Sit in the dark and pray.

Enjoy the dark with someone you love.

Play board games by candle light.

Lay out a blanket on the ground, cork a bottle of wine, and watch the sky, count the stars.

How would you ideally spend one electricity-free hour of your evening?

Earth Hour, the annual event.  March 27.  830-930pm.

I’m a purest.  Meaning, do not take this time to play on your laptop (which has been previously charged via electricity).  Do not use flashlights for reading.  Do not spend the hour babbling on your cellphone.

Yes, I know the candles you burned required electricity to create (odds are), not to mention are likely made from inefficient petroleum products.

I believe, however, that the point is to be aware of living in that moment, with the planet, and consciously reducing your impact.

The hour will fly, and hopefully you can have a joyful memory from the time you took to celebrate the 2010 Earth Hour.

Sustainably yours,

Ashley Sue

PS.  I opted not to use the “Dim the Lights” graphic for the annual event.  Go big or go home.  Why dim the lights when, really, you should just turn them off?  Are you focusing on the point if you leave the TV on while your lamps are off?  I do not think so.  Any rebuttals?

Fluorescent bulbs that pierce your eyes and turn everyone’s skin green (and posters various discolorations)?

CFLs that take five minutes to burn full spectrum… and then over time fade in quality and lighting reliability?

Do you have a hodge podge of bulbs, a third of which are burnt out and no one bothers to change?

Is your office space crying out for help?  Does your home lighting make you want to go back to work?

Hi.  Let me introduce you to Cree.

Every month Cree has a “Cries for Help” contest where you can submit your photo of your space which much deserves an LED lighting makeover!  A winner is chosen for five Cree LR6 lights!

If your space needs some lighting love, check out the contest, submit your picture, and find out how Cree is leading the LED lighting revolution.

… check out the site anyhow!  You might get some chuckles and be horrified for those living and working in such crazily lit environments.

Also, consider the Orlando resort that switched to LED lights… and is now saving more than $100,000 annually from the switch! During these tough economic times (and when isn’t tough for a business?), every business needs to consider the investment into the LED revolution.  When nothing else speaks, sometimes money will.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

Oh, Pittsboro, how do I love thee?  Let me count the ways:

1. Locally-owned storefronts.  I found tons of nutty antiques and second-hand stuff, like at Oldies But Goodies.  French Connections also amused us with tons of unique new items, much of which were unfortunately made in India or China.  These were just the beginning…
2. Local craftsmen and artisans.  Like Vespertine, an inspirational and happy store with an amazing woman (Ginna) who owns it, runs it, and creates products for it!  Sara bought the cutest glass sculpturette by Leslie Fesperman and Ginna from here!  Lots of locally-made herbal soaps, fun jewelry, unique stationary, and more live here too.
3. Quirk galore.  Pittsboro = quirk.
4. Cats in windows.  Sara and I loved the cat here!
5. Locally-grown foods and co-ops.  We grabbed a DELICIOUS lunch at Chatham Marketplace restaurant!  I have previously visited General Store Cafe as well, and highly recommend it.

If you are located in the Peidmont of NC, particularly central or so, consider taking a day trip to Pittsboro.  Be forewarned:  going mid-week insures that some of the great storefronts will be closed, so consider a Saturday for the full lineup.  Pittsboro is known as well for plenty of great festivals.  The residents and history are rich, the downtown quaint yet ahead of the game.

If you are on twitter, check out ChathamNC, ChathamMarket and the Pittsboro Convention Visitors Bureau too.

(Side note: please pardon the truly horrid cellphone pics. WHY did I not take real photos that day?!)

I should plan another trip to Pittsboro…

Until then, sustainably yours,

Ashley Sue

Our Pittsboro Cheat-Sheet:

Eating:

Chatham Marketplace, www.chathammarketplace.coop, 480 Hillsboro St, 919.542.2643

General Store Cafe, www.thegeneralstorecafe.com, 39 West St, 919.542.2432

Locally-made:

Vespertine, www.vespertinecafe.com or www.ginnae.etsy.com, 64 Hillsboro St, 919.356.6825

Joyful Jewel, www.joyfuljewel.com, 919.545.6836

Bizu, 18 E. Salisbury St, 919.545.9255

Quirky:

Unity Books & Stuff, www.unitybooksandstuff.com, 80 Hillsboro St, 919.545.0619

New Herizons Trading Company, www.newhorizonstrading.com, 52 Hillsboro St, 919.542.7366

Chatham Habitat for Humanity Home Stores, www.chathamhabitat.org, 467 West St, 919.542.0788

French Connections, www.french-nc.com, 178 Hillsboro St, 919.545.9296

Oldies But Goodies Collectibles, 106 Hillsboro St, 919.542.1126

Have a blast!

If you are not in debt, if you carry no credit card balance, if you have not been facing job insecurity… then you are not experiencing middle America, and you can skip this post.  If you answered “yes” to any of the above (much less multiple), I cry out to you:

WAKE UP.

Many of you are awake, or waking, but some still are biting at every credit offer that comes across the table.  Easy way to get stuff without getting arrested?  Get a credit card.

American Express sent me a “pre-approved offer” (puh-lease) regarding their Black Card.

Their pitch?  “The Black Card is not just another piece of plastic.  Made with carbon it is the ultimate buying tool.”

WHAT?!  What wad of absolute pure lazy, thoughtless, consumerist drivel are they asking us to buy?

“Limited to only 1% of U.S. residents, Black Card members are ensured the highest caliber of personal service.  Cardmembers enjoy a 24-hour Concierge Assistant, Exclusive Rewards Program, and Luxury Gifts from some of the world’s top brands.  Made with carbon, the Visa Black Card is guaranteed to get you noticed.”

What does it take to be apart of that Elite 1%?

$495.00 US annually… and you get a 13.24% variable APR for your money.

Wake up.  Do not be a chump.  Maybe I should be saying these words to American Express and not the public.  Frankly, I do not know who needs a bigger wake up call.

Just remember… credit card companies give you no favors.  Their one mission is to get you to buy what you cannot afford.

Now, I will not get into the whole spiele regarding how to manage your credit.  Pick up a Suze Orman book if you need that kind of advice.  I do want to warn, however, to pay close attention to any credit card offers you do get.

No matter what your credit currently looks like, make sure every single month you pay every single last bill on time.  This will save you bundles in the long run, and I am not talking late fees.  Those are only a blade of grass in a meadow of problems when you try to avoid the bills.

Stay grounded.  Live within your means.  And if you have already made some financial mistakes, take a deep breath.  You can ALWAYS get back on path, starting today.

And avoid greenwashing junk like the Black Card.

Sustainably yours,

Ashley Sue

*Or 1&1 simply refused to work with the WP upgrade and froze all my websites.  That’s OK.  I’ve salvaged them.  And am moving to Dreamhost… this week.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

Meh.

Oh yeah, and HAPPY 2010!  I’m thirty now!

Sustainably yours,

Ashley Sue

who happens to be running a contest to win a sweet little classic white Cosabella lingerie number!

I dig that the company has a bamboo eco-friendly line of naughties too.  Hello Bamboo Lowrider Thong.  Hehahe

My favorites are the Sex & The City Line by Cosabella though.  I cannot figure out for the life of me what is SATC about them (and trust me, I am a devout SATC junkie, and nothing at all in the slightest is ever at any point in any episode looks even kinda like these items… so, uh???), but regardless, the happy purpleness of this Miranda Chemise.  So cute and sassy without being juvenile.

So, check out A.Mountain.Bride’s Contest post for more information on how YOU can enter to win the sweet white Cosabella chemise, a $118 win that will make you feel oh-so-lovely under your own wedding garb (or whenever!).

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

Somehow, when I Googled “Plastic-free wedding”, I found nothing, though I figured all the overlay of eco-concern and weddings would naturally have had a blog or something named this.

Anyhow, I am not going the route of creating a specific website and blog to this specific topic, but you will find posts regarding how I try to make my upcoming wedding friendlier to the Earth and our future. My first vow is to make my wedding as plastic-free as possible.

I have already been weighing the disposable plateware versus china rental conundrum. I think I am within a week’s decision on that one. How about everything else though?

The wedding industry (sometimes referred to as the WIC – Wedding Industrial Complex) is a complete craphole for useless, disposable, stuffs. Favors, decorations, hair goodies, foods, clothing, invitations, programs, and so much more. In fact, it feels that with each year, new crappy disposable things get tacked on to a new bride’s “must-have” list.

Like Save-the-Date cards (sadly referred to as STDs). Those used not to be at all. Now, not only do many brides feel they are mandatory, but the new thing is Save-the-Date magnets. I have received three from friends… and while they are actually cute, it feels weird to leave magnets of all my coupled friends on my fridge for years to come.

We are just bypassing wedding STDs completely.  *chuckles*

As I perused the big box chain store for photo album supplies, I was tempted to buy a stock of these $2 (from $7) decorative pails. Then I thought… “Wait! I have not decided on a decoration vision yet. I have no idea what centerpiece I will create. You cannot buy stuff without vision or purpose!” Then I also thought about how these made-in-China pails only contribute to so many of the very issues I rail against in life. So I walked away.

I also have a friend getting married next year who has generously offered to pass all of her wedding decorations to me.

I may check out a few things, and I like that many of her items are received from previous brides (many uses for the wreaths, candle holders, etc… oh, how the WIC would disapprove). Most of these items simply are not my style. Probably, in part, because they all originally came from the chain crafts store, meaning it all came as cheap (deplorable condition) labor and cheap-quality stuff from China.

I envision as much as possible being made from natural resources. American manufactured. Or handmade.

There will be hundreds of trips to thrift stores in the next six months as I try to find all that I want.

There will be many hours of crafting items myself.

There will be no time at all dwelling among the aisles of plastic crap in the chain craft store. Seriously… I want to throw up in the plastic-encased and tulle-enshrouded hell.

That is right… all the generic, white plastic wedding crap you could ever need, along with all your white ruffly ring pillows, your hot pink bachelorette sashes, and white dove/wedding bells/wedding ring themed junk you can dream of.

Barf…

Am I suggesting we will have the greenest wedding ever? One that will be completely free of all traces of plastic?

Hell no. I am a dreamer, but I also call reality. Reality is, I am not competing for the label of a “green wedding”. I am only a girl, engaged to a boy, both of whom wish for the simplest, sweetest, and socially-aware celebration of our love that we can create within our constraints.

So, Wedding, do I take you for the opportunity to decorate lovingly and consciously with items that are ceremonial and lovely but still in line with who we are and what is important to us?

I do.

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

Tick. Tick. Tick.

With that, I have a few awesome, heart-felt, useful, and even handmade options and ideas!

1. I already mentioned Equal Exchange fair trade, organic, yummy coffees, chocolates, and nuts and berries! Cheers to that, and you get rockin’ deals on their baskets THROUGH 15th DECEMBER!  Less than five full days, so get to ordering!

2.  Ashley from Our Little Apartment has an awesome Etsy store. You know, I dig handmade stuff, and Etsy is cool, but I quickly tire of a lot of the frivolous stuff I see as crap you can buy on Etsy.

Yet, I just <3 Ashley’s store.  I absolutely drooool over her earrings, and a rad idea on being more eco-chic is getting quilted coozies for your coffee cups!  Next time you roll into a coffeeshop, slip out one of these awesome bad boys from your purse and tell them to keep their cardboard sleeve!  Seriously… I am in love!  Go Ashley!

3.  Allie from The Greenists (previously Allie’s Answers) has an awesome roundup of fun, ethical and healthy gifts… both for her and for the child in your life.  This is the best list I have seen.  The Lola mini clutch and both necklaces make me giddy, while I love all the wooden, classic-style playsets for kids!

4. Dianne (also) from The Greenists has gone the route of giving what can be eaten! Dianne’s take:

A few years ago I decided that edible gifts were the perfect way to go. They are simple, yet still show someone you care and are thinking about them during the holiday season.

Pass along the recipes too, and the receiver might joyfully remake that for years to come.  That is how I acquired some of my favorite holiday recipes!  In Dianne’s post, you’ll find her links to several great holiday gift ideas you can devour.

So, there you have it… my favorite picks for holiday gifts for 2009.

Cheers, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Sustainably yours,

Ashley Sue

I only wish I did not think about the BPA coating my hands (my purse, my pockets, etc.) every time I handle a receipt… and for quite a while afterward.

Meh…

As G.I. Joe reminds us, knowing is half the battle.  Right?

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

See, Marc’s twin brother is also planning a wedding to his longtime girlfriend (and no, we are not having a double wedding).  Stacey is so excited about registering for Fiesta dinnerware, something I had never heard of or noticed.  Her excitement regarding their quality and USA-made craftsmanship got me intrigued, though.

I checked out Fiesta dinnerware, and while it is very much not for me, I do like that it is made in America.

Which got me thinking, what other dinnerware companies are still made in America?  Who knows… maybe I will register for plates.

I found a few interesting websites.  Still Made in USA, Made In USA, and Americans Working all inspire me to research whatever we do choose to register for very carefully.  Anything we can do to support Americans staying employed seems socially-conscious to me, since kitchenware is something we need anyhow.

No decisions on a company or style now though.  We have much bigger concerns to tackle first.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

Do we use disposable dinnerware for the wedding reception, and what options are there besides plastic?

The whole thing arose when I told my Sis and Gramms over Thanksgiving that I did not know how much rental dinnerware would cost us, and Gramms suggested I could get pretty clear plastic plates from Walmart and probably save a bundle.

Yep, Gramma.  I could save a bundle, but I edit and write articles about not doing exactly that.  Using plastic plates just does not jam at all with who Marc and I are.**  So, I thanked her for the suggestion but explained how that could not work for us.

I have noticed, however, that I am far from alone on this debate.  Forum board after forum has brides talking about going plastic.***  Then again, many boards are slamming plastic.

Paper is getting slammed, too.

Enter Bambu Veneerware, made of 100% organically-grown bamboo.  The products look chic enough, and I found Pink Argyle and Kirstin Endemann talking up the products.

I am thus torn between renting dinnerware, buying cute mismatch dinnerware I have to wash myself after the reception, or buying this Bambu Veneerware which is still stylish while being super easy to clean up after (plates only, not the bamboo utensils) and says it biodegrades in less than six months.  Hmmm…

I really dug this post by Apartment Therapy where Kristen Lubbe debates this exact issue when it comes to hosting parties.  I dig the honesty of questioning which to do, and where we (as environmentalist and social-conscious humans) should allow ourselves some forgiveness for accepting a little convenience over moral high-ground.  But check out the tremendous slew of comments afterward, many bashing the author for not taking the route of renting or buying new dishes.****

So, suggestions?  Feelings why you lean one way or another?  Or what you would never do?

Let it fly… I have stuff to decide.  And you know you would feel gratified and proven right if your comment is what sways my decision. 

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

*Who am I kidding?! I love this challenge!  Nine and a half months left to figure it all out!

**Except plastic plates are cheap.  Marc and I are cheap.  :/  Cost, however, is not enough of a jam for us to forsake our ethics.

***I’m a honking big snob anyhow and just think plastic is tacky.  I would avoid it however I could.

****Commenter Oneformybaby at November 23, 2009 11:25 pm really expresses my feelings regarding this Apartment Therapy post and the commenters with “i totally understand about the need to preserve our environment but why dont we stop attacking each other for trying to make our lives just a little less stressful and start putting our attention to where it really can make a difference. Its like telling someone they are horrible people for eating fast food once in a while! Sometimes, you just need a break!”

Five years ago I did a project for my fraternity, during which I found the fact that latex biodegrades at the same rate as an oak leaf: about 26 days.

Well, as I plan for a wedding that is in nine months, I am trying to weigh out different decorating options. You might know what I mean – what do I need to buy, what should I certainly avoid buying, what do the things I buy need to be made of or where… and the questions keep going.

original on Austin Wedding Blog

While I also have to debate the equally pressing question of how tacky balloons are as decorations for anything except a 10-year-old’s birthday party, I decided (at 3 a.m.) to Google how environmentally sound (or destructive) latex balloons are.

As with everything, that all depends on who you ask.

Some blogs have ridiculously uni-dimensional and short-sighted views condoning balloons and claiming “all natural latex balloon releases are safe for the environment“.  There is even a Balloon Council (and several variations) looking out for the welfare of latex workers and balloon advocates everywhere.

I found that many green bloggers out there have already questioned the same thing.  Leslie Garrett over at Gaiam has the most comprehensive weighing of the issue that I have found, sharing the compounding issues such as latex’s slowing of biodegradable capabilities in certain temperatures, as well as her personal experience of constantly finding latex balloon remnants littering the ground.

Plus, what about the plastic ribbons knotted, tangled, and dangling from these balloons?  Those are toxic.  They get tangled around animals or eaten, right?

Some people have tried to feel good about using latex balloons by adding wildflower seeds inside to spread across the land after mass balloon releases.

Change.org has us pondering how many children in India are involved in human trafficking, making the very latex balloons we use to celebrate our own children’s birthdays.  They site this November 23 article from Times Live.

From an environmental perspective, some of my research showed promise that latex balloons can be used responsibly (like this and this).  And everything concludes to Green Sexy’s final thought:  Mylar balloons are always bad, so latex is the choice between the two.

Me though… pictures like this are all I needed to know that, as cute and whimsical as giant balloons are (SERIOUSLY check these cute wedding pics!), I have to decline.

Photograph by: ANDREW BIRAJ Credit: REUTERS

Just because I am blessed to live where I did not have to work in horrible conditions as a child to support my family does not mean I also have the right to buy products manufactured in such ways.

… in fact, it means just the opposite.  It is our responsibility to create a better world for others too.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

PS. A mere hour after writing this original draft, I went for a walk at Shelley Lake here in Raleigh, NC and spotted this balloon debris just off the path, washed up from flooding… Perpetuating the solid no of balloon use.

Their products are more than coffee.  They have teas, chocolates, nuts and berries, and another favorite of mine: cocoa.  In fact, Marc and I are decking the halls tonight with Equal Exchange hot chocolate in our hands!  Yum!

So why, you ask of me, am I raving about Equal Exchange?

Equal Exchange is an awesome gift for the holidays. AND they have a great deal on a holiday gift basket until December 15th!**

Now, my families do not give presents for Christmas.  Not because we’re Jewish.  Not because we are holier-than-thou and snub the holiday.  In part because we decided to peel away the stress of what holiday gift-giving had become, and in part because nearly half of the people in my families have lost their jobs and been out of work for longer than a year.

Regardless, I like to bring coffee beans and treats with me for holiday fun.  Everyone gets to enjoy treats and company.

I always preach that no matter if you are struggling with money, or floating in money, each dollar you spend is a vote, each penny is a reflection of what you care about or disregard.  Coffee and chocolate are always two areas I feel guilty if I do not buy fair trade and sustainably grown.

The Equal Exchange holiday gift basket has all of these yummies in an awesome grass basket from Ten Thousand Villages:

• Organic French Roast Coffee – 10oz, drip grind
• Organic Hot Cocoa Mix – 12oz
• Organic Very Dark Chocolate – 3.5oz bar
• Organic Dark Chocolate with Almonds – 3.5oz bar
• Organic Milk Chocolate with a Hint of Hazelnut – 3.5oz bar
• Organic Tamari Roasted Almonds – 5oz
• Roasted Salted Pecans – 5oz

Hurry though.  Seriously, December 15th.  Twelve days.  Less than two weeks to order, which you need to be getting all the shopping you are going to do anyhow.  Trust me, remembering you do, indeed, need to buy something for someone and rushing out a couple days before Christmas is the perfect recipe to buying stuff from China that you do not even feel good about giving because it is a cheap, thoughtless crap.

The site has lots of other cool gifts and items as well, each with a full description and pic. 

Cheers to each of you, your holidays season, your family, great ethical companies, and a belly of yummy Equal Exchange!***

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

PS.  This cool company also offers educational materials to help you and your kids’ school groups share awareness that each penny we spend, each sip we take, each bite we enjoy, impacts many others than us.  How cool?!

*In case you’ve never read this blog, I have a bit of a coffee addiction.  I’ll even drink Maxwell House instant if I must… yck… of course, only if it is my only option for a long time to come, a situation which I try to avoid putting myself in.

***Sorry I sound like an advertisement recently.  I figure, for Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, birthdays or whatever, we all do give gifts out of love… and I can promote ethical, loving companies as where each of our dollars goes.  Cheers!

Black Friday sales woo tons of shoppers annually and mark the official beginning of the Christmas shopping season.  I understand that retailers need shoppers in order to make profit, which in turn means sales associates keep their jobs and can pay their bills.  I get it, I get it, I get it.

I beg you to consider, however, the kind of purchases you make when you shop these stores, these sales, these “giant blowout” events.  I yearn for you to realize that big box stores want you to get caught up in the whirlpool of low numbers, shiny vases, plush blankets, sparkly dresses, and jingling toys.

-

These sales want you to spend beyond your means.

These stores want you to buy now, and pay later.  Like still paying it off in September 2010.

These “shopping holidays” want you to feel like whatever you give, it has to be big to prove it is given in love.

-

… to fear that no matter what you give… that the receiver might give you something that even bigger.  Now you wouldn’t want to look like a cheap shmuck, right?

… to continue handing over that plastic-fantastic credit card, blissfully ignoring the poisons in those toys (every child should chew on some lead and phthalates, right?), slave labor in that jewelry, and child labor and questionable labor practices in… well, just about everything, right?

-

Now, is that the backstory you want for gifts you give?

-

Perhaps you’ll say no.  If so, consider a handmade holiday.  Or consider a no-gift holiday.  Or the challenge of a “Made in America” only holiday.

Just consider that the holiday is really is about spending special time with the special people in your life.

Whatever you choose to do, make the most of your Thanksgiving weekend.

With much love, tremendous thanks, and sustainable thoughts,

Ashley Sue

A happy Earth Fare gift card, valued at $50, is waiting for your happy, warm wallet.  I would love for each of us (myself included) to receive one, but only one winner for this giveaway.

So how do you win?

1.)  Leave a comment with your favorite tip for living green in a grounded way.  You know… how do you live a little greener without feeling a tremendous pinch?  A tip that perhaps someone else could use as they and their families are heading into this holiday season.

Me?  I started buying hand soap in the refill pouches and bottles instead of always getting the pretty little container to go by the sink.  Now I just refill the cute soap bottle and keep the giant refill stash under the sink.  Less packaging is a great thing, plus it saves me money!

2.)  Want a second way to enter?  Twitter fans have the advantage here.  All you have to do is tweet this (or something similar):

Living greener & tastier is easy with a $50 @EarthFare gift card giveaway via @AshleySue at http://idek.net/eQa!

Then, come back and leave a second comment with your Twitter @ handle.

One comment on being green = one chance.

One comment on being green + one separate comment about your tweet (with @yourname) = two chances.

I cannot wait to hear all the different ways you live greener and more grounded!

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

(Contest runs Tuesday, 10th November 2009 at 930 A.M. EST until Monday, 16th November 2009 at 7 P.M. EST. Winner will be selected on Monday, 16th November 2009 at 7 P.M. EST.  Winner will be contacted via email.  Once winner acknowledges winning and replies with physical address, gift card will be sent via USPS.  Winning comment number will be selected via Random.org.

Also, many of your comments may be held for moderation.  Do not worry, I will daily approve comments, so they will appear within 24 hours, and in the order received.  Thank you for your patience as I fight spammers.)

Courtesy of Catawba County Parks via Hickory Daily Record

What fascinated me is that these tiny little creatures, who’s wings move so quickly that we generally cannot see them, are much quicker than I even imagined.  The Hickory Daily Record story says that one bird, captured and banded last year, was recaptured and reported in Texas only 12 days later, averaging 89 miles a day.

Also, many of the birds have been documented as coming to the same park the same day, year after year.  Interesting.

That is crazy!

I am not sure exactly how I feel about capturing and banding hummingbirds at all, but I know I am for research and projects that promote and lead to conservancy.

On that note, check out the comments after the story to see many perspectives on both sides of the boundary.  You also get to see how many people think $20 to hold a hummingbird is a rip-off, though I think it should cost more than that.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

Larry’s Beans coffee is organic, fair trade, kosher and a plethora of other fantastic certifications.  The beans are roasted here, they have a cool bus, and their coffee is as awesome tasting as their names are fantastically whimsical. Seriously, who can pass up a cup of “El Salvador Dali”, “Bean Martin”, “Frank Sumatra”, or my favorites, the “3 Moon Peru” and their holiday blends.

These coffee addicts and self-proclaimed fair trade mavericks are one of my favorite coffee brands, period.  Add to that their sustainability school, and you can see why I love this company.

By now you should be sold on why this company would be great to work with, but just in case, look at the awesome Rock Star characters you would work with in this small, kickbutt company.

So, if you feel like you could get stoked to be a full-time ambassador of fair trade, sustainable company ethic and coffee, click here to get a better look at the job and how to apply.

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

TOMS has been really great at keeping me abreast of some of their initiatives and efforts.  I was happy to offer them the opportunity to explain in their own words what the initiative is.  Check it out:

According to UNICEF, every year, nearly 10 million kids in other countries die from preventable causes. More specifically, causes that can be prevented by simply wearing a pair of shoes. TOMS decided to do something about it – in fact, Chief Shoe Giver Blake Mycoskie founded the company solely (sorry, we couldn’t resist) to help counter that problem.  When consumers buy TOMS shoes, any pair at all, the company gives a pair to a child in need. They’ve already given more than 140,000 pairs of new shoes to children in need — in just 3 years. By the end of 2009, TOMS will give an additional 300,000 pairs of new shoes to children in need all around the world, including places in the US.  It was such a great idea that it worked and managed to help a whole lot of children in just its first three years. Not only that, but TOMS sells organic and canvas shoes — this not only teaches children a little bit can go a long way to help, but also the importance of organic materials in today’s world.

Thanks to several mothers and fathers who wanted to teach their children the power of giving and helping and the importance of organic materials, TOMS created their TOMS Youth Collection. This collection offers several styles for children, and buying any pair of shoes from the collection can support the One for One Movement.

The first collection of TOMS youth shoes, Tiny TOMS, will have nine different canvas styles for boys and girls. October might be a little late for back-to-school, but shopping for new shoes for your kids online with them, whatever the occasion, can help spread the TOMS One for One Movement and help get even more children who need shoes those shoes.

Just by shopping for TOMS youth shoes for back to school, a pair of shoes goes to a child who doesn’t have any. By wearing TOMS organic shoes, you – and now your kids! – can support the One for One Movement. Now that’s something that takes a step toward a better future.

Personally, I love this.  TOMS makes great shoes that are environmentally and socially responsible, as well as having vegan lines.  TOMS has a blog, a Twitter account, a Facebook page, and YouTube, proving they get what community means today in our culture.

Check out their comfy kicks and know you’re voting with your dollars for a company that cares about the world in which they are a part.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

I stumbled across Parissa products at Whole Foods and settled on the strip-free hot wax for face, brow, and bikini.  I have used other brands that use strips, and decided strip-free would reduce some of the waste.

I used Parissa on my underarms, something I have never waxed before but shaving always leaves me a little teeny bit stubbly… which I loath.  I also used Parissa on my bikini line, as swimming and Outer Banks were in my near future.  One kit (pan) did both my underarms and bikini area.

The pros:

• The product melts smoothly, and the hot wax, when used as directed, is perfectly comfortable.
• Ripping the wax off was far from comfortable, but worked flawlessly!  Worth the pain!
• Parissa is PARAFFIN-FREE!  No petroleum-based waxes here.  Only gum rosin, beeswax, and canola oil.
• Made in Canada (unfortunately not USA, but better than Asia!)
• Not tested on animals.
• Paper from instructions and such is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, made of Mixed Sources from well-managed forests and other controlled sources.
• Pan is recyclable, so when you are done, chuck it with your cans! (updated 29 Oct)
• Wax refills are available via their website, and does not come with the azulene bottle or pans, so you reduce your waste! (updated 29 Oct)
• GREAT customer relations!  Check the comments below to see for yourself!

The cons:

• $10.  Not a bad price.  I just have little to spare right now.
• The wax comes in a metal pan, which I had to throw away when finished.  Sad.
• I have been unable to find “refill” packs at stores, meaning I must continue to buy the azulene bottles and metal pans individually, creating plenty of waste.  The Parissa website shows “refill” kits but offers no description as to the contents of said kit so order those.

If you plan to wax, I think Parissa is a pretty great eco-friendly option.  If shaving is more your thing, I am happy to reshare my review of Preserve brand razors.

Happy smooth and sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

Steve Trash is my new Enviro-hero in addition to being a comedian and magician.  Yes, an Eco-minded Magician and Comedian, but Steve is no joke (though he is a complete kook!).

I have wondered about illusionists and magic since I was a mere child, always fascinated with David Copperfield and, in more recent years, Chris Angel.  All I can help but wonder is, are these guys for real?

I saw Chris Angel take a woman and her friends right off the sidewalk, take her necklace (an heirloom from her Grandma), take a hammer to it and break it up (putting the woman in tears), place the fragments in her hand and tell her to squeeze it really tight, and when she opened her hand, she seemed genuinely shocked to pull it out in absolutely perfect condition.

I thought… wow.  I wish I were that chic.  I want to have the experience personally so I know I am stumped as to the magic.

Enter Steve Trash at the Deep-Fried Tweetup at the N.C. State Fair.

He had a few cube-shaped sponges, about two inches cubed.  He placed one in my hand, another woman had one, and Steve had one.

I kind of rolled the sponge around and looked at it, just checking it out.  Just a little squooshy sponge, you know.  He told me to squeeze it really tightly in my fist.  I obliged happily, even noticing that a smidge of it was peeking out between my pinky and palm, and I poked it back in.

The other woman, Linda, also squeezed hers, and Steve squeezed his tight.  I watched this happen.

Then, Linda opened her hand… her sponge still stood sweetly in her hand.

Steve opened his hand (by the way, never moved his hands around, no sleeves, etc… trust me, I was watching for that); no sponge.  Then Steve told me to open my hand.

“I can’t!” I replied.  He assured me I can, to which I replied, “No, I can’t!  I’m scared!”

The little child in me was desperate to find both his sponge and mine, shockingly together in my hand.  The adult me prayed I would find only one sponge, joyfully sitting open in my palm, and the world could continue to make sense.

I held my breath and pried my fingers open, and…

I literally screamed!  Then I continued to squeal and nervously giggle.  I began to jump up and down!  Both sponges were in my hand.  I felt as if I had somehow blacked out and it had been planted.  That is the only scenario where these things happen without any knowledge or recollection, right?!

Steve laughed and said this is why he does magic:  magic makes people happy!

Are you curious why I tell you about Steve Trash, the magician?

All of his props are previous trash and recycled goods.  Things he finds, sometimes not even knowing what they previously were used for (”What is that?  A googles lens?  I toy submarine window?  I don’t know.”), and finds ways to incorporate them into his act.

Plus, he uses magic as a fun way to teach kids, and apparently the kids inside of us adults, about recycling and eco-responsibility!

I just adore Steve Trash, and if you want to know more about him, you can check out this awesome article on him, as well as his website.  Cool as he is, it should be no shock he is also on Twitter, Facebook, other Facebook, and Vimeo (think YouTube).

Steve, you have my vote!  I am writing President Obama now!

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

Miss the receipt-full-of-BPA news clips?  Check here.

Really, this is annoying a bit.

Scare tactics abound us in the realm of living “healthy” and “green”.  Media and many other message-pushers rely on fear to get you motivated.  Have you seen the “Eat fruit alone or it gives you cancer” email?  Or “don’t drink cold water or it will give you cancer” email?

Further, we begin to feel like “hey, what around me isn’t toxic?”

It reminds me frequently of a conversation with my best friend Sara (also on Twitter) where we discussed ~ when is enough enough?  What all do we have to do in our daily lives to feel like we can breathe easily and safely?

Is avoiding nail polishes with formaldehyde, tolune, and phthalates enough?  What about your vinyl accessories?  Or the upholstery in your furniture, carpets, and car?  What about the paint on your walls?  Your drink bottle?  Your deodorant?  Your grocery bags?

And now, your receipts?

The loose-powdered BPA from receipts reportedly is much easier ingested and concentrated than that “locked” into polymers of can liners and water bottles.  Meaning, wash your hands super frequently because otherwise you eat it easily as the BPA moves from receipt to hands to food.

What about sticking the receipts in your wallet or purse?  Have you just transferred mega-toxins into (and onto) everything else you touch a hundred times a day and can barely wash out?

I mentioned last week that “no one gives” a hoot “about going green”, which I meant (in earnest) as a jab at deceitful companies such as SIGG and GAIAM.

The deeper issue is, however, it can be hard to give a hoot when it feels like a huge losing battle anyhow.

For instance, besides lousy water bottles and everyday receipts, you can find BPA in:

• ALL of your canned foods.  Yep.
• Soda cans.
• City drinking water.
• Pizza boxes made of recycled cardboard
• Recycled paper
• Wine (fermented in BPA-resin lined vats)
• Beer (likewise)

Find more info on that here.

So, what is a girl to do?

Give up?

Take it all on and battle every frustrating piece of news we get?

Quit our jobs and lobby congress?

All I can offer is the reminder that you are not alone in your frustration and efforts.  Together, we can hold our heads high and make differences where we can, forgive ourselves for the things we let slide, and resist temptation to give into the media pressure to scare you.

Stressing out frequently will kill you and your loved ones far quicker and more miserably than your receipts or your SIGG.

And as you keep living your life consciously and in stride, say no to receipts when you can (as a budding environmentalist, you prefer to save trees anyhow).  Pay attention to what is in your food… and cosmetics… etc.  Vote with your dollar and support companies you can believe in, who strive for progress.

Any suggestions?  I would love to hear from you.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

DELL is laying off 905 employees by January 2010.  Boo.

CREE is creating nearly 600 jobs in the green tech LED industry.  Yay!

On Wednesday, DELL announced they are closing the North Carolina plant in Winston Salem, laying off around 600 employees in November and retaining the last 300 employees until January 2010.

Well, a huge happy holidays to you and yours, courtesy of DELL.

For the record, I want to say how opposed I was about granting DELL any tax breaks, grants, and incentives back in 2005 when North Carolina leaned over and kissed their shiny hineys in order to get the plant here.  Not that “I told you so” ever does any good, but I cannot help myself.

So, here we are, four years and two days after it opens, and they announce they are closing down and leaving a thousand families without income and burdening NC with more than $3 million added in unemployment spendings.

DELL says they will repay everything paid to them by the state of North Carolina.  Hmmm… did Exxon not say the same thing 20 years ago regarding the Valdez?

On the other hand, Thursday afternoon, CREE (LED Technology) held a planned press conference to announce the creation of 275 North Carolina jobs before the end of 2009, and another 300 jobs by the end of 2012.

Yes, friends, that means North Carolina company CREE is manufacturing LED technology right here in our state, creating 575 jobs.  Durham, yet another score for you!

Why do I support CREE?  The North Carolina-based company has impressed me with their commitment to such a huge environmental undertaking from the beginning.  Add to that how North Carolina State University has a role in CREE technology (a personal victory! They are so underrated), not to mention how our state, at 11% unemployment, needs a company who will invest in the educated and eager workforce in our state.

I support CREE because LED is significantly superior to CFL, which is known as the energy-friendly choice among mainstream America.

• One LED lasts 50,000 hours and consume only 500 kilowatt hours in the course of its life.  That would take 10 CFLs.  Plus, trust me, I am simplifying the numerous benefits of LED.
• LED lights are bright, are infinitely more reliable and warmer looking than the CFL bulbs currently living in my home.  The LEDs give a true color, unlike what I get to experience now.
• One LED can cost only $.16 a year to operate in your home — that is 16 cents!  Thus, the initial cost may be higher than CFL or incandescent bulbs, but the savings far outweigh the initial cost difference.
• LED bulbs are far more robust than CFL or incandescent bulbs.  This even leaves out the fact that CFL bulbs contain mercury.

Bora and I were able to talk with CREE CEO Chuck Swoboda, Social Media Specialist Ginny Skalski, and Product Marketing Specialist Kyle Rogers.  Here, Rogers walks us through a few of CREE’s current major products, as well as discusses with us a few future products for residential use.

If somehow are are asking yourself what LED and CFL light bulbs are, I wonder how you have missed that incandescent bulbs emit 80% or more energy on creating heat, thus creating an issue where you spend more money creating heat in your home than light, and then you have the costs of increasing air-cooling methods to counteract the heat in our sweltering NC summers.

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

For raw clips of the press conference with CREE CEO Chuck Swoboda and Governor Beverly Perdue, you can watch:
Part 1 (CEO Chuck Swoboda introducing CREE and green jobs announcement)
Part 2 (Governor Beverly Perdue)
Part 3 (CEO Chuck Swoboda talking LED as our future)

Ten women will spend two days (October 23 and 24) in North Hampton County.  $135 includes your food, lodging, and an experienced guide to help you get used to hunting, all while building possible friendships with other women exploring the arena also.

If you are not familiar with hunters at all, you may be surprised by the women in the field.  They are not 230 lbs. women with bad perms and a love of roadkill.  I learned from my NC Hunter Safety Training Course that in hunting, stereotypes need NOT apply.  Just check out these women hunters.

More women hunting resources:

• Women Hunters
• Hunting Magazine for Women: The Woman Hunter
• Camp Wild Girls
• Shoot Like A Girl
• Prois Hunting: Take Pride in NOT being one of the guys
• Women’s Outdoor News

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

I do apologize that I took a little break.  Marc and I are engaged.  He proposed while we vacationed at North Carolina’s Outer Banks (Buxton), and all last week was time with our families telling them.

I did squeeze in an amazing press conference with CREE and NC Governor Bev Perdue regarding green technology jobs coming to NC, however, and I can’t wait to share some awesome video with you.

Plus, I have at least one BIG giveaway coming up from Earth Fare… and maybe some from other companies too.

Hugs and sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

I am out on this one.  Twenty-times the leaching level as SIGG Bottles (manufactured before August 2008), and Gaiam did, indeed, market themselves as “BPA-free”.

THESE companies are why no one middle-America does not give a shit about “green” or “BPA” or “environmentalism“.  They feel they cannot trust the words or the promises. (Yes, I, who do not cuss, just went there…)

That is all you are getting from me regarding BPA.

You want more info? Check Strollerderby, JustGetThere, Mother Nature Network, and of course, Z Recommends.

Moving on…

In eight days, Raleigh will host the Deep Fried State Fair.  I personally love the tasty, indulgent, artery-clogging, sizzling hot fun of this year’s theme.  Frankly, they found a way to make our deep-fried Southern reputation and make it kinda hip (instead of the hokey themes of years past).

OurHashtag even got the NC State Fair into super-hip mode by getting an NC State Fair Deep-Fried Tweetup rocking on October 22nd.  I expect to see you there.  Really, can you pass this up?  Western NC needs to make the trip to meet and greet with other Tweeple from across the state.  This will be an awesome Tweetup experience!  Get your free ticket here!

I actually found the Green NC information while surfing the N.C. Deep Fried State Fair on MySpace blog.  There I learned about the Confessions from the Green NC Exhibit and am excited to see how it grows this year.  Check out the official Green NC Exhibit website for a preview of what we will see.  On top of great exhibitors, we can expect an increased recycling effort, care to storm water, and LED lights to green up our fair.

For the full up-to-date NC State Fair info, check their deep fried blog, Facebook page, YouTube, and Twitter.

See you at the NC State Fair and Deep Fried Tweetup…

And will cover the Green Efforts!

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

A while back, I saw this great article by Raleigh Eco News regarding how “the quality of Falls Lake — Raleigh’s main water supply — is suffering while officials with the power to do something are failing to act”.

Reading it reminded me how ill I am that Raleigh renegged on their garbage disposal ban.

Why do I feel they should be banned?  Well, I do not feel like these sorts of kitchen scraps belong washed down our drain.  Besides killing your plumbing (yes, most of the people I know have to get their disposal repaired or unclogged, which we have never done since we toss our scraps), composting is the optimal option.

Despite Insinkerator’s claims of using the disposal being “green”, I have interesting consensus that it is the worst, most financially costly, most energy and environmentally-inefficient choice.  You pay the plumber, we all pay in higher taxes to come as the burden grows, and the natural waterways pay.

Plus, I see all the time that people who rely on their garbage disposal (usually absent-mindedly even) also are regulars at pouring grease and cooking juices down their drain, which is actually illegal in many states because of pollution.  Don’t believe that many people feel that way?  Just look at this one forum and how people tug-of-war over being able to.

Next time you have potatoes and squash to peel, grease to empty, and plates to scrape off, head to your compost bin or trash bag.

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

The article contends that we do not face a question of if our foods contain leached levels of the containers, but instead how much.

I found this article from one of my favorite Twitter friends, @SueHuskins who sent me the article by way of @FoodSafety.

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

First, Zrecs gave the full low-down on what sins really were committed versus what it seems to some.

Then, Zrecs shares an actual interview with SIGG CEO Steve Wasik, less than a month after Wasik’s admission of BPA in certain SIGG liners.

Zrecs also shared that independent labs actually show that the SIGG bottle liners in question DO indisputably leach BPA, and why it matters.

Finally, Zrecs shared their 2009 BPA-Free Water Bottle Showdown to give us educated alternatives to SIGG bottles.  After returning mine (I love you still), I walked out of REI with a store voucher instead of a new bottle.  I do not yet trust these new EcoCare SIGG liners (after reports of liners flaking off during normal use), and I hate SIGG’s new uber-cliche-themed bottle designs.  Lame.

Thanks to the BPA-Free Water Bottle Showdown, I actually opted for the 32 ounce, Made in Spain, Laken Classic water bottle from REI.  Yay!

Now, barring finding out that Steve Wasik is the real father of Gisele Bundchen’s unborn child instead of Tom Brady, I am finished.  I have a new bottle coming and will review it when I have it.

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

Yes, that means that all my tasty garden-grown tomato sandwiches are coming to an end for this year.  Marc and I learned several years ago that store-bought tomatoes are always grainy and flavorless in comparison to the beauty and vivacious taste of real garden-grown tomatoes.  We do not have a garden, but lucky for us, my sister and her husband have a thriving beautiful garden, and Marc’s Mom always has fantastic tomatoes.  We are happy to have a supply on both sides.

I also finally took my SIGG bottle, one I bought early summer of 2008, back to REI.  If you are not familiar with REI, they are an amazing company (co-op) that stands 100% behind every single product they sell.

I spent plenty of time sulking since Steve Wasik’s admission of BPA in pre-August 2008 SIGG bottles.  My bottle and I mourned our relationship having to move on, as we both agreed SIGG should have to replace every single bottle they lied about which they put in trusting consumers’ hands.

Yesterday, however, my bottle and I decided it was a time to celebrate the journeys we have taken together as well as new journeys to come.

Yes, my bottle and I are in a relationship, and the next leg of my journey will be with some other bottle, and the next leg of its journey will be as it joins thousands of other SIGG bottles to be recycled into something new.  Perhaps one day, we will meet again.

So, cheers to what we once had in our lives, cheers to letting go with openness and love, and cheers to taking joy from our pasts to move boldly into new futures.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

*PS. Asheville friends, I just found out that Greenlife Grocer will replace your SIGG bottles for one with the new EcoCare liner for free, and regardless of whether or not you bought yours there!  No other store in Asheville is doing that (to my knowledge)!

Why would Jolly Green Girl Susie partner up with b.b.begonia?  It’s a perfect pair:

b.b.begonia brings you the latest in stylish and fashionable polyester totes to reduce our dependence on plastic bags and hopefully eliminate them completely in the near future. With modern and kitschy prints; you would be proud owners of these Eco-chic bags.

When you mix a chic with impeccable style and taste as well as eco-smarts with a responsible company also helping make a positive impact on the environment while remaining hip, you have a fantastic chance to win a fantastic bag!

Susie offers multiple ways to enter and increase your chances, so head on over to her post to find out how you can have that chance!  Plus, by carrying this modern eco-friendly bag, you can reduce your use of plastic and paper disposable bags when you shop!

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

For an update, however, here is a post by Towns and Trails on REI responding to the SIGG issue.  I love REI for always standing 100% by their products.  Also, SustainLane discusses the embers remaining aglow from this highly unfortunate misstep of the company.

One quick point to remind people, however.  I do not believe the media has created a panic, as SustainLane states.  I, in fact, have seen nearly nothing regarding this when I watch CNN, FOXNews, or local news, all of which I watch lots of.  Instead, we the blogging-community media have expressed our concerns and frustrations.  We, the people, have a voice, and it is utilized for issues like this.  MarketingDaily does a great job explaining this as SIGG proving that consumers own brand.

Also, the argument that older versions of SIGG are safe is definitely questionable, as the “100% leach-free” tests for those SIGG bottles tested only to the parts per billion.  Some tests show that BPA can affect hormones at the parts per million level.  Where are those tests on SIGG?  Want to see two great (opposing) perspectives on this?  Check out this by Treehugger and this by Real Green Girl.  Spectacular.

Sadly, this leads me to say I cannot feel great about the new EcoCare liner in the newer SIGG bottles either.  I just do not have a choice but to assume well of it.

On that note, I am heading to REI now to return my old SIGG, which I am really sad I have to part with… We’ve had good times together.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

Unfortunately, I am still learning to be a green CEO. When I took this position, I naively assumed that “green” meant being a steward of the environment…  However, being a green company also means being held to the highest degree of corporate transparency.

I appreciate Steve Wasik’s apology.  A sincere apology is always better late than never.

Regardless, as a CEO, Wasik has failed.  This apology comes a full month after releasing the initial letter admitting what the original SIGG liners contained, much less over a year after changing to the new EcoCare liner, over two years after fighting with Organic Consumer Association for listing SIGG bottles on a BPA cautionary list, and over three years after finding out himself.

Regardless, as a CEO, Wasik has failed.  He says he is “still learning to be a green CEO” and “naive” not to realize that also means “being held to the highest degree of corporate transparency”.

Mr. Wasik, that is known as being a good CEO.  Leading your customers and acquiring loyalty from practicing the highest degree of corporate transparency is not specific to being “green”.

Taking a note from a public relations perspective, SIGG is doing everything almost everything right, finally, to salvage their consumer trust.  Their exchange program, which originally only worked by you mailing your SIGG to them for an exchange credit, is apparently branching so that you may return your SIGG to a local retailer for an equal exchange for the new SIGG liner. Wasik is apologizing, and their customer service people are swift and courteous in addressing emails and concerns.  The apology letter itself was carefully crafted and drafted to show sincerity and humbleness, components the August 2009 letter lacked.

Some say what the SIGG reaction to public outcry is unprecedented and praise-worthy, as they legally have not been held to such corporate responsibility.

I say the SIGG reaction is a desperate attempt to regain control of their reputation after breaking the standards of a winning reputation and corporate responsibility in today’s world.

No, I am not angry.  I am outraged and baffled that such a modern company has blundered so badly in such obvious ways.  The Public Relations and Organizational Communication major inside of me frustratedly wants to whack Wasik and SIGG leadership’s hands with a ruler.  I cannot believe SIGG was too arrogant to have taken notes from the properly-handled Laken products and BPA issue.  CamelBak has certainly taken note, and offers great products and great PR.

SIGG is repaying their debt to society for lying, however.  The corporation has lost numerous customers and incurred deep damage to their reputation (Google SIGG: they are being called “soulless” and “BPA-infested”).  They will likely lose stockholder confidence in a period where extra quarterly losses are terrifying.  Plus they are losing financially by replacing customers’ old SIGG bottles.

All of this excludes whatever settlement may occur if a federal class action suit comes to fruition.  My guess is they are preventing a class action lawsuit by volunteering to replace customers’ SIGG bottles.

The most recent kick SIGG has received is “green” retail giant Patagonia withdrawing a co-branding effort with SIGG.  Patagonia has even removed all SIGG products, old and new, from their shelves due to the betrayal of intra-corporate relations.  Genius PR move by Patagonia, by the way.  Absolutely genius.

So, SIGG continues to take some hard hits on the fall from their corporate pedestal.  I have no idea how long the hits will keep coming, but they still have some attitude to check in wake of this fiasco.

On top of blaming his lack of full disclosure on being new as a “green CEO”, Steve Wasik said the reason customers have to pay shipping costs to send their SIGG in for return is to prevent the “9 out of 10″ customers who are not concerned from having theirs exchanged at company cost (thank you to the George S. May blog for that info).  This does not sound humble or sincere to me.  Again, fail.

Also, on the SIGG website, I could only find links to their “Exchange Program” that asks you to mail them your SIGG, with shipping costs at your expense.  Supposedly you can exchange it at your own local SIGG supplier as well.

I called Raleigh’s REI, Whole Foods, and Earth Fare.  The Raleigh Whole Foods said they are doing an exchange.  REI will exchange any SIGG purchased at REI (you need a receipt unless you are a coop member, as I am ~ REI stands behind ALL of their products, always), and Raleigh’s Earth Fare said unfortunately they are not because the store cannot handle the sheer volume.  They were very helpful to make sure I knew about the Exchange Program, however.

I appreciated all of their answers, as now they are dealing with SIGG’s bad behavior.

Why do I have a real “stick it to them” attitude, despite their efforts?

SIGG has indisputably done “green” living and environmental corporations across the board tremendous damage.  In an era where convincing people they should make small changes to live a healthier, more balanced life, many people in the consumer market are skeptics.  They vote with their dollars, and convincing them to spend a little more to send the right message relies on proving they can trust the product and that they will benefit from this product.

SIGG’s actions will continue to have a ripple effect for skeptics to remain skeptics and longtime advocates to become more skeptical themselves upon the entire industry.

Stick it to them.  I love my SIGG.  It has been through good and bad with me.  Has some dings that I consider character.  Yet now I know I cannot trust that it is the safest choice for myself and my unborn children (a concern I admittedly already was skeptical about).  I know that SIGG deserves to have to replace their products in order to stand by their commitment of responsible products.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

Regardless, while I absorbed some mindless E! News, I heard of Disney’s collaboration between many of their biggest stars for Disney’s Project Green.  Miley Cyrus (I am a fan. Seriously), a few of the Jonas guys, Selena Gomez, and Demi Lovato all make appearances to spread this great initiative and lifelong message.

Shortly, I spied a video on Disney channel as well.  One of those videos that is so soft and fluffy and fully of young, naive, beautiful love and sentiments of utopia that you simply wish you were 13 again.  Actually, I eternally have that girl in me still.  While my sister was a bit goth and jamming to Sid Vicious in her teen years, I was dreaming of cheerleading and how my life would bloom into a million beautiful tea roses.  Or perhaps tulips and hydrangeas.

Check the Disney blog for more information.  Any way we can reach youth and get them taking an active responsible and accountable role in their behavior and consequences is a plus in my world.

So, who is reaching the goth kids for whom everything is beneathe them?  Are there any cool punk bands or straight-edge groups sparking any level of environmental awareness in today’s angst-filled disgruntled youth?

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

Two of my favorite recent posts include one on crayons and one on shopping for dinner at your house.

Remember when you were a kid and you loved opening a new box of untouched, unbroken crayons?  The colors were just so perfect, and they were shaped so lovely… OK, perhaps I was just geek enough to feel that way.  Do you also remember at Vacation Bible School when they would pull out the shoebox of broken crayon ends, most missing their paper wrappers and all of them hobbly and rounded on the ends?  They were not as exciting to play with despite working just as well.

Melissa found a way to make those knobbelled over crayons fresh and exciting again, not to mention the absolute perfect shape and size for tiny hands.  Plus, the process of making them “new” again is fun for your own creative side!

Also, Noelle realizes how much we all tend to throw out insane amounts of food.  For instance, I have a box of unopened prunes sitting in my fridge from over two years ago, purchased in a cloud of delusion where I thought I would enjoy snacking on them if I had them.  Noelle knows that times are tough, and frankly, each of us could probably do the grocery shopping for our week’s dinners right in our own pantry.  Go ahead.  Give it a try.

Sincere thank you to Allie for continuing to share her love for life and living with all of us, as well as introducing us to a whole new gang of friends ~ The Greenists!

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

One is about deer antlers as a new healthy chew toy for your pup ~ one in which you do not have to worry about the bone-splintering effects of giving your dog leftover bones from your dinner (very bad).  Plus, apparently deer antlers are really tasty to your pup, not to mention considerably healthier (by being truly natural) than processed pig ears and typical dog treats.

Also, Johann reminds us that emergencies happen.  From house fires to hurricanes like Katrina to random quick-moving tornadoes, and we humans need to have emergency plans ~ ones that include planning for our pets.  Johann has a truly comprehensive list to plan for these incidents so that when the time comes, you have one less reason to panic… or worse yet, mourn the loss of some beloved family members.

Lastly, Johann shares the fact that being a great parent does not only require getting medical attention to your pet, but making sure your pet is not having an adverse reaction to the medications and chemicals.  Your pet cannot tell you how the medication (or chemical) is making them feel, but if you pay attention, you can see signs of distress.   I know that as a previous veterinary technician, we on occasion had pets who had adverse reactions (usually obvious from fatigue and lethargy 24 hours later) to simple annual shots such as rabies vaccine or such.  Knowing what to do in these situations is key, and Johann has the scoop.

Check them out if you have pets.  Johann has a load of information that you just may have accidentally taken for granted.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

Health advocates and environmentalists have pushed to remove BPA from food and beverage containers for years.  CEO Steve Wasik’s letter admitted to working on a BPA-free liner for their aluminum reusable bottles since at least 2006.  Of course, the confidence shattered due to SIGG’s refusal to admit, and further providing misleading information, to consumers until one year after their new BPA-free “Eco”-liner debuted.

After reading the letter myself, I emailed SIGG myself (liners@mysigg.com):

To Whom It May Concern:

I write to inform you how my trust and loyalty in your company have been damaged.  I am angry that you mislead your customers, as you have.  Call it whatever you wish, but lying by omission is still lying.  You snuck around admitting what you knew about your product.  You waited until a year after making the switch to a new BPA-free formula to announce any of this to the public.  You had an AMAZING opportunity to practice honest relations and engagement with your public, as well as to create an huge success story and newsworthy promo-piece last August.  Instead, a year later, your public, including me, feels deceived.  This trust will be hard to regain.  My SIGG is now questionable as to whether I will continue to use it, or if I will share the best publicity for you guys ~ word of mouth.  I wrote a piece, posted on both of my own blogs regarding this concern.

I would like to know how you plan to rectify this situation with your customers, including myself.

I look forward to your timely response.

Ashley Sue Allen

In less than a day, I received a response from a SIGG representative (any underlining or text emphasis is how I received it):

Dear Ashley,

Please know that your SIGG bottles are proven 100% safe and do not leach anything [including BPA] into the beverages that have been poured into them.  Extensive independent testing shows this and are located here for your discernment:  http://mysigg.com/bulletin/testing.html

We understand your concern and will gladly replace your bottle[s] with brand new SIGG bottles featuring our EcoCare, BPA free liner.  We ask that you return your old bottles to us as proof of purchase and so that we may recycle them. Please confirm you have the old liners in all bottles being returned to us by visiting http://mysigg.com/liner – New liner bottles, or stainless steel bottles returned to us will only be returned to you and slow down the replacement process significantly.

Attached please find our return form.

Please print and fill this out and ship the bottle[s] back to us.  Upon receipt, we will issue you a gift certificate pin code good toward the purchase of replacement bottles on mysigg.com, this will include the shipping.  No need to return any tops or the caps currently on your bottles, as these are BPA free and may come in handy as extras when you receive your replacement[s].

We enclose a mailing label with the appropriate RMA, please USE THIS shipping label on the outside of your package so that we may expedite the processing of your return.   Failure to use this label will cause your package to be misdirected in our warehouse, and seriously delay your replacement.  Please note that this mailing label does not include postage for the bottles you are returning.  We are sorry for the inconvenience.  You may choose to keep your current bottle as they have been proven not to leach, [http://mysigg.com/bulletin/testing.html] but if you want to upgrade your bottle[s], you will have to bear the cost of returning it to us.  Thank you in advance for your kind understanding in this regard.

If you have any questions, please hit reply to this email [liners@mysigg.com] and let us know.

As you see, I was offered the option of sending my beloved SIGG bottle back to them, on my dime, for a credit to purchase a new one free of charge from their website.  They cover shipping of the new bottle.

I also posted information on the hyperlocal news website MyNC.com, where a commenter named “Tom” posted a link to a federal class action suit against SIGG.

Yes, Tom informed me, legal action is being taken against SIGG.

I will keep updates going on GG, so stay tuned, or please share any info you know.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

“I have heard that, in fact,” I replied.

“I had no idea.  I was really surprised to hear that,” Dad said incredulously.

I took our conversation a step further and explained to him that while organic produce may not offer more vitamins and nutrients so much as I am appalled by the levels of toxins I must consume with my nutrients when I purchase conventional products.  While I may not gain extra antiobiotics from organic vegetables and berries, I prefer to bypass the pesticides and residues left on conventional goods.  Pesticides and residues that indisputably hinder, and even destroy, my health (and even my unborn children’s).

Seems that the study my Dad referred to is quite the topic of conversation currently.  It also seems that I am not alone in choosing organic (when I can afford to) for the reason I do.  Maryanne Conlin posted a link from her twitter page (@mcmilker):  Phil Lembert of The Supermarket Guru explains what organic means to shoppers in today’s post.  The post also explains (last line) why I cannot always buy organic despite my beliefs, values, and preferences.

How about you?  Where do you stand with organic versus conventional produce?  What do you only buy organic, or what do you feel you can bypass for the cheaper conventional version?

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

Thank you Allie for sharing this post, which I would not have found without The Greenists’ What’s Going On column.

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

Last week, I did a Day One wrap-up, but Day Two offered a more personal feel as Instructor Wyatt Currin led the students in knowing each other better.

From the 25 students that attended on Day One, only 22 returned for the remaining classes.  Of them, I learned that five sets of fathers and sons were in attendance, and one was a 12-year-old boy that attended on his own.  One of the three women dropped out, and the one that stayed was there with her husband.  They were a young couple, around 30 years old, and she explained that this year she refused to wait around at home while her husband and his friends hunted ~ this year, she was joining in the fun!

Other surprises in the class:  a beautiful man who sat next to me is from Hungary and is a Principal Dancer with Carolina Ballet!  I had so much fun talking with him and learning how he loves the outdoors, how he decided to take up bow hunting, how he and his wife found themselves in North Carolina.  I had no idea until we were leaving on the final night he is also a Principal Dancer for the Ballet!

A Wake County Wildlife Officer joined the class to discuss the regulations of inland fishing, hunting and trapping in North Carolina.  He offered an interesting framework as someone who has seen all the bad hunters and the damage caused by unethical hunting.

Apparently, bear poaching is a big problem in North Carolina!  What?

I should not be surprised.  In every industry, hobby or field, unscrupulous characters remain and taint the reputation of others.

In his experience as a Wildlife Officer in Currituck County (along the Outer Banks), the Officer said people bait bears with all different foods.  To clarify, baiting a bear with any type of food, including but not limited to salt blocks, corn, honey, sweets, or otherwise, is unconditionally illegal.  Yet he finds piles of grocery store donuts and cakes.  He also finds bears with rotten teeth.

A bear with rotten teeth may not seem like such a serious ordeal, but it is.  Besides being unethical and illegal to bait these animals, teaching them to eat human foods is unethical.  These rotten teeth are an indication of rotting insides.  Processed foods packed with refined sugars, oils and preservatives destroy a bear’s health, creating a sick habitat for every creature involved.

Why are bears poached?  Apparently bear gall bladder, as well as other parts, sell for significant amounts on the black market to be used in oriental medicine.  Morgan said he has found slaughtered bears along the coast with only their gall bladder removed, the rest of the slain animal waiting to rot.

Understand this:  hunting does not equal poaching, and poaching does not equal hunting.

The two are never one in the same.

Hunters, appreciative of the land and ecosystem, consciously think about their own actions and how that affects the habitat.  Poachers slaughter animals, unconcerned about legality or ethics, in order to attain a financial benefit at whatever cost.  On a side note, poachers are also a common problem for the carnivorous Dionaea muscipula, aka Venus Flytraps, along the North Carolina coast, the only natural habitat on Earth for the plant.

Also, as far as ethics and legality go, no animal part can be sold from hunting.  Not the meat, no trophy heads, no organs… selling animal parts is illegal.

Day Three, Test Day, became known (only to me) as My Hand Smells of Gun.  Along with reviewing information for our hunting safety test and watching a video named “Shoot/Don’t Shoot?”, Currin chose a few of us to stand and demonstrate for the class proper safety handling of a gun and explain the process.  I was first up and demonstrated the lever action shotgun, as Marc’s first gun was a lever action 30-30 Revolution.  Not that I actually have a clue what that means.  As I returned to my seat, I noticed my hand smelled faintly metallic and slightly addictive.    Just kidding about that addictive bit.  Then Currin took us outside to show us how a climbing tree stand works.  I may have been a little distracted by the Camp Kanata Cat.

After pacing the dining hall as Currin graded tests, I received a passing score of 94% along with my fancy orange wristband.  Woohoo!  I can get my hunting license now!

******************

From the Today’s Hunter handbook (p.66), the Hunter’s Ethical Code includes (but is not exclusive to) the following:

The “father of wildlife management” Aldo Leopold said, “Ethical behavior is doing the right thing when no one else is watching — even when doing the wrong thing is legal.”  If only everyone implemented this philosophy in every aspect of their lives, right?

Responsible hunters

• Leave the land better than you found it.
• Adhere to fair chase rules (insuring every animal has a chance to get away).
• Know your personal limitations and stick to them.
• Strive for a clean, quick kill.
• Ensure that all usable parts are not wasted.
• Report game violations.
• Follow safe firearm handling and insist your companions do the same.
• Avoid alcohol consumption while hunting.
• Ask landowners for permission to hunt.
• Treat livestock and crops as your own (except do NOT feel free to forage from those crops!  Dan has seen hunters thieving from peach orchards).
• Offer to share your harvest with the landowner.
• Transport animals discreetly so not to offend non-hunters.
• Keep firearms safely out of sight.
• Refrain from taking graphic photographs of the kill or vividly describing the kill while within earshot of non-hunters.
• Maintain presentable appearance while in public (no bloody or dirty clothing).

******************

I have big things planned ahead.  A couple years worth, honestly.  So stay tuned as the Vegetarian Hunter learns more.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

I wonder where the ethical line is drawn with SIGG.  Has this seemingly good company done their public wrong by lying?

Yes, I consider this a lie.  A lie by omission, but a lie nonetheless.

In CEO Wasik’s public letter (found here on their website), Wasik admits to having known the contents of the SIGG liner and working to correct the inclusion of BPA since 2006.

When I purchased my SIGG in 2008, however, SIGG had not publicly disclosed that BPA was, indeed, in their liner.  In fact, as I researched reusable bottles to decide between SIGG and the China-manufactured Klean Kanteen, I found numerous forums and bloggers criticizing how mysterious SIGG remained about what their liner contained.  I still chose SIGG because as safe as stainless steel is, I do not trust items made in China to be what they claim.  I was apparently naive to trust Switzerland-made labels.

According to a TreeHugger post dated April 2008, Wasik explained that international testing laboratories show

SIGG aluminum bottles to have no presence of lead, phthalates, Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), Bysphenol A (BPA), Bysphenol B (BPB) or any other chemicals which scientists have deemed as potentially harmful.

Regarding what the liner’s contents are, SIGG’s Wasik explained

as there are many copy-cat manufacturers in the market (most based in China) that would like to get their hands on this formula, our supplier has an agreement with SIGG to keep his formula confidential.

Interesting.  This, to me, seems to lead customers to believe through (what I refer to as) “weasel-speak” that SIGG products were actually BPA-free.

Further, why did they wait until August 2009 to announce that the change had been made in August 2008?  To consumers, SIGG appears to be concealing information.

Sadly, they missed a great opportunity for great public relations case.

SIGG could have been honest from the beginning, assuring customers that while the chemistry behind their water-based epoxy lining in SIGG bottles must remain proprietary, that unfortunately trace amounts of BPA are in the lining.  However, independent international laboratories show that the polymer formula prevents even the slightest BPA leaching in our bottles, even after two years of use.  Further, SIGG remains committed to environmental and consumer safety as it continues to seek new formulas that exclude BPA while maintaining the remarkable quality associated with SIGG.  “Let us all celebrate the activism and advancement of SIGG and the new BPA-free bottle, all in conjunction with our 100 year anniversary celebration!”

Had SIGG practiced full disclosure with their public, they could have announced last summer that they had won the BPA war and found a new supplier and new formula, 100% BPA free, as well as remaining 100% phthalate free.  SIGG could have perhaps won new stock holders; continued, renewed, and built new customer loyalties; experienced a resurgence in sales; found the opportunity to further declare themselves the unprecedented leaders in quality, environmental awareness, and customer care.

Instead, SIGG will be riddled with consumer distrust, and rightfully so.  They created their own PR nightmare.  The ripple effect from their public relations strategy is crippling them as writers refer to their “scandal”.  Consumers voting with their dollars may turn elsewhere for safety and reliability.  I know, as Marc and I are currently looking into buying a new bottle for him and for friends as gifts, we think we will turn to Klean Kanteen and Camelbak.

Jennifer from Bliss Tree also feels that while the previous SIGGs are likely safe, she is “totally peeved that they were sneaky and slick worded instead of open and honest.”  Amen, Jennifer.  You took the words straight from my head.

Inhabitots explains perfectly “We’re happy to see that they have made an effort to rectify their mistake, but the lost trust won’t be easy to regain.”  Further, check out this post if you are stumped as to what Bisphenol A is, or if you want to see how to tell if your SIGG is the old liner or new formula.

Sean Hecht shares the legal and ethical complications regarding

the company’s ability to sidestep the question for several years, and even convince advocacy groups to remove claims that the product contained BPA, raises interesting questions about the right way to regulate chemicals in consumer products.

Joseph Bill of SafeWaterBottleReview.com explains his own concerns with the weasel-words and non-disclosure SIGG presents in responding to BPA concerns.  Great post.

ZRecommends talks about the consumer backlash on the “SIGG Fibb”.  This post includes currently 70+ post comments.

Sarah Gilbert of WalletPop does a superb job explaining why she so carefully avoided BPA-lined products for her family and why SIGGs breech of trust is particularly hurtful to her.  She also shares that SIGG may be doing something in order to attempt rectifying consumer trust by taking back older SIGGs for new SIGG credit to purchase the new one.

What will I be doing?  I will contact SIGG, today, to let them know how my trust has been violated and I would like a response on how they will rectify consumer loyalty and betrayal.

Sustainably yours,

Ashley Sue

The class would have maybe 15 participants.  All men except for me.  Middle-aged men and their 10 or 12-year-old sons.  All of them dressed in camouflage.  They would all stare as I tried to enter the room.  “Ooh, haughty vegetarian girl is too good for showing up on time,” they would say.  The instructor, a longtime gamesman and warden himself, decked head to toe in camo, would tell me not only was attendance mandatory but so is punctuality.  Then he would tell me I needed to leave.

This was the scenario in my head, at least.

Upon pulling up to Camp Kanata in Wake Forest, I eventually found the camp’s “mess hall” and a number of parked cars.  I prayed as I ran out of my car and to the doors that this was the right location.  I also prayed that because it was the first day, they would start at 630 instead of 6.

They had started at 5:50.

Instructor Wyatt Currin greeted me as I found a seat.  Once everyone arrived, he told everyone that for those of us tardy, the first day was understood, just make sure we were punctual for the next days.  Understood.

I took inventory of the class.  Twenty-five participants present: three female, one African-American, only one wearing any camo, three wearing work suits, at least four sets of Father and Son, and only one around the age of 10.  Interesting class composition.

In the next three hours, I learned a tremendous amount about rifles, shotguns, and handguns.  I learned proper gun handling techniques.

In the first class, Currin focused largely on two points:

1. safety must be, always and every second, the foremost important focus in hunting, and
2. hunting must be an ethical sport, and ethics must be anticipated

For instance, Currin drills the point “Always be in control of the muzzle,” as the number one safety rule.  Throughout the class, this reminder consistently connected to every topic we discussed.

He also shared anecdotes in ethics.  A particularly moving story regarded a young hunter who only had one tag left for the rest of deer season.

For those unfamiliar with hunting and what “one tag left” means, here is your explanation:  A hunter gets his license on an annual basis.  Hunting seasons for the various animals are limited to and clearly designated throughout certain times of the year, as well is what tool you can use for hunting (rifle, bow and arrow, etc.).  Your license allows you to harvest only a certain number of each type of animal, ie. you can only harvest x number of doe, x number of bucks, and so on, and only during the appropriate seasons.  When you harvest an animal, you must punch the corresponding tag on your license and report your hunt immediately.  These reports help the state monitor numbers for population, hunting statistics, etc. and help dictate what regulations are adjusted in the next year.

Understanding that, if a hunter has only one tag left and the season is still early, the last thing a hunter will want to do is use his last tag on a small deer.  The bigger the deer, the more meat you get.  Yes, hunting is about more than the bragging rights and deer head on the wall.

So, this hunter has only one tag left when he happens to stumble upon an injured fawn in the forest.  This young, small fawn has been attacked by another animal, presumably a coyote or fox.  The hunter sees that the fawn will not recover, and if left in the woods, it will be attacked again and ripped apart alive.  Having predators pull you apart may be a natural death, but nonetheless an agonizing and potentially prolonged death for this fawn.  The hunter faced the decision of downing the fawn and using his last tag, or walking away to let nature take over and save his final tag for a larger harvest.

The hunter chose to harvest the small fawn.  His hunting friends jested about his hunt and how unimpressive his deer was.  Fishermen jest like this too;  think how big fish stories involve the giant one that got away, not the tiny one I landed.

Upon bringing this deer home, however, the hunter’s father was proud that his son had made the ethical decision by choosing to end this animal’s suffering quickly and cleanly rather than choosing the more selfish desire to find a brag-worthy buck.

Now might be the surprising part for you:  ethics are always core to hunting.  For those of us with limited experience with people who actually hunt for their food, stereotypes tend to serve as our central idea of who hunters are.  In this hunter stereotype, ethics are rarely synonymous with the sport.

Beyond Marc’s family, whom I rarely discuss hunting with in depth, my first open conversation with hunters was at the 2009 Dixie Deer Classic.  I asked the gentlemen at the Wildlife Resources Commission table if I could interview them regarding sustainability and environmental practices and hunting, but I quickly realized how wary they are of being set up.  Leaving my video camera in its bag, I was lucky enough to spend an hour talking with them about ethical hunting practices.  I found I had a lot to learn, and they would love for me to find out more.

So here I am, taking a class regarding safe hunting.  Learning hunter ethics.  Working to bridge a divide between those who hunt and those who do not.

Sustainably yours,

Ashley Sue

Related articles:

• Faces of Sustainability (Dixie Deer Classic inspired)
• Food Fight: Living Beyond Labels
• The Vegetarian Hunts (for the 411)
• Also, in GoTriad, Hunting Ethics Stressed

Yet here I am.

For background, you should know that I have not eaten land animals in any capacity since 1996.  Oh, except an episode of pepperoni under pizza cheese at my friend Mary’s 21st birthday.  One bite into the slice and vomiting shortly commenced.

I largely gave up seafood, the love of my life, in 2003 upon reading Howard Lyman’s Mad Cowboy.  This book propelled me into strict veganism for two years until I ate a cheese cube at a baby shower.  I have struggled to return to strict veganism since.

I also have to let you know, as background, that Marc comes from a hunting family.  The woods have always been Marc’s Dad’s sanctuary, and his connection with the food he feeds his family is one of deep understanding and respect.  Marc announced two years ago that he wanted to join his father in the woods and give hunting a shot (pun possibly intended).  This, you may have guessed, horrified me, concerned me, and best put, simply baffled me.

Fast forward to now.  I see how much Marc, who has always adored nature and wildlife, feels more connected with the natural environment.  I see how much more Marc connects with nature now.  From the trees and soil that nourish the land, to the deer that navigate the land to raise their fawns, to the way the sunlight falls through the leaves onto the forest floor, Marc has become a nature detective.  I also see how deeply bejiggity he gets when he is not regularly able to spend time on the land.

He also profoundly appreciates food more now than he ever had before.  He knows how food gets to his plate, as he is a part of that process.  From studying life, to deciding whether to “harvest” the animal (standard lingo, not his words), to actively dressing and preparing the animal and its meat for consumption, Marc sees, and is, the process.

Do I understand any of this?  No.  I do see, however, that hunting is not the barbaric, ignorant, cruel, animal-hating, big-man-with-a-big-gun act of uneducated backwoods folk I once regarded it as.  Granted, a few hunters certainly fit that stereotype, but a few vigilante veganazis (my word choice) disgrace us all and leave people like myself to fight stereotypes of the paint-throwing, screaming, sometimes-hypocritical, always-self righteous, animals-mean-more-to-me-than-any-humans freak.  Does every label not have a few extremists?

A couple weeks ago, Marc cooked some of his deer for a couple of our dear friends, a married couple.  In actuality, being that one of those friends is a land-animal vegetarian of 16 years, Marc cooked the deer for the husband and himself.  I made made roasted bell peppers, wild rice, and asparagus for all of us.

The wife had always been curious of Marc’s deer meat, however, and decided to try it.  I had never been curious, but decided I would try it as well.  Why would I also not try Marc’s deer?  I consider deer hunting to be a sustainable food source, I know how and where the meat comes from, and I am embarking on a “project” regarding the sustainability perspectives of hunters.

The deer was good, I am sure.  To me, it was simply odd.

Not bad.  Meaty.  Warm — not in actual heat but in some otherwise indescribable this-is-an-organ kind of warmth.  For someone who does not desire meat, the one bite sufficed.  If you enjoy that warm, soft, meaty taste in a shredded barbecue texture, you will probably love it.  It reminded me, as someone who has only vague memories of most meats, of my mother’s pot roast from childhood.  I was never a fan of pot roast.

On the contrary, one bite did not suffice the wife, as she broke away from her 16-year-abstinence and had a plate full of deer.  She had loved pot roast as a child.

Anyhow, keep updated.  The point of this background story and recent anecdote is:

1. Unlike what some “friends” have claimed, I am honest about what I do, and do not, eat.  What I choose to eat or not, and when I choose to or not, is my decision.  I have zero to hide.
2. I was inspired in Spring for a research project… After 13 years studying why to “go veg”, I am taking in all the information about hunting I can, and I will be sharing my findings with you along the way.  This includes taking an upcoming hunting safety education course with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.

This, I have a feeling, is going to be an interesting winter for me…

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

I caught the link to a post from True Nourishment declaring that soy is not “real food”.  Her argument is that the “health” industry’s reliance on processed soy — soy that is most often from genetically modified sources — does not supply us with necessary proteins so much as deplete our bodies’ vitamin absorption rate and promote estrogen-based tumors.  This is in addition to soy decreasing testosterone production in men.

The True Nourishment Diva pulled me in quickly:

The soy yogurt, ice cream, protein bar or fake meat you regard as healthy food very closely resembles junk food. People! This is the biggest scam in the history of “health food”!!! Hurray! for the food corporations and PR companies that put it together. They are making fortunes and we are paying with our money, our health and the health of the environment.

I agree.  Particularly when I became vegan, I spent a year or more relying on analog meats, most of which focus on soy ingredients.  Eventually, I realized through research how this is an unhealthy reliance and that many of these foods are also packed with preservatives, overly processed and/or genetically-modified agricultural by-products, and high doses of salt and sugars.

Further, on an opinion note, most of these foods are exorbitantly priced and barely edible, often lacking much of any flavor or enjoyable texture.

Between the health and financial aspects, save your taste buds the pain and simply eat healthy.  Healthy foods — truly healthy foods — rarely come in a box or shaped liked tubes.  Healthy food comes from the Earth and is often best consumed in the same shape as when it came from the Earth.

That said, I truly do enjoy certain soy products, particularly from Turtle Mountain.  Their line of soy ice creams is unbeatable, full of flavor, great texture, and always expanding in varieties.  They make the best yogurts.  They have a fantastic coconut milk line too.  I choose soy ice creams and soy milk over real milk because they are truly delectable, and I do feel they are a healthier choice than cow milk.  I eat Tofurky franks sometimes because I occasionally crave a hot dog. I also do not see these items as being marketed as “health foods”, but merely as alternatives to the more conventional options.

Do your own research and make your own choice.  It can be frustrating and take time, but the rewards are immense.  Knowing what those odd-sounding ingredients are is your responsibility.  Blame no one but yourself for your ignorance.

My advice:  make your fruits and veggies, close to their purest form, the base of your diet.  Have you ever heard of someone getting fat or acquiring diabetes from eating too many berries, legumes, and artichokes?  I am guessing not.

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

Peter from EcoPrintWorks let me know about this awesome giveaway.  Check them out if you want to win a “custom print [ecobag] with your art using our amazingly soft, vibrant, and earth conscious water-based inks.  All you need to do is register or place an order” with EcoPrintWorks by the end of August, and you could win!  Visit their site and read more.

Good luck!

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

Turns out we just got the supplies and Marc’s parents had them make it themselves ~ I did not realize this, but making your rain barrel requires knowing exactly where you will want it set up so it is configured properly.

Marc’s Dad had it set up in no time, and within a single rain, the barrel was full, as well was all of their overflow tubs.  Dan and Bernice decided they would like another barrel.  So, done.

Rain barrels can be purchased at a variety of places, already made.  For about $100 you can pick one up, ready for the flowing, from Earth Fare, Whole Foods, and maybe even places like Home Depot and Lowes.  Also, if you check your local craigslist, Iwanna, or newspaper, you are apt to find some great local guy who makes them and sells them from his home.

If you are hands-on and live somewhere like Asheville, you may be able to find someone like this great guy who sells only the barrels for about $15.  You go purchase about $15 worth of hardware, and you can make your own.

Happy rain-barreling, and sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

We all define ourselves by a number of labels, but do we often consider how labeling people hinders us over and over again?

Some of my self-embraced framework labels are:

• Woman
• College graduate
• Vegetarian
• Occasional vegan

I know some people define me by their own labels:

• Naive
• Skeptic
• Feminazi
• Green guru
• Environmentalist
• Drama queen

This is just the beginning. As you can see from the second list, labels tend not to be objective but instead carry heavy and divisive connotations. As my college journalism professor Dr. Cockshutt pointed out, one country’s “terrorist: is another country’s “freedom fighter”.

In my own world, I see how people who carry my labels (vegetarian/environmentalist/greenie/naturalist/journalist) are often pitted against labels of seemingly polar value (omnivores/hunters). Sometimes the people waging this war are those who share my labels.

What we have to remember is that the most radical and most vocal of any group set the stereotype for that group. The majority of us are not among the most radical of our groups. Ultimately, this means that radicals exist in every sector for any given philosophy.

I am a vegetarian who believes in animal welfare. I work hard to vote against factory and industrial farming in North America. I try my damnedest to support local and organic farming any time I have the option and can afford it. I am disgusted by people who insult my lifestyle while ignorantly refusing to understand their own farm-to-plate food habits and their consequences.

I am also deeply unsettled by other vegetarians who ignorantly refuse to understand the philosophy of hunting or why not everyone chooses to be vegetarian. I am deeply disgusted by vegetarians who spew hate and misconceptions and radical stereotypes regarding meat-eaters and hunters.

No one-size-fits-all mold fits vegetarians. No one-size-fits-all mold fits hunters.

Yes, I am in a 10-year-and-going relationship with a hunter. I will not claim to understand why Marc hunts, but I also will not condemn him or say my stance is more ethical than his. I have seen how much his father and he care for the ecological health of the land and its creatures. I have seen how respectful they are to the process in which they proactively participate. I have seen how disgusted they are by the occasional hunter who act carelessly and create the stereotype of woodland jackass.

I have seen how hunting, a participation far more magnanimous that I have in my own eating habits, has brought Marcus closer to God.

Labels of religion divide us as a society as well. Only last week, I read of someone I know who is intelligent, free-thinking, and humanist discuss how uneasy he felt that his son has been reading the bible as of lately. In my own life, I have very dear loved ones who I hear regularly dismiss Christianity as a narrow-minded, ignorant perspective on faith. Sometimes, the arguments are very obviously from a place of ignorance; most often from a place of misinformation and fear. Then I hear Christians that I am very close to make the same miseducated, fearful comments about Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism.

My call to action for you is to consider that you have more to learn about the labels with which you do not relate. I do not ask you to do so so that you may change your mind and become a different person than you are. I ask you to do so because opening your heart and mind to perspectives other than yours may reaffirm your own values… while realizing that those people who seem so very different than yourself may be much more like you than you ever imagined.

In omnia paratus,

Ashley Sue

We change our shower curtains several times a year due to the speckly, ugly mildew and hard water stains that form.  That means that we annually chuck our petroleum-derived phthalate-laced toxic vinyl plastic into the landfill.  So do many of you, I have no doubt.

Have you thought about your shower curtain?  What is it made from?  What is the liner made from?  Are you able to wash yours in the washing machine?  Do you simply throw it out?

I have pondered this for a couple years and finally changed to a better, more sustainable, washable option.

What it is:

• 100% Polyester (I know, not perfect)
• washable – Yay!
• reusable for years – Yay!
• a few dollars more than the plastic vinyl type, but a happy investment

What it is not:

• vinyl / PVC
• American-made
• natural fiber
• recycled material – they make these though
• disposable – Yay!
• smelly weirdness like new toxic vinyl curtains – Yay!

These are trade-offs I can happily take.  Apparently, I just realized with some research, I am not the only one looking for a happy trade-off:  Green LA Girl is going anti-vinyl curtain too and found a… nutty… one!

Actually, the most informed, best article and review I’ve found on shower curtain options, your personal health, and a healthy environment is from The Daily Green.  Really, Deirdre Dolan did a fantastic job researching, trying, and sharing some great info.

What would it take for you to change your shower curtain?  Do you have any other suggestions you would like to share?

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

Sustainably… and safely yours,  Ashley Sue

Marc and I spend seemingly exorbitant amounts of money on our food in comparison to our days eating dry, crumbly, cheap ingredient foods out of boxes, but now we eat not only for today but for a long, healthy life.  I knew with the weight-gaining of the last decade – and by looking at my family – the health problems I have lurking ahead if I do not eat better now.  Further, I really hope to have a child one day.  I have to consider more than what I food habits I want to share with that child, but I also have to consider what I consume today that affects my health and fertility and can affect my (albeit hypothetical) fetus.

I happily began supporting Whole Foods about two years ago when they pledged not to sell any products containing hydrogenated oils (aka trans fat) or artificial mess.  They also take tremendous care of their employees, which makes me happy.  I was disappointed in the company’s leadership after a scandal regarding acquisition of a smaller health chain, but still knew I could count on quality food and service from their stores.

Upon moving to Asheville, however, I became better acquainted with Earth Fare, a growing chain with its flagship store on Patton Avenue in AVL.  At first, I was not impressed… you know how it goes… we are creatures of habit, and brand loyalty thrives on that notion.  With no Whole Foods in Asheville, however, I visited Earth Fare more and more.  In time, I became more familiar with their philosophy and policies as well.

Both have pros and cons.  One company’s prices tend to be a little better regarding one thing, one tends to be better priced regarding others.

One thing I do like with Whole Foods is the 365 Brand of raisin bran, recycled toilet paper, and shampoo.  I deeply respect that every single produce selection they have lists exactly where it comes from and if it is organic or conventional.  They display full disclosure, which I can feel good about.  I also get unreasonably excited about their 99 cent reusable bags… these are, by far, the best I have found anywhere.  Ever.  But that’s another post…  I am also a tremendous sucker for their bakery and desert case where you can find a variety of beautifully-decorated cakes, tarts, cookies, and minis.

Earth Fare has great selection and truly unbeatable sales.  For instance, when products go on sale at Earth Fare, you get well-sized organic California Hass avocados for $1 each.  Earth Fare carries fantastic locally-roasted coffee that supports a sweet family in your community, meats from your local family farm, and more.  Their food philosophy is unbeatable too, refusing to sell products that have hydrogenated oils, hfcs, artificial blucks, antibiotics or growth hormones, bromated flour, and more.  At the flagship store at least, you can purchase shampoos, conditioners, soaps, and such in bulk as well as using their bulk foods selection.  This cuts back tremendously on waste, and I feel great about that.  My sister is also a cookie fiend for a particular delectable chocolate variety of theirs.

As Marc’s and my food and lifestyle philosophy has evolved, Earth Fare has edged out the others as our favorite.  We do support, of course, variety and free market competition, and shop at both stores as well as Trader Joe’s, Costco, Kroger, and occasionally even stores like Sam’s Club or Food Lion.

Have you found stores that match your own food philosophy?  Do you even have a food philosophy yet?

I am curious what foods you guys think are more OK to scrimp on?  Are splurges OK for occasional snacks, which foods do you insist are organic, which foods are you OK with nonorganic, does location of origin matter to you, etc?

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

btw: you can follow Earth Fare and Whole Foods on Twitter

Oddly, yes, the post mentions that Allie found out that cloth diapers and such have a higher carbon footprint than using disposable products, but that we need to continue looking for better options and not simply feel free to use the toxic disposable options instead.

I just stumbled across the Modern Mama who realized that while alternative options are indeed necessary, the truth of what these nappies are made from (despite marketing hype) and what they costs (including financial, health, and environmental costs) need to be considered.  Modern Mama Rosanne considers just that and shares her very in-depth findings.

I hope to be figuring all this out for myself and my hypothetical children one day soon enough, but until then, hopefully some of you spicy mamas out there will use the recommendation and research!

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

I often have digital photography enthusiast jab at me for my seemingly hypocritical juxtaposition as a naturalist and environmentalist with my 35mm photography addiction.  The petroleum and chemicals involved in film and developing, the waste of hundreds of photos taken for me to find the handful of prized images worthy of framing… blah blah, I know.  I have not been heckled yet for being a vegetarian 35mm amateur (film also uses gelatin), but I am obviously aware, so do not bother with that argument.

I guess this is where I choose the “Grounded” side of (G)G.  Photography is something I love, and the quality and experience of 35mm is not something I am willing to compromise.  I may in time get a quality digital camera as a supplement to my photography experience, but not yet.

I would love any addition and elaboration on any side of this argument.  The same could be done for another love of mine:  letter writing.  The waste and energy associated with writing letters and sending cards could make a strong argument for email and ecards being a sound environmental choice, but to me, that completely compromises the experience of personal communication.

Am I going about this all wrong?  Do you have questions or answers of your own?  I would love a well-rounded debate on the merits of each side.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

Indeed, if you are buying school supplies (or perhaps you are an office supply junkie such as myself) you may consider dropping by Target to pick up their $1 line of fun recycled supplies.

Terracyle has been taking a number of items such as drink pouches and empty snack containers, which they turn into nifty school folders and these crafty zip-pouches for your pens.

On the same end-cap, Target had these great recycled-paper-barrel pencils.

My indisputable favorite recycled item they carry is this “O.P.P. Other People’s Plastic” tie-dye effect recycled plastic pen cases.  If I could have thought of a single reason to buy yet another pencil case, I would have spent the $1 and been thrilled about the purchase.  I was disappointed the case does not indicate what percentage of recycled plastic it is, so it could be as little as 10% and largely not that green.  Further, the product was made in China.  I really do not want to buy “made in China”.  If it had been made in the US, I probably would have splurged and bought some anyhow.

Ultimately, before you buy anything, the greenest option is to decide if you really need it at all.  If you are only purchasing it because it is “the right price” or because the sexy green appeal, you are still contributing to unnecessary manufacturing, energy consumption, and waste.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

• A huge “duh”: High Fructose Corn Syrup, despite their fluffy (ridiculous) ad campaign
• Should be a huge “duh”: Corn Syrup, period
• Monosodium Glutamate, aka MSG
• Aspartame
• Propyl Gallate, which prevents fats from going rancid in food and cosmetics
• Propylene Glycol, which I found in my cosmetics, antifreeze, and shredded coconut
• Acesulfame K, aka “Sweet One”
• Food Colorings, such as FD&C anything
• Olestra
• Potassium Bromate (see here also regarding iodine deficiency…your bread is a culprit!)
• Sodium Chloride, aka “table salt”
• Sulfites (very hard, as they are in most beers and wines, but can cause asthma attacks, rashes, headaches, etc)
• Non-organic Corn (likely genetically modified, which concerns me because of this, this and this)
• Non-organic Berries, Grapes, Apples, Leafy Greens
• Meats (for Marc) with Sodium Nitrites or Nitrates, Butylated Hydroxy anything (BHA or BHT)

These can be very tricky to avoid, and I have learned not to take anything for granted.  Now I read every label, and you might be shocked to realize what “healthy”-marketed brands have completely horrific ingredients.

Any food ingredients I need to avoid that I missed?

Always do your own research.  Know what your ingredient list is.  Decide for yourself how you feel.  Plus, be warned that finding credible third-party information from peer-reviewed scholastic independent journals can be incredibly hard to find.  Do not rely on any information supplied by branches of the government, pharmaceutical companies, or food processors… as they have obvious ties and financial interests in securing you to believe what they want you to believe.  In fact, with every single study you find, you have to find out not only who conducted the study, but who paid for that study.  Like the “high fructose corn syrup is made with corn, so it’s good for you” ads: provided by the Corn Refiners Association of America.  That said, please do not rely on scare-tactic emails and Wikipedia as your sources either.

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

I try not to get to judgy-wudgy, but I am who I am, and I judge.  Needless to say, I was a bit dismayed reading how people say remembering to use their bags at the grocer is so hard, so inconvenient, or just simply not on their mind.

Ann of Staten Island, New York, shuns plastic when she picks up her morning papers and coffee but admits to rarely using the shopping bag she carries in her purse. Alan, our mutual friend in L.A., uses his canvas bags as much as he can…that is, when he doesn’t forget to take them out of the car: “Hey, I’m 48 and the mind goes.”

One woman said using reusable totes is fine if you only shop for a tiny family, but a larger family is too difficult:

“The totes they sell at most places are so small it’s annoying, so you have to bring a ton of them. If I’m going to the store for something small I’ll take one. But for a regular grocery shopping expedition? With a family of five, it’s just impossible.”

This disheartens me.  My response to her is she’s simply using the wrong bags.  I agree the major inexpensive grocery chains tend not to provide decent size ~ or more importantly ~ decent quality reusable bags.  They are small and shred easily.  I have a large cloth tote, however, thrift stores always have large canvas totes you can buy for super cheap, make your own, or use the great (and cheap ~ $1) bags from Whole Foods that are made so sturdy!  We have 15 of them and have had to load up many of them when shopping for big family weekends.

Now, I will say I have left them in my trunk before.  That is becoming so infrequent it is almost never the case now.  Once, I did leave a clothing store and realize I never used the nicely folded Envirosax bag I had tucked into my purse.

It really is about getting your mind in the groove so it feels unnatural to take disposable bags.  As for grocer’s, in the rare event I forget my bags or do not bring in enough (my usual problem), I just load the cart back up (or my arms) and carry my goods that way until I get back to my car.  A cashier last week says he has more and more customers who do the same thing.  This act helps ingrain the habit and reminds me how good I feel in making this tiny decision, and knowing that I am not alone makes me even happier.

I apologize sincerely if I sound haughty about the issue.  I certainly am no green Saint, and I suppose my vigilance at the bag issue helps for the fact that I have several glaring gaps in my sustainability routine.  I just do not see age (he was kidding though), family size, or constantly forgetting you have your bags until the cashier’s already loaded it all in plastic as legitimate arguments for shrugging it off.

Judgy wudgy.

Perhaps I was actually most disheartened by the thought that many who purchase reusable bags only do so out of feeling the pressure of the “green guilt”.  If you buy something merely because peer pressure and enviro-guilt, of course you will have a hard time using it.  I can imagine each time you see them or pull the bags out, a little chunk of resentment hardens inside your gut.  Unfortunate.  That made me more sensitive to the rest of the article, I suppose.

On the contrary, as for the new mother who said she not only chooses to take the disposable plastic bags but grabs extras at the store too… well, I have no judgement on her.  I have no idea what having a child in diapers is like and wonder myself how much I will sacrifice for convenience if I am one day blessed with the joys and challenges of a new baby.

What do you think?  Are any of these solid arguments for not using bags?  Should the new mom think longer-term than to justify using plastic bags as well?  Do you have any suggestions for how to remember your bags while you shop?  Am I a green snob for knocking bag owners who rarely use their bags?

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

While I am happy to cheer on the company, I have to decline the opportunity to give them a ringing endorsement.  The bottles are generally $8.99 for a two ouncer.  They come in a large variety of colors, which excited me, but at a price that steep, I picked two standby colors (cherry red and black), one bottle of top coat, and one $8.99 bottle of SunCoat nail polish remover.  Ouch.  At $40 with tax, I hoped to praise the product and company.

Well, after one coat on my finger nails, this is how it looks:

Yuck.  Cheap nail polishes full of toxicity tends to be thin and streaky on the first coat also, so no biggie.  I applied a second coat.

Then I applied a third coat… and a fourth… and finally it dried without looking streaky. I finally applied the top coat.

Three hours later, I took a shower.  Every single nail was chipped around the edges.  Seriously?  And the paint on my toe nails had taken on a weird grey, soft quality, which eventually dried back normally.  WTW?

By evening, after typing a bit, cooking dinner, and doing my normal ins and outs of domestic living, several big nicks had appeared in my manicure.

Disappointed, I grabbed the SunCoat polish remover.  Instructions say to liberally coat your nails with it, let them soak for several minutes, then wipe off.

Talk about major disappointment.  Not only was the nail polish uneven and easily chipped, but the polish remover does nothing.  Literally nothing.  After soaking, I rubbed and rubbed.  I coated a rag with more remover and rubbed.  I scrubbed.  I soaked a q-tip in remover and scrubbed.  I scrubbed some more.  Finally a little started to come off.  I gave up and tried using regular old acetone-based nail polish remover.  Same difference.

Thoroughly disappointing product line.  The only part of the product line I like is how all the colors look in their bottles, lined up like a happy toxic-free rainbow on the store shelf.  Of course, even that is a disappointment because it ultimately teases you, giving you such hope of how you might love your nails in such sparkly wonderful colors.  My advice is do not fall for the whispers you will hear as the brilliant little bottles ask you to pick them… just like a cheap one-night stand, they’ll tell you whatever you want to hear until you commit to them, take them home, and realize it was all cheap talk.

Still on the prowl for a quality nail polish…

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

After watching Christina use her neti pot one night, I felt empowered enough to purchase one and give it a whirl myself.  I went to Earth Fare and decided I would only buy one if I could find one that was American made and not plastic, figuring I had given myself an easy out from getting one.  Instead, I found the Baraka brand, made of clay, adorable, lead-free, and made here in the States.

I gave my new neti pot a try and thought I was about to drown myself.  The feeling was very unnatural as I shoved the spout into a nostril and let water gush into my sinus cavity.  I kept with it though.

I could feel a difference within a few days, and within a week of using my new neti pot, I was elated with the lack of headaches, the easy breathing, the sneeze-free days…  Ahhhh….  I was hooked!

So I began using it every day, deciding that the shower was a great location… until it slipped from my hands and shattered.  I stood there, water flowing over me, in shock and unable to move, frowning, for a number of minutes before I realized I had to move on.  I felt devastated.

Like any good junkie, I ran out and got a new one… bought this one in a lovely cream color.  I will use the sweet blue pottery chunks for some sort of art project.

My sinuses and better, my earaches are rare, I can breathe, and I learned not to neti in the shower.  Over the bathroom sink gives far less room for a fall, plus, how environmentally friendly am I to take such a Hollywood shower anyhow, wasting water while clean out my head?

If you are interested in a neti pot, or have allergies, I highly recommend you make the dive.  Neti pots are fantastic.  As I say, “Neti pots:  It’s like a shower, inside your head.”  A few tips:

• When picking a neti pot, like with all purchases, think about what you want for your money.  USA-made was important to me, but the majority I have seen are not made domestically.  I wanted ceramic to avoid purchasing a non-recyclable plastic, but plastic is more durable in case you drop it or if you are traveling.  Plastic also weighs less for travels.  Lastly, you may want one with a handle for easy use.  Mine does not have one, which may be part of why I dropped it.
• Prices range from $10 on sale to $25 at Earth Fare and Whole Foods.  The $10 sale model was the right price point, and ceramic, but far less pretty and not American-made.  I decided to spend $19 for mine since I keep it on my counter (hence wanted something I found happy-looking) and it was made American.  Again, refer to the first bullet:  what do you want for your money.
• You have to add sea salt… I keep mine in a cute little jar by the sink.  Instructions say to use a heaping teaspoon.  Frankly, I realized I use closer to a tablespoon (not at all heaping)…  If you have too little salt, it really stings your sinuses.
• You want the water right at room temperature.  I thought really warm would be nice and dissolve the salt… actually water that warm was very uncomfortable… tepid water is perfect and flows with ease through my sinuses.
• After you use your neti pot, blow your nose really good.  All of the snot is gone, but if you forget to blow your nose to empty any water hiding in your head, the next time you bend over to pick something up, a river will fly right out of one of your nostrils without warning.  Trust me.
• Finally, I challenge you to a One-Week-Daily-Neti-Pot-Challenge!  When you buy one and try it, believe me, you will be annoyed and think “Why on Earth am I trying this?!”.  By day three, you feel like a pro at it though, and you start reaping the benefits of better breathing, clearer eyes, happy skin, and headaches and earaches be gone!

Now get out there and get neti-ing!

Sustainably yours,

Ashley Sue

I have written before out using Preserve razors and Terracycle toothbrushes, both of which are made by inspirational companies that use recycled plastic for their goods.  Cheers to corporate awareness of how they can work with consumers to make an impact.

While Marc and I camped last month in the Pisgah National Forest, however, we spent our first couple days also camping with Marc’s oldest brother and nephew.  In those couple days, paper plates and plastic Solo cups were the containers of choice.  I cringed the whole time… we had brought permanent cups for the trip, but dang if the disposable convenience mentality does not prevail among the masses.  :/

The good news was that once it was just Marc and me again, we did not use another disposable cup or plate.  Only our enamel-coated camp ware for us.  Still, I felt horrible.  Damage had been done.

Preserve makes a great “powered by leftovers” product line of colorful cups, plates, bowls, and utensils.  For some people, this may be a great summer purchase.  Stop by your local Earth Fare or Whole Foods, pick a couple vivid colors for your palette and just imagine sitting down with family and friends at a picnic table with these nifty, lightweight cups full of mojitos and plates loaded with cool, zingy potato salad and steaming, sweet cobbler… Then you carry it all inside and put load your dishwasher!  So easy, so eco!

Marc brought up his desire to inspire our family not to use those typical disposable cups and plates, but pointed out he believes the primary reason they use Solos is for the weight as well as convenience.  He said he thinks they get tossed between drinks because people forget to label their cups with their names for reuse… then they all get mixed up on the table.

Alas, Marc noticed these great multicolored aluminum tumblers!  Why are these so lovable for us?  Well, beside the fact a pack of six is a pack of six different colors for easy remembering, aluminum is lightweight for packing on trips.  Even better, when these get too dinged up to be usable anymore, aluminum can be recycled countless times.  If you accidentally leave your cup on the picnic table and a bear comes and tries to eat it, after he realizes he does not want the cup and spits it out, you can chunk it into your recycling bin!

When you plan your next family outing by the lake, in the backyard, or deep in the forest, maybe you as well will pick up Preserve tableware or some easy, inspired, lightweight enamel, aluminum, or steel products.

Sustainably yours,

Ashley Sue

At the beginning of next week, I should be posting a contest to win a $50 Earth Fare gift card! Yay! Who doesn’t adore Earth Fare’s delectable, healthy, conscientious grocer selection and body care?! I know I have been thrilled to familiarize myself with Earth Fare! So keep an eye out for that NEXT WEEK!

Until then, for today (Friday, 26 June 2009), you can print out this coupon to visit your local Earth Fare and receive a FREE PRE-MADE DELI SANDWICH! I personally am excited for the coupon, so feel free to bump into me at Earth Fare!

Also, I attended the third annual Mountain Green Conference at Warren Wilson College ~ and I have a true plethora of information to share. From sealing your thermal envelope of your house, reducing air leaks and drafts, greener automechanics, building science, owls, local foods, beekeeping, the groundbreaking historic measures of WWC, NASCAR, and some generally nifty (albeit common sense) knowledge, posts are coming!

Bonus: posts of my Pisgah National Forest retreat will be coming too!

Lastly, HUGELY, I will spend part of this weekend and next week doing a MASSIVE overhaul of this website layout.  I have a lot of issues with the functionality and aesthetics of this theme, so I will be designing a CSS to make it better suited for (g)g and my purposes.  So get excited about that ~ I am!  This is LONG overdue change!

Hoorah!

Cheers to you all ~
See you at Earth Fare today!

Sustainably yours,
Ashley Sue

The truth is she was hammered at the party where she says she witnessed me devour the piggy.  I know the party, I remember the instance, and others back me up:  she saw me eat a soy brat.  She refuses to believe it wasn’t pork, and made it quite obvious she gloats at the opportunity to rip me apart a little bit.  This explains why we had been long time acquaintances and not friends:  I had always felt she wanted chances to tear me down.

I hashed all my frustration out on my MySpace blog back then, but since then, I have a better grip on the situation.  After all, “friend” or not, my ultimate lesson is to remember I have no control over what other people choose to think or say about me.  I can only decide I know the truth and move on.

Why do I share this story?

Marc pointed out to me last night that I am a meat-pusher.  Though I will not eat it and witness for what going veg can do for you and how misunderstood the diet is, I apparently do not embrace that same wonderful philosophy when I feed others.

I recently returned to Raleigh to straddle the state as I seek my next career move.  After living solely in Asheville for several months with Marc living alone in our Raleigh apartment, we are finally under the same roof again.  Hence, I have been happily cooking dinner for Marc in the evenings.

Then, Marc pointed out he has eaten significantly more meat since I returned than he did for the period I was gone.

What?!

As he pointed out, when he fixes his own dinner, his concern was not to incorporate a meat.  His focus was always to create a healthy dinner.  A few nights a week, that would also include chicken or deer, but most nights it was a vegetable combo.

Ahhh… student in now teacher.

I had to realize that all my years of vegetarianism, and yet, I was afraid that he would not consider dinner a complete meal unless I added a meat to it.

Now, I know better.  So tonight, he ate salad, wild rice with a great herb seasoning, and quesadillas.

Think about what is important to you and what life you want your decisions to support.  Then, think about if you are living your life consistently.  The truth may surprise you.

Now you have a starting place to move forward… and forget what anyone else has to say about it!  You can NOT please everyone, so live to fully please yourself.  Then you draw people to you who appreciate that and do the same.

Sustainably yours ~ Ashley Sue

I’ve had this draft saved for over six months, but it took seeing Tiny Choices post on swapping razors to finish this up.

I’ll keep this easy… check out the Tiny Choices post.  Check out Allie’s post.  These two will be super comprehensive.

My vote?  I am a HUGE fan of Recycline’s Preserve razors.  My sister bought me a pack so we could get off our Gillette Sensor addiction.  I relate to Tiny Choices and her Gillette:

I have a Gillette Sensor lady’s razor and I dare say I’ve had it since the early 1990s – it’s been with me through high school and college, for sure, and ever since then. It’s served me well, and more so because it isn’t a disposable (the USEPA estimates that 2 billion disposable razors end up in landfills every year).

But Preserve has a great product, made of recycled plastic.  The double razor replacement heads can be a little rough, and you will notice the difference in quality if you had been using Gillette.  Spring and get the triple blade replacement heads.  You’ll totally dig them.

Or, just get really hairy when your razor is done, and save the water and waste.

Sustainably yours,

Ashley Sue Allen

According to this post, another recent Gallup Poll shows that the majority of Americans believe global warming threats are greatly exaggerated.  People ask me about this constantly.

A friend and mentor on Twitter pointed out that polls can be “useless” and “confusing”.  That is true.  The mere wording of a question can greatly alter how people respond to it.  The source also has to be considered because, as I have heard many times, anyone can find the result they want if they try.

I can easily see where Americans would feel that environmental issues need to be overlooked for now if it could mean saving our flailing economy.  Too many Americans are in daily survival mode.   Spending large amounts of money and time on more expensive alternative energies, organic foods, and other “green” endeavors seems unjustified to many.

If you couple the “economy v. environment” debate with the “is global warming a farce?” debate, you can truly see why people would choose economic stability initiatives at the sacrifice of environmental efforts.

These either/or arguments are short-sighted and highly deficient, however, and stem from a mix of media chaos and one-way thinking.  

Traditional news media love to propogate/slam global warming, economic fears, and right-wing/left-wing rhetoric.  If we stay afraid, if we pit against each other, if we only hear the extreme perspectives, we will cling to the news media for more information that confirms what we want confirmed.

Feeling that the economy can only be saved at the sacrifice of the environment or that the environment will only be saved at the sacrifice of a sound economy is simply a lack of knowledge regarding history and economics.

Whether you personally want economic stability, a healthy family, farmers who are paid well, a thriving city life and career, or a lush yard in the country, each of these comes down to environmental welfare.  

While moving into a “green” lifestyle or environmentally-minded decisions requires cost analysis and consideration, the forethought to know saving a dime right now can cost us exponentially in the near future is what will thrive in the new economy.  

Capitalism will reward careful thought and implementation of environmentalism in the economy.

So decide if you actually need to watch that extra half-hour of news media, consider the source of the information you receive, take a giant breath in, exhale, and know somehow, someway, we can all be OK, including our environment.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

What do these two companies have to offer?

Reynolds finally caught on to recycled foil.  For an Earth Day promotion, they gave away coupons for a free roll of their 100% recycled aluminum foil.  I am partly excited by this because I do think Reynolds foil is often better quality than many off-brand foils.  Plus, Aluminum, which can be recycled countless times, is a great way to practice your Rs.  When you finish with using foil, you can recycle it or reuse it yourself.  No matter what, make sure you clean off the foil.  Any foil with residual grease and oil cannot be used by recycling facilities, and you certainly do not want to reuse sticky foil.

Kerr Drug, which I never thought I would be giving thumbs-up, sent a “Naturally Kerr” flier in the mail this week.  Claiming to carry “over 3,000 natural and organic products for a healthy lifestyle”, I opened the paper and gave it a look.

Honestly, I was thrilled to see how many legit products they stock.  From organic groceries such as sugar, Late July brand crackers, FEED granola, JASON and Avalon Organics toiletries, natracare tampons and organic cotton pads, Seventh Generation products, Amy’s Organics, gluten-free foods, vegan foods, and even Pirate’s Booty snacks (I wonder if they carry Tings), Naturally Kerr by Kerr Drug is setting a standard for what a chain pharmacy/store can provide for their communities.  Who knows where this chain can go and where they are headed!

If you have not noticed, I rarely give chains a shout-out, so this post is a big deal for me.  Naturally Kerr, which is located at Harvest Plaza, 9650 Strickland Road, Suite 105, Raleigh, and 1124 Patton Ave. in Asheville, even had an Earth Day celebration today.  They gave away free reusable tote bags filled with natural and organic goodies.  The store also had drawings for a free mountain bike, as well as gift certificates to my absolute favorite Raleigh restaurant Irregardless Cafe and Flying Biscuit (never been).  I love the local aspect of this.

So, Kerr and Reynolds, cheers.  Keep up the amazing progress and set even higher standards.  Ready, set, go!

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

You could certainly say I am drinking the Van Jones kool-aid.  After all, he’s beautiful, he’s a humanitarian, he’s intelligent, he’s positive, he’s insistent.  Why would I fight that?

Truly, take a few minutes to fall captive to the video on urban renewal and environmental progress for a new world.

And take a minute to smile.  Take a deep, rejuvenating breath, exhale, and smile.

Happy Earth Day!

Sustainably yours ~ Ashley Sue

It is not that I am particularly loyal to a particular brand or that I am a label-snob ~ especially not regarding my cotton-swab provider.  I have noticed, however, that as wasteful as these swabs are, paying attention to one tiny detail makes a teeny difference to the environment:

Buy cotton swabs that are not made of plastic.  I know my method of ear-cleaning is wasteful regardless, but I feel better knowing that my all paper-and-cotton swab can eventually break down.  Swabs made with pretty plastic rods will never disintegrate in nature.  I was reminded of this upon seeing one on the sidewalk.

Also, you could purchase organic cotton swabs.  Or check out this link for creative reuses for your swabs, even post earwaxed.

Or ultimately you can clean your ears without swabs, either for the environment or to avoid death by swab, by pouring a bit of hydrogen peroxide in your ear, letting it sit a few minutes, then rinsing out.

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

Sunday, 17 May 2009, the Hren’s invite you to an OPEN HOUSE from 10am-4pm.  From edible landscaping from their housemates of Bountiful Backyards to their exciting renewable energy installations, you are guaranteed to walk away with fun, creative ideas on how you can save both the planet and your wallet!

What? You are questioning how legit these cats are and why you want to spend your Saturday at their house?  Simply check out all of the media coverage of the Hren’s book and lifestyle (including a full-hour radio interview on The State of Things, magazine coverage in Ode and Preservation magazines, and more).

Other sustainable ideas while in Durham:

Durham Farmers Market

Durham Central Market Coop Grocer

Guglhupf (a personal FAV locally-owned restaurant and bakery)

Eno River (BEAUTIFUL walking along the river)

…Waft the Eno, too! Boo on DPR… But Tree Camp is great too!

Make the trip, enjoy Durham, learn how to help the environment (and your wallet)!

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

230 W. Trinity Ave., Durham, NC 27701, corner of Trinity Ave. and North St., just north of downtown.

http://www.thecarbonfreehome.com/?q=node/31

The Scientific American wrote a great article in their March 2009 issue on what they consider to be the 10 sustainability myths of current times.  As author Michael D. Lemonick points out, even the movement’s advocates harbor misunderstandings of what “sustainable” is.

My favorites are #2 (that sustainability is all about the natural environment) and #4 (that “sustainability” and “green” are interchangeable).  Numbers 8, 9, and 10 are really great too, but if you want to check out the myths regarding population, government, and others, you need to read the article.

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

A little financially strapped, I knew the day was beautiful, my friend is amazing, so I was happy to walk up and buy a coffee and cookie to support this local company.

I carted the coffee away in a disposable cup, having left my own travel mug at home and not knowing I might be stopping somewhere for coffee that day.

When we returned to the office, I realized my disposable cup, which looked like it was a heavy paperboard material, was actually styrofoam covered in a thin sheet of paper-looking veneer.  What?  Why would a company buy cups that seem like such an obvious “lesser of an evil” greenwash?  Styrofoam, as I see it, is evil!

Just as I start to ridicule this local company for purchasing these cups, my two colleagues pointed out that the economy is difficult.  Small businesses have to make some tough decisions right now in hopes of staying open.  We do not know what financial decisions had to determine such purchases such as that cup.  We are in no place to judge them.

One colleague took it further and said the government has to be the one to ban styrofoam use, as these changes happen from the top down (I disagree with that, but to each, their own).

I felt a little bit of a sting, but instead of taking it personally, I knew they had a point.

I have noticed the economy is tough.  I know independently-owned restaurants usually have a harder time than any other business.  Even with the unfortunate to-go cups, this company is still a local treasure in so many ways.

Ultimately, I can only be mad at myself ~ I have a travel mug, and I failed to bring it.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

Environmentalists are blamed by some for hating.  A lot.

Seriously, Google “Environmentalists hate”, which I did to see what kinds of words would pop up.  ”Solar”, “Grass”,  ”America”, “blacks”, “minorities”, “the poor”, and “humans” all make the list of who and what environmentalists seek to destroy.

Googling “anti-green” yielded interesting results, too.  As it turns out, a slew of webpages devoted either  to railing the environmental movement due to people feeling annoyed by “greenie” superiority complexes or to proving the environmental movement theories as we know it to be wrong.  A couple were just humor blogs… and some, I frankly could not tell how serious they were.  Just look here, here, here and here for a few examples of these sites.

My biggest issue, however, are those that are sustainability and conservation-minded basing each other.  The ends do not justify the means for many, and the semantics over how to achieve a healthy ecosystem create confusion, misunderstandings, and blatant failure of communication.

After all, when is the last time you heard a “vegetarian” speak nicely of a “hunter”, or vice versa?

I attended the Dixie Deer Classic ~ a hunting type of convention at the N.C. State Fairgrounds in Raleigh a couple weekends ago.  I brought a video camera because I wanted to ask some hunters to share their visions of conservation and environmentalism for my blog.

I realized, however, being approached by a vegetarian “greenie” with a video camera may be a little threatening and questionable.  So instead, I simply opted for conversation.

As it turns out, I spoke at great length with the Wake County Wildlife Club, and learned a lot.  I will be sharing, shortly, more regarding that conversation, some of the inspirations I gained from that weekend, and questions that arose for me.

Thus, I bring you a Green Grounded featurette ~ “Face of Sustainability”.  Starting this week, I will occasionally chronicle one person, one every day normal person, who in lengths great, small, or controversial, are environmentalists.

I look forward to bringing you this segment, and if you are in the Asheville or Raleigh area and would like to share your views, feel free to contact me.

Until then…

Sustainably yours,

Ashley Sue

Go ahead, my fellow vegetarians and vegans.  I submit to your judgements, your ridicule, and your loathing.  I am somewhat still punishing myself with those tactics.

I have not purchased a single leather item, not in any capacity, since I gave up all oxygen-breathing animals in 1996.  My shoes, my belts, my purses… all have been vinyl for over a decade.

All glossy and kitsch, and often in such bright, kicky colors and styles, vinyl became my favorite accessory.

I never have bought a new purse, always preferring a second-hand vintage vinyl bag or clutch in contrast to the newest styles made of virgin materials and made in China.

My shoes and belts, however, were always new, shiny, and vinyl.  My first vinyl shoes were a pair of black vinyl Chucks (aka Converse), circa 1996.  My dad disapproved of the $60 or so my mom gave me to buy a pair of tennis shoes he feared would crack and peel within the first three wears.

Those Chucks lasted two years of constant wear.  I was the girl who wore my Chucks with just about everything except my cheerleading uniform.  From that point forward, I dedicated myself to “all man-made materials” shoes.

Hiking boots, tennis shoes, and outdoor sandals have not been a problem.  The REI-brand hiking boots are excellent, and my Keen shoes are wonderful.  Unfortunately, high heels have been a constant battle.  My first three pairs of high heels were all comfortable and solidly-built of synthetic materials.  I felt unstoppable in my quest for cute fake-leather shoes.

Then, a couple years ago, my size 10 boats feet became size 11.  Suddenly, finding any heels that were both comfortable and cute was a chore.  Worse, even ballet flats and tennis shoes were insanely painful.  Those plastic shoes I had worn for a decade just would not flex and stretch with the needs of my feet.

Last summer, after a year of meditating on the complexities of the issue and trying on hundreds of pairs of shoes, I gave up and decided to try on leather shoes as well.  The last pair of leather shoes I had owned was my Adidas soccer cleats in 1996, supple and sleek, made of kangaroo skin.

To be fair, many leather shoes also do not fit properly.  I do not know if that is more an indication of the further unrealistic expectations of the fashion industry, the cheap design, quality, and construction of most shoes, or my odd, barely-arched size 11 feet.  Whatever the case, I was thrilled just to have a few more options to try.

Since then, I have purchased a pair of leather flats that do not try to rub off my pinky-toe, and two pairs of four-inch heels that make me feel like a stock-broker and 50s housewife simultaneously.  And I barely look back to regret those purchases, as what good would that accomplish?

I do not feel great about these purchases.  Each of my dollars say something, and I believe each dollar I spend tells a company that I support animals being hung alive and having their skins removed while they writhe and scream out in pain.  This is not a practice I like to advocate, but it is very much a reality of the byproduct market of the factory-farming industry.  As far as I am concerned, a vegetarian that wears leather can sugar-coat it and turn the argument any direction they wish in order to sleep better at night, but the reality remains the same.

I also, however, have to weigh out my options with the fact that my feet need to be treated with respect too.  If I spend hours a day abusing my feet, they will cripple in time, and I will suffer the resulting self-inflicted handicap and debilitation.

Until I find the “right” answer, I will consider every option, simply make the best decision I can, and attempt to forgive myself for whatever sacrifice I have made.

Last year, I will admit, I did not.  I forgot about it.  Until the next day. 

Wah wah wah.

But loads of others got involved, including Google!

This year, the list of people involved is only growing, as awareness of Earth Hour and its purpose spreads.  Even our favorite green dog, Johann, wrote a fantastic post on Earth Hour and the WWF.  The posters this year (there are three) are Shepard Fairey originals (the guy who brought us the Obama poster, in case you are not familiar).

Really funny, two of my favorite celebrities (Janeane Garofalo and Alanis Morissette) have promoted Earth Hour 2009 through hilarious videos.  Please take the minute and a half to watch them! Heeaha

This year, I vow to get turned off.  How?  What will I do?

I will turn my lights out.  I will also not be using anything requiring battery power.  That is just energy I will be making up for later when I recharge those batteries or replace them.

A Saturday night, from 830-930 pm.  No power.

No going to a local bar.  That’s cheating.

Candles.  Some yummy food.  Maybe easy, raw meal (no power for having cooked it).  Or maybe just something precooked and yummy leftover.  Maybe I will not be with Marc.  I will be alone.  Maybe reading.  Maybe drawing.  Maybe playing board games with my sister and my bro-in-law.  Maybe I will be with Marc… in which case, I am sure we can find ways to stay entertained in the dark for at least an hour.

You could have a game of backyard hide-and-seek by moonlight.  You could get a glow-in-the-dark golf ball and practice your swing on the local course (probably not a great idea, actually, trespassing and all).  Get a glow-in-the-dark Frisbee and play outside.  Go sit by a river and listen to the water with someone you enjoy.  Opportunities abound!

How will you spend Earth Hour?

How will Alanis Morissette spend Earth Hour?

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

PS.  If you want to take your Earth Hour to the next level, take the Earth Hour to Earth Day challenge as mentioned on the Fun Times Guide to Living Green!

According to two great posts by Allie at Allie’s Answers, using cloth diapers and cloth toilet-product (think: wiping your booty with flannel instead of TP and washing it later) actually leaves a LARGER carbon footprint than using disposables.

WHAT?!  We all assume cloth diapers are better for the environment than disposable diapers.  Luckily for us, Allie reminds us of a couple brands that make disposable diapers less toxic — for both our children and our Earth.

Something for you parents to consider… read what Allie found out.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

Then, however, Jo commented regarding a Costco proposal for New Brunswick.  The Costco in question could be destroying wetlands in order to bring forth their mega-store.  Many residents are rallying to defeat the giant from entering their community.  On the other side, some citizens support the expansion.  From the previously linked articles to a Facebook group regarding the controversy, comments show support both for and against Costco.  Philip Lee is chronicling the advances and debate within the community (like here, here and here).  The comments section from the Daily Gleaner article chronicles those that simply hate Costco, those that blindly love it, and those that think it will be good for their community, but not at that location.  Anywhich way, this is certainly of major concern for environmentalists.

It is hard to label a company as leading corporate America in sustainability if they build a gasoline bar in a wetlands lot.  On the contrary, perhaps that is a sign of corporate America… not perfect, but progressing.

Turns out, Costco alone seems to deserve a thorough look-over on Green Grounded.

To be fair, I am starting with support of Costco because I feel like positive is the natural start in a compare and contrast.  Maybe that is just me, but I am not apologizing for it.

The Good of Costco (through my perspective):

~ Rwanda’s President recently thanked Starbucks for using Rwandan coffee and boosting the farm community there.  Starbucks became involved with Rwandan coffee farms upon suggestion and coordination from Costco’s CEO Jim Sinegal.

~ Costco is a big fan of solar energy, both using and selling.

~ Costco CEO Jim Sinegal works to put transparency in his company.  Huge.  Pays their employees well with great benefits. Some stakeholders aren’t impressed.  Yet, Costco, unlike one of their major competitors, is known for taking good care of their staff, even encouraging “van pools” to reduce gas use and price-effect for employees.

~ Though most produce and florals are not local, many are still supporting great environmental causes.

~ Costco takes your unwanted electronics, and even pays for some, for recycling.

~ My personal joys:  they have many biodegradable soaps and products from great Triple-Bottom Line companies, they carry a large variety of hormone-and-antibiotic-free meats for Marc, they have organic juices and fairtrade chocolates I can get for gifts or for our home, and, yes, I like things being cheaper there… meaning…

~ Many people in the lower-rung of the middle-class are upon very difficult times.  People are out of jobs, people who have jobs are taking pay and benefit cuts, yet we still have to pay all of our bills and buy groceries and buy gas to get to work.  These are real issues, right now, for a growing sector of our society.

Now with the bad of Costco:

~ Mega-box chains do perpetuate suburban sprawl.  Lots of people still do not mind sprawl, but it is inherently bad for a community.  The chain is always more concerned with making money than protecting that individual community, meaning location choice can be quite damaging.  Such as with the Fredericton, New Brunswick case.

~ For every item Costco sells that is eco-friendly and sustainably-oriented, they also continue to sell “a totally unnecessary product with extraordinarily bad consequences”, such as air-in-a-can convenience office-cleaning product.

~ As with today’s greenwashing trends, Costco, like many other retailers, does carry some products that market themselves as “green” but are highly skeptic, if not disproved, by the environmental community.

~ Costco carries plastic bottled water.  I get it, people like their plastic-bottled water.  Regardless, it bites.

~ Costco carries a large number of “individually packaged” products.  Drinks bottles, cheezy poofella pouches, etc. for easy lunch-box packing or for mass crowds.  These items have their use, but that does not make them environmentally sound.

~ Even buying a major national pharmaceutical product there (like we do ~ as it is much cheaper) hurts a local business owner who you could be buying from.

Costco shopping round up:

Buying from the local coop, or even the local Earthfare / Wholefoods just is not a realistic option for many Americans right now.  I blew through money buying local organic fairtrade in 2008.  Some of those products came from Costco.  Now, Marc and I are really having to decide where and what we can buy.  Basically, we are having to decide on a case-by-case basis, every day, what our priorities are in accordance to what we can afford.  That is unfortunate and true.

I am not advocating throwing one’s hands up at spending more for local / organic / fairtrade, but we each have to find the balance we (individually) can afford with the reality of today.

Today, I heard a coworker saying he does not support Wholefoods because they carry produce from Chile.  While that environmentally is a valid energy concern, I feel we cannot hang Wholefoods’ Chilean produce as hypocritical to the green movement if we consumers are drinking coffee or tea in our daily routine.  Or consuming chocolate.  Those products are grown down the road.

I argue the answer lies in finding the balance.

If you can afford to buy only local / organic / fairtrade, kudos.  Further, advocating conscientious buying habits amidst your peers is always Rockstar.  Questioning corporations and demanding transparency, promoting progressive goals, and striving for triple bottom line standards is necessary.

Whether or not you can afford to buy only local /organic / fairtrade, considering our fellow humans, both those working on farms, and those living two blocks over, is the most important part of community.  My organic coffee helps workers not be exposed to poisons and gives them a decent wage to live on.  The fact that my in-laws (both jobless due to unavoidable circumstances) cannot afford to indulge in such things as $10 lb. coffee is also something I refuse to hold against them.  I do what I can, and they do what they can. 

…and what I “can do” is becoming increasingly less during this time of my life.

I, for one, will continue my Costco love/hate membership for a third year.

I will do my best with what they offer and what I can afford to buy elsewhere.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

I moved from Raleigh, NC recently, to Asheville, NC (well… I’m trying to make the move, which requires finding the right job in WNC).  Raleigh is a glossy land of commercialism and capital, where chain stores and big-box rule the land.  

The Asheville Kingdom, on the contrary, is comprised of what feels like thousands of locally-owned independent stores to fill all our needs and whimsy.  From wigs to chocolates to fuels to clothing, lest us not forget the plethora of ethereal culinary delights, Asheville is ruled by the individual.  Chains are relegated to the outskirts of town and rarely do Ashevilleans patron such stores.

The truth is, however, I miss Costco.  I do not miss any other chains, at all, but Costco.  The giant mega-store mentality that Asheville rails against happens to be a great location for me to pick up affordable storage-quantity items like biodegradable dish soaps, and five pound bags of chicken for Marc.

Where’s the balance?  I’m sure I’ll write deeper on this topic shortly, but I wanted to through out here that Costco, as corporate and impersonal as they are, also leads in pushing “green” items into mainstream at prices that the everyday man can afford.  By the way, Asheville has plenty of people struggling to get by… further complicating the notion of what a community really needs to be supported.

*coming posts (working titles):  

When Independently-Owned Sells China

Is Cheap and Green Better Than No Green At All?

Series: Face of Sustainability

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

With an economy and media that are spinning fear in every direction as to what tomorrow will hold, I hope that this is a part of the “Change We Can Believe In” and “Hope”  I voted.

If you don’t know who Van Jones is, check out Green For All, as well as these links (here, here, and here) for some info.  Plus, you can hear an interview with Van Jones in Yes! Magazine here.

Or, you can simply visit Van Jones’ personal website.

Cheers to a better tomorrow than today,

Sustainably yours,

Ashley Sue

The story goes, by heading over to yellowpagesgoesgreen.org, you can opt out of receiving the Yellow Pages at your doorstep.  I wrote about this a while back (and here too), and immediately signed up.

Imagine my disappointment when Marc and I walked up our stairs this weekend to find a plastic bag with The Real Yellow Pages sitting on our doormat.  So much for accuracy in the going green campaign.

I revisited the YellowPagesGoesGreen.org website to see what I could find out.  As it turns out, this page isn’t sponsored, operated, managed, or even affiliated with The Real Yellow Pages at all.  This site was created by a Missouri student, overwhelmed by his and his neighbors own piles of unsolicited phonebooks, who decided to create a site to educate the general public about the need to tell publishers to stop sending them.

Just above the fold of the page, the website says “OPT OUT and Stop the Delivery of Unsolicited Telephone Books” and below that, “We Will Notify the Publishers to Stop Sending Books”.

How exactly they “notify” the publishers, I cannot tell you.  That, actually, is explained as that the website group will send a list of names of people who do not want to receive the phone books anymore.

Really, however, the telephone book companies rely on printing massive amounts in order to ask advertisers to spend what they do on a paper ad.  ”Our telephone books reach X amount of households annually” sounds much better when pitching to get ad money than “well, we print a ton of books, most of which end up in dumpsters”.

So, if you go to YellowPagesGoesGreen.org, realize you are not ACTUALLY opting-out of anything, but think of it more as signing a petition that says you support an uncluttered, untrashed doorstep at your home.

Sustainably yours,

Ashley Sue

Rethink what to do when you run out of toothpaste.

Better toothpaste habits, of course, start with which toothpaste you buy.

I have used Colgate Total for years because, frankly, it is the only toothpaste I had ever used that made my teeth feel beautifully clean.  In seeking an animal-cruelty-free toothpaste over the years, I have dabbled with purchasing a major-label natural brand toothpaste, but felt my teeth were dirty after using it.  At least Colgate made my smile feel pretty and clean!  So I threw the natural brand away, and disgusted with that experience and the price of other more natural brands, stuck with my standby.

Years ago, however, I got a tiny free sample of JASON seasalt toothpaste.  While I was running out of Colgate and fretting over replacing it, I remembered that sample tube and how much I liked it.  The taste was refreshing without being artificial.  My teeth felt dazzling.  It was great, just more expensive than my Costco three-jumbo-sized-tubes-for-six-dollars Colgate.

As I have preached before, every dollar you spend of your hard-earned money sends a message of what is important to you.  Consequently, I sucked it up, drove to my health store, which, during the move, turned from Wholefoods to Earthfare, and bought a substantial tube of the JASON sea salt toothpaste.  Six dollars.

I feel great about the purchase though.  My teeth are sparkling and smooth, the essential oils in the toothpaste leave my mouth minty-chilled, the product is cruelty-free, and I have fewer scary ingredients entering my body.

When I run out again, I am going to consider a new approach:  making my own toothpaste.  An Asheville friend, JuneAllison, tweeted me her recipe after I posted on twitter how much I liked my seasalt toothpaste.

Making your own toothpaste, simple and quick, not only allows you to know exactly what you are cleaning your teeth, tongue, and gums with, but it also ends your reliance on those pesky tubes that have no where to live except for in the ground for all eternity.  

Here’s the recipe, so if you run out of toothpaste before I do, feel free to make it and let me know what you think.

2 parts baking soda to 1 part salt. we typically add a crushed vitamin C and a few drops of goldenseal tincture.

Sounds easy, right?!

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue Allen

If you do not know what Twitter or Twestival is or how important Charity: Water is, check out my previous post here.

Also, however, I found a GREAT post today on The Good Human regarding the greenwash known as “Fiji” bottled water.  All bottled water is, as far as I am concerned, evil.  To present your bottled water company, however, in a masquerade of “every drop is green”, you better be able to deliver.  As we find out, “Fiji” water may be the most atrocious of bottled-water companies.  The Good Human says

So when they say that “Every drop is green”, nothing could be further from the truth. To their credit, they are doing several things to try to be more environmentally friendly, but marketing water sold in a plastic bottle as “green” is definitely not one of them. Add in the fact that a study by the Environmental Working Group found that bottled water had the same amount or more of chemical contaminants than tap water does, and you can really see the greenwashing in full effect. I wish bottled water companies would just come out and say

The Good Human has other posts regarding bottled water from 3000 B.C., 12 Reasons to ditch bottled water and bottled water with medications, fertilizer and disinfectants.  Great reads.

Sustainably yours,

Ashley Sue

Supporting local establishments, in your own community, is the best way to weather these economic times.  By buying local, you support local business owners, who can then employ local residents.  If these businesses are not supported, people lose their jobs. 

Buying local gives you a say in their business practices.  Most of my favorite eateries in Asheville use organic ingredients, many of which are from local WNC farms, fair trade coffees, and even carry art from local creative minds.  Beautiful settings, locals with jobs they enjoy, family farm being supported, and tasty foods?  What is NOT to love about buying local?

And for tonight, by eating at one of the locations, you help prevent more animals from roaming the streets, from adding to the pet population, from being euthanized here in our municipalities.  When our cities have to spend their government money on housing an overwhelming amount of homeless and stray animals, money is taken away from other local government funding, such as for conservation efforts.  Then, many of the animals are never adopted… and with only so much space for caging these sweet creatures, many are euthanized with toxins, gas, etc. every week, just to keep them moving.

Do us all a favor:  If you live in WNC, spend your Fat Tuesday eating somewhere great and locally-owned… and know that a bit of your money is going to a fantastic cause.  You’ve got great options, including:

Bone-a-Fide Bakery

Cats & Dawgs

Doc Chey’s Noodle House

Filo

Laughing Seed Cafe

Perk’s Coffee Shop & Deli

Pomodoros

Scratch

Sunny Point Cafe (an absolute FAV of mine)

Thai Basil

Urban Burrito

West End Bakery and Cafe

12 Bones Smokehouse (WILDLY popular)

Sustainably yours,

Ashley Sue Allen

• one vintage fabric clutch purse (made in the fabric of your choice!)
• plus one vintage fabric wallet / business card holder/ gadget home (made in the fabric of your choice!)
• plus one set of 3 fun blue vintage floral fabric magnets
• plus 2 iron-on fabric birdies (made in the fabric of your choice!)
• plus 1 pretty vintage dark turquiose blue fabric eco.brooch
• plus a few more little rikrak goodies, too!

PLUS, they have a Rockin’ sale going down to celebrate as well!  Etsy and RikRak have all kinds of great, unique, handmade goods, and that is part of what eco-friendliness is ALL about!

Check it out and enter PRONTO!

Get everything you can out of the toilettries you buy prepackaged.

Instead of always buying travel-sized toilettries for your convenience, just get a couple (preferrably ones you already have), and always refill them with the goods from your regular-sized shampoo, conditioner, lotion, face soap bottles.  Reusing those is better than constantly throwing tiny bottles in the recycling bin (or worse – gasp! – trash!!).  A big no-brainer that’s easy to overlook.  Just remember to write what’s in each bottle with a sharpie so you don’t forget which is shampoo and which is facial soap!

And toothpaste, for instance.  In fact, After seeing how long I fought with a flattened out tube of Colgate Total toothpaste last month, this article topic came to me.  Despising that when I finish using a tube of toothpaste that a chunk of aluminum and plastic ends up in a landfill, I was able to continue covering my toothbrush head with minty-fresh paste for two solid weeks AFTER the tube seemed empty.

Just use a little ol’ fashioned “elbow-grease”, and a credit card, smoothing all of the remaining paste from the end of the tube to the tip.  Then, clip the tube and be careful when filling your toothbrush not to distribute the paste back into the tube again.  Voila!

Conserving my toothpaste saved me a morsel more of money, and in this economy, any money savers are welcomed.  Further, I put off adding to the trash a bit longer.

If you want to go a step further, I have read that some people actually cut open the tube and use their brush to get every last smear of paste for use!

I also did this with a tube of chapstick I had.  When I was so close to running out that the dial on the bottom couldn’t push the gloss high enough to actually apply to my lips, I would use my pinky to scoop out a little and apply it myself.  I did this for over a week until I had scooped that little plastic cylinder clean.

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

BUT if you do, Green Pepper has a whole wonderful giant, organized list of links you can use to find the right flowers, chocolates, gifts, etc.  Green Pepper is UK-based, and to do green right, try to take these options and make it happen with your LOCAL shops, farmers, etc.  At the very least, you will certainly be able to wrap your head around some ideas of what a “Green Valentine’s Day” can be.

Also, feel free to check out my video, posted last year.

My favorite gestures of love (from a gift perspective): antique, second-hand, or fair-trade jewelry.  Forget the mass-market mall jewelry lines.  Get something unique and beautiful with a story and no cruelty, like the jewelry at my new favorite Asheville store Elementality.

No matter how you celebrate or who you celebrate VDay with,

Love love love.

Sustainably yours,

Ashley Sue

Pledge a donation for Charity: Water and BUY YOUR AVL Twestival tickets here!

Amazing friends.  Amazing food.  Amazing music.  Amazing sponsors.  Amazing beer (thanks Bruisin Ales!). 

AMAZING CAUSE.

See you Thursday night!

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

Could we actually be helping save rainforest by piddling energy into an application that is likely working to soak up marketing information about each of us?  Or is this yet another greenwash?

According to the “Lil Green Patch” FAQ section:

The developers of (Lil) Green Patch are using sponsorship revenue from advertisers to make donations to the Nature Conservancy’s Adopt an Acre program. Adopt an Acre is a program that provides critical funds for rainforest protection and restoration. You can visit the following site to learn more about this program: 

       http://www.nature.org/joinanddonate/adoptanacre/about/

So, somehow, someway, supposedly, advertisers are paying the Nature Conservancy for the ability to surf through our Facebook page via our Lil Green Patch.  I guess that is better than surfing the web with no gain.

Soulseeking talks about Lil Green Patch’s racial discrimination and Facebook’s social contributions, which I had to admit, is more in depth than I bothered to think (white man’s burden: ignorance to the obvious preferential treatment).  Blogger Chris Holt covers the application from the gamer’s perspective (and the “manly gardener” perspective too)… which I would have never thought of Lil Green Patch as gaming… shows how much “gaming” I do.

Ultimately, I don’t know.  I guess it is a waste of a few minutes a week, but I figure if I am going to waste three more minutes on Facebook, it is nice to think it goes to help something worthy.

If you are interested in other potentially altruistic Facebook applications, Treehugger covers your Greening the World, one Facebook account at a time needs.

Sustainably yours,

Ashley Sue

We love it.  We squander it.  We are at its mercy through floods and droughts.

Charity: Water is always working to build wells in developing nations for clean drinking for those citizens.  This is something we take for granted, as some nations have people drinking out of the same water that they must bathe, clean clothing and dishes in, and animals constantly deficate in.  

We are blessed not to battle these water issues.  Granted we have other ones… mercury, antibiotics, etc, but that’s a different conversation.

How can you help Charity: Water?

THIS THURSDAY, 12 FEBRUARY 2009, Twitter groups across the globe are holding local Twestivals.  North Carolina alone has FIVE Twestivals happening Thursday night.  I personally have ties with the Asheville Twestival and Triangle Twestival.

Rock Out in Asheville on Thursday night, 6-11 pm.

12 February 2009, 18:00, Windows on the Park, 1N. Pack Square, Asheville, North Carolina, 28801

Check out the video to find out about Twestival 2009, and see why I feel incredible to be a part of the Asheville community!

While you’re at it, Ashevilleans, make sure you are following @avltwestival @h0zae @itswendylou @topfloorstudio @juneallison @orbiting_chaaa @wumedia

Expect AWESOME fun, such as silent auction with fantastic goods, music, local food, Bruisin Ales beer for $1 a cup, new friends, and more!  Announcements are to come.

Also, if you aren’t of the Asheville area, you can check out where your own local Twestival is.  I just about guarantee you have one near you!

Sustainably yours,

Ashley Sue

In fact, if you are lucky enough to be hosting your own shindig, and you are curious in this short notice how to make your party have more splash with your friends but less impact with the environment, I have rounded up some great links to check out for your pursuit:

Lighter Footstep advises you on grilling (oh, tasty!). 

Green Diva Mom writer shares a full-out healthy menu plan.

Trey of Earth911 has got the eight best tips, from menu, to toilets, to gambling, and souvenirs.

Last year, I posted these tips on buying bulk, beer, and links I liked.

The NFL consistently works to progress their sustainability initiatives and reduce their environmental impact.  The NFL as an organization and the Tampa Bay Super Bowl are only a small part of the picture:  we fans are accountable for our impact, and it adds up.

We are not pushing to provide only organic, fair-trade, and locally-grown foods, or to use solar power to fuel your party, because as great as those choices are, many of us and our friends are just “getting our feet wet” with being more environmentally-friendly (if they care at all).  So do what you can, and be proud of that.

So, in whatever effort you can, make that difference, and go have fun!  

Sustainably Steelers,

Ashley Sue

Sean, a new friend, brought up something about Michelin determining nine new initiatives for the company and that six of them focus on sustainability.  According to the conversation, the spokesperson was asked to define what sustainability meant to the company, and the answer was something along the lines of being able to continue manufacturing the best tires on the road, to provide continued work to their employees, etc.

I realized how, skeptics that we are, such an answer often provokes sneers and jeers from environmentalists.  Likewise, for skeptics of environmentalism, such an answer is used as fuel to argue what a joke “sustainability” is.

“Ha!  They’ve defined it themselves.  Their ’sustainability’ has nothing to do with the environment and is all about their bottom line!  Both ’sustainability’ and corporate America are a joke!” both sides say.

To you, I cheerfully say, WAKE UP!  Welcome to the triple bottom line, and realize that measures toward social, environmental, and financial progress is the ultimate answer to our societal and economic ails.

Simply put, I do not believe “sustainability” can be singularly defined.  Honestly, any corporate entity must look at more than their “environmental impact” in deciding the “right” way to conduct business.  

Taking care of employees is vital to corporate and personal sustainability.  This includes affordable health care.  Reasonable pay for work rendered.  Cutting outrages bonuses from execs when times get tough for the nation.  These tactics keep the business afloat (hopefully) during recessions and shows employees gratitude for their hard work by rewarding them with the promise of health to their families.

Environmentally, in many ways, making your building more energy efficient and initiating gas-conservation tactics for your fleet help the environment.  Sometimes, those initiatives cost more initially, but will dramatically reduce expenses in the long term.  Thus, what is “right” for the environment is also “right” for the company bank account.  

 We would love to think companies are thinking more altruistically in these times, but honestly, UPS didn’t “Go Green” purely so that Indian will stop crying.  They knew they would save money, and the goodwill from the citizens that their efforts earned give them PR that no money can buy.  Genius.

If that turns you off from UPS and other companies making “greener” efforts, think again.  Regardless of their motives, consider how much of a difference UPS makes alone on airline emissions:

With almost 600 jets, the Atlanta company ranks as one of the biggest airlines in the world. As part of its environmental effort to curb emissions, UPS is looking to cut down on the amount of fuel its planes consume by reducing the amount of time jets spend idling on the tarmac before they take off, UPS chief information officer David Barnes tells the Business Technology Blog.

That doesn’t even take into account their ground fleet of hybrids, efficient routing, paperless invoices, etc.  Kudos to them!  I do not ask why they chose these efforts.  I applaud their commitment to progress and reevaluation.

I may not agree with many practices of Walmart, but I have even stopped touting them as the Anti-Christ because of their continued efforts to be more environmentally sound.  Now, if they would focus on the social aspect of the Triple Bottom Line… but I digress.

After Sean got me thinking about our terminology and what a joke it is, I still have to say, I feel more optimistic and empowered than ever.  Whether these companies have progressive, conscientious CEOs, or whether they feel the heat of consumer demands and expectations, or even if these companies are looking for the best ways to save money without resorting to sweatshops and toxic materials, more companies are growing sustainably every day.

And I will continue to applaud them.  Vocally, but more importantly, with my money.  Believe me, they hear money louder than any other tactic.  If you buy, they keep working on goals they already have.  If the money starts to dry up, they rethink what they do.

When I need new tires, you can count on the fact I’ll be looking toward Michelin for mine.  And if those two articles don’t convince you to do the same, maybe this one will.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

We need off to ween ourselves from the drying teat providing us with oil.  Several months ago when prices of gas where $5 a gallon, Americans desperately yearned to end our addiction to oil.  A little complacency set in with gas once again hitting $2 or less a gallon, but prices will inevitably rise again, and soon.  So until we have fantastic solar-powered cars of the future, and our homes are heated in renewably-resourced ways, what are the answers in the interim?

During election season, “clean coal” was a major buzzword among democrats arguing its superiority against domestic offshore oil drilling.  And I bought it.  Again, until solar, wind, hydrogen, etc. are more accessible and affordable, we must look for answers in the interim.  Those answers may not be perfect, but if they are progress away from the current standards and toward those “loftier” alternative energies, I say cheers!  And if Obama and team say coal can be made a cleaner resource, I’m sure it can be, right?

A while back, The Washington Post wrote regarding the dirty and deadly truth on “clean coal”.a  The article focuses on mining and what it does to the workers and communities involved, including the Appalachian communities that have

“become the poster child for strip mining’s worst depravations, which come in the form of mountaintop removal. An estimated 750,000 to 1 million acres of hardwood forests, a thousand miles of waterways and more than 470 mountains and their surrounding communities — an area the size of Delaware – have been erased from the southeastern mountain range in the last two decades. Thousands of tons of explosives — the equivalent of several Hiroshima atomic bombs — are set off in Appalachian communities every year. ”.  

Green Pepper’s piece on Give Coal the Boot! campaign a gave insights into activism against the ideas of “clean coal”.  The Good Human also recently posted a MUST-SEE video dispelling the myths of clean coal.  

But the government seems so intent that coal can be clean energy… what’s with the polar views of this energy?

Unfortunately, in December, a coal ash spill in Kingston, Tennessee revived the argument with evidence that coal is not clean.  In fact, the situation has only worsened as a second coal pond has erupted in Alabama, and due to a lack of regulations regarding coal ash ponds, states like North Carolina can soon expect to face such tragedies too.  According to an AP story, 

Without federal guidelines, regulations of the ash ponds vary by state. Most lack liners and have no monitors to ensure that ash and its contents don’t seep into underground aquifers…  

Despite improvements in state programs, many states have little regulation other than requiring permits for discharging into waterways — as required by the federal Clean Water Act.

In North Carolina, where 14 power plants disposed of 1.3 million tons in ponds in 2005, state officials do not require operators to line their ponds or monitor groundwater, safety measures that help protect water supplies from contamination.

Similar safety measures are not required in Kentucky, Alabama, and Indiana.

And while other states like Ohio have regulations to protect groundwater, those often don’t apply to many of the older dumps built before the state rules were imposed.

Dorothy Griffith of Banner Elk, NC provided aerial views of the TN disaster, appearing on Freakonomics.

Residents in Tennessee are now facing illnesses and potential long-term health consequences for this tragedy, and immediate testing of metals in their bodies is vital.  And the Tennessee Valley Authority, whom should be paying for these $700 per person tests, naturally, like Exxon, will do what they can to minimize their costs, deny impact, and cover their own tails.  

TVA Coal is Killing Tennessee is a blog covering the TVA dirty coal and spill disaster, as well as working with the United Mountain Defense to raise funds to help victims of the spill.  Their coverage is EXCELLENT and where you need to head for all the information you could need.  

The true tragedy to this is that it was all avoidable, we won’t know the long-term devastation to these communities and the land for potentially decades to come, and more of these spills are inevitable despite them being avoidable as well.

So, besides the question of how are we going to clean up this mess and stop future disasters from happening, the next big question is:

When will we stop kidding ourselves that coal can be a clean and safe solution?

Yes, now I understand why “clean” coal is a myth… and hopefully other previous supporters do too.

2009 is the year of change,

Ashley Sue

Goodnight, Raleigh! tips you to the idea of Consignments as gifts. Seriously, neat neat gifts that are second-hand can be beautiful, special, interesting… I am intrigued by making up ideas and stories for the wonderful second-hand gifts I’ve been given that are delicate and beautiful…

My favorite idea this year is No Impact Man’s Christmas with No Presents. Both of my families instituted this rule this season, and I look forward to stressless TIME TOGETHER over amazing food, laughter, and general merriment… the VERY essence of Thanksgiving ~ and why all my Beau’s family loves Thanksgiving so!

What if you have already purchased some gifts for people, but still want to try something like this instead??? Well, you can buy handmade, like at Etsy, you can make your own gifts, you can buy responsibly through a variety of retailers…

Or you can save those gifts to give those people at their BIRTHDAYS, when you can celebrate that person for the fab contribution they are in your life… instead of having to buy EVERYONE somethings because the retailers and society in general says it’s important…

Which reminds me of a post I just read… Fun Times Guide to Living Green has some suggestions on dealing with your houseguests… which includes remembering Christmas is NOT your birthday, tips on encouraging recycling, and remembering that an IV of alcohol will cure whatever else you can’t seem to solve.

Cheers and happy holidays,
Ashley Sue Allen

Here is the Green Grounded Guide to Less Holiday Waste:  Four Ways to Reduce Your Paper Impact.

1. Reconsider which holiday cards you send.  

My sister purchased two different sets to send: one set supports Unicef, so her money is going to a great cause (they were also made in the USA and the box is made of 100% recycled materials), and the other set is made with sustainability at its core (from Tree-Free greetings with the message “reduce. reuse. rejoice.”, these cards are USA made of reclaimed sugar-cane fibers, wind power, soy-inks, and a biodegradable cornstarch lid).

If you cannot shell out the extra bit for socially-conscious and eco-designed cards, consider yourself in my boat. My recent move has me living more frugally than usual, but I knew I could still be aware of the impact my cards have. I get simply giddy when I see glitter and shiny, metallic foil, but as I perused through the box store’s card collection, I snubbed all the prettily embellished cards of winter sparkle and golden luster. Cards donning glitter and foil are not recyclable, so bypass these in favor of more subdued traditional holiday card splendor.

Points earned:
+2 Recycled paper, soy ink, or other sustainable materials in card selection
+1 Recyclable materials only
+1 Cards made in USA
+1 Handmade cards from USA
-3 Purchasing glittered and/or foiled cards or envelopes

Bonus points:
+5 for sending e-cards (try www.jibjab.com for hilariously personalizing options)

2. Reconsider your wrapping paper.

Holy wowser at the mass pile of paper and packaging that makes it into trash cans across the globe on December 26th. Gift bags can be regifted, however, so consider that option. Or purchase craft-paper and decorate your own wrapping job. Or the old standby – the Sunday comics. Or get creative and use fabric remnants on boxes and around baskets.

Points earned:
+2 Using the remnant fabrics, newspaper comics or magazine cutouts
+2 Recycled paper, soy ink, or other sustainable materials in purchased wrap/gift bags
+1 Recyclable materials only (the glitter and foil applies to wrap and gift bags as well)
+1 Using gift bags
-2 Using more than two sheets of tissue paper in any gift wrapping/gift bag
-3 Purchasing glittered and/or foiled wrap
-3 Wrapping gift baskets in Mylar or cellophane wrap

Bonus points:
+5 Regifting a gift bag you have been given gifts in
+5 Finding a creative way to give gifts without wrapping

3. Consider gift bling.

Instead of buying that cheap, tacky bag of pre-adhesive bows in an array of cliche holiday colors, adorn your gifts in true style. Use twine or hemp string to tie in a rustic fashion around your gifts. Use long strips of reusable fabric ribbons on people you feel will find a good reuse for the ribbons. If you feel these are too simple looking, tie-on a real cinnamon stick, horehound stick, or peppermint stick to add extra flair.

Points earned:
+2 Using hemp, twine, remnants, etc.
+1 Using a spool of ribbon
-3 Purchasing a new bag of plastic, pre-adhesive ribbons and bows

Bonus points:
+5 Using plastic, pre-adhesive ribbons and bows from gifts you received last year

4. Reconsider gift name tags.

Why spend another couple dollars on some shiny, factory-produced, tiny, paperboard cutouts donning Santa or a toy soldier? These are just extra blobs of trash, not to mention the paperboard and plastic packaging they come in. Instead, why not just write the name of the recipient somewhere on the gift… maybe an inconspicuous side or corner?

Points earned:
+2 Completely avoiding unnecessary gift name tags.

5.  No matter how your holiday is wrapped up, enjoy the time you are sharing with the people you care about. That is where change begins.

A couple extra bonus points:

+7 Talking with your family ahead of the holidays to share your neat wrapping tips and suggestions in a fun, friendly manner.
+10 Making sure not to judge or act haughty with family members and friends who forgot to consider the environmental impact of their wrappings and trim. The holidays truly are about gratitude for the love and time you share with each other. You will have plenty of opportunities to talk up environmental politics later, and without making them feel guilty for something they gave out of love and generosity.

Sustainably yours ~ Ashley Sue

Ethical and Green have your ethical, green holiday presents ideas, including the delicious Black and Green’s fair-trade organic chocolate.

Are you dirty?  Tiny Choices has a GIVEAWAY!!! (to be read in Oprah-esque excitement) 

The Good Human did a splendid job on the Eco-Friendly Gift Guide.

Tree hunting?  The Fun Times Guide to Living Green has a list of six ways not to scare the sap out of trees this Christmas!  They ALSO have a guide to the BEST free Christmas eCards ~ so you don’t have to dig through all the lame eCard sites with their cliche, boring excuses for holiday greetings!

Enjoy, and Sustainably yours,  

Ashley Sue!

Johann gives us the opportunity to join in howliday fun and make it a green dog holiday!  

My friends over at Sustainable Table share 10 sustainable gift ideas ~ and you were scratching your head on eco-gifts!  

Ginny from the Blog has a call for your holiday photos for NBC17 MyNC.com (Triangle residents only)!  

I’m Turning Green has an article detailing ideas on making your holidays greener, like LED lights to start.  

And Goodnight, Raleigh! has a photo of the Tree of Life in Capitol Square… and no, this has nothing to do with the pro-choice movement or religious notions.

Enjoy the holidays in some way today!!

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

Amidst the recession and impending obligation of holiday cheer, reading the tiny book with the image of an Earth ornament on the cover was a charming indulgence. Green Christmas: How to Have a Joyous, Eco-Friendly Holiday Season by Jennifer Basye Sander and Peter Sander with Anne Basye is a reminder of what the holidays are, should be, and can be, regardless of the economic forecast. This quick and quirky read is like a couple of your favorite friends sharing a conversation on how to make the holidays count with the people you love while saving the green in your wallet and the environment simultaneously.

~What? A “green” Christmas? What kind of hippy philosophy is that? I don’t want to be a scrooge and skimp on the fun of my holidays!

~Wait a minute! “Green” is just another buzzword companies use to sell us a bunch of trendy junk and fancy foods at ridiculous prices. I am not rich, and I am already strapped for the costs of the holidays, I cannot afford to green it up.

~”Green” is some new code-word to remove the religious notion of the holidays and make it more secular. We have to keep the Christ in Christmas!

Whatever your anxiety about making your holidays eco-friendly, Green Christmas helps you have an answer and fresh ideas.

The opening three paragraphs are the hook, explaining why greening your holidays is a win-win scenario. Really, would you not describe Christmas as a “magical time of year”? Do you not like that your favorite holiday memories have less to do with “elaborately wrapped gifts” and more to do with “moments of laughter at an old family joke, a snowy night of caroling with friends, or the sudden appearance of an unexpected friend”?

One of my favorite ideas throughout the book are keeping your winter warm with burning recycled wood products (like Duraflame’s) or yummy-smelling coffee grounds (like Java-log’s). I even saw these products at our nearby chain-grocer.

The authors discuss how to save water this holiday season. Do you realize much of our nation (including my new home in Western North Carolina) is still in a drought? Do you realize that buying bottled water is three times the price of gas? Have you thought about taking a shower WITH your Honey to save the water of that second shower (OK, I have to say, this may not be a legit water-conserving idea, but it’s a romantic and cute idea!)?

How about your tree? Everywhere I look, I see trees setup or hanging… in fields, at grocery stores, even gas stations. Some are plastic, many are real, and most, I guess, were produced amidst environmentally-damaging process. You can check out websites and “treecycling” techniques mentioned in Chapter Five, however, to rethink your woodsy décor this year.

And poinsettias… the NEW holiday debate! Have you ever pondered how this traditional holiday flora damages the environment in multiple ways? I hadn’t, but I will now… and I will choose flowers instead that are in Green Christmas’s great list of seasonal flowers.

Gifts are a huge opportunity to be greener.

Do you consider yourself patriotic? Sometimes I hear that “those hippy liberals” who support initiatives such as solar energy are “un-American”. Seriously, I hear that once in a while. But having a Green Christmas is patriotic. Green Christmas has an entire section on who to buy USA-made goods and talks about the importance of avoiding that little “Made in China” slogan.

 
The authors even bypass the downer of explaining human-rights issues of buying Chinese-made products by sticking to the simple environmental reasons to buy American. And buying American is so much easier than you might think. I was surprised at their great tips. Like listing websites that will help you out (I’ll slip you ONE of their tips… www.stillmadeinusa.com).

 
Or even buying handmade… local art, artisan-crafted items from your travels throughout the year… those items are so much sweeter to receive than that $10 candle set from the box store, but can cost the same.
For instance, a few of my favorite gifts I have received over the years were from someone else’s travels. My mother and sister drove cross-country in 1998 and stopped in Mexico on their journey. I have a beautiful hand-painted terra-cotta sun hanging in my living room from their detour. And my best friend and college roommate brought me traditional marzipan and a sweet little bottle of homemade limoncello from her family trip to Italy. Another best friend and college dormmate brought me colorful rocks from a river in South Korea. All of these gifts stick out to me as some of the most interesting and thoughtful I have received, and I know I will keep them happily displayed for years.

How about buying together? Instead of buying lots of cliché or meaningless “things”, everyone can chip in together to buy something you can experience as a group. For instance, if it were feasible, I would be thrilled if Marc’s family could all chip in to buy tickets to a Pittsburgh Steelers game.

For you and your family, I think a “less stressful, less costly” holiday season is the best gift you can give (and receive), and the ease and simplicity of greening your Christmas IS that gift! And Green Christmas does not ask you to forsake how you live and what you love about Christmas: Green Christmas even embraces good pro-green Walmart shopping tips.

I personally love the line, “There’s a little thrill about substituting careful thinking for unconscious spending” (p. 57).

From figuring out what organic labels mean, to deciding on holiday menus, planning your travel arrangements, entertaining with style that has substance as well, this book is simply the most fabulous guide for the holidays.

Small, interesting, cheerful, and a quick-read with an influx of detail and flare, Green Christmas gets you in the holiday spirit, eco-minded, and excited to do so, all without being overwhelming for those who are new at this lifestyle. The book is written for all of us living in the real world, no matter if you live in a yurt or if you don’t even sort your recycling from your trash.

We can all spend these next couple weeks making a huge difference in our local community, on a global level, and in our families… and all without the normal underlying feelings of guilt, shopper’s remorse, sacrifice, and obligations that come with the holidays!  Green Christmas focuses on shared experiences and humanity, creativity over consumerism — the essence of what memories are made of.

My own suggestion: get two copies… one to keep as reference for yourself, and one for someone else in your life. You can even feel good that the book is printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper.

Still aren’t sure how you feel about checking out this book?  Check out Green Talk’s review, and 

Sustainably yours ~ Ashley Sue
Green Christmas: How to Have a Joyous, Eco-Friendly Holiday Season by Jennifer Basye Sander and Peter Sander with Anne Basye
AdamsMedia (www.adamsmedia.com)
ISBN-13: 978-1-60550-041-6
ISNB-10: 1-60550-041-0

Initial impressions:  

Smells much less like coffee and more like savory foods… which is a good smell, but not the comforting smell of espresso that I expected.

Yellow.  Tons of yellow.  I’m not a fan of yellow, but