Brian O’Malley, the chef/instructor from Metro, informed me about the Nebraska Food Cooperative. Here is their mission:
“To foster a local food community and promote a culture of stewardship by cultivating farmer-shopper relationships, promoting the enjoyment of healthful food, increasing food security through diversity, and enhancing overall rural sustainability.”
If you are a person who believes in supporting locally grown, organic food, then this is exactly where you should be shopping!
In order to participate in the Co-op, there is a membership fee. You can buy a share of the Co-op for $100 if you live in Nebraska and become a voting member (help to decide what’s going on, since you are a part-owner), and then pay a $20 membership fee, which is waived the first year. Or, you can pay a fee of $40 per year to be a non-member shopper.
You can shop for the most unique and most tasteful groceries online, and then have them delivered to your area at least once a month. For example, Jane’s Benson Health Market is where I would need to pick up my food order on delivery day. Their website provides delivery pickup times and locations that are nearest to you.
There are a lot of smart benefits to consider. You’re buying from people in your community, which supports your local economy. Because you’re purchasing goods from a short distance, you’re also supporting food which requires less transportation cost. And, bonus - your food is so much healthier when you eat local!
The Co-op website includes a downloadable list of foods that you can order, which include in-season fruits and veggies, frozen pies, jams and jellies, local livestock, homemade crafts, handmade soaps, Thanksgiving turkeys, and so much more! And, the more we can support the Co-op, the more products will be able to be provided.
I also found this cool tidbit - they’re coming out with a cookbook. The cookbook, entitled Twelve Dishes from Here, will benefit The Nebraska Food Cooperative. Copper Core Consulting, a faculty/student consortium at Metro’s Institute for the Culinary Arts, is helping to create the book. The release date will be in early fall 2008, and they are asking for input regarding price, content, and design. So, if you have time, please visit www.mccneb.edu/culinary to provide your opinion.
Please check out the Co-op’s website and let me know if you are involved or if you’re thinking about doing so! Thanks!
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.
Ever wonder if the greener products work just as well as the ones that you’ve already used?
Huddler is an awesome website that just contacted me, to let me know just how awesome they are.
This new site allows you to rate your green products and to check product reviews. Basically, it’s a Consumer Reports for those interested in sustainable living. I’m pleased to see that Seventh Generation laundry detergent got a strong review, and my friend Mimi approves of it as well. (I need some!!! And remember, at Whole Foods, you can just keep refilling the same laundry containers. Sweet.)
Another interesting site I found is a blog called Fake Plastic Fish. Beth is trying to completely eliminate disposable plastic use from her life. I like her post about plastic women’s razors, and the history of marketing for shaving for women… but I’m kind of an info geek like that.
Also, I know this is a little bit late, but I think it’s a good example of how we can make things healthier by using less chemicals. I guess I hadn’t thought about the extra dye that’s left on the egg after you peel it, until this video!
Recently I had over-promised myself WAY too much. I could feel my brain working in ten different directions at the same time, and a couple days ago, I just threw up my metaphorical hands and said, “That’s enough. I’m rebelling. I’m not. Going. To do. Anything.” Very passive aggressive.
And I didn’t. I spent an evening of doing crosswords and reading a book that I’d been meaning to catch up on. Sometimes you just need your moments of stillness - of unproductive-ness - of whatever it is that YOU want to do.
Simplify. Remove the distractions. Just… be.
If you’re needing a time-treat, here’s a lime-life list of suggestions for motivation.
1. Be outside. Commune with the greenness in your environment. Practice yoga in your lawn. Grab your enormous Zune or tiny iPod, go for a walk, and forget all the rest of your priorities for however long you can get away with it.
2. Pamper your body with natural treats. Check out these Fresh Home Spa Recipes from Gilden Tree. Honey, Lime & Cucumber Scrub… Strawberry Salt Scrub with real strawberries? Chocolate Milk Bath with Kisses? Are you kidding me???
3. I grabbed this from April’s issue of Body & Soul mag - meditate before bed. Take 5 to 10 minutes and repeat a positive mantra to yourself. They suggest, “I am safe and whole.” I suggest, “I am a blogging goddess.”
4. Hang out with your friends - the ones who leave you feeling refreshed. You know who they are. Demand their time, because most friends will love to know that they’re needed.
5. Journal about your goals. First, buy a super sweet recycled-paper journal from Pulp. Then find a comfortable place and let your imagination take its own little vacation. Maybe you’d like to visit Italy - maybe you’d like to move to Napa Valley - maybe you’d like to start your own little knitting club at the local coffee shop every week. Making a list of your goals - realistic or silly - can prove to be the best motivation to tackle whatever task necessary.
What are your favorite stress relievers? Take five and DO TELL.
My good friend Gabby has been reading my blog, and she had an awesome question the other day.
Gabby wanted to know what she needed to do to start living a greener lifestyle. She wanted to know what the first steps are to living the LIME life.
Alright, so there aren’t any rules for starting. In fact, I’ve just started focusing on living a greener, more organic lifestyle since I’ve started this blog. This blog is my journey, and I’m inviting everyone else to join.
I’ve learned a lot the past few months. So. Here are three basic principles that I would recommend keeping in mind. While they aren’t necessarily specific practices, the big picture should help to guide you in making greener lifestyle choices.
1. Consume less. This is easy to imagine if you’ve had a parent or grandparent (or maybe you?) who lived through the eras of The Great Depression and of the World Wars - rationing, saving, and reusing products were so important then, and these practices still are now. The word “consumer” seems to have a positive connotation, right, because we’re all consumers, and we like new things. But click on the link to the definition of “consume” and you might rethink the word. Wherever and whenever you can, find joy in buying less and requiring less. Less is more.
2. Recycle and reuse more. Recycle the things that you don’t need, and keep around something that you think you could reuse. Don’t keep too much stuff around, though, or you’re going to end up on that TLC show Clean Sweep, arguing with your family about whether you have valid reasons for keeping your large collection of plastic bread wrappers and teen romance novels from the 80s. Try not to throw stuff away if you can 1) reuse it in a short period of time, 2) recycle it, or 3) give it away to someone who would use it.
3. Support green companies. Hey, you have to consume, so if you’re going to do it, try to buy from a company that is trying to support our environment as well as your health. Look for companies that are using all-natural ingredients, giving back to the community, using less packaging, or supporting green practices in their production process. The little bit extra that you might pay for these details will come back to you in a positive way.
What inspires you to live a greener life? Remember, I’m always learning, too, so I love to hear what you all have to say.
Living green isn’t just about living for others. It’s about living for ourselves, too.
So yes we should be recycling, and yes we should be conserving energy, and yes we should be carrying cute little recycled plastic/canvas totes to look trendy, socially conscious, and highly intelligent. (Grin.)
BUT. We also should remember to be aware of the products that we are using on our bodies.
Many of us have fallen into our comfortable routines. For example, you probably have a favorite lotion because it works well and smells delicious. You probably have a favorite shampoo because it’s just right for your hair. Some of your favorite foods come pre-packaged, ready to simply heat and enjoy. And with our fast-paced lifestyles, these are the types of things that we do - find something that works, and stick with it.
So that’s why I’m proposing something to you. I’m proposing that you change your favorites, and if you have to, just one at a time. Reevaluate. Reconsider why they’re your favorites, because our most favorite products - from Bath and Body Works to Clairol to Chanel - have ingredients that we would never dream of ingesting. But we put them on our skin. Daily.
Have you ever looked at an ingredients list and wondered, “What IS that? Why am I eating this again?” You have a reason to wonder.
I want to take this opportunity to point out a popular ingredient to be cautious of: parabens.
Parabens are preservatives that are widely used in the cosmetics industry and sometimes in food, as well. Examples: methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, and benzylparaben.
Parabens have been indicated to elevate the number of instances of cancer, particularly breast cancer.
If you Google (that’s a verb now, you know) “parabens“, you get a LOT of information.
Also, you should know: I’m not a “conspiracy theorist”. I don’t appreciate extremist claims, and my level of toleration for drama is very, very low. With that said:
I like this page from the FDA, which basically says, ‘Parabens could give you cancer, but we’re not conclusive, so we can’t deny their use.’ It also sites that the FDA doesn’t moderate what the cosmetics industry uses. To quote: “The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) does not authorize FDA to approve cosmetic ingredients, with the exception of color additives that are not coal-tar hair dyes. In general, cosmetic manufacturers may use any ingredient they choose, except for a few ingredients that are prohibited by regulation.” Of course, this page also claims that minute levels of parabens aren’t proven to be harmful. But what if you’re using five or six products per day that contain parabens, and what if the studies are wrong?
Hmm. All the pretty packaging may be just that.
I’m not here to tell you that parabens are evil, blood-sucking chemicals that will sneak up on you when you least expect them. I’m here to help you be aware that you could probably be making smarter consumer choices.
