Locavores (and Wannabes) - It's Time to Get Excited

I've said it before; I'm a wannabe locavore. Ever since I read Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle last December, I've been waiting for the day that the local harvest starts arriving here on the east coast. This harvest season, I intend to buy as much local food as possible for my family.

Yesterday, I got an e-mail from our local farmer's market saying opening day was just one month away. At 8am on May 3rd, you will find me excitedly walking up and down the stalls of fresh fruits and vegetables, flowers, meats and baked goods. Not everything sold (especially in the beginning of May) will be local, but I intend to hunt down what is in season and what is local.

Today, I got an e-mail from one of the local farms. The first local crop has come in - fresh Jersey spinach. Now, we're not a big spinach eating family; the main spinach consumption in my house is in the form of the spinach dip made from the Knorr vegetable soup packet that you place inside a pumpernickel bread bowl. But I've never purposefully bought fresh spinach in season before. I'm suspecting it's going to be a whole different taste experience from the frozen chopped spinach I've served my family a few times. 

They also have local Jersey hot house tomatoes starting to arrive. I've bought very few tomatoes since last fall - mainly a few plum tomatoes now and then to cut up for taco night. I'm looking forward to growing my own this summer, but if there are local hot house ones right now, I may need to grab a few. I grew very fond of simple tomato and cheese sandwiches last summer.

So it's time to start getting excited about the local harvests. Of course, what we get most excited about around here is the Jersey corn crop that comes in around the 4th of July in full force. But for now, I'll take what I can get.

What in season, local food are you most looking forward to in the upcoming months?

Shopping at Your Neighbor's House - A Great Way to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

My five year old asked if we could buy a carrier for his baseball bat. I told him no. Which never goes over great with a five year old. I had my reasons. He didn't need it. He doesn't have to take a bat to baseball practice; bats are provided for the kids. His baseball bat goes from the shed to the back yard and back to the shed again.

In the past, I may have just bought him a bag because he's really into baseball right now (it's spring - most kids are really into baseball right now). But I'm working really hard on trying to curb our purchases. Not for monetary reasons, but because I'm trying to get my whole family into the mindset that needless consumerism is bad for the environment.

Enter my neighbor. Five year old tells her over the fence that I won't get him a baseball bat carrier. A few minute later, he has a baseball bat carrier. Not a brand new one, but one that was once one of her now grown son's. Five year old was thrilled. Packed it up with all of his equipment and hung it on the inside of the front door so he won't forget it on opening day (which is April 12th).

I got to wondering. When there is something that we need, why don't we just ask our friends and neighbors if they have that item and are no longer using it. Borrow it or perhaps even keep it for good. Is it just because we never think of it? Pride? The awkwardness? What if everyone in my neighborhood brought all of their unneeded stuff out onto the front lawn and we all ran back and forth across the street and down the block picking stuff that we need. Get rid of something; get something you need. A big ol' neighborhood swap. 

What a great way to reduce, reuse, recycle. I don't know if I can make it happen, but now that the weather is getting warmer and we're all outside in the evenings a lot, perhaps I can suggest it.

Report on the EPA's Questionable Decisions

Ah - The EPA. A year ago, I knew little about them. Assumed they were the good guys. But the more and more I read about them and what they allow, the more I wonder who this protection agency is really protecting. 

I haven't had the time to write up my intended post today yet, but until I do if you're looking for something to read, check this out. The Lohasian has a post titled Chemicals Endangering Children While EPA Plays Nice with Chemical Companies. Be prepared to have your blood boil.

Green Term of the Week - E-Waste

E-Waste is the waste that comes from discarded electronic equipment such as computers, mobile phones, mp3 players, televisions, and other electronic equipment. When these items end up in landfills or get burned in an incinerator toxic substances like lead, mercury and cadmium end up contaminating the land we live on, the water we drink, and the air we breath.

It's only been recently that there have been recycling programs for these items, and there are decades and decades of car stereos, old TV's, walkmans, pagers and other obsolete electronics buried in the earth. Even today, with the recycling programs that exist, not everyone recycles items that are no longer obsolete, just last year's models.

Before throwing away an electronic item, think of another way to dispose of it that is environmentally friendly. Cell phones can be turned in where you buy a new phone or donated to a charity who will recycle them for profit. The same with printer cartridges. Old computers can be donated to schools (especially private schools who often don't have budgets for technology) or given to a family who doesn't have a computer yet. And of course, you can always Freecyle any of your old electronics.

If you can't find any other way to recycle your E-Waste, most counties have recycling programs for E-Waste that are separate from their regular curb side recycling programs. Contact your county to find out where to take old electronics so they can be disposed of safely.

A Flower Lovers Green Dilema

It's spring, and flowers are starting to bloom. Usually around this time of year, I start heading to my local Produce Junction to buy really inexpensive cut flowers to fill my home. However, from what I understand the flowers are grown in South America, and judging by the price that I pay for them and the amazing number of flowers they offer every day, I have to guess they aren't grown organically. So they are being shipped very far and the growing of them is probably damaging the land.

I stopped buying produce from them months ago for the same reasons. Although their prices are really great, I couldn't continue to buy from them in good conscience. 

But now that it is spring, I want flowers. I've decided to wait until about a month from now when the local farmer's market opens. I'll be able to buy flowers from local growers that are fresh cut. 

Sometimes being green is inconvenient. This is a small inconvenience I know, but I'm from a generation that feels entitled to having everything they want when they want it. But that mindset is slowly changing, and people like me are choosing to change things, like when and where they buy their flowers, a little more every day. 

Reducing Your Family’s Dependency on The Plastic Bag

By now you know that paper or plastic aren’t your only options when you go to the store. Carrying reusable bags with you is an increasingly popular and easy choice. Many grocery stores sell reusable grocery bags that are inexpensive, durable and carry a lot more than traditional plastic or paper bags.

Reusable bags are a great idea, right? It’s not difficult to see how they fit into a green lifestyle. Sometimes, though, you want a plastic bag to do something like dispose of chicken bones or clean up after your dog. You depend on those bags at times. If you don’t take the plastic bags from the grocery store, what are you going to use for those necessary jobs?

There are lots of other options and most of these options end up in the trash anyway.

Bread bags – Most sandwich breads, hot dog buns, pitas, English muffins and other breads come in plastic bags that get thrown in the trash without a second use. They are a great substitution for plastic grocery bags.

Bags from inside a cereal box – You probably already recycle your cereal boxes, why not get a second use out of the inside bag at the same time. Dump any crumbs at the bottom outside for the birds, and save the bags.

Frozen vegetable bags – If you carefully cut open the bags when you first use them, when they are empty they can be saved.

Newspaper bags – Many home delivery newspapers come in a plastic bag. If you get a newspaper every day, you have one reusable plastic bag each day.

Plastic wrappers from magazines – By carefully opening the wrapper, they can be used a second time before going in the trash.

Goodie bags from birthday parties – My kids always come home with these bags full of candy and little trinkets. Save the bags for a second use.

If you look around your house purposefully, you’ll see many more plastic bags that you usually throw in the trash without using them a second time. These could easily do the same jobs as the plastic grocery bags.

Now, If you’re anything like me, you’ll still end up with plastic bags from grocery stores or other retailers every once in a while. I don’t remember my reusable bags 100% of the time, and sometimes I need to accept a bag. I keep those bags separate and take them to my local grocery store to stick in the recycling bin. More and more stores are placing these bins at the entrance of the store.

Unlike the frozen vegetable bags or wrappers from magazines, grocery and retail plastic bags are recyclable. It makes more sense environmentally to use the non-recyclable bags for the things that end up in the trash, and recycle the bags that can be recycled.

Any other ideas for sources of plastic bags?

Weaning Ourselves off of the Bottle(d Water)

I've been meaning to do a post for some time on bottled water, but I haven't had the time to get together the type of statistics I want. I came across this post today from Sustainablog (great name by the way) with a lot of eye opening information. It's well worth the read. Until I do my own post on the subject, I suggest you take some time to read this one.