Living Green Day By Day

We're Moving!

noreply@blogger.com (Helena) — Mon, 22 Jul 2013 00:47:00 +0000

Please visit this blog at our new location: www.livinggreendaybyday.com

Thank you!

Eeww...you are drinking THAT?!

noreply@blogger.com (Helena) — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 20:41:00 +0000

That's what my family said when I made this:

I have a ton of kale from my backyard garden. My family hates kale. So what am I to do with all this kale? Turn it into something that doesn't taste like kale of course! This really was delicious, even if it doesn't look so appetizing. Try it and you'll see! (I feel like I'm reading Green Eggs and Ham here...)

Recipe:

1 cup fresh kale
2 oranges
Handful of ice cubes

Blend in your blender.

Can it get any simpler than that?

Enjoy!

Green Garden Gallery

noreply@blogger.com (Helena) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 21:00:00 +0000

While I love the fresh and healthy aspect of eating food from my own garden, I also appreciate the fact that there is no waste, no packaging, no travel/gasoline/petroleum or CO2 emissions involved in my food. My blueberries don't come in a cardboard or plastic box, my green beans don't come from across the country, and my peas don't come in a plastic bag. I save seeds from year to year, add some compost from our food scraps, water it with our rain barrel's water, and let the sun shine down on the wonderful tiny patch I call heaven.

These are the ultimate green goodies!

Here are some recent photos that my 6 year old took of me and my garden. It's absolutely wonderful to go out back with the kids and pick our dinner for the evening. I don't know if my girls will ever go back to store-bought produce after eating these crisp, crunchy ones!

We've had this blueberry plant for about 3 years now and this is the first year it has produced any fruit.

Good things come to those who wait!

Update: Slight problem - something has been eating my blueberries lately! When we go to pick them first thing in the morning, all the ripe ones are gone...could it be the birds? Or the squirrels? Or the resident groundhog?

Nothing better than eating green beans an hour after you pick them!

Just hanging around...

Me and my peas!

Here is our littlest one excitedly helping me de-shell some peas. We'll see how long that lasts.

Still more to go...

Snow peas getting ready for stir frying

Hope you are enjoying your own harvest so far this summer! If not, then I hope you are at least enjoying your weekly visits to the local farmer's market to get some fresh produce. Mine has been a great resource for things I am not growing yet (zucchini) or that have come and gone already (strawberries, spinach, lettuce).

Some of you have asked me to write a post about pesticides and what I do about garden pests/diseases. I don't use any pesticides! I let nature runs it's course and only interfere with water and sometimes water and vinegar when needed. I'll write a more complete post about this soon with some more ideas of how to tackle your pesky garden pests.

Happy green gardening!

Inspiration from the Young

noreply@blogger.com (Helena) — Wed, 15 May 2013 01:47:00 +0000

I read this article in this month's Biodiesel Magazine (http://www.biodieselmagazine.com/articles/9086/utahs-young-biodiesel-phenom). In case you don't want to read the whole thing, it's about this intelligent, hardworking Sophomore young lady who has won tons of science awards, etc. from doing a variety of experiments on extracting biodiesel from things like used coffee grounds.

After reading it, it did two things for me:

1) Made all my high school accomplishments (heck, even college ones) feel like diddly-squat compared to this girl!

and

2) Inspired me that our youth have not given up hope and in fact are smarter than we give them credit for.

They are out there trying to improve our world, to ensure sustainability of the planet and of humanity, to really make a difference.

So if growing up means giving up hope on bettering things, on making a difference, then I definitely do not want to grow up.

After 14 years of working in the for-profit corporate world, and focusing so much on climbing the corporate ladder to prove to myself (and selfishly to others) that I can be a serious, successful corporate executive, I will admit the view from up there was not as nice as I had envisioned.

"Growing up" was not so attractive after all. Sure there were plenty of perks, but it lacked something crucial to me. Something I had when I was in high school and college. Something I always thought I'd have forever in my studies, career and continuous learning.

Passion. It lacked passion.

My passion, my hobby of "greening" our family, our home, our local community, was always just that...a passion, a hobby, something I did for fun.

Until one day I decided to stop being such a boring grown up and try to get some of that passion back in my career. I wanted a career that didn't just pay the bills but made me excited to wake up in the morning and thankful when I went to bed at night. It's not as easy as it sounds to find a job that can do all of those things.

Maybe it was September 11 and seeing the smoke from the Pentagon from my office window or seeing the emergence of army personnel with weapons drawn on the streets and the Metro outside our office.

Maybe it was sitting in a high level meeting complete with leather chairs and marble tables that screamed luxury in a beautiful downtown office and thinking "I'm helping rich people get richer while poor people get poorer and that just doesn't feel right."

Maybe it was that my kids started asking me what I did for "work", where I went all day, why I came home so late, or why I had to travel to that city or this one, all the while looking at me with those eyes that said "I miss you" and the hugs that felt like "Don't ever let me go."

Maybe it was a combination of all these things that made me realize I had to do something about it. Things don't happen by themselves. I'm all for going with the flow, but I realized I had been going with the flow for far too long.

It was time to push my limits, just as this young girl, only a Sophomore in high school, has already done. While I wish I had figured this out at her age, you are never too old to push your limits and follow your dreams.

Signs of Spring

noreply@blogger.com (Helena) — Thu, 02 May 2013 14:27:00 +0000

Signs of spring in my backyard even on a cloudy day!

Blueberries!

Fig tree

Mixed garden (peas, tomatoes, chives, cucumbers, zucchini)

Another mixed garden with rain barrel in background (not a wine barrel!) :)

Peas and sugar snap peas with some lettuce and other things mixed in!

The key now is to keep the wild rabbits and groundhogs away. Any tips?

Trash to Treasure

noreply@blogger.com (Helena) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:35:00 +0000

I was very excited to hear that Alexis' Kindergarten teacher gave the children a "Trash to Treasure" project for Earth Day. She gave about two weeks notice (awesome!) which allowed us to think about alot of potential projects. The problem was narrowing it down. Here are some of the ideas Alexis and I initially considered:

Cup holder from large yogurt container
Magazine holder from cereal box
Nature wreath from things found outside with cardboard box backing
Flowers and other decorations made out of recycled boxes and paper
Purse made out of recycled containers
Garden irrigation system from soda and milk bottles
Handmade cards from recycled items around the house (boxes, mail packaging, etc.)
and more...

She finally got pretty excited over the pencil/crayon/marker holder idea. Here she is with her three recycled items: a cardboard scrap from old box, cereal box, an old 2009 calendar that I had kept for the pretty pictures (we often use old calendars to make envelopes from or decorate things with).

Here she is marking the cereal box with a ruler to know where to cut. We used one cereal box for all 3 pencil holders (and recycled the scraps of course!).

She was a little too excited to use big scissors (first time!) but the little kid scissors didn't work very well on the cereal box. Needless to say there was a lot of parental supervision on this part of the project to ensure all fingers remained intact!

Maybe it's because kids just love Christmas so much but this Christmas scene for the month of December from the old calendar was the first picture she picked.

She is starting to see her project take shape and is getting pretty excited about it and telling me how she is going to make one for everyone she knows for Christmas this year or for their birthday or "maybe you know, just because they are my friend".

Posing with her completed "Trash to Treasure" project. Very happy recycler indeed!

Do you have any fun "Trash to Treasure" projects to share? Let me know!

Keep Prince William Beautiful

noreply@blogger.com (Helena) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 02:07:00 +0000

Check out page 24 of April's Prince William Living magazine for my latest article. Since it's Earth Day this month and a topic right up my alley, see what I say about the local nonprofit organization "Keep Prince William Beautiful" and some green tips.

Aldi - Green or Not?

noreply@blogger.com (Helena) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 23:31:00 +0000

Some friends have recently been teasing me about shopping at Aldi so I just had to write about it and see what you all think.

Compared to other grocery stores, I consider them very "green" and they were green before green was cool.

They don't give you plastic or paper bags for your groceries--you either bring your own reusable bags or you can buy them at the checkout if you forgot them.
They make you put a quarter in the grocery carts to make sure you return them, not only saving them money but also making sure the carts don't end up in the trash, side of the road, some back alley, in a dumpster, rusting in someone's back yard, etc. Less carts they need to buy, less carts need to be made. Pretty green to me.
They don't use fancy signs that change every week thus saving on paper, plastic and ink costs.
They mostly use simple pallets that the grocery items were shipped in rather than spending lots on shelving that needs to be maintained, cleaned (by non-green cleaners in most grocery stores), replaced, signed properly, etc.
They keep prices low by limiting selection so you aren't overwhelmed with 200 kinds of cereal, but maybe only 20 kinds (which if you have kids like me, this is a good thing, esp. since many of their cereals don't have the kiddie toy attraction boxes like the major brands do at the regular grocery store).

My one big complaint so far was that Aldi didn't carry organic fruits and veggies or organic dairy. And I question some of the products they sell especially since I recently noticed "carbon monoxide" as an added ingredient to their family value pack of tilapia (the regular size tilapia bag did not have "carbon monoxide" listed though...strange).

So I was quite excited when on a recent trip to buy my usual staples of onions, potatoes, carrots, baking staples like flour and vanilla extract, I noticed that they had started carrying organic produce and dairy items! I guess they are only doing it in certain test markets to see how well it does, so I feel lucky to find them at my local store!

Anyway, so my Aldi top 10 list has evolved now to include several organic items:

1) organic apples
2) organic yogurt or cheese (when they have it)
3) almond milk
4) organic frozen strawberries/blueberries
5) organic dark chocolate (when they have it)
6) onions
7) potatoes
8) carrots
9) veggie hummus
10) wine (no list is ever complete without wine!)

So what do you think? Do you or would you shop at Aldi now that they carry organic items?

Who Are We?

noreply@blogger.com (Helena) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 19:00:00 +0000

After a hideous scene at a local coffee shop yesterday I've been thinking about who we are, how we act, why we act the way we do, and why people place so much importance on things rather than on people.

The coffee shop was packed on Sunday afternoon as I stopped by to work on an article I'm writing for Prince William Living magazine. Everyone, and I mean, everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at this Glittery Lady making a scene with surprise in their eyes. We all looked around at each other with shrugs, confused looks, throwing hands up in the air as if to say "is this lady really serious?" and even nervous laughter to try and lighten the mood.

Glittery Lady was freaking out about how she spilled coffee all over her "$1,500 Gucci purse--do you realize what kind of purse this is?" She obviously wanted to make a scene and loudly yelled at the coffee shop employee, a teenage boy working to make some money on a Sunday afternoon, about how upset she was that they overfilled the coffee so much that it "made" her spill her coffee all over her purse and glittery boots as she was getting in her car. "I come here every day and this is crazy, why would you fill the cup so much to make it spill like this. Look at my pants, I have spots on my pants!"

They were black pants and I didn't see any spots on them...just sayin'. Though I did notice my own shirt full of washable paint spots from a craft activity with my kids earlier in the day.

Someone yelled out "you know, there is this thing called a washing machine..."

She ignored the comment and responds to the teenage coffee shop boy with "This is terrible, this has ruined my day. YOU have ruined my day. And my purse, what are you going to do about my purse?" I'm still not sure what she expected a teenage boy to do about her $1,500 Gucci purse, but he offered her a free cup of coffee for her trouble. She responded with "I don't need a free cup of coffee, I can buy coffee if I want. I want your card, I want to file a complaint because this is absolutely terrible, just terrible! Really, you have RUINED my day!" The manager comes over, a young twenty something girl and kindly gives her the card with some apologies.

As she was leaving, a middle aged woman told her to "have a nice day" to which she responded nastily with a "How am I supposed to have a good day after all this? LOOK at my purse!!!" and the nice lady said "well, you can try to have a better day, try to smile, because you know spilled coffee is not the end of the world". I chimed in and said, "yeah, if spilled coffee on your very expensive $1,500 Gucci purse is the biggest problem you have today than you should consider yourself lucky." Several others chimed in with "yeah" and "seriously lady, worse things could happen." and she walked out loudly grumbling "I can't believe this, this is terrible!"

Those of us left in the coffee shop bonded...we found out that the kind "have a nice day" customer lady had cancer the year before and really was trying to make the other lady realize that spilled coffee really isn't the end of the world...cancer, well, that might be the end of the world for that person...but spilled coffee? Not so much.

So how do we treat each other? Do we treat our Gucci purse's better than we treat human beings?

With this, I wanted to share a quote from a recent blog I came across:

"A life rich with faith, family, friends & creativity, secure in the idea that a life well lived has nothing to do with what we have but who we are."

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Thanks LivingWellSpendingLess for reminding us of this very important fact that it's who we are and how we interact with others that matters...not a Gucci purse.

Made In China

noreply@blogger.com (Helena) — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 02:07:00 +0000

Not to sound like an alarmist, but wow, this is a bit alarming especially when you see the video of Beijing over the last 3 weeks.

And to think that we contribute to this every time we buy something that says "Made in China". Take a look around your house, your closet, your car, your kitchen, even your refrigerator and freezer. How many things did you find that say "Made in China"? Did you even realize that jar of chopped garlic came from China?

I know it's hard. Especially when it's shiny or new or oh, such a great price! Been there, done that. Still struggling with that every time I walk into a store (as you can tell from my Cupcake post). Every. Time.

I'm not against buying anything from China (sort of). I understand we live in a global business environment and want to support other countries (and vice versa) through trade. I love the bamboo bowl I bought several years ago through Ten Thousand Villages - handmade by artisans in Vietnam through one of their special arts programs. I love the scarf I bargained back and forth for in a Portugal flea market. But there are some countries with very strong, rigorous environmental and human rights laws or with great programs that work directly with struggling artists or crafters. And there are some countries that, simply put, suck at all that. We just need to be more aware of which countries those are and put pressure with our purchasing dollars to encourage them to change their ways.

It gets to a point that you have to stop blaming others for the problems we see in the news (like this air pollution article) and take some of the blame ourselves for our every day decisions.

It gets to a point that we can no longer say "I don't care. I don't live in China so this is not relevant to me."

It gets to a point that you look in the mirror and ask what is happening to us as human beings.
Or worse, you look at your child and wonder what it's going to be like for their generation and feel fear for them.

It gets to a point where you stay up late to write a blog post about all this to share with people even though you've worked hard at your full time job all day, cooked dinner, cleaned up and washed dishes, did a load of laundry, read the kids some stories and brushed their teeth and now all you want to do is just crawl into bed and go to sleep. Even if just one person reads it and thinks twice about their next purchase or the next time they throw something in the trash, it was worth it.

We are all in this together, but individual actions matter.

Cupcake Holder Dilemma

noreply@blogger.com (Helena) — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 21:28:00 +0000

So I was at Aldi recently and had a hardcore life decision to make.

Yes, it was good vs. evil.

Angel vs. devil.

One side of my brain vs. the other side.

This was calling my name:

This is a cupcake holder.

Made of plastic.

It was $4.99 on clearance.

And calling my name...

As a Mom to two young kids where cupcakes are almost a monthly requirement for some sort of school event or fundraiser, I really could use this cupcake holder. But it was plastic...made from non-recycled plastic and sure it had a recyclable triangle on the bottom which means at the end of it's useful life it could be recycled technically, but I really had a hard time with this because I promised I would stop buying plastic.

That is much harder to do than I first thought.

So I ended up putting it back on the shelf and walking away from it. I reminded myself that I have cupcake pans and pretty dishes and containers I can use to transport and display them. I reminded myself that I also have muffin/cupcake tins that came with a plastic cover that I can use to transport them. Sure they aren't as pretty but hey, you just take the cupcakes out of the oven, decorate them and put the cover on and voila, you are good to go.

So even though I thought to myself "yeah, but this means I can make even MORE cupcakes for the fundraisers", I reminded myself that sometimes less IS more.

Breadcrumbs

noreply@blogger.com (Helena) — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 03:17:00 +0000

A recent Facebook conversation with a friend over bread machine vs. kneaded bread and which is truly "homemade" reminded me...what the heck do you do with those "bread butts"? You know, the ends of the bread that no one wants to eat and that sit in the bread bag until the rest of the loaf has been eaten and then goes stale and eventually gets thrown out. Except in this house. You know my philosophy on throwing things out...you may consider it even pack-rattery. But I call it free breadcrumbs. :)

Take the stale bread ends that no one wants to eat and keep them in a bag in the freezer. When you have about 3/4 loaf total volume of ends and pieces of stale bread, place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and dry them a little more in a 250 degree oven for about 15 minutes.

Some of this leftover bread includes pieces that were cut up for New Year's cheese fondue as well as some slices of good wheat bread that had just gone stale from not being used up quickly enough.

Add these ingredients below.

1 tbs basil, 1 tbs garlic powder, 1 tbs parsley, 1/2 tbs onion powder, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp salt

Voila--you have your own homemade breadcrumbs! I keep an old mason jar on hand to store the breadcrumbs in and have attached a label to it with the recipe so when it's time to make more, it's right there on the jar and I don't have to go digging around for the recipe somewhere. So easy!

So you've recycled what WAS old, unwanted bread into something you can coat your baked chicken or fish with or use in whatever other recipes you have that call for breadcrumbs. I do recommend keeping them in the fridge though since they are freshly homemade, they go bad quicker than the store bought breadcrumbs. I can keep mine in the pantry for a month or so but any longer than that and I recommend the fridge.

Christmas Recycling

noreply@blogger.com (Helena) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 17:06:00 +0000

WAIT! Don't put all that torn wrapping paper and old Christmas cards you got this holiday season in the trash or recycle bin!

There are a variety of things you can do with all your post Christmas "trash" like Christmas cards, ripped wrapping paper, torn gift boxes, and used ribbons. Here are some ideas:

Make Gift Tags From Christmas Cards

I take Christmas cards I receive from people, cut out the pretty images from the front cover and hold punch it, tie an old ribbon from past gifts around it and tie it onto a gift. Or sometimes I skip the hole punch and ribbon and just fold the cut image and tape the back of it to the gift, (esp. if I run out of used ribbon). Here are some examples of gift tags made from Christmas cards I've received.

Make Notebooks or Scrap Paper Pads from Wrapping Paper Remnants

I took the remnants of torn wrapping paper from the post-Christmas gift opening extravaganza and cut them up into 4 inch or so squares. Then I took some bruised up gift boxes that would never be able to close again without many feet of tape, and I cut them up into long strips that I then folded over and covered in large wrapping paper remnants with glue. One staple at the bottom is all it took to then attach the wrapping paper scraps to the "matchbox" style cover and voila! You now have a little scrap pad to keep by the phone, in your purse, car, etc. I will warn you, wrapping paper is a bit slippery so it's tough to write on it with pencil, but pen works just fine.

What I love about these ideas are that they are green and frugal! Why buy gift tags or notepads, even if cheaply at the dollar store, when you can get them completely free from what you'd otherwise throw in the trash or recycle bin? What green and frugal ideas do you have with holiday "remnants"? I'm sure there are tons of other things out there you can do, so please share if you come across any!

Christmas Around the World

noreply@blogger.com (Helena) — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 14:39:00 +0000

In a stand against Black Friday, I'm posting this instead of going shopping. :)

Ok, Thanksgiving is over, it's time for Christmas season! Check out this blog (click on image below) which is hosting a month of Christmas Around the World. If you have kids, this is very cool--each day she will add a new country with links to information about that country. You can tailor it for younger kids or make it more complex for older kids by adding library books to read about the country for that day, etc.

Anyway, thought I'd share because this is a great way to learn about other cultures around the world instead of focusing just on Christmas presents this holiday season.

Earth-Friendly and Child-Friendly Cleaners

noreply@blogger.com (Helena) — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 22:06:00 +0000

You see those cleaners at the store marked as "earth friendly" or "green", right? Do you believe them--are they really "green"? Do they really work and get the cleaning job done or are they just a wimpy, watered down version of regular cleaners? Is it worth the increased price for those environmentally friendly cleaners?

Don't ask me! I wouldn't know...I don't use them.

As I'm getting ready for Thanksgiving by doing some house cleaning, I thought I'd share some of my favorite cleaning items. And guess what? I didn't buy them at the store (well, I bought the ingredients at the store, but I "made" them myself). And guess what else? I spent pennies to make them instead of paying tons of money for those name brand cleaners. And there's even more! They work just as well, even better in some cases, than those name brand toxic cleaners!

Since dusting is on my agenda this week, here is the recipe I use for dusting:

Homemade Furniture Dusting Spray

I did alter it a little, so my dusting spray recipe actually looks more like this:

2 tsp. olive oil
1/4 cup vinegar
1 3/4 cups water
1 tbs. lemon juice (this is in place of the lemon essential oil listed in the original recipe from the "Make Your Own" blog)

Here is the used, old spray bottle container I had on hand that I washed out and put my new concoction in (with my little helper):

So is it environmentally friendly? Yes!

Is it child friendly? Yes! (Heck, they can even drink it if they really wanted to--but more importantly it means they can help you clean and you don't have to worry about what they are being exposed to!)

Is it more expensive than storebought cleaners or "green" labeled ones? No! Just pennies per bottle!

Does it work? Yes! In my opinion, it actually cleans better than Endust or Pledge or those other sprays. It seems to leave my wood tables even shiner and more beautiful than the name brand ones.

My only issue...and I really mean my ONLY issue being such a minor one...is that the olive oil and water/vinegar want to separate of course, so as you are dusting you have to gently shake the bottle around a little. Not a big deal though. You can also do a shake dance every time you shake the bottle. Makes it more fun. Really. Dusting is not fun, but you add some shakin' goin' on and all of a sudden it's almost fun. Note: I said *almost*.

Money out the windows

noreply@blogger.com (Helena) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 02:49:00 +0000

We have 23 windows. That seems like a lot doesn't it? You never really realize how many windows you have until you start counting them. Which I did today because we need to replace some of them. Our home is only 12 years old so you'd think we wouldn't need to replace windows already but if any of you bought a standard builder home like we did, you know they skimp on things sometimes. Windows are one of those things.

So what do windows have to do with green living? A lot actually. It's all about energy efficiency. I don't want to pay to heat up the neighborhood in the winter nor do I want to feel the guilt of wasting all that electricity (which in my region probably comes from coal or nuclear). In the summer, you don't really notice the heat coming in through the windows, but boy oh boy do you feel those drafts in the winter. Just stick your hand by any of our windows and you'll feel the cold air by the cracks. Not to mention you can tell they are the thinnest, cheapest, standard windows a builder can put in and get away with it.

So it's time to get new windows! We had 4 major windows done a few years ago by Thompson Creek (local Maryland company) and were very happy with them, so we are getting the windows upstairs done by them too. We had REALLY drafty windows in our family room and since the new Thompson Creek windows were installed we have noticed quite a big difference. They are pretty expensive though so even though we wanted to do all our windows, we couldn't afford to do so. So we did those 4 "biggies" first since we knew money was literally going out the windows due to the big cracks and other issues with them. But now it's time for 5 more windows upstairs.

Can I just say I'm so excited about this?

I'm not one to be excited about buying new things, esp. when I try to buy anything I can secondhand or recycle old things into new things, etc. but you just can't do that with windows. And as far as being "green" sure I can go and try to find some bamboo made windows or something like that, but I'm going to stick with a local company who actually makes them here locally, not somewhere in China, so GHG on transportation is minimal since they are being transported locally. But I also found out from Tony Testa, our sales guy today, that Thompson Creek actually takes your old window and recycles every bit of it! The glass, the vinyl, any metal pieces, etc. That makes this green gal very happy. That and the fact that they are having a 30% sale this month. I may be trying to live as green as possible, but I'm also trying to live as frugally as possible.

So I'm curious, what do you do to try and minimize your home energy costs? Any ideas or tips to share?

Plastic, Plastic and More Plastic

noreply@blogger.com (Helena) — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 03:43:00 +0000

Many of you know I have an issue with plastic. Anything with plastic. Food containers, shower curtains, raincoats, shoes, disposable utensils, cell phones, appliances, my mouse, my laptop, paintbrushes, eyeglasses, hangers, prescription bottles, peanut butter jars, trash bags, water bottles, McDonald's Happy Meal toys, and yes, even balloons. As much as I love them and my kids love them, I have a serious issue with balloons.

Some of these things you can recycle so they can made into "new" plastic things. But many of them can't be recycled or are simply so darn toxic (plastic #3 being the worst) that you don't want them recycled and made into another toxic thing. And remember, in the U.S. we still have a very low recycling rate (I think last I heard it was around 30% of all recyclable material was actually recycled by households?).

Now some of these things have non-plastic versions. Like paintbrushes--many kinds out there are made with a wood handle and real boar's hair bristles, not plastic. Why am I ok with wood if a tree had to be cut down to make it? Or a boar shaved of their hair for the bristles? Because it's about choosing the lesser of two evils. Because trees can be replanted and hair regrown. Because both decompose and return to the earth if I put them in my compost pile or bury them in the back yard. Because they aren't toxic and don't have BPA in it.

We are human beings who consume resources no matter how hard we try not to. So when we need a paintbrush to express our inner artist, we make a choice. When we tell the carry out clerk "no thanks to plastic utensils" or the food court guy, "no thanks, I brought my own reusable utensils", we make a choice. When we go with the pretty fabric shower curtain liner instead of a PEVA toxic plastic liner, we make a choice. When we donate our laptop or cell phone or used plastic eyeglasses to a charity instead of chucking it in the trash, we make a choice.

So what choice are you making today to make tomorrow better?

Figs, Figs and More Figs!

noreply@blogger.com (Helena) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 02:22:00 +0000

Since my last post was about excess plastic, it seems fitting that a post on the excess figs in my freezer follow. After all, my 20+ pounds of figs have been stored since August/September in my reusable plastic containers and bags. However, a few of the plastic bags got tears in them from two little ones smashing them with their fingers and poking them with their play kitchen utensils, so into the trash the torn bags went. I felt very non-green at that moment and was wishing I had enough glass containers...and enough room in my freezer for 20+ pounds of figs in glass containers.

Did I mention I had 20+ pounds of figs leftover from my two fig trees in my backyard? I say 20+ pounds because I lost count around there and only labeled some of the containers before freezing them a few months ago. I gave many more pounds away to friends and family who love figs and eat them right off my trees and to coworkers in my office. It was quite a year for figs here!

So what the heck do you do with 20+ pound of figs from two beautiful fig trees in your yard? Why, you make fig jam of course!

So I started with thawing them out of the freezer (this is only 8 pounds of the 20+ pounds of figs):

Thawing figs

Add some sweetener (I use sugar since it helps the jam set better than other sweeteners):

Some added sweetness!

Then I boiled it for a while (I forgot to take a photo of that step-sorry!). I cooked the figs for about an hour before adding the pectin and sugar at the very end to help thicken it up.

Then I filled up the clean canning jars, put lids and rings on tightly and submerged in the boiling water for 10 minutes to get them to seal.

Then you let them set for 24 hours before putting them away in a pantry for a year (or decorating them to give to kids' teachers, family, etc. for Thanksgiving or Christmas!)

All done! Eleven beautiful sealed jars of fresh fig jam from my backyard to carry us through the winter and into next year!

Know what the funny things is though? I get to do this canning thing all over again tomorrow! I still have 8 pounds of figs in my fridge that I couldn't use today because 1) my gigantic pot wasn't big enough to handle all 20+ pounds of figs at one time and 2) I ran out of pectin. So much for being prepared!

Driving to the Bus Stop?

noreply@blogger.com (Helena) — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 02:18:00 +0000

I hope this post doesn't spark too much debate but I recently started taking my oldest daughter to the bus stop for school. And by "taking" her to the bus stop I mean opening the front door and walking down the sidewalk to where the bus stop is. I don't mean getting in my car and driving her to the bus stop like I have been seeing some other parents do.

I don't mean to criticize...I really don't...but I have to wonder why parents are literally driving a few houses down the street to take their kids to the bus stop? It's not raining outside. It's not freezing cold or snowing (yet!). It's been a pleasant 60-80 degrees the past few weeks. And I know these very nice people. They are not handicapped. They are perfectly healthy and I often see some of them out for walks, jogs and even bicycle riding on a nice fall day.

Sometimes I see them leave the neighborhood in their car so I think "ok, that makes sense, they are on their way somewhere and figured it is just quicker to already be in the car and be on their merry way after the bus comes". But many times...too many times...they turn around and go back to their homes...literally down the street.

I know not everyone has a "green thinking cap" on and not everyone contemplates the GHG value or carbon impact of everything they do, but there are many reasons other than decreasing the pollution from the unnecessary driving. Even if they drove their kids to the bus stop in an electric car or hybrid, there is an environmental impact. They only way to not have an impact is to WALK your kids to the bus stop. What a concept. You AND the kids get much needed exercise and you have no negative impact on the environment. Unless you fart during the walk and contribute some methane gas, though you also typically expel oxygen too, so it's not all bad.

Last time I checked gasoline was over $3 per gallon. Last time I checked the economy was struggling and people are constantly complaining about the price of gas and how their money just doesn't go as far as it used to or that their income has declined. Last time I checked we were trying to set good examples for our kids, and get off our butts and stop being couch potatoes.

So why has taking your kids to the bus stop completely changed meaning to driving your kids to the bus stop? Some things I just don't understand...

Cloth Napkins

noreply@blogger.com (Helena) — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 18:20:00 +0000

"You mean you are using cloth napkins like Avo (grandmother in Portuguese) did in the old days?" Yes, that is the reaction I got from my Mom when she visited our home and asked where the napkins were and I pointed her to these:

Hubby also poked fun when one day over a year ago I decided to "hide" the paper napkins and replace them with cloth napkins we already had lying around the house. He was ok with it until the first time we had spaghetti for dinner. One look at our kids with spaghetti sauce all over their face, hair, hands, and shirts and he said "no way are we using cloth napkins". Obviously I won that argument because it's been over a year later and we are still using those same cloth napkins (with all spaghetti stains washed out).

I will admit, the particular cloth napkins I have are a thin cotton fabric and don't soak up spills very well. But I refuse to buy new ones because after all, I'm trying to be green here, right?! So why would I go buy new ones when I have perfectly decent ones already at home? However, with a young toddler under 2 years old that drinks from regular grown up cups but still spills every once in a while, these thin napkins can be a problem. That is, unless you have a drawer full of these:

I bought these washcloths in a huge pack for about $3 when Baby Girl A was born. As you can see, they are in pretty bad shape after 5 years of daily use...wiping two kids faces and hands after every meal, wiping spilled milk off the table, etc. I'm sure I would have spent much more than $3 in napkins or paper towels over the last 5 years if I didn't have these wonders in my kitchen drawer. So not only am I avoiding disposable paper products but I'm also avoiding paying for those products that just end up in the trash (or possibly compost) bin.

What I can't figure out is why aren't more people doing this? Tell me, why are you still using paper napkins or paper towels? Is it just too hard to change the habit? I know, habits are REALLY hard to change...I'm still working on some myself! Is it the increased laundry that is overwhelming? What is the toughest challenge in implementing cloth napkins in your home? Perhaps we can help each other find a solution to our obstacles in living green day by day.

Happy Anniversary!

noreply@blogger.com (Helena) — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 01:00:00 +0000

So it's our 12 year wedding anniversary this week! It feels like only 2 years but somehow we have reached 12 years of marital bliss, with some downs and challenges thrown in there too. But our marital bliss or the ups and downs of the last 12 years is not what this blog is about...it's about living green day by day, right? So what does a wedding anniversary have to do with living green? In my opinion...alot!

You see, part of living green day by day is being aware of what the impact is of even the simplest things in your life. So for wedding anniversary gifts, which often include a cheesy card that would make your kids barf and perhaps some flowers or even jewelry, I can't help but think of the impact of those anniversary gifts. The card is made of paper, which usually is made of trees (or sugarcane or other plant material), and unless it is FSC certified or made of 100% recycled paper, it has an impact, right? What about the dyes used for the ink? If it's made of soy-based ink, not too bad, right? Then you get into the whole money thing--now I'm not a cheapskate (ok, yes I am, I admit it!), but paying $3 or $4 or even more for a card that someone looks at for a few minutes, maybe displays on a table for a few days, and then throws away (or recycles hopefully!), I find it a complete waste of money and resources. I'd rather get a handwritten poem -- written on scrap paper of course :) -- or a funny card made from scratch with something silly on it. Or bake me something delicious with chocolate or make me a wonderful handmade cappuccino with love poured all over it. But that's just me...or is it?

As for flowers, sure they are pretty, but please, pick some from my garden and bring them in for me. Even better, how about you weed the garden for me as my anniversary gift? Just whatever you do, please don't buy flowers that are obviously dyed to be more "vibrant" or flowers from a store who imports them from across an ocean. It makes me jittery just thinking about the carbon impact of transporting those flowers all around the globe. And are they sustainably grown? There is no FSC equivalent for flowers like there is for paper that I'm aware of...anyone know of any label or "certification" for fair trade or sustainably grown flowers like there is for veggies? There are still transportation CO2 emissions associated with however "good" they are labeled.

And jewelry...ah yes a very common gift from husbands to their wives for anniversaries and other occasions. I love rocks, but they usually consist of the kind I find in my backyard or at the beach or on a hike in the Shenandoah Mountains. Please don't give me a diamond harvested from a country that is poor and exploits its workers. Why should people have to die to give us diamonds? I have a diamond...my engagement ring...but other than that, please no diamonds as I can't bear the thought of someone dying so that I can have something sparkly and shiny. I'll just clean my handmade glass vase from a local artisan if I want to look at something sparkly and shiny, thank you very much.

So on my 12th wedding anniversary, why am I feeling like the luckiest woman in the world! Because I was given a cute card with hearts on it? Because I was offered flowers shipped from overseas? Because I was surprised with a little velvet box of some shiny diamonds? No. Not at all.

I am the luckiest woman in the world because I have a husband who, while not exactly the most "green" person I know, knows me well enough that he is ok with spending our anniversary hanging out and enjoying our time together as "enough" of an anniversary present. He gave me time and laughter. And that is the best gift of all.

And when he does get me an anniversary gift, it is something like this for our 10th wedding anniversary (10 year "traditional gift" is aluminum):

Yes, those are roses that he handmade out of aluminum foil, in my old glass vase, with green fake grass from who knows how many years ago from an Easter basket that I reuse every year. Foil and plastic Easter grass is so not "green" in and of itself, but these "flowers" have been sitting on my kitchen windowsill for 2 years now. Well, they haven't been just sitting there. They have been serving a very important purpose...as a drying rack for plastic bags that I wash and reuse. :)

So what's the best "green" gift you have ever received? Was it an actual item, or an experience? A day spent together? Our best memories aren't the things we receive, but rather the experiences, the laughs, and the time with those special people in our lives. And for that I am truly grateful for the wonderful memories my husband has shared with me over the last 12 years.

Reality Check

noreply@blogger.com (Helena) — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 21:20:00 +0000

In case you were wondering if I, in fact, had the nerve to walk up to a group of women with chainsaws on Saturday and ask them about their CO2 emissions and if they would consider using sustainable biofuels to power their chainsaws next time...

With 18 month old in arms, I walked towards them, in awe of the art they were creating with simply tree trunks, chainsaws, and their imagination. I was struck by the fresh scent of fresh wood chips in the air. So not "green" since there were these piles of dead trees everywhere, but I couldn't help but be drawn to the wonderful scent that was better than any car air freshener I've ever seen (Note: In my 35+ years on this earth, I have NEVER had an air freshener in my car--but that's another post at another time.)

But I never made it to the ladies with the chainsaws.

I had a baby in my arms.

Babies don't like loud noises.

Baby + loud chainsaws = Lots of crying

Mission Aborted

Yet another reality check that in my wonderful vision of making a small difference one person at a time, I forgot about the one person in my arms and their little ears. Does it mean I have given up? No. I wrote a letter:

"Dear Chainsaw Chix,

I enjoyed viewing your sculptures and artwork at the Fall Festival in Manassas this weekend, Saturday, October 6^th. It is amazing what you can do with a simple tree trunk, some chainsaws and a world of imagination.

I was wondering if you have considered the environmental impact of the gas powered chainsaws you were using. May I encourage you to look into alternative powered chainsaws such as electric or sustainable biofuels powered chainsaws? Since you are probably not near an electrical source at these festivals, electric may not be an option at all. But I wonder if sustainable biodiesel or even a sustainably sourced ethanol mixture could be used in the chainsaws? I haven’t done any research on this for chainsaws, but if cars, trucks, and even airplanes can now run on biodiesel or ethanol or other biofuels, then I wonder if chainsaws can to? How wonderful would it be for your marketing and PR efforts if you showed the world that not only are you mega-cool and incredibly talented, but that you are eco-conscious too! What a great example you could set for everyone!

Again, I enjoyed the art this weekend. But I would have enjoyed it even more if those chainsaws were powered by a renewable sustainable fuel.

Sincerely,

Helena, a fan of Chainsaw Chix"

Steve Jobs

noreply@blogger.com (Helena) — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 01:00:00 +0000

This article is a good read:

Steve Jobs Understood Something About Emotions That The Green Movement Too Often Ignores

Can A Fall Festival Be Greener?

noreply@blogger.com (Helena) — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 19:22:00 +0000

So Manassas is having it's annual Fall Festival tomorrow and I'm wondering about the environmental impact that fall festival will have...yes, that's me, that's how I think. While most are thinking about hot apple cider or bluegrass music or what freebies will be there, I think about the "greenness" of it.

While a fall festival can provide some wonderful benefits, like teaching my kids about the colors of fall...the red apples, the orange pumpkins...and the "harvest" season as a whole, it still can have quite an environmental impact. The food waste and packaging, the plastic bouncy house (how is this "fall-like"?), the plastic freebies given out in plastic bags, etc. And let's not forget that the Chainsaw Chix will be there...how cool?! Women with chainsaws making art...beautiful sculptures out of wood. Love it, right? Well, I do love it actually and can't wait to see them create their art, BUT if you know me, you know I'm thinking about the trees that were killed for the art and wondering what powers their chainsaws. Are they gasoline powered or electric? What kind of carbon emissions do those let out over a whole day of cutting and shaping wood into art?

So the big question for me today is should I go to the fall festival tomorrow and ooh and aah over the incredible artwork and stay quiet or should I speak up and ask the Chainsaw Chix if they can consider powering their chainsaws with sustainably certified biofuels? What do you think? Should I shut up or speak up?

Welcome!

noreply@blogger.com (Helena) — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 02:33:00 +0000

Welcome to Living Green Day By Day!

Welcome to my very first post! I encourage you to view my "About Living Green" page to see why I created this blog and what I hope this blog will accomplish. Please leave any feedback as to how this blog can evolve or improve or even if you have a pressing green living question that you want to ask me. I am, by no means, perfect in the green living area...I'm no expert. I'm just a wife, mom, business woman, environmentalist, who is trying to minimize my impact on this earth. Let's embark on this green journey together with the goal of sharing, learning, exploring, and preserving this amazing planet for future generations...living green day by day...