Here’s Part 1: What is a Compliance Car?

In part 2, John names names! Stay tuned . . .

My daughters prepared an amazing brunch this morning for this year’s mom’s day treat. Gluten-free vegan, almond and coconut pancakes (holy deliciousness batman!) and my own recipe for sweet potato hash, fruit, bagels and eggs (for those that can eat bagels and eggs). We were so hungry and busy with my grand babies, that none of us thought to take some pics of this yummy fiesta of food.

It’s hard to believe we would ever need to eat again after that, but alas, by mid-afternoon, we were looking for a quick and easy meal. My honey had a hankerin’ for some kind of sandwich . . . Being a gluten-free vegan might seem to limit options when it comes to sandwiches, but my father, the sandwich-meister master would be proud of this one.

Here’s what I used:

Udi’s whole grain GF bread – toasted

Fakin Bacon (LightLife Organic Smoky Tempeh Strips) – cooked 

Spectrum Organics (Light Canola Vegan Mayo)

Homemade oven-dried cherry tomatoes – YUM! I try to make a batch of this every week

Lettuce

Fresh ground pepper

It was a hit and made my relatively newly vegan husband VERY excited, because he said he felt like he was eating a meaty sandwich.

One thing Lisa and I concluded was that we don’t want to get involved in a big consumer gig for Mother’s Day. Hopefully we’ve trained our kids well. I’ve discouraged my kids from spending money on stuff. This year, my daughters and grand babies are planning to cook a special vegan brunch – psyched!

Here are some of the fun eco-friendly things I’ve done with my kids over the years:

Playing in the Garden - Mother’s Day usually falls around May 10, which is generally a safe time to get plants in the ground where we live in the northeast. I started this when they were fairly young. They used to grumble, but when I offered the alternative of cleaning their rooms for me, they grabbed their garden gloves and followed me like little reluctant ducklings. I tried to teach them what I knew about planting and gardening during these Mother’s Day episodes. Their glazed eyes and disinterested grunts left me feeling like they probably wouldn’t be enthusiastic gardeners. Oh well. BUT, to my amazement, my daughter was planting seeds with my grandson a month ago!

Crafty Visions - One year we came in from the garden and decided to make vision boards. What a wonderful experience for all of us to chatter about our dreams while we cut, paste and giggle at ourselves. The pic at the top of this post is my original vision board from that Mother’s Day several years ago.

Foodie Fun - When the kids were little, I’d get them in the kitchen to help me prepare a fun meal – again, none of them seemed particularly interested in the beginning, but I’m proud to say that I’ve spawned three beautiful little foodie women, who love to play in the kitchen now! My baby (who is now 19) sends me yummy recipes while she is at school and looks forward to every visit home so we can experiment in the kitchen together. Nice.

Outdoor Discoveries - We have done some fun outdoor adventures like hikes through bird sanctuaries and visiting our favorite public gardens for inspiration. My girls weren’t always so rugged outdoors, but I think they all have a good appreciation for nature and the beauty of our amazing eco-system.

Aquaculture Stewardship Council(ASC) – The industry standard for identifying seafood raised using environmentally sound practices.

Agriculture Stewardship Associaltion (ASA) 

They describe themselves as a community-supported land trust dedicated to protecting our local farmland from encroaching development.

Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) – This organization is  backed by companies such as Levi Strauss, Marks & Spencer, IKEA, H&M and Adidas, with the intention to transform the textile market and make it more sustainable. To learn more listen to our Sleeping Naked Is Green podscast on Wearing Cotton Undies. 

Certified Carbon Neutral – When businesses fund projects that reduce the same amount of emissions they produce, neutralizing their carbon footprint.

Certified Naturally Grown – Foods from organic farms that follow USDA Organic standards but don’t have the budget to apply for official status.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) - Developed by the US Green Building Council it consists of a rating system for the design, construction and operation of high performance buildings, homes and neighborhoods.
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) – Local farms supported throughout the year by community members who receive seasonal produce and products from the farm they support when it’s harvest time.

Compostable- Products that are biodegrade quickly and completely.

Energy Star –  A  joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping us all save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.

Food Alliance Certification - North America’s most comprehensive third-party certification for the production, processing, and distribution of sustainable food.

Green Seal – Certifying goods and services that meet the highest standards of environmental quality and performance.
Green Star Certified -  Independent 3rd party verifier of the United States Energy Council, an endorsed program for businesses, organizations, products, cities and individuals that are dedicated to waste reduction, energy conservation, recycling and pollution prevention.

Rainforest Alliance – Products made by methods that do not add to global deforestation and environmental distruction.

• USDA Biobased – From the USDA Biopreferred progam existing to increase purchases of biobased products with the expectation of reducing petroleum consumption, increasing the use of renewable resources, better managing of carbon cycles, which may contribute to reducing adverse environmental and health impacts.

Certified Grass-Fed – Meat from ruminant animals raised on a diet of 100% grass and forage.

USDA Organic –  The USDA organic seal verifies that irradiation, sewage sludge, synthetic fertilizers, prohibited pesticides, and genetically modified organisms were not used.

Getting to know some of these organizations and terms will help all of us make healthier choices for your families and the planet.

1. The average woman uses 12 personal care products daily.
2. The Average man uses 6 personal care products daily.
3. EACH PRODUCT CONTAINS A DOZEN OR MORE CHEMICALS – many which are toxic!
4. The Average woman exposes herself to over 167 chemicals on her body and face during her daily beauty regimine!
5. Over 80,000 chemicals used in personal care products in the US – ONLY 200 OF THEM ARE TESTED FOR SAFETY!

The chemicals used in these products aren’t only bad for those who use them, but they are bad for the people who work every day to manufacture them AND they end up in the water supply and eco-system as well.

A few common toxic chemicals found in every day personal care products

• Phthalates
• Parabens
• BHA
• MORE . . . cosmeticdatabase.com

These chemicals are known to cause things like:

• Neuro-developmental Disorders
• Lung Tumors
• Liver & Kidney Tumors
• Genital Abnormalities
• Lowered Sperm CountMore information, resources and 3 awesome DIY recipes!
  Excellent short videos:

• The Story of Stuff’s – The Story of Cosmetics
• The Story Behind Comsetics

3 fav DIY skin care recipes from the Green Divas test kitchen

For almost everything you need to make awesome, organic, natural and clean home-made beauty produccts, Check out Mountain Rose Herbs

• Lavander Face Wash – recipe
• Hand Lotion – recipe
• Cranberry Lip Balm – recipe

Listen to our 5-min podcast - Sleeping Naked is Green #12 – Make Your Own Cosmetics & Skincare Products

This grilled veggie tostada w/ quick mole was a HIT. I brushed some Ezekiel tortillas w/ olive oil and baked them for 4 minutes a side, slathered them generously w/ the amazing mole, the grilled veggies, fresh avocado, cilantro and lime juice – HOLY MOLE YUM!

This alone would’ve been enough, but I had a mess of veggies that needed using. So, I went for it and made my super healthy, crunchy marinated salad slaw stuff that my husband, grandson and most people love.

Green Diva Meg’s Crazy Healthy Super Crunchy Salad
 

Ingredients

Raw Ingredients

Amounts of each are really up to the taste of the individual
Fresh broccoli
shredded carrots
shredded cabbage
fresh mushrooms sliced
red onion chopped finely
raisins
sunflower seeds (I found some yummy sprouted and dried ones that are very high in Omegas)

(get creative – if you like peppers, which I don’t, add them! you get the idea)

Marinade/Dressing

Again, amounts are really up to the individual’s taste
Red Wine Vinegar
Flaxseed Oil & Olive Oil (about half & half)
about 1 clove fresh garlic (crushed)
about 1 tsp. white miso paste
stevia to taste
onion powder to taste

Mix it all up very thoroughly and put in refrigerator for at least 2 hours. It gets better over night. 

• Elemental Herbs  The remedies from this line are all natural and organically made with care for the people who use them and the earth. And 1% of the proceeds go to social and environmental justice organizations through 1% for the Planet.
  • All Good Goop –  this product is an organic healing balm for things like, cracked heels, chapped lips, bites, dry & irritated skin, cuts, minor burns, diaper rash etc..  I used this balm on some crud that I have on my leg that was itchy and determined to not go away. The more I use this the more of it goes away.
  • Herbal Cool: Fast Pain Relief – Unfortunately, I had a reason to try this lovely item. My knee was acting up after running so I sprayed a little on and it calmed everything down right away. It is cool upon contact as expected and has a kind-of Bengay smell. But it doesn’t stay pungent for very long. Its main active ingredient is Arnica, which is a must-have in every household.
•  Dr. Bronner’s Magic All-In-One Hand Sanitizing Spray – We’ve talked about the evils of conventional hand sanitizers on a Green Divas Radio Show’s Sleeping Naked is Green segment. This product is lavender scented and we keep it in our purses to have on hand where ever we go.
• G2 Organics -  Made with organic ingredients and Reiki charged, we have a few favorites. We first fell in love with all the pretty colors of their 95% organic, odorless nail polishes plus an organic and odorless remover. Really! Then we were amazed by the Moisturizing candle, yes, you burn the candle and as it melts you can scoop it into your skin as a moisturizer. Really! Check out all the other great products.
• Mad Gab’s Wildly Natural Bodycare – We had the good fortune to try out a variety of their lip care products. GDMeg particularly likes and now carries with her the Lip Shimmer Pink, while I have been enjoying Moose Shine Plum Lip Gloss.  They are made with shea butter and organic oils. We Like!

Knoll Farm - Fayston, VT

In 2007, I had the opportunity to stay at Knoll Farm in Vermont for a week with a group of very inspiring environmentalists. My daughter dubbed the adventure “Farm Camp” and it stuck. The forward-thinking Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation thought it would be a good idea for a few of us to go up to Knoll Farm, and while we were being bathed in the beauty of the natural environment of this working farm, our minds might open to solutions to some of the challenges facing our communities in terms of sustainability.

We meditated in a yurt every day and otherwise lived, ate and breathed a natural daily farm life, which had the effect of bringing all of us back in contact with simple priorities. We ate every meal in the barn in the picture above and spent many hours in the tent (under the rainbow) whittling our wooden spoons, while solving the problems of the world. Our discussions about community, sustainability, and all the elements involved in creating these things, evolved throughout the week – a brilliant way of putting us in a fertile (literally) environment where fresh ideas could grow and ripen.

I came home with a VERY refreshed perspective on everything and even 5 years later, feel the effects. We made wooden spoons while we were there, and I was given a gorgeous wooden bowl that I used for every meal during my stay at the farm. I still prefer to eat out of my wooden bowl from that week! It is a reminder of that connection to food, nature and community that I need frequently!

Since then, there are many wonderful farms that offer similar experiences on a variety of levels. You can focus on family, do more or less actual farming, go with a group, volunteer at an organic farm or go and be a student and learn about sustainable farming techniques.

If you have ever dreamed of being a farmer, this experience could be wonderful in either energizing that dream or making it clear that it is a fun experience for a vacation, but perhaps not as a vocation!

I found a wonderful website — FarmStayUS.com – that has a thorough listing of farms all over the country (including 3 in NJ!) that offer farm stay programs that range from $25 – over $200 per night. You can search farm stays that allow pets or accommodate children under 12 as well.

If you want to spend little or no money and be more involved, consider a WWOOF (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms – wwoofusa.org) experience. WWOOFing is a way to learn practical farming skills, be part of the organic agriculture movement, and experience the heart of American agrarian culture.

I highly recommend considering some type of “farm camp” experience for a meaningful alternative vacation this summer.

On the first Earth Day in 1970, my best friend Jennifer and I cut school and took the bus into NYC, where Mayor Lindsay shut down 5^th Avenue and offered Central Park to stage the event where it was estimated that over a million people gathered to celebrate. The Vietnam War was in full swing and the same company that gave us agent orange  was selling a similarly toxic compound to spray on the fields of our farms.

Much of the awareness in the ‘70s was born out of protesting corporate America (sound familiar?). I didn’t even know as much as I know now but I could see and feel that what the corporations were telling us didn’t make sense. Because of the dysfunctional farm subsidies that began around WWII (which is a whole other story), corporations were using advertising and media to train us to seek cheap and convenient calories, which has lead our nation into an epidemic health crisis. Can you say “obesity, diabetes or heart disease”?  If you look at the story of corn in this country as just one example, you can see how important it was for the bottom line of the corn industry to shove it literally down our throats. Corn was in everything, if we couldn’t eat enough, it would be put in our drinks as high fructose corn syrup. To this day, it’s hard to get away from the stuff in the average grocery store. Oh and in terms of our planet, those pesticides they started using are being used by the 100s of tons now because the plants have learned to resist them.

At one time food was more expensive in relationship to income than it is now, but medical expenses were much lower. As more and more people turned to processed foods the price of food went down as the cost of medical expenses went up in nearly equal amounts.  So think about that when you wince at the price of a locally grown tomato compared to the monochromatic ones in the grocery store.

The notion of “living off the land” was idealistic to a point, but it was also part of the revolution.  By the mid ‘70s I had my first garden plus chickens and rabbits.  I made all our own bread, yogurt, granola etc., plus I learned to can and preserve fruits, veggies, jams and sauces.  I shocked my parents by giving birth at home and it was still a radical notion to breastfeed.  I wasn’t raised that way, these were the things I had to re-learn. This obviously didn’t start with my generation, we were doing things that our grandparents did out of necessity. This is where I try by example to teach my kids that it is important to take the best of what came before us and make something better.

The activities were contagious, once I started a garden, it only made sense to compost. And once I fell in love with soil, I couldn’t bear the thought of all the toxic non-biodegradable things that were going into landfills or uselessly using up trees for disposable paper products.  Not to mention our homegrown food tasted better. Once you taste a real tomato, it’s pretty darn hard to eat one that was picked green and force-ripened just in time to hit the grocery shelves.

But advertising was strong and convenience won out at the end of the day for most consumers. Even I got lazier, but I eagerly got back on track and am poised to teach my grandchildren about where their food comes from and how to be gentle stewards of the planet.

Why Use Organic Cotton

Eco Burials