I sometimes cross the line when it comes to eco-manners. When I play host to or attend get-togethers with my other college-aged friends, I have eco-friendliness on the mind for most of the time. I never know, though, when I’ve crossed the green line into being rude about attempting to keep the social gathering eco-friendly.

I am attending Halloween parties tonight and Friday night, and Saturday my roommate and I are having friends over to tailgate for KU’s football game. I’m contemplating whether I can restrain my green nature to remain kosher in my friends’ homes. Interning at an environmentally conscious magazine has made me take a second look at how green my lifestyle really is, but should I be looking at my friends in the same green light?

I sometimes chastise my friends when I see un-environmentally friendly business going on: leaving doors or windows open with the air or heat is on; leaving unused lights and electronics on; using paper plates or plastic cups; drinking bottled drinks at bars when tap is readily available.

I usually end up passively taking care of the problem by taking the initiative by, for example, shutting off the lights or closing doors and windows. When I do this at my own home, I see no problem adopting the mantra: “My home, my rules.” I sound like I’m in my mid-30s with a family of four, but I know my little contributions are helping the environment and saving money on bills, too.

What I don’t know, though, is whether my green habits should be contained within my own home. Is it rude to advise others on their choice of dishes, close windows and doors that are not mine and shut off lights that clearly don’t need to be on?

One of my friends did surprise me the other weekend, though. I saw several empty 2-liter bottles on his counter and jokingly remarked that I hoped he was going to recycle those. He said yes, actually, he actually tries to recycle all of his plastic. It caught me off guard. I never followed up to confirm that he actually recycled the bottles, but I was surprised at the revelation.

Anyone have any suggestions for keeping my friendships fresh but also doing what I can to keep green?

At the core of every Hawaiian’s values is the notion of malama ka `aina, meaning to care for and live in harmony with the land. By simply taking care and respecting the land, it will sustain life. This straightforward relationship has been honored for thousands of years, since the Polynesians followed the stars to the shores of Hawaii. 

To take care of the land, certain practices must be implemented such as conservation and sustainable use. Growing up in Hawaii, these terms along with catchy phrase “use only what you need," were frequently discussed in classrooms as well as at the dining room table. Now that I live on the “mainland” these practices and discussions are not as prevalent as they should be.  

Part of malama ka `aina is every one doing their share, whether it is as small as conserving energy consumption by turning off the lights when you leave the room or as big as running your home on a renewable energy source. Although my home in Denver, Colorado does operate off of solar panels, I try to do my fair share with the simple phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle” and if I may add recreate. 

One of my favorite activities to do with my dad is shell hunting. Together we comb beaches for these treasures; as a result I have shells all over my house. Using a hand full of shells, here is a craft project that not only reminds me Hawaii, but also honors malama ka `aina. This is an easy project that will decorate your walls and use all recycled materials with the exception to glue. 

Supplies: hot glue gun, glue sticks, various shells and canvas or colored paper. 

Map the layout of your shell pattern.
With the hot glue gun, take the shell and place glue on the backside and continue this for the remaining shells. 

Now it’s your turn: What do you do to take care of the land?

If night sweats are causing you to lose sleep and costing you more on your air-conditioning bill, consider a Bedfan. The Bedfan can save you hundreds on your energy bill by cooling the only part of your home that needs cooled while you’re sleeping: your bed. 

The Bedfan attaches to the end of your bed and provides a cool stream of air between the sheets and comforter throughout the night. The Bedfan eliminates body heat that gets trapped under the covers and replaces it with a cool and comfortable temperature. Ceiling fans and stationary fans only blow the hot and cool air around the room. The thermostat can then be lowered while you are sleeping to save on the energy bill. 

The Bedfan can be controlled with an attached speed controller that reaches to the front of the bed for easy access while lying on the bed. It can sit on any end of the mattress; if the bed has a footboard, then it may be difficult to maneuver the Bedfan between the mattress and the footboard so disassembly of the bed may be required.

Bedfan is $89.95.

My sister has spent a significant amount of time teaching her children to eat well, first by nursing them with no supplemental formula, then by giving them only wholesome foods and taking them along to the grocery store and her local farmer’s market in the Philadelphia area.

When I visited them last week, I wasn’t surprised to see that she had chosen to reward my niece with an all natural lollipop every time she used the potty instead of her cloth diapers. My niece had seen her cousins eat lollipops and my sister thought it was a matter of time before she started asking what they were; she decided to be the one to give them to her.

The lollipops were all natural, but as candy, they were full of added sugar. After only her second lollipop, ever, my sweet niece started asking for them and reacted with a small tantrum when told no; the lollipops were quickly removed from the house.

My sister had been using this 100 percent organic fruit roll ups from FruitaBu to reward her, and she went back to them after the lollipop incident. But while I was there, we ran out of the pressed fruit, and I opted to give her five organic grapes, her favorite fruit, instead. She liked her reward, and she has yet to throw a tantrum for wanting to eat fruit or the fruit roll ups.

What is the most challenging thing you’ve encountered while trying to keep your children eating healthy?

Olivia Blanco Mullins is a journalist and has been eating healthy most of her life, as her parents have owned health food stores for more than 20 years. Currently she lives in Manhattan, Kansas, where her husband owns an  Italian restaurant . 

"Behold the land of milk and honey," proclaimed the first settler from the top of Bald Knob, overlooking Canaan Valley, the highest upland in the Allegheny Mountains, thus the biblical reference of Canaan. (That's the place the chosen folks got to go.)

Dense with forest, and tucked away in the West Virginia mountains, the town of Davis is in the county of Tucker. In some spots, the forest is as dense as it was when early settlers recorded that they couldn't see the sun. 

As our remodel settles into a (sort-of) rhythm, I thought it time to reflect on why, exactly, we're here. Men's Journal magazine dubbed Davis "One of America's Top 10 Mountain Towns," and there's year-round entertainment at both Timberline and the neighboring state park Canaan Valley Resort. There's competitive mountain biking, horseback riding and just about any other outdoor exercise you can think of, including skiing. 

Of course, asking "Why am I here?" inevitably leads to "What the heck do I think I'm doing?" In this case, my anxieties stem from the very real limitations of remodeling in an area better known for its ski bums than its green contractors. Where can I find the kind of craftsmen and design pros we need for this project? 

I started where all isolated would-be renovators begin: the Internet. Online, I stumbled across Alice Designs for You, the website of a designer based in both Jacksonville and Charleston, West Virginia. Since Charleston is only a three-hour drive from Davis, I was thrilled. Turns out Alice was working on her green certifications when I reached out one Saturday night. From that two-hour talk on how to make a weekender kitchen into a working green kitchen, I realized: She gets it. And because she vacations in Canaan Valley, she understands why a sustainable remodel in one of the world's most beautiful valleys is such a perfect fit. So now Alice designs for me, and the valley is feeling a little less isolated. 

My assignment from her this week is to get a vision and share it with her. So far, I know that I want the kitchen and living area to be one room after we remove the built-in island, which will expand my kitchen's usefulness and, hopefully, its aesthetic appeal.  And today, I learned that Cambio is the only certified green countertop made in the USA. I'm looking for quartz because radon emissions have been discovered in granite. I don't have prices yet, but I will keep you posted. 

And I'm starting to think about the bathroom. It's only fixtures, but I'm pretty excited about a bathroom plumbing package from Kohler called Memoirs, which has a retro-modern feeling. It's sleek stuff and low-flow.  Best of all, I can find a lot of these materials online or in Charleston.

Alice and I will be working together for the duration of the projectas we venture further into the wilds of interior design. I'd love to know what you guys think about resources and products, especially for those of us out here in the boonies. Leave me a comment and let me know what your favorite green remodeling and decorating products are!

As I begin my foray into so-called "green remodeling," I found myself pondering some essential questions, mostly along the lines of "What the heck is everyone talking about?"

With the start of this project, I'm beginning to realize there are some key terms and words that I just don't know enough about. And that, my friends, is no way to begin a big project, especially with a budget of about $15,000, give or take, for this overhaul (minus appliances and furniture). (As you may recall, my family is distinctly unskilled when it comes to DIY construction which is why I feel it's my duty to learn as much as I can about everything else!)

Of course, this all occurred to me today, when everything was torn out of the condo except the drywall. So while it's a bit late for second thoughts, the need for an education has become quite pressing.  

This week, I'm researching new vocabulary terms. First up: LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), (from the U.S. Green Building Council, my new best friends.) According to USGBC, if your house is LEED-certified, it's environmentally sound and "a healthy place to live."

I desperately want to be certified.

Our LEED-certified architect and green consultant, Thom of McKinley Associates tells me we can't get LEED certification on our remodel, because we would have to replace the drywall, and even then, it's questionable as to whether the remodel would have to include the entire building of six units. But, he thinks we might be able to get an Energy Star certification if we do the kitchen right. 

Energy Star is a familiar term, but in this remote area, I'm a bit intimidated by the choices that lie ahead. Luckily, Energy Star offers lots of helpful tips and brands. I'll be spending quite a bit of time at Ferguson's Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery down the road in Charleston. I'm sure I'll be revisiting this issue in a later post. 

Of course, you can't talk energy without learning about your carbon footprint. I knew appliances played a big role in determining how our lifestyle affected the environment, but who knew flooring did, too? Bamboo, another word of the week, is the eco-choice of the moment, but the National Association of Homebuilders claims that wood flooring in general will last more than 100 years, so maybe I don't have to be limited. (I want whitewashed maple flooring, and am trying to find a green way to do it.)

This, of course, raises another philosophical question: Does lifespan and quality justify an initial carbon output? I tend to think it does. 

For help in sorting through all of this, I'm relying a lot on my floor guy at European Flooring. He has all the dust-free equipment by Nona, too crucial for keeping a healthy environment during the remodel. 

And what about tiles? I am attracted to handmade Italian tiles, but Italy is a long way off—that's a lot of jet fuel for a kitchen floor. On the other hand, tiles are green all the way, and grout and glue are environmentally sound, with low emissions. 

Since my head is packed full of new terms and questions, I'd love to hear what you all think. Leave me a comment below!

Call me an optimist, but I believe that everyone will have an environmental awakening. Despite my late blooming, this moment was bestowed to me this past June at the Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability, (LOHAS) conference. I’m not sure if it was the motivated group of people or the inspiring and realistic speakers that caused this change, but it has affected everything from my daily actions to my career goals.  

Since LOHAS, I’ve noticed small environmental changes in my life and my surroundings, such as at-home recycling, shopping at thrift stores, making nontoxic cleaning solutions and starting a small organic herb garden.

Apparently I have not been the only one. One of my mom’s new favorite jokes starts with, “Are you wearing Birkenstocks? What are you chewing? Granola!” She always catches me on the granola part. Despite these stereotypical hippie attributes, I do not wear the title of hippie, but rather environmental enthusiast.

In the past, every birthday and Christmas gift was wrapped with new paper and, dare I say, fussy decorations. One of the speakers at LOHAS discussed the tons of trash we produce annually. A few days ago, it was my mom’s birthday. Rather than partaking in this trend, I scavenged around my house for scraps and various materials. I came up with newspaper dating to the early 90s, old ribbon from past gifts, a few shells, yarn, used shopping bags and a used birthday card, ironically from my mom the previous year. Cutting the already written side off, the card served as a great oversized gift tag. Not only was this a budget-friendly idea, but also a personal touch that required little time. My mom loved it, maybe even more than the gift inside!

I graduated this past June from the University of Denver with a Bachelor of Arts degree in art history and a minor in English with the intention of working in museum publications. A few birthday candles, many good luck wishes and countless restless nights later, I find myself at Natural Home magazine. As one of the editorial interns, I cannot think of a better way to sustain the dialog on environmental changes, building ideas and solutions.

You have heard my environmental awakening story and a few of the changes I’ve made; now it is your turn: What was the pivotal moment for you? What was your reaction to this change? What are a few of the modifications you have made as a result? Leave me a comment and let me know!

But more than that, this deodorant works very well, especially considering that it is all natural.  

Nourish, which comes in a 2-ounce wide round stick, has a refreshingly tart scent, more like orange blossoms than orange, and dry consistency, although it becomes very creamy on contact with your underarms. I have yet to notice any white marks on my clothes, which is an added bonus.
 
As with most natural deodorants, Nourish allows your skin to naturally perspire, but the cornstarch in it makes you feel dry throughout the day. And while I would not use this or any other natural deodorant if I knew I had an extremely stressful day ahead, I have been very surprised with its strength, and feel comfortable using it daily. 

The price is a little steep— $6.99 for a stick—but I’d rather pay for it and know that it is not harmful.

Recently, I traveled through the Pacific Northwest with my family. Spending time in Portland, Oregon then the Olympia/Seattle area of Washington, finishing in Vancouver, British Columbia, I saw that these cities are very progressive in terms of environmental sustainability. Portland, Seattle and Vancouver all had abundant and widely used car pool and bike lanes. Portland’s light rail train got a lot of use and Vancouver’s system of electrical buses whirled all around the city. Olympia is significantly smaller than the other cities, so it’s understandable if its public transportation isn’t as prolific as the larger cities. 

The cool thing about Olympia wasn’t so much the city—it was where we stayed: the Counter-Culture Cooperative. We rented a cabin from the group, which lives on a fairly large property outside of Olympia, overlooking Puget Sound. It was a community of mostly young people working together to fix up this piece of land that they were renting from some music agent/executive type who lived in Maui or something (supposedly the two tour buses that occupied the land had been used by Cher and Jefferson Airplane). 

The property has numerous buildings on it and great access to the water. By harvesting crabs and fish from the water, growing fruits and vegetables, and having some livestock such as goats and chickens, the community lives a fairly simple, self-sufficient life. They simultaneously are fixing up numerous cabins on the property and refurbishing a sail boat that had been left. I knew that the cooperative way of life wasn’t dead in America. Numerous cooperative communities exist in America and a lot in the mid-west where I live—particularly in Missouri. What is refreshing about the Counter-Culture Cooperative is that it is, from what I can tell, a fairly recent development with national connections. It’s inspirational to see that people are still seeking to live simple, cooperative lives in an ever complicated and segregated world. 

From the Olympia/Seattle region, we went to Vancouver, and out of the four continents I’ve visited, Vancouver is the most beautiful city I have ever seen. The city is surrounded by water on three sides which are full of sail boats. The tallest buildings of the city aren’t tall enough to be classified as skyscrapers and they each shimmer with a bright golden reflection from the sun. The whole city scene blends beautifully with the mountains that preside over it because the city doesn’t seem to be in contrast with its natural surroundings. 

In Vancouver, we stopped by Rain City Bar and Grill on Denman Street to try out their 100 mile diet but it was busy and the prices were a bit steep for our a little family budget so we opted to go some where else. I’m glad we did because Denman Street was chocked full of great restaurants from sushi to Middle Eastern to American. We ended up letting our 5-year-old son decide and he chose Mr. Pickwick’s Fish and Chips—I think probably because of the name. It was really good and fresh seafood and the restaurant had a slew of environmentally and socially accreditations such as belonging to The Green Table and Ocean Wise, a local marine conservation program. 

We only spent one night in Vancouver and even though it is a great city that demands much more attention, I was happy to go because we were on our way to Gambier Island—the location of the magnificent house featured in Natural Home magazine’s article, The Temple is the House.

I can always remember how long we’ve lived in our rambling, cozy house because we moved in just before my second son was born—more than 22 years now. The house has four floors, three of which are configured so that four boys and their friends and our dogs and their friends could run in circles and chase each other up and down stairs endlessly—a great boon during long, housebound Minnesota winters.

But now I am divorcing and have only one son, a junior in high school, still at home. I love this house and want to stay until he graduates—and beyond, if I can find a way to justify it by putting the space to work in new ways. But it is a big house, and it consumes a lot of energy.

I have been immersed in matters green for a very long time—starting with becoming a vegetarian at age 3. In some file, I have a copy of a 20-year-old energy audit, which led to a spate of caulking and a long-gone insulation blanket around my hot water heater. And I bought a Prius right after 9/11.

Despite my history, the truth is I don’t know how to begin to significantly reduce my energy footprint—and if I’m confused, despite all these years of thinking green, I’m certainly not the only one. We all would like to be responsible citizens, but there is an overwhelming amount of information along with a dearth of clear direction.

Retrofitting is the term used generally used for energy conservation, but, when the word FutureFit came to me,  I trademarked it and have been thinking about all the ways that we need to futurefit ourselves and our habits and attitudes as much as our houses. (see my “Heartland” column in the July/August issue of Utne Reader)

When I talked to Natural Home's editor-in-chief Robyn Griggs Lawrence about my exploration, she encouraged me to share my process of  futurefitting my house, so this blog is the first step.

First, a few eco-confessions. I have a fair number of compact florescent bulbs, but the truth is that I don’t like the light they give off—and neither, it turns out, do a lot of other well-intentioned environmentalists when they are honest. So what exactly are the differences between CFLs, and which are the best options for which kinds of fixtures? And I know that we are supposed to install power strips to cut down on passive load, but where exactly do I need them? I got one of my kids to adjust our thermostats, but I’m not too smooth even with the TV remote control, so I’m not sure that they are really very effectively programmed. I’m planning to assemble a class of friends and neighbors (who have confessed their guilt at not having been as proactive as they’d like to be, either), and we’ll get an expert to walk through my house room by room and show us just what the basic changes are and how to make them.

I’ve found an initiative that is aggregating groups of residences in my area for a pilot project to reduce the costs for energy improvements by bundling the houses for bids and  using an innovative financing structure. I’ve gotten an energy audit with fancy infrared photos showing heat loss, but now I have to figure out where I’ll get the biggest bang per buck of investment: Better windows? More insulation? New furnace? I’m meeting with one guy in my neighborhood who is a geothermal expert and another who is launching a company that will lease solar panels to homeowners, install them and interface with the power company. I’ve even heard about someone who is training realtors on the selling points for houses that are energy efficient. And lots more…

So check back in this space and join the FutureFit evolution. It’s going to take a lot of us making a lot of changes. So let’s get going and figure it out together!