1. GIFTS: Instead of gifts, ask family and friends to donate to your favorite eco-friendly charity or local outreach. If your child does receive gifts, be sure to recycle the wrapping paper or save gift bags to be reused later.

2. TABLEWARE: Purchase birthday themed, reusable plates, cups and napkins that can be used every year instead of disposable. Not only is it better for the environment, you will be creating a fun family tradition!

3.  INVITATIONS: Choose online invitations instead of traditional paper. (This will save you money as well!) If you do choose traditional invitations, opt for ones printed on recycled paper.

4. DRINKS and FOOD: Avoid single serving drinks such as juice boxes or bottled waters. Use large pitchers of juice or water instead. Serve fresh fruits and veggies instead of packaged snacks.

5. GAMES: Opt for board games, musical chairs, hopscotch, charades, relay races  or other games that require little or no supplies (and promote exercise as well!)

With a little thought and preparation, your child can have a fun  (and  green) birthday party with memories that will last a lifetime!

Have you thrown a green party for your child? We would love for you to share it on our facebook page and encourage others!

Interested in finding out more about eco-friendly businesses in Massachusetts? Visit the GoGreen Web Directory!

1.  Cloth is more comfortable !  Disposable diapers are made of  stiffer materials such as paper and plastic making them less comfortable to move around or sleep in than a soft cotton cloth diaper.

2. Cloth diapers promote earlier potty training! Unlike a disposable diaper, cloth diapers make it easier for a child to understand the feeling of “going potty” thus making  potty training easier.

3. Cloth diapers save money! The average baby will go through between 7,000 to 9,000 disposable diapers before being potty trained. Not only do these fill up our landfills, it will cost the average parent between $2000- $3000.  Cloth diapers typically cost a family around $350 (plus a minimal cost of electricity and water to wash the diapers), making them much more affordable.

4. Cloth diapers reduce diaper rash! Because cloth diapers are more breathable and do not contain all the chemicals of a disposable diaper, many children who wear cloth diapers experience less diaper rash.

Of course, we still recommend cloth diapers for another very important reason: THE ENVIRONMENT!

Did you know:

• Disposable diapers are the third most common consumer product in landfills today.
• A disposable diaper may take up to 500 years to decompose.
• One baby in disposable diapers will contribute at least 1 ton of waste to your local landfill.

Interested in finding out more about cloth diapers?  Visit Cutie Booties or Loveybums   for more information!

Be sure to visit the GOGREEN Web Directory for more information on all your local green businesses in Massachusetts!

SOURCES:

http://www.cottonbabies.com/clothdiapers.php#environmentalimpactofdiapers

Definition:  Organic seeds are made organically, meaning the seeds are achieved by natural processes, without using any chemicals anywhere during production.  They are grown and handled by certified organic farmers.  And by law, organic seeds cannot be genetically engineered.

There are many advantages of organic seed.

Good for the Environment

In conventional seed production, pesticides and fungicides are applied at higher levels than allowed in growing food.  Plus, the organic seeds themselves have not been pre-treated with fungicides intended to prevent mold or other fungi from growing on the seeds.  Think about all the pollution you are preventing entering soils and water systems.

Good for the Smaller Businesses

With organic seeds, you aren’t supporting a corporation that profits from its genetically engineered crop businesses/operations.  There have been many consolidations of seed-companies and as a result it’s difficult to determine if the company is somehow owned by Monsanto or Syngenta.  By buying organic seeds, you are more than likely supporting local, regional seed systems.

Good for Taste

Organic seeds for tastier veggies!  Chemicals can interfere with the natural balance of the foods and wreck their taste.  Yum – I love the taste of taste!

Good for Plants

Seeds produced organically will yield plants that are more adapted to, and more likely to thrive under, organic growing conditions. And for a bigger bonus, if you select a company in your region, they will know what grows and does well in your region.  Meaning your seeds are practically guarantee to work well in your zone.

Where to begin your 2012 garden? Check out the links:

Siskiyou Seeds
Uprising Seeds
High Mowing Seeds
Seeds of Change
Seed Savers Exchange
Johnny’s
Turtle Tree Seed Biodynamic Seed Initiative

You can also experiment with saving your seeds (might be a good idea to look for open-pollinated veggies).  We always save our pumpkin seeds and grew a 3.5 pound pumpkin this past summer.  In 2010, we grew two gourds from seeds of decorative gourds bought at a big box.  I will dive into this topic in the next post – stay tuned!

Lynnfield Green Technologies develops and markets products for cleaning and sanitizing that eliminate or significantly reduce the need for toxic chemical cleaning and sanitizing chemicals. Their products have appeal at the high end for institutions such as hotels, schools, correctional facilities and homes.

For example, the Toucan-eco technology takes tap water and ordinary table salt to create the worlds finest green cleaning/ sanitizing liquid. The Toucan-eco uses ECA (Electro-chemical Activation) technology to transform tap water and salt into a very effective combined sanitizer and cleaning agent.

The containers are filled with drinking water and a minimal amount of table salt, then placed on a base station which activates the solutions. The activation process takes less than 3 minutes.

We asked Pat Lucci, Managing Director of Lynnfield, to tell us more about it:

1. What makes Lynnfield Green Technology unique?

We are a small consultancy of unusual professionals who have backgrounds in product development, science and marketing. We help companies to conceive and develop products for green cleaning and sanitizing.

2. Your company has developed a revolutionary product called Toucan-eco Technology that converts tap water and table salt into a sanitizer and cleaning agent. How can  Toucan-eco technology be used by small eating establishments and other small businesses that require clean, sanitary environments?

Toucan-eco can be used in many ways. Here are a few examples:

ACIDIC (sanitizer/cleaner) WATER:

1. Clean windows.
2. Clean and sanitize television remote controls, phones, clocks
3. Clean mirrors.
4. Clean and sanitize bathroom fixtures.
5. Clean and sanitize doorknobs and banisters.
6. Clean and sanitize house keeping carts.
7. Clean and sanitize bathroom floors.
8. Use in carpet cleaning machines to sanitize.
9. Use in portable misters to deodorize and sanitize.
10. Clean and Sanitize Tubs, Sinks, Toilets  Effective on Soap Scum
11. Kitchen Replaces all Sanitizers on Line, 3 compartment sink, and most all applications. Counters, Cutting Boards, Kitchen Equipment, etc
12. Front of the house Tables, Bar area, Hand Sanitizing for wait staff and all public facing employees Front desk, and Public Areas, Lobby etc
13. Health  Club Area Including Exercise Equipment
14. Food Sanitizing; poultry, fish, fruit,  and veggies kills bacteria and extends shelf life
15. Use diluted solution with cut flowers to increase the shelf life of the flowers.

For more information on Massachusetts green businesses, visit the GO GREEN WEB DIRECTORY!

1. Give the gift that keeps giving all year long with a subscription Edible South Shore.

2. Who wouldn’t love the gift of relaxation with a gift certificate from Sacred Space Healing Center.

3. Give the gift of CLEAN with SoBerry Clean chemical free, all natural soapberry soapnuts for your laundry.

4. How about a beautiful gift basket full of Green Koala all natural soaps and soy candles?

5. For the man in your life, how about a gift certificate to Eco Zone Mobile Car or  Green Automotive ?

6. Give the gift of beauty with a gift certificate to Hair Consultants Plus organic hair care facility.

7. Add beauty to anyone’s home with environmentally responsible furnishings from Circle Furniture or Celedon Road.

8. Give the gift of FREE WATER with a Great American Rain Barrel.

9. A Zipar membership is perfect for a student or someone who lives in the city.

10. How about an organic cotton T-Shirt with a fun light hearted character from Groovy Green Bean?

Find all these Massachusetts green businesses and more at the GOGREEN WEB DIRECTORY!

But, have you ever wondered what the term really means?

According to the USDA NATIONAL ORGANIC PROGRAM, the definition of ORGANIC is:

Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled “organic,” a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.

In other words, organic produce is grown without the use of pesticides, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms, synthetic fertilizers or ionized radiation. Organic meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products come from animals that are not treated with antibiotics or growth hormones.

WHAT ABOUT LABELING?

Confused by packaging at the grocery store? Here are a few highlights:

• 100% Organic can only be used on products that contain 100 percent organic ingredients (excluding water and salt).
• Organic on a food package indicates that the product contains 95-100 percent organic ingredients (excluding water and salt).
• Made From Organic Ingredients indicates the product contains at least 70 percent organic ingredients.
• If a product contains less than 70% organic ingredients: Organic ingredients can be listed on the side panel, with no organic claims on the package front.

Try this simple, natural Thanksgiving craft to keep the kids entertained while you fix the food!

Like most of you, we here at GoGreen are planning on a green Thanksgiving this year by including things like natural decorations, reusable dinnerware, and serving organic food. But, why not get the kids involved with going green as well by adding a fun, natural craft to their day? (And keep them busy while you cook!)

Here is a great one for all ages:

FALL LEAF TURKEY

WHAT YOU NEED:

Fall Leaves

Pine Cone

Glue

Recycled Construction Paper (or make your own paper)

Scissors

Wiggly eyes

WHAT TO DO:

1. Have the kids go on a scavenger hunt for fun, colorful leaves of all sizes and a pine cone.

2. Have each child glue his or her leaves in a fan shape on recycled construction paper or other cardboard to create the turkey tail feathers.

side note: make it more eco-friendly by making your own paper instead!

3. Glue pine cone to the bottom of the leaf fan to create the turkey head and neck.

4. Glue wiggly eyes to pine cone.

5. Cut out a red gobbler and an orange beek from construction paper and glue onto cone. (Or try other natural options like orange peels or red peppers!)

6. Add other features as desired. (ours has grass glued to the bottom for our turkey to “stand” on and small kernels of corn glued to the side for our turkey to eat!

7. Let dry and hang!

Have a great green craft idea for Thanksgiving? Share it with us below! And remember to visit the GoGreen Web Directory whenever you are looking for a “green” business or service in Massachusetts! We are adding new companies every month!

Farm City by Novella Carpenter

So how do organic gardeners get through the cold harsh New England winter?  Read seed catalogs, how-to books and plan out the next year’s garden.  Right now I am in themiddle of a great book – I haven’t been this excited about a book or author in the longest time. I can’t even wait until I finish the book before telling everyone about it.  This book takes organic gardening to a whole new level.  I am almost done (hopefully this weekend) with Novella Carpenter’s Farm City.  And I am just giddy to learn that she has a blog – talk about the never ending story line.  This book is about Novella’s day to day journey farming basically in the ghetto.  She started with egg-producing chickens – which she calls the gateway animal to urban farming.  Sure enough, she moved on to raising turkeys, chickens and ducks for meat.  And how about raising rabbits for meat?  I am at the point in the book where she is challenging herself to only eat what she has grown and raised for one month.  Did I mention she is doing this farming in the middle of an abandoned lot in Oakland, CA!  She’s very knowledgeable about gardening and urban farming and writes with lots of spunk and humor.  If you have ever considered raising animals for food, check out this book.

The Veggie Gardener's Answer Book

But if you prefer to stick with just keeping vegetables alive, I can suggest a few good reads to get you through the winter.  I’ll feature a couple on this blog over the winter.  We’ll start with one of my favorities, I love The Veggie Gardener’s Answer Book by Barbara W. Ellis.  This book is great for beginners but also for folks that have been gardening for a while (always need a refresher)!  The book has a “100% Organic” stamp on it so it offers the organic gardening basics.  The best part is that the chapters are divided up by vegetables so you can easily backtrack to what you need fast.  One chart that I haven’t seen around is how many plants you need to grow for each person (don’t know if you need to adjust it for picky little humans!)  The concepts of crop rotation, interplanting and succession planting were introduced to me in this book.  What was the best piece of advice – how to thin out carrots.  Thin carrot plants to 1”/2.5 cm spacing when they are 2”/5cm tall, then thin again 2 weeks later so plants are 2”-4”/7.6-10.2 cm apart. For best results, thin by cutting off excess plants at the soil line using scissors, because pulling out seedlings may damage the remaining plants.  The illustrations are simple but good – for instance, a great one showing the different sizes and shapes of root vegetables.

Have a FRIGHTENINGLY green Halloween this year.

Halloween is traditionally black and orange. But, why not throw a little “green” into your holiday this year as well? Here are a few tips on creating a GREEN Halloween:

1. Instead of purchasing plastic or paper decorations,  use natural products such as pumpkins, gourds, and corn husks instead. Then add them to your compost bin once the decorations are no longer needed.

2. When planning a Halloween party, use reusable utensils, plates, napkins and tablecloths instead of disposable ones.

3.  Make your child’s goodie bag from a pillow case or anything else you already own that goes with theme of the costume.

4. Purchase treats that use the least amount of packaging as possible. Also, opt for earth-friendly varieties such as organic fruit snacks,  small boxes of organic raisins or even pencils made from recycled materials.

5. Avoid synthetic face masks and teeth, face-paint, nail polishes, colored hairsprays and other items that may contain high levels of lead and other toxic ingredients.  Instead, purchase natural and organic versions of make-up or create your own masks using simple craft supplies.

6. Create your own costume with items you already own or can get used at a local resale shop, consignment sale or from friends. Or consider a costume swap at school or among friends. Not only will it help save the earth, it will save you money as well.

Have  ”GREEN HALLOWEEN” idea?  Share it with us in the comments below!

For more information on Massachusetts green business visit the GO GREEN WEB DIRECTORY.

Fall harvest is the perfect time for amazing soups, desserts and more.

While many people love all the fresh fruit and vegetable varieties that summer has to offer, fall also has its fair share of amazing produce!

From squash to apples to pumpkins and even kumquats, autumn produce can create amazing recipes full of goodness and warmth.

Whether your organic produce is from the grocer, CSA or your own backyard, these fall recipes will bring a smile to the faces of everyone in your household:

APPLES STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Preparation time: 1 hour

Serves: 8

Cups of Fruits and Vegetables per Serving: ½

Ingredients:

Cover raisins with warm water and soak for 20 minutes, then drain.  While soaking, pre-heat oven to 375°F. Cut acorn squash into quarters and remove the seeds. Spray the inside of each squash quarter with one second of cooking oil spray. Mix sweetener and cinnamon together. Sprinkle squash quarters with ½ of cinnamon mixture. Bake for 10 minutes. While baking, cut apples into quarters and remove the core. Chop apples into ½” pieces. Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add apples, raisins and remaining cinnamon mixture. Mix well and remove from heat. Take squash from the oven and top with equal amounts of apple mixture, making sure to scrape sauce pan well. Squash needs all the melted butter to stay moist as it bakes. Return squash to the oven and cook for 30-35 minutes or until apples and squash are tender. Serve warm.

SWEET POTATO PEAR SOUP

Preparation time: 1 hour and 20 minutes

Serves: 6

Cups of Fruits and Vegetables per Serving: 1

Ingredients:

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over MEDIUM heat. Add the onion and celery and cook for about 10 minutes, or until soft but not browned. Add the sweet potatoes, pears, chicken broth, vermouth, cinnamon stick, orange zest, and thyme. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender. Remove the cinnamon stick.  In a food processor or blender, puree the vegetable mixture, in batches, until smooth. Return the puree to the saucepan and stir in the nutmeg and pepper. Cook over MEDIUM heat until heated through. To serve, halve, core, and cut an extra pear into 6 wedges, if desired for garnish. Cut each wedge to form a fan. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with a dollop of yogurt, if desired. Garnish each serving with a pear fan and sprinkle with parsley.

Have a fall produce recipe to share? Leave it in the comments below!

For more information on organic and green living, visit the GoGreen Web Directory!

Reference:

http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/?page_id=10