I have been so busy lately gearing up for Earth Day!  It is one of my favorite days to celebrate because it involves everyone getting outside, mixing it up with people from their communities and best of all educating one another on sustainable practices.

This year, I have the honor of speaking at Topanga’s Earth Day event along with some other great guest speakers!  If you are close by, I would really encourage you to load up the family and come on down to a “union of music, arts, science, healing, ceremony, tradition and sustainability”, you can find further information about Topanga Earth Day at:  topangaearthday.org

Until next time, live green!

Jen

It’s a sad fact, but many people toss their batteries in the trash.  Maybe we think “it’s just one, or two…” at that moment when we are faced with the decision about where to dispose of those batteries…but imagine how much that fills up when we all do that?

I found a site (www.batteryrecycling.com/) that offers a battery recycling kit, I ordered mine for my home as well as for my office.  The batteries that you can recycle with this kit include:  AA, AAA, C, D, power tool, laptop, cellphone, camera batteries and others, plus all hand-held electronics such cellphones, iPods, PDAs.

The kit is only $34.50 and holds up to one year’s worth of batteries, not only are we buying the piece of mind that we are doing our part with recycling our batteries safely, but it is such a small price to pay to insure that we are doing our part to make a healthy planet for the future and our children.

Even in rough times, cost can’t be an excuse as to why we cannot recycle for our planet, get together with a friend…or a few throw some change together and order one kit for all of you!  This is especially great for kids in college, roommates, friends, everyone!  Have fun with it!

Until next time, Live Green!

Jen

I am a big Etsy fan.  If you haven’t checked out the site I would do see as soon as possible.  The site is full of genius handmade products that many wonderful artisans are creating and selling themselves.  The products range from recycled materials to organic and chock full of originality and character.  My favorite thing to do is find products that benefit my lifestyle, or quest for the perfect gift for my friends and family.

I just stumbled upon this adorable product that I really wanted to tell you guys about.  They are reusable sandwich/snack bags made from 55% recycled hemp and 45% organic unbleached cotton, which makes these bags eco-friendly and a safe carrier for your favorite snacks or sandwiches.  Velcro seals the opening to make sure that all the goodness stays within the bags.  Each measures 7.5″x7.5″.

This is just another great product to add to your green living lifestyle and it makes lunch time so much more fun!  Check out the line of snack bags here:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/BebelooshMini

Until next time, Live Green!

Jen

I had the joy of stumbling upon gDiapers at a local Green Expo in LA a couple of weeks ago.  I am so happy to tell you about this company.  Their amazing efforts have brought the world a truly eco-friendly diaper.
Their diapers are not only adorable but the real magic within them is a 100% biodegrable “gRefill” that you change out once it is soiled.

According to gDiapers, 50 million, that’s right, 50 million diapers get tossed each DAY!  Each diaper then takes 500 years to biodegrade.  That means that your baby diapers aren’t even finished biodegrading, can you believe it?!
You can toss these gRefills in the toilet or add it to your compost, any way that you choose gDiapers break down in 50-150 days, which is so amazing!

We love gDiaper and we know you will too, check them out and try a pair, these would make a great baby shower gift and help to let more people know that there are options beyond the regular diaper.
http://www.gdiapers.com/

Until next time, live green!

Jen

I go to the farmers market every week and one of my favorite things to do is find great organic, locally grown, vegetables for delicious recipes that I make for my family and friends.  The highlight of my week is sitting down to a beautiful Sunday dinner with my family.  I’d like to share a delicious and really healthful recipe with you, hopefully you’ll give it a try for your Sunday dinners!

Lentil soup is a great meal, lentils are an excellent source of fiber, iron and protein.  They are truly a delicious thing!  Have some fun in the kitchen with this recipe.

Ingredients

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, miced
3 stalks celery, diced
3 carrots, diced
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup organic red wine
4 cups dried lentils
3 cups uncooked, fresh organic spinach
10 cups water or vegetable stock  (i like organic vegetable stock from Whole Foods, it adds that extra taste!)
1 tbsp organic brown rice vinegar
2 tbsp organic maple syrup
1 tbsp molasses
1 tbsp tamari
Sea salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

In a large soup pot over medium heat, saute onion & garlic in olive oil until its soft (just a few minutes)
Add celery, carrots, tomatoes, spinach and red wine in.
Rinse lentils and add to pot along with water or organic vegetable stock.
Add vinegar, syrup, molasses, tamari and your salt & pepper.
Stir all of the ingredients and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.
Cover and simmer the soup for 2 hours.

With this recipe, if you feel like adding a special vegetable in that you like, do so.  The flavors always work together well.  When it’s ready, taste the soup and add any extra seasonings you feel you might like as well.
I hope this recipe brings some joy to your dinner table, we certainly love it at my home!

Until next time, Live Green!

Jen

Something that I always like to keep in mind at my home is my effect on the animals in my neighborhood.  From the baby fox that likes to sleep on my balcony outside my bedroom to the birds that sing their happy songs around my home, I welcome them in any way that I can.
So, I thought I would mention a great little addition that you can give your home to help make some of your neighborhood friends happy.  These fascinating little things are called bird boxes!  While birds mostly like to nest in tree cavities and bird nests, these areas can be few and far between in many city settings.  Adding one or a few to your home will not only create a perfect place for our feathered friends to keep their families safe and warm but its also great for bird watching, which the kids will love!

I installed one special bird box right up against my window, by doing so me and my kids have the opportunity to see the true beauty of birds and their way of life.  The nest the birds have made is so beautiful and although I was worried that they might get scared away from the window side of the box it hasn’t bothered them at all, they work about as though they can’t see inside our home at all.

If you are interested in installing these, which is so simple, usually the boxes come with heavy duty suctioned backs, you can check out sites like Plow and Hearth http://www.plowhearth.com/product.asp?pcode=9359 where they sell a variety of nesting boxes.

This is just a devastating situation to watch from afar.  I have been working hard getting my whole family to comb their closets and pull out clothing, shoes and blankets to donate to the Red Cross.  All donations will be shipped to Haiti to help.
Also, it’s so easy to forget in these events that not only are clothing, shoes, toiletries, blankets & food important but they are in dire need of type-O negative blood.  Type O-negative blood is like universal blood, it can be given to anyone, that’s the beauty of it.

I just thought I’d write a quick note to share my feelings with you, it’s so easy to feel helpless from afar, but, we are not!  We are so strong and capable in our own capacities to make changes worldwide.  I hope you are having a great day cleaning your closets and donating blood!  Much love!

Until next time live green!

Love, Jen

Recently, I watched Food Inc., it was extremely interesting and it was so informative that I walked away from the movie thinking about what types of changes I could make to help my kids learn about healthier eating, and making the right choices.  It is important to me, like many parents, to make sure that I am equipping my kids with a strong foundation about organic food and living consciously.  These values are the things that I truly feel our children will carry with them into adulthood, making their lives more healthful.

After some research I found a local company that is truly making an effort to make our schools and lunch options much easier for the health conscious parents.  The company is called Fresh Lunches, www.freshlunches.com.  Their mission?  “children’s nutrition is our greatest concern. We use only the best and highest quality ingredients and engage in the latest good health practices.”

Fresh lunches only uses: hormone and antibiotics free meats and poultry, natural or organic fruits and veggies, no high fructose corn syrup, appropriate portions, no mechanically retrieved meat product.

The process is simple and you can rest easy knowing that you children are being delivered healthful meals.

That’s right, I said delivered!  Fresh Lunches will even deliver your child’s lunch right to the classroom.

What I personally hope is that companies like Fresh Lunches ushers in a new wave of making our schools take part in healthier, organic foods for our kids.  What a great thing this would be!  This also helps show our kids that even when you might think there aren’t any good choices in a pinch, a little research and a lot of heart will find you in good company.

Until next time Live Green!

Jen

A great alternative to stocking up on rolls and rolls of wrapping paper is to recycle items you may already have.  Here are some fabulous & fun ideas to think about:  old concert posters, maps, save scraps from previous wraps and decoupage them onto a paper bag or recycled tissue paper. Recycled tin foil is also a fun and unique way to wrap gifts for friends and kids.  You can draw or paint special designs on the foil.

You can paint paper bags or decoupage them. Baskets are always a great option because someone can keep the basket and reuse it over and over in their home or garden.  There are so many ways to maintain your green heart through the holidays and the rest of the season!  Not only are you keeping more garbage out of landfills, but you are also hand-making one of a kind wrapping that will look especially dazzling & sui generis!

Peace & Light to you!

Lately, life has been so busy with the bustle of the holidays.  Now that Thanksgiving is over we are all pressing onward into the busiest part of the holiday season.  But I thought I would take a moment and write a blog about something that is really important to me this year…

Many families everywhere, in your neighborhood and mine are truly struggling to figure out how they will even be able to provide a Christmas for their family this year.  So, I have enlisted the help of a local church by asking them if they know of a family with children that are hurting and possibly going without a Christmas at all.  By adopting a family for Christmas, we are not only giving back to our community and enriching the lives of others, but we also get a chance to really examine ourselves and all the blessings that each of us truly have, all around us.  All of us are feeling the strain of this economy and we are all learning a hard lesson together.  But, I believe that within each of us there is always room to give to others who are worse off, even if it is little.  It is something.

No matter where you might live, there is a family around the corner that could be in need.  You can adopt a family from your local church.  Even ask your co-workers or a group of friends if they would like to adopt the family with you.  Once you have the family’s details rally together to work in getting donations and shop sales for the items you will buy.  This brings everyone together and you all work towards creating a brighter holiday for another family, and that makes for the best Christmas, for all of us.

Keep love and light in your hearts until next time.

~Jennifer