No Mincing Words In Texas

It's not a green message, but it's a good one.

What Is This? The Effects of Disease, Pollution, Or Chemical Defoliation?

This scene has been bothering me for a while.  I pass by every weekday to and from my sons' school and I always wonder: what is this?  If anyone can tell me, I'd greatly appreciate it.  It looks like someone's sprayed some sort of chemical in order to avoid the chore of manual pruning.  I see it along the railroad tracks that run parallel to the road, as well.  Not pretty.

Library Elf

From the time I graduated from college until I had children, I was oblivious to late fees on library books.  I read whatever I bought in airport book shops when I traveled for business.  In fact, other than during the two years I spent in business school, I don't think I set foot in a library.

Typically, the kids and I visit the library once a week and are really good about bringing our returns with us, so we're never late.  So it was a bit of a shock when I stepped up to borrow more books for my kids at our local library and was hit with the late fees for the last batch of books and DVDs we'd borrowed.  These were the books and DVDs that had come due while we were on vacation and then sat collecting dust for a few days afterward while we recovered from said vacation.

Here's our local library's schedule of late fees:

Books	25 cents/day
Books on tape & CD	25 cents/day
Music CDs & audiocassettes	$1/day
Movie DVDs & VHS tapes	$1/day

It wasn't so much the late fees on the books that got me - it was the DVDs.  We were eight days overdue on our stack and the late fees added up to almost $20.  Good grief!  Where am I, Blockbuster?

As I forked over the cash, the librarian looked at me over her glasses and asked if I'd heard of Library Elf.

"I don't think we read about that one.  Is it in another volume?" I thought she was referring to the Spiderwick Chronicles, which were in my stack.

"No, no," she chuckled.  "Library Elf is a free email service that warns you when your library books are coming due.  You should sign up."  She handed me a flier and I went online to sign up when I got home.

Today, I received my first reminder, three days before my books are due.

It really is very cool.  You get the heads-up about the deadline and you have the opportunity to remotely renew your books.

More great, green, money-saving technology.

Delicious Cucumber Straight From The Garden

My cucumber plant exploded in the last week with new cucumbers.  I plucked this one from the garden this morning and immediately had to taste it, given what happened last time.  Oh my goodness, it was perfect.  Not bitter at all and so delicious.

It is just amazing how much better fruits and vegetables can taste when they are so fresh, grown right in your own backyard.

Fresh Cantaloupe From The School Garden

Today the students enjoyed fresh cantaloupe that we grew in the school garden.  I planted the seeds this Spring and the plant exploded with cantaloupes this month.  

It was delicious and the whole process of growing something from seeds has been so fun and educational for the kids.

We've also got an enormous watermelon that's just about ready to harvest.  I can't wait!

Master Made Feed of Grapevine

Old town Grapevine, Texas, is a fun place to browse.  The stores are eclectic and are mixed in with good restaurants and wine bars.

Master Made Feed of Grapevine

Today, as I drove down Main Street, I noticed chicken coops sitting in front of a store named Master Made Feed.  The store doesn't look like much from the outside but I've been pondering having a few hens for organic eggs, so I ducked in.

chicken coops

Every time I forget that we essentially live in the countryside I should just take a little trip to this store.

I was given a warm greeting by a nice young man (I'm betraying my age here by saying that) who explained that they'll have chicks in February or March.  I asked if many people around here have chickens and he replied that they sold more chickens last year than in the prior five years combined.  People around here love having their own hens for fresh eggs.  I asked if the heat was bearable for them and he replied that it is, provided they have some shelter (a coop).

Here are a few of the other interesting things I saw there:

big stacks of salt licks

dried cow and pig parts

pig snouts, $1.09

Pig snouts.  Well, at least they're not going to waste.  Ranks up there with dried pig ears.

saddles

gnarly animal traps

baby quail, $2 each

Pancake Edges

My three year old only likes the crispy, buttery edges of pancakes.  He eats the edges and leaves the middle.  The little boy can go through three pancakes this way and then ask for more, leaving a little pile of "pancake holes."

My solution to all of this waste?

PANCAKE EDGES

They're just like regular pancakes but instead of making them round, you make them skinny and long.  I asked my son if we should call them "pancake fingers" and he said nope, pancake edges.  So there you go.  And what do you know, he polished off his whole plate this morning, not a scrap left, and then asked for more.  Mission accomplished!

Ingredients:

• 1 scoop (2 tablespoons) organic cold milled golden flax seed (I buy mine at Costco)
• 1/2 cup Arrowhead Mills Multigrain pancake & waffle mix (70% organic)
• 1 organic egg
• 1/2 cup organic milk
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• organic butter (not in the batter - just for melting in the pan) 

Directions:

stand mixer :)

1. Mix ingredients together thoroughly.  I use a "stand mixer" (see photo).
2. Put your cast iron griddle on medium and melt butter.
3. Dribble pancake batter in a thin line.
4. Flip them when they bubble a bit.  They cook quickly, so keep an eye on them!  They're done when they're golden brown.

Yum!

New Water Bottle For Back To School

We take hydration very seriously here in Texas in the summertime, so my boys always carry an extra drink.

My boys are back at school, now, and brought with them new water bottles.

They love their new water bottles. They're from Klean Kanteen, hold 27 ounces and they're carrying them in these Built bright red neoprene insulated totes. I just pack the drink with ice in the morning and it stays cold for a few hours.

 

On the back of each carrier, I wrote a son's name with a black Sharpie so there's no confusion about which bottle belongs to which son.

I like knowing I'm keeping my boys safe and healthy, and they like how cool the bottles look.

Man Invents Machine To Convert Plastic Into Oil

The Blest H.

The video, below, presents an invention by Blest, a Japanese company that claims its machine can turn plastic back into oil that can be used to make gasoline, diesel or kerosene. Really amazing!

Costco - A Great Store For Organics

People are often surprised to hear that I do the majority of my shopping at Costco.  But I really do.  It's amazing how much organic food they sell now.

We live on a budget just like everyone else, so I try to buy in bulk and freeze things to save money.  The fact that I can do this at Costco with organics makes me very happy.

Take yesterday's shopping trip, for instance.  Here's a list of the organic food I picked up:

• Bunny-Luv organic carrots
• TreeTop organic applesauce
• Kirkland organic apple juice
• Alpine Valley organic whole grain bread (we LOVE this bread)
• Sun-Maid organic raisins
• Kirkland organic extra virgin olive oil
• Ruta Maya organic coffee
• Daisy Fresh organic eggs
• Kirkland organic butter
• Kirkland lowfat milk

I also bought a few great all-natural (but not organic) products, such as:

• Coleman hot dogs
• gala apples
• lovely, sweet cantaloupes
• watermelon
• Tilamook mild cheddar cheese

Other organic items I saw but didn't need that day:

• organic quinoa
• organic baby spinach
• organic pasta (various kinds and shapes)
• organic pasta sauce
• organic cereal
• organic hummus
• organic bean and cheese burritos

I also saw a number of great green products such as:

• HydroRight dual-flush kits
• solar Halloween decorations
• solar landscape lights

Questions? Comments? Send Me An Email

Do you have particular questions about green living, healthy cooking or organic gardening? Do you have a general comment about this website?

Send your questions and comments to EcoMeg@EcoMeg.com and I'll be sure to read them.  I'll also do my best to answer whatever questions you have.

How To Offer ComLuv On A Blogger Blog

"ComLuv" is shorthand for CommentLuv, a plugin which allows folks who graciously comment on your blog to enhance their own blog's profile by adding a link to their most recent blog post at the end of their comment.  In other words, it allows bloggers to "share the love" by offering something in return for comments.  A win win.

For a long time it was only available to bloggers using the WordPress platform, a big frustration for those who are using the Blogger platform.

Now, however, ComLuv is available for Blogger blogs by replacing the Blogger comment system with another comment system called IntenseDebate. 

Once you have it set up, your Comments box can look like this:

Pretty cool.

Homemade Mascara

I've tried my hand at making a number of cosmetics (see my "Homemade Beauty" link, above) but I'd never tried making mascara.  It seemed daunting given how visibly wrong things can go if you don't get it right, but I gave it a try.  The results were fairly good after some trial and error with proportion of ingredients, but no where near as long-lasting or reliable as commercial formulations.

Here's how the adventure unfolded:

I poked around quite a bit online to find a recipe that is simple, safe for my eyes and wouldn't make me look like a raccoon within a matter of hours (or minutes!).

You already know my philosophy about my makeup: if I can't eat it, it has no business sitting on my face all day.  Not that I've made a habit of wearing food on my face.  Well, not as an adult, anyway.  My point is simply that if it's safe to eat, it's probably safe for your face.

That said, you wouldn't stick a banana in your eye.  Well, maybe YOU would, but I wouldn't.  So when it comes to eye makeup, I take into account the especially delicate nature of the eye.  Whatever goes into my eye shadow, mascara, concealer or eye liner must be safe for my eyes, just in case it ends up in one.

Ancient Egyptians wore kohl liner around their eyes (sometimes made with lead sulfide).  Around 1890, burnt match sticks were used to darken eyelashes.  In 1915, T.L. Williams came up with a way for his sister, Maybel, to darken her lashes, and the company Maybelline was born.  That formula was a combination of coal dust and petroleum jelly.   Until the 1950s, mascara was sold in cake form and had evolved into a combination of wax and colorant.  Helena Rubenstein created the wand and tube delivery method in the late 1950s.

Since then, mascara has become much more complicated in order to have certain helpful attributes (waterproof, smudge-proof, lengthening, curling, different colors, and so on) and the list of ingredients is now typically tongue twisting.

We need to get back to basics, but without the match sticks, coal dust and petroleum products.
Mascara is traditionally black or dark brown.  This brought to mind activated charcoal.  It's certainly dark enough, and it's been used through the ages as an antidote for poisoning because it's highly absorbent.  It pulls the toxins from the body as it passes straight through.  So, it's safe for ingestion. But can it be used around your eyes?  Actually, yes!  Prepared properly in a moist poultice or strained into eye drops, it's used to treat eye ailments. That said, as with anything, you don't want to put it directly into your eye.

So we've got our colorant: activated charcoal.  Now for the grease.


What natural oils are safe to use around your eyes?  Almond oil has been used as a treatment for under-eye circles.  Vitamin E oil has been used to reduce wrinkles around eyes.  Some claim that castor oil can help you grow more luxurious eyebrows and eyelashes.  Still others use grapeseed oil and olive oil as eye makeup removers.  So you have a few to choose from.  In this example, I used castor oil.

I decided to include water in my recipe because water ends up drying on the lashes, leading to less smudging.


Directions

1. Empty a capsule of activated charcoal into a small nalgene container, then add two drops of water and a drop of oil, blending well with a cotton swab.  
2. Continue to add water and oil in the aforementioned proportions until it reaches the consistency of store bought mascara.
3. Apply to lashes with a clean mascara wand (I reused the wand from my store bought tube after thoroughly washing it in warm soapy water).  
4. When done, wash the wand well in warm soapy water and screw the top tightly on the jar.  If your mascara dries out a bit, add a bit of water and blend with a cotton swab.

You may need to experiment with the amount of water versus oil to minimize smudging, depending on what oil you're using.  To begin, you might err on the side of more water than oil.

In future, I'll also experiment with adding a bit of wax, as this should further lessen smudging (I'll keep you posted here on that). Or, I'll just save myself the grief and go back to buying an all natural brand, such as Physicians Formula Organic Mascara.

The Green of SignUpGenius.com

I'm room parent for my kids' Montessori class.  As such, a few of my responsibilities include recruiting parents for weekly snack duty,  organizing pot luck events, and getting folks to volunteer for special projects.  This can be time consuming and it can involve lots of sign up sheets, loading of data into spreadsheets and reprinting sign up sheets to lasso stragglers (i.e., a lot of paper).

This year, I decided to automate it and hunted briefly for an online solution.  I stumbled across SignUpGenius and am very glad I did.  Within half an hour, I had an online sign up sheet for snack duty set up and emailed to parents.  Now, they can access the sheet at any time, modify it, swap snack duty with other parents, and receive email reminders so they don't forget.

Now that's some great green technology.

I'm A Lawn, Not A Lake

I live in a little city outside of Dallas. It's beautiful, well organized and highly regulated. It's highly policed, too, but the copious speed traps are another story.

There are strict rules about when to water your lawn - typically, it's not permitted 10am - 6pm. Sometimes, watering is even more scheduled than that. As in: houses with street addresses ending with even numbers can water on Mondays and Thursdays, odd numbers can water on Tuesdays and Fridays.  Fines for violating water regulation can be very high - up to thousands of dollars.  And if there's water running off your lawn into the street, you might get a visit from a regulator when they patrol (which they do - often).

Some might find this kind of oversight a little too 1984. While that might be true in some instances, if the city bolsters its budget through violators of water regulation, I'm okay with that. Texas is DRY in summer.   No one has any business wasting water.

As my sons and I took our weekly visit to the public library today, I saw the above sign posted in the Town Hall.

It's a good thing to keep in mind. If you've got water running down your driveway and into the street when you water your lawn, there are things you can do to make your watering more efficient.  For instance, if you've got a programmable watering system, try running all heads through a few five minute cycles instead of running each for 15 minutes straight.  The ground will absorb the water better, wasting less down the storm drain.  Also, put a rain sensor on that programmable watering system.  There's no sense in watering in the rain.

SinkPositive Accessory Sink: Fresh Water For Your Hands, Graywater For The Bowl

Every once in a while I stumble across a cool green gadget.  This is one I saw yesterday.  You just replace your toilet lid with this SinkPositive Accessory Lid, attach a hose to the refill valve in the tank, and presto: a sink on the back of your toilet.  You have fresh water to wash your hands and graywater for your bowl.

Something to think about!

The Thing About TOP CHEF That Drives Me Nuts, Not That I'll Stop Watching

I admit it.  I love TOP CHEF.  I love to cook and I love a good competition, so it's a nice combination for me.

Those who watch it know that Glad is a longtime sponsor of the show.  The contestants always pack up their ingredients in glad containers when they hit the road, and use Glad wrap, storage bags, trash bags.

The good news is that Glad states the following on its website:

"Glad food containers, wraps, and storage bags and other food contact products are not made of Polycarbonate nor is Bisphenol A (BPA) used as a raw material in their production."

The bad news is that on practically every episode, I see the chefs placing boiling or piping-hot soups, etc, into the containers for transport.

Even Glad's answers to its FAQ will suggest this is ill-advised. 

Is it okay to wash GladWare® Containers in the dishwasher?

GladWare® Containers are top-rack dishwasher safe.

Is it safe to place a GladWare® Container in boiling water?

No. We do not recommend using GladWare® Containers in this manner.

Look, if it's not safe to put them in the bottom of the dishwasher and it's not safe to place them in boiling water, why would anyone think it's safe to put boiling things into them, much less food items that will then go into someone's body?

Drives me nuts.

nuts

Folks, pay attention: plastics leach chemicals into food and beverages.  Don't watch TOP CHEF and think that putting boiling hot food into plastic containers is okay.

Ok, lecture over.

More Cast Iron Cookware

Those of you who've been following my blog for a while already know how much I love my cast iron cookware.  I've written about it here.  In short, it's a healthier alternative to other types of cookware, it's far less expensive than many brands and it's easier to care for than most people realize.

Yesterday, I added another pan to my collection.

As much as I love my big double-sided griddle, it's sometimes too large for my needs.  I wanted something smaller.  So I went to Wal-Mart and picked up the little 10 1/2 inch round Lodge griddle pictured above.

It's the perfect size for a bunch of dollar-sized pancakes -- or two grilled cheese sandwiches (my boys' lunch today):

The Importance Of Good Air Quality In Your Home, And How To Improve It

We live in northern Texas, as you may know.  It's part of Tornado Alley.  That's the popular expression for the area of the US that's most prone to tornadoes.  It stretches from Texas to Iowa.  It's frequently windy, it's sometimes scary, and it's always dusty. 

image courtesy of http://www.climateandweather.net

When we first moved into our house, there was a fine sheen of dust on every surface.  We'd clean and it'd be there again the next day.  So we changed the filthy air filters.  Within a week, dust was accumulating again.  After a while, I learned that there are certain times of year when the dust is worst, but that we'd typically have to change our air filters every two months.  Certain filters we'd have to change every month.

This is a drastic difference from my life back east, where air filters were such an afterthought that they'd often only be changed once a year.

Here's a photo of one month of summer dust (left) beside a fresh, clean filter:

What's my eco-point in all of this?  Shockingly, it's actually not the matter of how many filters get tossed into a landfill.  I'll address that in a future post.  It's the issue of respiratory health. 

Part of living green is doing whatever you can to keep your environment favorable for good health.  Keep your environment clean of allergens so you don't have to pop allergy pills, so that allergies don't turn into sinus infections requiring antibiotics.

Here are a few of the ways we optimize the air in our home:

• change air filters as often as necessary (ideally, have washable filters so you don't contribute so much to your landfill)
• vacuum and dust weekly  (don't forget those high-up places where dust piles up; don't forget to get under the furniture)
• if given a choice, hard wood or tile floors are easier to keep clean than carpets and don't trap dirt and allergens
• clean surfaces and hard floors with all natural products - check out my "homemade cleaners" tab for recipes
• wash bed linens weekly in hot water to kill dust mites; clean mattress pads often
• don't wear shoes in the home - park them just inside the the door to avoid tracking in allergens and toxins
• keep pets clean - each time they venture outdoors, they track allergens and toxins back into the home
• don't leave windows open on windy days

Do you have other tips for improving the air quality in your home?

Lijit Search Gadget Is Better for Blogger Blogs Than Google Search Gadget

If you've been frustrated with the inadequacy of the Google Custom Search gadget that is part of the basic gadget array in Blogger, as I have, you'll want to read on.  I'd often use it to try to search my own blog and couldn't find my posts, which begged the question of why I had the search bar on my site at all.

Recently, while catching up on Natural Papa's interesting blog, I noticed his Lijit search bar.  I did a quick search on it and was amazed at the rich content it delivered.  So I added it for free to my own site, which is very easy to do using the instructions the site provides.

Now, when I search my own site using my Lijit bar, I find everything I know should be there and have confidence that my readers will find all relevant content, too.

Note: For more TechnoMeg blog tips, check out my right sidebar.

Homemade Blush

I ran out of my last container of store-bought blush today.  Since I already wear homemade lip gloss and facial powder, I figured I'd go ahead and try my hand at homemade blush.

It could not have been any easier.

I put some of my beet root powder in a cute little BPA-free Nalgene container from Container Store, so it's handy in my makeup bag.  Whenever I need blush, I just take a squirt of my facial moisturizer in the palm of my hand, shake some beet root powder into it, mix it really thoroughly with one finger until it's no longer grainy, then smooth it on my cheek bones.  I can make it as light or dark as I like.  Or, I can mix a bit in the palm of my hand with corn starch (my preferred facial powder) and apply it with a regular blush brush.

Looks great and costs pennies.

Why Go PVC-Free And How To Do It

It's back-to-school time and I'm shopping for a backpack from my kindergartener.  Though he is dying to have a Ben 10 backpack, I've ruled it out because of the PVC.

PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, first gained popularity as a building material - in its hard form it is a cheaper alternative to wood, concrete and clay.  About 50% of the PVC produced in the world is used in construction.

But it can be made quite flexible with the addition of plasticizers, the most widely used being phthalates. In this form, it is used in clothing and upholstery.  Ever smelled that new shower curtain smell?  Smell that same smell on your child's Spider Man backpack, lunch bag or shiny rain coat? Ever seen bottles with #3 printed inside the recycling symbol? PVC.

What is so bad about PVC?  It's toxic.  Pollution created by its production is spread into the air, land and water.   The additives mixed with PVC resins (such as the aforementioned phthalates, as well as stabilizers) can leach out of a PVC product during its useful life posing health hazards, including the development of reproductive problems in children. At the end of PVC's useful life, it then leaches toxins into landfills.   So, it's a problem from the moment it's created until, well, no one knows.

You don't want it on your child's backpack, food or drink, shower curtain, t-shirt (you know those big iron-on pictures?), rain coat, lunch bag or teething ring.

Below are a few guidelines for healthier choices. You can visit my store for more ideas.

Backpacks: choose hemp, organic cotton, or recycled materials
Lunch bags: choose BPA-free and PVC-free
Lunch containers, cups, bottles and reusable utensils: choose stainless steel, bamboo utensils, stainless steel straws, cotton napkins, BPA-free and PVC-free
Shower/Bath: choose cotton shower curtains and eco-friendly non-slip bath mats
Rainwear: go PVC-free

Other tips to reduce or eliminate toxins in the kitchen:

• Boot plastic and Teflon from your kitchen - use Pyrex or stainless steel for storage, glass pitchers for juice, stainless steel cooking utensils and cast iron cookware.  
• Don't use plastic in the microwave - ever.
• Don't put hot things in your plastic food mill or blender.

For more on eliminating toxins, visit my left sidebar.

Chocolate Brownies

My boys love brownies.  I don't love all of the nonsense that's typically found in brownie mixes (but I have one organic favorite: Arrowhead Mills Brownie Mix.) 

I enjoy making my own.  Here is my recipe.  It's quick and easy and goes great with my homemade vanilla ice cream.

Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) organic butter, melted

6 tablespoons powdered cocoa

1 cup organic sugar

2 organic eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2/3 cup organic flour

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

note: 1/2 cup halved walnuts optional. (If you only want them on part of the brownie batch - as my family does -  just sprinkle them on when the batter is in the pan.)

Directions:

1. In a stand mixer, combine melted butter, cocoa and sugar (I melt the butter in a Pyrex dish in the microwave).  Blend well.
2. With mixer on low, add eggs one at a time, then vanilla.
3. Add flour and mix until blended. 
4. Add walnuts (if you wish) and chocolate morsels. 
5. Pour into greased 9 x 9 inch baking dish. 
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.