Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

Kamea Modeling Organic Bamboo From Bamboosa

by Kristen in green living, Green Mommy, kamea, organic

I’m all about doing as much as we can with respect to organic, eco-friendly clothing for my family. Although my closet is a work in progress (too much to overhaul all at once), Kamea only wears organic (or at the very least, clothing made from eco-friendly, non-toxic, and sustainable materials).

A Goal For Simplicity – Declutter, Owning Time & Being Green

by Kristen in green living, Simple Life, Story of Stuff

I have a long-term goal of living a more simple life, which is a far cry from where I was in my mid-twenties. When I was in the corporate world, my boss owned my time. And, since I didn’t own my time, I felt compelled to own things. I looked to my possessions to define me and represent who I was. The cycle was: get paid more, work more, buy more.

Then, some years ago, I heard the saying, “The things you own end up owning you.” My buying behavior came into perspective and I found myself buying fewer things, because I didn’t like the idea of being owned by my possessions (it was bad enough being owned by my boss – haha). It didn’t take long before I realized that I yearned to own my time, not material objects, and that I longed for a more simple life. (Here is a very cool story regarding stuff that further strengthened my resolve.)

I’ve been successful at reducing my consumer footprint, and I’m happy with the results. I know what I’m doing is healthy for my soul and for the earth. It didn’t happen overnight, and it took some getting used to. Now, when I think about making a purchase, whether it’s food, clothing, kitchen equipment, books, electronics, etc, I take the time to think through the following: 1) Do I really need it? 2) Do I really want it? 3) Can I wait 2-weeks and then decide whether to buy it? 4) What resources and energy went into making this product and what am I doing to the earth by consuming it? After going through those questions, I have found that in most cases, I’m eager to say “no” and happy as a result.

Fast forward to today: I still have a lot of things from my previous lifestyle and it became apparent that it was time to declutter my home by cleaning, purging, recycling and throwing many of them away. The quote I reference earlier about “…things owning you” has taken on new life for me. I always thought about it with respect to monetary issues (buy fewer things, fewer things own me). Now, it goes beyond that, because possessions not only cost money, but they also cost time, the thing I’m anxious to own. This became apparent when I started thinking about how hard it is to keep my home clean. Why? Because I own too much shit. Hence, I have too much to dust. Couple that with the fact that I live in the desert with a dog that sheds, and I have a recipe for dust-covered objects. I pretty much have to thoroughly clean every couple of days, or when that Arizona sun comes streaming through my windows it can be a gross site when I see all the dust floating through the air. I immediately think, “Oh boy, that’s either going to end up on my floor, bed, table, etc, or I’m breathing it in. Ick!” Bottom line, I was spending too much of my precious time cleaning and wanted to figure out a way to reduce that. Answer: Have fewer things to dust.

Therefore, I decided to declutter and clean my home – purge style. I spent a couple of days going from top to bottom, under beds, through closets/cupboards, etc and created a HUGE pile of stuff to recycle, give to Goodwill, and throw out. It felt so good, cleansing, and liberating.

Considering the future: As many of you know, we’re doing some family planning, and we’re definitely interested in homeschooling. Apart from the obvious benefit our kids will experience from it, we also want to travel the world with them during these childhood years (even living abroad part of it). This requires packing and moving. When the time comes (whether it’s sooner or later), I want to be able to put as few things into storage as possible, making it quick and easy to pack up and go. When I think about possessions in that perspective, it quickly becomes apparent that if I haven’t used it within the past year, odds are that I don’t need it and someone else might get better use out of it than me (time to recycle). “This house is clean.”

The Story of Stuff

by Kristen in green living, raw food, Story of Stuff

I love this.

A great little story about consumption. It really hits home to the “G-Me” (Green). I used to be a big shopper/consumer. When I first moved to Arizona and needed to get directions to go somewhere from someone, I used to say…”Is it near the Borgata shopping mall, Fashion Square shopping mall, Biltmore Shopping mall or Kierland Shopping mall?” THOSE were my points of reference. Sad, I know.

Now, I have a new frame of mind and new behaviors because I’m living the G-lifestyle as much as possible. This is something that a few people in my life “still don’t get.” Well, to them I say, “watch this because this little ‘Story of Stuff’ breaks it down.” www.storyofstuff.com

Today’s Food Intake:
Breakfast: 3 bananas
Snack: 1/4 cup soaked pumpkin seeds
Lunch: Miso soup, zucchini and beet salad, German Chocolate Brownies
Snack: Green Smoothie with E3-Live (Emerald Blend)
Dinner: Undecided, but it’ll be accompanied by Vegan Organic Wine *We’re going out to dinner tonight and I’m donning my sassy red high heels and black cowgirl hat

Are You Green Wrapping? You Should!

by Kristen in green living, holidays, raw vegan lifestyle

Did you know that Americans spend an estimated $2.7 billion annually on ribbons, paper, and bows, and almost all of those goods end up in the dumpster? That’s purely wasteful.

It’s no secret that eating a Raw vegan diet makes a difference for our planet, whether you’re 100% or not (every little bit counts!). But, I don’t stop with just my diet. I “live“ the Raw vegan lifestyle…so I incorporate food and the environment as priorities in my life and you should, too.

With the holidays coming upon us, let’s help save our home, the earth, by taking a look at gift wrapping (and all year for that matter, i.e. birthdays, anniversaries, etc.).

This year, try re-purposing stuff. Eco-stylist Dany Seo, author or the new book, Simply Green Giving, wrote, “It’s amazing what you can find at Goodwill. Vintage fabrics, wallpaper, and sweaters all make great wrapping – just look for rich textures.” Sometimes the wrap will serve as part of the gift, as in the case of a belt or scarf used as a bow.

Here are some more ideas that you can use for wrapping: Magazines, newsprint, comics, and so on make cool gift wrap. Get creative and find ads that “speak” to the person you’re giving the gift to; this makes it extra special, fun and personal. (This is a picture of a book wrapped for a friend using ads from Fast Company magazine.) You can also reuse gift wrap from previous years or use brown paper bags you get from the grocery store.

If anyone looks at you funny, just say, “I’m doing the Green thing.” People not only get it, they usually appreciate it, or comment on how they might consider doing it themselves.

10 Things You Should Never Buy Again

by Kristen in earth, eco friendly, green living, vegan

You probably know by now that I’m all about LIVING THE RAW VEGAN LIFESTYLE, and that means my actions are beyond what food passes my lips. I’m also trying to be as green as possible. Here is a helpful list from Co-op America Quarterly (Fall 2007) for 10 Things You Should Never Buy Again to help preserve our home, earth:

Styrofoam cups
Paper towels
Bleached coffee filters
Overpackaged foods & other products
Teak and mahogany
Chemical pesticides and herbicides
Conventional household cleaners
Higher-octane gas than you need
Toys made with PVC plastic
Plastic forks and spoons

PLUS 5 MORE:
Farm raised salmon
Rayon
Beauty/Body care with phthalates and parabens
Cling wrap
High VOC paints and finishes

Check out all the great specifics here.

And, did you know that you can recycle your compact fluorescent bulbs by taking them to your local IKEA store? Details. Another option – you can order a Sylvania RecyclePak for $15, which is a special lined box for 8 average CFLs. The fee covers shipping to and recycling at Veolia Environmental Systems. Cheers to our earth!

Oh, and by the way…One of my favorite shows on CNBC, Mad Money with Jim Cramer, is focusing on Green companies this week. It’s been great so far, as I’ve learned about Green technology companies as well as companies making changes to be more Green (like Wells Fargo). Whether you invest in the market or not, it’s great because it can help you make educated choices as a consumer… maybe you’ll choose Wells Fargo over another bank because they are doing so much to be Green. I think he’s doing Green all week, so there are still some days left to check it out.

A FANTASTIC Gift Idea!

by Kristen in green living, holidays, raw, vegan

Here is a cool idea that I’m so excited to do this holiday season – I’m asking family and friends to go vegan for 5-7 days, as their gift to me. (Asking them to go Raw is probably too much of a stretch, so I’m starting with vegan. Next year I’ll hit them up with Raw! Remember, baby steps are important.) It’s a chance for them to feel great, learn about the health benefits, reduce their carbon footprint, see how simple it is, and hopefully start making better choices about their food in the future. This is a great gift for any occasion (birthday, anniversary, etc).

With the money they won’t be spending on me, I told them to buy a few staples to last the week (soy or hemp milk, fresh/frozen vegan foods, fresh Raw produce, etc). I’m providing them with a shopping list and I offered to go with them to show them how easy it is. I’ll also give them simple and delicious vegan recipes (as well as easy and great Raw recipes), a list of restaurants in their areas for great vegan food (I’ll use the Internet for areas that I’m not familiar with), as well as giving them ideas for breakfasts, lunches and dinners. The goal is to give them everything they could possibly need for making the week easy and fun. I’m also giving them a free vegetarian starter kit from “GoVeg” www.goveg.com that I pre-ordered early to arrive in time.

Let life scoop you up and change you somehow

~Juicy Living Cards by SARK

My day so far…

by Kristen in eco friendly, exercise, green living, green smoothies, raw chocolate, raw food

It’s about 3pm and I’m just waking up. I stayed up late watching movies (something to the tune of 4:30am). The night began with going to a late movie, Eastern Promises (starring Viggo Mortensen). Great movie! Yes, I brought along my green smoothie for raw goodness. Once I arrived home, I was jazzed with energy, so I watched Batman Begins and G.I.Jane (Did you know Viggo was in this movie?). At that point I was ready to work out after being inspired by Demi Moore, but the gym wasn’t open yet. Where are the 24-hour gyms when you need them?

I’m eating Raw German Chocolate Brownies for breakfast. YUM! I created this recipe because I’m doing a demonstration at Wild Oats to celebrate Oktoberfest . I might even dress up in a costume as a bar wench – haha…we’ll see. I think I’ll eat these all day because I am out of fresh produce in my house. “What??? Kristen Suzanne, you don’t have your kitchen stocked at all times?” Truth be told, I ran out of food….except for the freezer! I have loads of raw food frozen for occasions such as these. I have made (and ready for thawing)….dressings, hummus, pate, desserts and more. You see, ordinarily I’m very organized and prepared….uuhmmm….for the times I’m not prepared.

What actually happened is I spent my weekend at the 10th annual Green Building Expo. My plan was to only attend Friday, but it was so great I went back the second day. It was filled with amazing lectures on how to make green living in your home a reality. I’m now dreaming of solar panel rooftops to make my own energy to sell back to the power company. Very inspiring.

I’m off to the gym now (thoughts of Demi Moore doing her 1-arm pushups are coarsing through my mind and practically pushing me out the door to the gym).