Vegetarian

I haven't eaten meat in about a week and a half. I don't really miss it. I have had to get a little creative with my menus, but I've discovered some really great recipes that I likely would not have tried while I was still eating meat. So far, I haven't even attempted to go vegan, as I have learned that animal products are in almost everything. I bought some veggie cheese slices, only to find out that they contain milk protein. Of course, it doesn't say "milk protein," it says "casein." Kind of sneaky, don't you think? I have also learned that sugar isn't necessarily vegan. Who would have thought that bones from cows are used to whiten sugar??!!?

So for now, I am simply refraining from eating meat, and trying to greatly reduce other animal products. I will continue to educate myself about animal products that are in food, and hopefully I can save the lives of a few animals.

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

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!

The LEAF

I sooo didn't want to go to the LEAF event today. When I got home from work, the house was cold so I snuggled under some blankets to watch TV. I got very comfy, so I was having a hard time convincing myself to leave the house. But, since I started this blog to keep myself accountable, I knew that I would have to write that I didn't go, and that would make me feel bad. So, I managed to put on a presentable (and even kinda cute!) outfit and go to the event. WIN!

Of course, when I left the house, I accidentally left on the television, the cable box and my laptop. FAIL!

But anyway, back to the event... They gave out free t-shirts and had some people that could answer questions about the car. One of the local Nissan dealerships was also there, taking down names and e-mail addresses so that they could contact you when cars were available. Reservations for cars will be taken beginning in March of 2010, with the cars actually arriving in December. I'm seriously thinking about reserving one, and then making my final decision after a test drive. I just hope that the cars are available for sale, and not just for lease, because I have no desire to rent a car for 4 years. That's just not my thing.

I have absolutely no idea what I should do for New Year's Eve. I am thinking that since I have made no plans, I will likely just wind up at home watching TV. That's ok, though. TV is cheap entertainment, and I need to save my dough for solar screens, power strips and a solar PV system.

If anyone reads this, have fun and say safe this New Year's Eve!

Solar Screens and Randomness

This morning, Dan from Solar Screen Solutions came to my house to give me an estimate. I have decided that solar screens are a necessity in Tucson, since it gets so hot here, and solar screens keep the heat from the sun from even reaching your windows. My bedroom is the hottest room in the house, and hopefully some solar screens will keep me from cranking up the AC this summer.

Later today is the Nissan Zero Emission LEAF tour. I really want to go, but I'm so sleepy. I don't know if I'll be able to stay awake. What do you think of how the LEAF looks? I think I like the Prius better, but 100 miles on a charge is tempting...

Is Botox eco-friendly? The idea of injecting a toxin into my forehead seems a little crazy, but every body's doing it, right?? I mean, after all I did jam barbed wire into my forehead the other day. How much worse could Botox be?

I went a little crazy on iTunes today. I consider buying music on iTunes green since you save all the waste from the packaging. I bought John Mayer's "Battle Studies" and Michael Buble's "Crazy Love." Plus about a million other songs. Yup, I'm saving the planet through iTunes.

Green Christmas

Is it wrong that I'm eating blackberries in December? Should I be eating only food that is in season in this hemisphere? Am I going to eco-hell for eating some fruit? (I do however, know that it's wrong that these blackberries taste a little bit like oranges. That's f#@%ing weird!)

Well, no one "adopted" any animals for me, so I went ahead and adopted a Sumatran rhino on my own. I gave my boss a Terracycle recycling bin for his office. (Hopefully he will now stop throwing away all of his Vitamin Water bottles!) I reused a gift bag for Isabel's gift. I bought Snuggies (those crazy blankets with sleeves) for The Husband and me as to avoid turning up the heat, and I brought a plate and bowl with me to work so I won't have to worry about using a Styrofoam plate again. A fairly eco-conscious Christmas, I suppose.

I figure that one of my biggest carbon emissions is driving to and from work. I try to carpool with a guy that lives close by, but we never seem to have the same schedule anymore. I am thinking about buying a DriveNeutral.com carbon offset, removing an estimated 7.02 tons of CO2. I think I'll pay the mortgage and see what I have left for offsets.

Did I mention that I freaked out on a co-worker that threw a non-recyclable plastic fork in my recycle bin? He actually apologized for using a plastic fork in front of me. I think my co-workers are getting scared of the Green Lilly, the Green Freak. Are there other office Greenies out there like me?

I talked to The Husband about reducing our electric usage. I told him I wanted to get some power strips, add some weather stripping around the front door, and get some solar screens for the windows to help cool the house in the hot Arizona summers. He seemed OK with it, so hopefully I will find less Gremlins in the house. Considering I spent $400 more on electricity in 2009 than I did in 2008, something has to be done!

Not quite...

So today we had our work Christmas pot-luck. Since I don't eat beef, I was stuck eating nothing but side dishes and desserts. I brought in several bags of chips, and proudly showed off my reusable pink tote bag that folds up small enough to fit in my purse.

But alas, I have failed today in my eco-endeavor, as I am eating my macaroni salad and tortilla chips off a Styrofoam plate. I should have brought my own plate. I always have a fork and a spoon in my lunchbox, even a cool pink travel coffee mug, but no plate. Crap.

At least I remembered to unplug my computer and phone charger before I left home. I really want to greatly reduce the "phantom loads" in my house, but it's kind of a pain in the ass to unplug everything. I'm thinking I should get a few power strips, so all I have to do is flip a switch. I think The Husband will derail some of my power saving hopes, though. He has what he calls "Gremlins." Yeah, seriously. Every time he leaves a light on, he disavows responsibility and claims it was the Gremlins that did it. I think those Gremlins are costing me serious money on my electric bill. I come home from work almost every day to find lights and fans that he has left on for hours even though no one is home. Damn Gremlins.


I asked for a symbolic animal adoption for Christmas this year. I asked for a polar bear (my favorite animal), a three toed sloth, or a sumatran rhino. The adoption comes with a stuffed animal - WooHoo! Who knew they even made sloth stuffies? I should know in several hours if I am now the proud 'parent' of an endangered species.

The photo to the right is from one of my favorite websites: http://www.icanhascheezburger.com/ It mostly features cats (or kittehs, as they are called on the site) but they occasionally have other cool animals on there as well. All of the pictures have funny or strange captions, usually in Lolspeak. A great website for a pick-me-up that The MAN hasn't blocked yet.



Speaking of sites I love, what happened to F#@% You, Penguin (http://www.fupenguin.com/)? It was a hysterical blog, they even had a book published, but there are no new posts. I guess all good things must come to an end, but I miss you, F#@% You, Penguin!

Electric Cars

So today I decided to surf the internet to educate myself about electric cars. I wrote to Mini USA to find out when the electric Mini Cooper would be available mass market. (Right now, it is only available for lease in certain areas.) Apparently the electric Mini is only in the "Field Test" stage, so I don't expect to see it in Tucson anytime soon. Although I think that Mini Coopers are some of the cutest cars on the planet, I am a little leery of paying $50K for an electric. I mean, seriously, it's going to be TWICE AS MUCH as a normal Mini?

The Nissan LEAF is scheduled to do their Field Test here in Tucson, so maybe I can get in on that. It is expected to be more reasonably priced, starting at $25K, with a range of 100 miles per charge. Considering my commute it 39.25 miles each way, I should be covered, but skeptics are saying it will likely only make it 70 miles under normal driving conditions. That leaves me stranded 10 miles from home. There is a LEAF tour event here in Tucson in a few days; I RSVP'd for that event, so maybe I can get some questions answered about that vehicle.

Tesla is also making electric cars. Their cars are more expensive, but the Roadster is said to go 244 miles on a charge. The Roadster costs $100K, but they are expected to release a sedan in a year or so that should be much more affordable. Too bad there are so few Tesla dealers around!

I'm actually thinking seriously about a Chevy Volt. It's a hybrid, but according to the Chevy website, it only uses gas when the charge runs out, which is after 40 miles or so. That means that I could get to work without using any gas. And if I could plug it in at work and let it charge, I wouldn't have to use gas going home, either. The question is, do you think my employer (aka The MAN), who is supposedly oh so green, will allow little old me to plug in a car? Or will The MAN call it stealing?

For now, though, I will be driving my Altima.