RECYCLE ME®

Too Much Plastic: 3 easy ways to reduce your plastic right now

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 22:49:00 +0000

I just read - (or more appropriately watched) - an article on 'Distractify' with 27 images of plastic in our lives and in our world. Powerful.

If you haven't traveled the world or traveled the ocean, you may not have seen images like this before.

Yamuna River in New Delhi - source article on Distractify

However, the article left out something very important - hope.

So here are 3 things you can do right now to reduce a big part of your plastic consumption:

1) BRING CLOTH BAGS EVERYWHERE!
Yes, you've heard this before, but have you done it? Cloth bags, baskets, etc. aren't just for the grocery store. Oh - did you forget yours in your car? Everyplace has bags for sale, so consider that your bag tax or if you have only an item or two, forgo the bag all together. Make it a HABIT!

My favorite Glass Bottle made from recycled glass

2) GET A REUSABLE BOTTLE - Maybe even two or three.
There's nothing like drinking water from a glass. If you need something more portable get a stainless steel water bottle, like Kleen Kanteen. I got the above glass bottle from Peaceful Parlour 3 years ago - still my favorite way to drink water when I leave home.

The other day I was out with my 3 kids who are well versed in plastic consumption and reusable products. "I'm thirsty!" Meaning buy me some water. I pointed out the drinking fountain. What a concept!

Most of the time you aren't hiking for 36 hours in extreme need of water for fear of dehydration. Relax. It's not that hard to find some water.

Glass Dharma straws for smoothies or shakes

3) MAKE THE GLASS STRAW PLEDGE
I could live the rest of my life without straws, but apparently my kids can't, along with a lot of other people.

The easiest thing to do is avoid straws altogether. You can also buy the unbreakable glass straws from Glass Dharma. Not only do they come in all shapes and sizes, they have convenient carriers so you can take your straw with you - a perfect going away to college gift!

Not into glass? Get bamboo straws, pretty cool.

You can make a difference right now - yes you can!

What do you do to reduce your plastic impact?

Alexandra Gnoske is a nature lover, writer, and environmental expert.

A Simple Way to Make a Difference: one pair of shoes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 17 Nov 2013 06:11:00 +0000

I believe some of the most powerful actions are simple.

In May 2013 I traveled with Soles for Jesus to Mozambique to help distribute shoes to Villagers living in poverty. The hope is to transform lives with a pair of shoes - shoes can prevent disease, allow school attendance, help people travel and work and support their families.

We visited people from several villages over a 5 day period. I personally washed hundreds of pairs of feet. But the journey started with donating one pair of shoes.

It is simple: donate a pair of shoes.

It makes sense: what to do with shoes your kids outgrow? Donate.

It's easy: find a collection, start a collection, or ship your pair to Soles for Jesus.

It's green: extending the life of shoes.

It's meaningful: giving health, education, work, hope.

There are many simple actions you can take that are powerful. Some every day, some every month, some once a year.

I hope the next time something simple catches your eye you will stop and think about it and take that simple but powerful action.

----------------------------------

The Villagers were overwhelmed with joy knowing that people from the other side of the world cared about them so much they sent their shoes and even sent people to bring the shoes to them directly. We were overwhelmed by their gratitude and hospitality. It seemed to me however that it was more than shoes being exchanged - there was a lot of love, hope, and faith being distributed both ways as well.

That's why when I find an organization like Soles for Jesus that is doing something so simple yet so meaningful I participate.

Alexandra Gnoske is a nature lover, writer, and environmental expert.

Baby Squirrel Rescue: Weathering the Storm

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 14 Sep 2013 02:48:00 +0000

Friday night, August 30th, in Chicago we had a big storm. The wind was blowing so hard the rain was coming across side-ways and not only were branches broken, in several places whole trees were knocked down, even uprooted!

fallen tree blocking bridge walk way

MORE THAN RAIN DROPS FALLING
In front of my house we had a different problem. Our friend came to pick up her son from our house and pointed out there was a dead squirrel on my front step. I looked and saw it was twitching - not good. It looked like it had been dumped in a bucket of water and slammed onto the front step. It was a bit overwhelming so I didn't notice much about it - like the fact that it was a baby.

I asked my husband to go collect it as I thought it was near death. The neighbors silver maple tree has a nice hole in it that hangs over out property and squirrels live there. My husband calls to me, he says it's alive, really alive, not full grown, and trying to move. I'll tell you with my degree in Wildlife Biology we never learned wild-animal rescue. I couldn't leave it outside though suffering, it was soaking wet and I had no idea the extent of it's injuries.

how we like to think squirrels handle a thunderstorm

And let me just say now - although I have a degree in Wildlife Biology and have always loved wildlife and the outdoors, I am not a caretaker. I take care of my children because they came out of me. I was looking for a rescue center, someone else to take care of the squirrels. On another note I can't handle animal suffering...especially baby animals.

LOUIE TO THE RESCUE?
I called my nephew Louie who lives across the street to see if he wanted to take the squirrel (this is the Louie that 'Loui Saves the Earth' is based on). He said, "of course! I'll be right over." He came with a towel and picked it up. Then my husband noticed a second baby squirrel on the cement by our steps. 'I'll be right back with another towel and a box," I said.

When I returned they had three babies (the third had landed in the garden) in one towel. We snuggled them into the box together. I asked my nephew to look on his phone for a place that would take injured squirrels. He said we need a heating pad and a box with a cover. "Wait, you didn't find a place to take them?" "I'm going out, I'll be back later. I wish I could take them but I can't with my two big dogs." Oh boy. I'm not really a care-taker type. I mean, I have three kids, a dog, a husband, sure...but I'm not looking for more.

UNINVITED GUESTS
We got them inside our house and my husband was wise enough to put them into the dog carrier. We put the heating pad underneath their box and I looked up places that take squirrels. I also posted that we found three baby squirrels on Facebook. I found Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation center online and my friend from Now Studio recommended contacting 2nd Hand Ranch & Rescue. I put in calls to both places and as it was after 7pm they were both closed. I also texted 2ndHRR. They both stated on their messages and websites not to feed or give water to any injured animal and how to keep it warm and safe until it could be transported.

I read on Facebook from someone who had taken care of a baby squirrel that if you put them in a basket under the tree the mom will come get them. Then one baby squirrel started chirping it up - my little Yorkie was going crazy. I was too - knowing the baby was stressed. This one was definitely alive and well. It was trying to chew it's way out of the carrier. So my husband took the carrier outside (by now it's completely dark) and opened the door. It just clung to the carrier door. He put on gloves and put the baby at the bottom of the tree - NO! I didn't think that was a good idea. He went inside. The baby didn't chirp anymore. I didn't see the mom come out. It was dark and hard to see and I didn't want to get close. I could tell the baby wasn't moving anymore.

(CLICK HERE FOR: How to take care of a squirrel)

baby squirrel trying to free itself around 8pm - I was too busy with the crisis to think about pictures earlier

I had to leave to pick up my daughter from her friends house and walked by the tree and could see the baby just laying there, it's eyes half opened. I texted my husband and told him he needed to get that squirrel back in the box with the other two and I wouldn't be home until I knew it was safe and warm. I wasn't coming home to a dead baby squirrel outside, under the tree.

He put it back.

I came home.

We had three baby squirrels for the night.

Needless to say I didn't sleep much. I didn't hear any chirping but I really wanted it to be morning so I could try and get the baby squirrels back to their mom.

REUNION WITH MOTHER SQUIRREL
I didn't want to wake up my husband too early. I waited until 6:15am and then asked him to take the carrier out to the front. He did. And when he opened the door the lively baby ran out, ran around, ended up going to the street - CRAP! After all that this baby is going to get lost or hit by a car. GREAT. I could see that one other baby squirrel was moving, but I didn't know if it was okay. I didn't want to pull the towel all the way back and see if the third one was dead - yeah, I don't really want to see dead baby animals.

My husband went back to bed. I hid under my other neighbors tree to be a safe distance, but close enough to warn anyone walking a dog to keep away from the box. I was cognizant enough to have my camera with me.

I waited.

I heard chirping. I saw the mom come down. She went under a car and well, if you watch the first video here you will see she got the lively little baby and ran her up the tree and shoved her in the hole. WOW - one of them made it.

PLEASE NOTE: I'm am not a professional videographer. And this first video has the squirrels hidden under the car for 30 seconds.

I was happy...for about 30 seconds. Then it started to rain. Then it started to pour.

I waited a few minutes. I was okay under the pine tree. The box was semi protected under the maple. CRAP! She's not coming out. They will get wet again. I brought the box to my porch and waited inside for a really loooooooong 12 minutes. The rain stopped. I put the box at the base of the tree. I pulled the towel back more.

I thought I would have to wait a while but I guess mom had it all figured out now. She jumped right into the box and got the second baby squirrel. This time it was a little harder to get a good grip. Mom also had a harder time getting the second baby into the hole.

I thought, this is it. Two babies rescued. That's great. But she jumped in the box again - she's not going to take a dead baby up to her nest is she? Well, this was the biggest challenge for her, but she got the third baby into her mouth and to the hole. I could see it was still alive. Less cooperative, but still alive. She really struggled to get this last one in and at one point I thought she would drop him. But she shoved 'em in at the last minute and all three baby squirrels were safe and sound.

Yay!

LISTEN TO YOUR RESCUE PROFESSIONAL
I got a call and a text from the rescue centers later in the day. Wonderful people, very helpful. They even explained why you shouldn't feed or give water to injured or rescued animals. Many times this causes more damage and can even result in a death that could have been prevented.

Sometimes this is due to the way the animal is being fed, sometimes it's what the animal is being fed, sometimes it's a factor of development, and other times it's due to an existing injury. Flint Creek Wildlife Rehab has great diagrams that tell you what to do if you can't get a hold of a facility in a number of different situation for many different kinds of animals.

In the end somehow everyone survived and was safe at home with loved ones...thanks to many, many people for help, advice, and patience.

Alexandra Gnoske is a Nature Lover, Writer, and Environmental Expert.

After the Storm: Images from my Neighborhood

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 01 Sep 2013 20:12:00 +0000

There was a huge storm Friday night in Chicago that took out power, blew whole trees over and I'm sure at some point caused some injuries. I hope everyone is OK.

This tree came right out of the ground and landed on two cars in Albany Park

I took a walk going west around my neighborhood the next morning - this included parts of North Park, Mayfair, and Albany Park - after the major thunderstorm (and downpour this morning) to see what things looked like.

North Branch of the Chicago River where Mayfair, Albany, and North Park meet

drain at above river location

I found damage throughout the neighborhoods and parks including Eugene Field and Little Gompers. I also found lots of wildlife and took some images of the native wildflowers.

Bernard Street Bridge and N. Branch Chicago River

I decided to go out walking for two reasons: one, I heard a tree fell over our bridge a half block away (picture above); two, I was involved in storm recovery last night and this morning due to 3 baby squirrels I found laying soaked and stunned in front of my house (story and video forthcoming in my next blog post).

Milkweed variety at Little Gompers

I had to find out what else was going on before the day got away. I hope you enjoy the images, especially if you live in the neighborhood!

Lightning McQueen backpack in N.B.C.River by Eugene Field

Beer can at Little Gompers by waterfall

Large branch broken of an Ohio Buckeye at Eugene Field

Ohio Buckeye fruit at Eugene Field

grasshopper at Little Gompers

Mallard at Little Gompers Pond

Mallard hiding at Little Gompers

hard to see and capture an image - mink at Little Gompers Pond

Alexandra Gnoske is a Nature Lover, Writer, and Environmental Expert.

City Gardening (part four): From Seed to Plate - The Harvest Begins

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Aug 2013 03:16:00 +0000

The food is starting to come in here in my little Chicago backyard. Lots of tomatoes, green beans, jalapeños, yellow squash, and the second harvest of raspberries. I also have basil and mint for my herbs. And I've got some funny little cucumbers growing - this is my first year trying cucumbers - it says 'Sweet Marketmore' and on the package they look nice and big and long - but I'm not sure these will turn out like the picture.

my first ever cucumber, rather small still

However, I am enjoying what has come in. I love to know that a little seed can create so much. Outside of the perennial food growing in my back yard, everything else has come from seed. The food has inspired some yummy meals and I really like cooking this time of year, when I can get my food fresh from my yard.

The 1st green bean of the season gets the thumbs up

I also discovered that my kids would rather eat the green beans fresh and raw than eat them cooked - so on Friday (school started last week for us) they got raw, fresh picked green beans for a snack, they got them today (Monday) too. As long as they keep coming in, fresh green beans will be picked in the morning and put into their lunches.

cooked green beans/fresh guacamole

harvest/jalapeno not shown

Early last week I made fresh guacamole with three different kinds of tomatoes, and added some fresh jalapeños. This whole meal (pictured above) was inspired by the fresh guacamole.

Tomatoes and jalapenos added to Saturday's egg salad

On Saturday my kids helped me cut up ingredients for egg salad - I didn't need anything from the yard for my regular recipe, but decided it would be fun to add tomatoes and jalapeños. Personally I liked it, but my kids didn't want the 'new' recipe. Luckily I separated the egg salad into two different bowls so they didn't suffer.

harvest that became Sunday's dinner

Sunday's salad with cherrie tomatoes

Pasta with tomatoes, yellow squash and fresh basil from the back yard

Sunday night it was pasta with fresh basil, a variety of tomatoes, and yellow squash with a butter sauce. I added the cherry tomatoes to the salad. Two out of three kids ate it all up, even second helpings. My picky third child remained my picky third child. But the real success was that it ended up as lunch today for one of my children, by request.

Monday mornings harvest

This morning I gathered the green beans, some mint, and the first few raspberries of the second harvest. The mint and raspberries went into my 40 ounce water bottle that I take to work, for a nice little fresh change to my regular plain old H2O.

clematis

Finally, I did something I've never done before - planted seeds in August. I've been told you can keep growing/planting certain foods throughout the growing season. So I planted some lettuce on Saturday. I'm curious to see what happens. It would be great to have a few more salads that came directly from the backyard before the growing season is over.

grasshopper hiding behind raspberry stem

grasshopper jumping onto fence while I watered

Of course, as the flowers continue to bloom and the animals come, I will continue to take pictures of them too. Sunday I found several grasshoppers - they always seem to show up around this time of year. Fortunately I get to see lots of bees buzzing around the yard every day. They aren't just on the wildflowers, they are on the food too.

Bumble-bee pollenating my green beans

What is your back yard inspiring your plate to look like this year?

Alexandra Gnoske is a Nature Lover, Writer, and Environmental Expert.

The Big 'Chicago' Year - Yes, We're Still Birding!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 25 Aug 2013 18:59:00 +0000

17 August 2013
Jackson Park
Warm and Sunny

Eastern Kingbirds

My 7yo son and I decided to do a Big 'Chicago' year after watching 'The Big Year' with Jack Black, Steve Martin, and Owen Wilson about 5 times last year (click here to see first article). I haven't posted about all of our birding adventures but we had a great time last week at Jackson Park. We aren't experts or die-hards, but we like to bird and be outdoors.

Double-created Cormorant

Jackson Park is just south of downtown, a short trip down lakeshore drive for us. We saw 26 different species of birds and captured some good pictures.

Northern Cardinal

Great Blue Heron

Eastern Kingbird
American Goldfinch
Mallard
Great Blue Heron
Chimney Swift
Great-crested Flycatcher
American Robin
House Sparrow
Grey Catbird
Double-crested Cormorant
Black-capped Chickadee
Red-eyed Vireo
Green Heron
Caspian Tern
Black-crowned Night Heron
Wood Duck
Song Sparrow
White-breasted Nuthatch
Barn Swallow
European Starling
Downy Woodpecker

White-breasted Nuthatch

Seagull (unidentified)

American Crow
Spotted Sandpiper
Red-winged Blackbird

We also saw several different butterflies, including Cabbage Whites, Tiger swallowtails, and Monarchs as well as at least 3 different types of dragonflies, including the skimmer variety.

Besides seeing so many wonderful birds and other animals, the prairie and aquatic flowers were in full bloom. One of the things I like most about birding is just being out in nature, something that can be enjoyed even here in the city of Chicago.

As I have said before, Chicago is a great place to bird as it is in the middle of a major migratory path, the Mississippi Flyway.

Fall Migration season is just beginning and more birds will be coming through on their journey south for the winter. However, this is a more challenging time to bird as many birds will be first years, born this summer, with juvenile plumage, which is not as distinct as adult spring plumage (or feathers).

Water Lily

When you are out and about in the city remember to keep the number for the Chicago Bird Collision Monitors on hand (773 988 1867) as spring and fall migration is a time when many birds are injured by flying into windows. These folks will tell you what to do or send someone to collect the injured bird.

If you have a little space of your own you can start creating your own natural habitat that will attract more birds and wildlife. Check out Ecosystem Gardening for great information on how to get started in your own backyard.

Are you birding this fall? Where's your favorite place to go? What's your favorite bird to see?

Alexandra Gnoske is a Nature Lover, Writer, and Environmental Expert.

5 Top Tips for Going Back to School Green and Healthy

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 19 Aug 2013 01:39:00 +0000

School starts this week for my household. I got mixed reviews from my kids about that - only one of the three is excited to see friends and learn, the other two could give up school completely. Even I feel this summer was too short. Nevertheless school is here and so I will do my best to make it a greener, healthier school year.

Here are my Top 5 Tips for going back to school green and healthy (because they go together!):

#5. Eco-friendly School Supplies.
This is getting easier every year. Look for supplies you can reuse and reuse them every year, like pencil and pen cases, rulers, calculators, etc. This should be easy, but if you don't keep track of your kids supplies when they bring them back in June, you won't be able to reuse them in the Fall.

As well, more school supplies are made from recycles materials. This year we bought pens and pencils that were either made from recycled plastic or renewable wood. We always prefer paper folders as they biodegrade, while the plastic ones will be around indefinitely. Of course remember that favorite stand-by, recycled paper!

#4. Purchase Green Cleaning Products for the class-room.

Every year my kids are asked to bring anything from hand-sanitizers, baby wipes, and disinfectant (listed as Lysol Disinfectant Wipes) to the first day of school. I think of the obvious things like eczema, hyperactivity, and over-exposure to chemicals as reasons to avoid these kinds of products. But there are other reasons.

U.S. law allows manufacturers of cleaning products to use almost any ingredient they wish, including known carcinogens. The government doesn't review the safety of products before they're sold. And up to 100 different chemicals can hide (not labeled on the product) within the term 'fragrance.'

Skin is our largest organ and we absorb whatever we touch. I personally don't want the extra chemicals absorbing into my child while they are trying to learn at school.

I buy Clean Well products from my local green store (where I know there's no green-washing) Green Genes, from hand-sanitizing spray to hand wipes. I feel comfortable with them. They are also available at Whole Foods. To avoid green-washing don't purchase products from large well known brands that aren't green. Changing the color of the logo to green doesn't make a product safe for your child or for the environment.

#3. Learn Your Numbers.

When you buy produce like apples, oranges, bananas and grapes for your kids' lunches, they all come with a little number on the sticker. This number gives you important information. It tells you if the food was grown organically (5 digits starting with a 9), conventionally (4 digits starting with a 4), or if it was genetically modified (5 digits starting with an 8).

an apple a day keeps the doctor away? maybe not depending on how it was grown

While most of us can't afford to buy everything organic, we can make sure we know which foods are best to buy organic at the Environmental Working Group website. They created a great list to make it easy for the rest of us. For example apples are on the Dirty Dozen list of foods to avoid, while pineapples are on the Clean Fifteen and contain a much lower amount of pesticide residue.

Dr. Alex Lu from Harvard conducted a study that showed switching to organic produce can eliminate the pesticides in your body in only 5 days. View his video by clicking on his name.

If you want to know more about why you would want to avoid GMO fruits and veggies in your kids lunches watch this segment with Dr. Oz.

On a side note, while in Mozambique this year I discovered that their products are labeled for GMO's, while in the U.S. this 'right-to-know' is still not mandatory. As well, next door to Mozambique, Zimbabwe has banned GMO's (along with over 60 other countries).

#2. Sneak attack - Snack Taxi's!
These fun pouches in various sizes were created by a Mom on the East Coast who was concerned about the amount of plastic her family consumed in school lunhces. Snack Taxi's replace plastic snack bags. You can use them for snacks like fruit or (home-made) cookies as well as sandwiches.

They are washable and sturdy. I bought my first two pouches from Green Home Experts in Oak Park 4 years ago - I still use those! But here's the even better news. For every one you purchase you are helping to keep 1,000 plastic bags out of your life, the landfill, and eventually our soil and water.

Don't think that plastic adds up? Check out 5gyre's website to learn more.

#1. Reusable Water Bottle.
Surprised? Here's why reusable water bottles are #1 on my list. How much water does your child drink a day? If they spend most of the day at school, do you even know? According to the 'American Journal of Clinical Nutrition' study as few as 10 percent of girls and 15 percent of boys get the recommended amount of water each day.

The amount of water a child should consume is different depending on age, weight, sex, level of activity, etc. A lack of water leads to head aches, fatigue, nausea, and dehydration. And I bet insufficient water intake can affect concentration and grades as well. What about cavities, sugar intake, and obesity? You already know water is best for their health...

But don't refill that plastic water bottle. For one, you may be leaching BPA's, bisphenol-A, an industrial chemical used in plastics into their water. Secondly, whether it's filled with tea, soda, or water, plastic bottles are a world-wide environmental hazard.

plastic bottle waste in Philippines

Eighty percent of plastic water bottles end up as litter. It takes 1.5 million barrels of oil to meet the demands of U.S. water bottle manufacturing (just think of soda and sports drinks added to this stat). Plastic bottle waste travels the world.

With all the ADD, ADHD, and child-hood obesity the easiest, cheapest, and healthiest thing you can do for your child and the environment is give them lots of water in reusable BPA free bottles!

I hope this list was helpful for you and your family and that you feel you can take some steps this year to make your families lives greener and healthier.

With sincerest best wishes, I hope you and your children have a safe, green, and healthy school year!

Alexandra Gnoske is a Nature Lover, Writer, and Environmental Expert.

The Happiness Jar: Mid-Year Check

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 18 Aug 2013 21:07:00 +0000

At the beginning of the year I posted about starting a 'Happiness Jar' for 2013 - a little project to collect notes over the year of the things that made me and my family happy. The end goal is to read all the notes in the jar on New Years Eve as a kind of happiness review of the year.

It's a bit of a gratitude exercise, but I have no real formal plan, I'm just curious how it will effect us.

The year is more than half-way over and I'm just checking in to remind you that your Happiness Jar is calling! Remember to keep putting in your notes. It doesn't have to be anything big or fancy, just something that made you happy, made you smile.

Didn't start a Happiness Jar? Well, there's still time. You can grab any kind of jar you like and start now. There's a full four months (and several days) left of 2013 and a lot can happen.

Alexandra Gnoske is a Nature Lover, Writer and Environmental Expert.

City Gardening (part 3): Where did that come from!?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 15 Aug 2013 03:52:00 +0000

Volunteers. Not a word you normally associate with gardening. I can tell you my kids aren't garden volunteers. After about 10 minutes on any backyard project they generally lose interest.

However, volunteers are one of the things that make gardening so interesting.

Two years ago while in my friends backyard, that's all food and no grass (so awesome), I first heard the term volunteer (for you avid gardeners don't laugh too hard at me, I know I can be slow). In gardening terms that means something that grows in your yard that you didn't intentionally plant.

volunteer sunflower

I know what you're thinking - weeds. No one asks them to come in and they are constantly showing up. But no, not weeds. Volunteers come from things you already have (or had) in your yard like seeds from your flower or say a tomato that fell somewhere you didn't notice. Next thing you know the following year there's a tomato plant growing in the middle of your coneflowers. Or rhizomes, which are roots sent out from your plants (in my case strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries) that send up a stalk in a new location.

volunteer vine tomato with an American lady butterfly

Finally, you can also get volunteers from your compost. Anything you put into compost that had seeds can end up growing in your yard. Seeds are tough and resilient. They don't decompose well. That's a good thing. I also tend to throw my Halloween pumpkins into the garden, especially in my front garden, to enrich the soil. It usually takes two springs and I'll have pumpkins growing...and then comes the task of figuring out how to manage them, because large pumpkins take up a LOT of space.

This year I have more volunteers than ever. I have 5 sunflowers I didn't plant, but had to have come from the bird seed (this is a first). I also have 2 small gourd plants, or little pumpkins, for the first time, which are awesome.

the gourds that tricked me

At first I thought they were yellow squash because the plant leaves and flowers look the same. I plant yellow squash every year (because they're fun to grow - I also found out it is on the top 10 list of plants that are grown with GMO's), so it wasn't a surprise to see a plant that looked like yellow squash. However I had one growing in the middle of the grass and another in the middle of my native wildflower garden - no where near where I had planted them. I transplanted the one in the grass to the yellow squash box and was confused when the squash came up round (I was a bit slow in figuring out what was growing OK?).

My last volunteers were tomato plants. Last year I grew several and more than ever. So this year I ended up with over 8 tomato volunteers. Some grew bigger and faster than the ones I started from seed back in early March, others came up quite late and I pulled them because there's no way with the short growing season in Chicago they would produce.

volunteer sunflower whose pollen feed the bees and seeds are now feeding the birds

Volunteers can be a lot of fun, it's like a miniature science project...I love to see what survives, what endures, what just has to live! However there's usually not enough room in a small city backyard for all volunteers. The challenge is to choose what survives. Wouldn't it be great to have a bigger yard!

What volunteers did you get this year? What are your favorites?

Alexandra Gnoske is a Nature Lover, Writer, and Environmental Expert.

City Gardening (part 2): Food for Thought

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 11 Aug 2013 23:49:00 +0000

Last week I posted pictures from my garden in Chicago of the native wildflowers and insects that are enjoying them. Besides wildflowers I've grown a bit of food. Some of it is perennial, like the berries and rhubarb, others I grew from seed, like the tomatoes, yellow squash, cucumbers, and pole green beans.

vine tomatoes

The patience of the gardener is rewarded by watching the garden grow, the insects pollinate them, the fruits and vegetables ripen, and finally the taste of the freshest food you've ever had.

pole green bean flowers

The green beans haven't grown in yet, but they are my favorite because they are the reason I garden. Before I was born my great uncle, Bill, owned a farm by the Wisconsin border. My family would go up north most weekends to help with the farm. Although it was sold by the time I was 7 I retained a few good memories - one was of going to the fields and picking green beans, breaking them, and eating them raw right in the field. Mmmmm!

my first jalapeno's

While my garden isn't the only city garden in Chicago, the biggest or the most productive, it's my garden and after waiting over 20 years I'm excited about anything that grows in it!

yellow squash

I hope you enjoy the pictures of my garden and if you aren't growing your own food already, maybe you'll start!

volunteer gourds

Alexandra Gnoske is a Nature Lover, Writer, and Environmental Expert in Chicago.

City Gardening (part 1): A Living Ecosystem

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 08 Aug 2013 04:50:00 +0000

I have spent the last six years working to make my yard a native and perennial haven, mostly by seed...with some annuals that happen to be food. Of course it's fun to watch the flowers bloom and the food grow and ripen. Even more fun to eat the food.

Honey bee flying through the Prairie Coneflower

But another fun part is finding out who also likes your garden.

American Lady Butterfly on vine tomato

While my garden isn't always full of a large selection of butterflies and birds, I do find some interesting life buzzing around. This year the Milkweed attracted several species of bees and I did see at least 5 different kinds of butterflies (I didn't get a picture of them all) throughout the garden.

Alianthus webworm moth

Metallic blue wasps are frequently visitors and are beneficial to the garden. I've also had a few different insects and beetles, including lightning bugs, the famous milkweed beetle, and the bumble bees were really digging the sunflowers, bee balm, and purple coneflowers.

Honey bee on purple coneflower

And I'm happy to say I have seen more and more goldfinches frequenting. Mostly there are Eurasian house sparrows, but also American robins and Northern cardinals.

Part of wildflower garden in July

I haven't found any katydid's or grasshoppers so far like last year, but fortunately there's still time.

If you are looking for native perennials and not hybridized perennials check with Pizzo Plant Nursery.

What do you grow in your city garden? What do your plants attract?

Alexandra Gnoske is a Nature Lover, Writer, and Environmental Expert in Chicago.

Help is Just Around the Corner!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 02:45:00 +0000

8,000 pairs of shoes have arrived in Mozambique.

Hundreds of people have helped collect these shoes.

Nine people are preparing to leave in two weeks to distribute these shoes to several villages.

Two host families are preparing for their arrival.

We are only 2 weeks and 2 days away...

There's still time to donate and help us bring health and hope to children in Sub-saharn Africa.

In the last few months I collected $2,725.00 for this mission. I only need $175.00 more to reach the $2,900.00 goal!

If you are interested in contributing you still can! You can write a tax deductible check and mail it to:

Soles for Jesus, Inc.

(on memo line: 'Alix - MZ 2013)

8480 N. 87th Street
Milwaukee, WI 53224

You can also contact me at agnoske@gmail.com for more information.

Alexandra Gnoske is a nature lover, writer, and environmental expert.

Buy a Shirt - Save a River

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 04:19:00 +0000

It's not every day you find a win win win - but in April you will find just that, a win win win, all month long.

Hotel Felix, Chicago's greenest hotel, has partnered with Recycle Me for an Earth Month promotion that will make everyone a winner.

Recycle Me, the organic cotton clothing company that brought you all organic cotton tees, grown, sewn, and printed in the USA, is donating the last of it's t-shirt inventory to be sold at Hotel Felix - only $15.00 while supplies last. The proceeds will benefit Friends of the Chicago River.

'Not only are you getting a quality cotton tee free from pesticides and chemicals where all stages of production were good to the environment, you also get to help the local environment, the Chicago river,' says Alix Gnoske, founder of the former company Recycle Me. Gnoske was happy to donate the shirts to benefit the Friends of the Chicago River as she has been exploring and birding along the river since she was 13.

The tees will be on sale all of April at Hotel Felix, in downtown Chicago at 111 W. Huron. Shirts range from babies to adults with a variety of eco-smart phrases, such as 'I AM GREEN' and 'ORGANIC eat it wear it be it.'

Friends of the Chicago River started in 1979 and is the only organization solely dedicated to the Chicago River. Their mission is to improve and protect the Chicago River system for people, plants, and animals.

Hotel Felix opened in 2009 and is the first eco-friendly hotel in Chicago with Silver LEED Certification. They are celebrating Earth Month all April with additional promotions and events including free yoga classes provided by Pop-Up Yoga Studio every Wednesday.

So this April check out Chicago's greenest hotel, buy a shirt that was produced supporting the environment, and get even greener with that purchase (maybe buy two or three!) as the proceeds will benefit your own Chicago River.

Win, win, win!

Spring Has Sprung! Backyard Gardening

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 00:21:00 +0000

It's a funny time of year - have you noticed anyone acting crazy - or crazier than usual?

It's Spring Fever - seriously, that is a real thing (just ask my sister, she's a psychotherapist). The barometric pressure is changing, the Northern Hemisphere is tilting towards the sun, we are all getting more sunlight and Vitamin D, birds are mating, and plants are stirring.

Tomatoes in window-box for Chicago backyard garden

It's the perfect time to prepare for your back yard garden. If you are planting by seed you should be getting started. You can also buy larger plants from your local nursery in early May to make sure they are ready to pick before summer's end.

I just had to post today because I wanted to share my picture of the tomatoes that just popped up in my window garden - I planted them 10 days ago. It's really happening!

Hope you're getting your garden ready too!

Alexandra Gnoske is a nature lover, writer, and environmental expert.

Backyard Garden 2013: Day One

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 04:52:00 +0000

Okay, okay, so it's not that exciting - to most people.

Today, March 11th, in the midst of the windy flurries of Chicago, I planted the first seeds of my 2013 Chicago back yard garden...because I'd like to start harvesting tomatoes before Labor Day (I hope!). The seeds went into indoor planters today - and sit in my window box.

At the end of the month I will start the cucumbers and yellow squash and in April I will start the pole green beans. All of these seeds are organic of course and will be nourished in part by my compost and vermiculture (or worm poop).

Last year was my first attempt to start my garden by seed indoors (this of course doesn't include the perennials). This year, based on germination rates and their rate of growth once seedlings, I am planting at different times. The green beans went crazy and twisted all around each other before I could get them outside, so they are getting planted last.

I bought a few other seeds, including onions and lettuce. Not sure when I will start those or where I will put them...but that's part of the challenge and the fun of back yard gardening!

Hope to have some seedling pictures to post soon.

Enjoy the last days (feel like weeks) of winter....

Alexandra Gnoske is a nature lover, writer, and environmental expert.

View 'Peace on Earth' this Week in Chicago

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 16:11:00 +0000

March 7 - 10 marks the fifth time 'Peace on Earth' Film Festival has brought Chicagoans dozens of incredible films for free to 'celebrate and encourage the work of independent filmmakers from around the globe on the themes of peace, nonviolence, social justice and an eco-balanced world.' Started in 2008 by Nick Angotti, Clayton Monical, and Millisa Pacelli, POEFF allows us a glimpse of the world, it's troubles and it's successes, as seen and lived by it's people.

POEFF opens tonight, Thursday, March 7th, at the Chicago Cultural Center's Claudia Cassidy Theater, 6pm. The event is free and includes panel discussions with Q&A with directors and other people involved in the films. There are feature and short documentaries, student films, and narratives.

Twenty-four films have been chosen this year. The Festival Schedule is full of the most amazing stories of the world. I can't do justice to these films by trying to describe them. Click HERE to view the short descriptions and clips. I'm sure you will find several you'll feel you need to see.

Here are some of the films that caught my interest:

Raising Resistance: (Germany/Switzerland, 85 min) - showing Saturday
Directed by Bettina Borgfeld & David Bernet

Raising Resistance is a film about the resistance against the more aggressively expanding production of genetic soy in South America. Eighty percent of the soy production is used as animal food in order to satisfy the excessive meat consumption in the rich countries. For the small farmers in Paraguay this means: displacement from their land; loss of basic food supply; and the fight for survival.

The Second Cooler: (USA, 87 min) - Showing Friday
Directed by Ellin Jimmerson

The Second Cooler is a migrant justice documentary for English and Spanish speaking audiences which unravels why twelve million Latin American migrants are in the U. S. illegally and brings major implications into focus. The second cooler is literally a large cooler that stores the bodies of people that didn't make the border crossing alive.

Graceland Girls: (USA, 28 min) - Showing Thursday
Directed by Jordan Salvatoriello

Educating its adolescent girls has proven to be the cornerstone of Kenyan development, yet so many are denied equal access to education, social and economic equality and respect. The half hour documentary provides an intimate look at how the high school students at Graceland Girls School have, so far, defied the odds. Using a combination of video and digital photographs – taken by both the subjects and the filmmaker – the girls express the beauty and pressures of empowered Kenyan girlhood and share their personal struggles to find hope for a better future.

Not Today: (India/USA, 105 min) - Showing Sunday
Directed by Jon Van Dyke

Roaming from California to India, Not Today weaves a moving, inspiring story of a young man’s (Hollywood Heights’ Cody Longo) journey from spoiled Orange County “adult-olescent” to a true believer in the fight against human trafficking, risking his life to help the helpless. Not Today is a powerful reminder that change is possible if we're willing to open our eyes ... today. With Walid Amini, Shari Rigby and John Schneider (The Dukes of Hazzard).

These are just a sampling of the quality of films and stories being told at the POEFF over the next few days. From destroying land and communities for big agribusiness, to struggling for respect and equality, to the incredible poverty that leads parents to unknowingly sell their children into the sex trade, to the incredible risky temptation to cross the border that often leads in death...find out what really motivates these people, communities, businesses, and cultures.

Some stories share success and a happy endings, while the success of other stories is just being heard.

Come see for yourself.

Alexandra Gnoske is a nature lover, writer, and environmental expert.

Ready, Set, Plant!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 23:50:00 +0000

This is a call to all you Chicago backyard gardeners...

Tomatoes from our yard 2012

I realize it's only March 1st. Not only is there snow on the ground in Chicago, it was still snowing today. But I learned something about gardening last year...it's never too early to start.

Last year I started my tomato plants from seed in my window box. But I didn't start the seeds until the end of March. When May arrived they were just little seedlings. Half of them survived. It had nothing to do with the cold. A few got nibbled away. A couple just didn't make it.

While my friends were harvesting in late July from the larger plants they bought in nurseries, I was starring at little green tomatoes wondering if they would ripen before the first frost in October.

Strawberries and raspberries!

This year I will do better. This year I will start my seeds now - at the beginning of March - and they will be bigger when I plant them in the ground.

Like every year I will also plant other veggies like green beans, yellow squash, zucchini, etc. along with the perennials I always grow - raspberries, strawberries, and rhubarb. I'm not sure if I will see any blackberries - I planted some overgrowth a friend donated last year.

Hopefully I will be able to start harvesting the tomatoes in August - and this year I will can them!

So even though you may be seeing snowmen in your neighborhood, it's time to start preparing for your backyard harvest.

Happy Gardening!

What are you planting this year? Leave us your ideas in the comments.

Alexandra Gnoske is a nature lover, writer, and environmental expert.

The Big 'Chicago' Year: January Bird Notes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 02:41:00 +0000

January was a cold month.

My 7yo son and I are doing a Big 'Chicago' Year (which includes Cook County). With school 5 days a week and several days in January being below 20 degrees we didn't get out very often, but we did get a couple of accidental or rare birds - and I added to my life-list...did I say it's only January?!

My 2013 List: 26

My son's 2013 List: 24

As can happen, I saw a bird or two just out driving in the car to and from, so my list is a little longer. Soon enough my son will catch up.

Our Highlights include the Evening Grosbeak (that took three tries to find) and the Varied Thrush. The pictures were taken with cloudy and rainy conditions. I also included our first American Goldfinch of the year with a little surprise Downy Woodpecker butt on the side.

Evening Grosbeak - Female 1/30/13 Rosehill Cemetery

(same) Evening Grosbeak 1/29/13 Rosehill Cemetery

Varied Thrush - Male 1/30/13 Evanston, IL.

American Goldfinch - Male. D.Woodpecker Butt 1/30/13

The reason we were able to find the 'rare' birds was because of 'ilbirds.com' - I imagine we will be using website on a regular basis to help us find more birds than we would have otherwise.

We also met quite a few fellow birders this month; wonderful, helpful, interesting people. This is going to be an interesting year!

Here's to good hunting in February - hopefully we won't get below 20 degrees!

Alexandra Gnoske is a nature lover, writer, and environmental expert.

One Month In: The Happiness Jar

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 14:59:00 +0000

Just wanted to check in and see how 2013 is going so far.

About a month ago I wrote about an idea I found strolling through Facebook that I decided to call 'The Happiness Jar.'

You find a jar (or in our case a large see-thru vase), get a small pad or scrap paper and pen. Over the course of the year write down when good things happen, exciting things, memorable things. On New Years Eve open the jar and read about your year.

Our vase has about 6 pieces of paper in it so far. What I really like is that the kids were the first to put something in. I will probably have to remind everyone that it exists but I'm really looking forward to the results on NYE.

Have you started one? There's still plenty of time.

Share your thoughts. Leave a comment. Did you start a jar? Are others participating?

Alexandra Gnoske is a nature lover, writer, and environmental expert.

Things I've Learned (From Running a Business and Turning 40) #3

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 04:41:00 +0000

And then there was a moment when I realized that possibly the most important thing for us as humans is the quality of our relationships - not only our long-term relationships, friendships, family, but our smallest interactions as well. We don’t have to become best friends with everyone we meet, with everyone we connect with - we just have to respect them as the humans they are, as we would respect ourselves, as we would want to be respected.

It’s one of those exciting things about life; how it can be so simple and yet so inter-connected it appears complex. The moment I connect with you and you connect with me we are present together. That connection is a creation, a vibration, a real thing.

The fallacy is that we don’t matter, or that we are separate, alone. But our very existence causes creation, manifests connection. We are a part of nature, a part of the universe, a part of each other. When we acknowledge that by addressing the quality of our relationships, by taking a moment to connect and respect, the ripples that spread are of a beautiful vibration.

When we receive we can give, when we give we can receive.

Let go.

Breathe.

Open.

Feel the flood of the ripples coming back to you.

Repeat.

Alexandra Gnoske is a nature lover, writer, and environmental expert.

Helping People Who Help People

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 01:35:00 +0000

It is with a full heart and much gratitude that I write this blog tonight.

Back in October, 2012 I joined a small group of people, eight to be exact, who would embark on a mission to bring 8,000 shoes to remote villages in Mozambique, Africa.

One pair of shoes may not seem like much, but in many parts of the world people have no shoes. People who say they have shoes are sometimes referring to plastic bottles or pieces of tires they have fashioned into 'shoes' using rope to secure them.

When I was chosen for this adventure I agreed to raise $2,900.00. I decided I could manage that by dividing it up - if I could get 116 people to donate $25.00 I would reach my goal. That made it seem more attainable.

Now that it is January 21st, with the help of many people, I have raised $1,920.00 and have only $980.00 to go! It is amazing to me how charitable people have been, especially over the holidays when things are tight, and especially during a time of economic difficulty. It is not always an easy thing to ask others for money, at least not for me. It is joyful though when people give money to help because they truly want to and I feel fortunate to be a part of this exchange.

During this time I have also raised over 600 pairs of shoes at my children's elementary school, and at least 50 additional pairs from neighbors and friends who heard about the mission and just wanted to help. I can't believe all the lives we are going to help just because I asked.

Finally, I have started communicating with the other participants and I am getting to know who these incredible people are. The stories and feelings they are sharing is a gift.

However, it is not just the eight of us going to Mozambique in May to bring shoes. It is each and every one of you who has contributed financially, donated your shoes, and helped with your support and encouragement. You will all be with us, you will all be helping to put shoes onto the feet of orphans and children living in poverty. You will be helping us change lives. We couldn't do it without all of you.

I will do my best to take pictures and take notes, to listen to stories and remember feelings. I want to make sure that you all get to experience what you helped make possible. I will of course write about the experiences here when I return.

If you are interested in contributing you still can! I still have $980.00 to collect before March 1st. You can write a tax deductible check and mail it to:

Soles for Jesus, Inc.

(on memo line: 'Alix - MZ 2013)

8480 N. 87th Street

Milwaukee, WI 53224

Please visit Soles for Jesus online and on Facebook to learn more about their incredible commitment to the children of sub-saharn Africa. And THANK YOU for all of your help, helping people help people!

Alexandra Gnoske is a nature lover, writer, and environmental expert.

The Big Year: Birding Chicagoland 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 02:38:00 +0000

January 1st, 2013 - with Jack.
20 degrees, sunny, cold, light wind
North Park Spillway

That's how I started 2013. A little notepad and pen, binoculars, Sibley's Eastern Birds, Chicago Audubon Society's Chicagoland Bird Checklist, Nikon camera, boots, hat, tissue, and a little 6yo boy. (Did I mention it was 20 degrees outside?)

My son and I have been birding together since he was three, not because he wanted to bird, but because he was in preschool for only a couple of hours a week. During bird migration season I can't ignore the Chicago River that's only yards from my house...so he had to come along.

By the time he was five he could identify most of the common local birds by sight and sound. By the time he was six he could identify birds he hadn't seen before, but read about in his bird book or watched on his bird call DVD.

We decided that 2013 would be our 'Big Chicago Year.' We can't do a traditional 'Big Year' - counting as many birds around the U.S. from Jan 1 to Dec 31, for one my son has to finish 1st grade, and for two I am not independently wealthy - but we are happy to keep it local and enjoy the challenge.

Male House Sparrow: #7. Magic Hedge Montrose/Lake M.

As I wrote in a previous article, Chicago is for the Birds, Chicagoans have the wonderful opportunity to see hundreds of different species right in the city due to its ideal location in the midst of a major migratory route, also known as the Mississippi Flyway.

This is the excitement of our 'Big Year.' Without leaving the Chicagoland area we can possibly see over 300 different species throughout the year.

I have my favorite spots like The Magic Hedge and some prime locations along the North Branch of the Chicago River, but in order to maximize our sightings we will be stepping it up a notch this year. I signed up with the Illinois Birders Forum so I can check for rare and unusual sightings. Local birders will post their sightings almost immediately increasing the chances of finding a species significantly.

Male Northern Cardinal: #6. N. Branch Chic. River Spillway

There are many things I like about the 'Big Year.' My son has become a bird snob and when we see a common bird he often poo poos it. But now every bird counts (at least once), even the exotics. I'm not one to check a bird off the list and run to the next. I enjoy the whole experience of being in nature including watching and listening to birds. I'd like him to enjoy it too.

Our first day reaped 16 different species and my son got to add a new species to his life list. I will occasionally write a blog about our progress. Even if you aren't a birder I hope you enjoy it.

Day 1.
North Branch Chicago River Spillway
#1 Mallard
#2 Ring-billed gull
#3 Yellow-rumped warbler
#4 Common goldeneye
#5 Dark-eyed junco
#6 Northern cardinal

Magic Hedge - Montrose/Lake M.
#7 House sparrow
#8 Downy woodpecker
#9 Black-capped chickadee
#10 Song sparrow
#11 American tree sparrow
#12 Canada goose

Montrose Harbor
#13 Rock dove
#14 Common Merganser
#15 American coot
#16 American crow

Will you bird this year? Spring migration is only a few months away!

Alexandra Gnoske is a nature lover, writer, and environmental expert.

Happiness in a Jar

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 06:36:00 +0000

It's almost 2013. The beginning of a new year is always a wonderful time - it's a fresh start, a chance to make a positive change or two. There are a lot of things you can decide to do this year.

Maybe you are feeling lucky because the world didn't end in 2012 and you want to do something special to celebrate. Or maybe you are planning some more traditional resolutions like eating better or exercising more.

I found something new that I'm going to try out this year and it's such a fun idea I thought it was worth sharing:

The Happiness Jar.

Don't get all excited...it's not a special pill in a jar that will change your life by making you thinner, taller, younger, or thickening up your hair.

Like many great ideas I found this little nugget being passed around a Face Book. It is such a simple idea I immediately loved it.

Here is what you do: Any time something good or happy happens write it down on a piece of paper and stick it in the jar (you can have the whole family join in). On New Year's Eve open the jar and read your notes to remember all the awesome stuff that happened during the year.

What a great way to put your life into perspective.

I'm really excited to try out this experiment, this 'Happiness Jar.' I'm wondering how full will it be and how will it make my family feel at the end of 2013 when we talk about all the good things that happened.

What are your plans for the new year? Do you have any new or different ideas? I would love to hear them! Share them in the comments.

I wish all of you many jars of happiness in 2013!

Alexandra Gnoske is a nature lover, writer, and environmental expert.

Eating GMO free: Day Five - facts and figures

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 20:18:00 +0000

I thought it would be useful to talk more about what exactly has happened over the last few days: what am I eating, what am I feeling, etc.

The first thing I learned is that there are processed foods certified GMO free and organic that I could have eaten. I didn't know about the Non-GMO project that has been certifying processed foods GMO free for over 4 years.

When I talk about processed foods this means anything that's not in it's natural state and had to be altered like blue corn chips, orange juice, salsa...this goes beyond cookies, crackers, bread and junk food (I don't ever recommend drinking bottled orange juice btw - completely over processed, cooked for safety and left devoid of nutrients and flavor that's all added back in...try squeezing an orange yourself - the taste is amazing!).

For my meat and animal product eating friends this also means your animal product - beef, chicken, fish, eggs (no dairy as that's processed) better be organic otherwise you are loading up on GMO's and processed foods via their diet. I believe cows are the number one consumer of GMO soy (please correct me if I'm wrong). It's a food chain issue. Most of these animals aren't eating a natural, traditional herbivore diet - which is how they evolved. They have a very processed and GMO filled diet, among other things.

I don't like being paranoid or living from a place of fear, but I have to say this experiment has freaked me out a bit. It has made me realize just how much we trust our food and the food industry and how little we know about what's in our food and how it's grown. I already pay a lot of attention to my food but I'm still quite lazy due to time constraints and the demands of my modern life - there is much to learn.

Modern farming methods

Traditional farming methods

If you have a moment for me to digress, just think about how much our food system has changed in just a few generations. Agribusiness and mass manufacturing - most modern changes to our food system started in the 1940's (better living through chemistry). Before this it was smaller scale family owned farms, little processed foods, and minimal packaging. Just think about it for a minute, I'll wait. I'm not one to want to live in the past - women and children were property for goodness sake - but I think we've experimented a bit much with our farms and food.

extra processed extra packaged

shopping at farmers market

As for specific changes, I think the weirdest, and excuse my science background observations here, but my waste is strange. Now that I'm a few days in I can see a change in color. At first I thought I was sick, but I feel fine - my lymph nodes aren't swollen. So that's interesting and I'm not sure what it means yet.

On the second day my left arm was shaking for about an hour. Not major convulsions, just minor, but enough for me to notice. If you were standing next to me you probably wouldn't know anything was going on. I guess this may have been a detox side - effect. I haven't had any break outs which normally occur when I do the Master Cleanse detox. I also had bad headaches the first two nights/mornings, but they went away (with the help of ibuprofen on the second day).

I feel hungry for sure. That is not a big deal in the sense that I over eat - I blame that on evolution and my instinctual need to survive, as well as the endorphin's I receive that make me feel happy and tell me to keep eating. Over all I've lost 2.5 pounds since starting. A bit of cleaning out I suppose.

So I've been eating homemade vegetable soup, quinoa, and eggs. I've been juicing and of course eating fruits and vegetables as well as cashews, almonds, and sunflower seeds. The juice can include any of the following: kale, spinach, oranges, lemon, cucumber, apple, celery, carrots, and ginger.

I still have to get through this day and two more to make it a week. I don't know what I'm going to do tonight though. Going to a Christmas party at a friend's bar....even if I find a GMO free drink, technically it will be 'processed.' I should have JUST gone 'GMO' free - really - and not included the processed foods. In any case I like a good experiment.

Alexandra Gnoske is a nature lover, writer, and environmental expert.

Eating GMO free: Day Three

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 18:51:00 +0000

I was starring at this bag of blue corn chips last night. We had just returned from the kids' school Christmas show and I was hungry. Interestingly enough this bag of chips had this label on it I didn't notice when my husband brought it home. It said 'Non-GMO Project Verified.'

Garden of Eatin' Chips

Wow! I can eat this. And as I was starring at it, mouth watering, I realized something. In my effort to eat GMO free for a week I forgot I stated I would be GMO and processed food free...because Antonio Guiccardi (from the Natural Society) said the vast majority of processed foods have GMO's in them and to just avoid them in general.

Why do I speak before I think?! I totally over-limited myself.

Technically I shouldn't eat those chips. I turned to a gift my neighbors sent over that night, homemade granola. It was really really delicious. Am I going to be able to make it the whole week like this? Why was it so hard? Why haven't I gone grocery shopping yet?

Yesterday I slept bad. I had strange dreams. I woke up with a little headache. I weighed myself to find I had lost 1.5 pounds. At work my left arm started shaking. Last night the headache came back. Sleeping was even worse. I got out of bed on the verge of a migraine and decided I didn't care if Advil had GMO's in it (I hope it doesn't).

After that Advil and a banana I felt better. I dropped off the kids at school and walked the dog. I had the patience to make some juice. Later I was thinking, what's for lunch? A little olive oil (I said from the start this is my exception - I can't live without it - whether or not it would be considered processed), onion, garlic, 2 organic eggs. Garnish with a few slices of organic tomato, avocado and sea salt and herbal tea for my drink. I guess I'm not so deprived after all.

It would be nice to have a live in doctor doing tests to say what's changing inside. Is my body going through a detox? What's going on in there?

What's strange about this whole week-long experiment is I didn't even know about the Non-GMO project. They've been certifying foods as non-GMO since 2008.

NGP's mission is to preserve and build resources of Non-GMO products, educating consumers, and providing verified non-GMO choices. So I've found a great resource to help me better understand what is actually GMO free - of course I still said I wasn't eating processed food so I guess it really doesn't help this week.

I don't know what I'm eating tonight, but I'm sure it will involve quinoa and fresh made cranberries because that's in my house and I'm not sure when I'll get to the store.

Alexandra Gnoske is a nature lover, writer, and environmental expert.