If you are looking to save money on energy bills, a home energy audit is a great place to start. It will give you a sense of where you could make improvements and where you are doing well. We recently had MassSave conduct a free home energy audit–we passed! However, the auditor did find one single incandescent light bulb in a socket we never use–for shame…

Get a jump on curbing you energy use at home with MassSave’s top ten energy saving tips–how many can you check off you list?

1. Install a programmable thermostat
2. Use CLFs with the ENERGY STAR label
3. Air dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher’s drying cycle
4. Turn off your computer and monitor when not in use
5. Plug home electronics such as TVs and DVD players into power strips that you can easily switch off when not in use.
6. Lower the thermostat on your hot water heater to 120F
7. Take short showers instead of baths
8. Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes
9. Drive sensibly — speeding, rapid acceleration, and braking wastes gas
10. Look for the ENERGY STAR label when purchasing home appliances and products.

Pining for the bright, colorful, delicious goodness of a summer farmer’s markets bounty? Well, you might be surprised with the variety of tasty farm-grown, artisan crafted goodies available in the winter months – think farm fresh eggs, honey, hearty root vegetables, pasta, bread, chocolates, pastries, and wine. Here’s a list of places in the Boston area where you can pick up some seasonal food and fresh baked goods even on the coldest of days:

What: Prudential Center Farmers’ Market
Where: Boston Prudential Center at 800 Boylston Street, Boston, MA
When: Thursdays from 11am-6pm November thru April 26
What’s for sale: lavender, honey, vegetables, fruit, bread, baked goods, herb plants, herbal sandwiches

What: Cambridge Winter Farmers’ Market
Where: Cambridge Community Center, 5 Callender Street, Cambridge, MA
When: Saturdays 10am-2pm November-April 28
What’s for sale: root veggies, kale, beets, gluten free pastas, fresh eggs, fish & shellfish, sauces, honey, preserves, art, and more.

What: Somerville Winter Farmers’ Market
Where: The Armory, 191 Highland Ave, Somerville, MA
When: Saturdays 9:30am-2:30pm November 12-May 26
What’s for sale: local and regional produce, meats, fish, breads, pastries, chocolate, and wine, plus arts and crafts vendors, entertainment, and children’s activities.

What: SoWa Winter Market
Where: 485 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA
When: Sundays 10am-3pm November 20-April 29
What’s for sale: honey, nuts, wine, mushrooms, butter, organic coffee, grassfed meats, cheese, root vegetables, greenhouse fare, farm fresh eggs, seeds & starter plants, artisan breads & baked goods, jams & preserves, grains & oils, and much more.

What: Dorchester Winter Farmers’ Market
Where: The Great Hall of the Codman Square Health Center, 6 Norfolk Street, Dorchester, MA
When: Sundays 12pm-3pm November – March 25
What’s for sale: cheeses, sandwiches, cakes, sweet potatoes, squash, onions, garlic, turnips, celery root, carrots, parsnips, collard greens, kale, plus gardening workshops and art projects

Know of an winter market in your neighborhood? Add it to the list in a comment below!

Sprinkle a little ‘green’ into your Halloween festivities this year starting with:

	1. The Costume Halloween is the perfect time to unleash your (and your kids) creativity–let your kids imaginations run wild with the possibility of what they can be and let them join in the fun of crafting their own costume. No worries if you are not a master –a little duct tape and a stapler can go a long way. And if you are still not ready to take the leap, visit etsy.com for a whole bunch of handmade costumes. We love this ‘Max’ costume, pricey, but a-dorable!
	2. The Bag No need to buy a special trick-or-treat bag for the occasion; a pillowcase, a reusable tote, or last year’s plastic pumpkin will do. But if you are looking to acquire a keepsake bag, support a good cause while you are at it with this Trick-or-Treat tote from FEED. A portion of each purchase helps feed the hungry.
	3. The Treats This is a tough one. It’s sooo easy to go out and buy one of those giant bulk bags of candy, but it’s also a great opportunity to introduce some healthy treats and inspired goodies to the neighborhood. For more ideas check out the extensive list available at Green Halloween.
	4. The Decorations Opt for natural, handcrafted, biodegradable, or reusable decorations this year and skip the plastic. A pair of dad’s old jeans and a flannel shirt stuffed with leaves with a pumpkin on top makes for a frightful and frugal show piece. Employ your kids to carve jack-o-lanterns, craft paper bats, and string cobwebs. These colorful kitui baskets filled with fall flowers or apples make a festive centerpiece and can be used year round.

Happy Halloween!

or for grown-ups like us who may be slightly enamored with alphabet posters…

Petit Collage – $50/$120; fun factor: key on bottom with all the animal names. elements: hand-printed on 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper; maple hardwood frames handcrafted in the U.S.A. with a no-VOC finish.

Nature Alphabet Poster by Children Inspire Design – $28/$40; fun factor – 26 cute and colorful critter collages; elements: printed on New Leaf recycled card stock with soy inks; packaged with recycled materials.

Animal Alphabet by ModernPop – $38; fun factor: multiple fonts with a splash of retro kitsch; elements: printed on radiant white watercolor paper with vivid color reproduction and archival pigment inks.

Letterpress Alphabet Poster by sycamorestreetpress – $35; fun factor – tangerine and aqua!! ; elements: printed by hand on a vintage letterpress with soy ink and 100% cotton paper in Utah.

Alphabet Signed Print by Alfabetika – $38.89; fun factor – goofy letter characters. elements: made in Paris; 5% of purchase is donated to UNICEF.

Strawberry Luna – $18 each, or 3 for $40; fun factor: a cute way to display babies initials; hand printed with grey water based acrylic inks on archival, cotton rag Stonehenge papers.

Alphabet of Design Classics – $50; fun factor: for the modern design obsessed! elements: digital print on matte finished digital paper glued to heavy stock black mat cardboard by hand.

The Penny Paper Co. Alphabet Print – $15 ; fun factor: add your name at the top and choose your color palette. elements: printed on photographic archival paper for the brightest of colours and longevity, fits in an IKEA Ribba Frame.

Colorful Modern Alphabet Poster by KimsCustomGifts – $ ; fun factor: playful, colorful icons and you can change any or all of the colors. elements: purchase the digital file and print it yourself or pay to have them print it for you.

Animal Alphabet by englishmuffin – $30; fun factor: boxes full of color, animals, words and letters, oh my. elements: printed on a heavy weight 100% recycled paper with a matte finish, using archival inks. fits in pre-matted IKEA Ribba frame.

Modern Alphabet Print by Grace Hester Designs – $ fun factor: cool graphics in an unexpected blue, brown, and green color palette. elements: printed on archival-quality photographic paper with a lustre finish for longevity.

I am inordinately excited about this, and just a little bit jealous of Austin residents! In-gredients, the first package-free and zero waste grocery store in the United States, is scheduled to open up at 2610 Manor Road in Austin, Texas. (As an aside, after researching Austin for the upcoming SXSW ECO Conference, it is a pretty cool city — a super-green, eco/indie oasis smack in the heart of Texas…)

In-gredients plans to sell “all the basic ingredients you need for life (and most recipes)” which includes organic meats, dairy, baking goods, cooking oils, spices, grains, seasonal produce, wine, beer (b.y.o growlers and wine bottles) and cleaning products. They hopes to source as much of their inventory as possible from local farmers and vendors. And since it’s all packaging-free (or packaging light – FDA required), customers are encouraged to bring reusable containers from home to fill up with goods. They will have compostable containers on hand, but best to bring your own. Click to continue »

So proud of our city of Cambridge and their continued commitment to making it one of the most eco-friendly cities in the US. The latest in their long list of eco-initiatives? Metro PedalPower, a bike courier service, has been employed to collect the recycling from public area recycling bins via their fleet of bike ‘trucks’ — awesome. Doesn’t get much greener than that!

And this endeavor is funded primarily by the money the city has saved from adopting a single stream curbside recycling system last fall. Kudos to Cambridge residents who increased their recycling efforts by 14% since the program was introduced! More recycling means more savings, just about $75 for every ton that is diverted from the trash.

I was recently asked by a friend to help her find some eco-friendly containers to replace all of the plastic Tupperware containers in her kitchen. This is something I have been thinking a lot about, particularly when more and more concerns have been raised about the chemicals found in plastics. You know, stuff like polyvinyl chloride, phtalates and bisphenol-A, not something you want near your food. I cringe every time I see a steaming hot plastic container in my dishwasher – which must be just as bad as putting plastic in the microwave – leaching harmful chemicals into the atmosphere. Ugh.

How to be safe? 1. avoid microwaving plastic (via Practically Green); 2. cool food or liquids before putting them in a plastic container (via University of Cincinnati study); 3. avoid putting plastic items in the dishwasher; the detergent and heat break down the plastic, which may cause BPA, if it’s present, to leach out (via Good Housekeeping); 4. But the safest option is to avoid plastic altogether.

Here are some great alternatives to plastic food storage containers:
Click to continue »

With the bevy of Kindle covers on the market, you’d think I’d be able to find one I actually like, that’s eco-friendly and actual fits my older version Kindle. But alas, no. So am now contemplating a DIY version to tailor my own unique design in organic, recycled and salvaged materials of course.

Here are the top contenders:

1. leather case tutorial from Design Sponge 2. felt lined case tutorial from Biscuit Monster 3. composition book cover tutorial from lil blue boo 4. Prada inspired iPad clutch tutorial from P.S. I Made This 5. moleskin camouflage case tutorial from the modern day pirates

Also pining for the DodoCase (play on ‘books’ on the verge of extinction like the beloved Dodo bird) complete with the touch of real live book — $59.95.

With five dear friends having just had or going to have a baby, this week is all about baby! And response to the numerous requests for baby gift ideas, here are some of our top picks:

	KNOTTIE BY LALA’S PEQUENOS The level of cuteness of these little sleep sacs is just too much. It hurts! And the worn in vintage athletic shirt look on a baby is a-dorable. Also makes dressing and diaper-changing in the middle of the night, running on 15 minutes of sleep, as simple as tying a knot. In a dreamily soft bamboo/hemp blend. $44 @ Big Cartel
	LIFEFACTORY BABY BOTTLE At a time when newbie mom’s and dad’s might need an extra set of hands, taking over feed time might be greatly appreciated. These glass baby bottles are wrapped in a colorful, protective, dish-washer safe, silicon non-slip grip and are BPA, phthalate, lead, latex and PVC-free. $11.95 @ Nubius Organics
	MIYIM LOVIE BLANKIE You won’t attend a baby shower without seeing one of these lovie blankies, and there’s a reason why. Babies love them! What sets this one apart is that it’s made from 100% certified organic cotton hand-dyed with nature’s own plants and minerals. Now that’s love. $15 @ Greenward in bunny, elephant & monkey
	UNCLE GOOSE ABC BLOCKS There’s just something magical about this age-old toy that we can’t resist; the integration of font, color, real wood (not plastic) and the heirloom quality of a meticulously handcrafted toy… pure joy! A classic gift that is visually appealing, creatively engaging and delights kids and parents. $17.95 @Amazon
	FINN+EMMA REVERSIBLE SCOOTER JACKET And what little hipster’s wardrobe wouldn’t be complete without a reversible scooter jacket? A fun, refreshing print made of 100% GOTS certified cotton, eco-friendly dyes and all wooden buttons so you don’t have to worry about lead or nickel or any chemicals near baby. $45 @Finn+Emma

As they say, when life gives you lemons make lemonade. So, as Irene makes her way north, here are a few ways we plan to weather the storm…

	AREAWARE WOOD TORCH There’s something about a wooden flashlight that makes me smile and always a good to have an LED flashlight on hand should the power happen to go out… no fun to be left in the dark! $39-79 @ Generate
	KLEAN KANTEEN REFLECT And it’s the perfect excuse to add yet another reusable (and irresistable) water bottle to the collection, what with the storm coming and with that shiny finish and cute BPA-free bamboo top… $22.95 @ Amazon.com
	AIGLE RAIN BOOTS Of course wouldn’t want to miss out on post-storm puddle jumping so will need to ‘boot-up’ with these natural rubber, PVC-free classic rain boots. $55 @ Amazon.com Available in grown-up sizes too.
	ALEX ELMAN WINES And with nothing but rain and 23 foot waves on the horizon, there’s no better time to hole up with a delicious bottle of organic wine from inspirational and renowned wine connoisseur, Alex Elman. $10.99 @Super Wine Warehouse
	GRAIN SURF BOARDS But come Monday, you’ll find us out on the surf with one of these locally (made in my hometown of York, Maine!) handcrafted, wooden surf boards – true works of art, so even if you don’t surf you can still appreciate their beauty. Consider it an investment… @Grain Surfboards