Archive for the 'Lifestyle' Category
January 21, 2008 | Being Green, Shopping, Lifestyle
Ok, I’ll confess, it was me!!
Tonight we tried out one of these Java Log Crackling Fire Logs! If you haven’t seen these yet you can check them out at your local Kroger store or online.
Here is what makes these little fire logs so amazing: (more…)
Posted by Jeana @ 7:32 am | Comments
January 20, 2008 | Water, Being Green, Lifestyle, News
Bottled water. Fast Company clued us in last summer as to why it’s just. so. bad. Care for a run-down?
- The US is one of the top consumers of bottled water, but it also has one of the cleanest tap water supplies in the world (i.e., we don’t need bottled water here, but other countries do - and they don’t have it). One in six people in the world doesn’t have clean drinking water. But for us in the developed world, it’s an indulgence.
- It takes 3-5 liters of water to produce 1 liter of bottled water. That’s not because they’re filtering out so much ‘gunk’ - it’s because it takes that much water to produce the plastic and actually bottle the water. (more…)
Posted by mudlark @ 12:18 pm | Comments
January 13, 2008 | Outdoors, Health, Lifestyle
Of all the places to come across a fascinating, well-thought out argument, I was surprised to see one in “Drive” - the Subaru magazine. It talks about how the way children see and experience nature has changed drastically within the space of a few decades.
“Well-meaning public school systems, media, and parents are effectively scaring children straight out of the woods and fields.”
Posted by mudlark @ 8:49 pm | 3 Comments
January 12, 2008 | Lifestyle
In our society’s quest to go “green” I think we need to take a deeper look at what might be causing our Earth’s steady environmental decline. If we can find a cause then we won’t have to keep coming up with band-aid solutions! After some in-depth research, hours spent in front of the computer, several trips to the library and a few phone calls, I think I have finally made headway in this ever-so-daunting question. The answer… (more…)
Posted by Jeana @ 9:31 am | 3 Comments
January 8, 2008 | Shopping, Lifestyle
Are you tired of all the lead, date rape drugs, and other unknowns in your kids’ toys? Check out Cool Mom Picks for safer toys! They’ve got everything from organic to fair trade, to just plain safe. And don’t forget to scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find discount codes for some of the things they recommend! Our favorite? The Choo choo train from Camden Rose. My kiddos would go nuts over the doors that really open!Posted by mudlark @ 3:55 pm | 1 Comment
January 1, 2008 | Being Green, Lifestyle
Happy New Year!
I can’t think of a better time to begin the switch to more natural, sustainable living, if you haven’t already. Changes can be made gradually, and what a great resolution - to transition to a healthier, more natural lifestyle. You don’t have to throw out the baby with the bath water, but if you haven’t done so already, this is a great time to start making strides to the greener side. Some small changes you can make:
- Switch to organic food with the 12 worst offenders (produce items that absorb the highest level of pesticides)
- Find a local fruit stand (I know, it’s hard this time of year!) and stop by periodically so you can buy locally grown produce
- Stop buying bottled water (this is a big one!). Get a water filter for your sink and invest $10-20 in a stylish reusable travel mug. You’ll save huge amounts of money and keep tons of bottles out of landfills - not to mention the amount of carbon emissions necessary to produce the bottled water.
- As your regular cleaning supplies run out, replace them with natural cleaners. If you don’t trust vinegar and baking soda to start, then switch to brands like Seventh Generation, Ecover, and Method.
- Pick up a few canvas bags and have the bagger use them when you do your grocery shopping. It’ll keep all that bag clutter out of your pantry too.
- And the heartbeat of the green movement: want less, consume less, waste less. Buy in bulk to avoid excess packaging. Use your local library for books you don’t need to own. Do you need 4 pair of black pumps? Maybe you can waste less by paying bills online and canceling magazine subscriptions that you don’t read.
Just some ideas to get you started.
Posted by mudlark @ 9:59 am | 2 Comments
December 12, 2007 | Being Green, Lifestyle, News
TerraChoice, an environmental marketing firm, has keyed us in to a new trend in the marketplace. They call it “Green-washing,” which by their definition is “the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.” They deliver to us the 6 sins of green-washing, which are frighteningly prevalent.Without regurgitating their list (you can read it here), I will point out that some of the big points are unsubstantiated claims and blanket, meaningless terms. Certain products cannot be certified organic (most meat, many cleaning supplies, etc.). But that doesn’t stop companies from calling their products or services organic. Another big one is “all-natural.” My high school English teacher would put that in the same category as the word “good” - totally meaningless in that it’s too subjective, overly broad, and not verifiable. In fact, even cocaine is natural, but that doesn’t make it healthy.
The fact of the matter is, the ‘green’ market has been flooded by people jumping on the band-wagon, but unfortunately the vast majority of companies, products, and services out there are only giving it lip-service. John Makower wrote a great post about TerraChoice’s Six Sins of Greenwashing, and I encourage you to check out what he has to say about it.
If you, as a consumer, are going to spend the extra energy and money to come over to the greener side, you owe it to yourself to be informed about the market.
Posted by mudlark @ 2:21 pm | 1 Comment
December 3, 2007 | Lifestyle
Head over to Free Rice, and test your vocabulary level to earn some free rice to help end world hunger.
My vocab level was 40. Can you beat that? I also donated 1320 grains of rice. I think that adds up to something like 3/4 cup. It also adds up to too much time in front of the computer screen! But hey, every little bit helps (with the rice, that is. Not the computer time).
Posted by mudlark @ 10:46 pm | Comments
November 26, 2007 | Water, Being Green, Lifestyle
Bring Your Own Bottle. Or, more precisely, mug. When you’ll be stopping off at Starbucks or whatever your favorite coffee shop is, have your own to-go travel mug handy. Think about the waste we’d save if stopped using disposable coffee cups and water bottles. The way our population drinks bottled water and lattes in to-go cardboard cups, the numbers are staggering.If readers of a single magazine (Organic Style did the study) brought their own cups for one week, enough trees would be saved to fill 2 football fields. If they switched for only a day, they’d save enough energy as 1,000 gallons of gasoline. There’s a website that estimates how much waste we generate with our disposable coffee cups. You’d be surprised. Right now, it’s at approximately 2,684 pounds per hour - including only the people who have registered their coffee cup on the website.
The moral of the story? Bringing your own mug gives you a cuter, more ergonomic, highly personalized container. It turns your coffee into a wardrobe accessory! (Well, maybe that’s pushing it a bit.) And it’s good for the environment. What’s to lose?
Posted by mudlark @ 10:00 pm | 3 Comments
October 26, 2007 | Lifestyle
I’ve been checking some of the other ‘green’ blogs out there, and while I love a lot of the ideas and products I’m finding, I was a bit flabbergasted by one.
“Don’t hand out candy for Halloween. Instead, make your own little baggies of organic veggies!”
Sorry folks, but in my part of town, that would probably get my house TP’d. And I’d rather treat the neighbors to fun size Snickers than be the reason for 24 bonus size rolls of wasted toilet paper, and the carbon emissions wasted in their production. Call me old fashioned, but on Halloween I’ll be handing out lollipops, candy corn, and some sort of mini-me candy bar. Sure, there’s high fructose corn syrup. And probably some non-fairly traded peanuts, and some worker-exploited cocoa. But somewhere in there, the nostalgia of it all gets to me, and for one night a year, high fructose corn syrup doesn’t bother me so much. But that’s just me.
Posted by mudlark @ 8:57 pm | 2 Comments
