Everyone who reads this blog knows a teenager, right? Or knows a teacher, a coach, a doctor, a neighbor who knows a teenager? Maybe you ARE a teenager!
Join Project Green Challenge, an amazing month-long event created especially for students!
The brainchild of Erin Schrode and her friends at Teens Turning Green, it launches October 1 with an entire month of exciting daily activities. Practically Green is proud to be a media sponsor to support the Challenge all month.
Find out about Project Green Dorm, Project Green Prom, Project Lunch, Teens Turning Green for Schools — and lots of other smart ways to be eco-friendly.
Erin’s mom Judi just emailed to say, “46 states.. 14 countries .. hundreds of schools.. thousands of students.. unprecedented! … so grateful.”
Have a look and plunge in: “30 days to take your lifestyle from conventional to conscious.” Wouldn’t you love to wake up on November 1st having accomplished just that?
It’s tailgate time! Do you have a tired collection of coolers and containers that do not begin to reflect your enthusiasm for getting together with family & friends to cheer your favorite teams?
Enter BlueAvocado. This is a very cool company, founded by two sisters and their best friend in Austin, Texas.
Paige David, Amy George, Melissa Nathan of BlueAvocado
At first we set out to change just one thing – the way you shop. So we built a company run by women for the good of everybody. Then we designed a mixable family of lifestyle products light on environmental waste and heavy on sass, style and inspiration. Featuring certified recycled REPREVE fibers, all of our products are durable, lead free, washable and include a carbon label to track environmental impact.
You can buy BlueAvocado at the Container Store, select Bloomingdales, and via Practically Green — just scroll down to the products section on any of the related actions.
Personally? Craving a Boxey Lady set for transporting snacks to games and events this season:
Paige has five additional product recommendations.
- Big Chil – ideal for hauling food to tailgates:
Big Chil
- Clutch Kit: For a more fashion forward approach and some extra accessories for snacks for the kids in our (re)zip and dips insulated in our boxes.
- Hip Chil: Messenger style to keep items insulated.
- Hip Pod: Perfect for sunscreen, sweater or other items.
- Lunch Tote: The perfect daytripper,
- Mini chil clutch.
Check out the Green Shopper badge on Practically Green! Complete nine of these actions to earn your badge.
{When you’ve earned your badge, enter in the coupon code ‘balovespg10′ for a 10% discount at BlueAvocado.}
Hmm, these reusable lunch bags look awesome – think of all the money I’ll save on zip-loc bags, AND I’ll finally check this action off my PG plan!!
Switch to reusable sandwich bags:
WaterSense is Common Sense, by Veronica Blette
Many people find the sound of running water to be soothing. That may be true if you are in the woods having a picnic beside a babbling brook, but it isn’t when you are entering your house after a day of work. One day last winter I came home and found that the flapper on my toilet had become stuck in the open position, which led to its earnest, yet futile, efforts to fill the bowl all day long. Not soothing at all to realize that while I was at work focusing on advancing a nationwide ethic of water efficiency, water was running down my drain. My water bill saw a big jump and I was shocked when I pulled information from my local water utility and saw how much water had actually been lost during that day of wasted toilet filling.
Veronica's water bill
Turns out, I wasn’t alone – the average American house wastes 10,000 gallons each year through leaks. How many of us have heard the ghost flush that happens in the middle of the night? Well, it turns out that those flushes add up! Across the country, easy-to-fix household leaks add up to more than one trillion gallons of water lost annually, robbing homeowners of 12 percent of their water bill.
Less than one percent of the Earth’s water is available for human use, and managing water is a growing concern in the United States. Using water more efficiently and avoiding waste helps maintain supplies at safe levels now and for future generations.
That’s where WaterSense comes in – we’re trying to make it simple for consumers to save water through water-efficient products, homes, services, and tips for around the house. Over the past five years, WaterSense has helped Americans save 125 billion gallons of water and $2 billion in water and energy bills.
Besides finding and fixing leaks, there are lots of other things you can do around the house to save water. Getting started is as easy as 1-2-3…just check-twist-replace!
1. Check toilets for silent leaks by putting a few drops of food coloring in the tank and seeing if the color appears in the bowl before you flush. Don’t forget to check irrigation systems and spigots, too. (Click here for Practically Green’s efficient-toilet suggestions!)
2. Twist and tighten pipe connections. To save even more water without a noticeable difference in flow, twist in a WaterSense labeled faucet aerator or showerhead. (Fix a leaky faucet; Install low-flow valves in all faucets)
3. Replace the fixture if necessary. It may be as easy as replacing a toilet flapper, but if you need a new fixture, look for the WaterSense label, which signifies the product has been certified to save water and perform well. (Upgrade older faucets & shower heads (older than 1994); Upgrade toilets that take more than 1.6 gallons per flush to standard toilets)
Veronica (at left) and her friends -- on the job!
Want to do more? Join my team and thousands of your neighbors by supporting the We’re for Water campaign. Visit the website to take the I’m for Water pledge, “like” WaterSense on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.
About the author: Veronica Blette leads EPA’s WaterSense program. Veronica has been with the Agency for more than thirteen years and, going forward, will always make sure the toilet is not running before she goes to work.
Applegate’s Sausage Fest Contest ends on Saturday, October 1, and we’re so lucky to have a sneak peek at one of the entries! Jennifer O’Connor lives in central Massachusetts, and she submitted a recipe that she says is perfect for her son’s fall high-school crew meets (“they row in ALL kinds of weather”), which she learned from her mother. “It’s a real cozy meal for the turning-colder weather.”
Crew Race
It‘s a cozy, delicious dish – and it’s one that can win a kettle full of PG points! Each one of these actions is worth 50 points, which tells you how impactful they are:
- Buy meat that is raised using sustainable farming methods
- Buy organic beef regularly (ditto)
- Buy organic pork regularly (ditto)
- Buy antibiotic- and hormone-free meat regularly
Submit your culinary genius and win a practically unending supply of Applegate sausages (and we promise, they are delicious!). Here goes!
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Jennifer’s Recipe Entry
Hello,
First I’d like to thank you for making such yummy hot dogs that are natural and organic! I hadn’t eaten a beef hot dog (or any “meat” hot dog in over a decade until I tried yours. Please continue making wonderful organic meats available forever and ever!!
Next, I’d like to submit my recipe for your Sausage Fest contest. Being a New Englander and proper Bostonian, I must submit a recipe for homemade baked beans with bacon. Then turn it into good ole Franks’n'Beans!
Jennifer & her family
Baked Beans Recipe:
The Northeast’s famous baked beans are traditionally made with molasses, but here they are sweetened with another New England classic: maple syrup. One pound of dry navy beans will yield enough hot topping for a crowd…and then some.
- 1 pound organic dried navy beans
- 4 Organic Applegate Bacon slices
- 1⁄2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1⁄3-1 cup barbecue sauce
- 2⁄3 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 tblsp prepared mustard
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 packages of Applegate Great Organic Hot Dogs
Rinse beans well. Place in large bowl and add enough cold water to cover the beans by 2 inches. Let beans soak 8-12 hours (longer is fine, too).
Drain and rinse beans; place in heavy kettle (cast iron works great). Add enough cold water to cover the beans by 1 inch. Bring to slow simmer, skimming the surface often to remove foam. While beans are simmering, heat oven to 300-325 degrees. Cook bacon in a skillet; drain strips on paper towels, reserving the fat in the pan (if desired).
After beans have simmered slowly 20-30 minutes, chop the bacon and add it to the beans. Stir in some or all of the reserved bacon fat, if desired. Stir in maple syrup, barbecue sauce, onion, mustard and salt. Return mixture to a simmer. Cover pot tightly and bake until beans are fully tender, 3-4 hours. You want to end up with very tender beans in a thickened sauce. If there’s too much liquid at the end, transfer pot to a stove burner and cook beans over medium high, stirring constantly, until liquid is reduced. You can also thicken them by pressing some beans against the sides of the pot.
You may serve the beans right away, but they will taste even better if you: a.) leave them in a warm oven for a couple hours; b.) let them cool down completely and then reheat them; or c.) cool and refrigerate them overnight.
Once you have your tasty baked beans, slice up your hot dogs so they look like coins. Toss them into the prepared baked beans and let them cook on medium heat for about another 15 minutes. If you have a crock pot, it is easier to put the beans and franks in it – that way if you are going to tailgate or a potluck, you can safely transport and keep this hearty healthy meal warm and ready!
I like to make batches and freeze a whole bunch. It keeps very well, and can be reheated in oven, on stove, or in the microwave. I think it is a great meal that warms your belly and keeps it felling full. Lowfat, organic, and scrumptious are my description for my submission. Thanks again for providing such quality ingredients! I love you, Applegate!
Jennifer O’Connor
At 3:00 pm I discovered these toilet paper rolls in the bathroom trash upstairs. Obviously recyclable. But nowhere near the recycling bin in the kitchen downstairs.
And at 3:05 I opened an email from Maryam, who has a solution. She submitted the following idea on Quirky and we love it.
Voting ends on Monday at Noon EST so don’t wait! Check it out and if you like it, please give it a thumbs up!
****Maryam’s Genius Idea****
You recycle in your kitchen, right? How about in your bathroom? Probably not. You need a Recycling Sorter that looks good in every room.
I came up with the idea one day when I was standing my bathroom, about to toss an empty shampoo bottle into my wastepaper basket, and I thought, “Why don’t I have a recycling bin in my bathroom?” Then I looked around for a nice, attractive combo trash/recycling bin and couldn’t find anything that didn’t look totally industrial. As I thought more about it I realized that just a divided bin wouldn’t work, it would need to be color-coded so that it was at-a-glance obvious which side was for which kind of waste. And that each side needed to be able to be emptied separately.
Maryam's design sketches
Maryam & Theo
Please click to Quirky (http://www.quirky.com/ideations/102536) to see more and vote (yes, you do have to register but it only takes a second and full disclosure: Practically Green gets absolutely nothing from this except the exquisite knowledge that we may have helped a wonderful innovation come to life.)
Maryam has been with Practically Green from the get-go — and we are delighted to give her idea some exposure.
I love Practically Green. It is the only site I have found that doesn’t give you just a generic list of green things to do, but truly personalized the action to you individually. I love that was you complete actions the site comes up with the next logical actions that you can perform. I find it very inspiring. And very practical!
It’s been easy to pooh-pooh employee engagement as a soft, feel-good endeavor. You know: an annual Earth Day fair, a company campaign to recycle paper or use reusable mugs, or to carpool or take public transportation or bike whenever possible. Hardly the stuff from which profits and productivity are derived. And so employee engagement has been thought of as a nice-to-do activity to demonstrate a company’s concern, if not commitment, for the environment.
That’s changing.
So begins Joel Makower’s introduction to a new partnership between GreenBiz.com and the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) that aims to transform corporate culture with sustainable practices. (Read the entire post, “Employee Engagement: This Time It’s Serious,” here.)
More on all of this soon… but first, what is NEEF?
"Staffers at NEEF practice what they preach -- the nonprofit's car is a Prius" -- Washingtonian mag
We were delighted to chat recently with NEEF president Diane Wood. Turns out NEEF is a group of 26 people in Washington who advance environmental education nationwide across a broad spectrum:
We work with teachers, pediatricians, public land managers. We collaborate with broadcast meteorologists, because when you think about it, they’re teaching science all the time. We developed Earth Gauge to support them. We have more than 200 meteorologists reaching up to 240 million households. At the end of the day people will change behavior when a trusted friend does so, and who is more trusted than your meteorologist?
See if your go-to meteorologist is on-board here.
And we work with business managers and corporate executives…. A few years ago we decided to learn from companies themselves.
NEEF formed a group of corporations, 20 or so – Cisco, Lockheed Martin, Ikea, Home Depot, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft among them – and created webinars. “It was essentially a safe space to share lessons learned, Diane says. “We made case studies from the highlights. Bottom line: employee engagement was the number one most effective thing a company could do to succeed on sustainable priorities.”
NEEF’s new white paper was released this week: “The report, ‘Toward Engagement 2.0: Creating a More Sustainable Company through Employee Engagement,’ examines how companies are going from primarily ad hoc and self-organized employee engagement efforts, to providing more organizational support and structure for environmental and sustainability education,” Diane says.
Here is the five-step process, detailed in the report, for establishing a culture of sustainability in a company:
1. Permit: granting employees permission to become involved in sustainability initiatives.
2. Educate & engage: providing employees educational materials and engaging them in sustainability activities.
3. Act: empowering employees to take action at work, as well as at home and in their community.
4. Embed: making sustainability a regular part of their organizations, including their human resource processes, operations, product or service innovation & development, and beyond.
5. Evaluate: measuring and evaluating employee engagement efforts to gauge impact, support continued integration into company culture and inform future employee engagement efforts.
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Join NEEF’s National Public Lands Day on Saturday, 9/24 — not sure where the closest site is? Click here to find it. (There were 1,908 sites listed at this posting) Follow @NationalLandsDay and join them on Facebook: /nationalpubliclandsday. Find NEEF on Facebook and follow them @neefusa.
We’ll focus more on GreenBiz soon; for now you might like to sign up for their newsletter.
We love holidays! World Carfree Day encourages everyone to rethink transportation choices on September 22.
At Practically Green we’ve got a Low-Car Diet: see below of a few of the ideas and click here for the full set. You might consider some tweaks to your transportation regime: carpool, car-share, oreven look into a more fuel-efficient vehicle. (Pre-owned is good, too!)
My personal Carfree dream: FlyKly, a new electric bike. I can so easily imagine zipping around town on one of these babies: fully charged it can go 40 miles at 20 mph. Zero emissions. They’re currently available online, and you can test-drive one in New York City. More on that soon…
Electric FlyKly Bicycles. Craving.....
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Walk your errands, by Andrea Learned
This suggestion sounds overly obvious, right?
My recent move from a small town in Vermont to a dense urban neighborhood in Seattle has re-ignited my enthusiasm for being strategic with my walked errands. Plus, I have a dog.
I’m like most people in that I need to fit trips to the library, post office, grocery store and all those types of things in and around my working hours. (I am unlike some people in that I have no commute, and work from home, so this does make walking household errands more do-able). My strategy is to stop each morning and think of the stuff I need to get done. I then map out (in my head) three things, at most, that I can get done while also walking my dog.
Because I deliberately chose to live in a well laid out, mixed-use neighborhood when I moved here a few months ago, my errand runs include coming across clever pocket parks, a few hidden pathways between the waterfront and residential areas, industrial boat works blocks amid new coffee shops (this is Seattle) – all on the way to my car repair shop. As well, I gain new insight for future bike routes that I might otherwise have missed in driving too quickly by. (as in: “oh.. so that little street flows into THAT bike route…” ).
"Teeny, one residential lot, garden-filled 'pocket park.'"
Once I start thinking about paths and doing errands in groupings that are walkable, I then keep challenging myself to be even more efficient or to find yet another new sight on future errand walks. For me, walking begets walking. I find myself extending what “walking distance” means (compared to “biking distance,” for one), because the slower, street scale pace, can be incredibly calming and enjoyable. Clearing my head and getting exercise are extra bonuses in trying to live a more green life.
"Cool old building, which I noticed was being renovated ... because I was walking, could stop & ask one of the workers what it was going to be - a B&B!
Now, excuse me while I put the leash on my dog…
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Andrea Learned is an author (Don’t Think Pink), blogger, and expert on gender-based consumer behavior, with a focus on sustainability influence and communication. In addition to her blog (http://learnedon.com), Andrea also contributes to the Huffington Post and Greenbiz.com. Follow her on Twitter @AndreaLearned
Have you ever thought of installing a wind turbine at your house?
Or are you worried that it would be impossible, deafening, or cost-prohibitive? And/or prohibited in your neighborhood or not worth the bother?
All of the above?
Our advisor Jeffrey Hollender went ahead and installed one at his home in Vermont. We like to think he consulted Practically Green to clinch his decision! From the PG action:
Read the complete action here: http://practicallygreen.com/install-wind
Here is Jeffrey’s story:
The Wind Turbine is Up at Last, by Jeffrey Hollender
The Hollenders' back yard, with Wind Turbine
It took longer than expected, but my wind turbine is up and generating more C02 free electricity that we projected. You may remember that back in June I embarked on installing a 10 kw Bergey www.bergey.com/ wind turbine. The Bergey Windpower Co. (BWC) has its origins in research activities at the University of Oklahoma dating back to 1970. My plan was to take advantage of a new law passed this past summer by the Vermont Legislature that guarantees that any electricity generated by a residential turbine must be purchased by the local utility at $.20 a kilowatt hour. Not a bad deal considering that here in Vermont we pay between $.10 and $.13 for the energy we purchase.
Every time I look out my window and watch that turbine turn, I feel proud to be part of the solution to the single greatest challenge facing our planet. I know the investment is unaffordable to many, but just imagine the impact if everyone who could afford it committed to do the same.
The turbine will cost about $50,000 before rebates and tax credits. There is a cash incentive grant worth $12,500 lowering the net cost to $37,500, and then a 30% federal tax credit that will further reduce the cost to about $25,000. I had expected the turbine to generate at least 8,000 kilowatts a year but based on my first month I’m generating over 1,000 kilowatts a month, or 50% better than I’d planned.
Since I will sell all the electricity I generate back to the grid (something called net-metering) I will receive a credit against the electricity I use of about $2,400 a year. That means that it will take about 10 years to break even on my investment – unless the wind blows harder or the tax credits go up!
Note: Jeffrey co-founded Seventh Generation in 1987 and built it into a household word, contributing an integral component of the modern-day green-living movement. A prolific author, speaker, and blogger, he founded the American Sustainable Business Council to change the rules of business. Follow Jeffrey on Twitter @JeffHollender and join him on Facebook.
Learn more about Jeffrey and about Practically Green’s other advisors here.
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Maybe you’re inspired to install a wind turbine at your house – or at your school, your company, your town! Maybe you already have one? Please share your favorite big-ticket energy improvement stories with us.
When we saw EatingWell’s Healthy Kitchen Makeover Challenge, bells went off: how many points could we get on Practically Green if we did each one of these daily tasks over the next 14 days?
We found out! Practically Green’s unflappable intern Matt DiChiara paired each Eating Well tip with the most relevant Practically Green action, and here’s the tally:
Have a look at the 14 steps in the challenge (below). Click on the PG action link for an explanation: score breakdown, why it’s green, how to do it, product recommendations and helpful links.
Note: Do not miss Day 12, Whopping Wednesday, worth 560 points on Practically Green!
Bravo to EatingWell for coming up with a Challenge that’s so impactful, and for making it so convenient to tackle. And for more inspiration to transform your kitchen, please join the Practically Green team – Susan Hunt Stevens, Alexandra Zissu, and Sarah Finnie Robinson – with the Eating Well crew on Facebook LIVE Tuesday, September 20 at 12 noon Eastern time! Bring all your ideas and questions. We’ll bring our recipes, advice, product recommendations, flops — and appetites! See you then!
Day 1: Print out a list of the Dirty Dozen produce. // Practically Green action: Review the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen list of fruits and vegetables – 5 points
Day 2: Filter your tap water. // PG: Replace bottled water with filtered water (tap or jug) – 10 points
Day 3: Pull out that old cast-iron skillet and season it. // PG: Avoid nonstick cookware – 10 points
Day 4: Plant an herb. // PG: Plant containers for herbs or vegetables – 20 points
Day 5: Leave your shoes at the door. // PG: Take shoes off at the door regularly – 50 points!!
Day 6: Clean out your cleaning products. // PG: Switch to a natural all-purpose cleaner – 10 points
Day 7: Turn down the heat on nonstick pans. // PG: see Day 3, Avoid nonstick cookware – 10 points
Day 8: Tackle your plastic container collection. // PG: Avoid food packaging and cling wrap containing PVC – 10 points
Day 9: Save your glass jars and use them to store food. // PG: Use BPA-free cups and bottles (and food containers) – 10 points
Day 10: Transfer your lunch to a ceramic plate before microwaving. // PG: Use glass or lead-free ceramic instead of plastic in the microwave – 10 points
Day 11: Look for can-free alternatives to the canned foods you use most. // PG: Buy local produce seasonally – 50 points
Day 12: Take the extra time to trim the fat from meat before cooking it. // PG: If you did all seven of these organic and antibiotic/hormone-free meat actions, you’d earn a Whopping 560 points!!
Day 13: Find a new fish that’s low in mercury. // PG: Choose safe seafood – 40 points
Day 14: Put dried beans on your shopping list. // PG: Buy organic vegetables regularly – 50 points
***** Please let us know how you do! And while you’re waiting for the next EatingWell Challenge, we recommend checking out their recipes. Cookbook lovers will want to have The Art of EatingWell, winner of the James Beard Foundation 2011 award for best Healthy Focus cookbook, available right here:
Reduce takeout meals to once a week or less
(Guess how many points it’s worth before you click!)
Eco Build: Greening Up My New Home, by Renee Heath
I was lucky enough to grow up in a house my dad built. And my husband was fortunate as well to have a home constructed by his dad’s two hands. So it only felt right that we carry on the tradition and develop our own property. Little did we know what we were getting into…all the decisions (and money)!
From flooring types to paint selections and beyond, we’re spoiled with choice in this country. What has helped us narrow down the options during our construction process are the following two sentences:
- Will this help our family live healthier and greener?
- Can we afford the selection, and if not, does it make sense to spend extra money now to save cash later?
I thought I would share the questions we are still working through to get your brain ticking over and to hopefully get your input as well as to what we should do before breaking ground!
Recycled Materials
New Jersey gets hot summers, cold winters and everything in between. So we asked ourselves how we can set up for lower energy bills. Insulation was the first thing that came to mind. We found that the cheapest option out there is fiberglass insulation. Economical but scary to think you have to wear gloves and a mask to install it as to not breathe in any glass fibers! We really like recycled blue jeans and newspapers lagging for inside of the walls. I still have to compare what the difference in the “R factor” would be compared to fiberglass.
A different option for the roof, we are looking into blown foam insulation made from a soy renewable product. Then there’s insulating duct work, pipes and water heater, oh my!
Click here for seven ways to insulate your home
Renewable Energy
New Jersey also has the most amount of people per square foot of land than any other state in America! So we want to make sure we consume the least amount of natural resources as possible. We are researching three forms of renewable energy: geo-thermal, solar panels and wind turbine.
Geo thermal is a great option for a natural cooling and heating system. Love using the earth’s consistent underground temperature to virtually heat our home for free! This will lower our green house emissions for sure! We know our winters might get too cold, so we are contemplating a wood pellet stove to top up our heat as it emits less harmful pollutants compared to oil or gas. Programmable thermostat installed is a no brainer but not sure I can convince hubby to go >78 degrees in summer and <68 degrees in winter.
Solar panel water heater is a want at this point and not a must have. I already know we need to keep whatever kind of water heater we go with around 120 degrees to be green. And we want low-flow shower heads too!
Wind turbine for electric is another on tier two/nice-to-have right now. Plus, need to see if my neighbors agree with seeing a large fan spinning around all day and night.
Energy Efficient Products
Heat Map
I love seeing heat maps of houses showing where heat escapes; windows are always a major culprit. We want dual-pane low-e windows (blocks radiant heat and prevents heat from escaping). Expensive but efficient, so think this is our spend-more-money-now to-save-later option. Also there are thermal shades/shutters, weather stripping and window treatments, but to be honest, my eyes went crossed at this point! I am still just getting my head around the NFRC (National Fenestration Research Council) window labeling system!
Any thought on our above options? I know I took an energy slant as we are in pre-construction phase, but beyond formal building, there are options for fixtures, furnishing and finishing. Do you have ideas on all-natural carpet, no-VOC paints and formaldehyde free furniture?
Note: Renee is Applegate’s Digital Social Media Manager, and you can follow her on Twitter @reneerants. Full disclosure: Applegate is one of our favorite sponsors at Practically Green; check out their Healthy Green lunch badge and enter their Sausage Contest!!
Does everyone know what this is?
Of course you do! It’s one of those maddening rolls of tin foil that will not work, that peels off the roll in an ever-narrowing slice. Can you see the horrid decreasing spiral at the right of the photo?
I confess it is mine. Further, I’ve been living with it for months, maybe a year. I bought it because it says it’s the right thing to do: “100% recycled aluminum”! But I don’t care how green it is if it doesn’t work!
Solution: Go to Practically Green and rate the product recommendations on each and & every action! Tell the world what works and what does not! Submit your product if you don’t see it there.
Example: Avoid food packaging and cling wrap containing PVC
See the little button after the existing Product Recommendations? 
I feel much better now that my suggestion is live on Practically Green: 
Have a look!!
Amazing, right? They’re from Hunter Gather, and I say they make a fine alternative to the tin foil. I only wish they were made of organic cotton…. that’s why I gave them a 4-leaf rating.
Please share your favorite green, efficient, healthy products! We all want to know what they are!
Thank you.
Halloween is one of my very favorite holidays, but I do I hate to think how much candy corn I have wolfed down over the years. The evolved me, the one who reads labels now, knows that this stuff is about as healthy as eating upholstery stuffing.
Credit: NYTimes.com
That’s why I appreciate Green Halloween so so much: A few years ago, Corey Colwell-Lipson decided she’s had enough. Enough of all the junk food, the wasteful packaging, the dumpsters full of costumes, severed-arm decorations, and other trash on November 1st. Corey said, Let’s fix this holiday. She asked, Why can’t we make this holiday healthy and safe?
Photo: Hollie Dunn
Answer? We can! Green Halloween is in year five: a “healthy, safe and eek-o-fabulous Halloween revolution.” And all the scary delicious fun is intact, complete with a National Costume Swap Day, a bag design contest, and thousands of Halloween events around the country with goodies from sponsors like Honest Tea, Angel organic candy bars, and Stretch Island Fruit.
Practically Green is a proud sponsor of Green Halloween, and we’ve created a special Green Halloween Badge to get this party started!
The Green Halloween Badge rewards you for making healthy green choices for this popular family holiday, including costume selection, face paint, trick-or-treating bags, candy — even eco-friendly cocktails for the adults! Go get it!
For example:
Switch to natural face paint Use a reusable bag for Halloween treats Host or join a costume swap
Complete any six of these actions, and the stupendous pumpkin is yours on your Practically Green dashboard!
Watch Corey explain more about Green Halloween in her fabulous witch costume:
To read all about Green Halloween and find fun events near you, visit GreenHalloween.org. You can learn how to get involved locally, sign up for the super nifty newsletter, and get fab DIY costume ideas, recipes, upcycled décor how-to‘s and more. There‘s even a trick-or-treat bag design contest for kids! Join the growing Green Halloween community on Facebook and follow @GreenHalloween on Twitter.
It may be impossible to calculate how many millions of people watch the US Open tennis tournament every year, but Lauren Kittelstad of the United States Tennis Association keeps a close eye on the estimated 60,000 tennis balls the event consumes.
Lauren Kittelstad of the USTA with Bina Indelicato of EcoEvolutions
The balls come in cans that are made of a combination of plastic (can, top, and wrapper) and aluminum (rim and pull top). And, as of 2011, the entire container is recycled.
Lauren explains that this is part of the USTA’s green initiative. She co-chairs the Open’s green task force, which plans year-round for the event.
“Over 700,000 people attend the event annually, and we have employees, players, and others. There’s a lot of waste, and we want to figure out how to recycle all of it properly.”
Tennis-ball cans collected for recycling
They’re making progress: “50 tons of food waste goes to compost. We’re piloting a fan-waste compost program this year. In 2010 we recycled 300,000 plastic drink bottles.”
If all those US Open fans checked-off the related recycling actions on Practically Green, we’d be awarding billions of points!
Challenges? “It’s not easy: the tournament has a relatively short duration. It’s a place to be at the end of the summer in New York City. It’s fast-moving and people have priorities other than waste and cleaning. We bring in workers from all over the country who may have different levels of environmental awareness.”
Cucumber peels ready for composting
Must-have Swag: US Open "EcoTote"
Lauren and her green consultant, Bina Indelicato, hold internal trainings for the concessionaires and other employees in advance. “Bina shows them the actual dirt that all the food waste turns into – the ‘black gold’ that gardeners love. It’s our fourth year of these trainings and they’re working. We try to make it easy to dispose of waste properly, with effective signage, convenient compost containers, the right equipment.”
And where do all those tennis balls go after the tournament? “We use them for USTA programs until they’re ‘dead’. Then, many of them end up in nursing homes to pad walkers and furniture legs. We encourage local nursing homes and hospitals to let us know if they need some.”
Grab the Open’s mobile app, follow them on Twitter @usopen, and join them on Facebook!
Does this Back to School season have you thinking about freshening up your interiors? Today’s guest blogger introduces us to makeover experts in Colorado Springs for solutions on materials & finishes that make any room a great place to learn and create – at home, at school at work.
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When I was asked to write an article about interior makeovers for Practically GreenI immediately knew I wanted to talk to Allyson Buck and Sarah Heinbaugh of Interilife Sustainable Interiors.
Just think about the rooms where kids spend most of their time. Many of the design choices we make can have very serious health implications, so it’s really important to choose nontoxic products. Paint, carpets and flooring can offgas dangerous chemicals that you do not want to breathe. Luckily, there are healthier options, so you can create a great interiorwithout compromising anyone’s health.
Since times are tough economically I asked Allyson which 3 areas would be cheapest, easiest and have the greatest impact. All of her are amazing for both the design and the health of your interior space — and can be completed without hiring expensive professionals!
Paint – Paint is cheap, easy and covers the largest surface area. It is the most impactful change you can make to a room. It’s the first thing people notice when they enter – both the way it looks and the way it smells when it’s new. If you only buy one nontoxic product for your makeover project, this is the one to make.
Allyson recommends using Mythic Paint. Mythic is a No-VOC premium paint with No-VOC pigments. People are often concerned that Mythic costs more than paint from, say, Home Depot. However, Allyson says to make sure you are comparing paints of equal quality. Yes, Home Depot paints are about ½ the price of Mythic. But Home Depot paints aren’t premium paints and they aren’t No-VOC. They aren’t going to last as long as Mythic. They aren’t going to hold up to crayon drawings on the walls, the rocking chair hitting the wall and all the rest of the wear and tear young children put on a wall.
If you compare the price of Mythic to a premium paint such as Benjamin Moore (still not No-VOC) Mythic is actually cheaper. And, you get the added benefit of it not releasing toxic fumes. Who can put a price tag on that!
Mythic paint is so safe you can touch it up while your baby is sleeping in the same room with no fear of toxic fumes. A few years ago you could only get No-VOC paint in a limited pallet of earth tones. Now Mythic comes in a wide selection of colors and it can be color-matched to your favorite color from another brand or your décor.
Flooring – The next easiest thing to change is your flooring. Carpeting holds dust, allergens, heavy metals and anything else you track into your home. Even the best vacuum can’t remove everything from carpet. Babies crawl around, play and lay down right next to the particles in the carpet. They put their hands and all their toys in their mouths exposing them to anything that’s in your carpet. Experts often recommend hard flooring, especially with young children around.
Allyson says if you use floating, snap together Marmoleum tiles you can change the entire look of your floor very easily and with minimal tools. They come in a wide selection of colors giving you many options. And, when your baby grows up and wants something more grown up you can just pull them up and donate them to your local Habitat for Humanity ReStore or sell them on Craigslist so they can be used again on someone else’s project.
Marmoleum is true linoleum, made from linseed oil. It is certified asthma and allergy friendly. The top layer of the tiles is Marmoleum and the bottom is cork. In the middle is MDF which is free of added urea formaldehyde, which is a carcinogen.
Wool area rugs – Allyson says the next easiest & most affordable way to have a big green impact upon your room is by adding 100% wool area rugs. The rugs they carry and recommend are made by INDI B and have a cotton backing and are naturally dyed. Wool rugs are very durable and these come in a wide selection of colors and designs. When you are done with them they are easy to get rid of. You can sell them on Craigslist or donate them to a store like Habitat for Humanity ReStore.
We love this 5 x 7' rug from IndiB!
Going nontoxic in these 3 areas can have a huge impact upon the design of your nursery without negatively harming your baby’s health. Allyson says no matter what green design products you use remember that there are no products that are perfect ecologically or socially. Try not to get caught up in looking for perfection. Find the best product you can that meets your design needs, lifestyle and budget.
If you are in Colorado you can visit Interilife’s store in Colorado Springs for each of these products and more. For other parts of the country go to the individual websites for a list of distributors or to purchase online.
Danika Carter is the beauty editor for Greenwala.
Please join us on Twitter
for a
#BackToSchool Bash
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Celebrate Rodale’s amazing/brand-new e-book:
Non-‐Toxic Back to School Shopping Guide!
One hour packed with tips, experts, quips – & great giveaways!
Wednesday, September 7th, 9 to 10 pm EST
* SPECIAL GUESTS *
Emily Main & Leah Zerbe @RodaleNews
Tami O’Neill @KidsCookMonday
Paige Davis @BlueAvocado
Brittney Gordon from @EnergyStar
Sarah Smith @KiwiMagazine
Janelle Sorensen @Healthy_Child
Renee Heath @ApplegateFarms
Amy Burba @PeopleTowels
Tahnee Agbunag @GreenDepotLLC
Elise Jones @Babybites
Erin Franzyck @Goodbyn
Jennifer Schiff @FamDinner
Jill Judd @WhippleHill
Kristi Wiedemann @TigersGoGreen (Princeton University)
Corey Colwell-‐Lipson @GreenHalloween
Lynn Colwell @CelebrateGreen
Please use hashtag #BackToSchool
Questions? Ask Sarah @practicallygrn
Blueberry Corn Cobbler from EatingWell.com: Y.U.M.!!
Labor Day: corn the cob, sticky barbecue ribs, blueberry pie, a round of s’mores (with HFCS-free marshmallows, of course!), chewy grilled peach/caramel bliss*. (Thank you for the *recipe, Karla Young; wicked tempting).
No offense, but this might be a perfect time to reconsider your flossing routine. Here are Tammy and Lyssie, aka the Nutrition Twins. I have met these sisters — and YES their teeth are for real and YES they are inspiring!
Switch to natural dental floss, by Tammy and Lyssie Fliakos
We’re completely obsessed. And we do it at least four times a day. Floss, that is.
No, really. We are the ones who aren’t fibbing when we tell our dentist this. Our flossing obsession began in college when our friend Brett had told us that he was going to dental school and had given us an hour long lecture explaining why it was essential that we floss a minimum of three times a day if we wanted to have nice white teeth and healthy gums. We certainly aren’t girls who want ugly brown teeth or irritated gums, and so our flossing mania began. To this day we credit Brett for our good flossing habits. Well, Brett… and the fact that no matter what we eat, we always manage to get something black or green wedged in between our front teeth.
After years of using regular floss without thinking twice about it, we were surprised when we learned that not only may there be harmful chemicals (many flosses contain chlorhexidine which is an eye and skin irritant) in our floss, but our floss doesn’t biodegrade since it’s made from plastic. The pitfalls of flossing were completely off our radar.
So we set out to find if we could find floss that is safe to use and that also doesn’t harm the environment. After all, this seemed like a pretty easy change to make assuming that a biodegradable, safe floss exists.
And guess what? We found several.
Tom’s of Maine was already on the case—they make a few (Anti-plaque Spearmint Flat Floss & Anti-plaque Unflavored Round Floss), as well as Desert Essence (Tea Tree Oil Dental floss). Tom’s of Maine Anti-plaque Spearmint was the first one we tried, and since we liked it, we didn’t look for others. The part that got us hooked is that as soon as we opened the container we smelled the great minty scent that smelled like it could sweeten the worst of breath. The scent actually made us reminisce about growing up and chewing Doublemint gum, our gum of choice back in high school. (We say that with cheesy grins on our faces and realize it’s a bit corny, but growing up that was the gum that our Mom got for us. Being twins, it seemed fitting. And we still enjoy that flavor and taste although now we don’t chew that gum. )
This was such an easy change for us to make. We encourage you to make the change too! It’s easy, painless and can help your health and the environment, (and quite possibly, your breath) can’t beat that! J
Join Tammy & Lyssie on Facebook and follow them on Twitter @NutritionTwins
Meet Lori Alper: blogger, lawyer, mother – and passionate traveler. Here she is with her family in Paris, sigh. We asked for Lori’s Green Family Travel Tips and she doesn’t disappoint — her post hits on 8+ PG actions. Enjoy!
Fly non-stop rather than connect 20 points
Fly one of the top green airlines 5 points
Bring a reusable water bottle 10 points
Low-car diet 5 to 200 points
Keep your showers short 20 points
Shut off the water when brushing teeth 10 points
Turn off the lights when you leave a room 10 points
Contribute to the local community/economy 10 to 50 points
And we just had to add this one, partly because we loathe the red-eye and also because it’s worth a surprising 50 points:
Fly during the day, and not at night
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10 Tips for a Green Family Travel, by Lori Alper
Traveling has always been in my blood. It began when I was very young. I took my first plane ride when my family packed up and moved from New York to Wisconsin. I spent most school vacations traveling by plane to visit my grandparents in Florida. Now living in Boston, traveling has remained an important part of my life. I travel with my family for vacation and to visit cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles that live in far off places.
As a self-proclaimed “greenie” I have given a lot of thought to my frequent travels. I know that the most eco friendly means of travel is to stay put or to travel by foot, bicycle or public transportation. When we stay local this works. But for long distance travel we need a plane. Fortunately, there are many ways us eco-aware tourists can make our travels green.
10 Tips for a Green Family Travel
Eco friendly skies
- Fly non-stop. Thankfully new non-stop flights are popping up to more remote locations. Flying non-stop reduces carbon emissions since much of the fuel burned on airplanes occurs during take-off and landing.
- Fly one of the top green airlines. Practically Green has a great list of airlines that have made an effort to reduce their impact on the earth.
- Use a mobile boarding pass. This will save many trees from being used as paper. The only problem I have found with mobile boarding passes is that each family member needs to have a smart phone to download their pass. My young children don’t have their own phones so I haven’t been able to use this feature when traveling with my family.
- Reduce waste. Sometimes when I travel all of my green habits are thrown by the wayside. I have been making a conscious effort to bring along my reusable water bottle. Although it can’t be filled when going through security it is nice to have along for the trip. I pack it empty and fill it later. I always try to avoid buying plastic bottles of water-they create waste and the plastic is harmful.
- Once you’re there take public transportation, walk, or bike whenever possible. By choosing public forms of transportation you will keep your carbon footprint to a minimum. Sometimes there’s no better way to see a city then to walk or cycle.
The hotel
- Find a hotel with sustainable practices. Hotels throughout the world are becoming more and more eco friendly, but some are doing a better job than others. Before you book a hotel room check with a hotel rating site like Eco Hotels of the World, and find places to stay that take environmental issues into consideration.
- Take advantage of the linen reuse program at hotels. Many hotels offer these programs to guests, encouraging them to reuse towels and linens. This on average saves the hotel 11 to 17 percent on hot water and sewer costs. Although the hotel is directly saving money, this program has a large environmental impact by reducing the amount of water needed and detergent used.
- Keep your showers short, and shut off the water while you’re brushing your teeth.
- When you leave your hotel room don’t forget to turn off the lights, air conditioning/heat and television.
One more green travel tip: Contribute to the local community. Wherever you are, make an effort to shop at local markets and use local businesses. Buy local, seasonal product rather than imported products.
The good news is these tips are incredibly easy and don’t require much effort or sacrifice when traveling.
Are any of these tips already part of your family travel? How do you make your travel green?
Author note: Lori Popkewitz Alper is the founder and editor-in-chief of Groovy Green Livin, a site dedicated to sharing simple green living tips and current information on sustainable living with individuals, families, schools and businesses. Connect with Lori and Groovy Green Livin on Facebook /Groovy Green Livin, via Twitter @groovygreenlivi.
Sign up for a car-sharing program
Stressed by your commute? Want to liberate yourself from the expenses and hassle of owning a car? Conscious of noxious fumes in the air? Do you really NEED your own car? Want to test a cool new low-fuel alternative?
At ZipCar, certain rules apply: Can I bring a pet? Pets must ride in carriers. Can I smoke in a ZipCar? No. As in, Never.
My own experience with Zipcar has been magical. The most cumbersome part was the one-time sign-up process, but I suppose a relatively careful driver check is a good idea — especially since ZipCar provides complimentary gas and insurance coverage! Choose your vehicle and pick-up location online, and — amazing to me — the car is THERE as promised, and ready for you!
I can choose my wheels, where & when I want to use them!
Zipcar offers vehicles in hundreds of locations: http://www.zipcar.com/find-cars/
If you’re a college student – or faculty, employee, or simply live in the neighborhood – chances are you have Zipcar or another car-sharing service close by. (Join ZipcarU on Facebook here.) And starting today, vehicle choices include a new fleet of Ford Focus and Escape vehicles at discounted rates. Bill Ford has been interested in traffic-congestion solutions for decades, and Zipcar convinced him that a partnership made sense:
“It’s a great way to reach these first-time drivers,” Mr. Ford said. “And the data shows that the No. 1 reason people leave Zipcar is to buy a vehicle, and that they are heavily influenced by what they have driven as a member.”
“Millennials appear to have developed a very different view of the automobile. Access and convenience are their top priorities, meaning that Zipcar and its alliances with companies such as Ford can deliver what they want easily, affordably and with the technology and sustainability they truly value,” said Zipcar chairman and CEO Scott Griffith.
Are you a Zipcar member? How do you like it? Do you have another idea to make transportation more convenient — and greener?
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