organic

Organic Meets Thrifty: TIPS FOR USING SCRAPS TO FERTILIZE YOUR GARDEN AND REPEL PESTS

in
Author
MELEAH MAYNARD
Master Gardener
If you're reading this, I imagine you're somebody whose mind is already open to trying things that others might find kind of, well, strange. But there's a limit to such openness of mind. My limit is hair. Rest assured, I'm not going to suggest you sprinkle your garden with your hair or your pets' hair.
Footnotes/Endnotes

ON THE WEB!

Extremely Green Gardening, Co.
extremelygreen.com,
/pestcontrolguide.cfm

Organic Gardening magazine,
organicgardening.com

Read Up!

Slug Bread & Beheaded Thistles: Amusing and Useful Techniques for Nontoxic Housekeeping and Gardening, by Ellen Sandbeck, Broadway Books, 2000.

The Truth About Garden Remedies: What Works, What Doesn't, and Why, by Jeff Gillman, Timber Press, 2006.

The Truth About Organic Gardening: Benefits, Drawbacks, and the Bottom Line, by Jeff Gillman, Timber Press, 2008.

Act Locally!

Urban Earth
910 W 36th St.
Minneapolis, MN
612-824-0066
urbanearthcoop.org

Mother Earth Gardens
3738 S 42nd Ave.
Minneapolis, MN
612-724-8463
motherearthgarden.com

Growing Edibles Indoors

in
Author
MELEAH MAYNARD
Master Gardener
If you like to cook, there's really nothing like walking out into the garden and snipping a bit of fresh basil and oregano to add to your spaghetti sauce. But even if your gardening space is limited to a few sunny window ledges, there are still plenty of tasty things you can grow indoors.

Most herbs do well when planted in containers and grown in a spot (preferably a south- or west-facing window) that gets at least six hours of sun. You can start herbs from seed. It's easier, though a bit more costly, to buy small plants from a garden center or your local co-op. Buy the smallest

Footnotes/Endnotes

ON THE WEB!

Sproutman Publications,
sproutman.com

Home & Garden Television,
hgtv.com (search for "indoor herb garden")

Read Up!

The Miracle Food: A Complete Guide to Sprouting, by Steve Meyerowitz, Sproutman Publications, 1998.

Growing 101 Herbs that Heal: Gardening Techniques, Recipes, and Remedies, by Tammi Hartung, Storey Publishing, 2007.

Act Locally!

Urban Earth,
910 W 36th St., Minneapolis, MN
612-824-0066, urbanearthcoop.org

Mother Earth Gardens
3738 S 42nd Ave.
Minneapolis, MN, 612-724-8463
motherearthgarden.com

Green Weddings: Celebrating Mindfully

in
Author
JESSIE HOULIHAN
Do It Green! Minnesota
A marriage ceremony and reception are among the most memorable celebrations in a person's life. Traditionally, weddings evoke memories of lavish flowers, extravagant gowns, sparkling diamond engagement rings, elaborate meals, wedding favors, and guests from around the world. What most people don't envision is the immense cost financially and environmentally that "perfect weddings" incur. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to reduce the environmental impact of a wedding and consequently save some money while maintaining the
Footnotes/Endnotes

ON THE WEB!

Great Green Wedding,
greatgreenwedding.com

The Knot (search for "green"),
theknot.com

Read Up!

Eco-chic Weddings, by Emily Anderson, Hatherleigh Press, 2007.
ecochicweddings.com

Green Weddings That Don't Cost the Earth, by Carol Reed-Jones, Paper Crane Press, 1996.

Act Locally!

Flings Event Design
Minneapolis, MN
612-227-0136
flingseventdesign.com

Good Life Catering
Minneapolis, MN
612-220-0163 (Jenny)
612-220-1560 (Karn)
goodlifecatering.com

Fashionable, Functional, and Light on the Earth: GREEN CLOTHING

in
Author
JESSIE HOULIHAN
Do It Green! Minnesota
Making clothing, like any other product, has an impact on the environment. In order to reduce the negative impact, buy reused clothing from thrift stores or good quality, long-lasting new products that are made from recycled content or unconventional fibers. Organic cotton or alternative fibers, such as bamboo or hemp, don't require as many chemicals to grow.

Seven-year-old Kasia Bednarski of Minneapolis is wearing the REI Terra Tee ($24.50) in violet, which is made from 100 percent organic cotton, and the REI Fairhaven pant ($32.50) in sesame, which is made

Footnotes/Endnotes
 

Act Locally!

Places to buy green clothing in the Twin Cities metro:

Birch Clothing
2309 50th Street West
Minneapolis, MN
612-436-0776
birchclothing.com

Fast and Furless
2615 Franklin Ave East
Minneapolis, MN
612-333-2756
fastandfurless.com

My Green Closet (web store)
612-396-9025
mygreencloset.com

REI-Recreational Equipment Inc.
Locations in Bloomington,
Maple Grove & Roseville
rei.com

 

Buy Green but Beware of Greenwashing

in
Author
RACHEL MALONEY
Green is much more than a shade of healthy grass these days. The buzzword describes everything from hotels to gasoline. Like the widespread use of the word "organic" prior to USDA regulation, products labeled or referred to as "green" may not represent an item that is truly safe and sustainable for your home or the environment.

We are bombarded with marketing messages every day and there are more and more green marketing messages out there. There are currently products on the market labeled green even though they have few, if any, environmental or

Living Simple III

in
Author
ELLEN TELANDER
Winsted Organics Farm
living simple.jpg
living simple 2.jpg
I call this year "I'm so glad I own a farm" year. We've all noticed the price increases of food and gas. I've been asking other farmers to learn the scoop. My buddy, Steve Nowak, an organic farmer that grows wheat and barley, says it's the first time in a long time that farmers are making some real cash and doing well. Most of the farmers that I've talked to are grain producers; most are making good money because they grow corn now, and corn prices have increased due to ethanol demand.
Footnotes/Endnotes
ON THE WEB!

"Go wild!"-wild foods becoming popular in Canada,
cbc.ca/consumer/story/2008/05/15
/f-consumer-wildfood.html

Making Cider Vinegar at Home, OSU Extension,
ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5346.html

Read Up!

Abundantly Wild: Collecting and Cooking Wild Edibles of the Upper Midwest, by Teresa Marrone, Adventure Publications, 2004.

Head to Head: a Lettuce Comparison

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Author
ELI EFFINGER-WEINTRAUB
Do It Green! Minnesota
head to head.JPG
head to head2.JPG
Nothing tastes better on a hot summer day than a crisp, cool salad. Before you toss up that salad, consider where the lettuce and other fruits and vegetables on your summer plates come from. If it's like most conventional produce in this country, it comes from an average of 1,500 miles away. 39% of our fruits and 12% of our vegetables traveled from another country.1 Is the lettuce in that salad good for the environment? We compare three heads of lettuce: one grown conventionally in California (where more than half of
Footnotes/Endnotes

References:

http://looncommons.org/2008/01/11
/racking-up-the-food-miles/

http://www.lifeintheusa.com/food
/vegetables.htm

http://attra.ncat.org/downloads
/water_quality/irrigation.pdf

http://www.sare.org/publications/energy
/energy.pdf

http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/pubs/staff
/ppp/food_mil.pdf

Eating Green to $ave Green

in
Author
MELINDA FEUCHT
Do It Green! Minnesota
As food costs soar and people become more conscious about their food decisions, it's time to rethink the way we shop for food. Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food, advises, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." This can be applied to budget reasons as well as health reasons. ‘Eat food'-buy real oatmeal in bulk rather than processed hot or cold cereals. ‘Not too much'-obviously less food (conventional or organic) in your cart means a smaller bill and
Footnotes/Endnotes

ON THE WEB!

Twin Cities Food Co-ops,
twincitiesfood.coop

National Co-op Directory, coopdirectory.org

Eating Green on a Budget Resources, thebudgetecoist.com,
sustainablebudget.com

Read Up!

What to Eat, by Marion Nestle, North Point Press, 2007.

The Organic Food Handbook, by Ken Roseboro, Basic Health Publications, 2007.

Bands That Go Green

in
Author
Reprinted from Sarah Lipman
thegreenguide.com

Musicians have long been catalysts for social change. When it comes to the environment though, the music industry has lagged behind. However, many musicians today are climbing aboard the “green” tour bus.

Footnotes/Endnotes

Cloud Cult, cloudcult.com

Reverb, www.reverbrock.org

Heal the Bay, www.healthebay.org

Natural Resources Defense Council, www.nrdc.org

Road Trips Tips (www.thegreenguide.com/doc/120/road)

Raising an Organic Baby on a Budget

in
Author
Sara Grochowski
Do It Green! Minnesota

Every decision we make can impact the air, soil, water and our health. If there is one time when these decisions have heightened awareness, it is when people are about to have a baby. People are more motivated to make changes in their life both for their own health as well as for their children. According to the World Health Organization, children’s cancer rates are on the rise, childhood asthma incidence has doubled and learning disorders continue to increase, making it imperative that parents limit exposure to household toxins before and after their children arrive.

Footnotes/Endnotes

La Leche League International

Mothering, Natural Family Living

Holistic Moms Network

The Do It Green! Minnesota Family section

The Complete Organic Pregnancy, Deirdre Dolan and Alexandra Zissu, HarperCollins, 2006.

Natural Family Living: The Mothering Magazine Guide to Parenting, Peggy O’Mara,. Pocket Books, 2000.

Peapods, St. Paul, MN
651-695-5559 • peapods.com

Nu-Look Consignment Apparel
Minneapolis, MN, 612-925-0806
nulookconsignment.com

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