Pied Beauty

GLORY be to God for dappled things—

For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;

For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;

Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;

Landscape plotted and pieced—fold, fallow, and plough;

And all trades, their gear and tackle and trim.

All things counter, original, spare, strange;

Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)

With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;

He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:

Praise him.

by Gerard Manley Hopkins

While I don’t see many trout, rose-moled or otherwise, where I live, I do appreciate the wildflowers popping up all over, the new bird calls that have been added in the last month as species head north, and the rain falling outside my window. Thinking about the details makes me want to protect them all. What particulars speak to your heart? How do you want to protect them this year?

I hope you and your family find many wonderful things to celebrate in the world surrounding you. Happy Earth Day!

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Monument Cafe in Georgetown, Texas

One of the most personally satisfying benefits of moving our spending more towards local businesses has been discovering some truly fun places. Topping our list is dining at the Monument Cafe.

The Monument Cafe in located in a beautiful building in Georgetown, Texas. Surrounded by raised beds and gardens, the sleek mid-Century modern building reminds me of a happier version of Hopper’s Nighthawks. When we are there, I expect to see men in fedoras to stroll in and sit at the counter. The simple decor makes the inside feel very restful and calm.

The food is equally pleasurable. We’ve been there several times over the last few months and have enjoyed everything we have ordered. The restaurant serves “locally-grown and organic vegetables, meat, and dairy to the greatest extent possible.” In addition to the food grown around the restaurant, the ingredients come from a network of local farmers developed over the restaurant’s seven year history. And the chefs are always experimenting with new ways to expand the local, organic options. Just recently, homemade ice cream was added to the menu!

The owner, Rusty Winkstern, is also working to expand the options for local food network for others. Beginning next month, he and his business partner Clark Lyda plan to open a market for fresh seasonal foods grown within a 250-mile radius. The Monument Market will be located at 1953 South Austin Avenue (the original cafe location for locals) and will be open to the public seven days a week.

The experience is rounded out by the friendly wait staff. The first time we thought we got lucky but, without exception, we have had helpful and pleasant servers. On our last visit, our eldest daughter placed her order herself (something she had been practicing with us beforehand since it made her a little nervous). When she ordered with a ‘please’ and ‘thank you,’ our waitress said, “What nice manners!” and gave her a huge smile. Our daughter was thrilled! (As were Richard and I. I could have hugged our waitress for her kindness!) Richard and I have been talking with the girls about how important good manners are and how many people notice and appreciate them and here was proof. Having our kids hear that very message – independent from us – was so powerful!

So, in our quest to support local businesses, we found a gem that supports our local food network, satisfies our desire to eat healthy, organic food, and provides our whole family a truly enjoyable experience every time we visit. That is a win by any standard.

If you live in Central Texas, or are passing through, I highly recommend a visit to the Monument Cafe. If you don’t check the recipe section of the cafe’s website to get a little taste.

Photo by rutlo at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rutlo/ / CC BY 2.0

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When my family first made a conscious decision to live a greener, more sustainable life, it was made up of only two people – my husband and me. At that point our top priority was saving money so we could pay off our debt. For us that meant scaling back across the board, exploring the world of thrift stores and used cars, and finding hobbies that didn’t involve expenditures. Having such a clear cut objective made lots of decisions easy and helped us make many of changes to our life.

While not nearly as straightforward as our earlier priority, this desire has also proved helpful to my decision making. For example, as I thought through our daily activities, I realized I wanted to focus on what goes into our children. The food we give them now will have a lifelong impact on their health and growth since it serves as the building blocks for both. We concentrate on reducing their exposure to pesticides, insecticides, and other chemicals designed to kill by using organic options wherever possible. We go for high nutrient options, including eggs laid by true free range chickens and grass-fed beef, to protect them from the common shortages of key vitamins and minerals. And, as I learned more, it led to investigating and utilizing local sources as I became concerned about the network that supplies our food.

While we’re deeply concerned about food, I know this is not the top priority for everyone. Nor should it be since the circumstances each individual faces are unique. The important thing is not what one decides but is instead the fact of making a decision and using that decision to guide life choices. Repeating what one did the day before is tempting, especially when time is short and energy is low. However, taking a moment or two to step back and consider what is important and then building a life based on those decisions is infinitely more satisfying.

What decisions have made the biggest difference in your life?

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This post is my submission to February’s APLS Blog Carnival. This month’s topic is how to stay motivated about green living. Check Going Green Mama on February 24 for the carnival round-up and lots of great ideas to keep your motivation levels high.

Recently I posted about the changes to our family’s life, which led to some changes for Greening Families. With the launch of my husband’s business, we have made the switch to complete self-employment, something we have been working toward for years. We are already reaping benefits in terms of flexible schedules (we both attended our daughters’ Valentine’s Day parties at school with zero guilt – amazing!) but the change has also meant longer-than-normal hours for me over the last few months as Rich’s business – and income – got off the ground.

When I am racing a deadline, I sometimes have a hard time maintaining my motivation for green habits, especially the ones that take a little extra time. Since I know many others are starting or growing their own businesses these days, I wanted to share some tips to maintaining green motivation in the workplace. (I also wanted to encourage myself to keep following the green path so this article itself is a form of self-motivation!) Here are my top twelve tips for greening your home office:

1) Buy only what you need. When starting a business, it is easy to be tempted into buying items that might come in handy since you don’t know exactly what you will need yet. Hold off on making any purchase until you absolutely know you need it.

As an example, I started my business more than 10 years ago thinking that I would need a monitor stand since I spend so much time working at my computer. Money was tight so other things – like a computer! – came first, leaving me no money for a monitor stand. I had to get creative and came up with a homemade monitor stand – a stack of several reams of paper. Here I am, more than a decade later, still perfectly functional with my homemade version.

2) Reuse everything possible. Along with stacks of paper serving as a monitor stand, in the early days my kitchen table was my desk and an old milk carton from college was my file cabinet. I still look for ways to reuse items. Folders from meetings, name badges and pens from presentations, and paper clips from handouts all get multiple uses in my work.

3) Consider used furniture. My current desk is a beautiful solid wood desk that we found in the used section of a local furniture store for about $100. Both my husband and I also found solid wood bookcases for our offices at equally low prices. We don’t have to breathe in the chemicals released by pressed wood, we have lovely pieces that will last our lifetime and beyond, and we saved a bunch of money.

4) Be thoughtful about work processes. This is where I really have a tough time when stress mounts. I’m a grant writer so I pour over Requests for Proposals as I’m working with clients on grant applications. These RFPs are often long – one hundred plus pages of densely worded text is typical – and most grant applications go through multiple iterations before they are finalized. I could easily burn through lots of paper in my work.

I’ve been focusing on limiting my printing in a couple of ways. I’m keeping more many more items electronic (thanks in part to the handy comments feature in Adobe). When I do print, I double-up pages whenever possible. I then recycle everything printed once the project is complete. My daughters are big artists so they find lots of uses for used paper!

Everyone’s work is different so think what you do and where you could easily make changes to green your work.

5) Utilize the Power Save options on electronic devices. One of the downsides of working at home is that I’m responsible for paying the utility bill. I work to keep it low by taking advantage of the Power Save options on my computer. Rich is a techie so he helped me figure out all the choices but there is a handy tool, called EZ Wizard, that will do the same thing if you need a hand (although you won’t get your fill of Star Wars humor with the software). ; )

6) Utilize renewable energy where possible. One of the advantages to working at home is that I have more control over the source of the energy I am using. We switched to renewable energy as soon as it was an option in our area. These days many utility companies now give their customers the option to purchase at least some of their energy from renewable sources. Check out the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency to learn about alternatives in your area.

7) Delete unused files and emails – even from the deleted folder. It takes energy to store information, even when it is in the deleted file. While it is hard to get a measure of how much energy it takes to store files and emails (see One Green Generation and Treehugger for two attempts), why use up energy on things you know you don’t need? I have also been (slowly) learning that keeping only necessary items makes the work environment more pleasant so the benefits to this action go beyond energy reduction.

8) Maintain equipment so it won’t have to be replaced. A little time here can save a lot of money – and headaches since equipment always seems to die right before a deadline. Helpful primers on maintaining computers and computer accessories are available here and here. If you utilize other forms of equipment in your business, ask how to care for them properly when you purchase them or seek out guidelines online.

9) Select office supplies carefully. When buying supplies for work, check to see if eco-friendly options are available. I’ve found paper with recycled content, pens made out of recycled plastic, and remanufactured printer cartridges, among other items.

10) Keep plants near your work space. Plants don’t only look good, some also help clean the air of toxic chemicals. And caring for a plant has been shown to increase people’s level of happiness so you could get two benefits for the price of one.

11) Store office supplies where kids can’t reach them. OK, this one may be unique to my family but, from what I have seen of kids and Post Its, I don’t think it is. After fartoo many fine-tip dry erase markers were mashed into oblivion by my preschool daughters, who were used to the fat-tipped markers at school, I moved my office supplies to a location they couldn’t reach. It saved a bunch of supplies and was much less frustrating since I always knew what I had, and where it was.

12) All the stuff you do in the rest of your house. Use power strips for your electronic items. Clean with non-toxic cleaners. Use CFLs. Dress appropriately for the weather. You know the drill.

I have to say, I feel more motivated to keep going on my green changes in my home office now. And the timing couldn’t be better since I am up against several more deadlines.  Thanks Robbie!

What suggestions do you have for maintaining green motivation in the workplace?

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After posting an earlier article on how to afford organic food, I realized that it may have given the impression that I believe organic food is healthy food. I do believe, based upon loads of research (like this and this) and my family’s own experiences, that organic food is healthier than non-organic options of the same items.

However, I don’t believe that organic = healthy. A diet of chips and cookies is not high quality nutrition, even if the chips are made with organically grown potatoes and the cookies contain only unrefined sweeteners. Choosing organic food is only one consideration of many for healthier eating.

It can seem like eating healthier is amazing complicated but there are some simple changes you and your family can make that will have you all eating healthier soon. Here are a few:

1. Make water your first beverage choice. Let’s be honest, soda is not a healthy option but more Americans drink soda than any other beverage. First there is the added sugar, much of which comes in the form of high fructose corn syrup. The same high fructose corn syrup that has been found to contain mercury and has been linked to a variety of diseases including diabetes and pancreatic cancer. Then there is the bone weakening effect of phosphorus and the extra calories, just to name a few more issues. And don’t think that drinking diet soda is better – studies have shown that people who drink diet soda have a higher risk of obesity than those who drink regular soda. Save your health, and a bunch of money, by drinking water instead.
2. Surround yourself with easy healthy options. One of the draws of many snack foods is how easy they are to eat. Help to level the playing field by making your healthy food more accessible. Put a bowl of pre-washed fruit on the counter so you can grab and go. When you get home from the farmer’s market or store, take a few minutes and cut up some of your veggies so they are ready for snacking or cooking. Keep nuts on hand for more than parties. The goal is to have a couple of healthy choices ready for those times when you or your kids just can’t wait to eat.
3. Make the hard decisions in the store. Part of surrounding yourself with healthy options is limiting the unhealthy options around you. If you don’t buy a bag of chips while you are shopping, only only have to deny yourself the chips once. However, if you buy them and bring them home, you have to make the decision not to eat chips every time you see them in the cupboard. Make it easy on yourself by setting guidelines for what you will buy and then stick with them.
4. When you do eat a treat, slow down and enjoy it. After we had a family chat about the Slow Food movement, our girls really latched on to the idea of enjoying the food we eat. I recently discovered my eldest daughter sitting at the kitchen table, eating with her eyes closed. When I asked her what she was doing, she said, “I’m savoring it, Mommy.” This is great advice! If you are having a treat, treat yourself to the time to really experience it and enjoy it on a whole new level.

What changes have you made to make your eating healthier?

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Like many people, we’ve been reviewing all our bills and looking for ways to reduce our spending wherever possible. Since we’re also trying to reduce our use of nonrenewable resources, finding ways to save energy are bonus items. The Koala Sisters (aka our daughters) got into the act so we bring you four family friendly ways to save energy.

(1) Have a PJ day. This is a favorite of both of our children. Rather than bathing and getting dressed on a weekend day, we all stay in our PJs and hang out at home. We save the hot water needed to bathe, the water needed to wash the clothes we would have worn, and gas for traveling around town running errands. We also gain a very relaxing day together!

(2) Snuggle time. When the temperatures drop, it is a great time to get cozy. We added a couple of blankets to our living room so it is easy to curl up on the couch and read. Rich and I will each share a blanket with the girls when we watch a movie together. Lately we’ve been finding them with a head at each end of the couch and a pile of art supplies in the middle. They also come in handy for fort building! We save energy on our heating bill since we can keep our thermostat set lower. We also gain lots of hugs and kisses.

(3) Use your shower for more than showering. No, not that – this is a family friendly site! If you haven’t already seen this video from Brazil, take a look. My kids think it is hilarious!

We save 1.6 gallons of water per flush saved. We also gain lots of giggles and great opportunities to talk about saving water and why it is so important.

(4) When it is cold outside, make yourself warm on the inside. I’m a big believer in making sure the girls are toasty warm inside and out, especially on those days that we need to head out early. Hot chocolate, hot apple cider, and chai are favorite drinks for us in the winter.

When it comes to hot chocolate, I highly recommend taking the few minutes needed to make it from scratch. It doesn’t take that much longer and it is SO much better! Here is the recipe we use:

1 cup warmed milk

1 1/2 teaspoon cocoa

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

While the milk warms in a pot on the stove, mix the cocoa, sugar and vanilla in the cup or mug you will be using. As soon as you see little bubbles begin to form in the milk, turn off the burner. Take one or two spoonfuls of milk and stir them into the cocoa mixture to make a paste. Then add the remainder of the milk, stir thoroughly, and enjoy! Makes one serving.

We save energy since we are warming up from the inside. We also save money since we avoid overpriced, and not very tasty, pre-mixed hot chocolate packets and all their packaging. We also gain a chance to hang out in the kitchen together cooking and then sipping our cocoa. Some of my favorite winter memories with my children involve hot chocolate!

Our conversation on this topic is ongoing so I’ll continue to add to these.

What are your family friendly ways to save energy?

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January is a time for resolutions, many of which focus on health and finances. To help people get off to a good start on their goals this year, I want to discuss a topic that comes up frequently as we chat with other parents. How the heck is it possible to eat organic food when finances are tight?

We’ve been able to switch almost all of our food purchases to organic items without increasing the money we spend on food. Here is what helped us:

1)    Shop only from a list. We keep a white board in our kitchen. As we begin to run low on an item, we write it down on the board. When we’re ready to go to the store, what is on the list is what we buy and nothing more. This helps us avoid the tempting, and often expensive, items that sing a siren song while also cutting down on our food waste.

2)    Identify areas of weakness. The list idea works great when it is followed. However, we learned the hard way that going shopping with two cranky children makes it much harder to stick to the list. After one truly horrendous shopping trip, we banned grocery shopping after birthday parties – the switch from cake and games to walking quietly by the cart was just a bridge too far. And I know that if I am facing a big deadline, I am much more likely to swing by the candy section where for some reason there aren’t a lot of healthy bargains. Now we try to be more thoughtful about who will go to the store and when they will go so we can stay strong.

3)    Select a couple of quick, healthy meals and keep their ingredients on hand. Some of our family favorites turned out to be easy to put together. One example is brown rice with refried beans and cheese. Another is nachos made with corn chips and cheese (just put in the oven at 250 until the cheese melts) with beans (black, pinto, and refried beans all work well), sour cream, and cheese. Both of these can be ready quickly, especially if there is cooked rice already in the frig, and the ingredients can be easily kept on hand. This makes it easier to avoid the last minute orders for pizza.

4)    Join a CSA. I’ve written here and here about our experiences with Community Sponsored Agriculture. Joining a CSA did more to save us money and shift our eating to organic options that anything else. Check out Local Harvest to find one near you.

5)    Explore farmer’s markets. If you don’t have easy access to a CSA, want to buy smaller quantities, or need to supplement your CSA share, farmer’s markets can be a gold mine for inexpensive organic options. There is no middle man between you and the grower so prices are often lower than in the stores. Make sure to ask if items are organic – just because someone is selling at a farmer’s market does not mean they grew the food organically. Also know that many small farms cannot afford the organic certification but may still utilize organic farming methods. It will give you an excuse to strike up a conversation and get to know the people growing your food! Local Harvest can point you to your area’s farmer’s markets as well.

6)    Buy ingredients rather than dishes. Whether you are shopping in a grocery store or at the farmer’s market, focus on buying items as close to their natural state as possible. Apples are cheap while apple pies are not.

7)    Cook more often. Buying ingredients means you’ll be doing more in the kitchen than opening a box and firing up the microwave. There are tons of sources for recipes online. I particularly like Cooking Light’s Recipe Finder because it is possible to search by ingredient – handy when a new item shows up in our CSA box. Richard is a huge fan of Alton Brown; here are his is most popular recipes from Good Eats.

8)    Use meat thoughtfully. Currently we are an omnivorous family. Vegetarianism does a lot to lower food costs, since meat is one of the most expensive items people buy. (This switch also does a lot to reduce one’s carbon footprint.) While we aren’t vegetarians yet, we purchase and use meat carefully. Our eggs come from a local family that raises truly free range chickens. When we buy beef, we buy grass-fed pastured beef. If you are not in the Austin area, check out Eat Wild to find humane sources near you. We then use meat more for flavoring than for the main entree. Think stir fry rather than a steak or pasta with meat sauce rather than sausages. And, as you can see from our favorite meals above, we simply don’t eat meat with many of our meals.

9)    Shop smart. These apply whether you are looking for organic food or not. Compare prices, be willing to try new brands, focus on produce that is in season (see the National Resources Defense Council’s food miles tracker for a helpful listing of what is in season in your area), use coupons (try Mambo Sprouts and VegWeb for organic food coupons), and watch sales.

If your pocketbook can only handle a small shift to organic food at a time:  First target the items that are located higher on the food chain (meat, eggs, dairy), then find organic options to the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen (click here for a handy wallet-sized guide), and then work on switching out the foods your family eats the most. If you have a baby or are pregnant, however, these three options should shift down a notch and purchasing organic options for the growing baby should become the first priority.

Here’s to a fiscally sound and healthy 2010!

Do you have any other tips for eating organically on a budget? Please share them below!

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Lucas Miller begins the new year with another fun and inexpensive activity that will get you and your kids out into nature. The Christian Science Monitor’s gardening section recently shared planting advice in Annuals and Perennials that Attract Birds to Your Yard so, if you have wee ones, know you can also explore the world of birding by bringing nature to you.

This month I’m thinking about birdwatching, or just “birding” as it’s usually called by the pro’s. Yes, there are professional birdwatchers.

I will freely admit that I’m a very poor birder. I was a reptile and amphibian guy in my college zoology days and completely obsessed with sea turtles. I loved seeing birds but didn’t have an overwhelming temptation to be able to identify them.

Since then, however, I’ve had the privilege to spend some time with some great birders and they have me paying more attention to our fine feathered friends. I’m still pretty poor at identifying them but I appreciate that it’s something I can do wherever I am: driving down the road, on a walk, paddling in my brand-new kayak (finally!!!!), or even sitting on the living room couch. Birds are just everywhere and, when you learn to identify the 20-30 most common species in your area—cardinals, mourning doves, red-tail hawks, turkey vultures, chickadees, etc., it helps keep you tuned into the natural world a little more. You’ll also be much more likely to notice when something unusual does cross your path and you might even find yourself a little excited by it all.

I’ve seen kids get positively obsessed with birding so it’s good to at least give your kids a chance to participate in the pastime. So here are a couple of quick points from a guy who likes birds but is never going to be a “pro:”

1) Get yourself a good bird guide. I like the Sibley Guide to Birds (there regional editions that are smaller/cheaper), but check out the guides by Peterson, National Geographic, National Wildlife Federation, and Audubon Society, too; you may find you prefer one of them (some have photos, others illustrations). These are just a pleasure to browse and your kids will do so if they’re close at hand. Just remember the adage, “look at the bird, not the book.” That is, take note of as many markings and features as you can while the bird’s before you. Open the book after it has flown off if you want to check yourself or learn more.

2) Give birding software a try. Our Birds from Thayer Birding Software is great. It allows you to see a number of photos and hear their calls rather than try to figure out the often baffling written descriptions in the books. There’s a wealth of other information and you can even take quizzes. I hear there are some good phone apps, too, although I have not tried any. Leave a comment if you know of any worthwhile ones.
3) Get some optics (a.k.a. “binoculars” to the non-birder). Kids just love looking through them so make sure whatever you put in their hands can be dropped and/or broken without too much heartache. A little magnification is fine; too much and it’s hard to get the bird in the scope and the more the view will shake. Another tip: maintain your gaze on the bird while you lift the optics up to your eyes. This way you’ll be pointed pretty much in the right direction already and you won’t look so much like the other bird-novices who look away, grab the binoculars, and then rubberneck like crazy while they try to find that bird.

4) Watch the birds. It sounds silly but birding should be about seeing what they’re doing and not just identifying them. I personally just feel like an ignoramous when the focus is on naming as many species as possible. I find it more fun to try and discover something curious about them. Take note of how they use their beaks and how they walk and perch. Do they soar or do they have to flap their wings a lot? Notice the different kinds of tails and wings they have and see if you can tell how they might affect their flight. Also, watch for the interactions between birds; they can be amusing and/or amazing. Have you ever seen a group of little birds mobbing and chasing off a great big hawk? Have you seen a male bird strutting his stuff to impress the ladies and show up another male?

There’s a good reason birding is one of America’s fastest growing pastimes—it’s just plain fun. So set your eyes on the skies and see what you can see!

Lucas is an award winning children’s author and songwriter from Austin, Texas. He’s heading into a busy year, so this will be his last article for Greening Families, but we’ll let you know when his new CD and new DVD (we weren’t kidding when we said busy!) are being released. In the meantime, check him out at www.lucasmiller.net.

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Pondering the future of Greening Families...

The last several months have been exceedingly busy for my family. My business has been more in demand than ever. As someone who is self-employed, I always feel an internal pull to make hay while the sun shines since future projects (and thus future income) are never guaranteed. I’ve had additional reasons to do just that since Rich launched his own business with his partners in 2009, making our family completely self-employed. It is fair to say that switch caused my normally high level of concern about finances to go up a couple of levels!

We believed in the new business, obviously, but expected it would take some time for Rich’s work level to ramp up to a point where he would bring in much income. As a result I took virtually every job that came my way happily. Then things began to move faster than we had anticipated for KELL Partners and Rich’s work level went up significantly. There are start-up costs to cover so his income still hasn’t rebounded but everything looks promising. Suddenly Rich and I were both working very long hours and trading off caring for our daughters, pets, and home to give each other uninterrupted time to complete work projects.

We’re still in that zone and I anticipate being here for some months to come. We’re still working to green our life but right now I want to spend my free time with my daughters (and my hard working husband when our work stars align!) rather than more time with my computer. What does that mean for Greening Families?

I’ve really enjoyed writing this blog and helping others who are interested in greening their lives but need to cut back right now. I’ve decided to post here to once a week, on Fridays, until things settle down a bit. We also tackle the broader topic of sustainable living on Family Profits, so check for helpful information there as well.

Why do you read Greening Families? As part of my “working smarter” push, I want to make sure I’m hitting the topics you’re most interested in so please let me know how I can best help you green your family.

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This post is a submission to December’s APLS Blog Carnival. Read about the journeys others have taken and are currently taking at The Conscious Shopper, one of my favorite green blogs, on December 18.

We’re deep into goal setting for 2010 around here so the topic for December’s APLS Carnival fit into our ongoing discussions perfectly. Below is an overview of the main vehicles that led us to begin making changes to live a greener life. I’ll be reviewing our progress towards our 2009 goals and laying out our goals for 2010 in a future post.

Our journey began more than ten years ago with finances as the impetus. As I wrote on our sister site, Family Profits, when we met both Rich and I were carrying significant student loan and credit card debt. The total when we finally added it up (it took us a couple of years to work up the nerve) was more than $180,000 worth of debt. That’s right, we were $180,000 in the hole even after making payments for several years. Not a good place to be.

We knew we wanted to pay off all our debt. Since we worked mainly in nonprofit organizations, we weren’t bringing home the Big Bucks so had to learn how to be super frugal. One of the unanticipated benefits of living frugally was that it was also a green lifestyle. We didn’t buy much of anything and the few things we did buy were often used. We were all over Reduce and Reuse because those actions saved us tons of money but we began to love the difference it made to our impact on the environment as well.

The next leg of our journey was spurred by medical issues. A week before our wedding, a driver ran a red light and T-boned my car, narrowly missing a direct hit to the driver’s side door. My car was totaled and I was injured pretty badly. My recovery took more than a year and led us to explore complementary and alternative medicine. Rich gave it a try as well and soon discovered that his back pain, for which surgery had been recommended, completely disappeared when MSG was removed from his diet.

We began to pay close attention to the food we consumed and as a result made many changes to our diet. We switched first to less processed foods, then to whole foods, then to locally grown organic options. Our spending on food remained fairly constant during these switches, in large part because we traded “convenience” for healthier options. A host of green living topics were revealed to us through these changes and we’re now huge proponents of organic farming, local food options such as CSAs, and the Slow Food movement.

The decision to become parents sparked the next shift. There is nothing like being completely responsible for the health and welfare of another living creature to get one’s attention! The more we learned about fetal and child development, the more concerned we became about items that had alwasy seemed innocuous. From baby lotion to sippy cups, there were serious matters to consider at every turn. While scientists argued about potential long-term effects and “safe” levels of exposure to various chemicals and compounds, it was clear to us that our first job as parents was to protect our children and so evoked the Precautionary Principle whenever we weren’t sure what to do.

New changes, like storing food in glass containers and making our own cleaning supplies, were implemented. And it became clear that the journey to a greener life was one that could last our whole lives.

Now that our daughters are a little older, the lives lived by other families is becoming the driver of change for us. We want all children, human and animal, to have the chance to grow up healthy and strong. We’re talking a lot this month about what we can do to help make that a reality but I can already see that more alterations will be coming to our lives soon. And I can’t wait.

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