Share Recipes, Help the Environment

Organic Valley, America's largest cooperative of organic farms, is holding a national recipe contest, "Celebrate Organic". The idea is to share your favorite holiday recipes featuring organic ingredients. For each participant, the Orgainc Valley will donate $1 (up to $5000) to one of the following environmental organization; Bioneers, Ecotrust, Environmental Working Group, or Waterkeeper Alliance. 

Submissions must include one or more ingredients from Organic Valley, such as dairy, eggs, juice, soy milk, or produce, and/or meat products from Organic Prairie, their meat brand. The deadline for submissions is Dec. 31, 2008 and detailed contest rules can be found at www.organicvalley.coop/celebrate.

First prize winners in each category will receive free organic butter for a year and the grand prize winner will receive a Celebrate Organic Culinary Experience, a one-day local food adventure for the grand-prize winner and three guests. An Organic Valley farm family will host the winner on his or her farm for a tour and special organic meal presented by a local, organic chef.

So share that favorite pie or roast recipe and help the environment at the same time!

What If We're Wrong About Climate Change?

When confronted with climate change skeptics, I generally try to stay calm and suggest that even if we are wrong about the causes of climate change being human activity, there is still great benefit from taking the actions suggested to solve the climate crisis. Moving to renewable energy sources, greater energy efficiency and less waste has other benefits besides reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It also means energy independence, cheaper energy, job creation, less pollution, less toxins in the environment and maintaining precious ecosystems. If I am wrong about taking action we still get a net gain if we do it, no harm, no foul. If they are wrong about doing nothing, we risk the destruction of life as we know it and great economic costs. So wouldn't you rather err on the side of action than inaction?

In this video, a high school science teacher lays out the argument, well, scientifically. I do take exception to his argument about economic costs on the con side as many economists believe that innovation to solve the climate crisis will have a net economic benefit, but I understand the point he is trying to make. He has a whole series that are worth checking out and forwarding to those skeptics in your life!

Giving Thanks

I've been thinking a lot lately about being thankful. And I am going to be honest, in part because after a very difficult few months, I haven't felt very thankful lately. That's not totally true, I have had moments of real relief (the election) and gratitude (friends that have been there for me through difficult times) but my overall feeling has not been one of thankfullness. I have spent more time thinking about what I don't have or what I must contend with rather than thinking about what I do have and what we all have that is positive and deserves our gratitude. So here is my list of thanks:

- Thank you country for electing a president that believes in science and the urgency of the climate crisis

- Thank you to the cities and states and places around the world for taking action on the climate crisis even when the U.S. government didn't. Your leadership has paved the way to a new day and a new policy

- Thank you companies that have made sustainability a part of your mission. You may not always succeed, but thank you for being proactive

- Thank you friends for being there during some very trying times these last few months. When it comes down to it, the accumulation of things means nothing. The depths of friendship means everything.

- Thank you family for checking in on me, for supporting me and for showing such concern for the people in my life

- Thank you universe for giving me the opportunity to be of service to friends in need and for the lessons I have learned through the challenges faced

- Thank you daughter for your willingness to stay close to your mom during these early teenage years. I could not ask for a more loving, incredible, thoughtful child.

- Thank you to my clients for paying me to do things that matter and for the opportunity to make a small difference in the world

- I am thankful for my health and the opportunity to keep learning and growing as a person.

- I am thankful for living at a time when and in a place where it is possible to live your principles.

- I am thankful for all of you who take the time to read my words.

- Mostly, I am thankful that every day is a new opportunity to do more, create change and make your world and the world around you even better!

Reasons Not to Eat Fast Food: Environment and Health

There are many reasons not to eat fast food and junk food. Let's start with the environmental ones:

- Junk food by and large is made from ingredients that are raised using pesticides and petroluem based fertilizers. Essentially, when you eat fast food and junk food, you are eating fossil fuels. According to Dale Allen Pfeiffer, you are eating a lot of them: 400 gallons of oil equivalents per person per year, 31% of it for inorganic fertilizer. And these numbers don't include transport, storage, packaging or anything else, just the food itself.

- Then there are the VOCs or volatile organic compounds, an air pollutant. Cooking 4 fast food hamburgers is the same amount of VOCs as driving a car 1000 miles.

- CO2 emissions from fast food can be calculated with the handy dandy Cheeseburger Footprint Calculator. They clock the average cheeseburger as coming in at 3.6-6.1 kg of CO2 emissions per cheeseburger, calculating in the methane emissions from cattle production. If the average American eats 1 – 3 of these per week, that is the equivalent of 6.5 to 19.6 million SUVs on the road in addition to the 16 million gas guzzlers we already have. Organic beef, on the other produces 40% less greenhouse gas emission  and uses 85% less energy,

- How about clear cutting of forests to raise more cheap cattle? Or cheap ingredients grown in unsustainable and often unethical ways?

And then there are the health concerns:

- The staple of junk food and fast food is large amounts of high fructose corn syrup made from genetically modified corn. GM foods have been linked to asthma, allergies, genetic damage and, most recently, decreases in fertility.

- VOCs are tied to lung cancer and other respiratory diseases.

- Heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes are all linked to diets high in cholesterol, high in saturated fats and high in sugar; the hallmarks of junk food.

- Diets high in fat, sugar and cholesterol are now being linked to higher incidences of alzheimer's disease, as well.

Everyone likes to splurge on something unhealthy now and again. But if you can make your splurge something organic to avoid the genetically modified, pesticide ridden ingredients and without too many saturated fats, the environment and your body will thank you.

Uses for Old Coffee Grounds

Trish Smith over at Green Student U sent me a great piece on things to do with old coffee grounds.

Personally, I throw mine in the compost. I also discovered once when camping on the beach in Israel that the grinds are great for removing tar from your skin and clothes after taking a romantic, barefoot walk on the beach with some guy and coming back to find our feet covered in gooey, sticky tar. I don't know what made me think of the coffee grounds to try to get it off, but it was about the only thing we had available.

And back in the day when I was either too broke or too lazy to go to the store, I would occasionally use old coffee grounds to make more coffee. Not recommended!

Here's Trish's list:

• Touch up furniture and other wood scratches with grounds and a Q-tip
• Sprinkle around areas where pesky insects, slugs and snails dwell to drive them away
• Mix with soil as a natural fertilizer for plants
• Dye clothing or paper
• Rub into your dog as an organic flea dip
• Fill old nylons and hang in your closet or fridge to repel odors
• Use to fill old pin cushions
• Scrub away grease and grime from pots and pans
• Throw on ashes before cleaning out the fireplace to reduce dust from spreading
• Feed to worms to help with your garden
• Rub on your hands to eliminate odors
• Mix ¼ cup grinds with one egg white and massage onto face like a mud pack

Reusing items that are normally tossed is a great way to reduce your impact!

The Lightbulb Question

B the gossip girl at PNN - http://bthegossipgirl.pnn.com/ sent me a great question:

I am very much the gossip girl and know very little, though I'm trying, about being green. Could you please explain to me the difference between regular ole $2 light bulbs and the more expensive light bulbs that are suppose to be better on power? Don't these bulbs contain mercury that could be harmful? Thanks so much for your help!

My answer:

Well B the gossip girl thanks for the question and for your commitment to being more green.

Besides cost and method of producing light, the main difference between the regular incandescent light bulbs and the expensive compact flourescent light bulbs (knows as CFLs) is the amount of energy they use to create the same amount of light. So while CFL bulbs may cost more, they more than pay for themselves through savings on your energy bill and the fact that they last much longer than standard light bulbs. When you buy CFLs, make sure that you get bulbs that match up to the wattage of the bulbs you are replacing. For example, a 15 watt CFL produces as much light as a 60 watt incadescent bulb. It will tell you the equivalency on the package.

You are right about the mercury, so it is important that you dispose of them properly. Waste Management has a kit that you can order that let's you send used CFL bulbs to them to recycle. If there is a Home Depot near you, you can take them there and they will recycle or you can go to Earth911, type in compact flourescent bulbs and your zip code and you will get a list of nearby places to safely dispose of your CFLs.

Bed, Bath and Beyond has some good deals on CFLs and you can use one of those 20% coupons they are always sending in the mail to save even more.

About Going Green

This site is about how to live a more sustainable, environmentally friendly lifestyle, and how to do it without breaking the bank or suggesting such a drastic change in the way you live that it seems impossible to accomplish. The thing about going green is that it should be a win-win; it should make your life easier, more fulfilling, more pleasurable, healthier and more fun, while taking care of the health and well being of our planet and the millions of folks that share it. It will feature green tips and suggestions, as well as resources for anyone and everyone. I welcome questions, comments and suggestions.

Leslie Berliant