Green Being

Save the Bees! Go Native!

2009-01-09T11:32:00.001-08:00

A couple of days ago I read an article about how people are still trying to figure out what happened to all the bees (you know, colony collapse). The article mentioned how people can help by planting NATIVE flowering plants. This will either attract more honey bees, or at least attract other pollinating critters (like butterflies). Either way, it is a good thing because if the bees won't come back, we need other pollinators to pollinate the crops. Honey bees are critical to crop pollination. 1/3 of the human diet in the United States comes from insect-pollinated plants, and honeybees are responsible for 80% of that pollination.

Another huge plus to planting native species is they require little to no watering because they are native to the area where they are planted, so they are evolved (yes, evolved) to survive without sprinkler systems. You can find out what plants are native to your area using the drop-down menu here: http://www.plantnative.org

You can also help the bees by eliminating your use of pesticides and fertilizers at your home. One thing scientists are finding in these abandoned bee hives is huge amounts of chemicals from pesticides, leading some to think that colony collapse disorder could have been caused by people using too many pesticides in their home gardens. So, go organic - it is better for literally everyone. Well, except for the people who make money selling the chemicals, but they've profited off that for long enough. You can learn more about organic lawn care here and organic gardening here.

You can attract butterflies to your garden by planting butterfly host plants. Just make sure the plant is native to your area, otherwise the butterflies it is supposed to attract won't be around. Milkweed is the host plant for monarch butterflies, and I have seen first hand how many will come to a garden with only a handful of milkweed plants. You can watch the larvae turn into caterpillars which eat the leaves, and then turn into pupa, and then butterflies! It is awesome.

New (Personal) Blog

2008-12-28T12:53:00.001-08:00

I'm moving to Denver on Monday to start an internship at Earthjustice, a non-profit public interest environmental law firm. This is a majorly big deal for me, as readers of this blog will know, a dream come true. Minus the part about moving to Denver.

Anyway, while I'm gone I'm going to write a personal blog about what I'm up to there. I anticipate it including many posts about how I hate the cold and how I'm lonely and bored. But, there will probably be some less-complainy stuff too. :)

The new blog is called Fourteen Weeks, and you can find it here: http://somewhereimadeawish.blogspot.com.

Since I won't be taking law school classes, I'm hoping to update this blog more often too. 2009 should be a good one. Tell your friends.

Eco Driving Test + Hypermilling

2008-12-27T12:26:00.000-08:00

I just read this little snippet in onearth, Natural Resources Defense Council's (NRDC) magazine, about an online eco driving test. You drive a virtual car and then it tells you if your driving is eco or not. I've kind of mentioned stuff like this on here before. Good things to do are don't idle, accelerate slowly and consistently, don't drive too fast, keep your tires inflated, etc. Adam is basically the master of this - the mileage he gets on his Volkswagen Golf is close to that of a Prius, just by obsessively following eco driving tips. I'm not as good as him (partly because my car is automatic, partly because I'm not as consistent), but I have been getting a lot better gas mileage since I started thinking about the way my driving habits relate to gas consumption.

So, head over to www.ecodrivingusa.com and read up on what you can do (and what you're already doing) to be an eco driver. Click "virtual road test"on the left to take the test. You can also watch a video from our great Governor Schwarzenegger.

There is also this whole crazy thing called hypermilling, where people meticulously keep track of their gas mileage in order to get different rankings of hypermilling status depending on how much their gas mileage is above EPA standards. This is how Adam became an awesome gas saver. If you google hypermilling you can find all kinds of info on how to get the maximum gas mileage from your car.

Spoiler Alert: You don't need a hybrid to get awesome mileage. This site has some good tips for beginners, that don't involve modifying your car's body or anything hardcore like that.

Here are some that I like and can actually remember to do almost all of the time:

Don't drive over the speed limit. 55 is ideal, so even going 65 is wasting gas.
Stop accelerating (foot off the gas) as soon as you see the cars ahead slowing down.
Try to avoid coming to a complete stop when you can - like if you see the light ahead is red, and you are going to be the first car, just slowly coast up to it so you don't get to the intersection until it turns green.
If you are at a complete stop, let your foot of the brake and let your car roll as much as it can before using gas. It takes a lot of energy to get a heavy car from a stop to a roll, so let gravity (or inertia, or whatever - I'm no physicist) do the work for you.
Use cruise control to accelerate. It will accelerate more consistently and slowly than using your foot on the pedal, and that will save gas.
Don't gun it. Ever.

Some of the tips you'll find are dangerous - don't even bother trying those. An example is tailgating semi-trucks really close. The idea is not to almost die to save gas. Use your judgment.

Once you start using these tips, you'll see that it just becomes a habit and you don't even have to think about it. For example, over the summer I got to school to take a final and realized I didn't have my computer with me. I had to rush home, get the computer, and rush back without being late for the test. So, I was driving 75-80 on the freeway - something that I hadn't done for many months. It was so crazy, it felt like the most dangerous thing in the world to be going more than 65!

Roasted Cauliflower & Bruschetta

2008-02-02T12:28:00.003-08:00

last night we had roasted cauliflower with pearl onions and garlic & bruschetta for dinner. it was delicious and pretty healthy too.

my recipes can be found at the following links:

roasted cauliflower (serves 3-4)

bruschetta (serves a lot if you only eat a couple per person -- serves 2-3 if it is for a meal)

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super sunday breakfast

2008-02-03T11:45:00.002-08:00

today we made a special breakfast because it is a special day -- super bowl sunday. we had soyrizo and egg breakfast tacos. soyrizo is a vegan version of chorizo. it isn't the healthiest vegan product in the world, but it's really really good so it works for special meals. plus, unlike real chorizo it isn't made out of salivary glands, lymph nodes, and fat. it's made out of soy beans and seasonings and stuff. you can probably get it at your regular grocery store -- it is in the tofu and other veggie foods section at my store. i've never had real chorizo, so i can't say how it compares, but adam says that it is not as good as real chorizo, but since it is still really good and it is good knowing it isn't made out of (basically) leftover pig parts.

to make the tacos, just cook the soyrizo in a pan over the stove until it is as brown and crisp as you like it, then add eggs as if you were making scrambled eggs. we put it in corn torillas and topped it with salsa, avocado pico de gallo, fat free sour cream, and reduced fat cheese. it is pretty much my new favorite food, too bad it is a special meal that we won't get to eat every second of every day.

in environmental news, climate change is making water hard to come by in the american west due to reduced snowpack levels, leading to less water in rivers, which leads to more thirsty people in california. so conserve water! find out easy ways to do that here: American Water & Energy Savers

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yay whales!

2008-02-05T09:45:00.000-08:00

GREAT news today!

a federal judge held that the navy has to comply with restrictions on their sonar testing, even though the worst president in history tried saying that the navy is exempt from the restrictions as a matter of "national security" -- surprise, surprise.

the sonar testing sends out signals to help the navy detect submarines that are otherwise "invisible". the problem is the testing makes whales, and especially beaked whales (in the picture), think that orcas are nearby because the signal is exactly the same as what an orca sounds like to them. so, they try to swim away really fast, their brains hemorrhage, they beach themselves, and die. (a couple of weeks ago, 15 whales beached themselves in new zealand due to similar testing.) some of the whales in the testing area are endangered or threatened.

originally, the judge told the navy they could do the testing, but they just had to stop if whales were nearby and wear night vision goggles to make sure they don't crash into any whales (they wanted to test during the whales' migration season, right in the migratory path). but, the navy said they wouldn't do that. so lawsuits ensued, and now another decision has been made that bush can't sidestep environmental regulations and say it is for "national security". the decision will be appealed, i'm sure, but it is still good to know this judge stood up for the environment.

i got this info from the attorney for the california coastal commission, who started the suit against the navy, who spoke at my environmental litigation class last week. plus, i've been following this case since it all started over the summer.

avocado pico de gallo

2008-02-06T10:03:00.000-08:00

this condiment was created because it was taco night and i didn't feel like putting the onion, tomato, and avocado in separate bowls (more to wash - ugh), so i thought i'd try mixing it all together in one bowl. it really is that easy, just combine diced tomato, avocado, and onion with a squeeze of lime juice, salt, and pepper. it's kind of like mexican-ish bruschetta i guess. i also like it because if you only have a little bit of avocado left, it makes it look like you have more.

avocados also could help prevent oral cancer. "nutrients taken from avocados are able to thwart oral cancer cells, killing some and preventing pre-cancerous cells from developing into actual cancers, according to researchers at ohio state university." avocados are good for other reasons too, besides being yummy they are full of beneficial antioxidants and phytonutrients, including vitamin C, folate, vitamin E, fiber and unsaturated fats. they are naturally sodium-free, contain no trans fats and are low in saturated fat, making them a healthy addition to any diet. click the link to find out more from the article that i stole this information from!

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buy local & seasonal

2008-02-07T09:31:00.000-08:00

eating food that is produced locally and grown when it is in season is one simple way to reduce your carbon footprint. for example, most produce grown in the u.s. travels an average of 1,500 miles before it gets sold. so, by eating locally grown food you are not contributing to the greenhouse gas emissions that come from that travel.

eating seasonally is important because if you are eating something that is not in season locally, that means it had to travel from another part of the world to get on your plate, which equals more emissions being released into the atmosphere. the picture to the right was stolen from the natural resources defense council (nrdc) website and lists the foods that are most often shipped by air and therefore create the most emissions.

the nrdc site also allows you to enter in your location and season to see what produce is local and seasonal in your area: https://www.nrdc.org/health/foodmiles/. (sorry carrie, ohio is one of the worst places to live if you want to eat locally and seasonally!)

and it is always a good idea to support your local farmer's market (click to find yours)! i'm lucky enough to live in southern california where i can get almost all the veggies i eat from the farmer's market every wednesday, only 1/2 mile from where i live.

by eating locally and seasonally, you will not only be contributing to a healthier planet, but you will be eating tastier, healthier food -- what more could you ask for?

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seventh generation

2008-02-08T16:00:00.000-08:00

i'm in the process of replacing all of our cleaning products with eco-friendly stuff, as they run out. i had already been using "green" laundry detergent, but today i was at a store with more cool stuff so i got seventh generation brand detergent. after doing some research, i think this will be my brand of choice. they make pretty much every type of cleaning and paper product there is. not only are they eco-friendly, but they are also non-toxic -- which is good for people with kids. and, their products are not tested on animals.

for people who are concerned with how well a non-toxic product will work, all of the green cleaning products i have ever used have all worked just as well as their chemical counterparts.

this is another example of something pretty simple that people can do to help the environment that will also help their health -- the chemicals in cleaning products are hazardous, check out the seventh generation website for more info.

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yakisoba & veggies

2008-02-09T15:55:00.000-08:00

yakisoba is a japanese noodle dish that is like lo mein, but has a different flavored sauce. the noodles are ramen-style. i've been making yakisoba since i was about 8 because my friend had an exchange student named noriko from korea (i think) and she ate it all the time. so my mom got it for us and it was easy enough for a kid to make.

the kind i use is made by maruchan and is in the tofu/won ton wrapper section of my grocery store. i couldn't find any pictures of this exact brand online, so it might be rare. there are also brands in the ramen section, and those would work for this too. i looked at the ingredients of the kind i use this time, and there is MSG in it, which i always thought was really bad. i looked it up online though, and i guess only a few people have a reaction to it so in small amounts it should be fine. (that is from wikipedia though, so who knows how true it is -- i'm willing to take my chances because it is so good.)

this is a super simple meal to make. just saute your veggies of choice (here i used carrots, celery, onion, mushroom, red bell pepper) in a little bit of olive oil & then make the noodles according to the package directions, add in the sauce packet, and you are done! we had it with some frozen vegetarian spring rolls (ling ling all natural, highly recommend as far as frozen food goes) and edamame. adam loves SPICY food so he adds a bunch of red chili flakes, plus sriracha hot sauce to his. (see picture on right)

edamame are green soy beans, you've probably seen or eaten them at sushi restaurants. they usually cost you about $3 for a tiny little bowl, or if you're lucky you might get a bowl for free. that simply will not do for me, so i buy bags of them in the frozen vegetable section of the store.

then, you just boil them in water for 5 minutes, drain them, add freshly ground salt, and they are ready to eat! edamame are also really healthy -- a 1 1/8 cup serving (when they are in their shells) has 90 calories, 2g fat, 8g fiber, and 10g protein. so, they are an excellent source of soy protein, which helps you have a healthy heart and good cholesterol levels. i love to snack on them because i am always craving salt and these are a lot better than going for chips (and actually a lot more filling too)! they can be sort of expensive for a veggie, so i always check if they are on sale and then stock up when they are -- i've had six bags in my freezer at once before, and my freezer is tiny. click here for an article about edamame, if you are dying to know more!

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roasted baby squash

2008-02-11T09:14:00.000-08:00

this is a very easy recipe for a great vegetable side-dish. i like it as a meal served with wild rice and garlic bread.

you might be able to get baby squash at your grocery store (mine are in the mushroom/stir fry vegetables section of produce) or at the farmer's market. if you can't find them, you could substitute roughly chopped squash.

first, preheat your oven to 400. you'll need squash, yellow onion (1 small) or pearl onions (however many look good), button or cremini mushrooms (however many you like), salt & pepper, and 15 cloves of garlic, peeled. an easy way to peel garlic for this is to put them in a pot of hot water for about five minutes first. next, put all the veggies & garlic into an oven safe baking vessel and mix them up with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. add salt and pepper. roast at 400 for about 30-40 minutes, shaking it up every 15 minutes or so. they are done when it is tender, but not mushy, and the onions and garlic are browning. once you take it out, add more salt and pepper if it needs it.

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show the planet some love -- pick local & organic flowers!

2008-02-13T12:41:00.000-08:00

this valentine's day, buy your flowers (or ask for flowers) from local growers who do not use chemicals. just like non-local produce, imported flowers come from far away (70% from latin america), so a lot of greenhouse gases are put into the atmosphere in order to get those flowers into your home.

flowers grown in other countries are grown using pesticides and chemicals that are illegal in the united states -- so even if you don't use those chemicals in your house, they are still getting into your house on flowers. these chemicals also have harmful effects on the women and children (20% of flower workers in ecuador are children) who pick the flowers. according to a study done by harvard on flower workers in ecuador, women flower workers sometimes give birth to stillborn infants, or have their children die within a month of birth due to these chemicals. these women and children (who are even more susceptible) also suffer from asthma, vision problems, high blood pressure, and neurological problems because they are breathing the pesticides used on the flowers. would you want to buy something that contributes to these kind of health problems in other parts of the world? of course not! it doesn't sound very romantic either.

what you can do: buy flowers locally at your farmer's market, or in stores like whole foods or trader joe's & ask to make sure your flowers aren't coming from outside the country.

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make your own bread!

2008-02-14T09:42:00.000-08:00

bread is one of my all time favorite foods! (sorry, i don't fall prey to the low-carb diet propagandists).

i make my own bread because i think it's fun and it tastes better than store-bought. plus, i try to make whatever i can rather than buying it because then you know exactly what is in it. AND it is way cheaper to do it yourself. store-bought bread (like wonder) is nothing like what normal bread is supposed to be -- it is so full of preservatives and other weird stuff (look at an ingredients label), it is disturbing to think of eating it if i can avoid it.

i read an article about the industrialization of bread in order to get evidence that the bread on store shelves is not normal. "the actual truth is that the bread you buy in the supermarket has the texture and substance that it has for one reason and one reason alone: so that it can be made on an industrial scale and not grow “old” on the shelf at your supermarket." as always, it is all about money, and i don't know about you, but my diet is no place for capitalism! store bread is made to maximize profit and be edible -- nutrition doesn't matter. click here for an easy to read article about the industrialization of bread, complete with a step by step guide to making your own (even if you don't have a bread machine).

and, click here for my french bread recipe (pictured), from better homes and gardens' biggest book of bread machine recipes. i use this bread for my bruschetta and it makes the best sandwiches ever -- it is a lot easier than the recipe looks too!

and, if you want to have the best garlic cheese bread in the entire world, use this spread. if you try any of my recipes, let this be the one.

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it truly isn't easy being green

2008-02-18T10:10:00.000-08:00

oh kermie, truer words were never spoken!

i'm currently working on writing a paper about the deforestation of borneo due to loggers turning the forests into plantations for palm oil. i just truly started researching the issue today, and the first two things i found out were that the orangutans and pygmy elephants live there and they are being killed because of the demand for palm oil. ORANGUTANS AND PYGMY ELEPHANTS. two of my most favorite animals! i already love elephants, but add a pygmy to it and i love it even more!

so i immediately raided my pantry and fridge in search of products with palm oil in them to see how guilty i should feel. (palm fruit oil/palm fruit/palm kernals/palm nuts also count). palm oil is mainly used in snack foods -- like chips and cookies -- that used to have partially hydrogenated oil, but once all the bad media about health problems from partially hydrogenated oil came out, they started using palm oil instead (which is actually worse for your heart). we didn't have any snack foods in our kitchen, partly because we try to avoid them and partly because we are about to go out of town, so we haven't gotten groceries for awhile and are down to the bare minimum.

i did, however, have two products made by the brand "smart balance". i started to worry because i know they advertise how they don't use partially hydrogenated oils, but i still was hoping against all hope that there was no palm oil -- i did not want the blood of orangutans and pygmy elephants on my hands. but, alas, there was palm fruit oil in the smart balance margarine and the smart balance peanut butter.

so now i am sad that animals are dying so i can eat a stupid peanut butter sandwich, and that is why it is truly not easy to be green -- practically everything you do is somehow hurting something in some other place, and you don't even know it. then the whole environmentalist movement seems hopeless. but there is hope!

luckily, i have felt like this enough times to have learned how to get over it. you have to remember to do what you can, when you can, no matter how small or pointless it seems. YOU are hope because you have chosen to stop being a part of the problem! hence, the url of this blog -- "ego sum spes" is "i am hope" in latin (i find latin interesting, plus the latin translation of things are hardly ever "taken").

the moral of the story is whenever you feel hopeless or guilty about doing something that you didn't even know was bad (like eating a peanut butter sandwich that orangutans and pygmy elephants had to die for), just remember that there is hope because YOU ARE HOPE. so now that you are brimming with inspiration, go forth and save the world!

and i will check all labels from now on to make sure i don't buy palm oil ever again.

pasta & veggies

2008-02-19T09:26:00.000-08:00

we eat rice with our vegetables a lot, but sometimes we mix it up with pasta. for this meal, you can use whatever vegetables you like. for the one pictured i used:

1/2 lb asparagus, cut into thirds
a couple handfuls of cremini mushrooms, quartered
2 roasted bell peppers (you can get these jarred in the pickle section and the fancy-italian stuff section. get the ones in water, not oil, if possible.)
6 kalmatta olives, roughly chopped
2 roma tomatoes, diced
10 cloves garlic, cut in half
1 tbsp red chili flakes (optional, if you hate spicy stuff leave it out)
2 tbsp olive oil
salt
parmesan cheese
barilla plus spaghetti (has more whole grains, fiber, and protein than regular pasta)

to cook:

get your pasta water started boiling.
heat up a skillet (i use cast-iron) to medium heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil.
when heated, begin to saute the veggies that take longest to cook first -- for the veggies above that would be the asparagus and mushrooms.
once the veggies look like they are nearly done (bright green, still crisp but not raw, not soggy) add the rest of the veggies with the garlic and chili flakes.
by now, your water is hopefully boiling, so get the pasta started cooking. just follow the package directions.
the veggies will be done in a few minutes. add salt to taste.
once the pasta is done, drain it and add the veggies to the pot with the pasta.
add the other 1 tbsp of olive oil, and mix it all up.
put it onto plates and then add freshly grated parmesan cheese.
this is best served with garlic cheese bread (pictured).

leslie's ultimate shower challenge

2008-02-21T11:46:00.000-08:00

i have a challenge for all you competitive-minded folks out there:

pledge to follow these five cinchy tips and shorten your shower time to save water! the more you can commit to, the bigger winner you will be! (disclaimer: you will not win an actual prize, but you will be saving the earth and saving money by using less water and less energy.)

put a timer in the bathroom and try with all your might to keep your showers below four minutes. i know a long shower can be relaxing, but it wastes water and energy. plus, for your day to day routine four minutes should be good.
turn off the water while you're lathering up. it is pointless to have the water running when you are trying to stay out of the water's stream -- so turn it off! you can also turn the water off while shaving and just use a cup of water to rinse the razor.
put a bucket in your shower to catch the extra water and use it to water plants.
get in the shower as soon as the water is warm enough -- don't turn it on and then go watch tv while it is warming up, it doesn't take that long.
use a low flow showerhead. you can even get one that still has good water pressure these days!

good luck everyone!

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green-what-ing?

2008-02-22T09:50:00.000-08:00

today's topic: greenwashing!

maybe you've heard the term before? greenwashing is a word used to describe how some companies spend more money advertising that their products are "green" than doing anything for the environment. it is also when companies try to make consumers think their products are eco-friendly by using clever packaging and marketing ploys, when the product actually sucks. companies do this because being green is the new cool thing to be, so unsuspecting consumers hoping to greenify their lives buy the green-looking products instead of the regular looking ones. basically, companies greenwash to get more money!

here are some ways to avoid buying greenwashed products:

keep in mind that just because a product says "green", "natural", "eco-friendly", or "nontoxic" does not mean the product actually is what it claims to be. Those labels are not regulated, and they are easy to add to packaging. look for "organic" or "recycled" stuff, which is regulated by the government.
look at the ingredients for products that have changed their packaging color scheme to a more "natural" look, like earth tones and flowers, to make sure the product is actually what it is leading you to believe.
if a product seems to be green, but doesn't have an explanation on the package and doesn't make the website address known -- be wary, they are probably hiding something. after all, if they were truly eco-friendly, they'd want you to know why!
watch out for too good to be true promises. investigate the claims if they sound too good.

consumer reports has a site to help consumers figure out what to buy and what is just greenwashing, check it out here: http://greenerchoices.org.

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lentil lovers unite

2008-02-23T13:53:00.000-08:00

it's been stormy the last few days here, so i decided last night that i would make stew today. so, of course, today it is back to being sunny! but i already had my heart set on stew, so i made it anyway.

not only is this lentil stew a cinch to make, it is healthy and delicious too! the basic recipe can be found on recipezaar, here: http://www.recipezaar.com/20064. from there you can change it up as you see fit. i add celery and more garlic to mine, and i use cremini mushrooms. the longer you cook it, the more stew-like it becomes as the lentils and potatoes break down -- my picture looks more soup-like, but i couldn't wait anymore to eat it. bake up a batch of french bread, and you'll be all set for a cozy night at home! (even if it is actually a beach-weather day.)

lentils are an important part of a vegetarian diet because they are chock full of protein, iron, and folic acid (they have more folic acid than any other unfortified food). they also have tons of fiber, and few calories (115 in a 1/2 cup of cooked lentils) so they "fill you up, not out." lentils are very inexpensive too! check out this article if you'd like to know more about lentils (its kind of weird and boring, but you can just skim to the parts that are about nutrition and preparation): http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=52

there are tons of different kinds too, but the ones i see most often in stores are red and green lentils. you can find the other ones at specialty stores, or you an order them online if you are a hardcore lentil lover -- which i am well on my way to becoming. tattoo design ideas, anyone? (kidding -- unless it is really rad.)

to sum up: lentils are a low fat, low calorie, nutrition-packed, inexpensive food -- they're basically perfect! i'm thinking about inundating this blog with lentil-related recipes and posts until you all give in to my peer pressure and try them...yes that's a threat.

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fun with fungi

2008-02-24T11:33:00.000-08:00

this is one of my favorite meals, and (luckily) it is also one of the healthiest meals i eat regularly. portabella mushrooms have been described as "meaty" or "beefy." i don't understand those descriptions because i hate meat, but i love these. i think those words are used to trick meat-lovers into eating these mushrooms. i'm from the school of thought that no trickery is needed -- these are tasty! i like to try to have these at least once a week.

the health benefits of mushrooms are that they are low in calories (only 25 per shroom!) and high in potassium, which is an essential mineral needed to regulate water balance, levels of acidity, blood pressure, and neuromuscular function. the nutrition info to the left is for one portabella.

my mom got me started making grilled portabellas -- she and my brother were addicted to them for a time. to make these grilled portabella mushrooms, just brush the mushroom (top and bottom) with an olive oil/balsamic vinegar mix and sprinkle with your seasoning of choice (top and bottom). i use steak seasoning, which you can get in the spices/rubs section of the store. then throw them in a cast iron skillet at med-high heat or on a grill if you are lucky enough to be a barbequer. they take about 7 minutes on each side, but keep an eye on them and turn the heat down if the seasoning starts to char. adam and i like to eat these with brown rice and roasted veggies or salad and a generous amount of A1 on the side (yes, the steak sauce).

for more info on portabella mushrooms, like how to pick out a good one, click here. that's also where i stole the nutritional info from.

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riots and rainforests

2008-02-25T10:50:00.000-08:00

last month, brazil announced that they were (finally) going to start seriously cracking down on illegal logging in the rainforests. this includes using the army to conduct inspections of companies' operations to make sure they aren't using illegal timber, and fining meat processors and soy buyers who purchase products originating in deforested areas. good news, hopefully it will work.

my main concern is that the root of deforestation is poverty -- the local people have to survive, and the only way for them to do that is to sell timber to rich people (like the u.s. and europe). so, this "solution" doesn't really target what i feel is the actual problem. but, it's better than nothing, i will admit.

so far, it looks like brazil is keeping their promise. this weekend, 500 trucks full of illegal wood were seized by over 450 troops. sawmill workers were rioting and protesting environmental inspectors that were trying to look at the facilities, so the troops had to be called in. the wood will be sold to raise money for rainforest protection. the people rioting were just normal, poor, workers just trying to survive --not the big businessmen who are really behind the logging. so, this is an example of how poverty is the real problem here. "we don't want a confrontation with the people," said brazilian president luiz inacio lula da silva. "we're fighting criminals, and these people unfortunately manipulate the local residents."

click here for a guide to avoiding wood from rainforests -- you can check it out by species, company, country, or product. consumer demand for this wood is what fuels deforestation -- educating yourself about what you can do to save the rainforests is as easy as a mouseclick -- do it!

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burger time

2008-02-26T09:17:00.000-08:00

veggie burgers have come a long way. i used to hate them. the first one i had was dry and tasted like cardboard...or how i would imagine cardboard tastes. that was a million years ago though (at least 13). but, i refused to eat veggie burgers for a long, long time, which really limited my options at restaurants. i was known for ordering grilled cheese sandwiches everywhere i went -- but that was also because it was my favorite food.

but now, there is a great variety of veggie burgers out there, and all of the ones i have tried are good. my favorites are gardenburger original and boca all american grilled. does anyone else have a favorite veggie burger they'd like to share?

as far as restaurants go, my favorite veggie burgers are from hodad's here in ocean beach, ruby's blues burger, the bluenami from islands, and the blue ribbon burger from red robin. so i guess now is a good time to admit i love blue cheese, since i am basically left with no other choice.

the other night adam and i had boca burgers, and they were so good! we used kaiser rolls and put sautéed portabella mushroom, cheddar, gorgonzola, tomato, romaine lettuce, and mixidoodle on them. mmm...i want another one now. yes, we were indulging by using so much cheese, but you could always leave that out. we planned the rest of our meals that day so we could eat cheeseburgers for dinner guilt-free.

oh, you're probably wondering what mixidoodle is. it's pretty much a condiment made of sautéed onion, ketchup, mustard, and a bit of garlic. the recipe from food network is here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_31601,00.html. it's not called mixidoodle on the site, it is just called onion relish. but on tv the guy (michael chiarello from easy entertaining) called it mixidoodle, and that is much more fun than onion relish.

(the burger picture was stolen from the boca burger site, mine look much messier than that one!)

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Now playing: Green Day - Jesus Of Suburbia
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winos, get your corks together

2008-02-28T12:30:00.000-08:00

did you know that that little cork that is stopping you from getting to the bottom of that wine bottle is harvested from the cork oak tree? why yes, it's true. and stuff from trees can pretty much always be recycled and turned into something else, which leads me to my next point -- save those corks and recycle them!

it is hard for me to drink wine without making a face because it is so disgusting. but, to each their own.

this website has all the info you need to send your corks away to cork reincarnation camp, where they will be turned into some exciting and useful new thing. please, don't deny the corks that give you so much pleasure the chance to live on in a new form. and, even better, this organization will donate the money from the recycled corks to children's charities. everybody wins! just collect your corks and mail them to:

Korks 4 Kids Program
c/o RECYCLE CORK USA, LLC.
510 Wynwood Road
York, Pennsylvania 17402

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Now playing: Gatsby's American Dream - The White Mountains
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my perfect on-the-go snack

2008-03-01T15:30:00.000-08:00

i think i've mentioned before that i have a major salt-tooth. when i get these uncontrollable salt cravings, i usually end up getting into something unhealthy -- like chips, which i love but force myself to avoid. i invented this trail mix recipe so i would have something to eat that would give me energy while snowboarding in mammoth. it's tasty, healthy (in moderation!), and salt-tooth satisfying!

all you do is mix the following ingredients together. you can change it up however you want, which is the beauty of trail mix -- just try to skimp on the m&m's! the nutrition info is for a 1/4 cup serving.

3 cups roasted peanuts
1 cup roasted cashews
2 cups yogurt covered raisins
1 cup dried cranberries, sweetened & unsulphered
3/4 cup dried blueberries, sweetened & unsulphered

my grocery store has all that stuff in bulk bins, so it is super easy for me to get the amounts i need, and the nuts are not as salty as the jarred kind (even though i love salt, i prefer the less-salty ones here.) so, if you have bulk bins at your store, you pretty much have no excuse not to make trail mix. even if you're allergic to nuts, there are still tons of dried fruits available to make a fruit trail mix.

i also have some great news -- people who eat nuts weigh less than non-nut-eaters. there currently isn't a consensus on why, but it is probably because a handful of nuts will make you feel full, so you end feeling satisfied and stay away from junk food. yes, nuts have fat -- but it's the 'good fat', providing an energy source (which also makes you feel like you don't need to eat as much.) and, again, moderation is the key -- it would not be a good idea to eat an entire container of nuts in one sitting...and you will pay for it later, trust me (you don't want details on that). a good portion size is a small handful. if you have a choice, go for dry roasted rather than oil roasted nuts, which have more calories and fat. nuts are also good for a nice healthy heart!

i try to keep a little bag of trail mix in my backpack and purse, so that no matter where i am when hunger strikes, i have a healthy snack that will also give me an energy boost. i'm going to throw in a cup of dried cherries for the next batch, any other ideas?

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Now playing: Hopesfall - Per Sempre Marciamo
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another whale victory

2008-03-02T11:16:00.000-08:00

remember when i posted about how a lower court federal judge rejected bush's attempt at allowing the navy to do sonar testing, regardless of any environmental impacts, in whales' migration paths as a matter of "national security"? if not, the post is here.

well, on friday the federal court of appeals upheld the lower court's ruling. translation: the navy cannot do their sonar testing unless they make sure they won't be doing it when whales are in the area. which is awesome for two reasons: (1) no whales will have to die for the navy's testing and (2) MORE judges are standing up to stupid bush! for more on this story, click here.

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Now playing: Streetlight Manifesto - Keasby Nights
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amphibian ark

2008-03-03T20:14:00.000-08:00

"Amphibians are an important component of the global ecosystem, as indicators of environmental health and contributors to human health. They watched the dinosaurs come and go, but today almost half of them are themselves threatened with extinction. Addressing the amphibian extinction crisis represents the greatest species conservation challenge in the history of humanity." -- www.amphibianark.org

i recently saw jeff corwin on tv talking about this website, so i checked i out and learned a lot about why amphibians are so important to our ecosystem. currently, amphibian species are facing extinction faster than they ever have before. because they have thin skins, which helps them breathe and drink, they are especially susceptible to contaminants. a disease caused by the chytrid fungus is currently causing a massive decline in amphibian populations.

so why should we care? for one thing, frogs eat millions and billions of bugs that will take over if the frogs disappear. without going into too much detail, the food chain depends on frogs eating all these bugs, and we need them to eat the bugs so we don't get the diseases that the bugs carry. plus, scientists have discovered all kinds of medicines in amphibians. the austrailian red-eyed treefrog has a compound in it that prevents HIV infection. one simple, painless way you can help is to go to the amphibian ark website and electronically sign the petition. slightly more painful ways to help include making a donation on the website.

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Now playing: Ignite - Slowdown
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