It’s officially Earth Week and this Sunday, April 22 will mark the 42nd Anniversary of Earth Day, so how will you celebrate it? Whether you choose to join an organized clean-up, a neighborhood picnic, or simply take the time to smell the lilacs (ours are in full bloom as of yesterday!), it’s the perfect time to take a moment and celebrate this amazing and beautiful planet we live on.

Here are some events you can join in on in honor of the big day:

	1. Take the Billion Acts of Green Pledge — one small change can make a big difference, and it’s easy to do. Whether you pledge to bike to work, grow a garden, stop junk mail, eat more local food, or any number of green actions, it adds up. Who knows, you might just be the 1 billionth pledgee!
	2. Attend an Earth Day Rally-the main event in the US is happening on the National Mall in Washington DC featuring Cheap Trick, Dave Mason, and Kicking Daisies along with an incredible line up of speakers including EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Atlanta Falcons fullback Ovie Mughelli, Indy Car driver Leilani Münter, organizer of the first Earth Day Denis Hayes, and more. They’ve got an “EcoVillage” too. Can’t make it to D.C.? Not to worry, watch it all live on the web at www.earthday.org.
	3. Join in the Nature Conservancy’s Picnic for the Planet–the world’s largest and most delicious Earth Day celebration. See if there is one happening near you (we’ll be at ours on the Boston Common!), and if not, organize one of your own wherever you are! If you rally a group of 25 or more and your event will help the Nature Conservancy achieve their goal of setting a Guinness World Record® for the most people picnicking in 24 hours–yup, it’s a thing.
	4. Volunteer your services in thanks to the planet-get involved in a clean-up, a tree planting, and more. The EPA has put together a comprehensive list of Earth Day events, festivals, and volunteer opportunities by region so you can get out there and celebrate with other members in your community. You even may make a new friend in the process.
	5. Get outside. We are firm believers that one of the best ways to celebrate Earth Day is to get out and enjoy nature. Go for a walk or a hike or a bike ride; sit outside with a book, friends, or a picnic; play a game of croquet or soccer or bocce; go to the beach, the mountains, or the urban jungle; rake the yard, plant some flowers, build a treehouse, host a bbq. Whatever you do, just enjoy it and have fun!

Happy Earth Day!!

1. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Basket: Reuse plastic eggs from last year + shredded paper (think scrap paper or tissue paper) + a bucket or basket you already own. Easy peasy. Add a touch of eco-paint to personalize. Cost = free!

2. Au Naturel Basket: Real eggs–hollowed or hard-boiled dyed with natural dyes (try it: Eco-Eggs Easter Egg Coloring Kit – $16) + real live grass (try it: The Original All-Natural Easter Grass-Kit – $8.95 + a reusable tote (get it: FEED Our Small World Tote made of organic cotton & burlap; provides 500 children with a year’s worth of essential Vitamin A supplements – $48).

3. Green Goods Basket: Reusable wooden eggs–plain or decorated–(get it: Blank Nesting Easter Eggs – $25 or 12 Wooden Eggs – $11.95) + colorful cloth filler (get it: organic cotton scarf – $13) + a fair trade, natural, handcrafted basket (get it: Bolga Baskets – $25).

And, of course, fill your buckets, bags, and baskets with organic, fair trade candies and sweets free of artificial flavors or sweeteners.

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.