Gray 2 Green

Since I don’t enjoy being forced into doing things this blog is in no way written to convince you that you should become a vegetarian. It is simply here for what I consider to be valuable information. These are just a few of the reasons that I quit eating meat back in October of 2008 ( I know, I know, not that long ago). But honestly, you really should eat more plants and less meat. Not only will it improve your heath and possibly help you lose those last few pounds it will definitely do wonders for our planet.

What meat eating does to the environment:

The production of meat is very heavily reliant on pesticides. Pesticides are used on the land where those cows use to graze when they were calves. They also cover the corn which goes into the feed which then becomes that cows permanent diet until he finally goes to the slaughter house. Pesticides are toxic to both people and the planet. For more detail on why organic is the way to go please check out my last blog, titled, “Does that come in Organic?” Each year over 7.4 million acres of trees are cut down for pastures and feed crop land. This deforestation results in 2.4 billion tons of livestock-induced CO2 emissions a year. Livestock production is much worse for the environment than your SUV.

What diseases/illnesses are less likely as a vegetarian?

First of all, medical costs in the US attributable to meat consumption have been estimated to be over $30 billion dollars a year. When compared to vegetarians, omnivores have a higher prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, gallstones, obesity, and cancer. By eating fruit daily you can reduce your chance of dying from heart and cerebrovascular disease. Lower rates of diabetes can be attributed to a high consumption of nuts and whole grains. Going vegetarian or at least flexitarian starting to sound a bit better yet?

So, are humans really meant to eat meat?

There are many ingestive and digestive similarities between animals which are herbivores and humans. Some very good comparisons can be found here . Meat consumption is one of the main reasons people are so sick these days. Even before modern medicine plant-eaters had the longest lifespans. Humans eating meat, well, it’s just not natural!

Sources:
enveg.org
vegetarian-nutrition.info
celestialhealing.net
michaelbluejay.com
and…myself who is currently reading ‘The Omnivores Dilemma’ by Michael Pollan

In my opinion buying organic should be common sense. It just seems like you should naturally reach for the organic apple and leave the “regular” one behind. After a recent holiday I gave a family member some homemade chocolate covered strawberries. As they tried one I made sure to mention that they were organic. They just looked at me and said, “It’s still a strawberry isn’t it?” I didn’t know what to say. Did they honestly believe that there was no difference between organic and non organic?

So here is my question: Do people not know or do they just not care?

Each year more than 4 billion pounds of poisonous pesticides and herbicides are sprayed on food crops. Sure, they work, they get the job done but did you know that pesticides were originally designed as nerve gasses? They did the job back then too and they did it so well that they were then used in smaller doses to kill bugs, weeds and many other things. Agrichemicals, which include herbicides and pesticides, accumulate in your body fat. They then weaken our immune systems by suppressing the functions of white blood cells. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?
During the Vietnam War a herbicide and defoliant was sprayed across South Vietnam. This herbicide was code named Agent Orange, as a result 400,000 deaths and disabilities happened along with 500,000 children were born with disabilities. Today two of the toxic chemicals found in Agent Orange are sprayed on land which is used to feed livestock aka your dinner.

In conclusion, what I should have said to my strawberry eating family member was this:

“Yes, it is a strawberry, but it is a strawberry full of nutrients instead of poisonous chemicals.”

Sources:

Myself
www.thenaturalguide.com
www.holistichelp.net/pesticides.html
wikipedia

Welcome to your local Farmers Market, here is the place where farmers can sell their goods (fruits, vegetables, and much more) to you.
Okay, so I personally haven’t shopped at my local farmers market all that often. Sorry, I know that I should and once the weather warms up I will get out there and buy local.
Most of the time the things you purchase from local farmers are organic. If it’s not then at least they don’t use the same heavy duty chemicals that large growers use. No, I’m definitely not saying that it’s okay to use chemicals, I’m just saying that they aren’t as bad for you. If it’s not labeled organic, ask. They should be kind and willing to point you in the direction of organic or at least tell you whether or not their goods are organic. In my opinion and the opinion of many others, local food tastes better. Maybe it’s because it’s fresher, usually a lot fresher than the produce you buy in your local grocery store. When you buy local you are helping out the planet, you are also helping out local families. The goods don’t travel very far so there is less air pollution. Even if your closest market is 15 minutes away it is still more earth friendly than traveling two minutes in Virginia to buy strawberries that came from California.
But seriously, if you want to be really earth friendly, grow your own organic produce from organic seeds. Just a thought…

sources:
gardenmandy.com
how to buy local

Okay, this post is completely opinion. No research was/is being done. This is straight from my head. Feel free to stop reading.

Still here? Okay, here goes… Why I think buying in bulk is better for your wallet and for the environment. I don’t buy in bulk as much as I use to but that’s because I started eating a lot differently. If you buy in bulk you usually are saving a bit of money. You get more of something and it’s just cheaper, usually. It’s a lot less packaging and a lot less trips to the store. Hopefully you have the space for all the extra stuff you are buying.

I think if you are going to buy in bulk you may want to start with paper towels and toilet paper. Mind you, they don’t seem to sell these products in recyled paper form yet, atleast not in bulk that I’ve seen. If you really want to save the environment from further distruction stop using paper towels! It’s not that hard to do. My family has been using the same roll of paper towels for over two months now. We use regular hand towels for spills, cleaning, and hand drying. It’s not that bad and I feel better because I know I’m not part of the tree chopping, landfill piling people of the world. Well, at least not as much as I use to be.

When it comes to buying food in bulk, we buy (well…bought) chicken broth, canned soups, canned vegetables, canned fruit and other things like that. Now, I think we just stick to buying dried beans in bulk. Not much else for right now. But by buying dried beans you can make lots of meals with those beans and they cost much less than buying them in a can.

Well…that’s all I have to say for today because I am pretty tired. If you couldn’t tell from the way I just kinda dragged on…

This is going to be a short blog because in my opinion the act of recycling and why you should do it is common sense. But here are a few facts that I read on a site I found while researching for this blog. And when you’re done reading this, go recycle something!
Since today people are more for going green for the added green I’ll start with this one. Recycling can actually help families save money. Some communities have pay-as-you-throw programs. Collect all those cans from all the soda and things that you’re drinking. Save them up, turn them in for change. It may not seem like much at first but it adds up quickly. Looking for a job? Did you know that for every one job created in waste management four more are created in recycling? So, throw that milk jug in the trash, feed one family. But, if you recycle that milk jug then you’re feeding four families.
I’m all for saving trees, I happen to enjoy the shade they bring and well… I enjoy breathing and trees have a bit to do with that also. For every ton of paper that is recycled, we are saving 17 trees.
And one final thing is that recycling reduces the need for mining. Incase you didn’t know mining is the most deadly occupation in the world. That’s right, in the world! Let’s look at some numbers, during the average day about 40 workers are killed on the job. Forty dads, brothers, mothers, sisters, sons and daughters each day are taken from their families.
So think about it, will it really be that much more work to recycle a few things? Help your planet, help other people, and most importantly help yourself.
Also, be sure to check out this site for more facts.

sources:
http://www.recycling-revolution.com/recycling-benefits.html

Even though they cost a bit more to start CFL’s are a good way to go. I use them in about 90% of my lighting. We still have a few standard bulbs that are still hanging on. When comes to CFL’s that are Energy Star qualified they can use about 74% less energy than a standard bulb with a life expectancy of up to 10 times longer. Sounds like a good reason to use them!
Over it’s lifetime you can save up to $30 in electricity costs. That’s alot of extra Mary Jane pumps to line my closet! I don’t know about you but I happen to enjoy not seeing my electric bill. Especially since it seems like it goes up $100 more each month of winter.
Having kids in the house you tend to get tired of saying “Don’t touch honey, that’s an ouchy!” And even though my kids haven’t (yet) touched a lightbulb or even tried there is always the possibility. So here is another reason for switching to CFL’s. They produce about 75% less heat so they are safer to handle. Not that doesn’t mean I would hand my youngest a bulb as a teether but still. If your kid gets excited and reaches out, he/she may not get burnt as bad.
One of the reasons I hear for not switching to a CFL is because they won’t fit in my fixture! Well, turns out that while gaining in popularity, CFL’s are always changing their look. They are available in many different shapes and sizes so they can fit into almost any indoor or outdoor fixture.
When it comes to the mercury in CFL’s most people turn away. They won’t go near the bulb in the store let alone bring it into their home. But here is something you may want to know. There is a reduction in the amount of mercury emitted from power plants when it comes to the low amount of energy used by a CFL. When you use CFL’s your demand for electricity is reduced. Less electricity= less mercury from power plants. Not convinced? Okay, how about this; the average CFL contains about 4milligrams of mercury. Incase you aren’t a chemist, that’s a very small amount. And even though mercury is a toxic pollutant, the exposures from a broken CFL are not likely to harm you or your family. That doesn’t mean that it’s okay to just throw them in the trash, or break them across your friends back. When you are ready to dispose of these bulbs there are proper ways of doing it. And if one breaks in your home, just to be safe, follow these guidelines for cleaning it up.
If you really want a super bulb you might want to check out LED’s. But thats another blog for another day.

sources:
energystar.gov
alternativeoutfitters.com
wikipedia.com
homerepair.about.com
treehugger.com

So sorry I haven’t been around. I’ve been,(surprise,surprise) busy! But I’ve definitely been keeping up with the green scene. About those compostable diapers I brought up awhile back. Well, we now officially have a diaper compost bin in the back behind the tool shed. YAY! Oh and both of my kids are using them so that’s a lot of diapers I am keeping out of the landfill.

It seems that my non-meat eating ways are becoming an issue. I have no problem with leaving most meats out of my diet. Okay, so yes I eat seafood and eggs but that’s why I’ll say I’m flexitarian and not a strict vegetarian. I’ve heard the comment, “You’re still not eating meat? I thought maybe you would have realized by now.” Realized what? I also hear, “But I don’t understand, why?” What’s not to understand? I don’t eat meat, I don’t think it’s healthy. You can eat all the meat you want, I don’t care if you don’t. Oh and here is the good one, “Well, what can you eat?” It’s not like I can only eat leaves and seeds. I can eat lots of things and honestly, ever since I cut meat out I have been eating a larger variety of foods. It’s nice, you should try it, really. I’m not one of those people who freak out around meat eaters. Yes, animals are treated horribly and then slaughtered so you can have your meat but people are treated horribly and slaughtered too. We just don’t eat people, that I know of.

There are just so many people out to ruin what I’m doing.

I just wanted to stop in and tell you something. This morning while waiting for my oatmeal to cook, sorry it wasn’t organic, I saw something that you might find interesting. I think I may have had this argument with some one, they say “god” put animals on the earth for us to eat. Of course I didn’t believe it to be true, but we won’t get into my reasons for such disbelief. So, I wanted you all to know that I found something to back up my reason for not eating meat and I found it in the strangest of places, on a box of artificial sweetener (bad!).

And then God said, ” I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” Gen 1:29 Nice huh!? So, he didn’t say anything about meat and well, as far as I know chicken breasts don’t grow on trees. I don’t mind if you continue to eat meat, that’s your choice not mine. Just thought you might want to know that it’s okay for me not to eat meat. I can get everything I need from other foods.

In my quest to save the environment I bought a case of biodegradable diapers. And then to add to that and to help shrink my footprint even more I bought biodegradable bags to put dirty diapers in. Saving the world and still living comfortably!! I was so excited, doing good and then I stopped to think about it. These diapers and bags won’t break down in the landfill, nothing breaks down in the landfill. Okay that may not be 100% accurate but still! They found a 40 year old newspaper in a landfill that was still legible. If an old newspaper still hasn’t broken down my biodegradable diapers won’t either. What a waste of money and space! Gah! Now I am thinking about looking into gdiapers. I don’t think I can do the clothe diaper thing but a compostable might be nice!

Turns out, I’m insane! Who would have thought… Atleast that’s the diagnosis from my youngest brother. So, I’ve decided that I’m not talking to family anymore about my life choices. What’s the point when they’ve decided that I am crazy?

So what if I don’t heat leftovers in plastic containers, I recycle, I quit eating meat, don’t drink milk, I exercise almost daily, I use 100% vegetarian bath products, I just bought biodegradable diapers, I’d like to raise my children to be flexitarians and many many other things that I thought were a good change. I don’t understand why some one would say I am crazy just because I do things differently from them. Why am I crazy for not using plastic bags? Isn’t it a good thing to want to keep them out of the landfill? Am I a bad parent for not wanting my children to be carnivorous and unhealthy?

Then there is the whole diaper debate. Yes, I use disposables but I just bought a case of biodegradable diapers. So as long as I don’t put them in plastic bags I feel like I’ve helped the earth. Did you know that you are suppose to dump the pooh in the potty? Even in disposable diapers, it’s not suppose to stay in the diaper and sit in a landfill. No, I don’t dump diaper doo, but I should. I believe it’s illegal to dump human waste in the landfill and that waste could contaminate the water supply. This is where the argument came up with my oldest brother. “People have been poohing for hundreds of years so why does it matter if it’s sitting in a diaper in a landfill?” It does matter! Use the toilet it goes with the sewage which does not come back out of your faucet. Leave it in the landfill and the runoff is contaminating my water. I have a well, my water does not go through the water treatment plant. There is a huge difference and I’d love to go on but I feel I’ve complained enough.