Why Not Lime?

Tips for Lime Hand Care4

Between the ages of 10 and 22, playing the piano was a very important part of my life. I also grew up a country girl with three younger brothers and a mom with tom-boyish tendencies. I really didn’t care about my nails. All that I needed was for them to be short.

For my junior and senior year proms, I got short fake French-manicured nails. Very chic. The nails would click on the keys of the piano when I played. They never stayed on for more than a day after the dance.

Ever since, I’ve never been into doing fingernails - I’ll paint my toes, though, and that’s why I thought this find was interesting.

I wasn’t aware that there is such a thing as water-based fingernail polish. Apparently there are a lot of chemicals that are bad for your fingernails in regular fingernail polish. Water-based polishes harden as the water evaporates, rather than relying on evaporating chemicals. If you choose to use water-based polishes, you should also use a soy-and-corn-based polish remover, since the regular acetone-based won’t work very well.

The two products that are recommended in Natural Solutions magazine are Honeybee Gardens (how cute is that?!) and Suncoat Nail Polish Remover (another happy name!).

Another problem I’ve had is dry cuticles. Always with the dry cuticles. I’ve heard that soaking them in olive oil for a few minutes helps. Lately I’ve been using this shea butter balm from Gilden Tree - an organic spa product company based in Omaha. I usually just use it before I go to bed, which helps a lot.

My nails will always be short, but if I’m thinking about painting them LIME I’ll definitely go with the water-based version.

Share your tips as well! Thanks.

Posted: Uncategorized

The Power of One Earth Day1

The power of one person. The power of one family. One country. One oil spill.

One Earth Day.

The Power of One was the theme of this year’s Earth Day Omaha. While I originally imagined it referring to the power of one person, it transfers to various subjects.

After this year’s Earth Day Omaha, my coworkers started a discussion with me over lunch. They asked about the events. How it went. Then they started to discuss their own recycling woes, their opinions about being green. My boss asked me what else our office could do to be greener. (A lot.)

So the power of one Earth Day inspired how many conversations, I wonder?

And just whose idea was it to start Earth Day Omaha?

You know there’s usually one member of a family who makes recycling easier for everyone else. There’s one member of a neighborhood committee who initiates green discussions and efforts.

Hey, there’s only one Oprah. Someone needs her to go crazy green. Endorse Earth Day.

Earth Day could join the ranks of Eckhart Tolle and Obama. And Dr. Phil.

You don’t have to be a super-national endorser of feel-goodness, though.

All you gotta do is teach your kids to protect the world for their kids, who can then chide their friends for not car-pooling to school, who then might even convince their parents that they need bikes for trips to get ice cream, and so on.

The power of recycling one newspaper equals putting you in the habit of recycling every newspaper.

I think you get my point. I love this year’s Earth Day Omaha theme.

The power of one Earth Day theme?

Absolutely.

Posted: Why Go Green, Getting Started Green

Earth Day Omaha Live Blogging0

5:50 PM

The Pendrakes are just wrapping up their set, and the crowd has grown quite a bit since this morning! While it’s been a good turnout all day, visitors were definitely more apt to come out later in the afternoon.

There are a couple more speakers and a couple more bands left. Vinx is singing right now. It’s really quite beautiful. He has been working with HIV awareness in Mozambique. He’s supposed to be speaking? I’m sure that’s coming next. Omaha’s Son, Ambulance will be performing after Vinx at 6:10, and Steve Thyberg will be the last speaker of the day at 7:00. Sarah Benck and The Robbers will be closing the Earth Day Festivities at 7:10 and playing until 8:00.

In case you haven’t heard, it has been announced that Omaha will now accept recyclable plastics #3 and #5, besides the #1 and #2 that are currently accepted. The crowd cheered and clapped for that. Glass is still not accepted (again), but one step at a time!

I will write more about the Earth Day Omaha soon! Tomorrow, if I can. But for the rest of the night I think I’m going to kick back and enjoy the show.

It’s been a GORGEOUS day - I’m so grateful for that.

Another thanks to Brian Smith and his wife Kelly (who works for Nebraska State Recycling Association) for asking me to blog for Earth Day Omaha, and more thanks to Sprint for providing the Wireless Internet card! It worked SO well. Jake, the Sprint rep, has been trying to switch me to Sprint all day. We’ll see Jake, we’ll see!

Had a great time! Hope you can make it out for the rest of the day, too!

4:30 PM

Bear Country is performing right now, and they sound amazing! Whoa - I’ve been here for over 5 hours, and I think I now have enough news to share with you for at least the next four years.

I picked up my free compact fluorescent lightbulb from the Sierra Club and my free kitchen towel with 10 green tips from the Omaha Green Coalition.

I spoke with Andy Hoig from Metro Magazine about their renovation project this year. This year they went green with their remodeled house, which you can read about in the Metro Magazine special edition. You can also read about it at www.designershowhouseomaha.com, which also provides info about viewing the house for yourself. I’ve asked Andy to send me some favorite green, organic, and local vendors that the designers used for remodeling the house. Will have to have that update later!

You also might want to note that there are free massages being given at the Universal College of Healing Arts booth. And, Omaha Health Expo has been giving demonstrations all day. When I walked by there was a group of people doing Tai Chi, and I believe that Tango Omaha is going on right now. The Omaha Health Expo is an event that will be held at the Omaha Civic Auditorium NEXT weekend, April 26th & 27th. 

I think I might visit the beer garden and talk to the New Belgium rep. Did you know that New Belgium is an environmentally friendly beer??? www.newbelgium.com

2:45 PM

Linda Lovegren is speaking about the Omaha Sewer Overflow program and the sewer upgrades that have to happen in our community in order to comply with federal water regulations and the Clean Water Act. Apparently the improvements will cost almost $1.5 billion. WHOA. More construction for Omaha?

The Friends of the Environment Award is presented to one individual and one corporate nominee every year. The Friends of the Environment Awards were presented by Brian Smith, chairman of Earth Day. The individual winners were the middle school class from Jesuit Middle School in Omaha, with their instructor Mike Mansour. The children set up the website called www.greenmonkeyschools.com. Please check it out!

The corporate Friends of the Environment Award was given to HDR. Apparently they have a very large list of green practices and environmental activities that they’ve completed this year.

CONGRATS to the winners of the Friends of the Environment Awards!

I also spoke with Brian O’Malley, who is an instructor at Metro’s Institute for the Culinary Arts about his message to Omaha. As a chef, Brian tries to teach his students about the value of using local food in their creations, not only because it’s valuable to support local growers, but because the food tastes so much better. Brian pointed out that food is the only unifying factor between all people, in all cultures, and it’s much more satisfying to understand your food and its energy and where it comes from. He asks that we engage our local food scene and that we engage our cooking skills so that we don’t forget the origins of our food, and to teach our kids those skills so that they aren’t ever lost. Very inspirational!!! I’m off to check out the Nebraska Food Co-op booth.

The Black Squirrels are next!  And the beer garden is officially open!

1:55 PM

Yay for the sun! Let me say again - it is PERFECT outside - unless you hate 70-degree, sunny, slightly breezy weather, this is a great day to be outside for Earth Day Omaha. People are bringing their blankets and their lawn chairs and just chilling in front of the stage.

The Southpaw Bluegrass Band is performing right now, and I’m eating a YUMMY veggie pita from the Institute for the Culinary Arts. They also have smoked meat sandwiches  that I see a lot of people snacking on, and some fresh citrus juice with oranges, limes, lemons, and honey. They’re right next to the stage. A must-stop when you come down.

Cammy Watkins with Earth Day Omaha spoke for a few minutes giving “thank yous” to all the organizers. She mentioned that the theme of this Earth Day is “The Power of One” (love it!) and that you can pick up a free energy-saving lightbulb and a coupon at the Sierra Club booth.

Then the Wildlife Encounters group showed a few beautiful animals that they will have available for interaction in the children’s booth. They presented an adorable fennet fox (the world’s smallest fox), a Eurasion Eagle Owl (the world’s largest breed of owl), the European Barn Owl (so pretty!) and a two-year-old North American Alligator.  You can come see the animals in the children’s area now!  

Next to speak will be Shata Bakheit with the Darfur Community Organization at 2:40, Friend of the Environment Awards Presentation, and then Brian O’Malley with the Metro Community College Institute of Culinary Arts.

THEN my good friend Kat and The Black Squirrels will be playing. A lot of good stuff lined up for this afternoon!

12:55 PM

Earth Day festivities are under way! It’s getting warmer, too - the perfect day for being outside and giving the Earth some love.

Right now the Side Effects are rocking hard, and they sound awesome. Cammy Watkins from the Sierra Club is speaking next, and then Wildlife Encounters will be speaking after that. I hope they’ve brought some fun animals with them! Wildlife Encounters is like a traveling zoo. Very fun.

I’ve been walking around to the various vendors, and there are a lot of green initiatives going on around our area. You can stop by here for some cool buttons (they’re everywhere!) and information about what’s going on here in Omaha.

My buddy Maureen works at the Lauritzen Gardens, and they are giving out cute little soybean seed necklaces that sprout a soybean plant, and information on how to take care of it.

The Octopus Garden Art Alliance is here and providing painting and craft activities for the kiddos. There are tables full of art supplies and some kids are painting big white trash cans that will be used at the Summer Arts Festival. You can learn more about their organization at www.octopusgardenart.org.

I talked to Jason Smith at Omaha Streetcar, too. This is an initiative that I fully support, both for green reasons and for economic purposes in our city. Here’s a quick fun fact: For each mile traveled, fewer pollutants are emitted by transit vehicles than by a single-passenger automobile. Buses emit 80% less carbon monxide than a car; rail, almost none! Learn more about public transportation in Omaha at www.OmahaStreetcar.com.

OH There’s a climbing wall, too. I’ve been info-gathering and haven’t gotten a chance to try it yet. Let’s hope I do! Get down here!  

11:20 AM

I’m at Elmwood Park, and it’s gorgeous outside! About a week ago, the weather reports said that it was going to be rainy, but this is such a refreshing change from the weather we’ve had the past couple of days. Bikers are everywhere, everyone’s got their sunnies (sunglasses) on, and I see a lot of white arms and legs ready to see some sun!

THANK YOU to Sprint! Jake Ludacka at Sprint hooked me up with a Novatel Wireless Internet card so that I can blog for the activities here at Earth Day Omaha. It works super fast. It’s honestly like using my computer at home. You’ll have to talk to Jake if you’re looking for something like this - it’s seriously sweet. I asked him how much it would be if I wanted to pay for the service on my own - $59.99 a month. FYI.

ALSO of course a big THANK YOU to Brian Smith, co-chair of Earth Day Omaha, whose idea it was for me to live blog for this event! He also helped me to get the Wireless Internet card from Sprint.

Stay tuned to the blog today. I’m going to add to and update this post all day.

Thanks for reading!

Posted: Recycling, Local Support, Green Politics, Recommendation, Green Groups

Earth Day Factoids, Trusting Bloggers, & Mass Swapping1

Earth Day Omaha is Saturday, April 19th.

The actual Earth Day is Tuesday, April 22nd.

I was wondering about the history of Earth Day, and I found this info here. I’m not sure that all of these things actually happened on an Earth Day, but this is an interesting time line of significant “lime” governmental policies!

For example, did you know that the first Earth Day was in 1970? Or that the EPA was rung in by “peace-fingers” Nixon in 1970? It wasn’t until 1974 that the EPA was able to regulate our drinking water. In 1986, Congress declared that the public rightfully should know when toxic chemicals are released into the land, air, and water. It wasn’t until 1988 that Congress banned the dumping of sewage sludge and industrial waste into the ocean.

In 1993, the EPA reported that secondhand smoke pollutes indoor air. In 1996, the EPA required that home renters and buyers be alerted to lead-based paints. The list goes on.
My point is - we’ve come a loooong way, people!!! Although it’s shocking that some of these regulations - so normal to our everyday lives - were so recently put into place, it’s obvious that we have been taking steps in the right direction.

Earth Day is another reminder - to those of us that aren’t the EPA - that every little step helps.

My buddy Christin found another interesting weboid for you! (Weboid is my word - copyright that.) Is Earth Day the New Christmas?
Now that Earth Day has been around for almost 40 years, the event has started to get a tad commercial. There are a lot of companies that claim to be green, but are kinda full of “toilet garbage”. The consumer is still left to do their own research, which can be hard. Who to believe?

According to this article that Christin found, consumers are turning to bloggers. Yep, that’s right. Peeps like me. The article also details some of the more popular green blogs. (One of them has 10 staffers! I’ve only got one staffer. Me.)

The article also presents the 95-5 rule - that some companies feature 95% green advertisements, but only 5% actual green practices. Turning to the web for an honest opinion probably is the easiest option.

So - in honor of Earth Day and recycling, I’d like to introduce Swaptree. At this website, you create a list of items that you want, items that you’re willing to trade, and Swaptree makes it happen for you. The site even prints up the correct postage for you! No - I haven’t tried it yet, but I JUST found it today.

When I look at their “In the News” link (in the footer), I see that a lot of other trusted sources have recommended it as well. Give it a go! I’m going to, and I will report the results.

Elmwood Park on this Saturday - Be there.

Posted: Green Politics, Recommendation

What’s Green Omaha doing lately anyway?1

Um, hello!!! Earth Day Omaha is this Saturday! From 12 PM to 6 PM in Elmwood Park there will be a schedule of musical performances and guest speakers who know a thing or two about being green. From 6 PM to 8 PM, Omaha can enjoy a beer garden, live music, and food. Nice start to a fun Saturday! (Yes, I said “start”. I know you crazy Omahans aren’t going to quit there! You’re going to go straight home and change your lightbulbs to energy-conserving swirly versions.)

One great way to know how to become involved with Omaha’s green initiatives is to visit the Green Omaha Coalition website. The Green Omaha Coalition is working steadily toward a larger membership with more participation from the community. Their goal is to make Omaha one of the greenest cities in the country. Remember this article, about the 50 Greenest Cities? We can be a part of that list, too, especially by partaking in events like Earth Day Omaha.

The Green Omaha Coalition has five subcommittees which include Public Agency, Green Education, Green Neighborhood, Green Business, and Design and Construction. You can contact any of these committees here.

Right now, the Green Neighborhood Council is working on a Green Neighborhood Scorecard - a way for neighborhoods to measure their environmental health. They hope to implement this Scorecard within the next month. The Scorecard would be used by neighborhood leaders to call attention to specific environmental concerns. Hey - if we don’t know there’s a problem, how can we fix the problem, right? These scorecards will help to shed some “lime-light” on the situation. (Tee-hee.)

The Green Business Committee aims to develop a Green Business Directory that would serve as a resource for Omaha area businesses to contact for recycling and green education assistance. (This is something that I’d love to have as a resource for the small business that I work for! Can’t wait.)

ALSO, if you’re looking for Green Tips, I have found a jackpot! The Nebraska State Recycling Association’s website features a lot of green-focused articles. These articles are also categorized according to your needs as a citizen, as a business, as an educator, and information about how our government is helping. Here you can find a list of recycling locations, interesting facts, a list of state nature areas, and more.

Interesting fact from the Nebraska State Recycling Association: The average person produces five pounds of trash PER DAY. Whoa! Of course, you’re not average if you’re like my friend Mimi, Pro Recycler! We’ll have to learn more from her soon.

Posted: Recycling, Green Politics, Green Groups, Getting Started Green

Omaha’s Musicians Like the Earth, Too0

Brian Smith from Earth Day Omaha just asked me to do some live blogging for their event on Saturday, April 19th.

I’m not exactly sure about all the details, but this is the gist:

I’ll be there, at Earth Day in Elmwood Park. I’ll have my laptop and a Sprint wireless connection, and I’ll be interviewing speakers and entertainers at Earth Day. I’ll update my post by adding new information all day long as I have more information to share.

That’s pretty sweet. You must plan on visiting whynotlime.com on Saturday, April 19th, and you should probably plan on actually going to the event, too. There will be speakers and live music and activities for the kiddos. Visit their website for more info.

Bonus fact: Earth Day Omaha is the largest ecological event in Nebraska. I don’t know how to put this… but I’m kind of a big deal. (Anchorman quote - credit to Will Ferrell. More cowbell later.)

FREE FOOD! FREE FOOD!!! Please see below!!!

On THIS FRIDAY, you should also check out Benson for Earth Day Omaha’s benefit concert, which will include six venues and over 15 bands.

Regarding the free food… it’s a potluck dinner that runs from 6 PM to 8 PM at the Benson Branch Library. So you should probably bring some food, too!

Tix for the music performances are $12 for 21+ peeps and $7 for the ones who wish they were 21+. The bands, which are totally donating their time, will play from 8 PM until close - or until the bar says so. (Must always obey the bar!)

So… you should go!

Posted: Local Support, Green Politics, Green Groups

Sunday Blog Suggestion and Wooden Postcards2

My friend Christin found a really fun, supremely witty blog that you should all check out.

Ideal Bite could be more fun to read than it is informational, although Heather does call out Burning Man for using Purell hand sanitizer instead of a green alternative, and Jenifer reminds us that our old dresses need only be altered to become something entirely new and wearable. Jenifer’s muse about whether her building manager’s excess signage for recycling is, in itself, wasteful is just the dose of sarcasm I need.

And that’s just their blog.

You also might visit www.idealbite.com for eco-living tips. Their number one tip includes details on how to stop junk mail from coming to your house by visiting websites like DirectMail.com and OptOutPrescreen.com. See more of their top green tips here.

As I’m writing this post, I’m working at PULP, the new paper store/art gallery in the Benson neighborhood in Omaha. There are some recycled paper products here, including wrapping paper, journals, and an extensive hand-crafted greeting card selection.

If you’re into impressing your friends with your originality, check out www.nightowlpapergoods.com. They make postcards out of thin slices of wood - both artistic and energy conserving!

Posted: Recommendation

5 Simple Ways to Start Feeling Great2

Use your treadmill? Eat your vegetables? I think we can do better for a Friday.

Besides reading Why Not Lime? on a regular basis, you might want to give some of the following suggestions a try.

1. Quit doing so much. Give your brain a little breathing space. Do something that involves letting loose a little bit. I enjoy reading posts on Think Simple Now, and I would like to recommend this one in particular. It coincides with my tip #5 today.

2. Use products with natural ingredients. Here’s a great collection of articles on product ingredients and what they mean from Gilden Tree. The first article helps to answer some of the mysteries surrounding what is involved when looking for truly organic products and what “natural” means. All of the articles provide guidance on what to look for when shopping for products that are good for your body.

3. Replace soda with oxygen. When I’m sitting in the office all day, I’m so tempted to grab a soda to help wake me up in the afternoon. Soda inevitably makes my brain feel anxious and my stomach kind of queasy. So, this winter, I started doing “wall sits“. The wall sits were intended to help strengthen my legs for an upcoming ski trip, but they also help to wake me up. Or, if you prefer, you could take a quick trip up and down a flight of stairs, or step outside to enjoy the day.

4. Eat dark chocolate today. According to WebMD, this delicious treat lowers blood pressure and contains antioxidants. Remember that everything’s better in moderation. (Even moderation? Haha.) Also, if you’re the social type, keeping dark chocolate at your desk provides an excuse for your coworkers to come and chat for a minute.

5. Give it up! Spend a weekend day cleaning out your closet. It’s spring, and unloading your unwanted or unnecessary belongings feels refreshing. I recently took some of my clothing to a consignment shop and collected $23. Omaha has a few consignment stores. The one I went to is the new and trendy Scout in Dundee.

Do you have any fun suggestions for me?

Posted: Organic Shopping, Travel Green, Green Health, Getting Started Green