Sweet Sportscar!-- Telsa 100% electric

Going Green never looked so COOL.  I just googled 100% electric vehicles and found the Tesla website.   Set this baby in a garage powered by solar energy and WOW!  Their website states that the "Roadster" (the cool red vehicle above) can get up to 60mph in less than 4 seconds- 245 miles per charge.  The "Model S" takes 6 seconds or so to get to 60mph and you can travel for up to 300 miles.  That is from Seattle to the boarder of Idaho before you need to recharge.  Starting price= $49,000 . I am looking forward to driving around in one, when Zipcar adds them to the fleet over the next few years.  You are witnessing the electric revolution.  Now we need harness the energy from the sun (GO SOLAR!). Soon architects will have solar collectors as a basic part of each and every dwelling.  We CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! 
 
Photo by Telsa Motors

It's Chilly! I need Slippers! (Extra info: Organic Clothing Coupons)

 

 



SLIPPERS!

I'm on a quest to find slippers.  I have wood floors and really need to replace my slippers!  But every time I walk into the mall or department store, I have a hard time finding recycled or organic slippers.There are some things in life I can't live without and that is a good pair of slippers!  I love the way my feet just sorta fall into them .  Unfortunately I can't find the organic ducks or frogs in adult sizes.  I would so totally want to dance around my living room in a pair!  I'll keep looking and keep you posted. 

Here are a few more links to recycled/eco-friendly slippers:

Pristine Planet (Womens' Slippers)-this cool website is a green products comparison website.  Great selection.  (No ducks though...) 

Pristine Planet (Men's Slippers)

COUPONS for ORGANIC CLOTHING

Pristine Planet Coupons ---Check back often, it looks like coupons come up all the time.  All sorts of organic stuff on sale too.  You don't have to spend a ton to be healthy. 

Retailmenot.com --organic coupons this week only. 









Northwest Gardening--Part 1 -- Meet the Symphylans (Centipede-Like Root Eaters)

Ok.  So it rains A LOT in Seattle.  But did you know that you can garden YEAR-ROUND here?  You just need to know what and when to plant.  Steve Soloman is one of the guru's of northwest gardening.  His informative books have made it a bit easier to understand why things go right and why they go wrong with Northwest gardens. 

Another great source of information is Seattle Tilth's,

The Maritime Northwest Garden Guide.  This is a a must-have resource for the northwest gardener and is available from the Seattle Public Library, Seattle Tilth, or via Amazon.com.

ROOT EATERS!

I didn't know that we had pesky little critters in our soil.  These little centipede-like creatures are called  Symphylans (no I'm sorry there isn't an easier common name for this little bugger).  They LOVE to reproduce in compost and tend to populate when there is too much of the stuff placed around their food source.  They have a taste for broccoli roots and other Brassicaceae  family plants, and they appear to love spinach. 

Have you had plants wither, or do they start to grow but then stop?  Did your spinach start bolting in the early spring?  When this happened to me I thought that my  plants weren't getting enough nutrients, and when I piled on the compost it just got WORSE!  I had too many symphylans!  (say that 3 times fast)

The best thing to do is check your soil. These little critters are native to Washington State and they keep our soil in balance so you don't want to eradicate them all.  Use only organic means of control.  The best way is check your soil and plants regularly. 

Be aware of compost that is too rich..........and be careful not to pile to much of it around your plants.    Need nutrients? Amend your soil with liquid fertilizer instead. 

Picture --Ralph E. Berry. 1998©. Insects and Mites of Economic Importance in the Northwest. 2nd Ed. 221 p.

Sustainable/Eco Friendly Art Supplies

I'm thinking of delving into an art class and I want to paint to my heart's content......but believe it or not many art supplies are toxic. Some paints are made with heavy metals.  Many contain lead or mercury. For details of a scientific study on paint and toxicity check out this Heavy Metal Toxicity article. 

To make your own paints and find other great resources for green art supplies check out the Green Guide for Artists: Nontoxic Recipes, Green Art, Ideas, and Resources by Karen Michel  from your local library (or you can click on it and get it from Amazon.com).

Here is a list of places I've found so far that have eco-friendly art supplies:

• Rexart has several "green alternatives" for things like turpentine and screen printing paints. 
• EcoKids has all sorts of awesome art supplies that are so good their edible.  Granted I wouldn't add it to the menu on purpose! 
• Top Five Sustainable Drawing Supplies  -lists pencils and drawing supplies
• Stubby Pencil Studio –has lots of recycled sketchbooks
• Earth & Rowan – This Ireland-based company has beautiful watercolors, pastels, and other natural paints.
• EcoArt Works – Earth friendly non-toxic art supplies including stuff for scrap booking!

Green Wedding--Part 2-- The Dress

So you have the ring! Congratulations!  Now, where to look for a dress?  Dresses can be expensive and a bit overwhelming.  No matter what dress you choose you will look amazing! Believe it or not beautiful dresses that orginially cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars can be found at consignment and thrift shops often for $50, sometimes less.  Most of them are in prestine condition (most likely they were bought for a wedding that never took place).  Have a seamstress help you find the dress you are looking for.  She/he will know what size you would need and how to customize the dress just for you. 
Here are some consignment wedding dress sites:

Bravo Bride is a website devoted to buying and selling used wedding items.  Remember that when something lasts the test of time and use it is symbolic of a long and beautiful life! 

Blue Sky Bridal  is Seattle's "Green" wedding store!

I would also like to suggest organic wedding dresses.  They are made of 100% organic fabric.  The money you spend on organic helps save thousands of acres of land from pesticide pollution. 

Get Concious!  --Hemp silk fabrics---biodegradable

Here is a cool blog with 6 Eco Friendly designers --the price is a bit high but they are gorgeous!
 

Unpaving Paradise! --Community Garden Art! Capitol Hill-Seattle

Summit and John, the most heavily populated corner in Seattle now has a community garden.  Nick-named "Unpaving Paradise" this garden gem is located behind the Starbucks on Olive Street.  This park-p-patch garden combo used to be a parking lot.  Now it  has a dedicated garden artist.  He/She is unknown, but they have brought the sun to the patch.  Corn in yoga poses, sleeping peas, and ripe, plump, tomatoes come alive on this January day!

 
I LOVE MY P-PATCH !

Organic Seed Dreamin'--Cucumbers!

I got my Seed Saver's catalog in the mail.  Gotta' love Seed Savers!  Based in Iowa they have made it their mission to collect heirloom varieties of vegetable seeds.  I'm looking at a Japanese climbing cucumber for my apartment garden.  Garden UP! 

I'm going to try two varieties of cucumbers this year.....Japanese Climber and Russian Pickling--being a gardener in Seattle, I've found that Russian varieties of vegetables tend to do well here (shorter growing season).  I'm hoping that between the two of them I'll be set for pickles and sliced cucumber all summer long this year!

Oh what I would give for a fresh, sun-warmed cucumber from the garden.  Seed Saver's has 20 varieties of cukes to choose from! So, now I've figured out what I'm going to get with regards to cukes.......next time?  Tomatoes!