January 30th, 2009
Cure your winter blues by going to your local winter farmers market! Indiana is lucky to have at least three winter markets (that I frequent) and while you might not be able to find fresh tomatoes you would be amazed at what you can find! So grab your cup o’ joe, throw on a scarf (pants and coats too please), and head out the door to see what you will find!
Chat with your neighbors, buy some soap and eat some tasty baked goods, but whatever you do….dont miss it! See the links below for some of my personal favorites:
Indy Winter Farmer’s Market
Trader’s Point Creamery Green Market
Bloomington Winter Farmer’s Market
January 23rd, 2009
So I must admit, I totally stole this from my secret green source, The Daily Green. If you haven’t already heard about this website, than today is your lucky day! It is a site filled with all sorts of green resources. You can even sign up for their daily newsletter and get all sorts of eco information delivered right to your Inbox!
Anyway, I found an article on their site entitled, Five easy steps anyone can do to go green, and like the title says, they are super easy things that we can all do to play a part! Not only will you be greening up your life, but also simplifying it and who doesn’t like simple!
1. Bag It
When you go out shopping, bring your own reusable bags. This preserves resources by cutting down on the huge number of paper and plastic bags that are discarded after a single trip
2. Save on electricity
There are many ways to trim those electric bills. Wash your laundry in cold water instead of hot, line dry your linens, and use a toaster oven for small heating needs instead of a bigger electric stove. Open windows to let the light in, turn off unneeded lights and appliances, and unplug unused electronics to counter the ‘energy vampire’ effect.
3. Save on gas
Every gallon of gasoline you burn produces 19 pounds of carbon dioxide, so it pays to conserve (in more ways than one). Your car will work more efficiently if you obey the speed limit and avoid rapid, unnecessary acceleration. Keep your tires properly inflated and get regular tune-ups. Forget warming up under most conditions.
4. Eat local
Shop at your local farmers’ market or co-op (if you are lucky enough to have one). This will help support farmers in your area, so they won’t be forced to sell off their land for development. Your food will be delicious and better for you. Eat as much local and seasonal food as you reasonably can. Your meals will be fresher, and will require much less fuel to transport, store and refrigerate.
I must admit, this is my favorite one, you pay for it so chug a lug! Sigg bottles like this one are my favorite, but you don’t even need to be this fancy!
5. BYOW (Bring your own water)
Drink water from the tap, instead of buying single-use bottled water, which requires much more energy to produce, store and transport. Barely 20% of those plastic bottles end up getting recycled, and most are made out of petroleum. Use filters if you are concerned about your local water supply.
Buy a reusable bottle to take with you on the go, so you can always refill it from a tap and avoid buying bottled water. Stainless steel is a good choice, because you don’t have to worry about the potentially toxic chemicals that can leach out of many plastics over time and many of them can be recycled after you are done using them.
Remember, Live simply and simply live!
January 7th, 2009
Indiana Living Green that is. Check out our new ad in the January/February Indiana Living Green issue! We are proud to partner with the fine folks at ILG. Check out our ads all year in the Green Marketplace section of every issue.
Click here to find out where you can pick up a free copy near you!