Keen is Green

This year, National Wildflower Week is from May 6 to May 12.

For those of us who suffer from seasonal allergies, the blooming of wildflowers is something to guard against rather than to celebrate. However, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center offers us some tips on how to enjoy Wildflower Week indoors, protected from those pesky allergens.

Van Gogh, 1888

Visit Local Art Museum

I dare you to find an art museum anywhere in the world that doesn’t somewhere house artwork dedicated to the beauty flowers bring to our many landscapes. Stroll over to your local art museum and find these gems! And don’t just look at them. Read the placards that describe the artwork. Learn about the artist. Educate yourself on why these flowers are some of nature’s finest artwork!

Pick Up a Book

Just like artists devoting their craft to wildflowers, numerous authors have, as well. The most obvious example would be the slew of wildflower guides available on the book market today. Pick up a book, and learn something new! Here are a few worth checking out!

Have a Wildflower-themed Snack

There are a number of ways to construct an indoor snack that reminds you of the beauty there is outside. How about a mixed greens salad? Or for the grown-ups, mix yourself a mimosa or other flower-themed cocktail. You can even bake flower-themed cookies or cupcakes.

Advocate for Endangered Flowers

Yes, flowers show up on endangered species lists, too! Learn which flowers indigenous to your area have become endangered, and write local officials expressing your concern for conserving these botanical beauties!

Start a Recycling Plan

These days, it’s no secret that at the center of any conservation plan is a sustained devotion to minimizing waste. Even a simple recycling bin for your home or office will show your appreciation for the wildflowers blooming in our gardens and parks.

Click here to see wildflower guides available from Menasha Ridge Press and Wilderness Press!

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Today is about celebrating what Mother Nature has given us! It is also about celebrating the people and organizations that work to protect the beautiful lands and waters we have. If you have forgotten some of the picturesque landscapes our planet has, the Mother Nature Network has gathered some stunning photos to remind you.

Photo via MNN: poorpoor/Flickr

I could go on and list ways for you to be green for Earth Day, but this year, I’m just going to urge you to get outside and remember that everything beautiful that you see must be maintained and protected. And documented! Make memories out there and really appreciate nature. The only way to guarantee our planet’s survival is to pass on the importance of appreciation of our surroundings to younger generations.

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Tissues are recyclable, although most people discard them in the trash. The question is, can you dispose of a dirty, used tissue? While many people will squirm at this idea, the answer is YES! When you’re sick, I am sure you stock many tissues and go through almost all of them, leading to a lot of wasted compost. Who wants your snotty waste? Many people claim that the high temperatures during the composting process will kill your germs, while others believe they will fight through that tissue and land in your veggie garden. But, isn’t it the same as recycling your soda can full of backwash? As controversy continues, go with what doesn’t make you gag and remember to dispose of your tissues if you don’t want the risk of bacteria floating around your garden.

Check out Mother Nature Network for more on this topic!

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Many people do not know what hydraulic fracturing is until the sound of drills are puncturing their family’s farmlands. But, to all the fans of Matt Damon, his newest movie Promised Land sheds light on the environmental issue. Hydraulic fracturing, or colloquially known as “fracking” is the process of drilling fluids at high pressure into the ground to fracture shale rocks that will release natural gas. It has proved to be successful in providing economic benefits to participating societies.

However, the risks may outweigh the beneficial recovery of hydrocarbons which are nearly inaccessible without fracking. Workers’ health has proved to be a concern which has caused OSHA and NIOSH to release hazard alerts due to the amount of  respirable crystalline silica (dust) during the fracturing process. Water usage is a main concern due to the high amount each fracturing job needs in order to drill, which on average is 1.8 million gallons of water. There is also a chance of water contamination in towns that are undergoing the process. There have been over 1,000 documented cases of water contamination in areas participating in hydraulic fracturing, which has caused sensory, respiratory, and neurological damage.

The environment is also in harms way. There have  been links of seismic activity relating to hydraulic fracturing such as the 4.0 magnitude earthquake that took place in Youngstown, Ohio (hitting us close to home here in Cincinnati) on New Years Eve in 2011. Also, the process of drilling leaves toxic fluid that is not biodegradable in the ground and the waste fluid evaporates, which releases harmful volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere, leading to contaminated air, acid rain, and ground level ozone.

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I have been recycling for what seems like my whole life and stressing the importance of recycling to others along the way. It was only recently that I considered composting, and in my research to begin that process, I came across many very interesting and helpful articles and organizations. I want to be the best recycler and composter that I can be, and I want you to do the same!

The Mother Nature Network has offered some great advice on things you should definitely not compost or recycle. You’d be surprised at what should NOT go into your bins. Some things are common sense while others answer those long asked questions: I can just throw this in there and they’ll take care of it, right? Everything from motor oil and batteries to printed papers and pizza boxes is covered, with suggestions for what to do with those non-traditional recyclable materials. I know I’ll be printing this list off and taping it to the top of my recycling bin at home!

In addition, I have often found myself wondering how to properly dispose of cooking oil/grease from my kitchen. I knew that flushing it down the sink was most likely not the proper way (imagine how fatty foods clog our arteries–just imagine what repeated flushing down the drains does to the pipes in your home and through the city!), so I did a little digging. Am I able to just throw the grease in the trash in a sealed container? That didn’t seem right to me, but, it appears to be one solution. Another solution is to take your grease to a local restaurant (one that offers collection) for a larger-scale removal. However, the most sustainable solution to getting rid of your cooking oil/grease is to partner up with a local restaurant where you can take your grease and have them donate their grease to the Alternative Fuel Foundation. The AFF ‘recycles’ cooking oil and grease from restaurants and turns it into clean-burning bio-fuel! You can read more about the benefits of bio-fuel at their website. Very cool, and very green!

There are tons of organizations and companies that are recycling in creative ways, collecting hazardous materials, other recyclable materials such as light bulbs, batteries, motor oil, etc. throughout our communities. An example of just that is GLOBAL RECYCLE, a small company based out of New Orleans that is working to better the community with their local recycling program. The best thing you can do for yourself is to get in contact with someone knowledgeable on the subject: I plan to see if our local green grocer, Park + Vine, collects cooking grease. I’m sure that they can teach me all kinds of things about this, composting, and much more!

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Greenpeace International is a great non-profit, direct-action, environmental organization that you should really know about. I wanted to share a video they created for Earth Day because it is beautiful, surreal, and captures just what Earth Day is all about and how we can help. You can view other videos from Greenpeace International on their YouTube channel (they have some very cool videos).

Click image to view video on YouTube

Don’t forget, you have through this Friday, April 27 at 3:00pm EST to enter our Green Gear Giveaway! For details on how to enter, please visit Hot On The Trail… may the odds be ever in your favor!

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In celebration of Earth Day and Arbor Day 2012, Wilderness Press is launching an awesome giveaway to our fans with the help of these generous, eco-friendly sponsors: Mountainsmith, Enviro Products, Solio, Kentucky Royalty, and kigo footwear. The contest runs from TODAY through FRIDAY, APRIL 27.
Check out all the information about the giveaway including details on the prizes and entry guidelines over at Hot On The Trail.

In addition to the giveaway, Wilderness Press and Menasha Ridge Press will be offering a 30% discount on all of their books and maps online through next Friday, April 27. Pick up those guidebooks for your summer adventures!

Best of luck, and remember to stay GREEN!

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If you’re not obsessed with HGTV like I am, well, let me give you a chance to reconsider. Aside from their fantastic programming on TV, they hold some pretty stellar giveaways such as the Dream Home Giveaway and the Green Home Giveaway, which is going on now through June 1, 2012 (you can enter twice daily).

This year, the green home is really above and beyond. Located less than 30 miles outside of Atlanta, Georgia, HGTV’s 2012 Green Home is located within Serenbe, a hamlet of sorts that sits on 1,000 acres of land. On that land is everything you need in a community from organic farms to a blacksmith to a school and retirement center. And the whole community has been structured upon green and sustainable living practices. HOW COOL IS THAT? I urge you to at least read more about Serenbe. Maybe even enter to win, because you never know what might happen.

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Not all of us have special superpowers to save Mother Nature from the forces of evil (I’m looking at you, Captain Planet). But we still hold a strong affinity to Her majesty. So the questions is–how does one do their due diligence for the environment, getting on the good side of eco-Karma? Well, you’re in luck. Here are a few sustainable ways to improve the environment for Earth Day 2012.  Note: Can we please try to make this last longer than Kony 2012? Just saying…

1) Recycle Old Electronics. Tired of that old cell phone collecting dust? What’s that? It’s a collector’s item, and you’re waiting for the right time to put it on eBay? Please stop the nonsense before you end up on a re-run of Hoarders. Thankfully, most electronic stores and organizations offer a recycling service to make your life a little easier. For example, by simply recycling old electronics, you can provide a reusable cell phone for a soldier to communicate with his or her family while overseas.

2) Get Dirty. No, Christina Aguilera, this isn’t the extreme makeover I had in mind. I was thinking more along the lines of a pair of gloves and a shovel.  Here’s a link from the Chicago Tribune, detailing the proper tree planting technique.  Relatively simple activities that may require some labor offer great results for future generations to enjoy.  Don’t judge me, I still cry like a baby every time I read The Giving Tree.

2 ½) Reading Break. Organize a Choreographed Song and Dance.  Warning: Song may compel viewer to press the “Replay” button on YouTube after watching.

3) Walk It Out. Instead of driving your Hummer H3 two minutes to work and back home, why not try a more eco-friendly solution?  Walking or biking.  Hey, all the cool celebs are doing it, right Shia LaBeouf?  Not only does one reduce their carbon emission by walking or biking, but it’s simply healthy for you.  And honestly, with Tax Day here, you just may wake up to see another day by not driving.

Thank God for beef... am I right?

I hope you take these suggestions to heart.  Feel free to let me know how you contribute to the environment.  I’m open to new ideas as well and would encourage any feedback.  Thanks for reading.  Stay green, San Diego.

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What are YOU doing to participate in and/or celebrate 2012 Earth Day?
We want to know!

Sunday, April 22, 2012

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