that has no antibiotics or added hormones. Using organic and local produce when they can...


BUT I was shocked to see Eat and Park! Yep Eat and Park! They won the Glynwood Harvest Award for Connecting Communities, Farmers and Food. They also use sustainable seafood. Hormone free dairy products and 20 percent is local produce and meat when they can. I live in the frozen northeast so I understand that statement. You can't grow anything in the icy winter.

What's cooking?

Get rid of your Teflon pans when they start to flake!  The pans themselves warn of  high heat with pet birds in the room... that you can kill a pet bird with the overheating of a teflon pan. Of course they down play that the teflon can  make humans sick. But the fact is some of us humans can get sick from overheating the teflon pans themselves and the reaction is flu like systems. You could be having a reaction to the chemicals but think you are just coming down with the flu....Or that the flaking of the coating can and most times is ingested by anyone who eats the food cooked in the pan.  Even DuPont officials found (back in 1986) that the telfon will stay in our bloodstream for up to 2 years. Tests found telfon in all subjects.

What cook ware is concerned green? The basic stainless steel, cooper, Ceramic,  cast iron and  hard anodized pans .  

Stainless steel we know doesn't have the non-stick bonus we want... but is great for things like heating up vegetables and soups.  As long as you don't let them go dry and burn.  Same with the copper pans. Most of the time the copper pans are lined with stainless steel. My mom got us a cooper pan cooking set for my wedding present and I have a most of the pieces left........ Over twenty years old!  Sauce pan, dutch oven and a saute pan with the matching lids.


Cast iron is the pans that are heavy start out as a shinny gray pan and turns into a dull  jet black pan.  The one benefit from this pan is the pan does effect your food, you get some iron from the pan.  I use a cast iron pan quite a bit for the vegetarian meals so Miss Animal Rights can get her iron....Ok so we all can get some iron.... You need to season them after purchasing. Which is adding a thin  layer of oil and cooking at a low temp for hours.  The down fall and Miss Animals Rights hate for the pan, is you need to use oil and watch closely. You see  things can stick to the pan.  The secret is let it brown and cook thoroughly before turning over.... Great for the recipes that we brown the food first then finish cooking in the oven. Because the pan can take the heat! 


Hard anodized is a process that uses electro-chemical interaction to harden the pan. It basically oxidizes the surface of the aluminum, forming aluminum oxide. It's not a coating. It is part of the pan. This keeps the pan from flaking or peeling plus making it non stick for ease in cooking and clean up. This reaction process is  used on the satellites and race cars.

There area couple points that might make you not want to purchase hard anodized pans. First is cost. They do cost more than traditional pans   Bad news for those on a diet;  they don't  well with the non stick  sprays, you need to use oil or butter instead, most times you only need a little . Plus they are not dishwasher friendly.  I know really it is so strange that something so green can't be used in something green like a dishwasher... but I don't have a dishwasher so I got that covered... But there is talk about dishwasher safe hard anodized pans, they might have some on line somewhere but I know I haven't seen them in the stores...  I got some hard anodized pans and really thin they are worth the money.  I am not eating the flakes of Teflon and my food isn't sticking.  


My Dad use to tell me all the time you get what you pay for. I think I got what I paid for ...

 

Natural Dyes

Hey a summer project or something you can do at camp is tie dye.  Remember tie dye? Ok maybe some of you weren't around then ok.. snicker all you want.... Here are some ideas for natural dyes without chemicals and additives........ only alum or cream of tartar, which can be found at the grocery store in the spice area.Or washing Soda that is found in the laundry area.  If you have some citrus acid that help as a mordant (helps keep the color) I get mine from the health food store.Then I found that salt for berries and vinegar for roots and leaves......

Mordant is something you add to water and wet down the fabric before you dye the cloth. It helps the dye bond with the fabric.   Dry thoroughly before using any dye. 

Lavender
Small Quantity of Purple Grape Juice
Violet Blossoms plus 2 tsp Lemon Juice
Red Zinger Tea

Violet Blue
Violet Blossoms
Small Quantity of Red Onions Skins (boiled)
Hibiscus Tea
Red Wine

Blue
Canned Blueberries
Red Cabbage Leaves (boiled)
Purple Grape Juice

Green
Spinach Leaves (boiled)
Liquid Chlorophyll
Greenish Yellow
Yellow Delicious Apple Peels (boiled)

Yellow
Orange or Lemon Peels (boiled)
Carrot Tops (boiled)
Celery Seed (boiled)
Ground Cumin (boiled)
Ground Turmeric (boiled)
Chamomile Tea
Green Tea
Golden Brown
Dill Seeds

Brown
Strong Coffee
Instant Coffee
Black Walnut Shells (boiled)
Black Tea

Orange
Yellow Onion Skins (boiled)
Cooked Carrots
Chili Powder
Paprika

Pink
Beets
Cranberries or Juice
Raspberries
Red Grape Juice
Juice from Pickled Beets

Red
Lots of Red Onions Skins (boiled)
Canned Cherries with Juice
Pomegranate Juice
Raspberries

And remember that  mixing colors makes different colors.
Red+ yellow= orange
Blue+ yellow= green
Red + blue = purple
Red+ yellow+ blue = mud... I mean a muddy brown color

Water water....

AH that special water is harder to get rid of... But I am researching recipes on line... But I find some interesting sites including this Web MD page that states that the company is being sued for ahem false claims for being "healthy."

BUT They say it has vitamins that help you stay healthy. I tell them about this page and the fact that Web MD says "it is just soda without the bubbles...."

So really would you save calories or sugar if you made tea? I had to look... I found a conversion calculator that would tell you how many teaspoons,  tablespoons or cups from how may grams on the label in that water we will call X water.. X water has 2.5 servings per bottle. Now the nutrition label says that it contains 13 grams of sugar.  The conversion calculator calculated that equals 6.849 teaspoons of sugar for 20 ounces of X water. And how much sugar do you put in a cup of tea? Almost 7 teaspoons? Wow.....

125 calories for X water


Green tea=0 Sugar= 15 per teaspoon (2 teaspoon= 30)


Or better yet here is the calories for sugar:

Sugar (Serving size)	Calories
Table Sugar, 1 level teaspoon (4g)	15
Table Sugar, 1 heaped teaspoon (6g)	25
Table Sugar, 1 cup	770
Table Sugar, average (1 cube)	25
Icing Sugar, 1 average tablespoon (12g)	48

hummmm...

Oh yea better for you cause it has vitamins, take a vitamin with a meal it adsorbs better.....
X water - does deserve the extra X's now does it??? 

Add lemon juice there some vitamin C
Add fruit juice and more vitamins...
Ok might add more calories too
Let see with adding a 1/2 cup of pineapple juice it is adding 60 more calories but 10 more grams of sugar: but that is natural sugar not processed sugar which is easier for your body to digest.

BUT 30 + 60= 90 for fruit green tea.
X water remember has 125.....

Head out on the Highway....

What ever happened to electric cars? So it is the latest thing that  bio-fuel is really not going anywhere due to cost of growing and manufacturing.  So we have  NmG, Zap and few others that are popular. These EV are small around town cars. They look like covered motorcycles. Not good for families. Great commuter  car but not practical for a family. Who can afford to have a extra car? These cars cost more than a regular car they are for the ubber rich green.  Many companies have been talking for years  that they are going to manufacturer a EV  (electric vehicle) but where are they???

Then the main car makers have talked about EV also. Chevy is going to be making the Volt that  was suppose to be out this year now it is next year.  Nissan is talking about Leaf (oh so green sounding). When it that suppose to come out I can't find any date set for release.  Smart cars where going to market a EV also.  Dodge had a EV in the 2009 car show called Circuit. Before that there was one called Demon, but many auto blogs and sites believe that Demon's name was changed to Circuit because they thought that the name wouldn't help sell the car just freak people out.  I have to say Circuit looks like a Demon but with a more sport car polish!!  Nice but again no date and not sure with the fall out of the company what is done with the car.... Sigh...


I love the Electrica  a Korean electric car
But I can't find any more info on these cars. They where suppose to be in production in the UK and coming over to the US in 2009.

Or I see the Fisker car that is planning on producing the Karma at a former General Motors Corp. plant in Wilmington, Del. Kinda looks like Testa Roadster.  

SO I wait for a EV. I also wait to see what is going to happen with Washington and the green action that Obama promised.  Guess we need to get these companies off their buts and build us some save and energy efficient cars....... 

OMG!!!

There is BOTTLED WATER in my house.......... yes it is a travesty. Just when I thought that I was getting threw to the kids.... they bring bottled water in my house. Oh to them it's  not bottled water. They tell me it's Special Water. Yes it the magic water that has super good things for you with cool sayings and silly things written on the side of the label. OMG there is even  Twilight special bottles.

Gee they didn't like it when I told them I crush up a vitamin C and drop in a glass for them. Guess that only works for the vitamin packed water not the energy water I was told..... I always can write some stuff on the side of the glass for them.  Like NO MORE bottle water ever....  I could even print a Team hottie pix off the internet....

Tech and Miss Animal Rights tell me that they drink less pop when they have the special  water..


I point out that that special water fancy plastic bottles are filling the land fills... which I was told we recycle it is ok right? Hummm no.... not all plastic get recycled plus many plastic can only be recycled once, Plus the fact that it is damaging the air when they recycle the plastic. I get this blank stare. I quip that is why they send the stuff over seas to make other countries die from the process.  I get a eye roll and a fast walk away.... I know they think I am manic about this....  Ok they know I am manic about this.

I start to make herb planters out of the empty bottles. They think this is a good thing... OMG!   

So I get a bright idea (and I am not reviewing this company!) I make some iced tea with favored green tea.  Green tea has antioxidants.  Plus it gives you some energy;  I mean it has some caffeine in it. You use less sugar then you would get with a can of pop. And no salt like that special water has in it. Oh I think that help Miss Animal Rights come over to the green side, you know what happens to us ladies when we get too much salt.  Specially at the wrong time of the month.

Mind you that just drinking tea is not going to instantly make you ultra healthy. You get out what you put into your body. If you shove a bunch of processed foods with high fructose corn syrup, sodium, bleached foods, and or preservatives you are not going to cure anything.    You can't eat fast food junk everyday and drink green tea and wonder why you don't lose weight.  I am not perfect but we try to cut our junk food down eating more fresh made foods from scratch. 

I found some green teas from Lipton  that say right on the box Super Fruit. With over 100 mg of protective antioxidants. With special super fruits like mangosteen, goji and acai.

Mangosteen is called the Queen of fruits. It is said to cure diarrhea, eczema, thrush, urinary infections and menstrual problems. PLUS  preventing heart disease, improving immune response, treating acne, and even fighting cancer.  All that from a little fruit from Asia.  It about as big as tangerine.   Gee that is Super water or maybe Queen water...

Goji is also known as wolfberry. Another Asian berry plus it also grows in southeastern Europe.  It's also known in the health food circle as a powerful  antioxidant that studies have shown (but not without controversy) to help eyesight, improve sexual function and fertility, improve circulation, strengthen the legs, boost immune function, decrease the risk of developing age-related muscular degeneration, helps prevent glaucoma  and promote longevity. Wow call that Sexy water!! 

Acai is a south American grown berry. It looks like a blueberry. But you may have heard of this berry it is the latest craze for weight loss.  It is said to also increased energy, help with digestion, sleep and mental health. There I found Tech's  energy drink!

Plus the common everyday fruits of peach, raspberry and blueberry are nothing to forget. They help fight free radicals. High in vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants: the local super fruits.  Said to help fight cancer and heart conditions.  The deep colored fruits are colorful because natural made them that way, so they could survive.  Not to shabby for some  little local fruits....

 Favored iced green teas... the new special water..........

Fragrances

Fragrances are made of petroleum products and ......synthetic materials. They are blamed for many allergies and allergic reactions in many health and beauty products. Things like asthma, wheezing, headache and contact dermatitis. PLUS there are hormone disruptors  that can hurt unborn children and even cause health problems. Because many ingredients have been found and proven to cause cancer and other health problems  But the theory is it can be tolerated in small amounts. That would be ok if most of the products we used have fragrance or that one fragrance could have over 400 ingredients to produce that smell.....     

So what a green eco-friendly girl to do??? Make her own that is.

H2O based perfume

1-1 1/2 cups of flower petals
2 cups of distilled water

Collect flower petals and wash thoroughly removing dirt and pollen.
Fill aluminum pot with 2 cups of water. Add petals. Simmer but do not boil water. Simmer for 2 hours and don't let the water boil away, you can more distilled water if needed.
Turn off heat and let cool
Strain the water into a bottle or jar.
Nice spray for your linen.

Vodka based cologne

bottle of vodka or ever-clear
Flower petals

Collect flower petals and wash thoroughly removing dirt and pollen.
Fill a jar with the petals. Pour alcohol over petals just to cover the top of the petals.
Let sit for one day Strain and add more petals but not alcohol.
Repeat the straining of petals and adding new petal to you get the desired strength.

Cream Perfume

Olive Oil, EVOO, Almond Oil
Beeswax
Essential Oils
small  glass  jar
Small container to pour finished perfume into


 Add one tablespoon of olive oil and about 3/4 tablespoon beeswax to your glass jar
Microwave for 10 seconds until melted, might need to ass 10 seconds. Add your essential oils. Between 5 and 15 drops of  your essential oil(s)
Stir the essential oil
Let it sit and harden for at least 30 minutes. 

Why are we cutting down so many trees?

We have so many different more sustainable items that can be used without cutting down all the old growth trees. Without cutting down our rain forests.

Many of these ideas are not gaining popularity fast enough.  We have heard of bamboo being a very sustainable wood. Hemp is easily grow but outlawed in the USA. Kenaf paper made from a fast-growing hibiscus plant. Last but not least...  recycled paper products...


Hemp is softer than cotton. It grows fast and needs little pesticides. Very strong plant and material that is stronger, yet softer, more absorbent; and mildew resistant.   A little room can yield 4 times more than a old growth trees produce. 3 to 8 tons of fibers per acre. Uses less chemicals when being processed meaning less pollution!  

Plus hemp is great for our bodies too.  Oil made from hemp is lower in saturated fats and high in the good fats. It also is said to have a rare nutrient; gamma linoleic acid (GLA), found in breast milk....  It feels like cotton when woven into cloth. Plus is it stronger and grows softer with use and washing.  It would get rid of 50% of the chemicals used with cotton, the pesticides, chemicals used in processing  and bleaching 

Why is it still illegal in the USA?  Our fore fathers grew hemp! Because pot and hemp are in the same gene pool. hemp has very little THC the stuff that makes marijuana illegal.  If there were to have hemp farms they couldn't hide it in the fields for marijuana plants need more space between rows and plants then the hemp. Plus if you did try to get "high" from hemp you will find out that it would be like taking a dose and a half of a high fiber laxative.  Giggles... I could see some pre-teens thinking that they might like to try that out, and finding the "uncool" side effect!! 

Kenaf reaches 12-18 feet in 150 days, a fast growing plant.  Old growth trees take around 17 years.150 days verses 17 years.... humm no brainer!  Plus another hign yeilding crop where they can produce 5-10 tons of dry fiber per acre. PLUS use less chemicals, heat and the paper can be bleached with household hydrogen peroxide.  I think the only problem with this plant is it is grown in South Africa. It will have to be shipped, but it could be great for that area economy!  Many books and companies are now using the kenaf paper like big box companies for catalogs. A few eco-friendly authors are  using the paper for their books. 

I also find it so funny that eco-friendly websites and magazines know this stuff but the business in control don't.... We need to think about the effects our consumption does to the environment. 

The Sunshine Vitamin

Well having learned that playing in the dirt can do some good, lately I have heard every time I turn around about the Sunshine Vitamin. That is of course vitamin D. We get some of our vitamin D from fish, eye yolks and milk.  But we can get vitamin D from the sun.  That's right just by going out in the sunshine our bodies get vitamin D. Sunscreen does inhibits vitamin D production but I really think as a very pale freckled person;  I will keep my sunscreen on thank-you.  I don't want  get a sunburn.... which is very easy for me to do. But our bodies has a chemical reaction to sunlight.  Some say don't wash your sunlight off your skin, just wash the "areas that need it".  the stinky parts. But if you have been out most of the day isn't the sunlight starting to do it job before you come in?? I don't know I am not a professional..... I'm just a mom.... But we all know how the sunshine can pick up our spirits! 

 Vitamin D helps our body use calcium and phosphorus.  That's why many calcium supplements have vitamin D added.  It's  like an aid in helping  our bones get the calcium.  Like that commercial were the key is in the shape of a D and they tell you that vitamin D helps unlock calcium to help build strong bones. 

Children that don't get enough vitamin D end up with Rickets. Where the bones don't grow right causing deformities.    This also leads to weak bones and weak muscles in their adult years.

So research has shown that it also may help conditions like diabetes, heart conditions, and multiple sclerosis.   I know I thought "sure that is what they thought at one time about vitamin C".  But the fact that they find many more cases in the northern hemisphere makes one think maybe it does help. Not cure but help.  Then I learned that some conditions like Crohn's disease, cystic fibrosis, and celiac disease can't absorb vitamin D from foo.

So really there isn't the proof of Vitamin D curing anything.  It just studies that show it helps.  So it can't hurt to take a supplement. Or get outside and enjoy a day in the sunshine........  Yes you can overdose on vitamin D but only  if  you take more than 10,000 IU's per day for long periods of time.  And never from it natural state as in sunshine or foods.  So a little can't hurt but may help.

 

The Give Love Foundation

The Give Love Foundation is something that I heard about from the wonderful actress Patricia Arquette.The Give Love Foundation is working  with displaced communities and Haitian partners to build container housing. They are using the shipping containers that the supplies are shipped over to Haiti

 Buy this beautiful necklace and all the processes go to the efforts of  Give Love Foundation. I should have had more than 2 girls... LOL I like that necklace but my finances right now are shaky.

Have you seen shipping  container housing?  It not like what you think. It can used to make some very different or very conventional. See many different prefab or container houses here. But the coolest one I saw on Planet Green . I forget the name of the show, sorry. But the house was a prefab house, that can easily be containers, and they over lapped that right in the middle of was a open area with a tree growing there. And outdoor living spaces even on the second floor. Like balconies off the bedrooms, dinning rooms, and living room...

Shipping containers have wooden floors, instillation, and are very waterproof. Windows can be added and modern appliances.  They first their green make-over as storage sheds.There are roughly 17 million  not in use!  But many architects and building designers saw a easy way to build house for less money while reusing materials. There seams to be a architect in many areas, from the West Coast to Japan.

I love the idea of the cabin. Think that could help many areas with a camping area for the girl  and boy scouts camps. Or even quick housing for places like Haiti. Where they need shelter fast.  Second homes in warm climates..... I could go on and on......

The average size is eight feet tall, eight feet wide and either 20 or 40 feet long but many times there number of containers placed together. They are place beside or on top of each other.  To help make the home that seller wants. There is even some free 3D CAD Design Software to help you if you want to explore this eco-friendly housing. Shipping Container House Plans 1.1

I heard that!!

The other day while shopping after work I heard a young man tell the woman with him, "Oh no we can't get this.  It has high fructose corn syrup."  I was getting something close to them  not right next to them.  As the couple picked up a few more things the woman said, "Dang almost everything here has high fructose corn syrup!"  I had just started to walk by them when she said that. I smiled and replied "wait til you get to the salad dressing isle."   They smiled, shook their heads  and walked away..... 

Today at work at the warehouse club, I heard a older gentleman tell his wife, "Did you check for
high fructose corn syrup on the label?" He began to read the ingredient label looking for
high fructose corn syrup.  The older woman with him said "Gee honey if it isn't listed near the top it isn't in there." I laughed and told her, "You got that right!."   But the gentlemen reminded me that the fake sugar is sometimes at the bottom.  Oh yea that is true!  I should know that for all fake sugar stuff gives me migraines!

I think this is great that more and more people are understanding that  high fructose corn syrup
while yes might not be "all that bad for you, used in moderation" as their commercials tell us.  That reading labels and seeing what is in our food is a growing tread....  

Guess more people are hearing that  Princeton University released a  study that proved  the link between high fructose corn syrup and obesity.

I keep telling Tech that.  I tell him to let Miss Animal Rights cook for him.  He has lost weight! Not much  but he did lose some weight. 

Miss Animal Rights and I are tiny women.  AND we have lost inches on our waist lines from cutting out most of the high fructose corn syrup and making many things from scratch.  So ketchup is one of the things we have that still has  high fructose corn syrup.  We got a huge bottle and still have it.  We really don't eat too many things that need ketchup!  Wow my little girl has grown up! LOL. She use to have to have ketchup with many things when she was little.

I know that there is ketchup  out there that is high fructose corn syrup free but I will buy it next time I need it.  But that huge bottle is still over half full.... guess it might be a while before that happens.

Now I have to get rid of my soda addiction.  It is kinds crazy.  I open a can.  Drink half then tell myself this isn't good for you, pour it down the drain  and recycle the can.   Plus it is something I can get in the machines at work.

Earth Day Thoughts.

Hope you are having a good Earth Day I realy know I should be doing something crunchy today but I am just so tired! After working too many days in a row to get some time off for the week-end Earth Day celebration, I am just doing the same old thing. Housework.. Guess that is crunchy for I don't use chemicals.

But the fact is I think people don't get it, Earth Day Was first started on April 22 1970. It was a grass-roots movement to raise awareness of environmental issues. Then something wonderful happened... Approximately 20 million Americans participated. Without  formal organization Thousands of colleges and universities held protests. ... Protesting that lead to changes that we now have a EPA. Environmental Protection Agency. Not bad for a bunch of hippies right? Things like raw sewage, toxic dumps and pesticides that damaged the environment and companies  were freely doing their thing, without anything repercussions........... Raising awareness. Just think what would happen if we didn't regulate what chemicals that are being dumped into landfills and our water ways.  Think of some of the pictures of the poorest areas of the world  where there is trash in the streets and it smells of sewage due to poor water controls. 

But yet I see on Earth Day celebrations, things that make you go What the heck? What are they thinking? People with bottled water... the number one thing that is damaging our Oceans and killing sea life. People throwing their trash on the ground... wow and you are at a Earth Day celebration, to honor the Earth that way..........

But I guess I should understand that many people  don't want to change. They want the biggest car,  the latest widget, and more stuff that they really don't need.  They don't want to try to save the environment for the generations to come for they don't see it getting "that bad"......

SO I will work on my workshops.  Maybe I will get some to use environmentally friendly products if they don't want to make their own.

Keep trying to cut down on plastics. Packaging and waste.  Keep using my re-usable bags at the store.  My reusable cups. Yea Tec  realy likes his coffee mug.... Share my journey here ...

Do we really need all this Stuff?

One of the best green ideas is too not have to buy the last widget that comes out because you want to keep up with the Jones. That fixing your stuff is better than tossing your stuff. This video explains so well.  I had to share.

A better Cup

So Starbucks is sponsoring a contest the Betacup Challenge to make a better cup to keep their promise of serving 100 percent of its drinks in reusable or recyclable cups by 2015.
Well we did get them to stop using hormones, rBGH” and Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) milk in there stores.

If you have a idea on how to help Starbucks do this, please feel free to visit this site.

But looking around this site I found it sad that they posted a page on why people do not use  reusable cups.

What about why they should????
Saving energy in the making the paper cups, the trash they produce and the waste of one time use....

Reading the comments on this page of  wanting  a cup that fits the  car cup holder spot and a lid..
Well sweetie there is a web site with a cup called I am not a paper cup you can order at Amazon! It is a porcelain cup with a lid. However I found one at Bed, Bath and Beyond for cheaper (plus you don't have to pay for shipping and handling.) 
For me it wasn't  any gas wasted, it is located right next to work.  Picked it up one day before work and used it....... I do use it at work for coffee.......  Going to get Miss Animal Rights the pink one, I think she would  love it if it had  a pink ribbon.  For the new followers she loves anything with the pink ribbon on it, partly because both both her grandmothers had breast cancer...... that and that is her favorite color.  guess you could say that it is double duty.  Doing something for the cure and something she likes.....   

   Many places will give you a discount to get a coffee or drink with a reusable cup.  Brueggers Bagel Shop charges a refill charge for a travel mug. Even Starbucks; gives you a discount on reusable cups.......

Being green and saving money!

Earth Hour

Yep I was at work but my supervisor is very supportive of the earth momma as my co-workers call me. "Huh never heard of Earth Hour. WTH is a earth hour. " some asked. I told them it was a grassroots organization to bring attention to the climate change. To help end our dependence on fossil fuels. With the news that the price of gas will be around 3 dollars a gallon by summer!" Jeff my supervisor is a light shade of green, he recycles and tries to save on his utilities bills seeing how he is a new home owner. But listens to my rants about the environment by adding his agreement.So when I said I was turning off half the light to show my support for climate change; he was all for it.

When the manager announced the store was closed I switched one light switch. Ok so the first one is the one for the front of the bakery. Yea poor Jeff was there.  I said ok that wasn't the one to turn off, Sorry, as i turned off the other switch.  He laughed and said Yea.... That's better as I turned it back on for him.......... But he laughed!

Then a co-worker that used to work in the same department with me clocked out right after me.  She teased me she thought I be gone by now.  She saw the lights off and thought I went home. I told about earth hour and teased that the pizza she was taking home can easily be eaten in the dark. And it could turn into a som'thing som'thing type of evening.... But her boyfriends kids will be there this week-end, laughed she just be hearing them snore.  I laughed that she could use it as a settle down the kids.  History lesson on how this is how kids many years ago had to live.....

I return home to many lights on remind them IT'S EARTH Hour... Dang you guys told me you turn off all non-essential lighting for earth hour. But the TV is off, the computer is off so what is left? I wasn't going to far, they did that. So I guess they where thinking less electricity.....and the lights where on in the kitchen and living room as always at night. They were eating....plus getting the kitchen cleaned up for me cause they love to dirty every dish when I work all week-end and I don't have anything clean to use.    
Yahoo has over 135 pictures of Earth Hour pictures of the landmarks that went dark for climate change.   
I went to the Earth hour page to see what they had and saw scrolling across the bottom:    A record breaking 126 countries and territories now taking part!  

Wow....Screaming their support towards a sustainable future. 

Making your own Shaving Cream

I found this recipe for making shaving cream.  From Planet Green

Shaving Cream

1 teaspoon of sunflower oil
1/4 cup of unscented glycerin soap
Double boiler
A cup or mug for the cream

Here's what you'll do:

1. In your double boiler, melt chunks of the glycerin soap.
2. Stir in the sunflower oil.
3. Move the mixture into a mug as soon as all of the glycerin chunks are melted.

This formula will set quickly. When you need to shave, simply work water against the soap until a lather builds and use it the same way you would regular shaving cream.

I really don't like the feeling of glycerin soap  so I  tried a  Ivory bar soap.
Plus I used the  microwave with  the soap in the mug to melt it rather than use the double boiler.
It worked ok my underarms feel soft, but I forgot that in my shower the mugs gets full off water when the girls shower.  But I am going to use a old small container that I can put a lid on it......

Reuse Groups or Cleaning up the Clutter!

Have something around the house you need to take to Goodwill? Forgot it last time? Something that you want to give to someone that really needs it? Join a reuse group.
Freecycle
ReUseIt Network

I have gotten a new kitchen facet threw freecycle. I also help some people out with freecycling the crawling machines old clothes (you know babies cost money!!), my don't need 2 Thermos lunch boxes, clothes from all us girls in the house and shelves that where just to big for the house. I didn't have to take a trip to goodwill or worse then that put them on the curb. Smiley got some dishes for her new place; and the nice ladies asked is it ok they don't match? Nope they where nice pieces like salt pepper shakers, serving dish and more.... it help out Smiley that has not a lot of anything...... I really like giving something that I can't use any more to someone that needs it. Just like the church pulling together after a young family lost thier house to a fire I get things that I haven't used in years box it up and give to someone that really needs it........ It feels better than donating.... but I still donate! Goodwill and Salvation Army stores around here do more then sell clothes, they help those you need help. Jobs, clothes and etc.

Even a website from Nike: Nike Grind where you can find places to take your old beat up to nasty to give away, donate and should be thrown away athletic shoes. They turn them into sports flooring for in your area. Check out the find the stores map. I do have to drive to get to a store but that might change.....