Lifestyle

Looking for a holiday gift idea for the green guys and gals in your life? Better yet need to pass some hints re: what you'd like onto others? Add this new cookbook from the Skinny Bitch franchise to your list (I just did!) Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook: Crazy Delicious Recipes That are Good to the Earth and Great for Your Bod by Kim Barnouin is available in bookstores and online now. The lengthy book title is a mouth-full but I'm hopeful this book will live up to the hype! Check out my co-blogger with the "Skinny Bitch" in the flesh here.

It's holiday and party season! Entertaining guests can get hectic when everyone has cups, cans and glasses. Here's a couple of ideas to reduce water & waste when entertaining & imbibing:

Baby, it’s getting cold outside… Another way to green your home & keep your energy bills low is to purchase a programmable thermostat. You can buy one for as low as $25-$75 to easily lower & raise your house’s temperature...

Do you plan ahead by defrosting food on the counter or use a microwave 5 minutes before dinnertime? (OR if you have to defrost some turkey, tofurkey, or meat/etc this Thanksgiving...) Try planning ahead & defrosting frozen foods in the refrigerator instead... You'll lower the fridge's temperature, saving you energy (and money!)

We all have those old towels and blankets and towels that are too old for Goodwill or Salvation Army. Instead of throwing these out, donate them to a local animal shelter or humane society. PAWS is located right at 2nd & Arch (and loves fleece blankets since they dry quicker!) or 2900 Grays Ferry Avenue & PSPCA are great local candidates to contact! What a better idea for those rapidly approaching holidays for pups & cats?

Despite our very best efforts to be environmentally active sometimes it's tough to motivate. The problems can seem too big or too far away from our individual lives. Sometimes, when I feel overwhelmed I look to "enviro-celebs" to inspire me... Alexandra Cousteau is one of these celebs I speak of. Cousteau is founder of Blue Legacy, a non-profit movement to bring water to the forefront of society's issues. Further, Blue Legacy aims to motivate people to act on these critical issues. Alexandra's family is rooted in environmental advocacy. She's the grand-daughter of activist and National Geography contributor Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Her parents were bringing her on expeditions when she was just a few months old.

With Halloween around the corner & Christmas a short time away, Beth had a great suggestion of picking your produce straight from the source! Need somewhere closer than Highland Orchards & Linvilla, suggested in our previous post?  Websites like Pick...

Halloween is around the corner... It's the one time of the year you should pretend someone whom you're not! But don't give up your green habits in the meantime. Here's some ways to Green Your Halloween, whether you're dressing up, dressing up the kids or giving out treats:

Office paper represents roughly 50% of the waste bill from the average business - US offices print about 12.1 trillion sheets of paper annually, contributing about 9% of carbon dioxide emissions. Here are 5 tips to reduce paper waste: