{Editor’s Note: this is the final day of the 15-day EcoChallenge through the Northwest Earth Institute. You can read about the kickoff here.}
- Being outside makes us feel good. I’d forgotten how much since I don’t ride my bike to work anymore. (My husband continues to bike to work daily, even in downpours. He’s my alternative transportation hero!) Meanwhile I’ve gotten used to hopping into a warm car, getting pissed at the bad driver in front of me, and becoming oblivious to the natural world around me. These past two weeks, I’ve felt more connected to nature whether it’s feeling the wind in my ears as I bike to zumba class or inhaling the damp earth and noticing leaves drift downward from their summer perches as I walk in the rain to a nearby meeting. It feels great.
- Parts of items can be recycled. Like the cardboard pieces from new toy packaging… if I just take the time to separate them from the non-recyclable plastic bits. And aluminum yogurt lids that just need a quick rinse. And juice boxes minus the straw. I slowed down these past weeks to inspect items I usually toss quickly into the trash for any salvageable parts. Sofie rescued the plastic covers that came with our electric toothbrush heads – for what purpose, I don’t know, but I’m thrilled she got caught up in the reuse and repurpose theme.
- Costume swaps – who knew? I’m so glad I became aware of National Costume Swap Day and our neighborhood’s local swap. We traded in an outgrown ballet outfit for some cat pieces (jaguar tail and black furry nose) that inspired Sofie. Halloween costume for 2013? Done.
- Halloween costumes for Mom can be fun too. Taking the outfit to the streets might be a different matter altogether, but scavenging the house for my Super EcoMom wardrobe turned into a fun family project that also showed Sofie how easy a costume can be assembled from stuff right under our noses.
- Turning computers off at night is pretty darn easy. My husband discovered this in his quest to be more energy efficient. (He remembered to turn lights off more frequently too!) When I asked if he’d continue this after the EcoChallenge, he said it seemed easy enough. And it’s saving us $100 per year! Depending on our mood, that’s either money toward a new energy-efficient front door or a lot of organic wine.
Endangered species of America: bobcat, northern right whale,
grey wolf, monarch butterfly, jaguar and sea turtle. - Sustainable birthday parties aren’t much more effort than disposable ones. (And they cost less.) Yes, I found myself washing dishes between pizza and cake at Sofie’s birthday party yesterday, but it didn’t take long, I had friends to chat with, and I felt better about a trashcan devoid of paper plates and napkins (the kids used cloth). The weather held for us to have some of the party outside, which worked well with Sofie’s “Save The Wild Animals” theme. Some parents were impressed with my dedication to greenness, which I must admit may not have been as strong had my daughter’s party fallen outside of the EcoChallenge. Having done it though, I’m more likely to do it again next year.
- Being outside makes us feel good. This one’s important enough to be on here twice. Just inhaling the scents of nature calms me, and it does something to Sofie too. She often goes outside to swing and always comes back in in a better mood. I should really take advantage of my working-from-home status much more often. There’s no reason I can’t sit in the backyard with my laptop and listen to the birds instead of Pitbull.
- A quality front-loading clothes washer is super quiet. So quiet that I have not yet heard the song that supposedly signals the end of the cycle. Except for the water pipes pumping water into the machine at the onset (it’s apparently a more efficient way of filling the machine with water), I forget the washer is on. Our new LG holds a lot of clothes, and they come out practically dry in comparison with the top loaders of my past. So far, I am glad we spent the extra money for this purchase.
- Sofie seems to prefer navy showers. We did this one morning when I was having trouble convincing her to take a bath. She agreed once I said: “no hair, you can stand outside the tub and it will be super quick.” And it was. She got clean, and I didn’t have to fill a tub with water. Hooray for my eco-daughter.
- I could be a vegetarian (almost). A lacto-ovo vegetarian, that is, because we still ate eggs and dairy. My body has felt really good, and I might attribute that to being on the fifth day of our vegetarian week (see two recipes below). I have more energy and feel less bloated and achy. I had fun developing a veggie menu and really enjoyed eating the meals. I never left the table feeling hungry, which is something I envisioned, as if I needed meat to really fill me up.
Admittedly, at this point, I am longing for a good burger or my bacon, beer and Brussels sprout soup. But I also feel like I can reintroduce meat slowly, and I aim to maintain a veggie menu several days per week.
Doing this EcoChallenge as a family was a fun effort in working together to go green. Check out this list of 30 blogs that provide ideas on more ways you can reduce your family carbon footprint. The list includes one California family who aims for zero waste. Over a six-month period, they created only a handful of trash. Now that’s impressive!
Vegetarian Recipes:
TOMATO, BARLEY AND PECORINO SOUP
from “The Italian Slow Cooker” by Michele Scicolone
Yummy Italian recipes for your slow cooker.
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 Tb olive oil
- 32 oz. vegetable broth
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 cup pearl barley, rinsed and picked over
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
- 2 Tb chopped herb (optional — parsley, cilantro or basil)
- 1 cup diced Pecorino Romano cheese
- Salt and pepper
- In a medium skillet, cook the onion in olive oil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned, about 10 minutes. If onion starts to color, add some water and lower heat slightly. Scrape onion into a large slow cooker.
- Add broth, water, barley, tomatoes and celery. Cover and cook in slow cooker for 3 hours on low or until the barley is tender and soup is thick.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in cheese and chopped herb (optional). Serve hot. Serves 6
PASTA AND CHICKPEAS (with plenty of parsley and garlic)
from “Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison’s Kitchen” by Deborah Madison
- 1 Tb olive oil
- ½ large onion
- a few pinches of hot red pepper flakes
- 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas or 1 15-ounce can, liquid reserved
- 1 big bunch of flat-leaf parsley, leaves stripped from the stems
- 3 plump garlic cloves
- small handful of sage leaves
- sae salt and ground black pepper
- ¾ pound whole wheat pasta shells
- freshly grated Parmesan
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil for pasta.
- Heat the oil in a wide skillet and add onion and pepper flakes. Cook for a few minutes, then add chickpeas. Chop parsley, garlic and sage together, then toss a third of it into the pan. Season well with salt and pepper, add a little water or chickpea broth to the pan, and cook slowly, adding more liquid as it cooks away.
- Cook the pasta. When done, drain and toss it with the chickpeas, the rest of the parsley mixture and extra olive oil to taste. Grate some parmesan cheese over the top and serve with additional pepper flakes. Serves 4
