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Score a Food Safety Touchdown at Your Super Bowl XLVI Party | USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
Score a Food Safety Touchdown at Your Super Bowl XLVI Party
Catherine Cochran (202) 690-0428
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1, 2012-As both the New England Patriots and New York Giants know, you win with defense. When it comes to planning a Super Bowl XLVI party, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) wants football fans to know how to play defense against potential foodborne illness.
"Great food, large groups of friends and cheering on your team are what make Super Bowl parties so much fun," said USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Elisabeth Hagen. "We want to give hosts a few easy tactics to reduce the chances that their guests will develop foodborne illness amidst all the excitement at their Super Bowl parties."
First Down: Clean Clean hands and surfaces with soap and water to avoid a "false start" before preparing food. Unclean hands are one of the biggest culprits for spreading bacteria, and finger foods at parties are especially vulnerable. Chefs and guests should wash their hands with soap and warm water for 20 seconds before and after handling food. Also, be sure to clean eating surfaces often, and wash serving platters before replenishing them with fresh food.
Second Down: Separate Think of your party fare as two different teamsâ
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Easy Tips You Can Use to Make Your Office Greener
(this article is reposted under Creative Commons 1.0 license)
by Cheryl Roberts
If you're one of the more than 50 million Americans who work in an office, it may surprise you to learn how great an impact we office workers have on the environment. Whether your office is large or small, whether it's in a large corporation or at a local community group, school, or church, there are plenty of ways you can help the environment in the choices you and your co-workers make every day.
Each day, office workers consume approximately 145 million gallons of fuel while commuting to work and generate some 1.4 million tons of heat-trapping carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas. En route and during the day, we drink about 49 million cups of coffee--mostly from disposable cups--and either recycle or discard some 40 million newspapers. Once on the job, we produce more than our own weight in waste paper each year--about 360 pounds per person, nine million tons in all.
Today, U.S. businesses are generally polluting less and becoming more energy efficient. But there are still many simple steps that offices and workers can take to save energy, reduce waste, and even save money. All the following tips have worked out well at EDF's own offices.
Use Devices That Shut Themselves Off
Installing light switches with motion detectors can save a lot of electricity, since these devices shut off the lights automatically whenever a room is unoccupied. Similar savings come from copiers, computers, and other equipment that can be programmed to turn off after a period of inactivity. Look for the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star symbol as one indication of these power-saving features when buying new office equipment.
Here's an easy idea: Buy a reusable travel mug for your morning commute and to use at the office. You'll save natural resources, conserve energy and landfill space and, if you fill up at home, you'll save some money, too.
If you commute by train or subway, you'll find many stations now have designated bins for recycling newspapers. Use them.
If you drive, consider car pooling, riding a bike, or walking to work or to a nearby mass transit station. If your company permits it, telecommute. More than eight million Americans now telecommute at least one day a week. Telecommuting cuts down on pollution, saves energy, and may even increase staff productivity. In a two-year pilot project, Northern Telecom found that having 500 employees work at home three days a week saved about 200 gallons of gasoline annually per employee and increased productivity by an average of 30%.
Whether you work in the office or at home, reducing paper consumption and recycling used paper is a must. Where possible, use e-mail instead of paper memos. Make sure your business cards have your e-mail address on them, and ask for the e-mail addresses of others. Eliminate cover sheets when faxing. Post or circulate materials whenever possible, rather than making multiple copies. Program your printer and photocopier for two-sided printing. Publish or distribute documents electronically whenever possible. And, before you print a document, always use the Spell Check and Print Preview functions first!
In nearly every community, you can recycle paper, steel, aluminum, glass, and some kinds of plastic. Set up convenient recycling areas in the office and post instructions for recycling each material. You can also reuse envelopes for interoffice mail and cut up used paper for note pads.
Buy Recycled!
If you're in charge of purchasing office supplies, choose stationery and other office supplies with the maximum post-consumer recycled content available, at least 20%. And buy the lightest-weight paper possible for the job.
Look for unbleached or "totally chlorine free" supplies and paper first. If you don't find these in stock, ask your suppliers how to order alternative products. Avoid manila folders and envelopes, which are actually bleached and then dyed to achieve their distinctive color; look for unbleached varieties instead. Whenever possible, avoid deep-hued and neon-colored papers, envelopes with plastic windows, and peel-and-stick labels, all of which can interfere with the recycling process.
Office managers can provide a supply of reusable coffee mugs, plates, and utensils, and encourage their use. When ordering take-out or having an event catered, select establishments that use reusable food service ware.
And of course, don't forget to turn off your lights, computer, and monitor before leaving for the day--and remember to take your travel mug home for tomorrow morning's commute!
from EDF Letter
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Guest post of the week by Brittany Booker
I knew I needed to Compare Electricity Providers in our new area once we moved in but there were so many other things on my mind. I know there's something wonderful about being part of a big move like this one but I think it's crazy imagining what things will be like in a few weeks when we get everything all tied down. I love our new house and though things aren't exactly good yet I did remember to compare electricity providers and I also figured out everything about the cable and the security and the lawn maintenance and all that. I can't believe I've done this much but it still feels like I've got a lot more to do so I'm going to keep working as soon as I get home every night to make sure things are where I want them to be. I hate not being in control and that's sort of the place I feel like I'm at right now and that's not comfortable for me.
This post is brought to you by our sponsors. For more information about sponsoring a post, click here.
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Take Action to Stop School Bus Ads
Our Daily Green is a member of the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood. We became supporters of this non-profit when they had a campaign against a Scholastic book that had been sponsored by the American Coal Foundation. They also have led campaigns against unhealthy food advertising on children's programming as well as marketing to infants. Their mission is:
to reclaim childhood from corporate marketers. A marketing-driven media culture sells children on behaviors and values driven by the need to promote profit rather than the public good. The commercialization of childhood is the link between many of the most serious problems facing children, and society, today. Childhood obesity, eating disorders, youth violence, sexualization, family stress, underage alcohol and tobacco use, rampant materialism, and the erosion of childrenâ
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Take Action to Stop School Bus Ads 
The new legislative season brings new attempts to turn school buses into traveling billboards. Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, New York, Rhode Island and Washington are all considering bills that would allow ads on school buses for everything from junk food to violent and sexualized media. We are enormously sympathetic to the financial plight of schools, but commercializing schools and school buses is not a good solution. Thatâ
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This is a guest post by Patricia Wright, Chief Savings Officer at Rollback. Patricia's website offers free coupons for over a million stores. Our Daily Green has featured coupon sites previously and what we like about Rollback is how comprehensive their information is. Remember, living green is about keeping more green in the wallet as well as our planet. Thank you, Patricia for sharing this article.
The key to a successful and happy life is feeling energetic. When you're energized, you feel a power within yourself to achieve anything.
Here are some tricks to constantly stay in that "I can do anything in life" mode.
1. Take Power Naps When you enter the "zoned-out zombie" mode at work, take a 10 minute power nap. By nap we don't mean snoring like Godzilla at the office. Just lean back, close your eyes, and think of nothing.
Forget everything while you power up. Take deep breaths.
2. Talk To Friends Whenever I run into a friend on the street, I walk away feeling a lot more energetic. So reach out to a friend if you need a boost. Call up a good friend for 2 minutes for a quick recharge.
3. Listen to Active Music When you're feeling slow, forget Cold Play and Frank Sinatra. Bring out the Black Eyed Peas and Deadmou5! But don't get carried away. 2-3 songs are enough to get you back in action.
4. Sleep Early and Enough Best time to sleep is 10pm to 6am. If your alarm blasts you out of bed every morning, it's time to change your late night routine. Get enough sleep.
5. Morning Walk Even a quick 10 minute walk in the morning will boost your energy. But an evening walk is drastically different. Your day will be happier with an early morning stroll.
This is a big one. Try it!
6. Act Energetic Studies have shown that when you move faster, your metabolism kicks into high speed. Acting energetic makes you feel energetic!
7. Finish Small Tasks Checking off a chore from your to-do list gives you a rush of energy. For a surge of power, organize your closet! You'll be surprised how great you feel when it's done.
8. Don't Misuse Food When you're feeling down, stay the heck away from that carton of ice cream! All those extra calories just drag you down even more. Go outside for a short walk instead.
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Approximately a year ago, Our Daily Green wrote about our decision to use solid soap as often as possible. We choose not to pay for water or generate the additional waste associated with plastic packaging and are absolutely thrilled with the results. Believe it or not? We still have the same bar (albeit quite a bit smaller) of soap next to the kitchen sink nearly a year later! It's been truly eye opening to contrast how many liquid soaps we've refilled at other sinks in that same time frame. (Prior to our bar soap conversion, we had a plethora of liquid soap and nothing is more wasteful than not using it up).
In addition to the environmental concerns, liquid soaps are very inconvenient when traveling. The additional weight and potential for liquids to leak makes solid soap an attractive alternative. Now that airlines penalize for overweight bags, not to mention the inability to carry any liquid over 3 oz. onto a plane, we prefer to save suitcase room for something besides liquids. Even if not traveling by plane, it's nice to travel lighter and not worry if the bottle of shampoo or soap would leak.
The solution to this problem was as close as a fellow blogger. Several of you may remember our popular guest post about how to make Wool Dryer Balls by Alicia over at Eco Friendly Homemaking. Turns out that Alicia and her husband have their own natural soap and shampoo business.
We contacted Alicia to ask if she could send us a sample of the bar shampoo to try. Not only did she share an entire bar of their wonderful shampoo bar, but she also included two lip balms and a luxurious body butter. What a pleasant surprise that was!
What I really appreciate about dealing with fellow eco-minded friends is their true commitment to our health and our environment. As I read their mission statement a little more closely, I realized how truly in accord their company is with my personal green mantra.
We, the American public have become the unwitting subjects of a massive toxicological experiment from personal care products. Itâ
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Adapted from: Broad Noodles with Lentils: Sagnatiellie Lenticchie on the Food Network
Broad Noodles with Lentils: Sagnatiellie Lenticchie by Mario Batali, 2002
This recipe is a twist on the Mario Batali recipe lined above. We've highlighted some of our favorite ingredients. Our Daily Green has begun to utilize coconut oil much more frequently in recipes. In addition to the incredible aroma (like being at the beach on a cold winter day!), coconut oil is an excellent source of lauric acid which helps the body fight viral and bacterial infections as well as increasingHDL (the "good cholesterol") more than any other fatty acid. We also were thrilled to still be able to pick fresh rosemary (in January!) from our herb garden, as this winter has been quite mild. We hope you enjoy this recipe. Ingredients  1 1/2 cups lentils 2 bay leaves for lentils, plus 1 bay leaf for sauce 3 tablespoons coconut oil 1 onion, chopped 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes 2 teaspoons thyme 1 sprig rosemary 3 cloves garlic, whole Salt and pepper 1 (32-ounce) canned tomatoes and their juices 12-ounce package of egg noodles, cooked al dente Directions Place the lentils in a large pot, add the bay leaves, and water to cover and rise 2 inches above the solids. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook about 40 minutes. In a heavy-bottomed skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and red pepper flakes and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, until onion softens and begins to color. Add the bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, garlic, salt, and tomatoes. Stir the tomatoes and break them up with a wooden spoon and cook until the tomatoes are cooked and dark rust in color. Add the lentils to the tomato mixture. Season with salt and pepper, remove the herb sprigs and garlic cloves and serve over noodles, divided evenly among 6 warmed pasta bowls.  | | Enjoy! |    
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TakePart is the digital division of Participant Media, which includes the documentary Food, Inc., which we have written about numerous times. From TakePart's mission statement:
TakePart produces a website, with a daily cycle of original articles and videos that inspire people to get involved. We believe that compelling stories and provocative information creates curiosity, builds awareness and propels people to make positive social change in their everyday lives. As part of that mission, they've compiled a fantastic calendar for the month of January, called 30 Ways in 30 Days, and it's filled with informative links and ideas to effect change in your own world. For example, today's suggestion is to Give Blood during National Blood Donor month. Yesterday's was to pledge to exercise 30 minutes, daily, and included apps to help with motivation. At the bottom of each action is an entry form to a Sierra Club Giveaway, that includes one Sierra Club outdoor adventure and a one-year membership.
We encourage you to look at some of the ideas on the 30 Ways calendar and adopt a few of them. Let 2012 be the year you make a difference. Our Daily Green will be showcasing some of these tips throughout the month. We'd love to hear from you with your favorite ideas or tips.
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A few weeks ago, Our Daily Green was invited to participate in a panel survey about favorite green cleaning products. Circle of Moms chose our answer in their year-end column. I was so excited to have my answer chosen that I contacted the company. As a result, they have offered to sponsor a giveaway on Our Daily Green. (details of the giveaway at the bottom of the post).
You're all wondering what this miracle product is, I'm sure. One of my favorite cleaning products is the powdered cleanser, Bar Keepers Friend. The origin of this cleaner is quite interesting. In 1882, an Indianapolis chemist noticed how clean his pot was after cooking rhubarb and did several tests and experiments to determine that oxalic acid is the plant based ingredient responsible for the shiny pot. Oxalic acid is also found in spinach, chives, and parsley. Since that discovery, the American company, Bar Keepers Friend has been manufactured in Indianapolis for the past 127 years.
What I have always liked about this gentle cleaning product (as a loyal customer for many years) is the ease of rinsing it away without residue, the ability to clean my smooth cooktop without scratching, and the lack of fumes. So many cleansers contain harsh chemicals that I prefer not to clean with.
Bar Keepers Friend is endorsed by several major cookware and kitchen companies, but one of the most interesting endorsements we discovered was US Markerboard's, which as you can tell by the photos, restored our stained dry erase board.
 | | a little powder on a damp rag |  | | a little elbow grease |
 | | Some of their products |  | | BKF keeps our cooktop shiny and Copper Glo works wonders on our tea kettle | Bar Keepers Friend has generously offered a basket of their products to one of Our Daily Green's readers. To enter the giveaway:
1. "Like" Bar Keepers Friend on Facebook
2. "Like" Our Daily Green on Facebook
3. Leave a comment on this post. Please add your email or some other way to contact you in the event you win. THAT means leave a comment below this actual post, not on Facebook, because we use a random number generator to choose the winner from the number of comments. Then we verify that you've liked the pages on Facebook. But if your comment is not here, you do not have an entry.
This giveaway offer will end on midnight January 13th, Eastern Standard Time. Must have a US mailing address to win.
*In accordance with FTC disclosure laws, we received a package of the products to test for our review*
Do you have a green product you want us to feature in a future post?
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Guest post from: Natalie Walter
Being married is hard enough without having completely different politics. My husband and I are on opposite ends of the spectrum so weâ
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For those of you who followed Our Daily Green the past few years, you may recall that we pledge half our advertising earnings to charitable organizations. It's our way of underwriting our blog as well as supporting organizations that are making a difference in this world. It's also our way of thanking our readers for indulging our advertisements.
 This past year, Our Daily Green cut back on some of our side ads, but accepted more sponsored posts. The difference is that the advertiser pays us to link to their site within a blog post, versus a permanent ad on the main blog page.
Our posts earned about $50 in sponsorship and we also received approximately $500 in free merchandise. We gave away approximately $400 in like merchandise, leaving us with a surplus of $150, which translates to $75 in donations. We've chosen one organization, Community Greenhouse Partners in Cleveland, Ohio and would like nominations for two more.
Community Greenhouse Partners mission includes:
Improving the quality of life of those around us by growing vegetables year round and selling them at low cost to urban families, employing local residents and teaching sustainability and earth science to young people. Community Greenhouse Partners is a sustainable urban farm that applies ecological design principles and engages community participation to grow wholesome food year-round that is provided at low-cost to the neighborhood, improving personal health while generating training, mentoring and employment opportunities. 
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Guest Post: This post was written by James Lander of Couponing. This website offers deals as well as tips for becoming a savvy couponer.
In recent years, buying and eating organic food has become a major priority for a growing number of American consumers. As more and more people consider where the food they put into their bodies actually comes from â
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One of the most chemical free ways to stay healthy and live better is to exercise on a regular basis. According to the Mayo Clinic, regular physical exercise relieves stress and anxiety. As one year ends, and the world gets ready for a new year, many folks make a resolution to exercise more. Our Daily Green began that resolution early. With so many headlines talking about the prevalence of prescription drug use rising to treat depression and anxiety, and concerns about chemically altering our body on a daily basis, we wholly endorse a regiment of more natural choices, including healthy diet and regular exercise.
Exercise need not involve a drive to a gym or an expensive membership to a health club. The irony of getting in a car and driving somewhere to move the body is not lost on us. But in the winter, when we become more sedentary, getting an extreme body workout can be as easy as getting off the couch and moving while watching an exercise video. To combat the winter blues, dreams of having a beach body can be realized from the comfort of your own home. Inclement weather doesn't need to thwart your plans to regularly exercise and stay fit.
In fact, 30 minutes of some sort of physical activity daily has benefits that include weight loss, better sleep, improved mood, and more energy. Some programs offer a 90 day review to measure results, although the ways we can improve our lives in three short months with a commitment to exercise are immeasurable. There's no need to wait until the new year to live better today. Make a promise to yourself to swap 30 minutes a day of sedate activity with a more physical activity. Stop looking for a solution in a bottle or pill and consider a more holistic approach. To a Happy and Healthier New Year!
(Our Daily Green has received compensation for this post but we would not share anything we didn't believe would benefit our readers).
This is a guest post provided by Fitness Alliance. 
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'Tis the season for cards to come in... and they are a wonderful reminder of loved ones, but once the holiday is past, what then? What if you knew you could not only feel the love you get when you open a card, but also put that same love to charitable use? What if you knew you could recycle those cards and make a difference?
St. Jude's Ranch for Children was built to be a place for neglected children to find a safe home with the vision to break the vicious cycle of child abuse and provide help and hope to children and families. Read on to see one of the ways they fund themselves as well as provide opportunity to the children on their ranch. Save your cards and send them in!
As a side note, if you are going to stay in the Tampa/Clearwater, Florida area before the end of the year, The Sandpearl Resort at Clearwater Beach will give you up to $50 credit at their hotel in exchange for cards. In fact, that is where Our Daily Green first learned about this initiative.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WE NOW ACCEPT USED, ALL-OCCASION CARDS YEAR ROUND!!
Over thirty years ago, wishing to show our donors appreciation for making St. Judeâ
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Several years ago, Our Daily Green first saw the homes from Tumbleweed Tiny House Company and found ourselves absolutely fascinated. Company founder Jay Shafer's innovative design ideas captured our attention. His practical utilization of space maximizes every inch at the same time it proves that bigger is not always better.
Over 5 million US homes have been foreclosed in the over three years since the bank bailout. Bank lending policies focused on a market for larger and larger homes, encouraging consumers to spend more and more on housing.
In the year 2000, the Chicago Tribune ran a piece on how home ownership had changed over the past 100 years. In 1900, an average home was about 700-1200 square feet, while in the 1950s, ranch style homes such as those popularized in Levittown averaged 1000 square feet. By 2000, homes were about the same square footage as the year, 2000, with additional bedrooms and bathrooms, effectively doubling the living space. In a statement filled with irony eleven years later, the article continues,
But bigger homes haven't meant fewer homeowners. While only 46.5 percent of the U.S. population owned its own house in 1900 and 53 percent in 1950, it is estimated that at the end of this year more than 67 percent of American households will own. Why? Because we can afford it.
According to the National Association of Home Builders,
... approximately 246,000 U.S. households [are] priced out of the market for a median-priced new home when the price of the home is increased by [only] $1,000. (brackets and bold are author's).
Since the crisis, major builders such as KB Home in Los Angeles, are shrinking the sizes of their homes in an effort to compete with the foreclosed homes on the market. Their average new home size is now half the 3200 square feet during the housing boom to 1600 square feet today.
Small Home Jay Shafer from Tumbleweed Small Homes is going to highlight his concerns about large homes in a event at Occupy Wall Street on December 13th, 2011, where he will take one of his small homes to the venue. He believes OWS is the world's largest stage to bring awareness to the alternative and encourage smaller homes.
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Guest Contributor Brittany Lyons aspires to be a psychology professor, but decided to take some time off from grad school to help people learn to navigate the academic lifestyle. She currently lives in Spokane, Washington, where she spends her time reading science fiction and walking her dog.
One of the major obstacles that the environmental movement faces is presenting global ecological problems to the public without making change seem impossible or the situation seem hopeless. This is a big challenge since usually once environmental problems are identified there is a lot of work to be done that no one wants to tackle. Luckily, there are ways the green movement can manage the presentation of these issues that makes the threats real without taking away all hope for the future.
 A major issue within environmental reporting is the exaggeration of the results from studies. This not due to scientific error or propaganda on the scientists' part, but from distortion or misinformation from the media. This often is simply a technique reporters use to increase readership. After all, more people are likely to read an alarmist article than a mediocre report, even if the effects of such reporting are detrimental in the long run. In order to prevent reports from containing false information, scientific environmental studies need to be interpreted by the researchers (i.e. those who have PhDs in the field) who understand the data as well as possible biases and mistakes. With the exaggeration of negative environmental reporting, the public discredits scientists and begins the mistrust the whole scientific process.
Not only does exaggeration spread false information about the state of the planet, but it also often causes the public to think there is no hope in saving the environment. In this scenario, people revert to their old destructive behaviors thinking that no matter what they do nothing will change. With doomsday prophesying and Chicken Little scare tactics, environmentalists seeking to influence the public to change their ways will get no where. Instead a different approach must be used. The media needs to report realistically, but point out that disaster can be prevented or overcome if people make the effort to turn things around now.
Another way to lighten the gloom of environmental reporting is to put it in terms that the public understands. Instead of using technical and scientific jargon, frame environmental issues in a way that connects them to the average person's life and lifestyle. In coastal eastern North Carolina, for example, conserving wetlands received a lot of attention and support (from seemingly opposing parties) when the wetlands were identified as the nursery grounds for local seafood.
When it comes to heralding the public to take proactive measures to save the environment, the most important thing to remember is that drastic changes are unlikely. The mantra for the early green movement in the '60s and '70s was to "use much less," which the public interpreted as "don't shower, don't eat, don't drive a car" and very few people joined up as a result. Those who did were often stigmatized as "dirty hippies," a name that sticks to this day. A modern synthesis of psychology and environmentalism today recognizes that in order to affect positive changes, the new mantra needs to be "use less with more efficiency", or put simply - sustainability. This idea is rewarding in the sense that those who subscribe to it use natural resources in a smart way. Efficiency means less waste, and a better future for our planet.
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Conglomer-ATE: The Consolidation of American Food (Infographic) 
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The low flow shower-head industry suffers from old perceptions, in part based on the famous Seinfeld episode, The Showerhead. During that episode, Jerry, Kramer and Newman are in misery after their building replaced all their shower-heads with low-flow heads, leading them to buy shower-heads on the black market.
Since that episode first was broadcast over 15 years ago, there have been some fabulous innovations with low-flow plumbing products, especially from Bricor Analytical which offers a:
... patented VACUUM Flow Restriction Technology to significantly reduces water, gas and electrical consumption while simultaneously improving the quality of the shower stream. How do our shower heads work? Water enters our patented VACUUM flow "booster" valve where it is aerated and compacted under pressure. Due to the intense force of the vacuum chamber, the aerated water "explodes" as it exits the shower head, creating a powerful shower stream at a very low flow rate (1.5 gallons per minute or less). Fortunately, Bricor's product eliminates the need for consumers to resort to illegal activity to get a powerful, yet water conserving shower. Our Daily Green was introduced to Bricor last year when they sponsored a giveaway. Since then, we have used their product in our master bath shower. When we were approached again this year to conduct another review and giveaway, we were thrilled!
We chose the low flow hand held showerhead, which comes in a chrome finish and has two shower settings. According to Bricor, this showerhead has the lowest flow rate in the industry for a hand held shower head at only 1.125 gpm. Honestly, based on usage, we'd never guess it was a low flow head at all. The pressure is amazing for a shower-head that has less than half the federally mandated 2.5 gallons per minute flow.
Bricor has generously agreed to partner with Our Daily Green to give one of our lucky readers a hand held low flow shower-head, a retail value of $89.99. Independent tests show that Bricor's shower-heads will pay for themselves in water and utility savings in 150 days.
To enter our drawing, share your low flow story in the comments section below.
For additional entries:
Please leave a separate comment for each action as the drawing will be randomly chosen by comment number. We reserve the right to verify each action and delete any invalid entries. Entries accepted until December 11, midnight EST. The winner will be announced on Our Daily Green's December 12th post.
Good luck!
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One of the great things about having the Our Daily Green blog is the opportunity to hear from companies that are doing something interesting on the environmental front. Usually after we hear from them, they offer us discounts and the sort as well. Our Daily Green has been following along with Preserve for quite a while now, in fact, they were our very first giveaway, in February 2010.
 We chose their company because as we learned more and more about what the different numbers on plastics mean, we discovered that Preserve is one of the few companies that actually recycles #5 plastics. #5s usually are things like lids from containers,straws, yogurt cups, and toothbrushes. They are a more rigid plastic because they are molded, not blown. The chemical reaction of the polymers used to make #5s make them quite a bit more difficult to recycle, but that did not deter Preserve. Since we are such big fans of Preserve, when we received their email today for 30% off, we wanted to share it with you! Check out their products, save some money, get yourself or someone you need to give a gift to some fun kitchenware. It's impressive what they are doing!
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YES! Magazine encourages you to make free use of this article by taking these easy steps. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License 
Best Job in the Neighborhoodâ
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a sponsored guest post by: Ignacio Phillips
My kids and I decided to have a really frank talk about getting green at home after then had a little global warming lesson in class. The teacher apparently asked them "What uses the most energy in your house?" That led to a whole conversation when they got home about where we could cut back to make things better for the environment. We decided to start by changing all the lightbulbs to more energy efficient ones and weâ
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 Our Daily Green had the opportunity to review a skin care line from Amazon Rainâ
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Today, Our Daily Green paints our space with camouflage in honor of the Veterans who have served and those who still are serving.
Reflexively, we want to organize drives or collections for our military with the holidays approaching. However, this may not be the best time or the most efficient way to support our soldiers. From the AnySoldier.com website:
 We want to show our support to the folks who are far from their families fighting this war and we want to do all we can to show them that they are not forgotten. We realize how cool it would be to coordinate a huge drive to collect tons of stuff and money to send to all 50,117 of them to feel better during the holidays.
And we can do it! But maybe we shouldn't. We learned a lot of lessons in the last 8 years, 2 months and 16 days, and we strive to do things better. Please read on. This is really a tough call. Every year so many folks wait until the holidays to send their packages that units are buried, not to mention the APO/FPO. Please keep in mind that most units have no place for massive amounts of packages, nor the means to move them. So, what are you supposed to do? Simple, really. You should never send more then 5 packages to the same address at the same time. Actually, 1-2 a day is best. Chances are you are not the only person sending something and the soldiers will have to deal with the packages on their 'down time', which I can tell you isn't much at all.We can't stress this enough: NO large shipments at the same time to the same address. Ever. Send early. OK, you knew that. Holiday shipping dates from the USPS are posted on this web site as soon as we get them. Keep the packages SMALL!!! Remember, this is about support, not just stuff. Think about this: Mail call, the Soldier hears his/her name called out, with joy he/she gazes toward the box that the mail clerk points to. Friggin box is bigger than the tent he/she lives in. Weighs more then a Battalion Commander! Not cool... Are we saying don't do anything? No, we are asking for you to realize that you can be part of the solution. The many wonderful folks who have participated in supporting our service members have been simply outstanding in their generosity. There is no doubt you will continue. Many, many people will not know about this and with good intentions actually help cause a huge log jam. I am asking for all the folks involved with the Any Soldier Inc. web site and effort to not do big drives this holiday, or at least really think how what you will do effects the folks you are trying to support. Help them all year, not just the holidays.
Another idea is a charity I wrote about a few years ago, and it's still going strong. Games for Heroes was founded by two young men in New York who realized the soldiers are just a few years older than they are. They collect handheld video game units and game cartridges to send to the soldiers so they have some portable entertainment. So if you upgrade your handheld video games over the holidays, send the old ones to Games for Heroes in January.
If you have other electronics you wish to recycle, Recycle for Soldiers is an excellent organization. They accept: cell phones, PDAs, inkjets, iPods, laptops, and digital cameras.
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From time to time, our affiliates offer special deals for us to pass along to our readers. Today's deal on organic coffee was fabulous and we wanted to share it with our coffee loving friends. (as previously documented, we are serious about our coffee here [One Hundred Things Green Aug 05, 2010 #8: I could drink plain, black coffee by the potful.]
According to their site:
Our History: Established in 2007, The Bean Coffee Companyâ
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Green jobs are one of the fastest growing employment markets today. As builders and manufacturers look to the future with sustainable energy and designs, the standard is measured by LEED certification. Currently, over one-third of the construction and design work force are green professionals.
According to the U.S. Green Building Council,
LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is an internationally-recognized green building certification system. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in March 2000, LEED provides building owners and operators with a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions. The rating systems incorporate take many measurable goals such as location and transportation, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality to calculate a standardized score for each project; from neighborhood development to schools and hospitals, to residential housing, to industry.
Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) further the case for green projects as environmental impacts associated with the entire life of a project from raw material, processing, manufacturing, distribution, use, repair and maintenance, and through disposal or recycling can provide a more complete picture of overall savings.
LEED online streamlines the certification process for green projects and also helps create job opportunities as more businesses want to achieve green compliance. The benefits go beyond adhering to a standard set by the government and actually save companies money by conserving resources, in both the initial construction as well as the long-term operations. Thinking of green mandates in terms of good business sense instead of simple idealism will encourage further adoption of the guidelines.
In accordance with FTC disclosure laws, Our Daily Green has been compensated for this post. We only accept sponsored posts from companies that we feel are interesting and fit Our Daily Green's mission, to educate about simple ways to encourage a more ecological and economical world. Click Here for more information about sponsoring a post on this blog.
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This is an excellent commentary on how our food gets from the field to the table, and who pays what during the journey.
The Skinny on Farm Subsidies and Obesity
By Wenonah Hauter and Carmen Rita Nevarez
To make real, lasting improvements in our food system, we have to get to the root of the problem.
 Obesity has reached epic proportions in the United States and its price tag is soaring.
With one-third of adults and more than 12 million children and adolescents obese, the direct and indirect medical costs of this scourge total as much as $147 billion a year.
The nation's increasingly poor diet, packed with processed and fast foods, is driving this epidemic. This is leading many media commentators to blame government subsidy payments to farmers who grow crops like corn and soybeans. But this just isn't true.
 | | (phauxto digit / Flickr) | While it's convenient to blame America's ever-expanding waistlines on subsidies, a recent paper from our organizations shows that blame actually lies squarely with the corporations that lobbied for the end of good policies that once kept prices and production in check.
Now, with the federal budget deficit developing some alarming bulges of its own, Congress says it's putting the budget on a diet. Direct payments to farmers that grow commodity crops like corn and soybeans are on the cutting board.
Some public health and environmental advocates believe that simply spending the government dollars on apples and broccoli instead of commodity crops would make the country healthier. But it's not that simple.
To make real, lasting improvements in our food system, we have to get to the root of the problem. That means tackling the overproduction of corn, soybeans, and other commodity crops, the out-of-control marketing of junk food, inadequate access to healthy food in many communities, and consolidation in the food industry.
Overproduction isn't a new problem. In the 1920s, agriculture policies encouraged farmers to idle some of their land so they wouldn't overproduce, and established a national grain reserve, much like the Strategic Petroleum Reserve we have today. It kept overproduction in check and prevented crop prices from skyrocketing during times of drought or plummeting during times of surplus. Plus, stable commodity prices functioned like a minimum wage for farmers.
Beginning in the 1980s, big food corporations mounted a strong and successful lobbying effort against these policies. By the mid-1990s, all the supply management and price support protections were gone, which led many farmers to overproduce. The resulting collapse in prices left many on the brink of bankruptcy. To deal with the terrible prices farmers were receiving for their crops, Congress started making "emergency" payments to farmers. The subsidy system we know today was born. And the nation's obesity problem emerged.
Ending farm payments won't stop the production of corn and soybeans. But it could force smaller and midsized farmers to sell their land to larger farms, which would consolidate our food supply even further. These family farms are our best hope for rebuilding a healthier food system focused on regional distribution and providing new markets for fruits and vegetables.
But for them to flourish, we need farm policies that ensure that farmers get a fair price for their crops, poultry, dairy products, and livestock, and that antitrust and competition policies are enforced. Only then will all types and sizes of farms and food processors be able to compete in a fair marketplace or to shift to a more diverse mix of crops.
Undoing the damage inflicted by corporate-driven deregulation will go a long way towards building an agriculture system that is healthier for both consumers and those who grow our food.
We can also provide Americans with healthier foods by reforming the way food is marketed, enforcing anti-trust laws, helping farmers diversify their production, protecting existing federal nutrition programs such as food stamps, and increasing access to fruits, vegetables, and other healthy food in underserved communities.
Ultimately, ensuring that farmers get a fair price for the food they produce and putting the food system's corporate fat cats on a diet is our best bet for a healthier future.
Wenonah Hauter is executive director of Food & Water Watch and Carmen Rita Nevarez, MD MPH, is a vice president at the Public Health Institute and past-president of the American Public Health Association. Their paper on whether farm subsidies cause obesity is online at www.foodandwaterwatch.org.
Distributed via OtherWords (OtherWords.org)
 This article is reprinted under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative 3.0 License.
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Our Daily Green recently finished a kitchen face-lift. Throughout the process, we tried to incorporate our passion for eco-friendly living as well as economical and practical choices. When we first started planning, we considered what we could do on a minimal basis for maximum impact. We kept our original cabinets but replaced the countertops with quartz, which is a durable and sustainable choice, utilizing post-consumer recycled glass.
By request, our contractor donated everything that was removed to Habitat for Humanity's local ReStore. We replaced our refrigerator with an energy star appliance and it was even eligible for a rebate from our local provider.
The most innovative and exciting upgrade we made was utilizing new LED under-cabinet lights. For anyone unfamiliar, LED stands for Light Emitting Diode, and Consumer Reports explains LEDs: Light-emitting diodes, the newest choice, were the most energy efficient under-cabinet lighting by far. Their low-profile housings tend to be relatively discreet.
Household applications for LEDs are increasing as the old incandescent bulbs are phased out and folks have concerns about using fluorescent bulbs. Currently, LEDs are a bit pricey, but the energy savings will offset for the higher price. In 2009, The Simple Dollar, a financial tip site, did a side by side comparison of CFL (compact fluorescent light), LED, and incandescent bulbs. LEDs were by far the most efficient, but also suggested that they'd soon be the most economical, as the prices dropped. Their site recommends a $15 price point as the benchmark. LED's longevity factor is also attractive for hard to reach bulbs, the US Department of Energy estimates that LEDs can last up to 50,000 hours, compared to 10,000 for a CFL. Some additional advantages to LED lights is that they turn on immediately, they can be dimmed, and they do not generate heat. The newer LEDs cast warm colored light, not blue like the earlier ones.
As indicated by the photo, our inobrusive LED lights brighten our kitchen workspace tremendously. We highly recommend learning about and using LEDs.
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 One of the recurrent themes Our Daily Green stresses is eating healthy. Eating food that is not processed with unpronounceable chemicals or additives. We believe strongly that the best step to going green begins with our diet, to the point that the younger Mini Greens have written and Mama Green has published their essays supporting our family commitment to healthy choices.
When we learned today was the first Food Day and we had an opportunity to reiterate our dedication to healthy diet, we embraced it.
 Food Day is a grass-roots mobilization for a better food policy, says Food Day founder Michael Jacobson, the executive director of the non-profit organization Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Ask Congress to Support Food Day's Goals:
- Reduce diet-related disease by promoting safe, healthy foods
- Support sustainable farms & limit subsidies to big agribusiness
- Expand access to food and alleviate hunger
- Protect the environment & animals by reforming factory farms
- Promote health by curbing junk-food marketing to kids
- Support fair conditions for food and farm workers
IT'S TIME TO EAT REAL, AMERICA!
Morgan Spurlock, director and star of the Super Size Me documentary, elaborates in his public service announcement for the Cooking Channel.
Readers, when was the last time you had fast food? Was it satisfying or saddening?
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Apples can be green or red or yellow now is certainly the season to find them.
Our Daily Green recently attended the Fall Festival at a local apple farm and stocked up on the sweet and tart fruity goodness. It turns out the wives' tale is correct, an apple a day really could keep the doctor away.
A typical large apple (based on data collected from red and golden delicious, fuji, granny smith and gala apples by the USDA) is an excellent source of fiber, beta carotene, potassium, vitamin C.
The Environmental Working Group offers a free downloadable PDF guide to pesticides in product. Apples are listed as the number one item to buy organic. Nutrition and you reiterates this,
Good yield demands close attention and supervision of apple crop... The most common pesticides found on apple are organo-phosphorous and organo-chloride pesticides like Permethrin and DDT. Therefore, it is recommended to wash the fruit thoroughly before use. Being truly realistic, Our Daily Green agrees with Doctor Yourself, when they assert,
Real-world people shop at supermarkets, and real-world affordable fruits and vegetables contain pesticide residues. Not everybody can buy organic; not everybody is a gardener. If organic apples are not available, it is imperative to wash fruits and vegetables before eating them. While there are a number of commercial produce washes available, using what is already in the pantry will work fine. According to Savvy Science Mom:
Some contaminants can be removed by an acid and others by a base. Vinegar is an acid, which serves as a preservative and disinfectant to kill germs. A base, like baking soda, also serves as a cleansing agent. There are many recipes online for how to make your own produce wash. In general, ... mix one cup of water, one cup of vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of baking soda. Our Daily Green recommends an apple a day, preferably organic, but if that's unavailable, take the necessary precautions and wash it properly. The health benefits are immense.
What is your favorite type of apple? Me, I'm a Granny Smith tart and tangy fan.
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A few weeks ago, Our Daily Green received a shipment of samples from Applegate Farms. It was a generous shipment, with two boxes of their fabulous products to sample and enjoy. Yesterday, we finished the last sample and are excited to share our opinions.
Frequently, Our Daily Green encourages cooking from scratch and offers tips and recipes to do just that. However, that's not always realistic or feasible in our fast-paced world. Far too often, families rely on take out or convenience foods. What is so exciting about the Applegate line of foods is the convenience and peace of mind. Applegate's transparency is impressive; a consumer can check where their food was raised via the Applegate site and their UPC number.
Our shipment included a wide array of their newest products, including:
- Gluten-Free Chicken Breast Tenders
- Homestyle Chicken Breast Tenders
- Grilled Chicken Breast Strips
- Southwestern-Style Grilled Chicken Breast Strips
- Organic Uncured Thick Cut Bacon
- Barbecue Chicken lunch meat
- Uncured Cooked Capicola Ham
We highly recommend Applegate's products for quick (not fast) food. While it's a given that everything is better with bacon, everything is even better with organic Becker Lane Berkshire Pork that is humanely raised and nitrate free as well as gluten free and casein free. The barbecue chicken lunch meat (also gluten free and casein free) was so deliciously seasoned that it didn't even require additional condiments. The ingredients used to flavor the chicken were natural and pronounceable, including: Salt, Honey, Potato Starch, Sugar, Carrageenan (From Seaweed), Tomato Powder, Potassium Chloride, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Yeast Extract, Natural Mesquite Smoke Flavor, Capsicum Extract, and Mustard Extract. A few slices of this meat on some bread with a tomato slice and lettuce leaf created a perfect sandwich.
The frozen chicken tenders both Homestyle and Gluten free were a fabulous alternative to the factory farmed fused chicken leftover parts that frequently graces the plates of children's lunches. Again it was so flavorful that no additional condiments (which are laden with sodium and fat) were needed to enjoy this chicken. It is comforting to find so many allergen free products as more and more sensitivities are discovered.
As an additional side note, we are very impressed with Applegate's overall commitment to socially responsible business, as the press kit they included with their products was in a folder from ReBinder (another company we have worked with and endorsed in the past).
Our Daily Green kudos to Applegate for consistent messaging!
In accordance with FTC disclosure laws, Our Daily Green received our samples from Applegate free of charge, but we also have been an Applegate customer for many years which is why we asked for the opportunity to try their latest products. We highly recommend their line of frozen meats and cold cuts. 
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 Take a moment to watch this video and pass along the word. Thank you from Our Daily Green. 
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As the summer growing season winds down, Our Daily Green has a plethora of unripened tomatoes. Beyond the famous fried green tomatoes, we were searching for solutions to our unripened harvest. It may be surprising, but in some ways, a green tomato actually has greater health benefits than a red one.
from Jenny Decker, RN at Emax Health:
The green tomatoes also have about the same amount of beta carotene as a red tomato. Those studying the green tomato found that the chlorophyll that is in the green tomato actually causes the red color from the beta carotene to hide. Other green tomato benefits include three times the amount of calcium as the red tomato. They also contain slightly more vitamin C than the red tomato. The red tomato, in comparison, has more folate and more potassium than the green tomato. Any way you want to eat it, you are getting great health benefits from both red and green tomatoes. One of our first finds was a Green Tomato Cake. After reading the 15 reviews, we decided to give it a shot, as odd as it sounded, as it utilized a number of SuperFoods. The recipe is very similar to a carrot cake we make at the holidays. The recipe is adapted from Diana Rattay, About.com guide to Southern Food.
- 2 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil or melted shortening (we used olive oil)
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- 1 cup walnuts
- 2 1/2 cups diced green tomatoes
- coconut
Preparation: Preheat oven to 350°. In mixing bowl, beat sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg; slowly beat into egg mixture. Blend well. Stir in walnuts and tomatoes. Pour into greased 9x13-inch pan. Top with coconut if desired. Bake for one hour, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.
Please share some of your favorite things to do with green tomatoes!
Thank you to our Facebook friends for your input.
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As consumers and businesses start to look for alternatives to fossil fuels, the answer literally may be shining right on us. While the energy from the sun has been around since ancient Romans used it in the first greenhouses, the world is now more sophisticated in their ability to harness the power.
 Photovoltaics (or PV) is the process that converts the sun's power into electricity. Solar cells are two layer silicon based panels. The silicon on one side is made impure with a positive flowing electron, while the other side is made impure with a negative flowing electron. The reaction between the positive-negative junction creates a flow of electrons that transforms sunshine into electricity. The cells are wired together to create a panel and the panels are combined and interlinked to create even greater power.
In 1941, Bell Laboratories patented the first silicon solar cell and it converted approximately 4% of the sun's power into electricity. Today's solar cells are about 7 times more efficient at 28% and that number is rising as scientists continue to make better solar cells. Solar energy in California utilizes cutting edge technology to bring the best solar options to their state. While failures of companies such as Solyndra bring negative attention to the industry, that attention is a result of poor financial decisions, not bad technology.
A solar plant that begins operating today would still be producing power anywhere from 25-35 years into the future with a minimal operating costs which would offset the initial high capital costs, as solar power requires no additional fuel and limited impact on the environment. The future promise of solar energy is too great to ignore. To learn more about the potential of solar power, our sponsor is offering a free downloadable brochure about solar energy.
Our Daily Green has been compensated for this article. We only accept opportunities from companies that fit the mission of our blog, to promote a more economical and ecological home. To learn more about sponsoring a post on this site, Click Here .
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Our Daily Green has written multiple articles about healthy food choices, growing and canning food at home and how to cook that food with various recipes. The question of how to eat healthy when not at home is more complicated. Fortunately, most restaurants and cafeterias now have a salad bar, where someone can choose the exact foods they desire.
Salad bars can be a hidden pit of unhealthy fat and nutritionally devoid foods with their mayonnaise laden salads, synthetic bacon bits, oily dressings, and calorie dense soups. Yet, with some education, salad bars are frequently the best choice mindful eaters can make.
Salad bars are also a plethora of high vitamin and high fiber choices. The simplest way to get started is to think of a rainbow. As a general rule, colorful foods are higher in vitamins and antioxidants than light colored foods. For example, spinach has a higher nutritional punch than iceberg lettuce. Some of the healthiest choices from a salad bar include leafy green lettuces, carrots, beets, raw broccoli, peas, red pepper. Look for raw vegetables instead of marinated or cooked, as raw will contain the highest level of nutrition.
Consider any sort of canned beans, like garbanzo beans, kidney beans, black beans. They will add fiber, protein and folate to the plate. Sunflower seeds and raw nuts are an excellent source of Vitamin E and fiber, while lean protein such as chicken, tuna, tofu or hard boiled eggs will round out the salad.
Top the salad with a light sprinkling of salt/pepper and a shake of oil and vinegar instead of preservative heavy dressings. Enjoy your salad with the comfort of knowing you've made healthy and nutritious choices. In accordance with FTC regulations, Our Daily Green has been compensated for this post. For additional information on sponsoring a post on this blog, click here. 
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As the weather gets colder and homeowners get ready to close up their homes for the winter, according to the US Department of Energy, they could be saving anywhere between 5% and 30% of their energy usage with a few simple check ups. A comprehensive home energy audit can help navigate the different ways a home could not just save money and energy, but also qualify for different home repair grants available for approved upgrades.
Navigating the paperwork and finding trusted companies can leave even the most diligent homeowner confused. But companies like Home Energy Team take the guesswork out of improving a home. By working with certified professionals, whether a homeowner is looking for home insulation contractors or to install energy efficient windows, they have peace of mind knowing that the work will be done properly and within appropriate government guidelines to maximize rebates and consumer savings. With a challenging economy, a wise consumer needs to ensure that they able to save money and have the work done right. From the top of the house and finding attic insulation contractors to below the foundation for damp basement solutions, Home Energy Team offers one stop assessment, so an energy conscious consumer doesn't waste their time. Their site is packed with useful hints and articles as well as a free energy savings newsletters. Located in 16 states plus Washington DC, Home Energy Team can help many consumers find energy efficient solutions in their home. They work closely with national certification bodies like RESNET and BPI to guarantee accredited contractors are performing the work. We were very impressed also by the rebate search ability and free hints for any homeowner.
This post is sponsored by Home Energy Team. Our Daily Green only accepts sponsored postings for services that fit the mission of our blog by giving our readers useful information that helps nurture a more environmentally and economically friendly home.
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Thrifty, Green Homeowners May Get a Boost An innovative program is bringing Republicans and Democrats together to boost renovations that would conserve energy and trim electric and gas bills. While it might seem rare these days for Republicans and Democrats to work together on anything, two Republican members of the House of Representatives recently joined with one of their colleagues in the Democratic Party to introduce an important new piece of renewable energy legislation. Reps. Nan Hayworth (R-NY), Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA), and Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA) have proposed a bill this summer that would create new green jobs while reducing homeowners' electric and gas bills. The legislation is designed to protect the ability of local communities to adopt an innovative clean-energy financing strategy that has attracted bipartisan support from coast to coast â
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Do you know that the email carrier you choose actually can make a difference for the environment? Even such a small step makes a difference. Today's Do Your Part article explains why G mail also stands for GREEN!
(republished from Do Your Part: September 8, 2011, Why It's Green to Send Gmail)
Companies often choose â
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 With the nation back to school, lunch packing is also on the rise. Cold cuts are one of the most popular and simple ways to put together a sandwich, but often are loaded with preservatives and chemicals. The founders of Applegate Farms wanted to change that. Stephen McDonald, a former vegetarian, found himself torn. He still enjoyed meat, but couldn't find healthy safe meat to consume.  Applegate has a philosophy that supports local farms, does not give medication to their animals, but instead fresh air, does not use hormones, or growth enhancers, and wants to change the way Americans eat meat. Fifteen Things you can Tell your Mother about Applegate is a downloadable and printable PDF that explains their company mission in simple and honest terms. Applegate believes in corporate transparency so strongly that a customer can enter the UPC of a product on their website and trace it from farm to table. Applegate's commitment to transparency extends beyond the boardroom or website and they are a vibrant member of the communities they serve. The Applegate Tour bus goes to community festivals, supermarkets and fairs to promote their healthy food. This fall, in association with the National Archives What's Cooking, Uncle Sam? exhibit, Applegate is helping underwrite the documentary Lunch Line,  ... illustrates that, while the National School Lunch Program has become an easy target for critics, the program has a unique capacity for addressing child welfare, the public good, and the problem of hunger. Revealing the history and complexity of these issues, Lunch Line shows how those on all sides of the lunch line can work together for a common good: the health of Americaâ
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One of Our Daily Green's favorite topics is healthy and fresh eating. We often encourage cooking from scratch. But let's face it, we're busy people and starting from scratch for every single meal is not always feasible. It's easy to fall into the trap of take out food or fast food, which we strongly discourage, for a few reasons. First, the waste. The packaging, the styrofoam, the plastic utensils all fill our garbage cans almost faster than they fill our bellies. Two, the uncertainty of what is in the food we're eating. We prefer to know if the ingredients are healthy and sustainable, instead of factory farmed or laden with preservatives and chemicals.
To find a happy balance, in line with our 80/20 philosophy, Our Daily Green seeks out convenient products that do not compromise quality or health. To this point, we recently had the pleasure of testing the Thai Kitchen line of products after being selected to host a Thai Kitchen® Deliciously Different BBQ House Partyâ
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 Our Daily Green is proud to announce that we are now a PeopleTowels Ambassador. We first wrote about this simple product at the beginning of this year when we encouraged our readers to discontinue the use of paper towels. About a month ago, we won a Twitter contest sponsored by DoYourPart and received two complimentary PeopleTowels in a small drawstring storage bag. (retail value $15.99) (in the interest of full disclosure, while we first wrote about PeopleTowels in January, yes yes yes, it did take winning a contest to actually start using them).
Honestly, we're a little embarrassed it took as long as it did. What a cute and cool product! After receiving them as a prize, we did a little more research and signed up to be a PeopleTowels Ambassador. As an ambassador, we received another PeopleTowel as well as access to special discount codes to offer our readers. I took my PeopleTowels on a recent trip and was impressed by their convenience. Admittedly, it's a habit to break to not reach for scratchy paper towels or slow working hand driers, or even the ever convenient leg of my pants. However, after a few hand washings, it became second nature to use my PeopleTowels to dry my hands. The company founder, Mary Wallace was inspired on her trips to Japan, where it is considered good etiquette to carry a personal hand towel at all times. She was determined to share the BYOT (Bring Your Own Towel) concept back home. From their website: What are PeopleTowels? People Towels are the newest concept in sustainability, and the latest in eco-chic fashion. An on-the-go, sustainable alternative to paper towels in public facilities, these reusable personal hand towels are made of a patent-pending fabric thatâ
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Today's guest post is brought to us by Amy at environment911.org. Environment911.org is an interactive website for individuals to come and discuss the environment from green business to natural disasters. We feel it is important for people to come together and share their thoughts, ideas and visions for the future. The more we can communicate what is happening in our world, the more people can be educated and the more we can progress. Beyond Environment911.org you can find us on Facebook and Twitter where we are continuing to spread the message about our global environment and the impact that we have on it every day.
When we talk about the environment, we associate sustainability, carbon footprints and pollution to the ever pressing concerns. While there are many ways that we can reduce our negative impacts on the environment in all areas of our life, the first and foremost way to help the environment starts at home.
For those of you who are building your own home, it is important to consider sustainability at every step. While eco-friendly options can cost more in the beginning, they will not only save you money in the end, but will also help you to reduce your impact on our environment, which is worth its weight in gold.
If youâ
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While many conscientious consumers will shop for cars with high efficiency and environmentally friendly components, they aren't aware of the environmental damage they do simply by washing the vehicle. A typical at home car wash uses between 80 and 140 gallons of water. Commercial car washes are much more efficient, at about less than 45 gallons of water per car, but the water use is still tremendous. Additionally, the dirt and grime from the cars, which includes toxic petroleum and salt residues, travels back into the groundwater supply as it's rinsed off the car.
When Our Daily Green was contacted by Eco Touch to test their product, we were skeptical. A waterless car wash didn't seem like it would be very effective, but we were excited to try it out. As you can tell from the photo montage, we started out with a pretty dirty car. It is important to use microfiber towels to protect the vehicle's surface. You'll need two, one for cleaning and one for polishing. Simply shake the bottle and spray it on the vehicle, working in small panels from top to bottom. Wipe the dirt off with the first cloth, then polish with the second. We were amazed at the results! As you can tell from the before and after window photos, Eco Touch did a great job removing the road grime and leaving a nice polish.
Eco Touch products are endorsed by Green America for their commitment to environmentally friendly business practices and products. They are the only manufacturer of car care products to be approved by Green America, the leading resource for all Green consumer products.
Overall, the results speak for themselves. It was nothing short of amazing how well Eco Touch took the grime off my car. The surface is again shiny and smooth and there was no water wasted. It was convenient. Our Daily Green highly recommends the next time you have a car to wash to give Eco Touch a try.
 | | Before eco touch |
 | | The same window after |  | | The cleaning towel and the polishing one |  | | The finished result |
All ingredients: Filtered water, plant-derived surfactants (for cleaning: alkyl polyglycosides), polymer emulsion (for shine: dimethicone), soda ash, preservative (less than .05%).
disclosure in accordance with FTC rules: Our Daily Green received the spray bottle of waterless car wash to test free of charge. 
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For as frequently as Our Daily Green talks about our lifelong healthy eating habits, growing up on an organic farm, making good choices, we would be remiss if we didn't say that we never truly understood "WHY", but rather that we just "DID". In an era of informed decision making, challenging the status quo is possibly the strongest weapon a consumer has.
After becoming a parent, despite a commitment to healthy, eco friendly living, we must confess something. It. Is. Exhausting. Parenting, that is, not necessarily the eco friendly choices. But in absolute exhaustion, admittedly, our kids ate Crap Mac'n'Cheeze. FrootRollUps, and JooseBags. It was the stuff they had at friend's houses, preschool, and it was familiar. Even though it went against the organic grain, we justified it mentally by simply "choosing my battles", with a nonchalant, yeah, but... to explain less than stellar food choices.
 Enter two documentaries that changed our nonchalant, yeah but attitude forever. The first one was SuperSize Me with Morgan Spurlock. Then a few years ago, to reinforce our views was the incredible documentary Food, Inc. Both these movies not only strengthened our resolve, it also impacted the mini Greens profoundly, as evidenced by two guest posts they shared with Our Daily Green this spring.
If we ever were lackadaisical about what we ate or what we fed our children, we have not been since then. We receive daily emails about food recalls by the USDA and most recalls are a result of a single diseased animal contaminating an entire lot of food. Factory farming is a reason so much food is recalled. When we write about shopping local and growing your own food, we are also talking a life or death matter.
PBS is airing Food, Inc. on August 9 and 10 as well as offering a free discussion guide. Local airings may vary, but check your directory for exact dates and times.
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Our Daily Green has been somewhat remiss in blogging duties. The weather and garden have been far too tempting. The first photo is from yesterday's bounty. Clockwise beginning at noon: wild blackberries, jalapeno and hot Italian peppers, beefmaster tomato, sweet hungarian peppers, genovese basil, plum tomatoes, blue lake green beans. We thought we'd share a few tips for your fresh produce and some of the nutritional benefits as well.  - Blackberries: selenium, vitamin C and fiber
- Jalapeno peppers and hot peppers: capascin (which is what makes them hot) helps with sinuses, migraines and blood pressure, high in vitamin C and antioxidants
- Tomatoes: Excellent source of lycopene, high in vitamin C
- Sweet peppers: Potassium, vitamin A, and calcium
- Basil: high in beta carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin K
- Green Beans: high in vitamin A, vitamin K, and fiber
Fresh foods also reduce our exposure to BPA plastics. In fact, according to several studies cited in April 2011's Psychology Today, A study by the Breast Cancer Fund and the Silent Spring Institute published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives found that food packaging is a major source of hormone-disrupting chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA) and plastic softener DEHP, and that a fresh food diet can reduce levels of these chemicals by half in just three days.  Today, breakfast was unsweetened Greek yogurt, local honey, and wild blackberries. Local honey is a folk remedy for seasonal allergy relief. We choose to sweeten with honey as it is relatively unprocessed and natural.
Additionally, honey contains vitamins B6, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid and minerals like calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc. Honey also contains antioxidants and vitamin C.
If you don't have a garden, you still can enjoy fresh food from a local farmer or farm market. To find one near you, simply enter your zipcode in Local Harvest's comprehensive site.
(we also want to point out that our copper strainer and botanical bowl were thrift shop finds, our favorite way to shop in a green way!) 
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As a wrap-up to Our Daily Green's How We Spent Our Summer Vacation series, we had the distinct pleasure of visiting the National Archives. The National Archives are best known for the Big Three of our nation's history, The Constitution, The Declaration of Independence, and The Bill of Rights. No visit would be complete without reverently viewing The Charters of Freedom, as the exhibit is named, and realizing the nation the documents inspired.
 Admittedly, popular culture played a role as well, as the Mini Green's relived the movie National Treasure and pointed out the inaccuracies between the real life storage site of the Declaration and the fictionalized account.
But in addition to the big three, The National Archives currently has another exhibit, What's Cooking, Uncle Sam? The exhibit contains documentation dating as early as the Revolutionary War about the different ways the government regulates and controls the food we eat. Over the ages, the government has issued many edicts about what to eat and how to eat it.
Our government monitors food safety, underwrites food production, establishes dietary guidelines and in many ways controls all food consumption in the United States. From the farm, factory, kitchen to the table, our government has something to do with our food. Food choices are an important step to a greener life. It's a way to stay healthy as well as avoid chemicals. We can choose local, minimally packaged/transported food and less processed more natural food.
The engaging Chef José Andrés has partnered with the National Archives with a new restaurant, America Eats Tavern. Chef Andrés has initiated many green and healthy crusades not only in Washington DC, but around the world. He helped launch the non-profit Hope for the Sun in Haiti, by setting up solar kitchens after the devastating earthquake. After being named Best Chef in the U.S. by the James Beard Foundation this past May 2011, Chef Andrés said,
"Food is the most powerful thing we have in our hands," accepting his reward at a ceremony in New York City. "We have the responsibility to make sure that not only our great nation, but the world will always be using food in the right way." In a 60 Minutes interview, Chef Andrés spoke highly of his love of vegetables in the diet. While in DC, we had the pleasure of eating a meal at one of his restaurants, and were able to sample a delicious vegan soup, the white gazpacho, featuring SuperFoods such as almonds, garlic, and olive oil.
Because Our Daily Green's first love is food, we encourage our readers take time to learn about what we use to fuel our bodies. We agree with Chef Andrés that FOOD is the most powerful thing we have, and by beginning with what we eat, we take the first step to a greener tomorrow.
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During Our Daily Green's trip to Washington DC, one of the first things we acquainted ourselves with was the Metro. For a family of Midwestern suburbanites, it was a bit daunting, but before long we knew what color train lines stopped where and the stations where to change color lines, as well as a rough idea of the wait and how to find a decent seat. (walk to the very front or back of the train while waiting for the train, instead of the middle with the masses). We spared ourselves the stress of driving in an unfamiliar city, the high cost of parking and fuel consumption (not to mention trying to find a place to park in the first place), and got a little extra exercise, especially at the DuPont Metro station, where the broken escalator had 130 steps to walk up and down. We counted. Our experience in the nation's capital reminded us why public transportation a good idea. Moving many people from point A to point B at the same time in the same vehicle is imminently more efficient and cost effective than via single vehicles. According to a Sharable report by Jay Walljasper from April 2011,
 
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Good morning to Our Daily Green's faithful readers.
We've been on vacation for the past week and have returned filled with ideas and inspiration to share with you. Our Daily Green had the pleasure of spending a week in Washington DC, the epicenter of all things politically correct and progressive for our nation.
One of the things that we noticed were dual trash cans, one for recycling and one for regular trash. We also noticed that as the recycling one began to overflow, the cans and bottles migrated to the regular trash can. Or were never separated in the first place. Then upon even further examination, the recycle bins were put in place by none other than a Major Beverage Company, Inc. Complete with corporate logos and accolades about how they are doing their part to reduce waste by plying us with single use bottled beverages at every turn, BUT giving us a special trash can that we may or may not use to possibly eventually recycle the single use bottles. It's a dream, all right.
 Our Daily Green has ranted about this before but it bears repeating. The Other Major Beverage Company has a goal of recycling 30% of their bottles and they wax poetic about how socially responsible they are on their corporate site. I have to wonder what happens to the other 70%? This same company does reuse refillable packaging in some nations, but not the Disposable States of America. It's gotten so out of control. As a kid, we drank water from a hose, not a sealed plastic bottle.
 In absolute fairness to these companies, while their efforts are certainly worthy, it still smacks of greenwashing, where the consumer is made to feel more responsible than they are by throwing a plastic bottle in one bin and not the other. Encouraging disposal of single use bottles in no way deals with the problem of all the bottles. It has become increasingly difficult to find water fountains and due to increased security in many public areas it's not even legal to bring your own refillable container with you. Take heart, there actually is a free APP for water fountain locating.
Our Daily Green is not prepared to give up and join the disposable nation. We think there are ways to quench thirst without drowning our landfills with garbage. What are some of the ways you try to reduce bottled water usage? Do you recycle them when you do use them? Or do you even worry about it?  
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Celebration Green
(this is a repost from Independence Day two years ago ... with a reminder that I saw on my Facebook page) The American flag does not fly because the wind moves past it. The American flag flies from the last breath of each military member who has died protecting it. American soldiers don't fight because they hate what's in front of them...they fight because they love what's behind them."
Happy Independence Day!
With the holiday weekend fast approaching, thoughts of picnics and barbeques run rampant. Parties can be somewhat eco-unfriendly, without some forethought. I've listed a few of my favorite ways to enjoy the company of friends and family without trampling on our planet.
Have labeled trash cans so that cans and bottles can be recycled. Invest in inexpensive flatware that can be reused year after year, instead of disposable plastic utensils. It's so much nicer to eat with real utensils. Use a vinyl tablecover instead of throwaway paper. Anything that is disposable only adds to the growing landfills and is a recurring expense. Instead make a one time investment in party supplies that can be used over and over. Flatware doesn't wear out, reusable dishes last year after year. A one time investment can become a life long tradition.
Have a safe and festive holiday, and this year, instead of just Stars and Stripes, fly the Green flag, also! 
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A short and sweet tidbit from Our Daily Green for the weekend. Do you know a simple way to tell if cardboard is from recycled paper? It's grey or tan. If it's white cardboard, it's usually from virgin pulp. Paper fibers can be recycled several times, so save your cardboard packages the same way you save newspaper.
If your community does not accept cardboard through curbside recycling, it's easy to find a drop off location via Earth911's site. You probably drive by it and don't even realize it. So today's easy tips are to first look for brown or tan cardboard for packages (not white) and second save your cardboard to recycle.
Have a wonderful holiday weekend!
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Our Daily Green frequently mentions the 3 R's: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Today we've added a fourth R to our musketeers of environmentally friendly living, Refill.
With industry leaders admitting that up to 40% of a product's selling price is packaging cost, a wise consumer can search for ways to purchase products in bulk or high concentration, which results in less packaging. Another factor is the actual rising cost of the raw material to produce the packages. Material costs are approximately 80% of the expense. Factoring in the cost of the packages in addition to the additional resources required to transport packaged goods takes a toll on both the environment and the wallet.
Traditionally, Americans have been slow refill empty containers, citing inconvenience and messiness as the primary reasons. But with containers and packaging accounting for nearly one third of a municipality's solid waste, it's worth it to examine refilling already manufactured containers. Refilling with concentrated product and adding water at home reduces the weight of shipping costs as well as packaging. Currently, window cleaner refills are being test marketed via mail order by Windex®.
According to SC Johnson CEO, Fisk Johnson,
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 | | The Mini Greens, c. 2000 | Can you imagine living in a place that told you how to spend your money? Essentially, that is exactly what homeowner associations that forbid clotheslines do. Running a clothes dryer for a year can cost an average family about 50 cents/hour. Based on 10 loads/week, an hour to dry, that is an annual expense of over $250. In an economy where folks are cutting back, it hardly seems fair to be forced to spend money on something that otherwise would be free.
 Beginning July 5, 2011 through October 4, 2011, Alexander Lee, founder of Project Laundry List will be riding his bike across the United States in a Clotheslines Across America tour to promote the benefits of air drying clothing. Additionally, the tour will focus on resetting temperatures on water heaters, eliminating standby electricity (aka "phantom loads" or "vampire power"), thermostat adjustments, more efficient driving, carpooling, water conservation, eating more vegetarian meals, and trip chaining.
 | | Helping Mama Green, c. 2000 | The clothesline movement is growing. British filmmakers Steven Lake and Adam J. Merrifield have produced a movie, Drying for Freedom. The film examines the right to freedom to use clotheslines from both an environmental and economic impact.
As evidenced by today's photos, Our Daily Green has used clothes lines and drying racks for many years, finding ways to make the smallest members of our family pitch in and do chores. We enjoy air drying our clothing year round, as it also helps clothes last longer (lint in the dryer is clothing fibers breaking down!), saves on ironing clothes as they dry without as many wrinkles, and also helps humidify the house.
Do you ever airdry your clothing?
(this story has also been syndicated at Your Olive Branch, your place to read positive, life affirming stories)
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As fast as Our Daily Green discourages excessive consumerism, advertisers encourage it with mass mailings, catalogs and fliers. Even if you have opted out of junk mail in the past, somehow your name winds up on another list and your mailbox overflows with more advertisements. These advertisements not only tempt their customers to buy more stuff, they also have a tremendous impact on the environment.
 Much of the unwanted mail comes from sources the customer never sees or can track personally. Third party marketing services trade names and databases culled from prior purchases. Catalog Choice works to remove personal information from third party marketing lists and personal search services. With an annual donation of $20 or more, Catalog Choice will communicate and monitor all opt-outs to a list of key marketing companies. The company also has a free service to opt out of title-specific catalogs.
 Catalog Choice is a nonprofit corporation based in Berkeley, California. They work with respected collaborators such as The Ecology Center, National Wildlife Federation and the Natural Resources Defense Council. They are supported through tax-deductible donations as well as grants from the Overbrook Foundation, the Merck Family Fund, Kendeda Fund, Goldman Fund, Weeden Foundation, Mead Foundation, and Johnson Family Foundation. Catalog Choice offers a valuable service to customers by protecting their privacy as well as saving natural resources by reducing unwanted mail.
Catalog Choice works with communities around the United States to save costs by reducing waste, engaging their citizens, and building community pride. To join communities like Chicago, Berkeley, or Seattle in measurable waste prevention programs, request a return on the investment analysis for your specific community.
Follow Catalog Choice on Twitter and on Facebook.
In accordance with FTC disclosure laws, Our Daily Green has been compensated for this article.
Click here to sponsor a post on Our Daily Green
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 This is an idea whose time has come! Our Daily Green has long promoted the idea of thrift shopping to save money as well as resources on clothing. However, there are several drawbacks to thrift shopping, primarily the lack of predictability and the time investment. There is no guarantee that a shopper will find the right size after hours of combing the racks in a local thrift store. Online auction sites can overcome such concerns, but often at a premium price as bidding escalates.
But what if you could receive a flat priced box of the right size and style of clothing (of over 10 pieces) shipped right to your door? What if you received a prepaid shipping box to package your clothes to swap without ever having to set foot in a post office?
ThredUP is a great new online clothing and toy swap. For a nominal fee ($5.00/box plus $10.95 flat rate shipping), parents can receive a box of properly sized clothing as well as share theirs. ThredUP matches the needs through a national swap network. ThredUP capitalizes on the three Rs of environmentalism, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. ThredUP also offers book and toy swaps.
 ThredUP has peer reviews and rankings to insure integrity between the swap participants. The site is easy to navigate and membership is free. Billing itself as the place for America's busiest families to easily exchange kids clothing online. As of May 2011, the San Francisco based company's users were projected to swap over one million items. That's a lot of reusing and a lot of green saved! Our Daily Green encourages our readers to look into this swap service. ThredUP was recently featured in both The Economist and The New Yorker.
FTC disclosure: Our Daily Green is affiliated with ThredUP and receives a commission for each sign up. Nonetheless, we only promote companies that fit with our mission and that we think would be of interest to our readers.
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The Pixar animated movie, Cars 2 debuted with a number one spot at the box office this past weekend. The original Cars movie was a tribute to the heyday of American road trips on the iconic Route 66. While the original Cars took a look back in time, the sequel takes a look forward, by introducing a new character, former gas guzzler Miles Axlerod now converted to an electric car. The movie has come under some criticism from conservative groups, but in an interview with Adam Chitwood of Collider, director John Lasseter insists that Cars 2 was not intended to be a message movie, but rather to simply reflect current events and headlines. From the interview: ... who would be a good bad guy in this world? And I kept thinking, in the world of Cars I think Big Oil could be an awesome bad guy. It was interesting, because while we were working so hard on the story the oil platform disaster in the gulf happened and it was so interesting to see how that all played outâ
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Last year, Our Daily Green had the summer staycation where we explored our own town. It was fabulous to see what was in our very own backyard from a tourist's viewpoint. We biked, kayaked, found local restaurants and farm markets, went to art festivals and ran 5K races. We saw our town at a slower pace and spent many hours exploring the second largest metropolitan park in the United States.
This year, we are traveling, but we're trying to figure out the greenest ways to do so. We have been researching bike shares for the cities we can visit as well as the public transportation systems. We also discovered some amazing tips as well as a contest at Recyclebank's site. This summer, readers have a chance to enter their Green Your Vacation from 12:01 a.m. EST on June 22, 2011 through 11:59 p.m. EST July 31, 2011. The site offers valuable tips and interactive games to earn points as well as get educated. Our Daily Green first showcased Recyclebank back in 2009, and the company has grown significantly since then. They now offer trash pick up in many cities throughout the United States, paying customers to recycle via rewards at local stores and discounts on national brands. Recyclebank makes money by saving municipalities landfill fees.  Even if your community doesn't offer Recyclebank's services, you still are eligible to enter their vacation contest and be eligible to win a trip to the Galapogos Islands or Costa Rica. Recyclebank offers simple tips such as packing lighter to save on fuel costs for heavy baggage (take paperbacks instead of hardback books, for example). Heavier vehicles and cargo decreases fuel efficiency, so packing light doesn't just save your back, it also helps the environment. What are some of your favorite tips to enjoy an eco-friendly vacation?  
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Last week, Our Daily Green shared about our plethora of lemons. We found ourselves with an entire case of them and after exhausting many possibilities, we decided to try a bit of canning. While growing up on a farm, I was frequently an assistant to many canning projects, but I had never actually attempted to can anything solo and I really wasn't sure where to start.
 Fortunately, Our Daily Green received a fabulous guide to get us started with home canning, put together by another mom and blogger, Simply Sharon. I wasn't sure if I could work with the items I had in the house without buying canning equipment (just in case canning wasn't my cup of tea), but her canning guide, Simple Steps, walked me through the safest and most cost effective ways to can, how to can certain foods, and what I could use for which foods.
There are two types of food to can, low acid and high acid. High acid foods, such as lemons, do not require the same precautions as lower acid foods. There is a lot more explanation in the guide, but for my purposes, my questions were answered about lemons. Lemons are a high acid food, which can be safely canned in a water bath and also with reused jars. This is not the safest method for low acid foods, which again, is covered in the 41 page e-book.
 | | The Bounty of Lemons! | Sharon's book is straight forward, with simple explanations and many pictures. All safety questions were answered as well as some methodology. Our Daily Green is so encouraged by her guide that we purchased a starter canning kit from an online auction. We also are researching a pressure canner for the lower acid foods we may want to can later this season. Her guide includes an overview of the basics, which canner to use, how to use both kinds of canners, what sort of equipment is needed, how to know the food is done, what to do if the jars don't seal. All the information a novice canner would need to get started.
Simply Canning is available in two formats. For an immediate download, Simply Sharon sells an e-book on the site. Otherwise, if you're more patient, and don't need all the information immediately, she also offers a free 6 week course, with one lesson weekly delivered to your email. The site has a vast array information and recommendations as well as a question and answer forum.
Simply Canning offers one of the most comprehensive places for information Our Daily Green has seen. With the help of the guide, we were able to make Moroccan Preserved Lemons, Lemon Marmalade, and fresh squeezed lemon juice. I love knowing that our food is prepared at home without any harmful ingredients or unnecessary fillers.
We received a canning guide for free using Tomoson.com created by WebBizIdeas.com. Regardless, Our Daily Green only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson product review giveaway disclosure.
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This week, EcoFactor, a Dallas, Texas company announced the results of their test pilot programs for energy savings. Their fully automated broadband service saved the average homeowner 17% on their electric bill. EcoFactor's energy management engine collects, stores and processes 24,000 points of data each day from individual homes, local weather stations and numerous other geographic inputs. Since approximately 50 percent of the average energy bill for American homes goes towards heating and cooling, such reductions result in significant cost savings.
Smart algorithms manage a homeâ
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Life has recently given me a case of lemons. Actual lemons, lovely tart football shaped fruit. Bursting with juice and flavor. An entire case of them. Any regular reader will know that Our Daily Green hates to waste food. We've blogged about ways to find new recipes for leftovers and how to use every piece of food that comes into the house. This unexpected case of lemons is no exception.
Since our children are past the age of lemonade stands, Our Daily Green hit the search engines for ideas. We already know that lemons are a SuperFood sidekick, as an excellent source of Vitamin C, nearly half the daily allowance. Lemons also contain limonoid antioxidants which have been shown to have healing properties that combat many carcinogenic toxins that could cause cancer.
Our Daily Green spent the past few days making Moroccan preserved lemons and lemon marmalade, as well as homemade lemonade. We plan to make a lemon meringue pie later today or tomorrow. We also use lemon in savory dishes and salad dressings. There is no shortage to the ways lemons can be used in the kitchen, but even then, a case is an awful lot of lemons.
Beyond the dietary benefits, lemons also have beauty applications as well as housekeeping uses. Lemon juice restores the skin's natural acid mantle that gets stripped by soap and hard water, working much the same way as apple cider vinegar, which we have written about in the past. A cut lemon rubbed on rough elbows and knees works as an exfoliator, while lemon juice is a good natural astringent that cleans the pores without disrupting the skin's natural pH. Lemon juice also will bring out natural highlights in lighter hair as well as soften dry, flyaway hair by smoothing the hair shaft and also helping with dandruff. Lemons also will lighten darkened fingernails.
Lemons don't just take care of the internal and external body; they also can be used to clean around the house. One of the easiest and most effective ways to clean copper is by dipping a cut lemon in salt and scrubbing copper with the lemon, stripping the tarnish and grime and restoring a sparkling shine.
Lemons also remove stains from wooden cutting boards and plastic bowls. A quarter cup of lemon juice added to a load of laundry is a nontoxic alternative to bleach.
And if you still don't know what to do with all those lemons, take a look at the charity, Alex's Lemonade Stand. Founded by Alex Scott, a little girl with cancer, she decided to raise money for other children also battling cancer. In August of 2004, Alex passed away at the age of 8, knowing that, with the help of others, she had raised over $1 million to help find a cure for the disease that took her life. Alex's family - including brothers Patrick, Eddie, and Joey - and supporters around the world are committed to continuing her inspiring legacy through Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation.
The next time life gives you lemons, celebrate! There are so many uses for this natural fruit that you'll find no shortage of ideas.
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Last weekend, my daughter and I walked 24 hours to raise money for the American Cancer Society. We walked with about 20 others and one of the primary ways our fellow relay walkers stayed entertained was with music devices or cell phones. One of the most powerful personal motivators was the text messages of love and support we received throughout the walk from far flung friends and relatives. Until the devices ran out of charge. Wouldn't it be fabulous if we could convert the energy from our footsteps into power for our electronics? Turns out, that's not such a far flung idea.
In fact, Aaron LaMieux asked himself that very question while backpacking through the Appalachian Trail. Aaron's engineering background led him to recognize the wasted kinetic energy as his backpack rubbed against his shoulders and hips with every step. His question led him to invent the nPower PEG, Personal Energy Generator. This device generates power from movement. His Cleveland, Ohio based company, Tremont Electric, is a sustainable company that is dedicated to providing renewable energy to consumers around the world through a unique method of kinetic energy harvesting. In March 2011, Fast Company named Tremont Electric one of the 10 Most Innovative Companies in Consumer Electronics.
As a practical example of how minutes moved convert to power,
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A few weeks ago, I shared a persuasive essay my 15 year old wrote. Her 13 year old sister had also written a paper, but didn't receive it back until the end of the school year so I had to postpone sharing her work. (Either that or the older one is my favorite!) Just kidding, sweetie, I like you better. But your sister is my favorite. (see how diplomatic that was?)
Eating healthy and locally is truly a family affair in Our Daily Green's home. We rarely have processed junk food, we like farm markets, we go to food shows, we enjoy eating and we make healthy choices. It was no surprise to me that both children chose similar topics for their separate essays. Especially when they regularly have to endure my pontifications.
I am honored to introduce my daughter as today's guest blogger, featuring an editorial from her 7th grade English class. This is the Internet equivalent of posting it on a refrigerator. Thank you in advance for oohing and ahhing.
"Yes, I'd like an extra large hamburger with fries."
Is it even close to believable that when the person at the cash register goes and grabs that order; they are getting it from a farm in the back of the fast food restaurant? The truth is they are getting their food from factory farms coming to that restaurant from all over the United States. People should eat organic food' it is better for their healthy and local farms.
If people start to eat organic food, imagine what would happen. It could help all those organic, grass-fed livestock farms. If those farms are supported, more money stays local, which means better local economy. Also, there will be less money going to corporate big-box industrial farms. That means less money going overseas, which also will contribute to a better economy in the whole country.
Think about the treatment of animals on the industrial farms. It is very hard to conceive that each animal is cared for individually and treated well. Actually, they are fed with corn because it is cheaper, but cows are not able to digest corn correctly. They are supposed to eat grass. Since they do not digest the corn properly, this can lead to an E. coli outbreak, endangering everyone who might eat one of the cows that was diseased. The chickens on these industrial farms are fed with arsenic laced food to make their breasts grow faster. This is because the chicken breast is the most popular part of the chicken, and industrial farms want to produce as much of it as they can so the big-box farms can make more money. But, since the chickens grow unnaturally fast, they are not able to stand. Since they are not able to stand, they lay in their feces all day, contaminating their eggs, and giving them unhealthy infections, that might be carried to a person who eats one of those chickens. Also, all these animals are locked in dark, dirty barns. This has proven to significantly decrease the Vitamin D in the eggs of the hens. (as of this writing the arsenic laced food has been banned two days ago)
In organic food, there are fewer chemicals. It was mentioned in the previous paragraph that the animals are given doses of hormones and steroids to make the popular parts in them grow bigger in a smaller amount of time. Some of the cuts of meat they affect are sirloins and chicken breasts. Also, organic fruit has fewer chemicals in and on it, too. A regular apple that is sold at a supermarket has an average of 30 pesticides on it, even after it is washed. Organic livestock and crops are raised with little or no synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or artificial chemicals. Organic farmers usually use compost as a fertilizer and rely on natural predators to control pests.
It is understandable that factory farmed livestock and crops are cheaper. This is because they grow the food in such unnatural ways, they have lot of supply, enough to satisfy the demand, and keep it at a good price. The average price for a pound of factory farmed ground beef is $2.49. The average price for a pound of organic ground beef is $3.76. Organic beef is more expensive, but extra money brings quality. If it is possible to spare the extra dollar, it will really pay off in the long run. An organically raised animal consumed by someone had a happy, healthy life. It was not raised in a dark barn, full of hormones, and the animal would be able to hold its own weight since it was grown naturally.
Organic food is so much better for your health than commercially produced food. Think about it. The factory farm animals are injected with hormones and steroids. This has been causing children to go through puberty and mature much earlier. Their bodies are not used to the extra hormones at such a fast rate, so just like animals, the children are becoming young adults at an earlier age. The Center for Disease Control estimates that 23% of American children are overweight. It is believed to be mostly because of the growing fast food industry. Also, there is an average of 10,000 cows in the concoction of one fast food hamburger. If one of those cows had E. coli, consumers have a huge chance of getting one of the tainted burgers, which could threaten their life. Remember those thirty pesticides on that apple? Those pesticides have been shown to cause cancer, obesity, Alzheimer's, and some birth defects. With that at stake, does anyone really want to eat factory farmed crops and livestock?
Envision an organic livestock farm. The chickens are running around in the sunshine, not lying in their feces. The apples are apples. They are not tainted with chemicals; they are fertilized with compost and protected by nature. The cows are grazing on long, lush grass, not corn. In those factory farms, there are no chickens running around or cows grazing on grass in the sun. The apples have a lovely coating of pesticides and the livestock is infected from feces and full of drugs.
Now, is it more convincing that organic should be the food people eat?
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One of Our Daily Green's favorite forums is The Freecycle Network. We've discussed Freecycle in the past as a great way to share items that are no longer needed, but not ready for the dump. It's a green lifestyle haven, reducing the need to manufacture, reusing usable goods, and recycling other items. What is great about Freecycle is the way to match up goods with people who need them.
From their site mission statement:
Welcome! The Freecycle Networkâ
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After a short hiatus, just in time for the summer heat wave, Our Daily Green is back today with a guest post from Darin Hansen, an HVAC veteran who has seen just about every side of the HVAC business from web wholesaler to the manufacturing floor. Darin operates an information site that has articles on anything from reviews of specific AC units or heat pumps to what is Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating (SEER) and Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE).
Introduction by Our Daily Green:
In the past half century, air conditioning has changed the American landscape. The impact of AC on our nation is so immense that when the National Academy of Engineering chose the 20 greatest engineering accomplishments, air conditioning ranked 10th, above even the Internet, highways, and nuclear technology.
from Salon, July 2010,
Itâ
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One of the most popular ways to clean up when soap and water isn't available is with hand sanitizer. Be warned that not all hand sanitizers are created equal and there are a number of health risks associated with certain kinds of hand sanitizers.
In fact, a popular antibacterial ingredient, triclosan, has been found to be a hormone disruptor as well as a possible carcinogen when exposed to chlorine (think public pools). In fact, the American Public Health Association proposed a policy to ban the ingredient in 2009. Such concerns are valid and it's an ingredient to avoid when choosing a hand sanitizer.
The next most popular ingredient is an alcohol based sanitizer. In order to be effective, there must be a 60% concentration of alcohol in the sanitizer. This can lead to excessively dry skin and actually has also caused intoxication in small children, who may lick their hands after application. A popular email warning regarding the dangers of alcohol based hand sanitizers has been confirmed on Snopes.com and Clinical Pediatrics warns against alcohol based hand sanitizers.
New England Journal of Medicine:
Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are widely used in the United States as low-viscosity rinses, gels, or foams. They contain 60 to 95% ethanol or isopropanol. Ethanol has greater activity against viruses than does isopropanol, and the ethanol-based formulations are used much more commonly in the United States than are the isopropanol-based formulations. Many of the ethanol-based sanitizers also contain small amounts of polyethylene glycol or isopropanol. Prefense has an active ingredient of benzalkonium chloride, which has been used as a disinfectant in hospitals for years. It can be allergenic in people with eczema or skin conditions, but is generally considered safe for topical use. While benzalkonium chloride is toxic when ingested, the dilution is .12%, a small percentage of one-percent. Prefense works by creating a germ barrier on the skin with a silica-based, non drying, formula.
We took Prefense with us on a family vacation, where we spent hours away from soap and water, but still exposed to germs and bacteria in crowded airports, amusement parks and restaurants. A peace of mind pump of Prefense was perfect for such moments. The travel size bottle of 1.5 ounces is small enough to keep in a bag and still go through airport screenings.
 The Center for Disease Control (CDC) warns that overuse of antibacterial products can create "mega-resistant" strains of bacteria, leading to a greater resistance to antibiotics, as one side effect. While Our Daily Green suggests soap and water as a first defense against germs, we also recommend Prefense as the next line of defense when soap and water is not available.
Just in time to kick off summer fun, Our Daily Green has teamed up with Prefense to offer a lucky reader an 8 ounce bottle of Prefense. To qualify for the giveaway, you must leave a comment on THIS post. For an additional entries, follow the Prefense Facebook page, the Prefense Twitter page, and Our Daily Green's Facebook page. When you follow Prefense, please tell them you found their page from Our Daily Green. Leave a comment for each entry. Good luck! All entries must be received by May 31, 2011 at midnight EST. The winner will be drawn by random number generator June 1, 2011.
 Our Daily Green received a 1.5 ounce sample of prefense hand sanitizer for free using Tomoson.com created by WebBizIdeas, a Minneapolis SEO and Web Design firm. Regardless, we only recommend products or services we use personally and believe will be good for my readers. Our Daily Green is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson product review & giveaway disclosure. 
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During a recent conversation with a less green friend, I was asked if it was really possible to feed the world without using chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Was it worth a slight compromise to ensure nobody went hungry? What was so bad about chemicals anyway?
According to the Cancer Prevention Society;
One in three people will get cancer during our lifetimes, a figure expected to rise to one in two by 2020. During our lives, we are unwittingly exposed to thousands of chemicals associated with cancer and other illnesses. Many of these are man-made, including synthetic chemicals found in everyday consumer products, the home, the workplace and in environmental pollutants. We believe that if we are to bring down cancer rates then we must reduce human exposure to harmful chemicals and radiation. A recent issue of Time Magazine highlighted the thousands of unregulated chemicals we encounter on a daily basis. (Toxic Environment from May 9, 2011). In fact, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) from 1976 only regulates five chemicals in the past three decades.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS, POLICY, AND INTENT. (a) FINDINGS.â
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My sophomore child recently was assigned a persuasive paper for her English class. Over the years, we have tried to share the importance of healthy and natural eating. When the Mini-Greens were in elementary school, we watched Supersize Me and decided that fast food was not the best choice for our family. A few years ago, we went to see Food, Inc., and it changed the way we shop for groceries. They frequently come with me to markets and also help choose items for our garden. We've tried to make healthy eating a family affair. Occasionally, her friends have teased her for her mom's "crunchy hippie stuff", but I also know that nobody goes hungry when they visit. We make our own soda or fresh squeezed lemonade, we grill burgers from grass-fed beef, and always serve a tray of vegetables. Imagine my pride when her topic for her persuasive paper was: 
The Benefits of Eating Organic since this is my blog, I'm going to hang her paper on the wall for you... I'm proud..
Ponder the humble fast-food hamburger; piled high in a smorgasboard of crisp lettuce, sizzling beef, and tangy ketchup, it is considered to be an all-American staple. However, many customers do not realize that with every bite, they are risking their lives.
 The food industry has become a mysterious place where fact and fiction blend to become indistinguishable. With so much uncertainty, most consumers do not even know what is in their foods anymore. Even the few consumers who do know what is in their food often do not realize how it impacts their health. From heart attacks to liver failure, diet-related diseases have been on a rise; they almost directly correlate with the increase of artificial sweeteners, factory-farming, and the use of pesticides. To prevent many of the health concerns plaguing society today, people should eat only organic, all-natural foods.
One of the biggest industries involved in the food business today is that of artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners are chemical compounds that are less expensive to produce than sugar, but taste identically or very similar to the simple sucrose molecule. Some examples include saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame, cyclamate, sucralose, and high-fructose corn syrup (Spurlock 97-98).
These sweeteners not only cost less to produce, but the artificial sweetener industry can also use less of them in foods, due to the highly concentrated sweetness of these sweeteners. Gram for gram, these sugar substitutes can be up to 600 times as sweet as table sugar (98). While this is an effective way for the food industry to cut costs without cutting taste, they often cut quality with it. The body does not digest these sweeteners the same way it digests plain sucrose.
It all traces back to the molecules that make up these sweet compounds of both table sugar and artificial sweeteners. In every molecule of any sweetener, there are two simple sugars, fructose and glucose. In regular sugar, each molecule consists of 50% glucose and 50% fructose. However, in high-fructose, there is a slight imbalance of the two, with about 55% fructose (Parker n. pag.). Though this may not seem like a lot, the human body does not metabolize these two simple sugars the same way. Glucose is processed to produce energy, while any extra is stored as carbohydrates. On the other hand, fructose is immediately metabolized into extra fat molecules (Spurlock 97).
With extra fat cells often come obesity concerns. These can include â
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