Learn to do it yourself: Growing a garden is one way you can learn something that results in healthy sustainable food. Learning to cook whole foods from scratch is another. You can learn to make foods organically that cost a lot more to purchase. From organic yogurt to whole grain breads to sauces to soups and more. Almost everything you buy premade can be made by scratch, but cheaper, especially if you’re going organic. I like the Moosewood cookbooks, but there’s a whole world of other cool cookbooks at your library, including vegetarian and vegan. Plus, you can look online and find a good healthy recipe for almost anything nowadays.

Purchase in bulk: Bulk food is less expensive (in most cases), usually offers organic and natural choices, and comes packaging free so it’s ultra smart and eco-friendly. The bulk food issue that most folks seem nervous about is storage and bugs. If that’s you read bulk food storage. Also, keep bulk packaging free by skipping the plastic baggies and taking one of these cool reusable bulk bags above to the market.

Eat with the season: In season organics are far cheaper than exotic out of season organics. Find what’s fresh and local right now in your community.

Plan for awesome leftovers: Food waste is a big issue in this country, and it’s not very sustainable. Even if you compost the leftovers, foods still take energy and emission and other resources to get to your table, so why waste them? Also, of course this is a huge waste of cash. Plan meals that do double time – like chicken breasts that later can be used in tacos. Learn more ways to minimize food waste.

How are you eating sustainably while saving money?

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1. Always close the damper on your fireplace or woodstove (when not in use) or that air will rush right in.
2. Take your shoes off before hanging in the living room. Really you should take your shoes off in all rooms. Various studies have shown that shoes drag in tons o’ pesticides – especially during the summer when lawn care runs rampant.
3. Choose furniture made with sustainable wood, organic textiles, recycled materials, or buy used.
4. Bring in some plants. Plants produce more fresh air than you might think and will go a long way towards improving your air quality.
5. Don’t own a massive plasma television.
6. Unplug your stereo, TV, and lamps when not in use.
7. LED lighting is more efficient but not always the best choice for large areas. That said, you should use LED to light small reading spaces you may have in your living room.
8. If you like candles, use organic soy candles instead of more toxic wax candles.
9. Clean and dust your living room with natural, non-toxic cleaners.
10. Open the windows to improve air flow and air quality.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

1. Switch to a reusable water bottle. right now Gaiam is offering FREE standard shipping on new and pretty water bottles. COST: $10.38 (plus all that money you’ll save on bottled water).
2. Compost on the cheap: if you snag some free reclaimed wood and wire (or even buy the wire) a homemade compost bin can come in at well under $15. COST: Varies, but with smart planning, under $15.
3. Clean your refrigerator coils: the coils on your fridge can easily get covered with dust and grime which means they have to work harder to cool. Clean them with a long brush. You can find them under or behind your fridge (check your fridge manual). COST: $ Negative – If you already have the cleaning brush, this will actually save you money on your electric bill.
4. Hang a clothesline: this is a super cheap and earth-friendly way to hang clothing. COST: about $10 – A decent clothesline and about 50 clothespins will cost you under $15 in almost all cases (in most cases under $5). Note that you’ll also save money on electricity.
5. Build a rain barrel: a rain barrel will save you cash on your water bills and help you conserve an important resource. COST: about $15 if you’ve got the right plans.
6. Install low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators: these babies can reduce both your water use and water costs by 50% and anyone can install one on their own. COST: You can get fancy shower heads, but there are some for $15 or under. Faucet aerators can always be had for under $5.
7. Clean green: for about $15 you can gather up reusable spray bottles, lemons, baking soda, and some other gear needed to make your own homemade green cleaners. COST: Depends, but if you go bare basics under $15. Learn to make your own homemade green cleaners.
8. Get a PVC-free shower curtain: this is an easy way to avoid dangers of PVC and of course takes almost no effort on your part. COST: about $12.
9. Grow some plants: growing plants indoors can cut your indoor air pollution considerably and it’s way cheaper than a air purifier. COST: Depends on the plant, but if you look for nursery sales or try mail order, you should be able to find air cleaning plants for under $15.
10. Quit buying new planters: especially quit buying plastic planters, but overall you can make all your own planters out of found objects. My favorite EASY homemade recycled planter idea is shown below – a beautiful painted planters. COST: nothing for found planters; about $15 if you need to buy some pretty zero VOC paint. If you’ve got old paint around this project is free.

[image via Sprig]

Share your ideas for inexpensive green changes you can make in the comments…

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

• Just say no – to plastic in the kitchen
• Tips for creating a plastic-free kitchen

Today let’s look at some non-plastic kitchen food storage and other containers. Later we’ll take a peek at some non-plastic kitchen accessories and extras. The only downside to many food storage containers is that they’ll be made with an eco-friendly material and then the company pops on a plastic lid. Better than all plastic, but still not perfect. In any case, some of the containers below are totally plastic free and a couple utilize plastic lids. You’ll need to decide which fit your kitchen’s needs better.

AT HOME NON-PLASTIC FOOD STORAGE:

Perfect for every home counter top in need of sugar, coffee, or other scoop-worthy dry goods storage – Cuddle Canisters are bright white porcelain with stainless steel lids and magnetically attaching spoons. Comes in a set of three (small / 16 oz, medium / 24 oz, and large / 40 oz) and fit together perfectly to minimize space on the counter top.

Pantone Storage Jars: air-tight enamel storage.

French Bull storage containers – LOVE these! French Bull offers non-plastic, shatterproof, dishwasher safe, food storage in air-tight canister sets, storage container sets, and mini storage container sets. Many fun design options to choose from.

Glasslock Rectangular Glass Food Storage Containers: rectangular glass food storage containers in a three piece set – one each14oz, 34oz and 68oz . These container comes with a fitted Plastic Silicone Sealed Lid and are safe for microwave, top rack dishwasher, freezer, and oven.

Third Pan: Nonreactive stainless steel that can be used for breading and marinating foods, freezing ice cream, or other food storage. Extra-deep sides to hold ingredients and prevent spillovers. Comes with a plastic lid (blah) so you can stack them.

ON THE GO NON-PLASTIC FOOD STORAGE:

Japanese Bento Box made of Cedar and Coated with Urushi - not microwave or dishwasher safe, but they are perfectly safe for food storage.

To-Go Ware 2 Tier Stainless Steel Food Carrier: Made with stainless steel and an easy fold down handle. Also shown is the Sidekick from To-Go-Ware: Perfect for on the go snacks and made with stainless steel.

SIGG Lunch Boxes: Easy travel companions or could even be used for food storage at home. Note that SIGG says, “Not a cooking container; you’re just plain crazy if you put these in a microwave oven.” Point taken.

Plum Creek Mercantile Reusable Cloth Snack Bags: Great for all sorts of on the go foods – I LOVE mine.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

• When ditching plastics, make sure to get rid of any plastics #3, 6, or 7 first. The other plastics are far less toxic.
• If you keep some plastics, don’t microwave in them. This makes it more likely that chemicals in said plastic will leech into your food or drink. Use glass or lead-free microwave safe ceramic dishes in the microwave.
• Use foil or a food container made of non-plastic vs. plastic wrap. If you can’t give up plastic wrap, at least never use it in the microwave.
• Look to packaging. A lot of plastics that end up in our kitchen are due to packaging on kitchen and food products. Try to buy food and other items in sustainable packaging. For example, you can buy ketchup in a glass bottle vs. plastic. To learn more, read how to green audit your kitchen pantry.

• If you bottle feed your baby, or give your toddler sippy cups make sure you use only BPA-free versions. Likewise, if you use baby and toddler feeding dishes, make sure those are BPA-free as well. One example are the Green To Grow – Welcome Home Sets – Baby bottles made with BPA-free resin and 100% recycled paper and soy ink packaging.
• Don’t use plastic cutting boards. Wooden or bamboo cutting boards are perfectly safe.
• Think in all-over terms. Plastic wrap and plastic food containers are obvious. However, it’s likely you’ve got plastic slotted spoons, plastic drainers, plastic drinking cups, plastic measuring cups, and more. When ditching plastics, do a full kitchen check. Many of these items come in safer silicone or aluminum versions.

Coming up, plastic-free food storage options plus some other plastic-free dishes (think spatulas, colanders, and so on.

Have you been trying to go plastic-free in the kitchen? What sort of changes have you made?

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Why say no?:

More and more studies pop up all the time that note the dangers of plastics. Plastics can leach toxins into our food and drink and then into our bodies. The most dangerous plastic threats continue to be BPA loaded plastics, but other plastics can contain chemicals as well.

While some plastics are made with plants now vs. oil, most plastics are still made with non-renewable resources and while some are recyclable, many plastics are not tossed into the recycling bins. If plastics aren’t recycled, they’ll languish in the landfills for god knows how long. Other plastics are downcycled into products that can’t be further recycled. Furthermore it’s super expensive to recycle plastics and doing so causes its own set of environmental problems.

The worst plastic offenders for our health:

If you aren’t up for clearing out all the plastics in your kitchen just yet, at least avoid the following..

• #3 – PVC usually used in plastic wraps and bottles (such as salad dressing).
• #6 – PS used for meat trays and styrofoam cups.
• #7 – 7 plastics are an odd bunch. It basically means it’s not a plastic 1-6. Most of these contain BPA and are usually used in baby bottles, water bottles, metal can linings, many Tupperware containers, and more.

Plastics #1, 2, 4, and 5 are less toxic to humans but still not ok for the planet.

Next up in the plastic kitchen series, ideas to reduce your plastic use in the kitchen.

Are you using tons of plastic gear in your kitchen? Do you know what types of plastics you still have around? If not, it might be time to start sorting them out.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

I actually can’t remember if we’ve ever discussed Green & Save here, but even if we have, it’s been a while and it’s worth a mention. Especially with spring coming up as you may have plans for your tax returns (home projects) or spring fix-it projects.

Green & Save is a super cool green living site geared toward the money end of eco-living. Basically, Green & Save provides Home Efficiency Consulting for consumers who want to save money on their utility bills or who simply want to be sweeter to the planet. That’s the short story.

The long story: Following is just some of what you can find at Green & Save, which by the way, is info offered free of charge.

Learn how much money you can save if you spend money on green goodies: For example, if you spend $375 on Solar Path and Garden Lights you can save $176 in a year or $1,760 in ten years. Another cool component is you get to see the return investment. Examples, your return on the solar lighting example above is 46.9% while your return on composting is only around 15%. This allows you to see where you can gain the biggest bang for your eco-dollar.

Learn what you’ll save on TONS o’  green home items: From basic home tune-ups, to energy and other green audits, to major remodels and so much more. If it’s green and home related, there’s a good chance you can learn about the money side of it at this website.

Snag seasonal green living tips.

Get green deals and discounts: You can sign up for their green email event which sends out tips about the best values and opportunities for home savings and weatherization, seasonal sales and they track the political landscape and offer tips for Tax Credits, Rebates, Incentives, and even reduced utility charges for using various green systems (like a heat pump, low-flow toilet, etc.).

And MUCH more. There’s a ton of cool green news, tips, and ideas at Green & Save, including a handy green home business directory, an ask the expert section, and community forums.

If you’ve got some spare cash marked for greening your pad, or just want to learn more about green homes in general, visit Green & Save.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

You could play around here for a good long while before running out of activities or ideas. Gather your kids and pay them a visit.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in June 2008

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

The directions on my liner say to wash with a damp cloth. Does anyone else find this as challenging as I do? Am I supposed to take it down, spread it over my living room floor and spend the day with a wash cloth? Otherwise, I don’t see how you can really get a grip on the thing.

Embolden by reader comments on my shower curtain post, I decided to put it in the washing machine like others before me. I used a small amount of detergent, cold water and the gentle cycle. I also took it out before the spin cycle. A heavy vinyl curtain wouldn’t have made it, but the EVA curtain did fine.

I hung the liner up to dry before reattaching to the shower curtain. It was wrinkled for a couple of days, but other than that, no holes, shredding or evilness came from the machine wash. So, I got away with it, but please machine wash your EVA liner at your own risk : )

PS — I did buy another EVA backup liner in case the machine wash didn’t work. So, now I’m all stocked up.

Image via flickr.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in June 2008

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

So, what to do in November if you live in the United States?

I believe that the most important thing you can do is educate yourself about your choices. And vote!

While I’m not 100% convinced that John McCain would be a green President, I think he’s paying more attention than others in his party have in the past. McCain opposes drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and he’s been very critical of Bush’s lack of environmental leadership.

Here’s an excerpt from McCain’s recent speech on climate change in Portland, Oregon. You can read the whole speech with the link, but I picked this part because I think it shows that he does believe global warming is real.

“Some of the most compelling evidence of global warming comes to us from NASA. No longer do we need to rely on guesswork and computer modeling, because satellite images reveal a dramatic disappearance of glaciers, Antarctic ice shelves and polar ice sheets. And I’ve seen some of this evidence up close. A few years ago I traveled to the area of Svalbard, Norway, a group of islands in the Arctic Ocean. I was shown the southernmost point where a glacier had reached twenty years earlier. From there, we had to venture northward up the fjord to see where that same glacier ends today — because all the rest has melted. On a trip to Alaska, I heard about a national park visitor’s center that was built to offer a picture-perfect view of a large glacier. Problem is, the glacier is gone. A work of nature that took ages to form had melted away in a matter of decades.

Our scientists have also seen and measured reduced snowpack, with earlier runoffs in the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere. We have seen sustained drought in the Southwest, and across the world average temperatures that seem to reach new records every few years. We have seen a higher incidence of extreme weather events. In the frozen wilds of Alaska, the Arctic, Antarctic, and elsewhere, wildlife biologists have noted sudden changes in animal migration patterns, a loss of their habitat, a rise in sea levels. And you would think that if the polar bears, walruses, and sea birds have the good sense to respond to new conditions and new dangers, then humanity can respond as well.”

To learn more, I highly recommend the Grist candidate profiles. Also, check out Time’s article: How Green is John McCain?

Do you think John McCain is sincere in his green efforts?

Image used with permission: Newscom

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in June 2008

Post from: Tree Hugging Family