Enjoy

Today is a beautiful day in Southwest Florida. The air is crisp and the sun is still shining. No matter where you are, here on the beach or up north sitting in snow you should go outside and just enjoy the environment around you.

Look at the wildlife and the grass and the trees. Take a big deep breath and try to describe what you feel.

I stepped outside today and smelt fresh brisk air. I squinted at the sight of the sun and laughed when I saw a couple of birds chriping and fighting over a piece of bread. Life isn't always about your job, school, or just trying to get by. If you just take a moment and enjoy your surroundings you might find some peace inside of yourself.

Try it, you'll feel better.

"I eat grass"

Vegan.
The word doesn’t really appeal to me. I don’t think I could stop eating meat. I have a love affair with chicken and eat it at least once a day. Even soup, chicken noodle soup is my favorite. But going vegan is good because it saves on resources or something to that nature.

My point is that I can’t eat a salad just plain with nothing on it. I love french fries on salad (I think that’s a Pittsburgh thing). I have to say that I don’t feel full unless I have some protein from some meat. I'm sure vegans can get the same nutrients from vitamins but how appealing is it to say "Yeah, I eat grass." No thank you.

Not that I’m saying people who are vegans are crazy. They’re just a bit unstable in my mind. I feel like if I don’t eat this piece of steak then it’s going to waste and who wants to waste food? Wouldn’t it be better to eat Kosher foods anyways?

I don’t understand the big deal about not eating meat anyways. I will continue to eat meat daily and vegans can continue not to. More steak for me.

Speechless

I found this picture through another blog. If a picture is worth a thousand words than what do you think this one is saying?

If you couldn’t make out what the heck is in this picture it is of an Albatross carcass. They cannot distinguish between food and our garbage so when they eat the things you see here in the picture they starve to death.

Look what we’re doing to poor animals from our waste.

Motivate Me

After my last post I realized that it’s a lot harder than I thought to be so environmentally friendly. Taking the caps off of my plastic water bottles before I throw them out is irritating. I feel like this is a lost cause.

I mean how many people recycle? How many people recycle the wrong things or the wrong type of plastic? I’d confident when I assume that a lot of people do that. I do it. It’s ridiculous how many materials are out there for us to use and reuse at some point and time.

I decided I needed a motivator to help me through my troubling times of saving the planet. I found a blog with a gentleman who is trying to throw nothing away for a whole year. Doesn’t that just sound crazy?

Well he’s doing it and makes me want to do it too (Ok, I probably could not do this for a whole year but at least help me be more aware of what I am throwing away).

How many things do you throw away in a single day? Just think that this guy is doing 365 days and looks like he’s doing a great job too.

Week Event!

This week is Green Week on Regis and Kelly. During the week they are going to give away a 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. I’d love to win that but I don’t think that’s going to happen.

Anyways, if you missed today’s episode have no fear; I am willing and able to fill you in.

They had a so-called “expert” on their show today talking about recycling. I say “so-called” because when she was talking about recycling newspapers Regis asked her about the process and she said she didn’t know! Hello?! You preach about this stuff and you don’t even know how it’s done?

The guest expert also talked about how when you recycle plastic bottles you should take the cap off because it’s not made of the same plastic and cannot be recycled. Just throw it out. I hope that someone can come up with a recyclable cap soon because that’d be helpful.

There was also talk about wet cardboard and how you shouldn’t recycle it if it’s wet because it gets clogged in the recycling machines. Also plastic bags are bad but we’ve already discussed this.

Clean lint out of your lint trap after every load of laundry to save about 30% of the energy. Good tip!

Today there were some good tips and I’m looking forward to seeing what they have on there tomorrow. If you can’t catch the show their website will update every day too. I hope tomorrow they have someone else other than the lady that was on there today being an “expert.”

So have a good day and remember when you go to recycle that plastic water bottle you should throw away the cap!

Eco-Friendly Restaurant

The other night my boyfriend and I decided to go someplace other than Outback to eat dinner. Thank goodness. We decided on a place called Ted's Montana Grill and I'm so glad we chose that restaurant. Did you know Ted's is eco-friendly?

What we noticed right from the start was the straws. They were made from recycled materials and could get a bit soggy at the end of your meal but I didn't mind. I felt like I was doing better for the planet by just eating there.

Another thing they had was recycled paper to put down on your table to basically catch all the mess and food you spill during your meal, because things could get messy there with their ribs, burgers, and chicken sandwiches.

They only had cloth napkins which they could obviously wash every night and reuse.

Those were just some of the things I saw without even reading on the website. I hope this restaurant trend catches on and others try to do little things to help the world.

I'd highly recommend Ted's not only because it's eco-friendly but because the food is amazing. They hand-make their french fries and have bison. Bison is a little bit better of meat other than ground beef. It's a little more expensive, maybe a dollar, and has a better taste.

So if you're in the mood to try something new then here you go. Ted's is located at Coconut Point and the Coastland Center Mall.

Vroom...you smell like a burger and fries...

After watching a repeat of Rob and Big last night I was inspired to educate you all on vegetable fuel systems for your automobiles.

There are a few things that you need to know/do before having your car converted to run off of grease.

I'm not sure if I'd take the plunge and get my car converted but I might buy a Hybrid.

Take me Out to the Ballgame

Baseball season is upon us and I can already smell the hot dogs and popcorn. The little kids screaming and the wave rotating around the stadium all remind me of energy efficient ballpark stadiums. Well, not really. But now I’m excited to report that there is such a thing! In Washington, D.C., the Washington Nationals are the first to open a Green U.S. Ballpark.

The stadium was certified in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, LEED, rating system. Here are a few qualities it carries that other ballparks don’t:

Efficient lighting technologies
Low flow bathroom fixtures
Use of recycled building materials
Stormwater management system
Green roof with plants which manages rainwater and temperature

It seems to be a new trend. The New York Mets new stadium, Citi Field, plans to open in 2009 with eco-friendly materials and resources just like this one.

And for all you sports fans out there that didn’t get to watch the game that they played on Sunday here's the ending score: Washington 3, Atlanta 2

See, being environmentally conscious helps you win games. Not really, but that’s what it looks like ;)

Bug off!

Ah, spring. What a wonderful time to be surrounded by….flowers? No. Love? Definitely not. Oh yes…umm… bugs! And don’t you hate that disgusting smelling and sticky no less, bug repellent that not only keeps bugs away from you but also most people? Me either.

This is why California Baby has created such a wonderful product on an organic bug repellent.

You’ll still smell but instead of the disgusting sticky odor you’ll smell like lemon and citrus, which I know, is still unappealing to some people. You’ll smell like spring time because the active ingredients in this non-toxic spray are lemon eucalyptus and citronella.

I’d rather use this bug spray then the one I currently have in my first-aid kit. The one I have says, and I quote, “Harmful to Humans.” Why did I even buy this in the first place?

I feel much safer with the non-toxic version.

I'm added!

I'm excited because I was recently just added to the Best Green Blogs Website!

There are numerous blogs on the website that all bring a different view into green living. I hope you enjoy searching through some interesting blogs.

On the highway to.....smog.

The recent rise in gas prices makes everyone who owns an automobile pretty irritable. To help save some gas money and conserve our earth here are a few tips to get you through.

1. An engine tune-up can improve your car’s fuel efficiency from 15 to 50%.
2. Opening your windows at high speeds causes drag and you fuel! Pop open the car’s vents next time.
3. By keeping your tires inflated you can save about one tank of gas per year.
4. Cruise control helps you maintain a constant speed and will most likely save you gas.
5. If you are waiting around for someone in your car, turn it off, it wastes more gas idling your car then turning it off and then back on.
6. Remove excess weight in your car. Ride light.
7. Observe the speed limit; you’ll save some money and quite possibly a life.

So you say you don’t care about saving a little money? That’s fine but you should look at the effects of car emissions on the planet. Driving a car is the single most polluting thing that most of us do. Motor vehicles emit millions of tons of pollutants into the air each year.

Need more examples?

Tap Project

From March 16th until the 22nd, I know I'm a little late, restaurants all over the country will ask you to donate a dollar for your glass of ice water that you order with your meal. By donating a dollar for your water it will give a child 40 days of clean drinking water.

How amazing is this? We don't even have to do anything out of our ordinary day. Go to lunch with friends or go and have a nice romantic dinner. Just pay a dollar more and you could help save a life.

The Tap Project website has a search engine to find restaurants in my area that are participating in the cause. Unfortunately there aren't any that I've found. How sad is it that one of the most overpopulated places in America and also one of the richest becomes one of the ignorant and cheapest?

Look for yourself.

Incoming: TRAIN

Did you all like that train?

If you didn’t’ even bother to look at it then fine. Let me just give you some interesting facts that I found on the website.

Replacing every locomotive in North America manufactured before 2001 with GE's
hybrid technology would, in a year, cut smog-producing nitrogen oxide emissions
as much as removing one-third of all cars from U.S. roads.

Sounds like motivation to me. What’s wrong with the trains we have now you ask? A lot of things. The result of smog that comes from the exhaust of a train is just one thing. But this one thing is extremely harmful to the air that we breathe every single day. GE also has cleaner coal in the works for our future. They use coal on trains but I’m sure this train uses something different. A hybrid diesel-electric train is what is in the works here. A train that stores extra energy into batteries and helps to preserve the environment is all right with me.

I’ve never taken the train before but I’m tempted to try if this is what I’d be riding in. Plus this will save me gas money, which is on the rise.

Train Ride

I'm feeling a bit under the weather but that's no excuse to avoid better living. Take a look at this hybrid train; it's spectacular.

Plus the green color is fabulous!

Happy St. Patty's Day: Where's your Green?!

Today is just another reminder to live green. I hope everyone is wearing something green today. And it doesn’t have to be the color green. It can be organic clothing that is affordable!

Planet Ink, based in Fort Myers, Florida is a great place to go for inexpensive, planet saving T-shirts and apparel.

I probably should have posted this last week so you could have received this information and planned ahead for today but I wasn’t thinking very well.

The prices on this website are great and very affordable. The shirts are made from 100% Certified Organic Cotton They are also Screen Printed With Planet Ink, which is A Patented All-Natural Vegetable Based Ink. Isn’t that awesome?

Why chose organic cotton over regular? Regular cotton can release toxins into your skin. How disturbing is that? If you want a true eye-opener than watch the video.

I didn’t have a clue about this until I watched the video and researched the topic for my blog today. What a catchy thing the internet is!

My Motivation

There are a lot of people out there that have a passion for living green and helping preserve our earth for our future generations. Sometimes you get stories on why people are deciding to live this way. I’m going to tell you why I’ve decided to maintain this green blog and live the way I do.

I’m scared. Seriously. After watching An Inconvenient Truth made by Al Gore and etc. I just realized how much of an impact we are making on the planet and it not being such a good impact most of the time. Watching the glaciers melt and polar bears die because they couldn’t swim far enough to reach what was left of the icy land. It broke my heart.

Halfway through the movie Al Gore shows the temperature rising on average and it just getting hotter and hotter. I don’t know why I ever decided to move to Florida because I’m roasting 24/7! I can’t wait to move to a cooler climate but even when I move I’m sure the temperature won’t be as cold as it was 20 years ago. There was even a theory about Florida being flooded and going under water. I sometimes sit by my window and wonder what I would do if a huge wave of water was coming.

There’s nothing I could do and that’s why I’m trying to do all that I can right now.

I want to try and make these things fun that way more people will join in. It is my hope that people will realize the impacts they are making and will do a little bit each day to help the planet. Recycle a bottle or carpool next time. Just one thing will make a difference and it will make you feel better about yourself inside too.

Happy Hour

Are you thirsty and do you think water is the only eco-friendly substance to drink? Think again; especially think again if you are a wine connoisseur. French Rabbit Merlot comes from sustainable farmed vineyards in the South of France. Sounds exquisite, no? Not only are they grown properly but they are also packed in a lightweight, collapsible, 100% recyclable Tetra-Prisma container.

The French Rabbit Merlot packaging requires less energy to produce, transport, and recycle than regular wine bottles. There also isn’t a corkscrew, it’s a screw cap that makes it easy to savior the flavor and recycle the bottle when the party is over. Don’t think that’s enough good for the environment? Well the company has paired with American Forests. For every four bottles of win sold there will be one tree planted. http://www.frenchrabbit.com/ Sorry! My links aren't working correctly so I guess I have to spell it out for blogger.

If it isn’t apparent yet, the reason this wine is better is because wine that isn’t organic can contain pesticides that can be linked to cancer and contaminate water. Not to mention the harmful impacts of the plastic packaging on numerous wine bottles and crates.

I’m hoping to not assume but I would say that most people who drink wine do so as a leisurely activity. These people are also the ones who follow wine trends and would most likely jump on the band wagon of eco-friendly products.

Everyone seems to be jumping on the band wagon of an eco-friendly lifestyle. I’m not saying this is a bad thing but I think people need to do it for the right reasons. They shouldn’t jump back off the band wagon because one of their friends has. It’s important to come to this certain lifestyle and stick with it. Just like a diet. Stick with it but once you lose the weight don’t jump off because chances are you’ll just gain the weight right back.

Pick up a Book

During spring break I had the chance to read a couple books about the environment and such. Here are a couple suggestions.


The Organic Machine: The Remaking of the Columbia River
by Richard White

It's an interesting read about the relationship between man and earth along the Columbia River. The book is not an action packed thriller. It serves its purpose and is not a form of entertainment. It's more for knowledge, obviously.

Organic Living (Organic)
by Daphne Razazan, Lynda Brown

This is more of a hands-on book. There are suggestions given to better the planet and the future of the planet.

These books will hopefully help educate people on the conditions of the earth now and how we can change the present state of harmful chemicals in our atmosphere to more clean surroundings.

Spring Break

I am taking the next week off because it is spring break and a vacation from my blog.

Don't be sad.

If you have little children to entertain or still have that inner child within then here is a project that will show the importance and uniqueness of wildlife. There are also two other projects on the pages that follow that project.

Enjoy!

They DO have candy bars!

After searching through my newly found eco-firms websites, I came across probably the most exciting topic to hit organic foods. Candy, but not just candy, chocolate! Of course it is located in Canada, so it might be difficult for the chocolate not to melt if it’s being delivered to Florida. But this is why they created a thing called dry ice, right?

How are these chocolates considered organic, you ask?

Our Chocolate Gourmet Collection comprises an assortment of premium gourmet
sweet and savory delicacies that have been made with the finest organic
and/or gmo-free ingredients. Items include; chocolate truffles, sugar coated
almonds covered in chocolate, chocolate bars, chocolate butter cookies,
biscotti, crackers, pates, tapenades, cheese, coffee, tea etc...

If you aren’t sure what gmo-free means. I’ll let the wise geek explain.

These candy bars sell for around $42. I’m not sure how many come with an order. I counted six in the picture. This might sound a little pricy for chocolate, but I’m at least tempted to try them out.

If I can eat chocolate that is better for me that doesn’t include all of the harmful ingredients in a regular candy bar then I think I’d do it.

Would you?

*Picture from Fresh Unlimited