No Butts About It...

Cigarette filters are litter, and I spent much of last week's Comfest battling the butt.

So, this is an easy tip: If you do smoke, simply snuff out the filter, make sure that you're not going to set a trash can on fire with it, and drop it off in the nearest receptacle.

If you know you'll be far from such amenities, carry a resealable plastic bag with you so that you can easily dispose of the waste once you're safely back at home. Your local wildlife will thank you.

Beg, Borrow (but Don't Steal) for Your Library

What's greener than a library? Not much!

Libraries provide the community with an easy, convenient and essential way of sharing resources, including books, movies, music, puzzles, computers and more! It's the ultimate option for reducing your consumption!

Check out what's available at your local library today. To find the library closest to you, simply enter your zip code at Find-a-Library.



Already a library convert? Show your support for Ohio public libraries now! A proposed 50% cut in funding could greatly reduce your library's ability to help you go green! Find out more at SaveOhioLibraries.com.

Do you have issues?

If you're like me, you might have a mental block against trashing old magazines. Okay, let's be fair, if you're like me, you don't actually subscribe to any magazines. But, here are some things you can do with last month's issue (besides collect dust.)



Crafts

• Make a collage. (I'll probably getting a lot of duh's for this one, but really, collage's are a great brainstorming tool for work or home life.)
• Use them to make envelopes.
• Cut the pages into strips and make jewelry pendants or beads, or even bowls out of them.
• Use the pages to wrap small gifts.

Giving Them Away

• Ask your local schools if they would like to use them for crafts. (Though if you're looking to get rid of your Playboys and Hustlers, this might not be your best option.)
• If they're the newest issue, sell them back to Half Priced Books.
  
• Do a magazine swap with your friends by trading this year's ReadyMade for this year's Real Simple. Or last week's US Weekly for last week's People. Or why not share your subscriptions with a like-minded co-worker?
• Be the magazine fairy for your favorite waiting room, such as the doctor's office, dentist's office, hospital, DMV, laundromat, staff lounge, bus stop or airport.
• If you're really industrious, try selling them on eBay. Who knows, you may find a collector dying to find a copy of October 1978 issue of TIME magazine!

Last resort:

• You can always recycle your magazines.
• Shred them and use them like shipping peanuts.

And for the ones you know you're going to read and pitch...

• Try getting some of your favorite magazine subscriptions online, especially if you have a Kindle.
• Check them out from the library.
  

CSA Skillet Concoctions

I am the queen of "throw it in the skillet and call it a meal" cooking. Here are a few of my recent concoctions:

Vegetarian Taco Salad
Whole Food's 365 Everyday olive oil
green onions*
Swiss chard*
canned organic tomatoes
frozen corn
Morningstar Recipe Crumbles
Simply Organic taco seasoning
romaine lettuce*
cheddar cheese


Crestview Concoction
Whole Food's 365 Everyday olive oil
carrots
radishes*
purple cabbage
kale*
green onion*

lemon
garlic powder
ground red pepper
penne pasta
Parmesan cheese

Kohlrabi Concoction
Whole Food's 365 Everyday olive oil
green onions*
kohlrabi*
kohlrabi leaves*
Swiss chard*
lemon
pizza seasoning
organic canned tomatoes
garlic salt
mozzarella cheese

For each recipe, simply saute the "hardest" veggies first, such as the radishes and kohlrabi until tender. Then add the spices, canned/frozen veggies until warm. Lastly, add the leafy veggies until slightly wilted. Top with cheese. Usually takes about 10 minutes.

I've found that as long as I have a few spices that I really like, and a bit of cheese, any veggie can taste good! (Except for beets. Still can't stand them. Sorry, beets.)

Note: Ingredients marked with an asterisk denote produce that was in season within the last few weeks and available through my CSA with Sippel Family Farm.

Laying Low

Looking to hide out this summer? No need to cower in the shower. Here are some easy tips for lowering your energy and water consumption while washing off all of your summer sweat.

• Install a low-flow showerhead. These are usually easy to install. Simply wrap some plumber's tape around the pipe to prevent leaks, then screw the showerhead on over it. Find one that will let you adjust the water flow, and you can save water when shaving or lathering. (Unfortunately, the one that I bought a couple of years ago is no longer sold, but this one looks similar.)
• Turn down your water heater. You should see a dial near the bottom part of your water heater that will let you set it to a lower heating level. Here's why.
  
• Take a shower in the dark. This is one of my favorite things to do in the summer. When it's so hot I can't stand it, I turn out all of the lights. Usually there's enough daylight filtering in to see, and it makes the daily chore seem a little mysterious.

Not as interested in laying low? Save water by showering with a friend. Seriously, every little bit helps.

Strawberry-Banana Oatmeal

Here's what I had for breakfast today:

Eden organic oat flakes (from Raisin Rack)
Tap water
Strawberries (from Doran's at the Westerville Farmer's Market)
Organic banana chips (from Trader Joe's)
Silk soy milk (from Raisin Rack or Kroger)
Almond slivers (from Raisin Rack's bulk bins)
Honey from a local farmer (mine came from a friend of a co-worker)



Microwave the oatmeal with water. (Cooking on the stove uses more energy.) Sprinkle with all of the other ingredients to heart's content. Eat outside on deck in 74 degree weather. Lick the bowl. Compost the strawberry tops. Unplug the microwave to avoid vampires sucking up extra energy. Voila!

This meal took 3 minutes to prepare, 10 minutes to eat, and 1 minute to clean up. Though it wasn't grown in my backyard, each ingredient has at least a hint of eco-friendliness, whether it be less packaging, organically grown or locally grown. Green heaven.

Feeling Washed Out?

Try Burt's Bees Garden Tomato Complexion Soap.

I've been using this for about 2 months. Beside the fact that there's minimal packaging, it works well as a face wash. I got this bar at Raisin Rack.


If you're not sure about the smell of tomato plants in the morning, check out Burt's Bees other face soaps.

All Dried Up?

All dried up? Your clothes sure are. The important question is how.

Traditional clothes dryers use a lot of electricity. Next time you have to air out your dirty laundry, try hanging your clothes on a drying rack. For some really nice racks, check out this Treehugger article.



For the clothes you want to be extra soft, try these dryer balls. They eliminate the need for fabric softeners or dryer sheets.

Eco Chic Craftacular was greentastic!

Upcycle. Biodiesel. E-Waste. Greenwashing. Greenovate. Craftacular.

Eco-friendly word hybridization is getting out of hand! Despite that, the craft hybridization phenomenon is all the rage.

At the Eco Chic Craftacular this weekend, crafters brought all types of "hybrids" to sell. Ragged pairs of pants, silk ties, belts and old sheets were upcycled into nifty bags. Old teapots were turned into terrariums and broken watches turned into necklaces.

Here are a few of my "hybrids."

Wine corks made into trivets, secondhand onesies turned into whimsical baby gifts, cat toys made with fabric scraps and organic cat nip, gift tags made from old greeting cards, and desk organizers made from obsolete floppy disks.

What other crafty hybrids have you seen lately?

Bike Like

As one of my eco-friendly resolutions for 2009, I bought a bike last weekend. This is my first bike in 20 years, but after a minute of OhMyGodImGoingToCrash panic, I am loving it.



Though there are some bikes on the market that are made from sustainable materials, they are way out of a librarian's price range. So I opted for a used bike.

I ended up at Once Ridden Bikes on Indianola. They fix up all of their bikes before selling them and they offer maintenance to walk-ins, which is good for a newbie like me. They were busy when I went in, but friendly. I was allowed to take the bikes out for test runs and they showed me how to take the front wheel off so that I could fit the bike in my car.

Here are some other places to search:

• Third Hand Bike Co-Op
  
• Play It Again Sports
• Craigslist
• local garage sales

This may be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.