I recently wrote about my first green grocery trip and what I learned from that experience. Now I’m moving into the next stage: what to do with all that eco-friendly food. Buying green groceries is just half the battle; preparing and cooking them responsibly is just as important.

Buying local and organic foods is great, but it's just as important to cook in eco-friendly ways. Photo by _nezemnaya_/Courtesy Flickr

-Cooking responsibly means using eco-friendly cookware and kitchen utensils. PristinePlanet.com offers a variety of eco-friendly cookware options, including cast iron skillets, pots and frying pans. For kitchen utensils, I turn to Natural Home’s own line of sustainable food prep products made from bamboo.

-When cooking with oil or vinegar, use a non-aerosol brand such as Gourmè Mist. These misters contain no alcohol, additives or chemical propellants and the bottles are recyclable, which makes them a healthier choice for you and the environment.

-If you have the funds, switch out your old refrigerator with an Energy Star-rated one. I know this has more to do with food storage than food prep, but this can really save you money on your electric bills and decrease your total carbon footprint. If you can’t afford to get a new fridge, always try to keep your refrigerator full. This ensures that the fridge doesn’t have to work as hard to cool a small amount of food.

-Grow your own vegetables and herbs. I found an easy no-dig garden recipe that consists of cutting drainage holes in bags of topsoil, then cutting away the tops and planting your seeds or transplants directly in the bags. Genius! Cooking with your own veggies and herbs means fresher produce and the peace of mind of knowing where your food is coming from. If you have a little greener of a thumb, NRG offers an array of gardening tools, and Tasteful Garden can supply you with live transplants to get you started.

I’ve also collected some cooking tips that can help you decrease the amount of energy you use while cooking.

-Cut your food into smaller pieces before you cook it. This will shorten the cooking time on denser foods like meat and potatoes, which will in turn decrease the required energy.

-Cook more than one item at a time. For example, you can boil pasta and eggs simultaneously—even if they’re not for the same recipe—thereby cutting down on your energy use.

-Invest in pots, pans and casserole dishes with tight-fitting lids, then keep the lids on while cooking to reach the desired temperature quickly. This allows you to cook your favorite foods in less time, and decreases your carbon footprint in the process.

Getting to your destination is where most travelers have the biggest environmental impact. Driving is one of the most common ways of traveling, but it also leaves one of the biggest carbon footprints. Next time you take a trip, minimize your impact on the planet and try these methods:

When driving:

• Take the smallest car possible. My boyfriend and I traveled to Austin, Texas, last week to visit his family. Instead of taking my more spacious (but slightly gas guzzling) Ford Taurus for the 11-hour drive, we opted for his Mini Cooper, which gets about 30 miles per gallon on the highway. Thankfully, we can fit all our luggage and still ride comfortably in it.

• If your own vehicle is large and not very fuel efficient, consider renting an economy car. Choose a vehicle that is small and fuel efficient but can still comfortably accommodate you and your passengers. Beware of free upgrades. Although it sounds enticing, a free upgrade usually means a bigger car, which will cost you more in gas and counteract the whole point of renting a car in the first place.

• Better yet, rent a hybrid. Most of the major rental companies, such as Hertz and Avis, have a selection of hybrid cars, and Enterprise Rent-a-Car just added 5,000 additional hybrids to 80 rental locations around the country.

 
Once you’ve reached your destination, rent bicycles or use public transportation to get around. Photo courtesy smcgee.

Once you get there:

• Ditch the car. Make use of public transportation (not including taxis!) to get around your destination. According to the American Public Transportation Association (http://www.apta.com/), public transportation in the United States saves about 1.4 billion gallons of gasoline and about 1.5 million tons of carbon dioxide annually.

• If the weather allows, rent a bicycle or walk to restaurants, shopping districts and tourist sights in your destination city.

Living with minimal furniture has proven difficult in this past week. Although I have a dinning room table and chairs, my living room is empty with the exception of the end table I made last week. Two weekends ago my search for the right couch started. I visited furniture stores, the Goodwill, the Arc and spent more time than I should have on Craigslist looking for a good size and shape couch. I found a great loveseat and ottoman on Craigslist for a fantastic price.

The only problem was the color didn’t match what I had envisioned for my natural space.  The prior owner of the loveseat and ottoman duo was a bachelor in his late 30s; let’s just say our tastes slightly diverged. The shape worked well with my living room, so I decided that I would make a slipcover for the loveseat and reupholster the ottoman.  Having no prior experience covering furniture, I recruited my good friend Rachel and we started stapling and sewing.

I wanted the furniture to be playful and capture the colors of the ocean. I found 2 1/2 yards of a light teal, velvet material at Goodwill and used it to cover the ottoman. I found a navy blue organic canvas material at the local fabric store to cover the loveseat. Because they are different colors and materials, I tied them together with a white ruffle skirt and grey ribbon. I found the white fabric at the Arc; it used to be a crib bed skirt.
 
Here are the instructions for covering the ottoman. I haven’t finished the couch yet, but the steps are very similar to covering the ottoman.

Reupholstering an ottoman

Estimated time: 1 to 2 hours depending on size and added details like the ruffle skirt.
Materials: 2 1/2 yards of sturdy fabric, heavy-duty staple gun (light-duty will work depending on what you’re covering), ribbon and baby crib bed skirt (optional)

I left the original fabric on the ottoman just in case I want to do something with it in the future. You can take the fabric off of the ottoman if you want a clean finish; if you decide to do this, remove the nails and staples from the fabric.

Lay the new fabric over the ottoman. Carefully flip the ottoman on its side and staple one longer-sided edge of fabric to the frame. In order to keep the fabric from moving, you may need another person to help you.

Flip the ottoman back on all four legs and pull the fabric firmly to the side opposite the stapled side. Don’t pull the fabric to the extent that ripples show, but make sure it is tight enough so there are no baggy areas. Staple the fabric to the frame.

For the two shorter sides, there are many options for the different look you are trying to achieve. You can make a strait seam where the two sides meet or you can fold them towards each other. The folds of an envelope inspired me so I stapled all the sides of the ottoman to the frame and left the corner flaps. Next I folded the corner flaps towards each other on the smaller end of the ottoman. I stapled the bottom of the flaps to the frame.    

If you want to make a ruffled skirt, cut the ruffles off of a baby crib bed skirt.  Any size bed skirt will do. I used a baby crib skirt because it was a similar size to the ottoman. Cut just above the seam of the ruffles and the sheet like fabric, and you’ll save time by not having to pin the fabric. Sew a colored ribbon to the seam of the ruffled fabric.

Place the ruffled fabric on ottoman and sew or tack it to the upholstered fabric. I sewed the ruffles to the fabric; it was a little tricky in some areas.

Do you have any ideas for my empty space? Share your ideas and thoughts by leaving me a comment or sending me an email (snelson[at]ogdenpubs.com).

For an industry that derives its success from the beauty of nature, cruise ships have long been known as environmental polluters. Smokestacks release billowing clouds of pollutants into the air, and millions of gallons of water tainted with sewage and oily engine run-off are released into the ocean where they harm marine ecosystems. Over the past few years, cruise companies have received a lot of flack for this and consequently have begun to shape some of their policies into eco-friendly practices.

Here’s a brief look at what some of the major cruise lines are doing to make their cruises greener – and that might make you feel less guilty for taking one.

Cruise lines have been criticized for being environmental pollutions, but many lines have tailored their onboard policies to reduce their air and water pollution, to promote recycling and environmental awareness, and to aid in research about climate change. Photo courtesy Greg7

Carnival 

• Waste: Instead of dumping some of its waste at sea – which international law allows – Carnival chooses to recycle, incinerate or offload its wastes for disposal on land.

• Recycling: To encourage guests and staff to recycle, Carnival has placed bins for food, glass, aluminum and plastic at strategic locations throughout its ships.

• Scientific Research: Two of Carnival’s ships, Carnival Triumph and Carnival Spirit, are equipped with special technology to monitor ocean water quality. The data from the monitors are transmitted to environmental groups, government agencies and universities to assist in research of ocean pollution and global climate change.

• Have questions about Carnival’s green policies? Email them at environmental@carnival.com.

Royal Caribbean 

• Waste: Royal Caribbean treats all its waste water onboard with an advanced purification system. Food waste is pulped and discharged 12 miles from land.

• Recycling: Recycling plastic? No need. Royal Caribbean has eliminated all plastic items usually available to guests, such as shampoo bottles and plastic plates, in favor of biodegradable or reusable options.

• Scientific Research: Like Carnival, Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas has technology to monitor ocean water and the atmosphere and to send the data to organizations and universities for climate research.

• Energy: Two ships, Radiance and Millennium, will receive new generators that will more efficiently produce electricity.

Disney 

• Water: Disney cruise line has some unique policies involving water. Excess heat generated from the engine’s boilers is rerouted to power evaporators that turn sea water into potable water. About 33 percent of the water used onboard is taken from condensation created by the ship’s air conditioning units.

• Crew: Disney employs Environmental Officers for each of its ships. The officers oversee recycling, waste minimization, water reclamation efforts and other environmental systems on the ships and on Disney’s private island, as well as overseeing environmental education classes for crewmembers.

Other tidbits:

• Norwegian Cruise Line recently donated used cooking grease to an organic farmer in Florida; it has also donated cooking grease to a farmer in Hawaii in the past.

• Holland America’s and Princess' ships plug into shore power at ports in order to reduce emissions from consuming fuel.

• Costa was the first cruise line to be awarded a Green Star notation in 2005 for meeting the highest environmental standards for pollution prevention and marine preservation.

With all the clothing options out there, make sure you keep the planet in mind when you’re shopping the racks. Photo by jcolman/Courtesy Flickr.

On my quest to slowly green my life, I realize that there is still one huge facet of my life that I haven’t really dealt with yet: my wardrobe. Most of my favorite shirts, skirts and dresses—many made from fabric hodgepodges—weren’t very Earth-friendly. For the first time, I was ashamed of my clothes.

I’ve decided that from now on, I’ll be keeping the planet in mind when I shop. Here are some of the things I’ll be considering the next time I buy clothes.

There are some really great Earth-friendly fabrics out there, each with its own list of benefits, and here are the three I’ll focus on in the future.

-Organic cotton is grown without the use of pesticides or herbicides and is processed without chemical dyes or bleach—which means fewer chemicals for you to worry about. Organic cotton is the eco-friendly version of a classic, so one of its biggest benefits is its familiarity; it’s a fabric that everyone has grown up with, so there are no surprises down the road, like how it feels or how to care for it. Sites such as NaturalClothingCompany.com offer a wide variety of organic cotton apparel.

-Hemp is another viable clothing option. It is a very renewable resource because it grows so quickly, and is naturally resistant to weeds and other pests, so it doesn’t require any chemicals to grow. I’ve never worn hemp before, so I can’t attest to its comfort, but looking at sites like TheHempest.com really makes me want to try some on.

-Bamboo may seem an odd choice to use, but it is actually extremely soft when made into fabric. Like hemp, bamboo is a very renewable resource, and it, too, requires no chemicals to grow. One of bamboo’s downsides is that much of the bamboo used in the US is actually shipped from other parts of the world. So, although it is a sustainable resource itself, some consider it light-green because of its shipping requirements. BambooClothes.com is a good resource both to buy bamboo products as well as to learn more about bamboo textiles.

Garments aren’t the only items going green. Shoes also have a place in the spotlight.

-SimpleShoes.com has shown me that shoes can be both eco-friendly and fashion-friendly. Shoe materials range from hemp and organic cotton to recycled inner tubes and 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper.

Buying eco-friendly is one thing, but what about the stuff I already have? Here are a few ways I’ve found to responsibly repurpose my old clothes.

-From green craft projects to hosting a clothing swap party, the possibilities are endless for how to reuse and repurpose your unwanted clothes.

-If you don’t have the time (or ability) to make new things, consider selling your clothes to a resale clothing store, like Plato’s Closet, or any local consignment shop. That way, you can gain a little green while staying green.

-If all else fails, donate your clothes to a local donation center, like Goodwill, so someone else can benefit from your boundless generosity.

Since the beginning of April when I moved into my new house, I have become more aware of furniture and successful living spaces. I carry a tiny sketchbook in my suitcase-sized bag just in case I see something interesting and want to incorporate it into my home. Although don’t have a detailed plan for my living room and kitchen, I want my space to fuses nature, specifically the beach and the mountains, and simple vintage-style items.

During one of my trips to antique shops, I found an old glass window at 5 Green Boxes, a locally owned, one-of-a-kind furniture and clothing store in Denver, Colorado. First I thought that it would make a great wall decoration, but after my bike ride home with the piece, I came to the conclusion that it would be a perfect end table. 

I found four unfinished 16-inch table legs with screws already in them from the local hardware store. I know I said I would buy things that were used or eco-friendly, but when I saw them, I fell in love with their simple design. I bought a light teal colored paint from Sherwin-Williams and watered it down to give a washed appearance. Here are the instructions for a window end table. I put tips and my measurements in italics.

Window end tableEstimated time: 30 to 45 minutes

Materials: old glass window and four legs

Tools: drill, a drill bit and paint

If you want the legs to have a washed looked, use 1/2 cup of paint and 1/4 cup water mixture. Apply a few coats of paint until you are satisfied with its appearance. I used two coats of paint.

While the paint is drying, measure where the legs will be on all four sides. My window is rectangle shaped, the width is the longest side and the height is the shorter side. On the height sides, I marked an inch and a half in from the frame’s end. Because the wood framing is only an inch wide, I marked a half of an inch from the inside of the frame towards the outer edge. Drill four holes in the window frame. Be careful not to drill into the glass.

When the legs are done drying, screw the legs in. Sometimes the window frame wood can split easily or chip, which makes the stability of the legs challenging. For extra support, I used put a drop of wood glue in the drilled hole before screwing it in.

Next week I’ll show you my couch I found on craigslist and tips for making a slipcover. Do you have any ideas for my very empty space? Share your ideas and thoughts by leaving me a comment or sending me an email (snelson[at]ogdenpubs.com).

Buying organic and local groceries is great, but make sure to budget yourself and prioritize if money is tight. Photo by cafemama/Courtesy Flickr.

I went on my first “green” grocery shopping trip last week to The Community Mercantile near my apartment in Lawrence, Kansas. I was charged with the green spirit, determined to finally turn my life around. I wanted to buy groceries that satisfied more than just my stomach; I wanted to help support local farmers and producers. I wanted organic and all-natural foods. I wanted that feeling of knowing that my dollars were being spent responsibly and conscientiously.

In short, I wanted to practice what I’ve been preaching about greening my life.

What I ended up doing was going overboard.

The Merc is a great store. It exudes a genuine eco-friendly vibe, and I got swept up in it all. I wanted everything I saw; organic produce, local sourdough bread, homemade granola, Annie’s all-natural mac and cheese, Amy's organic soups, organic yogurts and tortillas and pastas…EVERYTHING. I went up and down the aisles spotting these all-natural crackers and those local and organic baked beans, and it was all I could do not to fill my basket to the brim.

When all was said and done, I had purchased almost $50 worth of groceries, but soon realized that I didn’t have much to show for it. Sure, I’d done just what I wanted to do (buy groceries that benefit more people than just myself), but I’d also spent $48.63 on a mere 22 items—including three avocados and four bananas—averaging out to about $2.21 per item.

To be honest, I was a little distraught. As I looked at my short receipt, I wondered how I could have spent so much on so few items when I could have bought more at a store like Dillon’s for much less?

It was then that I realized that the best course of action for someone on a budget—like myself—is to prioritize your green shopping. It’s no secret that local and organic foods are more expensive (in large part because they’re of higher quality), so if you don’t have the green to go all-green yet, buy the things that matter most to you. For instance, many people value organic milk and meats over other products, so that is the part of their food budget they’re willing to stretch. Just because something is organic or local or all-natural doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right product for you right now. By prioritizing your green shopping, you’ll feel less overwhelmed and more in control of your spending, which will help you stay on the green path. Once money isn’t so tight, you can invest more in buying all the things you couldn’t afford before.

Besides, there are other ways to go green that are far less taxing on your wallet. You can bike or carpool to work, reform your dishwashing routine, and use plastic bag alternatives to name a few.

This was a really important lesson for me to learn because it affects my life every day. Of course I want to be as green as possible, but I also want to keep my bank account in the green. For now, I’m going to focus on organic milk and produce, because those are things I really value. Buying organic can really make a difference in how healthy fruits and vegetables are, especially considering pesticide exposure. And maybe I can treat myself every so often with some local bread or all-natural mac and cheese.

This truly was a lesson in greening my life, one small step at a time.

I will be taking a hiatus from my usual Green Artist Spotlight postings to share the slow transformation that is occurring in my living room and kitchen.

Two weeks ago I moved into this old beautiful home with cream-colored walls and rich hardwood floors. After I unpacked the boxes, I realized that I had enough furniture for my bedroom and small office space. Living in the dorms throughout college has resulted in a minimal, mismatched furniture collection. The thought of an empty kitchen and living room sparked a strand of daydreams of the pieces that would one day fill the space.

When I was in Italy a few years ago, one of my Italian friends told me “new furniture was the death of a room and old furniture gives character and context to the space.” Although this is a little extreme, the message stuck with me. Now that I have my own space, I decided that I would fill these rooms with furniture that is either salvaged, hand-crafted or environmentally friendly. Although I’m no seamstress, handyman or woodcrafter, I’m going to make or embellish these pieces as much as possible—making them my own.

The search began after my first dinner in my new home. My boyfriend and I sat on the floor and used a crumbling moving box as a table—very romantic! First, I needed a table and chairs. I explored a few interior design blogs for inspiration then went to the Goodwill and various antique stores. After too many hours spent on craigslist, I found this five-year-old wooden table set for a great price.

If everything goes to plan, I’ll show you my coffee table made out of an old window next week. Do you have any ideas for my very empty space? Share your ideas and thoughts by leaving me a comment or dropping me an email (snelson[at]ogdenpubs.com).

Passover is the perfect time to incorporate local and organic foods into your life. Photo By @MSG/Courtesy Flickr.

This year, Passover is couched between Earth Hour (March 28) and Earth Day (April 22), and what better way to continue your commitment to the planet than by preparing and hosting a green seder? Passover starts today and continues on through next week (April 8-16), but there is still time to incorporate a little green into your holiday.

Preparation

-A staple of Passover is the pre-Passover cleaning to get rid of all the bread in your home. Instead of defaulting to just any store-bought cleaner, invest in cleaners that are nontoxic and are made from natural ingredients. If you’re looking to buy a safe cleaner, Seventh Generation offers a wide variety. If you want to venture into darker green territory, try making your own cleaners from ingredients you can find around your home.

-Flowers are a great way to decorate your home for this spring holiday. If you grow your own flowers, display them proudly around your home for your family and friends. If you want to buy flowers, make sure they are locally grown, and preferably organic. Potted flowers and herbs are a more sustainable option because they last longer; plus, you can give them away at the end of the meal as parting gifts.

Shopping

-Always try to remember to BYOB—bring your own bags. This way, you don’t have tons of unwanted extra plastic or paper bags floating around your home after a large shopping trip.

-When possible, buy local and organic foods. An easy way to incorporate local and organic food into your seder is by buying free-range and organic eggs, local fruits and vegetables and local meats. Local kosher meats can be hard to come by, though, so when local isn’t an option, you can still opt for organic with Wise Organic Pastures. Buying organic and/or local matzah is another great way to stay green during Passover. If a local bakery offers matzah that is kosher for Passover, consider yourself lucky and buy some right away. Otherwise, check out Matzah Online for a variety of handmade and organic matzah.

-When choosing a wine, go organic, too. If a local winery makes wine that is kosher for Passover (because not all wines are), buy some of its wine. Otherwise, try a wine from Four Gates—located in California—or visit KosherWine.com for a large selection from around the world.

The Meal

-Make your charoset with local or organic apples and fairly traded nuts. Equal Exchange offers a variety of fair-trade products, including pecans and almonds. For a little extra green, you can also grate horseradish root by hand instead of buying pre-made horseradish.

-If you are attending a seder, try carpooling to limit the number of cars on the road (and thus the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere.)

-Break out the good china instead of relying on disposable plates and utensils. This will help decrease your waste production. And if you have a lot of guests (which means a lot of dirty dishes at the end of the night), wash your dishes in the dishwasher (preferably an Energy Star-rated one) to cut down on wasted water from handwashing (unless you’re using the two-tub method, in which case, go for it!)

-After the meal is over, you are bound to have copious leftovers. Salvage what you can to eat throughout the week, and compost the rest. If you have extra matzah after Passover ends and don’t know what to do with it, make a diorama with it and enter it into The Jew & The Carrot’s Matzah Diorama Contest.

My previous blogs have focused on the fine arts; however, this week I’d like to explore the musical arts by highlighting singer, songwriter, environmental activist, professional surfer and talented filmmaker Jack Johnson.

Photo Courtesy Brushfire Records

Johnson provided the soundtrack to the 2006 movie Curious George with lyrics about basic social skills elementary school children learn, like sharing, the importance of friendship and playing on the jungle gym. The soundtrack not only features Johnson, playing the guitar and singing, but also three other artists: G Love, Matt Costa and Ben Harper.   

The song “The 3 R’s” talks about how to take care the planet, regardless of your age. Because the movie and the soundtrack are geared towards a younger audience (though adults like it too), Johnson incorporates children singing a few verses of the song. His catchy lyrics make it easy for children to remember the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling.

“If you're going to the market to buy some juice
You've got to bring your own bags and you learn to reduce your waste
And if your brother or your sister's got some cool clothes
You could try them on before you buy some more of those
Reuse, we've got to learn to reuse
And if the first two R's don't work out
And if you've got to make some trash
Don't throw it out
Recycle, we've got to learn to recycle”
-The 3 R’s, The Curious George Soundtrack

Johnson not only sings about protecting the planet, but also practices what he sings about. He and his wife Kim spread environmental awareness through their nonprofit Kokua Foundation, which they founded in 2003 (in Hawaiian Kokua means “to take care of”). Jack Johnson sings songs from the Curious George Soundtrack and talks to elementary students about ways to help the planet, like practicing the three r’s. He visits elementary schools throughout Hawaii and implements eco-friendly school programs, such as 3R’s School recycling; ‘AINA in Schools program; environmental field trips; KEAP-Kokua Earth Action projects; and an environmental education curriculum for students and teachers.

Johnson hosts the Kokua Festival, an annual music festival on Oahu, Hawaii, which unites local businesses, musicians, community leaders and eco-businesses in the goal of increasing environmental education throughout Hawaii. The festival raises funds for the Kokua Hawai’i Foundation.