Green Tips

By Laura Beshire

Have you been searching bars and liquor stores for an eco-friendly cocktail option that will quench your thirst while consequently reducing your carbon footprint and supporting local industry?

Congratulations. I found your pot of gold in the form of a rich, corn-based vodka that is both kosher and organic.

Prairie Organic Vodka, created by the Phillips distillery company, is locally and organically produced right here in Minnesota. This smooth ingredient is a sure complement to any drink. It has been around since 2008, which is long enough for a few awards to stack up on the Phillip’s company shelf for this all-natural treasure; among these is the 2010 Gold Medal in the SIP awards, an annual international spirits competition.

The corn for the vodka is grown within miles of Benson, Minnesota where the spirit is distilled. It comes from a local co-op of about 900 Minnesota farmers. All parts of the corn not used in the process go back to the farmers to be used as feed for their animals. These farmers are also stakeholders in the vodka, which helps ensure that they are producing a quality product for consumers. The bottles are made from recycled glass; just an extra step taken by Phillip’s to promote the environmentally friendly aspect of this drink.

Next time you grab a drink at a bar with friends or whip up some martinis in your home, do so with the Earth in mind. Try Prairie Organic Vodka, and get your drink on while remaining environmentally conscious.

By Katrina Pauly

As one of the many possible New Year’s resolutions to be greener in 2012, getting outside and enjoying what Mother Nature has to offer is at the top of our list. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency recently shared some research on the benefits of nature:

• Being in a natural environment benefits the body, mind, and spirit.
• Nature makes you more caring and enhances social interactions and close relationships.  
• Being outdoors helps keep you healthy — boosting vitality; improving vision; reducing risks of heart disease, obesity, bone problems, depression, and stress; reducing the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; and more.
• Children and adults find it easier to concentrate and pay attention after spending time in nature.
• Short outdoor education programs improve children’s cooperation, conflict resolution, self-esteem, peer relationships, and behavior in class.
• Nature provides a rich source of hands-on, multi-sensory stimulation, which is critical for brain development in early childhood.
• Short outdoor education programs improve children’s science test scores.

So here are just a few ideas to get outside and reap the benefits above, although I’m sure everyone has their favorite outdoor winter activities.

• Walking
• Winter biking
• Bird watching
• Winter camping

Just like any other New Year’s resolution, devoting yourself to spending time outside may be hard to keep up with, so make it a top priority to at least take a walk through Minnesota parks and trails on the weekend!

Have any other ideas on how to get outside and get in touch with the world around you even in these winter temperatures?  Share them with us and others reading!

By Katrina Pauly

I was recently told to try Galactic Pizza, a pizza restaurant out of Uptown.  You might be thinking, “Oh great, yet another pizza place…” it’s true we all have our favorites, but I bet you’ve never tried pizza that’s this good and is so easy on our planet.  While chowing down on some of the tastiest toppings that have ever met your tastebuds, you can feel guilt free about Galactic Pizza’s cardboard box it’s delivered in, because it’s totally biodegradable!  And that’s not all…

Not only is the menu unique, but they also offer many vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free options made from Minnesota-grown ingredients.  Take the “Paul Bunyan” Pizza for example: This is a very special pizza.  The first of its kind.  All of the toppings have been selected based on the fact that they are native to the Minnesota ecosystem, giving it a unique flavor that is truly Minnesotan.  It starts with our homemade tomato sauce, topped with mozzarella cheese, morel mushrooms, wild rice, and free range bison sausage.  Galactic Pizza also offers other pizzas such as the “Second Harvest Heartland” and “The Hipster,” check out the full menu on their website!

Galactic Pizza believes very strongly in their mission to provide an ecofriendly pizza option.  Galactic Pizza strives to be a values led company with each pizza sold, including all of the steps taken to make and deliver the pizza.  Just to give you an idea of how they help sustain the community around them, here are a few examples of how Galactic Pizza is green: 

When conditions allow, our food is delivered to your door using 100% electric vehicles. All of the power purchased to run our restaurant is renewable wind energy. We have the Second Harvest Heartland pizza, where $1 is donated to this hunger relief organization every time the pizza is ordered. We strive to use packaging that is either made from recycled materials, or is 100% biodegradable. We have an in depth waste reduction program utilizing composting for food waste and recycling whenever possible, among many other ways.

With competitive prices, and a unique vision, support sustainability by ordering your next pizza from Galactic Pizza.  It is Friday after all, and who wants to cook dinner after a long, hard week at work anyway?  612-824-9100

By Anna Tu

With the holidays now approaching, it is time to start thinking about Christmas gifts for friends and loved ones.  There is nothing like the gift of giving, however for many of us, Christmas has become a time of environmental waste. From holiday spending trends to patterns of consumption, many Americans are forgetting about the staggering effects of holiday waste on the environment.

According to 1^st-ecofriendlyplanet.com, every year 2.65 billion Christmas cards are sold in the United States which is enough to fill a football field 10 stories high. Along with that, wrapping paper and shopping bags accumulate up to four million tons of trash each year in the United States.

So what can we do about the waste contributed each year from Christmas time? Well, we can start by making a change this year. Think about how many household items remain unused and eventually go to waste. We can reuse these items as supplies to make fun green crafts this holiday. By reusing household items in green crafts, we can reduce the amount of waste in our landfills.

Here are some recycled craft ideas to make your holidays a little more green:

• Reuse old Christmas cards to make gift tags or decoration for gift boxes.
• Reuse scraps of saved wrapping paper and glue them to the inside of gift boxes for an eye-popping effect. You can also use these scraps to make your own Christmas cards.
• Reuse glass jars to make holiday candles or simply just use it as a decorative flower vase!
• Reuse fabric and colorful scrap paper to create your own wrapping paper. You can add some flare by tying some ribbon around your gift.
• Use your creativity to think of how you can turn some unused household items into fun holiday crafts.
• Recycle old Christmas lights. “Every part of the light strings is recycled,” according to Maggie Mattacola, spokesperson for The Recycling Association of Minnesota.  Here is a list of 419 locations all over Minnesota to bring your old holiday lights to be recycled properly: http://www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/campaigns/ryh-11-12#map

By Katrina Pauly

Last week Mashable posted an article featuring 16 sustainable gift ideas. Many of the gifts on this list are accessories to the beloved gadgets in our lives such as smartphones, iPods, etc., but there are a couple gift ideas that are unique all on their own. Meet the water-powered clock. For a mere $19 you have a 4” clock that’s powered entirely by tap water. This baby will display the time for up to 12 weeks before it needs a refill. A great gift that can be used at home or in the office.

Water powered clock

For those college students in your life, or anyone else who has a running to-do list, this bamboo dry erase board is perfect! At $13 each, you can give this stylish take on the dry erase board and eliminate paper waste.

And as I promised the other gifts on this list are awesome, green accessories to the many gadgets in everyone’s lives. How about the eco-friendly flash drive, the EarthDrive. It’s the world’s first recyclable USB drive. It’s made from recycled materials AND fifty cents of every flash drive sold goes to American Forests to plant trees. The catch? There isn’t one, the EarthDrive is durable, shockproof, waterproof, dustproof and only $19.99. Among the many other awesome sustainable gifts on this green list, the Kork 2 cover for the iPad 2 is stylish, protective, and sustainable. This cushy cork cover sits on the back of the iPad so you can still use a smart cover.

Lastly, but not least, for the more practical people in your lives, you can snag this very eco-friendly power strip. No this is not an oxymoron, this one power strip gives you 10 outlets and up to 3,600 Joules with room for a phone line, Ethernet and F-pin connections. It’s a great alternative to the traditional power strip and will only cost you around $20 on Amazon. Even the U.S. Department of Energy recommends it.

Read the article to check out the other green gifts on this list and get your holiday shopping done early this year (yeah, right)!

By Hayley Hughes

Living green is essential to a sustainable world, but sometimes we are so concerned with the people around us, we forget about our furry little friends at our side. Green pet care is an important piece to sustainable living, and with the amount of sustainable products available to us today, it’s easy to get our pets to join the green revolution. Here are 5 ways to extend your green lifestyle to the animal world.

1)      Always Adopt

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty, between 5 and 7 million pets are put in homeless shelters every year, and 60 percent of those are euthanized. All animals deserve a home, and it’s important we find homes for the ones already here before we support breeders who continue to breed large quantities of animals for profit.

2)      Buy organic pet food

Conventional pet foods are filled with highly-processed, low-quality meat that according to the FDA is inedible to humans, so why are we feeding it to our pets?  Organic food is made with high-quality meat from animals raised in a sustainable and humane fashion.

3)      Use all-natural pet care products

For pet care and clean-up, look for products free of harsh chemicals and synthetic ingredients. These chemicals can damage the natural balance of our atmosphere. Natural pet care products will be better for your pet’s sensitive skin, and for you.  

4)      Buy eco-friendly toys

When looking for holiday gifts for your pet, choose toys made out of recycled materials. Your pooch or kitten will have just as much fun, and maybe even more so when he finds out that all those birds and squirrels he wants to chase are better off because of it.

5)      Take care of pet waste thoughtfully

Pick up your dog’s doo-doo with a biodegradable bag, instead of a plastic bag that could preserve your dog’s waste in a landfill for decades. When buying cat litter, avoid the clumping litter. Clumping litter is created with clay that is strip-mined, which is extremely damaging to the environment. Plus, it contains silica dust that is harmful to little kitty lungs.

By Carlyn McClure

With the first snowfall right around the corner, it is time to gear up for the harsh Minnesota winter!

Here are 4 ways to stay warm and green with the winter white on its way!

1.    Bundle up in an eco-friendly coat from Patagonia.  These coats are made with Patagonia’s environmentally friendly version of an insulating shell called Gore-Tex, which is sure to keep you warm.  You can feel good about wearing these coats too because they are made with recycled, worn-out garments and fabrics and used soda bottles. (Check out www.patagonia.com for more information.)

2.    Make a hot cup of organically grown coffee.  For coffee lovers, nothing compares to a hot cup of coffee on a cold winter day… besides a hot cup of organically grown fair trade coffee that is!  Velasquez Family Coffee is a small family owned and operated company that farms coffee plants in Honduras and roasts and distributes the coffee here in Minnesota.  The coffee can be ordered online, or if you live in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, it can be delivered straight to your doorstep on the second Friday of each month. (Visit www.vfamilycoffee.com to order.)

3.    Cuddle up on the couch with blanket made from organic cotton.  Be sure to pick up an organic cotton blanket to curl up with this winter.  These blankets are made with cotton plants that have not been genetically modified with chemicals, such as fertilizers or pesticides.  Check out Moss Envy in Minneapolis to get your hands on of these cozy and environmentally friendly blankets! (To order online, visit www.mossenvy.com.)

4.    Create a cozy atmosphere with Purple Prairie Botanicals organic soy candles.  While cuddling up on the couch with your organic cotton blanket and steamy, organically grown coffee, why not add to the relaxing aura by lighting some organic soy candles?  Purple Prairie Botanicals is a Minnesota based company devoted to Mother Earth.  There soy candles, as well as all there other products, follow their “green philosophy” standards.  The candles come in eight pleasant scents and can be purchased at various locations in Minnesota. (For a list of locations and more information, visit www.purpleprairie.com.)

By Katrina Pauly

Today is Halloween and you might be wondering how you can be less wasteful this year.  There are so many easy things one can do to be eco-friendly and creative!

When carving pumpkins:

• If you don’t grow your own, try to buy organic to cut down on the use of pesticides.
• If possible, buy locally grown pumpkins too!
• When lighting up your carved pumpkins, create that spooky glow with beeswax or soy candles.  These are much healthier than normal paraffin candles, which emit toxic chemicals.
• If you like baking pumpkin seeds, you’re on the right track, but using the whole pumpkin is even better.  Make pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, or if you’re feeling more adventurous, make pumpkin ravioli or pumpkin soup with the remains of your Halloween pumpkins!

Halloween Décor:

With your Halloween décor, treat it the same as your Christmas décor and use the same decorations every year!  Purchase skeletons and spiders that are fully re-usable.  If you must buy disposable items, be sure they are both recycled and recyclable!

Green Trick-or-Treating Tips:

Candy wrappers can be recycled by using them to make charming gifts such as purses, bags, bracelets, and picture frames!

Simply search quick, easy directions for how to make your own craft out of candy wrappers left over from Halloween!

Source: EcoFriendly Expert Blog

• Use cold water to wash. 90 percent of the energy used by a washer is for heating water.

• Wash only when dirty. Most pants and some shirts can be worn two to three times before washing.

• Line dry clothes year round. A large drying rack will make this easy and convenient. The U.S. Department of Energy rates clothes dryers as the second biggest user of household energy.

• Buy concentrated laundry detergent in refillable containers. This cuts down on shipping weight and garbage.

• Use non-chlorine bleach to keep whites white. Chlorine bleach is a lung and eye irritant. It also kills beneficial bacteria and is not recommended for home septic systems.

• When purchasing a washer, choose Energy Star appliances which use significantly less water and electricity than standard washers.

Source: Do It Green! Magazine, Published by Do It Green! Minnesota www.doitgreen.org