sarah's sustainable life » conservation

solar panels: available, but not necessarily affordable

Administrator — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 15:17:07 +0000

warehouse shopping meets green living? apparently, that’s what the folks at costco are going for now! treehugger.com reports that for somewhere between $3,600 and $18,000, you will soon be able to purchase the means to convert your home to solar energy! this may sound very expensive on the surface, but think of what this means! change is on the way, and the more demand we have for home greening products, the more these companies will produce (and of course, the more affordable they will become). i hear you now saying, “but sarah, i don’t know what to do with a solar conversion kit!” you are not alone, and grape solar has contracted out over 5,000 local installers across the country with people like you and me in mind. you are probably calling me a cock-eyed optimist at this point (you are not alone, mary martin). i realize it is not practical to believe that every person will go solar and vegan, and if they all did on the same day, the world economy would more than collapse and we’d all be in big trouble. but if we can slowly go one at a time, give up our dependence on crude oil and animal products, those things would go the way of the horse and carriage, slowly but surely being replaced by better ideas. and the world would be a better place for it. don’t let others stubbornly clinging to antiquated ways of living keep you from doing what you know is right for yourself and the environment. do your part everyday to make sure you are leaving the legacy you want to leave for your children.

give wind a chance

Administrator — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 16:58:59 +0000

for south texans, a new energy source is on its way in to cut pollution and save the oil! CPS is now offering wind energy to any home or business that is interested, and there are a few options for switching over. you can 1)choose the amount by percent of energy you want to switch, OR 2)choose a dollar amount. for as little as $1.20 more per month, you can help end our country’s dependence on oil, and have your voice heard through your actions! please look in to this as soon as possible!

happy cow = happy me!

Administrator — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 21:19:40 +0000

i just wanted to remind you (and myself) of a fun and functional website every vegetarian/vegan should visit often. happy cow is basically a search engine designed for hungry herbivores. you simply type in your city name or zipcode, choose from vegetarian, vegan, restaurant, or stores (or all four) and click to get instant happiness! the search results will give you the name of all restaurants and stores in your area that are veg friendly and registered at the site. for me, it opened the door to a gourmet pizzeria that offers vegan cheese and meat toppings AND a bakery/cafe with lots of vegan offerings. what will happy cow do for you?

take the challenge!

Administrator — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 21:13:27 +0000

as i did my first trip to the market this month, i was left with one thought on the way out, “wow! prices have certainly changed since i got married!” but as i put away the groceries, another thought came to me. “wow! my shopping habits have really changed since i got married!” nine years ago, when i did my first marketing order as an adult cooking for a household, i never would have dreamed that i would be spending extra money to get organic bananas, free-range eggs, non-hydrogenated vegan margarine, or gluten-free tofu steaks (mmmmm, tofu steaks…)! but alas, as we become more aware of the impact our everyday purchases make on the world at large, we are left with little choice but to change our priorities and put our treasure where our heart is. this never became more apparent to me than when we had a child. expensive? YES!! but because it is important to make sure our son has the best that we can give him, somehow it’s easier to let go of the money. i would like to leave you with a challenge for the week, inspired by a green parenting publication from the UK i came across today at Borders: change ONE item in your shopping cart to organic and/or fairtrade. make it something your family uses/consumes on a regular basis, and just decide that it is worth the extra few cents to see the impact on the world and on your family’s health. and never go back to the “conventional”;)

fashion you can live with

Administrator — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 18:43:59 +0000

you don’t have to know me very well to know that i am not a fashionista. (my husband still has to tell me whether or not my clothing “matches” before i leave the house.) but there’s one thing i do know about fashion: like food, it is a multi-billion dollar industry that manipulates and exploits its workers, its resources, and its patrons. how refreshing to find companies that manage to do good with necessary products (like clothing) without charging outrageous amounts of money or looking ridiculous. enter mata traders. fair trade and vegan are just the beginning! in its own words, “Mata Traders’ clothing and accessories are original designs handmade in India by women’s co-ops and artisan groups. Our producers are paid a livable wage and do their work at home or in small workshops rather than factories. Mata fabrics contain a history and preserve an art. Most are hand block printed with eco-friendly vegetable dyes, supporting an artisan based textile tradition existing in India for centuries.” check out the website! i think you’ll be as excited as i was to see so many choices of beautiful clothing at very reasonable prices!!

greenling for me!

Administrator — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 04:21:53 +0000

after a brief hiatus for family illness, i was inspired to write today about a new and exciting development in south central texas. greenling is an organic, local, and sustainable grocery supplier that offers free delivery in certain areas, and san antonio just joined the list!!
the following is a clip from greenling.com:

how it works:
1. Shop
Shop just like you would at the grocery store! You can click on any product you want and add it to your basket. Before or after, you can create an account by giving us delivery and billing information.
2. Confirm your delivery
If you’ve ordered before you can check out with just 1 click. Otherwise simply review your order and confirm when you’d like it delivered.
3. Enjoy!
We bring the freshest, local and/or Organic food right to your door. If you like your schedule and baskets, you’re done! Greenling’s Organic goodness will keep coming to your door on the weeks you picked. If you want to mix it up, just come back to www.Greenling.com and make your changes. That’s it. Really. And of course we have our 100% satisfaction guarantee so never worry about anything not being up to your standards.

check out the website!! i definitely plan on using this awesome service!

public transportation unmasked

Administrator — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 21:33:18 +0000

having taken the last few weeks to acquaint myself with the bus system, i now feel confident reporting to you that you should ride the bus any opportunity you get! it was not at all what i was expecting, but it is a lovely way to get around and feel that you are doing something positive for the environment. my favorite part of public transport is that it offers a type of independence i have striven for most of my life and very rarely achieved. it’s as if you can travel anywhere and say, “that’s right, car. act up all you want. i don’t need you!!” the buses are very clean and, thus far, have not been even a little bit unsafe. so i encourage all of you, who like me, have had a bus stop sitting in front of your house for years and never bothered to try it. look up the site for your local public transport and see where it can take you for a few dollars. and then tell me about it when you get back – i enjoy our conversations:)

public transportation 101

Administrator — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 14:51:22 +0000

it’s hard to believe, but i have never ridden public transportation in this country. nearly all of my impressions of it come from movies, some good and some bad. to save on gas money, and to take another step toward being a responsible adult, i have decided to start taking the bus to work at least once a week. for all of those out there like me, who have shied away from using this readily available system for whatever reason, i will be reporting back my concerns, complaints and, of course, compliments. looking forward to reporting back to you in a few weeks!

lazy vegan fare

Administrator — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 16:16:37 +0000

i have to admit, i hate to cook for myself. raising josiah, working, and being married to a youth minister, i don’t want to take the time to cook a separate meal for myself three times a day. and though prepackaged food gets such a bad rap, i have no choice, right? not so fast! after many years of searching the shelves, i have found a few brands of convenience health foods with a great tasting variety of vegan options. today, i will share with you my lazy vegan fare secrets, so that you too can occasionally free yourself from cooking without feeling guilty about the quality or price of the food.

Amy’s kitchen – this line of frozen foods carries everything from scrambled tofu and black bean burritos to pad thai and tamales. i can get the complete meals for just under three dollars a piece at my local markets. my favorites: Non-Dairy Rice Crust Cheeze Pizza & Indian Vegetable Korma

dr. mcdougall’s right foods – this stuff is about as healthy as food can get, and as convenient as tapping into your hot water dispenser. not as varied as amy’s kitchen, dr. mcdougall specializes in soups and oatmeal. if this doesn’t sound appealing, you need to check out the website and see the delicious varieties that are available. my favorites: Vegetarian Chicken Flavor Pilaf Big Cup and Curry with Brown & Wild Rice Fruited Pilaf Big Cup

lightlife – apart from having delicious bacon and hot dog replacers (for those days you just want everyone in the family to be eating the same meal), lightlife has some heat and eat options that, flavor and texture wise, just can’t be beat! my favorites: smart BBQ & smart chili.

kashi – who doesn’t love kashi cereals and snacks? did you know they have also introduced a line of frozen entrees that, though not nearly all vegan, have some very healthy and DELICIOUS options?! check out your freezer section, and specifically hunt out the tuscan veggie bake and the mayan harvest bake – such exciting choices!

the end of garbage?!

Administrator — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 17:37:02 +0000

i have heard of terracycle before – who hasn’t seen those cute little pop art totes and pouches they make out of recycled juice pouches and gum wrappers? but i have only recently become aware of the business as a whole, with their model and goal. the company was started by a college student to win a “business start-up” contest of sorts. the idea was, “why pay for materials for manufacturing when there is so much usable material going to the landfills?” their first product was plant food/fertilizer which was quickly picked up by large outfits such as wal*mart. but as the company grew, so did their capacity to adapt and reuse the most common “land fillers.” terracycle now has almost 60,000 locations around the country (and more available all the time) where people can get paid to drop off juice pouches, zip top kitchen bags, cheese wrappers, yogurt containers, and many more. schools are one of the top producers of garbage, and one of the prime targets of terracycle. children deposit lunchtime recyclables into terracycle bins and at the end of the year they have raised a goodly amount of money to give back to the school – win win! i just want to encourage anybody who is not familiar with this business to go to the website. check out what they are doing and see how you and your business or school can participate.