The scale of the destruction, desperation and death in Haiti right now is mind-boggling. From a green perspective, I am so frustrated to learn that there were no building codes in a country that almost sits on top of a huge fault line.  The growing global phenomenon of concentrating masses of people in cities, instead of remaining in rural towns and villages, is part of the problem. If more people remained in their villages and retained the skills that passed down for generations, skills like farming, weaving, carpentry, fishing, natural healers, etc., they would have a greater chance of surviving disaster than the huddled masses in the cities.  Let me be clear: I am not a survivalist or anti-city.  I just hope that when they – WE – rebuild Haiti that we set up smaller villages and build a more sustainable local economy. It’s not just Haiti that needs to do this; the United States desperately needs this as well.  I know that is not a quick or simple fix with many vested interests in keeping it as is.  And it is easier to build tent cities, hand out food and water than it is to shift a paradigm.  But this worldwide push for unexamined, unsustainable, and often tax-payer supported, voracious development has to stop.

I am volunteering for an organization called One Love Learning Foundation (OLLF). This non-profit is growing organic food for a poor school in Jamaica and also teaching children about nutrition, cooking, health, and gardening.  OLLF recently built a kitchen so they could prepare lunch for the children.  I know we don’t all have the time or money to go to Haiti or Jamaica to volunteer and that there are endless causes here in the states.  I hope to duplicate this gardening model for a school in Scranton when I return.  I’ll take photos and report back.

I don’t usually make New Year resolutions but I think this year I will. Although this blog is about being green my resolution is not necessary about being green. For my new year, god willing, I want to laugh more.  I want to be lighter and worry less.  I know we can’t be free of all stress but I want to sift thru the worries that keep me up at night and strain out most of them, like through a coffee filter rather than a big colander.  I watch to catch most of it before it is in my delicious cup up coffee and in my head!

Basically, I have really good life full of blessings and plenty.   All of my basic needs are met and most of my wants and desires are fulfilled too.  I have a warm home in the winter, friends, family, a good job, clothes and food.  What is missing is a little more laughter and lightness.  A dose of silliness and spontaneity once in a while is sorely needed in my life.  I’d like to test out the unbearable lightness of being, (good book and movie). I want to see if I could bear it.

All the news about the wars, health insurance costs, climate change, the economy, sickness, getting older……it all starts to get heavy and I want this year to rise above it. I want to because good things are happening too.  There’s got to be some shades of green that are sheer fun and amazement about life. We never know how long we have to experience this life so my resolution is to get busy having some fun. 

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and I mean Happy!

One never knows what lies ahead.  I had high hopes of making my holidays about spending quality time with friends and family rather than racing around shopping, wrapping; I wanted to slow down and enjoy the people, the moments, enjoy the quiet of a winter evening.  Life has its own ideas though.  Instead, I got sick two days after Thanksgiving with a fever and cough which knocked me out for about ten days.  I missed some work and way too many fun events.  I recovered only to get sick again with the same thing.   So the third week into this illness, I missed many more social engagements and our fun company Christmas party – but NOT the COUNTRY CLUB LUNCHEON.

I was selected to receive the award for community service by a local non-profit organization, Women’s Resource Center. On the very morning I was to attend this fancy luncheon at The Country Club, I spent several hours shivering with fever in the waiting room of doctor’s office. I felt like a junkie waiting for my prescriptions, except I was all dressed up with too many places to go.  From work, to the doctor, to the country club, “Thank you for the award”, to the drugstore, to work, back to the drugstore, then home.  I just couldn’t miss that luncheon in the Country Club and it did me in.  Two more days of work missed with a cough that tore chards of bone from my ribs. 

So the holidays this year for me were about quality time, except I spent most of it alone, on a couch watching sappy Hallmark movies instead of wearing the lampshade or preparing fabulous meals for friends.  However, all not lost - I can see my shiny crystal award on the table beside me -  I finally made it to The County Club!

It is for me. The face is cracked and I cannot see anything on the screen although it still works. Thankfully a friend loaned me one of her old ones to use until my contract allows me get another. It got me thinking about what to do with the broken one.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), less than 20% of all cell phones are recycled each year. They’re full of precious metals, copper, and plastics* and unfortunately it all goes to the landfill. Just think of all the energy it takes to manufacture and transport cell phones that often get junked in a year or two. Recycling saves energy.

So what are the options for recycling a phone?
• If you are concerned about erasing your numbers, photos and texts check out Cell Phone Data
Eraser. Here you can enter you make and model of phone and they will email you the free Data Eraser
instructions.

• After that you can start with your phone’s retailer or manufacturer. The EPA has links to most of the
major players’ drop off points or mail-in addresses. Often the store where you bought it will accept it or
will provide you with a mailing envelope.

• Hats off to Motorola, Apple, and Nokia who will accept any phone for recycling, not just the ones they
make themselves. Better yet, it is free.

• A great option is to donate the phone to a charity. Working phones can be used by an organization like
Call to Protect. Survivors of domestic violence use these phones to have access to 911. Or try Secure
the Call, which also reprograms cell phones into 911 emergency-use phones.

• Look for a drop-off site near you. Call 2 Recycle has a database of retail stores that recycle phones.
Call 2 Recycle will also help you start a collection box at your work place.

• Earth 911 has listings for both retail and municipal recycling locations.
Well, that’s what I found online when searching for what to do with my old phone.

*A ton of ore from a gold mine produces just 5 grams (0.18 ounce) of gold on average, whereas a ton of discarded mobile phones can yield 150 grams (5.3 ounce) or more, according to a study by Yokohama Metal Co Ltd, another recycling firm.

Source: Reuters: Urban miners look for precious metals in cell phones.

That’s correct – to me it all becomes a blur, a rat race and I already feel dazed and confused.  So I am thinking more and more about how to really enjoy the holiday season and give gifts don’t eventually end up in the landfill or that I cannot really afford.

Some of the best holidays I’ve ever had were spontaneous or less orchestrated dinner parties where the conversation was full of flavor and variety just like the food and guests. It has never been just about the presents or just about the food or just about extravagant decorations.  It is about a magical mix of things that sometimes happens when you bring different kinds of people together to join your own family and people are forced outside their normal comfort zones.  When it is just your own family, it resembles watching a favorite rerun of a sitcom or drama, depending upon the family.  The regular cast of characters appear and fall into their typical roles and we chuckle a few times or argue, and nothing memorable actually happens.  Yes, the food is good and yes, you love them dearly, but nothing magical occurs.   So, to start, I vow to try to create a holiday that encourages different people to join in and have fun. 

Also, I will try even harder to shop locally and support local business owners, artisans and shops.  A group of us were out last night and a local small business owner was in was in the mix.  A jeweler by trade for about twenty years, she’s been operating her own downtown business, Duffy’s Accessories, and still struggles to keep her doors open and reach new customers.  There are local coffee roasters, candy makers, wineries and small business owners that I will support this year in buying gifts. 

Or, if you prefer to avoid the driving around town shopping, try a charitable organization that make it possible to give gifts that are life changing to people all around the world. An organization like Oxfam inquires with local communities to find out what will change peoples lives. Whether it’s a goat or school uniforms, they fund what’s needed most. Your donation will go to the people who need it, in someone else’s name, and where it will have the greatest impact in everyday lives.

Post secondary education is so very expensive today, consider giving a donation toward someone’s tuition or books or career training.

Maybe this year, I will skip buying wrapping paper and just use newspaper to wrap my gifts. I don’t care what my gifts are wrapped in.  So this is some food for thought on a greener holiday season and may you be blessed with all you need in this upcoming year.

What I learned from this season in the garden:

It is possible to successfully grow cold hardy produce both earlier and later than I ever thought possible. We live in Plant Hardiness Zone 6 so typically we plant tomatoes Memorial Day weekend and hardier items in early May. This year we backed it up about three to four weeks and many items fared well. Despite late frosts and cold nights, with the use of floating row covers, I was able to plant tomatoes in early May and had their roots well established when the June cool heavy rains came. The plants held their own and flourished while many other growers encountered diseases and blights. I did get some mold though in mid to late summer.

Planting early meant encountering cutworms in the cool damp soil. Those little buggers earn their name well as they cut through the stem of new young plans. Hate em! A physical barrier around the stems next year, like a collar, when planting out should prevent their damage.

Intensive and diversified plantings of companion herbs and veggies prevented most insects and pests from becoming a problem. This year clearly revealed the importance of a diverse garden in keeping things healthy and in balance. Also, planting a large variety of items means that with any extreme weather season, some things fare well and others don’t; more variety increases the odds that some will thrive.

Our sweet corn didn’t germinate in the cool wet summer that we had. Purple Haze carrots look absolutely beautiful when sliced raw but when cooked, although they still taste great, turn an unappetizing shade of brown. They still taste great. I will definitely plant Cherokee purple tomatoes and sun gold cherries again. Tomatillos are a must for next year because salsa made from them is so delicious.

I learned that in a garden, amazing things happen everyday. In the stillness of last Sunday morning, on the wall of our shed, I saw a slow motion battle between a spider and a tiny green caterpillar. They challenged each other for about ten minutes and then – Spider won. Gardeners love spiders. It was a Hollywood ending.

It is absolutely astonishing what can come out of a 14’ x 16’ plot of city soil. It is early November and I am still enjoying the miracle of food from my garden. Just yesterday I made soup mostly from what was picked the garden: mixed greens, potatoes, carrots, shallots and celery.  I browned a small piece of sausage and garlic for flavor, threw in some spices and voilà – a healthy, nourishing, low-cal, low-fat, tasty, dinner.  Roasted beets and potatoes, salad of mixed lettuces, nasturtiums and arugula, sautéed rainbow chard, and tea made from borage, mint and basil make up many fall dinners in our home.

I’ve also had some memorable moments with kindred souls in that city garden. On Sunday, a mother and daughter walked by and admired the garden.  I invited them in and they were so excited and grateful to be in the garden. I offered them some food.  Soon they were pulling carrots and picking greens and teaching me about a plant they use that I thought was weed.  They were immediately at Home in the garden.   Davicka, the 16 year old daughter, told me that they were Bhutanese refugees that had been relocated by the U.N. this summer to Scranton.  After expulsion from Bhutan, they had lived in refugee camps in Nepal for 17 years.  (Many still do.)  The mother spoke no English but we all shared a meaningful dialogue – a moment of mutual appreciation of what comes from the dirt when you add seed, sun and water – survival, sustenance, food and sometimes moments of celebration.  

Another kindred soul, Harry, flies, and I mean flies sometimes on two wheels around the neighborhood in his jazzy chair, shouting a friendly hello to everyone he sees. He brings me a soda and shows me photos of his grandchildren every time he sees me. Early this spring Harry asked me for my mailing address for his Christmas card list.  Because he seemed one of the kindest beings I had met, I reluctantly gave it too him hoping he wasn’t a psycho.  Later in one of his visits to the garden, he spoke more of his family. His son and family lives nearby and his wife died a few years back. Tragically, Harry lost two of his three children in a drowning accident when they were quite young. Some people are broken after a loss like that, not Harry.   I saw Harry in CVS last week; I overheard him ordering 150 photo Christmas cards.  The photo-tech girl was laughing, really enjoying her moment with Harry.  Yesterday my photo card arrived in the mail.  What a moment.

Most of the kitchen remodeling project is finished and I am happy to say that we have done pretty well in making some green choices.  First of all, our friend and contractor Jim does a really great job of salvaging whatever he can.  When we did the demolition, we saved every large piece of wood possible.  We saved 2 x 4s and floor and wall planks and the deck steps.  Now our new kitchen floor has the old kitchen walls under it.  When he took apart our steam radiators, he saved many of the brass valves and handles to use in the large radiator we got from a salvage yard which thankfully works perfectly. I’ve picked up a large metal grate for radiator covers from a friend to cut and re-use. 

When purchasing cabinets, we bought all wood construction made from North American-grown hardwoods and avoided the toxic formaldehyde particle board cabinets.  I wish they were from FSC-certified or other renewable woods but that was not the case.  The manufacturer, Shenandoah Cabinetry, states, that they work with all suppliers to encourage sustainable forestry practices but I am not sure what that means.  The cabinets were manufactured in the United States helping to keep jobs here.  Our porcelain flagstone flooring tiles were also made in the United States keeping jobs in the U.S. Buying closer to home saves immensely on energy used to transport the goods. 

I received a windfall from a friend who pulled down a bunch of good fiberglass insulation that they didn’t want – they are replacing with foam.   Our new exterior door and windows qualify for federal tax credits for energy efficiency.  We also purchased a new refrigerator and dishwasher which qualify for the tax credits as well.

One last note, I hope to buy low-VOC paints for the walls.  I have not yet price shopped on this so we’ll see if our budget allows for this. I do hope so.

I recently woke up to news about toxins in plastic water bottles. I know this topic has been in the news for years but I have managed to ignore it until now.  I think information overload makes me close my eyes and ears to what is going on sometimes.  If you have a baby then click here and read on for more info on the subject.  If you don’t have a baby you still need to read about exposure to these toxins. Now I do not necessarily believe every frightening thing that I read but it is imperative that we, at the least, educate ourselves and read up on what is being considered.  Then, make your own informed decisions. Plastic is now everywhere and it sure wasn’t 30 years ago.

Did you know that canned food is lined with plastic? Ice cubes are made and stored in plastic; we reheat leftovers in plastic; spring water is stored for who knows how long in plastic. Ketchup, mustard and salad dressing come in plastic bottles. The water companies and plumbers now use plastic water pipes. I have been drinking water filtered in a Brita water pitcher for years as well as reusing water bottles.  Hell, our toothbrushes are plastic.  Kid’s lunchboxes and coffee makers are plastic.  Linger too long in a dollar store and you risk becoming plastic yourself. 

I realize that every day we have a new thing to be scared of. This week it is bacteria in SHOWER HEADS.  Well, call me psycho but Hitchcock himself couldn’t have made showers more frightening than this one. I refuse to give up on taking showers however plastic is something that I certainly can avoid at times. 

Look, just make a conscious decision about what goes into your body by reading and deciding for yourself.  Make changes, even small ones like using glass and metal more often.  Less plastic will certainly help the environment and might help your health as well.

Shower on!

P.S. Immediately after writing this, I got up to wash my glass coffee pot and broke it on our porcelain sink.  There are some advantages of plastics over glass after all.

We have made great progress on our kitchen remodel lately. When we removed the old ceiling in the pantry and back porch, we realized it would make a lovely vaulted ceiling. Once we saw it, we just had to have it.  This creates some difficulties for Jim, our contractor who will need to add furring strips to make room for the insulation and move a sewer exhaust pipe. And, just after removing the ceiling, thanks to Mother Nature’s gift of abundant rain, we discovered the roof had leaks.  Better to know now than when kitchen is complete. So next we had to buy roofing material for covering the porch and the new addition, Oh, didn’t I mention The New Addition yet? Well, we were both quite happy with adding a tiny powder room when the contractor Jim suggested a small shower too.  That sounded great and the math was still affordable. That is until my brother visited and suggested that, considering resale value, most people want a tub too.  So, Jim built an addition over our outside cellar steps to contain the new full bath.  Just a few extra thousand dollars!!!! That’s all.    

Then of course, the new stucco on the addition laughed at the old dirty stucco on the back of the house so Jim said we had to do new stucco over the dirty section too. OK. I can see that makes sense, just some more mortar mix needed.  Who knew that we need scaffolding, not ladders to do the stucco.  He said we can rent it or he can build his own scaffolding out of some free racks and planks he salvaged from an old building being torn down.  I love being green so that sounded great.  When we returned from our week at the beach, Jim said he would need some green to pay for the hardware that holds it all together, and “by the way”, he said, “Blow torch Johnnie needs to be paid for the welding he did on the racks.”   And then there’s Jim’s additional labor charge for the addition.

Our next surprise a few days later: “You need to paint the new stucco to seal it. You can’t leave it like this.”  The rest of the house is unpainted stucco.  We talked about it – a lot, but I still don’t understand why we had to paint it, but yesterday we bought ten gallons of masonry paint. At least I talked my way out of being the painter.

New Addition is code for additional money.  I do hope all this addition ends before we max out our credit! I am not great at math but I know we are getting dangerously close.