January 31, 2012
Solar Cooking Basics and Benefits
In less than six minutes, here's the lowdown on how a solar cookers work, and why they are life-saving technology in the developing world as well as a good item to keep in your disaster kit at home.
January 30, 2012
Saute Secrets Video
The first cooking demonstration of the season focuses on fundamentals - how to bring out the best flavors of fresh, local produce.
Laura Stec, chef and co-author of Cool Cuisine: Taking the Bite Out of Global Warming, teaches technique to host Angelina Le Grix, using broccoli from the farmers market.
Laura Stec, chef and co-author of Cool Cuisine: Taking the Bite Out of Global Warming, teaches technique to host Angelina Le Grix, using broccoli from the farmers market.
January 29, 2012
Cool Cuisine Highlights Video
In the very first episode of Bite-size Green TV, host Angelina Le Grix interviewed Laura Stec, chef and co-author of Cool Cuisine: Taking the Bite Out of Global Warming. Making a half-hour TV episode work as a webisode was challenging; but with some careful editing, the highlights of their discussion fit within the 5-minute limit recommended for web viewers. Included are some great tips for how to cook produce that's in season at the farmers' market in the winter.
Next webisode: chef Laura demonstrates how to bring out the true flavors of fresh, local vegetables.
Next webisode: chef Laura demonstrates how to bring out the true flavors of fresh, local vegetables.
January 14, 2012
Diet for a Small Planet
When it first came out in 1971, Frances Moore Lappe's Diet for a Small Planet was revolutionary, even a touch heretical. Americans had been 'going big or going home' in food production, institutionalizing the factory farm system, since the end of World War II. We were maximizing efficiency and exporting prosperity. Having plenty of meat was more American than apple pie.
How dare this woman come along and challenge our hard-earned standard of living? Accuse us of 'gross waste' and environmental destruction? Not only suggest that we could enjoy a healthier, more sustainable way of eating, but explain why, and how, and provide recipes?
Apparently readers and eaters were hungry for the message, because the book became a best seller, now in its 20th edition. The newest version is available from Lappe's non-profit Small Planet Institute.
A dog-eared copy of the 1975 edition, and the companion book Recipes for a Small Planet, are available from me, for free, as part of my Healthy Food Books Giveaway. If you want them, speak up soon!
Apparently readers and eaters were hungry for the message, because the book became a best seller, now in its 20th edition. The newest version is available from Lappe's non-profit Small Planet Institute.
A dog-eared copy of the 1975 edition, and the companion book Recipes for a Small Planet, are available from me, for free, as part of my Healthy Food Books Giveaway. If you want them, speak up soon!
January 7, 2012
Does Savvy = Green?
Recently I met author Melissa Tossetti, heard about her book, "Living the Savvy Life: the savvy woman's guide to smart spending and rich living" (with co-author Kevin Gibbons), and picked up a copy. I was intrigued mainly because her approach to finance sounded so much like my approach to food - it's about living well, in alignment with your own values, not about following a formula (to save x$, to lose x pounds). And most importantly, the key messages about living intentionally seemed inherently green, again paralleling my key messages about eating and making food choices. Which brought me to the question of whether savvy living is the equivalent of green living, and vice-versa.
Some chapters strictly cover personal finance, with sound coverage of the basics needed for money management. No green spin in this portion (picking investments with tools like the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, for instance). But that seems appropriate for the scope of the tutorials.
The chapters that focus on key areas where most women (and arguably, men) spend most of their income each do have an underlying green thread, however. For instance, Chapter 6: Home, advocates for de-cluttering the home, employing second-hand treasure for decorating, sharing tools and other items instead of owning one of everything yourself, and enjoying simple pleasures at home.
Similarly, Chapter 8: Wardrobe, provides explicit steps for breaking the cycle of overstuffing closets with clothing that doesn't really look and feel great. The tips include a host of alternatives to trendy stores and malls, including but not limited to second-hand stores. While there is no 'shop green' message about finding fair-trade, sweat-free, organic fabric clothing, the basic messages of not wasting resources (time, money, storage, cleaning, etc) on things that don't really suit who you are is green in a more old-fashioned way.
The least-green feeling chapter for me was Beauty, but only because my usual first questions (What's in this product? Was it tested on animals? Is it safe? How's it rank on the SkinDeep database?) weren't addressed. On the other hand, the authors remind us of some fundamental issues that can prevent time and money wasted on buying inappropriate products - understand what your body needs, clean up your diet, and protect your skin from the sun, among them.
In contrast, I felt immediately at home in Chapter 7: Entertainment. Reminders about holding seasonal celebrations, exploring the sights of your own local area, recycling books and DVDs, and enjoying simple pleasures all resonated with me. And, like the Shopping chapter, it edged pretty close to a key principle of voluntary simplicity: figure out what really makes you happy, and let the rest go.
The big work (your mission, if you choose to accept it) recommended by this book is not to track spending, sock away a nest egg, or in any way meet someone else's standards of material success. Rather, it provides tools to help the reader asks insightful questions about what makes her happy and to consider where her personal resources are best spent. And while there's no guarantee that a reader's personal choices will be green ones, the authors make a convincing case for a resource-conservative approach (less clutter, more simple pleasures; less buying stuff, more sharing; and take care of what you value) enhancing both material security and emotional satisfaction in everyday life.
Diving Deeper on the Food Issues
The longest, most detailed chapter is Food. Like the other chapters on lifestyle, green is not the element at the top of the agenda. But it sneaks in as much or more so as it does in the other sections. For the next few months, I will be taking the recommendations one by one, implementing them at home, and sharing what I learn from the exercise.
Some chapters strictly cover personal finance, with sound coverage of the basics needed for money management. No green spin in this portion (picking investments with tools like the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, for instance). But that seems appropriate for the scope of the tutorials.
The chapters that focus on key areas where most women (and arguably, men) spend most of their income each do have an underlying green thread, however. For instance, Chapter 6: Home, advocates for de-cluttering the home, employing second-hand treasure for decorating, sharing tools and other items instead of owning one of everything yourself, and enjoying simple pleasures at home.
Similarly, Chapter 8: Wardrobe, provides explicit steps for breaking the cycle of overstuffing closets with clothing that doesn't really look and feel great. The tips include a host of alternatives to trendy stores and malls, including but not limited to second-hand stores. While there is no 'shop green' message about finding fair-trade, sweat-free, organic fabric clothing, the basic messages of not wasting resources (time, money, storage, cleaning, etc) on things that don't really suit who you are is green in a more old-fashioned way.
The least-green feeling chapter for me was Beauty, but only because my usual first questions (What's in this product? Was it tested on animals? Is it safe? How's it rank on the SkinDeep database?) weren't addressed. On the other hand, the authors remind us of some fundamental issues that can prevent time and money wasted on buying inappropriate products - understand what your body needs, clean up your diet, and protect your skin from the sun, among them.
In contrast, I felt immediately at home in Chapter 7: Entertainment. Reminders about holding seasonal celebrations, exploring the sights of your own local area, recycling books and DVDs, and enjoying simple pleasures all resonated with me. And, like the Shopping chapter, it edged pretty close to a key principle of voluntary simplicity: figure out what really makes you happy, and let the rest go.
The big work (your mission, if you choose to accept it) recommended by this book is not to track spending, sock away a nest egg, or in any way meet someone else's standards of material success. Rather, it provides tools to help the reader asks insightful questions about what makes her happy and to consider where her personal resources are best spent. And while there's no guarantee that a reader's personal choices will be green ones, the authors make a convincing case for a resource-conservative approach (less clutter, more simple pleasures; less buying stuff, more sharing; and take care of what you value) enhancing both material security and emotional satisfaction in everyday life.
Diving Deeper on the Food Issues
The longest, most detailed chapter is Food. Like the other chapters on lifestyle, green is not the element at the top of the agenda. But it sneaks in as much or more so as it does in the other sections. For the next few months, I will be taking the recommendations one by one, implementing them at home, and sharing what I learn from the exercise.
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