Pulling Weeds

I know that weeds are not something that most of the Northern Hemisphere has to worry about right now, but in Tucson, where I live, weeds grow year-round. When I noticed that I had some quick growing weeds on the side of my house this past weekend, I knew I had to take care of them.

When I first moved into my house, I always pulled the weeds. If I went more than one week without pulling, I would likely have to spend a few hours the next weekend trying to get rid of all of them. When The Husband moved in, he took over weed duty and began spraying. While I may not have been thrilled that he was spraying Round-Up, I was just happy to be relieved of the chore.

But this past weekend, when I saw the weeds growing, I knew that I could not in good conscious let The Husband spray Round-Up again. While Monsanto, the makers of Round-Up say that it is perfectly safe, studies are raising questions:

1) Could Round-Up be lethal to amphibians? A University of Pittsburgh study found that Round-Up caused a 70% decline in "amphibian biodiversity." During monsoon season, we have small frogs all over the area naturally keeping the bug population down; Do I want to risk killing these cool little frogs, and throwing off the natural balance in my neighborhood? I don't think so!
2) Could Round-Up hurt a fetus? A University of Caen (France) study found that the herbicide could “induce reproduction problems” in humans by damaging placental cells and hormones. My biggest weed problem area is right next to a public sidewalk. Am I putting the lives of the unborn babies in my neighborhood in danger by trying to kill a few weeds? I'm not willing to risk it.

But that's not all... Monsanto has been labeled as one of the most evil companies on the planet. Why, you ask? Read this article and you'll see why. If that one doesn't convince you, read this. Or just Google "Monsanto is evil" and you'll see what I mean.


And do you think the FDA will try to protect us from the onslaught of GM foods? Well considering that the former vice president of public policy and chief lobbyist at Monsanto Company is the new senior advisor for the FDA, I wouldn't hold my breath.

So, with all this in mind, I happily went outside and pulled those pesky weeds out of the ground. I won't support Monsanto as it poisons our ground, harasses our farmers or screws with the genetic make-up of my food.

Before spring rolls around and weeds start popping up in your area, do some research about what you might be spraying on your lawn and the companies you're supporting.

Image from Heyokamagazine.com

The Green Lilly Seal of Approval

Hello Everyone!

Since I have made the decision to go green, I have been doing a great deal of research on different products. Some so-called green products turn out to not be so great, but I have also discovered some products that are doing a lot for the environment that I've never heard of before. So, in order to introduce my readers to some of the green products that I now know and love, I would like to introduce "The Green Lilly Seal of Approval"!

I think that it's important for people to support green companies and their products. If we request and buy green products, we can show retailers that the public REALLY cares about this stuff, and we will encourage them to carry more green products. Vote with your dollars!!!

The first company that I would like to showcase is Boulder Canyon Foods. The company makes some really good natural potato chips, which are made with ingredients I can actually pronounce. (My favorite are the Malt Vinegar & Sea Salt and the Hickory Barbecue.) The company purchases Renewable Energy Credits covering 100% of their operations to support clean, green energy. They are also a corporate partner of American Rivers, the leading national organization standing up for healthy rivers so communities can thrive. American Rivers protects and restores America’s rivers for the benefit of people, wildlife and nature. So, Boulder Canyon Foods, you are awarded the first Green Lilly Seal of Approval!

Do you know of any products or companies that are deserving of The Green Lilly Seal of Approval? Let me know in the comments!

Moving towards vegetarian

I am seriously thinking about becoming a vegetarian. The more I learn about how the food is processed (and how the animals are treated), the less I want to eat. I have already eliminated all mammals and seafood from my diet, but I still continue to eat birds. I was given a cookbook several months ago that has mostly vegetarian recipes in it, and the more I use it, the more I realize that I can be satisfied without meat.

I am having a hard time giving up cheese, though, even though I won't drink milk anymore. (I have switched to vanilla almond 'milk' which is actually REALLY REALLY good!) It really doesn't make sense to me that it is perfectly acceptable to drink the milk from a cow, but wouldn't everyone freak out if you drank dog's milk? But for some reason, I don't think about where cheese comes from when I eat it. Since I like cheese so much, I think it will be hard to give it up without a good substitute. Can anyone recommend a good soy/vegetable based cheese?

To anyone who has made the switch from carnivore to vegetarian, I would love to hear from you! I'm going to need recipes that will satisfy my steak-loving husband!

TTFN!

(Picture from bluediamond.com)

I'm Back!

Hello! I just spent the past week in a National Forest. I've been working 14 hour days, so I haven't been able to hug that many trees. It's OK, though, because in Arizona, a lot of the trees are rather prickly. Why does everything in Arizona have to be so thorny?

In the course of my work, I wave been able to see deer, fox, and a ton of birds. But do you know what I've seen the most of? TRASH. Yup, tons of refuse. Mostly aluminum cans and water bottles. Not only are people throwing trash into our National Forests, they're throwing RECYCLABLE trash into our National Forests.

It irks me. Do people think that the good people who work for the Forest Service really have the resources to pick up trash? (They seem pretty busy to me already.) I wanted to pick up a ton of the trash, but due to an unfortunate run-in with a cactus, I spent one of my clean-up days trying to pull cactus needles out of my arm. But I did manage to spend a few hours cleaning up, and I was appalled at the ridiculous amount of plastic I gathered. Plastic bags snagged in trees. Water bottles tossed into bushes. I actually had to stop collecting trash because I filled all of the trash bags I had brought with me. It was very sad.

Next time you find yourself in a National Forest, pick up and recycle that bottle you find on the ground, OK?

See you in a week!

I'm going to be away from the computer for a whole week. I'm going to be playing in the woods, hugging as many trees as I can. It's nice, I won't have to drive to and from work for a week, and by my calculations, I'll save .25 tons of carbon emissions over the next seven days. Sweeeet!

So, for the three or four of you that are reading this blog, don't forget about me! I'll be back in a week!

Food Conspiracy

I just found something that I am very excited to try: The Food Conspiracy! I know, it sounds like some weird eco-thriller, but in reality, it is a local grocery store/co-op here in Tucson. Why haven't I heard of this place before?

The Food Conspiracy, according to their website, "is a natural foods market, cooperatively owned by its members and open to the public. Since 1971 we have been committed to providing the highest quality natural and organic foods and products to the Tucson community. Our produce department is entirely organic, and we don’t carry any products known to contain genetically-modified organisms (GMOs). We are committed to offering certified organic products whenever we have a choice, and we have the most extensive bulk selection in town. In alignment with our commitment to environmentalism, social justice, and education, we are constantly expanding our line of local, fair trade, and independently produced items."

How cool is that?!? This is exactly the type of place I've been looking for, but I was unaware we had anything like this in Tucson. I'm planning on checking this place out later today. I love the fact that it's a co-op, but it's open to the public, so you can really shop there before becoming a member. I hope they have some great local chicken, since it seems that my normal grocery store has phased out the stuff from California, and now sells mainly Tyson chicken (which I stopped buying years ago).

I can't wait to check it out!

A small success

I'm still a little sick but I feel about 95% better. Sleeping it off the past three days has definitely helped.

I donated $25 to the Arbor Day foundation to help with reforestation efforts in our National Forests. Many forests have been damaged due to fire, disease and insects, and the Arbor Day foundation will plant one tree (a sapling) for every dollar donated. Interested in helping? Visit http://www.arborday.org

I received my electric bill and found out that we used 40 kWh less in December 2009 than we did in December 2008! Ok, it's a small victory, but it's a good start. I'm excited to see what January will be like with the removal of the beer fridge and the addition of power strips. Woo hoo!

Sea Shepherd Vessel RAMMED in Antarctic Waters!

Holy crap!

One of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's newest vessels, the Ady Gil, was rammed by Japanese whalers yesterday in the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary. Look at the damage! Luckily, no one was hurt, as Sea Shepherd had other ships nearby to rescue the crew.



No matter what you may think of Sea Shepherd, this is uncalled for. Sea Shepherd throws stink bombs, and the Japanese whalers could have killed the entire crew. Doesn't seem like an even fight, does it? I don't know what will happen now, if Australia will finally get involved (the whale sanctuary is technically in Australian waters), but I know that this season of Whale Wars on Animal Planet is going to be GOOD!

The Sea Shepherd web site seems pretty busy this morning, but if you stumble across this blog and want to support Sea Shepherd and their cause, visit http://www.seashepherd.org and you can buy things from their store or make a donation.

Bagel Diplomacy

I fully expected this post to be an update on the beer fridge wars, but there's no need. After a night of imagining the upcoming confrontation that would ensue, I decided it might be best to stop things where they were. You see, I was annoyed at The Husband for not giving up his beer fridge. He was mad at me for being annoyed. So I was royally PISSED OFF that he was mad at me. I saw an endless cycle of us being pissed off, so I decided to put an end to it. On the way home from work Sunday morning, I stopped to pick up The Husband some bagel sandwiches for breakfast. When I got home, I could sense his surprise: What, no argument?!? Nope, no arguing. I simply offered him breakfast, and we watched some TV. I decided to put the beer fridge issue behind me and get over it. After a little TV watching together, I went to bed.

When I got home from work yesterday, I noticed that the beer fridge was gone. Who knew bagels could be such a powerful tool?

The power strip I am using for our TV, etc is working out well. Both The Husband and I are remembering to turn everything off, eliminating at least a few phantom energy costs. Time to look around to see what else I can use a power strip on!

I haven't posted anything these past few days because I am sick as a dog. I woke up Sunday night with a sore throat, and by the time I got to work, I felt like hell. Due to scheduling issues, I couldn't even call in sick to work. While I generally prefer to just let my body take care of illness on its own, this time I am staying well medicated. I just can't make it through a 10 hour workday without assistance. Just typing this is making me tired...

TTFN!

Happy New Year!

I rang in the New Year half asleep on the couch. Yeah, I know, I'm a wild woman. The Husband is sick, so it's not like we were going to go out to party anyway. Since I don't drink, I probably would have been stuck being the sober one driving all the drunks around. Not fun. (Better than people getting killed drunk driving, but still not fun.)

My first green move of 2010 was to buy enough carbon offsets for my 39.25 mile (one-way!!) commute for all of 2010. I know that carbon offsets aren't as good as reducing the carbon you produce, but I have to get to work somehow. It's a start, right?

Next I went to Target to get a few power strips so I can reduce my phantom loads. My TV, DVD player, Wii, etc are all plugged in to a power strip that is currently turned off. I tried to get rid of The Husband's totally inefficient "beer fridge" (a dorm sized fridge that constantly runs), but he freaked out about it. Does he really need a refrigerator to keep ONE BEER cool? I even made plenty of room in the main (Energy Star) refrigerator. He's actually mad at me for trying to save electricity. Yeeeaaah. But alas, I gave in and the beer fridge is still running. With one beer in it. One. Uno.

I am also working with my HOA to get my solar screens approved. The community manager said they should "match the house" but I don't really know what she means. If they match the house, won't it look like I have no windows?

I have a question for anyone who happens to stumble across this blog: Why do supermarket employees insist on giving you plastic bags??? I bring my own reusable cloth bags, and I even bring my own mesh bags for produce. But when I came home from the grocery store and unloaded my bags, I discovered that they had placed something in a plastic bag, then placed it in a reusable bag. What's up with that??? Is my fabric softener so dangerous it's going to contaminate my shampoo? Any thoughts?