tips

Thanksgiving 101

scleaver — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 09:49:58 -0500

Top 10 Things to Try This Thanksgiving

10. Set Your Table

Outfit your table with these bright, autumn-colored hemp tableclothes, napkins, and placemats. All you have to do to find a great centerpiece is head outside, collect a bunch of pinecones, leaves, and evergreen sprigs to the table and you’ve got yourself some Thanksgiving décor.

9. Visit a Local Bakery

As you plan your dessert table, make at least one dessert hassle-free by checking out a local bakery at BakeryFinder for your pumpkin pies, carrot cakes, and turkey-topped cupcakes.

8. Get a Green Wine

Take a tip from Treehugger and put a bottle of sustainable wine on your table. Some options: the carbon neutral winery Mendocino Wine Company or LEED certified Stratus Winery.

7. Start Right

Get your Turkey Day off to a tasty start with a host of appetizers, from cheese balls to sugar coated pecans to the inevitable (in my house anyway) olive bowl.

6. Prepare for the Day After

Store leftovers in reusable, biodegradable storage containers from GreenHome.com. Then, get creative with your leftovers by trying out some creative turkey recipes, like Turkey and Black Bean Soup, a turkey or veggie pot pie, or the Moistmaker late-night turkey sandwich with enough tryptophan to put you right to sleep.

5. Save Room for Dessert!

Get organic baking ideas (or a delicious treat if you’re in the Los Angeles area) from Ghalia Organic Desserts or try one of the healthier treats from Eating Well, the pumpkin pie with rum sounds especially amazing.

4. Don’t Forget the Sides

As important as the turkey is, the sides are just as vital. Get an array of side dishes that will wow every guest. Try winter fruit salad with lemon poppyseed dressing, bread stuffing, or sourdough dressing with truffles. Browse even more sides at The Food Network.

3. Celebrate the Pumpkin

Pumpkin is the featured veggie at Thanksgiving, so take yours to new heights with pumpkin turnovers or curried pumpkin soup. Or, choose one of the many pumpkin recipes from the Pumpkin Nook's Cookbook.

2. Make Tubers Terrific

Thanksgiving comes with two potatoes—sweet and white. My suggestion, keep the white potatoes the way they should be, mashed. And make something delicious with the sweet ones, sweet potato cassarole or mashed with maple butter anyone? Or, go for a total spud surprise by adding Roasted Fingerling Potatoes With Dried Figs and Thyme to your table.

1. Make the Perfect Turkey

Follow the cooking directions at Organic Authority to cook an organic turkey and you’ll find that there’s more than one way to cook a turkey—in an oven, grilling, frying.

Here are the answers to every turkey question you could have on the big day. Happy Thanksgiving!

Photo from Vanelsas.wordpress.com.

The Economics of Organics

scleaver — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:49:07 -0500

After months of bad financial news, it comes as no surprise, the economy is making us second-guess every purchase we make, from a new car to a loaf of bread. As Alternet.org reported, The Nielsen Company found that organic food sales increased only 4 percent in the month that ended in early October, compared to a 20 percent growth in previous years. In the current economy, any growth could be considered good, but such a dramatic drop shows just how much impact the economy has on food purchasing. And, considering that organics cost at least 50 percent more than conventional foods (according to Alternet.org), it’s no wonder that they’re the first to go when we start pinching pennies.

If you’re still buying organics, take heart. That price increase is for good reason:

Organic food is more expensive to produce because farmers have to spend more time growing it without fertilizers and pesticides.
When you buy organics, you’re often supporting small farmers that don’t have the cost-saving benefits of growing food using economies of scale.
Right now, more people want to buy organics, so demand is greater than supply, which drives prices up.
Organics don’t benefit from farm subsidies. When you calculate how much you spend on a conventional batch of produce, factor in tax dollars that go back to farmers in the form of subsidies and the cost difference will definitely shrink.

But, you don’t need to give up on organics just yet. Here are Alternet’s suggestions for buying organic during tough economic times:

1. There are certain fruits and veggies that are best bought organic. Here’s the complete list from Delicious Organics.

2. Join a co-op, you’ll put in a few hours of volunteer time each week and will save on food expenses. Use this Co-op Directory to find one near you.

3. Shop around to find the best prices and buy local when you can.

4. And, of course, grow your own. Here’s how to grow herbs on a windowsill.

Photo from TreeHugger.com.

Become a Tuesday-Tarian

scleaver — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

In the spirit of Tuesday-Tarianism (or Wednesday or Thursday-tarianism, whichever day you prefer to go meat-less), here are five ways to reduce your meat intake without feeling like there’s a hole on your dinner plate.

Increase variety as you decrease meat: Eat.Drink.Better.’s Robin Shreeves suggests filling a dinner plate with two vegetables (choose two different colors of veggie to make the plate more appealing), beans, pasta, and more, instead of the typical potato, meat, and one vegetable combination.
Expand your options: Vegetarian options (even tofu) don’t have to be bland and mushy. Consider when you can take meat out of the equation (a spicy Thai curry might not really need chicken) and when you absolutely must have it (for the annual grill-off).
Buy healthy meat: If you do buy meat, make sure it’s the good stuff. Organic, grass fed, free-range, meat from cows or chickens that are raised the way nature intended. It's a win-win: they’re happier while they’re running around the farm producing less harm to the environment, and they’re healthier on your plate.
Consider food miles: One way to know you’re reducing your carbon footprint, and that of your dinner, is to get your meat locally. Check out Eat Wild or The Eat Well Guide to find meat in your area.
Rethink what meat means to you: If it’s a garnish or a side dish instead of the main event, you’ll use a lot less. For more tips, see this blog post on grilling.

Photo from the From Whence It Came art project at Carnegie Mellon University taken from Neatorama.

Grill This! Part Two

scleaver — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Grilling season is now in full swing. Who knew the summer barbeque tradition could put off so many toxic fumes?

According to The Daily Green, “grilling can be toxic, even downright polluting.” Burning charcoal produces sooty particles that float through the air and invade lungs, and send off carcinogenic compounds like benzene. All that wafting smoke floats up into the atmosphere to add to smog. And, overchar your meat and you’re likely adding chemicals to the food.

Still, what is summer (or the upcoming Fourth of July) without a good bar-b-que? A good grilled burger or filet can be chemical and pollution free. Here's where to find green grilling tips and recipes:

The Sierra Club recommends using a propane or electric grill that put out less emissions than a charcoal grill, or a solar oven that won’t put out any emissions at all. And, if you must use charcoal, use lump brands from invasive tree species or sustainable forests, and use a chimney starter rather than lighter fluid.

To reduce chemicals in your food, opt for organic meat and trim the fat before you cook it.

Get the low-down on grilling, and tips from readers at The Daily Green.

Here are more green grilling tips from The Sierra Club.

The Wedge Natural Foods Co-Op has tips for the novice griller.

And you’ll find recipes at: My Own BBQ, a site for grill lovers. Epicurious has recipes for grilling tomatoes, fish, and on and on. The Food Network’s Bobby Flay page has grilling tips and recipes.

Photo from Boston Menu Pages blog.

Grill This!

scleaver — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Grilling season has just started and already meat’s gotten off to a bad start. It’s been blamed for increasing global warming, causing health problems, and more. (For more information about why meat is under scrutiny see the previous post: Saving the World One Plate at a Time.) So, for those of us who are trying to reduce our meat intake, The Minimalist from the The New York Times, who understands that meat is front and center in the American diet, has a few suggestions.

1. Keep it personal, not preachy: “The keys,” he writes, “are to keep at least some of your decisions personal so they affect no one but yourself.” If your decisions do affect someone else, don’t preach about why you’re cutting back on meat—nobody wants a lecture at the family bar-b-que. But, don’t apologize either, delicious food is delicious no matter the ingredients.

2. Don’t worry about protein: You’ll get enough from nuts, plants, tofu, etc. The average American gets too much protein, in fact, 56 grams more each day than the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends.

3. Know a serving: Four ounces of meat is a serving, yet we eat a half-pound of meat a day, cut that in half and you’re eating healthier and greener without really changing your diet significantly.

4. Use meat differently: Use meat to add flavor or seasoning, as an ingredient that spices up stir-fries or salads, or as a side dish, not the main course. Meat may be on the side of the plate, not front and center, but when you’re using meat more thoughtfully and sparingly, it becomes a real treat to eat instead of just something to gnaw through.

5. Use less meat: Cook more vegetarian recipes or trade meat for tofu in some recipes.

6. Set meat-less meals: Make rules for when you do or don’t eat meat. No meat for breakfast, meatless Fridays, or no meat until dinner.

7. Choose carefully: When you’re eating out, choose menu options that aren’t meat heavy, which may mean ordering soup and salad, or a delicious pasta dish instead. After a heaping bowl of fettuccini alfredo, you won’t miss the meat, honest.

Photo from NYTimes.com.

Five Ways to Meet People with Green Dating and Social Networking

ckane — Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400

1. Take a killer, but appropriate for you, photo to use for all your social networking sites--that's your first and best way to grab people's attention. If you want to meet friends to go camping with, put up a photo of you camping. (If all you have is an out-of-focus mugshot, that's not going to work.)

2. Don't just join Facebook (or MySpace, etc.), then sit back and wait for the messages to come rolling in. Join in the conversation. Find or start groups that describe you--here's a few I found (among all the admittedly more-prevalent-on-Facebook jokey groups) Organic Gardening 101, Slow Food NYC. Then participate in the discussions and when you like what someone says, add them as a friend or send them a message.

3. There are numerous dating services created just to connect green singles and friends, and I should add to that list Care2 (definitely check out this cause-oriented social networking/dating site), but you should still work the mainstream ones like Match and eHarmony, because they're better known, so they have more members. Just be as specific as you can when describing yourself and your interests to weed out potential global- warming skeptics (aka, dumb people).

4. In the real world, volunteer for you favorite politician, cause, concert series, or independent radio station. Go to idealist.org for volunteer opportunities and events, and another resource for volunteer opportunities or "activity partners" is good old Craigslist.org.

5. Here's another real-life option: Take a class in gourmet vegetarian cooking or green homebuilding or whatever subject in which you've always wanted to become more skilled. Even if you don't meet any new friends, when you do meet someone you'll be that much more impressive.

Your Official Guide to Greening Anything...

Julia — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 11:55:30 -0400

GreenYour.com is your guide to a greener, well, EVERYTHING!

Whatever is in your life that you want to revamp or renew, GreenYour.com can tell you exactly how to do that.

They have organized there site into three parts: facts, actionable tips, and fabulous products, all of which make up the 3 steps toward greening anything from you shower, to your jeans, to your refrigerator.

There are thousands of pages to the site, and the results are quite accurate.

So, get going on greening YOUR life!

Driving Green = Fewer Greenbacks

khallgeisler — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

As of this moment, gasoline prices in America have not yet hit $4 a gallon, but with oil hitting an all-time-high $100 a barrel in late February, European-style petrol prices may be around the corner. Eek.

To lower your chance of a gas-pump related coronary, here are a few tips and calculators gleaned from across the magical World Wide Web to maybe keep a few extra pennies in our pockets.

AutoblogGreen posted a reader’s homemade calculator, which computes and graphs your individual most economical commuting speed. It takes into account the distance from home to work and the fuel efficiency of your car, as well as your pay rate. This online app only figures highway speeds; if you’re driving below 60 mph all the way to work, you’ll have to work it out for yourself.

In a similar vein, MPG Genie figures the commuting costs of various new vehicles. This will come in most handy when you’re sick of $100 fill-ups on that Suburban and wondering exactly how much a Ford Escape hybrid will save you. (The answer to that one is $70 a month. Totally worth it.)

An often overlooked (and admittedly mundane) way to boost gas mileage is to make sure your tires are inflated properly. There isn’t a web site that can check and fill your tires for you, but Bridgestone/Firestone will send you a monthly email to remind you to get out the gauge. None other than race legend Mario Andretti endorses the practice in a video on the site’s home page.

If none of these fills your hunger for fuel economy, but you’re not yet ready to be seen in a Zap Xebra, check out this Mother Jones story on hypermilers. These guys wring 100-mpg-range fuel efficiency from everyday cars, as well as hybrids, by braking as little as possible, hugging the white line, and bravely shutting off the engine for downhill stretches. Since the power in “power steering” and “power breaking” comes from a switched-on engine, this last strategy is not for the faint of heart.

And don’t forget the boring but infallible boosters of fuel economy: take your foot off the accelerator as far ahead of a stop light as possible, no mashing the gas pedal with your foot after every stop sign, and use cruise control on the highway.

Photo courtesy mag3737.

For more information, check out:

15 Tips For Better Mileage -- Want to Get 70 MPG in Your Toyota Prius?

The Hype About Hypermiling

Two Wheels Are Greener Than Four

Honda Civic GX Tops List of Greenest Cars

Five Tips to Find the Cheapest Gas Near You

Top 10 Most Fuel-Efficient Cars: Save Gas, Save Money

Record Month For Selling Gas -- Saving Cars Getting Better Than 30 MPG