What to do when you’re traveling and need to stop for a bite to eat, and the healthiest thing available is a microwaved veggie burger from a fast food joint?  I find myself in this dilemma all the time, frustratingly enough.  For the majority of us, healthy and organic fast food places just aren’t an option because they simply don’t exist across most of the country.  It’s especially hard for those of us who are vegetarian or vegan.  We find ourselves snacking on a wilted, flavorless salad or a package of french fries for lack of anything else.

Until more restaurants pop up that are both healthy and fast, your best choice is still to pack your own food.  The idea is to choose healthy items that will hold up to travel.  What you choose does depend a bit on how far you’re going and whether you’ll be able to replenish the ice in your cooler (or if you’ll have a cooler at all).  Fruit and nut bars, crackers with sliced hard cheeses, dried fruit, veggie sticks and dark chocolate hold up well and will give you the energy you need.  Sure, airlines offer those little packs of pretzels and peanuts, but remember – they’re loaded with preservatives and other nasty stuff.  You’re better off having control over what you’re eating.

I packed my own meal last year for an international plane trip, and once I saw the nasty little plastic tray of unidentifiable ‘food’ the airline called a vegetarian meal, I was really glad I did.   I made myself a little Caprese sub – fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil on a baguette – and packed it in a small soft-sided cooler.  I also had some almonds and fruit in my carry-on bag.  Remember the TSA rules about liquids – you won’t be able to get anything over 3 ounces past security, even peanut butter or salad dressing.  Packages under 3 ounces can be included in your quart-size bag of liquids.  Bring your Sigg or other reusable container (empty) and fill it when you get past the gates.

Some suggestions for full-on meals include pasta salad, hummus wraps, pita pockets full of veggies and cheese, or bagel sandwiches.  Some travelers go gourmet with cucumber, dill and goat-cheese stuffed croissants, or soba noodle salad with mushrooms, green onions and ginger-lime dressing.  These ideas sound a lot better than the boring meals offered by the airline already, don’t they?

Another idea is to pack a Japanese obento, or bento box.  Though it’s a bit large – and plastic – the Laptop Lunch Kit is popular with travelers for its modular design and reusability.  Options for bento boxes are virtually limitless – you could go with traditional Japanese food, or just fill them with whatever you like.

Hopefully these tips will help you out next time you’re on the road, whether you’re just driving a few hours to visit family or jetting across the globe.  Happy travels!

Photos by Flicker users sporkist and Joi

If you’re like me, you love getting mail. The holiday cards, the thank you notes, etc. There is little more exciting than the sound of opening an envelope and reading a real piece of mail. But what I hate is the junk mail. Specifically the catalogs that clog my mailbox and pile up day after day.

Turns out that more than 19 billion catalogs are mailed to households in the United States every year. That’s 63 catalogs for each man, woman and child in the US. Well, I wanted to put an end to this flood of useless mail.  I knew my family was getting a ton of these unwanted, unrequested catalogs from companies like LL Bean, Land’s End, Victoria’s Secret, Restoration Hardware and a whole host of other companies well (frankly, for me, it was eighty-two companies). Eighty-two, that is how many different companies have sent me a mail-order catalogs in the past 2 months.  That is more than one catalog a day not including repeat catalogs! That’s a lot of junk mail.

How do I know it is eighty-two?  About two months ago I began using Catalog Choice, a free service that contacts mail-order companies for you to remove your name from their mailing lists.  I knew I received a lot of catalogs but I had no idea that is was SOOO many.

Using the Environmental Defense Fund paper calculator, Catalog Choice calculated the impact of all these catalogs on our environment. More than 53 million trees are need make 3.6 million tons of paper and 38 trillion BTUs of energy are need to produce the paper (enough to power 1.2 million households per year.) This process emits 5.2 million tons of carbon dioxide equal to annual emissions of 2 million cars — significantly contributing to global warming.

More that 53 billion gallons of wastewater is discharged to create the catalog paper — enough to fill 81,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.  This doesn’t even take into account the amount of greenhouse gasses emitted by the US Post Office from delivering these useless pieces of paper.

Since its launch last year, almost one million people have joined Catalog Choice and already opted out of 13,117,365 catalogs.  More than 1,000 companies have joined in to help people opt out of getting their catalogs, but there are a few that have decided not to participate.  Out of the 82 companies on my list just Garnet Hill, the Metropolitan Museum of Arts Store, Nordstroms, and Title Nine are not participating.  To date, 22 companies on my list have confirmed the opt out and Catalog Choice is working on the rest.

Catalog Choice is not the only service out there. For a fee, GreenDimes and 41pounds.org will get rid of unwanted junk mail and catalogs. OptOutPrescreen.com will stop unwanted credit or insurance offers. Even the Direct Marketing Association offers ways to remove your name and address for mailing list.

It is so easy you have to try.  All you have to do is input them, and Catalog Choice does the rest.

Let me know how many catalogs you get rid of!

To read more of my posts check out my blog Green Luvin’ and join me on Facebook.

How much damage can Bush do before he leaves office? Lots, apparently. And….more new green gadgets, yay!!

Last month I attended a green expo in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. It was fun and there were a lot of interesting people to share stories, peddle eco-wares, and wax prolific on everything organic, local, and carbon neutral. One of the booths at the event was We Add Up.

We Add Up has a sharp design aesthetic with modern T-shirts, totes, and recycled water bottles denoting the message that we do, indeed, add up. With a number on each item, a purchase actually adds one to the count of folks who have chosen to become, as founder Jill Palermo explains, “ambassadors of the environmental message - helping to spur conversation and educate others about climate change.”

One of the initiatives We Add Up has created is having school children sell their products, instead of Girl Scout Cookies or People Magazine. This has helped to get children involved, to feel they are a part of something productive and making a difference. Being the jaded, eco-savvy, anti-consumptive consumer that I am, my initial response upon seeing the shirts was “hmmm… been there, done that, got the T-shirt?”

Is this another way to spend money so people can quell environmental guilt and appear to be concerned or making a difference? According to Palermo, the founder, the company is working to put its money where its mouth is.

We just introduced three new T-shirts to our line, which were suggestions from the public - PLANT TREES, COMPOST and VEGAN. The PLANT TREES shirt is very special because we have joined forces with Sustainable Harvest International. With every purchase, SHI will plant 10 trees in the Central American rainforest. As you probably know, trees in the equatorial latitude are much more efficient at absorbing and sequestering CO2 from the atmosphere than trees in northern latitudes, making reforestation in Central America imperative to ending global warming.

WE ADD UP is a member of 1% for the Planet. We donate 1% of sales or 10% of profits, whichever is greater. In addition, the sale of the “Plant Trees” tee directly contributes to creating more carbon sinks, as 10 trees are planted for each purchase. As a taste of what is to come with WE ADD UP, we are currently working to create exciting partnerships for each of our tee actions. We are seeking non-profits who are leaders in developing solutions to the action the tee promotes. And, $3 from the sale of each shirt will be donated to that chosen non-profit.

I know that we are not going to change the world by simply buying organic hair conditioner and carrying a canvas bag to Whole Foods. I think it is important to be mindful of what we consume and to choose wisely, but truth be told, if we see what is happening, and the speed at which it is occuring, buying a “green” T-shirt is not going to have a massive impact.

However, what about the message We Add Up is trying to convey? Can we act as ambassadors for environmentalism? Isn’t it better to have children selling eco-friendly T’s that have a message and teach them about what is happening with regard to climate change, instead of sending them door to door with boxes of lousy commercial frankenfood chocolate bars?

Is it not productive to have people see the words “buy local” or “recycle” or “unplug?” When I see these words, even on someone’s T-shirt, it does remind me that whatever trivial issues are dominating in the moment are nothing compared to a bigger, more important cause that is always calling. Acting on behalf of the earth, on any level, can instigate thought, dialogue and change. We Add Up, in the words of Al Gore, “…is a tremendous marketing tool to promote the important message about climate change.”

There are plenty of eco chicks out there perfectly comfortable with showing off their naturally hairy legs and underarms. I’m not one of them. While I wish I could be so carefree about it, I’m not quite that low maintenance. So, for the longest time I have sought the best hair removal methods that didn’t involve too many chemicals or disposables.

My usual weapon of choice is a razor with disposable blades, since it at least doesn’t involve tossing a hunk of plastic into the trash every few days. But, I wondered if there was something better out there… something that would leave my legs smoother for longer. Thus began my experimentation with body sugaring.

Body sugaring is an ancient art that has been used for thousands of years – it was the favored hair removal method of the ancient Egyptians. It’s a paste normally made up of sugar, lemon juice, honey or molasses. It’s used much the same way as wax, where a paper or fabric strip is used to remove the hair. It’s said to be less painful than waxing, because the mixture only sticks to the hair, not the skin. Plus, since body sugar is washable, it’s easier to use than wax – it comes right off in the shower.

Some women make their own body sugar at home, but I wasn’t quite up to that task yet – if you don’t get the mixture just right, it won’t work. So I went with Parissa Body Sugar Chamomile Hair Remover, which contains chamomile for its skin-soothing properties.

My experience with it was… interesting. Your mileage may vary. I have super-sensitive skin, so my attempts at removing hair even on what I thought would be a relatively hardy area – my shins – was painful and resulted in angry red bumps that didn’t go away for days. But, I think that problem may also be related to the fact that I’m a newbie – most Parissa users report being extremely happy with the product. The two most important tips to avoid excess irritation seem to be keeping the application thin and pulling the skin very taut while removing the strips.

The pros: One jar can last a really long time, and I discovered that you can wash and re-use the strips, which is great. It’s way cheaper than going to a salon. The ingredients are simple and natural, and it’s fragrance free. The whole process is fairly easy.

The cons: If you have sensitive skin or aren’t up to yanking the strips yourself, you may want to stick with shaving or go to a professional aesthetician. As with waxing, you have to let the hair grow out to at least ¼” inch in between removal sessions.

I’m going to continue using it for a while to see if I can improve my technique, but if I fail to get over the squick factor of pulling the strips off myself, I’ll stick with my trusty razor. Does anyone out there have experience with sugaring yourself and want to share some tips?

Countrywide, Germany generates more than 7 percent of its electricity from the wind.

After three years of living in Germany, I’ve started to forget all the cool eco things that are happening here. Stuff like taking the train or bike everywhere and returning all the beer bottles for reuse has become so routine that I tend to forget other people in other places don’t do this every day. I guess you could say I’ve been living in a bit of a bubble lately.

Which is why I found this “Spontaneous eco-wander through Germany” by William Powers such a delightful read. It was a nice reminder that the panorama of wind turbines that I see from my balcony every day is something that people find interesting. And before I got too up-on-my-green-horse, Powers did an interesting job of reminding me just how far we have to go yet in Germany, the land of no-speed-limits and non-fuel-efficient Mercedes and VW and BMWs.

Even if you aren’t planning a trip over to this side of the sea, have a look at the article to see just how green life can be.

Wow! My book was on the “Hot Sheet” page of Star Magazine last week (the one with Brad and Jen on the cover). What a fun mention! (See bottom right of page below.)

They were also awesome enough to mention the book on the main page of their website. Thanks!

Have you seen this ad? I’ve found it in lots of mainstream mags like Lucky, Marie Claire, etc. and it’s total B.S. It’s basically asserting that because it’s a ‘natural’ fiber (ie. it grows from the ground), cotton is green, or environmentally friendly. Nothing could be further from the truth! Cotton uses INSANE amounts of pesticides and herbicides per pound of fabric. And those pesticides are BADDIES:

-The EPA classifies eight of the pesticides used in conventional cotton as possible carcinogens
-Cotton uses 25% of the world’s pesticides
-In India, 91% of cotton workers complain of illness caused by chemicals
-Only 1% of cotton grown is organic (though that’s growing because of savvy consumer’s demand!)

(The above, plus more info and sources about cotton’s toxic footprint, can be found here, or check out PANNA- the Pesticide Action Network North America- article on what’s wrong with conventional cotton growing.)

Because cotton is made in so many third-world countries which have much lighter (or unenforced) environmental rules, that means tons of chemicals are ending up in water supplies and drenching soil the world over so we can snap up a new pair of chinos.

Read about some of the problems with expanding cotton supplies here, on EcoStreet (quote below excerpted from this page).

With conventional cotton there is such a long chain of buyers and manufacturers. Clothing retailers shop around for the cheapest fabric and the growers at the end of the chain are squeezed to the maximum so that the price of their product falls. They see the only way forward as increasing their yield with increased use of chemicals. Eventually pests develop resistance and the yield decreases. American and European subsidies push the price down even further and this way third world countries are kept poor and in debt to the Agrochemical giants who maintain a healthy profit.

I combed thefabricofourlives.com website and there’s nary a mention of organic cotton anywhere, even when I searched (there area few organic cotton items in some of their product suggestion pages, but no mention or discussion of it otherwise on the site).

However, there ARE several references to cotton’s eco-friendliness, but without any specific info as to why the fabric has somehow become sooooo much less environmentally deleterious than in the past (uh, it hasn’t). The only place where I found ANY legit kind of argument that non-organic cotton could be eco-oriented was on the page that encourages us to use cotton bags for shopping rather than plastic bags. There’s lots of greenwashing though, in a partnership with Macy’s that donates money to the National Park Foundation with the purchase of any reusable (conventional cotton) bag, and a page on the ecofriendliness of reusable bags generally.

This is PATHETIC. Instead of embracing and encouraging organics on their site, Corporate Cotton has decided to ignore this rapidly growing category, I’m SURE because they don’t want to make conventional cotton look ‘bad’ (I’m guessing this whole campaign is in reaction to the fact that it HAS gotten a bad rap recently). I’m hoping for a day in the near future when ALL cotton is raised organically, that is, without abusing the Earth to get there.

Starre Vartan and Arina Vikdorchik model matching Prairie Underground sweatshirt/dresses at Kaight. We BOTH ended up buying these organic cotton lovelies.

I’m very excited by Prairie Underground’s Fall collection, which is absolutely packed with pieces you’ll definitely wear as soon as the temperature dips.

Organic cotton rules the line, with some hemp thrown in here and there. Details like extra-long cuffs (to pull over frigid fingers), zippers that go both ways, and ultraflattering lines make me happy. The sweatshirt/dress I bought above will work over a knee-length dress, jeans, or with thick tights and boots.

The line is designed by the lovely duo of sculptor Devora and merchandiser/designer Camilla who live in Seattle. Will be keeping my eye on this one!

An interesting piece in the NY Times today discusses Vitamin D deficiency in babies and toddlers. According to the article, many breastfed children are lacking the nutrient due to many mothers’ insufficient quantity of Vit D in their breastmilk. Additionally, children are not exposed to the sun as they once were, which pediatricians feel could be contributing to the depletion. Many doctors don’t test children for Vitamin D, so the deficiency (which can cause bone deformations and rickets) can go without being diagnosed.

It’s rare, but no surprise that breastmilk can have a low level of Vitamin D, but many mothers are breastfeeding for longer these days, which means they need to be mindful of their intake of Vitamin D and monitor that of their kids. Those with darker skin, women who cover their skin for religious reasons, and those who don’t go outside at all are at higher risk.

In this day and age, when medicine is run by insurance companies, most pediatricians see many kids each day and office visits might entail only some measurements and a shot or two. It’s up to parents to be their children’s advocates if they see any reason for concern. As with most health issues, prevention is the healthiest and simplest way to solve this problem.

One way to cheaply and easily get enough Vit D is through exposure to sunlight (the body makes D naturally, but only when skin is exposed to sun). While it’s true that we need to be cautious of sun damage and prevent overexposure, spending a bit of time outdoors each day can be a good thing for both you and your baby. Less than 10-15 minutes of sun daily is safe (if you use sunblock of 8 or higher, you won’t be able to absorb the UV rays that help make Vitamin D) for most people.

Foods that naturally contain Vitamin D include: eggs (yolk only), fatty fish, milk and fortified cereal and milk products (like many soymilks). If you are vegan, there is good info about it here.