This is the time of year when I clean house- old clothes go to One Voice, toys to the Salvation Army and books usually go to the Santa Monica Public Library.  I already have piles ready to go to all three places but this year my daughter, Samara, and I put a few of our favorite castoff books aside to try something new -BookCrossing.

BookCrossing.com encourages people to leave, or as they say “release,” books in public places for others to read and enjoy. In exchange, they get to track the books’ whereabouts, as well as other people’s responses to it, via the BookCrossing Web site.

For example: Samara wants to release Fancy Nancy. Its one of her favorite books but she received a double for her birthday, so she is eager to pass it on. We registered the book with the BookCrossing website ( a very quick process) and received a BookCrossing ID (BCID). We then downloaded a pre-printed label ( with this ID) and pasted it into the book. Fancy Nancy is now ready to be released. Samara and I are still deciding where to leave the book-Trader Joes, our favorite breakfast place and the park are all under consideration. Whoever eventually discovers it, will find a note on the label encouraging him/her to visit BookCrossing.com and to write a brief online journal reporting the book’s ID number and location, as well as any thoughts about the text itself. Ideally, this new owner will read, and release the book anew. Samara and I can log on to the site and track Fancy Nancy’s travels. It’s just too fun.

“A book is not only a friend, it makes friends for you. When you have possessed a book with mind and spirit, you are enriched. But when you pass it on you are enriched threefold.”
-Henry Miller

*Fancy Nancy Photo credit www.ibabuzz.com

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We avoided shopping altogether on Black Friday, opting to spend the day after Thanksgiving in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.  At my mom’s suggestion, we visited the new exhibit at the Conservatory of Flowers and were wowed by what we found:  a G-gauge miniature train circling the city’s monuments, all created from reclaimed, recycled or reused materials.  “Look, I see the Golden Gate Bridge!” exclaimed nine-year-old Alexander, “And there’s Mission Dolores,” added grandma.  We ooohhed and ahhhed at the forks on the Ferry Building, the old light switch plates on Ghirardelli Square and the computer parts which made up the TransAmerica Pyramid.  There was something quite magical in recognizing not only the city’s landmarks, but the common household items that so often end up discarded.  But here - amongst the exotic flora the Conservatory is known for - those materials were creating real beauty.  The builders of the models are the artists and designers at Figureplant and they are my latest eco-heroes.  They were clearly thinking about engagement when they added the Big Spin component:  My kids loved spinning the wheel for a version of “I Spy,” as they were sent off to look for - among other things - a pair of hair combs (which made for very effective doors on Mission Dolores.)

It is stating the obvious to say that we live in a disposable world, where objects that may make our lives momentarily more convenient end up in the rubbish heap.  The mini plastic tables in some pizza takeout boxes, designed to keep the pizza from touching the cardboard, are my current fixation - sure they can be recycled, but what else could they be?  I often wonder.  Getting creative with all that excess stuff makes my heart glad, especially in this season of reckless consumption.

In Los Angeles, we are lucky to have the ReDiscover Center whose purpose is to promote creativity in early childhood and elementary education while encouraging environmental responsibility. They recycle everyday discards donated by businesses, such as plastic, fabric, wire, wood, metal, glass, and more and give them new purpose as hands-on learning materials.  And we all can access the DIY sites on the web for some inspiration - I’m enjoying checking out the gift ideas on Instructables.com.

Back at the Conservatory, The Golden Gate Express will be on view until April 19, 2009 and is worth a visit.  Check it out and tell us what you think.

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In an effort to conserve both our finances and our Planet’s health, I urge us all to rethink our gift giving this holiday season. How much more stuff do we all really need? Consider planting a tree through TreePeople in the name of someone you love or buying an animal for a needy village through Heifer International. Memberships to environmental organizations make great gifts. Union Of Concerned Scientists, Co-op America and The Natural Resource Defense Council are some of my favorites.

A couple of years ago I started giving my 5 year old daughter home made gift certificates and she loves them. I make them out of old cardboard and decorate them with stickers - things like ” a tea party for two” , “girls lunch with mom”, “Afternoon movie with Dad.” Adults like them too. My husband actually prefers them to merchandise. The greatest thing about the certificates is that they create quality time for you and the recipient.

If you can’t give up on the idea of an actual present, try and at least go green with your choices. If you happen to live in the Los Angeles area, check out the  Eco Gift Festival in December. It’s full of wonderful green products that would be suitable for every member of your family.

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A couple of weeks ago, I found the perfect teacher gift at the San Francisco Green Festival:  A set of eco-friendly white board markers.  Not only are they non-toxic - which is better for all the big and little people in a classroom, but they can also be refilled multiple times.  According to the EcoSmart literature, one AusPen Starter Kits is the equivalent of 246 disposable markers.  And here’s the clincher:  they are made from 100% recycled material.  As a former teacher -  and recalling the fumes from pens that always seemed to be “dry” - I think that there is not a teacher in this country who wouldn’t appreciate this as a holiday gift.  At close to $70, they would be a great group present that would keep a lucky teacher in the pens for a few school years.  I’ve talked to the room parents in my sons’ classrooms and I’ll be ordering at least two sets.

Mark May with the AusPen Starter Kit

Finds like the AusPen is why I love going to the Green Festival - and over the next few weeks, Jessica and I will be sharing our favorite products and ideas from the 2008 event.  Sponsored by Co-op America (soon to be renamed Green America in 2009) and Global Exchange, this three day celebration of all things green and free trade packs a wallop of inspiration, innovation and fun.  I’ve been to the San Francisco event twice (they also GreenFest in Seattle, Denver, Chicago and Washington DC) and both times, I have come away feeling so hopeful about the possibilities of a green and sustainable future, one which is also committed to social justice.  And that gives me a lot to be thankful for.

If you have been to a Green Festival, please tells us your faves and highlights.  We look forward to sharing ours.

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BioTour is no ordinary road trip. It’s a group of individuals crisscrossing the country in a vegetable-oil-powered school bus, with the aim of enlivening the Sustainability Movement while exploring the depths of America—the people, land, and cultures. BioTour visits colleges, high schools and community events across the nation addressing the vital issues of climate change, environmental degradation, and peak oil while presenting pathways toward sustainability in renewable energy and active democracy. It delivers presentations/discussions, gives bus demonstrations, and provides entertainment events, using its solar powered sound system to power bands, and DJ’s at rallies, festivals and outreach events. In addition, it brings people together with art, music and celebration in order to attract new interest and energy to the sustainability movement. Finally, BioTour facilitates the vital connection between individuals and local organizations and connects local organizations with the larger movement. How groovy is this?

Wanna get involved? Ride the bus and get in on the action as an honorary crew member. Honorary crew members can ride the bus for up to one week and participate in anything that is going on at the time- presentations, excursions, dancing or any other spontaneous adventures that arise. Be prepared to travel light and bring plenty of snacks to share with the rest of the crew. You’ll be sleeping in the bus or under the stars and grabbing showers wherever you can. It’s communal living at it’s best.

The idea for BioTour was born in 2006 when it’s co-creators, drove from Massachusetts to Nevada for the Burning Man Festival. They were so inspired by the positive reaction they received as they crossed the country, that they decided to create a nonprofit and BioTour hit the road in spring of 2007.

BioTour is primarily funded by honorariums from colleges, universities and highschools. But if you are an individual or a corporation that would like to donate to their efforts , they would be very happy to accept your tax deductable gift. Or if you would like to donate to them in kind, check out their wishlist or look at their schedule and offer them a hot shower or a meal, if they are in your area.

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My daughter, Samara requested that I write a post about her “beautiful” Eco friendly pencils from O’Bon. They are made from recycled newspaper using a patented “rolled on” method. They are non-toxic, splinter free and especially sturdy- the newspaper casing protects the graphite better than a wood casing, so the graphite almost never breaks. Best of all, when you sharpen them, they produce a swirl of colorful newspaper that can be thrown into your compost. They come in gorgeous colors and patterns- Samara is especially fond of her rainbow pencils. She says they “inspire her to draw” and “make homework more fun.” Can’t complain about that!.

O’Bon’s ambition is to reduce deforestation on the planet and that aim is reflected in the materials they use to make their products. In addition to their pencils they also have a great line of notebooks made from bagasse (sugarcane pulp and fiber). Sugarcane is an amazing alternative as it grows like a weed year round, with little wear and tear on the soil and it doesn’t need heavy fertilizers or much water to grow. The fiber and pulp which is often thrown away can be recycled to make paper, cutlery, plates and boxes, minimizing the demand for plastic. Best of all, these products can be made with little energy and no chlorine or other toxic chemicals.

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The universe - or someone in it - answered my prayers late this summer.  For years, friends and trusted publications had been extolling the virtues of Community Supported Agriculture - aka CSAs - and every now and again, I’d check out the Local Harvest website to see if any had come to the LA market. It was one of those occasional exercises in frustration as the farms that served my area were most often “booked,” and had no more shares to sell. So I took to asking the sellers at my local farmers markets if they provided that service.  For years, the answer was “Nope,” “Not at this time,” or “A what?”

So it was to my great delight that I saw this at my neighborhood Farmers’ Market: “Sign Up for Our CSA Today!”  CSAs work by forming relationships between local farmers and community members - essentially, the creators and the consumers of farm produce.  As a consumer, I pay my CSA for a share of their harvest on a quarterly basis.  In return, they supply me with a variety of organic, seasonal and sometimes exotic bounty from their land.  It is one of those arrangements that feels really good in my urban life - by connecting with an organic farmer, I am feeding my family healthier food, exposing them to new taste experiences and supporting one of the most valuable treasures we have - the local family farm, one of which is JR Organics.

My experience with JR Organics has been very positive: in late September, I signed on for a four-week trial and in late October, I renewed for the following quarter.  Some CSA deliver to a pick up location at a set time every week, but I have really enjoyed being able to pick up at the Mar Vista Farmers’ Market, where I’m likely to be doing some shopping anyway.  They will also deliver to my door for a small extra charge.  But picking up at the market allows me to make a swap on one item for a portion of whatever else they have that day.  And now that I’m eating dark leafy greens every day (yes, that’s right, every day), I almost always find a way to get another bunch.  Rapini, Tatsoi, a variety of Kales from Dinosaur to Red Russian, my culinary repertoire was expanding to places I’d rarely go left to my own devices in the grocery store.  For a few weeks, I brought home the most delicious avacados I have ever tasted - large, thin-skinned, with buttery nutty flavor, we devoured those Reed avacados in record time.  Every week, JoanE sends me a link with the week’s box content, often recipes, which is great for a bit of inspiration.  They have also told me that we are welcome to come visit anytime, which we plan to do with the kids in the New Year.

More good news:  my boys, ages five and nine, are going for it.  Even Alexander, who was once such a picky eater that we called him “the Bride” for his white-food-only tendencies, will now polish off a serving of wilted greens, especially if they are dressed with “the magic sauce,” a yummy peanutty goo adapted from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone - see the end of this post for the recipe.  They really like sautéed baby carrots, made with carrots that look like the real thing, not the shaved stubbies that come in plastic bags.

As the sustainable food movement grows, there are more and more ways to get farm fresh produce delivered, too.  Locally, Los Angeles Organic Vegetable Express - LOVEdelivery.com brings it you your door.  In northern California, Farm Fresh To You provides seasonal boxes of produce grown on their Capay Valley farm.  They had a beautiful display of their produce at the San Francisco Green Festival this past weekend.

Really Delicious Peanut Sauce - makes ½ cup

2-3 generous spoonfuls of peanut butter - get the good kind
2 TBS of vinegar - I’ve been using Sushi vinegar
1-2 cloves of garlic, pressed
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
a few drops of chili oil for a touch of fire

Combine ingredients in a small bowl, adding warm water at the end to achieve desired consistency.  We love this on sautéed collards or kale.

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Tissue?

My Daughter, Samara, has acute environmental allergies- dust mites, grasses, weeds, molds, pollens,dogs and cats, to name a few. Before we discovered this, we thought she suffered from chronic colds. The poor girl blew her nose constantly, even in her sleep and she had permanent dark circles under her eyes.

Living in Southern California makes keeping these allergies at bay particularly challenging. Her allergist recommends shots- once a week for nine months- to help her system build up a tolerance. The shots are a diluted cocktail of all the things she is allergic to. Some people have had great success with this but we know kids who don’t seem to have benefited from it all. Samara has panic attacks when she gets shots. She literally has to be held down by me and two nurses when they are administered. I can’t imagine putting her (or me) through that on a weekly basis. So, what to do?

Control the immediate environment

I have removed all feather pillows,comforters and cushions from her room and replaced them with non allergenic alternatives

I put dust mite covers on her pillows, mattress, and comforter.

I removed as many  dust gathering items from her shelves as I could.

I steam cleaned the throw rug in her room- the best solution would be to get rid of the rug all together but she is attached to it , so for now I will just keep it as clean as possible.

I established a “no shoe” policy in her room.

I bought a blueair 402 air purifier for her room ( available at Bed Bath and Beyond- don’t forget your discount coupon- they are expensive). 

I dust often with my microfiber cloths and my spiffy new microfiber slippers and I wash all her bedding and stuffed animals in hot water once a week. 

Eliminate foods that aggravate her allergies

Apples, oats and milk all potentially aggravate Samara’s allergies. We have cut them all out completely, with the exception of milk. I am having a hard time finding a substitute that Samara enjoys. She was ok with rice milk for a couple of days until she realized it was a permanent switch. She has never liked soy. 

Build her tolerance with honey.

At the suggestion of my cousin Annie Barnes, I started giving my daughter a teaspoon of local honey every morning. Local honey contains pollen from the same sources that bother Samara. Straight exposure to this  pollen triggers allergies but exposure to that same pollen in the honey is thought to have the opposite effect.  In honey the allergens are delivered in small, manageable doses and the effect over time is very much like that from undergoing a whole series of allergy immunology injections. I found some delicious honey at our local farmer’s market and Harry the honey many was quick to confirm Annie’s suggestion. 

Medicate

This is my least favorite option but on occasion, when the weather gets really hot and the air is thick with pollens, we reach for the Astelin or Zyrtec. It takes the edge off of things and keeps Samara’s sinus from getting infected. 

It has been about three weeks since we put all these measures into place and I am happy to report that Samara is breathing easier. She is not sniffle free but she is sleeping really well and her “chest cold” has disappeared. Granted, we are not in the peak of allergy season but for now, we have decided to try and manage things without shots. 

Picture credit ( first photo)

http://www.cluelessemma.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/05/03/allergies.png

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My daughter, Samara and I are addicted to Project Runway. We have the first three seasons on DVD, the fourth season is on it’s way from Amazon ( it will appear under the tree this Christmas) and the fifth season is safely recorded in our Tivo. Samara can quote Tim Gunn verbatim and can do imitations of most of the contestants. When I say we are addicted, I am not kidding.

When we are not watching Project Runway, we like to create challenges for ourselves. Our one consistent element, is that we must use recycled source material.

In our first challenge we turned an orange long sleeve shirt into a backless, sleeveless wonder and used the cut off material to make dresses for Samara’s favorite dolls, Maggie and Callie.

Next we moved to the garden for inspiration and constructed a fashionable hat out of yard clippings.

We assembled an evening gown using old newspaper and scraps of construction paper and joined other Project Runway fans for a fashion show in the park.

And a couple of months ago Samara designed her first “collection” and we brought it to life ( in miniature) using a couple of my old t-shirts.

Halloween was an obvious opportunity to indulge our Project Runway obsession. Samara wanted to be Tinkerbell this year and as we didn’t have the makings of the fairy at home, we headed to the Salvation army, one of our favorite haunts, to find the source material for her costume. I was worried that we might not find what we needed but within minutes we had filled our basket with glittery green material, pink gloves, a pair of fabulous green sparkle flower pins and a totally salvageable wand ( we had some wings at home). Samara had a very clear idea of how she wanted it all put together. She was particularly excited about adding bits of white sparkly material to the skirt and wand. I have to admit, it made her costume look a bit ragged- more like a Cinderella fairy- but I said nothing, not wanting to interrupt her creative flow. When we arrived at her school’s Halloween party, we were greeted by 5 other Tinkerbells, all in very spiffy store bought costumes, one with a pair of battery operated wings that twinkled like tree lights and another that carried a rhinestone studded purse filled with “fairy dust”. If Samara was disappointed with our version, she certainly didnt’ show it. She pranced around the dance floor like she was the most fabulous Tinkerbell in Neverland.

Our next project? Samara wants to make a “gorgeous dress for the holidays.” I may have to take some sewing lessons soon.

Project Runway photo credit

http://www.sashayllc.com/art%20work%20&%20images/PRoject%20Runway.jpg

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In my original post I said I was going to skip the Pet chapter, as I only have a fish. But after reading it, I feel that pet owners should be aware of some of the important information this chapter covers.

CHAPTER 7

- Buy PVC free dog toys

Animals, like children chew their toys. Keep Phthalates out of your pets system by avoiding PVC. Rope toys or deflated tennis balls are good alternatives.

- Avoid toxic flea collars and treatments

Flea collars and treatments can contain harsh pesticides. Consider rubbing eucalyptus oil on your dog’s fur- it’s a natural repellent- fleas hate the stuff. You might also try feeding him a few cloves of garlic every few days. Don’t worry dogs don’t get garlic breath.

-Use biodegradable dog waste bags or newspaper to pick up after your dog

Biobag makes all sorts of great biodegradable bags, including dog waste bags.

-Use natural shampoos and grooming products on your pets

Treat your pets to the good stuff and keep toxins out of their bloodstream.

-Use Natural alternatives to synthetic garden sprays and pesticides.

Your pets will track whatever you put on your lawn, into your house. Think of your backyard as another room in your home. Most garden stores have organic garden products and they can also be found on line .

And that is all they wrote…

It’s been interesting working through all the chapters of Squeaky Green. My only criticism of the book is that the chapters did not have recommended organic product lists. At the very least the authors should have mentioned all the Method products, after all, they started the company. Informing us about household toxins is very helpful but telling us to get rid of our conventional products without giving us organic alternatives, leaves us hanging a bit and perhaps, in some cases, less likely to make the switch.

*This blog is based on content in “Squeaky Green- The Method Guide To Detoxing Your Home” by Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry

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