Twitter Analysis for Lent

I’ve never been very good at giving things up for Lent. I think I tried chocolate once. Cookies another year. And swearing.  (That one was tough!).  A few people I know give up wine, but since my birthday is always during Lent–no *&^? way!

This year, the Natural Resources Defense Council has provided a simple and easy list of 9 things to give up for Lent and this time, I think I have found something that makes sense AND I haven’t done yet. Give up paper towels. I’ve cut back and gone all recycled materials. But never totally eliminated.  This seems highly doable!

At least until Easter.

Any of these strike your fancy?  Anyone want to join me on the green Lent challenge?

Valentine’s Day is this weekend and you either forgot, hate it anyway, or are wistfully hoping that somehow, someway you can put a little fun and romance back into the holiday without giving in to the typical not-so-green roses and cards.

For romantics like me out there, it is a formal day for love, so here are three stress-free, low-cost and green ways to celebrate St. Valentine and show your better half how much you care.

Reduce Stuff:  Say “I Love You” with a card made from things you already have

This can actually be fairly easy without looking like your 4 year-old made it. First, start with a piece of construction paper (or try to use a recycled piece of paper or even recycle a card you received from the holidays by covering the pictures and words). Second, fold the paper the way you like then start thinking of what it is you want the card to say (if you are having trouble thinking of what to write, think back to what you said in your wedding vows or use a quote from my favorite romance poet, Maya Angelou). Next, write it all down (I like handwritten cards, but you can type it if you want). Finally, add some beauty to the card by pasting a picture of you and your love, pasting pictures or designs from magazines or old cards, pasting scraps of used wrapping paper to decorate, or if you are artistic, draw something.

Improve Health/Reduce Energy:  Eat at home or dine green on the town

What can be more romantic than cooking a meal for your love and dining in the comfort of your own home? Nothing, in my perspective.  You can green your meal by selecting locally grown or organic foods, planning the courses ahead of time and being conscious of water and energy use while cooking. All that is left to do is set the table and dim the lights!

However, if cooking just isn’t your thing, you can still dine green.  Check out Dine Green for Certified Green Restaurants near you.  To be certified, these restaurants must earn good scores in categories such as water efficiency, waste reduction and recycling, energy, and sustainable foods.

Save Energy/Improve Health:  Going Outside is Green

If you are able to keep your sitter for a few extra hours, plan an outing or activity that would be fun for you and your spouse. Take a walk down the beach, to the park or down a scenic road and bring along hot chocolate or cider in a thermos. Window shop or take your spouse to a location that has meaning to you as a couple (where you went on your first date, where you were proposed too, etc.).

If you are coordinated and live up north, try ice skating at an outdoor rink or pond (only if it is deemed safe!). Here in Boston, one of my favorite places is Frog Pond ice skating rink in the Boston Common. It is cheap, fun, uses less energy than an indoor rink and the park is beautifully lit at night.

If you live in warmer areas, try searching for eco-friendly indoor rinks or indoor/outdoor “hybrid ice rinks” that use recyclable plastic panels rather than ice and do not need refrigeration devices, water or electricity.

Ultimately, enjoy love in any way that seems practical to you (and if you are being green in the process, then you are showing love to our planet too!)

How about you? Do you have any ideas on how to “green” Valentine’s Day? Share the love!

Photo Credit

It’s Superbowl Weekend, right?  I don’t know too many moms who get a full three hours to actually watch the game, but it is still a great excuse for a party, even if it’s just you and the kids watching the funny ads and a few downs in between bathtime and loads of laundry.  But if you do get to throw a party, it’s actually pretty easy to green the game. Here are three practical, simple ways to do it:

1.  Save Energy:  serve a local beer

There are over 1,500 breweries in the US so one of them has to be near you.  In Boston, that’s Harpoon Brewery and yes, Sam Adams still brews a little bit in Jamaica Plain.  In San Francisco, Anchor Steam is found pretty easily. In NYC, Brooklyn Beer is the most popular.  Here’s a site where you can find local breweries and brewpubs by zip.

2.  Improve health:  choose healthier, but still delicious chips & dips

I love Fritos.  But they are so not healthy, scoring a 2.3 in health from the GoodGuide (but we knew that already). But there are some tasty and healthy options that don’t taste like a side of cardboard with some salt. Trader Joe’s soy & flaxseed tortilla chips scored a perfect 10 in health.  We’re also fans of Green Mountain Gringo and Wild Harvest Organic Tortilla chips for the big people and Newman’s Own pretzels for the little ones.  In terms of dips, Whole Foods has a really good store-branded organic jarred salsa and  black bean dip.  I also loved this recipe for sour cream & onion dip that gets rid of the MSG and other nasty stuff from the packaged onion powders without tasting bland.

3.  Reduce Stuff:  Use recycled plastic or biodegradable serving ware

Preserve Products makes fun and colorful tableware that has all the benefits of plasticware (no breakage), but can be reused hundreds of times and is made from 100% recycled plastic.  You can find them at Target, Trader Joe’s & Whole Foods.  If you don’t want to go the reusable route, new disposable plates, cups and utensils made of cornstarch or sugar cane fibers can biodegrade in 180 days.  These are a bit harder to find offline, but one of our local Whole Foods has carried them.  If you know of where to get them nationally–let us know!  And last, but not least–use reusable napkins, or at least recycled paper ones.

Do you have other ways you are greening the game?  Let us know!  (And also, here’s a cheer to the underdog–Go Saints!)

It’s February and in Boston that means two activities are on many parent’s list:  skating and skiing.  Personally, I’m torn on skiing and not just because my knees are awful. First, the pros.  You are enjoying the outdoors and nature, having fun, using your own energy for at least part of the effort, they have daycare & ski school, and who doesn’t love apres ski!  And many skiiers are pretty green people.  After all, global warming really ruins the skiing.

But then you consider how they actually operate ski slopes.  Cut down trees or bulldoze runs, throw up high energy using lifts, serve pretty bad food in styrofoam, and when nature doesn’t cooperate, make a lot of snow.  Not so green.

Fortunately, the Ski Area Citizen’s Coalition has a site for those of us who want to TRY to be as green as possible while skiing.  My only complaint is that it doesn’t have Vermont, New Hampshire or Maine, but if you are out West or headed out West, you are in luck.

Every year, they rank ski areas on a series of environmental factors to produce a scorecard (kind of like what Practically Green is going to do for you…).  The grades are based on four criteria:  Habitat Protection, Protecting Watersheds, Addressing Global Climate Change, and Environmental Practices and Polices, which then form a overall grade.  Their work is endorsed by major conservation organizations and they publicize a Top 10 Best and Top 10 Worst list.

The winner for greenest ski area?  Squaw Valley, California.  The least green?  Breckenridge, Colorado.  You can also search for the place you choose to ski on the site specifically.

So no, I readily admit downhill skiing isn’t the greenest way to enjoy the outdoors (this is where all you hikers and cross-country skiiers get to remind me how virtuous you are relatively speaking).  But you can still support green living by voting with your lift ticket or encouraging your local mountain to lift their grade–their eco-grade that is.

Xeriscaping is strategic and quality landscaping that conserves water and protects the environment. Xeriscape strategies vary, but all try to take into account the regional and microclimatic conditions of the site, existing vegetation and topographical conditions, the zoning of plant materials according to their water needs and the intended use and desires of the owner for the plants.

When xeriscaping, it is important to consider soil improvement, appropriate plant selection, practical use of space, efficient irrigation, effective use of mulches and the appropriate maintenance needed.

After implemented and maintained with an effective routine, xeriscaping will decrease the life cycle maintenance cost of landscaping a property.

To learn more, go to:
http://xeriscape.sustainablesources.com/#DEFINITION
http://www.eartheasy.com/grow_xeriscape.htm

Car sharing is an alternative to owning a car. As a member of a car sharing network, one has access to a fleet of cars, vans and trucks which can be reserved by phone and ready to ‘rent’ for a short period of time (an hour or a week). It is less costly than owning a car because members pay-per-trip and there is no commitment. Since there are many members sharing a limited amount of vehicles, car sharing reduces the amount of pollution released from transportation.

To learn more, go to:
http://www.carsharing.net/
http://www.zipcar.com/

An energy audit is a voluntary step taken to make a home more efficient. It helps you assess how much energy your home uses and evaluate what changes you can take to improve efficiency. During an audit, improvements are recommended and it is up to the homeowner to implement the recommendations or not.

Energy audits can not only enhance energy efficiency but lower utility costs and increase comfort inside the home.

To learn more, go to:
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=home_improvement.hm_improvement_audits