Healthy Green Fun Idea #5

To wrap up this series, I am going to focus on learning because I love to learn.  I love a great book.  I love new facts. I love being motivated and inspired to change because of the work an author has done to research, document, edit and share their thoughts and ideas. Here are some of my “most favorite” books about living healthy and green.

1. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver Barbara’s year living locally explained in a clear, high educational and yet highly entertaining way what being a locavore was all about and why it mattered.

2. Sleeping Naked Is Green, by Vanessa Farquharson Vanessa made me laugh out loud on numerous occasions as she took steps, every day for a year, to live healthier and greener.  She proved that there will always be one more thing you can try and that yes, Sleeping Naked IS green.

3. Hot, Flat, and Crowded, by Thomas Friedman A passionate call to reinvigorate the United States place of leadership in this world through leading, rather than following, the green movement.  Friedman’s work showed me that yes, all these changes can and do matter.  A lot.  Petro-dictatorship’s might be my new favorite concept in foreign policy.

4. The Unhealthy Truth: How Our Food Is Making Us Sick – And What We Can Do About It, by Robyn O’Brien An allergy mom like me, Robyn does ground-breaking research into what has changed about our food system and why it’s making our kids sick.  Her research, in particular around GMO’s (Genetic Modified Organisms), was a major eye-opener for me.

5. Slow Death by Rubber Duck, by Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie Two of Canada’s leading environmentalists ingest and expose themselves to everyday toxins and then measure their blood.  If you are concerned about toxin exposure, particularly for children, read this book. It is as empowering as it is scary.

6. Raising Baby Green, by Alan Greene, M.D. The book I recommend the MOST when I’m out speaking to new parents is Raising Baby Green.  Dr. Greene’s guide to every question that a parent has about healthy green living is simply spectacular.

Do you have a favorite healthy green living book to share?  As soon as I finish the awesome Alexandra Zissu/Jeffrey Hollender book, Planet Home, I will need a new one–so do share!

Healthy Green Fun Idea #4

Have you heard of Freecycle?  It’s a site organized by town that lets you post things you are willing to part with at no cost.  Or you can post for things you need, but can’t or don’t want to pay for.

At first I was a little skeptical, but I needed a whiteboard for our office so decided to try.  I posted “Wanted:  Office Whiteboard”.  Within 30 minutes, I had three offers.  The next week, I decided I needed to find a home for baby supplies we no longer needed so I posted, “Offer:  Bag of Baby Dishes, Utensils and Bibs”.  I got two emails and the next week they were gone.

Using Freecycle, I’ve cleaned out my basement and furnished our offices.  All at no charge and with the real sense that someone is benefitting by either getting rid of things they don’t need or getting things they do.  Most of the people are incredibly nice and responsive.  A few never pick up items and you move on to the next person on the list. Sometimes the person giving or receiving turns out to be a friend or neighbor, which always give you both a good laugh.

In chatting to people about Freecycle, I’ve also discovered other fun exchange resources online, including a kids clothing swap site, thredUP, books/music/videos on swap.com, and there are event in-person fashion events held by the Swapaholics.

Sure, I love the environmental benefits of not buying new stuff.  Less packaging, less shipping, and fewer natural resources consumed is great for everyone and everything.  But I also just LOVE saving the money and getting perfectly good stuff (I’m a frugalista at heart).  And honestly, is there anything more zen-like than a clean and decluttered basement.

Do you have a favorite way to exchange stuff for free (or nearly free?) Spill those swap secrets with us!

Healthy Green Fun Idea #3

Last year, we joined a CSA for the first time at an organic farm in our town. For those who aren’t familiar, CSA stands for “Community Supported Agriculture” and you pay upfront for a share of what the farm grows.  Each week, you then get a box filled with whatever is in season that week.

I knew it would be great to have locally-grown organic food.  I knew it was more affordable than supermarket organics.  What I didn’t realize was how much fun being part of a CSA would be.

We split a full share with two other families. Initially, I was worried that there wouldn’t be enough for everyone. As you can see from the photo below–no worries about that.  In our first delivery, we received an ENORMOUS head of Napa cabbage, 2 heads of red leaf lettuce, bags of spinach, mixed greens, watercress, scallions, kale, and something called a spring garlic. We also got a very nice note from the CSA manager letting us know everything was picked this morning, along with recipes. Fortunately, my neighbors also shared great ideas for what one does with a giant napa cabbage and spring garlic.

I’ve met and gotten to know the man who grows our food, Farmer Jim. He has a big tattoo of a beet on his forearm (which might explain the enormous quantity of beets we receive). He gives me flower garden advice, which I always need. One weekend, he took all the kids of CSA members on a tour of the farm.

Another highlight of the CSA was playing “name that vegetable” with my kids. I’d pull something out of the box and they’d have to guess what it was. Their answers had me in tears, especially when my rather sports-addicted son yelled out “tennis ball” when he saw a yellow onion.

I always thought the community support had to do with the financial model. But it’s clearly more than that. A CSA share rebuilds relationships–with the farmer, the farm, the seasons and the food; with neighbors or friends who help you eat (or figure out what to do with) a giant napa cabbage. I knew a CSA would be affordable and delicious. I didn’t realize it would be this fun.

Are you in a CSA?  What came in your box?  Any recipes or photos to share?

Healthy Green Fun Idea #2

I can never, ever remember to turn out all the lights, turn off the computer, and unplug the appliances/cell phones.  I know these habits can save a lot of energy. I know it can save us money. For whatever reason (latent fear of the dark? sheer laziness? poor attention to detail?), I manage to forget something–a light, a cell phone cord, the coffee maker.

A friend mentioned that her dad used to charge them .05 cents for every light they left on. My kids are young, don’t really have money, and I’m the biggest culprit. Charging myself didn’t seem very effective. Then I read about a mom who, as they leave the house, has her kids run all around looking for anything plugged in or left on.  For every item they find, they get .05 cents.

The first time I tried it, my son raced all over the house as fast as he could go. He beamed as I handed him .25 cents.  Even the three year old got a dime.  I was worried that a few weeks into this game they would get bored or my behavior would change.  We don’t play every time we leave, but we do it enough that I can vouch that no, my behavior doesn’t change and yes, the incentive system still works.  The net effect is definitely lower energy bills.

A few lessons learned:

Especially for parents with older kids:  no, they can’t get paid for things THEY purposely left on and siblings cannot scheme to jack up earnings

Unplugging the DVR may get your child $.05 cents, but will lead to great disappointment when you try to watch that episode of Mad Men.  Tag “exempt” cords with red tape.

Unbridled enthusiasm has been known to tip over lamps and lead to dropped hair dryers.  You may want to tag “fragile” cords as well.

What about you?  Do you play any other games to remember these “harder” habits?  Have any other ways to remind yourself?  Would love to hear your ideas!

Introduction:

I started making healthy green changes in my life because like many parents, I was anxious about my young son’s health. Initially it was all food allergy related. Then I found out all the other yucky stuff that many products contained–things I hadn’t thought about like parabens and artificial colors.  I was horrified to realize that I had been microwaving plastic bottles with BPA in them. That his James the Tank Engine had lead in it (and yes, he chewed on it). Navigating each decision and new piece of information was time-consuming, complex, and anything BUT fun.

I’m now in our fifth year of this healthy green journey. As I look back, I realize that some of these healthy green changes were not only beneficial, they were actually really, really fun!  So for my series this week, I wanted to share my five “favorite, most fun” healthy green actions to encourage everyone to find the brighter side of healthy green living.

Healthy Green Fun Idea #1:  Green Your Date Night

My husband and I are pretty religious about date night. We cherish that time together, but it’s often fallen into a “hop in the car and hit our favorite restaurant” rut. We decided to challenge ourselves to add in green twists, in part because it gives us something fun to plan, but also because we discover new places or foods we love.  Here are a few ways to green your own date night:

A. Order eco-friendly wine or local beer: I love the look on a bartenders face when you ask if any of their wines are biodynamic or organic.  However, they often have one and usually they are pretty good! We’ve also tried all sorts of local craft and micro brews that are delicious.

B. Walk, Bike or take public transportation Especially in the summer, we’ve really enjoyed a long walk before and after dinner. However, remember to bring a flashlight! We’ve also taken the train. We have yet to bike to dinner–but that would definitely open up options!

C. Find a Dine-Green (or other eco-friendly) restaurant We love the directory on http://www.dinegreen.com and have found a number of certified restaurants in our area that we otherwise would not have tried, ranging from high-end Italian to a night at the museum.

Have other “green date night” ideas to share?  Please post below as we are always eager for new ideas!