Cardo's Farm Project: Community Agriculture near Denton, Texas

Cardo's farm project provides sustainably-grown and local produce to the Denton Community Market each week, as well as to local restaurants.

They are in the midst of their Kickstarter campaign to raise $15,000 for new farm infrastructure.

Here is the link to donate and support local agriculture and education.

You can also watch this video

Urban Farm in Denton, Texas: Earthwise Produce Creates Farm for Denton Community Market in Subdivision

Earthwise Produce is currently preparing the soil at a vacant lot between two homes as a future urban farm or garden for produce to be sold at the Denton Community Market.

I was attending a Board meeting of the Denton Community Market, and Ryan Crocker of Earthwise Produce, a current vendor, was talking about his difficulties in finding a vacant lot in Denton for growing local produce. After thinking about it a few minutes, I realized that a vacant lot that I own in my subdivision next to my house could be the perfect spot.

The property is about 1/4th of an acre and has not had any application of chemicals since at least 1995. Ryan plans on producing chemical-free salad greens and other produce this fall to sell at the Market. This will be the most local produce that the Market will have, being a "farm" within the Denton City limits.

DFW Solar House Tour: Denton, Texas Home

I visited one home on the North Texas Renewable Energy Group's DFW Solar Home Tour. After hearing about their home about 1 year ago, I was pleased to be able to visit the Soph Residence in Denton, Texas.

Their system, installed by North Texas Renewable Energy, is directly tied into the energy grid, without the use of storage batteries. In fact, if there is ever a power outage, the Sophs or Denton Municipal Electric (DME) must shut off their system to avoid injury to workers restoring the power. A meter shows how much energy they are generating or sending back to the grid at any time.

Denton Municipal Electric created the GreenSense Program and a $15,000 rebate for future solar installations as a result of the Soph House. Over time, the Sophs hope other residents will take advantage of these incentives and provide a home-grown source of renewable energy. Since DME gets 40% of the electricity from wind energy, the Sophs have a nearly zero impact on the environment from their home energy use.

For lower-cost solutions, they suggest purchasing energy-star appliances and installing a timer on the whole-house water heater to reduce the time that the heater is utilizing energy.

Cascadian Farm® Instructions on Canning

If you have fresh vegetables and fruits from your early fall garden (hopefully chemical-free) or farmers market, here is a useful blog post on the basic steps to canning.

Cascadian Farm® Step-By-Step Canning Basics.






Photo: September Day at the Denton Community Market

No Impact Week: The Green Lifestyle Challenge

What's Your Tree, created by Julia Butterfly Hill, has organized a No Impact Week based upon the No Impact Project. On a conference call with Julia, she discussed the importance of really thinking about what one really needs in life. As we get rid of items and aspects of our lives that we don't need, we make rooms for new things in our life. This concept can apply to anything that we buy. Though it's not possible to have "no impact," we can strive to have less of an impact on the environment and be mindful of what we use and purchase.

The No Impact Week for What's Your Tree is from September 19th to September 25th, 2010.

Sustainability Plans: Greening Entire Cities

I am very excited about the current trends in urban planning. Many cities across the United States are creating plans to promote energy efficiency, sustainable practices at the local government level, and sustainability in the private sector as well. Only a limited number of cities had sustainability plans prior to this, with some setting city-wide goals or reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Cities are now striving to overlay their comprehensive plans with these new sustainability goals. The implementation of these plans are in the initial stages and there is a great opportunity to make significant gains in green practices, green buildings, energy reduction, reuse of materials, environmental goals, and economic viability in the new economy. ICLEI is one organization promoting standards and training in this field. There are many other organizations as well, including ISO, USGBC (US Green Building Council), the American Planning Association, and others.

Go Organic, Go Co-op

I recently joined an organic produce co-op. Every two weeks, I receive a large box of fruits and vegetables, some from a local organic farm and other items from an organic produce distributor. It's a great way to meet people also interested in organic food and the environment as well as save money on your grocery bill. I still shop at the local health food store for other items, but it's fun to see what will be in my "goodie box" with every co-op shipment.

I had to pay a membership fee, and I do not get to choose what I get each order. Each co-op is different, however, so check on membership fees and rules.

Here are some website links to find co-ops near you.

Local Harvest

Coop Directory Service

Organic Consumers Association Food Coops and Health Food Stores

Live Green and Save Money: Coupons and Other Saving Ideas

In these economic times, most people are trying to find ways to save money. It is also possible to live "green" on a budget as well.

I generally buy organic and natural foods as well as biodegradable and recycled-material household products. These are some strategies I have used to save money and live green:

1. Watch for coupons in newspaper inserts as well as other sources, such as health food store flyers and advertisements.
2. Contact companies of your favorite organic food, natural food, or green product. Most companies have email "contact us" links that can be used to request coupons or discounts. Make sure you include your name and address with inquiries.
3. Buy in bulk when products are on sale, at health food stores or even grocery stores that have health food or natural products.
4. Green products from Amazon.com are available at deep discounts and in bulk.
5.Check out this Organic and Natural Foods blog for a list of organic grocery companies with online coupons as well as contact information.

Find Green Living Books on Library Thing

I just started using the website Library Thing to catalog my personal library as well as leave reviews for books. As with blogs, members can tag books in their library.

This site is a good way to find new books on green living, healthy homes, and the environment as well as read reviews by its members. Do a search of "tags" for any topic that interests you.

Minimize Mold Exposure in Your Home

From personal experience, I believe many people do not often understand the potential health effects of mold. Not only can mold cause allergic reactions in many individuals, but also the mytoxins produced by mold can cause immune system dysfunction and serious neurological problems.

There have been many recent cases of sick buildings with "black mold" as well as other types of mold that thrive on wet drywall and other materials. Severe mold contamination may require a mold remediation company to clean up the property and remove mold. In some cases, the property may be uninhabitable.

On a daily basis, however, there are some basic steps to avoid mold in your home:

1. Immediately address any leaks, no matter how small, in your roof, bathrooms, kitchens, or any other part of the home. Replace any drywall or wood that shows signs of mold.

2. If you have a central ventilation system, have the vents cleaned periodically (I have them cleaned about every 3 years) to remove any mold-spores as well as dust and particulate build-up.

3. In humid climates, use a dehumidifier, especially in basements.

4. Use vents in bathrooms or other areas where there is regular moisture.

5. Use bathroom squeegees after each shower to remove excess water from the shower stall to prevent mildew.

6. Make sure water drains away from the house at least several feet during rainstorms. A properly installed gutter system will help prevent standing water from accumulating around the foundation.

7. Opt for smooth floor surfaces, such as tile, rather than carpeting that can accumulate mold spores.

8. Use HEPA air filters in your home.

Some useful links:

American Environmental Health Foundation article

Common Molds in Home, Office, or School article by American Environmental Health Foundation

EPA links on Mold

New Basic Book on Green Living: Green Chic

Green Chic: Saving the Earth in Style is an easy-to-read guide for people who want to start living green without sacrificing their quality of life or personal style.

Christie Matheson, a food and fashion critic, writes this green guide for the masses because she believes everyone needs to take steps to save the planet. She is concerned about carbon dioxide levels, general pollution, and the waste of valuable natural resources.

She begins the book with relatively easy steps the reader can take to start living green, from taking shorter showers to replacing bottled water with refillable, stainless steel containers. She advocates that everyone replace items as needed, rather than running out and immediately replacing everything with green items.

She offers seven other detailed chapters on green homes, food, beauty products, fashion, daily transportation, occasions and holidays, as well as the "big green things" to do. She also includes an appendix of her favorite green things. Each chapter is a very good introduction to taking steps in every aspect of the the reader's life. She advocates using natural cleaning products, opting for organic clothing, driving the speed limit to save gas, as well as other smart tips for green living.

A few links from her favorite green things appendix are:

Gomi NYC: an ecofriendly boutique in New York City

Stewart and Brown: eco-friendly clothes

White Dog: cafe in Philadelphia prepares food with sustainable ingredients


This book is definitely a great addition to any library on green living.

Green Living Getting a lot of Attention for Earth Day: NBC on toxic living test and NY Times on Green Living

Green living is in the news more than ever before tomorrow's upcoming Earth Day. Over the weekend, the New York Times Magazine featured a Green Issue . The issue focused on steps everyone can take to reduce their carbon footprints. Solar energy, walking, green building, and organic clothing were among the topics discussed.

Also Dateline NBC compared toxins in two families, one living green and one that does not. Both families took a body burdern blood test. Both families had over 40 chemicals out of 76 tested, but the levels were different for each family.

The non-green did not do well in terms of levels of chemicals for daily products: PFCs from cookware were very high in the non-green family (3X), parabens from body products (4X) in the women, phthalates from plastics very high in the boys of the non-green family, and triclosan (anti-bacterial) was much higher for the non-green family as a whole.

The green family did not do well in two catogories: bisphenol A (metal cans and baby items) as well as lead. It was higher in the parents, possibly from their childhoods.






Links for further information on product ingredients:

toxic ingredients links from Dateline

Some Helpful Links on Pharmaceuticals in Drinking Water

The Associated Press investigation on drinking water contamination by pharmaceuticals is a recent installment to the ongoing research about this topic. The U.S. government as well as other scientists have been studying this issue for some time. Here are some interesting links about the topic:

EPA information on Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in the Environment (PPCPs): Frequently Asked Questions about PPCPs in the environment and basic introduction.

USGS What's In Our Wastewater and Where Does It Go? an array of studies and articles on contaminants in wastewater. "The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has implemented a national reconnaissance to provide baseline information on the environmental occurrence of "emerging contaminants" such as human and veterinary pharmaceuticals (e.g., fluoxetine and lincomycin), industrial and household wastewater products (e.g., p-nonyphenol and triclosan), and reproductive and steroidal hormones (e.g., equilenin and progesterone) in water resources."

The Environmental Working Group: A national assessment of tap water quality.

Drugs/Pharmaceuticals In Drinking Water Video

An Associated Press investigation found that pharmaceutical drugs are widespread in drinking water suppliers. No one really knows what are the long-term health effects. This is yet another reason to install water filtration in your home. Reverse osmosis is one type of home system that is supposed to remove these drugs.

Eco-friendly and Healthy Things To Do for Spring

Spring is here and it is the perfect time to renew your home and garden with eco-friendly practices.

1. Buy a compost bin and begin to recycle household and garden waste for extra rich soil in your garden. Compost adds vital nutrients and microorganisms to the soil.


2. Use several inches of mulch on your garden instead of resorting to weed killers.

3. Buy organic seeds from Seeds of Change or other venues.

4. Spring Cleaning: unclutter your house to create a healthier indoor environment---minimizes dust and other allergens that collect on items and promotes easier cleaning.

5. Spring Cleaning: select natural and biodegradable cleaning products for your home. These are now readily available in health food stores, some grocery chains, and online stores.

6. Add solar lighting to your yard to save energy and provide an attractive addition to your organic yard.

7. Add recycling to your daily routine. Earth911 has a website that enables you to find a local recycling or reuse locations.


Eco-Living at Gaiam