Three Reasons Trees Are Better than Paper Towels

Trees provide shade.

Solar heat absorbed through windows and roofs can increase your air conditioner use. Incorporating shading concepts into your landscape design can help reduce this solar heat gain, reducing your cooling costs. - U.S. Department of Energy

Trees capture carbon.

Forests are the world's second largest carbon reservoirs (oceans are the largest). Unlike oceans, however, we can grow new forests. Planting new trees remains one of the cheapest, most effective means of drawing excess CO2 from the atmosphere. One acre of forestland will sequester between 150 - 200 tons of CO2 in its first 40 years. - American Forests

Trees are fun to climb.

Leaves, rocks, sticks, acorns, creeks, trees, and good old fashioned dirt will challenge children to create their own games and worlds of wonder. These simple, natural items are the building blocks of great play and countless adventures, and are there at the ready. - Grass Stain Guru

Who else cares about disposable paper products?

:: The Natural Resources Defense Council provides an extensive guide to paper products, including comparisons of different brands of disposable paper products.

:: To help you get over the paper towel addiction, give Skoy cloths a try. They're 100 percent biodegradable and last as long as 15 rolls of paper towels. (I've never tried these, but many people really like them.)

:: The New American Dream shows you how to Junk Your Junk Mail.

:: Having trouble finding FSC certified paper? Go straight to the source: The Forest Stewardship Council's retailer database.

:: Next time you have a package to wrap, reach for cloth instead of paper. Here's a guide to folding furoshiki style.

:: Crunchy Chicken hosts a Cloth Wipe Challenge every year to encourage people to switch to cloth "toilet paper."

:: Smart Family Tips shows you how to make your own cloth napkins.

:: SouleMama created a fantastic bag for storing hankies to keep them from getting dusty.

Why do you care?

____________________

You have hereby been challenged to go green in a year without going broke! Check out the last challenge, or view the whole list of Challengicious Mondays.

Like what you see? Sign up for my RSS feed, follow me on Twitter, and join my "Go Green without Going Broke" group on Facebook! You can also find me over at The Green Phone Booth.

• Photos by jenny downing, Adam Baker, and steve_lodefink respectively.
  

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Recipes for Homemade Household Cleaners

:: Here are the recipes I use for glass cleaner, all-purpose cleaner, floor cleaner, and wood furniture duster from Better Basics for the Home. And here's the recipe I use for Febreze.

:: Care2 provides a step-by-step guide to creating your own non-toxic cleaning kit, including a creamy soft scrubber, window cleaner, oven cleaner, all-purpose spray, furniture polish, vinegar deodorizer, and mold killers.

:: You can find recipes for laundry detergent at The Simple Dollar and Make it From Scratch and homemade HE laundry detergent at Condo Blues.

:: At the Green Phone Booth, Greeen Sheeep has a recipe for dishwasher detergent.

Need a Reason to Care?




Who else cares about household cleaners?

:: The Environmental Working Group is the go-to source for information about chemicals, toxicity, and health.

:: If you believe in ingredient disclosure and toxic chemical policy reform, check out the Million Baby Crawl and push for the passage of the Kid Safe Chemicals Act.

:: Healthy Child, Healthy World is a great resource for information about kids and chemicals, such as this article on the The Top Ten Products You Don't Need.

:: Jennifer Taggart is the Smart Mama who writes about keeping your homes safe from harmful chemicals.

:: Fake Plastic Fish wrote an in-depth post about the many uses of baking soda.

:: Wisebread lists 254 uses for vinegar...and counting.

:: Better Basics for the Home: Simple Solutions for Less Toxic Living is the definitive resource for homemade non-toxic cleaning supplies, beauty supplies, and more.

Why do you care?

____________________

You have hereby been challenged to go green in a year without going broke! Check out the latest challenge, or view the whole list of Challengicious Mondays here.

Like what you see? Sign up for my RSS feed, follow me on Twitter, and join my "Go Green without Going Broke" group on Facebook! You can also find me over at The Green Phone Booth.

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Three Reasons to Care What's in Your Trash Can

1) Trash is a waste of money. You pay for the packaging your food and other products come in. Then you immediately throw that packaging away. And you pay for the garbage bag you put it in, and then you pay for someone to come take those garbage bags away. Everything about trash is a waste of money.

2) Your trash is the window to your soul. What would someone discover about you by looking in your trashcan?

3) Trash is taking over our oceans. There's a spot in the Pacific ocean where so much plastic has accumulated, they call it the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It's an island of plastic the size of Texas, where plastic is choking out all the sea life.




Who cares about trash?

:: Fake Plastic Fish writes about one specific aspect of our trash: plastic. You should also check out the other plastic free bloggers and her plastic free posse listed on her site here, and take her Show Us Your Plastic Trash challenge.

:: My Zero Waste helps people reduce the amount of trash they produce.

:: The Story of Stuff describes the sale, use, and disposal of all of our stuff.

:: Catalog Choice helps you reduce your junk mail.

:: Earth911 tells you everything you could possibly want to know about recycling - including where to recycle.

:: Garbage Land by Elizabeth Royte describes the intriguing journey of trash from your own bin to the landfill.

Why do you care?

____________________

You have hereby been challenged to go green in a year without going broke! Check out the latest challenge, or view the whole list of Challengicious Mondays here.

Like what you see? Sign up for my RSS feed, follow me on Twitter, and join my "Go Green without Going Broke" group on Facebook! You can also find me over at The Green Phone Booth.

• Photos from http://algalita.org/

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Three Reasons to Care about Your Carbon Footprint

1) Climate change wrecks all the fun.

2) Climate change is a human issue.

3) Climate change is a national security issue.


Who cares about carbon footprints?

:: My Low-Carbon Diet: From gas gluttony to fuel fitness in three weeks @ The Sierra Club: The author attempts to shrink his carbon footprint in three weeks.

:: Shrink Your Impact, Offset the Rest @ Green America: The low-down on the most reputable ways to offset your carbon footprint.

:: The Low Carbon Diet @ Time Magazine: Another look at one person's attempt to reduce her carbon footprint.

:: Reduce Your Carbon Footprint by Half in Three Easy Steps @ Planet Green: Become a weekday vegetarian, buy green power, and cut three flights a year.

:: In Which I Argue that It's Okay to Compromise @ arduous blog: Arduous reminds us that we shouldn't forget our relationships as we try to reduce our carbon footprints.

:: Climate Change: Life's Little Convenience Charge @ The Green Phone Booth: A look at "the enormous convenience fee called Climate Change that Mother Nature has put upon us for all of the things we think are supposed to make our lives easier."

:: Lessening Your Family's Footprint: Goal Setting @ EnviroMom: Set goals to reduce your carbon footprint.

:: Your 'family footprint' in the midst of chaos @ Going Green Mama: Make an impact on our carbon footprints by working on our family and community relationships.

:: Do You Have to Change Your Life Entirely in Order to Stop Climate Change @ One Green Generation: Have you found your reason to make a change? Any change is better than no change.

:: Why I Drive a (Very Small) SVU & Why It's Still Sort of Green @ The Greenists: Green decisions are rarely easy.

Why do you care?

____________________

You have hereby been challenged to go green in a year without going broke! Check out the latest challenge, or view the whole list of Challengicious Mondays.

Like what you see? Sign up for my RSS feed, follow me on Twitter, and join my "Go Green without Going Broke" group on Facebook! You can also find me over at The Green Phone Booth.

image by Edu Alarcon

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Noteworthy Green: Drink Pouch Brigade, Toilet Paper Advent, Ribbon Spool Ornaments, and More...

Check out my latest post at The Green Phone Booth:

Drink Pouch Brigade

I don't have much time to write a post tonight. I spent the evening up to my elbows in soapy suds tainted with the sweet smell of slightly fermented "juice"...I've joined my son's school's drink pouch brigade.

Rotating with three other mothers, I pick up the week's load of drink pouches from the school cafeteria, snip the tops off, wash them out, dry them, and then return them to the school. All so the school can get $.02 per pouch.

Read more...

And elsewhere on the Internet:

:: Grist's Tom Laskawy has a very interesting article about the pros and cons of Whole Foods' plan to build mobile slaughterhouses.

:: maya*made's toilet paper roll advent calendars from this year and last year are da bomb. Can I gush anymore about how much I love maya*made?

:: Pragmatic Environmentalism writes, "To save energy, use the dishwasher?" Yes!

:: Imagine Childhood has one very awesome way to get a Christmas tree.

:: The Daily Green claims that "everything you know about going green is wrong."

:: KitchenStewardship provides an extensive list of ideas for repurposing kitchen containers.

:: Quince and Quire has come up with a way to recycle ribbon spools and last year's Christmas cards in the same crafty project.

:: My favorite food writer, Tom Philpott, writes at Grist about our inequitable food system. Besides his own great comments, all of the articles linked to in that post are worth a look.


I'm now using Twitter to keep track of my noteworthy green reads. If you'd like instant knowledge of what I find interesting, you can find me on Twitter as consciousshoppr.

• Looking for a way to get involved? Join 350.org's Weekend of Action.

• Looking for something to do? Check out my More (Holiday) Fun, Less Stuff Raleigh event guide!

And don't forget to send me your submissions to this month's APLS Carnival!

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Noteworthy Green: Trees, Recycling, Indoor Shoes, and More...

Check out my latest posts at The Green Phone Booth: Make Like a Tree, and Leave...

"My husband spent three hours getting the leaves out of our yard last weekend," a friend told me. "An hour to blow them all into a pile, and then two hours to bag them all up."

"Wow!" I replied casually, but inside I was screaming. Why, oh why, did he waste time getting the leaves out of his yard??? I want more leaves in my yard! We don't have any trees, and although we got enough leaves from our neighbors' trees to do this...

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and Are You Smarter Than a Tenth Grader?

My mom runs the virtual lab at a high school (that's the computer lab where students can take online classes), and she sent me the following email today:

I've got a student assignment where they have a list of products that can be recycled and have to tell what those products can be recycled into. I've spent a half hour on google and can't find a good website. I'd like one that covers most of the products. Know any? The products are--food waste, yard waste, plastic, metal, glass, paper, and cardboard.

I sent back a quick reply and then started thinking...Do I know what those products are recycled into?

Read more...

And elsewhere on the Internet:

:: Time magazine reports that Sesame Street taught children to be conscious TV viewers - and oh yeah, their ABCs.

:: Maya*made is a genius! Napkin holders out of security envelopes. I would have never thought of that.

:: The Simple Dollar flashes back to his reader's 25 best actions for saving money.

:: The Scrap Exchange has four fun videos with ways to reuse cardboard.

:: Tom Philpott discusses ways and whys the government needs to rebuild ag infrastructure for small farmers.

:: Kitchen Stewardship suggests having a pair of shoes only for indoors. Interesting idea. I usually wear slippers in the winter, but Katie suggests that shoes keep your feet from hurting and keep you productive.

I'm now using Twitter to keep track of my noteworthy green reads. If you'd like instant knowledge of what I find interesting, you can find me on Twitter as consciousshoppr.

• Looking for a way to get involved? Take a stand on Coal River Mountain.

• Looking for something to do? Check out my More (Fall) Fun, Less Stuff event guide!

Photo by chrissatchwell.com

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Noteworthy Green: Walkable Cities, Glue Sticks, Sesame Street, and More...

Check out my latest post at The Green Phone Booth: These Cities Weren't Made for Walking.

My butt is mad at me tonight.

Earlier today, I had a meeting downtown, so I loaded up the stroller - three umbrellas, two kids, one backpack, and a partridge in a pear tree - and hauled all 100 pounds of it up and down North Carolina's hills to the bus stop a half a mile away. We took a quick trip on the bus to my husband's office, and then I deposited the load in my husband's safe hands before heading off to the meeting.

Read more...

And elsewhere on the Internet:

:: As if to prove the point of my Green Phone Booth post, New Raleigh points to a study listing Raleigh as the sixth most dangerous city for pedestrians.

:: Loving Nature's Garden has ten tricks to get kids outdoors.

:: Kelly at The Green Phone Booth gives us the scoop on recycling glue sticks.

:: Planet Green lists 45 foods you can make yourself (but didn't know you could).

:: The Greenists celebrate Sesame Street's attempts to help children go green.

I'm now using Twitter to keep track of my noteworthy green reads. If you'd like instant knowledge of what I find interesting, you can find me on Twitter as consciousshoppr.

Photo by Suzie T

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Noteworthy Green: Kind Giving, Dinner Co-ops, Meatless Mondays, and More...

Two posts at The Green Phone Booth this week...

Giveaway: No Impact Man

I was the super happy winner of Fake Plastic Fish's No Impact Man giveaway a couple months ago. I've now finished the book (and loved it!) and am ready to pass it on to someone else! To be entered to win my gently used copy of this book, simply leave a comment on this post. I'll announce the randomly selected winner next Wednesday.

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and A Season of Kind Giving

Around this time last year, I wrote a post on my personal blog called "Thank You, Dear Stranger" about gratitude. I explained that my husband and I were trying to teach our sons that gratitude is meaningless without action. It's useless to feel grateful for someone if you don't tell them, or even better, show them. I concluded: "Wouldn't it be wonderful if the holiday of Thanksgiving were accompanied by a season of kind-giving?"

Well, this year, I've decided to do just that. In the next couple of weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, my family will be making a gratitude tree:

Read more...

And elsewhere on the Internet...

:: One Green Generation describes how and when to plant garlic.

:: Amy at the Simple-Green-Frugal Co-op explains the benefits of starting a dinner co-op.

:: The Atlantic discusses the meat industry's reaction to Baltimore school's Meatless Mondays program.

I'm now using Twitter to keep track of my noteworthy green reads. If you'd like instant knowledge of what I find interesting, you can find me on Twitter as consciousshoppr.

• Looking for a way to get involved? Take a stand on Coal River Mountain.
  

• Looking for something to do? Check out my More (Fall) Fun, Less Stuff event guide!

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Noteworthy Green: Not In Season, Green Halloween, Coal River Mountain, and More...

Check out my latest post at The Green Phone Booth: In Season? Not so much...

My last post here at the Booth was my tribute to seasonal eating. "Jackie" commented on that post:

I'm having such a hard time with this right now. The eco-geek in me REALLLLLY wants to eat as locally and seasonally as possible, but truth be told, I don't like winter veggies very much here in Chicago. I'm not quite sure how to get around that one small fact, other than canning or freezing, which I am too late to do. Your comment about feeling deprived rings true and hard for me. Any suggestions??

I thought this was a great question, so I wanted to open it up to all of you and get your insights.

Read more...

And elsewhere on the Internet:

:: Green Halloween has the best list of alternate "treats" I've ever seen. I'm wishing now that I didn't already buy those organic lollipops.

:: Whip Up has another refashion round up. Love these!

:: Courtney at The Greenists says, "I'd like to buy the world a non-carcinogenic, responsibly packaged, healthier alternative to Coke." I just really, really like that title.

:: Fake Plastic Fish ran into Jackson Browne and got him to rant about bottled water. So cool!

:: Grist describes a very interesting study that indicates that junk food is as addictive as heroin.

:: Smart Family Tips has a yummy looking soup mix recipe for those of you that are under the weather.

I'm now using Twitter to keep track of my noteworthy green reads. If you'd like instant knowledge of what I find interesting, you can find me on Twitter as consciousshoppr.

• Looking for a way to get involved? Take a stand on Coal River Mountain.
  

• Looking for something to do? Check out my More (Fall) Fun, Less Stuff event guide!

Photo by Jonathan Talbot

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Noteworthy Green: Pumpkin Season, Garden Lessons, Zero Waste, and More...

Check out my latest post at The Green Phone Booth: In Season.

(Do other bloggers have personal favorite posts? This article is in my top ten favorites of all the articles I've written over the past year.)

"Pumpkin season!" we shout, spotting the sea of pumpkins at the far end of the farmers market.

My boys dash up and down each row, fingers pointing excitedly. "Look at this one! Oooh, this one is so big. Can we get this one?"

We load a hefty white pumpkin into the stroller basket - picturing the grinning ghost we'll carve into its side - then toss in a couple pie pumpkins for good measure.

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And elsewhere on the Internet:

:: Greenhab hosts this month's APLS Carnival on "proselytizing green." Very cool topic.

:: Jaime from Green Resolutions guest posts at The Green Phone Booth to share a list of lessons she learned from her first garden.

:: The New York Times reports that zero waste is moving into the mainstream.

:: Also from the New York Times, a study from the National Academy of Sciences shows that "burning fossil fuels costs the United States about $120 billion a year in health costs."

:: An article from Grist asks, "So what if global warming is a hoax?" My sentiments exactly.

:: Last week, Carrie from It's Frugal Being Green mentioned on her weekly meal plan post, "I’m indulging in more fall flavors this week (might be my favorite food season)." That got me thinking...What's my favorite food season? I think probably early summer for strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, and corn. What's your favorite food season?

I'm now using Twitter to keep track of my noteworthy green reads. If you'd like instant knowledge of what I find interesting, you can find me on Twitter as consciousshoppr.

• Looking for a way to get involved? Participate in the International Day of Climate Action on October 24 (that's Saturday!). Find an action near you!

• Looking for something to do? Check out my More (Fall) Fun, Less Stuff event guide!

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Noteworthy Green: Green Missionaries, Cockroaches, Clotheslines, and More...

Check out my latest post on The Green Phone Booth: Are You an Effective Green Missionary? Take the Quiz and Find Out!

Taking a hint from girlie magazines, I've prepared a little quiz to help you figure out what kind of green missionary you are. Good luck!

Take the Quiz

1. After reading Fast Food Nation, you've decided to stop eating at fast food restaurants. The next time you see your co-worker eating a Big Mac, you:

a) tell her, "That is so disgusting! How can you eat that!"

b) don't say anything then, but later you tell her, "I read an awesome book called Fast Food Nation. Would you like to borrow it sometime?"

c) pat yourself on the back for making smart choices about your health and the health of the planet.

Read more.

And elsewhere on the Internet:

:: In Women We Trust is hosting this month's Green Mom's Carnival on "Standards."

:: Toxic Free NC provides tips for ridding your home of cockroaches. Down with cockroaches! Long live humans! [via New Raleigh]

:: The New York Times has an eye-opening expose on e. coli and the meat industry. Dare you to eat a hamburger after reading this.

:: Also from The New York Times, innovative ways to green the suburbs. This would make Van Jones proud.

:: And let's not forget this New York Times article on the debate over "wind energy drying devices" - clotheslines!

:: My favorite post of the week from Fake Plastic Fish about the new documentary Tapped. Triangle residents - you'll want to read this!

:: And finally, my favorite quote of the week from Truffula Mama at The Green Phone Booth: "If we take, we must necessarily give back."

I'm now using Twitter to keep track of my noteworthy green reads. If you'd like instant knowledge of what I find interesting, you can find me on Twitter as consciousshoppr.

• Looking for a way to get involved? Call your Senators and tell them you support a strong clean energy and climate bill.

• Looking for something to do? Check out my More (Fall) Fun, Less Stuff event guide! And if you're in Raleigh, don't miss this FREE local showing of the movie Fresh tomorrow night!

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Noteworthy Green: Offsetting Your Impact, Red Shoe Bloggers, Green Myths, and More...

Check out my latest post at The Green Phone Booth: Negative Impact + Positive Impact = No Net Impact.

I kept thinking about it and calculating ways to solve my [car] problem and googling for ways to fit me and three kids on a bike until finally my husband was tired of hearing about it. "You've thought it all through," he said. "You're doing the best you can. Just give it up."

"But I can't!" I said. "Transportation is an area where we could really make a difference, but we're not!"

I've hit a wall in this category. I could sacrifice more but it would involve spending money we don't have or saying bye-bye to good friends because I can't reach their houses by public transportation or making grandparents miserable because they live too far away to see my kids. I could make more sacrifices, but it would make us unhappy. Should saving the planet make us unhappy?

Read more...

And elsewhere on the Internet:

:: Kelly Diels guest posts at Problogger to explain why blogging is like The Wizard of Oz. I love this post and wish I could write that well!

:: Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai asks, "Are we on the wrong bus?" and encourages us to have courage to turn the bus around.

:: Maya*made does it again! I love this children's art display made from a priority mailer or cereal box.

:: Wisebread remembers ten retro household helpers that we should all start using again.

:: The Washington Post lists ten off-cited green myths that might be losing you money.

I'm now using Twitter to keep track of my noteworthy green reads. If you'd like instant knowledge of what I find interesting, you can find me on Twitter as consciousshoppr.

• Looking for a way to get involved? Call your Senators and tell them you support a strong clean energy and climate bill.

• Looking for something to do? Check out my More (Fall) Fun, Less Stuff event guide!

Photo by SashaW

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Noteworthy Green: Green Collar Economy Giveaway, 13-Year-Old Hamburgers, XtraCycles, and More...

I'm giving away a copy of The Green Collar Economy at The Green Phone Booth. If you haven't read it yet, here's your chance to win a copy of your very own!

And elsewhere on the Internet:

:: Best of Mother Earth shows us what a hamburger looks like after thirteen years.

:: The Greenists recommend saving money on homemade personal care products by having a Make-Your-Own-Products party. Love it!

:: Maya*Made says you can keep your pins from rusting by putting used coffee grinds in your pincushion.

:: The U.S. Department of Energy is offering $10 million dollars to the first company to build a better lightbulb.

:: The New York Times gives us a glimpse of a school that has traded processed food for fresh ingredients in the cafeteria.

:: Simple-Green-Frugal Co-op lists ten ways to live sustainably in the city.

:: I am drooling over this bike from Xtracycle.

I'm now using Twitter to keep track of my noteworthy green reads. If you'd like instant knowledge of what I find interesting, you can find me on Twitter as consciousshoppr.

Looking for something to do? Check out my More (Fall) Fun, Less Stuff event guide!

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Noteworthy Green: Car Talk, Rain Barrels, Size Matters, and More...

Check out my latest post at the Green Phone Booth: Car Talk.

Yes, folks, we are a minivan family.

We are also a one-car family, and in the past, I might have argued that the fact that we only drive one vehicle balances out the fact that it is a minivan. But that argument was based on the assumption that our minivan was achieving its optimum gas mileage. It's not.

A 2004 Honda Odyssey should be getting 16 mpg in the city and 21 mpg on the highway, 18 or 19 mpg on average. Last month, our lovely vehicle got 14 mpg.

Read more...

And elsewhere on the Internet:

:: Peppermags found the coolest rain barrel I've ever seen, including a built in pitcher.

:: Aiko Schaefer reminds us that climate change is a poverty issue. [via Grist]

:: Newsweek ranks the S&P 500 by their green impact and performance. [via Grist]

:: It's Not Easy Being Green has a great tribute to Mary Travers of Peter, Paul, and Mary.

:: crstn85 is hosting this month's APLS Carnival on Size Matters.

I'm now using Twitter to keep track of my noteworthy green reads. If you'd like instant knowledge of what I find interesting, you can find me on Twitter as consciousshoppr.

Looking for something to do? Check out my More (Fall) Fun, Less Stuff event guide!

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Noteworthy Green: Strong Communities, A Responsibility Revolution, Freak Flags, and More...

Check out my latest post at The Green Phone Booth: A Strong Community Equals a Happy Planet.

On Saturday, we headed downtown for our favorite local festival: Bugfest, a celebration of all things buggy - even down to the food (chocolate chip cricket cookies and mealworm hush puppies....Mmmm!) This weekend, we'll probably head back downtown for SparkCon to celebrate our city's creative side, and later this month, we'll be helping KaBOOM build a playground around the corner from our neighborhood. We also have plans to host a block party for KaBOOM's Play Day 2009, and we're still debating whether or not we'll be able to participate in the Raleigh Typhoon, a scavenger hunt to see how well locals know their downtown.

As I was brainstorming blog post ideas, both for this blog and my personal blog, all of these events came up as possible subject matter. But as I skimmed through the list, I realized that writing about these events on a "green blog" might be a bit of a stretch. Chocolate chip cricket cookies? Maybe if I spun it into an argument that eating more bugs and less meat would help save the planet...

Read more...

And elsewhere on the Internet:

:: Andree Zaleska battles her son's gaming addiction by cancelling the cable and making him play outside. [via Grist]

:: Toxic Free NC has a video about the effects of pesticide use on farmworkers.

:: EcoYogini reminds us to remember the big picture and lists 10 of her favorite eco changes. This is possibly my favorite post of the week.

:: Time Magazine tells us "we are seeing the rise of the citizen consumer - and the beginning of a responsibility revolution."

:: Van Jones sends a message to his friends and fans and tells us how to support green jobs now. [via Grist]

:: The Grass Stain Guru lists ten things she wishes for today's kids. I especially like: "That you learn to be fearless, bold, and let your freak flag wave. I don’t mean live dangerously — but I do mean have the guts and gumption to really live and don’t be afraid to be yourself."

:: Mindful Momma is the host of this month's Green Moms Carnival on the subject of "conserving resources."

I'm now using Twitter to keep track of my noteworthy green reads. If you'd like instant knowledge of what I find interesting, you can find me on Twitter as consciousshoppr.

Looking for something to do? Check out my More (Fall) Fun, Less Stuff event guide!

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Noteworthy Green: The Curse of Caring, Van Jones, No Impact Man, and More...

Check out my latest post at The Green Phone Booth: The Curse of Caring.

I spent Labor Day weekend on an emotional roller coaster.

Without digging too deeply into my political opinions (because I believe that environmentalism can and should be a bipartisan endeavor), let me just say that it started with a certain news channel launching a smear campaign against one of my green heroes. I was pissed off.

Read more...

And elsewhere on the Internet:

:: David Roberts from Grist tried to set the record straight on Van Jones, and then posted some thoughts on his resignation. My sentiments exactly.

:: Peppermags found a great video about the White House Garden, including commentary by the First Lady.

:: No Impact Man takes a position on the stunt or no stunt question. And in other No Impact news, Beavan's wife Michelle weighs in on the year with no toilet paper.

:: Greening Families lists seven benefits to going green - some I wouldn't have thought of.

:: Bob Herbert at the New York Times says the U.S. is having a nervous breakdown. We need therapy.

:: Fake Plastic Fish announces that I am the winner of the No Impact Man book giveaway. I'm so stoked!...But really, I'm trying to tell you that you should join in her book discussion with me.


(Looks like most of my interest this week was divided between my green heroes Van Jones and No Impact Man. Don't worry, hubby, you still have my heart!)


I'm now using Twitter to keep track of my noteworthy green reads. If you'd like instant knowledge of what I find interesting, you can find me on Twitter as consciousshoppr.


Photo by Tanki

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Noteworthy Green: Bean to Bar Chocolate, Jeans Quilts, Back to School, and More...

Check out my latest post at The Green Phone Booth: Chocolate: From Bean to Bar.

Several weeks ago, my local science museum hosted a special lecture by Raleigh chocolate maker Hallot Parson of Escazu Chocolates. The ad promised "sample chocolates made from several varieties of bean sourced from Costa Rica and Venezuela." No way will you ever see me turning down free chocolate, so hubby got babysitting duty and I headed off to my very first chocolate tasting. Read more...

And elsewhere on the Internet:

:: Man vs. Debt suggests 25 ways to save money with do-it-yourself projects in the kitchen, in the bathroom, and during the holidays.

:: Garden & Gun Magazine includes a lovely piece explaining why Chapel Hil is the "pat of butter in a sea of grits." I think a lot of this could apply to Raleigh as well and explains why I love this area so much.

:: It's Not Easy Being Green lists several projects for repurposing old jeans. I have a jeans quilt that my mom made out of the jeans we wore when we were growing up. I love it!

:: The New American Dream has a handy checklist for environmentally-friendly back to school supplies.

:: The Purl Bee provides a tutorial for making an adorable cloth lunch bag. I want a sewing machine!

:: The Grass Stain Guru asks us to stand up for childhood! Will you take the pledge?

Read more...

Noteworthy Green: Future Gardener, Vertical Farms, 24 Omelets, and More...

Check out my latest post at The Green Phone Booth: Future Gardener Seeks Guidance.

This post is basically the exact opposite of Green Bean's post where she included all those amazing pictures of her yard. Here's Green Bean's yard. Here's mine.

We just moved into this house two months ago, and although we're renting, our wonderful landlords said, "Go right ahead," when we asked if we could plant a garden. I'm a serious plan-ahead kind of girl, so okay, okay, I know its months away from Spring, but I've got to be ready! Read more...

And elsewhere on the Internet:

:: Grist tells us how to respond to people's excuses for not switching to CFLs. Are you reading this, Mom? :)

:: The New York Times discusses a proposal by some environmental groups to pay farmers in Brazil to leave their land forested rather than raze it for farmland.

:: Nicholas D. Kristoff at The New York Times says that industrial agriculture has no soul. I enjoyed this editorial especially for the story he tells about putting a chicken egg in a goose's nest when he was a child.

:: PlayOutdoors.com has put together a family eco-challenge to inspire your family to care for the environment. And participants are eligible for a shopping spree at PlayOutdoors.com.

:: Dickson D. Despommier at The New York Times describes the benefits of vertical farming. The idea of vertical farms intrigues me, though I still have some questions about it.

:: Craft Stew lists "24 Ways to Fill an Omelet" and "33 Ways to Spread a Bagel."

Read more...

Noteworthy Green: Big Green Move, The Omnivore's Delusion, Superhero Capes, and More...

Check out my latest post at The Green Phone Booth: The Big Green Move Checklist.

My husband and I have moved six times in the seven and a half years of our marriage, and I'm sick, sick, sick of moving. Every move has its annoying qualities, but this one has been particularly annoying because I focused so much during the last year on greening our life, and I feel like in many ways I'm starting all over. Except that I can't remember what it was I did in the first place.

I'm a big fan of itemized lists with little boxes for checking, so I decided that what I need is a "green moving list." And since JessTrev is in the middle of a move and a Green Phone Booth reader (Cath) commented on my last post that she will be moving soon also, I thought I'd make this list available to all of you as well. Read more...

And elsewhere on the Internet:

:: Tom Philpott at Grist responds to "The Omnivore's Delusion: Against the Agri-Intellectuals" (a popular article that attempted to debunk the sustainable food movement).

:: Imagine Childhood has directions for how to make a butterfly net.

:: Floating World Views provides instructions for making a child's superhero cape.

:: Peppermags shows us some solar power tiles that blend into a clay-roofing system such as on Spanish style homes. Pretty cool!

:: Renaissance Garden reveals that "all the tote bags received at Old Navy come wrapped in individual plastic bags which are removed and discarded prior to being displayed." Holy cow!

Read more...

Noteworthy Green: Green Envy, Flower Pod Stamps, The Pill, and More...

Check out my latest post at the Green Phone Booth: Overcoming Green Envy.

But after a few months of reading, I began to feel a new, uncomfortable feeling: green envy. Those bloggers seemed to have all the latest green technologies and toys. Their houses were decorated with beautiful sustainable materials. They wore eco-friendly clothing and drove energy efficient cars. Their children played with handmade toys made from natural materials, and they would have never let their babies drink from a plastic bottle.

I began to feel like an olive green gal blogging in a crayon box filled with forest greens. I can't afford all that stuff - green or not! And if I'm not buying all those "green" products, does that make me less green? Read more...

And other items of interest:

:: Eilleen at the Simple-Green-Frugal Co-op gives some amazing tips for reconstructing clothing. I really need a sewing machine...

:: Maya*made has examples of how to use flowers and pods for stamping fabric and material. Love it!

:: Green Bean at The Green Phone Booth has the most beautiful frontyard edible garden I've ever seen.

:: EcoYogini overshares about her use of the pill, but it was very interesting so I'm glad she did.

:: The New American Dream takes a historical look at the clothesline and invites you to post a picture of your clothesline on their Facebook page. Does my indoor clothesline count?

:: Greening Families provides information on how to turn your backyard into a wildlife habitat - and then get your yard certified with the National Wildlife Federation.

Read more...