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Urban Farming Made Easy. Sustainability in your Backyard

Anna@Green Talk — Mon, 16 May 2011 17:09:30 +0000

Urban Farming: Sustainable City Living in Your Backyard, in Your Community, and in the World

Welcome guest poster, Thomas Fox, author of Urban Farming: Sustainable City Living in Your Backyard, in Your Community, and in the World

When people hear that I’ve written a book on urban farming, they almost invariably ask “Oh, you mean like rooftop gardens?” And yes, I do mean them. New York City alone boasts an estimated 14,000 acres of unshaded rooftop. But urban farming does not only mean rooftop gardens—far from it—and you shouldn’t let a lack of rooftop stop you from giving it go. In fact, until vertical farms become the norm, you’re much more likely to find some productive land at street level, just like most other urban farmers. New York City, for example, has over 500 community gardens has some 11,000 acres of brownfields and other vacant land. Detroit has a whopping 25,000 acres of vacant lots. Cultivated, one-fifth of that amount could provide over 70% of residents’ vegetables and 40% of their fruit.

But would-be urban and suburban farmers don’t need to start on such a grand scale. Do you have a yard, a sunny window, or even just some strong fluorescent lights?

The fact is, there are plenty of ways to farm in and around cities, and plenty of reasons for doing so. The key is to start small. If you’ve got window boxes or pots at your disposal, herbs make for a good option. Parsley, basil, cilantro, and tarragon enjoy similar sunny, moist conditions, so you can plant any combination of them. Rosemary, thyme, and oregano tolerate drier conditions. The most convenient choice for many urban farmers is probably a “self watering” container (SWC), which has a built-in reservoir to accommodate less-frequent watering.

The EarthBox and Garden Patch SWCs cost about $30 each and make great containers for terraces, roofs, fire escapes…you name it. (You can also make them yourself; Mother Earth News provides instructions here, and Urban Farm Magazine here). In fact, some urban farmers with access to lots still use SWCs—rows and rows of them—because in addition to their other benefits, they’re portable. If your farming location moves, so can your farm. The number of vegetables you can grow in each box depends upon the variety; figure on about 2 tomatoes per box, or 4 cucumbers or zucchinis, 8 lettuces or other salad greens (‘Empress of India’ edible nasturtium is nice choice), or about a dozen radish or corn plants. You can also mix different plants in each box. Three good sources for a wide variety of vegetable seeds are Johnny’s Selected Seeds, Fedco Seeds, and Seeds of Change.

If you have no outside space, and few windows to boot, fear not. There are still two good options for aspiring urban farmers. The first is a plot at a community garden. The American Community Gardening Association maintains a database of community gardens throughout the United States and Canada searchable by zip code. You can also try calling your local parks department or searching your city’s name and “community gardens” on the web. Community gardens are great places to meet neighbors, and often more experienced farmers. Plots can often be rented out seasonally for nominal fees or a commitment to volunteer.

The other option is the undemanding world of sprouts, shoots, and microgreens. We’ve all had sprouts—such as those of alfalfa or mung bean—which are essentially seeds allowed to germinate and grow a little bit without soil. For the most part, they don’t even need light. Shoots are sprouts with edible stems left to grow a little bit longer in soil or a soil substitute. Popular options include corn and peas (whose shoots are sometimes called “tendrils”). Microgreens are essentially the same thing, but with leafy plants, like arugula, lettuce, or chard. Nothing beats the trio for speed. They can also be cultivated year-round, and an added bonus for shoots and microgreens is that they can be grown under artificial light. The Growing Edge magazine has a nice overview on them here.

It’s spring. Get growing!

Thomas Fox is a full-time writer, part-time gardener, and sometime urban farmer. Fox is the author of Urban Farming: Sustainable City Living in Your Backyard, in Your Community, and in the World. He resides offline in New Jersey, and online at www.farmeresq.com.

Editors’s note: Thanks, Thomas for your great guest post. You can buy Thomas’ Urban Farming book, here. Let’s get dirty! So that you know, Green Talk makes a small percentage from the sales. So help the Planet and Green Talk to keep delivering great gardening content!

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Plastic: A Toxic Love Story Investigates Where Plastic Went Wrong

Anna@Green Talk — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 05:45:55 +0000

Plastic: A Toxic Love Story

Welcome Guest Poster, Susan Freinkel, author of the book, Plastic: A Toxic Love Story.

A century ago when plastics first began to be used in everyday life, people fell in love with them. And for good reason: plastics made possible many of the benefits of modern life, from wash ‘n’ wear clothing to computers and cell phones to the replacement joints and organs that keep many of us going late in life. Yet that love affair has a darker side, much of it stemming from the careless and shortsighted ways in which plastics are all too often produced and used. Let me share five anecdotes that speak to that:

1. Plastic trash can now be found in all the world’s oceans, and on even the most remote and pristine beaches, from the Alaskan wilderness to islands bordering Antarctica.

During a visit to a beach near the tip of Point Reyes (a big protected national park in northern California) I found dozens of pieces of plastic debris, including shotgun casings, dead disposable lighters, half of a plastic patio chair, hunks of nylon rope and a bunch of pre-production pellets. When I scooped up handfuls of sand and looked at them closely, I realized the sand was suffused with tiny plastic fragments. Plastic doesn’t break down; it only breaks up into smaller and smaller pieces. That “accumulation and fragmentation of plastics” is “one of the most ubiquitous and long-lasting recent changes to the surface of our planet,” says British biologist David Barnes.

2. Plastic pollution is exacting a heavy toll on wildlife. It’s been documented as the cause of injuries or deaths in 267 different species, including seals, seabirds and amphibians like the Leatherback Turtle, a species that survived the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Midway atoll, a tiny speck of land in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, serves as nesting ground for the Laysan albatross, magnificent birds that fly great distances in search of food for their young. Because they scavenge from an area in the ocean where plastic debris accumulates, the birds are now also accumulating plastic. Studies suggest nearly every one of the 1.2 million albatross on Midway has some quantity of plastic in their stomachs. In autopsies of dead birds, biologists have extracted toothbrushes, lighters, toy soldiers, bottle caps, pen caps, plastic fragments, and in one case, a dog tag traced to a U.S. Navy fighter who was shot down in 1944.

3. One of the plastics most widely used in medicine and in consumer goods—vinyl—can leach chemicals that may interfere with hormones. I visited a neonatal intensive care nursery where I saw a tiny fragile, premature baby who was hooked up to multiple vinyl IV bags and tubing. The bags and tubes were delivering medicines and nutrients the baby needed, but they were also leaching phthalates into her bloodstream—chemicals that can mimic testosterone and during critical points of development may affect a child’s system in ways that lead to various health problems years from now, including fertility issues, allergies, and liver toxicity.

4. We have produced nearly as much plastic in the first ten years of the 21st century as in the entire preceding 100 years. In the U.S. alone, consumption of plastic has risen tenfold since 1960. But it’s the undeveloped world where we’ll see the biggest jump in consumption in coming decades—in places like India, China or Africa where people understandably want the same consumer goods and conveniences that the developed world enjoys. Unfortunately these are also places with less developed systems for recycling and disposing of plastics, raising the specter of even worse plastic pollution.

5. Most used plastics are recycled in China. I learned this when I tracked what happened to the plastic soda bottles I put in my recycling bin and discovered they were being shipped from San Francisco to China. There the bottles would turned into polyester fiber, used to make clothing, carpet, pillows among other things. That fact is 40 years after the first recycling programs were established in the U.S., we are still recycling only about 28 percent of all plastic bottles and less than ten percent of plastics in general.

What Can We Do About Our Plastic Consumption?

Plastic is so integral to modern life that we can’t—and probably don’t—want to entirely relinquish it. But there are ways to make for a better, healthier relationship:

1. Refuse single-use freebies: Bring your own bag when shopping. Carry a travel mug for your daily caffeine fix. Tell your waiter you don’t need a straw. Instead of buying bottled water, stay hydrated from reusable bottles made of metal or BPA-free plastic.

2. Reuse where possible: Give that sandwich baggie a week’s workout; use that empty yogurt tub for leftovers.

3. Use your purchasing power to support companies that are trying to use less packaging and healthier kinds of plastic.

4. Learn what you can recycle. Find out what plastics your community recycler accepts. Explore other recycling resources: UPS stores will take back shipping peanuts; many grocery chains will take used bags and plastic film; many office supply chains will take back used printer cartridges.

5. Don’t cook in plastic. Heat can cause hazardous chemicals to leach out of some polymers, so transfer food to glass before microwaving.

Susan Freinkel

Editor’s Note: For more information about the book, see here. I have not read the book yet. However, good friend and fellow Green Mom Carnival member, Beth of My Plastic Free Life wrote a terrific review of the book. If you want more insight into Ms. Freinkel’s plastic investigation, read her New York Times op-ed article.

Disclaimer: Green Talk will generate a small (very small) percentage of income from the sale of this book.

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Children Financial Education. Financial Gurus’ Book Offers Sound Advice

Anna@Green Talk — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 17:03:13 +0000

Ordinarily I don’t review books that do not have an environmental bent. However, LESSONS TO MY CHILDREN: Simple Life Lessons for Financial Success, Wealth, and Abundance by Mark Cohen and Weston D Burnett intrigued me given our economic times. Our own children are witnessing our mistakes but what kind of financial education have we been providing them? Author, Burnett, a partner in the law firm, Cohen & Burnett, and Navigator Wealth Management, a financial advisory firm along with fellow co-author, Cohen, states,

“The biggest mistake most parents make in teaching their children financial responsibility is failure by omission – by failing to pass down the basic habits and knowledge necessary to become financially responsible. Lessons to My Children is a tool for parents, grandparents, and mentors to avoid making this devastating mistake. Use this book to start the important life-changing financial discussions every young adult needs to have.”

Although this may seem like a far cry from the usual environmental book, this book’s message of how to live within your means is right on the green track. Basically, buy less stuff and be kinder to the Earth. Financial education is imperative.

This Book hits Financial Home.

I felt an intervention when I received a copy of this book to review. I also have been fretting for the last couple of years that I have been remiss in my children’s own financial education. Sure they had jobs and put their checks in the bank, but as the two eldest went off the college, it hit me that they had no idea about the how to save, how to balance a check book, or how to spend wisely. In our neighborhood high school, there is a requirement for art related courses, gym, and practical courses. A personal finance course is elective. Now, don’t get me wrong, I believe in a strong curriculum, but am saddened that life lesson courses such as cooking, industrial arts, and financial education are not required just like gym and the arts.

My Own Life Lessons

As a child, I had to earn my own money to buy what I wanted. I rarely lost anything since I valued what I had. I noticed in my own school that the lost and found grows into a huge clothing landfill where kids forget everything from their sweatshirts, shoes, winter jackets to their lunchboxes.

My own kids would constantly lose everything and I would trace their steps to find the missing item. I had a fifty-fifty success rate on lost clothing retrieval. But like many other parents, I would just replace the lost item and life would go on. Perhaps, I did better than most since I honestly tried to locate the lost item. But with simply replacing the item, what was I teaching them? I could just hear my own parents say to me, “do you think money grows on trees?” Sad to say, my own Dad told me that I did not do a very good job teaching my children about money. Ouch. But he was right. How many of us just give our children what they want? Keeping up with the Jones’ children? Guilt? For whatever the reason, our children are used to instant gratification.

How Do We Teach Our Children About money?

Each of the eleven chapters teaches a new aspect on how to help your children to develop healthy financial choices. A much need financial education for children. Don’t be surprised if you learn a thing or two. (or three or four.) My favorite chapter 2, “Patience Pays,” which explains the time value of money. The authors illustrate how money compounds so that you can accommodate your present lifestyle. You might be shocked to learn you are not on course for retirement.

“Right now you may be thinking that $1 million would be enough to support your $50,000 per year lifestyle , but when you retire 30 years from now that $1 million is only worth $400,000 in purchasing power. You will need closer to $2.5 million.”

I also like Chapter 5, “Limit Your Debt,” which explains the different type of debt instruments from mortgages to car loans. Most importantly, the authors talk about credit card debt. It is so easy to whip out the plastic to pay for something and deal with the consequences of exorbitant interest rates later. This chapter provides a game plan on how to stay out of debt. Best yet, Chapter 10, “Being Organized Pays Dividend,” speaks volumes to both parent and children.

“If you are organized, not only can you be creative and pursue your goals without clutter, mess, and the distraction of searching for lost objects but you get back that hour, less the five or so minutes it takes to stay organized.”

Learn what is important to file and what you can recycle. Time is money in my opinion. Being disorganized can cost you when it is time to do your taxes or provide documentation for an insurance claim.

Can your 10 Year Old Comprehend this Book?

As I divulged more into the book, the concepts became more challenging. Chapter 8, “Learning Investing 101” contained a lot of information about the Stock Market. Although I am an undergraduate finance major, I found that this section would be very hard to grasp unless you had your child invest in a stock to understand the terms. At one point, I reached out for the authors’ contact and asked her what age would be appropriate to read this book? She replied 16 years and older. I would agree on this age for most of the book except the stock market area. Unfortunately, I did not have time for two eldest to read the book. I tried to get my oldest to read it as we traveled to his college but his mind was more on all the fun he would be having in school after spending an incredibly boring summer at home.

More Interactive tools:

To cement the ideas discussed in the book, the authors created an interactive website featuring videos, calculators, Weekly Wealth Lessons, an online bookstore, and a blog.

But, Why this Book?

But why this book? There are a plethora of books on finances. To be honest, I was interested in the authors’ experiences with their own clients as investment advisors and attorneys. I was not disappointed. Each chapter provides antidotal examples of their own client or families’ stories.

This book is a must read for you to teach your children. What a wonderful gift this book could make to a graduating college senior just about ready to take his or her first job. As I mentioned above, you too may learn a concept or two that you can pass along to your own children or grandchildren.

Disclaimer: I received this book free to review. I absolutely loved it and urge you to buy it. Realize I do make a little amount of money on the sale since it is being offered in the GT store. I only endorse what I would buy myself.

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Recycled Book Library Desk. Old Reads, New Desk

Anna@Green Talk — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 02:08:32 +0000

Pictures courtesy of Ellen Forsyth

Re-purpose is the first word out of my mouth when it comes to the 3Rs. But, what about unloved books? Sure you can swap them, leave on a park bench for other to find or sell them. But creating furniture out them? Well, this concept tops my list.

Delft University of Technolog did just that. One of their building, Bowkunde building, suffered a devasting loss by fire, which started in a coffee machine on the sixth floor. Many of the books were salvaged and used to make the above recycled book library desk. Why I am not surprised that architectural community at the University would not think of a way to re-use those books? Architects are out of the book thinkers.

To see a slideshow of this wonderful library, see here. For a little taste of the recycled book desk, check out the pictures below.

According to a recent Inhabitat article,

“The new library includes collaborative study areas, computer stations, cozy seating, and above all, an entire collection of architecture books making it the ideal haven for architecture students and staff to escape.”

In the Treehugger article, a commenter stated that the books were brand new, which would be very disturbing since I am sure there are numerous old books that could be use. Just ask schools, especially universities, since it seems their books are outdated every year. Oh, there are law books from court house libraries that are no longer being used due to the shift to computer generated use.

Yes, sadly, I know of one library that got rid of all their books and threw them in the garbage because they couldn’t find a use for them. No one wanted them. I know. Why not shred them or give them to Corvus Recycling who could shred, de-bind them and ultimately recycle them?

Back to the commenter claiming that the books were new. To be honest, this makes sense, since I can’t imagine any books would remain after a devastating fire. I hope that this is not true, but the recycled book desk above still shows the possibility of what you could do with your once loved old books.

For more used book related art and furniture, see here.

Images by Ellen Forsyth via Inhabitat and Recylart. Tip via Treehugger.

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KIDS MAKE IT BETTER: When Life Gives You Oil Spills…

Anna@Green Talk — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 06:32:02 +0000

Welcome guest poster, Suzy Becker, author of Kids Make it Better,

It’s a weird synchronicity. The week my book KIDS MAKE IT BETTER: A WRITE-IN, DRAW-IN JOURNAL made its way into stores, disturbing photos of oil-doused ducks started cropping up all over the place. A nearly identical photograph had been the genesis of the book.

I was teaching 2nd and 3rd grades, and a bunch of my kids were upset. I asked them why, and they described the photo of the ailing duck they’d seen on the front page of The Boston Globe that morning. I put aside my lesson plan. We talked about the spill and the sea life for a little bit, and then I handed out some paper. I asked the kids another question:

“If you were in charge, if you were the President, or a scientist, or an inventor, what would you do to clean up the oil spill?”

And the kids began to write and draw. Meghan wrote, “I would get a big sponge and tie it with ropes to a helicopter. Then lower it down and soak up all the oil.” Kathryn wrote, “I would put suntan lotion on all the animals. Then take the water out, wash it in a washing machine and put it back.”

They weren’t daunted. They were busy “solving” the problem, and as each minute passed (maybe fifteen in all), they grew visibly less and less upset. Watching them work away, I realized I could put any problem in front of any roomful of kids and wind up with a roomful of solutions. Eighty classrooms later, I had the beginnings of the KIDS MAKE IT BETTER book

The oil spill problem didn’t make the final cut. But BP’s attempts to stop the leak could easily have been imagined by kids—they involve robots, a big box cover, shooting mud or possibly stuffing balls into the spill. Trouble is, so far nothing is working. We need more ideas. So why not try asking your kids for theirs?

Don’t stop there–get them to work on air pollution, fixing the hole in the ozone, or what to do with all of our garbage. Then help them put their empathy and imagination into action by coming up with and following a simple plan. (Editor Note, above is an example of a completed page 6 of the book. In addition, the action plan is free to download. You can also see the activity guide in the book layout here.)

My 5½-year-old hasn’t seen any duck photos, but now she’s heard me tell the duck story, by her count, a thousand times. Her off the cuff solution? “Why can’t they just wash the oil off the ducks with soap?”

That sounded eerily familiar. I went to my laptop to check. “Yep, mild dish soap and warm water. Genius!” She beamed.

Editor note: Pictured to the left is author, Suzy Becker. Thanks, Suzy for creating this wonderful journal and bringing it to the attention of the Green Talk readers. Readers, Suzy’s book would make a wonderful birthday gift for either your child or your children’s friends. To buy this book, see here, and help kids change the world. Has your own child, grandchild, niece or nephew come up with some solutions to help our Earth? Please let us know if the comments below.

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Green Your Teen to Change the World

Anna@Green Talk — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 03:43:11 +0000

How would you describe a teenager to someone not from this Earth? Disagreeable, know it all, self-centered, and moody? But at the same time, they can be equally passionate about what rocks their world. I know. I have two teenagers.

Because of their unbridled spirit, they are prime candidates to save this Planet and influence their peers to create a greener environment. These sullen creatures, believe it or not, are our next leaders. Kind of scary.

So how do you get your teen to green his or her Planet, let alone try and get him or her to clean up their room? Jenn Savedge , author of the Green Teen, has tapped into her inner teenager and created a book that any teenager would adore. She lays out how to green your teen’s world in an easy to read book with steps to empower your teen to change the environment.

My reaction? I absolutely loved this book! I am not the fastest reader but I flew through the book. Savedge is a wonderfully concise writer. She explains each green topic with the same type of format: the cause, the effect, and what you can do about it. She provides the reader with short-to-the point green tips and resources. The book contains catchy phrases like “don’t be a drip” referring to water conservation and “trim your waistline” referring to eating less meat to make your teen chuckle. My favorite chapters are the green your school and starting a school recycling program since teens spend so much of their time in school.

In addition to the written tips, Savedge knows the best way to for teens to access eco-friendly information. How? You guessed it. Their cell phones. She provides them with text messages (such as “BADCHEMS” to have a list of the same sent to their phones.) Simply dial “4-INFO.”

To help seal the deal, Savedge provides interviews with teens who have made a difference. And boy have they made a difference. Their stories are amazing. To that end, Savedge even provides your teen with a mock press release and proposal to empower them to create their own “difference.”

Want a little peek at the book? See here for the Table of Contents and an excerpt from the book.

This book is not just geared to the younger set. When your teen is done reading it, grab it and read it yourself. As I mentioned above, the book is really easy to read. Savedge makes greening your world so easy to accomplish that you will be an expert in no time.

So, if you have a teen that you want to inspire to be green, grab this book. You can also buy it on Amazon.com. Want more Jenn? Follow her on her blog, the Green Parent, or read her first book, The Green Parent: A Kid-Friendly Guide to Earth-Friendly Living.

Hey, Jenn. When you update the book, can you throw in a chapter on how cleaning your room is good for the Planet?

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Green Christmas, How to Have a Joyous, Eco-Friendly Holiday Season Book Review

Anna@Green Talk — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 03:52:59 +0000

Photo courtesy of Adams Media

Green Christmas, How to Have a Joyous, Eco-Friendly Holiday Season is a mere 6 ¼ by 5 ½ inches in size, but packed to the gills with good advice, personal anecdotes, and tips to keep you on track to green your Christmas. The book written by husband and wife, Jennifer Basye Sander and Peter Sander, and sister, Anne Basye is written with a down to earth style reflective of all of the authors’ own lifestyles. Jennifer and Peter live a simple life with two young children in California busy re-purposing and recycling and trying to teach their children to respect the environment. Anne, on the other hand, is an empty nester urbanite from Chicago, who does not own a car or a microwave and has penned a book on simplicity.

If I were to describe this book in just a few words, I would say it is down home advice. I read the book’s 184 pages very quickly and loved the authors’ personal anecdotal stories on how they have incorporated some of their own advice into their every day life. It make the tips seems more real and easy to accomplish.

The book is broken down into 8 easy to read chapters from why go greening for the holidays is important, green Christmas entertaining, to one of my favorite chapters, green holiday getaways. There was even a section on how to green your office party! Each chapter guides the reader to making easy choices that truly impact his or her carbon footprint. At the end of the chapter, there is a concise round-up of the ideas discussed. There is nothing preachy about this book.

Realize that this book is not just about greening your Christmas. Many of the tips are ones that you can use throughout the whole year. Some of my favorite tips were their crafty DIYer ideas that make the Holidays so special. They are as follows:

Instead of using lights, use stringed old fashioned strands of cranberries, Hershey Kisses, or popcorn. You will save on energy from not using any lights. Even if you use lights, unplug them and only use the lights for a certain period of the day or night.

Organize an ornament swap instead of throwing old, unused ones in the garbage.

Make your own wreaths and swags from what you find in your garden rather than buy something.

Consider buying green gifts with advice as to where to buy them online. I loved the tip on how to buy for yourself, but at the same time giving one to someone less fortunate.

Make your own cardboard chairs for extra guests as well as make your own beeswax candles

Consider having a home cooked Christmas party using locally grown foods.

There are so many more tips that I enjoyed, but I do not want to spoil the book for you. Due to its diminutive size, it would be a great stocking stuffer to help others to green their holidays. So, consider this book as a gift for someone you love.

By the way, no trees were cut down to make this book. It is printed on 100% post consumer recycled paper. I would not expect less from the Sanders-Basye team.

The book can be purchase online. In addition, quantity discounts are available for bulk purchases. So go ahead, and order a bunch for the office.

Do you have a favorite green book gift for the holidays?

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You’ve Got Green Mail, the after Thanksgiving Gobble-up

Anna@Green Talk — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 02:35:10 +0000

Photo by permission of Shira Gal

I am hoping that you are enjoying my “you’ve got green mail” feature. It was a little quiet on the comment front on my first Green Mail article . Did you like the copper faucets and door handles article about how cooper zaps those nasty virus bugs away? I loved that one.

Today, I have a series of interesting articles for you: ”Panties for Peace Campaign,” “eBooks-A Greener Choice or Not,” “Banned Toys for Sale: What to Watch Out For and What to Buy,” and “NASCAR Goes Green with Hybrid Pace Car.”

If you have a great post to share, please do in the comments. Just give a little information about the posts so readers can decide if they would like to read it or not. You can submit one of your own posts if you like. Just keep the posts “green” in topic.

Enjoy!

Panties for Peace Campaign: Send your panties to weaken the strength of the Burma.

“The Panties for Peace campaign was launched by a group of women peace activists from a Burmese peace activist group called – Lanna Action for Burma which is based in Thailand. Since we initiated the panties for peace campaign for Burma, women’s panties (as well as male underwear) have been mailed out by activists to Burma’s foreign missions in Australia, Singapore, and European countries.

Our act of delivering our underwear to the Burmese foreign missions across the globe is of immense importance and symbolic in protest of Myanmar junta’s violent crackdown of monks-led rallies in Yangon last month, and to oust the generals ruling the country from power.

Lanna Action for Burma organized the action dubbed “Panties for Peace” and we have been sending and delivering the panties this week and will be doing so over the next few days, weeks and months. One of the main reasons for which we are encouraging people to send out their panties to Burma’s foreign missions is because the generals ruling Myanmar are superstitious and they believe that touching panties or the traditional women’s outfit sarong will eliminate their powers.”

Send your panties to the addresses listed on their website.

If your child is looking for a social injustice idea for his or her religious organization or high school activity, please consider supporting this cause. (Thanks to Lisa from RetroHousewife Goes Green via twitter comment)

“eBooks-A Greener Choice or Not” by Angela Wieck of EcoBrain with this post over at Eco-libris (green business who works with bookstore, publishers, writers, etc to balance out the paper used by planting trees.) The discussion as well as the comments are quite interesting.

“Banned Toys for Sale: What to Watch Out For and What to Buy” by Janelle Sorensen at Healthy Child, Healthy World. Feeling confused on what to buy this holiday season for our little ones? Healthy Child, Healthy World has a Healthy Toy Pocket Shopping Guide as well as a list of other green holiday guides from other green website who have already done the research.

“NASCAR Goes Green with Hybrid Pace Car” by Kristin Hall- Geisler via Riverwire. NASCAR is getting a little bit greener with the introduction of the first-ever hybrid pace car, 2010 Fusion. Read on.

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