Go Green Expo
Business-to-Business Expo
Friday, November 6th • 10am - 5pm
Business-to-Business & Business-to-Consumer Expo Minneapolis Convention Center
Saturday, November 7th • 10am - 6pm 1301 Second Avenue South
Sunday, November 8th • 10am - 5pm Minneapolis, Minnesota 55403
(612) 335-6000
www.minneapolisconventioncenter.com
Tickets: Friday: Complimentary to Business Buyers (please bring your business card for admission)
Saturday & Sunday: $10 for a full weekend pass; $5 for Students & Seniors with proper ID;
Children 12 and under are Free
Showing posts with label Organic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Organic. Show all posts
Friday, October 9, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
Watch TV - It is GREEN!
I may have mentioned that I watch 'Planet Green' 24/7! I think I may be addicted actually, which I don't think is a bad thing. There are many informative shows which provide a wealth of information. One of my favorite shows is 'Living With Ed.' Ed Begley cracks me up! He has been 'green' since before 'green' had a term associated with it. I also really enjoy 'World's Greenest Homes.' This show is fantastic! It features homes from all over the world that are the ultimate in green and living sustainably. If people would just watch this show alone they could see that it is truly possible to live life off the grid!
Square Foot Gardening
This book is fantastic! I am learning all about gardening. This is my first attempt at vegetable/fruit gardening (part of my goal of sustainable living). Mel is teaching me how to garden in small spaces. I recommend this easy to read book for beginners. I have been busy with my gardening for a couple of weeks now but have not posted about it yet....stay tuned as I will show step by step pictures of building a raised bed garden and we will follow the progress over the summer!Monday, May 11, 2009
Amazing Tomato Basket
Today I visited a nursery in Northern Minnesota that I normally don't frequent. I happened upon a hanging basket of tomato plants! I was excited because I am attempting to plant seedling tomatoes in hanging baskets similar to the ones seen on TV that hang out of the bottom of the planter. The picture above shows you that the tomato plants are hanging over the edge instead of out of the bottom. I am working on my vegetable/fruit garden. The weather is just not cooperating. It has been in the mid-thirties - not favorable for starting a garden. My dining room table is starting to look like an indoor garden. Patience is a virtue. Who said that anyway? Whoever said it didn't live in Minnesota! Thursday, May 7, 2009
Living Green Expo
We had a great family outing this weekend. Saturday morning we headed to St. Paul to experience for the first time the 'Living Green Expo' held at the State Fair Grounds. What a fantastic family event! Every member of our family left the Expo with a great attitude and a greater sense of learning what it means to live sustainably. While Todd spent a large portion of time in the Silent Power booth, the girls and I scanned the entire event, checking out all booths and attending a couple of workshops. The girls each acquired a messenger bag that was produced from recycled organic coffee bean burlap sacks, recycled billboard canvas, reclaimed fabric, and recycled seat belts. They use them as a book bag for school. There are so many ways to reuse items that would traditionally be sent to a landfill.
Todd rejoined us for lunch at the Chipolte food stand. Here is a quote from the Chipolte webpage: "Today, more than fifty percent of our beef is from farmers across the country who meet the naturally raised criteria set forth in our Food With Integrity standards. Naturally raised beef costs more, but we think it's worth it. We're working overtime to make all of our beef, in all of our restaurants, naturally raised within the next few years." AND "When you order naturally raised beef at Chipotle, here is what you are getting (and not getting):· No added growth hormones, ever.· No antibiotics, ever.· Vegetarian feed with no animal by-products." All of the proceeds from Chipolte's stand at the event was donated to charity. Thank you Chipolte, the tacos were delicious!
As we ate our lunch and waited for the workshop, Home Energy Efficiency: Advanced Techniques, to begin, we checked out the alternative vehicles area. I was a bit overwhelmed with all of the choices ranging from Hybrid (gas/electric) and Electric to Clean diesel and Neighborhood electric vehicles. My youngest daughter's favorite was, of course, the Toyota Prius. I found myself drawn to the Honda Insight. I was really not impressed with the projected mileage on the Insight. I am waiting for the 2010 Prius; it has an Estimated 50 mpg combined mileage.
The Home Energy Efficiency workshop was AMAZING! But the most exciting thing was that I knew 90% of what was covered! I really feel that I am learning from everything I am reading and watching. The bulk of the material covered concentrated on the TE (thermal envelope.) The speaker talked extensively about the importance of proper insulation and the various types of insulation including new products. I am really sold on soy-based spray foam insulation.
The second workshop we audited was Sustainability 101. Terry Gips from the Alliance for Sustainability led the class. Terry is an extremely interesting person. He has done sustainability consulting for top companies around the world. One of the most important things I absorbed from the lecture was 4 things that we need to do in order to obtain sustained living.
1. Limit what we take from the earth (don't deplete natural resources)
2. Avoid toxic substances (we make)
3. Care for what we do (use recycled paper)
4. Meet human needs of every person
The United States makes up only 4% of the world population but we consume 25% of the world's resources. This fact alone tells you that WE need to make changes in our nation!
The last thing I need to tell you about is that we stopped at several booths and learned about worm composting. The girls and I met the two brothers that designed an indoor worm composter exclusively for Target (http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=cm_wr_ty_dp/190-8616969-1913515?ie=UTF8&asin=B001OREK1S) (This is actually a very simple process to make organic fertilizer for your home garden.) I really want to give this a serious attempt!
Overall, the trip was a success! The Expo was well worth the time spent!
Todd rejoined us for lunch at the Chipolte food stand. Here is a quote from the Chipolte webpage: "Today, more than fifty percent of our beef is from farmers across the country who meet the naturally raised criteria set forth in our Food With Integrity standards. Naturally raised beef costs more, but we think it's worth it. We're working overtime to make all of our beef, in all of our restaurants, naturally raised within the next few years." AND "When you order naturally raised beef at Chipotle, here is what you are getting (and not getting):· No added growth hormones, ever.· No antibiotics, ever.· Vegetarian feed with no animal by-products." All of the proceeds from Chipolte's stand at the event was donated to charity. Thank you Chipolte, the tacos were delicious!
As we ate our lunch and waited for the workshop, Home Energy Efficiency: Advanced Techniques, to begin, we checked out the alternative vehicles area. I was a bit overwhelmed with all of the choices ranging from Hybrid (gas/electric) and Electric to Clean diesel and Neighborhood electric vehicles. My youngest daughter's favorite was, of course, the Toyota Prius. I found myself drawn to the Honda Insight. I was really not impressed with the projected mileage on the Insight. I am waiting for the 2010 Prius; it has an Estimated 50 mpg combined mileage.
The Home Energy Efficiency workshop was AMAZING! But the most exciting thing was that I knew 90% of what was covered! I really feel that I am learning from everything I am reading and watching. The bulk of the material covered concentrated on the TE (thermal envelope.) The speaker talked extensively about the importance of proper insulation and the various types of insulation including new products. I am really sold on soy-based spray foam insulation.
The second workshop we audited was Sustainability 101. Terry Gips from the Alliance for Sustainability led the class. Terry is an extremely interesting person. He has done sustainability consulting for top companies around the world. One of the most important things I absorbed from the lecture was 4 things that we need to do in order to obtain sustained living.
1. Limit what we take from the earth (don't deplete natural resources)
2. Avoid toxic substances (we make)
3. Care for what we do (use recycled paper)
4. Meet human needs of every person
The United States makes up only 4% of the world population but we consume 25% of the world's resources. This fact alone tells you that WE need to make changes in our nation!
The last thing I need to tell you about is that we stopped at several booths and learned about worm composting. The girls and I met the two brothers that designed an indoor worm composter exclusively for Target (http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=cm_wr_ty_dp/190-8616969-1913515?ie=UTF8&asin=B001OREK1S) (This is actually a very simple process to make organic fertilizer for your home garden.) I really want to give this a serious attempt!
Overall, the trip was a success! The Expo was well worth the time spent!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
The Dirty Dozen
Yes, many organic products are a little more spendy. I am willing to pay that little extra for the comfort of knowing that I am able to reduce my families' toxin consumption. But I did a little research to find out if it is necessary to buy ALL organic. It would be nice to do that but in these economic times when everyone is tightening their belts, is it critical? You can read the entire article and decide for yourself.
The Dirty Dozen List (a compiled list of products that you SHOULD buy organic):
apples
cherries
grapes
nectarines
peaches
pears
raspberries
strawberries
bell peppers
celery
potatoes
spinach
And, some other articles have listed a few additional items:
carrots
kale
lettuce
milk
beef
poultry
The link above has a list of products that you can generally NOT buy organic. I am not going to list them all but it is reassuring to know that there are specific items that are important to buy organic. By choosing organic for the produce designated as the 'Dirty Dozen' you can reduce pesticide exposure by nearly 80%. Now that is amazing!
The Dirty Dozen List (a compiled list of products that you SHOULD buy organic):
apples
cherries
grapes
nectarines
peaches
pears
raspberries
strawberries
bell peppers
celery
potatoes
spinach
And, some other articles have listed a few additional items:
carrots
kale
lettuce
milk
beef
poultry
The link above has a list of products that you can generally NOT buy organic. I am not going to list them all but it is reassuring to know that there are specific items that are important to buy organic. By choosing organic for the produce designated as the 'Dirty Dozen' you can reduce pesticide exposure by nearly 80%. Now that is amazing!
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