I was in Toronto last weekend for my nephew’s wedding, there and while we were prancing around that lovely and lively city, treatment I ducked into a newsstand and spent the better part of a precious hour devouring the Canadian and European magazines. I no longer do that in the States unless I’m in a big newsstand in NYC. Many of my favorite magazines (Domino, House and Garden, Cottage Living, Blueprint, O at Home and Gourmet) have been served a swift death. Leaning against the shelf of magazines, I couldn’t help but wonder, “Has the American reading public moved on?" CLICK HERE FOR MORE
Say “I Do” Sustainably: A-Z Eco-Wedding Guide
My nephew just got married (shown here with his beautiful bride and sisters). My sister-in-law called when he got engaged and in a mother of the groom frenzy, viagra buy asked me to send her everything I knew about creating a more sustainable wedding. Green weddings are not the norm, price and the statistics show that our planet pays a mighty price for wedding extravagance: “There are 2.5 million weddings a year in the United States, with an average of more than 150 guests each. When you add up all of the stuff that goes into weddings - single-use bleached white dresses, chemically-treated imported flowers, toxic makeup and skin care products, mined gem-based jewelry, individual packets of rice...CLICK HERE FOR MORE
Free Green Tutorials For Every Room
Freebies and tutorials make my day. While the attraction may seem obvious, rx I’ll just elaborate: I love these online project tidbits because they present the ingenuity of the DIY spirit in all its flying colors! Tutorials are popping up all over the web. DIY tutorials are instructional lessons that lead the viewer through a series of step-by-step directions. Generally, ask a tutorial will include what materials are needed to make the project and the steps to make it from beginning to completion. Going green at home doesn’t have to drain your bank account. With some recycling, viagra 60mg repurposing and creative resourcefulness, it is easy to create useful and decorative green items for your home and save money. Here’s a room-by-room roundup of inspiring, free (or almost free), eco-friendly DIY projects for your econest...CLICK HERE FOR MORE
Honor System Farms: Feast or Famine
Every Sunday before we head out to stock up for the week at our local farmer’s market, cialis we stop at the farm at the end of our road. The farmer sells eggs, viagra 60mg vegetables, and assorted odds and ends. We bring back our empty egg crates and place them in the community basket. We take what we need and write down what groceries we took (so the farmer can keep track of what she needs to restock). The allotted few dollars is deposited in the cash can. If we happen to come at the end of the day, the cash can is brimming with bills. Visitors can clearly figure out the etiquette of the honor system.
The honor system is a philosophically driven way to sell goods that relies solely on the integrity of others. Farm stands use the honor system to keep costs down. Most would agree that honor system driven farms also provide a warm and welcoming feeling to its customers. Generally, if you treat someone with respect and trust, they will return the favor by being honest. Right?
In Vermont’s Addison County the farmers respond enthusiastically to the honor system, “Customers like that they can pull in, grab what they need, and go. When they come home at the end of the day in the summer, they’ll often find most of the vegetables gone and their till full, so they rush out to pick another round of fresh vegetables for the evening crowd.”
When I Googled “honor system farms,” there were many stories recounted like the one above, but there were a few sad stories that headlined like this: “Honor System Thefts Close Such and Such Farm.” One farmer in New Hampshire ran into this trouble. Retired from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, farmer Charlie Ireland planted six acres of vegetables and had been growing corn, tomatoes, beans and “you name it” behind his home and selling it from a stand out in front of his home for four years. But, he had to close his farm stand last summer because of theft. “Anywhere from 50 to a hundred bucks a day — all summer,” Ireland said was stolen from his farm stand, where passersby slipped cash into a box in exchange for his bumper crop.
Is the honor system alive and well in your neck of the woods? Does it work, or is it an easy target for thieves?
Read the original Care2 post with comments here.
Reduce, Redecorate and Reconsider What Belongs to You
Can you reconcile reducing consumption while creating a cozy and stylish home? I am a bit of a redecorating junkie. While I would like to always practice what I preach, pills on occasion I am guilty of impulse buying for my econest. I can’t kick myself too much because on close inspection, if I hold a mirror up to my consumption habit, it reflects mostly socially and environmentally conscious spending choices. Either way, moving more towards less consumption is an ongoing goal. I am working hard to get beyond my shopping urges. I came across a phase coined by artist Zoe Murphy – “Love what belongs to you.” This phrase now seeps into my...CLICK HERE FOR MORE
Image: Elle Decor