Don't Squeeze the...

EcoGriff

3.21.10

Have you ever talked with someone about 100 percent recycled toilet paper? It is almost like I can see people visualizing toilet paper being harvested from the sewer, put in a wheelbarrow, and then brought to some plant for processing. (I have actually had people say to me “EEW Gross”). Just for clarification, recycled toilet paper is made from recycled paper, not from used toilet paper.

It also does not mean that it feels like sandpaper on your behind! If you are used to using Charmin, yes, it will most likely feel a little thin compared to Charmin. Charmin most resembles using a washcloth, where Earth First toilet paper is between, say, public restroom and Charmin. Very sturdy, soft (but not spongy), and much better for the environment! Sure, some folks say it would be like using sandpaper on your most delicate area. I challenge you to test sandpaper and recycled toilet paper side by side. I am sure you will be very happy with the recycled!

I recently had a conversation with someone who said that they were proud of me and Kelly for making the switch to recycled toilet paper. They would not, however, be making the switch. They could not go back to the rough stuff. After some time to think about that comment and having a couple of laughs about it, it got me thinking. What were our forefathers using 234 years ago when we declared our Independence? Did they have debates over the softness of the toilet paper, or were they just happy to have some? I am trying to picture John Adams (1^st President to live in the White House) saying to Thomas Jefferson:

“Tom, enjoy the place. It has some beautiful views. I am going to miss everything about the place. Well, everything but the toilet paper. It is a bit rough on my delicate caboose. You may want to talk to someone about switching providers.”

“Thanks, Johnny. I will be sure to make the change. I wish it came on a roll. That would be efficient. Soft paper on roll.”

“Ok, Tom, you are a bit of a dreamer. Anyway, good luck with the place.”

Why toilet paper in this issue of EcoGriff? It started on Thursday. Kelly and I were out running some errands (had Thursday and Friday off). We were on our way home when we saw a new store called GO GREEN. I suggested we stop in. As we were in the store checking out their small selection of cleaning supplies and excellent prices on light bulbs, the owner says that customers rave about the toilet paper she carries. We had a brief discussing comparing various brands of recycled toilet paper when my wife says: “Can I use your bathroom? All this talk of toilet paper…” So off she goes. I begin talking with the owner about some of the various other products when Kelly emerges from the bathroom. We buy a drain cleaner solution that is environmentally safe and decide to buy 4 rolls of the toilet paper (it was only .59 per roll). We get back in the car and head for home. As we are driving, Kelly reaches into her pocket and pulls out a torn off piece of toilet paper. Yes, she tore off a piece for me to feel the softness. She said it was because she did not think we would buy it, but wanted me to be able to feel it. Really? Who does that? So when you are wondering how much your spouse loves you, you now have a measuring stick. Does this person love me enough to tear off a piece of toilet paper, and put it in their pocket for you to feel the softness? If the answer is yes, GOOD FOR YOU!

Note: Not all recycled toilet paper is made equal! Some are better than others. You will need to do your own “field” research. We have not exhausted our research, but currently Earth First is the brand of choice in our house (this is not the brand from the previous paragraph).

ECOcation:

Energy Efficiency: http://www.eere.energy.gov/

Toilet Paper: http://www.nrdc.org/land/forests/gtissue.asp

Best,

EcoGriff

Buffelgrass

EcoGriff

3.15.10

I read recently that 3.2 percent of U.S. adults are vegetarians. That is roughly 7.3 million people. The article said an additional 22.8 million U.S. adults say they follow a vegetarian inclined diet. So basically there are about 30 million people that take part in a vegetarian inspired meal plan. You would think that with 30 million people eating this way, there would be a way to stop canned beans from being the musical fruit that makes you toot.

Have you ever said yes to a volunteer opportunity without all the facts? This happened to me recently. Actually Saturday. I agreed to be a volunteer with my wife’s Emerging Leaders class. In my mind, we would be outdoors helping to keep Arizona beautiful by picking some weeds with a group called the Weedwackers. What happened was that of a class of 15 students, it was me, my wife, one of her co-workers and one student (and a bunch of people in the Weedwacker organization). Picking weeds happened if you call using a pickax to get them out of the ground, picking weeds. SERIOUSLY we were standing on the side of a mountain hacking away at the landscape trying to rid it of an invasive species called buffelgrass. You can’t just pull these suckers out of the ground, you have to chop a them, dig at them, beg them, what ever you can. Fire makes them stronger. I am still sore from swinging that darn pickax. Stupid buffelgrass.

I have begun reading Ready, Set, Green by Graham Hill and Meaghan O’Neill. Chapter 4 is called Eating Your Way Green. Sounds harmless. I wish that I never laid eyes on that chapter. Once I know the solution, I have to act on it. I can’t just pretend I did not know that stealing is against the law (metaphor). Prior to this I have really avoided the whole meat is bad issue. Well, I knew from other readings that reducing your meat consumption was better for the environment, but I was clearly in the dark on the whole picture.

Just so you are aware, I am not a “save the cow” kind of guy. I do not think highly of the intellectual ability of the cow or the chicken really. I do not believe they think of greener pastures as they stand face to butt day after day. If they have any thought it is more, “man, it freakin’ stinks in here.” That being said, I am concerned about the lack of concern from the USDA about the amount of hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides that cows are hanging out with that get into their bodies. When it gets in them, it gets in us. NO WAY that is good for anyone. I like a good antibiotic when I am sick, but come on. This book is not a shock factor book. It really dispels myths and helps us to make good choices for the environment and for ourselves. Knowledge is wonderful, but it comes with an expectation of sharing. Here is my share. I am not against meat. I love meat. I will not however be able to eat red meat again that I am not sure where it came from or who it has been hanging out with. Organic meat is the way to go. You can be confident that the meat is free from the extra debris. It may cost a little more, but boy is it worth it!

ECOcation:

Food news and issues: www.treehuggger.com

Planet-Friendly recipes: www.planetgreen.com

I will get some pictures up soon of our garden!

Best,
EcoGriff

Every Little Bit

EcoGriff

3.9.10

Why is it that people are fine with buying an expensive bottle of wine or six pack of beer or with spending top dollar at a restaurant for a plate of spaghetti, but think buying organic food is too expensive? How is it that those same people that hate Walmart are the same people shopping exclusively at chains that put the independent business out of business? We want to pay less, but at what cost?

Ok, I had to get that off my chest. Sorry, thanks for letting me rant. Oh wait, you didn’t even have a say. My bad. Let me rephrase that. Sorry, thanks for reading my rant.

My intro got me thinking. What is exactly considered an expensive bottle of wine? In my book I am thinking anything over $12. Am I more in the wino category than a sommelier? Now I am way off topic.

Let me start over….

Meatless March is still going strong. So far, so good. The best part about this is hearing the comments that my wife gets from people about me going meatless. Folks aren’t sure whether to say “good for you guys” to my wife or tell her how sorry they are for her! We both get comments from people like taking a month off of eating meat is some sort of hardship. Really, you want to know hardship? On November 1, 2008, we cancelled our cable. On November 5, 2008, the TV was nothing but fuzz. A part of me died that day. Just thinking about it now brings a tear to my eye. Wait, that’s not accurate. Well, sort of. I did cry on the inside on November 5^th, but have not looked back since. Taking a month off of meat will be a breeze. I will not however give up cheese or eggs, so don’t ask!

In my first post I mentioned we have also become urban gardeners. We currently have a bunch of things growing and are having a fun time guessing what it will look like when we pull them out of the dirt. This is our first attempt at this, and I am beginning to think we may have planted our stuff too close together and will have all our veggies growing together. Just yesterday I told Kelly that we may have created Lettish (that is lettuce and radish). Making salads will be easy. Just pick and eat. A ready-made salad! And people think going green is difficult:)

ECOcation:

Becoming more eco sensitive does not mean that you need to wear it on your sleeve (although you can with 100% organic cotton). Things have come a long way. You do not have to put yourself out there to be labeled a “tree hugger” or “Granola.” You can actually make simple choices that make big impacts. Just think how much things have improved since we all started to recycle. Yes, some things can get expensive. Becoming more eco sensitive is not about breaking our bank account or about making you feel guilty for enjoying a Twinkie or not knowing which types of paper can actually be recycled. First you need to learn where and how you can make a difference for now and for the future. Then decide what you feel comfortable with. Then go for it. Kelly and I continue to learn every day and become more eco sensitive where we can. We don’t have it all figured out yet and can’t afford to do it all, but every little bit helps.

Here is another website for your learning pleasure: www.greenyour.com

Best,
EcoGriff

Herbivore

EcoGriff

3.4.10

Is it a bad sign when you smell old grease heating up and the first thought that hits your mind is something like: “mmmmm bacon!”?

I am wondering when the feelings of fear will dissipate, and I will have confidence in the meat substitutes? Does that feeling ever go away? Do you just one day start fully trusting that things will be wonderful or do you just settle and say “how bad can it be really?” I have entered 3 meals prepared to literally choke them down.

The first was Quorn. Yes Quorn. A meat substitute made from a fungus that grows in England. It is pretty tasty! Quorn may just be the Beatles of the Fungus world! Get it? They are both from England and hugely popular? I can just hear the other Fungi talking. Man those Quorn are awesome! Sorry for the qualifier, but my wife did not get the reference.

Next was my first encounter with a veggie burger. It would be less scary if the restaurant would tell you what the hell is in it. They just list veggie burger. Is it don’t ask, don’t tell, or do they just not want to know either?

Third was a taste of split pea soup. Just a taste. I don’t like peas that much let alone split, pureed put in soup. The color is a bit odd looking to me as well. Maybe a name change is in order. Rather than split pea, it could be sweet pea, wonder pea, or I have to….

So, three times I prepared to choke down food, three times I was pleasantly surprised. Maybe veggies and fungi have gotten a bad rap. Maybe, but it has only been four days. Time will tell. So far, I just know that mushrooms aren’t the only fungi in town anymore!

On a side note….

Did you know that Herbivores consume plants to receive carbohydrates produced by photosynthesis and Carnivores eat the Herbivore for the same reason? This must be why humans that chose the path of vegetarianism decided on the name vegetarian or vegan rather than herbivore. Dinners got awkward when family and friends would invite them to dinner and when they arrived the hosts were wearing bibs and following them around with salt and butter. I could take this farther, but you get the picture.

ECOcation:

http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/rrr/

http://www.lazyenvironmentalist.com/

Best,

EcoGriff

It begins

EcoGriff
2.28.10

What is an EcoGriff? An EcoGriff by definition is a mythological beast with the body of a lion, head of an eagle and the wings of a dragon that is concerned about the environment! What a specimen to behold!

Not really. This EcoGriff is a graduate of Canisius College as in the Canisius College Golden Griffins. We would scream at sporting events, “GO GRIFFS!” So I cleverly changed Go to Eco and Griffs to Griff and so on. After writing this, it does not really seem all that clever. It is pretty lame actually. Oh well….

I am pretty new in caring about the environment. About 5 months ago my wife said we should buy a compost pail. Here is how this conversation went:

Wife: Let me read this to you.

EcoGriff: No, every time you read something to me we are doing something because of it.

Wife: Seriously, listen…..

Moments after the paragraph she read...

Wife: We should get a compost pail

EG: No

Wife: It is says in here that it is easy, get the laptop

EG: No

Wife: Seriously, we can greatly reduce what we send to a landfill.

EG: So

Wife: We will have fun doing it.

EG: Be “we,” you obviously mean you.

Wife: I will take care of it.

EG: No you wont. We cant even keep plants alive and you are going to be able to decompose them?

Wife: Exactly

EG: No

So, the next morning we were at the garbage transfer station picking up a compost pail. It s basically a big green plastic garbage can that had the bottom cut off and some holes drilled into it. I guess it is a good way to repurpose the old cans. It still smelled like dirty diapers in the afternoon sun!

Long story short, I really got into the whole composting scene. Have a little pail on our kitchen counter that we use to transfer the stuff! Oddly enough the compost was working and turning into beautiful soil. This created out next problem. What were we going to do with the soil?

Okay, so if you followed last conversation I had with my wife, the next one was similar so I will spare you the details, but basically we have an urban garden now in our back yard!

We are now buying most of our produce at a farmer’s market in town. We buy 75% of what we eat at home is organic. We have a two year old and I just can’t justify paying the prices for organic bologna, hotdogs and Cheetos, nor would I deprive my son of such goodness!

We have come a long way in a short period of time. I do not claim to be an expert (actually, I do claim to be an expert, but I am not), but we want to do our part to leave this world better than we got it. We want to be good examples for our son.

Enter our next challenge (granted our urban garden was just planted 2 weeks ago so that is still a challenge, but I digress). Meatless March! Yes, I said meatless. We are going to attempt to be vegetarians for the month of March. We will still eat eggs and cheese, but no meat.

In the great scheme of life, this is not a real challenge, but in the scheme of my eating habits it will be. Unfortunately for my wife, she is challenged mostly because of my eating habits. I have what we will call a small pallet.

I do not like most veggies at all cooked or raw. I focus to the basics: lettuce, celery, carrots, peppers and cucumbers. That’s about it. This may create a bit of challenge for my wife in the cooking area. She will most likely need to try to slip some stuff past me and tell me what it was later. I am pretty sure there will be some meals or sides or meals that I will be choking down! Like my son, I like bologna, hotdogs, and Cheetos!

We will also try to do this in a healthy way so that we do not carb ourselves to death or put on a ton of weight using the “I did not eat any meat today so this sleeve of cookies if fair game” mentality.

I will be posting our journey through Meatless March as well as our other ideas on how be green and normal. Yes, I said it. Green and Normal, not Green and experts or Green and Tree, etc. It is about being unassumingly green. This blog will chronicle one family’s journey to become green.

Best,
EcoGriff