$$Green Team? I'm SOLD!!! $$

Voila! My answer to making the dumpster project more....eco-friendly and responsible. Perfect? NO. But better than the alternative which was to dump EVERYTHING and be totally, utterly ungreen. This afternoon, with the help of our babysitter, I made a HUGE dent in the plethora of unwanted items down in the basement. I separated things into four categories: (1)throw away in the dumpster (so ratty and unuseable it would be downright mean of me to donate), (2) re-useable (things i would realistically - easy and quickly - repurpose for storage, etc) (3)drop off-able (to a goodwill type clothing donation box that are sprinkled in parking lots along my daily driving routes), and the rest - (4)sell-able. The freed up storage space on the shelves in the basement will be a great place to keep the sell-able items along with the packaging boxes that i have saved and will reuse. I will take photos of the stored items and circulate amongst friends in case they want something. The point is - easy. no pressure. All good for me. My current organizational skills are such that coordinating pick ups and drop offs for freecycle and charitable organizations would leave all parties involved with headaches, to be sure. So, my alternative is eBay. How lucky that they have a Green Team now! So, now that I've figured out my system, doing the remaining 2/3rds of this basement job will be a no-brainer for Saturday's big dumpster day. I DID IT!!!

Minimizing and Agonizing

The next phase of our decluttering project has commenced and will end in an event that is contreversial. This weekend we will have a dumpster dropped off on our front yard and picked up after 48 hours. I've consulted with a couple of friends who have suggested I put an add out on freecycle or have local charitable organizations come to pick up what we have. I didn't even think of doing this, mostly because I in the past I have been notorious for not being able to organize something like this well enough in advance to make it work to benefit anyone other than myself. As I write this I realize that this is the pudding that i must put the proof in. Convenience would have me dumping everything I don't want in the house anymore without much thought. How can I make getting rid of my extra "stuff" easier for myself and also beneficial to a community at large, and eco-friendly? I am busy, have 2 little kids, and have limited hours in the day. I don't know how i'm going to make planning for freecycling or donations easier, because i used the box and banish method of decluttering weeks ago. So this means I have a sea of containers, bags, and boxes of stuff that are not categorized in the basement. I have 3 1/2 days. Hmm....

Booting the Bottles

Did you hear about the recent study that found chemicals leaching out of plastic with everyday useage? Google it! BPA-free plastic still contains chemicals that can have adverse impacts on the endocrine system. Now I'm concerned that it's not safe to use plastic for anykind of container for food and drink. So where does that leave us? Uber-Paranoid perhaps? Well, i don't know about that. However, a well managed dose of paranoia can do a body good - i would guess better than a dose of estrogenic chemicals. So, we've decided to transition to non-plastic drinkware and food storage containers. We use tap water filtered with a britta faucet filter and also use a britta pitcher, but having a private well that is not regulated by the EPA, we are going to get our well water tested again just to be sure. On the move toward stainless steel drinkware for the kids, i've also found some cool stainless steel water bottles on Amazon.com. I have finally convinced my husband to let go of his Poland Spring bottled water love-affair!Now....let's see if i can do this cheaply! Will keep you posted!

"Every oak tree started out as a couple of nuts who decided to stand their ground.” Unknown

The site of the herb garden. Around this beautiful oak tree, whom i can see everyday from my kitchen window. One day i may tell you about my experiences with this particular oak, but let us just say that....she is important and it is only right that she watch over our little garden. I hope that the garden will nourish this old tree as much as she has nourished my sense of responsibility.

Peter Rabbit Herbalist

Had a blast last night listening to Rosemary Gladstar's Webinar on Demystifying Herbs. I am looking forward to learning more this summer. In the meantime, the idea given to me by someone very close to me (let's call her Divina) of creating a magical Peter Rabbit herb and vegetable garden is taking root!

It's in the Bag

A no-sew market bag project my daughter and i can do together! What a wonderful discovery, a crafty "bag lady" and her adorable book. I wish i could do all of these today!

ps. tonight at 8pm i will be taking a free webinar offered by Rosemary Gladstar, Herbs Demystified Remedies for Family Health. A cup of tea, a quiet house, and a free introduction to the powerful healing world of herbs, what more could a busy greenworker mom ask for?

Growing The Blog

With spring....almost...i swear i really can see it...almost here, it's time to take another look at the way i'm organizing my experiences. Better organized pages and searchability, and media components are key.These upcoming months I'll be building a compost bin, building seed-starting planters from discarded wood, starting a vegetable garden, taking a class at Rosemary Gladstar's retreat with the incredible lady herself, and making a video diary. I am so excited to make this adventure easy enough so that my children can be involved in the planning and executing a more eco-friendly lifestyle. We are growing!!!

Spring Come Back!

Snowing. Again.

Planting the Seeds...

Little Diva asked me what "orGantic" meant. How do you begin to explain this concept to a 3 1/2 year old??? Simply! I said that organic farmers do not use "bug sprays to protect the fruit and vegetables from getting eaten and from getting sick that will get our bodies sick" And i told her that we are going to grow the above organic tomatoes and peppers (purchased from Whole Foods today) from seeds just like farmers do, with no yucky bug sprays. She was satisfied, and i feel like i've planted the most wonderful seed already.

The Compost Train....

Went on a date with my husbad recently. Out of all of the things that we could have done, we chose to go to a local coffee shop and then to the local Lowe's instead. We had the BEST date we've had since we started doing "date nights" post-kids! We picked out a screen storm door for our front entrance and we also starting eyeing the compost bin options.

We could not find large backyard composts, but we found the above kitchen compost. I liked the look of it, it reminded me of some vintage enamel wear that my grandmother always had in her house. I also liked that it wasn't plastic.

More research to be done....i'm excited to get on the compost train this month!!!

Catching Bugs with Vinegar AND Honey

2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in honey whenever i could remember and/or between meals left me healthy as can be during a perfect of storm of viruses that went through my house this past weekend. My son, my daughter, and then my husband went down.

I will carry my powerhouse natural remedies with me into the Spring. I teamed my 2 tbs of honey and vinegar remedy up with echinacea tea twice per evening and 1 raw garlic clove while my family was sick last weekend. It really WORKED! woah. I am a steadfast believer of this combo. My new "go to" remedy when i perceive the beginnings of a sniffle! Now...if i can only figure out how to make these remedies palatable for the kids! Any suggestions?