Green Signs-COMMENT PUBLISHED

I want to thank the person who commented on my Green Signs post! The web link that you included is amazing!! Stickers that say "These Come From Trees"! I will definitely be buying some of those!!

Thank you again!

Green Sign

I have recently been getting annoyed at my office's recycling efforts. We have two cans in our kitchen area: one for trash and the other for recycling. Everyday, I look in the trash can and someone has thrown out a bunch of paper. So I stick my hand in, pull it out and throw it in the recycling bin.

This has been going on for months and finally I'd had enough, so I made a sign. A friendly sign that basically said "The trash you throw away ends up in a landfill. You can lesson our impact on the earth by throwing your paper products in the blue can."

I signed my name so there was no mistake as to who was sending the kind reminder. Our office manager loved it and not only posted it right above the trash can, but made copies and placed them around the kitchen area.

Shortly after posting the notice, I walked by the trash can and low and behold, there was a ton of paper in there. Now I was really iritated. Not only was the paper blatently in the trash, but now I had wasted paper on my signs which were obviously doing no good.

Then my sister texted to tell me that she is on her school's green team!! I was ecstatic! She asked for advice and ideas. I instantly went to work finding the best information for her. Why wasn't my office as interested?

As I pondered that question, our environmental services man came in to collect our trash. He asked me to come into the kitchen area and then praised our office for posting the sign! He asked if he could have copies to distribute to the other offices on our floor! He said that at the end of the day, he himself has to separate the trash and it was just not fair. I was thrilled and instantly made the copies.

Today, I did not stick my hand in the landfill can. I walked by several times with a smile on my face!

Day 1, 2, 3 and 4

I technically started this program on Monday, June 1st. I was just a little late in my postings. So far I’ve lost 5 pounds most of which I’m sure is water weight but nonetheless, 5 pounds. I feel great!

I’ve packed my own lunch using this very cool thing that I found…the wrap-n-mat. You can get one for about $11 at http://www.wrap-n-mat.com/ . Basically it’s a fabric square that has a plastic covering on one side (read about the safety of the plastic lining here http://www.wrap-n-mat.com/Overview-of-Linings-i-16.html ) and it folds over your sandwich and holds with a velcro strip. And I’ve only been made fun of twice!

Breakfast and lunch have been pretty easy. Organic apples and bananas. Organic peanut butter and hummus sandwiches (not together) using organic bread. I have had yogurt…but organic and I recycled the container at the Whole Foods. I have my own utensils at work so no waste there. But I have to admit that dinner has been tough.

I’ve had several events after work this week which haven’t allowed me to make dinner so I’ve eaten out. Menus are a scary thing when you’re trying to eat healthier and be environmentally conscious.

Unless you’re eating at a vegetarian restaurant that screams it’s organic, it’s impossible to know where your food is coming from. And I'm even learning that the things I buy in the grocery store don't always tell the truth on their labels." Just because it says “free range” on the label, doesn’t mean that the little chicken was roaming around on the farm. All it has to mean is that the chicken was give a small door or window in an over-crowded barn. (Go to http://www.gorgeouslygreen.com/ to learn more!)

The nights I’ve had to eat in restaurants, I’ve chosen eggs and toast and, well…

Last night I went to a bar with friends for an after work drink. I’m pretty sure the gin and tonic wasn’t organic, nor were the 2 small chicken wings I ate. I was disappointed in myself. Not only was it not a meal, not healthy and certainly not organic, but I was hungry afterwards. Where I was proud of myself was when I went home and had a snack of the organic peanut butter and banana…measured out! In the past, I ate that whole plate of wings and would’ve gone home and binged on the peanut butter. But I remained in control and that was a big deal for me.

I’m going away this weekend to a conference and that will definitely be a challenge. I plan on packing snacks and will go for the more "healthy" choices.

Wish me luck!

Happy weekend...see you on Monday!

The Pledge

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!

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!

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!!!

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)