Need Suggestions

I need a really good vegetarian cookbook or website. If you have any ideas, please let me know.

Power Grid

We have incorporated destroying our planet into our way of life. We do it in such a way that we don't have to look. Like hamburger on our plate, we give no thought to where it came from.

We all do it. We all get up in the morning, and take for granted the hot water rushing into our homes. We don't think about the chickens, when we cook our eggs in the morning, or the oil or gas or electricity we use to cook them.

Having these things to make our lives easier is not a necessity, but a privilege. We need to learn about them and the effects on the planet. We need to be responsible. With Power Comes Responsibility.

Produce Challenge

So I took a deep breath and registered at the No Impact Site, so that I might take part in one of their week-long experiments, and guess what? I got an out-of-office email from the person responsible, telling me she was on vacation. Hmmm. Oh, well. Maybe something will happen when she comes back?

In the meantime, I'm taking on a produce challenge. To date, I still buy the bulk of my fruits and vegetables at the grocery store. I try to buy organic, but I know I'd be better off supporting the local farmers around here. So...

I'm sure there are Farmer's Markets around here, but I don't know when or where they occur. I am going to look that up. There are a couple of farm stands, but my favorite one is closed until the end of August. (What is up with that?) The other one sells eggs, though. Farm fresh. Cool, huh?

This is going to up our food spending, I know. And I'm going to be frustrated because I will be at the mercy of whatever they happen to have.

Report Card

Someone who has always needed positive feedback, I sometimes wish I could get someone to step into my life and tell me how I'm doing. I crave confirmation that the steps I am taking are actually good ones, that the effort I am making is actually worth it.

Lifestyle changes are always met with skepticism and resistance. First of all, I have to convince myself that talking the step is necessary and possible. "I CAN use recycled toilet paper!" Then I have to muster up the energy to make the change, something that is actually hard to do, especially since the change will probably be uncomfortable and more expensive. All the while, this will be met with resistance from family members, who will complain about the new toilet paper - after all, THEY don't want to change. And other people will make fun and make comments. "Do you think it makes a difference?" "But this other stuff is so much softer!"

And even after I am used to the change, after it has been made and has become part of my new lifestyle, I am acutely aware that it is not The Norm. That most people use other kids of toilet paper. The softer, bleached, worse for the Earth kind. The kind advertised on TV that take up most of the supermarket aisle.

So, am I doing something good, or am I simply making choices that separate me from the rest of society?

It's hard to know. There are so many differing opinions about what is helpful and what is good, particularly when products are taken into account. Do chemicals in soaps matter? Why is all the organic produce wrapped in plastic?

I need a mentor. I need a report card.

Out Of Control

Another Stupid Apology

I have been neglecting this blog AGAIN!

I've spent some time reflecting on why I have trouble posting here on a regular basis. It's not that I don't have time or that I can't be relied on. I have another blog to which I post almost daily, so this really shouldn't be an issue.

The difference is content. Day after day I try to come up with something worthy that I have done, that I have thought up, which I might report to the world. But more often than not, all I can come up with is my sins. I have a mental list of "bad things" that I did - I took a trip in my car that wasn't necessary. I let the shower run to get warm while I flossed my teeth. I used comet in the downstairs toilet, bleach in my wash, and I mowed my lawn - a whopping 4 acres of fast growing grass.

Posting here came to a halt when I went on vacation with my family and ignored all my usual rules. We drove everywhere, I stopped recycling, and I bought and purchased non-organic goods. We ate out a lot.

But I'm going to get back on this horse. I'm picking myself up, brushing off my dusty bottom, and starting again. Even though I want to give up. I'm going to see this thing through. Wish me luck.

Trip To The Beach

Planning on visiting the beach this summer?

You should take a look at this.

Smokin'

Just another reason to quit, right?

Organic Moo

I have taken to buying organic milk.

Even when I'm buying a half gallon, it's more expensive. And my husband rolls his eyes and isn't entirely on board. My kids claim it tastes different.

But this milk is from local farms. While even the generic store brand claims they give their cows no artificial growth hormones, the organic milk also uses no antibiotics and no pesticides in the feed.

Not to mention that the organic milk comes in cartons as opposed to plastic containers.

So it's better, right? Or am I just buying into an illusion? I really don't know.

Born Toxic

When I was pregnant I remember reading the list of things I was not supposed to eat. Alcohol. Soft cheeses. Some fish because of mercury. Lunch meats because of nitrates. Between what I couldn't stomach and what I couldn't have I was left with a diet of white bread.

Last week I read This Article about toxins, chemicals, entering the womb and effecting infants before they even take their first breath. It's part of a TV report by Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Toxic America, which aired last week and which I didn't see. But the article really made an impression.

I'll be honest with you, I cried.

You know those nightmares where something terrible is happening, and you stand there, screaming, waving your arms, trying to get all the people around you to SEE, and the smile at you and just walk on by?

That's what I feel like, right now.

Check this out if you're interested in what contains Toxins.

Veggie Matic

Here's a Challenge: Eat less meat.

Specifically, less beef. Pay attention to how many times a week you eat beef. Replace ground beef with ground turkey or chicken. Try a few meatless meals, like a risotto or a pasta. A chili with beans.

It's the production of beef, the waste it produces, the horrible living conditions of the cows, the fuel burned in the transportation of the actual meat... not to mention the fact that beef is fed a diet heavy in antibiotics to counteract the bacteria..... just read Food Inc. I'm not going to go into it any deeper here. But I believe it's true. I think the industry is corrupt and the result unhealthy. And yet I still enjoy a good steak or a burger. (it took awhile after Food Inc. though)

But for the sake of the planet and the sake of my health, I've cut down on red meat. Twice a week is we're lucky. And one night a week is no meat at all. Every little bit counts.

Making It Personal

Here's a fun little link from one of my Facebook friends. I plotted it to see what it would look like if the spill took place in NY, but by all means, feel free to use whatever location you wish.

Veggie Fail

Last night I made tuna salad as a meatless dinner.

I knew what I was doing, I just ran out of options. I think I'm just tired of working so hard and struggling to prepare foods I'm not used to handling, jut to have my family not eat it. I mean, do you KNOW how much eggplant parm I had last week?

Of course, my kids hate tuna and my husband refuses to eat mayo, so I was the only one who ate the tuna. But at least it was easy to make.

Everyday Choices

When I was a kid, I remember watching a television ad for plastics.

I had heard people talking about how plastic was no good. How it was "around forever" even when it was broken and not being used anymore. But this ad mentioned helmets and medical devices... things that helped people.

These days there is a lot of talk about oil. We drill all over the place, we spill it all over the ocean. We want to blame someone, to point the finger, but the truth is oil is messy and dangerous and we use it for almost everything. We use it for gas. We use it for plastics in everything from toys to balloons to clothing. We use it for cosmetics.

I use these things, too. But I also believe that 1) we use too much and 2) we should find alternatives. If we don't, we're going to drown ourselves in it, and take a good deal of life down with us.

The Ultimate Challenge

Here's a REAL challenge.

A one week Carbon Cleanse. The No Impact Experiment.

To be perfectly up front, I haven't dome this yet. I'm terrified to. I don't think I can. And to get the rules, the day by day steps, I need to register for it. Somehow, that makes it more official. And, to be honest, I don't want to fail. That would be so embarrassing.

But I plan in working up the courage to. Soon. Maybe this summer.