Yesterday, I talked about the book The Gorgeously Green Diet by Sophie Uliano. In the back of the book, she has a pledge for the reader to take. Below is that pledge, exactly as written in the book, and my commitment to it.
1. I commit to cutting my beef and chicken consumption down by 25-50 percent. I will prepare at least three meat-free meals a week. Meat production has a very heavy eco-impact.
2. I commit to buying organic, seasonal and locally produced food whenever possible. I vote with my dollars and want to support sustainable producers.
3. I commit to cooking at least three meals a week at home so that I can save money, my health, and the planet.
4. I commit to reducing my food waste by 50 percent by sticking to my eating plan and my shopping list and by using my leftovers.
5. I commit to growing something edible (even an herb will do!).
6. I commit to recycling my paper, plastic, glass and cans, and to buying recycled paper products (paper towels, napkins, and toilet paper) to preserve more trees.
I, Meredith Forbes, pledge to take the six Gorgeously Green steps and to practice them for the next thirty days.
…and hopefully longer!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Gorgeously Green Commitment
Now that summer is almost here and the warm weather keeps teasing us, I find myself in the mood for fun, summery drinks…my favorite being the Starbucks Frappucino.
I am very particular in the way I prefer my Frap. I don’t like a lot of ice…I like it smooth and more liquidy. And I have, on occasion, been known to send it back if it’s not just the right consistency. The other problem that sometimes rears its head is when the cashier calls the order to the barista and says, “Frappucino, light on the ice.” If the barista is busy, he or she sometimes mistakes the light ice for the light frap, which is not a good thing. Aside from the icky chemicals that make it light, it has a horrible aftertaste.
Yesterday I was in Starbucks and, of course, mistakenly got the “light” version. I sent it back…straw, lid and cup…and watched them throw it out and make a completely new one…including straw, lid and cup. As this was happening, I asked them to just rinse out the old cup but the barista said, “That’s ok, we’ll give you a new one.”
And then it hit me. What have I been doing? Fraps almost every day. The chemicals. The calories. THE CUPS!!!
I finished my drink, felt guilty, threw it away, and headed over to Borders to meet John.
I browsed the books while waiting for him and stumbled across the perfect book for me. It was staring at me as if the green Gods were about to hit me over the head with it. The Gorgeously Green Diet by Sophie Uliano! I grabbed it and started to tear through the pages. I could diet AND save the Earth! Does it get any better than this?
I bought it, ran home and immediately started devouring (pun intended) the information.
I’ve already learned so much about the foods we eat, where they come from, the pesticides used and the packaging. It’s incredibly overwhelming and eye opening.
The author has a 30-day challenge so for the next 30 days, I am committing -- out loud -- to eating healthier, more Earth-friendly foods. This means for the next month I will become my own green barista, throwing out my old diet and making a completely new one.
I’ve decided to blog my journey through this process.
Next post...The Pledge!
I am very particular in the way I prefer my Frap. I don’t like a lot of ice…I like it smooth and more liquidy. And I have, on occasion, been known to send it back if it’s not just the right consistency. The other problem that sometimes rears its head is when the cashier calls the order to the barista and says, “Frappucino, light on the ice.” If the barista is busy, he or she sometimes mistakes the light ice for the light frap, which is not a good thing. Aside from the icky chemicals that make it light, it has a horrible aftertaste.
Yesterday I was in Starbucks and, of course, mistakenly got the “light” version. I sent it back…straw, lid and cup…and watched them throw it out and make a completely new one…including straw, lid and cup. As this was happening, I asked them to just rinse out the old cup but the barista said, “That’s ok, we’ll give you a new one.”
And then it hit me. What have I been doing? Fraps almost every day. The chemicals. The calories. THE CUPS!!!
I finished my drink, felt guilty, threw it away, and headed over to Borders to meet John.
I browsed the books while waiting for him and stumbled across the perfect book for me. It was staring at me as if the green Gods were about to hit me over the head with it. The Gorgeously Green Diet by Sophie Uliano! I grabbed it and started to tear through the pages. I could diet AND save the Earth! Does it get any better than this?
I bought it, ran home and immediately started devouring (pun intended) the information.
I’ve already learned so much about the foods we eat, where they come from, the pesticides used and the packaging. It’s incredibly overwhelming and eye opening.
The author has a 30-day challenge so for the next 30 days, I am committing -- out loud -- to eating healthier, more Earth-friendly foods. This means for the next month I will become my own green barista, throwing out my old diet and making a completely new one.
I’ve decided to blog my journey through this process.
Next post...The Pledge!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Green By Example
Happy Earth Day!
This past Saturday, I attended an Earth Week event, the Go Green Expo. It married my two favorite activities: saving the environment and shopping.
The booths ranged from fake lawns to healthy cookware, biodegradable trash bags to recycled sailcloth shower curtains and handbags (of which I bought one of each). I know the motto is to reduce, so I thought carefully about each purchase I made. (OK, so I don’t need another bag but sometimes I can’t help myself!)
This event also had speakers throughout the day. We attended a talk by Mariel Hemingway, who has written a new book, Healthy Living From the Inside Out. And after the talk, I had a new green hero.
First of all, she is completely gorgeous and you can tell that she really takes care of herself. I’ve seen her on some "green" shows so I was familiar with her philosophies.
She talked about eating as a privilege and thinking about what you’re putting in your body as well as the products you put ON your body. She spoke about how to be still with yourself, yoga and being respectful of the planet and ourselves.
But the one point that stuck with me was when she talked about people wanting to know how to convince others to live healthier. She said that you have to lead by example. You can’t force feed anyone this information…they won’t take it.
I thought about that...and my blog, accosting my co-workers about paper cups, huffing at the person in front of me when they take the plastic bag, and telling my husband not to eat fish. Maybe I wasn't leading, but preaching.
Then last night, I was at my play reading group. Every week the group leader brings bottled water and it drives me insane. This week, she happened to mention how horrible it is to buy plastic bottles, but that convenience wins. This sparked a discussion.
Someone said that the plastic is supposedly bad for the water. Another yelled out that her water sometimes tasted funny after a long time in the bottle. Another whined about how the security at the airport took her plastic Poland Spring bottle that she’d been using for two weeks and how pissed she was. (Believe me girl, he did you a favor!)
And then the one girl yelled, “Who cares about the bottles in the trash? It's easier!” I wanted to leap across the table and smack her. But then Mariel popped into my head and I calmly reached into my bag, pulled out my Sigg and took a sip.
Someone said, “I need to get one of those!” Another complained that she loses everything. My response was, “If you spend the money on it, then maybe you won’t lose it. And it’s better for your health.” That was all I said. Hopefully I led by example and maybe inspired one person to switch her water bottle.
This Earth Day, I commit to doing the following:
I will not take any cabs…only walk or take public transportation.
I will make sure that the lights are out in any room I’m not in.
I will choose things that have little or no packaging.
I will take a shorter shower.
and…
I will lead by example!
HAPPY EARTH DAY!!!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
It's Raining Plastic
It feels so good to be settled into my new digs. And now that I’m unpacked, I get to do the fun stuff...decorate!
Saturday afternoon I decided to head over to Crate and Barrel to check out their TV stands. One of the things I like most about Crate and Barrel is their use of sustainable materials. It was raining pretty hard, so I was excited to get into the store – not only to see what they had but also to dry off.
I was greeted by a rather severe woman who thrust a plastic umbrella bag at me. If you’ve been reading my blogs, you know that wasn’t the smartest thing to do. But I remained polite.
“No, thank you,” I said and walked inside.
She chased after me. “You must take one!” I must? She obviously didn’t know me. “I’m sorry, I don’t use . . . plastic bags.” The words slithered off me like the rain off my coat.
She followed me. “Miss! MISS!” I kept walking, pretending not to hear. “You MUST take one!” she said again, but much firmer. I repeated that I did not use plastic bags, again, much firmer. She stopped following me.
But I was miffed. Why didn’t they have an umbrella stand? Or even just rugs! Plastic umbrella bags are almost as big of a waste as those little plastic plugs that Starbucks uses to keep your coffee from spilling.
I was in a rare condition for me – too pissed to shop. I left and headed off to Bed, Bath and Beyond. They, too, offered me a plastic umbrella bag which I, again, refused. They didn’t follow me around the store. But I felt like I had committed a crime. Everywhere I turned there was an angry employee, glaring at me and my wet umbrella.
I thought about this all weekend. The number of plastic bags that are used for what, 20 minutes? Wasted. Ending up in landfills or that floating plastic island in the Pacific.
The next night I was flicking channels, thinking about my wet umbrella, when Andy Rooney came on.
His rant was about the ice bridge that was holding up an iceberg the size of Connecticut and was about to break off. He said it’s got to go somewhere, and asked if any of us want something the size of Connecticut to hit us.
He said that while some who call themselves conservationists are, well, conserving and finding new resources, others are doing nothing, sure that things will just “work out.”
But it was his closing line that got me. “I’m a conservationist who uses a lot of trees and oil. I’m the problem.” (60 Minutes clock ticking sound.)
It got me because just that afternoon I had gone to the corner store without one of my bags, and took a plastic one (which I hated). Despite being high and mighty about my plastic bag non-usage, I was also the problem.
So I am now that much more aware and more committed than ever to searching for new ways to solve the problem . . . that I’ve become. (Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick)
Saturday afternoon I decided to head over to Crate and Barrel to check out their TV stands. One of the things I like most about Crate and Barrel is their use of sustainable materials. It was raining pretty hard, so I was excited to get into the store – not only to see what they had but also to dry off.
I was greeted by a rather severe woman who thrust a plastic umbrella bag at me. If you’ve been reading my blogs, you know that wasn’t the smartest thing to do. But I remained polite.
“No, thank you,” I said and walked inside.
She chased after me. “You must take one!” I must? She obviously didn’t know me. “I’m sorry, I don’t use . . . plastic bags.” The words slithered off me like the rain off my coat.
She followed me. “Miss! MISS!” I kept walking, pretending not to hear. “You MUST take one!” she said again, but much firmer. I repeated that I did not use plastic bags, again, much firmer. She stopped following me.
But I was miffed. Why didn’t they have an umbrella stand? Or even just rugs! Plastic umbrella bags are almost as big of a waste as those little plastic plugs that Starbucks uses to keep your coffee from spilling.
I was in a rare condition for me – too pissed to shop. I left and headed off to Bed, Bath and Beyond. They, too, offered me a plastic umbrella bag which I, again, refused. They didn’t follow me around the store. But I felt like I had committed a crime. Everywhere I turned there was an angry employee, glaring at me and my wet umbrella.
I thought about this all weekend. The number of plastic bags that are used for what, 20 minutes? Wasted. Ending up in landfills or that floating plastic island in the Pacific.
The next night I was flicking channels, thinking about my wet umbrella, when Andy Rooney came on.
His rant was about the ice bridge that was holding up an iceberg the size of Connecticut and was about to break off. He said it’s got to go somewhere, and asked if any of us want something the size of Connecticut to hit us.
He said that while some who call themselves conservationists are, well, conserving and finding new resources, others are doing nothing, sure that things will just “work out.”
But it was his closing line that got me. “I’m a conservationist who uses a lot of trees and oil. I’m the problem.” (60 Minutes clock ticking sound.)
It got me because just that afternoon I had gone to the corner store without one of my bags, and took a plastic one (which I hated). Despite being high and mighty about my plastic bag non-usage, I was also the problem.
So I am now that much more aware and more committed than ever to searching for new ways to solve the problem . . . that I’ve become. (Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick)
Monday, March 9, 2009
Movin' On Up...To The Green Side
You may have noticed that I have been MIA for the past several weeks. This was not because I didn’t have green altercations to report on, but rather, we moved!
I’ve moved at least a dozen times in my life but back then, I never considered the impact a move has on the environment. My aunt, on the other hand, considered the impact moving would have on me before I did. She sent me an email which said “I was thinking about your move and decided I had better warn you to take a couple of Xanax or Valium -- they're going to use a lot of paper and cardboard to pack your stuff. Be prepared!!!!!”
She was right.
I packed all of the boxes myself. I picked up most of them from Uhaul. They have a “leave a box, take a box” program. We took many boxes and will definitely replenish their supply. I also like how they encourage you to reuse and recycle the boxes. Because we were moving to a 6th floor walk-up, I had to use smaller boxes that would weigh less. I wound up with 115 boxes!
As I summed up the damage I thought to myself, all those trees died so that I could move. This did not sit well with me. And it was about to get worse.
We had to hire movers, which in terms of getting the stuff down the 3 flights and up the 6 flights was a life-saver for us, but not the planet. While I had packed mostly everything, the movers took care of electronics and furniture. As they started to wrap the furniture, I almost hyperventilated. They had a giant roll of plastic wrap which they wove around the items again, and again, and again. The furniture was wrapped in their blankets. Phew. Until they began to secure the blanket with rolls of tape.
I had to turn away when it came time to package our precious TV and computer. The man opened up a giant ream of paper and began crumbling it up and throwing it into the boxes. They lay the equipment down and crumpled up some more paper to cover them up. I used towels to wrap my delicates…couldn’t they find old towels?
Imagine this times the hundreds, if not thousands, of people that move everyday! Were they bringing their boxes back to Uhaul?
I gingerly unwrapped the electronics and salvaged most of the paper. I plan on giving this as an added bonus to those who take my boxes.
This whole move made me re-think the amount of stuff I own as well. I definitely need to consume less. We're all told to think outside the box. I need to learn how to think outside 115 of them.
I’ve moved at least a dozen times in my life but back then, I never considered the impact a move has on the environment. My aunt, on the other hand, considered the impact moving would have on me before I did. She sent me an email which said “I was thinking about your move and decided I had better warn you to take a couple of Xanax or Valium -- they're going to use a lot of paper and cardboard to pack your stuff. Be prepared!!!!!”
She was right.
I packed all of the boxes myself. I picked up most of them from Uhaul. They have a “leave a box, take a box” program. We took many boxes and will definitely replenish their supply. I also like how they encourage you to reuse and recycle the boxes. Because we were moving to a 6th floor walk-up, I had to use smaller boxes that would weigh less. I wound up with 115 boxes!
As I summed up the damage I thought to myself, all those trees died so that I could move. This did not sit well with me. And it was about to get worse.
We had to hire movers, which in terms of getting the stuff down the 3 flights and up the 6 flights was a life-saver for us, but not the planet. While I had packed mostly everything, the movers took care of electronics and furniture. As they started to wrap the furniture, I almost hyperventilated. They had a giant roll of plastic wrap which they wove around the items again, and again, and again. The furniture was wrapped in their blankets. Phew. Until they began to secure the blanket with rolls of tape.
I had to turn away when it came time to package our precious TV and computer. The man opened up a giant ream of paper and began crumbling it up and throwing it into the boxes. They lay the equipment down and crumpled up some more paper to cover them up. I used towels to wrap my delicates…couldn’t they find old towels?
Imagine this times the hundreds, if not thousands, of people that move everyday! Were they bringing their boxes back to Uhaul?
I gingerly unwrapped the electronics and salvaged most of the paper. I plan on giving this as an added bonus to those who take my boxes.
This whole move made me re-think the amount of stuff I own as well. I definitely need to consume less. We're all told to think outside the box. I need to learn how to think outside 115 of them.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Green Team
Like the Mother Earth ship calling me home, I am now on my employer’s Green Team! I had no idea this existed, although I had dreamed about greening up the hospital on a large scale. And now I’m working with co-workers who share my passion for saving our planet…and our office!
The Team’s first mission is to plan a green table display for Education Day. We decided on three sections: 1) What the hospital is already doing; 2) How employees can green their office; and 3) What they can do on your own. I volunteered to head up the second area since I had already implemented a green program for my department.
As I walked back to my office, I bumped into one of my co-workers. She was carrying a paper cup. My eyes got wide. She looked away and said, “I know, I know.”
Then I walked into the kitchen and looked in the trash. Paper! I quickly dove into the trashcan and pulled out what I could. I was caught in the act by another co-worker who flashed a look as if to say “she’s lost it.” Then I stood up and hit my head on the cabinet. This was not looking good.
How could I head up the “green your office” sub-committee if my own efforts were failing? I had already bragged to The Team. I told them how I rewarded those doing green deeds with reusable shopping bags. The Team loved it! And now I was crashing and burning.
I had a vision of The Team making a surprise site visit…a tour of my so-called green office while, in slow motion, my co-workers rolled up clean sheets of paper and threw them away. “Noooo!” I heard myself shouting in a creepy slo-mo voice as I got pelted with paper.
How could this happen?
Just then, I noticed that our box for can recycling was full. Not a complete disaster. And my friend came into the pantry and filled up a ceramic mug with water. She even pointed to her mug and said, “This is because of you, you know.”
I looked around and made sure there was nothing to hit my head on. “Thanks,” I said. “I know, I know.”
The Team’s first mission is to plan a green table display for Education Day. We decided on three sections: 1) What the hospital is already doing; 2) How employees can green their office; and 3) What they can do on your own. I volunteered to head up the second area since I had already implemented a green program for my department.
As I walked back to my office, I bumped into one of my co-workers. She was carrying a paper cup. My eyes got wide. She looked away and said, “I know, I know.”
Then I walked into the kitchen and looked in the trash. Paper! I quickly dove into the trashcan and pulled out what I could. I was caught in the act by another co-worker who flashed a look as if to say “she’s lost it.” Then I stood up and hit my head on the cabinet. This was not looking good.
How could I head up the “green your office” sub-committee if my own efforts were failing? I had already bragged to The Team. I told them how I rewarded those doing green deeds with reusable shopping bags. The Team loved it! And now I was crashing and burning.
I had a vision of The Team making a surprise site visit…a tour of my so-called green office while, in slow motion, my co-workers rolled up clean sheets of paper and threw them away. “Noooo!” I heard myself shouting in a creepy slo-mo voice as I got pelted with paper.
How could this happen?
Just then, I noticed that our box for can recycling was full. Not a complete disaster. And my friend came into the pantry and filled up a ceramic mug with water. She even pointed to her mug and said, “This is because of you, you know.”
I looked around and made sure there was nothing to hit my head on. “Thanks,” I said. “I know, I know.”
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Paper Bowl XLIII
"All that paper!" I blurted out as twenty tons of confetti showered the Pittsburgh Steelers and their fans as they celebrated their non-green victory at the Super Bowl.
This wasn't the first time I've said this. At Cirque de Soleil's latest production, Wintuk, I watched in dismay as the Canadian circus created winter by blanketing the audience with tissue paper snowflakes.
"I'm pretty sure they recycle this," my friend told me. I was pretty sure they didn't. I watched through the faux blizzard as kids and adults grabbed paper flakes as a souvenir. (Were no two really alike?) What was this? Couldn't they buy a t-shirt like everybody else?
I came home that night, took off my jacket and about 20 "souvenirs" poured out of me. That's not counting the ones I found on the steps of my apartment building the next day. At least those got recycled.
Spamalot was another offender. Somehow you expect better from Monty Python. But instead of a killer rabbit or a giant foot coming into the audience at the end, there were more paper souvenirs. Bad enough that they celebrate lumberjacks in The Lumberjack Song. But this?
Come on, people! Do we still not get that we need to start saving trees? Is falling tissue paper really the symbol we need for celebration? Can we just scream a lot? We've done away with ticker tape at parades and rice at weddings. Why not confetti?
I admit I was rooting for the Cardinals, but I still offer congratulations to the Steelers. I can only hope that when you return home with your sixth Vince Lombardi trophy, Pittsburgh has the good sense to shower you with something biodegradable.
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