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Newbie to Green...tips?
Hi ladies! I just got married, and now that I'm back and getting into the groove of life again, I'm focusing on health--especially since I got really sick and ended up in the hospital the week before my wedding. Everything with the wedding turned out wonderfully, but the situation made me think a lot about my food and environment...hence my stronger interest in green living over the couple of weeks.
I recently bought "Skinny Bitc*" and Alicia Silverstone's "Kind Diet"--I'm not ready to go vegan, but have been enjoying what they have to say and am definitely more focused on whole foods, organic produce, and hormone/antibiotic-free proteins. It's a new world for me to navigate through and I feel like the learning curve is a little steep. I'm so happy I came across this board--I know I am going to be a daily visitor!
Does anyone have any blogs or websites that they recommend to help in the learning process and for inspiration? I want to go green as much as possible, but how do you do that without breaking the bank? I know I need to do a lot of research, both on the web and locally, but any headstarts would be greatly appreciated!!
Thanks ladies, I look forward to learning from you!
Re: Newbie to Green...tips?
Actually, I like Jenna Woginrich's blog. She's a big time homesteader, minimalist. You might want to check her out.
http://coldantlerfarm.blogspot.com/
A whole foods blog that I really enjoy is Heidi Swanson's 101cookbooks.com.
It's very easy to navigate and she has separate categories for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free...really, however you want to eat.
Congrats on the wedding and welcome! I'm working on learning new ways to be green and honestly, most of it doesn't have to cost more. The only thing I find is a lot more expensive is meat, but that really is suppose to be in small quantities compared to everything in your diet anyway. Try to be cautious of buying things just because they say they are greener or organic, there is a lot of hype around the whole movement and although I think awareness is good, being green isn't a fad that you need to spend tons of $$ on. As you use up your cleaning products, make some homemade ones (vinegar and water is so cheap compared to chemical cleaners and you can use it on almost anything). Think in terms of what is in season in your area when you shop, this will help with pricing because obviously if it is coming from far away it is going to cost more and have a bigger impact/footprint. Also just being aware of things you do everyday (carry a water bottle or drink cup with you so you don't have to use disposable cups, use a couple rags at home instead of paper towels, be conscious of how many napkins or other disposable items you use on a regular basis and try to cut back). Little things can make a big difference.
I also rec. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I've found a lot of good stuff just by going to the library and looking through their cookbooks and "green" books. GL!
Congrats on your wedding!!
I have a blog (link in siggy) that you can check out. I also have a whole butt load of blogs that I follow that you can find my click on my profile on the top right of my blog (beside my picture).
awesome! reading skinny b*tch changed our lives! seriously, it was the best thing that's happened to us. we changed our diet the first day i started reading it. we aren't vegans but we have definitely found ways to cut out alot of dairy products/non-humanely raised meats and junk all together.
congrats on your lifestyle change! after we switched to clean eating we adopted more ways to be EF. we just do little things like hang our laundry on a rolling rack instead of drying it. only buy CFL lightbulbs. store rain water. recycling and double checking that the things i'm buying can be recycled.
we use: planetgreen.discovery.com and treehugger.com quite a bit.
good luck!
Welcome! Some great tips here... I haven't used any of the blogs and websites listed and am looking forward to checking them out!
I would also recommend Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I thought it was a really good read, lots of great info and things to think about, without being boring or preachy.
My advice would be just to take things one step at a time. As you replace itms in your house, try to choose better cleaners, foods, etc. Read ingredients. Its pretty easy when you take it one bit at a time!
Welcome!
If you are interested in food, What to Eat is also a great resource, though it can get a little dense. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is more readable, as is anything by Micheal Pollan. The Moosewood series are great veg cookbooks.
I also have a blog about simple, green living - simplifyingthesimplelife.com
This board is a great place to hang out and get inspired!
~Lisa