Stillwater Farmer's Market

Today I went to the Farmer's Market to see what was available. It's pretty early in the season (April - October) but there were about 6 booths set up. I really support the idea of buying locally, thinking globally. As an added bonus, the offerings look really good. Be sure to click on the title "Stillwater Farmer's Market" to access the link to their homepage. From what I understand the Saturday morning market has much more to offer than the Wednesday at noon market.

Also, later in the months, there is usually a booth of local honey. For those of you who are afflicted with seasonal allergies (what Okie isn't?) taking local honey has a homeopathic effect and may help ease your symptoms.

Enjoy the pictures that I took!

Water we do about our water?

I recently realized that my beloved bright red water bottle was probably killing me slowly. Lovely. And I thought I was really cool by reusing this water bottle and refusing to buy individual water bottles. Fantastic.

I found an article that really sums up the facts and what to do about obtaining a new beloved bottle from http://www.idealbite.com/.

Water, water everywhere, but not a safe bottle to drink?
The BiteIt used to be practically a requirement for the eco-conscious urbanite to lug water everywhere in a colorful hard-plastic bottle. Studies now show these and other bottles can leach potentially toxic chemicals. Choose stainless steel or glass instead.
The Benefits
Polycarbonate plastic (made by Nalgene and other companies) leaches bisphenol-A, a chemical linked to increased risk of birth defects, miscarriage and prostate cancer. Scratches in the plastic, harsh detergents and boiling liquids exacerbate the leaching.
With no known health hazards, HDPE (soft, opaque #2 plastic) may be a better choice.
Stainless steel doesn’t react or leach, so it’s good for water and other beverages. Aluminum is trickier because the metal itself may be neurotoxic so it usually has a coating.
Glass is non-reactive, dishwasher safe—and free if you reuse a juice bottle with a tight fitting lid. (And if you’re a klutz, there are cute covers to protect them).
Personally SpeakingWe all have faucet-mounted Brita filters and are somewhat notorious for refilling and carrying our Biter Bottles with us everywhere. Jen even takes hers into restaurants, much to the chagrin of her dinner dates.

Wanna Try?
Biter Bottles - the lightest, highest quality reusable option is our very own resin-lined aluminum SIGG bottle, in silver and gold ($20).
SIGG – Swiss-made, lightweight aluminum bottles in cool colors and designs. The water-based inner coating is non-toxic and resistant to fruit acids and isotonic drinks ($20).
Klean Kanteen - lightweight, food-grade stainless steel, with no toxic leaching or mineral migration ($14).
To do away with plastic “sippy cups” for the kids, pair SIGG’s cute tot-sized bottles ($14) and grip handle add-ons ($6).
Nalgene HDPE – can’t live without the old camping stand-by? Same Nalgene styling, in a safer, opaque plastic ($7).
Water Bottle Tote - made from neoprene, which isn't exactly a top eco material, but it will last and help your glass water bottle stay intact. Plus, it comes in our favorite color ($10).

Green Photography

I came across this interesting website that really depicts the size of our garbage that ends up in the landfills. Chris Jordan is the artist and while I can't verify the accuracy of the numbers, it's still a mind-boggling piece of work. Be sure that you read the words that accompany each photo and enlargement. Click on the title "Green Photography" and enjoy!

Welcome to the grand opening!

Hi! Thanks for stopping by. What you will be seeing here (hopefully) will be my continuing education on all things "green". I think I know a bit about this subject (and a lot of other, random subjects) but am setting a goal to weed out the myths and get to the basics of what it takes to be a more responsible and better-informed person about the trend towards "green"ing up our world. I want to pass on what I learn and how I learn it. I will try to give credit where credit is due and toot my own horn when warranted.

Feel free to jump right on in...