Monthly Archives: August 2008

Green is Godly

Posted on August 29, 2008 by | 1 Comment

While political candidates try to get the high moral ground on which party is more godly (pro-life? pro-death penalty? against homosexuality? anti-war?), I’ve always relied on the Good Book, y’know, the B-I-B-L-E to steer me straight (not narrow) on these topics. I’m not depending on Dobson or Graham or Bush or Obama to tell me God’s will because, let’s face it, anybody wanting power is totally twisting to fit position into propaganda to advance their agendas.

So what’s the word on the environment? Enviro-Girl believes that her Creator is the original environmentalist and that’s a political platform she supports with mind and spirit. Check this out, from the FIRST book of the Bible, Genesis, chapter 1, verse 28. Right after He finished making the planet and the first people, God charged them with this: “Have children and increase your numbers. Fill the earth and bring it under your control. Rule over the fish of the waters and the birds of the air. Rule over every living creature that moves on the ground.” The word “Rule” in this case is to exercise dominion and stewardship — to care for and tend to and manage the earth like a good king (in this case, like God). This is the first covenant God made with people. Weigh the covenant alongside the evidence; God being a God of love, God making each portion of the planet and calling it “Good” (a word repeated a dozen times in Genesis chapter 1) and it’s tough to justify any destruction of the planet or its resources.

According to the Bible our charge is to care for the earth and its creatures. God made it all and He made it good. If claiming moral high ground is a big part of your decision-making process this fall, make sure your leader has a love for the environment and a passion for it’s protection and restoration. If they don’t and you’re busy holding them to “family values” and “conservative values,” bring this issue of conservation to their attention. It’s not your word against theirs, it’s God’s.*

*For more insight into God’s position on the issues, I’ll refer you back to the Good Book.

The opinions expressed in this post are only reflective of Enviro-Girl, not of the Eco Women collectively.

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Kiwi (not the fruit)

Posted on August 28, 2008 by | 1 Comment

Have you read Kiwi magazine yet?  If you are a parent who wants to raise your kids as green as possible, Recycla recommends you take a look at this relatively new publication.  As with most parenting magazines, Kiwi covers the usual topics — health, nutrition, education, books, toys, etc. — but does so from the eco perspective.  Kiwi also takes a look at green issues and social responsibility, which is a nice addition to the magazine’s contents.

If you are a newbie Eco Warrior, this magazine is especially good for you, as Kiwi does a nice job of covering  the basics.  More experienced Eco Warriors, this is probably not the publication for you.

Image courtesy of the Kiwi website.

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Posted in magazines, websites & blogs

Naysayers: Pay attention

Posted on August 28, 2008 by | Leave a comment

To those few people who don’t believe that global warming exists, this should (we Eco Women hope) convince them.

Sad.

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Composting 101

Posted on August 27, 2008 by | 5 Comments

Captain Compost and her family are relatively new composters.  They’ve been recycling and reusing as much as possible for years but were overwhelmed by the choices of compost bins.  The price range is vast and there are so many things to consider ~ worms or no worms?  A compost pile or an actual bin?  How large of a bin does one family of four need?  It was overwhelming and gave Captain Compost a lot to consider (as well as an excuse to procrastinate!).

When Captain Compost heard about the stimulus checks that George W. was sending out, she and Mr. CC decided that now was the time to make the decision!  They had one narrowed down at the local eco~friendly store and were about to purchase it when… she was given one more choice.

No bins at all.

See, Captain Compost has a cient that is of Native American heritage and was raised on a reservation.  When she heard about CC’s plans to purchase a bin, she had to fill CC in with the secrets of the Native Americans.

As it turns out, all you need for some good compost is a black garbage bag.  And perhaps a container for the kitchen scraps (which Captain Compost DID purchase).  Here is what CC learned:

1. Place compostable materials in the black garbage bag.  Captain Compost throws bread, vegetable and fruit scraps, grass clippings, leaves, shredded paper and dried weeds in.

2. Spray enough water in the bag to get the contents moist.

3. Loosely tie the top so some air can come in.

4. Place the bag in a sunny spot ~ the heat will help activate the process.

5. Once a week, flip the bag over and re~moisten the contents as needed ~ it should be as wet as a squeezed out sponge.

6. Six to eight weeks later, you have a perfect bag of compost to add to your garden.  (the smaller the pieces of vegetables and fruit rinds, the faster the process works!)

Captain Compost was pleasantly suprised at how easy (and inexpensive!) it really is to cut down on her family’s waste.  The Compost family now contributes about one small kitchen trash bag to the landfill every two to three weeks.  And the benefits to the garden are sure to be fantastic, also!

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Green Cleaning Supplies Cropping Up Everywhere

Posted on August 27, 2008 by | 1 Comment

In my fair city it’s been tough to buy favorite “green cleaning supplies” like Mrs. Meyers Clean Day and Seventh Generation.  A couple mom & pop granola stores sell them, but that’s been it — until about a month ago.

Target, that glorious retailer of all things necessary and impulsively bought, now sells Seventh Generation – and plans to sell more if the in-store coupon attached to my laundry detergent is any indication.  My mother told me that Super Target now carries Mrs. Meyers Clean Day, too.  I’ve seen no evidence of Mrs. Meyers at my normal-sized Target store, but she lives in a metro area and I live in the boondocks so it’s likely to trickle our way eventually.  Bed Bath & Beyond now sells a full line of Mrs. Meyers Clean Day products, too.

These happy discoveries mean that consumer demand for greener cleaning supplies is working AND that I can get my geranium-scented all purpose cleaner without paying shipping and handling.  I call that win-win.

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Omission of Emissions

Posted on August 26, 2008 by | 4 Comments

Exciting news in Wisconsin!  Carbon dioxide emissions are down 4% from Jan-June this past year! High gas prices have people driving less than ever before and the results are pretty impressive.  The only way to convince people to drive less it seems is to make it cost more.

But another way to keep those emissions down and allow human mobility is to bolster support for public transportation.  Everyone knows they’ll save money by buying a bus pass instead of a car–but how many areas have good mass transit options?  Unfortunately, driving is the only option for most people.

Instead of dumping money into our nation’s infrastructure of highways and roads, perhaps more funding should be allocated to mass transit systems.  It seems like an obvious solution to an obvious problem.
It’s also the obvious solution to the obvious problems facing an aging nation–the Baby Boomers are aging and in a short time they’ll be more dependent than ever on public transportation.  (It’s only a matter of time before Enviro-Girl and Co. have to wrestle her mother-in-law to the ground and take away her driver’s license for everyone’s safety!  But MIL lives in rural Iowa–how is she to get groceries, get to appointments, get to church?  Excellent question without an excellent answer.)  In the short run and in the long run, public transportation is a viable solution for American communities.

Do people think this issue is important?  This survey indicates it is.

Let’s take a look at what the lobbyists thinkat Maplight.org.

And what do the candidates think?  After many online searches, Enviro-Girl couldn’t find out.  She learned that Hillary Clinton was the only presidential candidate who mentioned increasing funding for public transportation–otherwise, at the federal level, nobody’s talking about this issue.

Enviro-Girl urges her fellow activists to put this topic right smack in the middle of the table by contacting their local, state and federal legislators and telling them that the better solution to our transportation woes is public transportation.  If you’re a tree hugger, you need to make a bigger issue of this.  The sooner we get on the bus, the better.

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Interesting article

Posted on August 25, 2008 by | 1 Comment

The Daily Green has an interesting article on switching to eco products and what to do with your leftover supply of old non-eco stuff. What do you think?

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Posted in Uncategorized

Fast Fact: 1,500

Posted on August 25, 2008 by | Leave a comment

1,500: That’s the average number of miles produce travels from farm to table in the United States. To get closer to your fruits and veggies, go to Local Harvest for local sources.

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Posted in fast facts, food, issues

What’s for dinner Mom?

Posted on August 25, 2008 by | 2 Comments

Now that Recycla’s kids are back in school, the family’s schedule has started to fill up. The children have homework every night, plus they have soccer practice, gymnastics, play dates, and so many other activities. This means that, some nights, dinner needs to be quick and easy.

Luckily, Recycla has found a solution.

Annie’s Bunny Pasta with Cheese — a.k.a. “bunny pasta” in Recycla’s household. Served with steamed broccoli, some chopped fruit, and tall glasses of milk. Her children will eat this with no complaints and there will be no leftovers.

Annie’s makes other pastas too, but this is Recycla’s children’s favorite. It takes less than 20 minutes to fix, from boiling the water to putting the food on the table. All for about $1.25/box (depending on where you buy it; Recycla finds her best deals at Target).

The company is committed to being responsible corporate citizens. They support more than 75 organic farms, use environmentally friendly packaging, offset their carbon footprint by supporting wind farms, and more — much more. Take a look at their website to see all the ways that Annie’s makes a difference in their community and beyond.

So the next time you need something quick and easy for dinner, give bunny pasta a try!

Image courtesy of the company’s website. The Eco Women are not employed by this company, nor were they compensated for this review.

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Posted in food

What to do with those used books

Posted on August 22, 2008 by | 1 Comment

Recycla and her family will be moving in six months and, in anticipation of having to load boxes of their possession onto a moving truck, Recycla has already started dealing with the clutter in her basement. And in closets. And everywhere else.

Recycla and her family have a lot of books, many of which (including an Economics 101 textbook from college) that they’ll never read again. But what should they do with their old books?

Luckily, The Daily Green has put together a list of ten ideas. Recycla and her family always go with #2 — donate the books to the local library for the annual book sale.

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Posted in 3 Rs, websites & blogs