A beginner's course in living greener and eating healthier. My goal is to empower you to take charge of your health and contribute toward keeping our Earth healthy.
I think it's 6 of one and a half dozen of another. They're basically the same. Every footprint calculator I find, including Evaluating Your Eco Foot Print, has a similar take on the measurement. I would recommend that if you are looking to continuously improve your footprint, you use the same measurement device each time you reevaluate. This will assure that you are comparing apples to apples.
This site's take on things is unique in that they offer the opportunity to measure your personal footprint, a business or municipality's footprint, etc. These variations could be useful in your work considerations. I hope you'll let me know, if you found this helpful or insightful in some way.
I like to offer these opportunities occasionally, as we all come to that point in our lives at different times, when we are ready to know how we impact the Earth. The way their site states it is "How much land area does it take to support your lifestyle? Take this quiz to find out your Ecological Footprint, discover your biggest areas of resource consumption, and learn what you can do to tread more lightly on the earth."
We've all seen this typical disposal method--the flush method. But according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, this is an absolute No-No. It makes sense, of course. Water in the sewer systems may dissolve medications, but the chemistry remains. Since medications cannot be removed from gray water through the cleansing process, it is shed into waterways, irrigation systems and other places where humans and animals can come into contact with it. Herein lies the danger.
The recommendations of the Florida DEP are as follows:
Leave medications in original containers, with medicine names exposed in case they are accidentally ingested.
For your privacy, mark out your name and other identifying information about you.
To reduce misuse of medications, add a small amount of water or soda to pills, which will begin to dissolve them. Liquid medications can be rendered unusable by adding a small amount of inedible product such as cat litter or soil.
Secure bottle caps with duct tape.
Small medicine bottles can be placed inside a liquid detergent container, which is made of hard plastic and is not visible inside. Likewise, duct tape this container shut, as well.
Discard the above materials in a closed garbage bag, not in a recycle bin.
Keep in mind that the key here is to disguise and disable the medications from use by scavengers who might take these medicines and become ill from them.
These guidelines are suggested by the Florida DEP not only for human safety, but also for that of our aquatic environment, where treated waste water often ends up. This is a reminder that even treated water cannot remove medication. Please! Do your part to protect our water quality.
Most days at my house start with a brisk walk or bike ride around our neighborhood--about 2 miles. If I bike the dogs separately, it's 4 miles for me. This wears the boys out and I'm energized for some writing time while they nap. Besides that, this exercise is good for helping me stay healthy and relatively in shape. I say that loosely, of course.
If you're interested in trying biking with your dog, I've just done a post on this topic at my All Things Dog Blog. Check it out at All Things Dog Blog: Biking with Your Dog.
Recently, while working on my blogs, I came across an adorable website, just perfect for you dog lovers. This Yorkie will perform most dog commands. Just type your command in the box and he'll do it. Take a few minutes to play with this at I Do Dog Tricks. You'll be glad you did. A good laugh is great for the soul.
After a good nap, the pups enjoy some pool time and a fetch game for Tanner. Oliver would probably call this something more like "Chase Tanner Around the Pool" time. Either way, they enjoy themselves and get another workout that's cooler.
I wish you all the happiness that owning 3 dogs has brought to me. Despite the effort involved, they're always worth it, and they do help me keep active. Happy tails!
You may have read in my profile in the sidebar that I am a cancer survivor. It wasn't just a tumor; it had spread to my lymph nodes and there was concern of further spreading. That experience taught me a lot that I never would have expected. I tried things that I always believed were voodoo and here I am writing about organic foods and the like. If you had told me 2 years ago that this would be in my future, I'd have laughed in your face. The point is, we don't know what we don't know. That lesson is embedded further in my brain each day.
Early after my diagnosis, I received a book from a friend, explaining the benefits of acid vs. alkaline foods in cancer. I began to research this premise, learning that cancer cells grow much more rapidly in an acid environment. Evaluating my diet, I soon learned that I had created the perfect place for cancer to grow. Boy, howdy, did I make some changes.
That's not to say that I didn't have my doubts. I did. I talked to many alternative medicine specialists and they referred me to cancer survivors who never took any traditional treatments, yet cured their cancers. One in particular, stands out in my memory. He spent nearly an hour on the phone with me, sharing the names of various alternative clinicians in our area who had helped him.
After learning he had terminal, inoperable cancer from the doctors at the largest hospital in our area, he had turned to alternative medicine for other solutions. Five years later he is walking proof that these measures worked. His MRI scans continue to show no signs of tumors, where there were previously multiple tumors in numerous organs. Clearly, to him, this is a miracle. His life goes on. What's not to believe about that?
My first approach was to begin the switch to more alkaline foods, reducing my sugar and other high acid and acid-creating foods. Litmus test paper is available at Whole Foods Market and this proclaimed the proof that my changes were working, as my PH worked its way slowly higher.
My other major home treatment was to swallow Garlic tablets with Wheat Grass Juice added to numerous daily glasses of carrot and apple juice. This I squeezed fresh from organic carrots and apples. It may sound awful, but surprise! I actually found the flavor to be enjoyable. I still drink the wheat grass juice as a preventative, added to organic apple juice. My results? Two years and no signs of cancer.
The following link, Acid and Alkaline Foods, will allow you to educate yourself on foods that are alkaline vs. foods that are acid. There are tons of other places you can find these lists also, not the least of which is the Internet. My advice? Don't kill yourself trying to completely eliminate acid foods. Being a purist will only cause you to crave those foods that are at the top of your favorites list. You've got to indulge a little to feel fulfilled, even in your diet.
Chef Elaina Love, a raw foods proponent, explains the effects of acid vs. alkaline foods in our systems in this short video. I know it's not exactly mainstream. This whole post may throw some of you off. It's something I've been meaning to share; take it or leave it.
I've been researching alkaline water machines for some time. Most are counter top models that hook up to your faucet. They're quite pricey and not terribly attractive. Not to mention that they take up a lot of space.
Currently I have a Brita water filtering pitcher on my kitchen counter, as well as one in the refrigerator. We dropped the bottled water habit a while back when I learned about the many chemicals emitted from plastic. Now we use BPA free bottles and filtered water. We reserve bottled water for those times when we won't be able to take them home to wash and reuse.
There's another surprise, too. I just found a similar pitcher that creates alkaline filtered water in a pitcher much like my Brita. Granted it is a fair amount more expensive than a Brita pitcher, but certainly not like the other models I had found. This is a real possibility. Another item for my wish list. Is my family reading this? Hope so. My holiday gift list is getting longer!
It's almost the Fourth of July. A day when families gather to celebrate our independence. We eat, we drink, we enjoy the sun and the water. Here at Organic Journey Online, we just want to remind you to celebrate safely. Designate a DD if you'll be enjoying Caledonian Promise Organic Beer. Wear your PABA-free, paraben-free sunscreen, and reapply regularly throughout the day. And don't forget the hat and sunglasses to protect your eyes and delicate facial skin.
Keep a close eye on swimmers, especially the youngsters. Even my pups are required to swim with supervision. Tanner knows he's supposed to wait permission to go in the pool. Silly boy, he will sit at the edge, with his paws dangling in, watching me inside, until I give him the signal.
If you're looking for recipes for a cookout with friends, check out:
Tax credits for homeowners are looking pretty good for 2009 and 2010. For instance, you can take a 30 percent tax credit, up to $1,500, when you install energy efficient home equipment such as windows, doors, solar, roofs, air conditioners, and other items. For details, visit Energy Star Tax Credits.
Solar energy systems installed in Florida can qualify for up to $20,000 in rebates, depending on the wattage. You have until June 30, 2010 to make these installations, but don't put it off. If you're interested in taking advantage of this, understand that last minute shoppers will find providers busier and prices likely will be higher as the deadline grows nearer. Rebates are also available for pool and water heaters. More information can be found at Florida Climate. To locate this the easy way, type in "solar energy incentives" in the search box.
Florida also has federal funding for weatherization, which is available to low income families for repairs, air conditioners, insulation and water heaters. Contact your county office for details on requirements, which may vary by county. I'd like to hear any success stories. You can email me at CarrieLeaJohnson@gmail.com
Pets are not just enjoyable companions. Scientific evidence has shown many health benefits of contact with pets. Here's just a few of the many resources you might be interested in:
For more information on dogs and all things about them, I invite you to visit my All Things Dog Blog, where I talk dogs 24/7. Every post is plastered with photos to enrich the topic of the day. Search your question or area of interest at the top, or drop me an email and perhaps I can help: LetsAdoptaDogPark@gmail.com . Hope to hear from you!
Thursday's Green Tip of the Day Preview
Tomorrow I'll be talking tax credits, every body's topic of interest. If you have appliances to replace or improvements to make in your home, there are probably tax credits to help you reduce the cost. That's what this post is about. Check in tomorrow for details and learn what you can do to save money, while improving the value of your home.
Before my son left for his dream internship in New Zealand, we had the pleasure of a week's visit from he and his girlfriend. My biggest challenge in having him home is always feeding him. With an unending appetite, my 6' 3" tall environmental scientist can eat like nobody's business.
Well, you know what they say, "Necessity is the mother of invention." Brent has been learning to cook, and is looking forward to living in an apartment during his last year of college, so that he can cook his own food--finally. No more cafeteria food.
The following recipe is one I snagged, while watching him prepare hamburgers, that turned out to be mouthwateringly delicious. I have to admit, though, that whenever I make soups, stews, or ground beef recipes, I always add in some unseen ingredients that supplement the nutritional value of the meal. Hamburgers are no different than meatloaf or chicken soup. The result is a much more healthy hamburger, making it a bit more pleasing to those of us who avoid too much beef in our diets.
A Healthier Hamburger
1 lb. Organic Ground Chuck, lowest fat content available
6 large cloves of Organic Garlic, minced or crushed
3 Tablespoons of Fiber powder (such as Benefiber)
1 Tablespoon Organic Barbeque Sauce
1 Organic Egg
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Organic Ground Pepper
Sliced Organic Provolone Cheese (much better than American!)
Hamburger buns, Organic if available (we like Kaisers)
Organic toppings and condiments as desired: ketchup, mustard, mayo, pickles, onions, tomatoes and lettuce
Mix all ingredients together thoroughly and create 4-5 patties. Cover and refrigerate for several hours to allow the flavors to blend. Grill as usual, adding cheese at the end. Serve on toasted buns.
Like them? Serve these babies on July 4th and you'll be everyone's favorite cookout host. Don't forget to make time for yourself to enjoy your guests. Ask everyone to bring a side dish and you'll be set. Just add beverages and lots of ice.
If you're looking for some more creative cookout specialties, check this out:
Woofing Wednesday's Preview
While tomorrow's post is hardly green or organic, it certainly does address the health benefits of owning a pet. In full illustration, I'll show and tell you some of the reasons that pets can enrich your life and enhance your health. I hope you'll join me for "Cuddly Puppies" tomorrow.
Having lived 11 years in Charlotte, North Carolina, I became a fan of Southern sweet iced tea. There's just no going back to instant tea after you've enjoyed the real thing. Fortunately, I got a native friend from the "old South" to teach me the tricks to getting that deep South flavor in your sweet tea.
If you're not a sweet tea drinker, I totally understand and you can move along. This post is devoted to the art of making Southern sweet tea the way folks in the Carolinas enjoy it--fresh brewed, bold tasting and sweetened at just the right time in the steeping process. Oh, and don't forget to add the lemon. Sounds nit picky, but the lemon is like icing on the cake. Here goes:
Mom's Sweet Tea (that's what my kids call it when they come home to visit)
(makes 1 pitcher=1/2 gallon=2 quarts)
Ingredients:
1 quart filtered water, boiling
2 family sized Luzianne Iced Tea bags
2/3 Cup Organic Sugar
1 quart filtered water, room temperature
Organic Lemon slices or wedges
Ice cubes, made with filtered water
Instructions:
Pour 1 quart boiling water over 2 tea bags in a heat-resistant glass container. Time out here for a quality control tip: (A) I know this is an organic blog, but most of the organic teas I have tried just did not make the quintessential Southern Sweet Tea. The closest I have found was an English Breakfast blend, so try that if you're a purist. (B) No plastic containers--heating plastic releases toxins into your tea. Bad!
Allow tea to steep about 10-15 minutes. A couple of minutes after adding the water to the tea bags, add sugar and stir carefully, so as not to bust the tea bags. Adding the sugar while the water is still hot immeasurably changes the flavor. This is the KEY to the special taste of Southern Sweet tea.
When fully steeped, remove 1 tea bag, squeeze its liquid back into the container, and pour tea into your pitcher (1/2 gallon size).
Place the remaining tea bag in the pitcher until it is cool; then remove it and go to step 5.
Tip: Don't forget that those tea bags can go into your compost.
Add 1 full quart of room temperature filtered water to the steeped tea and stir to mix.
Quality control tip: Don't skimp with tap water and don't use chilled water. Trust me; it will taste different.
More quality control tips: (A) When serving tea that is still warm, use an overfilled glass of ice, as much of it will melt when you pour the tea over it. (B) Make the tea just a bit stronger to compensate for the melted ice, which will water your tea down a bit. Do this by steeping an extra 5 minutes.
Add your lemon to the top of the ice before you fill the glass. Serve with a smile--your Southern hospitality has arrived.
Ahh! There's nothing better on a hot Summer day. Even so, you can try my husband's second favorite drink, made with the tea recipe above. An Arnold Palmer is Orlando's specialty. It seems that they serve it nearly everywhere around this area--especially the golf course restaurants. I wonder why?
An Arnold Palmer is 1/2 Iced Tea and 1/2 Lemonade. Here's how I make my homemade organic lemonade. If you stop by most any day, I'll have a pitcher in the fridge. It's a staple at our house.
Arnold Palmer
Ingredients:
1/3 Cup Organic Lemon Juice (fresh squeezed does taste better, but bottled organic lemon juice works too; just don't resort to reconstituted--yuck!)
2/3 Cup Organic Sugar
2 Quarts Filtered Water
Mix ingredients together until well mixed and serve over ice. Add a lemon slice for a little extra ambiance, when serving guests. Enjoy!
One additional note: If you're looking for good sweet tea in Florida, good luck. There are few places to find Southern sweet tea that tastes like the Carolinas. Your best bet is Sonny's Real Pit Barbeque. Be sure to tell them I sent you.
Tuesday's Commercial Preview
With Independence Day just around the corner, cookouts and cold beverages are on every cook's mind. Today's post was a start. I hope you'll take time to visit on Tuesday when I share a recipe for a wonderful organic hamburger that will melt in your mouth with magnificent flavor. You simply cannot miss this one: "Hankering for a Healthy Hamburger."
For me, the enjoyment of this delightful narrative, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, about a family who commits to eating only locally produced foods, was in the details. While I have written two other reviews of the book for other blogs, the review you will find here is another animal entirely—no pun intended.
I loved reading the turkey sex stories (seriously!) and learning about how agribusiness has taken over the seed industry and the problems they have caused. I enjoyed learning more about CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations, where animals are raised without grazing or seeing sunlight), and their appalling use of antibiotics to kill the inherent bacteria created within these facilities.
Through Kingsolver’s story of zealous zucchini and not enough fruit, I came to appreciate why food costs so much at market. Learning that there is a label for my abstinence from high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) was absolutely exciting. I can now proudly say I am fructose celibate. Sounds kinky, huh?!! Kingsolver’s writing style enthralled me. And listening to her read her own book on CD made it even better. Her voice brought a calm, soft-spoken strength to the issues; she reminded me of a female Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer. I really think these two should meet. Despite their entirely different fields, they both endeavor to bring a difficult message to the masses—one that involves a belief system.
While I have long known that small farmers struggle, Kingsolver’s stories drove this reality home, with her descriptions of poultry harvesting day and mountains of zucchini to find a home for. The challenges vary with each day and each task, and these farmers clearly do not do it for the money.
In as much as I write about the dangers of pesticide use, I had never thought about the collateral animal death from agricultural pesticides. Birds, rodents and rabbits are all at risk in farming areas, with pesticides in the air, land, water, and on the plants and vegetables that they often steal in the night. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle added a whole new level to my commitment to organic foods.
A wonderfully inspiring book, Kingsolver and her family craft an educational, yet charming snapshot of their year as a Virginia farm family. While she professes not to be a purist, she eloquently presents a viable lifestyle for those who might wish to take a crack at producing and/or living off their locally available foods. A must-read for anyone interested in food production, health or limiting their oil usage, her charming family narrative will open your mind to the possibility of not living a life dependent on processed foods from the global marketplace.
Nah! The dogs are just stepping aside for a minute while I wish my husband of 31 years a Happy Anniversary. At a recent teen event, we took a turn in the photo booth, just like the rest of the teen couples, and these two pix caught my eye. What a hoot to be young again for just a few seconds!
Caught in a kiss
Young Love is Still Here
And We Can Still Laugh at Ourselves!
Two years after we began our organic journey, he hasn't tossed me out yet. My cancer rechecks continue to be positive, and my attitude and energy level are good. No wonder; I have a terrific husband.
The dogs are glad we've gone green, too. Here they are, all dressed in their green bandanas, wishing all of you a continued green life. You can read more about their greener life at All Things Dog Blog. Our goal may not be to live off the grid, but we are succeeding in living a lighter shade of green. It's a start.
Xena, Tanner and Oliver
Enjoying their Organic Journey
Speaking of going to the dogs, I have to share Xena's good news too. More than a year ago she had a diagnosis of liver cancer, and was given a couple of months to live. Without giving up hope, I put her on organic dog food and treats and have been feeding her organic carrots for snacks. According to my reading, carrots have a cleansing effect on the liver, which seemed to me to be a positive thing. She's still as energetic and playful as ever, more than a year after her bad news. No symptoms or problems. I'm simply enjoying her happy days.
So, when Real Age, a website that evaluates your body's actual age in terms of wear and tear, started their Dog Age evaluation...well, I just had to put Xena's stats in and see how she turned up. She is 12-1/2 years old, which puts her at nearly 90 in human years. Her Dog Age score? 48.1! No wonder she still enjoys her wrestling matches with Tanner.
I encourage you to check out Real Age for yourself, and try the Dog Age test for your Fido or Fifi. It's great input, as they give you an analysis that explains what factors go into your positive and negative scoring areas. It's quite useful information, and well worth the time. Try it. Just click the links and you'll be on your way.
Can you imagine a world without Polar Bears? They would disappear not only from the wild, but also from toy stores, storybooks, Sea World gift shops, zoos, and much more, while causing disruption to the Arctic food chain, among other disasters. Their majestic beauty would sorely be missed.
Biogems and the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) are trying to make a difference. Global warming is shrinking our polar ice cap, limiting the environment for polar bears, who need much territory to survive. You can help. Do your part by signing this Petition for Secretary of Interior, Ken Salazar. If enough of us sign it, we will send a powerful message to President Obama that the Polar Bears matter. Once again, imagine a world without a Polar Bear. Let your conscience do the rest.
Way to go Reynolds! They finally got it right. They've introduced a recycled version of aluminum foil. When I first heard about this, my initial thought was that it would likely be more expensive. I was concerned that this would diminish sales.
But, surprise! This new product is actually considerably less expensive than the original version. I paid $1.40 less per box for the Recycled Aluminum foil pictured above, than the price of the original foil at the same store on the same day. That's great news for those of us who would like to do our part to use more recycled products.
I was also delighted to find it at my local traditional supermarket, making it more likely that the cost would be less than if I purchase it at an organic market, where prices tend to run a bit higher. I suppose this is mostly due to the larger volumes that supermarket chains are able to purchase. Their bigger purchasing power gives them more leverage for discounts and cheaper shipping costs per item.
Whatever the reason, it's all good news for consumers. Let me know what you think of this new product if you try it. As always, I encourage comments at the end of each post, where you can have your say on most anything I talk about. Feel free to chime in. Just click the COMMENTS link next to the little envelope icon below this post.
Lookie here! See what I found at Amazon? I guess we do have options. Multipacks are available also, at a savings per box, so if you're not into supporting the big companies, this could be your ticket.
It seems that with each passing year we learn more about the health dangers of our cookware. Aluminum is linked to Alzheimer's and now Teflon has a host of concerns. You can read about this at my recent post, Teflon Terror!
In order to provide you with some alternatives, I'm bringing you a few tidbits of possibilities. I wish there were more. As much as I have read and heard nothing problematic about stainless steel, we all hate cooking with it. Nonstick is so much easier to cleanup that we have now been spoiled, destined to wander the Earth in search of an alternative to Teflon. Pristine Planet has some nice Eco-friendly options. Check it out. Also, I have heard and am checking on a new line from Cuisinart. I'll get back to you on that.
I've been cooking with a cast iron skillet for many years. Once seasoned, or broken in properly (just some oil rubdowns and a few uses) the cleanup of a cast iron skillet is not nearly as disgusting as it appears. Actually, a quick soak in hot, soapy water will do the trick for everything I cook.
The other benefit is that most cast iron cookware can also go in your oven. This gives you much more flexibility, and requires less storage space.
Granted, cast iron is heavy and not as glamorous looking as the beautiful Calphalon cookware we find in kitchen superstores. However, in my humble opinion, Calphalon could stand to go on a diet, if it doesn't want to be compared to cast iron. Have you ever lifted their large saucepan? Bring a hand truck if you decide to buy a set of this stuff.
Consider this. Cast iron cookware has been found to leave small residues of iron in our foods, small enough to be considered a mineral enrichment. Reports I've read over the years gave glowing kudos to these old fashioned pans that we love to hate and hate to love. Yet, we often fail to consider the nutritional and health consequences as quickly as we dismiss these darlings for their less desirable appearance. Why has some company not yet made cast iron with a beautiful red exterior of ceramic? Maybe I have a business idea here. Would you buy them if they were pretty?
Bad news. Or good news, depending on your vantage point. I'm too late. There are already red ceramic-coated, cast iron skillets on the market. A note to my family: these babies are on my wish list...hint, hint, wink wink! Check it out:
Yesterday was one of those days that can only be described as a breath of fresh air. As I worked, Oliver and Tanner were playfully enjoying their day. First Oliver collected a few toys on the dog bed. You'd think he might want to protect them, but instead he was sharing like a nice little boy.
Holding his brown bear, he offered a play boy to Tanner--a sort of doggie invitation to play. Tanner reciprocated with his own play bow, after accepting Oliver's offer of the bear:
This kind of innocent play is always my cue to push back from the computer and take a breather. I break out the camera to try to capture the images. My boys are playing like two little children, despite their 50 pound difference in weight. I must say; I've taught them well.
When Toni adopted Oliver, we followed Cesar Millan's instructions nearly to the letter. I have to give him all the credit for Tanner and Oliver being such good buddies. They were introduced with all the right dog communication, sending the messages we wanted them to understand.
The humans are the pack leaders.
The dogs are the followers.
Tanner must play gently with Oliver, using his snout, not his paws:
The food, toys, and everything else all belong to the pack leaders.
Hopefully I got them all. The bottom line is that it is up to you to set the rules for both small and big dogs, to help them learn what play behaviors are safe and accepted. You're in charge.
Obedience training ensued quickly with Oliver, as Tanner was enrolled in advanced training at the time. That actually turned out to be a good thing. Tanner served as a role model for Oliver, showing him what he had to do to get my approval. By the time Oliver finished advanced obedience, we had begun with Agility training, adding an additional mental and physical challenge to their training. This has been a good thing to help them calm down and be easier companions, both for us and each other. Although it wasn't always easy keeping up with so many classes, I don't regret a single one. The payoff is coming now, as my boys are calming down and becoming good pack members.
Cesar Millan, also known as the Dog Whisperer, has a National Geographic TV show and has written a couple of books. His teachings do not involve dog training. Interestingly, his approach is more about helping owners become good leaders, which results in well-behaved dogs. His is definitely an intersting concept which will mesmerize anyone watching his show. I'm a big fan, even though I can see that his teachings might not work for everyone. They need to have some ability to bring out their "inner leader."
Cesar's methods are all based on dog psychology, which is a matter of understanding the history and evolution of canines. I find this stuff fascinating! Does that make me a Geek? Oh well.
Here I am Walking My Pack
I'm Finding My Inner Pack Leader!
Want to learn more? Visit Cesar's websites above or check out his books:
In reflecting on the past year, since I began OJO July 4, 2008, I see that I am nearing 4500 visitors. I'm flabbergasted by this overwhelming interest in my fledgling blog. Aside from an email to friends, my only advertising has been word of mouth, and clearly there has been a good amount of that to have had more than 4300 visitors to date. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
If you have not taken a good look lately, I hope you'll take a few minutes to peruse. Things have changed since last July immensely. I've done a lot of Internet sleuthing and added all kinds of bells and whistles in the sidebar--fun stuff for you to do and look at.
To celebrate my upcoming anniversary, I have added three slide shows to give you a little extra something to enjoy. Kick back your chair, prop your feet up and stay a while. Check out the resources in my sidebar. Did you know there are links to everything in my blog at the Archives section? Were you aware of the links to other blogs and the lists of my favorite green books to read? There's even a widget that will find your closest Farmer's Market or organic restaurant. Cool, huh?!
One of the slide shows I added includes pictures of fresh organic vegetables and another portrays images of juicy organic fruits. Your mouth will be watering by the time you finish watching. At the bottom of the posts section, there is a unique slide show of wind farm images. I particularly enjoyed watching this, finding it serene and peaceful.
I hope you enjoy these and I encourage you to throw caution to the wind and send me a comment. Just hit that purple COMMENTS link under this post on the right. It is just to the left of the little white envelope icon. You'll get a cute little box to write your note in and you can even click Anonymous if you'd rather not have anyone know you commented. Your choice, of course.
How am I doing? What would you like to see here in the coming year? What kinds of topics would you find so interesting that you would tell others about OJO, or perhaps send them my link? I'd love to hear from you at my OJO email: CarrieLeaJohnson@gmail.com . Fire off that note right now while you're thinking about it. Without you, I wouldn't have made it this far. Thanks for your support.
Following my note, I will include a complete list, in order, of the "bells and whistles" in my sidebar. We'll call it a Sidebar Tour, and I'll be sure to let you know which items are links; these can simply be clicked to take you where you want to go. Links really do make navigating so much easier. I hope you enjoy my tour.
Many thanks,
Carrie Boyko
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OJO's Sidebar Tour
as of June 16, 2009
First, let me point out that this tour is only good for a few days. I am constantly looking for new additions to my sidebar, to give you more things to explore in the green and organic world. So if you come to this post next week or next month, please accept my sincere apologies if the sidebar doesn't match the following tour. That said, here goes:
Free Email Subscription Box--fill in your email address, answer a question or two and you'll receive my posts in your email. It's free! But best of all you won't have to remember the exact website address. Your email will give you the title of the post. If it is not of interest to you, simply click delete. If you want to read it, click to open and it will magically appear.
Amazon gift card widget--click and it will take you right to Amazon to purchase a gift card for Father's Day, or any other special day you need a gift for. You can even celebrate Monday and buy one for yourself!
Honors and Nominations--a link to the organization who voted me the 15th best Organic Blogger in the US.
Visit My Other Sites--these are links to my sites. Just click and go.
Fruit slide show--corny, I know. But if you watch it for a few seconds you'll start to wish you had purchased more fruit when you went to the market.
Amazon Stuff I Recommend: Books, composting solutions, green magazine subscriptions, natural weed killer, etc. All the photos are links to the Amazon site, where you can purchase these items without searching for them. I did the work for you. You're welcome.
My Profile: My story in one paragraph. That's all it takes.
Badge: My Blog Fights Climate Change. I had to earn this badge, so I am proud of it. By displaying this badge, Brighter Planet purchased 350 pounds of carbon offsets to fight climate change. Go Carrie!
Green Day News: This is green, organic, Eco and Sustainable News from around the Google world. Click to open any articles that sound interesting. They change daily.
LinkedIn: My business profile is at this link.
RSS Subscription. For those of you who save lots of stuff from around the web, using RSS to collect posts from blogs you like, is a great way to store them for reading whenever you're ready. They collect in their own little email account called a Google Reader and you can read them on vacation, at Starbucks, or anyplace you have Internet access. It's handy for all you techies. Need help? Check out my post on how to set it up. It takes 10 mintues...no big deal: Free and easy subscribing to Organic Journey Online.
Amazon search box: If there is something you'd like to look up at Amazon, you can do it right here, without leaving OJO.
My Topic Schedule: This is here for your convenience. What do you think? Should I stick to a schedule or just write what's new and interesting on a daily basis? Give me your thoughts at the comment link below--next to the little envelope icon at the bottom of the post.
The Yellow search widget is the coolest thing since sliced bread. Just type in your ZIP code and it will bring you a list of nearby farmers markets, organic markets, organic restaurants, sustainable farms, organic caterers, cooking schools and more.
Google search box: Duh! You know what to do with this.
For Bloggers Only: Fave this Blog to Technorati. Thanks in advance if you give me a thumbs up.
Green Blogger Badge: This is sort of like membership, a badge that shows my affiliation with a group.
Blog Catalog: more of the same from #17.
Favorite Blogs: These links are super neat. They list the blog name (which is a link) and their latest post, with a day of posting. This is also a link, so you can easily navigate to their site, if you see something of interest. Have fun with this. It changes every day, so you could find all sorts of interesting topics here if you simply remember to check it which you visit.
The last blog on the Favorite Blogs list is Central Florida Green Guide. I'm on staff at this blog which reviews products and services and gives news about events in the Central Florida area. If you're a local, this blog is a must-read.
Kindle ad is provided by Amazon. This is a really cool Eco gadget for saving paper and money. You download cheap books, articles and magazines to this high-tech gadget(really, just a few bucks each) and it holds a bunch of them. It's light and portable, so you can carry all your reading with you. It's definitely worth a second look.
Recommended Books: Some of my favorite reads.
More Favorite Sites: Yeah....more! Again, they are all links, so just click and off you go.
"I Recommend" is an Amazon widget with photos of the books I recommended in item #22 above. These photos are links to Amazon, so you won't have to search and rescue your book of choice. Just a few clicks to purchase it and you're done. Thanks, by the way, for any Amazon purchases you make via links on my site. Every little bit helps support my work.
Archives: This is my library of posts, sorted by date. If you knew the date of a post, you could find it here. If not, move on to number 26:
Labels: This is where you can find what you're looking for if you have a topic in mind. Every topic is alphabetical, and is also a link. Click the topic you're interested in and you'll get the posts that include that topic.
Last but not least, at the very top of the blog, above my title, in the left corner, you'll find a "Search Blog" box. This is run by Google to help you sort through my massive amounts of posts (266 to date, in 11 1/2 months of posting) and find what you're truly interested in reading about. By all means, use it.
If you stuck it out all the way to this point, I commend you. This was pretty dry stuff, I know. I felt the need to give an overview of what all that gobbly-gook is in the sidebar. My hope is that this provided you with a little more reason to visit and stick around for a while. Comments? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Summer is here and vacations have begun. Just this morning I had a conversation with a family member about their plans. Air fares are at an all time low, as airlines struggle to fill their planes. This is encouraging some families to plan trips involving airline travel, when they might have driven two months ago when gas finally dipped back to around $2 a gallon. So, what can you do to travel as green as possible? Take the Green Guide's Green Travel Quiz and see how your plans stack up.
This 10 question quiz gives good insight into how you can travel in a more Eco friendly manner. Considering the environment, your travel does not have to contribute thousands of tons of carbon to the atmosphere. I took the quiz and learned a few things that will even help me in my day to day living. It's quick and informative--go for it!
If you're really, really good, you could also look into buying carbon offsets for your travel. How? Go to TerraPass to learn more. You'll be surprised at how little it costs to compensate for the kerosene you'll burn in that jetliner. For example, according to their site, you can purchase carbon offsets for a year's airline travel for about $50.
What do they do with your $50? To put it simply, TerraPass will invest your money in emissions reduction projects, chosen to effectively reverse the damage done to the environment by your travel. They purchase new, clean power and invest in ways to make it. Check out the link to find out how they're spending their customers' money in 2009. And while you're on their website, you can take a carbon footprint test and find out where you stand. It's kind of fun to know how much or how little you are contributing to global warming. Can you beat my score? Send me a comment if you take the test. I'd love to hear from you.
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Kingsolver’s writing style enthralled me. And listening to her read her own book on CD made it even better. Her voice brought a calm, soft-spoken strength to the issues; she reminded me of a female Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer. I really think these two should meet. Despite their entirely different fields, they both endeavor to bring a difficult message to the masses—one that involves a belief system.
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