Changing Direction with this blog.....

For me the blog experience started out as a project for my English class. With the class behind me and a new found "liking" for this sort of tool, I have decided to use this blog page for some opinions about campgrounds that my family have experienced. Some good, some bad and some simply indifferent!

I welcome any and all opinions and I realize and respect the old cliche "to each his own", for those that don't agree with me.

Our family started camping back in 2005 in a Class C motorhome. We have toured the countryside and even gone so far as to upgrade our RV. We are now proud owners of a 2008 Winnebago Vista (Class A). We love the traveling and the experiences that a family can only get from traveling by RV.

Read my page, offer your thoughts and insights and enjoy your travels, however the highway leads ya.

The end of the road.....

Well this eight (8) weeks has quickly passed. I've been exposed to a lot of new things over the course of this class and I'm thankful to have shared the experience with all of you. With any luck we'll share another class in the future.

As you prepare for the holidays, I hope you have the opportunity to exercise some "green" etiquette. Even more exciting would be to see what you can come up with for a new years resolution that would involve helping preserve our earth.

For me, this is the end of my blogging days. But who knows, maybe one day I'll be perusing the internet and find one of you with a very popular and money-making site of your own! I do intend to continue my own path of going green to see what I can personally do alongside my family to make this place a cleaner and healthier place to live.

Best wishes for the holiday and next semester.

Take care and remember to GO GREEN.

Going Green - Does it really work?

I understand that many of you may feel reserved about going green. You may think that this eco friendly era is a fad or something that will be short lived. Do you ask yourself if going green is truly a cost effective measure or is it another way to attempt to be a public spectical. I think that before you write this off to crazy or something that will not survive, think about some of these very common and cost effective ways that you can go green.

One act of being eco friendly that often flies under the radar is the act of recycling. I’m not thinking about recycling paper, aluminum or plastic products. I’m talking about things like clothing and household goods. Did you know that clothing swaps are becoming real popular? They are an excellent opportunity for you to gather with friends and rid yourself of all your unwanted gifts, and things too small or too big. Clothing swaps normally involve women coming together with their boxes and bags to a designated friends’ house. Everyone unpacks their stuff and then proceeds to peruse the others “goods”. There is no cost involved. The event is all about swapping stuff and sharing a good time with friends. Don’t be fooled guys; this event does not have to be just for women. Guys can get together to share “unwanted items” in their shops or garages. You would be surprised what you find to be “junk”, others find to be an answer to their prayers. Jasmin Chua shares details of how to host one of these clothing swaps. For more details, check out her blog.

Another easy way to save and be eco friendly is to buy in bulk. Buying bulk not only reduces the amount of packaging that ultimately crowds the landfill, it saves money too. A perfect example is if you spend $1.00 to buy crackers out of a vending machine. Did you know that for a bulk package of 10 crackers at the grocery store, you would only spend $2.00? You do the math, but that spells savings all over the place. The only thing we buy when we pay more for a product is convenience. After a while, “convenience” can become too expensive.
So there you have it! Two (2) very effective ways to save that even you can do. So stop thinking you can’t do it, because you can – GO GREEN.

What's cooking......

Well we have covered some key features of going green, including; plastics vs. paper, landfills, cleaning products and clothing that is eco-friendly. I felt it was time to discuss the art of eating “green”. Throughout my research, I stand amazed to learn that to eat green does not mean you have to superimpose yourself as a rabbit and eat nothing but things that resemble vegetation.

The best bet for eating green is to shop at the local farmers market as often as possible. By purchasing locally grown, there will be less pesticides and bad stuff used to grow the produce. You can even find a local butcher that processes and sells beef or chicken that has been fed with organic food and fewer hormones. Just think, you’ll not only save yourself in a fitness manner by eating fresh produce and beef or chicken, you’ll also pay less because you are not paying transportation cost for the food to be shipped from the opposite side of the United States.

When shopping at the grocery store, use common sense and read labels as much as possible. Don’t fall for carbs. They are not our friend. They are sinful temptations in disguise. Instead, look for less processing, less gravies, creams or additives. The less that has to be added to make our food good, the better.

When traveling, pack snacks or full meals to share on the road instead of giving in to the temptations of the fast food signs. According to Treehugger.com, fast food cooking alone is worse for the air than all of the trucks on the road. The smoke and volatile organic compounds (VOC) that these fast food restaurants put off are bad for the environment. With that in mind, can you imagine what the food does to our “interior”?

Source:
Lloyd Alter. Fast Food Cooking Worse for Air Than All the Trucks on the Road. 7/27/06. December 1, 2008 http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/07/fast_food_cooki.php%20

Going green hits the red carpet....what are you wearing?

Did you know that there are clothing lines that stem from the eco-friendly arena? "Green clothing" is sought after by many celebrities so that they can make more than one statement when walking the red carpet. Angelina Jolie is not the only celebrity that sports green-friendly attire for the big name awards ceremonies. Gwyneth Paltrow, Mena Suvari, Avril Levigne, Rachel Bilson, Heidi Klum and Jeremy Piven are some of the celebrities that also sport the eco-friendly look. They have all been guilty of wearing something, either jewelry or clothing while walking the red carpet. Brian Reyes Dress and Tadichi Shoji are some of the leading designers who are creating some eco-friendly duds that are worthy of being seen on the red carpet.

Many of the high end designers that create eco-friendly clothing truly keep all aspects of the clothing food chain in mind whenever designing the clothes because they not only want them to be green friendly, but they want the clothes to endure repeated laundering, maintain good structure and look good for the live models that sport them.

Under The Canopy is a company that uses an entire line of organic products to design bedding, clothing and curtains for the home and consumer. They pride themselves on the quality and appearance of everything that they make all the while using things that are good for our environment.

Bamboo, organic cotton (cotton grown without pesticides), Lyocell (derived from wood pulp) or hemp are some of the leading ingredients going into the eco-friendly clothing that consumers are buying.

Something I discovered that I thought was very cool is that celebrities not only find organics to be their choice thread, they utilize recycling as a tool for helping our earth. Many celebrities are involved in a project called “The Clothes Off Our Back”. This foundation exists so that many of the clothes worn once, maybe twice by celebrities doesn’t sit in their closet and collect dust. Charity auctions help support organizations that assist children and global needs.

Sources:

Chartreuse Chic. November 25, 2008. Go Green with Angelina's red carpet gown. http://chartreusechic.blogspot.com/2008/11/go-green-with-angelinias-red-carpet.html November 29, 2008

White Apricot. Fashion, Beauty & Lifestyle: For the Eco and Socially Concious. Get the Celebrity Look for Teen Choice Awards in an Eco Friendly Way. http://www.whiteapricot.com/fab_finds/rm_one_shoulder_dresses.php November 29, 2o08

Sources for "Going Green"

As the time in English 112 draws to an end and I begin to gather my data and research that I have compiled over the past few weeks, I stand amazed at all the resources that are available to a person who is curious about going green.

When I embarked on this adventure to find out what all the hype was about, I found helpful tools on television, especially the Planet Green station. Whether it is 9:00 a.m. or 9:00 p.m., you can find out just about anything you want. Whether it be finding "green friendly" materials for building a house, building a compost in your back yard or finding earth friendly materials to wear and use on a daily basis - the resources are there for you.

In addition to watching television, I found that surfing the internet was a very valuable tool. My list of internet resources range from momgoesgreen, carbonrally, righteousrestyle, thinkgreen and the dailygreen.

On occasion, I have been fortunate enough to come across articles in the local newspaper or even by researching product containers whenever I am in the store. For the most part though, the internet and television have been my main resources.

The unique thing about going green is that everyone is doing it for the same main reason and that is to preserve the earth and use resources that will be more ecologically friendly.

I am excited to know that I have a multitude of resources available to me, unlike some of my classmates. So now the task of preparing my 4-5 page final analysis is before me.

Let's clean up this mess!

This past week I have researched more about chemicals that are in cleaning products and I have to ask myself....what was I thinking? So many of the active ingredients in today's popular cleaning products are strong enough that they could actually kill us.

I stand amazed that surfaces we commonly touch, walk on or even lay on are being cleaned with items that can cause damage to our liver, kidneys and lungs. Some chemicals in cleaners or even air fresheners actually contain formaldehyde. Remind me again why we are using this stuff? One would think we are on a suicide mission based on the ingredients we are using throughout our homes. Did you know that some dishwasher detergents contain a very poisonous chlorine in a dry form. Imagine your 4 year old ingesting that by mistake!

Do you remember the commercials back in the 1980's for Mr. Yuk? the infamous song that would stick in your head for days; Mr. Yuk is Mean, Mr. Yuck is Green! This program educated the children as well as some senior citizens. Where ever you spot the sticker, you would identify this product as being a bad thing and you should not eat or drink whatever it is. I remember my 7 year old niece trying the theory out by placing a Mr. Yuk sticker on some broccoli in their refrigerator, only for my sister to discover it a few days later. My sister had to do some much needed diversion to educate my niece.

I say all this to remind you that just because you think it smells clean or the surface looks clean, you most likely are using something that has shortened your life, your families lives or the life of the item you just cleaned. Use caution when cleaning your home or your car. Click here for over 75 ways to use vinegar in your home to create that germ free, clean smelling and looking effect you desire. If you don't care for the smell of vinegar, consider baking soda. There are a variety of green cleaning alternatives out there on the market as well for you to peruse and try out.

If you want more information about the danger of chemicals that are commonly found in our cleaning products, check out The Consumer Law Page.

So as you prepare for holiday guests this season, be sure to clean with caution and clean the "green" way - Happy Holidays!

Sources:

Doreen. nasty, nasty chemical cleaners: the top 10 criminals. "Mom Goes Green; A Mom's Journey to Green Living". November 21, 2008. November 23, 2008

Alexander, Richard. Top "10" Hazardous Household Chemicals. The Consumer Law Page: Articles:. 1994-2007. November 24, 2008