Happy Earth Day!

Let's make Earth Day every day!

(photo via University of Wyoming)

Victory Gardens

Spring has sprung and I have decided to bring back the victory garden. My beautiful rose bush in the middle of a planter full of weeds inspired this thought. So, who doesn't love fresh produce? And you can't get more fresh than grabbing a head of lettuce from your own backyard. When I spent the summer in Spain, we ate salads fresh from the garden- most. amazing. salads. ever. I think this is a great way to not only be environmentally friendly on several accounts (no driving to the store to purchase, the plants put put oxygen back in the air, you're not supporting cross-country shipping of produce), but it's a fantastic way to save a little money. If you're like me and buy organic, we all know how pricey that can get. Growing your own veggies can absolutely be organic and help cut down on the cost at the grocery store. Not to mention the workout you'd get, along with Vitamin D from being in the sun. And I think it's good for us to be a little more self-reliant. Of course, when looking at the big picture, if enough people do this, you would be putting a further economic strain on farmers both local and who ship from across the country. This is indeed an economic drawback, but you can still turn to your local produce farmers for those more unique fruits and veggies like Albino Asparagus, the Ugli Fruit, and maybe a little Belgian Endive. 

Now all I have to do is getting my hands dirty! And find a way to keep the dogs out. :)

Think global. Grow local!

Dwell: March Issue

The phone rings, it's my best friend. We're both gushing over Dwell's March issue. It's all about sustainable design in Australia and New Zealand. Two of our favourite topics!  They seem to have it pretty well figured out, and some of the innovations/design coming from the Land of Oz are just phenomenal. So, why are they leaps and bounds ahead of us? The magazine suggests it's out of an imminent necessity there, as opposed to a want to find other resources here. Along with other factors such as isolation, egalitarianism, economic prosperity, and an outdoor lifestyle. We should have the same sense of urgency here as they do Down Under. It's ridiculous for sustainable design to be a mere stamp on a blueprint, and not a true goal to be followed through with. JayRay's last post about the fallacies of LEED hits the nail on the head. This isn't something we should be cutting corners or only heeding so that you get the recognition for LEED design. All this had me revisiting the magazine articles. How is it another country is getting this right, when we are just as capable and have all the technology needed to do so? We, as citizens,  need to start asking ourselves some serious questions. 

If you're looking for a little more food for thought, here is the issue from Dwell that is dedicated entirely to this subject. 

Earth Hour Tonight!

Get ready to see what a difference we can make tonight! From 830pm-930pm local time is Earth Hour. Turn off all electronic devices, that includes powering down items in standby mode. Unplug all those chargers you may have. Even if they are not charging anything, they are sucking energy out- they're called vampire devices. And, let's break out the candles! A perfect opportunity to spend a little quality time with those we love. Educate your kids about being green, dust off that guitar, or play a board game (you need several candles for this so you can see to read). Or, just sit back, have a glass of wine (which most are organic, even if they don't advertise it), and enjoy the peace. 

Here is the link to the official website so you can read up on the event before shutting your computer down. Also, posted below is the video about it.

Happy Earth Hour!

Is It Too Easy Being Green?

We're back! Now that the holidays are over, we can finally settle back into our blogging chairs and get serious about posting. Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's! 

Since returning from Spain, I finally found the time to play catch up with all the blogs I follow. And today I was reading a stunning little post from my friend's blog named A Lifeboat Called Utopia. It's all about our global environment and economy, and what we need to do to fulfill our role as responsible participants in our ecological system. So, this got me thinking about the popular things people do so they can claim they too are eco-friendly. 

Ryan, being the author of a blog with such environmental awareness, you may be able to speak to this subject more extensively, but the one solution to global warming I hear about the most is reducing your carbon footprint. This is can be achieved through a number of ways, i.e. buying a Terra Pass or paying a couple of extra bucks for carbon offsetting on your airfare. This sounds like to me people are just buying their way out of accountability. Not to say everyone who pays for carbon offsetting doesn't make other efforts to better the environment, but the way that I feel this particular solution is marketed, and therefore perceived, is that you pay to reduce your carbon footprint, and then go about living your life with a guilt free conscience. Or at least guilt-free about global warming. However, I think the original idea was to purchase carbon offsets IN ADDITION TO making other attempts to go green, if you will. The attitude I seem to take away from all this carbon offsetting is that you can continue to drive that 20 mile commute in your gas guzzling SUV, by yourself, with no effort to carpool or switching to a more fuel efficient car. Because you've offset the damage you're causing!  On the other hand, my co-author gets up every morning at 5am to ensure she can make the train for her 30 mile commute to work, so that she doesn't have to drive her SUV everyday. Now that's responsible!

I don't watch this show often, but I caught a King of the Hill episode a few weeks ago that addressed this very issue. In an effort to better connect with their customers the propane shop that Hank works at "goes green." They do a number of things to clean up their act and become environmentally responsible. Then the competing propane shop across the street "goes green" by simply paying to reduce their carbon footprint, meanwhile going about their typical, polluting, and environmentally irresponsible ways of life. All the while clicking their heels because they can put on an eco-friendly face toward the customer. 

I have come to consider this somewhat of a cop-out. I'm all for buying that Terra Pass or purchasing from companies who have carbon offset programs, as long as you've done your homework and they are truly a responsible company. And just as important, doing your own part at home. 

Of course, all this is coming from my 35 mpg MINI Cooper driving, no commute to work, high horse. :) I understand not everyone can trade in their pick up truck for a Prius at the drop of a hat, but all I ask is to do your duty as an active member of this planet. 

I'll leave you with a few words from Ryan's blog that truly hit home for me: 

"Nature is not a zero sum game, where our gain is nature's loss. May permaculture design and a more profound understanding of our unity with nature usher in an era of regenerative economy, rather than extractive false economy. Species of the world unite!"