Green Living Ideas

Fresh Cut Flower Alternatives for Your Sweetheart

Vivian Nelson Melle — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Sure it may be easy to stop by the local grocery store for a bouquet of blooms, but do you know from where they came? Are they organic? Were the workers who cared for them and cut them treated and paid fairly? Worry not a moment longer about the ethics of the floral world.

Here are some fresh cut flower alternatives for enchanting your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day.

White orchid

Potted Flowers and Plants

A bouquet of fresh cut flowers are fun to receive and beautiful to look at, for a few days at least. Even the sturdier varieties can only last a week or so then your loved one has a vase full of floral carcasses. That’s not a great symbol of your love and admiration. What if you offered a potted plant that not only looked amazing the day it was received, but continued to offer a stunning representation of your growing affections? Even brown thumbs stand a chance with helpful websites catering to the novice gardener and hesitant florist. Some deliciously gorgeous choices are orchids, mums and miniature roses. The first is striking while the second is sturdy and great for first time planters. The later is common, pretty and holds its own against someone with mediocre gardening skills. If your love shuns petaled beauties than perhaps a houseplant is a good choice.

{cc photo courtesy of n.zeissig Flickr}

Wildflower bouquet

Seeds

Okay, we talked about alternatives to fresh cut but we meant someone else cutting them, not your sweetie. While this may seem like an unconventional and even boring gift, it has so much potential. Offering your loved one seeds for their favorite flower, flowers that grow well in their area or simply a collection of wildflowers can actually offer up a future of fresh cut beauty from their own backyard. Wildflowers are pretty hardy and can be grown in large yards or in a pot on an apartment balcony. Once planted most continue to flourish and provide blooms so long as the owner continues to cut the steady stream of flowers. Be sure to choose organic varieties.

{cc photo courtesy of liberalmind1012 on Flickr}

Recycled paper flowers

Fabric and Paper Flowers

Real flowers offer up amazing scents and colors, but sometimes interesting choices are the way to go for the more interesting love. If your darling is a green girl than flowers made from newspaper or magazines is sure to brighten the day in a very eco way. The above flowers are made with a series of circles with strips of curled paper as the petals. The flowers can be attached to wire or pipe cleaners to create an environmentally unique bouquet pleasing to the eyes and heart.

{cc photo courtesy of crostinidesigns on flickr}

Salmon-colored roses

If You’ll Die Without a Store-Bought Bouquet

Maybe your thumb’s just too brown or seeds just don’t have the pizazz you’re looking for, you can still bought a bouquet either online or though a local vender. Organic Bouquet is an online vender that’s been delivering organic blooms for some time. Not only are you getting organic flowers, you have the option to purchase bouquets that will have 5% of your purchase go to a local charity. It’s really a win, win and keep on winning situation. If you waited too long than stop by your local grocery store and take a look at the labels. Supply and demand has worked in favor of more environmentally-friendly products so many grocery stores now offer organic bouquets. Look for the USDA organic sticker to be sure.

{cc photo courtesy of net_efekt on Flickr}

What is your favorite flower? What type of eco-friendly flowers would you like to receive?

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10 Green Valentine’s Day Crafts

Sonya Kanelstrand — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:30:00 +0000

Valentine’s Day was first celebrated in the Middle Ages and although there are only legends connecting the day to romantic love, the U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately 190 million valentines are sent each year in the US. Half of them are given to family members other than husband or wife, usually to children.

Whether you celebrate Valentine’s Day or not, you surely appreciate giving and receiving tokens of love. So why not make use of the love spirit floating around globally come February 14th. and craft a little something for your loved ones?

When it comes down to crafts here at Green Living Ideas we stick to the green ones that allow reducing, reusing or recycling. Love should not come in the way of keeping the Earth green. That is why today I have a list of simple but lovely craft projects you can use to prepare for a green Valentine’s Day:

Kissing clothespin by Brittany
Candy heart rings by Blue Moss
Warm hearts by Maureen Cracknell Handmade
Felt fortune cookies by Crafty Little Gnome
Valentine’s favor bags by Camille Styles
Cupid’s arrow cupcakes by Bakerella
My heart belongs to you cookies by Sweetapolita
Easy Valentines by A Spoonful of Sugar
Newspaper heart bookmark by The Cheese Thief
Origami heart garland by How About Orange

Whatever you choose to make, remember that you are not obliged to wait until February 14th. Surprise your loved ones today – after all, the most important is that you warm someone’s heart!

What are you crafting for Valentine’s Day?

[Photo: Jute Heart by Shutterstock]

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Georgia Lawmakers Want You to Grow Your Own Food

Karen Lee — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:33:25 +0000

People of Georgia have been allowed to produce food for their own consumption in their backyard since the Civil War but recently, the local government has been hampering their effort with zoning laws and “Right to Grow” bills.

But Powder Springs Republican Earl Ehrhart, who represents Cobb County in Georgia’s General Assembly, wants to change that. He wants to lift the requirement that homeowners have at least two acres before they can raise livestock.

According to Food Safety News, Ehrhart believes “people should be free to raise chickens and grow backyard crops on their property. He says the Right to Grow bill represents a basic freedom, recalling those days when Georgians all grew their own food.”

What is Right to Grow Bill

The Georgia “Right to Grow” is aimed at crops and livestock grown by homeowners for their own consumption and not for commercial use.

Local code enforcement could still address the premises if they cause public nuisance and bring actions under the proposed law.

While a similar bill introduced last session went nowhere, recent events, like a citation that was given to a couple in Powder Springs for raising 15 chickens in their backyard, have pushed Right to Grow to the forefront. The couple said their chickens were not bothering anyone, but they were still visited by a code enforcement officer. They have until Feb. 10 to move their birds.

As drafted, the Georgia Right to Grow Act defines “crops” as fruits and the products of all annual or perennial plants, trees or shrubs.

The bill goes on to say “no county, municipality, consolidated government or local government authority shall prohibit or require any permit for the growing or raising of food crops or chickens or rabbits in home gardens, crops or pens on private residential property so long as such food crops or animals or the products thereof are eased for human consumption by the occupant of such property and members of his or her household and not for commercial purposes.”

Not all Georgians Agree

Georgia’s cities, however, are mounting vigorous opposition to the Right to Grow bill. The Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) is opposed to this bill, citing that each case is different and that it’s best to be left to the local government to decide instead of “one type fits all” piece of legislation.” Last year, Georgia cities managed to keep an earlier version of the Right to Grow bill from passing.

With gardeners being threatened to be jailed for growing food in their front yard to being cited for raising chickens in their backyard, in recent years, this bill, if passes, will be a small victory for those of us who want to grow our own. Hope other states will follow suit and make growing our own food legal in this country.

[Chickens in Open Cage via Shutterstock]

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Practicing Mindfulness

Lynn Fang — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:00:06 +0000

If you’re used to a consumer lifestyle, going green can be challenging at first. There’s a host of new habits to pick up and new skills to learn, like crafting, cooking, and gardening. It’s also often about restraint – going without, cutting back on plastic, reducing waste. It asks that you learn about our problems, pushing you to engage with the darkness of the world. It’s noble, and it feels good to do good for yourself and the environment, but it can get challenging and depressing.

How can you be more conscious of your actions and take care of your happiness at the same time?

Mindfulness

What is mindfulness? Psychologist and mindfulness meditation teacher Jon Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.”

Cultivating the ability to pay close attention on purpose and without judgment can be challenging for those who haven’t considered it. But there are small ways to infuse your life with more mindfulness.

The more mindful you become, the more effortless it is to practice living green. It frees you to make better decisions for yourself. Here are a few simple ways to get you started.

Before eating, send gratitude to the nature, farmers, workers, and cooks who provided your meal. When eating, savor every bite. What does it taste like and feel like? Really indulge your senses.

When walking, pay attention to yourself and your surroundings. What’s around you? How do you feel in this particular moment? Don’t place judgment on anything, but simply observe and be aware. Every corner of the world changes every moment of every day. Whether it’s sunny, raining, snowy, windy, or wet, the world around you is ever changing and ever evolving.

When you take home food from a restaurant in plastic and styrofoam trays, consider where they came from and where they’ll go. Consider this for everything you use.

When cooking, indulge in the colorful food, the aromatic spices, and the process of transforming raw veggies and grains into a delicious cooked meal.

Meditation

One of the best ways to begin cultivating deeper mindfulness is through meditation. The basic premise of meditation is relate differently to your passing thoughts and emotions. Instead of seeing them as the truth of who you are, see them as simply that – passing thoughts and emotions. Be grateful for their presence, but let them float away so your mind can return to a relaxed and centered state.

The easiest way to begin meditating is to sit still in a quiet, comfortable room. Begin to breathe deeply, focusing your attention on where your breath moves. When thoughts come in, be aware of them, and float them away.

Practicing mindfulness can be challenging if you’re used to a busy life schedule. But with a little bit of effort, you can find pockets of time to be more attentive, be still, and see yourself in the world more fully. So the next time you pick up the car keys on auto-pilot, you can take note and choose differently – maybe you’ll walk or bike instead.

[Photo from Shutterstock]

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Eco-Friendly Super Bowl Party

Vivian Nelson Melle — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Hosting a Super Bowl party can be fun, but it can also be very green. Why not allow your football festivities showcase your green living? Here are just a few ideas for throwing an eco-friendly Super Bowl Party.

Homemade chips

Homemade Chips

Think of all the snack bags thrown away at the end of Super Bowl Sunday and think of the impact making your own chips can make. Both potato and tortilla, two popular choices, are easily made at home. Potato chips can be made by thinly slicing potatoes and then deep frying or oven baking along with your favorite seasoning and some olive oil. Tortilla chips can be made by cutting corn tortillas into wedges, spritzing with olive oil, lime juice and salt and then baking until crispy.

{cc photo courtesy of bamalibrarylady on Flickr}

Compostable plates

Dinnerware

Disposable dinnerware is the easiest solution for many and the most common method for Super Bowl parties. However, instead of simply purchasing plates that can be thrown away and which will take a space at the landfill, go with a brand that will compost well.

{cc photo courtesy of dani920 on Flickr}

Paper flowers

Decorations

Make some pretty decorations that are too good to throw out after the big game. Tissue paper flowers can easily go from a cheerleader’s pompom to permanent flower decoration in any room of the house. In care you didn’t know, this year’s teams share some of the same colors in a very patriotic scheme. Red, white, blue and silver are the main colors that are interchangeable for both teams. Those are some great colors that can easily find their way into any decor. Make them out of newspaper spritzed with colored water and allowed to dry or take old t-shirts and cut them up for decorations. Simply cut the paper or t-shirt into strips and tie the strips together in the middle. You can make the strips as long or short as desired, depending on the look you’re going for.

{cc photo courtesy of greenplasticamy on Flickr}

Recycle bins

Recycle

It may seem simple if your household is already recycling, but it’s one of the easiest ways to save materials destined for the local landfill. Make sure to offer clearly marked containers so guests know which items belong in the appropriate bin. Glass, plastic and paper are the three main recycled items but they can be broken down even more or all included in one bin. Being a model for guests is also a great way to get others following your lead.

{cc photo courtesy of epSos.de on Flickr}

How do you make your parties for eco-friendly? What’s your favorite green hosting trick?

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How to Recycle Your Brita Filter

Lynn Fang — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:00:30 +0000

Did you replace your Brita water filter recently, leaving you wondering about how to toss that old filter?

Inside the filter is carbon, which can’t be recycled. And even if you opened your filter to toss the carbon, the outer hard plastic casing can’t be tossed in with your regular recycling.

Beth Terry Leads the Way

For a long time, there was no way you could recycle your old Brita filter. In 2008, Plastic-Free Pioneer Beth Terry decided to do something about this. She wrote to Clorox, now the owner of Brita, asking them about recycling the filters. They claimed the U.S. didn’t have the infrastructure for it, but Beth knew this was false because Brita in Euope had created its own recycling program, independent of community recycling programs.

So she ranted about the issue on her blog, and soon many others chimed in with the same dilemma. Beth started a Yahoo group with other bloggers, which turned into a campaign. She started a website, petition, and even collected used Brita filter cartridges from supporters.

After 16,000 petition signatures, over 600 filters collected, and the support of many other bloggers and environmental organizations, Brita finally figured out a way to recycle the filters.

Preserve’s Recycling Program

Preserve is a company that makes household items from recycled #5 plastic, the kind of hard plastic that Brita’s water filters are made from. A recycling system was formed between Preserve, Brita, and Whole Foods. It’s not perfect, since they still have to use new plastic to make new filters, but it’s better than tossing out the filter to a landfill. Preserve also recycles the plastic into their line of household products. The filter ingredients – activated carbon and ion exchange resin – will be regenerated or converted into energy.

Today you can recycle your old Brita filter by mailing it to Preserve, or dropping it off at any one of their Gimme 5 locations (at Whole Foods).

Recycling Instructions:

Dry the filter by shaking off excess water and setting it in a dry place for at least three days.
Wrap the filter in a plastic grocery bag, which will be recycled.
Find a Gimme 5 Drop-off location here. Drop the wrapped filter in the bin.
If there isn’t a Preserve Gimme 5 location near you, simply pack your wrapped filter in a box (will be recycled) and mail it via ground shipping to:

Preserve Gimme 5
823 NYS Rte 13
Cortland, NY 13045

[Water pitcher photo from Shutterstock]

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1st and Green: Super Bowl Environmental Challenge

Vivian Nelson Melle — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Super Bowl XLVI

Indianapolis is ground zero for the 2012 Super Bowl featuring the New England Patriots and the New York Giants and all eyes are on the host city. 1st and Green is an environmental challenge hoping to cash in on the Super Bowl excitement by motivating individuals, households and teams to live more eco-consciously while promoting the city’s green initiatives in place for the sports-themed festivities.

Earning Points Through an Online Community

Turning off the water while brushing teeth and taking shorter showers are a few simple ways to make an eco-impact and the program rewards you for these activities. The program also acknowledges carpooling and reusable groceries bags. Do you use a reusable water bottle? Well, you’ll be able to log every time you refill your bottle. And if your family planted a tree than go ahead and add that to the list of Earth-friendly activities in which you’re taking part.

Shot of the the 1st and Green site

Watch the Ticker Total Climb

Individuals, households and teams can watch two tickers grow, one for carbon impact and the other for water saving. The exciting part is seeing how much of an impact some of the simplest activities make. Green living becomes even more concrete when seeing the pounds of carbon being offset and the gallons of water being saved.

How Can You Make an Impact

The site not only tracks your green living, it also offers helpful suggestions for ways to make and even greater impact. Whether packing a lunch, biking to work or sealing your home for energy efficiency, the site will help anyone become more green savvy. Once you input your daily green deeds you can share them on Facebook helping promote the activity and also reminding others how easy it is to help Mother Earth.

What Is Indianapolis Doing to Green the Super Bowl

The 1st and Green Site allows readers to see what’s being done to promote a green Super Bowl. Indianapolis, as the host city, is taking environmentally conscious promotion seriously. Food from related events will not go to waste, but will instead be given to local shelters and other social service organizations. Recycling will be used to keep items out of landfills and Super Bowl materials will be donated to non-profits or sold at low costs to keep them from being thrown away. The city is also promoting a composting program to help lower the amount of organic items thrown out. Instead, the material will be composted at the GreenCycle facility.

Have Fun While Making an Impact

Even if you can’t attend the Super Bowl you can still take part in some of the fun. Have your family get active as a household or get some friends together from work to make a game out of it. Hopefully the habits acquired will continue long after we find out if the Patriots or the Giants have earned the honor of 2012 Super Bowl champions.

{cc photo courtesy of Hawk Eyes on Flickr}

{sources: 1st and Green}

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Putting Theory to Practice – How to Save Money

Sonya Kanelstrand — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:30:37 +0000

We are all good at saving money in theory but when it comes down to actually doing it, there are always obstacles and reasons. College debt, house mortgage, car loan – they are subversively turning us into voiceless pawns, terrified of losing our jobs and often going against our own beliefs for the sake of stability? status? family? No, let’s be honest, for the sake of money.

But life can be different. After all, we can get ourselves back on track if we have a plan. We may not know the shortcuts but keeping the goal in our mind’s eye will get us straight to it.

To start spending less and saving more we need to change our routines and our thinking. Reducing our wants is easy to say but in order to achieve that we need to practically do or stop doing something. For example, eat out less often. Start by reducing the number of dining out step by step. You will find it harder to implement a great change from the start. So, if you usually go out dining 3 days a week, make them 2. Put aside the money that you would have spent on that 1 night out. After several months the collected sum will encourage you to make another change.

A lot of money can be saved by making small changes and each of us can do it.

Click on the infographic to see it in full size and get even more ideas on how to save money.

Infographic created by The American Institute of CPAs and the Ad Council as part of its national public service campaign, Feed the Pig.

What changes have you made in your life this year to save money?

[Photo via Shutterstock]

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Clorox Launches Ingredients App.

Karen Lee — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:00:02 +0000

Do you wonder what chemicals are in commercial cleaning products? As you probably know, not all companies list ingredients on their bottles. You have to either check online or call them for the detailed list.

But not Clorox.

According to our sister site, Ecopreneurist, Clorox Company launched an app last week, that let’s you check the ingredients, right from your smart phone.

Clorox Launches Mobile App That Reveals Ingredients in its Products (via Ecopreneurist)

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Divine Vegan Chocolate Truffles for Valentine’s Day

Lynn Fang — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:00:20 +0000

Valentine’s Day has the unfortunate reputation of a Hallmark holiday, co-opted by corporate culture with glitter tags, sugar overdose, and stressful, overbooked restaurant outings.

Infuse your Valentine’s gifts with a little personal touch this year by cooking your own special meal for your love or making your own gifts, like these deliciously divine chocolate truffles.

This recipe is for vegan truffles, but you can also make the regular kind. They’re equally as delicious

Ingredients:

3/4 cup raw cashews
3/4 cup cold water
1 lb bittersweet chocolate
cocoa powder

Directions:

Put cashews and cold water in a blender and blend at high speed for 1-2 minutes.
Scrape the sides down and blend again until the mixture is the consistency of heavy cream.
Heat the chocolate in a double boiler until it’s all melted. If you don’t have a double boiler, place the chocolate in a bowl inside a pot of boiling water.
Cool the chocolate until it’s comfortable to work with and fold in the cashew cream. Make sure not to stir too fast or you’ll create bubbles.
Cool in the fridge for 2 hours. Alternatively, you can also freeze them for half and hour and then transfer the fridge for a faster cooldown time.
After they’ve thoroughly cooled and hardened, take out a small ball, and shape it with your hands. You can also use a melon baller. Roll the truffle ball in cocoa powder and store in the fridge or freezer.
Repeat until finished.

For more variety, you can try adding peanut butter filling, crushed nuts, puffed rice, or liqueur. You can also roll the truffles in shredded coconut, crushed nuts, powdered sugar, cinnamon, or other spices.

For a Valentine’s Day twist, you can add a berry jam inside such as strawberry or raspberry jam, and decorate your truffles with half a raspberry on top. For the adventurous ones, you can also try to shape your truffles into a heart shape.

Use fair trade organic chocolate when possible!

This recipe is adapted from Food.com

[CC Image by frangrit via Flickr]

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