How do these products get onto Practically Green for everyone to see, and buy? They’re submitted by all of YOU, Practically Green users!

Here’s how to submit a product on Practically Green:

1) Search the Practically Green database for the relevant action. If you want to nominate a high-mileage car, you go to:

Upgrade your vehicle’s fuel economy to 27 to 37 MPG

2) Scroll down the action page, beneath the “Why’s it green?” and “How to do it?” blurbs.

3) You arrive at “Recommended Products and Services.”

4) Look at the listed products — and if your favorite is not there, click on the “Suggest a product” button.

It looks like this: 5) Complete the form:

6) Product suggestions go directly to Rebecca Sama, Practically Green’s Product Specialist. Rebecca assesses submissions from every imaginable angle and, if your favorite is legit it goes live on the site for others to consider, rate, share, and possibly purchase. Click here for Practically Green’s Product Guidelines.

So, if you’re in the market for a new fuel-efficient vehicle — or reusable water bottle, or natural shampoo, or organic snack idea — chances are you’ll find what you need right here!

Once you read the product description on Practically Green, you might be persuaded to buy or lease a new car, who knows!

]]> http://blog.practicallygreen.com/2012/02/green-products-recommendations-for-healthy-sustainable-living/feed/ 0 http://blog.practicallygreen.com/2012/02/green-products-recommendations-for-healthy-sustainable-living/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/practicallygreeninc/~3/EsLJSkbsad4/ http://blog.practicallygreen.com/2012/02/school-vacation-ideas-use-eco-friendly-art-supplies/#comments Mon, 20 Feb 2012 00:35:05 +0000 Sarah Finnie Robinson http://blog.practicallygreen.com/?p=3448 Babysitting this week? Before you pack them up for another expensive sticky day at the theme park, consider an eco-friendly art project!

Even the most recalcitrant teenager enjoys painting, and why not? Grab a piece of wood from the dumpster, paint it with no-VOC color, and presto! Your tenth grader has a fabulous new bedside table… and 10 more points on his PG score!

Get inspired on Etsy!

Why not paint a wall! Be sure to use No-VOC paint, such as Mythic.... as seen on this mural in Auburn, Washington.

Maybe you have a rock! Lin Wellford can show you how to turn it into a python, a shark, or a rabbit:

Get your rock and mark your design

Rabbit! Courtesy LinWellford.com

Artists of any age may lose themselves in the fascinating scent of certain markers and paints. Don’t! Those mysterious aromas might be/probably are unsafe chemicals — and they’re especially dangerous for smaller children and expecting moms.  Here’s more on Choosing Eco-Friendly Art Supplies: Why it’s important, and How to do it.

Fab bowls from the Clementine blog

If you’re an artist or have kids, chances are your home is overflowing with markers, crayons, pens, glue, and paint. Sadly many art supplies contain and offgas unsafe chemicals. Exposure to them can result in headaches, nausea, breathing problems, lung and kidney damage, and even cancer.

Your nose already knows this—have you ever gotten a good whiff of certain kinds of markers? These—and some paints—can contain air polluting solvents like xylene and toluene, which are neuro, reproductive, and respiratory hazards. Crayons and paints may contain unsafe pigments containing heavy metals. Glues may contain formaldehyde, a carcinogen. Not exactly what you bargain for when your kid draws you a rainbow!

Clementine Natural Soy Crayons. Ingredients: kosher soy wax, mineral pigments, beeswax... and "as always, no chemical dyes or additives."

Eco Paint: Powder based exploratory finger paint handmade w/ natural + organic fruit, plant/vegetable extracts from annatto seed, beets, carrots, curcumin, purple sweet potato, red cabbage & spinach, flour, cornstarch, wheat paste & earth clay.

Even the eco-friendlier art supplies on the market should be carefully researched. It’s not enough to have a label saying the product conforms to an ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) standard. This sounds promising, but it’s not a meaningful claim. ASTM ingredient reviews can be performed by employees of the art supply manufacturer.

Use your nose as a guide—avoid anything that smells strongly of chemicals as well as anything fragranced.

Avoid modeling clays; they often have high levels of phthalates.

Natural pigments and materials like beeswax and soy wax are preferable to petroleum-derived paraffin wax. Plant dyes are preferable to synthetic pigments.

Simpler is better—choose crayons and pencils over markers. Don’t use products with warning labels.

Don’t allow young children to put art supplies in their mouths. And always wash hands after doing an art project. Don’t snack as you doodle.

When all else fails, you can decorate your own hands! These ideas are from "A Show of Hands," sold on LandOfNod.com

Websites like earth911.com are there to help you with where & what you can recycle!

Why Recycle?

Trash usually ends up in landfills, which can leach unwanted and potentially harmful chemicals in the environment. Many recyclable materials such as glass containers aren’t recycled at all! The upside of recycling is that it reduced the amount of trash in landfills, which means that it avoids both landfill costs and expansion. If you recycle, you are directly contributing to the amount of natural resources that are saved. Also, many states give money back for containers (usually stated on the back of the bottle/container) if you recycle them. That means extra cash!

How to: Recycle

There are many resources on our various recycle action pages that will help guide you towards recycling better to be more green! If your town has a recycling program, get the blue bin, and start recycling what you can’t reuse. If your town does not have a recycling program, ask for one! In the meantime, find a store or a center willing to take back anything recyclable.

If your community offers curbside recycling, make a habit of filling your bin with all recyclable items. If there is no paper recycling where you live, gather a few like-minded neighbors and start actively petitioning for it.

To lessen the amount of waste produced, Waste Management created a series to engage, remind and encourage residents to recycle more at home and to introduce the “Zero Waste” concept that items with value should not be thrown away in the garbage.

In addition to the information in the videos – Waste Management has more tips on how to achieve “Zero Waste” at home.

•    Knowing what’s in your trash that can be recycled is the first step toward more effective recycling.

•    Make recycling a family affair. Talk about what can and can’t be recycled.

•    Post recycling guidelines in a prominent area for easy reference.

•    Avoid the temptation to toss out hard-to-clean containers. Use a spatula to remove remaining food waste from recyclable containers.”

Here are some fast recycling facts!

- The EPA stated that only a quarter of glass containers are recycled each year and nearly 90% of what’s collected is made into new containers.

- According to the American Forest and Paper Association the amount of paper recovered for recycling in 2010 averaged 334 pounds for each person living in the U.S.

Recycle!

So just remember that recycling will help save water, oil, trees, and money! It will reduce air, water, and ground pollution and even creates jobs.

The question was simple enough: “Which nuts are most environmentally friendly—peanuts, walnuts, and almonds because they are grown in the United States?” but really got us thinking.   Likely, nuts’ sustainability isn’t something you often think about, so we decided to share our research!

While there isn’t a specific action on our database about eating organic nuts, we do have several encouraging organic food—especially fruits, vegetables, milk, and coffee. Eating organic food is important, as you well know, because it reduces the amount of pesticides and chemicals in your body, your farmers’ body, as well as in the air, land and water resources we all share.

If you can commit to buying organic vegetables regularly, you’ll earn 50 points! And since peanuts are not technically nuts, but are in the legume family, which is a class of vegetable, eating organic nuts can be counted in this action.

There are some things to consider when purchasing nuts:

Can’t find organic almonds in your local grocery store? You can buy them on nuts.com—order now and they’ll ship today!

1. Is it USDA Certified Organic? There are plenty of organic nuts on the market (see the extensive organic section on Nuts.com)

2. Where are they grown/raised? Most USA-sourced nuts are grown in California, so buying USA made likely means that your nuts have traveled less miles to get to your table, that is unless you live closer to Canada or Mexico than, say, California. It’s best to buy as close to home as possible.

Peanuts, Almonds, Walnuts (Black & English), Pistachios, Pecans, Pine Nuts, Soy Nuts, and Hazelnuts can be grown in California.

Hickory nuts, butternuts, and black walnuts can be grown in New England.

Macadamia nuts are grown in Hawaii, so may not be the greenest purchase if you live in New York…Brazil nuts and cashews grow in tropical environments, so are imported from far off locals.

According to the USDA, peanut consumption makes up 67% of all nut consumption. Photo credit: http://www.peanut-institute.org.

The key is to make sure to check the label to find out where the nuts were grown as many nut varieties are frequently sourced from China, India, or Brazil.

3. How is it made? How is it packaged? How are workers treated? Consider Fair Trade, carbon offsets, solar powered plants, recycled packaging, small farm vs. industrial farm.

We reached out to James directly to ask what prompted him to submit the question and he said: “I wondered because nuts are an excellent source of protein and other good stuff for vegetarians (trying to decrease that source of environmental destruction). Then it occurred to me that my favorites–cashews–must not be great from the standpoint of all the energy it takes to transport them from the tropics. I love Practically Green because you present such an encouraging range of things one can do to help a little. Really practical. And you manage to send new information often enough to be a useful prompt but not so often that I feel inundated. Keep up the great work!”

James is spot on--peanuts are a great source of protein, and Teddie Organic is one of our favorite peanut butter brands!

Thanks, Jim, for your support and prompting us to research this topic and share it with all our blog readers!

Anja's hand knit Alpaca sweater with sage organic wool leggings. Certified organic & sustainable textiles used only. Courtesy of Amanda Silvana Coen

H. Frederickson 100% reclaimed wool coat. Courtesy of Amanda Silvana Coen

A Luis Valenzuela dress made from organic silk that was hand-dyed and hand-woven. Courtesy of Amanda Silvana Coen

These glamorous eco-luxury designers mostly create sustainable items using materials that are environmentally friendly! Many use eco-printing, local production pieces, fair trade practices, recycled/reclaimed fabrics, organic cotton, natural textiles, peace silk (cruelty-free silk), and various other practices that enable their collections to be eco-friendly and sustainable. Buying sustainable clothing allows you to earn 10 points on your Practically Green account. What do we mean by sustainable clothing? For us, it means clothing that is made from organic cotton or other natural materials.

The Battalion features a white poly faux fur top with organic black bamboo leggings on the bottom. Courtesy of Amanda Silvana Coen

Bamboo By United Bamboo's organic black wool sweater with organic white cotton romper (certified organic linens, hemp, and cotton). Courtesy of Amanda Silvana Coen

Study NY's sweater top with 100% wool tweed pant. Wool can be a sustainable choice, but always check how it was grown & produced by reading the label. Courtesy of Amanda Silvana Coen

Wearing what you already own, participating in clothing swaps, and shopping vintage when you want something new-to-you is as green as it gets. Inevitably the desire will strike for something truly new. Choosing organic cotton or other natural materials can drastically reduce the impact of what you buy.

According to the Sustainable Cotton Project, conventional cotton farming uses about 25 percent of the world’s insecticides and more than 10 percent of the pesticides. The pesticides used on cotton happen to be among the world’s worst: five of the nine most commonly used have been identified as possible human carcinogens. Others are known to damage the nervous system and are suspected of disrupting the body’s hormonal system. One widely quoted statistic is that it takes one-third of a pound of chemical pesticides to produce one conventional cotton t-shirt.

Manufacturing synthetic fabrics, including polyester, is an energy-intensive process that requires large amounts of crude oil and pollutes the air, which can cause or aggravate respiratory issues.

Beyond fabrics, other eco-concerns pepper the manufacturing chain: processing and washing are water-intensive; chemicals used to bleach and dye clothing harm our waterways; formaldehyde is used on permanent press fabrics; packaging and transportation take a toll.

Certified organic cotton is a solid alternative to conventional cotton and synthetic fabrics. For patterned or colored items, look into what kind of dyes are being used. Wool and hemp are also good choices, especially if they were sustainably raised/grown and produced. Always read the fine print.

To all those who didn’t know that you could be chic and green at the same time: these pictures are your proof! Why not strut your stuff in a stylish and sustainable way that  makes a difference for the planet.

Pictures and information were primarily taken from Melissa Breyer’s article on Treehugger.com with photos courtesy of Amanda Silvana Coen.

]]> http://blog.practicallygreen.com/2012/02/eco-fashion-new-york-fashion-week-the-green-shows-for-fallwinter-2012/feed/ 1 http://blog.practicallygreen.com/2012/02/eco-fashion-new-york-fashion-week-the-green-shows-for-fallwinter-2012/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/practicallygreeninc/~3/svHbS37X9rc/ http://blog.practicallygreen.com/2012/02/valentine%e2%80%99s-date-night-sprint-day-5-send-e-cards/#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:54:04 +0000 nikita http://blog.practicallygreen.com/?p=3410 Think it’s too late to send out a Valentine’s Day card? Not to worry because the internet has blessed us with the ability to send e-cards instantly to our loved ones. Although it doesn’t add points to your Date Night badge specifically, sending e-cards is a fun and easy way to earn 15 points on your Practically Green account. The beauty of e-cards is that you can INSTANTLY send out cards and don’t have to worry about forgetting to send one to Grandma in Ketchikan, Alaska or your long lost cousin in Northumberland, UK. Most e-card websites are easy to work with and more importantly FREE!

Adorable teddy bear animated e-card on 123greetings.com

Greeting cards aren’t large, but their impact is. Sending an electronic card for any Valentine’s Day reduces the number of trees cut down, avoids the unsafe chemicals involved in processing and printing on paper, eliminates the transportation of getting cards from printing plants to stores, and keeps unrecycled cards out of landfills. By some estimates, not sending 50 cards a year (holidays plus birthdays add up!) saves five pounds of waste and 1,000 pounds of emissions. Wow, that’s an awesome save!

This beautiful card is from pingg.com and is FREE!

There are tons of websites devoted to e-cards. Surf around to find one that suits your tastes and the occasion. If the last time you looked into e-cards, all you saw were silly cartoons, it’s time to check out more sites. There are plenty now offering elegant options—some look like personal stationary. And many environmental organizations offer free e-cards on their websites.

When you’re searching for your perfect e-card online, just remember that many of our fabulous users have given suggestions on the Practically Green website under our e-card actions page. Not to worry, not all e-cards are for gushy romantics as there are a wide range of specific cards: for your kids, for a friend, humorous, etc. The fun part about e-cards is that if you browse around you can find ones that are animated with music. Bet you can’t find that in a paper card!

bluemountain.com has cute and funny e-cards that have animated cartoons, music, and just a lot of fun in one card!

Valentine’s Day is a perfect way to start but remember that e-cards are available for all holidays. Leave your friends and family in awe with your super eco-friendliness by sending out e-cards today!

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, you’re probably buying flowers for the special people in your life. But with all the options out there, it’s hard to pick the right flowers and we’re here to help. One way to spoil your sweetie (and earn 10 points on Practically Green!) is to buy organic flowers. If you can check this off your list, you’re one step closer to earning the Date Night Badge!

Giving flowers, especially on Valentine’s Day, is a lovely gesture, and it’s even better to be on the receiving end! But if you buy conventional, pesticide-doused flowers, you may be offering—or getting—more than natural beauty and sweet scents. According to Planet Green, 79 percent of cut flowers found in the United States come from Ecuador or Columbia and are grown with 12 different potentially hazardous pesticides. Some of these pesticides have been banned in the U.S., or are used in amounts that exceed our regulations.

Unlike conventional florists, organic florists sell flowers that have been grown according to strict standards that prohibit the use of harmful synthetic pesticides and fertilizers.

These flowers look beautiful, but are they organic?

Why is this action so important? According to Jennifer Grayson’s recent HufFPost Green article on the Environmental Cost of Cut Flowers, 200 million stems of roses are bought in the US on Valentine’s Day alone, so if everyone were to buy an organic bouquet it would have a huge impact!

Good news: most organic bouquets aren’t more expensive than non-organic ones. They tend to last longer, too! Supporting organic florists encourages more growers to convert to organic and sustainable practices.

If you can’t pick you own unsprayed wildflowers, buying locally grown organic flowers is as green as it gets.

Beautiful, and organic! Check out CaliforniaOrganicFlowers.com for their full selection of organic flowers

We love Jennifer’s suggestion of forgoing supermarket cut flowers, which, organic or not, ultimately end up in the landfill (unless you compost flowers and yard waste which earns you 50 points) by choosing rare heirloom seeds and a cute vintage flowerpot. Such a fun way to celebrate the sweetness of the holiday, without the less romantic environmental impact!

At only $1.75 for these California poppy seeds, you can afford to splurge on a few packets!

]]> http://blog.practicallygreen.com/2012/02/valentines-date-night-sprint-day-4-buy-flowers-from-an-organic-florist/feed/ 0 http://blog.practicallygreen.com/2012/02/valentines-date-night-sprint-day-4-buy-flowers-from-an-organic-florist/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/practicallygreeninc/~3/Shaa2a_-s50/ http://blog.practicallygreen.com/2012/02/valentine%e2%80%99s-date-night-sprint-day-3-switch-to-organic-cotton-sheets/#comments Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:01:06 +0000 Sarah Finnie Robinson http://blog.practicallygreen.com/?p=3388 Switch to organic cotton sheets

Who wants to zzzzzz on sheets and pillowcases made of cotton that was sprayed with chemicals?

No thank you!

We caught up with our friend Sarah Wissler of Cuddledown in Portland, Maine. It’s our personal go-to for top-quality and frankly lovely bedding and sleepwear. Here’s what she told us. You’ll notice she is a bit biased re: Cuddledown, which is understandable….  If you have another favorite to recommend, please post here or submit it right on the action page!

Organic Embroidered Dragonfly Bedding: LOVE. One of the Recommended Products on this PG action!

Nothing says romance like a new set of luxurious sheets – and with eco-friendly bedding, you can show the environment a little love, too. Why eco-friendly bedding? For starters, it is free of harmful substances and safe for your entire family. Cuddledown offers a wide selection of bedding, comforters, pillows, and sleepwear that are Oeko-Tex® certified. These products have met the requirements of the Oeko-Tex® Standard 100 global testing and accreditation program, meaning that they have been thoroughly tested and guaranteed to be free of all harmful substances, including toxins and irritants.

Cuddledown also offers bedding and sleepwear that are certified organic by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). Not only are these fabrics free of harmful chemicals, the results of their production pose no threat to the environment or the communities in which they were produced. GOTS is a standard used around the world to guarantee that the organic products you bring into your home are healthy and safe for you and the environment – and that these products are manufactured in fair and just working conditions.

At Cuddledown, you can also find Oeko-Tex® certified, made in Maine comforters, pillows, and featherbeds. All comforters are currently on sale – why not save energy by turning the heat down and curling up in a comforter instead!

If you’re in the market for new sheets, choosing organic cotton ones can drastically reduce the impact of what you buy.

According to the Sustainable Cotton Project, conventional cotton farming uses about 25 percent of the world’s insecticides and more than 10 percent of the pesticides. The pesticides used on cotton happen to be among the world’s worst: five of the nine most commonly used have been identified as possible human carcinogens. Others are known to damage the nervous system and are suspected of disrupting the body’s hormonal system. These chemicals aren’t permitted for use on organic cotton.

Sumptuous spicy sheets from Gaiam. Low eco-impact dyes, 300-thread count, 100% organic cotton.

Beyond sprays, there are other eco-concerns involved with the manufacture of sheets: processing and washing are water-intensive; the chemicals used to bleach and dye cotton can harm our waterways, and some colorants contain heavy metals; formaldehyde is used to create permanent press fabric; packaging and transportation take a toll. Many of these concerns are minimized or avoided with organic cotton sheets.

We want to sleep on this exact bed! These over-achieving, ultra-soft, 100 percent certified organic sheets have got you covered--literally--with approval from GOTS, EcoCert, and FLO-Cert.

Most stores that sell sheets offer one or two organic options. Read the find print. The word natural doesn’t mean organic, nor is it regulated.

Just because sheets were made from organic cotton doesn’t automatically mean they’re also low-impact dyed. Choose undyed sheets or, if you want white, colored, or patterned versions, look into how the fabric was bleached or dyed.

Two solid certifications to look for are GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) and Oeko-Tex.

Don’t forget about your blankets, pillows, and mattress. There are organic versions of these, too.

• Treehugger.com: Organic Cotton–For Clothing, Baby, Bedding And More
• Bookmark This Site: Global Organic Textile Standard
• Bookmark This Site: The Sustainable Cotton Project
• NRDC: Responsible Sourcing For The Textile Industry
• AlexandraZissu.com: Q&A — Sheets And Towels

P.S. As long as you’re on the Cuddledown site, you might consider this sale item: Calida Organic Cotton Tank top, perfect for lounging around on Valentine’s Day — or any day!    

Go ahead, twist our romantic arms!! Let’s all get this absolutely essential action checked off and move one step closer to the coveted Date Night badge!

Taza's Valentine winner: Yes, please! "Roses & chocolate are classic Valentine’s gifts. In Mi Corazon, the two become one... enchanting flavors of pure organic rose oil & fragrant Costa Rican vanilla bean offer an exotic..." When visiting Boston, don't miss this factory tour!

Chocolate! What’s not to love? Well, as it turns out, conventional chocolate production is hard on the rain forest and harder on workers (some of them children).

Conventional cocoa plantations, like most farms, use large amounts of pesticides and fertilizers. They harm the environment and can remain in chocolate. Organically farmed cocoa isn’t permitted to use these synthetic chemicals.

Order enough for everyone! Organic, fair-trade, dark chocolate hearts wrapped in red foil. Order @naturalcandystore.com

There are a few cacao-specific things to consider as well before your unwrap a bar and devour it. It, like coffee, is a shade tree. To increase production, large plantations cut down the rain forest canopy in an effort to grow trees in direct sunlight. Beyond damaging the forest, this increases the need for chemicals. Many organic chocolates come from shade grown cacao grown on small farms. Some of these farms are also fair trade.

Lake Champlain Chocolates has Organic chocolate bars in bold flavors like Dark Spicy Aztec and Milk Sea Salt & Almonds; organic truffles made from exotic ingredients like ginger, lemon, wild honey, figs... this box of 15 truffles will perform Cupid's job for you!

USDA certified organic chocolate is widely available at supermarkets as well as natural food shops. Taste a bunch to see what you like (tough work but someone has to do it!).

Need Now! From Endangered Species Chocolate: Tart-sweet dried cherries covered in thick blanket of premium dark chocolate. 10% of net profits from your purchase support conservation efforts.

@TheoChocolate has fair-trade, organic Valentines Day chocolate bundles... irresistible!

A benefit of organic chocolate is that it won’t contain artificial colors or flavors. Go dark enough and it can almost be considered health food.

If you want a fair trade chocolate, look for the label.

Step 1: Make a reservation to Eat at a local, sustainable restaurant and/or a Dine Green certified restaurant

Dining out sustainably with your honey hits all 4 categories of impact: Energy, Health, Water, and Stuff. Plus, the DELICIOUS category!

Do a little research to find a restaurant that serves your kind of edibles–organic vegetables that haven’t been heavily sprayed with synthetic pesticides, meat from animals that weren’t raised on factory farms or administered hormones or antibiotics, and maybe some ecologically produced wine to wash it all down with.

Food isn’t the only thing that can give a restaurant a big old eco footprint. According to the Green Restaurant Association (GRA), the restaurant industry consumes a third of all U.S. energy used by the retail sector and the average food service facility uses 300,000 gallons of water per year. Couple this with the fact that Americans are said to eat 30 percent of their meals away from home, spending more than 40 percent of their food dollars at restaurants. Support restaurants taking steps to reduce their ecological footprint.

We can't stop smiling when you take us out to a fine restaurant that specializes in fresh seasonal cuisine! (Hint: Auberge du Soleil, Napa Valley)

In Chicago? You are in luck! The DineGreen directory recommends the Bleeding Heart Bakery.... build a cake for your Valentine

For the past 20 years, the GRA has been working to create a more environmentally sustainable restaurant industry. They reward existing restaurants with points in seven environmental categories: water efficiency, waste reduction and recycling, sustainable furnishings and building materials, sustainable food, energy, disposables, and chemical-pollution reduction. The GRA also provides restaurants with guidance, information, and solutions for becoming greener and more efficient.

Some of the cool requirements that must be fulfilled in order to become a Green Certified restaurant include: a full-scale recycling program, zero polystyrene foam (Styrofoam), and a total of 100 accumulated points.

Consult the Green Restaurant Association’s Dine Green restaurant directory to find Green Certified restaurants near you.

Note to Valentine: We'd say 'Yes, please!' to a dinner at dell-anima in NYC! Psst: If we say the words "DINE GREEN" to our server or bartender we'll receive a complimentary glass of Lambrusco!

Additional Resources:

• Local Harvest Restaurant Search
• EatWellGuide.org: Travel Map
• Planet Green: How To Find Restaurants That Use Organic And Local Food
• Bookmark This Site: OrganicKitchen.com
• Slow Food NYC
• PracticallyGreen.com: Special Dinner Out? Consult The Green Restaurant Association’s DineGreen Directory Of Eco-Healthy Chefs

Janet: “I had a few goals going into this challenge, including a transition to healthier local food habits and reducing my recycling by focusing more on “pre-cycling.”

Randi: "I was in a sustainable frame of mind... I wanted to do something significant. Healthy for me, my family--and less impactful on the planet."

Practically Green: How did you ever decide to do this?

Randi: Janet and I had lunch in early December. We got the idea to develop a personal challenge for 2012 and support each other. I’d just completed a class at Northwest Earth Institute called “People, Place, and Planet,” so I was in a sustainable frame of mind… I wanted to do something to appreciate where food comes from, something that would be healthy for me, my family, and the environment. I was questioning excessive packaging and what really was available from local sources. I wanted to now begin to answer those questions, and better understand what was available organically, locally, especially this time of the year.

Janet: It’s one thing to eat local in Boise during the gardening season – and Randi and I both have vegetable gardens. But in the dead of winter? We decided to try it at an intense level for the month of January.

Randi and Janet did their homework in December. They interviewed local experts and researched local food offerings. They aligned their primary focus around foods/products locally grown and produced in Idaho, and they also included Oregon and Washington.

IdahoPreferred.com has this keyed map of local food sources; there's likely to be a similar resource for your region

PG: Any a-Ha moments?

Randi: One tip, set aside time on Sunday afternoon and cook for the week. Potatoes, legumes, hearty soups and stews.

Janet: Before the January challenge, I didn’t really enjoy cooking or planning meals.  When we initially discussed the challenge in December, my hands were sweating at the thought of doing this challenge. I knew I needed to develop healthier habits around food, but prioritizing the time and making it happen seemed like a big undertaking. But to my surprise, there are many local options to choose from in Idaho. The transition was much easier than I anticipated and I actually do enjoy planning meals and cooking now. I also find I’m not wasting food (at the end of the week) by adopting easy strategies and investing this time. These are habits I’m carrying forward past January.

Randi: I was amazed at how wonderful this was from a community perspective. Everyone at our local farmer’s markets was so helpful, supportive and interested in what Janet and I were doing.  Not only was it eye-opening and fun to discover the variety of delicious local food sources, it was enriching to meet the people behind them all.  These connections and relationships will be ongoing. The other thing “that’s next” for me is to learn how to can, freeze, and preserve all the bounty from my husband’s organic garden this summer and fall… so we can enjoy during the winter months next year.

Janet: My family drinks a lot of milk. I calculated: we consume an average of 140 or 150 gallons a year. I recycle the plastic jugs, but one of my goals in doing this challenge is to also reduce the amount I’m recycling and focus on “pre-cycling,” i.e., eliminate the demand on resources before I use them. I’ve transitioned to now local milk bottle exchange and I have completely eliminated the need to recycle the plastic. It was so easy to make the transition and it’s another outcome I’ll continue moving forward too.

Mid-month they began craving organic strawberries; Janet started texting Randi, “I miss lettuce!”

It helps to have an enlightened food-services team at work: "HP Cafeteria board in Boise with some of our local farms & produce listed available in the cafeteria daily. The board is located just inside the entrance of the Cafeteria. It’s a great reference for considering options to everyone’s daily diet."

What’s next for these two? They’re thinking about a blog and we’re urging a cookbook. Enjoy their recipes below. We’ve included local sources for you Boise residents, and to inspire others to seek out Winter Farmers Markets and CSAs in their areas. (Community Supported Agriculture programs are hopping–even in winter in New England! See FarmFreshRI’s excellent directory, and You Go Wishing Stone Farm!).

Local find: Zursun Idaho Heirloom Beans

Note: Janet writes a blog as a result of her expedition to Antarctica last year. Go there for details on this January Local Expedition!

Get inspired! See all of Practically Green’s Locavore actions:

• Buy local produce seasonally
• Plant a vegetable garden
• Plant containers for herbs or vegetables
• Shop at a farmers’market
• Shop local businesses regularly
• Sign up for CSA (community supported agriculture)
• Use a sustainable caterer

Order Idaho White Cheddar from Ballard Cheese in Gooding, Idaho

Janet sourced tasty flour tortillas from Casa Valdez in Caldwell, Idaho

A few recipes/menu options from Janet and Randi:

– All-Idaho Breakfast or Lunch Burrito

• Local farm eggs, scrambled in CloverLeaf butter
• ½ Idaho potato, cubed, with diced Idaho onion (to taste)  and sautéed in CloverLeaf butter til tender
• Applewood-smoked bacon, diced and sautéed from Porterhouse Market (optional)
• Shredded cheese from Ballard Farms
• Flour tortillas from Casa Valdez

Note:  You can also add or substitute in your favorite legumes as well.

Place ingredients in center of slightly warmed flour tortilla and fold to make burrito.  Further warm in low-heat oven (wrapped in foil) or in microwave (not wrapped in foil).

Ingredient sources: Local eggs: fairly plentiful here; I bought mine at Stonehenge Produce. CloverLeaf butter: Buhl, ID. Potato: same as eggs; Idaho potatoes are in every major grocery store here. Applewood smoked bacon: purchased in Eagle, ID at Porterhouse Market. Cheese: Ballard Farms, Gooding, ID. Casa Valdez tortillas: Caldwell, ID. Legumes: Boise Co-op and Stonehenge Produce

– Quick Flavorful Favorites…

Local Butternut squash (cooked, 1-inch slices). Squash purchased from Capital City Farmer’s Market (Boise) in November. Preparation Note: Peel, cut in half length-wise and bake for 40 minutes on 300 (or until tender).  Slice in 1-inch pieces. Enjoy immediately or store in the refrigerator to reheat for healthy snacks during the week.

Large bowl of local Fuji apples for easy family access. Fortress Brand from Fruitland, ID. Purchased from Stonehenge Produce (Boise)

Toasted local potato bread, Zacca Red Pepper Hummus (spread) and top with Purple Sage Herb Farm fresh basil. Hummus and Basil: both local and purchased at the Boise Co-op.

Potatoes aren't the only tasty item on Idaho's menu in January!

All Idaho Breakfast – French Toast

• Potato Bread from Café de Paris (local bakery)
• Local farm eggs
• Local red potatoes
• Idaho Huckleberry Syrup
• Cloverleaf Butter and Milk
• Lavender pepper
• Applewood smoked bacon (optional)
• Apple slices

Mmmm... bet Dorothy's wild Huckleberry Syrup is delish

Ingredient sources: Local farm eggs: Stonehenge Produce, Boise, ID. CloverLeaf butter and milk: Buhl, ID (available through Stonehenge Produce in Boise). Lavender Pepper: Starlight Brand from Star, ID. Purchased at Porterhouse Market Eagle, ID. Potato: same as eggs; Idaho potatoes are in every major grocery store here. Applewood smoked bacon: purchased in Eagle, ID at Porterhouse Market. Apples: purchased at Stonehenge Produce, Fortress Brand from Fruitland, ID. Huckleberry Syrup: Homemade by Dorothy brand, Boise, ID purchased at the Boise Co-op.

Giants vs. Patriots: Superbowl XLVI (nfl.com)

While the real action is on the field, think of the following as your very own game; the more actions you take, the more points you earn. Enlist your friends to do the same and get a friendly competition going. If we all take some of the actions below, we’re in for a great season where we’re all winners. Go Team Green!

We admit it! Obsessed with SustyParty’s compostable plates and bowls. Order in your team’s colors & toss into the compost without even scraping the food off!

Go Waste Free

Pack your own reusable plates, water bottles, glassware, and utensils: 20 points!

BYO cloth napkins or PeopleTowels: 20 points!

Or use recycled paper napkins and you’ll still get 10 points.

Drink And Eat Sustainably

Fill your (reusable) bowl with organic or at least more natural chips and snacks, snag 10 points.

Drink wisely – celebrate touchdowns with organic and/or local beer (10 points), hydrate with filtered tap water in a reusable bottle (10 points), and stay awake and warm with organic coffee (20 points). You winos want to look for eco-friendly wine (20 points). Jack your score by 10 more points when you recycle the corks — and add a big 50 when you recycle the bottles!

Whew! Is it half time yet? If you’ve done ALL of those actions, you’ve got 180 POINTS already!

More:

Fire up your grill with eco-friendlier briquettes (10 points) and cook up some sustainably raised meat (another whopping 50 points!) and/or organic veggies (50 more!). Who knew eating guacamole could be SO extra-green?

Southwestern Layered Bean Dip: one of a zillion drooly ideas on EatingWell's special Superbowl recipe collection

If you’re a sausage fan, definitely throw some of Applegate Farms’ organic hot dogs (10 points) on the grill. Do you have a solar-powered grill/oven? Our friends Corey and Lynn of Celebrate Green swear by them — they’ve got another 20 points each!

Applegate Farms cheezy bacon organic hotdog: Yes, please!

Clean Consciously

Before you chow down, clean your hands with a natural hand sanitizer or hand soap and score another 10 points.

When the game is over, recycle everything in sight. We already mentioned bottles; beer cans count for another 20 points!

Wipe up spills and degrease the grill with a natural all-purpose cleaner for 10 points, not to mention reduced air pollution.

That’s a total of 360 points! Sounds like a nice round number to us. How’d you do? If you’ve got more ways to Green up Superbowl Sunday, please post them or drop us a line. (Hmmm, maybe Practically Green should give points for suggesting new actions?)

Not everyone can win a fancy Superbowl ring, but we can ALL be Practically Green!

We’ve been obsessed with tasty healthy food all week: lobster rolls, salmon, and sushi; takeout craves you can just as well make at home; hormone-free burgers and chili; and even roasted potato dominos. YUM yum yum. Now let’s get serious: what about the stuff that TOUCHES your food when you store it, transport it, or reheat it? Today’s action rewards you for choosing anything but PVC to wrap and reheat your food!

If you know of cooler storage-bowl covers, please let us know asap. For now our favorite is this set from Hunter Gatherer. Only possible drawbacks: 1) they're not organic cotton; 2) they're flown from the UK. But still. We love them.

Beaba Multiportion Baby Food Freezer Tray... not just for babies! Grown-up pesto will freeze gorgeously in these BPA-free trays.

Cling wrap is an easy solution for leftovers and a common packaging material. But not all plastic wraps are alike: some are polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, which environmental groups like Greenpeace refer to as “poison” plastic. From manufacture to disposal it’s highly toxic—for humans and for the earth. Traces of the chemicals used to make it pliable can migrate into food, especially things that are fatty or warm (never microwave plastic, especially PVC!). Exposure to PVC has been linked to dizziness, headaches, asthma, liver damage, brain/nervous system damage, and increased cancer risk. People who work in or live near PVC factories have it the worst.

Here's another cool idea: Laurie David's PVC-free shower cap solution, featured in The Family Dinner. Rinse caps after using to cover food and dry them on the window sill!

PVC is particularly difficult to dispose of as it is made with heavy metals like lead and cadmium; less than 1 percent of it is recycled.

Use empty glass containers & bottles to store food--or splurge on this set from Williams Sonoma!

Ask your grocery store what kind of wrap they use, especially for meats and cheeses. If it’s PVC, encourage them to change to safer plastic #4. Get your neighbors to speak up; there’s nothing like positive pressure for green and healthy changes!

Great Deal: Pyrex storage containers. These bowls are a great alternative to plastic wrap or plastic containers for food storage. They are safe for use in oven, microwave (take the plastic tops off!), refrigerator, freezer, dishwasher.

To minimize exposure, shop for minimally packaged food and things that come in glass; PVC is also found in plastic trays, candy bar wrappers, and bottles.

At home, store food in glass, stainless steel, or lead-free ceramic containers instead of plastic. If you’re going to use plastic wrap, check to see what yours is made of (“3″ or “V” denotes PVC). But truly, a safe plate over a safe bowl tucked in the fridge does the trick.

• Practically Green: Smart Shopping and Conscious Living with Alexandra Zissu
• Green Living Tips: PVC and the environment
• Healthy Child Healthy World: Shopper’s Guide to Plastics & Food: Cling Wrap
• BeSafeNet: PVC The Poison Plastic
• President’s Cancer Panel: Eat Organic, Avoid Plastics
• Rodale.com: Plastic-Free February
• Greenpeace: The Poison Plastic
• PG Picks! Eco-friendly packaging, Laugh Green, efficient factory, green date ideas, nature and architecture, and cool green products
• U.S. Weighs Cancer Risk of Styrene and Formaldehyde

GLAD says that they do not use any PVC in their products. They also say their products are BPA-free.

By the way, Practically Green’s actions are written by our editorial director Alexandra Zissu, the author of The Butcher’s Guide to Well-Raised Meat (among other books), so rest assured this is prime tenderloin info.

The word sustainable is widely used in natural food circles. Unlike USDA organic, it isn’t government defined or third party certified. It signifies a lot: healthy farming practices that don’t harm the environment, humane animal treatment, support of farming communities, fair wages and treatment for laborers. But in order to know what is truly meant by sustainable, and if you can trust it, you need to know your producers. Since sustainable meat is local meat, it’s pretty easy to ask questions of your farmer. Good subjects to raise include farming practices (i.e. if they’re using pesticides and fertilizers for the animal’s feed), drug use (i.e. are they administering hormones and non-therapeutic antibiotics to their animals), and general questions about how the animals spend their days. Just because something is local doesn’t mean it is automatically sustainable.

There are many benefits to meat from sustainably raised local animals: it’s usually safer and better for you and the environment, and its transportation footprint can be considerably less than its factory-farmed and mass distributed counterparts.

Smart shortcut: buy Applegate Farms meat products... totally know where each product came from (as in what farm, what town)... and enter their recipe contests on Facebook!

The biggest challenge related to buying sustainably raised meat is finding the good stuff. The process of figuring out what is truly sustainable and where you can buy it can take some time. But it’s very worthwhile. And well-raised meat is becoming increasingly available as consumer demand grows—in butcher shops, farmers’ markets, CSA-style meat shares directly from farms, natural food stores, and even in some supermarkets.

Get your grill on with healthy burger recipes at EatingWell.com!

Browse the recommended links to locate farms near you that are producing sustainably raised meat.

• Bookmark This Site: EatWild.com
• Grist: USDA Inspector General–Meat Supply Routinely Tainted With Harmful Residues
• Sustainable Table: Serving Up Healthy Food Choices
• Practically Green Book Pick: The Butcher’s Guide To Well Raised Meat
• Bookmark This Site: Farm Fresh Directory
• PracticallyGreen.com: Meat Advice To Live By–Alexandra Zissu Introduces Her New Book, “The Butcher’s Guide To Well-Raised Meat”
• Environmental Working Group: 2011 Meat Eaters Guide to Climate Change + Health

You’ve been working hard, you’re too tired to cook, it’s so easy to dial up a pizza or shrimp pad thai. We know. We love takeout too. It’s probably not a great idea for counting calories, and it’s not so economical either, but it is terribly convenient to have someone else make dinner — and deliver it, too. You don’t have to lift a finger! We know… but this action may encourage you to think twice before placing your next takeout order.

The National Restaurant Association states nearly a third of adults say takeout food is essential to the way they live. And a survey by the Institute of Food Technologists shows that while 75 percent of Americans eat dinner at home, half of those meals are fast food, delivery, or takeout. Fewer than a third cook dinner from scratch.

Shrimp pad thai recipe from Food52's "9 Takeout Classics, Done at Home"

Reducing how often you rely on takeout is a good green idea. It’s the rare restaurant delivering takeout made from carefully sourced ingredients—local, organic, free of hormones, antibiotics, and pesticide residues, and trans fats. When you make your own food, you control what’s in it. This is healthiest for you, your farmers, and the earth we all share.

Planning a Superbowl Tailgate? Whip up these Jalapeño Poppers from EatingWell!

Then there’s the waste. According to CleanAir.org, the U.S. population tosses out enough paper bags, plastic cups, forks, and spoons every year to circle the equator 300 times. Many (often nonrenewable) resources go into making these, we use them for mere moments, and then they clog our landfills for hundreds of years. And questionable chemicals in these one-use items get into your dinner; some of the grease-repellant coatings used in pizza boxes contain PFOA, a likely human carcinogen.

Make your own meals instead of ordering takeout. If you prefer not to daily, try for once a week, then build up. Bonus: you’ll save money.

Imagine your 4-star takeout served from this spiffy stainless-steel To-Go ware... buy from Reuseit.com

To cook, you must grocery shop. Check out farmers’ markets and natural food stores near you. Make large batches so you can have takeout-esque leftovers to reheat the following evening.

When you DO order takeout, why not look for someplace that loves to use fresh local ingredients, like Dave's Fresh Pasta in Somerville, MA

• Bookmark This Site: Takeout Without
• Bookmark This SIte: WasteFreeLunches.org
• Earth911: Ways To Reduce Takeout Waste
• PracticallyGreen.com: Switch To A Reusable Lunch Box
• SaferChemicals.org: PFOA

Salmon from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch

The bad news: our waterways serve as a sewer system for our environmentally destructive behavior–chemical runoff, factory dumping, plastic waste, garbage, settled air particle pollution, and even what we pour down household drains contaminate fish and aquatic life. Some hormone disrupting chemicals have even managed to feminize wild male fish; they’re able to grow eggs.

Give your sushi choices a grilling at blueocean.org!

The good news: there’s no need to give up on lobster rolls! There are still safe, environmentally ok, and tasty choices to be had. The best is wild, sustainably caught, low contaminated, and local (if your waterways aren’t too polluted). Farmed fish is trickier; it may be fed hormones, antibiotics, feed containing animal byproducts, and flesh-coloring dyes.

There is presently no USDA organic certification for seafood. Consulting a safe seafood guide is a must. The best of these blend sustainability and overfishing concerns with government seafood safety advisories. Remember: the pregnant and the young are most vulnerable.

Avoid imported fish from China and countries known to have contaminated waters and unsustainable fishing methods. Check country of origin labels.

Shop where you know and trust your fishmonger. Buying off a boat is ideal. For supermarket counters, consult Greenpeace’s helpful yearly scorecard.

Check the Greenpeace Supermarket Scorecard: easy!

From the Food & Water Watch Smart Seafood Guide

Greenpeace’s Sustainable Seafood Supermarket Scorecard

Supermarkets play a big part in the future of our fragile oceans, so Greenpeace has rated popular supermarkets in terms of their seafood sustainability. Find out how your store stacks up and shop accordingly.

Blue Ocean Institute’s FishPhone

Ensure that your seafood purchase is sustainable by dialing Blue Ocean Institute’s FishPhone. Text 30644 with the message FISH and the name of the fish in question, and they’ll send a text back with their assessment and recommended alternatives. Great for standing in front of a fish counter or texting while reading a restaurant menu. There is also an iPhone app available.

Greener Choices Seafood Buying Guide

Published by the people behind Consumer Reports, this online guide provides recommendations on how to avoid buying contaminated fish and tips on how to buy seafood.

The Environmental Defense Fund’s Pocket Seafood Guide

Your seafood choices matter! Many popular seafood items are fished or farmed in environmentally destructive ways, this handy pocket guide helps you make smart choices about the seafood you buy. It also considers health hazards.

Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Guide

Another great pocket guide that you can download to keep on hand the next time you head to the market. They have a comprehensive list of ‘Best Choices,’ ‘Good Alternatives,’ and fish to ‘Avoid.’

Food & Water Watch’s Smart Seafood Guide

Food & Water Watch analyzed over 100 different fish and shellfish to create a guide that assesses not only the human health and environmental impacts of eating certain seafood, but also the socio-economic impacts on coastal and fishing communities. Download the pocket guide.

• NRDC: Mercury Contamination — A Guide To Staying Healthy
• EPA: Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)
• Practically Green Book Pick: The Conscious Kitchen by Alexandra Zissu
• NPR: Author Paul Greenberg On The Future Of Wild Fish
• The New York Times: A Seafood Snob Ponders The Future Of Fish
• Ted.com: Dan Barber — How I Fell In Love With A Fish
• The New York Times: Another Side Of Tilapia, The Perfect Factory Fish
• Consumer Reports: Mystery Fish–The label Said Red Snapper, The Lab Said Baloney

So we took a spin through Practically Green’s actions to see which ones have the greatest impact and highest scores in the four areas we address: Energy, Water, Health, and Stuff. Maybe you (or your family, your company, your team, your town) will pick just one thing from this list to do!

Energy

Sign up for green power from your utility… earn a whopping 200 points! Some utilities make it laughably difficult to do this, but once you succeed it doesn’t cost that much more per month, especially compared to the cost of installing a wind turbine yourself.

Installing a Windtronics turbine in Williston, Vermont

Water

If you’ve been toying with the idea of installing a rain barrel, go for it—you’ll get 50 points. But if you’d like to go whole hog and Install a rainwater harvesting system, you’ll get 150 points! Find out why it matters so much by clicking to the action page.

Water-collection system at this high school handles 87% of irrigation needs (San Antonio Express-News)

Health

Eliminate the use of synthetic pesticides—indoors and out—and go up 150 points! Prevention goes a long way, and their are safer ways of dealing with infestations if and when they rear their hideous little heads. Find out more here.

Stuff

If you’re in the market, buying a pre-owned car instead of a new one is 150 points, while choosing a pre-owned home instead of building new is worth 200 points. Food for thought!

If none of these huge actions make sense for you right now, rest assured that small steps add up too. Pick your favorites from the hundreds of actions on Practically Green, and watch your PG score go up and up.

Warning: taking healthy and smart actions in your daily life can be habit-forming/addictive.

On Wednesday NASA released "Blue Marble 2012," a composite image made from data collected by the Suomi NPP satellite.

Why not recycle them instead?

(Why not bring reusable shopping bags and stop using these altogether, as many places now require…. Seattle, Long Beach, San Francisco, Washington, Hawaii, New Delhi, Italy, France, China, Tanzania….)

From an illustration by Ben Katchor for "Bags in Trees" in The New Yorker, Jan. 12, 2004

Nearly 1 million bags are used each minute worldwide. Recycling rates of plastic bags hover near 10 percent (only about a third of paper bag recycling). Suffice it to say that we have a long way to go to reduce the number of plastic bags that are thrown in the trash and wind up in our waterways as well as our overstuffed landfills.

In 2010, D.C. businesses began seeing a drastic reduction in bag usage; environmental clean-up groups witnessed fewer bags polluting regional waterways

Unfortunately many curbside recycling programs don’t currently accept plastic bags. If this is the case where you live, seek out a grocery or retail store near you that will accept them for recycling. If you’re fortunate enough to be able to recycle them curbside, make sure your bags are properly secured within the bin. They won’t get recycled if they blow away.

Reduce the amount of plastic bags you need to recycle by not taking them at stores in the first place—use a reusable bag instead. You can even bring reusable produce bags to go inside your shopping bags! Reusing the plastic bags you do have stretches the considerable resources that went into making them.

Our friends at Blue Avocado ease the switch BYO bags, with zippy design & a passion for reducing plastic bag waste.

Check with your town or municipality to see if they recycle plastic bags. If they don’t, ask them to start.

Look online to find a store that accepts plastic bags for recycling near where you live. Double check to see what kind of plastic your bags are; some stores only take back plastic #2 and #4 bags. See if they take produce bags as well as shopping bags.

Keep in mind these guidelines from Waste Management:

Clean plastic bags are accepted in recycling containers at many grocery stores. However:

• Plastic bags are a major cause of litter and waste. It is much better to use a durable shopping bag.

• Plastic bags cause litter, slow sorting and jam machinery at recycling centers. Empty recyclables out of bags and boxes, and put them loose in recycling containers so that they can be easily identified and sorted.

From SimpleHuman: Mount this slim profile storage bin in pantry, under sink, or on wall to keep plastic bags organized & at the ready.

Earth911 makes it super easy to find a plastic-bag recycling drop-off.

At Earth911, choose an item, type your ZIP code...

… and presto! You get info on where to go and how to get there.

Or visit PlasticBagRecycling.org.

We’re not the only ones who see bags in trees everywhere; check out Beth Terry’s blog My Plastic-Free Life, or Windy, the story of the plastic bag caught in a Pennsylvania tree in 2008 (and disappeared during the freak snowstorm of October 2011).

• The New York Times: Taking Aim At All Those Plastic Bags
• YouTube: The Dangers Of Plastic–Interview With Charles Moore
• YouTube: The Plastic Bag–A Mockumentary
• Rodale.com: You Pay $88 A Year For Free Plastic Bags
• Rodale.com: 8 Ways To Reuse Plastic Bags (Until They’re Banned)

We admit to a slight obsession with food: delicious, simple-to-make food that won’t make us fat or sick. Food that’s healthy, and with the simple style that comes from smart recipes and great ingredients. Lucky for everyone: in 2012 we inhabit a Foodie Culture. Most of us have unprecedented access to celebrity chefs, home-cook bloggers, and inspired organic entrepreneurs. Just check out EatingWell or Food52, or the Family Dinner website. Frankly, anyone who says they can’t figure out how to eat right just isn’t giving it a fair chance.

Follow @MarthaRShulman on Twitter

One way to stay mouthwateringly inspired is the daily dose of Recipes for Health from Martha Rose Shulman of The New York Times. Every week Martha picks one ingredient, or one type of food (muffins, anyone?) and goes nuts (heh heh). This week’s theme: “Lunches to Take to Work.”

Although I work at home, my lunch requirements are probably similar to those of many of you who work in an office. I don’t like to eat complex dishes with strong flavors like raw garlic or onion at midday, because I don’t want those flavors lingering when I get back to work. I want a lunch that’s light and simple, enjoyable but not distracting….

I so enjoyed working on these recipes, as they provided me with great lunches all week long. They’ve kept all week in the refrigerator, and they don’t require refrigeration during those few hours between the time to get you work and the time you eat your lunch, though all of them will taste fresher if they have been in the fridge.

Egg Salad & Greens Wrap: If you can hard-boil an egg, you can make a scrumptious wrap to take with you for lunch (TY nytimes.com)

Have fun with Martha’s recipes, post your lunchbox favorites for all to share—and please, don’t neglect to check off this 20-point action!

There are many great reasons to BYO meals to work. First up, the food. Who knows what sort of produce, meat, preservatives, and chemicals are in the corner deli’s turkey club or the coffee shop’s muffin. When you pack your own meals, you control the ingredients. If you’d like lunch to be local, organic, and free of hormones, antibiotics, pesticide residues, and trans fats, brown bagging it is healthiest for you, your farmers, and the earth we all share.

Black Bean Chili: A medium-hot vegetarian chili that freezes well. From "Clean out the Pantry" week on Recipes for Health

A Goodbyn bento box makes your BYO meal more fun, guaranteed!

Speaking of brown bags, packing meals in reusable containers reduces waste. According to CleanAir.org, the U.S. population tosses out enough of them plus plastic cups, forks, and spoons every year to circle the equator 300 times. These one-use items clog our landfills. Many resources go into making takeout containers. Our food is in them for mere moments before we toss them. It’s a system that doesn’t make much common sense.

If you can’t commit to bringing your own food daily, try for a few times a week. Bonus: you’ll save money.

Grocery shop and pack your lunch. If you eat breakfast or even dinner at your desk, try packing them, too. There are many waste-free reusable containers and wraps available in stores and online. Shop around. And don’t forget a cloth napkin and a reusable water bottle.

Ask your office manager to stock the kitchen with real plates, reusable utensils, and glasses.

When eating takeout, BYO reusable containers for the counter staff to use instead of their disposables.

• Bookmark This Site: Takeout Without
• Bookmark This SIte: WasteFreeLunches.org
• Planet Green: Bring Your Own Lunch Box

We’re guessing the Navy Shower was invented before the Navy was coed, with long-haired sailors who require conditioning treatments and enjoy complex exfoliating regimens. But even the spazillas among us don’t have to take a long involved shower every single time. And, when you read the description of a Navy shower, you’ll see that the point is to keep the water running only when you actually NEED it to be running. Excellent products help… such as Weleda’s Sea Buckthorn Creamy Body Wash, a current favorite (see photo).

The Clean Beauty Blog asks, "Every wondered what it was like to shower in freshly squeezed orange juice?" Exactly....

Taking shorter showers is an easy way to significantly reduce your water usage. The average shower length in America is approximately eight minutes. According to the EPA, standard pre 1992 showerheads use over five gallons of water per minute, while standard post 1992 showerheads and low flow showerheads average one and a half to two and a half gallons per minute. You know both how long you shower and your showerhead, so do math. Multiply it by one year. Wow, right?

Taking a Navy shower is no problem in the French West Indies... sigh. (Credit: Julie Warburton Design)

Navy showers (used on ships to preserve precious water) are a manual way to achieve low-flow showerhead savings without changing a fixture—a great option for the unhandy or for renters.

Using less water bathing allows more to stay in the ground or in a reservoir, which in turn helps maintain a natural H20 balance and saves some for future use. There are many parts of the country that do not have enough water to support the current population and levels of water usage. Even if you live in a place with ample rain, there may be a drought. At least 36 states expect shortages in the next five years.

Taking shorter showers will also save you money on water, heating, and sewer bills.

Hop in the shower, get wet all over. Turn off the shower, lather up. Turn it back on, rinse off. You’re done.

Navy showers are least painful in warm climates. For those who brave them in cold climates, at least they save hot water.

• Treehugger.com: Navy Showers–Water Saving Goes Hardcore
• PracticallyGreen.com: Conservation, Preservation, And Stewardship
• U.S. Geological Survey: Water Science Questionnaire–Water Use At Home
• Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense Program