The Red, White, and Green

If you read my post last week about the large amounts of chemicals about to be pumped through our apartment building, you know that we’re trying to move out of here – and fast. So I though I would post this video I made for HuffPo about my tips for a green move, which I filmed over the course of our last move. The tips are current, since that last relocation was but a mere four months ago.

The only difference this time: I’ll be packing our belongings in boxes from UsedCardboardBoxes.com instead of the Recopacks from Rent A Green Box; we haven’t actually found a new home yet, so I need options in case we have to put those boxes in storage. (You only get the Recopacks on loan for a couple of weeks.) Wish me luck–

–Jennifer Grayson

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[Watch video on YouTube]

When did you first decide to start eating organic? When my friends at Stonyfield Farm asked me if I would answer that question for their Organic Moment campaign, for which folks can upload personal videos about what organic means to them, I had to think way back. I mean, like way way back. One of my earliest memories, after all, is of my mom offering me samples of Oatios from the bulk bin at the health food store.

Were they organic, per se? I don’t know. But my early awareness of eating “natural” foods certainly set the stage for me to wholeheartedly embrace those first containers of organic milk and yogurt when they popped up in my supermarket circa 1993.

It’s a great idea, this (from a marketing perspective for Stonyfield, of course, but on a larger level as well); to get people talking about that light bulb moment when they stopped tossing packages in the shopping cart and suddenly started wondering, Hey! Where does my food come from? By listening to these stories, we can figure out how to best reach others who haven’t yet made the leap.

–Jennifer Grayson

p.s. Looks like my “organic moment” made the Stonyfield homepage! Check it out here.

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[Click here to watch video on YouTube]

No one would ever accuse me of being a spendthrift, but I am an easy sell for those in-store demos at Whole Foods. Or when folks invite you over to their stalls at the farmers market to taste samples. There’s just something about meeting the actual person behind the product — hearing his or her story, seeing the passion that went into creating it — I can never say no.

Clearly the folks at Abe’s Market are hip to the power of that format, which is why they recently launched Abe’s LIVE — an interactive online show where the sellers of the amazingly cool and boutiquey natural products on the site can demonstrate their wares, and where viewers can send questions to the on-air guests. Think Etsy meets Whole Foods meets Home Shopping Network.

And it’s addictively entertaining: I tuned in a few weeks ago on a morning when I had about 100 emails to answer and a feature deadline that afternoon. Not the wisest idea. (But I did “discover” a fabulous new chemical-free sunscreen called eco FACE that doesn’t leave you looking like Casper.)

The show also regularly features natural living experts; last week, it was yours truly. (Spoiler alert: There may be opera singing involved.) Watch, above, and then set your reminders for Abe’s LIVE tomorrow at 2pm EST — you won’t want to miss the fun!

–Jennifer Grayson

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[Watch video on Smarter Life Better Planet website]

Earth Day is one week from today, and I have to say: It’s been a bit disheartening to see what began in earnest as a call for environmental action turn into just another Hallmark holiday. I won’t be a jerk and call out specific companies, but in the past month-plus, I’ve received Earth Day-related product pitches for everything from recycled pens to a melatonin/vitamin blend. It’s great to see green become mainstream, but come on! We’re better than this.

We don’t need all this stuff. And calling the stuff “eco” doesn’t make the stuff OK.

Thank you to the folks at Haier for inviting me as a speaker for their Smarter Life Better Planet campaign, which is featuring videos from 30 environmental thought leaders in 30 days — including No Impact Man Colin Beavan and Earth Hour co-founder Andy Ridley — as a lead-up to Earth Day. (I do see the irony here, since Haier makes “stuff”; but much of it falls into the “necessary” category. Well, for modern life, anyway.)

–Jennifer Grayson

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In my real life, I’m not on food stamps (that was an experiment for last week’s Eco Etiquette column on HuffPost), but I do regularly cook up a big batch of the “kitchen sink stew” I feature in this video. It’s pretty much perfection in a pot, and it’s virtually idiot-proof: You throw in whatever combo of veggies/dried beans/meat you have on hand (preferably organic); toss in water and a can of tomato paste; stick a lid on it and turn the heat to low; and magic! Three hours later, you have the most magnificently beautiful and tasty stew you could ever imagine.

As long as you stick to the basic outline, the possibilities are endless. One of my favorite combos to date used white beans, chicken sausage, butternut squash, and rosemary (no tomato paste). It can also easily be made vegetarian — perfect for Meatless Monday.

Kitchen Sink Stew

Makes 8 servings

Swirl of extra virgin olive oil
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 stalks celery, peeled and diced
1 large onion
1 pound meat or vegetarian substitute (ground turkey, stew beef, sausage removed from casing, crumbled extra firm tofu — it all works!)
1 pound dried beans, any variety, rinsed and sorted (no need to soak)
Assorted chopped veggies (cabbage, spinach, zucchini, mushrooms, squash — whatever!), enough to come near the top of a large pot or French oven
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
8 cups water
Assorted spices, plus salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onion, and celery and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add meat and brown on all sides (if using ground meat, stir until cooked through). Add dried beans, assorted chopped veggies, can of tomato paste, water and spices, and stir. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cook three hours, or until beans are plump yet firm and the whole thing has melded into a proper stew, stirring occasionally and adding more water if necessary. Serve with a side of rice, pasta, or crusty bread.

–Jennifer Grayson

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[Watch video on WGNTV.com]

If you think the word budget shouldn’t come within 10 sentences of the word baby, think again: Babies actually require very little in the beginning. They don’t need much entertaining, the milk is free, and all those bouncers and activity stations and fancy outfits will do little more than add clutter to your once well organized abode once you realize that your little one is a sleeping/eating/pooping machine that will turn whatever outfit he or she is wearing into a giant napkin.

You want to make sure, however, that the essentials you do buy are as safe and healthy as possible. There are more than 80,000 industrial chemicals on the market in the United States today, few are regulated, and many of the most harmful ones — like BPA, formaldehyde, and dioxin — make it into baby products.

So check out some of my favorite picks for a lean, green nursery, above, that I shared with WGN Chicago viewers last Friday. They’ll leave you with enough spare change to start Junior’s college fund.

–Jennifer Grayson

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It may not have drawn the 2 million-strong crowd witnessed at the Los Angeles Lakers Parade the day before, but the LA Get Off Oil Day rally was a huge success in its own right. Organized by Josh and Rebecca Tickell to celebrate the release of the award-winning documentary Fuel on DVD — not to mention protest the BP oil spill — the event was a veritable who’s who of the green world.

Check out the eco leaders, policymakers, and green celebs in attendance in the video, above, and get inspired to head to the next big rally for clean energy in New Orleans on June 28! (Or at least make a donation to the cause — click here to learn how.)

–Jennifer Grayson

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[Watch video on MSNBC]

I’ve decided on my Earth Day resolution: I’m giving up my BlackBerry. It’s not to further reduce my energy consumption, though that is important — the International Energy Agency estimates that increased demand for energy from mobile devices could contribute to a doubling of CO2 emissions by 2030. Nope, it’s about renewing my appreciation for the beautiful world we live in, something I’ve been ignoring lately in my day-to-day life (I’m too busy checking my email).

Drastic? Perhaps. But the idea seemed to resonate with Dylan Ratigan over at MSNBC; I appeared on his show yesterday (see above) to talk about my Earth Day plans, which I had written about more thoroughly in this Huffington Post column.

I could go on with a longer Earth Day post — there’s a lot of exciting stuff happening out there today, like our National Parks being open for free all week — but I think I’m going to take my own advice and go enjoy the great outdoors (as much as I can, anyway; it is still a workday). Hope you can, too.

Happy Earth Day!

–Jennifer Grayson

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When your Meatless Monday meals start to get a bit predictable, there’s no better place to spark kitchen creativity than your local farmers market. Of course, with nearly 100 certified farmers markets in Los Angeles County every week, I’m never short on inspiration. Check out the Meatless Monday lunch I put together during a recent trip to the grandaddy of all farmers markets, the Hollywood Farmers Market (there’s nothing you can’t find there: heirloom green zebra tomatoes, organic quail eggs, raw milk butter from grass-fed cows, fresh-shucked oysters — yum!).

[Watch video on Vimeo]

Farmers Market Frisée Salad

Serves 2

One small head frisée lettuce, washed and torn into large pieces
2 eggs
½ tablespoon butter
¼ cup candied walnuts
¼ cup goat cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Place frisée in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper until dressing is emulsified. Toss lettuce gently with dressing and divide between two plates. Sprinkle equal amounts of goat cheese and candied walnuts onto each salad.

In the meantime, heat butter in skillet over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, crack both eggs in pan and fry until yolk is just firm but not hard. Place one egg on the center of each salad and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: For more recipe ideas, check out this Monday’s menu on the Meatless Monday website.

More Meatless Monday posts:
5 tips for sticking with Meatless Mondays
Take the Meatless Monday New Year’s pledge!

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I’m often asked by people who want to go green but don’t know where to start what I think is the most important and effective change a person can make. Should I buy a Prius? Eat only organic? Get solar panels for my home? All of those choices are fabulous if you have the resources to make them, but I truly believe that joining the Meatless Monday movement is No. 1. Why? Because it’s a small, subtle change that is eminently doable. And isn’t doable what you want for your New Year’s resolution?

[Watch video on Vimeo]

I took the Meatless Monday pledge in May, and even though the week-to-week change has been barely noticeable, it’s seriously opened my eyes to how profoundly our food choices impact the world around us (even for me, a longtime environmentalist). As Michael Pollan says, eating is a political act.

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: What else? Make Meatless Monday your New Year’s resolution. Happy New Year!

More Meatless Monday posts:
Meatless Monday: Your holiday reading list

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