Shop Locally: Get More Flavor for Your Dollar

I recently had the opportunity to visit a locally-owned, coffee shop called Sacred Grounds in upstate New York.   Sure, I could have stopped at that famously-named coffee shop along the way, but I didn't.  I shopped locally.  Why?  For several reasons.

Firstly, it's new in our community and I thought I would check it out. I like to give new local businesses a try.  As a society, we have lost our way in the "Big Box Mart" industrialization for more and more profits, while sacrificing people and our environment.  Plus, shopping locally keeps more money in the local community.  And, shouldn't we really be re-building our economy from the inside out vs. mortgaging our future with loans from overseas?

How to Go Green at Work

Eco-steps are not just for the home front.  You can carry eco-steps principles just about anywhere-- even to work!  My friends at Treehugger and Planet Green put together a handy little list of things you can do to help lighten your load on the planet and your pocket!

New Book: Food Rules by Michael Pollan

Let's face it, even smart people can get confused.  And super busy smart people can get more confused just because they don't have time (or don't *think* they have the time) to "slow their roll" and get their proverbial stuff together.  On a macro scale, I think this mass confusion has spilled over into our society's approach to food, nutrition and our severely broken American health care system.  Yes, they are related and are deeply intertwined.  Sure, a lot of "smart" people are trying to fix our health care system, but I would argue that most of them are probably very much in the confused category when it comes to knowing what's best.

Chew on This: 10 Simple Things...

Catching up on my movie viewing, I recently had the opportunity to watch Food, Inc.  And wow, did it dig into the very core of what's wrong with our food supply!  This is something that I could go on and on about, but instead, I'm going to let you read up on it for yourselves and draw your own conclusions.  After all, what we eat is a personal choice.  But... if we all start choosing differently and better, what a difference we could make and be healthier as a society!  So, in the spirit of eco-steps, here are ten simple things you can do (borrowed directly from the website, links and all):

Newspaper Deodorizers & Cereal Bag Placemats

What?  I'll admit up front that I did not come up with these ideas.  But, they are definitely good uses (and nearly free) for things you already have.

New Uses for Old Newspaper:  Did you know that newspaper can be used to neutralize odors in the refrigerator?  It can also be used as a shoe deodorizer!  Simply ball up two sheets of newspaper and insert one into each stinky shoe and overnight it will remove the odor!  It also works for drying out shoes.  When finished deodorizing, toss the paper in your recycle bin.

Reuse Your Cereal Liners:  Don't throw away the waxed liners inside the cereal box.  They are heavy duty and can be used for so many things. (Who'd a thunk it?)

• They make excellent freezer bags when you twist the top of the bag and secure with a twist tie (that you save from your bread bags, right??).
• Use in the microwave over a plate of food to keep it from spattering. 
• Open up the bag (they come apart pretty easily) and spread out to keep your workspace clean. Works really good for children's messes with play-dough or paints.

Living Greener & Better with Less Stuff

Hey all you Eco-Steps fans!  Check out my upcoming course offerings (local to the Rochester, New York, area).  To learn more about how you can live better with less, sign up, bring a friend, tell a bunch of people.  You'll be glad you did! Small eco-steps make a big difference!

Welcome to the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure:

Welcome to the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure:

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