Auntie Em's

A friend told me about Auntie Em's over dinner on Sunday. It sounded too good to be true. Fresh, organic, local produce delivered to your door? Recipes provided with each delivery so you know how to turn that produce into something delicious? All for around $40 a week? I was amazed. How had I not heard about this before?

I checked out the website, and everything my friend told me was true. (Not that I thought she was lying, I just wanted to verify things for myself.) They will also deliver prepared meals, such as Organic Chicken Gumbo, Free Range Lamb Tagine and many others, including plenty of vegetarian choices. How great is that?

So many people, when I tell them we get most of our food from the Farmer's market, say things like, "Oh, I'd love to get things from the Farmer's Market, I just don't have the time to go." Or, "I buy fruits and vegetables and then I don't know what to do with them." I have to admit, my husband does all the schlepping of produce from his biweekly trips to the Farmer's Market. My inner curmudgeon can't stand navigating through dozens of shrieking children and aimlessly wandering adults, all set to the tune of bad folk music, just to fetch a few items for dinner. (This description only refers to my experience with the Sunday Farmer's Market in Santa Monica.  I don't want to scare anyone away from the more "professional" Farmer's Markets that occur during the week.)

So, if you don't have the time, or the inclination, to deal with going to a Farmer's Market, you can still support local, organic, sustainable farmers through the great service that is Auntie Em's!

Click here for all the info: http://www.auntieemsdelivery.com/

New Items on eBay

There are new items for sale from the Glamour Goes Green shop on eBay! They are all vintage and quite unique.

Sustainable Consumer? - thedailygreen.com

I think this is an interesting question, and one with many different answers.  I posted my thoughts with the username "ASwanton" underneath this article discussing my thoughts on the subject.  

Check it out here:  What Does it Mean to Be a Sustainable Consumer?

The Arrival of the Eglu is Imminent!

Good news!  Our Eglu is almost here.  This means we can get our chicks and begin the exciting process of raising them to be good urban-dwelling hens. How exciting!

We Must Change Our Ways!

I was recently contacted by the Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Center and asked if I would post an article about the dangers of our dependence on fossil fuels.  My answer - of course - and it is posted below.  We must move away from our dependence on so many toxic materials.  It is literally killing our environment and ourselves.  An interesting, personal perspective on this issue was featured on the TV show 30 days, where host Morgan Spurlock explores what it is like to be a coal miner.  (Working in a Coal Mine was the title of the episode and you can view at the link provided.)  I am hopeful, based on the White House Agenda on Energy and the Environment, that we are on the right path, but we must be diligent about supporting this change - our lives depend upon it! 

 

Fossil Fuels, CFCs Have Long Trail of Consequences
By James O’Shea; Content Manager, Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Center
January 22, 2009

Often when considering the environmental hazards presented by destructive human behavior, we fail to see further than the direct effects on our planet. However, if we look further, we can see that our behaviors are affecting not only the earth we live on but also the general human health. There are essentially two tiers to the damage posed by destructive environmental actions. Let’s examine each of them for a better understanding of this hazard.
The first effect is the direct human health costs associated with the burning of fossil fuels and the release of chlorofluorocarbons (associated with atmospheric ozone depletion) in the atmosphere. Asthma rates in areas with high smog indices (associated with fossil fuel pollution) are near double that in smog neutral areas. In South Africa and Australia, where the ozone is among the most depleted on the planet, skin cancer rates are astronomically high, as UV rays breaking our atmosphere are much more intense. These are the very real and direct impact of destructive environmental behavior.

The second tier that I wish to bring attention to is the working conditions in the processing of fossil fuels, which pose some of the greatest occupational hazards of any jobsite. Oil refineries and coal plants are laden with older asbestos fixtures, which has been directly linked to the deadly asbestos cancer, mesothelioma. Even as asbestos was banned in the late 1970s, older asbestos fixtures (which are much more hazardous) still permeate this industry. When asbestos fibers are inhaled, they lodge in the pleural lining of the lungs, which lays the groundwork for mesothelioma and other respiratory complications later down the road. Harmful asbestos exposures are only hazard in these industries however. Countless other industrial hazards such as benzene, which has been classified as a carcinogen, also have been clearly linked to the processing of fossil fuels.

We can see now that the effects of destructive environmental hazards go well beyond the direct impact on the planet. We are beginning to see now that these behaviors may ultimately cost lives if we don’t change our ways. Through change, we will preserve the planet for our children and the lives of its inhabitants today.

For more information: Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Center

Vintage Teak Tea Set

I just listed a super tea set for sale. It is very reminiscent of Jonathan Adler and makes a really great-looking accessory. I love it and it would look great living in my home, but, sadly, I can't keep everything or I would have a house full of groovy clutter! Check it out:  Vintage Teak Tea Set

A New President / A Greener Agenda

"The energy challenges our country faces are severe and have gone unaddressed for far too long." --White House Agenda on Energy and the Environment

This topic was touched on in President Obama's inauguration speech, but the entire Agenda is worth a read.  I am so excited about the goals set forth in this Agenda, and look forward to their implementation.  We need to get greener!  Our lives depend upon it!