Monthly Archives: May 2009

This is One Reason Why Eating Local & in Season Matters

I came across this really depressing but informative article on Gourmet.com about the use of slaves to harvest tomatoes. Pretty much if you eat tomatoes out of season, you’re eating food that was picked by people who are effectively slaves.

The article was published in March, but I only came across it recently while using Stumble Upon. Amazing the things I find there.

Pickers are lucky to pick a ton of tomatoes on a particular day, for which they would earn about $50. However, they have to be available even when there isn’t work, and they are generally charged outrageous rents for extremely poor housing.

They can even be beaten for being too sick to work.

Your choices matter. Pay attention to where you shop. The Campaign for Fair Food has gotten some companies to agree to give pickers a pay raise, although many farmers are refusing to cooperate or be a conduit for the raise.

At this point, Whole Foods is the only grocery chain signed on to not buy from growers who exploit workers so badly.

Almost as bad as the treatment so many workers labor under, are the people in the comments who feel they deserve such treatment for being in the United States illegally.

Yes, it’s hard to think of paying more for your food. But if you think of the people involved in the entire process of getting food to your table it might be worth it.

8 Tips to Prepare for a Greener Summer

Summer is getting close. While some places are still getting tons of rain, I’m dealing with temperatures in the 80-90s. Yeah, you can be jealous, but droughts suck and that’s what we have.

It does bring to mind, though, that it’s time to get ready for summer. And so I’m presenting some tips today.

1. Use the air conditioner less.

Yeah, this one goes on all the going green lists, doesn’t it?

Use fans rather than the air conditioner when you can. They use a lot less energy and really can help cool you. They don’t actually cool the house, but they do make it feel better. You can also fill 2 liter bottles with water, freeze them, then place in front of the fan to make a cool breeze.

Figure out how warm you are willing to tolerate your home, and set your air conditioner’s thermostat to that. Your home does not need to be 75 degrees F all summer long. You may not even need to keep it as cool as 80. Figure out your personal limits and try to adapt to warmer temperatures.

Our air conditioner is generally not turned on during the day even if it’s 85 degrees in the house. We may use it to cool the house for sleeping, but it takes a really hot day to get it turned on during the day. It’s not as bad as you may think to adapt to warmer temperatures, even when it’s humid. Humans have been doing that for millennia.

2. Block the heat from getting into the house.

I’m not just going to say “use the air conditioner less” and not tell you how. I’m saying flat out do what you can to keep the heat from coming into your home in the first place.

There are a few strategies you can use.

If you have the inclination, make quilted covers for your windows. These have the advantage of keeping the warm in during winter as well as blocking sunlight. Just remember that the sun’s rays will steadily fade the colors in the fabric and don’t be disappointed when that happens.

Cardboard boxes are an unattractive but good option too, especially if you have some empty ones already around the house. Such a simple thing to repurpose.

Mylar also works well in windows, and has the advantage that it can be put in carefully enough that you can still open the windows without removing it when the day cools sufficiently. If you want to go cheap stores that carry camping supplies may have Mylar emergency blankets for as little as $1 each.

You don’t have to block all your windows if you don’t want to. Definitely get the ones that the sunlight pours directly into in the morning. These generally add the most heat to your home.

3. Prepare your propane grill.

You may love charcoal more than propane (my husband certainly does!) but propane burns much more cleanly when you barbecue. If you really need to use charcoal consider some of the natural charcoal brands out there.

4. Try a solar oven.

I really, really want to do this one this year, as does my husband. We just haven’t agreed on which type to make. I’m all for a simple one, he keeps looking at more difficult ones. He’s afraid the cardboard boxes used in many models won’t hold up to the heat – no matter how many instructions say they’re what to use.

You don’t have to make your own if that’s not your style. You can buy solar ovens online fairly easily.

5. Keep that garden going.

If you have the space, I hope you garden. It’s one of the best and most affordable ways to combine exercise and organic produce.

If you’re in a drought area, try to think of ways to use less water in your garden. You can install drip irrigation, for example. We’re currently using gallon apple juice jugs for watering, as I posted yesterday. It’s rather like using those Aqua Globes you see on television, except we’re reusing things we already had, and they’re really ugly.

If the garden isn’t working out, this is the time of year to really enjoy that local farmer’s market.

And in general, whether or not you’re in a drought area, try to use less water.

6. Plan your travel carefully.

Flying is a great way to travel long distances quickly, but it’s not green by a long shot. Drive or take the train when you can.

Consider taking vacations that really let you enjoy nature too. Camping is a wonderful family activity that can help even the youngest of children really appreciate nature. Just be sure to respect the campgrounds, stay on the paths and if you bring it in, take it out.

7. Line dry your laundry.

Yeah, sure, it doesn’t look that good. It saves a lot of energy, though.

You may have to battle your homeowner’s association if you live in some areas. Check the rules you have to deal with first. Then remember that you can still line dry indoors if you choose.

Clothesline don’t have to be expensive. My husband just put up a rope for me to use. It’s thick enough to support the weight but thin enough for the clothespins to clip on to.

You might even consider joining the Clothesline Challenge.

8. Green your sunscreen.

A lot of sunscreens rely on some chemicals that aren’t good for you or the environment. Check out the sunscreens listed at the Skin Deep database to figure out which brands you would like to try. Soleo appears to be a good brand.

What tips do you have for a greener summer?

My Ugly Water-Saving Garden Solution

ugly-watering

We’ve been saving the gallon jugs from the apple juice we buy for about a year now. These containers are now being used to water our garden.

No, they aren’t pretty. But it’s the same principle as the Aqua Globes you can buy.

They’re working pretty well, although we don’t have quite enough bottles saved up for the whole garden yet. As you can see in the picture, they’re not that far apart, maybe a foot, foot and a half at most.

The nice thing is that the water is going right into the soil. No water sprayed into the air. Since we’re looking at a Stage 2 drought and mandatory water conservation coming up at the start of June, we’re trying to figure out how best to keep our garden alive with a minimum of water. Oh, and a minimum of budget. We don’t really have the finances for installing drip irrigation right now.

I have given some thought to the BPA in plastic issue with this, but I suspect it’s not that different from the yard’s sprinkler system, which I believe is installed using PVC plastic anyhow. The bottles are a #5 plastic. They’re not supposed to leech anything harmful… then again they are in the heat of the sun every day so who knows. Not exactly how they were meant to be used.

On the other hand, a lot of recyclers don’t take anything other than #1 or 2 plastics, which I think is true in my area. That means we’re keeping these out of the landfill for a while. I’m not too happy as a rule about buying things in plastic, but it’s hard to entirely avoid. Finding a new use for the plastic is the next best thing.

A Green Mother’s Day to You

Happy almost Mother’s Day to all my fellow moms out there. Here’s to a happy, fun day with your family.

Our tradition has always been a fairly simple gift for Mother’s Day. It’s not like I have a ton of material needs that aren’t being met, after all. I love the look of jewelry certainly, but I don’t particularly need or want more of it. I spent 6 years working in a jewelry store, after all. My husband figures he’s pretty lucky to be off the hook in that area.

So far, he’s just picked up some plants for the garden. That’s good enough for me.

The real trick to the day is keeping it from being too hectic. We each have our own mother to deal with, after all.

On his side of the family is the traditional get together at the bay for a picnic. Frankly I’ve always found that to be a lot more work than other ideas, but such is life. The kids love it since that means they get to play with cousins they rarely see otherwise. This is an extended family gathering, meaning any degree of relation is likely to show up, and that my side is welcome too if they’re in the mood to come over.

Then we go see my side of the family. Fortunately, going to the bay brings us close to my mother’s house anyhow, assuming she didn’t show up at the picnic herself.

It’s so nice that both sides of our family is into simple gifts these days. The main gift is considered to be simply getting together.

It’s a wonderful gift. Fairly green when family is local, and very meaningful.

Google’s Mowing with Goats

I just had to smile at this post on Google’s blog about their decision to mow some of their property with goats. How utterly practical!

They used a company called California Grazing for the job. The California Grazing site does a great job of explaining exactly why it is that goats are a green choice. Too bad the folks who take care of the fields near us and just spent days getting it mowed haven’t heard of them. I think the goats would have been a better choice. Certainly the school kids walking by would have gotten quite the kick out of seeing the goats at work.

Perhaps the best part is that this apparently cost Google about the same as having the area mowed. Not bad, not bad at all.