ReneeSande
writer
It's Simple:
Reduce Your Food Waste, Save
Some Green
Sometimes it’s hard to know the value of something until it’s gone.
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Obviously that’s the case with the average American family who seems to have more food than they know what to do with, throwing away 14 percent of it—or approximately $600 every year—in meats, fruit, vegetables and grain products.
On a world-wide scale, each year approximately 1.3 billion tons of food—roughly a third—of the world’s total food production is either wasted or lost, according to a report by the Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology.
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These are mind-numbing statistics when you think about the state of our current economy and the degree of food insecurity in the world.
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However, you can make a difference by taking steps to reduce your food waste and in the meantime, helping your community thrive and contributing to food sustainability on a global scale.
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It can be as easy as rearranging your refrigerator a little more often or shopping a little more frequently, but the big thing here is just thinking a little differently about how grateful we are to have access to the food we have and keeping it out of the waste stream (and as a result, more money in your pocket)!
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Sign up for a super-sustainable CSA. A CSA, or community supported agriculture, is basically a subscription for a box of fresh local produce to be delivered to your doorstep once a week. While some people may think this option would lead them to waste more food, I beg you to seriously consider this option. Not only is it convenient and healthy (usually organic), but it supports your local farmers, thus your local economy. When I look at my big beautiful box of produce each week, I am even more inclined to get creative and not let it go to waste as I’ve actually met the farmers (or at least know where the farm is!) and I deeply consider their time, labor and love that has gone into this fresh healthy food on my plate. Cost is usually around $35 per week. For a list of Spokane areas CSA’s, go here.
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Save brown bananas and squishy strawberries for yummy smoothies. When life gives you ultra ripe fruits and veggies, make a smoothie! (I even rescue ½ eaten pieces of fruit from my kids’ lunches!) Either use them right away by tossing them in the blender with other ingredients or freeze them and label “For smoothies” for later. Go here for some great green smoothie recipes or here for fruit smoothies you and your family will be sure to slurp up!
Clean out your fridge and get creative in the kitchen! At least once a week make a meal from the pantry/refrigerator using ingredients that are close to expiring. Don't worry about following a recipe; just follow your instinct and have fun! You’ll feel better about your efforts to conserve food and may find a new favorite dish in the process! Any items that you can’t use right away and that are close to going to the other side, freeze for a later date.
Why buy a bushel when you can grow a sprig? So often a recipe calls for a small amount of basil or thyme, but buying only the amount you need isn’t usually an option. Instead, grow your own herbs at home and enjoy the benefits of picking off what you want when you want it. Basil, parsley, and oregano are easy to grow and easy to use and are called for in many dishes.
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Get organized and double your groceries’ potential. Okay, so I don’t have any solid proof on this statistic, but I do know that if I regularly reorganize my refrigerator and cupboards, moving older items to the front and taking stock of what I have, that I come out at least 5-7 meals ahead compared to when I use to blindly stockpile food that had nowhere to go but bad. It may sound time-consuming, but it’s really easy as pie if you do it every time you come back from the store. Instead of just shoving everything in, do a little rearranging and who knows? You may just find you need to buy less next time you’re at the store!
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Buy only what you can carry to your car. I know this may sound ultra challenging for many of you, especially if you have kids. However, if you keep the basics on hand and shop once or twice a week for additional items such as your fish and baguette and the items that are going to make your meal special, the theory here is that you’ll be more likely to use what you have before making another trip, and thus waste less!
Plan your meals, make a list, and check it twice. This is a big one. Instead of heading to the store without a clue, take some time, decide what you’re going to cook in the next week, inventory your shelves to see what you have, and then make a pact with yourself that you will keep to your list (for the most part, that is)! You’ll buy less, spend less, and be more organized come dinner time!
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Give Food Scraps Another Chance.
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Citrus Rinds: Add citrus zest to a pot of boiling veggies or a bottle of vodka or tequila to up the taste a notch or two or use to decorate cakes and pastries. If you can’t use it right away, bag it up and throw it in the freezer (be sure to label what it is and you’re more likely to use later).
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Veggie Waste: Instead of throwing out all those celery leaves, fennel tops, leek greens, asparagus ends, parsley stems, etc., keep a stock bag in your freezer for making delicious homemade vegetable stock. When you have some spare time, simply dump the trimmings into a pot, simmer for awhile and make your mom proud!
Grease & Fat: Bacon grease is great for adding flavor to your potatoes, greens (cooked), eggs or even a grilled cheese! Just pour it through a sieve into a clean jar, let it cool, and then refrigerate. The same goes for chicken fat. After roasting a bird, use the same technique to pour off the fat, then use the leftovers to roast vegetables or fry meat.
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Seafood: Shrimp peels, mussel shells, fish ends, and crawfish shells make a quick and flavorful seafood stock. Add to a large pot of 8 cups of water and assorted chopped vegetables (onions, carrots, celery, etc.). Makes great seafood soups like fish chowder or seafood gumbo.
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Meat Bones: Again, these work great at flavoring stock. As well, throw a beef bone in your pot next time you make spaghetti sauce from scratch and you’ll give it an extra depth of flavor or add to a pot of cooking beans or lentils for an added punch. Chicken bones will also make your chicken noodle soup a little tastier (just be sure to removed before eating!).
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And last but not least…
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If you absolutely can’t think of another consumable use for your waste, compost! If you don’t have access to a compost pile where you live, ask around at your local farmers market. More than likely, there will be a farmer ready and willing to take it off your hands!
Healthy Living
Meadow Ranch Community
Breaking Boundaries
Sustainable Urbanism in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
A 1940’s landmark barn cheerfully greets you as you approach the entrance to Meadow Ranch—harkening back to a simpler way of life.
But this icon of Coeur d’Alene’s new 55 & Better Active Adult Community isn’t just recalling days gone by; it’s now at the heart of a refreshingly simpler, sustainable way of life for the residents of Meadow Ranch.
Not only are responsibilities like lawn mowing and snow blowing off their radar in this “smart” little neighborhood—but numerous community conveniences are just steps beyong their front stoop: local department store shopping and the bus stop are just a half-block away, highway and freeway access are within minutes, and within Meadow Ranch itself is a community library, small apple orchard, organic garden, greenhouse, walking and biking trails, and on certain days, “The Barnyard Market”—Meadow Ranch’s own version of the farmers market. Other amenities down the road will include a spa and pool.
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“This neighborhood is really efficient, and not just from an energy standpoint,” says Dennis Cunningham, president of Active West Builders, who is building the development.
His vision to combine green building with “smart growth”—the creation of a friendly, easily-accessible, diverse neighborhood, which cost-effectively utilizes land in an urban setting, while maintaining a strong sense of place—has made the neighborhood the first of its kind in Coeur d’Alene, becoming a landmark in itself.
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Meadow Ranch received the Idaho Smart Growth and Green Building Award in 2009, meeting all the smart growth principles. The organization also recognized ActiveWest for building on a site formerly zoned as light-industrial, ultimately protecting farmland and other "environmentally critical areas" from possible industrial pollution.
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On the sunny Friday afternoon I visit, Meadow Ranch residents have created somewhat of an informal welcoming party at the barn, where they’re holding a garage sale to accommodate their downsizing.
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As they easily joke about what they like about living at Meadow Ranch (“it’s close to the winery”), they also talk about the quiet, the great bird watching, great sense of community (they’re holding a barbecue tomorrow) and $32 energy bills, according to Joy Sellers who moved here in December, 2009, with her husband, Allan. A soon-to-be resident hears this and is even more eager to move in, adding that the lowest energy bill she’s ever received is $130.
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When Cunningham and his family moved here nine years ago from Carlsbad, California, he brought to the table not only his passion and vision, but an extensive background in landscape architecture, facility planning, and growth and policy planning. As well, his skill at maintaining diplomatic relations with state and federal land officials—experience which served him well when he stirred things up applying for zone changes, special use permits, and requesting that city standards be revised for smart growth principles to be possible - has served him well.
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In addition, Cunningham doesn't just want to build green homes; he set his sights above the bar once more and is building each Meadow Ranch home to obtain LEED (Leader in Environmental and Energy Design) certification. In doing so, the project has become the first in Coeur d’Alene to join the ranks of 240 other projects across the nation to participate in the LEED for Neighborhood Development Pilot Program. This program integrates the principles of smart growth, urbanism and green building into one—the first of its kind (in the states, that is) for neighborhood design.
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All homes at Meadow Ranch are extremely energy and water efficient, only using ENERGY STAR lights, appliances and windows. They also feature advanced heating and cooling equipment—including radiant in-floor “bone-warming heat”—compact plumbing design, low-flow plumbing features, drip irrigation and drought-tolerant landscaping. All building materials are recycled, local and non-toxic. Paints, adhesives and sealants are low-VOC. And the wood floors are reclaimed as well as all the front doors, which were manufactured locally from wood reclaimed from Idaho barns.
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The wall panels and trusses for the homes are built by Federal Construction of Post Falls at an offsite factory. After the home plans are entered into the computer’s software, the pieces are assembled by computer automation, and aided by factory craftsmen, from cutting the lumber to pounding in the last nail. The pieces are then delivered on a flatbed and fit into place on site. Utilizing this type of automated process produces less than an impressive 5% waste factor.
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Although meeting the stringent U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED Certification program is not an easy task by any means, the standards met at Meadow Ranch are above and beyond what is required from ActiveWest’s commitment to build “green” says Dennis.
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“We don’t do a lot of this because we have to; we do it because it’s our choice,” says Cunningham.
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A “blower door test” (rates the energy efficiency of a building) being done on site by Anderson Consulting confirms this as the results come in at 60 percent better than is required by LEED.
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“What you’re getting with one of these homes is a cleaner, more durable home for your money,” says Dennis.
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In December, 2009, the first cottage of Meadow Ranch attained LEED Platinum (the top of four levels of LEED certification) status, by the USGBC, becoming North Idaho’s first and only home to do so.
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“The leadership demonstrated at Meadow Ranch is at the national forefront of quality homebuilding; and their example can help us all to live better by reducing our environment footprint, cutting our utility bills, and coming home to a healthier place to live,” said Sharon Patterson, Chair of the Board of Directors, USGBC Idaho Chapter.
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With 12 of the planned 28 cottages and six of the planned 22 townhomes built, the neighborhood is a flurry of activity. Cunningham estimates that approximately 25% of the homes will aim for certified LEED Platinum status, with the other 75% aiming for bronze silver or gold, depending on the preference of the homeowner.
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"If somebody does that, it's really adding value to the home, long term," says Sharon Cunningham, director of sales and marketing at Meadow Ranch.
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"It's hard to think right now of real estate as an investment just because of what we've been seeing, but Meadow Ranch is positioned so uniquely because it's a small community and because of its age target and the location. ...Once the community is built out, I think people will go to sell and they'll see the value in it."
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The spacious and comfortable, yet modest homes range from 800 to 1800 square feet and are all priced under $375,000. A second phase of the development will include roughly 40 more detached homes. The entire project should be completed sometime late in 2011.
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Committed to developing communities that foster healthy lifestyles, revitalizing existing neighborhoods, and respecting the environment, ActiveWest’s other LEED Certified projects in the works include a three-story co-op housing project on the Gonzaga University campus, low-income housing within the Coeur d’Alene area and the “Cottages at Coeur d’Alene.”
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At the close of my Meadow Ranch tour, we walk through the old barn, talking about the feasibility of it becoming the “community hall” and looking at the antique wagon wheels and water spouts collected for use in the neighborhood’s landscape.
Sharon points to a rusty-worn tricycle of Dennis’ when he was a child. “Isn’t this yours?” she asks. He nods and I see this obviously cherished keepsake as a symbol, of the heart and soul behind his perseverance to create feel-good spaces, with an intelligent step into the future and a resounding nod to the past.
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Eco-Friendly Children’s Stories Plant the Seed for a Sustainable Future
“The more that you read, the more things you will know.” ~Dr. Seuss
Generations have grown up with Dr. Seuss’ classic “The Lorax” and “Horton Hears a Who,” – stories that get us thinking about our place in this world and how we impact it; but never before has there been such a breadth of eco-friendly focused stories for children, than today.
From explaining how particulate matter is unhealthy for our lungs to the comeback of the wolves from near extinction, the subject matter these days may be a little more sophisticated than what you remember from your youth (who can forget Woodsy Owl’s “Give a Hoot, Don’t Pollute” or Smokey the Bear’s “Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires?”), however is completely relevant to the more sophisticated environmental problems we currently face.
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The following seven books will not only help stimulate children’s imagination and develop analytical and logical thinking, but will open up a window on the world, teaching them that the choices they make today can affect the whole world tomorrow.
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With the holidays upon us, what better time or gift to give your child than a book that will not only help foster a lifelong love of reading but a love for caring for our world as well?
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Santa Claus Is Green! How to Have an Eco-Friendly Christmas by Alison Inches
Santa Claus is adding a little green to Christmas! In the spirit of Christmas giving, Santa shows the boys and girls of the world how to give to others while giving back to the Earth — and have fun while doing it! They learn that simple things can make all the difference, like riding their bikes to the store rather than hopping in the car, turning Christmas tree lights off during the day and before going to bed, recycling their Christmas tree, and using newspaper for gift wrap.
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Printed on 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper, this jolly-fun story is full of creative tips and ideas on how kids and families can make their Christmas a green Christmas. Also included are Christmas stickers made from 10% recycled paper for spreading holiday cheer and environmental awareness.
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The Polar Bears' Home: A Story About Global Warming by Lara Bergen
This Arctic adventure features a little girl and her father who discover two polar bear cubs floating on a piece of ice, without their mother. When the little girl asks where their mother is, the father explains how global warming could be to blame. Can the girl and her father help them find their mother? Also features kid-friendly tips on other ways to be kind to the earth.
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Beautifully illustrated, this 8 x 8 paperback book is perfect-bound and printed on 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper with soy-ink.
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The Wolves Are Back by Jean Craighead George​
This stirring tale takes the reader back in time and tells the story of how, over a century, wolves were persecuted in the United States and nearly became extinct. Gradually reintroduced, they are thriving again in the West, much to the benefit of the ecosystem. This book will teach a new generation to appreciate the grace, dignity, and value of wolves as it promotes awareness of the environment’s delicate balance. Paired with gorgeous paintings by landscape artist Wendell Minor, Jean Craighead George’s engaging text will inspire people of all ages to care about the protection of endangered species.
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The Magic School Bus Gets Cleaned Up written by Scholastic Books and EPA
With the help of the EPA, this addition to the popular Magic School Bus series was written in an effort to promote the Clean School Bus program. Join Ms. Frizzle and the children as they take another wild trip in the name of education, this time to travel through a diesel engine to learn how particulate matter from the old Magic School Bus’ diesel exhaust gets into people’s lungs and causes problems. Includes a clean-air checklist with important tips like, “ask your bus driver to turn off the engine when the bus is parked.”
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The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
This environmental classic tells the story of the Lorax and his beloved Truffula Trees which the greedy industrialist Once-ler decides he’s going to hack down to make Thneeds ("which everyone needs"). Despite all the little guy’s protests, the Once-ler won't stop until the last Truffula is felled and the surrounding ecosystem is hopelessly polluted. This cautionary tale is one of environmental stewardship, and the necessary balance between human need and the conservation of the natural world.
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The Curious Garden by Peter Brown
The Curious Garden is a magical story about a boy's dream and how the efforts of one small person can help change the world. When Liam decides to explore his city one day, he discovers a neglected garden and decides to take care of it.
As time passes, the garden takes on a life of its own and spreads across the city, changing everything in its path. Bit by bit, the city is transformed, becoming a lush green world. With whimsical illustrations, this hardcover book will inspire young and old alike with the power of one.
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A World Without Fish by Mark Kurlansky
Aimed at tweens, this story explains how our oceans are changing, how the fish are being affected and ultimately, how the entire ecosystem is being compromised. The author, a former fisherman, factually explains the economic, political, historical, cultural and social aspects of overfishing and how supporting sustainable fishing helps. Also included are tips for kids to empower them to ask questions about the fish they are consuming.