Taking a little break from the Carnival of Green Thinking this week – we will pick it up again next week, so feel free to submit your favorite blog articles by the end of next Friday to share with the world!

I love musicals, I love singing & dancing, I love happy things that could be true, but are a little too quirky to believe fully. 

That being said, I do enjoy watching the fun television show, Glee, and since it is a new-ish television phenemenon, you probably know someone else who enjoys it too.

Since growing in popularity, everyone wants to jump on the Glee bandwagon & they are promoting a lot right now in some cute little snip-its…Britney S. Pierce is my favorite.

Right now they are working with American Express to do a promotion with the Members Project and are giving us an opportunity to do good with the actual characters of Glee!  Check out the quiz here and see if you are Sue or a Shue!

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Betcha didn’t know that the 2nd Sunday in October kicks off National School Lunch week!

In its honor, GTB has decided to share with you some great blogs on eating healthy, kids’ nutrition, and all around good foods.   Hungry yet?  Remember, you can always share what great blog posts you have read to be featured in a Carnival of Green Thinking blog carnival, simply contact us!

Not only is food one of my favorite subjects, but where it comes from, how it is grown & how it is prepared has significant impacts on the world around us. 

SCHOOL TASTES GOOD!

SeriousEats.com shared a venture of Alice Waters and her Edible Schoolyard Program, as well as the results of a recent study from the U.C. Berkeley student’s  School Lunch Initiative. …combines nutritional education with garden training, cooking, and other hands-on skills in the hopes of turning our nation’s youth into trim, vegetable-craving eaters. Her initiatives have been the subject of much debate, by foodies and educators alike, leading to vehement supporters as well as detractors….The study followed about 240 students who were in Waters’ program from 2006 to 2009. The goal of the study was to examine how participation in integrated garden-to-school curriculums affected students’ attitudes about food, their eating habits, and their general knowledge of nutrition….You really should check out the journal for ESP as well, they have some great tales of bringing their home grown goodness to the table in some delish eats!

THERE’S A BLOG IN MY LUNCH BOX!

What I loved about this post from LunchBox.org  is the focus on teaching kids what is good for them!  I remember having a conversation with my aunt, who is an elementary school Principal about the struggles her school district is facing in regards to lunches – most kids couldn’t even recognize a potato because it had only been given to them in the form of a french fry & called a veggie.  This post shows the struggle one school took to improve the knowledge of their kids, and their lunches. …For four years I was the Nutrition Services Director for Berkeley Unified School District.  The four years were a roller coaster ride of changing the food from a menu of highly processed chicken nuggets, corn dogs, Extremo burritos, pizza pockets and grilled cheese sandwiches, all of which came to us frozen and prepackaged, to fresh food made from scratch.  When I first started in Berkeley these pre-packaged items, which were served in the packaging, with sides of canned vegetables and canned fruit, with nary a serving of fresh produce in sight, were the mainstay of the menus….Please visit to read the very impressive statistics.  It is amazing how far a little education can take the world!

SUSTAINABLE FOOD.

This blog post on on Change.org may singularly introduce the concept of healthy school lunches and all the initiatives out there.  It includes those mentioned above from Ann Cooper (aka Renegade Lunch Lady) to Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign, and even Alice Waters’ Edible Schoolyard project – but it also shares the insight into other great movements taking place.  If you want to get inspired about your lunch hour, look no further! …It’s been more than 30 years since Congress raised the federal reimbursement rate for lunches served in America’s public schools. Given the lack of funding, it’s easy to understand why the country’s cafeterias dish out gross, unhealthy meals like processed chicken nuggets, rubbery hot dogs, and tasteless pizza slices every day…

Read the outcome of the vote for the Child Nutrition Bill here.

PACK A BAG LUNCH!

Visit the SPARK blog for a few quick, but very tasty, natural school lunch options.  In my opinion – forget the school part, these are great for kids of all ages and are focused on the new food pyramid  of health!

Meal idea…

• Chicken Salad with Dried Cranberries and Walnuts in Whole Grain Pita
• Banana
• Yogurt
• Natural Fruit Snacks
• Flavored Water

Be sure to remember you most handy dandy reusable lunch bag for your nutritious & delish midday eats!

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I hadn’t ever thought of this before, but does the Earth want us to conserve? compost? recycle?  Have I been butting my nose where it isn’t wanted?

According to Robert Laughlin, and featured in an article in Newsweek, (Newsweek, 9.12.10 by George Will) the Earth just may not care if we meddle.  Laughlin shares the idea that the geological timeframe of the Earth will happen regardless of what we do in the meantime. He argues that ‘Climate change over geologic time is, Laughlin says, something the earth has done “on its own without asking anyone’s permission or explaining itself.” People can cause climate change, but major glacial episodes have occurred “at regular intervals of 100,000 years,” always “a slow, steady cooling followed by abrupt warming back to conditions similar to today’s.”’ 

I must say, I see his point – and since he is a Nobel Prize winner in Physics, he has some ground to stand on.  Even so, I still think it is in the interest of human nature that we embrace conservation and show a respect for where we live. 

What are your thoughts?  Leave us a comment, a tweet, or an email.

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Today, September 13th, marks Chocolate Day in honor of Milton Hershey‘s birthday, founder of Hershey Chocoloate.  Let me just say, besides being a serious lover of chocolate, I feel I might owe a little gratitude to Mr. Hershey for all the fantastic memories in my childhood including: Halloween, Girls Scout camping s’mores, getting my first (Hershey) ‘Kiss,’ … well, you get the point.

Today, while I may not pay particular tribute to Mr. Hershey’s products, I am paying tribute to his fanstatic product – chocolate. Ah, that delicious concoction from the cocoa bean.  And these particular blogs feature some organic mixes:

CHOCO-BLOG by Gnosis Chocolate

My friend, Laurel, introduced our group to Gnosis Chocolate while she was training to become a certified Health Counselor.  She brought back a tasty little morsel that melted in my mouth and changed my view of all things chocolate: it can be tasty, organic, vegan & kosher all in one. I love this excerpt from their blog ...I have a weird and wonderful father and since the earliest I can remember, he quoted Latin at me. One of his favorites was degustibus non disputandum est, which translates to, “In matters of taste there can be no dispute.” …Each of us is possessed with our own individual sense of taste and smell, and our innate senses are honed by our environment – where we grew up and what we ate as children…

DAGODA’S SWEET & SAVORY CHOCOLATE - Dagoda Chocolate by Organic Authority

Chocolate doesn’t only have to be sweet, it can be savory too!  Such a versatile tasty little morsel …Dagoba uses the finest organic aromatic cocoa beans from Latin America and the Caribbean, shade-grown and harvested with environmental sustainability in mind. The company is perhaps best known for its tantalizing chocolate bars, which are nothing like the typical offerings you’ll find on a natural foods candy display…

CHAM-PLAINLY HEALTHLY CHOCOLATE

The blog at Lake Champlain Chocolates  shares some of the excellent health benefits of organic chocoloate, so go ahead, enjoy a piece…or two. …First, cocoa, the main component in chocolate, contains Phytochemicals called flavonoids also found in red wine, green tea, and fruits and vegetables. Flavanoids contain antioxidants, which are beneficial in that they block arterial damage caused by free radicals. Flavonoids are also associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and some cancers. Chocolate contains stearic acid, which is a neutral fat that does not raise bad cholesterol and a recent study in the Journal of the American Heart Association also shows that dark chocolate might lower your blood pressure and improve insulin resistance.
 

How could I not share a recipe to end this week’s blog carnival?  THANK YOU GREEN & BLACK’S ORGANIC CHOCOLATE!

How do Chocolate Brazil Soft-Baked Cookies sound to you?

Green & Black's Organic Chocolate Brazil Cookies

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter

• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup bran
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-2 tablespoons milk
• 3 ounces dark chocolate, minimum 60% cocoa content, roughly chopped
• 3 ounces milk chocolate, preferably 34% cocoa content, roughly chopped
• 2 ounces brazil nuts, chopped (about ½ cup)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder once, returning the bran to the sifted flour, then fold it into the mixture. The bran gives a distinctive flavor and texture to the cookies. Beat well, adding the vanilla extract and enough milk to make a pliable dough. Mix it with your hands, adding the milk in stages until the dough is fairly soft, but not sticky. Add the chopped chocolate, and nuts, and distribute evenly through the dough. Roll out onto a 

lightly floured board to a thickness of about ¼ inch. Press out the cookies using the cookie cutter and place them on a greased cookie sheet, leaving plenty of room in between cookies.

Bake in the center of the oven for about 20 minutes until just golden around the edge but still soft. Leave the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

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September celebrates so many National Awareness or fun-time days that I thought it only fair the Carnival of Green Thinking bring light to some of those great blogs out there fighting for these causes!

NATIONAL FOOD SAFETY AWARENESS MONTH

Food safety covers every topic from BPA in your plastics  and even the great Iowa Egg recall.  Buy Safe Eat Well brings light to these topics and the ways that the government can and is getting involved.  With back to school in full-swing, GTB wanted to share the Buy Safe Eat Well’s viewpoint on the equipment kids are bringing with them…BYOB: Ban Your Old Bottles…In recent years, numerous scientific studies have confirmed the bad news about BPA: it leaches out of the plastic into the beverages, and this has many negative health impacts for humans, particularly children. In addition to its chemical properties that help make plastic hard, clear and shatterproof, BPA is also an endocrine disrupter that can interfere with normal body functions…

WEAR YOUR SNEAKERS TO WORK DAY!

September 17 is the official Sneakers at Work day, and what better way to celebrate than wearing eco-friendly shoes to your office?  Toms shoes is dedicated to not only making an eco-friendly shoe, but also sharing these shoes to nations that can’t otherwise afford it.  Check out some of their blog reads: Every year I travel to Costa Rica for the summer to visit my mother’s side of the family. While down there this year, I traveled to many different places, and I couldn’t help but realize how many people were attracted to TOMS… Of course the tourists, all saying how much they love TOMS and want to get a pair for themselves.

IT IS VEGAN MONTH!

Hug a vegan you know sometime during September.  If you don’t know any vegans (or if you do) try it one day – you may actually love it.  Veganism is a very eco-friendly practice by cutting out any factory work that has to do with the processing of anything animal – plus, anything that supports growing yummy things wins in my book!  I found a great collection of recipes to share at Cook. Vegan. Lover. – try one out today! Since today is a holiday, and I like to spend holidays at the pool, this recipe caught my eye & seems to fit with my theme of the day …Burgers & Smoothies: It was so cool and refreshing I think it is my new smoothie love.  I also tried out my new GlassDharma straw which I absolutely love! It as a little weird to drink our of at first but I really like it.  Above is just one of the straws I have and I can’t wait to show you the others! Not only are these straws pretty but they are sustainable, dishwasher safe, kid friendly and they have a life time guarantee; you can’t beat that!…

Thanks to all the talented bloggers out there who are letting us share your great knowledge!

Thanks for tuning in to the Carnival of Green Thinking this week!  Remember, if you read something eco-friendly this week that you have to share, submit it here!

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You think you have reached the brink of greendom, you have mastered the art of recycling – I hate to burst your bubble, but here are three things that you may think are green when in fact they are not. Don’t feel bad if you are guilty of any of these practices, shoot, I already know I violate at least two, this post is just to help us further open our minds to sustainability. 

Recycling

You may be sitting there right now thinking ‘ why in the world would I say that recycling isn’t green?!  ‘ Or you just re-read the title. did ya?  

Well, think of this – some people use recycling as an option to not reduce their currently un-green practices.  For example, do you know someone who picks up 24- 12oz water bottles on each grocery trip and put their finished bottles directly in the recycle bin upon completion?  This is a perfect display of using recycling as a scapegoat.  This person could very easily purchase gallons of water at a time & have them refilled at the grocery store or install a filter to their sink to avoid the recycle bin altogether. 

Same goes for beer bottles – consider purchasing a mini keg of your favorite brew instead of a six-pack, or visit a local brewery to pick up a growler (glass jug with a screw on lid with a plug), which is equivalent to a half gallon.  Some breweries offer a liter or quart size as well.

Reusable bags

Reusable bags have been one of my favorite things to promote here on GTB.  I love them, but then again, I am a little bit of a bag lady.   In my experience, a grocery store bagger will use 5 plastic bags to each reusable bag you bring to the store.  Say you usually go home with 5 reusable bags full of groceries – this means you saved 25 plastic bags!  A very green feat. 

So, what makes reusable bags unenvironmentally friendly?  Like I said, I typically walk away from an average grocery trip with 5 full reusable bags – I own at least 20 resuable bags.  This is 4 times beyond my necessary use.  

Excessive, yes.  My point – exactly. 

Just because reusable bags save plastic bags, there is no reason to have a huge, excessive collection beyond necessary use.  The good news is that there are still plenty of people who do not use reusable bags at the store -so carry one of your collection with you & pay it forward to someone in need   Ah, the gift that keeps on giving!

Hybrid cars

Hybrid cars are awesome.  I am a full supporter of finding a way to cut down on our natural resource use for transportation purposes.  However, I also believe that the auto industry over manufactues cars to a point of waste, and people get new cars at an unbelievable rate.  For every hybrid car made, there are several used cars out there.

Besides the waste of extra manufactured cars – people are driving too much.  Hybrid cars provide consumers an excuse to drive further and use more resources, whatever they may be, just because they burn at a slower rate.  Consider cutting your mobility by using a bike once or twice a week on leisure trips, or get a carpool started at your work.

Alright, I may have laid it on thick – but you know I have a point.  For your next green venture, consider it from all sides if it is in fact a sustainable event.

Have another idea that is green, but not – leave us a comment, tweet us @greenthinking, or email us at greenthinkinggtb@gmail.com.  We would love to hear what you have to say!

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SmithsonianMag.com  recently shared that Wal-Mart will be substituting 114 million clear-plastic containers with PLA material, or polylactic acid which is derived from cornstarch.  Further, the retail giant will use this same naturally dervied material for their gift cards and calling cards.

According to the article, the material used in Wal-Mart Stores is estimated to save nearly the equivalent of 800,000 gallons of gasoline!

The article portrays an excellent first hand account of visiting the NatureWorks plant where corn is milled and turned into lactic acid – the plant plastic that uses 68% less greenhouse gas emissions than oil.  Apparently, Newman’s Own Organic salad mixes are already packaged in PLA and Wild Oats is a smaller retail chain in use of the biodegradable packaging.

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As most of you know we just got ourselves a new puppy!  So, we are experimenting with ways to be Eco-Friendly Pet owners. But dogs aren’t the only pets who can be eco-conscious. Consider some of the following tips for cats, birds, fish, ferrets, pigs, horses, billy goats, anything you would domesticate!

1. Where you do you plan to get your pet?   For example, it isn’t considered environmentally friendly to kidnap a fish from your local swimming hole to your fish bowl, but it may be helpful build a habitat in your backyard to provide an ecological haven for some residential friends of the turtle, fish, and aviator variety.  As for cats and dogs, check out Petfinder.com to see what shelters in your area might have to offer, but remember, the SPCA and your humane society have tons of animals ready for their forever home – so consider visiting directly.  As for Rigby, we found her from a family in the neighborhood who was trying to find homes for their litter before bringing them to the shelter, so consider rescuing a pet before they have to be brought to a shelter.  One note: be sure to research where your pet is coming from and consider what you are promoting when making your choice, it is not a really great idea to be a financial contributor to an organization that believes in exploitation and essentially animal slavery…
2. An Animal’s Gotta Eat.  What kind of food should you feed your little furry friend?  Consider a nutrition that is organic.  Just like people food, the more natural the diet, the better it is.  Hormones and pesticides can have a horrible effect on your animal’s immune system and overall health, so be sure to check the list of ingredients when making your purchase.  It is ambitious to vow to make your dog’s food homemade, but consider it if you are able.  Otherwise, we have started Rigby on an purchased dog food with limited preservatives and animal byproducts.  For more information on your dog’s nutrition, check out this free dog food report.  For a great homemade biscuit recipe, scroll down! 
3. Pets are Creatures of Play:  Which is why they are going to look to you to provide them with toys that are good for them and good to the earth.  Consider what the toys are made of, will they break down once your animal has destroyed them to threads, is the stuffing harmful to your animals digestion?   The Ultimate Green Store is a great resource for all things your pet may need, from collars & leashes to hemp rope toys and crunchy critters made from plastic bottles.

There are tons of other ways to green your pet, consider their elimination station, their sleeping grounds, and of course, how much nature they get to experience!  Enjoy your pets, and by helping them be green, you are making a better Earth around them.  Have a great day!

Dog Food Recipe: Treats for your Pooch, Whole Wheat Dog Biscuits by Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

Directions:

Want to see the footprint your pet is making, use the Carbon pet calculator.

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So last night I watched the Sundance acclaimed Earth Days film by Robert Stone on PBS. 

The main point I learned was that we Green Thinkers are definitely not reinventing the wheel in the new millennium.  The thought of lowering our carbon emissions started long ago, and pesticides seems to be one key factor that clued everyone in, but “green-washing” seems to be where most efforts were lost. 

Some images that remained in my mind were that pesticides were being blown on a school playground. While kids were eating their lunches, the smog of ‘cides was amidst their table, and it didn’t seem to phase them. Pesticides is a very covered topic today through the Environmental Protection Agency.  With summer just around the corner, use this resource to find the least invasive insect repellent for your outdoor gatherings.

“Green-washing” is a term to describe an effort or a person who is standing up for environmental protection, without really believing in the cause. It can also describe a product that is trying to make claims they are using all natural products or are Eco-friendly, when in fact, their whole process is not. It is because of this lack of real commitment to the cause that so many issues have been carried over from the 1960s to present day. 

Another interesting thought that came out of this movie was the idea that the rally of the first Earth Day in 1970 got all of its participation through written letters and fliers or face to face communication.  Clearly, the communication attempts did what they were intended and did not end up in the “junk” mail pile, but what a homage to pre-Internet days!  All the teamwork and time that must have went into that campaign is unfathomable this day and age, so there is no reason we can’t rally again using all available resources!

Here are a few life-changing books that were featured in the documentary, feel free to pick them up at your local library for a little enviornmental history lesson!

Silence of Spring by Rachel Carson

This book inspired the nation about the impact of pesticides, pollution, and the preservation of our environment.  Ms. Carson was given quote a bit of grief for speaking her voice, but it worked!

The Population Bomb by Dr. Paul Erlich

This book warned about overpopulation of the planet and how that would effect our resources and food.  While his exact predictions from 1968 haven’t come to fruition, the basic principles are still very relevant for today.

Whole Earth Catalog by Stewart Brand

This catalog listed products for the then-modern hippie. Everything from organic growing supplies to solar powered inventions was listed.   Prior to the catalog, Brand also inquired to the world through a button, Why haven’t we seen a photograph of the whole earth yet?  This button invoked the Nasa photo to help all mankind gauge what we were destroying – completely revolutionary.

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April 11th Facebook premiered the PBS “Earth Days” movie, an entire week before the formal preview. 

I have made arrangements to watch this movie during its television premiere, April 19th (tomorrow) at 9:00pm on where else, than PBS, and you should too!

This documentary investigates environmentalism from the first scientific experiements in the 1950s for environmental inmpacts, to the 1960s where a particular book brought the attention of the dwindling bird population, to the 1970s, the time of the environmental revolution and Earth Day’s inception. 

Check out the Earth Days Movie trailer here!

Not sure what channel PBS is on in your area?  They will help you find out, just enter your zip code. PBS is also going to ask viewers to participate in a twitter conversation during the show.

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