Take a look…

Post from: Blisstree

Al Gore Gets Crazy About Global Warming

Organic Thanksgiving leftover ideas… (note, remember you can switch out conventional ingredients for organic on any recipe you like)

• Turkey and Roasted Vegetable Quiche
• Garlicky Mashed Potato Pie & Hotcakes
• Sweet potato pancakes
• Organic turkey noodle soup
• Sweet potato cornbread
• Turkey pasta toss
• Turkey with Sweet Potato Dumplings
• Pumpkin pie muffins – for excess non-sweetened pie filling
• Organic turkey pot pie
• Leftover Pumpkin Pie Brulee
• Morning-After Cranberry Sauce Muffins
• 7 great ways to use leftover corn
• Turkey chili
• Stuffing Frittata

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Happy Thanksgiving & Organic Leftovers

Roasted - this is a term you can safely ignore. ALL coffee is roasted what differs is the amount of roasting time and the level of heat used to roast. Roasting, unless a company is boasting that they use some sort of renewable energy to roast with, is not a sustainable coffee term.

Natural - means nothing. All coffee is natural – well, until coffee companies mess with it, but the actual term natural does not mean you’re getting better, greener coffee. It’s a marketing term plain and simple.

Fair Trade – You should look for this term if you want brew that’s putting more cash in the pockets of the coffee maker – basically it’s coffee sold sans a trader. NOTE: it is very important to recognize the distinction between “Fair Trade” and an organizational term such as TransFair USA. The difference here is that “Fair Trade” does not guarantee fair wages for coffee harvesters while “TransFair USA” does. If you want ethical coffee, look for an organizational term that does mean fair wages and working conditions for workers.

Also important to note is that Fair Trade does not mean greener coffee. Sustainable and Fair Trade do connect on some levels but Fair Trade alone does not mean that a coffee is without pesticides.

Organic - Organic coffee that’s been certified by the USDA or the OCIA is green coffee in that it’s been grown and produced without the addition of pesticides or herbicides.

Sustainable – I consider this an iffy term as a stand alone. There is no official “Sustainable” label. However, if a company says they’re making sustainable coffee it usually (if they’re being honest) means they use green and ethical practices such as organic growing, Fair Trade, using renewable energy, reducing fuel consumption, using recyclable pacakging, and so fourth. The issue is that sustainable is very broad and since it’s not regulated you should check into the company background.

Rainforest Alliance – this label or certification, sometimes seen as shade-grown or bird safe is certified by the, yup you guessed it, the Rainforest Alliance. This organization works with farmers and other businesses throughout the world to ensure that their goods and services are environmentally and socially friendly. I’m personally not a fan of third-party certification because their criteria is usually too easily adapted to meet regional-specific needs which makes it fuzzy. However, the Rainforest Alliance is a trustworthy source in my opinion because they offer a lot of transparent info at their site so this is a good eco label to look for.

Besides considering all of the above, you should also consider packaging (is it recyclable, printed with soy inks, etc.). Normally I’d also say go local to keep your carbon footprint down, but as of right now, unless you grow coffee at home, local means Hawaii only. The rest of the coffee in the world comes from out of the states. Which sadly means I really need some coffee carbon credits to offset my addiction.

Later we’ll see some good organic coffee choices for the holiday – ooooo, and maybe some treats to go with said coffee!

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Grab Some Green Holiday Coffee

You have some options. First off don’t buy a bunch of clothes that need dry cleaning. You’ll save on possible toxins and cash. Secondly, you can dry clean less often. Thirdly you can try to locate a greener dry cleaner, one that uses non-toxic methods for cleaning. If you want to amp up your green dry cleaning efforts even more, take a look at the Green Garmento Reusable Laundry Bag, which is a perfect replacement for all those obnoxious plastic bags usually used for dry cleaning.

One more issue to be aware of. You may have heard of green cleaners like Green Earth Cleaners which look ok from the outside, but their methods may not be entirely safe either. Visit “Green” Cleaners to Be Leery Of to learn more.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Clean up your dry cleaning act

Image: WAS

Image: WAS

I thought I’ve seen all the bags there is but this is the first time I’ve heard of bags made from recycled billboards! How cool is that? I get to indulge in my favorite item (READ: bags, bags, bags!) and I get to soothe my enviro-conscious mind as well. These bags are created and sold by WAS. WAS is based in New Zealand.

Image: WAS

WAS Bags are made from recycled billboards that would ordinarily be destined for the dump. Each bag is hand crafted in New Zealand and are 100% unique.

The vinyl used in billboard construction is developed to withstand the toughest of outdoor conditions making it a durable and hard wearing material.

So you too can do what billboards were designed to do…stop traffic!

Reduce. Recycle. Reuse.

Post from: Blisstree

Bags from Recycled Billboards

Fox recently interviewed Sarah Edwards, a woman dealing from Eco-Anxiety, which is

the growing angst experienced by those who can’t handle the thought that they — or anyone — are in some way contributing to global warming, species extinction and dwindling natural resources.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Dude, it’s Fox News. Right. So, go to Sarah’s own blog to see her take on the story and the condition. She asserts that eco-anxiety is not a mental illness, but at the same time,

many people are troubled on one or more levels about what is happening with the environment.

Sarah suggests what she calls Eco-Therapy. More than getting folks to recycle or change their light bulbs,

Ecopsychology, eco-therapy, and the natural systems thinking process (NSTP) are educational and psychotherapeutic approaches for learning to live more harmoniously with oneself and one’s environment, both natural and manmade. Though they involve interacting with nature, they can be practiced virtually anywhere and do not require individuals go to a distant, remote, or wild setting, unless they choose to.

Back to Fox News:

The American Psychological Association has no official position on the merits of what it calls an emerging field.

While the validity of Eco-Therapy is being discussed, I am interested in knowing whether or not gradually shifting to a greener lifestyle has been known to have a positive impact on one’s mental well-being. I think the answer is yes. Jennifer Forbes explores this question on her blog Mental Health Minutes and judging by her reader’s comments, several feel that participating in more eco-friendly activities helps to give them peace of mind and one commenter notes: for me, cycling is an act of exercise, environmentalism AND mental salvation.

At the same time, I know that many people are turned off by the green movement because they associate it with feelings of guilt (Oh great, yet another reason for me to feel bad when I buy a bottle of water) or inadequacy (you think you’re green, well wait to you see my new eco-contraption…) or even worse, feel as if they are on the receiving end of finger pointing and blame (SUV driver! De damned!)

I don’t think it has to be that way.

I hope that you see the “new” Daily Tomorrow as a resource for green information, particularly as it relates to your own physical and mental wellness. No judging or finger pointing here. Just the facts, ma’am. And a little bit of fun infused on the way.

Tell me what you think. Is going green good for your mental health, or making you crazy?

Post from: Blisstree

Is Going Green Good for Your Mental Health, or Just Making Your Crazy?

Post from: Blisstree

The Health and Wellness Channel Celebrate Mental Health Month