A rant in A minor

"Being green" is more than a fad, more than a philosophy, and more than a way of life. It should be, just the way we are. We as a society have come so far from our origins, we don't even recognize them anymore.

I have to admit up front, I don't know much about Indian tribes, but I find myself, more and more, wanting to know. From what I understand they lived and breathed green. Most tribes waged no wars, unless for defense. They worshipped Mother Nature; they took no more then they needed, and they used every bit of what they took. They gave back to the Earth what they recieved from it, and in this way sustained themselves.

My husband and I were having a chat this morning about our new generation. Our kids believe that money is never scarce, when something breaks you buy a new one, and there is no need to take care of anything, because there is always something newer and shinier around the corner. It's ridiculous. Why are we, as parents, not teaching them to value things. Some of us do, but not nearly enough of us. In this day and age, and what we know about the environment we are destroying, it would seem to reason that we parents would pick up the slack. We would be adamant about setting good examples for our kids. If we teach them to sustain their world, then they won't have to teach their children to sustain it. It will become ingrained, a way of life.

Come on parents, rally together! Teach your kids the value of a dollar, teach them newer is not always better. Show them how to make use of things they would otherwise throw out. RECYCLE! COMPOST! It's not that hard. Use every bit of everything you buy, think about the things you NEED to have. What examples are we setting for our kids? From what I've seen of the majority, not good ones. Prove me wrong.

The sky could be green!

credit: National Geographic

When I think of rooftop gardening I envision an array of colorful containers brimming with plant life, a skyscraper view, and a beautiful sunset. What can I say I'm a sucker for a sunset. The recent May issue of National Geographic changed my vision. There is an interesting article in it that talks about a new way to build. Instead of building these boring structures with flat black top roofs, why not take that space and create an entire environment. They are called living roofs. In Germany, Switzerland, and Austria they have become law on roofs of sustainable pitch. Did you know Chicago's city hall has one, and is currently North America's leading green roof city? They are also developing living walls, what a neat concept. This is revolutional. We can change the way we think and perceive things, it just takes a little imagination. I do believe there is a need for all of these buildings, because of technology, our population is expanding at a rapid pace. BUT, we don't have to live in these concrete jungles anymore. We can take them back and create a little bit of Earth. Why haven't we done this before, and why is this not mandatory here? Here is the start of the article, I urge you to check it out before they move on to other things. It was interesting, and at the very least the photographs were beautiful. Up On The Roof.
I am sold. How about you?

We now interrupt our regularly scheduled programming....

Sorry to anyone who may or may not follow this blog on a regular basis, I have recently started school again. With that said I have been overwhelmed as of late and have not been able to update here properly. I assure you I have some good posts in mind, at least they're good in my mind :) and will try to have something new up this week. Until then enjoy the pictures.

Give mom... clean air?

Mother's Day is quickly approaching, it's May 10th. You could do the traditional and send Mom roses or daisies, but how about something a little more eco-friendly?

The peace lily, or Spathiphyllum, cleans your air, they remove 'environmental contaminants, including benzene, formaldehyde, and other pollutants', says Wikipedia. They are considered useful in combatting indoor air pollution. NASA did a 2 year study and created a list of the top ten plants to acquire.

This beautiful flowering bulb, is an elegant plant to give your mom on any day. They are easy to care for, need water only 1 - 1 1/2 weeks or when the soil becomes dry. They like the shade and make excellent indoor plants. Mine have recently started blooming, so every year your mom can be reminded of how much you love her.

Tell your mom you're thinking about her this Mother's Day in a unique way that will last throughout the year. Not only will you make your mom smile when she sees this gorgeous plant gracing her home, but you will know that you are contributing to a better, healthier lifestyle for her.

Yum.

Just a quick recipe I tried the other day for all of you that I convinced to eat a little less meat. I found it in Ladies Home Journal under their piece The Healthy Cook.

• 6 oz. dried farfalle pasta (or whatever you fancy)


• 1 tbsp. olive oil


• 1 medium onion, chopped


• 1 cup sliced portabella or other fresh mushrooms


• 2 cloves of garlic, minced


• 4 cups of spinach, thinly sliced


• 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, chopped


• 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper


• 2 tbsp. shredded parmesean

Cook pasta according to directions, drain. In a large skillet heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 2-3 minutes. Stir in spinach, thyme, and pepper. Cook until spinach is slightly wilted, about 1 min. Toss mushroom and spinach mixture with pasta and sprinkle with cheese.

makes 4 servings. 225 calories per serving,5.5 g total fat, 1 g sat fat, 66 mg sodium, 37 g carbs, 2 mg chol, 9 g protein, 3 g fiber.

This dish was so delicous even my pickiest kid (you haven't met picky until you've met this one:) raved about it.

Hope everyone enjoys, and if you like we can share recipes from time to time.

Happy Earth Day- one day after....

but really isn't Earth Day everyday? :)

I spent the day pruning my mulberry tree, isn't the song all around the mulberry bush? I was lucky enough to have this tree planted by the previous owners of my house. I didn't really know what it was until 2 years ago, and we just started eating them last year. This was my very first harvest and I didn't even get all of them, we pretty much just took the ones off the branches that were pruned. I have a ton, so if anyone has some good recipes they want to share let me know. I will be trying them out in my smoothie mix later when the kids get home from school.

Hope everyone had gorgeous weather like we did, and did something fun.

Celebrate!

No matter what the occasion, use one or all of these ideas to make your next function eco-friendly.

• Host the party at your local park, beach, or own backyard. When all your guests arrive have a scavenger hunt, scavenge for trash and recyclables. Hand out prizes for most trash collected and most recyclables collected. You can even hide a few prizes in the area to make it interesting.


• Serve all your goodies with recycling in mind. Compostable plates and cups, bottles and cans, bins labeled and available.


• Like to make party favors? Try a worm composting tower. It was fun to make, and the petunias we planted with ours are vivacious and thriving.

• Cut down on the electricity. Bring along some acoustic guitars, bongos, tambourines, harmonicas, whatever you can scrounge up. Got nerves of steel? Let the kids release their inner rock stars on real instruments.

• While on that scavenger hunt pick some flowers, pretty branches, and leaves. Create one of a kind cards to use later.

• Spread the love. Hand out small packets of sunflower or tomato seeds as party paraphernalia.

Have a great time celebrating life. Creating eco-friendly lifestyle changes help to keep the world healthier and in turn us all healthier, which means more celebrating to come.