Ideas for Earth Day

Happy Earth Day readers!

Here are a few interesting websites with information and ideas about Going Green.
What are you doing to make a difference today?

Earth Day website

A 20 minute film on consumer waste and the consequences of "stuff"
The Story of Stuff

Book on Cutting Your Household Budget
Be Centsable by Chrissy Pate and Kristin McKee

An alternative to plastic serving ware and storage by ThinkBaby Feeding System

Daryl Hannah's Eco Green Website

I discovered Daryl's Hannah's website through a link on Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Cancer site and am now a regular browser. Her site is here and is an eclectic mix of video blog, green news and earth friendly products. Her lovelife goods page has a great selection of items in 4 categories, everyday essentials, fantasy playthings, home-body and kids& pets. The stainless steel food and beverage carriers and kitchen compost bucket are an excellent price and a must have. I've just ordered an organic sunscreen and am thinking of buying the cozy and soft bamboo surfer robe. I've also got my eye on a piece of jewelery made from recycled gold.
Hannah besides being a respected actress is a keen environmentalist and her sustainable solution blogs are worth a watch. She's definitely on my list of the people I want to share a meal with.

The Awesomeness of The Container Store

I think the title of this post says it all, I really like The Container Store. Being a neat freak I enjoy finding products that not only keep me organized but help me reduce my carbon footprint. I've switched from taking snacks and meals to work in plastic bags to small glass or plastic reusable containers. I've also stopped buying toiletries like shampoo and conditioner in the small travel size bottles and instead reuse small metal and plastic bottles from TCS. My latest find is a reusable set of water bottles with refrigerator tray on sale for $12.99. It's nice to have cold water to grab and go and the tray stops the bottles from rolling around in my fridge. No more store bought water in my house! Check them out here:
http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?searchId=21550824&itemIndex=2&CATID=253&PRODID=10024891
My family has gone from merely tolerating my need to "Go Green" to embracing the idea of reducing, reusing and recycling. Every little bit helps!

Oxford Day 6, 7, 8 and 9

My 6th day in Oxford was a busy one and particularly interesting to me. In the first session after breakfast Eric Meyer of the Oxford Internet Institute spoke about e-research at Oxford. After a tea break, Michael Popham, the Head of The Oxford Digital Library spoke about the partnership between Google and Oxford and the digitization of more than 300,000 items in the collection which are now available online. I love browsing through digital collections and it was fascinating to hear the behind the scenes story of how things make it from the archives to the Internet.
We then walked to the Bodleian Library and met with Clive Hurst who is the Head of Rare Books and Printed Ephemera at the library, absolutely one of my dream jobs. He had about a dozen rare items that represented the evolution of books in England that we were allowed to view, but not handle. Some of the items were the only surviving copies in the world. Amazing.

After lunch we had a private tour of the Oxford Botanic Gardens which are the oldest in the UK and one of the oldest scientific gardens in the world. Lisa Campbell was our tour guide and she is the curator of the Glasshouse Collections, a series of conservatories that house plant specimens from all over the planet. The Botanic Gardens are home to the "Tolkien Tree" a massive tree that was a favorite of writers such as Tolkien who based the Ents on this tree in his book Lord of the Rings. (See pic) After the gardens we were hosted for a private tea at the home of a former Oxford University librarian. Beautiful house and gardens and we were treated to a real English tea party.
Over the weekend we went to Windsor to visit Windsor Castle and to tour Eton College. It was nice to stay in a posh hotel (cable and down pillows!) but by Sunday I was ready to go "home" to Oxford. Windsor Castle was huge and very beautiful but touring Eton College was even better. Our tour guide was the Master of the buildings at Eton (over 400) and gave us a lively and historic tour plus details on the daily lives of the boys. Getting to Eton from Windsor visitors must cross a pedestrian bridge over the Thames which is picturesque and lovely and on the Eton side is a restaurant called the House on the Bridge where we had delicious "cream tea" which is tea with scones, clotted cream, jam and strawberries. Best we have had yet in England.

Monday was a bank holiday in England (no classes) so we went to Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill and one of the largest homes in England. The grounds were enormous and seemed to go on for miles with gardens designed by Capability Brown in 1764. The "Long Library" is one of the longest rooms in a private home in the UK and was full of books and priceless portraits. The 11th Duke of Marlborough lives most of the year at the Palace but was out of town for the long weekend so were were able to pay for a private tour and see the family apartments. Shabby chic is how I would describe the rooms they live in. Lots of books, magazines, newspapers and remote controls for the televisions laying around like any normal house. There was a wonderful art and music festival on the grounds of the Palace and we walked around and enjoyed a beautiful sunny day. When I closed my eyes I could picture the grounds full of horses and hounds and ladies in period dress enjoying garden parties and gentleman on the hunt. It was such a mix of the old and new, totally fascinating glimpse into the aristocracy.

Happy Earth Day!

If there is a day during the year when we should all take a look at the impact we have on the Earth it's today.
Here are a few things to ask yourself and a few answers:
1. Do you know how many plastic bags are used and disposed of each year by
consumers?
38 BILLION
2. Do you know how many plastic water bottles are thrown away each year?
10 BILLION
3. Do you know what you can do to decrease that number?
STOP USING PLASTIC BAGS AND STOP BUYING WATER IN A BOTTLE. There are so many options instead of having your groceries packed in plastic bags, try reusing paper bags, buy bags made from recycled materials and keep them in the trunk of your car. Only buying a few items? Carry them! Get a reusable water bottle made out of steel such as Thermos or Klean Kanteen. When you are hosting a meeting or throwing a party
don't buy plastic water bottles!
4. Are you leaving your electronic appliances plugged in when you are not using them?
WHY? Unplug that coffee pot, toaster, television, washer and dryer, cell phone charger, DVD player, etc. Even when an electrical device is turned off, if it is plugged in it is consuming phantom usage. So turn off everything you reasonably can.
5. Do you eat meat every day or more than 3 days a week?
MODERN MEAT PRODUCTION USES ENORMOUS AMOUNTS OF ENERGY AND CREATES GREENHOUSE GASES AND POLLUTES WATER SUPPLIES. Don't want to become a vegetarian, than even reducing your meat intake 1 day a week will make a difference.

In the past couple of years I've made some small but important changes in my household. It's been 112 days since I've allowed plastic bags into my home. I reuse paper bags, recyclable cloth grocery bags and my Reisenthel bags (see link under the things I can't live without)for all my groceries, produce from farmers markets, items from department stores and Target etc. Sure it drives my family a little crazy but if they don't want to tote a bag into the store I tell them they can only get what they can carry. Nothing drives me crazier than seeing someone at the Walgreens or Target who is getting 1 or 2 items and allows the cashier to throw them in a plastic bag. Really? You can't carry that bottle of Coke or prescription out with you?
Anything I can unplug in my household I also pull after use. Hairdryer, lamps, kettle, toaster, cellphone charger, wash and dryer, unused televisions etc. I keep my nightstand clocks plugged in and my flat screen tv (the plugs are behind heavy furniture) but I'm trying to find an alternative to even turn those off (battery operated clocks and using power strips are an option I am considering).
Each year I increase what I grow for my family to eat. If you don't have the space for a garden then grab a couple of pots or even recycle jelly or spaghetti sauce jars and grow your own herbs in a window. There is nothing like fresh basil, chives and rosemary!
In the spirit of Earth Day, take a couple of small steps and make a difference.

The Green Book

In my constant quest to become more environmentally responsible, I have made some small changes in my everyday life thanks to the easy tips in a great book. The Green Book: The Everyday Guide to Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas Kostigen is full of smart and easy tips to change how much waste we create and energies we consume.
Some of my favorites:
Don't request an ATM receipt, save paper rolls and the trees
Turn off the water when you are brushing your teeth
Place a bucket in the shower to catch the cold water when you turn it on. Use this water to water your plants.
Get rid of your answering machine and save energy.
Unplug your appliances when not in use, even when plugged in energy is being wasted.
In my house we have stopped using paper plates, paper cups and plastic utensils. I am slowly weeding out napkins and paper towels too. I also shop with reusable shopping bags and stores like Trader Joes enter you in contests for free groceries each time you use them.
Every small change means BIG results, join in and make a difference!
Check out the website at: http://www.readthegreenbook.com/