Ordinarily Green

Alton Brown talks about Kids Lunch

2010-05-28T10:41:00.000-07:00

If you haven't been following Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, then you should definitely check it out. He is doing amazing things and many are joining his quest. While the goals aren't necessarily centered on Eco-friendly habits, the end result of eating fresh food, is in itself green, there isn't all the processing time, it is more likely that is shipped from local sources, there are less people in hospitals therefore reducing demand, etc., so check it out: http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-revolution and sign the petition!!

As this series has come to light the other folks out there giving talks and striving for the protection of our future generations have been publicized more and more. I ran across this talk by Alton Brown down in Georgia for a group with some very similar goals and I thought I'd pass it on because he really touches on how hard it is for him to undo everything his daughter picks up or experiences at school. This foundation has a whole series of talks that are worth listening too as well.
Alton Brown's Talk
Farm to Table to Kid Series
The Arthur Blank Family Foundation's Site

New Microsoft Hohm Site

2010-04-24T12:09:00.000-07:00

Microsoft has launched a beta site for home energy audit. While it focuses mainly on saving money the underlying theme is energy savings which helps all of us and the planet. Check it out.

http://www.microsoft-hohm.com/

Another Giant Garbage Patch Found in the Atlantic Ocean

2010-04-16T12:37:00.000-07:00

If it wasn't enough reason to cut out our society's use of throw away plastic due to the first enormous patch of plastic they found years ago in the Pacific Ocean, now they've found one in the Atlantic and suspect there to be more! If you haven't checked out my running commentary tracking my use of reusable bags in lieu of plastic or paper you may want to check it out after viewing the following link!

Another Giant Garbage Patch Found in the Atlantic Ocean | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World

There's an app for that!

2010-04-08T08:09:00.000-07:00

As many of you know I am a volunteer for the Shedd Aquarium, lately I have been getting involved more and more with the Right Bite program, which I really enjoy! The Shedd does partner with the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch for this program and I recently have learned that they have an iphone app for their Seafood Watch pocket guides, if you don't have an iphone don't worry you can just bookmark moblie.seafoodwatch.org!

My status as a Food Inc fan on Facebook also lead me to this article that highlights some other great apps from the Dirty dozen/Clean 15 to an app called Locavore which tells you what is in season in your area and where the nearest farmer's market is. All pretty handy apps for those of us that have recently discovered that eating organic, natural and local foods is not only good for the environment but it the taste is exceptionally better as well!!

http://www.takepart.com/news/2010/04/07/paige-groceryapps-

The Food Pyramid Unbalance

2010-03-12T08:40:00.000-08:00

Wow, so this sheds a lot of light on why we eat how we do... A case of do what I say and not what I do. I feel as if federal subsidies pyramid was reversed it would be a win win for everyone, healthier options and agriculture that is better for the environment. What do you think?

Why a Big Mac Costs Less Than a Salad - Economix Blog - NYTimes.com

Another reason for Grass versus Grain fed meat

2010-03-11T15:14:00.000-08:00

I recently ran across this article and wanted to share and give a little input from my own experience. We have recently started purchasing grass fed meat from our company that brings us local produce every other week and it is by far superior to the grain fed, even organic grain fed meat. I was amazed how much flavor the meat had, it tasted like, yes get this, meat! I know crazy. I would really recommend trying it if you are like me and have tried to give up meat to help the environment but just can't seem to make the switch.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/11/switching-to-grass-fed-beef/

Green cookbooks

2010-03-07T20:00:00.000-08:00

I have read through a couple of the latest green trend in these green cookbooks popping up all over and while most give some good tips and ideas, this latest one seems to delve into lifestyle choices as well. They also have a companion site that compliments the book. It seems like a great comprehensive guide to living eco-friendly with food.

http://biggreencookbook.com/

Earth Hour, March 27th, 2010

2010-03-05T21:55:00.000-08:00

Earth Hour is coming up soon on March 27th at 8:30pm, your local time, spread the word and lets show them the real impact!

https://www.myearthhour.org/home

Cutting down on Plastic bags

2010-02-13T18:52:00.000-08:00

So in my effort to stop using plastic bags, it occurred to me that using plastic ziploc bags is probably just as bad. So I have been focusing on how to cut this down. First I tried reuse, now some of you may be better at cleaning these than me, but I felt like they where never clean and looked disgusting. Even if I felt they where clean they only seemed to last 2-3 uses. So plan B. I started evaluating what I was using them for. It came down to food to take to work and baked goods to take to parties and such and I'd use them to hold my cheese after I opened a package. So the cheese was the first one and that was pretty easy I got a shallow plastic container and put the cheese in that then put that in the fridge... Easy. Second, was the food I take to work, again cheese, some fruit, etc. This seemed easy once I thought about it as well, just use the reusable plastic or our mason jars for these items. I take my weeks worth of cheese on Monday and have found that a couple of my round containers fit my cut up fruit perfectly. Lastly, was the baked goods, I am still fully working this one out, as I don't really have reusable containers that are big enough to take 4 dozen cookies... Overall, though I just try to stop and think when I reach in the drawer for a plastic bag, that usually stops me because I have found that the bags are really nothing more than a convenience and now that I don't use them I don't really miss them.

Eat Wild

2010-01-12T20:53:00.000-08:00

I stumbled across this site while looking for a birthday gift and wanted to pass it along. As we find out more and more about how bad our food industry actually is this type of site will soon become invaluable. Enjoy.

http://www.eatwild.com/index.html

Food, Inc

2010-01-12T20:48:00.000-08:00

If you haven't seen this movie you really should. It is a real eye opener! I had an idea of how bad our food industry was, from the mass feed lots to Monsanto, but not to this extent. It was a real eye opener and a must see. A really well done film.

Paper versus Plastic? Neither, of course!

2009-11-18T12:43:00.001-08:00

As most of my followers know, I have been tracking how many bags I'm saving by using my reusable bags when shopping. For those that don't, catch up here: Down with Shopping Bags! Recently, I have learned some interesting facts. I volunteer at the Shedd Aquarium and recently worked an Eco-social they had, where I learned that the resources to make a paper bag including wood, energy and water far out way the recourses required to make a plastic bag! I was astounded that it takes over a gallon of water per bag! Yes, a GALLON, per bag!! So this made me want to find out more, because when I accidentally forgot my reusable bags, which is rare but does happen, I wanted to know what to use. One study I read noted that it takes 70% more energy to make a paper bag versus a plastic one! (Website sited) It also takes 91% less energy according to the EPA to recycle a plastic bag versus a paper! There are definitely pros and cons to either... THIS is a good one illustrating why plastic is better and unfortunately I couldn't find one that was very pro paper at all, must just said neither...

So which one do you choose? There is no simple answer but here is my opinion:

Reusable Bags: This is obviously our first choice, chose one that is recyclable or biodegradable at the end of its life though, watch out for the freebie ones.

After that I opt for:

Paper: because I have a compost during warm months and I never have enough "browns", other reasons would be if you need a weed block for your garden or have another use for paper bags like school books, roasting peppers, gift wrapping, etc.

Plastic: if you don't have any of the above needs for paper and promise to return them to the store for recycling then plastic is really your best option. Bringing it back for recycling is key here, so that it doesn't end up in the ocean or a landfill, and yes your bag from Chicago CAN end up in the Ocean...

Holiday Green Guide (Coupons)

2009-11-17T12:52:00.000-08:00

As the nation gears up for black Friday, I thought this little coupon book might help steer some of us away from all the toys made and shipped from China and the like, and focus on the gifts we can buy that might help us further our goals in being kind to the environment. There are a number of great companies in there so feel free to peruse as it is free until December 31st.

http://www.holidaygreenguide.com/

Drop the Plastic Bag on Facebook

2009-10-23T08:17:00.000-07:00

I was just sent this cause on Facebook and since I have a running blog on my experiences of trying to drop my plastic bag habit I thought I'd share it. Come join the cause.

http://apps.facebook.com/causes/11443

New Search Engine

2009-09-11T10:28:00.000-07:00

My husband sent me this link after explaining to him this morning that plastic bags can not go into the recycling, as is common in almost all municiplaties, with a couple of exceptions of course. This search engine however, allows you to search for the nearest recycling facility that collects things that your local municipality may not if it does at all. For example ours does all plastics except styrofoam, #6 and plastic bags. I can search on this for the nearest one that excepts for example #6, for us it is 23 miles away, but at least we now know it is an option. They also have little helpful articles every week, like for example this week's was on composting. A good find!

http://earth911.com/

Commercial composting in Illinois

2009-09-03T19:44:00.000-07:00

Illinois allows for local composting only, but on 08/13/09 Governor Quinn signed into law bill SB0099, now public act 96-0418. This bill will allow food waste to be commercially composted and sold all over the nation, a great benefit for anyone with food waste, farmers and the planet! This is a great new avenue for green jobs, since previously you could only compost locally, you could not transport or sell the composted materials. The bill is to take affect in January 1, 2010.

To read more: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=99&GAID=10&DocTypeID=SB&SessionID=76&GA=96

Support the latest Eco-bill in the Senate

2009-09-03T19:30:00.000-07:00

We don't have a lot of time, so hurry and show your support.

http://act.repoweramerica.org/page/s/emailsenate

From Repower America:
Our Senators are getting back to work in Washington next week, and they've just announced that they'll be introducing their version of a clean energy and climate bill before the end of the month.That means there's still a narrow window of time to make sure they get it right. Tens of thousands of folks like you have already sent letters to their Senators asking them to seize this opportunity.In fact, we're only 30,000 letters away from reaching 100,000 -- that's a lot of people sending their voices directly into the halls of Washington. That's a powerful message.

Plastic Bag Update

2009-08-06T18:06:00.000-07:00

For those that follow my efforts to never use a plastic bag again I wanted to send out a 13 month update. I have been tracking since 06/23/09 for mainly my purchases and some of our collective household purchases and have saved over 175 bags to date. For those that don't know what these bags do and that most municipalities DO NOT recycle them, including Chicago, see my original post: http://ordinarilygreen.blogspot.com/2008/11/down-with-shopping-bags.html

My total of saved bags as of 06/23/09 (stats kept since 08/06/09):

179 Plastic Shopping Bags
45 Fruit/Veggie Plastic Bags
19 Paper Shopping Bags

Carrotmob

2009-08-06T17:31:00.000-07:00

I ran across this organization that just came to Chicago, but they are all over the US and even in Europe. There is an inagural event at Fox and Obel near Navy Pier on August 9th. The basic idea is that they organize a mob to head to a certain store during set hours to increase their profit which is earmarked for greening their facilities.

Recycle Caps with Aveda

2009-06-25T11:52:00.001-07:00

A number of municipalties and trash removal services that offer recycling do not recycle anything above plastics #1 and #2, and rigid plastic caps are typically #5. Living in Chicago, we are fortunate that the City does recycle no.'s 1-5 and 7, however my office does not have the option to recycle becuase it is not served by the City, so we only have paper recycling, it saddens me everyday. A friend and fellow diver sent me this link to Aveda's new campaign to Recycle Caps, which are typically not recycled either properly by most people or not taken by the local recycler. A lot of consumers don't realize that they should seperate their caps from their bottles and such, so that they can be recycled. That whole bottle, in some cases, will end up in the landfill even though you put it in the recycle bin. So collect all of your caps and take them to your nearest Aveda salon, they'll be happy to take them, and then more recycled bottles will make it through the recycling stream.

Aveda's site:

http://aveda.aveda.com/aboutaveda/caps.asp

Understanding the differences between plastics, including what contains the BPA:

http://www.plasticfreebottles.com/pdf/Understanding-Plastic-Codes.pdf

Green Your Dining

2009-06-23T19:29:00.000-07:00

I saw this group at the Greenfest and completely forgot until I got my weekly email from Fresh Squeeze today. The Green Restaurant Association is like LEEDS for restaurants! It is a great organization. They have recently expanded to add manufacturer's and distributors. The basic idea behind this organization is for restaurants to sign up and follow a number of steps over a period of time to gain points your first ranking comes at 100 points and the top ranking is 470 points. They have a search engine on the site to find restaurants that are currently listed. Check it out and make your next dining experience a more Green one. They do have for the Diners a certificate you can print out and leave with your bill to help get the word out that you care how green you favorite local spot is.

For the Restaurant: http://www.dinegreen.com/restaurants/

For the Diner: http://www.dinegreen.com/customers/

For the Manufacturer: http://www.dinegreen.com/manufacturers/

For the Distributor: http://www.dinegreen.com/distributors/

Eco-Ink

2009-06-11T18:59:00.000-07:00

My husband sent me a link to a forgotten eco-print cartridge company. They refill your used cartridges and sell them or they will sell you your own refill kit. A smart idea and they are much cheaper than the originals. I have used these in my epson for some time now with no problems.

I did notice that there are larger capacity office machines on there, such as a copier/printer/fax machine you'd find in your office. I have not tried these as our office printers are under contract for supplies and maintenance, but if you do try please post here how they work.

http://www.green-ink-and-toner.com/

Green Festivals 2009

2009-04-28T12:13:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine just sent me this email on Green Festivals, so I thought I'd pass it on. It looks like a great free resource for anyone wanting to find our more information on becoming green.

The link for the site is here: http://www.greenfestivals.org/

The locations and dates are:

Denver - May 2nd and 3rd

Chicago - May 16th and 17th

Washington DC - October 10th and 11th

San Francisco - November 13-15th

Seattle's was on March 28th and 29th.

Green Building Initiative

2009-04-28T08:37:00.000-07:00

I have been learning about Green Globes today for a project we have coming up, and the more I read the more I am impressed. This seems like such a smart system that anyone can use whether they are building new or they want to green up their existing building. It is not a points system but an overall evaulation, which makes a lot of sense. Also on this site is a great database for everyone that lists by state what incentives are available in your area. This includes renewable energy rebates, rebates from gas and electric companies for the purchase of energy star and energy efficient appliance purcahses, as well as just insulation purchases. VERY handy. I am glad I found it because we've been talking about getting rid of the piece o' crap water heater our lovely developer sold our place with and now with the incentives we might be able to actually afford one...

Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency

Green Building Initiative

Double Sided Printing

2009-04-22T18:27:00.000-07:00

As I wrote my Earth Day blog and talked to friends on Facebook today about Earth Day, I realized one simple change everyone can do on their computer whether at home or work or elsewhere, which is setting your printers to by default print double sided. This will definitely decrease on your overall paper use which will save a few trees and help the environment with one easy step. So how do you change this setting so that is default? Easy, see my step by step instructions below.

For Windows XP and Vista

Windows Vista: Go to your Start Menu and search for Printer. You can also go to your control panel, then Hardware and Sound then Printers. Windows XP: Go to your Start Menu and choose Printers and Faxes. Alternately go to Contorl Panel and then Printers and Faxes.
Choose Printers. Under that dialog box right click on the printer you want to change and choose Properties or Printer Properties.
In the Printer property dialog box choose the Printing Preference button, usually in the lower right had corner.
In the Printing Preference dialog box find where it says Duplex printing or Double Sided Printing this is usually under Page Layout, Finishing or More Options, etc... Set your Duplex printing to Open to Left and save or apply. You are set.

I unfortunately am not a Mac user, so I don't know much, but from what I could dicsern on a couple of Mac Forums you have to set each printer in each application by changing the printer settings and choosing save as. If any of the Mac users reading this can help please post more information. Thanks!

Happy Earth Day!

2009-04-22T07:39:00.000-07:00

Since today is the only day out of the year that we actually officially recognize this great planet we all take for granit, I thought I'd start my celebrations by posting a blog on what my plans are for Earth Day. I will be doing some things that I have made routine in my quest for a more sustainable life, and others that I am trying to add to my plan all in honor of Earth Day.

I took public transit to work this morning and I plan to walk the 3.5 miles home this evening. While I do both of these things reguraly, well maybe the walking really only when it is warm, I made a concious effort to commit to both no matter what temptations came up, for example it is a bit chilly today but I'll wear a coat and not allow that to be the excuse I use to not walk home.
I plan to eat vegetarian only meals today. While I have been trying to reduce the amount of meat that I eat, this includes all meat both land and ocean based, overall, I wanted to make a point of it today. It has been a goal of mine for awhile now to try and reduce my commercial meat intake, there are so many studies on how bad this industry actually is for both ourselves and our environments, that I just couldn't ignore it, but I have a hard time just being a vegetarian... I attended a sustainable fish dinner last night at a local fish monger, Dirk's Fish, that has partnered with the Shedd Aquarium, where I volunteer. I learned a lot and got a refresher on some things I had already learned from the Shedd. After last night's dinner, I have decided that my ultimate goal would be to reduce my meat intake and make sure that all of the meat that I do consume is sustainable. Now that we have a place we can go to purchase fish and trust that it is sustainable I have the Ocean side covered. Now to find a butcher with the same mentality...
Composting. This is an area I have been wanting to get into for awhile now I just haven't figured out how to do it in a condo in Chicago. I plan to research more on this subject today in honor of Earth Day. I'd really like to make or purchase a composter as soon as possible, but I need a rodent proof one that will fit in our tiny yard... The quest will continue today for Earth Day.
Letting others know it is Earth Day. I have already changed most of my various tags to something like "Kelly is wondering what everyone else is doing to celebrate Earth Day." I hope this will inspire at least one or two more people to join in on the quest to save this planet we take for granit. I am obviously also writing this blog on Earth Day.
Salvation Army donation. While I will not be able to get to Salvation Army tonight to make my donation I am going to raid my house this evening for items we no longer use or clothing that no longer fits and donate those items to Salvation Army for reuse by someone else. This is one of the best ways to get one of the R's in and support a good cause this Earth Day.
Continue to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. We are avid recyclers in my home with our blue bag recycling through our trash service. Since I volunteer at the Shedd we have some additional oppurtunities to recycle things like techno waste, cell phones and batteries. My husband recently went on a tour of the Chicago Recycling Center on Goose Island and found out they will take our old/ruined cords, light bulb strings, medications as well as a various number of other things we didn't have a place to recycle. This Earth Day I'd like to work on the 3 R's and continue my efforts to finds places that will do or help me with my quest.

Earth Day is meant to celebrate what we have in the planet and I intend to celebrate the day by treating it as sustainably as I can today especially, but throughout my life as well.

Free e-book from Grist

2009-04-15T18:33:00.000-07:00

I actually own one this book, it is well worth the read. Live Earth and Grist are giving away the e-book version for free for Earth Day. I thought I'd pass it along.

http://liveearth.org/2009/04/get-a-free-ebook-from-grist/

Wa$ted!

2009-03-30T07:59:00.000-07:00

If you have the channel called Planet Green then you've probably flipped by this show. They go into different houses and acess their ecological footprint then help them to reduce it, the more they reduce and the more money they save the more money they give them at the end of the show. The one I have seen was a fraternity house and they made a pretty good dent. Anyway, their website has a lot of great information on it but the Eco-Calculator is by far the most in depth I have seen so far. So check it out along with the rest of their site, and if you don't get the channel Planet Green ask for it, there are a ton of great shows on that channel, from cooking green with Emeril to gameshows about the environment. I'll be posting our footprint, and updating it as we do more to our condo as well. Feel free to post yours as well so we can all help each other acheive a smaller footprint and put more money in our own pockets.

http://www.wastedtv.co.nz/index.cfm?&action=calculator

March 28th is Earth Hour

2009-03-25T19:44:00.000-07:00

Don't forget that at 8:30pm at your local time it is Earth Hour. Turn off all your lights, unplug as much as you can and show your support for this world wide event. For more information the website is: http://www.earthhour.org/home/ Feel free to post any photos you may be attempting to take of the dark cities and neighborhoods, I'd love to see some.

eBay is furthering their Green effort

2009-03-07T18:37:00.000-08:00

eBay has been working to further their green efforts with a new portion of there site providing advice on greening your purchases, greening your thoughts and talking with other green minded people. 40 of their employees started this green team and now there are 1000 employees on the team. It is a great step forward by a large company, I hope it sets an example for others.

http://www.ebaygreenteam.com/

Photovoltaic Batteries

2009-02-18T12:36:00.000-08:00

My friend is on a role today. He just sent me these great photovoltaic batteries. I think I'd still prefer my Solio but the flexible solar panels have me very intrigued... Check it out.

http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/02/18/suncat-solar-batteries-by-knut-karlsen/

Growning Water in Chicago

2009-02-18T11:58:00.000-08:00

A fellow architect sent this article to me via email and I thought it was too cool of a concept to not pass on. It is right in line with my electrified roads for electric cars, think bumper cars with the grid coming from solar panels and wind turbines along said road and attached to any bridges over said road. I think these two plans would work beautifully together...

Anyway, this idea from Urban Labs won a big award in 2006 and has been further recognized by the AIA in 2009 with the $100,000 Latrobe Prize. Their concept is simple, build on Chicago's vast green spaces to create green boulevards to the Lake that will naturally clean used water and return it to the lake. They are also calling for the reversal of the Chicago River (which unfortunately would need a MAJOR clean-up first) and the reuse of the current deep tunnels that collect run-off and divert it to the Mississippi basin as new 'L' lines for the CTA since these tunnels would no longer be required. This is an idea that could be a great model for many other Cities, so all I have to ask as a Chicagoan is: Mayor Daley, when do we start?

The blog that was forwarded to me: http://arcchicago.blogspot.com/2009/02/theres-gold-in-that-there-h20.html

The Urban Lab website with more details: http://www.urbanlab.com/h2o/

Use the Revloving Door Everytime

2009-02-03T09:26:00.000-08:00

This my friends is an easy green idea that pretty much any abled body person can follow. If you are going into a building and you have a choice between either a revolving door or a side door with no vestibule, use the revolving door. First of all those side doors are meant for handicapped access and they are usually clearly marked, if you are using it and someone that physically can't using the revolving door comes up you'll feel like a schmuck, so just don't do it. Secondly, if the air temp warmer or colder then the inside controlled temp, you are adding to the demand of the air handling system by adding cooler or warmer air into the building in very large bursts,especially if it is windy. The revolving door mixes air by the shear nature of the door and does not add to the demands of the air handling systems, therefore not adding to the energy demands of the building. So bottom line if a revolving door is an option use it to help conserve energy.

A side note to this one, because I see people doing it all the time, is hitting the ADA button to electrically open a door. This wastes energy when you can just push on the door yourself if you are able. I think bottom line is if you are able bodied don't use the items clearly marked for those that are not. It is that simple.

Ecofont

2009-01-06T07:21:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine just sent me a copy of a daily email she gets called Daily Candy, usually this is full of great new stuff around Chicago, and typically offers some discounts, but today it was touting Ecofont. Here is the excerpt:

Hole Lotta Love
Download the New Ecofont Typeface

Our holidays were neither silent nor holy. (But we're on our knees thanking someone they're over.)

It's not too late to become a holey roller. Just download Ecofont, a brand new typeface designed by some Dutch geniuses that's made up of tiny little holes.

Here's the backstory: Most printer cartridges end up in landfills. The more ink we use, the more garbage we create. So Spranq designed a font that uses 20 percent less ink by simply removing as much of each letter as possible, while still leaving it readable. Basically, the whizzes got rid of the line that connects the dots to create the characters.

It's free to download and use, so there's no reason not to.

Unless you're just a total a-hole.

Available online at ecofont.eu.

Download, use, share, support and let us know how it works for you. So far for me it works really well in emails, word docs and excel. I'm going to see if it is compatible with my CAD software next.

Christmas Decorations

2008-12-31T10:39:00.000-08:00

I, like many others in the world, love to decorate for the holiday season. In recent years I have been thinking of how to do this in a way that helps the enviroment. The first thing I decided to do was buy a fake tree. (Don't scream about PVC hazards just yet) This was back in college almost 7 years ago now, and finding a sustainable live tree was both impossible and my poor college kid salary couldn't afford it. So I searched for sales and got really lucky with a nice sized tree that didn't look to fake and was metal and plastic, but spefically did not contain PVC, for the cost of 2 real trees, at the corner lot. I have not been able to find any clear cut stats on whether a fake tree or a live one is more sustainable, most seem to split down the middle, but I have to go with fake, simply because the amount of reuse it provides seems to have to outway the impact of cultivating, cutting and transporting the live ones every year, not to mention the pesticides, ick. Then if you don't recycle that tree (the City of Chicago does by the way, click here) it ends up in a landfill and so on. However, the benefits of some carbon dioxide scrubbing might be useful, so if anyone finds any research that points one way or the other, please let me know! I did see one suggestion for getting a tree with roots in tact that you could replant, but problems with that are A. I don't have a yard big enough and B. you only can keep it in the warm indoors for a week before you have to plant it. This just doesn't seem like a good alternative for me, so I'll stick to my fake tree. The next step I took was last year when my lights gave out, I went for LED's and found a place that would recycle my old lights, click here. I love the new LED's, they so much more vibrant then my old ones. Well, those are the steps I have taken so far, below are my ideas for the rest of decorations, I'll keep adding as I come up with ideas:

Lights - Replace and recycle standard lights with more efficient LED lights
Cards - If sending holiday cards consider e-cards, if not make sure to buy only cards with recycled content
Wrapping Paper - Either buy recycled content paper only or reuse paper scraps (I am an architect and our scrap drawings make for some nice wrapping paper, you can even spice it up a bit with stamps or markers and such.)
Recycle - We can't always control what lands on our doorstep as gifts, so make sure in the frenzy of the day you remeber to get a bag out to put all the paper in for recycling. If you decide to go for a live tree make sure it gets recycled. When you take down the cards make sure to recycle those as well.
Food - All of the holidays seem to be surrounded with food. Make sure what you bring to the table is organic and/or locally grown/produced. It is healthier for you and the environment that way'
Ornament and Decorations - Sometimes too much, is too much. Keep things simple here, buy local handcrafted items rather then those made and shipped from overseas. In general buy less, remember there are 3 R's, REDUCE, reuse and recycle.
Gifts - For the kids buy made in the US items (I have a couple sites listed on my links page) For the adults think sustainable, fair trade or organic if your giving food. Homemade treats are always a welcome present and if you make them yourselves reuse containers to give them in then you control how environmentally friendly your gifts are. Locally crafted items are always a good way to go as well.

Most Important Produce to Buy Organic

2008-12-08T13:28:00.000-08:00

Since we can't all afford to buy only locally grown, in-season organic produce, here are the top items to purchase organic due to pesticide residue. In addition to Organic, look for local, in-season produce to make that much more of an impact.

Apples

Bell Peppers

Carrots

Celery

Cherries

Cucumbers

Imported Grapes

Green Beans

Hot Peppers

Nectarines

Lettuce

Peaches

Pears

Potatoes

Raspberries

Spinach

Strawberries

Sources:

http://www.foodnews.org/

http://www.coopamerica.org/

Turn off the lights

2008-12-04T14:43:00.000-08:00

I have become obsessive about this one, not sure why, but it is good because it is just becoming a habit. I watched a Mythbusters episode where they busted the myth that leaving the lights on all day actually saves energy. Not only did they bust it but they found that even being out of the room for a few seconds you save energy by turning off the light, so I have made it a habit to turn off the light of all rooms I am not using at that exact moment. I do this at home and my husband has started too as well. We used to leave the hall light on (4 downlights) on all evening so we could get around the house, now those stay off unless we are in the hall.

I do this at work to an extent as well, I sit near the conference rooms and our materials library and I am constantly turning those lights off after people when I get up to go somewhere. Another place would be the break room, copy room, mail room, server room, etc...

Mythbusters - Lightbulbs On or Off

Use Marker Boards for your notes

2008-12-04T14:25:00.000-08:00

We got these great 4" x 8" marker boards from a rep (Idea Paint) and I thought wow, this is great for greening up the office or near the phone in your house! Just put this and a reusable non-toxic marker near your phone and take your days notes on that instead, you can then just erase your notes as you complete them and reuse, no wasted paper. I love it. Now obviously some notes have to go into project files, so my plan is here to either type the notes from the board into a word doc and save electronically or use my pad of recycled paper from the misprints bin in the copier room to take those notes that need to be filed. You could also use chalk boards, but chalk scratching while on the phone may not be ideal for a work scenario, maybe better at home.

Use reusable bags for your gifts

2008-12-04T14:20:00.000-08:00

I noticed at Walgreen's today that they are now selling the smaller reusable bags, like the ones I keep in my purse from Target, the ones that zip into a nice small pouch, and it reminded me of a tip for gift giving. This should be especially useful with the holidays coming up. Instead of using recycled wrapping paper, bags, etc... buy these bags for just $0.99 and put the gift in the bag with some recycled tissue paper, newspaper or whatever you find around the house to reuse. Not only are these cheaper then buying bags or paper at the store the front pocket makes for a great place to put the card! The bag itself is about the size of a regular plastic shopping bag, perfect for so many gifts and the receiver can keep on using it, so it is like the gift that keeps on giving. Well I hope it helps, enjoy.

Consumer Reports: Greener Choices

2008-12-03T15:33:00.001-08:00

Consumer Reports launched a new website called Greener choices. It is basically just a bunch of links back to the main consumer reports site, but all the links are green tips and advice in a handy format. I hope they will expand this and give more lists of what is greenest for different types of items. There is a great area called eco-labels center that breaks down what all those labels out there mean and if they are viable, like USDA Organic, Free Range, Dolphin Safe, etc... Well, enjoy, I hope it helps.

http://www.greenerchoices.org/home.cfm

Julia goes Green

2008-11-25T13:04:00.001-08:00

A friend of mine sent me a link today and I thought I'd pass it on as this green guru to the stars seems like my kind of people. I loved that she said that she isn't talking about the kind of women that wants to be a "crunchy granola, Earth-mother type who never wears makeup." The article mainly highlights this women's work with Julia Roberts, but she apparently has a book. I will have to get my hands on it and right up a review for everyone. Enjoy.

http://lifestyle.msn.com/your-life/living-green/articlegh.aspx?cp-documentid=8566371&GT1=45002

Green "duh" of the day

2008-11-11T13:24:00.000-08:00

So someone asked me a couple of days ago if using things like swiffer pads to clean your house was considered green. Seriously, someone asked me this. The answer is no, especially since there are ways to dust that take just a bit of elbow grease and a reusable/washable microcloth or duster. Now I do have some swiffers in my house, as I use them to clean the cobwebs on our very high ceilings because ladders are not my friend. Like I've said on this blog before, I'm not perfect. It just takes a little thought some days to be green, wasting a partially used piece of cloth everytime you dust creates needless trash that ends up in a landfill. So that's my Green "duh" for the day. Enjoy.

Down with Shopping Bags!

2008-11-11T12:48:00.000-08:00

I vowed one day some time ago, see my personal blog, to never use a plastic bag again. This was after reading a number of articles about bags getting caught in odd places, the cess pool in the oceans and learning how many bags we consume and needlessly throw away or try to recycle (which appears to be a joke, since it costs more to recycle them then you can sell the recycled material for). So this is where I will keep my list of bags saved and how I do it so others can follow in my footsteps. Since starting this quest, I try to not carry out any type of bag at all, including paper, veggie/fruit bags and plastic shopping bags. We will occasionally get one of these items to reuse as bin liners or for special cooking techniques. For the most part, though, I'm working hard to change how I think about how I waste things, by simply getting a bag from a store I never needed. Feel free to follow along on my journey.

Plastic bags consumed this year:

My total of saved bags as of 04/16/10 (stats kept since 11/10/08):

244 Plastic Shopping Bags
66 Fruit/Veggie Plastic Bags
35 Paper Shopping Bags

Tips to reducing your bag consumption:

Buy reusable bags made from post consumer recycled content or organic fabric
Keep these in your car
Buy one reusable bag small enough to carry on you (mine is from Target, zips up in a pouch)
Carry your small bag everywhere, you never know where you'll need it
Preplan your shopping trips and take reusable bags into the store with you (this will become habit evenutally, I promise)
Hand your reusable bags to the sales person when you start the checkout process
Buy or reuse mesh or breathable organic fabric bags for Veggies and Fruit or simply don't bag them (Our bags are the mesh bags we buy our dog's tennis balls in)
If you completely forgot your reuseable bag which is the BEST option, go with Plastic and return them to the store for recycling, this should be a last hope option though. (Paper actually takes more fossil fuels, and natural recourses to make than Plastic but if you don't recycle then go paper as the toxins and trash created by unrecycled bags is overwhelming)

My bag saving activites:

04/14/10 - Grocery run (+2 Boxes, +6 Plastic)
04/13/10 - Chipotle for the Hubby and New walking shoes purchase (+1 Paper, +1 Plastic)
04/09/10 - Birthday card and Lotto tickets for gift (+1 Plastic)
04/06/10 - Chipotle take home for the Hubby (+1 Paper)
04/01/10 - Farmer's Market purchases in SLO (+3 Plastic)
03/31/10 - Food purchase at the Airport (+1 Plastic)
03/25/10 - Quick grocery pick-up (+1 Plastic)
03/23/10 - Chipotle for the Hubby and Walgreens purchase (+1 Paper, +1 Plastic)
03/13/10 - Whole Foods trip (+2 Plastic, +1 Produce)
03/07/10 - Costco/Grocery Store/Chiptole run (+2 Veg, +7 Plastic, +1 Paper, +2 Boxes)
03/06/10 - Liquor store (+4 Plastic)
03/04/10 - Walgreens (+1 Plastic)
02/27/10 - Clothing Purchase (+2 Plastic)
02/23/10 - Chipotle (+1 Paper)
02/12/10 - Lunch from Whole Foods (+1 Plastic)
02/11/10 - Prescription pick-up (+1 Plastic)
02/10/10 - Prescription pick-up (+1 Plastic)
02/09/10 - Groceries and Chipotle (+2 Plastic, +1 Paper)
02/07/10 - Target (+1 Plastic)
02/02/10 - Chipotle (+1 Paper)
01/29/10 - Prescription pick-up (+1 Plastic)
01/28/10 - Walgreens prescription and purchase (+1 Plastic)
01/26/10 - Chipotle (+1 Paper)
01/23/10 - Grocery store and Costco (+6 Plastic, +4 Veg/Fruit bags, +2 Boxes)
01/19/10 - Chipotle (+1 Paper)
01/02/10 - Chipotle (+1 Paper)
01/03/10 - Costco and Grocery (+2 boxes, +8 Plastic, +2 Veg/Fruit)
12/30/09 - Return/Exchange and purchase at BBB and Groceries at Jewel (+2 Plastic)
12/26/09 - Grocery store in KC (+2 Plastic)
12/21/09 - Chipotle for Remo (+1 Paper)
12/18/09 - Last minute xmas shopping (+3 Plastic)
12/09/09 - Costco and Grocery store monthly run (+6 Plastic/+2 Produce)
12/01/09 - Chipotle for Remo (+1 Paper)
11/17/09 - Brought home chipotle without a bag (+1 Paper Bag)
11/09/09 - Shopping relief post test (+3 Plastic)
11/03/09 - Purchased some local brews after a beer tasting (+1 Plastic)
10/31/09 - Last minute run for Halloween Party (+2 Plastic)
10/28/09 - Grocery run for Halloween Party (+4 produce/+9 Plastic)
10/21/09 - Exchanged a birthday gift at Greenheart (a fantastic fair trade, earth minded store in bucktown) and used my work bag to carry the returned item and the new alpaca gloves... (+1 Plastic)
10/15/09 - Lunch in the Phoenix airport, skipped the bag, crazy I know, I used my hands (+1 Plastic)
10/14/09 - Little Birthday shopping spree in SLO, CA (+1 Plastic)
10/13/09 - Lunch and some lovely sencha instant green tea at a local SLO wholistic grocer (+1 Plastic)
09/30/09 - Small grocery/beer run (+2 Plastic/+1 Fruit/Veg)
09/22/09 - Brought home Chipotle in my bag (+1 Paper)
09/16/09 - Monthly grocery and costco run (+5 Plastic/+2 Veg/Fruit/+2 boxes (not tracking))
09/10/09 - Brought home dinner in my reusable bag (+1 Paper)
09/07/09 - Used my reuseable bag in my purse while on vacation picking up groceries (+2 Plastic)
09/01/09 - WW purcahse, Chipotle carry out (+1 Plastic/+1 Paper)
08/26/09 - Grocery store run, but no car or my reusable bags, used my backpack and my purse reusable bag and then put the rest in paper bags. (+3 Plastic)
08/22/09 - Grocery store run (+2 Plastic)
08/14/09 - Camping supplies (+4 Plastic)
08/05/09 - Gift and Camping purchases, used my work bag, although REI thought I was stealing and checked my bag and receipts when I left for both stores, oh, well. (+3 Plastic)
08/03/09 - WW purchase and Chipotle carry out (+1 Plastic/+1 Paper)
08/01/09 - Camping resupply (+2 Plastic)
07/29/09 - Camping supply purchase (+3 Plastic)
07/24/09 - Random Clothing purchase while waiting on something (+1 Plastic)
07/21/09 - Souvenior purcahse while travelling (+1 Plastic)
07/11/09 - Family food stock up (+4 Produce/+7 Plastic)
07/03/09 - Dinner and bevie purchase for firework presentation (+2 Plastic/+1 Paper)
06/30/09 - Chipotle take home (+1 Paper)
06/27/09 - Grocery stock up (+3 Produce/+9 Plastic)
06/23/09 - WW purchase, used my back pack (+1 Plastic)
06/18/09 - Costco and Grocery Store for Bachlorette Party (+2 Boxes (not counting), +3 Plastic, +1 Produce)
06/17/09 - Various stops during on the KC trips (+3 Plastic)
06/07/09 - Costco and Grocery Store run (+3 Boxes (not counting), +7 Plastic, +2 Produce)
06/04/09 - Chipotle take-out for dinner and quick trip in Walgreens for sundries (+1 Paper, +1 Plastic)
05/30/09 - Picked up a couple of brewskies and used my bag in my purse (+1 Plastic)
05/28/09 - Stopped by the new enourmous Whole Foods to check it out and picked up some fantastic fresh food, huge artichokes! (+6 Plastic, +2 Produce)
05/26/09 - Picked up snacks at WW and used my work bag to get them home, also brought dinner home for my other half (+1 Plastic, +1 Paper)
05/22/09 - Quick grocery store run for Memorial Day (+3 Plastic)
05/16/09 - Greenfest in Chicago! A great timed we learned a lot and purchased a few items including a new larger but more compact bag for my purse. (+3 Plastic)
05/05/09 - Brought Chipotle home (+1 Paper)
04/26/09 - Stopped at a dairy farm on the way home for Cincy and used my Target bag for all the fresh milk and Cheese we bought... Nothing like dairy right off the farm. (+1 plastic)
04/22/09 - Purchase at a local produce store, for my Earth day plan of no meat, I didn't have my produce bags on me so I skipped them where I could, it is hard to carry loose mushroom without a bag... Lucky for me the plastic bags they use are made from 100% post consumer recycled plastic. (+2 Plastic, and +2 Veggie)
04/15/09 - Stopped to purchase wine for our dinner tomorrow on my walk home and got a new reusable bag. It is a fantastic bag with bottle separators! Such a great idea, I can't wait to use it again. (+1 Plastic)
04/14/09 - Quick stop in Aveda and bringing home dinner for my husband, oddly both fit in my Target bag. (+1 Plastic, +1 Brown)
04/09/09 - Sally's for a replacement (+1 Plastic)
04/08/09 - Grocery store trip (+3 Plastic, +3 Vegetables)
04/03/09 - Fruit and Veggie purchase at the local produce store (+1 Plastic)
03/26/09 - Grocery store and Costco trip (+2 Plasic, +2 Boxes (not counting))
03/24/09 - WW purchase (+1 Plastic)
03/22/09 - Grocery store (+2 Plastic)
03/22/09 - Gift purchase (+1 Plastic)
03/13/09 - Grocery store (+1 Plastic, +1 Veggies)
03/06/09 - Grocery store for quick dinner (+1 Plastic)
03/04/09 - Waiting in CVS for friends leads to finding a fun new headband which I promptly put in my purse. (+1 Plastic)
03/04/09 - Stop at grocery store for dinner supplies (+2 Plastic)
03/03/09 - Walgreens run (+1 Plastic)
02/24/09 - Bed, bath and beyond trip for rechargeable battery storage case (+1 Plastic)
02/17/09 - Walgreens run after dinner with a friend (+1 Plastic)
02/15/09 - Costco Trip with the new enourmous Canvas bag I won at a charity event, that definitely saved a few boxes.
02/12/09 - While I didn't save any bags today for shopping I won two very large, almost duffle bag size heavy duty canvas tote bags that I will now be adding to my reusuable bag collection. I can't wait to use them.
02/10/09 - Saved bags at Target all though I feel a bit guilty since I was only in Target waiting out getting new tires on the car, but when they won't release your car because the treads are two low what are you going to do? (+2 Plastic)
02/03/09 - Chipotle take home for my husband (+1 Paper)
01/31/09 - Last minute trip for forgotten Superbowl food needs (+2 Plastic)
01/25/09 - Grocery store (big trip in prep for superbowl) (+7 Plastic, +5 Fruit/Veggie)
01/19/09 - Walgreens run during lunch (+1 Plastic)
01/17/09 - Small Grocery store run (+2 Plastic)
01/03/09 - Trip to Home Depot and Grocery store (+4 Plastic, +1 Fruit/Veggie)
12/28/08 - Grocery store (+2 Plastic, +3 Fruit/Veggie)
12/23/08 - Walgreen's run during lunch (+1 Plastic)
12/20/08 - Grocery (+6 Plastic, +2 Fruit/Veggie) and Costco run (a couple of boxes)
12/17/08 - Kohl's trip (+2 Plastic) finally done with christmas shopping, whew.
12/14/08 - Trip to Costco and saved a box or two, which I am not tracking.
12/13/08 - Trips to Pet store (+1 Plastic), and a big trip to the grocery store (+6 Plastic). Too bad I forgot my reusable produce bags, bad Kelly...
12/12/08 - Walgreen's run (+1 Plastic)
12/09/08 - Brought my husband Chipotle home, in my own bag (+1 paper bag)
12/01/08 - I forwent the bag at a rest stop, like I need a bag for 1 item... (+1 plastic bag)
11/24/08 - Black Friday shopping (sorry had too for the out of town family while I was there) I used only my bags which helped because I filled them rather then dealing with a cart, I saved 1 bag at the first store, 2 at the second and 3 at the third (all plastic), what nice round numbers...
11/23/08 - Trip to the store prior to T-day dinner (+1 Plastic Bag)
11/19/08 - Trip to Whole Foods and Sam's(+2 Plastic Bags, +1 Produce bag and +1 box)
11/15/08 - During the evening trip to Jewel to pick up the suprise cake and a few odds and ends for a friends suprise party (+1 Plastic Bag)
11/15/08 - During the afternoon trips to Costco, Ulta and the grocery store where I used all of my reuseable bags (+4 Plastic Bags, +1 Produce Bag and at least one box, all though not tracking these)
11/12/08 - Put my purchase at a clothing store in my work bag (+1 Plastic Bag)
11/11/08 - Used my bag to take my purchased lunch to the office (+1 Paper Bag)

Ebay goes Green, Sort of

2008-11-11T11:34:00.001-08:00

I just read today that Ebay launched a website called World of Good where everything you buy is eco-friendly. Their slogan is: "Ensure that every choice you make here is a good one." Each item is marked as People Positive, Eco Positive, Animal Friendly and Supports a Cause. Many fall under multiple categories. A great site to find just before the gift giving season. Enjoy.

About this Blog

2008-11-06T12:26:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my green blog for ordinary people. Here you will find tips, tricks, lists and ideas to help you pick up everyday habits to help our environment. I would love for my morning to look like this: Wake up slip on my fair trade, organic cotton slippers and robe, head for my solar heated, rain water shower, brush my teeth with my recycled wooden toothbrush and baking soda, get dressed in my fair trade, organic hemp or cotton suit, head to my sustainable kitchen to make my organic, fair trade breakfast before walking to my office. Let’s face it though, I am not a millionaire and I live in an 8 unit condo building in Chicago. While my dream is to make my life as green as possible, I have to be realistic and work in those aspects as I can, by changing my attitude towards my life. I started years ago by recycling what I could and donating items I couldn’t and then throwing away the rest.I have recently pledged to never use another plastic bag and I make sure to turn off any light I am not immediately using. I figured if I can work these things into my hectic life others could too, they just need to be inspired. That is where the idea for this blog came from. What I do to be more green probably doesn’t even combat a ½% of the problem, but if I can inspire others by my daily actions and this blog then that ½% gets compounded and starts to add up to real numbers. So join me in my quest for a healthier planet for ourselves and our future generations, by becoming Ordinarily Green.

I set up the blog to have an open dialog, to hand out my ideas and get feedback if they aren’t right and praise if they are. I do not claim to know everything about the environment and what is best for it, but I know that something has to be done and I hope this blog helps others to take steps towards improving our environment.

Most of all I hope this blog inspires more people to do what they can to help.

Green Links

2008-11-06T12:25:00.000-08:00

Say No to Plastic Bags:
http://www.noplasticbags.org.au/home/default.aspx (For Retailers)

Shopping:
Earth Easy
Terrapass
Free Cycle
World of Good (E-Bay)

Green Team (E-Bay)

Toys of USA (They have a Go Green section)

All-American Baby (Various toys listed as Green)

Our Green House

Fat Brain Toys (Lists toys made in the USA - No toys made in China)

Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency

Eco-Ink and Toner

Holiday Green Guide (Coupon book good until December 31, 2009)

Renewably Power Products:
Reware
Solio (We have two now)

Shopping/Products Advice:
Care2
Environmental Working Group
sub of this one: Cosmetic Database

Greener Choices (Consumer Reports)

Understanding Plastics

Earth friendly search engine using Google:
Blackle

Search for Recycling centers near you and learn how to Recycle:
Earth 911

Green Calculators:

Microsoft Hohm (Beta)

U.S. Department of Energy (Homes, Building, Industry, Vehicles)

Free Clicks to help the Environment:
Stop Global Warming
Save the Planet and Win

Informational/Take Action:
Climate in Crisis

Care 2
Climate Protect
Grist
We Can Solve It
EPA - Earthday

Recycle Caps with Aveda

Green Building:

Green Building Initiative

U.S. Green Building Council/L.E.E.D.