I know Earth Day is coming because my email box is jammed with press releases and announcements about an amazing variety of ideas for how to celebrate Earth Day. Of course many of them are about cool new products that will help make your Earth Day more fun and green, etc.

While we love great products for green living, we aren’t all about consumerism – in fact, Jen and I love to talk about things that have nothing to do with buying, manufacturing, shipping, selling or anything related to adding more ’stuff’ to our lives. We find that there are so many things we can recycle, repurpose, re-use or ‘do’ rather than ‘buy’.

Jen and I got talking about what we could do on the radio show, which is actually ON Earth Day this year. We wanted to try and share something relevant (some of you will appreciate the clever irony in the use of the word ‘relevant’).

We know there are a lot of fun things going on in OUR hood, but we know we have listeners all over the world and we decided to ask our listeners to chime in and tell us what they were doing for Earth Day.

Please let us know what you are doing, want to do, wish you could do or think others should do for Earth Day this year and we’ll discuss your ideas on the air April 22 – Earth Day!

Please email us @ info@thegreendivas.com or leave a comment here!

Be part of the Green Diva Earth Day celebration this year and send in your thoughts, ideas, plans, etc.

Look forward to hearing/reading from you!

eat. blog. be merry!
gd meg

We welcome posts from guest ‘green divas’ and this one is from Amy Evers in Austin, TX. She is adorable, honest and has a great sense of humor – she is a perfect geen diva!
 

Twenty plus years ago I moved to Austin Texas.  Almost immediately I gave up my New Jersey hair spray and bought myself a pair of Birkenstocks.  I worked at a small coffee shop and rode my bicycle to work.  I was a supporter of the hippie feel, and laid back lifestyle.

Then arrived my first child, and along with her a minivan and a multitude of equipment.  Still wore the Birkenstocks, but my lifestyle changed.

Forgive me Mother Earth for I have sinned.  I have over the years been guilty of using paper towels, paper plates, and store bought diapers.

The convenience has been too tempting for me to resist.

Now that I am at the age where all of my children are out of diapers and I am not yet in them, I have become a more aware of what is going on outside of my own little universe.

I remember a commercial back in the 1970’s that showed a Native American by the side of a littered highway, he looked on in disgust as the collective “we” have soiled his land.  A small tear falls from his eye.

That campaign was so successful that recently when my sixteen-year-old daughter was driving and the car in front of her threw a plastic bag out of their window she was appalled. She honked her horn, and when the offenders did not react, my daughter did.  She pulled over, got out of the car and picked up the trash herself.

So how come everything else about going green seems so difficult?

I want to help the earth be around for a few more millennia.  Barring the Aztecs are wrong, and no immediate asteroid is on its way for a visit.

I began doing some research.  With the help of a friend and my fiscally responsible brother we, as a family have made some changes.

I have replaced most light bulbs in the house.  We no longer buy paper towels.  And most recently we have become champions of unplugging.  Anything that holds a charge gets completely unplugged when not in use. 

I try to buy organic fruit, but always balk at the price.

My neighbors have compost, and I have looked into making one myself, but does that truly make a difference? 

I am fortunate that I live in a city where we have curbside recycling. Each house was given a very large bright blue bin with wheels (were they recycled themselves?).  This bin hold two weeks worth of paper, plastic, glass, cans, anything with the numbers one through eight on it inside the little triangle.  No sorting, no washing.  Throw it in, and voila!  Be a good citizen.

There are certain “green” things I absolutely will not do.  I will not now, or hopefully ever use an item called a Diva Cup for my monthly flow.  I am nowhere near that evolved.

It is a fact that my thumb is black.  I can’t grow anything.  I have tried.  I am not much of a cook to begin with, planting my own garden would be pointless.  I have no more idea what to do with rosemary than admire the smell.

I shop at thrift stores, out of necessity rather than consciousness.

When Al Gore’s movie, An Inconvenient Truth, came out I watched it waiting with anticipation to see what changes I can make at home.  I was saddened with each new scene of Big Al getting on his private jet.  At least I waste fuel in economy.

More disappointing was the only suggestions made were during the credits.

I am taking baby step, starting with Birkenstocks, and maybe someday ending with making my own soup stock.

Sitting here toe-tapping and grooving to christmas music, surrounded by the many holiday craft projects the girls and I have started (but not exactly completed yet), I am inspired to finally sit and write the post I’ve been promising . . . the one with some ideas for greener gift giving.

GD Meg’s holiday rant
First let me begin by saying that the focus on the material and commercial aspects of the season is wearing thin for me and not just because my purse is thinner this year either. I personally just don’t need any more junk (BTW, good food and handmade gifts do NOT count as junk) to figure out how to use, store, recycle or re-gift without hurting any one’s feelings. Either people are lying to avoid my ranting, or most of my friends and relatives are feeling similarly.

I’m afraid to get started on the whole decorating thing . . . Look, I love little white twinkling lights and the smell of fresh pine and there is nothing like a sparkling christmas tree with the lights low and the fireplace glowing warm. But, what the heck is going on with these houses and yards covered in lights and every christamas character ever invented lit-up, with the exception of Jesus and his folks of course. And if I never see a blow-up Mickey Mouse santa bobbing and weaving on some one’s front lawn, I’d be a very satisfied scroogette.

Perhaps I’m a little bitter because we had a flood last year and almost ALL our decorations were destroyed. It was kind of hard to say goodbye to the stocking that was knitted for me when I was born and all the tacky and wonderful ornaments and things that were collected and gathered over the years going back to childhood. Oh well . . . a heavy sigh . . . letting go and moving on.

Now is my chance to practice the minimalist/simplest holiday I’ve been working towards.  For the past couple of years we’ve put up one REAL pine wreath on the back door (sometimes I breakdown and put one on the front too). We love the smell of pine, so I use pine boughs and garlands all over inside the house and leave the lights for the tree. The girls and I sometimes paint the huge windows in our room where the tree is.

Okay enough of ranting.

Simple, thoughtful and perhaps more sustainable gift ideas

Make It
We’re not all Martha Stewart, but if I can come up with reasonably easy and fun gifts to make, a baboon could do it. Trust me. Here are a few crafty gifts my tolerant family and friends have received from me over the years:

• Cranberry Chutney – if you want the recipe, you’ll have to write me for it (and I’ll have to dig it up), but it was relatively easy and everyone loved it (and it came in handy for holiday party gifts too).
• Kaluha – Yup. Made it from scratch. Back in my alcoholic days, I found a recipe and all I remember is that it involved a lot of vodka and sugar. Something about vanilla beans . . .
• Family Recipe Book – This was an ordeal 25 years ago when I did it, but with the advent of the Internet, email and cell phones, I think it will be a little easier to gather the best recipes from all the far-flung aunties, etc.
• Family Event Calendars – My sister started this one and did it by hand for years. With all our birthdays listed, I still managed to forget someone. I tried it by computer a few years ago and it was fun.
• Antique Tea Cup Candles – I had a few random old tea cups that were beautiful but chipped and I decided to buy some wax and make some candles in them. I collected more from garage sales and antique shops – the broken or chipped ones are cheap.
• Handmade Ornaments – We did this before it became as popular as it seems to be now! Fun to do with the kids.
• Handmade Soap – Gotta love Michael’s craft store – everything you need to make the basic soap. I added some things from the garden. You can get all kinds of healthy ingredients. Get creative.
• Knitted Stuff – My family got a lot of scarves and hats last year since that was all I knew, but with the right yarn and a little creativity, you can make these warm fuzzy gifts work. There are lots of patterns for useful items and people seem to LOVE them. Visit my knitting inspiration and friend, Yarny Old Kim for great ideas.
• Baked Stuff – I suck at the cookie thing, but I have a few baked items I’ve begun to master, so I’ve armed myself with some cute small loaf pans with lids and my unsuspecting friends and family will find out what that is about in a couple of weeks.

Share It
Instead of giving ’stuff’, perhaps giving to those in need is the best way to honor the reason for the season. Here are just a few of my favorite ways to share in some one’s name:

• Heifer International – The gift of livestock!
• Habitat for Humanity – Donate money, shop at one of their awesome ReStores
• FeedingAmerica – Formerly Second Harvest – A great way to help those that might be hungry this season
• E+Co – Healthy energy for developing nations
• Local Giving – Find you favorite local charities and keep it close to home!

If You Have to Buy It . . .

Where to find it

• BuyGreen.com - One of my favorite green shopping sites. They have a great rating system that helps to understand the sustainability of a product from end-to-end. Check out the English Retread bags, the Vy & Elle bags, Mandala Record Bowls, and the many products for family, home and office.
• UncommonGoods.com- A great place to find unusual and crafted recycled and re-purposed goodies. Unique gifts for anyone. Love the organic cotton Pooh quote pillows and while we’re on the topic of poo . . . check out the Horse Poo Paper journals.
• VivaTerra.com- One of my very favorite places to shop for beautiful eco-friendly gifts. I buy natural crystal ornaments and give some of them (I keep some too) every year. They have great jewelry too.
• TerraCycle.net – This innovative company has found a way to turn garbage into great products. In addition to their signature worm poo fertilizer, they have a myriad of products for kids and adults made from old juice box and food packaging. Lots of very sustainably made gifts for home and office.
• SweetOrganicsandNaturals.com – A nice selection and variety of gifts, eco-friendly wrapping options.
• PeopleTowels.com- A new concept in personal hand-washing/drying. Great stocking stuffers!

Well, this could go on indefinitely, but I’ll quit there for now. May your holidays be filled with hope, great food, good friends and relatively sane family fun.

eat. blog. be merry!
gd meg

When one stands before a hive of bees, one should say quite solemnly to oneself, ‘By way of the hive the whole cosmos enters man and makes him strong and able’

Rudolf Steiner

I wrote this post last year and sadly, it is still quite relevant. Not much has changed . . . still no answer to the Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Please read to find out how we all can help the honey bees!

What is Happening to Our Honey Bees?
I have been fortunate enough to make friends with my local ‘bee lady’, Landi Simone of Gooserock Farm in Montville, NJ. Her place is magical and represents to me a sustainable lifestyle that is in harmony with nature. The flowers all around are of course amazing. She has helped to educate me and countless others about what is happening with the honey bees.

There has been a lot of concern for continued decline in honey bee populations. The Apiary Inspectors of America (AIA) Survey found the colony losses continue and the effects of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) have not abated.

A little perspective on how important honey bees are: According to the AIA, Honey bees in the US are responsible for pollinating more than 100 different crops worth $15 billion annually.

“It’s disheartening to have to report that the honey bee colonies continue to die at unsustainable levels,” said AIA president and Häagen-Dazs® Ice Cream Bee Board member Dennis vanEngelsdorp. “At least 70 percent of all colony deaths can be attributed to non-CCD causes, underlying the need for research, not only into CCD, but into pollinator health in general.”

AHHHHHH – don’t mess with my Haagen-Daz!!!!

What We Can Do to Help Honey Bees
I’m loving my Haagen-Daz even more now, because for the past two years, they have been very involved in supporting research and assisting in various ways to help promote growth among the honey bee population. They have a cool website dedicated to helping the honey bees that is a wonderful tool for learning more about how you can help, but most importantly, it is a fun site that has a marvelous audio component that sounds as if you are in a meadow with the bees. I have been leaving it on in my office during the day and it has a much-needed soothing quality.

One of the things Haagen-Dazs among others are suggesting we can do is to start planting bee-friendly plants. Landi said that while it does help if we plant some additional flowers in our gardens and let the dandelions grow freely (bees aparently love these), the bees need help on a much larger scale. She suggests that we need to get more bee-friendly trees, such as Linden or Black Locust trees, planted and that landscape architects and city planners needed to start to use more of these and less of some of the more popular ones, such as Bradford Pear, which are lovely, but don’t help the honey bees at all. The DailyGreen has a wonderful list of bee-friendly flowers, shrubs and trees for anyone interested.

Honey: Important Health & Healing Aid
Aside from being a vital part of our agricultural system, honey bees are the producers of one of the original wonderful tasty, nutritional and healing products ever discovered – honey, of course.

These industrious and productive little fellows work hard to bring us a substance that has been touted for its healing qualities for centuries. The ancient Egyptians used honey as an embalming material and treated cuts and burns with it. The Greek physician Hippocrates cured skin disorders with honey, and the Romans cleaned wounds with it. Even as recently as World War I, doctors treated wounds with honey. With the advent of antibiotics, honey fell out of use for its healing properties, but scientific research is now rediscovering honey’s natural healing power.

Medical science is coming back around and there are numerous studies now showing how effective honey is in wound care in particular. Once ScienceDaily report, Healing Honey: The Sweet Evidence Revealed is worth a quick read.

Another great article on NaturalNews.com has an extensive list of the various ailments and health problems honey has been known to help with, including: anemia, osteoperosis, stress, conjunctivitis, burns and quite a few others.

A Case of Mistaken Identity
It is important to learn to recognize a honey bee and be able to distinguish her from a yellow jacket, bumblebee or other insect. People frequently refer to yellow jackets as ‘bees’ when they’re actually a species of wasp. This particular case of mistaken identity causes a lot of problems. Yellow jackets are highly defensive insects and are involved in a multitude of unpleasant human-bug encounters. Honey bees get blamed for the stings of their ornery cousins. In truth, unless a person lives near a beekeeper, there’s a good chance they’ve never even seen a honey bee; they’ve become that rare. Here’s the wikipedia page on honey bees.

Ah, the Sweet Nectar of the Gods
Of course, one cannot talk (or write) about honey and not discuss its delicious qualities. There are so many wonderful recipes out there. As it turns out the the National Honey Board has a section of their website devoted to honey recipes!

I learned that local honey can help in combating pollen-related allergies, so I drink raw honey from Landi’s bees every morning with hot lemon water and it seems to keep the allergies away!

Please send along any great honey recipes, honey bee stories, or honey healing stories.

And, don’t forget to be grateful to our busy little friends, educate yourself about the crisis and do what you can to help – hey, having a great excuse to plant more flowers or not fight with the deandelions or isn’t so hard!