Live like it's the norm

Yesterday, being the crazy woman that I am, I had my son's 7th birthday party/bbq in the late afternoon after his final performance of a community musical that he was in. He did three performances over the weekend and they were all fabulous - the DVD of Friday night's performance will be on a continuous loop on my tv if you want to stop by and see :)

Anyway, at the bbq, I served burgers made with locally raised beef from grass fed, free range, happy cows that weren't treated with antibiotics or hormones. I didn't tell anyone what kind of beef they were eating. At least not until everyone started asking where I got the burgers because they were so good. 

Once the questions started coming, I was able to tell them that I had gotten it at the farmer's market and let them know how it was raised and that it was only about 75 cents more a pound than the ground beef you get at the grocery store. 

Why didn't I tell them beforehand? There's two reasons.

First of all, I don't want to be the obnoxious green person. Because of my job as an environmental writer, my friends already know we live green. The last thing I need to do is announce at the beginning of a party to my friends who live out their own various shades of green (or not) that "the burgers are from happy cows, the paper plates are made from recycled materials and are 100% compostable, and look - I'm using real silverware (well not real silver, but you understand) instead of plasticware." That's just obnoxious.

The second reason is this. If I believe that living green should be the norm, then I should live like it's the norm. When serving factory farm burgers was the norm in my home, I never announced "Hey, tonight's burgers are from cows that lived miserable lives and were pumped full of drugs that made them get large and uncomfortable and fed food that was unnatural for them." (not that I actually knew any of those things back then). 

I believe in "show not tell" when it comes to living out my greenness in my day to day life. Yes, I write about, and there is an awful lot of telling in my writing. But when you come to my house, unless you ask, the things that I do differently now than I did a few years ago are just done. They aren't announced. And if someone asks, I answer and then move on. 

The green changes that we make in our day to day lives can make a huge difference, but they don't have to be a huge deal. They just have to be the norm.

Image: ILoveButter

Eco-friendly wines for your Memorial Day BBQ

I've put up quite a few wine reviews on Mother Nature Network in the past couple of months, and I thought that I'd do a roundup here for those of you who are going out to choose wine for your celebrations this weekend. I only review wines that I like - if I drank it and I didn't like it, I won't write about it because I'm really not an expert. I'm just a wine lover who knows what I like. 

The links will take you to my full review.

Live a Little Really Ravishing Red - an organic, fair trade Shiraz from Africa. I payed $8.99 for the bottle.

Bonterra 2007 Viognier - I loved this white California wine that's made with sustainable grapes. It's a little more pricey than my usual wines - $22.99 - so I won't be drinking it every week.

Red Truck Petite Sirah and Sauvignon Blanc - These are the wines I'll probably serve at my own summer BBQ's. These California wines are inexpensive - $10.99 a bottle. They are both great wines to pair with cheeseburgers.

Napa Wine Co. Sauvignon Blanc - I liked this wine, but at $17.99 a bottle, I'll probably reach for the Red Truck Sauvignon Blanc more often. It's a great cheese and crackers wine.

Organic ReLeaf Wine - This red is a fabulous Friday night pizza wine at an every Friday night price $8.99. The wine is from Africa and the winery treats their employees well, an added bonus.

Montebelli Fabula 2006 - A 100% certified organic Sangiovese (the grapes that Chianti is made from). This wine is good, but it definitely needs food to bring out its finer qualities. Great with pasta, and fabulous with roasted red pepper and provolone - maybe not so great for your BBQ, though. I paid $12.99 for the bottle.

Bonterra 2007 Zinfandel - If you're putting blue cheese on your burger on the grill this weekend, get this wine. It was an amazing pairing. I like Zins, and this one is a keeper. At $11.99 this wine made from organically grown grapes is a good value.

Do you have a favorite, reasonably priced (below $20 is reasonable in my eyes) eco-friendly wine that you think I should try? Tell me about it in the comments.

Going Green for your graduate

Little Darryl is graduating from college next month. Only no one calls him "Little" Darryl anymore because he's 22. Darryl lives next door (when he's not on campus), and he was 11 when we bought our house. When we first moved in, he mowed the lawn for us until we got our own lawn mower and over the years he has done lots of yard work for us, fixed our kids' bikes, driven us to the airport at some outrageously early hour, and I can't remember what else. 

There will be some definite celebrating on my block when Darryl graduates. Lynn and Corey from Celebrate Green have come up with some ideas for greening a graduation celebration and some eco-friendly gifts for the grad. I just might be able to get an idea for my neighbor from it and you might be able to get ideas for your own graduate.

Giving a graduation party? 

• Easy to make it greener by not over buying food and composting leftovers
  
• using tap water instead of buying bottled
  
• if you do purchase beverages, buy glass bottles over cans, cans over plastic; 
  
• provide recycling bins
  
• use reusable plates, cups, utensils and napkins; buy organic and local when possible
  

Gift green-minded grads with something that appeals to their eco-altruism 

• Shares in a socially responsible investment fund
  
• A Tis Best gift card that allows the graduate to choose from among hundreds of charities to give money to
  
• A trip via a socially responsible eco-travel organization or a volunteer trip
  

Other ideas for graduates that will most likely align with their eco-values:

• A digital camera with a reminder to take only photos wherever she travels
  
• A treefree paper journal and recycled pens
  
• A gift certificate to a CSA so they will start off their new lives with fresh, local food
  
• A local coupon book for sustainable items and organic food like this one that is                                available in six cities around the U.S.
  
• Books like Making a Lviing While Making a Difference: Conscious Careers for an Era of Interdependence or Green Jobs: A Guide to Eco-Friendly Employment.