Budget EcoistBudget Ecoist:2009-04-17T05:40:29ZCopyright (c) 2009, EcoistPaigeExpressionEnginetag:thebudgetecoist.com,2009:04:17TheBudgetEcoisthttp://feedburner.google.comLow-Cost Organic Gardens, Loomstate for Target and More: Web Round-Uptag:thebudgetecoist.com,2009:www.thebudgetecoist.com/6.95382009-04-17T11:00:28Z2009-04-17T05:40:29ZEcoistPaigepaige@simplygoodmedia.comEconomical Organic Home Gardening via Green Baby Guide - Green Baby Guide's "Thrifty Green Thursday" post covers a great interview with two gardening experts, proving that gardening organically doesn't have to mean costly.
Save Energy (and Your Clothes): Try Line Drying! via Greenopia.com - We're suckers for anything retro, especially when it saves us money. So we loved this post about line drying from Greenopia.
Loomstate for Target’s launch party in Venice via Green LA Girl - Green LA Girl covers the launch party for Loomstate's new line at Target. The new eco clothing line will be available at Target stores on April 19, just in time for Earth Day. Oh...we are so going to Target this weekend!
Sustainable Food Budget Challenge via Crunchy Chicken - A great challenge for those of us who want to see how inexpensively we can eat sustainable food. Is it really only for the middle and upper classes? Guidelines are given and several helpful links. Crunchy Chicken is running the challenge for the month of April, but there's no reason you can't track your food in May...
image courtesy of Green Baby Guide
]]>Cleaning with Essential Oilstag:thebudgetecoist.com,2009:www.thebudgetecoist.com/6.95372009-04-16T11:00:02Z2009-04-16T05:34:03ZEcoistPaigepaige@simplygoodmedia.com
Here are some suggestions for how to use herbs in essential oil form, followed by a list of which herbs have which properties.
Dishwashing liquid - Fill a 22 ounce squirt bottle with fragrance-free castile soap. Add in 25-30 drops of antibacterial essential oil. Good options: lavender, lemon, lemongrass, orange. Use 1-2 T with each dish load.
Dishwasher powder - Combine 2 cups each of washing soda and borax, followed by 20 drops of antibacterial essential oil. Use 2 T with each dish load.
Floor cleaner - Combine the following in a large bucket: 1 gallon of hot water, 2 T castile soap, 15 drops sweet orange essential oil, 8 drops lemon essential oil. Use a mop to clean the floor. Rinsing optional.
Fine washables laundry detergent - Combine 1 ounce liquid castile soap with 1 cup of rosemary infusion (or 3 drops of rosemary essential oil).
Stain pre-soak - Combine 1 cup vinegar, 1/2 cup salt, 3 drops tea tree oil. Add to clothes washer with clothes, allowing clothes to soak for at least one hour. Then wash as normal.
Infusions: If you have your own herbs and would prefer making your own infusions, you can do so by steeping a few stems of herb or 1 teaspoon of dried herbs in 1 cup boiling water, then strain.
Purchasing essential oils: When you purchase essential oils, ensure that you are buying the pure form, and not a diluted version. For example, oils that you burn to scent the room in an oil burner, are diluted, which is why they are inexpensive. Essential oils should come in either a blue or brown bottle in order to retain their potency. You can purchase essential oils at places such as Whole Foods, or online at auracacia.com or mountainroseherbs.com, among others.
]]>Why Earth Day is Still Pertinent as the Environmental Movement goes Mainstreamtag:thebudgetecoist.com,2009:www.thebudgetecoist.com/6.95192009-04-14T11:00:29Z2009-04-14T05:18:30ZEcoistPaigepaige@simplygoodmedia.com Bissel's Little Green Floor Cleaner is a smart choice for the environment because it's made from recycled plastics and employs Earth-friendly packaging. In fact...according to Walmart, "If every Walmart customer bought a Little Green machine, it would be like recycling two million bags of trash." Commence oohs and ahhs. Hey, we've got an even better idea! Don't purchase a machine whose sole purpose is to sit on a stain and scrub it out while you do more important things. As far as we can tell, Little Green Robots will soon follow if people are silly enough to fall for this eco campaign.
So, to answer our own question, we are feeling a bit of overload when it comes to the eco marketing gravy train. But it only makes us more certain that Earth Day is an important reminder for all of us to come together to celebrate the Earth without the hype. In a time where the environmental movement seems to be going mainstream, why do we still think Earth Day is as pertinent as ever? Let us count the ways...
1. We love Earth Day events. Have you ever gone to a small community Earth Day event? Or a big city event? Every year, we look forward to the weekend where Earth Day takes center stage. We love taking our kids to learn about the Earth by planting seeds in compostable pots, or making their own trail mix as a healthy snack with a low carbon footprint. We love the free bags of compost that are offered and the plants that are often sold as fundraisers, and will in short time grace our gardens with lush, homegrown veggies. Most of all, we love that the advice is good, the people partaking are even better, and there are no Little Green machines in site.
2. Doubling down on real eco advice. All this eco-camouflage makes it all the more important that we separate the green, from the light green, from the faux green. Green = making your own laundry detergent from natural ingredients (for the hardcores); light green = purchasing a natural laundry detergent (for the practicals); faux green = pretending Tide Coldwater is green because it's made to be used with cold water. Earth Day is a good reminder to all of us that preserving our environment might provide companies yet another way to market their products -- and that's fine -- but it's our job as consumers to decide how we want to spend our hard-earned dollars.
3. Getting out and enjoying the Earth. And our favorite thing about Earth Day...what better excuse to get out for a nice hike? Or a picnic in the park? Or a bike ride with friends or family?
Every year Earth Day provides us an opportunity to remember what we love about this home we've created, and to renew our commitment to preserve it for others to love as well.
What are your thoughts? Are you done with Earth Day? Has all the marketing pushed you over the edge, making you want to drive an SUV to Starbucks, have a non-organic coffee in a disposable cup, dispose the cup, then get another one for the road....just because? Let us know your thoughts!
]]>Recycled Newspaper Pots, Dollar Store Crafts and More: Web Round-Uptag:thebudgetecoist.com,2009:www.thebudgetecoist.com/6.95232009-04-10T11:00:06Z2009-04-10T05:31:07ZEcoistPaigepaige@simplygoodmedia.comSturdy Recycled Newspaper Pots via A Heart for Home - Newspaper is a great recyclable product, especially as a seed starter since it decomposes and the inks are soy-based. This great post from A Heart for Home shows you how to recycle and save some cash, while prepping your spring garden.
Set up Your Kitchen Garden and Save via Green Baby Guide - We recently posted on setting up a kitchen garden, and now Green Baby Guide is giving their great advice on the same. We hope everyone gets on this bandwagon! Good for your health, your budget, and your soul. Garden-grown food...it's what's cookin!
Best Dollar Store Crafts of the Week via Threadbanger - Heather shares her crafts made from items recycled from the dollar store. Dishtowels transform into shorts; a soda bottle becomes an iPod holder. Ingenious recycling opportunities!
How to Eco Chic Your Investments via Spig.com - Stocks couldn't go any lower. Right? Please say, "Right." Well, since this is the time to buy, take a few minutes to learn why green mutual funds might be your best bet.
Best of Green via TreeHugger - TreeHugger unveils their first annual Best of Green awards.
]]>Baby Swap Website Reviewtag:thebudgetecoist.com,2009:www.thebudgetecoist.com/6.95202009-04-09T11:00:30Z2009-04-09T03:52:31ZEcoistPaigepaige@simplygoodmedia.comThe Budget Ecoist has perused the internet to bring you a few of the best villages out there to help raise your baby! And by "village" we mean "websites" that will swap baby goods with you, thereby keeping your physical costs down, as well as your baby's cost to the environment.
Zwaggle.com - Free to join, Zwaggle is a community of like-minded parents who not only want to keep their gently-used baby and children's items from clogging the landfill, but also want to reap the benefits by scoring the things they need from the community. Once you've joined, you can post items you have for swap. With every successful swap you earn zoints (Zwaggle's equivalent of currency). Earn additional zoints by referring friends and family! Once you've acquired some zoints, peruse the categories to find items you need, or post a wish list. Zwaggle even has an integrated FedEx tool that calculates shipping costs and lets you print prepaid, preaddressed mailing labels and schedule a pick up right from the Zwaggle site. Members arranging local deliveries can use the Zwaggle messaging system to schedule a meeting time and place that's convenient for everyone involved.
BabySwap.net - BabySwap allows you to buy, sell or "swap" maternity and used baby goods, baby related services and useful baby information! Another great feature of BabySwap: no banner ads. Why? BabySwap doesn't want to divert attention from those small businesses who list their services in the Swap Services section of their site. BabySwap's two best services: 1) BabySwap Goods - List your used baby goods for sale or swap. Potential buyers can search by city and zip code for the goods they are looking for and then contact the listed owner if interested in buying or swapping. 2) BabySwap Services - Small businesses can list baby services for sale or swap for a mere $50.00.
]]>Everything You Wanted to Know About Eggs (But Were Afraid to Ask)tag:thebudgetecoist.com,2009:www.thebudgetecoist.com/6.94072009-04-06T11:00:32Z2009-04-06T05:55:33ZEcoistPaigepaige@simplygoodmedia.com Organic vs Non-Organic Eggs - Eggs that are certified organic are produced through organic means. Chicken are fed with organic food. The chickens must also live in a cage-free environment and have access to the outdoors. These chickens are also antibiotic-free (exceptions are granted for infectious outbreaks in the flock). In addition to maintaining the organic standards of chicken and eggs, for an egg to be considered organic the care of the chicken must meet high animal welfare standards.
Free Range vs Cage Free Eggs - These labels are the most problematic when it comes to eggs. "Free range" conjures up visions of happy chickens frolicking amongst the green grasses. The reality is that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has no standards to dictate the use of the term "free range," allowing egg producers to freely label any egg as a free range egg. In fact, to qualify as free range, a chicken coop must simply have a door that is left open some of the time. "Cage free," on the other hand, is a term that essentially evokes a similar meaning as "free range," the difference being that farms feel the term is less misleading. There is no legal definition of cage free.
Egg Ratings: A vs. AA - In the United States, eggs are graded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Eggs are graded according to interior quality of the egg, as well as condition of the shell. According to Wikipedia, "U.S. Grade AA eggs have whites that are thick and firm; yolks that are high, round, and practically free from defects; and clean, unbroken shells. U.S. Grade A eggs have characteristics of Grade AA eggs except that the whites are "reasonably" firm. U.S. Grade B eggs have whites that may be thinner and yolks that may be wider and flatter than eggs of higher grades. The shells must be unbroken, but may show slight stains." Grade A eggs are most commonly sold in supermarkets in the U.S. Because there's no health difference between Grade A and AA, purchasing Grade A eggs is a good option for saving money.
Egg Sizes - The most common sizes of eggs seen in supermarkets are jumbo, extra-large, large and medium. Medium eggs are defined as greater than 1.75 ounce, large are greater than 2 ounce, extra-large greater than 2.25 ounce, and jumbo greater than 2.5 ounce. If you're able to get your hands on medium-sized eggs, you'll have a great opportunity to save some cash. You can get 18 medium-sized eggs for the same price as a dozen large or extra-large eggs. And because eggs are often used as ingredients in other foods (such as pancakes, cookies, etc.) using a slightly smaller egg won't make a difference.
Now that you've got a handle on what all of these terms mean in the scheme of all things egg, take a look at our past post on Prepping for Easter for great tips on how to make this Easter a green Easter. Make that pastel green.
]]>A Better Cup of Joe: Go Greentag:thebudgetecoist.com,2009:www.thebudgetecoist.com/6.94742009-03-30T11:00:44Z2009-03-30T06:24:45ZEcoistPaigepaige@simplygoodmedia.comGood Earth Coffee website, after reading about their "Brew at Home" pledge. According to Good Earth Coffee, coffee drinkers toss away 28 billion disposable coffee cups each year. Consequently, they are challenging people to "brew more and toss less." There's an additional reason to take the pledge: for every pledge received, Good Earth Coffee will donate $1.00 to The Trust for Public Land until they reach their donation goal.
Brewing at home is a great option to not only cut down on the trash factor, but also cut out some costs from your budget (i.e. the latte factor). Here are some other simple ways you can enjoy your morning cup o' joe at a lower cost to the environment (and some budget savings for you as well):
3. Buy your coffee from a local roaster - Since locally grown coffee is difficult for most people to come by, you can still cut down on fuel costs by finding a coffee roaster near you. Coffee Habitat offers this great interactive map providing some great roasters around North America. See if there's one local to you.
4. Use reusable coffee filters at home. Disposable coffee filters = trees.
]]>DIY Amphibian Soap Kit from Brambleberry: Win This!tag:thebudgetecoist.com,2009:www.thebudgetecoist.com/6.94052009-03-25T11:00:53Z2009-03-22T20:26:54ZEcoistPaigepaige@simplygoodmedia.comBramble Berry Soap Making Kit for a spin. And what a fun spin it was!
We tested out the Kids Amphibian Soap Kit (listed here, about a 1/3 of the way down the page). For $19.75 this kit includes the amphibian soap mold, 1 lb each of opaque and clear melt and pour, .2 oz each of orange and aqua pearl mica, .2 oz iridescent glitter, and 1 oz each of watermelon and pearberry fragrance oil. The kit makes a dozen soaps and if you wanted more, you simply need to purchase any extra supplies, such as the mica and melt and pour. So the more you make, the less each soap costs.
We tested the kit out with a very enthusiastic 4 year-old (though he would insist on being referred to as a 4 and 3/4 year-old). With an adult supervising, here are the steps to do it yourself:
Step 1: Chop the clear base into small blocks, add to a Pyrex dish, and melt in the microwave. Repeat with the white base.
Step 2: Add mica, food coloring, fragrance, and glitter to the clear melted soap and stir.
Step 3: Pour the soaps into the mold in any color and style combination -- let the kids (or you!) go wild. For example, use the white eyes and spots on the lizard with a glittery orange body.
Step 4: After 4 hours, carefully press the soap out of the plastic mold.
FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!! If you're not into making soaps with kids, other great ideas: soaps for wedding favors, Easter soaps, Mother's day soap kits, and there's even an Eco-Chic soap kit! But to tell you the truth, Bramble Berry had us at amphibian...
Why make your own soap? For the cost of one kit (kits range in price, the one we tested out retails for $19.75 and makes 12 soaps) you can make a bevvy of soaps at a cost far less than you would pay for these individual, unique soaps in stores. When you're done, you can purchase additional mica, and any other needed materials, to continue to make soaps at an even cheaper cost.
Is it really environmentally friendly to make your own soaps? It really depends on the reason you're purchasing soap and how you normally purchase. If you're simply looking for a bar to throw into the shower, and you normally buy homemade soaps out of a bin, with no packaging (similar to what you would see at a Whole Foods, or a Farmer's Market) then you are being about as responsible as you can with your soap right now. But...if you purchase soaps for fun (to throw Easter soap chicks into your kids' Easter baskets, for example) you'd be better off making those soaps as a project with your kids -- check out the 'Easter Soap Kits' on this page. Or, if you're looking to give soaps as gifts, or wedding favors, making your own would drastically cut down on packaging, as well as cost.
Why we love DIY soaps for kid projects: Making soaps with kids was not only FUN, it allowed us a rare moment to teach and impress our kids (and to look way impressive, besides!). But more importantly, it also spawned a discussion about waste, about why making things yourself is not only fun, but responsible. In other words, it allowed us to once again sneak our eco-chic lessons into the malleable little brains of the ones who will eventually be tasked with taking on the torch of responsible living.
Now that you're itching to make your own soap...see below for information on how to enter to win your own Kids Amphibian Soap Kit!
TO ENTER: Leave a comment below by Wednesday, April 1, at 5:00 P.M. PST -- one winner will be chosen at random on April 2. The winner will receive one Bramble Berry Kids Amphibian Soap Kit.
]]>The Kitchen Garden (or…Be Like the Obamas!)tag:thebudgetecoist.com,2009:www.thebudgetecoist.com/6.94432009-03-23T11:00:25Z2009-03-22T21:37:26ZEcoistPaigepaige@simplygoodmedia.com
So this past Friday, Michelle Obama, along with students from Bancroft Elementary School in the District of Columbia, heeded our gardening wishes and broke ground on a new garden to supply the White House kitchen. In an article from the Green section of The Huffington Post, Alice Waters, famed California local food chef and owner of Chez Panisse restaurant, noted the importance of the first family making an investment in their own health by supplying some of their own food: "It just tells you that this country cares about people's good health and about the care of the land," she said. "To have this sort of 'victory' garden, this message goes out that everyone can grow a garden and have free food."
If the Obamas have inspired you, here are some thoughts and resources to help you get breaking ground on your own kitchen garden (April begins the big planting season in many areas!):
1. A kitchen garden should be made up of food that you will cook up in your own kitchen (thus the clever name). Grow what you are most likely to cook with or eat raw.
2. Know what to plant, at what time, and under what conditions. Once you've developed a list of what you'd like to grow, head to your local nursery to find out which varieties grow best in your area. Questions to ask: should I plant seeds or transplants? What month should I plant? What soil amendments are necessary? How much sun does the plant require? (Note: be aware of the location your are planning on gardening and count how many hours of direct sunlight that location receives, and during which hours of the day. This information will be helpful for the experts at the nursery to provide you with the best varieties for planting.)
3. If you don't have a lot of space to plant, don't give up on your kitchen garden! There are lots of clever ways to grow your own, including growing food in pots, hanging bags (popular with cherry tomatoes and strawberries), and even herb gardens in kitchen windowsills. Check our our post on growing and storing your own food, where we've linked to several helpful resources to get you started.
Kitchen gardens are en vogue with good reason. They help save you money by cutting your food budget (especially if you have the time and patience to grow some fruit trees and/or bushes), help encourage healthy eating, provide you with a great excuse to get outside, provide you with the organic foods you might otherwise not have purchased, they improve the quality of the soil, and they cut down on the environmental impact of food traveling all over the world to make it into your kitchen.
It's no wonder seed sales have shot up, all over the country, over the last year!
]]>Green Jobs, Bees, and more: Web Round-Uptag:thebudgetecoist.com,2009:www.thebudgetecoist.com/6.94302009-03-20T11:00:23Z2009-03-18T21:27:24ZEcoistPaigepaige@simplygoodmedia.comCalifornia’s Green Jobs Training Program via Mother Nature Network - Melissa Hincha-Ownby, MNN's business guru, blogs about the new California Green Corps, announced by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in a press conference on Wednesday. The program will be part of CaliforniaVolunteers and is designed to train at risk individuals, aged 16-24, for a new, green job.
DIY Flower Projects via Threadbanger - We love this roundup of flower projects. It gets us in the mood for spring! Some projects require a bit of talent (crocheting, for example) while others can be done by the talentless among us (like yours truly!). Origami flowers, anyone?
Best Natural and Organic Soaps (and Why They're Better Than Body Wash) via Sprig - If you're ready to switch up your soap, be sure and read this guide first. Sprig offers up advice on the soaps with the best ingredients for a bargain, the purest bars for sensitive skin, the most amazing scents to start your day off right.
The buzz on backyard beekeeping via Supereco.com - With all the talk of bees going the way of the dinosaurs, it might not be a bad idea for those of us who like gardening, to expand our adventures into beekeeping. Read more about it and get valuable resources to see if you're ready to get in on the buzz.
]]>Purex Natural Elements Laundry Detergent and Fabric Softener: Win This!tag:thebudgetecoist.com,2009:www.thebudgetecoist.com/6.94022009-03-19T11:00:54Z2009-03-18T20:19:55ZEcoistPaigepaige@simplygoodmedia.comprevious review of Purex Natural Elements Laundry Detergent)
What initially intrigued us about Purex: Two things: 1) Purex Natural Elements is recognized by the EPA's "Design for the Environment" program, which works in partnership with a broad range of stakeholders to reduce risk to people and the environment by preventing pollution. 2) Cost... In an interview with Entrepreneur Magazine, Eric Schwartz, marketing director, laundry care, Henkel of America had this to say about Purex: "Purex Natural Elements is connecting with customers. Consumers are very interested in eco topics. And this was true before the [economic] situation worsened. They don't want to feel like they are trading down." At half the price of Tide and less than half the price of Seventh Generation, Purex Natural Elements might easily catch the eye of a cash-strapped consumer.
What makes Purex sustainable?
* 100% naturally derived cleaning ingredients from renewable resources
* Natural fragrance extracts
* Ultra concentrated means that in comparrison to the 200 ounce regular concentrate laundry detergent, it uses 54% less plastic and 53% less water per bottle
* Free of dyes
* Phosphate free
* Hypoallergenic
* Biodegradable formula
* Recyclable bottle and cap
* reduction of fossil fuel usage
What we thought: Similar to the Purex Natural Elements Laundry Detergent, we were impressed with their Fabric Softener. While we've never been partial to liquid fabric softeners, we have to admit, it did a really good job. The laundry came out soft, with not a trace of static cling. The caveat: there are two scents for the fabric softener, linen & lilies, and apple & melon. Both smell very good, but the scent is strong. So if you are someone who does not like your laundry to have a scent to it, this fabric softener is not for you. If you do, though, Purex offers a nice eco laundry option, at a great price.
Additional Resources: For those of you who want a scent-free option, try Nellie's Dryerballs; For more information on greening your laundry, check out our post on eco-laundry options.
Purex is serious about helping you save the planet...and to prove it they're giving away one set of Purex Natural Elements Laundry Detergent and Fabric Softener. See information below on how to enter to win!
TO ENTER: Leave a comment below by Thursday, March 26, at 5:00 P.M. PST -- one winner will be chosen at random on March 27. The winner will receive one bottle each of Purex Natural Elements Laundry Detergent and Purex Natural Elements Fabric Softener.
More ways to win: Go to the Purex Saves Green website where they've launched their second annual campaign to make going green easier than ever. Design your own eco friendly tote bag for a chance to win a smart fortwo vehicle and other great prizes. You can also bid on tote bags designed by celebrities. (Our favorite is the bag designed by Chevy Chase!) All auction proceeds will benefit the Earth Day Network, a non-profit organization that seeks to grow and diversify the environmental movement worldwide.
]]>Recycle Your Couch with Slipcovers: Recycle Thistag:thebudgetecoist.com,2009:www.thebudgetecoist.com/6.94012009-03-17T11:00:53Z2009-03-13T04:57:54ZEcoistPaigepaige@simplygoodmedia.com
The problem with recycling things like sofas and chairs is although they may be comfortable and have plenty of life left in them, they’re often covered in really ugly upholstery. As much as I love being green, I also want my home to look good. This is why I think slipcovers are a great innovation. They’re perfect for hiding unattractive or worn upholstery and for coordinating mismatched furniture.
Admittedly, when I first tried to cover my couch, I thought I’d be thrifty and make my own covers, but after factoring in the cost of fabric and the time it would take me (as well as my limited sewing skills), I decided it’d be cheaper to buy a readymade slipcover. Mass-produced slipcovers also look a lot better than anything I could make myself! Although not made from recycled materials, I do believe they are a greener alternative to buying new furniture. Every slipcover used helps keep a couch out of landfill by extending its lifespan. The environmental impact of replacing a sofa must be considerable, when you think about the energy involved in production, delivery and disposal.
The good news is that some Sure Fit slipcovers are now made from 100% organic cotton, making them even more eco-friendly. Apparently the conventional cotton industry is responsible for a quarter of global pesticide use. With increasing environmental awareness, I hope the trend towards eco-friendly slipcovers will continue to grow and organic fabrics for home decorating will become more widely available.
One-size-fits-all slipcovers are designed to fit most furniture, but as there’s no such thing as a standard-size couch and old sofas come in all shapes and sizes, it’s worth knowing a few fit tips. My top tip to keep a slipcover in place is to use old magazines. If you roll them up and put rubber bands round them, you can stick them down the gaps round the seat to keep the cover smooth and stop it becoming untucked. Old blankets or towels come in handy too. You can use them to add padding to narrow or wooden arms, or anywhere a slipcover is too loose. You can also fix them over leather or vinyl upholstery before fitting a slipcover over the top, to prevent it from slipping.
By using slipcovers you can easily bring a touch of style to your recycled furniture. They are a good green choice for the eco-minded homemaker decorating on a budget.
]]>Storing Food in an Eco and Budget-Friendly Manner, Part 3tag:thebudgetecoist.com,2009:www.thebudgetecoist.com/6.93462009-03-16T11:00:37Z2009-03-16T04:40:38ZEcoistPaigepaige@simplygoodmedia.comkitchen evaluation. The following week, we covered how to properly buy and store bulk food. For today's final post in the series on storing food in an eco and budget-friendly manner, we'll cover tips on easily growing and storing your own food (the simple stuff – no need to get overwhelmed!).
Why grow your own food? Glad you asked. There are several reasons...let's focus on the top three: taste, cost, and environmental impact.
Taste - Have you ever tasted a homegrown tomato? We don't want to talk smack, but homegrown tomatoes make the stuff of stores taste like our idea of tomato water - bland, slightly tomato-flavored. No good!
Cost - For the cost of a packet of seeds, you can grow an abundance of food (especially if that is a packet of zucchini squash seeds). Even purchasing transplants at your local nursery will provide you with food for far less money than the grocery store, or even the farmer's market.
Environmental Impact - Growing your own food is a good weapon in your environmental artillery. Because you wouldn't dare use pesticides, it is helping to preserve the land. If enough people start growing even a small amount of their own food, it helps to minimize the amount of food needed from a supply and demand perspective. When that demand goes down, the need for large scale production farms goes down (these are the Monsantos of the world, who lobby our congressmen and corrupt our Farm Bill). Finally, growing your own (even a little) means you are purchasing less. The purchase you would have made might have included plastics (as in the case of herbs) or other packaging, as well as the petroleum needed to lug said food from wherever it was grown, to your local market where it eventually made its way into your basket.
So...where to start? We're not advocating extreme change here (unless you're ready...in which case read more about urban homesteading). If you're ready to dip your toe into the soil, we'd suggest starting with either something that will have a big impact (think tomatoes...they produce abundantly, and can be used to make salsas, pasta sauces and stewed tomatoes; they slice nicely onto sandwiches and toss wonderfully into salads), something you eat a lot of (perhaps blueberries...they're expensive, usually come in plastic, and one large bush could produce a season's worth of blueberries), or something convenient (growing herbs in pots is easy to do, and when people need herbs for a recipe, well, they're never there. You then have to trek to the store, potentially purchase your herbs in plastic packaging, and most of the time what you didn't need for the immediate recipe will end up going bad in your refrigerator).
Once you've decided what makes the most sense for you to grow, check out these resources:
12 Vegetables You Can Grow in a Pot
]]>Paper-Free Schools, DIY Spring Bags, and more: Web Round-Uptag:thebudgetecoist.com,2009:www.thebudgetecoist.com/6.93592009-03-13T11:00:34Z2009-03-13T04:43:35ZEcoistPaigepaige@simplygoodmedia.comSchool offers paper-free handouts via Mother Nature Network - Jenn Savedge, author of green parenting books, blogs about schools that are using their environmentally-friendly know how to address budget crunches. For example, a school in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania is going paperless with their lunch menus, schedules, fundraising information and announcements. The cost-savings to the school? Over $1500 this year alone!
Build a Slouchy Spring Bag via ThreadBanger - Got some material or a scarf lying around and a desire for a new spring bag? Check out this post from ThreadBanger and make your own! No sewing (or talent) required!
10 Most Dangerous Foods via Sprig - Some foods pose as healthy, causing victims to be taken by surprise. The abundance of farmed fish, for example...who thought fish could be bad for you? Read Sprig's top 10 list of the foods that might pose a risk to your health (especially if you're pregnant) and get informed.
Organize Your Recycling Center via Ecologue.com - Location, presentation, separation and transportation. These are the backbones to your organized recycling solution. Learn how to keep your recycling in ship shape!
5 green budget tricks for parents via SuperEco - The pressure is on for all those green mommas -- but doing it on a budget can be tricky. Or is it??? Get some great tips on how to be a budget-savvy parent from SuperEco.
Image courtesy of Mother Nature Network
]]>Prepping for Easter: Go Greentag:thebudgetecoist.com,2009:www.thebudgetecoist.com/6.93832009-03-12T11:00:46Z2009-03-12T05:37:47ZEcoistPaigepaige@simplygoodmedia.com
Here are some tips for making your Easter a bit greener, a bit less expensive, and a whole lot more creative!
1. Reuse Easter baskets: It should go without saying that Easter baskets should be re-used year to year. It doesn't take much to store a box of holiday goods to bring out once a year. In fact, that's how memories are created. If you haven't been saving your Easter baskets until now, obviously you'll want to start. Or you can make it a fun project, especially if you have little kids. Simply take a shoe box, paint it, cover with me stickers or paper and coloring crayons. Anything that comes to mind! Then cut a handle from a piece of paper or cardboard and staple it on either side of the shoe box. Voila! Instant Easter basket! If you're not into making your own Easter basket, peruse second hand stores where wicker baskets are easily found. Keep it natural, or weave some ribbon through to give it a bit of flare.
2. DIY Easter grass: The easiest way to make your own Easter grass to fill your basket is to take colored construction paper and put it through the paper shredder, though you can cut up most anything. Try cutting colorful fabric into strips, or cellophane, for a sparkly look.
3. A word on those eggs: Since Easter is all about the eggs, if you're not yet in the habit of being picky about your eggs, might we suggest now is the time to become informed about your choices? While we understand that unfortunately in our culture "good, healthy food" can sometimes equate to "expensive," it doesn't necessarily have to be that way. And if it is, what better way to re-allocate your budget than to spend slightly more money on healthier food (for you and the environment) and less on something else. Tips on getting the best eggs: Go local. Visit local farms and farmer’s markets. Produce on sale there is more likely to have come from farms where the animals can roam freely and behave more naturally. Go organic. Analysis conducted by Mother Earth News found that eggs from pasture-raised chickens contained twice the omega-3 content, three times more vitamin E, and a whopping seven times as much beta-carotene as commercially produced eggs. They also had a third less cholesterol and a fourth less saturated fat. Go Free-range or Pastured. "Free range" refers to chickens being allowed to range freely outdoors where they can eat whatever grass, weed seeds, insects and worms they choose. Pastured eggs are chicken products which have been harvested from chickens allowed to roam in open pastures.
4. Make your own Easter egg dye: Take crayons and write or squiggle designs on the egg. Then create the dye with a combination of 1/2 cup boiling water, 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar and 30-40 drops of food dye. Let the dye cool and then dip eggs into the dye. You can also make natural egg coloring from foods.
5. Don't let that food go to waste! Since you're going through all the trouble to decorate all those wonderful eggs, be sure and put them to use. Compost the shells and eat the eggs. What? You have no use for 2 dozen eggs? Make an appetizer: everyone loves a good deviled egg! Or...whip up a batch of egg salad and make sandwiches for lunch. And if you still have some leftover and you just can't bear the thought of one more, make it feed for the animals. Dogs love eggs. At least our dogs do...