Green Laziness

I swear I'm not crazy. Green is the new lazy.

Though there are many environmentally-friendly tasks that take time and effort, here are a few tips for lazy people like myself:

• Don't blow dry your hair. Saves energy.
  
• Wear your clothes more than once. (Underwear and socks excluded.) Saves water and energy.
  
• Lick your plate. Saves trying to find dessert and the dreaded task of pre-rinsing your dishes.
• Don't cook as often. Eating raw foods saves energy and is more nutritious.
  
• When you do cook, cook in bulk and then eat the rest throughout the week. Makes eating home-cooked meals much more appetizing after a long day at work. Oh, it also saves energy and packaging.
  
• Hate grocery shopping? Go less often, combine your trips and buy in bulk. Saves packaging, gas and the wear-and-tear on your car.
  
• Shop online. The energy used by big-box stores greatly outweighs the energy used to truck an item to your doorstep.
  
• Take fewer showers. Saves water.
• If possible, don't go to work. Telecommuting is greener than making the dreaded commute. And then you can avoid showering as well! (See above.)
• Wait for a full load to run your dishwasher, washer, dryer, etc.
  
• Keep your washer on the cold water setting. It saves energy and saves you the boring task of sorting your clothes.

Cheers to my day of being a couch potato.

But I won't do that...

Just like the infamous Meatloaf song, I'd do anything for the environment, but I won't do that...

Here are the things I have yet to give up for the sake of the environment:

• Long showers
• Mountain Dew
• My car (though I get points for the Hybrid)
• Neutrogena face wash
• Old Navy & other non-green clothes

What are you having trouble sacrificing for your love of the environment?

The Last of the CSA Vegetables

I don't much love squash. Pumpkin, butternut, spaghetti, zucchini...they are all a little weird to me. But, unlike celery, I can eat them, as long as they're dressed up a bit.

So tonight I cooked up the last of the vegetables from my CSA. Two lonely butternut squash and one delicata (Sweet Potato) squash finally met their fate, almost three months after they arrived at my house. Gotta love veggies that refuse to go bad (no matter how much you secretly want them to.)

Below is the recipe, in case you also have a few stragglers.

----

Spiced Winter Squash Soup with Fake Bacon

A medium onion (eliminated tonight for lack of desire to go to grocery store)
Garlic (also from my CSA)
Squash (3 of medium size)
Coriander
Cumin
Red pepper flakes
Vegetable stock
Organic 1/2 and 1/2
Fake Morningstar Bacon

Poke holes in squash with fork, then bake on a cookie sheet until soft. (About 30 minutes at 375 degress, though not an exact science.) Once cool, remove seeds and scoop out the insides. Blend in a food processor until liquid, somewhat like the consistency of baby food. Saute onion, then add all ingredients in order listed above. Cook until boiling, then serve with crushed bacon on top.

Good Things Come in Green Packages

A lot of times, it's not as much about the eco-friendliness of the product, but more about the eco-friendliness of the packaging.

That's why I love it when I can get both!

Pattycake Bakery has debuted new packaging that is made from 100% recycled paper, soy-based inks, plant-based cellophane bags & eco-friendly adhesive. Whoa. I have hesitated buying their baked goods from Raisin Rack for this exact reason. Now I don't have to deny myself baked goodies!

In the same vein, Jeni's Ice Cream has switched to corn-based, compostable dishes. (Though I think they're still using the cute but deadly tiny plastic spoons for samples.

Though not totally green, I was also pleasantly surprised when I received my happiness-inducing new boots in the mail. I ordered them from Planet Shoes, which has an environmentally-friendly slant, and even allows for a carbon-offset option for shipping. The boots came in a huge box (as they are huge boots) that was made from 100% recycled paper and came with an eco-nutrition label.

Last, but not least, I have stumbled upon the best Swiffer alternative made by Method, people against dirty. Not only is their packaging green, it has a sense of humor too. The tagline for the omop is "making floors friendly to kids, pets and white tube socks since o-seven."

7 Random Things

Tag, I'm it! Angie of The Creative Perhaps fame has tagged me, so here are my 7 Random Things:

1. Appropriately enough, I spent all day yesterday making tags. I got a new gadget at Jo-Ann's and started hacking away at the old greeting cards I have been collecting. My hand is quite sore, but the end product is rewarding: cute gift or product tags and less waste in the landfill! Check them out in my Etsy shop.





2. I have issues with velvet and other "soft" fabrics. Chenille, cashmere, cotton are all okay. Velvet, suede, microfiber, some fleece, some corduroy: eek! Like nails on a chalkboard. My mom recently bought a microfiber couch, and I have to use a blanket as a buffer just so I can sit on it. (I share this quirk with my sister and my friend Ashley, among others. I am convinced it is a medical condition.)

3. Though I love Cheez-Its and Fritos and other devilishly processed foods, I also love my CSA. I am very much missing my fresh organic kale and garlic scapes right now.

4. I have an unnatural love for my cats.





5. I have a sleeping superpower. I slept from 2am to 3pm on Friday, but luckily my hours were a little better last night: 5am to 1pm. I will sleep through the apocalypse.

6. My most vivid memories are the most simple: rolling down a hill on a trip to DC when I was five, taking a nap in the sun between classes at Miami, swimming next to a big rainbow fish in Riviera Maya, picking raspberries in Pennsylvania, skiing down a snow-spun mountain, watching a storm roll in at the farm...Sigh.

7. I watch an unhealthy amount of television. In the last two days, you could catch me watching 30 Rock, Battlestar Gallactica, What Not to Wear, the whole first season of the L-Word, Top Chef, and on accident, My Name Is Earl. (This is not an exhaustive list.) I have gotten better about doing things while I am watching TV (crafts, Internet-surfing, reading, and often times working) so I don't feel quite as guilty about this as I used to.

Now it's Catherine's turn. Though hers will probably be 7 Random Pictures, not 7 Random Things.

Drafting for the Draft

Imagine if Uncle Sam were worried about energy efficiency instead of shipping Americans overseas. We'd be much warmer, that's for sure!

Here are some tips for energy efficiency that only take a few minutes and a few dollars:

• Outlet Sealers: They're like little blankets for your wall outlets that prevent drafts and heat loss. These can be found out Lowe's for as little as $2 for 6.
• Outlet Safety Covers: Along the same lines as the outlet sealers, these will prevent cold air from invading your house. I have placed them on the outlets adjacent to outside walls that I only use when vacuuming. You can get a ton for under $6 at places like Target and Meijer, though you might have to look in the baby section.
• Replace your Furnace Filter: The trickiest part about this task is finding out where your filter is! Since furnaces and heaters are enclosed, you have to find the metal panel that's protecting your filter. It may seem like you're trying to find the secret lever for a trap door, but if you unscrew some things, pull and push on some things, sooner or later you'll find your treasure. Then you can find out the size of your filter and go shopping. Filters can be found at Lowes, Target, Meijer, etc. Try getting one that lasts three months instead of 30 days to avoid more trash in the landfill.
• Air Deflectors or Vent Covers: These help to distribute heat or cool air throughout your house, instead of out the window and can be found at most hardware stores. You can usually get ones for under $3, though good luck keeping your cats from moving them out of the way so they can sleep on the heat register!

So avoid the draft and join the fight for warmth!

2009 Green Resolutions

My green resolutions for 2008 included buying a composter (which I did and I love) and installing bamboo flooring (which I did and I love.)

Hopefully I will be just as successful with my 2009 green resolutions:

• Buy a used bike (& actually ride it.)
• Learn to can vegetables. (At least tomatoes.)
  
• Do more volunteering.

What are your New Year's Resolutions?

Green Guilt

The other day I had a friend apologize to me. Not because she hurt my feelings or bumped into me or made an inappropriate "yo mamma" joke. No, she apologized to me because she had started to feel the Green Guilt. The Christmas season was coming to an end, and she had to confess her love of wrapping paper and artificial trees.

I've always been interested in environmental issues, but I guess over the past few years, I've come down with a case of Green Tourette's. I must blurt out green knowledge when the opportunity arises. I don't want to be the kind of activist that makes people feel guilty, but I have all of this green knowledge I feel I should share with others!

So, which is worse? Carrying the weight of Green Guilt or being That Girl at a party?

Well, at least there's a cure for one of these ailments. Check out True Green Confessions.

The Green Spectrum

So, as with all things in life, I believe that being green is really more of a spectrum than a state of being. Colors, sexuality, emotions; they are all based on comparisons. You can be more green or you can be less green, but no one can ever be all green.

This blog is about my fluctuations on the spectrum. Some days I will fall off the wagon, and some days I will be radioactively, neon green. Follow me on my journey of "going green" in Columbus, Ohio.