February 29, 2012 / Issue 106

     

Mrs. Green's World  

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Greetings!

 

Three Easy Ways to Green Your Conscience

I went to 12 years of Catholic school and actually loved it, learned how to spell and have mostly great memories. Cross my heart. I don't feel quite right blaming "them" for my guilt cup continuously running over but just rest assured that on any given day, I have something(s) I am feeling guilty about. I am constantly running the "I'm not eating enough locally sourced food, I am not exercising enough, I need to move my life to a greener level, I need to call my friend fill-in-the-blank, I need to install solar, I need to start a garden, we should have a chicken coop" tapes. Not very sustainable.

 

If you can relate, this is your lucky day. I am going to provide you with three easy things you can do to lighten the green load, move in a greener direction, and take some small steps which collectively make a big impact. Trick is - you've got to actually do them in order to assuage your guilt.

 

#1 - make ONE change in what you eat to a healthier choice and stick it to it. I don't mean going from a carnivore today to a vegan tomorrow. Commit to eating only organic celery, or buying only cage free eggs, or giving up your diet coke 5 days a week (that counts as one) or always buying spinach at the Farmers Market. You get the picture.Vegetables

 

#2 - call ONE bulk mailing violator a week. There is a number to call inside every solicitation and all you have to do is call to request that you be put on their "do not mail" list. Last week I called Citi after receiving 5 "0%" interest rate credit card offers in three days. Two weeks ago I called Chase. The people I spoke with were very nice and the recycling box under my desk is not filling up as fast. On track for this week for FOOTSMART catalogs! I recently ordered one single little thing for my plantar fasciitis (there are no secrets in my life anymore.) You would think FootSmart put me on high alert - emails, Facebook ads, catalogs. Enough already! Like I want to be reminded anyway. But I digress. You will feel so great about cutting down on your junk mail. Just picture Mother Earth smiling.

 

catalogs#3 - If you don't already, consider subscribing to ONE e-publication about the big "E" - the environment. I don't want to tell you how many I get a day. If I shared with you even a tenth of what I read about, you would run out of the room screaming! But if you're on this journey with me, there is so much fun, informative, daunting, controversial, confusing, challenging information out there about a myriad of topics, why not pick one? I believe that everything is about sustainability and you can choose any area that interests you while continuing your education.

 

My favorites: www.ewg.org , www.thedailygreen.com, and www.grist.org . Not interested in getting another email? That's fine too! A subscription to Miraval's Facebook page is a real treat, or follow your favorite used bookstore on Twitter (Bookmans anyone?) My point is to take one more step along the path of hope, possibility and change.  

Green Cleaning Products
Win a complete organic plant fertilizer package from Sea Of Green.
Green Cleaning Products
Green Cleaning Products
Gardening Tips for Your Reading Pleasure! Win a complete organic plant fertilizer package from Sea Of Green.
                                             -- Brought to you by Sea of Green

Believe it or not, spring is just around the corner. Please think about baby steps and/or giant steps in either growing some of your own food or supporting locally grown. I know I wrote this last edition but the message hasn't changed. I heart Sea of Green.

Mrs. Green says Check It Out!

How about throwing in a little bit of controversy for this issue? I am feeling a bit feisty as I write this so why not? If you do click through to this link (double dog dare) be very careful to read it to the very end before you draw any conclusions and paint me in any particular political box. Remember - I just want you to think, I don't want to tell you what to think.  

 

Special Request from Mrs. Green!!!

I do a live radio show every Saturday of the year and look forward to it every single week. There is always so much to learn and share and talk about. I would LOVE to know what questions YOU would like me to ask my guests. Please take a look at the lineup for March and email [email protected] if (and hopefully when) something you always wanted to know about "x" but were afraid to ask pops into your head.

Upcoming Shows

 

Seth Leitman, Green Living Guy

March 3  

Seth Leitman, Green Living Guy

Eco Consultant, Author, Editor, Producer, and Reporter, AKA Green Living Guy, Seth shares with us how to implement environmentally friendly technologies and make them work for you at home. From building your own electric vehicle, small wind power system, and electric motorcyle to do-it-yourself home energy audits, Seth brings us one step closer making our green dreams a reality. This show sponsored by  The Fairfax Companies.

  

Tucson Festival of Books

March 10

Tucson Festival of Books

Ivy Manning & Drew Aquilina - participating authors  in TFOBManning is the author of "The Farm to Table Cookbook" and "The Adaptable Feast." Her work is featured in Sunset magazine, Food and Wine, Cooking Light, and Bon Appetit. She writes the Simply Affordable column and food and travel features for The Oregonian. Drew Aquilina is an international award-winning cartoonist and author who has been entertaining audiences since 1987. Drew graduated from UMass Amherst while creating the cartoon strip "Green Pieces," which has run as a daily and weekly comic feature since 1994. Interviews you won't want to miss! This show sponsored by Chapman Tucson.

 

Solar One StopMarch 17

Solar One Stop - Betty Stamper 

Tune in to hear about how one government agency created a national model on streamlining the solar installation process. Working with multiple entities and agencies, a group of committed individuals figured out how to turn the red tape into green. Result? More solar on more structures in a shorter amount of time. No down side. This show sponsored by Chapman Tucson.

 

Ken PennerMarch 24

Ken Penner - VerVe Lifestyle Salon & national trainer for Aveda 

One of my favorite topics and most passionate beliefs? Safe cosmetics. I will literally pick Ken's brain about what makes Aveda a standout for the environment and why VerVe is an outstanding example of sustainable beauty in every way possible. Got questions? Please email us! This show sponsored by The Fairfax Companies.

 

GroovyGreenLivinMarch 31

Lori Popkewitz Alper - Groovy Green Livin' 

From Lori's own twitter page: environmental lifestyle blogger, green living educator, social media consultant, recovering attorney, mom of 3, triathlete, cyclist, runner, foodie. Fun, informative talk show says Mrs. Green! This show sponsored by Chapman Tucson

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Mrs. Green's World