Check out the White House blog for a video on green roofing and scroll down to see the EPA's Earth Day program.
What new habit are you going to start today to help our planet? Recycle more, compost food scraps, change purchasing habits, change driving habits, walk more, or grow a garden?
You can see some vintage posters and sign up for free kitchen garden seeds too!
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Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Gimme 5
Many communities, including Fairfax County, do not allow you to put #5 plastics in your recycling bin. They only accept #1 and #2 plastics.
But Preserve, Organic Valley, Stoneyfield and Whole Foods markets have teamed up to give you a place to recycle those #5 plastic containers.
It's called the Gimme 5 program and it allows you to bring your #5s to a participating Whole Foods or send them to Preserve to be recycled into other plastic products. Just check the link to see if your local Whole Foods is participating in the pilot program. My market isn't one of them, but I keep reminding them about it and hope that they'll be added soon.
This is a fantastic program since a lot of plastic containers are #5. They'll even take Brita water filters! Yes, they're #5 too. It's difficult to see the recycling symbol at the underside of the filter though. I'd much rather see these plastics melted down and made into something useful instead of being incinerated or placed in a landfill.
Check out Preserve's web site and all of the useful things they make out of recycled plastics. I've used their toothbrushes and love them. I also use their large cutting board. They make their products in the U.S.A. and are doing lots of good things for the planet.
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But Preserve, Organic Valley, Stoneyfield and Whole Foods markets have teamed up to give you a place to recycle those #5 plastic containers.
It's called the Gimme 5 program and it allows you to bring your #5s to a participating Whole Foods or send them to Preserve to be recycled into other plastic products. Just check the link to see if your local Whole Foods is participating in the pilot program. My market isn't one of them, but I keep reminding them about it and hope that they'll be added soon.
This is a fantastic program since a lot of plastic containers are #5. They'll even take Brita water filters! Yes, they're #5 too. It's difficult to see the recycling symbol at the underside of the filter though. I'd much rather see these plastics melted down and made into something useful instead of being incinerated or placed in a landfill.
Check out Preserve's web site and all of the useful things they make out of recycled plastics. I've used their toothbrushes and love them. I also use their large cutting board. They make their products in the U.S.A. and are doing lots of good things for the planet.
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Thursday, March 26, 2009
Lights Out!
March 28th is Earth Hour, where people all around the world turn off their lights for an hour.
You can sign up at their web site to pledge to go in the dark from 8:30-9:30 on the 28th. They are calling it a vote for our Earth when you switch the lights off. If you leave the lights on, that's a vote for Global Warming.
I saw on cnn.com where their ireporters are telling what they will do during that hour. You could tell jokes to family members, go for a walk, sit outside and look at stars, eat a candlelight dinner, read by flashlight, sit in zen-like state, whatever you can think of with the lights off.
It will be interesting to see how much power the world saves from just an hour a person.
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You can sign up at their web site to pledge to go in the dark from 8:30-9:30 on the 28th. They are calling it a vote for our Earth when you switch the lights off. If you leave the lights on, that's a vote for Global Warming.
I saw on cnn.com where their ireporters are telling what they will do during that hour. You could tell jokes to family members, go for a walk, sit outside and look at stars, eat a candlelight dinner, read by flashlight, sit in zen-like state, whatever you can think of with the lights off.
It will be interesting to see how much power the world saves from just an hour a person.
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Monday, March 23, 2009
Start a Garden
I have some seeds started in various planters and am thinking about making our garden area bigger and maybe expanding to the front yard. Our blueberry and blackberry bushes are looking good - a few leaf buds are forming. I hope the asparagus I planted last year comes up. This year, I'm planting cilantro, basil, rainbow chard, tomatoes, lettuce, onions and green beans.
I saw this great article about the new garden at the White House with tips on how you can plan your own plot.
Even if you have a super small yard, you can grow things in pots and hanging baskets.
When it gets warmer, I'm hooking up my rain barrel too.
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I saw this great article about the new garden at the White House with tips on how you can plan your own plot.
Even if you have a super small yard, you can grow things in pots and hanging baskets.
When it gets warmer, I'm hooking up my rain barrel too.
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Thursday, February 26, 2009
Green Living Classes
I went to a Green Living class last night at the Springfield Whole Foods. Wow! Their Green Mission Specialist Sean Mahaffy gave us tons of great information!
Each class has a different topic and last night's was on energy efficiency. Check out their calendar for a list of classes.
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Each class has a different topic and last night's was on energy efficiency. Check out their calendar for a list of classes.
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Healthy Food At Your Fingertips
Here's a great source for healthy food...
I picked up some vegetable seeds today. Spring is just around the corner. A planting chart at the store listed that our section of the country will be ready for planting in the ground around the 26th of April. So, I can get my seeds started indoors and transplant them out in the garden then.
Here's to sunny days!
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I picked up some vegetable seeds today. Spring is just around the corner. A planting chart at the store listed that our section of the country will be ready for planting in the ground around the 26th of April. So, I can get my seeds started indoors and transplant them out in the garden then.
Here's to sunny days!
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Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Vroom Vroom!
Check out the latest in automobile technology this weekend (Feb. 4-8) at the Washington Auto Show.
There will be a Green Car Pavilion where the 2010 Toyota Prius will be with its optional solar panels on the roof.
You can also see Tesla Motors' all electric roadster. We had a chance to see this car 2 years ago when it was in Washington, D.C. for the U.S. Senators to check out. It goes from 0 to 60 in 3.9 seconds and has a range of 244 miles per charge.
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There will be a Green Car Pavilion where the 2010 Toyota Prius will be with its optional solar panels on the roof.
You can also see Tesla Motors' all electric roadster. We had a chance to see this car 2 years ago when it was in Washington, D.C. for the U.S. Senators to check out. It goes from 0 to 60 in 3.9 seconds and has a range of 244 miles per charge.
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Electronic Waste Recycling Days
Don't put your computers, TVs or cell phones in the trash. They contain toxic elements and chemicals that do not belong in the landfill.
Fairfax County and Covanta Fairfax are sponsoring Electric Sundays at the I-66 Transfer Station.
Your old cell phones can be recycled at Whole Foods. Just remove all of your numbers and data and place in the bin at the exit door.
Small electronics can be recycled at the post office too. They have envelopes to place your item inside and mail off for recycling.
Home Depot will recycle your rechargeable batteries and fluorescent light bulbs (the compact ones and the long tube bulbs).
Radio Shack has an electronics recycling program. They will also recycle batteries.
Staples is another store who will recycle your electronics and ink cartridges.
There are lots of convenient places to recycle.
It's easy to keep electronics of all types out of the trash.
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Fairfax County and Covanta Fairfax are sponsoring Electric Sundays at the I-66 Transfer Station.
Your old cell phones can be recycled at Whole Foods. Just remove all of your numbers and data and place in the bin at the exit door.
Small electronics can be recycled at the post office too. They have envelopes to place your item inside and mail off for recycling.
Home Depot will recycle your rechargeable batteries and fluorescent light bulbs (the compact ones and the long tube bulbs).
Radio Shack has an electronics recycling program. They will also recycle batteries.
Staples is another store who will recycle your electronics and ink cartridges.
There are lots of convenient places to recycle.
It's easy to keep electronics of all types out of the trash.
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Sunday, February 1, 2009
Vermi What?
Vermicomposting. I blogged about it last year when we had our meeting about it.
How are your worms doing? Ours are going to town enjoying our carrots and eggshells, among other food items (never meats). We didn't have many to begin with (couldn't bring ourselves to mail order worms) but found that if we kept adding shredded newspaper and gently shook the container once in a while, the worms were happy. And it's great when we're lazy and don't want to take our vegetable and fruit cuttings outside to the compost heap in 20 degree weather. We just put our clippings into our 32 oz. Stoneyfield yogurt container (also see Whole Foods market's Gimmee 5 program).
But our yogurt container is getting too small for all of the sweet smelling dirt the worms are creating for us. So, we went to IKEA looking for a bigger container. It not only had to be big, but it had to be a dark color (at least opaque) and have a lid. Really, the free breakfast that IKEA advertised got us into the store. But we'd been talking about getting a larger container for a while.
So, we're in the household storage solutions area of the store and spot some white containers. Then, jackpot! We spotted the perfect container. It's a good sized black plastic one with a lid... and it's Made in the U.S.A.!!
Our worms will be happy in their new home. We'll drill some air holes in the lid and place the container in our basement where it will stay cool.
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How are your worms doing? Ours are going to town enjoying our carrots and eggshells, among other food items (never meats). We didn't have many to begin with (couldn't bring ourselves to mail order worms) but found that if we kept adding shredded newspaper and gently shook the container once in a while, the worms were happy. And it's great when we're lazy and don't want to take our vegetable and fruit cuttings outside to the compost heap in 20 degree weather. We just put our clippings into our 32 oz. Stoneyfield yogurt container (also see Whole Foods market's Gimmee 5 program).
But our yogurt container is getting too small for all of the sweet smelling dirt the worms are creating for us. So, we went to IKEA looking for a bigger container. It not only had to be big, but it had to be a dark color (at least opaque) and have a lid. Really, the free breakfast that IKEA advertised got us into the store. But we'd been talking about getting a larger container for a while.
So, we're in the household storage solutions area of the store and spot some white containers. Then, jackpot! We spotted the perfect container. It's a good sized black plastic one with a lid... and it's Made in the U.S.A.!!
Our worms will be happy in their new home. We'll drill some air holes in the lid and place the container in our basement where it will stay cool.
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Classes at Whole Foods
Whole Foods markets hold free classes every month. Our Springfield store began its Living Green class series last week and what fun everyone had! There was a wealth of information shared. We all got a free gift for attending too!
Check out their calendar of classes. February's class will focus on home energy efficiency. Can't wait!
Sign up as soon as you can. Classes have limited admission and this one is sure to fill up fast.
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Check out their calendar of classes. February's class will focus on home energy efficiency. Can't wait!
Sign up as soon as you can. Classes have limited admission and this one is sure to fill up fast.
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Help U.S. Children This Valentine's Day
I was watching CNN the other day and saw Julianne Moore talking about helping children in America. She asked illustrators for children's books to come up with some wonderful pictures for special Valentine's Day cards.
You can see them here.
Mrs. Moore said that her dream is for Valentine's Day to become a time when children do wonderful things for other children. Donations from these cards will make a difference in many lives.
The Save The Children site requests that you order by February 4th to receive your cards by Valentine's Day.
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You can see them here.
Mrs. Moore said that her dream is for Valentine's Day to become a time when children do wonderful things for other children. Donations from these cards will make a difference in many lives.
The Save The Children site requests that you order by February 4th to receive your cards by Valentine's Day.
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Sunday, January 18, 2009
Martin Luther King Jr. Day and National Day of Service
Check out www.usaservice.org for service opportunities in your community. (This link takes you to a list of events within a 10-mile radius of zip code 22153)
We've signed up to take non-perishable food items to the Lorton Community Action Center, give grocery store gift cards to Our Daily Bread, and give blood with INOVA Blood Services in Annandale.
There are lots of opportunities to volunteer -- everything from clean up to food banks to the environment. You're not limited to what's on the list. Think of what you can do to make your community a better place. Every act makes a difference.
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We've signed up to take non-perishable food items to the Lorton Community Action Center, give grocery store gift cards to Our Daily Bread, and give blood with INOVA Blood Services in Annandale.
There are lots of opportunities to volunteer -- everything from clean up to food banks to the environment. You're not limited to what's on the list. Think of what you can do to make your community a better place. Every act makes a difference.
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Tuesday, January 13, 2009
The Milk Man is Back?
Do you remember when the milk man would deliver fresh milk in glass bottles to your front door? Nowadays, milk is packaged in waxed paper cartons (which aren't recyclable) and plastic cartons (which are recyclable but take a lot of energy to produce).
I read recently in National Geographic's "Green Guide" magazine about dairies who are offering milk in glass bottles. The magazine was rating the energy efficiency and recyclability of milk packaging. And on my last trip to Whole Foods, at the intersection of Rolling Road and Old Keene Mill, I saw these bottles. They stand out in the refrigerated dairy case like gleaming stars. I'm getting too nostalgic, I know. But I can't help it. I am so excited about these milk bottles! It's the little changes that will make a world of difference.
So, here's the scoop. The milk comes from the family-owned Homestead Creamery in VA. Whole Foods has it in whole, 2%, nonfat, chocolate and buttermilk. The 2% I purchased was $3.79 and there's a $2.00 deposit. When you bring the empty bottle back to Whole Foods, they'll refund your deposit. It's a little more expensive than milk in a plastic or waxed paper container, but it's definitely more energy efficient and earth-friendly. The store sends the glass containers back to the dairy who will wash and sanitize them. Then, new milk is pumped in to begin the whole process again.
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I read recently in National Geographic's "Green Guide" magazine about dairies who are offering milk in glass bottles. The magazine was rating the energy efficiency and recyclability of milk packaging. And on my last trip to Whole Foods, at the intersection of Rolling Road and Old Keene Mill, I saw these bottles. They stand out in the refrigerated dairy case like gleaming stars. I'm getting too nostalgic, I know. But I can't help it. I am so excited about these milk bottles! It's the little changes that will make a world of difference.
So, here's the scoop. The milk comes from the family-owned Homestead Creamery in VA. Whole Foods has it in whole, 2%, nonfat, chocolate and buttermilk. The 2% I purchased was $3.79 and there's a $2.00 deposit. When you bring the empty bottle back to Whole Foods, they'll refund your deposit. It's a little more expensive than milk in a plastic or waxed paper container, but it's definitely more energy efficient and earth-friendly. The store sends the glass containers back to the dairy who will wash and sanitize them. Then, new milk is pumped in to begin the whole process again.
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