Green Gal

First off, a quick update: my hair is still not super oily. I can feel the oil when I touch the top of my head, but no one can tell. The make-it-yourself deodorant works, as long as you don't go on a bike ride at top speed and sweat it off (however, I may not have applied enough that day because I used a blush brush...still have not found a suitable applicator. I tried a powder puff and that put too much. Cotton balls come apart and they aren't reusable.) Veganism is still going strong...but you'll see in a few moments why I've been challenged by my options and why it hasn't been at the forefront of my mind every time I eat something (although it's not like I've eaten meat or cheese...just things that may contain small amounts of dairy). Since Saturday, my family and I have been in and out of the hospital with my sister. She had a kidney transplant on Monday and is doing great! We plan on being here for a few weeks, staying nearby at a Ronald McDonald Hou...

It's been almost a week since I first washed my hair with just water--no shampoo. And it's looking great! Before I went no shampoo , I used LUSH shampoo, and I never style it with fancy chemical product, so it's been pretty natural for awhile now. I usually only wash it two or three times a week, so the transition shouldn't be too difficult. So far I've washed it twice with just water and it's as thick and lovely as before. My hair doesn't get oily very easily, so fortunately, it's only a little bit oily near the top of my head, but not noticeably so. Now I'm saving materials (and money!) and reducing the amount of chemicals that go down the drain--all while becoming more natural and less reliant on chemicals and industry. I'm trying to convince my mom to try it, but she's used to shampoo and using styling products and making her hair look nice, so it would take a lot to convince her. I tested out Melinda's deodorant recipe of baking so...

I've compiled for myself some vegan resources that I hope will be helpful to me as I embark on my vegan voyage tomorrow. I tried to find a printable, pocket-sized list of animal ingredients that I may not be aware of when looking at ingredient lists. From PETA , I found a list with explanations and alternatives and then condensed the ingredients down, removing the additional information. Here is the list (You can copy and past into a word document, change font to 8-pt. Arial, make the page landscape and all margins .9 and it should all fit onto one page that you can print and fold up into a wallet.): Adrenaline. Alanine. Albumen. Albumin. Alcloxa. Aldioxa. Aliphatic Alcohol. Allantoin. Alligator Skin. Alpha-Hydroxy Acids. Ambergris. Amino Acids. Aminosuccinate Acid. Angora. Animal Fats and Oils. Animal Hair. Arachidonic Acid. Arachidyl Proprionate. Aspartic Acid. Aminosuccinate Acid. Bee Pollen. Bee Products. Beeswax. Honeycomb. Benzoic Acid. Beta Carotene. Biotin. Vitamin H. Vitam...

The past few days, I've been thinking about what my goals are for greening my lifestyle. I scrolled through countless posts on The Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op blog , found awesome recipes for making my own soap and deodorant , and learned that you don't really need shampoo . And I've compiled a list of things that I'd like to try out in the coming month. Here is what I've come up with. Please feel free to figure out what works for you from my list and apply it to your life. It always feels rejuvenating to make goals and stick with them. Around the house: - Change my light bulbs to CFL/LED - Hang more laundry to dry outside since the weather has been so warm - Attempt making my own deodorant, soap, lip balm , and cleaning products - Go no 'poo--shampoo that is - Boycott paper towels and use old rags instead--and remind my mom and sister to do so, as well - Finally get a bucket to put under the faucet for the shower water while it heats up - Turn the TV off more ...

I've been a little neglectful of my blog these past weeks. I was camping, cabining, and spending time with my sister, so I haven't had a chance to sign on and write. But now I have a chance, and figure I should post a Meatless Mondays meal since I haven't in a while. Salad pita sandwich Ingredients: - your favorite pita bread - organic lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, onions, olives, guacamole--anything you enjoy in salads (except meat or chicken, of course!) - your favorite organic salad dressing--avoid dressings with dairy products if you want to go cow-free for your Meatless Monday . My personal favorite dressing is honey-mustard. Directions: 1. Chop carrots, tomatoes, onions, olives, etc. into bite-sized pieces. 2. Open the pita bread pocket so you can stuff things inside without things falling through the other end. 3. Stuff lettuce in to the bottom, being careful not to poke through the bread. 4. In which ever order you'd like, place the different veggies into the pock...

I pulled the dark green book from its place in the closet and placed it beside Tolstoy, Hesse, and a Sierra Nevada natural history book in my orange backpack. The engraving on the spine is gold and reads My First Summer in the Sierra -- John Muir. In another bag, socks and shorts, long-sleeved shirts and sweatshirts were crammed together like many individual shoots in a carpet of moss. A camera bag nearby held my Canon Rebel XS, my lovely digital SLR. Boots and a sleeping bag and a CamelBak pack filled with water sat nearby, yearning for the cool mountain air, almost as much as I was. We left home and didn't stop until we reached a little town called Escalon. We bought diet Cokes and a container of fries, knowing the fries would be burned off the next day. Yosemite was still about 100 miles away, but home was far behind us and our destination lay ahead. At the forefront of our minds was the 17 mile hike to Half Dome we would be taking tomorrow--a 12 hour hike that would bring fort...

Joey Lee, executive assistant for Meatless Mondays, recently commented on my blog post , encouraging me to begin a weekly Meatless Mondays recipe post with pictures and recipe information for interesting, yummy, nutritious meatless meals. I’m hesitant to take on this project because of the obligation I am creating for myself, but I might as well try. It may turn into a bi-weekly or monthly post, depending on how well it works out. I’m not a huge cook, but I am definitely participating in Meatless Mondays (and have eliminated all beef from my diet), so I want to spread the word and encourage others to try it out. My first meal is a vegetable kabob dish with brown rice on the side. I bought my veggies pre-kabobbed from Trader Joes (so I didn’t pluck them from my own garden or select them from the farmers market), but making this meal with local, organic veggies only makes it taste better—and reduces your environmental impact! And the recipe is really quite simple. Ingredients: - fresh, ...