I used to console myself for forgetting my canvas grocery bags during impromptu market runs with the thought that I would soon be recycling the plastic bags anyway. In a sense, that is. They wouldn’t be melted down and re-manufactured into other useful plastic items. But, these new plastic bags would remain in their original form and become reassigned to the duties of useful doggy poop bags. (more…)
The eighties were not about conservation. This was evident even in the care packages college students received from home. I’m not referring to the gifts themselves, but the materials used to post a package. Unaware of the un-biodegradable faux pas, I envied these slick presentations.
My folks, you see, were green before their time. I’d grown up eating salads grown in a garden that dwarfed the Amazon jungle. This garden was fueled by my mother’s impressive 6×6 foot compost heap. A heap that, to my great horror, replaced the very sand of my sandbox when I was six! (more…)
As a family of four, we recently discovered the benefits of having a car with a third row of seats. I am a big believer in carpooling, and living in Los Angeles with two small children at different schools, it just makes sense. Not only is carpooling better for the environment, it is a more efficient use of time, and it builds community. (more…)
The sun streams through the curtains of my bedroom as the clock strikes 7:00am. I spring out of bed, eager to meet the new day. After a quick stretch, I make my way to my daughter’s room to find she’s dressed for school and is making her bed. We head downstairs where we enjoy a healthy breakfast, brush our teeth, and head out the door for the fifteen-minute walk to school. (more…)
I shouldn’t be living in this huge metropolis. I grew up on a farm, went to college in Vermont, spent two years in a tiny town in Central America, and yet here I am in Los Angeles. The truth is, however, that while I have been a surprisingly happy city person for the past 18 years, a more simple life calls to me. (more…)
For 15 years I had a lawn in my front yard and didn’t know why. I never stopped to look at it or sit in it - when people came over we ended up in the back. Nevertheless, I hired a gardener to mow the grass, keep it watered (along with the sidewalk) and well fertilized (along with the Bay). In my neighborhood, lawns were just something we did - maybe because no one wanted to be the first to change the uniformity - run the risk of de-valuing our properties. (more…)