An application to join UMW Green Teams

If you would like an application to join the United Methodist Women's Green Advocacy for Environmental Justice please contact me and I will send you an application.

Here is a sample of the type of questions that you will need to answer:

Basic information like your name, address, etc.

What you live and the size of town and the size of you UMW unit Your racial/ethnic background and age range. Languages that you speak.

Answer these questions/statements:

Please describe your particular area of environmental concern and experience in organizing/mobilizing people to advocate on an issue:

Please describe your experience working with a team and the role you played in this group.

What do you see as your strength or gifts as a leader?

Wanted: UMW Green Team Members

How to join the UMW Green Team

Psalm 24:1-2

“The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world and those who live in it; for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers.”

The UMW Green Team is looking for more members. The duties include:

• Working at the local, district and conference level to inform and educate members on enviornmental justice, particularly its impact on women and children and on communities of color.

• Participate in two major initiatives on environmental justice during the 2009 – 2012 quadrennium
1. Enlist colleges/university and UM Annual conference to commit to certified chlorine-free paper procurement
2. Engage in a climate change advocacy campaign through education and action to amplify UMW voices on this issue.

• Utilize UMW venues such as School of Christian Mission, Mother’s Day events, UMW Sunday, etc. to promote and educate environmental justice

• Submit an annual report of activities.

Deadline is due by January 30. For an application contact Naomi Yaeger at (218) 728-1031 or naomi@sundogpress.com.

Example application here.

For further information contact:
Office of Global Justice
Women's Division
777 UN Plaza
New York, NY 10017
212-682-3633
ebrown AT gbgm-umc.org
Esmeralda Brown

Top 10 Eco-Tips for the Holidays

Top 10 Eco-Tips for the Holidays

Toys: Do they contain toxic chemicals?

Visit HealthyToys.org

Buy Nothing Day

Top Ten Green Mom Blogs or How to raise children and respect the environment

Here are links to several "green mom" blogs

Top ten popular green mom blogs.

10 Great Green Mom Blogs
Eco Child's Play

Sustainable Babyish is the Stylish Cloth Diaper That’s Also Very Green

Eco Children Everywhere - Miley Goes Green

Back to School Brandwashing: Freecycling for Picky Preteens

Great Green Goods

Recycled Bracelet - from Inner Tubes and Flip Flops

Back to School - Recycled Lunch Bags

Upcycled Coffee Cup Sleeves

Green Baby Guide

Savoring the Last Weeks of Summer: Carbon-Free, Low-Cost Entertainment for Kids

Little Water Wasters: What to Do When Your Youngster Doesn’t Understand the Meaning of Conservation

Building Green Communities with Like-minded Parents

Green Mom Find

Like A Big, Fluffy Hug

Not Just A Pretty Face

Supercharged Sleeping

Green Style Mom

Have to brag...
Blog Guilt

Friday Afternoon Club

Mindful Momma

Saving Face

Done with Dryer Sheets

Living Sustainably by Staying Put

Mom Go Green

baby's here announcements

back again

new favorite sunscreen

Nature Moms Blog

Acme Reusable Bags and a Pop Quiz

The Benefits of Green Smoothies

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Petite Planet

Which Toothpaste is Best for Your Child?

Teach Me Toothbrush Set

LA Quake, A Reminder to Get Shaking

Teensy Green

A Recipe For Those Stuck Indoors (Today or Any Day)

Managing Moments Giveaway!

Lunchbags For Everyone Roundup

Smart Car in Canal Park

Smart Car
Read AP story about Smart Car

Cell phone companies encourage electronic waste

I think the mobile or cell phone industry encourages people to discard their phones. We tried to purchase an additional phone for my mother at the beginning of the year because she was one of the people that we phoned lot and we wanted to save long distance charges and add her to our family plan. We were with Cellular One which was purchased by AT&T. At the former Cellular One stores were told that they didn't have anymore phones that would be compatible with our old Cellular One phones and that we had to purchase ALL new AT&T phones for the whole family. (We had three: my husband, myself and my daughter.)

We I asked about the electronic waste this would cause, I was told that the phone would be donated to soldiers. Okay.....so if the phone will work for the soldiers.....why can't they continue to work for us?

Every former Cellular One store we went to was "all out" of the old Cellular One phones and tried to sell us a new AT&T phone for the whole family.

Can someone explain to me why it was impossible to purchase a phone that would be compatible with the three phones we already had?

Discarded Mobile Phones Create an

Showing your toenails this summer?

Since it is summer, lots of women are wearing sandals. I put my sandals on for the first time this year last week. I would like to paint my nails, but I am not sure about all the ingredients in nail polish. This link from the Green Guide (Nail Care) give pointers on the least toxic ways to have attractive toenails.

Keeping deer out of our gardens

Deer are a problem for our gardens in Duluth. How do you keep deer out of your gardens?

How walkable is your neighborhood?

When my husband and I had to move for a job almost three years ago, we purposely chose a neighborhood that we could easily get to work and shop by walking.

Today on the National Geographic's website "The Green Guide," the blog "The Ecopolitan"
by Jay Walljasper is featured. He discusses the "walkablity" of your neighborhood. This calculation come from the site "Walkscore."

I plugged in the numbers for my neighborhood, it came out to 72 which means it is a very walkable neighborhood and it would be possible to get around without a car. Walk Score calculates the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc. Walk Score measures how easy it is to live a car-lite lifestyle—not how pretty the area is for walking.


Now, if we would just buy a condo near his office we could have a walk score of 95 !

Pick your own berries this summer

Prof. Cricket loves any chance she can get to go outdoors. She would just love to be a farm dog and romp around outdoors all day long. This summer, even if you don't have your own garden, you can get out of doors and have some fun picking your own berries. Dessert never tasted so good as when you picked the berries yourself.

I remember when my daughter was little we picked berries with our church group. It was relaxing to get out of town (we lived in Seattle) and see the rural areas. Plus, it was an social event for our church group. Kids of all ages think it is great fun. Later, at the church, people made strawberry shortcake.

If you are near Duluth, Minnesota try Finke's Berry Farm. The strawberries are ripe at their farm in Carlton. Be sure to phone ahead. The farm is located at 2331 Co. Rd. 4. Call 384-4432 or see finkesberryfarm.com for more information. Raspberries will be ripe later in the month or early in August.

Get creative, join together with others in your area to have a jam making party.

Greens, radishes, spring onions, and other fresh foods are available at farmers' markets now.

If you are in the Duluth, Minnesota area check out the Association Sustainable Farming Association's website for a list of area markets, including locations and times. (http://www.lakesuperiorfarming.org/FarmProductsDirectory.aspx)


More information will be posted on the Slow Food Lake Superior website, http://www.slowfoodlakesuperior.org/.

Purchase grass-fed beef at a farmers market

Eat locally grown food.
This ground beef was purchased at the Farmers Market in East Hillside from Green Pastures. Green Pastures Dairy is located in Carlton, Minn. and the cattle eat grass.

It is kinda expensive, but most Americans eat too much red meat. I made hamburgers tonight. It would have been easy for my husband to eat a one-half pound burger, but I made him a quarter-pounder and made sure he had lots of extras to fill him up.

Learn more about grass-fed beef at Eat Wild.

Green Pastures will be having an open house on Aug. 2nd.





Here is their contact information:
Green Pastures Dairy
2353 Bromfield Road
Carlton, MN 55718
(218) 384-4513
cheese@greenpasturesdairy.com

We also sell our products at the Duluth Farmers Markets every Saturday,
from June through October.

Duluth Farmers Market
14th Ave. E. & 3rd St.
7:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Poison yards? Keep children and pets of the grass for their own safety

Prof. Cricket and I walk at least two times a day. I had her pose by this sign. I suppose I should be careful, it says to keep pets and children off because the lawn has just been sprayed with a weedkiller.

Do you really want you yard to be poisonous to children and small furry animals?

What do you do to keep your yard free from weeds? Please post your comments.

Save Energy, clean behind your refridgerator

When I was a kid, my mom told a story on herself. As a young women her refrigerator did not work so she called a repairman. He came over and vacuumed the back side of her refrigerator. She said she was embarrassed, but it did fix her refrigerator.

A refrigerator uses about 15 % of your household electricity.

A couple years ago I went to the Green Energy Fair in Duluth and I listened to a talk by Tony Mancuso. (He figures out lots of innovative ways to save energy for St. Louis County.) He also talked about how you could increase the efficiency of your refrigerator if you clean behind it, and he had some examples of brushes you could use. So, I purchased this nifty brush that Prof. Cricket is posing by, but I never used it.

About a month ago our refrigerator started making all kinds of funny noises. It was very loud. So I spent a good hour using the brush behind the coils and especially the areas close to the floor and near the fan.

Now our refrigerator isn't making any more funny noises and it is quiet.

Here is a link on how to clean the coils for your refrigerator
http://www.ehow.com/how_2026039_save-energy-fridge.html

This above example talks about removing a plate. I did not do that.

Here is another blog, Brave New Leaf, with a post about how to clean the coils:
http://www.bravenewleaf.com/environment/2008/03/scary-and-new-c.html

Alternative gift registry for weddings, babies, etc

This is from New American Dream
Why Alternative Gifts?
Do you want to plan an event that emphasizes time spent with loved ones and de-emphasizes store-bought gifts? Do you want to give a special gift to someone you love that focuses on the bond you share, rather than something that costs a bundle and may not be what they really want?
We all love giving and receiving gifts; it’s important to our culture and good for the spirit. When the gifts we buy don’t match our values, however, they can distract from, rather than deepen, the meaning behind an event, despite the best intentions of those involved. The cost to gift-givers—not to mention the environmental impacts—also adds up quickly.
Fortunately, for many brides, grooms, parents-to-be, and other gift recipients, less truly is more. By encouraging non-material, second-hand, homemade, and environmentally friendly gifts, we seek to continue the proud tradition of gift-giving while helping celebrants focus on what matters most: a joyous commemoration with loved ones that honors the important moments in their lives.
Creating a registry and choosing a gift, of course, is highly personal. We have offered a number of green suggestions, but celebrants can fill in their own ideas and link to products outside this site to offer the widest and most meaningful gift selection possible.
To get started just click here to create a registry, or click here to find your loved one’s registry.

Electric Cars You Can Buy Now

Electric Cares You can Buy Now

http://finance.yahoo.com/loans/article/105265/5-Electric-Cars-You-Can-Buy-Now

American's first carbon tax

My friend Wendy, sent me this information from the
Post Carbon Cities Weekly Blog

America's first carbon tax
Published 21 May 2008 by ABC News "Science and Society" blog (original article Not content to wait for federal carbon regulation, San Francisco's air quality authority is putting in place the U.S.'s first carbon tax. They decided on 20 May 2008 to place a price of 4.4 cents per ton of CO2 released into the atmosphere -- which is not much, as some have pointed out, but a start.

Save the Internet

To reduce waste stay organized

Staying organized is a challenge for me. It seems I have a million things to do. When a person is so busy it is easy to want to eat out, and eat fast food.

I rarely eat at a fast food joint.  I want to eat healthy food and I don't want to create more waste.

Last night were busy and my husband was very hungry. If I had been better organized, I would have had something good ready for him to eat, but I didn't.

He wanted a burger. The last thing I want is a fast food burger. We did decide to go to Taco John's. I think I haven't been their in years.

We both ordered salads. He had a taco (hamburger) salad; I had a chicken salad.  I was disappointed in myself be it was served on disposable plastic plates with plastic forks.

We thought it would be more healthy if we ordered one root beer and one water and shared. Well, the root beer came in a plastic cup and the water came in a Styrofoam cup.  A couple of years ago I gave up Styrofoam. When I mentioned the Styrofoam to my husband, he seemed perturbed. I think he wishes I would loosen up a bit on my standards.

I noticed they also had paper cups. I suppose if you order water you get Styrofoam so it doesn't screw up their count on sold soda pop with the supply company.

Today I brought my own cup to a coffeehouse.  I could have done that yesterday if I would have known that it was going to be in Styrofoam.