Myths and Truths about Soy Series ... (Myth #1)

Myth #1: Soy Makes Men and Boys Less Masculine

Eating soyfoods can not make someone less masculine, lead to man-boobs, cause early puberty or decrease fertility. A recent literature review confirms that soyfoods do not have any feminizing effects on men or boys (2010, Fertility and Sterility). In reality, a diet that includes soyfoods can help support healthy growth and development for young boys, and soyfoods are a great option for men looking to maintain healthy weight and cholesterol levels. Research is also finding that for athletic men, soy protein helps muscles recover better after workouts (2007, Current Medicinal Chemistry).

Soybeans contain natural, bioactive components called isoflavones, or phytoestrogens. Isoflavones are actually found in lots of plant foods like apples, carrots and other beans. While the chemical structure of an isoflavone is similar to that of estrogen, the two function differently in the body.

Soy isoflavones do not act the same as estrogen does in the human body. A significant review of over 30 soy studies disproved any link between soy and an effect on testosterone levels in men (2009, Fertility and Sterility).Consuming a well balanced diet that includes soyfoods does not increase estrogen levels in men or boys.

Stacey Krawczyk, MS, RD, LDN, with the National Soybean Research Laboratory and mother of two young boys comments that, “as a research dietitian with an expertise in family nutrition, I take meal planning very seriously and I do not worry at all when I provide soyfoods to my two growing boys—they love the taste of soyfoods, and I love the healthy nutrition they offer, especially when I need to rely on quick and easy meals to meet our busy schedules.”

Check back for other Soy Myths in our Mysteries of Soy Series! What myths and Truths do you know about soy?

Source: Soyfoods Association of America

Fall into Naya Shoes, Ultimate Eco-Chic Footwear

I will start out by saying, I am a flats kinda girl ... give me my sandals or slip-ons and I am in heaven, but when Naya asked me to test out one of their shoes I decided let me be daring and really give these shoes a challenge and ask to try a pair of heels, trust me it was a very hard decision to pick one. This fall they have the most visually pleasing array of eco-chic footwear I have ever seen (flats and heels, teehee). So being gitty as a schoolgirl I picked the Artemis boot coming in a delicious chocolate color. These enticing boots had me grinning from ear to ear, so I couldn't wait for Mister FedEX man to arrive.

This is where I must hold you in suspense, a little bit about Naya shoes ...

Their mission with Naya shoes is to make eco-friendly choices whenever they can, which they have done with materials like bamboo heels, natural or recycled content fabrics, vegetable tanned leather, water-based cements, and outsoles containing natural materials.

I was begging the question why they weren't they vegan as well as eco-friendly, Stephanie Fedler, Naya Shoes, responded "we feel that consumers should have choices. We respect and understand the consumer who wants to wear a product that does not use animal by-products. However, vegan footwear is often made from petroleum based plastics, which are made using chemicals and solvents. These may not breakdown in a landfill. At Naya, we have taken conventional shoe making methods and changed the materials to make them more environmentally friendly. We believe leather is a good option in our shoes, as it is a by-product that would otherwise go into a landfill. Leather lining in our pumps and boots provides breath ability and flexibly for our customers foot health and comfort. Leather is very durable and keeps the same properties over long periods of time. So this amazing quality means our customers will be able to wear the shoes longer."

So they arrived, a sample pair *drool* ... I tried them right away, tearing open the box *giggle*. The shoe was sturdy, but light with very soft and exquisite materials. Construction was extremely high quality, but here was the ultimate test I slipped them on and walked around. Remember, not a girl who wears heels ... *omigosh* it was shocking how comfortable they were and as soft inside as out. Never thought my feet could be in heaven in heels. As you see their designs this fall, as well as past seasons are exquisite, eco-chicness and beyond. Have you ever tried or bought a pair of Naya shoes? If so what do you think?

Where can I buy Naya shoes? Click here.

Naya on twitter, facebook, and website.

eG Recipe: Autumn Noodle Salad (vegan)

Autumn Noodle Salad

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and diced
1-1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon thyme
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons of butter or vegan butter
1/2 Package of Noodles of your choice (I used fettucini)
handful of Spinach or Arugula for each plate
Walnuts
Dried Cranberries

Serves 4

Mix olive oil, thyme, salt, cayenne pepper with the squash
Roast squash 425 degrees for 30 mins or tender
Boil Noodles , drain them when they are just right. pour your dry noodles into the dish with the squash. Mix thoroughly. Prepare plates with a bed of greens, then serve out a serving of the mixture over the greens. Sprinkle the dried cranberries and walnuts. Serve warm.

© Copyright 2010 All recipes on this site are creations by Cheale of Experience Green.

eGreen Scripture: God's Calls for Respect of Animals

If you see your brother's donkey or his ox fallen on the road, do not ignore it. Help him get it to its feet. - Deuteronomy 22:4

A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel. - Proverbs 12:10

Our world seems to put animals so far below us that we abuse them to no end. Especially the ones that are killed for food. One thing we are called to do is care for animals - to be respectful. I think the "consumer" does get forgetful when they look at that plastic wrapped meat as they take it in their hands to purchase. That neatly packed meat contains an animal that lived in horrible conditions and treatment. What we do need to remember as consumers that if you are choosing the path to eat meat to buy organic meat. At least then we know that the animals are being feed and treated the way God called them to be. We are supporting that call out from God. I personally choose the path of vegetarian, but I know that is not an easy path for some, but my prayer is that the consumers that are consuming meat not only choose organic meats and support that industry, but also reduce the amount of meat they are consuming. This is not just a environmental issue, but a health issue. Have at least one day a week of no meat and reduce the amount you are serving your family. How do you feel about these issues?

There are starving kids all over the world - don't waste food ...

I am one who always had an aversion to leftovers, I will admit I have this fear of rotten food. I think it comes from growing up in the restaurant business and hearing all the health department requirements; which obviously are more severe then what the typical person does at home. Suffice it to say I am a little obsessive about food going bad, haha. Through this journey of taking better care of God's creation I started to really look at my leftover aversion and got over it. I also made an effort to try to make just enough food versus too large of portions. Like Mom used to say "there are starving kids all over the world don't waste food". But then I went a step or a few steps beyond just making sure to eat our leftovers and looked at what waste over buying was causing. I will tell you it wasn't pretty! I have always been a just in case buyer and a mood cooker "what if we feel like ...", well this not only makes my grocery bill higher, but causes a lot of potential food wasted.

One thing I realized also was, like most Americans, we love variety. It isn't a luxury for us, it is a requirement. But with that requirement we can waste a lot of food. I had some friends go to Africa and one thing they said that really struck me in my line of thinking on this whole issue was that "the people there eat a lot of the same thing all week", so it was challenging for them because we are spoiled with so much variety. That gave me a lot of insight as to how we needed to approach being last wasteful in regards to food. Here are a few things I am doing to make sure that what doesn't even make it to our meals doesn't end up in the compost or garbage either:

1. Planning meals appropriately - now this means more than just ok we will have this on Monday and this on Tuesday ... one thing I realized, like in other countries they have a few items to cook for the week (creative opportunity here too hehe), so I basically think ok for the week we will have e.g. rice, these veggies, this fruit, eggs. So I am selecting certain things I can make in a multitude of different types of meals while at the same token using up everything I buy.

2. More trips, less purchased - so either I walk or I drive when I am already out for some other reason ... this method I found makes it easier for doing the first step ... I plan to go to the store at least 2 times a week. One thing that happens in other countries is they go out every day buy only what they need and it is all fresh, well I am taking this to a 2 times a week event, this way I can plan for narrower plots of time and everything is so fresh. Believe it or not I am spending a lot less money.

This is the two major things I am doing to reduce the waste and I have to say it is working amazingly. What are way you are reducing your food waste outside of leftovers?

Become an eG Follower - WIN $20 GC for Whole Foods

Are you a follower of the experienceGreen Blog? If not here is your chance to win something in addition to join our ring ... just click on the follow button on the right hand column to join. All followers of eG will be entered to win a $20 GC for Whole Foods ... Deadline for the contest is September 22th at 9 pm EST (we extended the deadline) ... we will announce the winner below in comment, Facebook, and twitter. Thank you all for becoming a follower and good luck.

If you RT the following you will have an extra entry:

Become a follower of our blog and be entered to win a $20 GC from @wholefoods http://cot.ag/ckD5Yj #giveaway #green #organic #vegetarian

People Towels ... YES! Towels for the Green You!

Our home has been making the transition away from paper to towels and cloth napkins ... every dinner feels so classy! LOL! When I made this decision to transition that side of our lives to the green way, (Hold the Paper Napkins and Go Cloth article) the organization People Towels came to my attention. What a fun, cool way to protect the creation when you leave your home. One of the biggest challenges I have found "going green" is doing so outside of my home.

PeopleTowels is the latest in eco-chic fashion and an inspired sustainability product. A convenient alternative paper products in public facilties. Their personal hand towels are made of lightweight, 100% Organic, Fair Trade Cotton. PeopleTowels come in a variety of inspired designs, printed with eco-friendly dyes, to appeal to different tastes and styles. Check them out at www.peopletowels.com.

Here are some shocking stats of paper and postive stats to switching to cloth (c/o www.peopletowels.com):

The use of disposable paper towels is having a devastating impact on the environment. Some of the facts about paper towel consumption and its impact are:

• To make one ton of paper towels, 17 trees and 20,000 gallons of water are polluted.
• Every day, over 3,000 tons of paper towel waste is produced in the US alone.
• Decomposing paper towels produce methane gas, a leading cause of global warming.
• The average person uses 2,400 – 3,000 paper towels at work, in a given year.

Are you experiencing the cloth change in your green ways? How do you feel about it?

Organics Organics Organics Oh My!

Do you know why I love tuesdays? I get my delivery of organic fruits and vegetables by the company Absolute Organics, in Charlotte, NC. They are a local family run business that gives great service. A few days before delivery they email you what you are going to receive, then you have a chance to request not to receive a certain item. Absolute Organics is one way I have been saving money on our change to organic fruits and veggies. If you are in Charlotte or lucky enough to have a local service like this it is a great and less expensive way to feed your family organics foods. They also have organic free trade coffee (YUM!), organic granola and local honey. If you decide to try Absolute Organics, please let them know eG sent you! Have you ever tried a service like this? If you have a service like this is your area please post it in a comment to help others find them.

eGreen Method: Nix the Paper Napkins with Ease ...

You can buy the restaurant type cloth napkins in bulk (about 25 napkins for approx. $20). We have about 30 we rotate. We keep a small decorative basket in our kitchen that is only for the cloth napkins, that makes it easy to keep them clean. What methods have you used to ease the switch to cloth?

eGreen Methods: Reuse Those Egg Cartons

Aside from giving your egg cartons to the farmers at your local farmer's market, here are so ways that you can reuse your egg cartons so that they avoid the "dumpster graveyard":

• Money Container - Use old egg cartons to store your change for garage and yard sales. Egg cartons are good for this because you can separate all the change and it is easy to get to. At a garage sale I recently tried this and it worked very well. I found that getting change was easier and faster because I knew where the change I needed was.
  
• Golf Ball Storage - An egg carton makes a great place to store extra golf balls. It makes it easy to sort by brand and condition and they are stackable so they can be stored neatly.
  
• Travel Helper - I use them for travel, to hold small items like earrings, necklaces, any emergency item on hand...... threads, etc; weave needle thru the inside top cover so as not to lose it in your suitcase. Hold together with lg. rubber band.
  
• Craft Helping Hand - When working with small round items, I often use an egg carton to old the item while I paint one side, or just as a holder while they dry. It keeps those little round things from rolling away.
• Fire Starters - fill the paper egg cartons with dryer lint, then pore melted wax over the lint. You can tear apart the sections and use for fire starters when you are camping, or in your fire place. I use left over candle pieces for the melted wax.
  
• Charcoal Fire Starter - Similar to the idea above for fire starters... Using a cardboard egg carton, fill each section with melted wax so that it's about 1/3 full. Place a piece of charcoal (one brickette) in the wax. Close the carton and place on a shelf until you're ready to use. To use, remove the top of the carton, and place the bottom half in the grill. Light the carton. Wait a few minutes and then add more charcoal. This will eliminate the need for lighter fluid.
• Plant containers or seed starters
• Poke a few holes in the bottom for drainage. Fill about 3/4 with potting soil and vermiculite. Plant seeds and set in a sunny window.
• Jewelry organizer - Paint or cover with fabric. Store any small pieces of jewelry, rings, earrings, chains, cuff links, etc. For a unique way to store pierced earrings, line the top with foam, cover with fabric, and poke earrings through the foam. Easier than trying to find them in the little cups.
• Desk organizer - Remove the top and place inside a desk drawer to hold small items, like paper clips, rubber bands, push pins, etc. Paint or decorate if you want to place it on a desktop where it will be seen.
• Christmas decoration storage - Line cups with cotton, foam, or tissue paper and store small Christmas tree bulbs and ornaments in each cup.
• Palette - Use the styrofoam kind for water colors or acrylics to hold colors. Detach top of carton and use for mixing colors.
• Craft storage - Is your craft work area a nightmare? Use an egg carton to store all those little pieces you don't want to lose track of while you're working.
• Cheap ice cube trays - Use plastic egg cartons to make extra ice.
• Game / toy storage - Some of those little pieces keep getting lost? Use a carton to store doll shoes, game pieces, dice, etc.

What ways are you reusing your egg cartons?

Courtesy of make-stuff.com

eG hit 1000 followers on Twitter

eG hit 1000 followers on Twitter ... randomly we selected our winner ... *drum roll* ... make sure to tune in next week we will give away another @teavana GC ... *drum roll* ... Congrats @abbyalex you have won a $15 GC to @teavana ... please DM us with your email address, TY ALL for your participation and support!

eGreen Kids: Cardboard Roll Puppets

Instructions to make home made puppets from cardboard toilet paper roll.

Materials Needed:

• Toilet Tissue and/or Paper Towel Rolls
• Craft Sticks
• Glue
• Scissors
• Construction Paper
• Misc. Craft Supplies (felt, moving eyes, yarn, etc.)

Instructions:
Very Simple! Decorate the cardboard toilet paper rolls to make different people or animals! You can even cut them to different heights. Use the misc. craft supplies to make hair, clothes, mouths, etc. Be creative! Glue the craft sticks inside the bottom edge of the cardboard roll for handle.

Courtesy of about.com

Plastic Bag Tote: Reusing Your Plastic Grocery Bags

Instructions for cutting the bags and making a ball of "yarn", click here

Materials Needed: numerous white, blue and yellow plastic grocery bags, M hook

Finished Size: 15 inches high x 16 inches wide not including the straps

Note: Do not use hook that you don't want to break or be stained. I have noticed that my hook has numerous stains of dye on it from the bags, also this is hard on the hook so you don't want to use your good Brittany hooks while crocheting with plastic bags :-)

Directions:
white bags

ch 28

• Round 1 - hdc in 2nd ch from hook and in each remaining ch, working around the backside of the ch hdc in each st, join with a sl st to 1st hdc (54 total)
• Round 2-5 - ch 1, hdc in each st around, join with a sl st to 1st hdc at the end of round 5 change to yellow bags, do not cut white bags
• Round 6-7 ch 1, with yellow bags, hdc in each st around, join with a sl st to 1st hdc, cut yellow bags, at end of round 7 pick up the dropped white bags
• Round 8-10 - ch 1, with white, hdc in each st around, join with a sl st to 1st hdc, at end of round 10 change to blue bags, do not cut white bags
• Round 11- 13 - ch 1, with blue bags, hdc in each st around, join with a sl st to 1st hdc, cut blue bags, at end of round 13, pick up the dropped white bags
• Round 14-20 - ch 1, with white, dc in each st around, join with a sl st to 1st hdc, at end of round 20 change to yellow bags, do not cut white bags
• Round 21 - ch 1, with yellow, hdc in each st around, join with a sl st to 1st hdc, cut yellow bags, at end of round 21 change to white bags
• Round 22- ch 1, with white hdc in next 7 sts, ch 24, sk 8 sts, hdc in the next 19 sts, ch 24, sk 8 sts, hdc in next 12, join with a sl st to 1st hdc
• Round 23 - ch 1, sc in next 6sts, work 28 sc around the next ch 24 sp on last round, sc in next 19 sts, work 28 scs around the next ch 24 sp on last round, sc in next 13 sps, join with a sl st in beg sc (94 total)
• Round 24 - ch 1, sc in each st around (94 total)

Courtesy of about.com

Vegan Purse Delight

Melie Bianco was definite eye candy when I discovered their purses through Twitter (@meliebianco). Their products are completely stylish, affordable and vegan; what more can a green girl ask for! Check out their product line at http://www.shopmelie.com. They have lots of variety of styles and colors; new arrivals for the season. I love when style and eco-friendly going hand in hand.

Lost 30 pounds since Going Green ...

It is amazing when you choose a life of taking better care of God's creation you end up getting wonderful benefits:

• Weight loss
• More time with your family
• Saving money

Since this journey started we went to vegetarian (I went vegan), walked instead of driving to close places (my daughter loves the walking), buying organic and non-processed foods, eating more raw vegetables and fruits. I have slowly dropped weight and without "dieting". For years I had heard you don't diet you change your lifestyle, well that wasn't as crazy as I thought it was. I was constantly looking for a quick fix. Turns out that turning towards God and changing our lifestyle for the effort of caring for His creation is giving me the result I have been looking for my whole life. Hrmm go figure! (giggles) I will keep you all posted on my progress, I have more to drop, but this lifestyle has sure put me on the track. YAY! What benefits have you seen as a result of going green?

Breakfast Perfection: Pure Chocolate Brownie Bar Review

This morning after our green juice I broke out a Pure Chocolate Brownie Bar (Organic, Raw, Vegan). This is the first one I have tried since my box arrived from Amazon.com (where you can buy them in bulk YAY!). My 6 year old daughter drooled as I bite into it (she is a chocolate maniac). She squealed "I want some I want some." I broke off a piece for her and my boyfriend who also showed interest. She yelped "YUMM" as she chopped down on it. I have to agree with my precocious little one, my boyfriend followed expressing it was delicious and healthy tasting; which is the two things our family craves these days. It is a boutique of fruit, nutty and sinful chocolate goodness. The exquisite taste is light but still satisfies your belly. With my green juice it was a perfect amount of food and I left the table feeling energized and ready to start my day. I send out a WTG to Veronica for her bar perfection. I look forward to trying the other flavors (CranberryOrange, CherryCashew, ChocChip Trail Mix, AppleCinnamon, WildBlueberry, and Chocolate Brownie). Have you tried the line of Pure Bars yet?

Random Acts of Green Kindness Giveaway

Do a Random Act of Green Kindness, tell us about it and be entered to WIN a $15 iTunes GC. Submit a comment on this page or our facebook page. Make sure to tell us your twitter and/or facebook name in your comment. We post the winner Friday May 14th, 2010 at 11pm EST. Rules below to win a $15 iTunes Gift Card:

• All entries must be submitted by Friday April 16th, 2010 at 10pm EST.
• Retweet or Tweet the following: Random Act of Green Kindness: @Experiencegreen is having a Giveaway - win a $15 iTunes GC, RULES: http://bit.ly/c4iHhW #green #giveaway #eco
  
• Comment on this page or on our facebook page what random acts of green kindness you have done recently.
• You must be a follower on the experiencegreen twitter page.
• You will get an additional entry if you are a fan on our facebook page too.
• We will pick only one winner on Friday, it will be announced on Twitter, Facebook, and our blog.

Depending on how this goes more meatless monday giveaways will be coming so start planning future weeks to go veg!

eGreen Scripture: We are Aliens

The land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants. Throughout the country that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land. Lev. 25:23-24

If you lease an apartment, lease a car, get a hotel room, rent a car, how do you treat it? By the time you are at the end of your use of it are they charging you damage fees? cleaning fees? replacement fees? How much should God charge us for the damage we have done? He calls us from the beginning to be environmental stewards. What the the ways you are being better guests in God's house?

Green Moving? Cheaper, Greener, Only Way to Move!

Moving is a recent green dilemma I had the last few week, this is one reason I have been missing in action on the blog. From the point of putting the contract in on the house, it was green strategy time. Conveniences win when we don't plan ahead, so be green and plan ahead. Aside from reusing the non-eco-friendly stuff, here are some ways I found to green up my move:

Donate It: The weeks leading up to the move we really dug through everything to sort out the things we didn't really need anymore; gave it all the Goodwill or friends. Other options for your unused stuff:

• Women's Shelter
• Goodwill or Salvation Army ... Find your local branch here
• Freecycling (online way to give stuff you don’t want to people who do)
• People from your community, church or friends could use some our items
• Have a yard sale

Pack It: If you are like me you don't have many boxes and packing materials laying around to reuse. Here are options to stay green while packing:

• Ask your moving company if they have used boxes and packing materials for you to reuse
• If you buy boxes, make sure they are made from recycled materials
• Purchase some reusable plastic containers, I got these for my fragiles for extra protection, so now I have some awesome containers I can reuse items I am storing
• Places like Sam's Club and Costco have boxes and packing materials in the front that are being recycled that you can take for your own use
• I grew up in the restaurant business, I have to say they get the best boxes ever (especially tomato boxes); ask a restaurant is you can have their boxes they are tossing anyways
• I found all of these around the house that I had to take with me anyways, might as well put them to good use:
  
• Towels
• Blankets or sheets
  
• Rags
• Clothes
  
• Reusable shopping bags
• Paper shopping bags
• Yoga or exercise mats
• Old egg cartons; I have these saved for my daughter's craft projects, but I have to say they made some great packing materials to secure certain items
• Use old newspapers instead of foam peanuts or bubble wrap (unless you have materials to reuse of course); newspapers protect even your fragile items divinely
• If you use bubble wrap, check out this article for ways to continue to reuse it: 9 Reuses for Bubble Wrap

Clean It: Whether you’re cleaning out the old place or cleaning up your new one, use green cleaners: Not only are they better for your health and the health of the planet, they‘re less expensive than conventional chemical-laden cleaners–and they work just as well or better.

All in all, like all methods of being green have saved me money, forced me to plan ahead, gave me plenty of opportunity to be creative ... all things I love! What ways have you found to be green in a move or even with shipping items?

eG Recipe: Oh-My Vegan French Toast (vegan)

One thing I have to say about going vegan is I missed french toast, but this recipe of mine has made it tolerable (giggles). This recipe is so yummy you may not even need the maple syrup.

Whole wheat bread (thick slices)
2-3 ripe Bananas
3/4 cup of Almond or Soy milk (vanilla flavored or add vanilla extract)
2 teaspoon of Cinnamon
2 teaspoon of Nutmeg
Vegan butter
Maple syrup

Put the bananas, almond milk, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a blender. Mix them till they are pureed. Pour into a shallow dish (e.g. pie plate). Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Dip both sides of each piece of bread as they fit in the saucepan. Brown both sides of the saturated bread. Serve with maple syrup.

© Copyright 2010 All recipes on this site are creations by Cheale of Experience Green.

eGreen Tips: 20 Things to Do Even After Earth Day

Here are some tips we posted on Twitter this morning and more will be added as the day continues:

1. Just say NO to meat today! (cattle industry being one of our biggest polluters).
2. Use your own reusable container for water or coffee today (maybe make this a habit).
3. Do some spring cleaning and donate your old items to your local Goodwill or Salvation Army.
4. Get those recycle bins out and fill them with all the items from your trash you can possibly recycle (look up your local recycling rules for more info).
5. Watch a documentary that is educating you and your family on the environmental issues.
6. Go to a local Earth Day event, many cities have them even this weekend.
7. Say lights out today and pull out the candles
8. Plant trees and or a garden
9. Go shopping at a reuse store to get what you need for summer
10. Read you local government policies on recycling and see how you can improve them
    
11. See how much you can reduce your garbage find ways to reuse and recycle
12. Go to the Farmers Market for your groceries
13. Save a flush on that toilet.
14. Don't let the water run wastefully.
15. Turn off the AC and wear lighter clothes.
16. Hang your laundry to dry.
17. Walk or bike instead of drive.
18. Try some eco-friendly products like Seventh Generation for your cleaning and laundry.
19. Change your paper napkins to cloth ones (found 25 pack ones at Sam's Club)
20. Don't use the paper towel grab a towel or rag instead
    

Don't forget to submit those ways you are celebrating Earth Day to win an amazon gift certificate!

Thank you for loving God's creation!

Ideas to Celebrate Earth Day Giveaway ...

We are giving away a $20 Amazon.com Gift Certificate in honor of Earth Day. Here are the rules to qualify:

• All entries must be submitted by Friday April 23rd, 2010 at 10pm EST.
• Retweet or Tweet the following: @Experiencegreen Earth Day Giveaway - win a $20 Amazon.com GC, http://www.bit.ly/acgtEP #change #green #earthday
  
• You must be a follower on the experiencegreen twitter page.
• You will get an additional entry if you are a fan on our Facebook page too.
• Post below an idea to celebrate earth day (or you can post on our Facebook page.)
  
• We will pick only one winner on Friday, it will be announced on Twitter, Facebook, and our blog.

Thank you for your entries ... Reduce Reuse Recycle ... make it a habit one step at a time!

eGreen Kids: Making Recycled Paper with Your Kids

Don't throw away your old newspapers. Try making your own recycled paper!
Recycled paper can be made from old newspaper, following the instructions below. Recycling paper uses cellulose (plant fibers) over and over again, it uses less electricity, less water, a lot less pollution, and it saves trees from being cut down!
You will need:

• a food processor or an old blender
• an electric iron
• an old wire hanger
• an old pair of panty hose
• newspaper or other paper, torn into 2-inch squares
• white glue
• water
• an insect screen or strainer (optional)
• food coloring (optional)
• a big sink or tub filled with 4 inches of water
• Make sure you have a place to work where you can make a big mess!

Step One:
Make a frame out of the coat hanger. You'll need a frame for each piece of paper you make. Stretch the hanger and bend it into a rectangle/square shape. Take one leg of the panty hose and stretch it carefully over the hanger frame. Make sure it is tight and flat.

Step Two:
Put a handful of the torn up paper and some water into the food processor or blender. Blend the mixture on high until it becomes mushy. Keep adding paper and water until you have a big gray blob. You may have to add a little more water to keep things moving smoothly. Keep the food processor on until all the paper has disappeared. Then leave it on for 2 minutes.

For some color, add a handful of brown or red onion skin (not the onion itself, just the papery outer skin).

Step Three:
Put 2 tablespoons of white glue in the sink water and add all of the paper pulp you just made. Mix it really well. Use your hands.

Step Four:
Scoop the frame to the bottom of the sink, then lift it slowly. (Count to 20 slowly while you are lifting.) Let the water drain out for about a minute.

Step Five:
Hang the frames on a clothesline or put them out in the sun. Wait until they are completely dry with no dampness at all. You can then gently peel off the paper.

Step Six:
Use the iron, set on the hottest setting, to steam out your paper. You can keep making paper until the pulp is all strained out of the sink. Mix up the sink every time you make a new piece.

Try other things like using in insect screen over a wood frame, or a strainer instead of the pantyhose and hanger. Try adding lots of food coloring, for colored paper, or try adding lint or leaves to the food processor. Your paper will have an interesting texture.

Making your own paper can be fun, and it's a great way to re-use old paper. You can recycle all kinds of paper for re-use. Sometimes paper printed from color-inkjet printers will run, that is, the color will bleed off and become part of your new paper, but that can make for an interesting effect!

eG Recipe: Sweet Meatless Spinach Noodles (vegan)

8 Trader Joe's Meatless Meatballs or any vegan meat substitute
1/2 pkg of Fettuccine Noodles
Big handful of Fresh Spinach
1/2 yellow onion
1/4 cup of dark soy sauce
1 tbs of maple syrup or honey
2 apples (peeled and cored, cut into chunks)
1 tbs of olive oil

While cooking your noodles, get your large sauce pan. At medium heat, heat up the olive oil, then add in the meatballs, onions, and the honey; drizzled it over the meatballs and onions. Continue to stir those around while your noodles are cooking about 10 minutes. Crush your meatballs in half with your spatula. Drain your pasta add it to the saucepan, in addition add the apples and the dark soy sauce. Stir and toss around for another 5 minutes. Time for the spinach, add that as your last ingredient, stir it around so it cooks down a little bit and mixes nicely with the rest of the dish. Serve immediately.

Time: 20-25 mins with prep
Serves: 2 (full meal) or 4 (side dish)


© Copyright 2010 All recipes on this site are creations by Cheale of Experience Green.

Meatless Monday Giveaway ...

Did you have a Meatless Monday? Tell me how it went for you, if you struggled or did it full on; existing vegetarians can enter too. Submit a comment on this page of how meatless monday went for you or if you picked a different day this week to go meatless, just tell us about it. Make sure to tell us your twitter and/or facebook name in your comment. We post the winner Friday April 16th, 2010 at 11pm EST. Rules below to win a $20 iTunes Gift Card:

• All entries must be submitted by Friday April 16th, 2010 at 10pm EST.
• Retweet or Tweet the following: Go Meatless for a Day: @Experiencegreen is having a Meatless Monday Giveaway - win a $20 iTunes GC, http://www.bit.ly/acgtEP #vegan #green
• You must be a follower on the experiencegreen twitter page.
• You will get an additional entry if you are a fan on our facebook page too.
• We will pick only one winner on Friday, it will be announced on Twitter, Facebook, and our blog.

Depending on how this goes more meatless monday giveaways will be coming so start planning future weeks to go veg!

Must See Movie - Food Inc ...

Food, Inc. Movie Site - Hungry For Change?

I saw this amazing and informative documentary four times now. Please tell me your thoughts on the movie ...

Move over paper towels we have dishcloths to save our planet ...

I raise my hand and say "I, Cheale, am a paper towel addict", but I had to look at my vice closely and find ways to reduce the amount I use. Continually using paper towels and those "oh so" convenient disposable cloths, that have been filling our markets for the last several years, are obviously not eco-friendly. You can switch to eco-friendly paper towels (I do keep them around for occasional use), but that will still fill our landfills. We have lovely dishcloths to replace that are very eco-friendly or you can also go with rags or sponges, but how do we insure that our dishcloths or sponges stay sanitary for our health.

To properly disinfect your dishcloths or sponges, you should toss them in your washing machine with bleach and hot water. You can dry them in your clothes dryer. However, if you want to sanitize your dishcloths even more, hang them in strong sunshine. You can do the same with your shaggy mop.

But of course you don't want to have to throw them in the washing machine with every use, that isn't being very green either. The best way to kill 99.9% of the bacteria that's present on the dish cloths is to disinfect them in your microwave oven. To do this, according to a 2007 study from the Journal of Environmental Health, dampen the cleaning tools. Then, place it in your microwave oven on "High" power for 2 minutes.

Do you have any other methods to sanitize your dishcloths or sponges?

eGreen Tips: Getting off the Bottle

Speaking from a connoisseur of bottled water and turning up my nose at even the thought of drinking from the tap I have to say this was a very challenging change for me. Water bottles fill our landfills and our recycling centers. Recycling plastic releases harmful toxins. So skip the section of the water in the grocery aisle and try one of these alternatives and take the water from the tap:

• Buy reusable bottles from the store
• Save a glass bottle from going to the landfills (I saved a few glass bottles that I just reuse with tap water)

If you don't like the taste from the taste of your tap water invest in a water filtration system. Read about the different options out there for home water filtration systems. I personally add a lil cranberry juice to my water to offset the flavor of the tap water. What do you do to get off the bottle?

eG Recipe: Spring Fiesta Mix Salad (raw, vegan)

2 Apples with skins, cubed (pictured is golden delicious apples)
1-1/2 cups of Papaya, cubed
1/4 cup of Raw Sesame Seeds
1 stalk of celery, diced

Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. Optional addition would be drizzling some raw honey or maple syrup before mixing. Serves 4.

This recipe was made entirely with organic items with exception of the papaya, which is very difficult to find organic.


© Copyright 2010 All recipes on this site are creations by Cheale of Experience Green.

Scratch the Surface: Whole vs. Processed Foods

Whole food eating is not just a health issue, its a green one. We need to get back to basics again with our food. First off the most obvious reason to eat whole foods is our health. We need to cut way back on the processed foods we take in. This is another case of convenience foods being the determent of our health and environment. Processed foods are created through manufacturing methods to transform ingredients into convenient little packages which we can cook up quickly and consume. Most are filled with artificial flavors, preservatives, hydrogenated oils, fillers and artificial sweeteners. In the end of all this processing we end up with a product that yes can taste good, but not so good for us; nutritional value has been processed out to a very low level, but they have a long shelf life. On the flipside whole foods are grown in orchards, gardens, or greenhouses. They are unprocessed, unrefined and have a shorter shelf life. These foods are richly flavorful from nature, straight from the earth like God meant them to be for us.

Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day. Genesis 1:11-13

God sure didnt grow a box of au gratin potatoes from the earth, did he. Whole foods are filled with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals, and fiber. They do require longer preparation times, for us to do the unthinkable ... cook from scratch? Isn't that what we used to consider home cooking? Loving from the oven? I have to say I am one person that even before this journey I love cooking from scratch. Food tastes better, richer, honestly I feel the time is worth spent because its a way for me to show my love for my family. Now I am even cooking more than before for the health of my family. We have almost eliminated fast food, eating out less, buying as much organic as possible and happily I am cooking more since this journey started (I will get into more details on these changes in future posts). It is truly amazing how these green methods truly reduce our waistlines.

The other reason to cut back on processed foods is waste. Look at any box of processed food, you have the box, then you have plastic wrap inside, some even have a tray insert, all of that is building up in our land fills. Packaging materials make up more than 30% of all consumer waste, according to the EPA.

Ways to Cut the Waste

• Cut back on processed foods, especially those with overdone packaging
• Be a connoisseur of packaging, watch close and be aware of all the packaging things you buy have
• Always find ways to reuse or recycle if possible
• Reuse your bags for fruits and vegetables or buy eco-friendly ones to reuse
• When buying packaged items, buy the glass or tin ones so you can easily reuse
• Buy bulk, reuse the bags when possible or buy eco-friendly ones to reuse
• Take eco-friendly shopping bags to carry all of your purchases
  

Remember, we vote at the register!

eGreen Tips

What do I do with all of these books? I am a huge book lover, but like many people I have many books I am done with and can't store, here are eco-friendly ways to eliminate those extra books:

• Library
• Goodwill
• Used Bookstores (get extra cash for books that are in demand)
• BookCrossing is earth-friendly, and gives you a way to share your books, clear your shelves, and conserve precious resources at the same time. Through our own unique method of recycling reads, BookCrossers give life to books. A book registered on BookCrossing is ready for adventure.
• Garage Sale
• Ask friends if they have any interest in books you have

eGreen Scripture: God is Green

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Genesis 1:26-27

Environmental stewardship is an approach to the earth and its resources that attends both to the demands of human freedom and flourishing and to the Biblical call for human beings to exercise caring 'dominion' over creation. We are all called to do this from the beginning.

eGreen Tips: Got Cats?

Do you know our typical cat litter contains carcinogens? One discovery that I have had is eco-friendly kitty litter (we switched to World's Best Cat Litter), I have to say it is far better then the clay, not just from an environmental stand point but it clumps, smells, covers ammonia odor better. Read more on negative effects our cat's litter can have.

Mom, Where is the soft toilet paper?

One of those moments I love as a mother, when your child just makes you laugh. My first grocery trip with green methods in mind I decided to switch to an eco-friendly toilet paper. We were down to our last roll of the typical soft toilet paper, so it was perfect timing. My daughter's bathroom contained the last roll. The day came that she used my bathroom and used the new toilet paper. She comes out says to me, " Mom, what happened to the soft toilet paper?" ... I said, "We switched to a toilet paper that is more earth friendly" she says,"But why?" ... I responded,"They help save trees, don't you care about trees?" ... she looked up at me," But mom, the soft one feels better on my bottom! Can you buy the soft stuff again?"

Well, she didn't win, but what I did do is explain to her more about why that toilet paper was a more environmental friendly choice, so she is now pro the sacrifice. This is something I find amazing with my child, if you educate her on something versus just telling her that is just the way it is she becomes positive about the change. One thing I pray to accomplish with this blog, educating will assist change.

Next time you go to the store consider this when you buy your paper products:

• According to Greenpeace’s recent release of its first Recycled Tissue and Toilet Paper Guide, “Americans could save more than 400,000 trees if each family bought a roll of recycled toilet paper—just once.”

I will be honest with you, my daughter is right the soft kind does feel better, but is a softer tissue worth destroying our trees? As my daughter says now "Trees give us oxygen why would we want to kill them?" We have to keep in mind that these products we use and throw out immediately. Try a switch one day!

What to look for in green toilet paper:

• Chlorine free.
• Made from 80-100% recycled content.
• No added dyes or fragrances.
• Safe for low-flow toilets.

eGreen Tips: Food Storage

Food storage containers are a great way to save using plastic bags. I purchased a box of even the smaller ones so my child's lunch can be more eco-friendly. I purchased these awesome Rubbermaid ones that my daughter can close easily; the top is a black rubber.

Green Plus?

Through the changes I have been going through the last couple months to be more green (future posts I will get in more detail). There are so many benefits that have shown themselves so unexpectedly:

+ leading a more Godly life
+ more quality time with my family
+ healthier eating
+ weight loss
+ more physical endurance and stamina
+ saving money

Those are the most obvious ones, all things I think most people strive to achieve; I know I do. I have to admit I was very surprised how quickly those benefits became apparent. The main focus I have had from the beginning was finding way to use less and reuse more. Through this focus it was so much easier to figure out what changes were the most obvious. Then my eyes were opened, I was shocked at my dependency on conveniences, didn't expect that to be on my list of vices. *laughs*

When you map out the conveniences to how it can affect the earth, our family, and our neighbors you see clearly the damage it is doing. It is amazing how all of those conveniences we buy, take for granted and further seek out cause so much of the environmental issues we have. When you start eliminating them you realize that is such a huge chunk of what is destroying our earth, dividing our families, ultimately making us walk further away from what God wants for us, and walking away from Him. Are the conveniences worth it?

eGreen Tips: Is your TV Sleeping?

If you fall asleep with the TV on be sure to set the sleep timer on your TV and cable box to conserve energy.

My first green steps ...

Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ – Matthew 22:37-39

One night in February, I began my journey to take better care of God’s creation and to love my neighbor further than ever before. God called me to a life of being green. a practice that is associated more with the New Age movement, but since my heart and spirit has been called to a environmental stewardship I have to wonder why more Christians don’t feel called to live green. But once God calls upon you it is amazing how clear it all becomes; that doesn’t mean it is easy. Think about it this way, lets say you are house sitting a friend’s home, would you start trashing their home making it not only an unsanitary, unhealthy environment not only for you, but for your friend, their family and their pets? Why do we do that to God’s world and family? If we don’t want to think in that big of a picture, why do we choose to do that to our own family? Through prayer I felt God wants me to share my passion with others through ministry, so here I am blogging this path God has led me on. Maybe you can try some of the steps with me, if you do please share your experiences. *joy*

Aside from living green, caring for God’s creation demands the action of loving your neighbor. Any action we take in being more green has an amazing ripple effect because the damage we are doing to God’s creation through our actions can also be mended through even the simplest of changes. Those changes, in turn, are enhancing the health and well being of our neighbors, all of God’s children in present and future. For example, if 7% of American grocery shoppers switched from plastic bags to an eco friendly grocery bag for a year, we would avoid utilizing the following resources:

• 11 barrels of oil
• 800 million pounds of plastic bag removed from production

Several surprising statistics regarding plastic bags:

* According to the EPA, over 380 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps are consumed in the U.S. each year.
* Americans alone discarded more than 3.3 million tons of low- and high-density polyethylene bags, sacks, and wraps in 2000 (EPA).
* The U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually.
* Four out of every five bags handed out at grocery stores in the USA are plastic.

This is one change I made right from the beginning and a very easy one. I will admit I had my collection of those 99 cent bags from the store, they seemed convenient, won’t rip, carry more in one, but I think like many people do, I would buy them and forget to ever take them back with me to the store *laughs*. So I now store some in my car and I plan ahead on shopping trips so I will have them available when I need them. If a circumstance comes up that I don’t have one, I request those wonderful paper bags (luckily our local grocery has the one with the handles) and I make sure I save them for reuse which I will share in a later entry. There was one time I stopped at Kohl’s for a few things and was left holding no bag and that huge plastic Kohl’s bag was staring me in the face, so with quick thinking and common sense I refused the bag and decided I could handle carrying my items. *laughs* Unfortunately, I was only thinking in terms of grocery shopping, but that circumstance woke me up to other shopping excursions that I needed to better plan for. Obviously, there is lists of simple changes we can all make to show our Lord that we are caring for His world and loving his children.

Questions for you: What has your experience been with eco friendly shopping bags? Is this a change you could easily make? If not, what do you see as your road blocks?

Thank you for your interest in my path. God bless … :)