Granola Tendencies

Granola Tendencies has moved

2010-03-28T13:31:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to annouce the launch of www.SheenaLaShay.com. A one stop place for ALL of my blogs to live. Granola Tendencies has been moved there as well and that is where all future updates will go.

Earth Hour

2010-03-26T08:30:00.000-05:00

Have you ever heard of Earth Hour? Tomorrow will mark the third anniversary.

On the official Earth Hour website, it says

On Earth Hour hundreds of millions of people around the world will come together to call for action on climate change by doing something quite simple—turning off their lights for one hour. The movement symbolizes that by working together, each of us can make a positive impact in this fight, protecting our future and that of future generations. Learn more about how Earth Hour began, what we’ve accomplished, and what is in store for 2010.

It's a very simple collaborative project being done around the world and I will take part as well. I've spoken before about wanting to take "Elective Blackouts" and I'm going to use Earth Hour as my first official one.

31 US cities have signed on at this time to participate and New York is one of them.

While the event only last an hour, I'm assuming what I have planned will take a little longer. First, I will be unplugging everything in the house, except the fridge and stove. I will turn everything off; my laptop, my cell phones, my ipod. I will light candles. I have so many, you have no idea. And I will be doing a few creative things. I plan on finishing up the current book I'm reading, "Food Inc." Have you seen the movie or read the book? I plan on writing my book review for So Long a Letter and starting book four of the African Dispora Challenge that I am currently a part of. BrownGirl Speaks is a very cool woman and if you have a moment to spare you should roam around her website. I have a number of journal entries that I need to write and create in my collage art journals. I also want to take this time to purge many out dates files and projects in the various boxes in my home.

I'm not sure if I'm going to take pictures of the whole process because I really just want to be completely unplugged.

This reminds me of two weekends ago when New York had that horrible storm. I was with Mr. Officer at the time and while we were home relaxing, Mother Nature threw a big temper tantrum. The entire fence in his backyard came crashing down. A number of trees were knocked over and leaning dangerously over the house. An electrical wire snapped and was live and sparking just waiting to start a fire and then he lost power.

And when I say he lost power, it was if the earth stopped spinning on its axis and a MAJOR jerking motion happened as the earth came to screeching halt. If you've read before about Mr. Officer and I, you will know our practices are very different. Therefore, the power shutting off in his house could actually be felt. At any moment there are multiple tvs on, multiple radios on, a number of phones beeping and chiming, a billion lights are on and EVERYTHING IS ALWAYS plugged in. You just have no idea. (Perhaps I should see if he can rise to the challenge and turn his lights off for an hour)

I burst out laughing. It was the first time in four years there had been stillness and quiet and darkness in his house. And I loved it. I think he was almost short of a panic attack. Just what would he do without his music. "You know," I said, "If the power went off in my apartment, I might not even notice for a week or so." He remained silent. "It's just that I so rarely have things on and I probably wouldn't know something was wrong until the food started to smell." He refused to say anything. I took it as my cue to be quiet as well.

When he did visit my apartment for the first time he immediately said, "Its too dark in here. Turn the lights on. It's too quiet, where is the music, the tv. Oh this isn't going to work. I'm bringing in a flatscreen tv and its going right here." I just rolled my eyes.

Are you planning on participating in Earth Hour? Will you be a part of an Earth Hour event? I'm looking for one in New York. Know of any?

World Water Week

2010-03-25T16:16:00.000-05:00

Did you know it was world water week? Tapped has been sending me daily emails this week and I find them very refreshing. (No pun intended.) I first mentioned Tapped back in October of 2009.

This commercial always gets me every time.

Instead of using bottled water...buy a brita pitcher or brita faucet.

(Actually I have an extra brita pitcher that I friend gave to me because my other one was in storage for three months. Does anyone want a free brita pitcher that's been gently used? You'll have to buy another filter though. First person to email me their address at SheenaLaShay at gmail dot com will have one sent to their home!)

Use a reusable water bottle. My favorite one is my (RED) one from starbucks. By using it I'm supporting (RED) and discontinuing my use of bottle water or plastic cups.

Mobile Boarding Pass

2010-03-24T10:42:00.000-05:00

In select US airports you can now board your United Airlines flight via your smartphone instead of the traditional printed boarding pass. How cool is that? One less thing to print off.

Should you have to print,

print on 100% post consumer recycled paper.
print on scrap paper.
print double sided.
print with a eco-font.
print with GreenPrint.
print after you have done a thorough spell check.

Homemade Fruit Dip

2010-03-21T08:32:00.000-05:00

I love eating strawberries with fruit dip cream cheese. Yum Yum. The picture below is from Cafe Lashay where I wax about my love affair. (Side note...Sly, how many freaking blogs do you have?, you may wonder. No worries. In the next week, my new website will premier where you will be able to find all five of my blogs plus more in one location. I can not wait. I've already seen drafts from my friend and the amazing designer and its looking great!)

The fruit dip cream cheese that use for my strawberries has an average cost of $4 to $5 dollars. Is that expensive? Maybe. Seeing as to how I eat every drop and never waste an ounce compared to other food that I waste, perhaps its not as expensive as it seems. Still, if I can find a way to save a dollar so that it can be invested into something else, I'd love it!

I decided to make my own fruit dip since Wholefoods did not have the store bought brand I'm used to buying. Keep in mind this recipe isn't "organically sound." The ingredients are not all natural. I suppose what's sustainable about this recipe is the economics of it all.

Ingredients

Fluff
Whipped Cream Cheese
French Vanilla Yogurt (I did use stoneyfield since I believe in his all natural business)

Preparation

Spoon two large dollops of fluff into a small mixing bowl.
Spook one large dollop of whipped cream cheese into the same mixing bowl.
Spoon two(ish) sort of spoonfuls of yogurt into the same bowl.
Stir until its all blended together.
Dip fruit and enjoy.

This dip tasted the same as my store bought brand and it was much cheaper.

Does anyone know a more organic way that I can create this dip because "Fluff" isn't going to help my body any time soon?

Soy Veggie Bacon...Um, No.

2010-03-17T08:00:00.001-05:00

“Yes, I’ll have a non-fat, decaf latte, please. Oh, what the hell? Look, make it a full-fat mocha with extra whipped cream. What the hell, put a slice of bacon on it!” ~ Dr. Frasier Crane, Frasier

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The absolutely hardest part about being a vegetarian is foregoing BACON. I love bacon. Real bacon. Not turkey bacon. But the artificially infused apple hardwood smoked thick cut bacon. YUM freaking YUM. I am not a huge meat eater by any means necessary. I could go weeks without any meat and not even realize it. But I love bacon. In the past I've gotten veggie burgers with bacon! They waiter always looks at me funny when I request it. "You know the bacon isn't vegetarian," they say. "I know," I say licking my lips.

And listen...the tofu or whatever fake version there is, it just does not compare. AT ALL!

Yesterday when I ordered a veggie burger for lunch, I had to force myself NOT to add bacon on it. And today while ordering a salad, I had to catch myself when listing the ingredients to add. "Cucumbers, Carrots, Onions, Tomatoes, Bac... I mean...um...well...just nevermind."

Some things are easy to give up. Other things take practice until they form into a habit. And then there are still some things that you will never get used to but willingly make the sacrifice for a cause bigger than you.

I just read the mini chapter in Food, Inc titled, "The Dirty Six; The Worse Animal Practices in Agribusiness" and if my own will isn't enough to stop me from eating bacon, all I have to do is remember that mini chapter. A separate post will come soon in regards to this book. Watching the movie is a must but then reading the book gives even more depth to the movie.

What is or was the hardest thing for you to give up in order to live a more sustainable life?

Fourth Floor Walk Ups

2010-03-16T11:00:00.000-05:00

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Now that I live on the fourth floor in a New York walkup, I am more inclined to SIGNIFICANTLY decrease the trash that I generate. I have never been this inspired before! Just saying. What ever needs to be your motivation, let it be.

These four flights of stairs also make me questions EVERY purchase. I mean seriously! I've been purchasing a few things for my new apartment and in every store, I ask myself, "Do I really want to carry this up the stairs?" And while I live by a budget and am an eco-conscious shopper, this reasoning has given me about 5% more pull towards eco-conscious shopping. :)

I ask myself how I can creatively grocery shop so that I only have one bag and it contains all that I need.I think about the fact that everything I bring up those stairs, will eventually have to come back down. And you just have no idea the decrease in products and things going into my home and the decrease in the waste that i generate. I mean, every container, every piece of paper...I just keep thinking, "But I'll have to carry it downstairs if I throw it away."

What are you random motivations that also line up with sustainable lifestyle choices? For example, I hate artificial light. It makes me sick. It sucks my soul away and drains my energy. UGH! Therefore I rarely turn my lights on. Hardly ever during the day and only sometimes in the evenings. I work with as minimal artificial lighting as possible. I'd rather light five candles than flip a light switch on. That's just my natural inclination. What's great is that without even trying I'm consuming less energy and keeping my electrical bill low. There are many steps each person has to take towards living a sustainable life. Its nice when some of your everyday habits don't even need to be changed.

Vegetarian for Three Weeks and Counting

2010-03-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

I haven't eaten a single piece of meat, including seafood for three weeks now. It hasn't required that much intentional effort since I ate very little meat to begin with.

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I went to an amazing Indian restaurant with my great artist friend, Jantira and I was able to order a completely tasty, SPICY, fulfilling meal with all vegetarian options. I went to the Spice Market with Amber and again, we were able to order a huge meal to be shared and it was completely vegetarian. I want to do reviews of both those restaurants soon!

At work, I'm often faced with challenges regarding my eating. It's harder to eat organic here and when lunches come it, we often just grab what's there. This time though...like yesterday, I just made sure I was intentional. Veggie Burger and Cajun Fried. In reality, I shouldn't even be ordering that. In actuality, I should be bringing my lunch each day because then I'd know my food came from the local CSA and its organic and sustainable.

(It trips me out that things can be organic but not sustainable. Or things can be natural but not organic. Or things can be environmentally sustainable but not culturally sustainable. I'm reading the book version of Food Inc and there is a section where the guy talks about heirloom tomatoes and he talks about what use is it to have an organic tomato, if the people who picked it are being mistreated, underpaid, and put at risk. So sure I eat organically, but is it sustainable environmentally and culturally? This freaking rabbit hole keeps getting deeper.)

As is, I have maintained a completely vegetarian eating regime for three weeks. Next week, after completely moving into my AMAZING apartment with the BEST KITCHEN ever, I will venture into a week of veganism. I did it once last year. The hardest part was not putting cheese and sour cream in my vegetarian gumbo. And after that, perhaps a week of raw food. I've been toying with that idea for YEARS! I even dated a raw foodist once. But I haven't taken the plunge. After finding the amazing blog , Raw on $10 a Day, I have renewed hope. I can't even begin to tell you about the amazing cheap recipes this woman concocts. Basically, I'm going to have to do a post just on her and her blog! Maybe I can even get her to do a granola interview.

The best vegetarian dish I've had in the past few weeks. Hmmm..the avocado, onion radish salad from the Spice Market and their stir fried asparagus with lotus root and lily bulb. God, you just have no idea!

What is your favorite vegetarian dish?

By the way...its a little hard being a vegetarian when you don't like mushrooms or eggplant. I personally kidn stand either.

Homemade Wood Floor Cleaner

2010-03-15T13:20:00.000-05:00

I am a bit anal about cleanliness. On top of that I'm extremely organized. It makes for a perfectly run house. If I was a wife and mother, I'd get an award for House Manager of the Year! :)

One of my favorite things about my last three apartments has been the wood floors. If I don't own the place, carpet scares me. Therefore I have been lucky enough to have wood floors.

Let me tell you my method of cleaning my floors.

First I sweep the floor.
Second, I sweep the floor. Again.
Third, I dry swiffer it. (Yes, swiffers are not eco friendly, but if you know a none-gross alternative, let me know. I've asked Eco Mama and she's looking into it too!) I dry swiffer after two floor sweeps because the broom doesn't pick up everything.
Fourth, I wet swiffer.
Fifth, I use a wood cleaner.

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Yea. That's how I "sweep" my floors once a week. And even still, I feel like there's crude on the floor or something. I need to stop wearing shoes in my apartment completely!

With this method, you can easily see how un-sustainable that is. Right now, I'm not willing to change the whole swiffer section. Finding a cloth type thing and touching it and washing it grosses me out. Plus I'd need a whole load of cloths to wash to justify washing one. I could never mix it with my regular laundry. Yuck!

The part I'm willing to change, if the wood cleaner. I want a homemade recipe. And seeing as to how anal I am, you do know, it has to be exceptional.

On Ehow, they had a simple recipe for Wood Cleaner.

Ingredients
1/2 cup of vinegar
1 gallon of water
A few drops of your favorite essential oil (I threw that in there)

Preparation
Mix ingredients together
Dip sponge mop in cleaning solution
Squeeze until mop is almost dry
Rinse mop out frequently (while cleaning)

Another recipe on EHow, explains a Tea Wood Cleaner.

Ingredients

10 tea bags
1/2 gallon of water.

Preparation

Same as the vinegar and water mixture, except let the tea steep until very strong.

This tea wood cleaner would be great, if I didn't love my tea. Seriously, the tea i drink is an investment. It would make the light of heart faint. I don't want to use it to clean my floors. Its a great idea to use one thing for many different purposes. I currently use my conditioner as my shaving cream. No, its not the luxurious men's brand that I used to use from The Body Shop. But its effective and moisturizing. But the idea of putting my high quality tea on my floors. That's just not going to work.

After a couple searches, I think I'm going to use some sort of combo of vinegar, water, lemon juice, castille soap and essential oil to create my perfect wood floor cleaner. We will see what happens.What I love about this mix is that all the ingredients are already in my pantry. I don't have to purchase a single thing. Don't you just love that.

A simple google search yields tons of recipes. As I often do, I'll find something, mix it up a bit and put my own spin on it. I'll let you know how it turns out. How do you clean your wood floors? What essential oil should I add to the mix so my apartment doesn't smell like vinegar? Or is the vinegar so powerful, that adding essential oils would be fruitless?

simplehuman and simple people

2010-03-13T12:07:00.001-06:00

Are you aware of simplehuman products? I really enjoy them. The quality is impeccable. The aesthetics please me. The efficency to make my life at work and home, saves time. It's an organizational lover's fantasy. And considerings the quality, the cost is relative.

I just purchased another product by simplehuman and it made me wonder what their sustainable standards are. I've started becoming REAL picky about where I buy things from. I put aside convienence to make a statement with my money. "Oh you suck as a company, then you won't ever get my money again," I say to them in my head. People are going to always buy stuff. (Listen, I'm all for creating my own products, but unless you know a good way to 'create" a toilet brush cleaner", the I have to buy it. And until I have a massive garden, I have to buy food. And so it goes. Since I have to buy, I perfer to be an eco conscious consumer as much as possible.)

As I purchased two more simplehuman products for home..this puts me at 5 things, I wondered who they were as a company. I know they promote recycling like its nobody's business and they also promote public health safety.

But what are the conditions of their factories? What are the workes exposed to? What do they do with their waste water? Do they use all virgin materials? What kind of food do they serve in their breakrooms? What is their carbon footprint? It would be great if this company where completely sustainable. Then I wouldn't even hesistate to purchase some of their most expensive brands.

"Green" has been the it term for the last few years. I am grateful for that because its made my professional research much easier since everyone wants on the bandwagon. But being "green" is more than eating organic fruit and drinking from a cup made of corn.

Living a life of sustainability touches every aspect of your life. Are you an eco-conscious eater? Not just vegetarian or farm raised meat eater. But do you eat locally and in season as well? Are you an eco-conscious shopper? Do you know how much energy is required to maintain your life?

Listen, I think its cute that everyone wants to recycle now. But I think it would be beyond powerful if everybody raised their level of consciousness a little higher than that.

This isn't meant to demean anyone. There are aspects of my life where the level of my tree-huggingness is so high, I'm practically makes salads with the leaves. And then there are other areas of my life, where I'm the one with the chainsaw just hacking away.

Are you conscious of how you live? I'm afraid many people are not. And that's scarier than an ocean full of trash.

No Impact Man: The Documentary

2010-03-11T11:18:00.000-06:00

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The No Impact Man Documentary is available for "Watch Instantly" on Netflix. I will be watching that tonight.

Have you ever heard of him before? If not, google it. And the next time it rolls around, consider partcipating in the No Impact Project week. I did and I learned a lot about myself.

Alikay Naturals - Product Review

2010-03-10T14:38:00.000-06:00

The philosophy surrounding the maintenance of my hair changed a few months back. This is personal growth for me.

I started wearing my hair natural instead of chemically straightening it so that I could become even lazier. I thought if I wore my natural curls, I wouldn't have to actually do my hair. I could just wake up and go. That's the perfect world. I never ever have to touch my hair. Unfortunately that's not realistic unless I just completely shave my head and trust me, considering how godly Erykah Badu looks, I'm always tempted to go there.

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Over the past year, I've learned just how important it is to take care of my health. But I also placed semi importance on taking care of body. Health...brush teeth, wash face, stay clean, eat right. Blah Blah Blah. Taking care of my body...hmmm, I'm not sure of the right terminology. It's the sort of thing of using body butter to moisturize my skin. That sort of thing. (Not particular about my health but not as superficial as makeup and clothes) As much as I was moisturizing my skin, I was just saying whatever to my hair. I wouldn't wash it for weeks. (Not as gross as you think.) I hardly ever added moisture..not even water. I wore it big and puffy and just never took care of it.

Now, I at least moisturize it and keep it pinned away 5 to 6 days out of the week. I'm not infactuated with styling, although I see amazing styles by women. I'm not infactuated with color, hair type, length or anything like that. Those things mean nothing. But keeping it healthy, moisturized and clean...that's simple and important to me.

For the last few months I've been intentional about moisturizing my hair. Mostly this just means adding water each day. I've been intentional about cleaning it. One a week I have a whole routine. And with that, my hair has thrived. I style it less, keep it pinned back and hardly let it wild out...but I know each night that its healthy just like my skin and such.

I've been in the market for some organic, natural and perferably homemade products for my hair. Therefore, I've been scouring the internet to find a shampoo, leave in conditioner, deep conditioner, detangling conditioner, and moisturizer.(Eventually I've make my own but I don't have the time right now.)

I found Black Onyx World. More specifically Alikay Naturals Hair Products.

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Black Onyx is a young lady who makes these hair products herself. She also makes jewelry. A lot of it looks amazing! I am impressed with the sheer variety and volume of her stock considering these are homemade. After watching many of her youtube videos.in which you see her using her products and you see the results, I was convinced I should try this. (Note to self, one thing may work for one person and not another.)

This is Black Onyx below. I think she has creative styles and her hair is healthy. My hair will never be styled like that because I don't know how to do that and I'd never pay someone else to do it but my hope is that it would be healthy.

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My products arrived last week. I ordered her Black Soap Shampoo. Honey and Sage Deep Conditioner. LemonGrass Deep Conditioner. Shea Yogurt Moisturizer. and Betoninite me Baby Clay. (The clay was just an impulse. I've seen people use it and thought it might work. I haven't tried it yet.)

First Impression

The presentation was lacking. I know when you purchase products in the store, more often than not you are paying for the pretty little containers more than the product itself. I get that. I sometimes willingly pay more for something because it is packaged attractively. I know its a small thing and has little to do with the product itself but as a consumer and creator, for me presentation plays a significant roll. But the lack in hers was not enough to deter me. I saw it from the website and knew what i was getting myself into. But I wish she'd do a little more to make the presentation and packaging of it better.

The cost. I pay an average of $6 for my shampoo or conditioner. I splurged and paid over $15 for an Aubrey Organics deep conditioner but it is worth it. So cost is really relative. $2 more for her shampoo than my store bought organic one is fine...especially considering its homemade. But if you are on a tight budget maybe some other product is better for you.

Aromatic Qualities. Smell is important to me. I have posted in other blogs about my personal offense at crappy hand soaps in people's bathrooms. I'm snooty like that. I wear Marc Jacobs or Prada perfume and then I come to your house and you want me to wash my hands with Apple Spice scented soap. Oh my goodness. That is just gross to me. Its one of the unreasonably horrible things about my personality but if I don't like a certain scent, it might as well go straight to hell. So....Alikay Natural's. The lemongrass leave in conditioner and the honey and sage deep conditioner gave my nose an orgasm. Seriously. The black soap shampoo didn't really have a smell. The shea butter yogurt moisturizer. It's no fault to her but I do not like the smell of shea butter. I love cocoa butter as a base scent to build off. But most naturals bow their heads before shea butter. So I tried it. And it was hard to keep putting it on my hands and then in my hair...because I really do not like the smell of shea butter. I'm going to assume that her other concoctions have just as much power of seduction with their aromas.

Quality. You know how you feel a product and it feels right.Or something is too chunky. Or too soupy? The shea butter. Along with not liking the smell, I didn't like the texture. I prefer creams in my hair. Butters can go on my skin. The shampoo...I just didn't know what to make of it. I couldn't tell if it was working or not. I think if it had a stronger smell, I'd know if I evenly dispersed it throughout my hair since its so concentrated and so soupy. Maybe i'll have to add my own essential oils to the rest of the bottle.

Quantity. I think the size and proportions relative to the cost are good. I wonder if she has a detangling conditioner. That would be more telling in regards to quantity since I go through a LOT of that.

Effectiveness. That is still pending. I used all the products last night. My initial reactions. I couldn't tell if the shampoo was effective. It needs a stronger smell to reinforce that its in my hair, if that makes sense. The deep conditioner seems effective..although I mixed in another deep conditioner too. My hair is THICK. The leave in conditioner is fine. Although for it to be as effective as my own concoction I need to actually mix it with other things like rosewater, vegetably glycerin, essential oils and water. The shea butter...well, my hair is still pinned up right now. I'll know tonight the effects of it when I take my hair down to twist it tonight. I'm hoping that it works.

(Although I must say, using something once, may not be the best way to judge its effectiveness. I've been using my new regime for a few months and it was only until a few weeks ago that I noticed the huge difference in my hair. I'm going to have to use these products for a few weeks to even begin to know the true effects on my hair.)

Transparency. This was probably the area I had the biggest conflict with. While Alikay Naturals is a homemade natural product line, almost each product I purchased had a "special blend," or "secret blend" of natural ingredients. At this point in my life, I'm uncomfortable NOT knowing what is going in or on my body. I think its important that no matter how big or small the company, you as a consumer have a right to know what you are purchasing. Perhaps there are different rules for people who sell their own products from home, but even still there should be some sort standard. Since I purchased a number of the products, for now, I will continue using them. However, I'm not sure I could buy more of her products knowing that I don't know each ingredient. I'm sure she wants to protect her recipes, but I want to be an informed consumer. However if you don't mind not knowing, this could be the product for you.

I will post photos soon as well as keep you update to date with the effectiveness of this product over the coming weeks.

Would you purchase a product that had "secret ingredients"? Do you have any recommendations for homemade products being sold by entrepenuers? What scents do you love or hate? Do you have a hair care regime?

The One Time its ok to Bite the Hand....Buddha's Hand.

2010-03-09T09:27:00.000-06:00

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I was doing some grocery shopping and perhaps because I'm reading Food, Inc. as my book of the week, I felt the need to be even more conscious of what I purchased. I decided I wanted to purchase fruit that was in season so I turned to google to find some answers.

The best website I came across was EPICURIOUS. com

I use Epicurious for many of my recipes at Cafe LaShay and therefore I trusted their site. What separated them from many of the other websites I came across was that they listed by month and by location what was in season. Sure, a mango may be in season...but in season halfway across the world. So I wanted to know what was good for this month and for New York. I didn't get many options but that's not the point.

For New York, it said that the growing season is currently dormant and that I should opt for items from storage such as apples, pears and root vegetable. (Side note, I'm currently looking for a CSA to participate in in Brooklyn and am excited!)

While searching for seasonal, local fruit I came across some things I had never heard of. Have you ever heard of Buddha's Hand?

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I didn't read too much on it yet. I couldn't tell you where it comes from or if its even available in the US but I just loved the name. It's like saying "God's Hand." "Jehovah's Hand." "Allah's Hand" "The Divine's Hand" or something like that. Who wouldn't want to eat it. Its one of my goals to try a fruit I've never even heard of. Depending on the availability and location of this fruit, maybe I'll be biting into Buddha's Hand.

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Do you consider the season and your location when shopping? Do you find the choices limiting? Have you ever heard of Buddha's hand and do you know more about it.

Homemade Toothpaste and Other Products

2010-03-08T07:43:00.002-06:00

In October of 2009, after dropping over $80 on facial products at the Body Shop, I realized I needed to make a change. I wrote of my musing about this in a post titled. Natural Products vs. Homemade Products. Everyone has their opinion on which better. Natural Products, Homemade Products, Unnatural Products.

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Is it better to use Neutrogene to wash my face? Yes to Carrots? Or my own Homemade Face Wash?

I can't answer that for you. I can only inform you of why I decided to make my own natural products.

I wanted to decrease the amount of things I purchased.
I wanted to spend less money on products.
I wanted to treat my body better, more naturally, and gently.
I wanted to generate less trash.
I wanted to know EXACTLY what was going in or on my body.
I wanted to take control of my life.
I wanted to live a simplistic life.

Another added benefit towards creating and making my products was a sense of empowerment! That feeling was amazing.

So if you prefer to use products seeping with chemicals and things you can't pronounce, use it. Plenty of functioning healthy people do. If you prefer to use natural products from sustainable vendors, do that. And if you prefer to make your own products...email me so we can swap recipes! Because that's what I'm interested in.

Currently, I am looking for the best recipe for a homemade toothpaste and mouthwash.

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I feel as if I've mastered my face wash, toner, exfoliant and mask. After mastering it, now I've been playing around with scents and consistencies and such. More recently, I've been playing around with mouthwash recipes and so far I haven't discovered anything that is amazing. Some of the recipes I've tried were listed in a previous post.

The problem is I can't get the scent that I want. And if I'm going to be swishing something around in my mouth for more than thirty seconds, I need the scent to be pleasant. When I tried making my toner, at first I was taken aback by the smell of witch hazel. Eventually the smell grew on me....essential oils help! (Which by the way, now that i use them for EVERYTHING...I need to find a wholesaler that sells them by the bulk! Any suggestions?)

So with my mouthwash...I can't get the taste right. I want a winterfresh type of taste. Hmmmm.

I've also changed my "toothpaste." Most recently I was using J/A/S/O/N's. That was a switch from a lifelong attachment to Crest. I had tried Nature's Gate, which has amazing hair products, but their toothpaste and deodorant...not so much!

Now I've tried just baking soda dipped in water or mouthwash to brush my teeth. And my teeth seem clean and I'm pretty sure my breath is fresh but I just want more. And perhaps a little flavor..since again, its going in my mouth. I came across a seemingly simple toothpaste recipe that I plan on trying. I found the recipe on Fat Free Kitchen.

Ingredients

Baking soda (5 teaspoons. This serves as your whitener)
Salt (1/4 teaspoon. This serves as your antiseptic.)
Vegetable Glycerin (5 teaspoons. This serves as your base)
Peppermint, Spearmint, Pudinhara essential oil (10 drops. This gives you fresh breath)

Preparation

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Adjust the quantity of glycerine to get toothpaste consistency. Store in a wide mouth bottle.

This recipe is so simple. It also yields itself towards having the right consistency. And I keep those ingredients in the house readily. Remember my Sustainable Guidelines ? Now while those guidelines are geared towards products I purchase, they can also work for products I make. In addition to those guidelines.....

The homemade products that I make must... .

Contains ingredients that I readily keep in the house such as oatmeal and honey and essential oils.(I know I'll have to buy a few things I don't normally keep such as rosewater or glycerin...but there are many other uses that I'll find for them. And isn't that sustainable...to have 100 ways to use oatmeal?)
Is simple to prepare. (Five steps or less. I don't want to spend five hours creating a face wash that has forty ingredients. I don't have time for that. Even if I had time, I don't want to spend time doing that.)
It eventually works once I use it. (If after trying the homemade recipe the results are not as effective, it's not gonna work.)

I found another toothpaste recipe to try as well. This recipe came from Christian PF.

Ingredients

Baking Soda
Salt
Hydrogen Peroxide (Is it really okay to use this? My dentist uses this to whitenen her teeth and it just seems really weird to me. I'm going to have to google this and find out more. Does anyone know?)
Peppermint Oil
Stevia

Preparation

Pour 1/2 cup baking soda into a mixing bowl
Add a dash of salt
Add 1/4 cup of hydrogen peroxide
Add 1 drop of peppermint oil
Add a dash of stevia (more if you want it sweeter)
Mix it all up until it becomes paste like. You may have to add more hydrogen peroxide to get the right consistency.

I am running out of toothpaste now, so I will try these recipes this weekend.

There are a few other products I'm looking to make from scratch.

Deodorant. I found a good recipe on SimpleMom I believe.
Shower Gel. I cannot find one for this. Yes, I could use soap but I love the texture of shower gel. My mother found a vendor who makes it and is shipping it to me some time soon. The vendor who even made it said a prayer over it and though I'm not a praying woman, I like that my shower gel has been blessed. I think that's holy.
Ultimate All Purpose Cleaner. Yes vinegar and castille soap and baking soda and all those wonderful things are great cleaning agents. But what I want to do is make the ultimate perfectly scented all purpose cleaner and I've been playing around with some recipes.
Body Butter. I LOVE body butter. Lotion, Creams and Oils don't really do muchf or my skin. But some how my skin has a love affair with body butter. Specifically the Coco Butter Body Butter from the Body Shop. Yes there are a BILLION recipes for Shea Body Butter but I really DO NOT like the scent of Shea Butter. I like the scent of cocoa butter. Any good recipes that you know of.
Facial Moisturizer. This is the last thing on my list to make my facial products complete.

Do you know how I can create a winterfresh flavor using essential oils for my homemade mouthwash? What do you use to brush your teeth? Is hydrogen peroxide safe?

Granola Happenings

2010-03-06T10:46:00.003-06:00

This week on Granola Tendencies...

- The Battery that Almost Exploded

- A Week of Vegetarian Meals

- The Spice Market restaurant review

- Homemade Dish Soap

- Homemade Mouthwash

- Alikay Naturals Product Review

Sugar and Coffee

2010-03-05T07:00:00.000-06:00

I've pretty much given up coffee completely. Since December of 2009 I've only had two coffee drinks. I've also given up most forms of sugar even raw. I only use raw sugar for cooking and/or baking.

Photo Credit

I sweeten most things with agave nectar. Mainly my African Nectar Mighty Leaf tea. Because I've come to love agave nectar so much, I won't even use honey. Honey only comes in handy for baking, cooking, and homemade products now. Now if I run out of agave, I'll just have my tea by itself. Eventually I won't even need the agave nectar anymore!

I can't remember the last time I purchased granulater sugar. I like that. And the coffee that I still have in the house...that's just used for my Brown Sugar Coffee Body Scrub.

Taking coffee and sugar out of my daily nutritutional intake...adding more fruit, water, and vitamins, I've noticed my body feels lighter. Things are processed better. I wonder how enlightened I'd feel if I went completed raw. Perhaps I'll try going raw for just one day and then vegan for a day, just to note the differences.

Do you notice a difference when you eat only vegetarian meals versus raw meals versus vegan meals? How often do you drink coffee? What do you use to sweeten your drinks and foods?

"My Elective Blackout"

2010-03-04T08:00:00.002-06:00

I came across this article in Real Simple a long while ago and I LOVED it. My goal is go on a couple elective blackouts this year as long as my schedule allows. If I'm working on a show, that's not possible but if I can, I want to have a weekend of candles.

Click each picture for a larger view. It is worth reading the article.

What do you think about the article?

The Uniform Project

2010-03-03T08:00:00.001-06:00

Have you ever heard of The Uniform Project? I first learned about it through one of my favorite websites.

One of the comments I wrote about the website was....

Posted by Sheena - 06/13/2009
I actually really like the project. Even if its not completely sustainable, or someone has done it before, or there are better ways to go about doing it….I really like it. Its creative and inspires me to think of ways in which I could simplify my wardrobe. I won’t wear the same dress for a year but it makes me realize I can do a lot more with all the pieces in my wardrobe. So if this has prevented me from buying another dress because I’m thinking of new ways to wear the ones I already have, then unclutterer has succeeded in being helpful to me. Plus the girl is just so adorable and while some of the outfits are crazy, many of them are just too cute! I want that black dress!

First, I must mentioned the woman behind the Uniform Project has the same name as me, SHEENA! Yea!

One of the reasons for this project is to raise money for school children. But I like the sustainable implications. Can you take one dress from your wardrobe in wear it in seven different ways? After following The Uniform for quite some time, I was inspired to look at my clothes in a new way. Perhaps if I layered things or added accessories I could find a new way to wear something.

And it works.

But first, back to Sheena from U.P. Here are some of my favorites of hers. (Look at her site and see some of her creative or crazy outfits. I can't believe it's almost been a year!)

My favorite is the one with the hat! So so cool!

Eventually the black dress which can be worn both ways will be for sale. I will definitely be purchasing it. Sheena borrowed friends accessories until her site became so popular that people were donating accessories for her to try. At one point, she asked that people stop sending accessories. She even had an event where she put the accessories up for auction to raise more money.

So with her encouragement I have tried mixing things up with my clothes.

This white dress has been in my closet for over a year with the price tag still on it. I was never able to wear it to work because its spaghetti strapped and the cut is pretty low. And I just never had an occasion to wear it during the summer. But after some creative layering, its not one of my favorite things to wear to work. Now I need to try it with some other color than black!

One of my favorite dresses but because its sleeveless, its limited to certain seasons. Or not! I add a long sleeve tshirt, leggings, and even knee length socks with boots. And now I can even rock the dress in the winter!

Another sleeveless dress that works for the winter by adding a long sleeve tshirt, leggings and boots.

And one of my favorite shirt/dresses..Its more a shirt at this point. But with leggings it doesn't matter. So with this one I went color crazy. Green leggings. Orange leg warmers. Brown boots.

But sometimes I wear the shirt with jeans.
Or just with brown leggings and boots.

But even still, that's three different outfits.

So I encourage you to mix and match.

Right now I am living out of three suitcases while the rest of my belongings including my clothes are in storage somewhere in New Jersey. I'm pretty much stuck to the three suitcases and I really don't want to buy more stuff. Therefore, I've been trying some pretty different looks with the clothes that I have. Who knew layers, leggings, and accessories could give you a whole new look.

Associates at work actually thought this was a new dress because of the belt. And I wear the dress a lot. A least once a week but this time with the new accessories I was frequently asked if this was a new dress!

When you can't find anything to wear do you shop for something new, borrow from a friend, or try old clothes in a completely new way? Any ideas for other ways and colors and styles I can try to make my limited wardrobe fresh and new. (Also do you notice a theme...I love dresses!)

Homemade Apple Crisp

2010-03-02T08:00:00.001-06:00

Awhile back I made homemade apple crisp with some apples from work. Rather than throwing them in the garbage. I've also brought bananas home and made banana oatmeal cookies too.

Here is the video I made.

After making my video, I felt bad that I didn't look for a more organic way to make my apple crisp. So I searched for a healthier version to try in the near future. So I'm going to be trying this one soon.

Electrical Overload

2010-03-01T08:00:00.001-06:00

Photo Credit

I recently moved to New York for a job relocation and while I'm still getting situated, I'm staying in corporate housing. I am grateful for the benefit of corporate housing. It ties me over until I find a home. It's close to work and pretty much at the center of everything. The apartment comes fully stocked since most of my belonging are in storage and so I am able to survive until I find my future home in Brooklyn.

The first thing I noticed when I arrived was all the things plugged into the walls.

This is a partial view of the kitchen. It's pretty nice. Lots of room and counter space. But let's count what's plugged in.

1. The fridge

2. The stove.

3. The microwave

4. The dishwasher

5. The toaster

6. The can opener

7. The coffeemaker

SEVEN THINGS! Just in the kitchen. Remember my old lovely apartment?

At any given moment throughout my ENTIRE apartment only THREE things remained plugged in. The fridge, the stove and my internet router. Even the lamp featured in the photo was only plugged in when in used. Which was rare because you see how much light i get in my apartment!

So seven things for just the kitchen. Well, I immediately put the can opener, toaster and coffee machine in the cabinet. I haven't used any of those things since I moved in.

Now what you can see in this picture...

8. Floor lamp

9. Table lamp

10. Ipod/Radio player

What you can't see...

11. Flat screen television

12. DVD player

13. Cable box

14. Router

15. Desk lamp

16. Telephone

17. Heater/Air conditioner

Oh, I forgot to mention

18. Telephone in kitchen

19. Telephone in kitchen (yes there are two. One that connects me to the doorman)

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!

Now on to the bedroom.

20. One nightstand lamp

21. Another night stand lam

22. Heater/Air Conditioner

What you can't see.....

23. Another television. (A television in the bedroom. AAAAAHHHH!)

24. Cable box.

25. Yet ANOTHER telephone

And while its not plugged in there is a hair dryer in the bathroom.

25 things plugged in at all times! Are you serious! I can't even imagine what the electricity bill is! This isn't even counting the other things that you plug in every now and then. My phone chargers. My laptop charger and such! WTF!

I was excited to have received a $15 electricity bill in my old apt and now...holy crap. Luckily I don't have to see the electricity bill.

I've unplugged as many things as I can and have even considered moving the television in the bedroom into the closet but since its not my place I'm a little hesitant to make changes like that.

I find that its challenging to live a sustainable life when you don't have control. Like when I go home to visit my family, I eat what's presented to me. I'm not going to impose my lifestyle on them and change how they shop. And since this isn't my own apt, its just challenging. But I do what I can.

For the first few weeks I had a great deal of trouble sleeping. Part of me believes is due to this electrical overload. I can't wait to have my own apt again where the only things that are plugged in will be my fridge, stove and router.

How many things do you have plugged in?

Sunshine Award

2010-02-28T20:56:00.001-06:00

I was recently given the Sunshine Award by Shelagh at Every Small Thing. Her blog is one my inspirations for sustainable living on a personal level. I think she is very articulate, creative, and amazing! And while I can explain how to live a life of a single person in the city with a sustainable approach, Shelagh shows how to do that with a family. She has so many practical steps and I like her writing voice. I read her daily!

The purpose of this reward is to highlight bloggers who bring sunshine into your life. A little sunshine is needed right now when most of the US has been or is still covered in snow. My google reader is full of blogs that I read all the time and these are some of the people who bring sunshine into my life.

Brooklyn Green Team. -This blog consist of a team of volunteers who do pretty cool stuff around Brooklyn. Long before I moved to New York I was following their blog for inspiration, ideas and support. Now that I'll be moving to Brooklyn soon, I'm glad to have a resource for my new york life.

Green Girl Meets All American Boy - She doesn't update her site any longer but its still worth looking at her post. I loved her blog and it served as inspiration for my relationship.

Her Green Life -I love reading about individual's efforts towards leading a sustainable life and she does a great job towards documenting her efforts.

Edible Aria -His food and recipes and pictures...oh my goodness..it makes me want to lick my computer screen or fly to Austin just to try his food.

Maura. Life After -This is my dear friend Erin's blog and she used to write about her daughter's struggle with cancer and now she writes about life after Maura. And while the subject might seem difficult, it is a beautiful blog full on inspiration. I hope she writes a book one day!

Joel, Sly and Erin

Jantira K -This is another friend of mine. She's one of the best artist that I know. I don't even know what else to say about her. She was featured on Granola Tendencies.

Sly and Jantira K

A Survivor's Thoughts on Life - She is one of the few people I have found who write about abuse and those who survive it and thrive after it. Her post are insightful, difficult, honest and encouraging and I think she is simply amazing.

The 365 Project - My friend Hannah is an amazing photographer among many other things. I love her daily photos especially ones with lots of color or ones about her cats.

Sly and Hannah

Chelsea Does 101 Things - This is an artist I've worked with on a couple different theater productions and she does all sorts of wonderful things but this blog of hers is SOOOO amazing. It makes me want to do similar things.

EcoMama's Guide to Living Green - Eco Mama has already been nominated but she gives me sunshine so I'm still featuring her too. I love her reviews and reccommendations. I love the foods that she tries. I like it all. Most of the sustainable things I've purchased recently have been because they were featured on her site!

Every Small Thing - And Shelagh. She's received it already but still I think she shoul receive it again. I LOVE LOVE LOVE her blog. I wish she were my neighbor. We'd be great friends! I know it.

Who inspires you and brings sunshine into your life?

Fruit Loops has Fiber

2010-02-28T20:06:00.000-06:00

Back in October I wrote about Kellogg's latest commercial where they spoke of Poptarts containing real fruit. I was slightly enraged with their lies and marketing scheme geared towards children to endorse their product in a greenwashing manner.

I recently saw their latest commercial.

I wrote before.....
First off, it always annoys me how so many toys, snacks, and all around products are geared towards children and not the adult who's buying the item. The commercial above is for a child to see and then beg their mom in the grocery store for.

Now the kid will say, "But mommy, it has fiber!"

How about giving your child granola and adding a spoonful of ground flaxseed with mixed berries. Or giving them granola with organic milk topped with blueberries or raspberries.

I acknowledge that it is uber expensive for a typical family to feed their children on an organic diet. I know. The part in Food Inc, featuring the family who had to decide between fruit or chips was heartbreaking. I get it.

But its just annoying.

A friend of mine babysits for a family that only feeds their daughter real food. She grew up eating avocado mashed up rather than McDonalds. One of her favorite foods is squid and not hot dogs. I'm sure she even knows what flaxseed is. :) Her babysitter told me the story of how when she was about two, her and her friends were talking about what they were going to eat for a snack. One kid said, "A hotdog." Another said something else just as blah. And then she said, "Noki."

What do you feed your children for breakfast?

Organic Natural Breakfast

2010-02-28T19:54:00.000-06:00

A few months ago I watched Food Inc. To say that move shook me to my core is an understatement. Watching that movie reminded me of when I watched Friends of God and Rosie O'Donnell's Gay Family Cruise. After seeing those two documentaries, in addition to having some life changing experiences, my "religious" perspective was shook to its core and I went on a two year journey of self discovery and spiritual enlightenment. Watching Food Inc, also reminded me of when I read and saw The Laramie Project and Angels of America. After experiences those two pieces of art, in addition to having life changing experiences, my paradigm of thinking of same sex orientation was forever changed.

Watching Food Inc, altered my view of food. I felt it in my gut! For a few years now, I've "wanted" to change my eating habits. Its pretty healthy but I could stand to be vegetarian/vegan/raw. I could stand to be more intentional about consuming only organic or natural foods. I could stand to eat more fruit. I could stop snacking on certain foods which have no nutritional value. I even bought a lot of cookbooks on eating raw, vegan and vegetarian. I even once dated a raw foodist! But nothing worked.

Then I saw Food Inc. Have you seen it? It's available to watch instantly on Netflix, if you have a subscription. Shoot, even if you don't have a subscription, I'd give you my login info just so you can watch it. It's that important. I started taking notes while watching it. I'd post those later. I bought the book too. It's next on my reading list. I had my entire family watch it over Christmas too. At some points, my mother cried. I understood the sentiment too. But I'll talk more about Food Inc. later.

Because of Food Inc, I've changed a lot of my eating habits. But I still have a long way to go.

My daily breakfast intact now consist of one of two things.

On the weekends, I eat cereal.

Right now I haven't found a specific brand of cereal that I like but its always some form of granola. I'm really liking this AgavePlus Granola right now. I then add a spoonful or two of ground Flaxseed. And I've completely switched the milk that I consume to almond milk.

I'm not a heavy milk drinker. I only consume it when adding it to something. Before Almond Milk, I drank 2% milk. I have a homemade recipe for almond milk that I will start making. I plan on doing that when I move into my new apartment. (I'm in temporary housing right now as I continue to transition. Just recently moved to New York!)

So when I'm home, this is what I have for breakfast. And i tell you, I feel like a treehugger eating it. But its good. And I notice that my body feels better. I respond better to almond milk than any other kind. Plus, I DO NOT like soy milk. Ugh!

When I am at work, my breakfast is something completely different. One thing I lack in my daily nutritional intake is FRUIT. I don't like fruit, except mango. So I hardly eat it. But I've found a creative way to get me to consume fruit.

Smoothies!!!

Yum. Yum. I love smoothies. Jamba Juice has received too much of money. And the fraps at starbucks receive too much of my money too. And I doubt either is as oganic as it could be.

Just about every morning I make a fresh smoothie at work. It consist of...

Fresh and Frozen strawberries

Frozen mangoes

Half a banana

100% pomegranate juice

sometimes a splash of orange juice

Ice

Half a container of vanilla yogurt

Mix it up and drink up!

Yummy. Natural. No extra sugar. Just fruit, yogurt, juice, and ice!

I have no clue how many servings of fruit I add to my intake by drinking it.

I usually have half a banana and half a cup of yogurt left, so I eat that too.

This is a great way to start my day.

Sometimes I make way too much so I freeze the rest and later on I have a homemade sorbet and its just as good too!

What do you consume for breakfast? Do you have suggestions on various fruits I could add to my smoothies? Have you seen Food Inc?

In Lieu of My Absence.

2010-02-01T22:59:00.000-06:00

I KNOW!! I'm sorry. I have been gone so long! Part of me enjoys it. But part of me knows its not fair. To tie you over while I continue editing post and...videos, visit me on Youtube. Maybe that will be the appetizer before my soon to be return.

I have a video on Homemade Apple Crisp, Homemade Face Wash, Natural Hair Care and Styles, and Part One of my Corn Chowder. Watch some of those and hopefully it will make my absence a little less severe!

http://www.youtube.com/user/sheenalyoung

On a Break

2010-01-17T01:22:00.001-06:00

Where did Sly go? Well, I went to New York for Christmas. Texas for New Years. Chicago to pack. And then I moved to New York. And now its been a week and a much needed break from facebook, twitter, blogs, email, cell phones and I am enjoying it. I realize by pausing those things I've spent the last few weeks spending quality time with family, friends, my lover and myself. And it has been wonderful. Tomorrow, I've made a date with myself, Crumbs Bake shop and my blogs and I will be back.

Granola Interview with Goddess and Grocer

2009-12-21T19:50:00.000-06:00

As mentioned in a previous post I wanted to take the time to highlight some of my favorite local restaurants in Chicago that I think are great. They must meet certain criteria.

Must be a LOCAL non chain restaurant
Must have good food
Must have fed SLY at some point in her life (not for free. None of these places are paying me to highlight them. These are just places I like to frequent.)
Must practice some form of sustain behavior so that my "granola" highlight isn't in vain. :)

For my first restaurant highlight, I was able to interview the owner which turned out great. (insert happy dance here!)

Today we will hear from Debbie Sharp, the owner of The Goddess and Grocer and Feast.

SLY: How long has The Goddess and Grocer been around?

DS: 5 and a half years, I think.

SLY: What’s the difference between The Goddess and Grocer and Feast?

DS: Feast is a sit down restaurant with a more global approach to food and wine - a neighbor restaurant with a global beat - is how we like to brand it. The Goddess and Grocer covers a much wider range than a restaurant - we have sandwiches, prepared foods, salads, pastries and desserts, catering - all made from scratch as well as drinks, a fantastic wine selection, is for quick bites, easy take out and wonderful catering

SLY: I read in another interview that you got your start working in the entertainment industry as a caterer to entertainers such as Princess Diana, The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, and the likes. Was that an amazing experience or what? WOW! Any interesting quick stories you can tell?

DS: I actually started out as an accountant, went into journalism and back into accounting before I started working for Adam and The Ants, a punk band in England in the late 70s and early 80s. Then I went into catering. My most amazing experience was working with Linda McCartney, who was such a strong woman but also such a caring and loving person. She always amazed me the way she kept her family so close and was also so embracing of everybody on the road.

Fun times - shopping in a local supermarket in Germany, and I had loaded 15 supermarket carts and as I was loading them, somebody was putting them back on the shelves, thinking I was a crazy woman, but too polite to ask me. it was like a comedy.

On George Michael, in Verona, Italy, he was about to go on stage but it started sinking into the ground. They thought there were going to be riots when they cancelled the show and they hid us in these caves in the back of the amphitheater and sort of forgot about us for a few hours. thought we were going to be buried there along with other Roman soldiers.

Photo Credit: Goddess and Grocer

SLY: Are any of the ingredients that you cook with natural, organically and/or locally grown?

DS: We try and use local products but they are very expensive considering they are locally grown. I am very much a natural cook though and we don't use any additives or preservatives for anything. When I first came to the States, which was with the McCartney tour in 1989, I was shocked at all the added ingredients in food and wouldn't buy anything. It taught me a lot about using fresh products only. (SLY: And I must say, Debbie's food is FRESH and so TASTY!)

SLY: Your menu seems to change based on the season…does this mean that you try to create menus based on what’s in season?

DS: We have some favorites that we need to keep on a regular basis for both stores, as customers would be upset without them and then we change seasonally. (SLY: This is a very important aspect of eco-conscious eating!)

Photo Credit: Goddess and Grocer

SLY: Do you practice any sustainable methods within your restaurant? (Whether that’s through recycling, using wheat flour, or using left over veggies to make soup?

DS: I have always recycled, I was one of the first restaurants in Chicago to do so. I also hate waste so I try to make sure we use up as much as possible. When I was in Mosco with Bon Jovi, also in 1989, we were doing a huge concert with 10 bands and I had brought all the food by truck from London because Moscow would not have the amount of food we need to feed 800 people on a daily basis for 2 weeks. I used to see the old woman going through our trash everyday picking through it and also our Russian helpers, so everything that was left over, we would box up and leave it out for them to take home.

SLY: What are some of your signature vegetarian and vegan dishes?

DS: Goddess does a great bbq tofu sandwich and the garden goddess wrap is my favorite of alll the sandwiches. For Feast we do some really great Indian and Thai curries but do them as complete meals with four or five different things on the plates - maybe samosas, vegetable curry, basmati rice, pappadum, mango chutney, raita (SLY: I have tried the BBQ tofu sandwich and it is AMAZING. Even some of my meat eater friends love that sandwich.)

Photo Credit: Goddess and Grocer

SLY: Why should someone come to Goddess and Grocer versus Potbelly's?

DS: We always say maybe twice the price but we are three times the sandwich! We also use much better quality bread, meats and cheese and our fillings literally are three times as much. But I do think Potbelly's does a good job. I like a couple of their salads a lot. (SLY: Such a classy lady. Giving Potbelly's props!)

SLY: Anything else you'd like to share?

DS: I think the economy is picking up because we are really busy and thrilled about it!

One of my favorite things about Goddess and Grocer is their RED VELVET CUPCAKES. I have eaten a LOT of red velvet cupcakes, including my own. But the BEST ones I've ever tried are from Goddess and Grocer.

Photo Credit

You can find out more about Debbie or her wonderful restaurants below......

Goddess and Grocer

BUCKTOWN

1646 North Damen Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60647
p: 773.342.3200

GOLD COAST

25 East Delaware Place
Chicago, Illinois 60611
p: 312.896.2600

ELSTON

2200 N Elston Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60614
p: 773.292.7100

Feast

BUCKTOWN

1616 N. Damen Ave.
Chicago. IL 60647
Ph: 773.772.7100

GOLD COAST

25 E. Delaware Place
Chicago. IL 60611
Ph: 312.337.4001

Facebook: Goddess and Grocer

Twitter: Goddess and Grocer

Photo Credit

I Blame it all on Dr. Seuss

2009-12-17T14:21:00.001-06:00

I love books.

Just yesterday I sent an email to one of my former professors from college asking for a new reading list. I just spent a LOT of money on Half.com buying books for myself and for friends. The fact that I can buy a hardcover copy of Drowning Ruth for $4.00, $3.25 of which is shipping cost..thus meaning the book itself cost 75 cents is CRAZY! So I bought three copies for friends. I'm not sure which friends have it already and which do not so if you do not, tell me and I'll ship it to you. Same goes for The Myth of You and Me and The Memory Room.

I once received a gift from someone for Christmas that was a little figurine of a girl with a book in her hand. The giver explained that she always saw me with either a book and/or journal at all times and when she saw figurine, she thought of me. That figurine sits on my bookcase till this day! I LOVE BOOKS! I love reading. I love stories. The more I read, the better I write, the fuller my imagination becomes..books transform my mind. God created books and stories for me! Maybe for you too. But mainly for me!

A friend recently put a link on facebook about the World's Most Beautiful Libraries. AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!

Photo Credit

I would give up sex for an ENTIRE year to spend five seconds in each of those libraries! (I mean, I adore you Mr. Officer. I can taste you in the air I breathe. But those libraries are heaven. I could die there and you'd know it was okay!)

So back to books. I recently signed up to participate in a book challenge. The African Diaspora Reading Challenge by BrownGirl Speaks. I found out the challenge via Raquel at HomeGirl. I found out about Raquel through Veola (my mom) from Do You, Inc. Talk about networking, branching out, and discovering new and amazing people!

Brown Girl says of the challenge....

The African diaspora speaks mainly to the dispersion of African descendants in the Americas and Europe due to the Atlantic slave trade. Yes, Africans were enslaved or migrants to other parts of the world but the term is usually in reference to the aforementioned areas. So, for this challenge, books read will be by Black authors and set in Africa, North America, South America, Central America, Caribbean Islands, and Europe. Yes, this is broad but it means the possibilities are endless. Hopefully, those who participate will gain more incite into the myriad of Black cultural experiences.

Now, for guidelines:
*This challenge will run from January 1, 2010-December 31, 2010
*Crossovers are allowed
*Fiction and nonfiction hard copies or e-books from any genre (no audio books)
*Participants should visit different geographical regions in their reading (i.e. not all African American or Afro-Brit or Haitian or any one group representing the diaspora)
*Levels of participation
Novice: commitment to read four (4) books
Versed: commitment to read eight (8) books
Scholar: commitment to read twelve (12) books
*If you need ideas, here's a list of authors and titles in the African diaspora.
*There will be a prize drawn amongst those who complete the challenge.
*I may host a mini challenge at some point as well and there would be a prize. Only challenge participants will be eligible.

To join to challenge sign up via her website.

So far I have purchased 7 books. My goal is to read 12. I picked people who I was familiar with and people I had never heard of.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Let the Lion Eat Straw by Ellease Southerland

The Untelling by Tayari Jones

So Long a Letter by Mariama Ba

Go Tell It On the Mountain by James Baldwin

Reversing Sail: A History of the African Diaspora by Michael Angelo Gomez

The Book of Night Women by Marlon James

Do you have suggestions on other books I can read that fit within the guidelines? I'm excited.

Books can be very expensive to some people. Some books are about $30. I'd drop $30 on a book but I look twice at a dress from Forever 21 that's the same price but then I'd spend $30 on Thai food but I wonder why a video game cost the same amount. It's crazy what we think is reasonable and unreasonable.

If you are one who doesn't like spending too much on books try websites like half.com and amazon.com. Swaptree.com is also amazing. You only pay for shipping and you get to get rid of books, movies, music, or games you no longer want cluttering your house. You can also try local bookstores and the sale racks in regular bookstores.

Purchasing used books is a very sustainable lifestyle approach. While half.com is a "greener" choice, its probably even better to bike to your local used bookstore and purchase them locally.

While purchasing books used is environmentally sustainable, I don't know how culturally sustainable that is. The authors must make enough of a living to be able to write more stories and support themselves. So perhaps the publishers or manufacturers need to use 100% post consumer recycled paper or some other material all together.

I suppose some will say a Kindle is a sustainable approach. God, what if the Kindle becomes the next iPod. I would cry. I would throw my body on a floor and have a FIT! While I love my ipod and love that at any moment I've carrying over 3000 songs with me at all times...I love a physical book! I love underlining and highlight and writing in my books. I love the smell of books. I love the weight of books. I love folding the pages down. I don't want to read a book on an electronic device. I REFUSE!

You could also go to the library and borrow books. Unfortunately I have a very bad problem with returning the books. I don't like too. I want to keep them. I'd rather give them something else in the place of the book that I took. But for you, I encourage you to go to the library. For me, I will just buy my books used. (Although if its an author that I love, I usually buy there latest books full price to show my support for them!)

Another idea I like instead of the library is swapping books with friends. Whether that's permanately or temporarily. I like when friends let me read their books and vice versa. But again..I don't like returning their books and I want them to return ALL of mine asap. I'm a book whore. AND I DON'T CARE!

If you were going to be stuck on an island and I could ensure you had one book with you to read, what would that book be.....

....SLY's TOP PICKS for MUST READS are (in no particular order becase you should read them all)

Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwartz (I also like ALL of her other books but this one is the best. I believe Wes Craven is now going to make it into a movie and I think its very fitting)
Children of Men by P.D. James (its different from the movie but JUST AS AMAZING!)
Strange Fits of Passion by Anita Shreve. (Really. I love just about all of her books. I think I have over 15 or so.)
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. (SO SO SO Freaking amazing! If you like the Brother's Grimm Fairy Tales and NOT the Disney ones you are going to have an orgasmic experience!)
The Myth of Me and You by Leah Stewart. (The ad for this book said, "if you've ever googled and old friend's name, you should read this book." And its true. If you have ever had a falling out with a friend, even for legitimate reasons...this rocks your world.)

The Memory Room by Mary Rakow (This woman can have my soul if only she will write another book. The book is pretty much highlighted in its entirety. Do you want a copy? I will buy you one as a gift because you must read this book!)
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. (She is local to Chicago and this book is perfect. She does so many great things.
I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb. (I hated his book, She's Come Undone. But I love everything else. This book is like 900 pages but it is worth every bit!)
The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb. (Another good one by Lamb)
The Last Time They Met by Anita Shreve. (If I had to pick one of her billion books that you must must read. This would be the one!)
The Weight of Water by Anita Shreve. (Its written after The Last Time They Met but its the prequel and sequel. You won't have any idea until you read both!)
Kiss Me Like a Stranger by Gene Wilder. (The best memoir I have ever read. He has worked with everybody. He is so fascinating and so human. I wish he was my uncle!)
Lip Service; The Truth about Women's Darker Side in Love, Sex and Friendship by Kate Fillion. (Its not what you first think. Trust me. Its not anti-feminist or feminist. Its just the plain and simple and complicated truth. The ENTIRE book is underlined and highlighted! This woman needs to write some more stuff!)
Unspeak: How words become weapons, how weapons become a message and how that message becomes reality by Steve Poole. (Every communication and sociology major should read it. Anyone who opens their mouth should read it really!)
His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman. (Every child on the face of this earth should read it! If you are a christian and disagree...ummm stop reading my post! I don't even want to hear your stupid critique. Seriously. I really think what you have to say is stupid.)

EVERY SINGLE BOOK written by Dr. Seuss. (I credit Dr. Seuss with teaching me how to read!)

For teens...I recommend...(and my 15 year old sister has approved of this message!)

Perfect by Natasha Friend
Lush by Natasha Friend
Bounce by Natasha Friend.

(She also has two other books. One due out in April called For Keeps and one I can't find anywhere called Night Swimming.)

So there you have it.

Sarasvait is the Indian God of Speech, Wisdom and Learning and Thoth is the African God of Writing and Knowledge. With my passionate affair with books, knowledge, learning, studying and writing...I believe I must be a direct descendant from them both. I channel them daily.

Read any good books lately?

Sustainable Music

2009-12-09T13:24:00.000-06:00

I can not remember how I happened upon Diego Stocco but I am glad that I did. First just watch his video where he creates beautiful music from an element of nature...SAND!

Diego Stocco - Music From Sand from Diego Stocco on Vimeo.

Um. Wow.

Nature may not do it for everyone, but for me...I love music. I love sound. I love rain on pavement and the sound traffic makes against that. I love the sounds nature makes and I love the sounds musicians make. I love music. After coming across Diego Stocco's work, I started thinking about sustainable approaches towards music and within a few minutes my google search was out of control.

First, I thought about how its such a practical idea to use nature itself in creating music. Diego used sand in one video and a tree in another to create sounds. You can't get more granola than that!

Then I thought about how you can use a simplistic approach towards music. While some people like a huge spectacle type of show such as the U2 concert which I will touch upon later, I also love when its just a singer and their guitar. I can't tell you what the sound of that does to me. Such as a dear friend of mine Dave Seume. Now, Dave can put on a good show. I went to enough of his concerts during college and recorded pretty much all of them. But what I love about one of his latest singles and videos is how he just has his guitar and he sings a song that is so beautiful. Listen to my friend. Dave and his guitar. That's sustainable!

Another approach towards sustainability in music is purchasing used instruments. I really want a guitar and instead of buying a new one, I'd love to have a used one. Perhaps I'll scourer craigslist for a good one.

Another approach is educating yourself. Sustainability and Music is a whole other topic. I'm doing a short post about it but their are blogs and alliances out there just for this in mind. I happened upon Sustainable Music which focuses on cultural sustainability in regards to music but I believe that's just as important as environmental sustainability and economic sustainability. I also came across the Green Music Alliance.
There was so much information on that website it was out of control...in a good way. Take some time and explore the site. I found so many resources. I didn't know there was such a movement! Why can't all the various movements join as one, to really show the true number of people who are really making an effort towards sustainability.

Photo Credit

Another thing that I personally do is download all my music. I believe this leaves a far less carbon impact than buying cd's or vinyls or cassette tapes.

Another thing you can do, go to local jazz lounges and open mic cafe type places and hear and support the local musicians in your area.

On a different note, recently I had to opportunity to attend to opening night of U2's 360 tour that began in Chicago. It was amazing! I had encountered Bono before at my undergraduate college because he was there spreading the word about the ONE campaign. But I had never seen him rock before! The concert was incredible!

But while it was incredible it left a GIGANTIC carbon footprint. I wish you could have seen it. The stage was MASSIVE. The sheer amount of energy used....all those lights....all those amps. The stage manager booth was bigger than my apartment. Probably bigger than most people's houses. Imagine that. Needing a booth the size of a house to run the show from. That's crazy.

I heard things like, it taking over 200 trucks to move the concert from city to city. I heard it cost 40 million to build the stage. 334 stage hands to make it all work. The fact that it takes 5 days to assemble the stage and 3 days to take it apart...I've never heard of such a thing. How did such a massive, expensive show fit with their environmental beliefs.

The Edge spoke with BBC News and was quoted as saying,"I think anybody that's touring is going to have a carbon footprint. I think it's probably unfair to single out rock 'n' roll. There's many other things that are in the same category but as it happens we have a programme to offset whatever carbon footprint we have." He was also quoted as saying, "We'd love to have some alternative to big trucks bringing the stuff around but there just isn't one."

Here's the thing. As much as I LOVED the show. The effects were out of this world. The band was AMAZING, everything was great...but as much as I loved it, I still feel his comments are a bit of a cope out. For a group that is trying to literally feed the hungry children in africa, it seemed like for as long as they have been in the business they could have come up with some creative solutions and alternatives.

But I don't judge them. While I spout out my granola tendencies, there are other areas in my life where true "greenist" would be appalled. So I get it. I have a quote on one of my art journals that's from Bono. It says something to the effect of, "I want to be a Rock Star and save the world too!"

Can they co-exist? Is it ok to spend half your fortune on your every whim and then the other half on starving children. Or should it all go to them? When is enough enough?

I can't answer that questions. But I can say that I hope that they find another way to put on their shows. What if the biggest Rock Band in the world was able to give a phenomenal experience to its fans while still taking sustainable measures. It would set the standard in the music industry!

One of my favorite moments from the show was probably one of the quietest, less showy moments. It was when The Edge played guitar and Bono held the mic and together just the two of them sang, "Stuck in a Moment." To me, that simple moment was the most mind blowing of all. The Edge, Bono and an acoustic guitar.

What could U2 have done differently? What are other ways in which music can be environmentally sustainable? Diego used sand and trees to make music...what else should he use? Have you created music from the earth.

Practical Steps towards lowering your utility bill.

2009-12-09T01:23:00.000-06:00

A friend wanted to know the practical steps towards reducing my energy usage and decreasing the amount I pay on my energy bill.

I believe when I moved into my apartment back in May, my first two bills were about $20 to $22 dollars. That was with living my normal lifestyle without taking extra measures towards being more eco conscious.

Here is what I do and I know its not conducive for everyone. (Remember I live alone which means I live in a controlled environment in a small city apartment)

Live alone. While some say its cheaper to live with roommates, I have found its cheaper to live alone. Or at least, if you live with roommates, live with someone who is conscientious about their energy consumption and amount they spend on utilities. My former roommates were more than ok with spending $100+ on the electricity bill. I was NOT ok with that. By living alone or living with people who are like minded you know that the lights are being turned off. You know that energy isn't being wasted. If you have children, you can teach them to be conscious of the energy they consume. I actually came across a toy called the Power Hog that children are to plug into the wall. And when its fully charge, there is something to indicate to the kid that they can unplug the piggy. And when the piggy runs out of charge, the child has to feed it a coin to turn it back on thus teaching the child that energy isn't free. Anyone know what I'm talking about. Even without these crafty little strategically marketed "green" toys, you can teach your children to turn the lights off when they leave a room, to not leave the water running, and such.

Photo Credit

Get outside. During the summer I spent little time at home. I work a full time job and I stayed active in either theater shows, beach volleyball teams, traveling, bike rides and such. By spending time outdoors, I was spending less time at home with lights on, watching tv and wasting energy. So add a thing or two to your schedule. Instead of watching tv with your children, take them to the park. Its free! Cable and Electricity are not.

Unplug appliances from the wall or use surge protectors. The ONLY thing plugged into my walls on a consistent every day basis is my Fridge and Stove...which I don't really count. And my router for my wireless internet because if I unplugged that, it would take forever for it to reboot. I unplug my lamps from the wall. I unplug my phone chargers from the wall. My microwave stays off and unplugged unless I need to use it. So does my blender, printer, external hard drive and other chargers.

Use less artificial light. This may be harder for some people rather than others. This lady that I work with always makes fun of me and says I like living in a cave. For every light that she turns on at work, I want to turn another off. I am quoted as saying that "fluorescent lights suck my soul away." I only like using enough light that's necessary. As little light as possible. Whenever I skype with Mr. Officer he complains about not being about to see me. While he has 20 lamps on, I think I have one on. "I know what I'm going to buy you," he says, "A desk lamp!" Its funny but its also true of me. I don't really like turning lights on. Turn on the lights only when you need too. Use candles. Use natural lighting. I have lots of windows in my apartment. Therefore I can use the sunshine for many things. In the mornings I just wash my face and brush my teeth. Since I'm not styling my hair or applying makeup, I don't really need the light on. When I shower, I shower with the light off. It feels better that way. Right this very moment, how many lights are on in your place?

Own less stuff or own multi-functional devices. I don't have a flat iron. hot curler. blow dryer. dvd player. tv. wii. radio. alarm clock. toaster. food processer. Because I have less stuff. That's less stuff to use. My laptop serves as a laptop and a radio and a tv and a dvd player. Since I wear my hair natural and use simple styles like twist to make other styles, I don't need a blow dryer, flat iron, curler or anything else. (I don't even own a brush or comb!) My blender doubles as a food processor. My boiler toast my food just fine.

Open the windows and Drink Water. Because my air runs on electricity, I specifically did things differently as oppose to turning the air on. I kept my windows open for most of the summer. Since our summer this year was more like spring, there weren't too many HOT HOT days. If I were hot even with the window open, I'd SOMETIMES turn my ceiling fan on. But MOST times I'd drink water or lemonade. I'd eat popsicles and gelato.

So that's what I did. And by doing so I took an already cheap bill of $22 down to $15. But keep in mind, I live alone in a small apartment and I don't own as much stuff as the average person and I have an natural aversion to artificial light in the first place.

What to do when you live with roommates who don't care about energy consumption and the money they spend on utilities?

Move Out or Find a Subleasee. (You can't change people. You can impact and influence them. But only to a certain point. And some people give no priority to the environment or the weight of their energy usage. Let those people be and move on and move out.)

What to do when you live with a spouse and family?

Since its your family, you have greater influence on what people do in the house. And while a spouse may not be too keen on your new granola ways, I'm pretty sure they are keen on saving money. Why spend a saturday in the house with everybody watching their tv's in their own room or listening to their ipods or talking on their cell phones when you can go to the beach as a family? Or go on a picnic? Or play a game?

What were ways you lowered your utility bill? I'm looking to bring my bill from $15 to $13. Any advice on what else I can do? (I could watch even less tv on Hulu.com than I currently watch. Then my computer wouldn't drain as much and I wouldn't need to charge it. Instead I could spend more time journaling and reading books. I could also spend intentional weekends going "off the grid" with an elective blackout. )

Reforestation and Trees for a Change

2009-12-09T00:38:00.000-06:00

Photo Credit

While I am a bit of a granola and I like a nice sunny day, I wouldn't say that I'm much of a "nature" girl. I've never been camping like "real" camping. Where you sleep in a tent and a sleeping bag with only the trees and stars and BUGS. I don't do a lot of hiking in forest preserves here in Illinois. I've never climbed a big mountain, I don't think.

But I spend time in the mountains of South Dakota. I spent a summer as a camp counselor at a camp where there were tons of trees and a giant lake. I went to Wisconsin with a friend and we went on a long ASS walk through a wintery forest that led to a water fall. I have happened upon rivers and ponds. I've seen the sky in all its glory. When it rains, sometimes I cry. I clearly remember the first time I swam in the ocean. And my Aunt's ranch and farm in Tennessee reminds me of all that is good in the world.

So while I don't own a pair of hiking boots, there is something that still draws me to nature. When ever I am surrounded by water or trees or standing in an open field or on the edge of a cliff, I literally feel god. I breathe him. I hear him. I smell and taste him.

I remember once after having a near break down in an open field in South Dakota the peace that later ensued. Earlier in the day a group of theater students were playing volleyball in this large open field surrounded by mountains. I remember walking on the open field and taking the entire scene in. At once I felt connected to nature. But then I remember something about nature and all the grass and dirt reminded me that a friend of mine had died the year before and his body was beneath the dirt. And I lost a bit of my grip of reality and couldn't think straight. And as people were playing volleyball, I freaked out! A little while later a few women and I went on a walk up the mountain. We arrived at the edge of a cliff where if you went to far you could fall to your death which reminded me of another friend who had died two years before in a hiking/climbing accident. Which also reminded me of Todd Skinner.

And I was just not feeling peaceful at all. But then we sat on the edge of the cliff and three of the women began singing hymns. Not the churchy ones. But the ones that tie you to this earth and tie you to god. And that moment was perfection. Nothing could have soothed my spirit like the sound of the water below, the wind in the trees, and their voices singing. I need moments like that.

I need my Aunt's farm....

I need the ocean and the sun setting and waterfall.....

I mean my real issue with "nature" is the bugs. I just don't like bugs. Except the Orchid Mantis. Now that is a BUG. If you are going to be a bug, you should be an Orchid Mantis.

I digress. Nature plays a big part in my life despite my city dweller status. At least once a year I escape somewhere to get back to earth whether its to the ocean, to a farm, to a mountain, to a national park. I go somewhere that isn't man made and I remember there is something bigger than me.

I forget that as permanant as nature should be, these moments of oneness with the earth that I enjoy so much are dwindling if we continue on our current course of action. Who would think that the trash I produce, the food I consume, the water and energy that I use could be linked the the likely disappearance of the ocean and mountains and trees that I cherish so much. They go hand in hand.

In the past few years there have been all sorts of natural disasters. I believe some of these "natural" disasters are due to man's careless disregard for the earth. Among these natural disasters has been the deforestation of many parts of the world due to fires, man's own greed and many other reasons. The thought of losing trees and never having them back is so weird to me. But its not foreign.

What can be done?

Along with finding ways to live a more sustainable life, we can also do things like plant a tree! As cheesy as it sounds like naming a star, it is still a practical step towards returning the earth to a more harmonious state.

Wouldn't it be nice if you could plant a mountain too? And an ocean? And a park and a beach. Well, I suppose you can. you can volunteer and be a part of a team that does ocean clean up or something. There are many hands on ways you help. Or you can have an organization plant a tree. For you or as a gift for someone else.

There are three organizations I know of that plant trees.

Trees for a Change

Arbor Day Foundation

The Nature Conservancy

I personally like Trees for a Change because more of a grassroots effort started by a woman who would glitterfy pine cones as a child and try to sell them. I like her organization as well because the trees they plant are within U.S. National Forest to replace trees destroyed by wildfire, disease or insects. I had no clue until reading their website the sheer volume of trees and acres of land that are in need of reforestation.

There are all kinds of things you can do big and small towards living a more sustainable life. If there were a list of things to do, I'm pretty sure planting a tree or having an organization do it for you would make the top 100 sustainable things and individual could do.

Have you ever planted a tree? Do you know of other organizations similar to the ones listed above? Do you think having a tree planted is too cheesy?

Natural Hair Care

2009-12-08T17:11:00.000-06:00

After posting a video about how I style my hair, a friend asked if I had any advice on dreadlocks since that is how she rocks her hair right now.

Wearing your hair as it naturally grows...is a very sustainable approach towards being more conscious of the footprint you leave on the earth.

I didn't realize how many women of ALL races chemically and/or permanently alter their hair, ALL the time. Whether they are coloring it, straightening it, curling it, styling it, blow drying it, and whatever else. Think about the amounts of products you put in your hair. Think about all the chemicals and unnatural substances that you are putting on your hair and body. Think about all the money you use to buy those products or pay the beautician. It's crazy!

What are the sustainable benefits towards wearing your hair natural? These are the ones that I've experienced.

SIMPLISTIC LIFESTYLE: If you hair is curly, wavy or straight, embracing its natural state of being gives your life and personal upkeep a sense of simplicity. I know women who spend HOURS doing their hair ALL the time. Whether its in the morning during their wash, condition, blow dry, flat iron, style or in going to the beauty salon. Just letting your hair be, lets you BE. I love the time that I have saved and given back to myself by wearing my hair in its naturally curly state.

SAVE MONEY: Wearing your hair as it naturally is, enables you to SAVE LOADS of MONEY. Since my hair is curly and heat can damage my hair, I don't own a blow dryer, I don't own a flat iron. I don't go to the beauty shop. I don't have to pay for a relaxer every month. I don't have to pay for products because my hair doesn't really need them.

CREATE NATURAL PRODUCTS: Before I was natural I used products like spritz, gel, setting lotions, and all kinds of other things. The list is too long. Since embracing the natural I now mix and make my own products. I've realized I don't need to put as much stuff in my hair...(simplistic and money-saving realization). Now I have three main things I put in my hair occasionally. One is a mix of tree tree oil, olive oil and grapeseed oil with a little water and a little conditioner. Another mix is of vegetable glycerin, water, rosewood essential oil, rose otto essential oil and rosemary essential oil. I also put various forms of shea butter in my hair. That's about it. While I use an all natural shampoo and conditioner, sometimes I just use Apple Cider Vinegar as my shampoo and it works just as well when toned down with water.

GENERATE LESS TRASH: Since going natural I have generated less trash since I am purchasing less products. A lot of the oils and things that I use to put in my hair are the very oils that I cook with, perfume my home with, or make other body products with.

GENERATE LESS POLLUTION: Isn't there something to be said about all those chemicals and sprays that you put in your hair also being put into the environment. Since going for simplicity and creating my own hair care solutions, I don't pollute the air I breathe with crazy products. I suppose I'm also generating less pollution since I'm not driving to and from the hair shop and/or stores to buy more stuff for my hair.

LEARN A NEW THING: Since I don't go to the beautician anymore, which has enabled me to save lots of money, I learned to style my own hair. I'm not an expert. I probably can't do your hair even if you paid me. But I learned how to do my hair. While I can't french braid or do corn rows, I do know how to do two strand twist and with that simple knowledge I've been able to generate all sorts of styles for the last six years. People say, "I never know what your hair is going to look like but its always fly." There is a sense of empowerment in taking care of myself like that. I don't have people dress me, feed me, and bathe me so why pay someone to twist my hair when I can go it while catching up on tv shows on hulu.com?

Whats my advice towards those with locks? I suppose it depends on the advice you are looking for.(I wore my hair in locks for a year and then pulled a Britney and cut all my hair off)

Photo Credit

For general upkeep, no matter how you wear your hair, make sure you to keep your hair moisturized and healthy, but don't over do it and layer your hair with oil, water, creams and such. Find the right balance of what to put in your hair and when.

For style ideas, just try stuff. Even if you think its crazy or weird. Every now and then, I just do something that I think is completely out of the norm with my hair. I'll pin one side this way and do a flop thingy here and all of a sudden I have a new style and everyone is asking, "who did your hair." Or google pictures to find ideas.

For coloring locks, I have no clue. Google that!

For starting them, do them your self, have a friend do it or go to the shop. I used google. Found some you tube videos and started my locks myself.

For general upkeep, make sure you stay fly. I have seen some crazy looking hairstyles with people who have locked hair and I've seen things growing out of them and moving about inside of them and that's scary! Keep your locks clean! I washed my hair as often as I did before I had the locks. Keep your hair looking fresh and presentable. Its completely doable even with locks.

I realize as I type this advice about locked hair, it can apply to those with unlocked hair. And my hair advice about wearing your hair natural, applies to all women across the board no matter their race or hair type.

There is something spiritual about hair and its connection to the gods, the kundalini and the chakras. Channel your inner god and practice your granola ways by wearing your hair as it naturally grows.

Do you alter your naturally straight or curly hair on a consistent basis? Why? Do you wear your hair natural? How does that line up with your sustainable lifestyle? What other advice did I leave out or what are other benefits towards wearing your hair natural?

Dive! The Film

2009-12-07T14:28:00.003-06:00

I came across the trailer for this movie in one of my sustainability RSS feeds. Having just watched it, I'm at a lost for words.

I'm sure there are some people who look down on people like those in this film because the Dive in dumpsters for food. They see them as too granola. And that fact that they can be arrested is sad.

We waste so much food!

To digress a little bit I remember a commercial years ago about dieting and they said something like, "Leave a little of your food on your plate at each meal"...because if you did that every time it would add up to you eating less and less. What that means is that left over food goes into the trash! Why not just put less food on your plate in the first place.

Anyways. I know a little bit about food being thrown out when its still viable. My company when hosting an event that's catered sometimes tosses the food out at the end of the day. Why? Because we don't have a place to store it. Because we can't give it to the homeless because of liability issues. When I am able to, I take as much food with me to rehearsals and performances for the actors and crew to eat. Sometimes I've taken fruit and made cookies and pies with them and brought them back to work.

Still. So much food is wasted. But what can you do when you can't donate it to a worthy cause. At least, don't arrest the people who have the balls to dive for you food.

Why can't all restaurants and such offer the day old food that's still viable at discounted prices. I know some places that do that.

Somehow I believe part of this is due to money. Profit. Capitalism and consumerism. Its like when instead of sharing the food with the underprivileged in the past, farmers would burn the food instead. It's crazy.

I have faced my own challenges with living alone when it comes to preparing food and not wasting it.

A lot of my food used to go bad by the time I got around to using it

I've tried shopping as needed versus doing monthly shopping. Sometimes though I don't have the time for that
I've also tried cooking multiple recipes that require the same ingredients, thus lessening my chances of wasting raw ingredients

A lot of my food used to go bad because I didn't want left overs three and four days later

I've learned to invite friends over so they can eat my food too. Makes it disappear faster
I've learned to alter a lot of my recipes so that I'm not making as much

Do you waste a lot of food in your home? Do you compost? Would you ever dive in a dumpster for food?

Honestly, I'm not sure that I would ever dive in a dumpster because all the other germs and trash freaks me out. But I don't judge the people who did it. I think they are pretty cool. And I'd eat the burger at their party too.

Coming Soon.

2009-12-03T22:28:00.000-06:00

Granola Tendencies second interview with someone very dear to me, Veola Jolly.

My own personal how-to guide of the process of moving in an environmentally sustainable way from packing to purging to storage. (I have learned a thing or two after having moved 10 times in the last five years.)
Granola Tendencies first giveaway! Exciting natural prizes!
Granola Tendencies recommendations for organic, local, and/or natural restaurants in Chicago. (I handle a lot of catering and tasting events and have come across some great places.
A few topical post on sustainability in the workplace. (Not that I'm an expert or anything but I did spend a year receiving certification in "Green Business". I have to remember to add that to my resume)
Updates on concocting my own toothpaste and deodorant and the continued search for home-made recipes for shower gel.

Plus lots more to come. Stay tuned.

When love isn't green

2009-12-03T15:10:00.000-06:00

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I've mentioned a couple times, that while I am working towards living a more granola way of life, I am in a relationship with a man who doesn't always subscribe to that sort of approach. He has every opportunity to do so. I fantasize about his huge backyard. I imagine fruits and vegetables growing. Herbs and Flowers. I imagine using the compost from his kitchen to nourish the earth in his backyard. My fantasies run deep.

His backyard is used to store the trailer to his truck for his motorcycles. His backyard houses a rusted basketball rim but I believe it holds extremely significant value to him. And it houses all of Mr. Magoo's poop and pee.

I was speaking with Sam about how my life with Mr. Officer would align with these kinds of differences. These differences materialized in small ways during our time together at the Ritz last week while I was working in New York.

Let me explain.

I don't own a tv. By choice. I have a laptop and hulu and a netflix account. Any show that doesn't fit into either of those isn't worth watching.

Mr. Officer. He has a tv in every room of his house. A flat screen tv in every room of his tri-level, three bedroom, two bathroom house. Even the bathroom. Even the kitchen and dining room which open onto themselves each have a tv.

When visiting him, I don't make a fuss. It's his house. I'm a guest. His favorite guest! But its his house. He makes the rules. Just as I told him, when ever he came to Chicago he would have to do without a tv.

While we stayed in the hotel, I kept the tv off as much as possible. The TV served as white noise for him. So we went back and forth turning the tv on and off throughout the night. I could stand it until it woke me up again and then I'd turn it off. He'd put up with that until the silence of the night was unbearable and turn it back on. What if we ever live together? I have a no tv in the bedroom rule. He has a tv in every room rule and it has to be on at all times rule. WTF? I think I could compromise with it being in the room so long as I didn't have to hear it every night while falling asleep.

I also have a little thing about electronics in my bedroom in general. My cell phone, my laptop, ... all of that stuff. I keep it away from my bed. So in the hotel room I had my phone across the room on the desk while I sat on the bed....watching tv.... with Mr. Officer. My phone would buzz because of an email or facebook notification or text and each time I'd jump out of bed, check my phone, respond if necessary and then get back in bed leaving the phone on the desk. I must have jumped up like seven times before Mr. Officer was like, "What are you doing? Why don't you keep the phone with you in bed? You look crazy." I told him that I didn't like having electronics in bed. I liked having my phone away from me. "Suit yourself," he said. And throughout the night every so often he would send a text just to screw with me because he knew I'd get up each time. Silly Officer.

Now part of Mr. Officer's NonGranola Tendencies are due to his career. He always needs one or sometimes two laptops on him. His phones always have to be turned on. He has to use a variety of cars.

But seriously...he has seven computers, four cameras, three personal cars, two motorcycles, TV's EVERYWHERE, and the list goes on and on and all these things are ALWAYS on. The first time I stayed over night with him, I jumped at every sound and barely slept. At any given moment something would beep, tick, ring, or buzz. But I've gotten used to it. There are many adjustments I've made willing because its what comes with dating someone in his position. I get it. And while the thought of his electricity bill scares me, I know there are other ways he wouldn't mind being a bit more sustainable. (He probably pays in just taxes and tariffs what my full bill of $15 is.)

I'm pretty sure getting him to recycle wouldn't be an issue.

Since he is VERY health conscious, purchasing organic fruits and vegetables would be a breeze. He loves local places. (He thinks New York is the center of the world.) So the whole eco-conscious eating thing would be SO easy.
It might take some convincing but I think after working him over a bit, he'd let me have my way with his unused backyard.

BUT

I doubt he will unplug things from the wall. All of your arguments are not going to convince him.
He will never get on a bus or train
He probably won't ever buy things used.

The will he or won't he list could go tit for tat.

Although I find it funny. One of the organizations he leads is all about mentoring children. He's also a basketball coach and he has been quoted as saying, "We need to leave the world better than we found it." or something to that effect. He uses that to talk about why its important to have great relationships with children. But of what use is having people, if the very world itself can no longer sustain us. Perhaps if I use his own logic and the things he cares about, I could spin it in a way that would shift his paradigm of thinking and he might try a few granola things.

I will definitely be using the tips from Green Girl Meets All American Boy to figure out our sustainable life together. My friend Sam mentioned that since dating her awesome boyfriend, because they are near each other, they pick up habits and tendencies from each other. Now he is recycling more and being more conscious about the way he consumes and his energy usage. Perhaps once I live closer to Mr. Officer that will be the case too. Does any one have advice? I will also say that its not my goal to convert him to my paradigm of thinking and if he never set foot in a thrift store it wouldn't be the breaking point of our life together. I just think there is room for growth and I don't want to ever lose any of my granola tendencies. HELP!

Granola S.N.A.F.U.

2009-12-02T13:00:00.000-06:00

Photo Credit

I mentioned in a previous post that for the past week I spent time working in New York! Amazing. If you had a peek inside my hand written journals since 2003...you'd know my love affair with New York...well before I began my love affair with Mr. Officer in New York. :) So the fact that I was able to work from there....AMAZING!

Here's my question. How can I practice sustainable acts when things are beyond my control?

First, I needed to get to New York. I suppose the most environmentally sustainable approach would be to walk there. Unfortunately that wasn't going to happen. I had to fly there. And there isn't a "Green Airline." And I am not a fan of carbon offsets. I believe they encourage complacency. I'm not sure that there was anything I could have done differently that would encourage a more sustainable approach with my flight.

I suppose I could have taken the train and bus to the airport, as oppose to a car service. However, the car service arrived at 5am and where I live and with how dark it was...using public transportation on an early Sunday morning wasn't going to work.

(This sounds like I'm making a list of my own complacent acts. I complain about carbon offsets and how they serve as a platform for people to NOT think creatively about problem solving and developing and yet I wasn't being creative either. Now, I'm depressing myself.)

I will say that my stay at the Ritz was encouraging. I suppose I could have looked for a completely eco-friendly hotel in New York, of which I'm sure there are many. But the Ritz was a five minute walk to my office and remember my sustainable guidelines. Convenience is very important! (But not the most important.) What I will say is the Ritz doesn't change your sheets and towels every night. They encourage you to reuse them. And even though I forgot to unplug my chargers from the wall, when I came back to my hotel room...they had unplugged them and folded them nicely. (But they didn't unplug their stuff like the tv, radio and twenty lamps.)

They could probably take things like their in room dining menu and info packet and put it on their hotel channel on the tv to decrease their paper usage.

What I did do...was walk to work each day. There was also an organic grocery store a block from the hotel and I did my shopping there. I discovered this organic HEALTHY licorice from Australia that I fell in love with and Mr. Officer did too! When eating, I ate at local places and avoided restaurant chains. I avoided meat as much as possible. I also brought one of my water bottles from home and used that as oppose to bottled water.

So there were little things I was able to do here and there but what i want are BIG changes in the travel industry. That would be amazing. Seeing the aviation and hospitality industry make large leaps in areas of sustainability would make my life on the road so much easier.

I will admit...I turned the heat up in my hotel room. Not because I was rebelling. At home I keep a few blankets on my bed so that I don't need to heat on 100 degrees. But at the hotel there was only one comfortable. I suppose I could have requested another duvet. Especially since Mr. Officer kept pointing out that it was way too hot in the room.

Oooh. Another sustainable practice and romantic gesture. Mr. Officer and I showered together. Now in the back of my mind, I was thinking...look at us conserving water. I doubt that ever crossed his mind.

I'm not sure what else I could have done. Any advice on how I could travel in a more environmentally friendly way?

boyfriend not green at all.

The Anti Green Movement

2009-12-01T14:43:00.000-06:00

While looking for an image for an upcoming blog post where i had to type, "anti green" into the search field, I happened upon The Anti Green Movement. I don't know if this guy is serious or not. Or if he is just apathetic with a wonderful dark sense of humor but it did make me laugh out loud.

I hope he doesn't offend your sustainable sensibilities. One thing Mr. Officer taught me is that we can't take ourselves too serious. We have to laugh. We also need to consider the other perspective. There is a quote...

"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function."

I love that quote. Although I don't consider his website the opposing idea. I think its just funny. I mean, the death of the environment isn't funny but like I said, we can't take ourselves too serious.

Climate-Rising Tip #18 – Fly A Kite Through A Wind Farm

Buy Nothing Day and Creative Gifting

2009-12-01T14:01:00.001-06:00

Photo Credit

While it is a few days late, I will say I did not buy anything on Buy Nothing Day. I didn't feel as if I was making any difference because I've already been trying to consume less, buy less, use less and I'm not a big Christmas gift giving person. I usually just focus on my immediate family. I don't even send Christmas cards. Although in an effort to get rid of the hundreds of pages of magazine clippings and arts & crafts in my apartment, I am making homemade cute Christmas cards this year. At the rate I'm going, people may receive them by next Christmas. Or maybe I'll give myself an extra week and call them, "New Year Cards" or something. Any hoo.

I have no intention of shopping. I shop for what I need and give myself a few indulgences. Although lately, I'm loving the empowerment behind creating and making my own products, that even my beauty indulgent purchases have decreased.

(I must admit. I did just purchase another bottle of Marc Jacobs perfume. Its my signature scent and I was out. Even though I have probably 10+ bottles of other perfumes that i need to go through. Ugh. I know. I know. I'd give them away but they are half empty or 1/3 empty. Who's going to take that? I mean if you want it, you are welcomed to it. I'll ship them to you for free. Email me and I'll send you the list of all the kinds I have and I will send them your way. This would really help my personal guilt.)

I digress.

Everyone in my family already has their "holiday gift" except my five year old sister. I use the "" not because i said holiday but because I don't really do "date specific" gifts like birthday gifts, anniversary gifts, christmas gifts. I am the person who will purchase or make something that's perfect for you and give it to you right then. So my mother received her "birthday gift" two months before her actually birthday. It was an all expense paid trip to Vegas for five days.

Last month my mother received her christmas gift early. Her laptop broke down and so I bought a brand new one for her with an external hard drive, with facial recognition software, with microsoft office...it was fully loaded! It wasn't really a christmas gift. Had this occurred in July, she would have received it then or whenever the need arose. Considering all the things my mother does with her laptop..homeschool children, take online classes her self, coordinate meet up groups, research, business and such...purchasing her a new one is granola. Laptops are multi-functional devices. Her's came with a built in camera, built in speakers, media player, dvd player...all that good stuff. Perfect for her life on the go.

There were a few things i could have done different or still can.

Recycle her old laptop. (She is still transferring all her files and software to the new one but once she is done, the old one can be recycled. Actually as I type this I realize she's using the old one as a backup for home use)
I could have purchased a refurbished laptop for half the price I paid and the possibly spent more money on more programs and such for her. Or purchased two refurbished laptops for the price of one brand new one. (Yea. So I definitely forgot to think about that! Even my mac laptop was purchased used. It was two months old when I purchased it off Craigslist with the original receipt. But for my mom's computer I did receive multiple discounts and shaved over $500 off the cost of the laptop and some software)

All in all. My mother has her Christmas gift sans the home made creative holiday card that I have yet to make.

My siblings also have their "holiday gift." Although it has little to do with Christmas. In an effort to promote the growth of their personal character, I started a project called the Ipod Project. The three older kids have eight weeks to accumulate a certain amount of points in various categories such as Character, Stewardship, Chores, School and Relationships in order to win an Ipod Touch. Each catergory has sub-categories. There is a cap on how many points they can receive per day and they can also lose points. They can not get points in the same sub-categories two days in a row in order to encourage a holistic approach to improvement. We have this whole elaborate chart where the tally is kept and they can only receive positive points by having another sibling take notice and they can only lose points by admitting it themselves. (They are notorious for ragging on each other.) If they receive bonus points, they can even win a $25 itunes gift card for music.

I must say I am having fun with the competition. There have already been improvements. They are behaving more positively towards each other. They are taking the initiative more. They are trying new things and thinking creative and I love it. We modeled the categories in areas where we knew each child needed improvement, or after general character traits that benefit any human functioning in the world and after their own suggestions for things. According to my mom, they are each on track to receive their very own iPod Touch.

(My three sisters and brother. I am in the middle. Bianca (15) is on my left. Hanna (10 soon to be 11) is on my right. Dasia (5) is in front of me. Daniel (14) is behind me.)

How is this sustainable? Because it focuses on the need to sustain ourselves! You can save the world, the trees, and the rabbit's fur but of what use is it without high functioning human beings. What use is the a beautiful sky without people to stop and appreciate it. We focus on saving the earth for the future. But we sometimes neglect the children that are the future. And teaching a child to pay attention to stewardship encourages a sustainable mindset.

Also the prize is multi functional. Music player. Planner. Email A billion Apps. This prize is SO worth it!

The end date is near Christmas time so if it makes the holiday gods happy, I can label it as their "holiday gift."

Mr. Officer and I are not exchanging gifts because I'm too lazy to think creatively and make or buy one. Who knew laziness could help me consume less. :)

I will also be repurposing things around my home as gifts for a few select friends. I have a bad habit of purchasing multiple coffee and tea mugs and for someone living alone..there is no justification in having 30+ coffee mugs. Since they are brand new with the price tags still stamped on, I will be filling them with packets of tea, hot cocoa and such and giving them as gifts to friends. It's the same with the WAY too many candles and other cute little things around my house that i have too many off. I'll add some flair and love and someone else will be able to use what's just crowding my space.

You are going to come across many blogs with holiday party ideas, green gifting ideas, no stress ideas, creative ideas and all that goodness. A lot of them have great ideas and are very useful. What i encourage. Just find what works for you. If you do like to shop and buy gifts for everyone you love..I encourage you to find gifts for them that will be used and not end up in the back of the closet. Create, repurpose or purchase gifts that hold meaning or that will last. Its not about finding "green gifts" per se. Its about finding ways to sustain life. Rather than buying a barbie for your little girl...although I LOVED barbies as a child. Buy or MAKE a game that your entire family can play. Instead of buying lots of new books...purchase used books or write and illustrate a fun, silly, or adventurous story for your children or with your children. Wouldn't that be a great gift. To make a "book writing kit" that includes story ideas, crayons, paper and such and then to tell your child you will have a special day where you write a book together. I may actually steal my own idea!

Now that "Buy Nothing Day" is officially over, what are you buying this holiday season and why? How are you shopping for sustainable gifts? What creative gifts are you making?

Stolen for Fashion by PETA

2009-12-01T13:22:00.000-06:00

I saw this as an ad on HULU and was like, "well, ok then!" I was a little bit freaked out. If I were a person who wore rabbit fur and alligator leather....I'm not sure that this would change my pattern of behavior. I think what it does for me is prevent me from ever purchasing it to begin with.

Part of living a sustainable life is through protecting our resources, our livelihood, and our earth. While I don't believe everyone should be a vegetarian or vegan, I also don't believe that everyone should eat steak every day.

It's the same with fashion. In the past animal fur was used for warmth because people lived outside in tents or they didn't have People's Gas to heat their apartments. Nowadays that need has been meet. Although it makes me wonder. Is it better for the environment to use fur for warmth or natural resources that are dwindling?

Anyways....just though this was interesting.

My feet are Vegan

2009-12-01T12:20:00.000-06:00

Over at one of my favorite blogs, Eco Mam's Guide to Green Living, I came across a wonderful discovery.

Photo Credit

I will be honest. I don't like UGG boot knock offs. I purchased a pair of UGGS for years ago and while they in no way promote a sustainable lifestyle...they are COMFY and they last for YEARS...unless you are like me and you do a stupid thing and pretty much destroy them. But I tell you those shoes are like a cloud from heaven.

I've considered purchasing a new pair just because. But I can't bring myself to spend over $100. But I also frown and turn my nose up to the knock offs. I'm not one who gives value to labels. I give value to things that work perfectly for me. And for awhile the UGGS did.

Well, Eco Mama came across a pair of substitutes that are also VEGAN FRIENDLY. And that is of value to me. The boots were originally priced at about $50 but they are currently on sale for $20. I bought one pair. I considered buying three pair in various colors but I think that is wasteful.

My pair are set to arrive on Friday. I love when I am able to meet a need and support causes that are important to me.

I'm also looking for a pair of brown flats because I NEED them and a pair of shiny green flats because I WANT them. Suggestions on where to shop?

Utilities.

2009-11-30T21:56:00.000-06:00

I just received both my ComEd and People's Gas bill in the mail today. I was so eager to open the bill that I ran up the stairs to my apartment. Who ever heard of that? Someone being excited to open a bill.

But I was! I have been even more intentional over the past month in my usage and habits at home in regards to electricity and gas that I've been itching to see if I'm making any difference.

Last month I paid $20.60 for my gas bill and $19 for my electricity bill.

This month, my gas bill isn't as accurate as it should be. People's Gas took it upon themselves to enroll me in their budget plan since the winter is coming. Their presumption that I would need this budget plan annoyed me. I know winter is coming. I know my bill will probably be more as I turn the heat up...but even still I am finding other ways to keep my bill from going through the roof. I had to call in to take myself off their budget plan. Also, while it will be December 1st, I have yet to turn my heat on. Why? Because I don't need to. My apartment is small and cozy. If I cook dinner, that heats my apartment up. I have lots of blankets. I wear long sleeves and I drink tea.

Even with the budget plan, my bill this month for gas is $21.00. Minus their bs and the taxes and tariffs for efficiency program and environmental charge..my bill really comes to $17.05! How amazing is that!

Some people are going to roll their eyes when I tell them my electricity bill.

Are you ready for this?

With all the taxes and tariffs included my total electricity bill comes to.....$15.43!!!!

I am just feeling really good about myself right now. Who knew putting the microwave on a surge protector and turning it off indefinitely would decrease my bill? Nowadays...everything is unplugged from the walls except for the stove, fridge, and router for my wireless internet.

This brings me back to living with roommates where our electricity bill ws $130 once and I was made to pay a 1/3 of that even though I knew I didn't use that much energy. Now I'm able to get an accurate read of what I really use.

The goal is to bring the gas bill down to $18 including taxes and the electricity down to $13. We will see what happens. Any suggestions on how I can further decrease my monthly utilities bill?

How do I dispose of....label tape?

2009-11-30T15:41:00.000-06:00

I am really digging the fact that I can post a problem and readers are able to give me advice on solutions. Its like the reverse of most blogs that offer the tips and tricks. :)

So...I need help with a new problem involving waste reduction and recycling.

Do you know what these are?

These are the labels for my amazing label maker.

I don't personally own this label maker. I use it at work. A lot of people use them at work. You'd be amazed at all the things we find to label. You'd also be amazed at the variety of label tapes that we have.

But what do I do once the label tape is empty? Do I just throw it in the trash? Can is be recycled? Where does it go? I have a pile in a drawer in my desk and don't know what to do.

I ship pack used ink toners to xerox and other vendors.
I ship old cell phones to charities and broken ones are given back to vendors to properly dispose of.
I reuse scrap paper.
I sort my trash from my recyclables.
I think heavily about wanting to compost the pounds and pounds of coffee grinds that are thrown away each week at work.

But I'm not sure what to do with these label maker tapes when they are empty? Anyone have any idea?

Homemade Body Products

2009-11-30T13:12:00.000-06:00

Soooo. I've made homemade face wash, exfoliating face scrub, body scrub, and face toner.

But I'm also looking to make homemade shower gel, body butter, face moisturizer, mouthwash and pretty much anything else that I use. I keep saying I refuse to give up my perfumes because no one does it like Marc Jacobs but Sam made a good point in a recent conversation and maybe I'll consider using oils instead. I would save over $50+ but I love how Marc Jacob smells!!!! Can someone make a Marc Jacobs substitute with essential oils? I will pay you!

Any hoo! My goal is to pretty much make many of the products I am buying, including my cleaning products. I'm not focusing on those just yet because I still have more than half of a bottle of most of the things. But I am running out of mouth wash. And I found a recipe.

Now for toothpaste, most websites are saying to just use baking soda. Dip your brush in either water or mouthwash and then dip it in the baking soda and then brush your teeth. Simple! Uber cheap! More sustainable!

I found Homemade Spearmint Mouthwash on Ultimate Cosmetics.

You will need

6 ounces water
2 ounces vodka
4 teaspoons liquid glycerine (is liquid glycerine the same as vegetable glycerin? if so, I have all the ingredients at home except the vodka)
1 teaspoon aloe vera gel
10-15 drops Spearmint essential oil

Preparation

Boil water and vodka,
add glycerine and aloe vera gel.
Remove from the heat, let cool slightly.
Add spearmint oil, shake well.
Pour into bottle, cap tightly.

I found the following three recipes on Associated Content. Cinna-minty Mouthwash.

Ingredients

2 cups water
3 drops cinnamon oil
3 drops spearmint oil
3 drops peppermint oil
3 or 4 drops tea tree oil
1 tsp vodka

Usage

Swish this in your mouth for 30 to 60 seconds and rinse. Be sure not to swallow! It's pleasant, but strong!
Best kept in a sealed glass bottle or jar.

Now maybe you aren't into the whole alcoholic thing. I don't keep alcohol at home, except for rubbing alcohol. I came across an Alcoholic Free Baking Soda Mint Mouthwash. What I like about this one is that I already have ALL of the ingredients at home. No extra shopping.

Ingredients

1/4 tsp baking soda
1 drop pure peppermint oil
1 drop tea tree oil
2 oz. water

Preparation

Mix well, then swish for a few seconds and rinse.

This one seems so intriguing since I love the scent of rosemary. Alcohol Free Cloves and Rosemary Mouthwash

Ingredients

1 oz Cloves
3 oz. Rosemary
Glass Jar with lid
2 cups water

Preparation

Boil the water in a saucepan.
While cooking the water place the Rosemary and Cloves in the jar.
When water comes to a boil, pour it in the jar with the herbs and allow to steep overnight.
Drain and use the next morning.

I just ran out of mouthwash this morning so I will try using the baking soda mint mouthwash this evening and will update you on the results.

Where did she go?

2009-11-30T10:45:00.000-06:00

Photo Credit

I've been noticeably absent. I know. My apologies. I've had two weeks of 17+ hour days, and then the opening of an amazing show at Redmoon Theater, and then I was flown to NY for a week because of some exciting developments and well...today is the first day where I remember where I am, what day it is and what time zone I'm in.

There will be updates on further granola tendencies in theater as well as how I tried to be more sustainable while traveling. I have holiday shopping updates and personal updates too. Lots to come now that I'm back and rested. Check back later tonight for new post!

Granola Interview with Photographer Sam Schwartz

2009-11-17T16:29:00.003-06:00

It's been long and coming but FINALLY, here is my interview with my dear friend, amazing photographer and fellow granola Sam Schwartz. I asked a lot of questions and she provided LOADS of information. But I promise you, it is worth the read. I learned so much more about sustainability and about Sam and I am so grateful she did this for me. Now I'm encouraged to interview even more people to learn more! Two performers in my most recent show are vegetarians and during our last break in between shows I grilled them with questions. I'm sure they were wondering just what I was up to. Now without further ado, here is Sam. I'll interject my responses and such, here and there, fyi.

I am the black girl in the picture. My fiend Megan is in the middle. And Sam is on the other end.

What is a CSA? How did you learn about?

Actually, I learned about the CSA from my roommate Laura. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Basically, we (along with many others) purchase a share of a local, Illinois farm. For about 5 months a year, we receive 3/4 bushel of freshly picked, organic fruits and vegetables every week. We have the option of getting bread, meat, and eggs from the same farm for an additional price. Laura and I started purchasing the share two years ago. We write a check to the CSA around March or April and then we are able to pick up the food once a week starting at the beginning of June until the last week or so of October. Buying into a CSA program has several benefits. First, you are getting freshly picked fruits and vegetables from an organic farm--which means no nasty chemicals or synthetic fertilizers AND your produce is only a few hours picked, so there are maximum nutritional benefits. Second, because the CSA is local, you are supporting local agriculture, which is just better for farmers and for you. You also have the option of helping with certain harvests if you want. Related to being locally grown, you are also eating foods as common as carrots, but as diverse as kohlrabi or swiss chard. Lastly, I have definitely become more aware of keeping food and planning meals around the food that is in season and provided.

(Because of Sam's CSA involvement, we were able to take this apples........)

(...and turn them into this delicious pie!)

Another cool thing about CSA's: if you live in a warmer climate (such as Florida) sometimes you can get this produce all year round--and it might even be cheaper and have awesome things like almonds! There are also co-ops where you can get things like soap, paper products and other non-perishables.

Do you consider yourself "green"? In what ways would you say you live a "green" life?

Well, "Green" is a term I think we all need to use very loosely. To be honest, I think it is all marketing! Let's put it this way: I recycle. I try to turn things off and unplug them when they are not in use. I don't buy those t-shirts at luxury brand stores that have weird "green" messages on them.

In what ways do you see yourself improving towards living a more sustainable life?

Sustainability is always a goal. Let me explain in the light of what I just said above: "Green" to me seems like a really great way to make people spend more; consume more. The idea of sustainability is about allowing life to be simpler while also trying not to drain a community or system of its resources. I also think that sustainability has a lot to do with a process over time. Being “green” is a trend, a tax break, a social status. However, living with the goal of a sustainable lifestyle not only connects us to our communities, but makes us aware of our habits. A sustainable lifestyle can also connect us more fully to our futures. Humans spend so much time figuring out how to get more for less. More money for less work, more food for less cost, two for one…you see it all over the place, and frankly, this attitude disconnects us—from others, from the world, and ultimately from ourselves. We don’t pay attention to where food or products come from. We don’t know who harvests, or what it takes to grow. We don’t know what chemicals enter into our bodies and homes. Personally, I think living sustainably might take a little more time and effort, but in the long run, you get what you work for and it is more satisfying in the end. I wish that we could live by that sort of mantra—you get what you work for. Consider:

“[H]uman brains…[have] become such copious and irresponsible generators of suggestions as to what might be done with life, that they made acting for the benefit of future generations seem one of many games which might be played by narrow enthusiasts—like poker or polo or the bond market, or the writing of science fiction novels.

[We] found ensuring the survival of the human race a total bore.” --Kurt Vonnegut

I believe that taking these extra steps to be connected are more than just the trend that people make it out to be. It is an important step to making certain that we can survive ourselves and our own technology and ideas.
   So, ways that I see myself improving...Over the past year I have started to wash out my ziplock bags (most of the time...if there is meat/dairy/egg product, I usually throw it out) and reuse them, I started an herb garden in my apartment, I unplug appliances such as the toaster, tv, cell charger, etc. I also try to buy used if possible either through craigslist, freecycle, or the thrift store. I've been trying to buy local groceries if possible. I try to buy my spices and other herbs in bulk--sold in a small bag--to cut down on waste. In fact, if I can find things without the extra packaging there is a better chance I will buy it that way.

I have also started to cut back on the chemicals I introduce to my environment and body. It is very difficult because sometimes I rely on strange chemicals for medical reasons or because those are the things that are available and work the best. I encourage people to take a look at the ingredients of things like lotions or cleaners. I try my best to purchase cleansers that are not petroleum based. Instead of buying a highly chemicalized prescription lotion for the very dry skin I get in the winter, I started just using olive oil, which has worked wonders….and I know exactly where it comes from!

It really helps to have a roommate who has these same goals also. It doesn't help when your roommate doesn't care about things like saving energy or recycling. My current roommate, Laura, is pretty awesome about stuff like this and I've learned a lot from her. In that respect it is helpful to have friends who share the same values. I get a lot of great ideas from friends!

Goals for the future: I would love to get one of those composters and start composting. I would also love to start my own vegetable garden. Going to the grocery store has become such a disappointment because it is hard to tell where that food is coming from. Very few grocery stores and products label if something is genetically modified (because it is not something Congress sees as important…for whatever reason—food industry lobbyists, I’m sure. Europe does it even for things like candy bars.) That being said I would like to start buying more locally grown foods from farmers markets, and maybe even directly from local farms.

Is living a sustainable life in line with your personal goals for life? (for example, one goal of mine to be intentional in all that I do, to be present. one thing I've seen is that by trying to be more conscious of my energy consumption, waste reduction or intake of local food...i find that it makes me a more intentional person and it keeps me present. they just linked up naturally) Do you see examples of this in your life?

Yes, a little. A lot of these new habits started in an effort to save money. This summer, I started baking my own bread because I realized that purchasing "the good bread" was costing me as much as $4.00 a loaf, but if I made it from scratch it cost me about $1.11 a loaf. The same with herbs. Buying them fresh from the grocery store can cost upwards of $3 (or more) and then they go bad before I can use them up. But I can have fresh herbs all year round just by investing $1.25 in seeds and some dirt. The same goes for buying used things. You can usually find things just as good as new for much less--and you don't encourage mindless spending. Because you have to spend the time looking for something worth your money AND time, you are less likely to just buy whatever is stocked on the shelf at a department store. It's all out there, folks. Everyone thinks they need everything at one point, and when they decide they don't, it goes to the thrift store.
All that to say, I've saved money, but I also found that things become much simpler when they don't come in a package. Things seem to exist better, to flow together. By simplifying I feel like I am doing something good for myself as much as possible. It’s one of the only ways I feel like I can be a little selfish, without actually negatively impacting others. The effort adds balance to life. And I think that is the purpose now: to find a better balance every day.

Why are many of your products in your home organic, natural, sustainable or raw? Such as the raw sugar, unbleached flour, seventh generation tissue, recycled aluminum foil?

(photos I took around Sam's home)

Here's another side of the story: I don't want processed foods in my body! Did you know that European countries won't import our meat and other foods because they are appalled by the way we produce our food? American food won't pass any standards tests in Europe. The way we produce and slaughter animals. (By the way, did you know that raw meat in America is treated with Ammonia to keep out contamination?) The pesticides and hormones and genetically modified seeds we use. It's really horrific. As for the raw sugar--I'm a vegetarian (although I still eat some fish every so often) and often times sugar, when it is refined, is filtered through an active carbon source--usually animal bone char. I'm usually not one of those crazy vegetarians, but I just find this kind of nasty. All of this may sound kind of fundamentalist, but the way I think about it, every little bit counts.

(photos I took around Sam's home)

Were you raised in a granola home?

Not entirely...We did eat a lot of granola! I was raised in a home without a ton of money. So a lot of the things we did revolved around trying not to spend a lot of it. Turning off lights, shopping resale, all that. My mom was an avid recycler though. Before there were recycling programs in our town, I remember every Saturday we packed up all our recycling in the car and drove it to the next town over to recycle it. And after we got a pick-up service, we had these huge bins where we put the recycling after we washed it and removed all the labels and reduced it. We were recycling MACHINES!

Why did you choose to become a vegetarian? Have you noticed a different in your life since doing so? Have you felt that your meals are limited because you've taken meat out?

I'm a little embarrassed to say that I first started eating vegetarian in high school because of a bet. My best friend bet me that I couldn't last a month and I was determined to prove her wrong! I've gone back and forth since then. Reasons that I eat vegetarian: Health reasons--I've found that eating less processed, simpler foods helps digestion, helps me to sleep more soundly, I feel more energetic because I'm eating several times a day in smaller portions and eating things that have more available nutrients than, say, a lean cuisine. Other reasons have begun to emerge as well. As I've continued exploring a vegetarian diet, I've found that it can also support a more sustainable ecosystem, a more balanced agricultural system. I know that one person cannot change the way our farming system works. But I also like the idea that I can explore other options like the CSA, not eating meat, buying more natural, organic foods, fair trade products.

(If you go to dinner at Sam's place, you will eat things like Stuffed Tomatoes with Risotto, Ginger Carrots and Homemade Dill Bread.)

What is your favorite green product?
Trees?

What is a great green tip?

Evaluate the things you buy, such as cleaner, shampoo, lotions. Take a look at the ingredients and see if you can find products with ingredients that you can identify right away. If you have to Google more than 2 or 3 things, you might want to find an alternative.

Try to buy more locally grown veggies, eggs, and meats. They taste better!

I notice that your apartment has lots of plants and herbs that you grow and take care of? Is there a particular reason?

Having plants in the apartment makes it seem a little calmer and a little more inviting, especially in the winter. It also increases oxygen, humidity in the winter, and has a cooling effect in the summer. Also, they are easier to take care of than dogs…or kids…and I kill fish all the time…so, plants it is!

(Sometimes, Sam even has tomatoes and lavender growing at her place. It's wonderful!)

Tell me about your chair project and why you didn't just go buy chairs from ikea?

I needed some dining room chairs and I found 2 sets of 2 matching chairs from freecycle.com. The upholstery was dirty and ugly, but this was fine with me because I wanted to reupholster the cushions myself. Why? First I wanted to have chairs that were unique from anyone else’s! I also like the idea of refinishing old things and making them usable and hopefully stylish. So I got the chairs for free, and then I went to a cute little fabric store in Wicker Park www.theneedleshop.com and found some fabric that I liked.

Also some other questions that will be good for people to know....

Where are you from?

I am from Pell Lake WI. It’s ok if you don’t know where it is. We didn’t have paved roads until 1999.

On a Saturday afternoon at 3pm what are you most likely to be doing?

Maybe taking a walk with a certain dog, cooking, if I’m being good I’m exercising. Taking photos around town…shooting a wedding. As I write this, I am sitting with two dogs, a handsome man and some good tunes, brewing my first beer recipe—Pear Walnut Oktoberfest!

Anything else you'd like to add?

http://www.illinoisfarmdirect.org/index.html
http://www.plowcreek.org/farm/    (our csa)
http://www.foodincmovie.com/about-the-issues.php (the website for the movie Food, Inc., but also includes links to other sites with information about food)
http://www.wbez.org/Program_WV_Series.aspx?seriesID=143 (podcasts/online listening on public radio about food)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120013107   (part I of an interview about overfishing on Fresh Air)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120049590 (part II of an interview about overfishing and how to eat fish more sustainably)
www.michaelpollan.com   (he is not only a phenomenal writer but also writes about sustainability, farming, consuming, and nature in the books he writes, but also for print such as the New York Times, Newsweek, Time, National Geographic, etc. This is a link to his site, which links to articles he has—beautifully--written)

Sam is a photographer who currently resides in Chicago, IL. To learn more about Samantha Rose Photography, please visit SamanthaRosePhotography.com.

(Would you like to be interviewed next on granola tendencies? Do you live a granola life? Do you have amazing tips and advice that would help others learning more about sustainability? If so, email me at SheenaLYoung at gmail dot com and I'm sure readers would love to hear from you!)

Grocery Shopping and Cooking Vegan/Vegetarian

2009-11-16T17:09:00.000-06:00

This past Sunday (or perhaps it was two Sundays ago) I went grocery shopping. I do my bulk grocery shopping about once a month and then every week I'll buy a thing or two. Such as one bell pepper here or there. Cooking for one while trying to be organic while not wasting food but not really liking to freeze things...is sometimes a daunting task!

Since I knew my schedule for tech week of Winter Pageant at Redmoon Theater would leave me no time to do anything else, on top of my regular "9-5" which is really "7-5", I decided to make a few meals in bulk and portion them out so that I'd always have lunch and dinner. Without planning to, they were all vegetarian or vegan. I'm still struggling with trying to create a raw dish. (Actually my homemade salsa is a raw dish. YEA!)

Due to this crazy schedule there is has also been a lack in posting and reading of other great blogs. My apologies for the absense. My day went something like this.

6 am to 6:30 pm -Wake up. (microwave water to brush teeth and wash face in - by the way I found a homemade recipe for mouthwash and I am starting to use baking soda as toothpaste). Get dressed. Use extra water to water my plants.
6:30 to 7am - Travel to work and try to sleep on the train.
7am to 5pm - work like a horse at my wonderful job that is a bit understaffed. Hopefully the empty positions will be filled SOON!!!!! Please, gods of positons filled for understaffed companies...pretty please give us someone.
5pm to 5:30pm - travel to Redmoon Theater
5:30 to 12:00 am - TECH Winter Pageant. (Do you know what tech is? Holy crap. I forget what tech is till it slaps me in the face!)
12:00 to 1:30am - Travel home. (If I drove I could be home in 15 minutes. But since I take the bus and train everywhere and they run slower this time of night...morning...it takes a long time to get home. Shoot, I could fly to New York in that amount of time when put in prespective!)
1:30 to 2:30am - Send reports for theater, browse facebook when I really should not, take my shower.
2:30am to 6:00 am - Sleep
6:00am - wake up and remind myself I chose this life.

THAT HAS BEEN MY SCHEDULE FOR THE PAST WEEK. AAAAHHHH!

So as you can see, if I didn't bring my lunch and dinner with me, I would not eat.

I made my tofu veggie stir fry, vegan black bean soup, homemade salse, corn chowder with jalepeno parsley puree, and spicy potatoe soup. I don't have pictures of the later two right now, but will soon!

Some of the ingredients for the Vegan Soup.

This time i added a few more ingredients. Diced tomatoes. Corn. And Salsa Verde.

Next time I'm going to take out the diced tomato. I didn't like it that much.

And this time I let it simmer for about an hour as the recipe called for. And I didn't like that either.

But it was still good and I was eating it ALL WEEK LONG!

I also made my homemade salsa. I tried to keep track of the ingredients I was putting in it so I could compile a recipe later. Also while I was making all the dishes...half the salsa disappeared. I guess I kept eating it throughout my marathon cooking day.

Some of the ingredients were green, yellow and orange bell peppers, serrano peppers, jalepeno peppers, onions, diced tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, cilantro, salsa verde HOT, and lots of seasonings including hot shot, chili pepper, and cayenne pepper. (I noticed that everything I made was spicy)

These are the some of the veggies for my tofu stir fry.

TOFU. There are many ways to prepare and cook tofu and there are many kinds of tofu. If done incorrectly, it is gross, tasteless and people will never try it again. If done to perfection, people will beg for more! I had friends eating my stir fry all week.

The stir fry when complete! And this time I prepared it with brown rice instead of white rice. It was still the instant minute rice but at least it was brown!

Once everything was done, I started putting them in separate containers so that I could grab two or so each day. I've been saving all my containers and others containers as tupperware. All of it finally came in handy!

Even more containers of food! You can also see that I catch up on tv shows as I cook or clean. Because when else am I going to watch last season's episode's of Lost?

One thing I enjoyed about this process was that by making a few different recipes I was able to use a whole bell pepper or a whole onion. Sometimes I'll make something to eat and still have left over unused bell peppers and whatnot. And by the time I get around to using it again, it has spoiled. By cooking in bulk with a variety of recipes that had similar ingredients, I was able to keep my waste down!

A few things I noticed while grocery shopping.

Because of the tons of vegetables in my cart, it looked like I had just robbed a farm. My cart was colorful, I didn't use any of those plastic bags and just about all of the vegetables were organic
While the vegetables were organic, I forgot to even consider whether or not they were locally grown. If I want to become a more eco-conscious eater, I have to be more mindful of that. I am definitely going to participate in a local CSA next year.
I went down the toiletries aisle to find some mouthwash and I saw so many products. Twenty differen face washes and shower gels and this and that and with pride I thought, "Either I have made my own versions of these or I am on my way to doing so. I can by pass this aisle now!"
But I also thought, "Wouldn't it be great if I could by pass the vegetable aisle too? Wouldn't it be great if I had my own garden? Then I'd be saving loads! And what if I made my own bread and what if the only milk I drank was almond milk. But I like store bought popsicles. I still have to buy that. And that cream cheese fruit dip. That's too good to give up. But still, I really want a garden. Maybe my boyfriend will let me use his backyard.)

Taking the time to preplan and sort my meals came in handy. During a week when I normally do not eat at all, I always had healthy homemade food at hand. While I missed out on sleep, at least I was eating a balanced, organic and vegetarian diet for the week!

A Forgotten Treasure Box

2009-11-08T23:15:00.001-06:00

While prepping to do a Product Review of Regreet, I came across an old box with tons of letters, notes, cards, quotes, ticket stubs, and all sorts of things. Some things I had completely forgotten about. Other things I had "lost" awhile back and suddenly found again. Other things were reminders and highlights of life well lived.

The box of old things

In this old box I found 25 two cent stamps. Over 30+ old birthday invites from 3 years ago that are printed on both sides.

What am I supposed to do with this? I can't use it as scrap paper. But there are only so many things you can do with 30 images of yourself. (Yes, I had a cool picture of myself put on my birthday invite). And those are some of the two cent stamps in the bottom left corner. :) That's like finding money.

This pretty picture and note is from a student in a classroom that I chose for a Donor's Choose program. I love this program. You get to see exactly what each classroom needs for toys, to supplies, to books and you can pick which project and classroom that you'd like to fund. My favorite part is having the students draw pictures and write you notes thanking you for their new things and they tell you exactly what they did with the things your donation paid for. I remember tearing up when I first received the thank notes and as I found them again, I cried again. Happy tears.

Okay. This is a little shameful. See these Christmas cards. They are cute ones I bought, wrote notes in, put in envelopes, put stamps on and then put in a box. Those cards are from Christmas 2005. Four years ago. How lazy am I that I apply the stamps and just never put them in the mailbox. Unfortunately with the way the cards are made and how I wrote in them, I'm not sure how to reuse them. I guess, if I still like the people I wrote them out to four years ago, I can resend them this year. Although some of the address probably changed.

The lower left hand side with the pink envelope on top. That's a stack of cards and pictures for my ex boyfriend that died in a car crash in college. Since this summer I've been looking for those pictures and never thought to look in this box...since i have a separate photo box and thought they might be in there. Finding these photos of him and I brought me to tears as well.

This is one of the photos I found.

I also came across over 20+ handwritten letters and cards from my friend Amber who lives in New York. She sends me cards every year for my birthday, valentine's day and christmas...as she's jewish! She sends me just because cards. She sends me ornaments. Handmade scarfs and mittens. I mean, I can't even place a value on these. And I could never regreet or regift anything from here. I had no idea the volume of stuff she sends me until I started making piles and Amber had her own couple of piles!

This is Amber. Isn't she gorgeous!

I also came across wedding invitations and holiday gala invitations and company picnic invitations and all these things are too expensive and pretty to throw away or rip apart and turn into something new. And I don't scrapbook and I also don't think they are fitting for my art journals. So what do I do with those things? Suggestions?

I came across many dear notes and letters and it was great to reread them. Although I wish they didn't live in a box under my bed. There were also the notes and cards from people who are no longer a part of my life, no longer my friends...and some of them were still great to have and others, my impulse was to burn. :) I didn't though. I'll upcycle them into brand new cards!

Which upon closer examination I saw a number of cards that were handmade from friends or blank cards that received a lot of jazz from magazine clippings and such.

While I won't be able to regreet most of these things because they are either too precious to give up or won't fit the regreet labels, I will defintely take the time to regift them in my own way. I do a lot of art journaling and have all the supplies I need to give new life to these cards, take back some of my storage space and divert them from going into the trash.

You also, don't have to wait for the next card to come in to try something. I once took quotes and pictures I'd ripped out of magazines and framed them to make cast gifts for a show I worked on. While each of the seven pieces were uniquely different there was a common thread throughout the tie them all together. I actually wish I had kept them all but giving them to the director and each cast member was much better.

So if you have an old frame just lying around, why not throw something together and send a creative gift to a friend.

Or I once sent over 10 different postcard type things to my mom. I just took cardstock paper, added quotes, pictures, and pretty paper and mailed them to her. When I later went home ot visit I saw she had framed some, had some lining her bathroom sink, her bedroom dresser and in other places around the house. During a trip to Vegas with her, she even brought some to make the hotel room more like her bedroom. It took me a short period of time to mix match quotes, pictures, and paper and for her is something so precious.

Why not find ways to make the scraps around your house into a creative gift for someone you care about?

Regreet - Product Review

2009-11-08T22:46:00.000-06:00

I've mentioned Regreet a few times on Granola Tendencies and I finally took the time this weekend to try the product out at the request of its CEO, Christy Elchers. Welcome to Granola Tendencies first product review.

Photo Credit courtesy of Regreet on Facebook

I received my Regreet package in the mail about two weeks ago and my initial reaction was excitement and intrigue. There was even a handwritten card included in the envelope in which it was suggested that I use that card as my first Regreet. Unfortunately, the card is too pretty to give to someone else, so right now it lives on my desk at work.

Isn't the card so pretty?

So, the first thing I was was dig around my box of old notes, cards and letters for some possible things to "Regreet." I can't give away something too pretty or too precious. It has to be something that was nice but has lived in the box for years just taking up space. (You have no idea the things I found in that box. I must not have gone through it in years!)

After finding a suitable collection of cards that I wanted to regreet, I opened the kit. It seemed easy enough. I apply the journey label to the back of the card. (This is how each recipent is able to track all the places the card has traveled.)

Then I'm supposed to apply a signature label over the message the previous person wrote on the card. I hit a snag during this step. The label wasn't big enough to cover what the person had wrote.

I tried changing the direction. Adding two labels. Nothing worked. The pre-determined size did not fit over all the writing on the card I wanted to use.

Not only did it not fit, but the whole color and theme of the "regreet" label totally messed up the look of the original card. Perhaps if the card was more earth tone in color, it wouldn't look so obviously regifted. After trying two other cards that could also not be covered with the signature label, I neatly packed the "regreet" kit back up and wondered who I could regift the regreet set to.

My review.

While the idea of regreet is intriguing, it turned out to be very limiting. In order for the product to work, you will need a card that fits its pre-determined label sizes and one in which only has writing on a certain part of the card. How does this account for people who have written on both sides of the card or in a place not able to have a label stuck over it.

Since i wasn't able to find a suitable card to regreet, I wasn't able to try the second part of the product which involved tracking the various places the card goes.

My advice.

For old cards that you come across but that need a new home, try old fashioned construction paper, glue, and magazine clippings that way you can cut things to the exact size that you need, find color schemes that work, and pretty much completely remake the card into something new.

Would I recommend this product? Sure, if all your friends send you cards that fit the exact measurements of the regreet kit. Otherwise, you'll need to find a way to regreet the regreet kit. Anyone want to try it on, I'll mail it to you free of charge!

World Vegan Day and my Epic Fail

2009-11-08T21:47:00.000-06:00

November 1st was World Vegan Day.

Photo Credit

The week prior to World Vegan Day, I did a pretty good job at eating vegan foods for three days, vegetarian for four days, and meat on one day. I thought that was pretty good.

And then I hit a wall!

I realize that its hard to stick to my dietary ideals since 75% of my meals are consumed at work. 15% are consumed by ordering, eating out, and grabbing on the go. 10% are consumed at home.

Those numbers may be a bit off but almost all my meals are eaten at work. Personally this is great because it cut my grocery bill beyond 50%! My place of employment is an excellent provider and takes care of its people. But perhaps I should start preparing my meals at home and bringing them to work if its really important to me that I cut down on my consumption of meat and pay closer attention to carbon footprint my food choices leave.

However, it's just so easy to grab a plate of whatever is in a conference room meeting whether its a vegetarian dish or spicy chicken basil. It's right there. And if I don't eat it, it will sit out and be thrown away and isn't it better to eat it than to have it spoil and be thrown away! (That's so un granola of me!)

It's the convenience factor. Its just right there. If my job didn't provide food, almost all of my meals would be vegetarian with some vegan things here or there.

I went to a Bears football game a week ago and that is where I had my epic fail. Without thinking I went for the hot wings, burgers, and salad with bacon bits. There was also italian beef and hot dogs and sausages. And I went to town. On World Vegan Day. Perfect day!!! :(

I ordered all that meat even though I took the time to order a vegetarian dish for a colleague who was only eating the fruit provided. If I had enough sense to notice that he was a vegetarian and then order him an appropriate meal...why didn't I do it for me?

I began to wonder if perhaps I didn't have a strong enough conviction to stand by my sustainable ideals. Some people are vegetarians for religious reasons, for environmental reasons, for animal right reasons, for dietary reasons, for traditional reasons. And they have been that way for years and have adapted to that lifestyle. But for me, if I'm somewhere where meat is the only option, while true vegetarians will opt out and wait till they go home to eat...I will just grab what's available and eat the meat. Where does that impulse come from? I'll have to figure that out another day.

While I do enjoy veggie burgers and veggie italian sausage and all that good stuff, I haven't come across a good vegetarian hot wing. After a simple google search I found two recipes that I am going to give a try.

Vegan Boneless Chickenless Hot Wings

Easy Vegetarian Hot Wings

A Granola Cat?

2009-11-07T15:53:00.000-06:00

So I am heavily considering adopting a kitten/cat. Well, its beyond considering it since I've already purchased everything I need for it except for the food, litter and litter box. In a few weeks...like next weekend there will be a pet in my apartment.

While I don't know what kind of cat or kitten, I am nonetheless excited. My plan is to go to the Anti-Cruelty Society and let the cat pick me. (The Anti-Cruelty society is NOT a no-kill shelter. Therefore I'll potentially be saving a life) While kittens are cuter...they require more work and need more training...but they are so cute. However, I'm interested in adopting a cat that's at least a year but not fifteen years. I don't want to spend the entire time with the cat at the vet. Although senior cats need love to. I'm looking for a cat that needs a home that he won't destroy. A cat that will cuddle but can also be aloof. A cat that won't mind that sometimes I have rehearsals.

(By the way, I used to own a kitten named Polo. She was a firecracker, knew how to fly, broke almost everything made of glass in my room, and yet was the most sweetest little cuddler ever. However, I had to get rid of her because she had a temper problem. When she'd get upset, she'd pee on my bed as a huge flick off to me for having to discipline her. That could not continue. Therefore I had to give her up as lovely and crazy as she was)

This is Polo. I miss her but I know she's in a better home!

So, in wanting a kitten, I started looking up ways to raise a cat in a granola kind of way and I came across some interesting ideas and tips.

Of course there is the whole use organic or natural food and litter. Finding the right one that suits my needs and pleases the cat will be the challenge. I did see at the grocery store and on Petco.com that Feline Pine is an all natural clumping litter. Clumping is what's important to me. So perhaps this will be the one. It also seemed reasonable priced. Because trust me, I'm not going to break my budget for a cat. If I'm going to break my budget its going to be because of me and a new dress or book or another trip to a Thai restaurant. (Selfish, yes. I know.)

I was confused when I saw on Petco.com that you had to choose between "natural," "organic," or "holistic." I guess I figured that all those choices went hand in hand but perhaps not. For now, I will wait to purchase the food until I know what cat I will have and receive some guidance from a sales associate at Petco or Petsmart.

Another green tip I came across was that I should not wear my shoes in my apartment. I agree with this for other reasons aside from pets. It keeps your floors cleaner. Yogis believe it keeps your apartment's chi intact by being intentional in the act of removing your shoes before entering your home. I'm sure there are other religious and cultural significance around removing your shoes. Another reason, is for your pet. Since we trap things on the bottom of our shoes, we are giving our pets the oppurtunity to fill their mouths with all sorts of impurities. This will be something I will become more conscious of. Over the last few weeks, since decided to adopt a cat, I've started taking my shoes off.

Another green idea was to make toys for your pet instead of purchasing more stuff. Stuff that took resources and energy to make. Stuff that will eventually end up in the trash. Ideas for toys. Well, you could ball up aluminum foil and let the kitty play with that. You could tie a piece of string to a piece of scrap paper and pull that around the room. The kitty will destroy that paper in minutes and it cost you nothing. I read once that you could take an old box, cut holes around it big enough for the cat, fill the box with newspaper and little treats and the cat will spend loads of time going in and out the box.

Another green choice is to adopt a kitty versus buying one. I believe the ones you buy are breed. Adopting one helps those that already exist and need a home.

Since cats love catnip, there is also the possibility of growing your own catnip. Or should you choose to purchase it, purchase the organic kind.

These are the only tips I've been able to find so far but I am constantly looking for more so that my new cat will have a holistic and sustainable life with as little of an impact on the earth as possible. So we will see.

I've been thinking of names and just today I thought, "Granola," would make a good name too! What do you think?

Green Art by JantiraK

2009-11-04T19:26:00.003-06:00

One of my closest friends is an amazing artist and so so lovely and dark and twisted and beautiful and I love it!!! She's one of those people that I wish had a few clones because I swear the world would be a far better place.

After posting about Green Stage Management in a previous post, Jantirak told me she wanted to write something about Green Art and then SHE DID and it's great. She also posted it on her blog. So you can either read it here. She graciously let me repost it, in its entirety. But I also encourage you to go over to her blog too at Four Walls, No Walls, You and Me. just so you can catch a glimmer of a genius.

I almost forgot to tell you that Jantirak was the illustrator on a children's book I wrote a few years back. Perhaps when I'm home again, I'll scanned in a page or two. It was never published. Just given out as a christmas gift to a few people and a theater.

Ooh and also, did I mention she's an amazing artist? One of the few projects I remember clearly and vividly from a Theater and Culture class in undergrad involved a one woman show Jantirak did that involved us literally stripping her of her culture. Oh it was crazy. You'd have to have been there.

Without further ado, here is Jantirak's post.

GREEN ART by JantiraK.

Inspired by my friend Sheena’s new blog, Granola Tendencies, I decided I would do a post on eco alternatives in Art.

One of the big caveats with art is that it’s so damn expensive! In school, people would always comment on how lucky I was that I almost never had to spend the couple hundred dollars on textbooks for class. What they didn’t realize was that in the course of a semester, I would end up spending several times that amount on art supplies! One great way of being eco-friendly is to simply consume less. By this I mean ways you can use what you have around you to make art, as opposed to running out and buying new art materials every time you have a new project. This is very eco-friendly in that it reduces waste and doesn’t contribute to the enormous amounts of energy and materials used in producing new products, etc…

Chopsticks: Not only for eating noodles, they make great drawing utensils. You can also use forks or spatulas or credit cards to lay blocks of texture. In Learning by Heart, Sister Corita suggests an exercise where one makes drawings using only chopsticks and india ink. The combination of using something as simple as ink and a chopstick really invites a sense of play (which is crucial to any creative endeavor) since the way we feel toward a chopstick is not the same way one might feel toward say, a #12 Kolinsky Sable brush, for example.

Spoons: A good spoon or ladle can go a long way. Use these instead of a brayer for small prints. If you have larger prints, you can use an empty can covered with cloth for the same purpose. In fact, many useful things can be found in a kitchen utensil drawer. A butter knife makes an excellent bone folder.

Glue: Why buy glue when you can easily make it? Wheat paste has been around for centuries and is a favorite among street artists worldwide. It uses just 3 common household items: water, flour and sugar. There are lots of different recipes for making wheat paste but here’s one if you don’t want to sift through google. They are all pretty much the same, and will be good for use for up to a week. Also consider this as an alternative to store bought Modge Podge or epoxy resins for sealing.

Photo Credit

Buy used: Nowadays, a lot of the art you see is digital. This means digital cameras, software, tools, etc. Consider buying these things used instead of new. Technology moves fast and it’s important to keep up, but unless you are a pro and making money off your art, then it doesn’t really seem reasonable to buy that new $3K digital camera or $2k for that pen tablet. Remember, it’s what you do with the tools you have. Although I may want the new 5D Mark II or D700, if I don’t know how to compose a nice picture to begin with, no amount of vibration reduction, vertical horizon, autofocus, etc…is going to make it any better than if i shot it using a disposable camera. And think of all the plastic you saved from the dump by buying used! Also, many programs come with multiple downloads or users. Consider splitting one among friends or searching for a single user from places like craigslist or eBay.

Notebooks: I LOVE notebooks. This is one area that’s really hard for me. Every artist needs a good notebook. I have a reserve of several nicer notebooks/journals for the stuff I want to keep or remember but for quick notes and to-do lists – the stuff that eventually gets tossed and recycled – I use scrap paper. At work we go through a lot of paper, and almost all of it is one-sided. I keep a pile of this on my desk for quick notes or things that I know I won’t need to keep around for a while. You can also gather up all this paper and bind it into a nice little notebook as well.

Pens: Ok, so this is me on my soapbox for a minute. As much as I love notebooks, I also LOVE fountain pens. They are very eco-friendly in that you only need ONE good fountain pen and it will last you for potentially your entire lifetime. At the very least it will outlast your cheapy disposable several times over. Just think of all the plastic that goes into making disposable pens – and then think of your pen collection. How many of those pens are disposable? I would guess that for most Americans, almost all the pens they use are disposable. All that ends up somewhere. Although I have several fountain pens, my favorite is a super cheapy one made by a Chinese company (Hero) that I picked up in Thailand for around $2 USD. Similar models (Hero 330) are available here for only $5. Noodler’s inks are also relatively inexpensive at around $10-15/bottle for 3oz which is more than enough ink to last. That’s a $15-20 investment, which I’m sure is around or less than what most of us spend in the course of a year on pens. Not to mention all the other benefits of fountain pens such as improved penmanship, less strain on your hand, etc… Fountain pens now come in many different nib sizes so illustrators have a variety of line widths to choose from.

Canvas: Yes, sometimes, you will need to go buy that huge canvas for that huge project, but sometimes, you don’t. Consider other materials that are readily available and free/cheap. Adam Neate made a career out of painting on cardboard. Consider this, along with wood, glass, vinyl, fabric, basically any surface. Many of these items can be found in thrift stores for cheap. Now, with the huge popularity of Street Art, the entire city is your canvas! Painting on an alternative surface also pushes you to think more about the nature of that surface. It engages your creative juices in a different way than painting on canvas or canvas board.

These are but a few ideas. Feel free to tweak these to suit your needs and resources. Also don’t be afraid to build your own tools. If you have any more ideas, let me know and I’ll post them here. More to come on eco-friendly art in future posts as well as different topics to consider.

Expired Medicine

2009-11-02T16:47:00.002-06:00

I have a bunch of medicine in my medicine box, some of it prescription from surgeries and such this year. I doubt I'll have a need for them since I tried to ween myself off them sooner than I should have anyway.

In order to make sure I disposed of them in a proper way, I googled it. Because that's what you do when you need information nowadays. What I found wasn't that encouraging.

You could always just throw it away. (Unfortunately, people or animals might get to it in the trash and that's not a great idea. One article said if you don't have a choice but to throw it away, you should take it out of the medicine bottle and put it in something else and conceal it with other things like coffee grounds or kitty poop or something)

You could flush it. (But now that's in our water supply. I thought it was gross when Chicago put out its annual report of the test done on our water from Lake Michigan and what they found in it. Gross. Gross. Gross. And yet, I'm told I should drink tap over bottled water. Hmmm.)

You could return it to your pharmacist. (Some of them have drop off bins or just take them back. But there's something about that I don't like. Maybe it has to do with some 20/20 report I saw where the pharmacist were not giving people the right medicine in an effort to save money and people ended up dead. What if they take my expired medicine and give it to someone else and they get sick. I just don't trust them.)

You could donate it to a third world country. (Umm. When I came across this option, I was quickly offended. We can't sell expired medicine in our stores but its good enough to send to someone who is less fortunate. Like "oh, the apple is rotten and I'd never buy it but send it to Africa, at least its something." Yeah, that option just doesn't work for me.)

So I still haven't found an answer and I just have a box full of all kinds of medicines that I no longer need. What am I supposed to do with it?

throw away
flush
give back to pharmacy
donate to third world countries

Can I put Eco-Stage Manager on my resume? :)

2009-11-02T15:46:00.000-06:00

While I'm still trying to articulate my views of socio-political theater and its interception with eco-drama, I have found other ways that I am able to incorporate granola tendencies into my theatrical adventures.

First, every stage manager must have a physical prompt book. While you may argue the merit of such a need and highlight all the ways we could get around a physical one that requires paper, I just don't believe it. I have seen too many challenges during a show that shows a necessity for having this physical book.

I worked on a show as an Assistant Stage Manager where the Stage Manager heavily relied on his computer to run the show. His action script and master cue list were on his laptop. Hmmm. Let me count all the ways something went wrong.

1. One night he forgot to charge the laptop and had left the charger somewhere else. Therefore, computer dead.
2. One day, the document just wouldn't open.
3. Another time...he left the laptop somewhere.

And whenever these mishaps would happen, low and behold...I had my prompt book that had the info we needed.

So being that I need a prompt book, I've approached the process of creating one in a granola kind of way.

Instead of preprinting most of my prompt book contents which include forms, calendars and scripts amongst other things, I have done majority of the work on my laptop until I have a final draft ready to print. The action script changes constantly. Someone was just taken off the contacts list. And so the story goes. So, if I've been able to wait to print it, I've done so. Each night I send a rehearsal report and I usually print it out and add it to the binder. The report is only one page long. So instead of printing one page each night. I wait until I have a chunk and print them double sided. (I wouldn't recommend using scrap paper. Its sort of a stage manager's portfolio and needs to be professional looking. You wouldn't print your final resume on scrap paper, would you.) When I have printed, I've also printed on 100% post consumer recycled content paper.

Sometimes I need scrap paper, just because I'm standing, I'm moving. I'm here, I'm there. The director is giving me 100 notes, an actor ask for this...and I can't hold my laptop and type it and I've tried using my cell phone to type it out too. Just doesn't work. So for scrap paper, I did something. Because I was notorious for pre-printing my prompt books and sometimes printing things that I didn't end up needing, I was able to make a stack of paper that can now be used as scrap.

Also, by purging my old SM prompt books I came across many generic forms that were blank and now I will be able to reuse them in the future. I have a stack of forms that I didn't use three shows ago, that are perfect for this show. So instead of tossing them, or letting them sit in a cabinet collecting dust and space, I'm able to actually use them.

In rehearsal there are some other things, either the performers do or the theater does that tend to be a bit more granola.

Redmoon Theater is notorious for being innovative, creative, and engineering wonder! That have all sort of contraptions and crazy things and many of them are home-made. Instead of purchasing these items, most of them are created in right in their shop, such as the swan headdresses.

Credit courtesy of Redmoon Central on Facebook.

Redmoon is also great with reusing items. (Theaters in general are great for this. Usually it has to do with financial reasons but its also a granola reason.) I've worked with Redmoon on numerous shows and many objects, puppets, contraptions, and things are reused, repurposed, upcycled and then used for something else.

This photo I took myself. It highlights two things. The clouds are something we may be using in this year's Winter Pageant and they were also something we used last year as well. While they are both two different shows with different moments throughout, sometimes they find ways to reuse a great object.

This photo also shows the car. You probably can't tell but that car is made of paper mache. Most of it aside from the part that makes it actually move and such. But the body of it or the outside (I don't know car vocabulary)...but the outside is made of paper mache.

And the other day on the objects/props table I came across a crazy wonderful looking puppet made from electrical tape! Its hair was made of old newspaper. (A picture will be posted of it eventually). So they are able to make objects, contraptions and puppets from regular "household" items. Tape. Newspaper, Paper, Glue.

I love that!

In this picture, a performer is experimenting during a moment in the fall. The paper on the floor represents leaves until we receive the real prop sometime soon. This rehearsal prop of ripped up paper is used pretty much each night. Instead of using new paper each night to work this moment, we sweep up the paper and reload it into the suitcase. Now sometimes some of the pieces of paper get wet..because there is water in the show and bubbles. Or sometimes they get really dirty because its the floor and the theater is inside a warehouse...so occasionally we have to throw some of them out. But, majority of it is reused each night.

So these are just some of the ways that we have been practicing granola tendencies while rehearsing for Winter Pageant at Redmoon Central. I acknowledge there are some big picture ideas on how theaters can be eco friendly such as in stage lighting, electrical use, huge scale recycling and such but that's a post for another day.

Do you have tips on other ways we can practice granola tendencies? How else can I as a stage manager incorporate green practices into my artistic work without sacrificing my professionalism or the quality of work I produce?

Composting in an Apartment

2009-11-02T14:32:00.003-06:00

For five minutes I entertained the notion of composting in my apartment. It seemed like a cute granola thing to do. After the five minutes I was grossed out by the idea of worms in a bin in my apartment. I had thoughts of them oozing out the air holes and finding my bed and eating me alive. Then I thought, Sheena, you can't even find a decent place to recycle in the city and now you want to compost? Seriously?!

I came across this video which was pretty interesting at Ecolocalizer.com.

I came across some interesting less granola composters that don't involve poking air holes in a bin for the worms to breathe. Happy Farmer Kitchen Composter and Gaiam recommended composters.

Is there anyone living in an apartment who compost inside of their home? What is that process like? What do you do with the compost if you don't have a garden to then use it for?

If I were to compost, I'd have an endless supply of food through my job. We throw pounds of coffee grounds away a day as well as all kinds of food scraps. I'd have the best garden, if I had the land! I hope in the future perhaps my job will have a garden and then a portion of the waste we produce in our food will go to good use.

Dr. Greg Watson and Blacks in Green

2009-11-01T13:40:00.001-06:00

While the event took place more than a week ago, I'd love to spend some time talking about what took place. Two Fridays ago, I went to a speaking engagement hosted by Blacks in Green where Dr. Greg Watson was speaking.

Photo Credit

There are a couple things I'd like to talk about therefore bare with me if this gets long. Why don't you go grab a cup of tea and come back after you've settled down a bit because there are quite a few things I want to say. And I don't know if I may some things that are offensive or make you uneasy and I won't apologize for them but I'd love your reactions to them Or maybe what I'll write will be roses and sunshine and we will all feel better about the world. I have no clue right now.

First, I found out about Blacks in Green while taking courses in Green Business through the Chicago Center for Green Technology. The courses that I took for the most part were engaging, challenging, insightful and full of lively and interesting debate. Although the class I was most looking forward to turned out to be the biggest disappointment unfortunately. While taking these courses there were quite a few people who I continued to see throughout the various classes. Because we had to sign in with who we were affiliated with, I started seeing a reoccurring theme of people from "Blacks in Green." Eventually I googled it.

Now let me pause. While I am Black, you'd never catch me starting a group like Blacks in Green. While I think it has its time and place and it geared towards a certain group, its just not the type of thing I would do. Those are the same people who would get upset with a group called "White in Green." We'd label that as racist. So why Blacks in Green. I just think it limits the possibilities. Besides, I don't think its a sustainable approach in the long run. I know if I started a blog called "Black Girl, Green World." that blog would generate more traffic and if I added "finna" and did a post on "How to be Green in the Hood," so many black people would read my blog and perhaps nominate me for the Black Web Blog Awards.

And while that is great for someone. I think its foolish for me. Whatever. While I don't like the name of "Black in Green" I did join their meet up group because they do all sorts of things all over Chicago and I felt like I had something to learn. Even though I've been in the group for almost a year though, I never participated in any of their meetups. Going to Dr. Watson's speaking engagement was the first.

First thing I noticed was....

....lots of PAPER!!!!!

There were four sign up sheets for an event that had about forty people. I mean, really. I know you don't want people waiting forever to check in...but for sheets. That's like ten people sign in per sheet. Didn't someone own a laptop? Couldn't they have had an eletronic sign in. You walk in and the person at the table ask your name and whatnot and they type it in?

Then the table was just sprawled with all sorts of hand outs and this and that and blah blah blah. And even during the conversation, they passed out pieces of yellow paper so that you could write your questions on for Dr. Watson. Honestly, Dr. Watson had made the room so inviting and welcoming that it didn't need to be formal enough to write questions down. After the first question was asked from the sheet, everyone just spoke freely.

There were snacks. I didn't take the time to see but I wondered if they were organic and local. There was wine. I wondered where did it come from and what impact it placed on the earth. And I wondered if they wondered about it.

Some politician's assistant spoke first. He read from some script about all the wonderful things Chicago is doing to make the world more sustainable and while many of them were actually intriguing and good to learn about, I rolled my eyes. I thought, "You have this whole freakng speech and yet I can't find a place that I can recycle and compost in the city. Are you kidding me? Shut up and let Dr. Watson speak."

Next two journalist spoke. They both were award winning, world traveler amazing people. And I thought, it would be great to know them but that wasn't why I came.

Then Naomi Davis spoke. She read a poem. And her energy was very....hmm remember the talking tree from Pocahantas. The wise spiritual welcoming tree. Something about the energy of that tree reminds me of her. I mean that as a highest compliment. I'd love if someone said you remind me of a mountain, its strength. Or of the wind or the moon. So I really mean it with the best intentions.

Then Dr. Watson spoke.

He spoke on many things and I took detailed notes and perhaps that will be a post too in which I just give you the minutes of the speaking engagement. Right now I'm just writing from memory of things that were said and what stood out.

Dr. Watson spoke a great while about the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative. Have you ever heard of it? I remember hearing about it in one of my sociology classes during undergrad. I believe it may have been Urban Sociology. (Since I have a problem with keeping every notebook from college, I'm sure I still have the notes from that study and lecture and will look for it). I've taken the words straight from their website because there is no way for me to say it better.

The Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI) is a nonprofit community-based planning and organizing entity rooted in the Roxbury/North Dorchester neighborhoods of Boston. DSNI's approach to neighborhood revitalization is comprehensive including economic, human, physical, and environmental growth. It was formed in 1984 when residents of the Dudley Street area came together out of fear and anger to revive their neighborhood that was devastated by arson, disinvestment, neglect and redlining practices, and protect it from outside speculators.

DSNI works to implement resident-driven plans partnering with nonprofit organizations, community development corporations (CDCs), businesses and religious institutions serving the neighborhood, as well as banks, government agencies, corporations and foundations. The Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative has grown into a collaborative effort of over 3,000 residents, businesses, non-profits and religious institutions members committed to revitalizing this culturally diverse neighborhood of 24,000 people and maintaining its character and affordability. DSNI is the only community-based nonprofit in the country which has been granted eminent domain authority over abandoned and within its boundaries.

Later on, it says....

DSNI's major accomplishment has been, and continues to be, organizing and empowering the residents of the Dudley Street neighborhood to create a shared vision of the neighborhood prioritizing development without displacement and bringing it to reality by creating strategic partnerships with individuals and organizations in the private, government, and nonprofit sectors. That shared vision first emerged from a community-wide process conducted initially in 1987 that resulted in a resident-developed, comprehensive revitalization plan.

The 1987 comprehensive plan was updated in our urban village visioning process in 1996, involving over 180 residents and organization representatives. Their ideas affirm many elements of the 1987 plan, add important refinements and renew their commitment to creating an "urban village" and declare their belief that "Anything Is Possible". From this process, a major commitment was made to enhance economic power in the Dudley neighborhood. Through DSNI’s community land trust, the Dudley neighborhood has the only permanent affordable housing in the city of Boston.

Residents continue to guide this plan which established community control over a critical mass of the 1,300 parcels of abandoned land that had come to characterize the neighborhood. Residents gained control by convincing the authorities in Boston’s city government to take the unprecedented step of granting the community the power of eminent domain over much of the vacant land combined with a partnership with the city on the publicly-owned vacant land. The Dudley neighborhood thus acquired valuable assets, established a community land trust, set a criteria for development and a "place at the table" for the planning and development of the community.

Did you take the time to really read that? What if every neighborhood was like that? Wow. We'd really get things done. Dr. Watson brough up Dudley Street for two reasons because he once served as their Executive Director for four years and highlight the power of what communities can do when they ask and take initiative.

I believe Blacks in Green partners with various neighborhood initiatives and groups in the chicago land area and some leaders and activist were in attendance. One group represented a portion of the Riverdale community and after hearing about the Dudley Street Neighborhood, they spoke of their frustration with limitations and with not knowing what they could do. One woman spoke at lengths about that fact that many of the local cable services refuse to allow cable in that area. I'm not sure of the technical way to explain this.

For example in my building if you want internet, you can only sign up via comcast. My building or neighborhood or who knows..haven't authorize AT&T for example to offer internet. And even if they did, I don't even think AT&T is in that area, although they are three blocks away. How that is divided is a mystery to me.

Therefore with this neighborhood in Riverdale...NONE of the cable and internet provides will touch their land.

Some people spoke about the impossibility of that. There was no way that it was completely impossible for them to have internet in their neighborhood. Others asked whether they had them at the library or not? I think the answer was no because their library couldn't afford it. That led to a woman from that group saying everyone couldn't afford a computer. Then a man in the back mumbled that they couldn't afford not to have one. I agreed with him. With the cheap cost of brand new dells, how someone can't afford one is beyond me. And if a brand new dell is cheap, how about a refurbished one. Even cheaper. Where else is your money going? Financial priority, planning and management in the black community leaves much to be desired.

Another man stood up and said why didn't they pool the neighborhood and collect money. One might only be able to give 75 or 100 or something and then as a large group they go to best buy and said, "We have x amount of dollars, can we get a deal on 75 computers." Then he said, you may not get them all but maybe they will give you 60. And there you go, your neighborhood has computers.

How that allows them access to the internet, I am not sure?

Listen, I know someone might think, how the hell is she telling people how to spend their money. Some of their neighborhoods are the most at risk, have the highest unemployment rate and receive little assistance. But some of these same people always wear the latest jordans, go to the beauty shop every week and always were Apple Bottom Jeans and maybe that's why you can't afford a computer. Not because you don't make a million but because when you have 100 dollars to give it to Apple Bottom Jeans instead of organic apples and an apple computer. (I am going to piss someone off. It is not my intent.)

Many of these efforts such as the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative work because they are community based. And the lack of unity amongst communities right now is ridiculous. Children are beating each other to death with two ply wood, so I'm not sure how those same neighborhoods are to band together and proactively seek internet resources and discounted computers. I don't believe its a hopeless situation but I just have heard of any realistic approached to progression.

One older gentleman stood up and spoke about how many resources and networking possibilities were just inside the room we were in. One person would say they were stuck with one kind of problem and someone else would stand up and say they worked with organizations that dealt with those problems. One person would say they needed a resource for something and someone else would stand up and give them a website to visit. So this older gentleman said there was a need for centralized information where people could go to find out about resources. Many of these people knew what they needed or had ideas but had no clue how to go about finding them.

This made my ears perk up because that's the type of thing I am interested in finding and being a part of. Last year when my company began to take sustainable initiatives, I had no clue where to begin. I just google corn cups and found articles and googled green business. I was starting from scratch. And sure there were organizations I could pay to be a part of to find a more centralized approach to this information but something about that annoyed me. Therefore, I started a binder with all of my findings with the research, with products, with websites, I started ordering books and sample products. This binder was my go to guide for all things green business. One of our vendors came by our office one day to introduce a new product we had recently purchased and in an impromtu meeting I ended up pulling out my binder. He was so impressed with this information that he offered to buy it from me on the spot! I didn't sell it. It had some things that contained sensitive information. And why should be pay when I found all the information for free. I had just organized it. Plus, knowing him he was just going to restamp it with his companies name and say he had developed it. I declined his offer.

But seeing how eager he was to purchase this binder, I wondered how many other people could benefit from something like this. Or did it already exist? When I was pursuing my certificate in Green Business, I took a course called "Researching Green." This was the one I most looked forward to. I spent hours upon hours researching things and it was only when I was 75% of the way done, that I found out how to really search for what I needed. So I thought this class would give great direction to me on how to further my own research. PLEASE! Girlfriend had hardly any clue what she was talking about. I was a little upset that she had wasted over two hours of my time basically teaching me how to type "green" in google. Aah!

Back to the talk with Dr. Watson. One thing he emphasize was the power that we could have. Communities could get together, develop municipalities or go to ones that already exist and take a proactive approach to the utilities in their neighborhood. We believe...well I believe I can only have comcast because that's what I'm told. But what if my entire building...or ALL the buildings my management company ran banded together and decided we wanted to change. I've never known a group of people in unity who banded together for a social movement only receive "no" forever. Eventually some form of change took place, even if it took decades, death and getting your hands really dirty. I just find it inspirational that if a community could get the local government to grant them eminent domain ... what can't we do?

This really encourages me when it comes to my building and their lack of recycling. I want to write a petition and letter and gather all the signatures of those in my building and go to our management company. Perhaps we can spur change! We just need to figure out how to link up, leverage each other and lead. That's the motto of Blacks in Green. "Link. Leverage. Lead." I like that.

Before any speaking took place, a video was shown that was so inspirational. I hope you take the time to watch this 6 minute video and perhaps if you want to learn more you should visit his website. William needs no introduction.

Click the link for more information on William.

Utilities

2009-11-01T08:19:00.000-06:00

Not sure if you can see this too clearly but this is my natural gas bill for this month due on November 17th from People's Gas, Chicago's choice of vendor for this utility.

The total bill comes to $20.60

I think that is amazing!

And..and..the bill is really $16. The rest is taxes and politics and some environment pact thing.

I think that's impressive and look forward to making it even lower. I once knew a women with a two bedroom apartment who's gas bill was about $12. Crazy!

It will be interesting to see my gas bill during December and January when hell freezes over and the devil decides to blow a cold wind in chicago to make up for lost time.

Somethings that aide in this that may be different for the average household is that

I don't cook ever day
I don't have a programmable thermostat
My apartment management is amazing with checking our filters and ducts and all that whatnot. (don't remember my old apartment management doing so. they were so amazing that when the roof in the bathroom above the shower started cracking and falling, their solution was to tell me to shower with the window open because the steam did it.)
I have yet to turn my heat on

I also just received my ComEd Electricity bill and the total for that was $19. The bill went down $1 from last month. I wonder if its because I've been unplugging EVERYTHING from my walls except the fridge and stove.

Is your gas and electric bill high or low? When do you start turning your heat on?

World Vegan Day

2009-10-29T15:29:00.000-05:00

Although I own two vegan cookbooks, I have spent little time pursuing vegan dishes.

Last week I made a black bean vegan soup. Although I realize I would have made it exactly the same way without being conscious to that fact that it was vegan. I believe there are a few staple things in my diet that lean towards a vegan tendency since they overlap with vegetarianism. (But occasionally, I do like my yogurts, cheese...mmmm smoked mozzarella...and I like 2% milk, although I drink almond milk too...) So, some meals are vegan and I don't even realize it. However, it should be noted that I don't adhere to a complete vegan lifestyle, so I can't claim a title that isn't mine.

I'm not sure why I started this on Monday,...perhaps from the black bean soup on Sunday maybe, but on Monday I decided I would try being vegan for the week. But I am honest with myself. So I said, I'd try being vegan for a day. And then the next day and then the next. And hopefully it would add up to a week.

SUNDAY was easy. I had spicy basil with tofu for lunch and black bean soup for dinner

MONDAY was easy too. I had a pear, and a vegetarian gumbo from Qdoba sans the sour cream and cheese, that I normally add on. (I thought it might taste weird without including those but I didn't even notice a difference)

TUESDAY was an epic fail. First off, I've been snacking on fruit and drinking water and all that good stuff since last week's No Impact Project but then something happened on Tuesday. Because I ate tons of candy...thus producing trash. And I think for breakfast I started out with M&M's. Then someone ordered Thai for a meeting and I looked at the vegetarian option and it was okay. It was tofu with broccoli. I took a few spoon fulls but it wasn't seasoned. (You cannot have unseasoned tofu. That is why meat eaters laugh at you. Although I know meat eaters who don't season their chicken or steak. What is wrong with you people? Have you ever heard of salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, hot shot, chili pepper, garli and onion salt? Something for goodness sake?) Anyways, the food wasn't that great and I was hungry so I cheated...not only did a break a vegan rule, I broke a vegetarian rule. I grabbed some of this spicy chicken dish and it was good! I felt bad later on in the day and for a snack I tried granola cereal with soy milk. Oh hell no! I'm sorry. I just cannot get into soy milk. Some things are an acquired taste and some things just do not work. If I am going to be successful at this vegan thing, I'll have to find the perfect almond milk! Later that night when I went home, I had more of my vegan black bean soup.

Wednesday was okay. Up until rehearsal I was doing fine with all the vegan-ness. And then at rehearsal I had a vegetarian sandwich..it had cheese on it. Crap.

Today...so far...I've been doing well. All vegan food. We will see though what happens later. :)

The final push for me to try vegan-ism this week was after a conversation with one of the actors at rehearsal on Sunday night. He is a vegetarian but says that occasionally he will go a few days without diary products and he achieves a higher level of mental clarity and his body feels a bit better. With that encouragement I embarked on a week of trying a vegan lifestyle.

But I'm a google whore, so I started looking up what vegan's really are, why they are and aside from their diet what else do they do. And actually to my surprise...I promise you this was not planned....but I also found out that coming up in three days is World Vegan Day. I promise you I did not plan that at all.

Photo Credit

There is a day for everything, I tell you. When is World Sheena Day?

In a quest to find out what being a vegan was really about I went google crazy and found all sorts of info and helpful websites. It seems like people become a vegan for one of three reasons, if not all of them.

Animal Rights. Environmental Factors. Health Reasons.

(Also as I type this I want to say that I haven't had coffee in a week and I feel a difference. A good difference. My stomach is more settled. My emotions are easier to manage. My body feels better. The tea I'm drinking instead is more soothing and less heavy.)

I also found that there are dietary vegans and radical vegans. (These are my own terms or maybe someone else uses them. I don't know but they make sense to me) Dietary ones are the ones that just alter their food intake. Radical vegans alter the kinds of shoes they purchase, the kinds of clothes they wear...they alter every single thing! (But just as my director at Redmoon Theater pointed out who by the way is a vegetarian and her husband is a vegan..."ok, you choose to have vegan shoes. You can go to payless and get some cheap synthetic shoes that had no impact on animals but then they were made in China and an 8 year old made them for two cents and they were made under horrible conditions so sure there isn't animal cruelty but there is human cruelty and earth cruelty so where does it end.")

Okay, so she didn't say it exactly like that but that was pretty much it. Its like opening pandora's box. The balance between the human condition, the animal condition and the earth's condition, I suppose.

But I am one of those people who are all in or nothing. So if you say vegan than alter your clothes, shoes, and complete lifestyle. (It reminds me of black women who wear the banner of promoting natural hair and yet they wear globs of crappy makeup, they eat mcdonald's every night and they use lysol wipes to clean their counters. How the hell is your natural hair better than chemically processed hair when the rest of your lifestyle is chemically processed? That's a tangent for another day. Natural hair and how that helps the environment but all the crazy zealots out there who won't shut up about it. Another post in the making featuring what I learned about the man who invented the chemical hair relaxer in the first place. Her was also the man who invented the first stop light type device and safety helmet.)

I found a list of vegans and some of them are people I admire such as George Bernard Shaw (novelist and playwright), Martin Luther (founder of Protestantism...while I'm not one, I love the rebel that he was), and Voltaire (French author). I even came across some really intriguing quotes too but will post them each day leading up to World Vegan Day.

Want some interesting vegan reads?

Try What is a Vegan Diet? or any page on Vegan.org

There is also the Eating the Earth booklet and the really helpful Vegan Catering for All

I even went so far as to google Vegan Shoes. While there were some nice ones and they make the world a better place by purchasing them...I am not going to pay an absorbent amount. Remember my Sustainable Guidelines? Aside from those guidelines though, I found one pair that is actually at a reasonable price. They are really cute and I just broke my brown pair of flats. Even after hot gluing them back together. They gave up again. So I need to purchase another pair..

Do I think every person should be a vegetarian and/or vegan and/or eat raw foodist only? No. What I believe in is moderation. I don't believe you should eat steak every day. I also don't believe its possible for me to eat an apple every day because I'd get bored. There needs to be variety, substance and moderation in your diet. (I say there needs to be...but I'm not expert)

Besides, even though I don't think man has dominion over the earth, I still believe an animal dying every now and then is a given that occurs.(hmmm. what do I mean? some of the vegan quotes I came across compared killing animals - slaughterhouse with killing man - battlefields. And just as I feel war is inevitable and sometimes a necessary part of life, so is animals.) I don't think we should be cruel to animals and subject them to harsh conditions. But sometimes, its a necessity that needs moderation. I have no facts on this but I think of native americans who sometimes killed animals for the warmth of their fur in the winter seasons. And yet native americans are hailed for their careful loving treatment of the earth. And yet they killed animals. In moderation for necessity. At least I think. If I'm wrong, tell me the facts. I could be making this up as I type.

On a recent episode of CSI Miami, a young couple dies from e coli poisoning and the harmful side effects of genetically altered corn. The owner of this huge corporate farm when facing off with Horatio says, "If we grew food naturally, people would starve. There would not be enough to feed people. Therefore if genetically altering food kills one so that five hundred can eat, then that is a good thing."

Wow! I say. Wow! My reactions were...the earth will provide. When we treat it well, when we our stewards over our land, when we aren't greedy capitalist just looking for a profit, there is enough for everyone. More than enough. But we are greedy. We want a 16 oz filet mignon. We are fat with our desires thinking everyone of them is justified and should be satisfied. And while some things are out of our control sometimes I feel like the hurricanes, earth quakes, droughts and famine happen because we helped them happen. When did a whole town starve because nature did not provide in the time of need? Somewhere else in the world there was abundance to assist where there was a lack. But because of politics, culture and bullshit, people did not receive what they needed. So the earth provides, we just mismanage. Have you seen my quote at the very bottom of my blog. I truly believe it!

There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed. ~Mohandas K. Gandhi

Years ago...I'm talking back when I was in high school I believe, I came across a comic bit in the New Yorks Times or something. I have it in one of my files and will try to find it this weekend to post. But it is the funniest thing. I'll explain it but its much better when you actually see it.

The comic is a picture of a banquet and there is a banner that says something like "PETA 2050". And there are animals dressed in tuxedos and ballroom gowns. And on the banquet table are human skulls and the meat is human meat and stuff.

There are no words or anything. Its just a little funny joke about where we are headed with the extreme rights we give animals. It's an exaggeration but its cute and funny. Although I may have offended vegans and vegetarians everywhere.

What are your thoughts? Do you believe everything should be a vegan or vegetarian? Or even raw foodist? I knew a man who believes that nothing dead should enter his body because it was holy. So that was why he was a raw foodist. Do you think moderation is key? What do you think? Have you tried being a vegan for day? Did it make a difference?

Coming Up on Granola Tendencies

2009-10-29T12:00:00.000-05:00

There are some happenings on Granola Tendencies. Some are a little slow in the making but they are coming.

My first interview with a dear friend Sam and her personal granola tendencies.
My review of the Regreet kit.
A guest poster speaking on asbestos and its links to cancer
A reader green product recommendation
My reactions to Dr. Greg's Watson speaking engagement

........And posts ranging on topics of what it means to be an eco-conscious theater artist, how wearing your hair natural makes a difference, and my excitement on the return of the No Impact Project. I will also be experimenting with some new recipes this weekend! Hopefully at least one that's raw!

I am also looking for recipes and recommendations on making my own shower gel, cleaning products, body butter, face moisturizer an alternative to toothpaste.

If there are things you'd like to read about, or if you'd like to guest post or if you want to be featured in an interview because of your granola tendencies, email me! Or leave a comment. I want to know.

What I found while I took a promenade

2009-10-28T21:41:00.000-05:00

Things you find when you take a walk instead of immediately hopping on the bus after a long day...

Pirates performing at the picasso statue thingy with drums and fire.

A view of michigan avenue as you try to dodge traffic and not look like a tourist taking a typical picture because you aren't a tourist because you really are from chicago.

What did you discover while taking a walk? Did you happen upon any pirates with drums and fire?

My bike has a flat

2009-10-28T21:07:00.000-05:00

I was bummed last Saturday when I was not able to attend the International Climate Action Day Chicago Bike Ride because my bike had a flat. And although I own a helmet, lights, and a bike pump..I don't own a flat repair kit. If that's even what its called. True cyclist probably own four or five of them. And because I didn't prep for the event the day before, it was too late for me to find a bike shop to have it fixed in time to meet up with the group. Insert sad face here.

I found out yesterday I have this weekend off from rehearsal at Winter Pageant at Redmoon because they have a HUGE GIANT EVENT going on at the "buzz buzz buzz..." I can't really say but rumor has it that its at the ........ (click the little dots and find out where since I can neither confirm nor deny it).

Anyways, I have this weekend off so I will look for a bike shop to have my flat fixed, amongst other things. Because if you have ever seen my bike, you would know it is the baddest bike in the city!

Do you see this red bike in the front of the pack with the huge handle bars...that low riding baby is my bike. I bought it off craigslist from a lady.

(On a side note...I love craigslist. I purchased my amazing bistro table, living room furniture, box spring, brand new laptop, bike and other endless wonders from craigslist. Some things new and some lightly used. That's a green thing. Even if the seller is in the suburbs, I rent a zipcar and drive out to the burbs to purchase something used, thus extending the life of something and keeping it out the trash.) Have you ever used craigslist? Sometimes, its hit or miss. More often than not, I get amazing hits.

This summer I used my bike a lot of ride to my beach volleyball games and to ride to rehearsals on the weekends. I think I made it home a lot faster than if I had taken the bus. Plus I was making a lower carbon impact on the earth by doing so.

My bike isn't that great for riding in the city though, because it's really big and takes up space (although its light), so I am currently searching craigslist for a much skinner city riding bike.

Anyways....really, I just wanted an excuse to feature my bike. I just need to add a basket to it and I'll be all good.