candy coated rose petals

I’ve been unofficially observing Meatless Wednesdays for awhile. My motivations are: I want to consumer more vegetables in my diet and this is a perfect way to force myself to be more creative; I want to be more eco-friendly and eliminating one day a week from consuming meat contributes to this goal; and I want to save money (meat can be kind of expensive, especially if I buy organic, which I’d like to do down the line).   [ Read more ]

Last year I read It’s Easy Being Green, which has a wonderful list of eco-friendly tasks to clean up your life and your environment. I checked off all the items I wanted to tackle. So since it’s been a year, I thought I’d list all the items and mark off what I’ve accomplished over the past year. (I also have my own eco-wishlist that I’m continually updating.)   [ Read more ]

• Turn off water while brushing teeth/shaving.
• Use strainer on drains.
• Use water-based paints.
• Properly discard paint cans by drying them out.
• Use old towels and T-shirts as rags.
• Buy concentrated products.
• Keep a full fridge.
• Set fridge at 37º F.
• Keep fridge clean.

According to Earth Lab, my Earth Conservation Plan Profile (ECP) score is 293. ECP scores can range from 150-900 (the lower being better). Six categories (home, energy, work, commute, travel and lifestyle) are used to base the score. The average score in the United States is 325. Looks like I’m better than average, but still could use some improvement.

My carbon output is 10.4 tons per year. This needs to be improved as well.

Today D and I finally made it over to the Logan Square Farmer’s Market. There were about 10 booths, certainly not as big as the Wheaton Farmer’s Market, but still pretty neat. There were lots of veggies, flowers, Vella Cafe, soap and even wool! I look forward to more fruit at the market and seeing the other vendors.   [ Read more ]

My eco produce bags arrived some time last week. I never blogged about it but I have been HATING using the plastic bags. I even would bring back used ones and try to reuse but they’re annoying and bulky and I don’t like them one bit. So I got 10 of these little guy which is perfect. Much better then what I tried to make myself (I am not much into sewing). I haven’t tried them out yet but I’m going shopping on Friday.

Investing in CFLs lately but you’ve heard all the mercury hype? Worried about how you’d clean up a broken bulb? Here are some tips from 7Gen Blog on the matter.   [ Read more ]

• First, don’t worry about buying or using CFLs. The mercury they contain can’t be released during normal operation, and until new technologies like LED bulbs come along to replace them they’ll remain the best lighting choice in a healthy, sustainable home.

The 7Gen Blog, from Seventh Generation, might be my new favorite thing. It delivers awesome information about eco-friendly topics. Recently it featured some information on emissions use of types of food.

Here’s how food production-related GHG emissions break down:   [ Read more ]

• Red Meat is responsible for 30% of our national food supply’s total GHG emissions
• Dairy products are responsible for 18%
• Cereals & Carbs are responsible for 11%
• Fruits & vegetables are responsible for 11%

So gas prices are redunk lately. $4.09 is a decent price for unleaded? Come on! So here’s some information on making your car, thus your driving trips, a little more efficient.   [ Read more ]

• Replace clogged air filters. A clogged air filter can cut a vehicles fuel efficiency by 10 percent.
• Check the air pressure on your tires and inflate any that are lower than the pressure recommended in the owner’s manual. AccuTire’s Programmable Tire Gauge ($19.95; www.properautocare.com) remembers the proper air pressure for you so can avoid pulling out the manual every time you check. Properly inflated tires can increase fuel efficiency by 3.3 percent.

On Saturday, March 29 I am participating in Power Hour Chicago. It’s an effort to reduce the amount of energy consumed. Join in and turn off and unplug everything from 8 to 9 pm. There’s more information on the website.

I came across the Swiffer Cozy pattern, and I just couldn’t help myself.  I had to cast it on. As a proud owner of the Method oMop, I’ve been trying to figure out what to use to sweep my hardwood floors when the disposable pads run out. So this was a perfect!

I had to adjust the pattern a bit since I think the swiffer is smaller than the oMop. I casted on more stitches and knitted more rows to compensate.   [ Read more ]