Green Summer Progress

I am eating differently, keeping my meat consumption to three times a week per less, and by the end of the summer extinct from my lifestyle.

I am growing organic produce. Purchasing local foods from the farmer’s market and composting as many scraps as possible.

What should I tackle next?

One of the most important parts of living a greener life, RECYCLING!

As a person who already recycles there are a few more steps that I can take. But if you haven’t recycled before, or your town doesn’t have curbside pick-up don’t worry, you can still have those pretty blue and green bins.

To start with, get some containers for separating. You will need at least 2, but if you want to go all out you can have 4 like I do.
Minimum:
Bin 1) Glass, plastic (#’s 1 and 2 in RI), and aluminum – the blue bin
Bin 2) Paper and cardboard – the green bin.
My House:
Bin 1) Glass and plastic
Bin 2) Aluminum (including empty cans, clean aluminum foil, and empty soda cans)
Bin 3) Paper (including newspapers, cardboard, envelopes, junk mail, receipts, brown bags, etc)
Bin 4) Re-use – I save things that might be useful for a craft project or for the students at my other job to use as art supplies (including magazines, some newspaper, paper scraps, Styrofoam peanuts, bubble wrap, some cardboard, shoe boxes, string, applesauce and yogurt containers, empty cans, soda bottles, milk jugs, etc)

My goal: to recycle anything and everything that Rhode Island Resource Recovery will take. All clean paper (it can be drawn on, just no food), cardboard, aluminum, #1 and #2 plastic, glass bottles and jars, etc.) I want to double my recycling and half my trash.

If you want to learn more about Rhode Island Resource Recovery, the Recycling Center and recycling programs for your home, office and child’s school visit: www.rirrc.org

Did You Know? For a small fee you can become a member of the Recycling Center and go there for discount office and craft supplies? Including pens, pencils, binders, cloth, ribbon, etc.

Plant an Organic Garden

Let’s plant an organic garden!

If you’re interested in starting a garden for the first time it’s fairly easy. Like with anything else you need to decide what your goals are and the amount of time, energy, and funding you’re willing to contribute to the project. If you’ve never gardened before and you’re indoor plants are only the cut flowers from the florist then start small. If you have experience taking care of your yard and maybe growing some herbs or strawberries in a pot then you can probably go a little bigger with ease.
You also need to consider the amount of space you have in your home and yard. If you live in a house with a fairly large plot of land you can grow almost anything. If you live a small apartment or a dorm room your choices will be more limited, but you can still start using your green thumb.

For small spaces without a yard:
· You can start an herb garden inside using window pots.
· You can use slightly larger pots and grow lettuce and mustard greens. Make sure the pot is at least a foot deep and can be placed in a very sunny window.
· If you have safe access to a rooftop you can even use children’s wading pools. Punch some holes in the bottom for drainage, fill the pool with soil, follow the directions on either the seed package or plant container (if you’re buying starter plants) and in time you’ll have some delicious veggies.
· If you live in a dorm room check in with your RA or your Housing Director, you might be allowed to have a small collection of pots in your dorm’s courtyard.
· If you live in a city you can look into joining a community garden, in which you help tend to a garden as a group and reap the organic benefits together.

For larger spaces with our without a yard:
· If you live in a house or a larger apartment building you can grow strawberries in pots on the front stoop or grow lettuces in window boxes.

Homes with yard space:
If you are lucky enough to have some land at your disposal you have multiple options.
· You can still plant in pots or wading pools.
· You can still have an indoor herb garden.
· You can also create beds and designate one for each different type of crop.

Creating bed:
There are two options for creating vegetable and flower beds.
· In ground beds: Dig into the ground about two feet deep and turn the soil. Continue turning the soil until you have a patch approximately the size you want. Add some of your compost to give the bed more nutrients. Smooth out the earth slightly and plant your veggies.
· Raised beds: Take 4 wooden planks, at least 6 inches wide. Build a frame. My father’s are about 6x3 and we have 6. Place the frame on the ground and fill with soil and compost. This method takes more soil to fill the frame instead of using the ground beneath your feet. But is faster to create if you have soil on hand.

Choosing plants:
When you choose the plants you would like to grow be sure to read everything on the packages. Some plants need sun, some need shade, and some need a combination. You need to make sure that your environment offers the plant what it needs to survive and thrive.
Lettuces, strawberries, carrots, radishes, parsnips, and other greens are almost fool-proof. Plant them properly, water them as needed and they’ll do the rest. Plants like tomatoes, peas, and peppers take a little bit more care since they need stakes or frames to help them stay up, but even that is not terribly difficult.

For more information:
Go to your local library and check out books about organic gardening, compost and natural fertilizers and pesticides. For instance, did you know that you don’t need poison to get rid of slugs? Just put out some saucers of beer. Seriously.
You can also talk to farmers at your local markets to get tips about their growing practices and what they recommend.

Have fun using your green thumb!

Composting

Composting.

We’re doing great in our attempt to lower our carbon footprint. You’re eating better, you’re producing less waste and you’re buying locally, but you still have all those food scraps from making dinner at home. Compost them! Anyone can compost. You just have to decide what works best for you and your family.

My father has had a compost heap since I we moved into our house 18 years ago and he started his garden. We just have a 4x6 foot space behind the garden and the heap gets bigger and bigger every day. Inside we have a small compost bucket to throw food scraps in and at the end of the day we bring the bin outside and add the scraps to the top of the pile. We also throw in the droppings from our miniature bunnies, lawn clippings and wilted flowers. Every weekend when my dad goes out to tend to the garden he turns the compost with a shovel and over time we have extremely fertile soil for our veggies. My dad even uses empty clam shells from Saturday night dinner. He puts them on top of the vegetable beds because the shells add important nutrients and help the plants grow.

If you want to start your own compost it’s simple. Today there are many options depending on your goals and the size of your property.
· You can buy an automatic composter that uses sawdust pellets to help the scraps break down in a bin that fits in your kitchen.
· You can buy a compost container that sits outside, it looks a lot like a large garbage can, fill it with your scraps, turn it every once in a while and not worry about it taking up space in your yard.
· You can also build a compost container with 2x4’s and chicken wire. I work at a school during the week and our compost is a 3x3 foot square that is about 3 feet high. Use four pieces of 2x4 to create a frame, roll the chicken wire across and staple down with a staple gun. Make five of these frames, one is for a lid. Use hinges or corner brackets to put four of the sides together and then just plop the top on.
· You can also use my family’s method. Choose a spot in the yard or behind the house and just make a big ol’ pile.

What can be composted you ask?
· Fruits and Vegetables
· Coffee Grounds
· Lawn Clippings
· Leaves (dry or green)
· Biodegradable paper products
· Omnivore pet waste * there is debate about the type of climate needed to break down pet droppings successfully. Everything will break down in time but if you live a cooler climate it will take longer than in warmer climates. –My family throws the hay and bunny droppings right on top without any problem, but we leave the dog and cat waste out since you never know what they’ve eaten and it doesn’t break down as quickly as little bunny waste. Carnivorous animal waste can also carry disease from the animal products they ingest. You don’t want that going into your yard.

What can’t be composted?
· Fats (butter, oils, excess animal fat)
· Meats (contain fat and get really smelly)
· Grains (most of the time breads, crackers, pastas, etc have fat from the cooking process)
· Carnivorous animal waste

What do I do with my compost?
· Start a garden!
· Use it to plant flowers in window boxes or pots by your door.
· Use it to help grass grow in your yard.

Stay tuned for tips on how to start a garden of your own, whether you live in a three-story mansion, a small colonial, an apartment, even a dorm room. And check out the indoor compost bins and biodegradable compost bags we carry here at The Did You Know Store.

Car Facts

It’s been a little while, but now it’s time to continue on my path to reducing my carbon footprint. It happens to be perfect timing for me to tackle my worst offense, my car. I have to bring the car in tomorrow for an inspection so that I can still legally drive it, but there are a few other simple things I can do to ensure that my car is as green as possible.

My Car Facts:
-2005 Hyundai Elantra
-53,127 miles driven
-purchased at 24,634
-I have driven 28,493 miles since September 2007. By September 2009 I will have driven about 30,000 miles, or 15,000 miles per year, which is 3,000 more miles per year than the average American.
-I get about 30 miles per gallon of gas. That means in 2 short years I have purchased about 1,000 gallons of gas. So I have been to the pump 80 times with my little 12.5 gallon tank. YIKES!

Since my car is going to the mechanics on Monday anyway, I’m going to ask him to check a few other things (though they’re usually routinely checked by my mechanic anyway).
-My tire pressure
-My filters
-Change my oil

What I will continue to do is pick a day each week to check some of these things myself – like my tire pressure. If I check that every Sunday, along with my oil I am helping to ensure that my car is running as efficiently as possible.

Also, I am going to take all of the junk I have in my car’s trunk, out! I don’t mean trash, but just odds and ends and bags of things that I had to move from my backseat to allow passengers to sit in my car. But the added weight cuts down on my car’s fuel efficiency.

So if I can keep my trunk empty, my tires filled and my filters clean I’m doing much better than before.

Next step:

How to stop driving?

A Lesson in Simplicity

A Lesson in Simplicity.

Living in the United States as a member of my middle class family means that my everyday life consists of using an electric coffee maker, a television, an air-conditioner, a cell phone, a laptop, a car, an iPod and an assortment of other electronic devices. It’s not uncommon for my family to fill up an entire 30 gallon trash bag in two days or to use two rolls of paper towels a week. Though I’ve started to “green” my life, getting my family on board takes time. But with all of this, life starts to seem rather complicated.

When I was in middle school, even my first two years of high school, before my license, which led to my cell phone, before college which led to my laptop, my television, my film collection, my alarm clock, etc, I didn’t pay any attention to meeting deadlines, other than homework. I didn’t worry about getting in touch with someone immediately or trying to drive, talk, change the radio and choke down my lunch before work all at the same time. As my assortment of electronics, my number of deadlines and my hours spent working increased, my ability to stop, take a breath and enjoy simple pleasures decreased. Living the average life in America was taking its toll without my even knowing it.

But the summer before my sophomore year at the University of Rhode Island started me on a different path, one that is hard to stay on at times, but one that I am constantly striving for. That summer I took a vacation to Greece. A friend’s grandparents lived in Athens and she invited me to stay with them for three weeks that July.

When I landed, Athens was like any other busy city in the world, congested from cars, buses, taxis, pedestrians and stray animals, bustling from street after street of retail stores and restaurants, and people sandwiched together from overpopulation. Young women dressed in the most incredible clothing, every household seemed to own a car and stuffing 50 people onto a bus was normal. As my friend and I traveled away from the airport and downtown area things slowed down a little. There were fewer cars and shops and more churches. When we walked up to her grandparents’ house I was stunned.

It was tiny! The entire property was probably about 50 square feet, with a small concrete porch, a bathroom smaller than that of the URI dorms, and an adorable flower garden about 5 feet wide. We walked in and were greeted by her grandmother, Yaya, and her grandfather, Bapou. I can’t explain it, but I felt at home immediately. That night we had genuine Gyros (pronounced year-ohs) from a street vendor and I called my parents just so they knew I was in Greece safe and sound.

The next three weeks were incredible. We traveled to beaches where the water was turquoise! I have never seen something so beautiful. I had always thought the beaches in RI were good. In Greece you could see through the water to the ocean floor. You would go for a swim with fish! And not yucky slimy looking fish, but beautiful gold fish, like the kind you see in fancy home aquariums. The water looked un-natural, I had never realized how grey and murky the Narragansett Bay water was! We ventured to Monasteries and walked the same paths as Socrates and Aristotle. But even more incredible than my new surroundings was my new home.

Every other morning Yaya ventured out to the local market. The market was unlike any I had ever been to in Rhode Island. Entire blocks were designated for specific vendors. There was a block for fish, a block for meat, and multiple blocks for fresh produce. Every single bite of food and sip of a drink that I had, except for the beers at restaurants, came from Greece. Yaya bought fresh bread every single day from the bakery across the street. Every time she went she brought the same bag she had used the day before. The bags from the market were used as trash bags for the week.

When Yaya got home she would do the laundry and clean the house. She washed all of the clothes by hand and had to do it every two days because between Bapou and herself they had fewer clothes than me, and all of my clothes fit into a single tall laundry basket. The clothes would then air dry on the line outside. After the laundry she would clean the house. She used vinegar and baking soda to scrub the entire house until it was spotless! No fancy mops or scrubby sponges, just a rag and piece of steel wool.

In the afternoon Yaya didn’t slave away, she relaxed. The four of us would sit out on the porch and play cards, listen to the radio, and drink Ouzo, licorice liquor that is extremely strong. If it was hot Yaya hung sheets to create shade and sprayed the concrete with a hose, no fan, no air conditioner, and it was perfect. Around 5, Yaya would go in and start to cook dinner, lots of vegetables, rice, legumes, and fish, with very little meat. Every night we would have traditional Greek salad with chunks of tomatoes, cucumbers, olives and feta cheese, drizzled with olive oil. By the end of the meal there would be so much juice left in the bowl from the tomatoes we would soak it up with the bread Yaya had bought that morning. Nothing went to waste. If there were leftovers we ate them for lunch the next day or on Thursdays we would have a buffet of leftovers from the previous few nights.

After doing the dishes, since there were only six plates, bowls and cups in the whole house, Yaya would take out the trash. Guess how much there was? Less than half of a plastic grocery bag. Less than half! The only things that got thrown away were fruit pits, peelings, tissues, and a cardboard juice container every few days.

In the evenings we would watch reruns of American shows from about five years earlier and old movies on a tiny 20 year-old television. We would sit on our little twin beds and munch on fresh apricots, nectarines, and cherries.

In three short weeks I had forgotten about my cell phone, my computer, and ensuring that I saw the latest episode of “Law and Order”. I didn’t care that there was not a constant stream of hot water for showers but instead a cool drip from a metal hose. I didn’t care that we didn’t get Starbucks every morning. I was much more content sitting on a folding lawn chair on a damp concrete porch, playing cards with people who could not understand more than 10 words of what I was saying. Life was simple. I wanted for nothing, I missed nothing, and without even realizing it, I was surviving without the things I had always considered necessities. And in the end…

Living simply is the most important step towards living green.

So I raise my next glass of Ouzo to Yaya and Bapou, saving the world just by simply living their lives.

Thoughts on Food

Change #1: Food

First, my eating habits.

What I do right:
· I buy locally grown and organic food from farmer’s markets as often as possible.
· In my backyard there is an organic garden with peas, potatoes, herbs, ten types of salad greens, tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers, carrots, parsnips, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, edible flowers, sunflowers (sunflower seeds), squash, zucchini, pumpkins and more.
· We don’t use any pesticides and we compost as much food waste as possible, using the rich soil to help our garden grow.

But there is one very easy step I can take to decrease my carbon emissions even more.
Go vegetarian for at least one meal a day. As a former vegan I know it can be difficult for people to give up their meat. You enjoy it, heck, I enjoyed it. But by eating a vegetarian meal once a day, whether that means cereal for breakfast instead of bacon and eggs, or peanut-butter and jelly instead of turkey, it’s not too difficult.

Raising animals, including their feed, their shelter, transporting them to slaughter, packaging the meat and finally cooking it at home takes far more energy than it takes to grow crops. Fewer animals raised for meat means less grain for the cows and more grain for us, meaning more people will have something to eat.

What are some of my favorite vegetarian dishes?
Chili – take out the ground beef or turkey and you still have the flavor but it’s better for the environment.
Risotto – though it takes a couple times to get used to the non-stop stirring, it is well worth the 20 minutes. Risotto is thick and creamy but still has a nice texture from the rice. Just buy Arborro rice from the grocery store, a container of vegetable stock or no-chicken chicken broth (trust me it tastes almost the same), and whatever ingredients you like. I usually get an assortment of Greek olives (salty and delicious), some feta cheese and broccoli. An easy to make, one-pot meal that is super filling and tastes just as good reheated for lunch the next day.
Smoothies – ice, fresh or frozen organic fruits (I like strawberries and blackberries), a little juice, a blender and presto! You can also add yogurt, any type of milk (cow, soy, rice), protein powder, even peanut butter for different consistencies and taste preferences.

My goal: get back into my vegetarian and hopefully vegan lifestyle by the end of the summer.

But don’t worry, that’s not for everyone. Start small. One green meal a day will go a long way to lowering that carbon footprint.
Food Continued…

So we covered the type of food you’re going to try to eat, but how else can our eating habits changed to help save the world? Let’s get back our 3 R’s; reduce, reuse, recycle.
Reduce: You’re eating less meat and animal products. You’re purchasing from farmer’s markets, aren’t those strawberries incredible? You’re even trying to eat organic whenever possible. What else can you do?
· Be aware of packaging. Instead of buying those shrink-wrapped bell peppers, buy loose peppers. You can go even further and reuse your produce bags multiple times. Eliminating excess plastic and Styrofoam trays.
· Bring your reusable bags! Many grocery stores now offer discounts to customers who bring their own bags. Whether it’s a ratty old canvas bag like my father’s or a cute b.happybag from one of our stores, it will be perfect for your market adventures.
*If you do forget your bag, get paper bags whenever possible. You can immediately put them in the recycling bin. While the plastic bags can be collected and recycled, they can also fly around in the wind, get caught in trees, and even contribute to potholes.

Another green idea? Bring a waste-free lunch to work or school every day.
· Use a canvas bag, an insulated lunch sack, or a classic Beatles lunchbox.
· Get a reusable drink bottle, stainless steel is my favorite, but I even have a student who uses an empty glass jar with a screw top. Talk about reusing!
· Instead of using plastic baggies, cling wrap, and aluminum foil use stainless steel, BPA-free plastic, glass, or cloth containers.

Come into The Did You Know Store and check out our entire area of lunch essentials and water bottles.
Reuse: Like my student with the glass drink bottle, try to reuse things whenever possible.
· Use glass cooking trays instead of disposable.
· Use yogurt cups that can’t be recycled for children’s art projects (paint water and sculptures), or for starting seeds inside. Put a couple holes in the bottom of the cup for drainage, fill with organic or composted soil, add some seeds, water and sunlight and you’ve got seedlings! The start of your very own organic garden.
Recycle: Of course recycle as much packaging as possible. But there is another way to reuse/recycle. COMPOST!!!! Composting is easy. Any food scraps except for fats and meats can be added to your compost bucket or pile, so it’s less waste, and it makes nutrient-rich soil for your growing yard and garden.

Stay tuned for more information about composting. Or come by one of our stores in East Greenwich and Wakefield and check out our compost buckets, bags and books.

Summer, the perfect time for change

Summer, the perfect time for change.

I have a confession to make. I work at a green store, I recycle, I compost, I shop at farmer’s markets and eat organic food as often as possible, but… my carbon footprint is nowhere near as low as it should be. After using an online calculator I found out that I emit about 21 tons of greenhouse gases ever year. The average American household of 4 emits about 27 tons, so while I am under the average I am not very proud of my accomplishments. You know what the world average is? 5.5 tons! Yes, I emit 14.5 more tons of greenhouse gases a year than the average world citizen, which is almost triple. So, what is a carbon footprint you ask? And how can someone who is already taking the right steps increase her earth-friendly ways without sacrificing some of life’s luxuries? I’ll tell you.

A carbon footprint essentially measures the impact our actions have on the environment. It takes into account what we consume as individuals including how we travel, where we travel to, what we eat, what we buy, where we buy it and what we throw away. The footprint measures our carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions as well as other greenhouse gases we produce just by living our lives the way we do. We create greenhouse gases from the production of an item, such as a car, from its lifespan, driving a car, until its destruction, once we let the car sit rusting away in an empty lot.

Greenhouse gases are the environment’s kryptonite. Some of these toxins include; carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, chlorofluorocarbons, etc. I don’t know about you, but I have trouble pronouncing many of those and just like the doctor tells you not to eat anything you can’t pronounce, the earth doesn’t want to eat anything it can’t pronounce.

Now, what can I do to lower my carbon footprint? I need to make the same simple choices that you can make every day. I will tell you how to easily change six areas of your life, keeping in mind the most basic principles of going green: reduce, reuse, recycle.

It is June 1, 2009, my goal is to get my footprint down to 17.5 by September 1, 2009. Three months. Let’s go.

To calculate your carbon footprint visit The Nature Conservancy at www.nature.org. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and select the Carbon Footprint Calculator. It asks you simple questions and calculates your results, also providing you with tips on how to decrease your carbon emissions.

Find your footprint, set a goal, and let’s have a greener summer.

-Emma

*Thanks to www.treehugger.com for providing more information about carbon footprints.

Farmer's Market

As I look outside our shop doors and see the brightly shining sun and feel the warm breeze reminding me of the summer heat to come, I can’t help but imagine myself at the beach, or park, or even in my own backyard enjoying everything summer has to offer. In a few short weeks the children of Rhode Island will be out of school, parents will be shuttling to camps, play dates at the beach, and evening games at McCoy Stadium. But every once in a while, every family will need a nice night at home, to relax and share a meal together. Why not make this family time even better by making it greener?

It doesn’t take much. You know that corn you’re about to put on the grill? Or the sausage and peppers your mouth is watering for? Or even the yummy bread you plan on serving with a delicious salad? Well you can get all of that from local farms and artisan bakeries here in the Ocean State. Honestly. And chances are you will like the taste of local produce even more than that of the West Coast or South America.

Just check out your local farmer’s market. It’s simple. You get to browse outside in the sunshine, looking at the most beautiful greens, the reddest, sweetest strawberries you’ve ever had, and freshest baked goods you could ask for.

Never been to the farmer’s market before? Don’t even know where to start? That’s ok. Just log onto www.farmfreshri.org and there will be a list of every farmer’s market and CSA in Rhode Island. There are at least five farmer’s markets every day, many open until 6pm for those Rhode Islanders who have to work. The markets are listed by day and include the address, hours of operation and vendors that are present.

Imagine having fresh produce on your table every single day. It’s just as easy as going to the supermarket, but you’ll be supporting local farms, cutting down on emissions, since food does not have to be shipped across the country, and enjoying food that you can feel good about.

Trust me. Once you go local, you’re going to love it.

TGIF! Think Green, It’s Friday!

Hooooooray! It’s Friday! It’s time to let loose! In a green state of mind? We hope so. Here are a few tips to making your weekend best friends with the environment.

Last week, we tackled the idea of green cocktails. This week, with the help of planet green.com, we’re going to tackle a similar subject. Green beer!

“Beer isn't just the poster beverage for college parties, your after-work wind down, or lazy Sunday afternoons—no, beer is also a key player in a multi-billion dollar industry that reaches into the far corners of the world. Everyone loves beer—even environmentalists—and that might be why there's been a recent boom in green, organic spirits, sustainable and renewable energy powered breweries, and environmentally conscious, discerning drinkers. That's why it's as pertinent time as ever to think about what we all can do to green our beer drinking—and there's more to do than you might think. From supporting sustainable, even solar powered breweries, to drinking organic, pesticide-free beers, to steering clear of excessive packaging in cans and bottles”, there is much you can do to make your next drink one for the environment.

Here are a few steps you can take towards a greener beer. And don’t worry, they’re on the house.

*Drink organic brews

“Organic beer is a growing force in the industry, with dozens of brands and even more brews to choose from. If a beer carries an organic label, that means it's been certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as adhering to strict, legally binding farming regulations. It means you can expect the barley and hops to be organically grown: no toxic pesticides, no artificial fertilizers, no chemical preservatives; just fresh, non-toxic ingredients. Drinking organic (and buying organic) is also a good way to support more sustainable agriculture, and even to combat global warming.”

*Support green beer companies

“Keep an eye out for beer companies that are going the extra mile to achieve environmental responsibility—some companies are truly making a noble effort towards sustainability.”

*Drink beer from draught instead of from bottles

“The keg-inclined out there among us have reason to celebrate, greenly-drinking the draught is greener than downing the bottles. It only takes some simple visualization to understand why this is so: the kegs you'd buy for your college parties, and those that sit 'neath the counter at your favorite bar—how many beers does each hold? Depending on the size, it could be hundreds. That's hundreds of saved cans or bottles, provided you're reusing your cup.”

*Recycle your bottles, cans, and other packaging

“If you've just finished off a 12 pack of Silver Bullets, make sure to get those cans into the recycling bin—an aluminum can will likely be recycled and back on the shelves within 60 days . Aluminum is a sustainable metal and can be recycled ad infinitum (well, almost). If it's bottles you've got, make sure those get recycled too—most curbside programs will take both. And don't forget that cardboard box casing—unless it's drenched in beer and ruined, that's some perfectly good fodder for the paper section of your recycling bin.”

Here’s to your green weekend!

TGIF! Think Green, It’s Friday!

Ok, so here we are again. It’s Friday! It’s the end of the week and it’s party time. Hopefully, after last week’s blog, thinking green won’t take a back seat to all the fun things that go on this weekend. Here at The Did You Know? Store, we’re hoping that thinking green on Friday (and on every day) is going to stick.

To keep going with our new TGIF tradition, we’re going to tackle the another fun weekend activity. Cocktail Party anyone?

Thanks to PlanetGreen.com, we have a few tips to share with you on how to make your next Cocktail Party the greenest party in town.

“There is something about sipping on a cocktail surrounded by friends that makes a party feel special. It doesn't matter what the time of year, whether you are getting into the holiday spirit, or sitting on a dock by a lake. Serving a cocktail takes some thought and imagination. Choosing the perfect cocktail to serve is a great way to set the mood of the party. It also takes a bit of ingenuity and legwork to make those cocktails green. There are a growing number of distilleries making organic spirits around the world, but crafting organic vodka, gin, whiskey and such is still the exception, and not the norm. They are often made in small batches and many are imported, both of which can make for an elevated price that not everyone can afford. Still, if you can find organic alcohol in your local liquor store, that's great, and you’re well on your way to a greener cocktail. But the alcohol base isn't the only thing about cocktails that can be green. There are many ways to green your drinks, from booze to shaker and everything in between.”

Top Green Cocktails Tips:

*Use organic liquors when you can

“More and more organic spirits are coming on the market, but actually finding them in your local store is not always easy. Vodka seems to be the most commonly available of spirits, which is great for you because so many terrific cocktails have a vodka base. Producers of organic spirits often make smaller batches and some retailers are reluctant to carry a product that they cannot guarantee will always be in stock. Ask your local purveyor or spirits about stocking organic products. They won't know you want it if you don't tell them.”

*Think Local

“If you are lucky enough to have distillers in your state or even region, it may make more sense to buy their products. Some producers may not be "organic," per se, but some distillers are making ecologically sound efforts in their business practices. Even if your local distiller doesn't actively engage in green practices, having it shipped across a state or two sure beats the entire country and whole globe, for that matter.”

*Think Seasonal

“Try to choose cocktails to fit in with your locale, and local, seasonal offerings. Take advantage of local fresh fruit juices and herbs in your summer drinks. Rather than make a traditional Screwdriver with orange juice, try a recipe that highlights a fruit that grows in your area such as grape or raspberry. In the winter time use fresh cranberries or mull some apple cider. If you are making a coffee-based drink, use organic dairy products and Fair Trade, organic coffee for those warming treats.”

*Make Your Own Cocktail Mixes

“If you see a margarita mix in your grocery store, resist. Making your own cocktails from scratch ensures that you know that the freshest, healthiest ingredients have gone into them, without preservatives or chemicals. Using fresh juice leaves you with pulp and skin to compost. Using mixes leaves you with unnecessary packaging to dispose of. Not only that, if you are using organic alcohol, you have a premium product”, and who doesn’t like sipping on those?

Now go have a green party!

TGIF! Think Green, It’s Friday!

Ok, so here we are. It’s Friday. Universally recognized as the end of the week and universally recognized as the start of party time, Friday is a day where thinking green might take a back seat to all the other fun things that go on during the weekend. Here at The Did You Know? Store, we want to embrace the fun of Fridays while being green at the same time. In fact, we want our being green to stay at the same fast pace as all the other weekend stuff, so we’re starting a new wave of weekend thought. We’re starting TGIF, Think Green It’s Friday!

To start off our TGIF tradition, we’re going to tackle the most basic off all weekend activities. It’s time to talk green dinner parties! A dinner party is a weekend event we all know and love and, as PlanetGreen.com points out, is one that can create a pretty serious amount of waste. “From leftovers, to paper waste and even energy waste, not all dinner parties are created environmentally equal. In planning your next party, why not make it green? From small dinner parties with a few friends to gatherings packed with family, eco-conscious dinner parties can be fun and easy to organize.”

Here are some tips from PlanetGreen.com that should get your next dinner party on the green track.

“By changing just a few common dinner party moves, you can seriously reduce your dinner party's carbon footprint. Be sure to indicate clearly how to get to the dinner party via public transportation. Is there a bus nearby? A light rail? If you don't live near extensive transportation, why not encourage guests to carpool to reduce their footprints.”

Also, “Instead of buying one time use decorations think about going green. Party store decorations are often paper and plastic and usually only last the night of your party. Look outside in your yard for nature inspired decorations. Why not gather branches, flowers foliage and rocks? You can also head on over to your farmer's market for local flowers. Filling vases with hints of the season like pinecones, lemons or leaves is a great way to add a bit of green to the dinner table. Petroleum free soy candles can help you create a mellow mood.”

“If the farmers' market season is still on when your party shopping happens, this is the ideal spot to buy local food. Local produce is not only good for your health, it’s good for the Earth too. The shorter distance food travels to get your plate, the less carbon gets in to the air. To find out what's in season for your party you can check out a seasonal produce calendar. This will help you plan a green menu that celebrates the seasons. When you head out shopping, don't forget your reusable bags!”

“If you can, avoid the usual paper cups, plates, napkins and plastic utensils. If you are stuck on these for your party, look for unbleached or biodegradable products. If you can forgo these you will save a nice pile of trash from making its way into the landfill. Instead, use dishwasher safe china and glasses you already have around the house. If they don't all match, add more green candles and native plants to match the eclectic sets.”

“Set up bins at your party that clearly mark where guests can recycle, compost and send trash to the landfill. Composting your scraps is great for your garden and easy to do. Next, be sure your dishes are finding their way into an efficient dishwasher; we have a great guide on how to green yours. The basics? Skip the pre-rinse, fill it on up, and lower the heat. If you don't have a dishwasher, be sure to do some eco-friendly hand washing. When it comes to scrubbing your countertops post-party, opt to do it with green cleaning products. They're good for the Earth and your health, too.”

So there you are. Now go have a green party!

Machine Wash vs. Hand Wash

My name is Daniel. I manage the East Greenwich branch of The Did You Know? Store. I have a story I'd like to tell, a blog I'd like to post...

So I had a few friends over my apartment the other night. I was showing them around, giving them the grand tour, the whole deal. When I took them into the kitchen, one of them commented on how nice it must be to have all the modern amenities that my kitchen had. They were especially impressed that I had a brand new dishwasher. When I told them that I had never so much as opened the thing, they were confused. Why would someone who has a perfectly good, perfectly new dishwasher never use it? The truth is, I never really thought about it. I grew up in a house that didn't have a dishwasher so I was not used to using one. I had always taken the old fashion approach. I had always washed my dishes by hand. I also just assumed that washing by hand was more environmentally friendly. Then my friend shook my world.

"You know that dishwashers are better for the environment" he said.

"No I didn't" I replied.

When they left, I did some research. Here's what I found.

I was happy to find an entire article on this very subject on treehugger.com. What I discovered surprised me a little. It might surprise you too. According to research, dish washing machines are usually the more efficient of the two approaches in washing those dirty dishes. Overall, they use less energy and less water than hand washing. There is a catch though, so don't worry if you live in a house without a dishwasher like i did. "If you can keep the water use low, equal to an efficient machine, you'll require less energy, but doing an entire load of dishes in 4 gallons of water (the amount of water an efficient machine uses) is roughly equivalent to doing them all in the same amount of water you use in 96 seconds of showering."

Basically, the numbers indicate that it's possible to be as efficient when hand washing, but it's pretty tough. An approach that would guarantee less water usage, as opposed to running the water on half blast, is to fill a basin of water and use it to wash the dishes. It is easy to lose track of the gallons of water flowing down the drain when you leave the faucet on and filling something with water and turning the faucet off is a good way to prevent that from happening.

So what is the verdict? Who is the winner?

Well, that's up to you.