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Living Green: Eating Local!
May 2008, by Krissy
There has been a lot of buzz recently about eating local. There are a lot of health, environmental, and economic benefits to eating local. Eating locally involves purchasing food, including not only vegetables, but also meat, dairy and grains, from sources in your own state or region. But in your day to day life, what does it mean? The following explains some benefits of eating local, some recipes for Spring veggies, and some additional resources.
Benefits of Eating from Local Food Sources:
Health Benefits:
- Food is fresher and contains more nutrients
- Fruit and veggies are fresher, so they taste better- therefore you’ll eat more!
- Once you get in the mindframe of purchasing local food products, you’ll become less likely to eat processed foods and more likely to eat whole foods, which contain fewer preservatives and more overall nutrition
Environmental Benefits:
- New Zealand apples, Mexican bananas, Californian strawberries, etc. does mean you can eat foods all year that are not seasonal in your area. But these far off locations also mean food is traveling extremely far distances to reach the produce department of the grocery store- and those long distances mean high fuel emissions. This high use of oil contributes to global warming.
- Reduction of produce packaging (ie: styrofoam & plastic containers)
Economic Benefits:
- Buying local supports local farmers and keeps your hard earned dollars in your own community
What’s in Season this Spring and Summer in Wisconsin?
- April/May: Asparagus, Greens (ie: Swiss Chard and Kale), Rhubarb, Spring Onions, Garlic, Artichokes. Maple Syrup, Morel Mushrooms, Fiddlehead Ferns
- June/July: Strawberries, Raspberries, Beets, Peas, Beans, Red Potatoes,
- August: Tomatoes, Blackberries, Watermelon, Sweet Corn, Squash, Cucumbers, Apples, Honey, Potatoes, Carrots, Peppers
Where Do I Buy Local Food?
Most conventional grocery stores don’t stock local produce, dairy, or meat, even when it is in season. Sometimes purchasing locally requires a bit of extra effort. But it’s worth it!
Living Green: Enjoying Spring!
April 2008, by Krissy
What better way to get motivated to “green” your lifestyle, than to enjoy the beauty of nature! When you spend time outside enjoying what nature has to offer, you will begin to want to do your part to preserve it. Now that Spring has finally arrived after a very cold and snowy winter, there’s no better time to get outside and have fun! The following are some resources and ideas for finding a nature activity that interests you in and around Madison:
UW Arboretum
1207 Seminole Hwy.
Madison, WI
263-7888
Trails open 7am-10pm
www.uwarboretum.org/events
Outside of just exploring the trails and trees of the 1260 acres of the UW Arboretum, there are other activities that they offer. There are free guided walks offered in the daytime and nighttime. Examples of topics include bird watching, frogs, and flowers. They also offer classes for a fee. In addition, they have volunteer work days to help with restoration activities.
Aldo Leopold Nature Center
300 Femrite Drive
Monona, WI
221-0404
Trails open from Dawn – Dusk
www.naturenet.com/alnc
The Aldo Leopold Nature Center sits on a 47 acre conservation park. They offer many opportunities to learn more about nature, through events, drop in programs, and more. One upcoming event is the Arbor Day Celebration on Wed. 4/16 from 1-4. The center also has exhibits, most recently Aldo Leopold as a boy. In addition, there is a Leopold Family Interpretive Trail.
Troy Gardens
500 block of Troy Dr
Madison, WI
240-0409
www.troygardens.org
Troy Gardens offers many opportunities to our community. In addition to their Community Gardens and Community Farm, they also have trails highlighting the organization’s restoration of their land. Trail guides are available at the front of the property. In addition, they offer volunteer opportunities to people interested in pitching in on the restoration activities and the community farm.
Cherokee Marsh
www.naturenet.com/cherokee
Cherokee Marsh is a 4,000 acre wetland and is the largest wetland in Dane County. The park has two observation platforms for wildlife viewing, the Yahara River Boardwalk, and other trails.
Olbrich Botanical Gardens
3330 Atwood Ave
Madison, WI
246-4550
www.olbrich.org
In addition to their well known outdoor gardens and Bolz Conservatory, Olbrich offers a wide range of classes and events. For example, for families with young children, there is a weekly “Toddler Story and Stroll,” “Little Sprouts Gardening classes.” Olbrich has garden walks and arts and crafts classes as well. They also offer a lecture series. The next one is on 4/23/08 and is titled “Spring Bulbs and Wisconsin Root Beer.”
For More Ideas…
For information on nature centers and family activities, visit:
www.naturenet.com/centers/familyresources for many other ideas including Eko-Treks and Guided Hikes and Tours.
Living Green: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle...
March 2008, by Krissy
We hear these three words a lot and mostly when we do, we think about putting our glass and plastic bottles in our recycling bin – but what about reducing and reusing? These are also critical factors to reduce our impact on the environment. Reducing and reusing can just be a matter of making simple lifestyle choices. Here are some tips:
- Reuse grocery bags or use cloth bags that can be used for years. Keep them in your trunk so they are always handy when you run to the store.
- Buy products with less packaging.
- Buy economy size containers.
- Shop in the bulk section for rice, flour, etc.
- Rather than buy individually packaged packs of chips, buy a bigger bag and put them in reusable containers.
- Don’t use plastic bags for your veggies – put them straight in your cart and at home put them in a baggie that you have reused.
- Rather than buy individually packaged yogurt, but a large tub and put servings in reusable containers
- Rather than buy plastic bottles of water, get a water filter and fill your own reusable bottle.
- When purchasing products, be conscious of whether or not the packaging can be recycled.
- Compost food scraps
- Purchase things second hand, including books, music, clothing, baby gear, etc.
- Post on www.freecycle.org to give away things you don’t want so that someone else can reuse them.
- Stop junk mail! Call catalogue companies to ask to be removed from their maiing list.
- Get a reusable coffee mug rather than using disposable cups.
- Having a picnic? Bring along dishes and silverware – tossing disposables really isn’t that much more convenient!
- Consider using cloth diapers that you can wash and reuse, instead of using disposables.
- Shop at the ReStore!
Sources:
http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/recycle.htm
www.reducerubbish.govt.nz
Living Green: Reducing Energy at Home
February 2008, by Krissy
Reducing energy at home is an important step to “green” your home. Though accounting for only 5 percent of the world's population, Americans consume 26 percent of the world's energy. (American Almanac). Additionally, total U.S. residential energy consumption is projected to increase 17 percent from 1995 - 2015. (U.S. Energy Information Administration) There are many steps we can take as individuals and families to reduce our energy usage and prevent this from turning into a reality. The following are some ideas:
- Turn down your thermostat. This saves you money as well – just be lowering the thermostat one degree, your heating costs reduce by four percent. Use a programmable thermostat and set it lower during the hours you are asleep or are out of the house.
- Use ceiling fans: These are useful not only in summer, but winter as well. By reversing the direction of the blades, warm air is pushed down, helping to keep rooms warm in winter.
- Simply turn lights off when not in use. Keeping a room unnecessarily lit wastes energy.
- Unplug appliances, cell phone chargers, coffee pots, etc. when they aren’t in use. Your electric meter is often adding up kilowatt hours when you don’t think you’re using an appliance.
- When purchasing new appliances, make sure they they are Energy Star. Compared to a 1990 model, an Energy Star-qualified refrigerator would save enough electricity to light a home for more than four and a half months.
- When shopping for an appliance, only buy what you need. Items too large or too small waste electricity and your money.
- Replace incandescent lightbulbs with an energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs. (Don’t forget that these contain mercury and need to be disposed of properly).
- Add insulation to your attic or consider improving the insulation that is already there. Insulating with loose-fill fiberglass and cellulose or fiberglass batt insulation is relatively inexpensive, will most likely pay for itself in two to eight years, depending on the situation. Talk to an insulation contractor to find out what your options are.
- Replace older windows with energy-efficient windows, preferably with a low-E coating and argon gas fill. They cost more but you will immediately feel the difference. Be sure to have them properly installed by a trained professional though, otherwise they may still leak.
- Wrap your hot water heater in a hot water heater insulation kit and save significantly on water heating costs.
Sources:
Living Green: Non-Toxic Household Cleaners
November 8, 2007, by Krissy
Sustain Dane is a unique c
January 2008, by Krissy
Making the transition to non-toxic household cleaners is one way to “green” your home! Ordinary household cleaning products contain chemicals that are harmful to your health as well as the environment. In addition, they are more expensive than if you make a non-toxic cleaner yourself. Making cleaning products at home is simple and the result is safe and just as effective. Basic ingredients are all that is needed. Some recipes and resources are below:
Household Cleaner (from ecocycle.org)
Mix together:
1 tsp. liquid soap (castile, peppermint)
1 tsp. borax
Squeeze of lemon
1 qt. warm water
OR
¼ c. baking soda
½ c. borax
½ c. vinegar
1 gal. water
Mix together and store in a spray bottle. Make sure you put the ingredients on a label so you know what is in the bottle.
Basic Sink Cleaner (from The Naturally Clean Home by Karyn Siegel-Maier)
¼ cup baking soda
½ cup vinegar
3 drops lavender, rosemary, lemon, lime or orange essential oil
Combine ingredients well. Rinse sink with hot water. Pour cleanser in sink and wipe with a sponge or cloth. Rinse sink again with hot water.
Easy Does It Toilet Cleaner (from The Naturally Clean Home by Karyn Siegel-Maier)
½ cup baking soda
¼ coup white vinegar
10 drops tea tree essential oil.
Combine all ingredients. Add to the bowl, swipe with a brush, and you’re done.
Want to learn more?
Websites:
PioneerThinking.com - Home Cleaning
care2.com - Make Your Own Non-Toxic Cleaning Kit
OrganizedHome.com - Homemade Cleaning Products
Books:
The Naturally Clean Home: Over 100 Safe and Easy Herbal Formulas for Nontoxic Cleansers by Karyn Siegel-Maier
Better Basics for the Home: Simple Solutions for Less Toxic Living by Annie Berthold-Bond
Clean and Green: The Complete Guide to Non-Toxic and Environmentally Safe Housekeeping by Annie Berthold-Bond
Living Green: Learn More About a Local Resource!
November 8, 2007, by Krissy
Sustain Dane is a unique community organization that works to involve the community in bettering our environment. They offer numerous services, from facilitating discussion courses (for example: Voluntary Simplicity or Healthy Children, Healthy Planet) to selling rain barrels to offering a local "Green Guide." Madison is lucky to have a resource such as Sustain Dane. To learn more, visit their website at www.sustaindane.org or call them at (608) 819-0689.
Living Green: Teaching Kids to be Environmentally Friendly
October 10, 2007
Want to include the kids in your life in your green lifestyle? Help kids get into environmentally friendly patterns early. Teach by example! Here are some tips:
- Don’t litter. Take it one step further and when you see trash on the ground, pick it up and throw it in a garbage can.
- Show your kids that public transportation is fun and easy! Take the bus when possible.
- Keep reusable cloth rags handy to use on spills instead of disposable paper towels to reduce your paper waste.
- Visit a local farm or go the farmer’s market. Talk to farmers about the produce they grow. Or, start a family vegetable garden so your kids can see how their food grows.
- Ride your bike to school with your kids or walk instead of driving. Lots of cars on the road means lots of air pollution.
- Teach your kids where food waste goes. Drive by the landfill to make it more real. Then get a simple compost bin (www.composters.com) to show your kids how you can turn kitchen scraps into compost for your garden.
- Promote nature! Your kids will want to protect the environment if they have fun in it! Go for a hike in the woods, explore the state parks, listen to birds and other wildlife.
- Go to the library or bookstore to look at books that teach values of environmentalism and conservation. Examples of books for include:
Living Green: A Few Tips
September 10, 2007, by Krissy
The Madison community shops at the Habitat ReStore for many reasons. You already know that it’s the perfect place to find useful and unique items for home renovation at a great price. You probably also already know that proceeds of the Habitat ReStore support affordable housing in Dane County.
In addition, an increasingly popular reason that people shop at the Habitat ReStore is that it supports “Green” living! In a time where protecting our environment is becoming a serious concern for many, the ReStore is a perfect example of reusing and recycling.
The following are a few other “Green” living tips:
Not driving? Turn off your car!
- The recommendation is: If you are going to be parked for more than 30 seconds, turn off the engine. It only takes ten seconds of idling to use more fuel than turning off the engine and restarting it.
Reduce!
- Buy in bulk. Typically, bulk items use less packaging, which means that you’ll use less energy.
- Buy quality products that will last longer. Over time, you'll buy less products and reduce consumption.
- Buy a reusable coffee mug instead of using disposable ones when you get your morning cup of joe. Buy a resusable water bottle instead of disposable bottles of water.
Trim Down on Heating & Cooling
- Add two degrees to the AC thermostat in summer, and subtract two degrees in winter. If everyone did this, the cumulative impact is significant.
- Save 5% in heating costs by keeping your furnace clean and lubricated.
- Use a programmable thermostat, which can reduce energy use by 5-30 percent and save you $100-$150 in energy costs each year.
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