My love for Organics and my wallets hatred for them.

Hello readers!!! Allow me to begin by apologizing for the two week late post. It's been a beyond crazy two weeks and it seems both Fridays came and went with a flash. On the plus side, it has been two weeks of environmental positives in my apartment. I was able to do a load of clothes and "line" dry them, (the line being my shower rod). I also purchased all things needed to begin my organic fire escape garden. The only minus this week came in the form of water, the exact resource I spent last week talking about, seems to be posing the biggest challenge. It looks like cutting down on those, oh so wonderful long hot showers, is harder than it looks. Because I'm a glutton for a long hot shower Ive resorted to either setting the timer on my phone to go off after 3min or taking the option of a shallow bath. I'm still missing the warmth, but realize that most people don't even have enough water to brush their teeth. In fact, National Geographic documented that the average American household uses 350 gallons of water a day, while the average household in rural Africa gets by on 2...if their lucky. That's a statistic that really puts things into perspective and gives me reason to stop my complaining.

Now onto the Organics!!! This week I want to discuss the world of Organics and mindful eating. My first introduction to Organic food was while living in Houston during grad school. I happen to live right next to a WholeFoods store, but at the time had no idea what organic food meant or was. After a day of being fed up with having to drive my car to Kroger, I decided to walk the five feet and enter this "hippie" store. Immediately I was taken back by the color that greeted me. It's as though I entered Eden in the middle of urban Texas. Everything that greeted my senses, from the color of the fruit, and the smell of clean aromas, (not bleach and cardboard, but plants), was amazing. I began walking around and exploring each isle and sampling food that felt good going down. I was hooked! However, my grad school wallet was less than pleased, (may I point out it is still less than pleased half the time). It wouldn't be until New York that I realized paying the extra $1.00 for eggs was not only good for the environment, but also an investment in my health.

Ahhh New York City, everything you could possibly want at your finger tips. New York has opened my world to Farmer's markets, Trader Joes, local fruit, etc. I don't really know why I wasn't aware before that these things existed, but it should open every ones eyes to the fact that our children need to be exposed to this stuff and fast. NYC also gave me this book.....

The Conscious Kitchen, by NYC native Alexandra Zissu, became my healthy living bible. It is a book that is not only easy to digest, (no pun intended), but is so valuable in helping the average person reevaluate the way they buy and think about food. Zissu breaks every item in your kitchen down, from fruits and veggies to non-stick cookware and plastics. After reading this book, Lenny and I not only recycled all non-stick cookware and plastic, but also created our wedding registry with items off her list. With complete 100% satisfaction I recommend this book to anyone who is serious about the well being of their families and the environment. 

The benefits of an organic and local eating lifestyle are endless. I realize you have probably heard a million celebrities, politicians (a.k.a Michelle Obama), and other big names go on and on about these benefits, but take it from someone who knows the value of a dollar. . .Organics can and will change your life. 

I recently was told that someone very close to me had been directly effected by the added hormones in regular dairy. I have been aware that added growth hormones in cattle and dairy cows can not only cause early onset puberty in young children, (some as young as 7), but can also aid in the mutation of cancerous cells. But to hear that someone so close to me was seeing the effects brought on by a life of drinking industrialize farm dairy milk, really brought it home. Organic milk does not contain added growth hormones, nor does it contain antibiotics. By making the switch to Organic milk, you not only see the benefits yourself, but your children will benefit too. 

Like I said before, I love Organic eating. . .my wallet does not. If I had my druthers Organic food would be affordable for the masses. However, more farmers markets around the nation are excepting food stamps. It's all about education. We need to educate our youth and lower economic areas that eating better is an investment in their health. Think of it this way, for every extra dollar spent on USDAORGANIC food, it is one less dollar given to the insurance company or the pharmaceutical companies. You owe it to yourself and to your family to educate them on the food your family consumes. What you uncover may shock you and you don't have to live in a city like NY to find great local farms. Take initiative and ask questions! You have the right to know what your eating and where it came from. 

When you purchase food that was grown organically, you are placing your vote for better standards in food safety from the USDA/FDA, your supporting farmers, and helping the planet by decreasing your carbon footprint, (local travels less).

"If you ever thought you were too small to make a big difference, than you've clearly never been bitten by a mosquito" - Jeanette Walls

I have decided to end this post with a two books that helped me to become an Organic/local eater: 

THE CONCIOUS KITCHEN         Alexandra Zissu

THE KIND DIET                             Alicia Silverstone

Have a wonderful weekend!!! And I just want to do a quick shout out to my cousin Mary who finished the Boston Marathon today. . .truly inspiring. 

Happy Saving!!

Laura

It's the little things. . .

Hello friends. Welcome back to my blog. It's a rainy Friday here in the city and like all of us I'm waiting for that first day that I can step out the door into spring and not have to wear my winter parka. In the meantime I've decided to look at the small things that make a rainy day great and not so great for our environment. Let's begin by looking at the positives. Since childhood we have been taught that rain makes the flowers grow, quenches the thirst of animals, and creates beautiful rainbows. All of this is true and reason to celebrate the water that falls so lovingly from the sky, but what happens when we don't do our part here on solid ground? The results can be shocking and sometimes deadly.

Living in a city like New York it's easy to see the results of pollution. Walking down the streets I am always amazed that people can throw garbage on the ground, (next to a drain I might add), while being steps away from a garbage can. In my opinion this is the ultimate definition of laziness. When we decided to throw our trash on the ground, we are also choosing to drink trash. When rain water pushes trash into drains it eventually travels into our waterways. The effect can be detrimental to the livelihood of animals in our rivers and oceans, not to mention our drinking water. Pollution run off can cause bacteria to spread and create harmful toxins that can seep into our pores while showering, or be directly digested into our system through drinking a glass of water. So next time you decide to grab a piece of gum and disregard that very small wrapping onto the ground, think of the children and animals that might be ingesting your wrapper when it breaks down in our water ways and estuaries. Throwing trash where it belongs is a very small action that results in a big step forward to the health of our planet. It's that easy!

Now for an update. I mentioned in my last blog that I would keep my readers up to date on how my quest at creating a greener lifestyle was coming. I realize my first blog was yesterday, but so much can happen in a day. I've already saved energy by turning the TV off all day long. Yeesh! It was so hard not to watch my shows, but I also was able to get so much more accomplished in my life in a very short time span. I spent an evening with my beautiful friend Annie, laughing and enjoying the night with Yoga and wine. It was great to catch-up and not allow TV to be a substitute for real human interaction.

I've also started my goal in organic farming (well fire escape garden). I purchased organic seeds from WholeFoods and am well on my way to growing my own lettuce and squash. I'm nervous because I don't have the greenest thumb known to man, but how will I ever learn if I don't try. I will share in my ups and downs of organic city "farming" with all of you and welcome any advice from natural green thumb people.

Well, it looks as though laundry is calling and today will be the first day of my anti dryer campaign. Seeing as how it's raining outside it looks as though the "line" will be my shower rod. Not only will I be conserving energy that is zapped every time I run a load of clothes through the dryer, but I will also be getting some extra exercise in today. In his book,  LIVING GREEN: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO SIMPLE SUSTAINABILITY, Greg Horn has this to say about laundry time:

"Laundry products are a major source of water pollution and contains chemicals that can cause health problems, such as skin, lung and eye irritations and allergies. One big culprit is petrochemical-based fragrances used in many of these products. Laundry soap also contains surfactants (which damage the surface tension of water) that enter our waterways. Standard bleach contains concentrated chlorine, a broad-spectrum antimicrobial. Dryer sheets can contain chloroform, camphor and ethyl acetate, which appear on the EPA's hazardous waste list. Several companies, such as Ecover and Seventh Generation, carry alternative laundry products that get your clothes just as clean without chemical residues and without the environmental negatives".

Wow! A lot to take in and a little scary. But making small changes, like switching from harsh detergents to environmentally safe options like Seventh Generation and Borax, can make huge differences in your health and the health of the environment. Borax is way cheaper than conventional laundry detergent and is all natural.  Remember the skin is like a sponge and can digest anything that it comes into contact with it. So start thinking of going green as an investment in your health. It's all about making small everyday changes.

That wraps up this Friday's blog. If you're looking to stay in this weekend and watch TV, why not put that television's energy to good use and have a Environmental Movie Night. There are some amazing nature and eco documentaries that you can watch on Netflix or head to the library and check one out (just remember walking or biking there makes the earth very happy).

Here is a list of some of my favorites:

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
THE COVE
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: WHALE CRISIS
ZERO IMPACT MAN
FOOD INC.
SUPER SIZE ME
BURNING THE FUTURE: COAL IN AMERICA
TAPPED
THE END OF THE LINE
THE 11TH HOUR
MARCH OF THE PENGUINS
KING CORN

Get the kids involved this week too! Kids are the future of this planet. No age is too small to start teaching about conservation and sustainability. Try creating a fun chart that they can decorate showing the days that they conserved water by turning it off when brushing their teeth, or flipping off the lights in their room when they're done playing. You can also visit your local greenhouse this week and go on a nature scavenger hunt to try to find all the insects and plants that awaken and travel out of their homes when spring arrives.

Here is a list of kid friendly eco books and movies that can get them in the mood to take action.

DVD's
MARCH OF THE PENGUINS
CLIMATE OF CHANGE
HAPPY FEET
WALL E
ANIMAL PLANET'S SHARK WEEK
BLUE EARTH
DISNEY'S OCEANS

BOOKS
THE EARTH BOOK   Todd Parr
WHY SHOULD I RECYCLE? Susan Merideth
BIG EARTH, LITTLE ME  Thom Wiley
RECYCLE  Gail Gibbons
THE EVERYTHING KIDS' ENVIRONMENT BOOK Sheri Amsel
THE THREE R'S: REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE  Nuria Roca



Enjoy this weekend. Step outside no matter the weather and look up, breath deep, and enjoy the moment.

Happy Saving!

Laura


"Let's talk trash. . .Only we humans make waste that nature can't digest"- Charles Moore