Smells Like Green Spirit

I live in a house that’s been converted to three apartments, and the mail man slides all of our mail through a little slot in the front door. The other two apartments are occupied by the family of the owners of the home, and every day when I come home, one of them has separated our mail, always generously leaving me with all the junk mail.

It drives me insane! The amount of junk mail I get every single day!! I fully believe that a talented carpenter could build one fine home per year out of the freakin’ junk mail I receive.

Thankfully, there are companies out there who can help us!

The Direct Marketing Association

The Direct Marketing Association’s website will take you off of the mailing list that many companies use. You fill out their little form, and pay a fee of $1 (to help protect their system from fraud, so they say). Within 30 - 90 days, you will stop receiving all mailings from companies who are a part of the association.

Pros

* Only costs a dollar!
* Companies who are a part of the DMA are required to use their mailing list, so it really will make a difference.

Cons

*You might stop receiving “junk” mail you want, like catalogs (shop online, man), coupons, or announcements of new businesses in your area.
*It won’t stop mail coming from those who aren’t a part of the DMA, political candidates, local merchants, alumni associations, and mail addressed to “resident”. Poo.

Credit Card Applications

With the amount of identity theft that goes on, and how hard this process is to reverse, it is SOOOOO important that you stop silly credit card applications from coming to your home! If you ever decide you really need another credit card, you can just go online later and easily find one million sites that want to give you one.

The reason we get credit applications is because the four major credit reporting companies share our info. Boo to them!

I stopped credit card applications from being sent to me by calling a little number that appears in the fine print in the applications.

1-888-5-OPTOUT

I opted out several years ago, and have totally stopped receiving all credit card applications, and I recommend you do the same!

You can also opt out by mail, by writing a letter to all three credit reporting agencies, but I can vouch for the phone number working just fine. Here are links to the websites of the reporting agencies in case you wanted to check them out:

Equifax

Transunion

Experian

Here are some other options to check out, though those listed above should really do you right…

stopthejunkmail.com for 19.95, this website opts you out of junkmail listings, and plants a tree!

optoutprescreen.com another place to opt out of mailing lists

and for our friends in the U.K…mpsonline.org

Well, until next time, dear reader! Save a tree and get rid of annoying junk mail!!

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Hey there, internet friend and/or creepy stalker.

It’s been almost a month since I started this here blog as a way to encourage me to be good, to encourage me to make some changes, to jump start me in making a change to either help the earth, or at least stop doing my worst to ruin it.

So, how have I done? Well, thank you for asking! The main changes I’ve made have been in eating vegetarian-ly, educating myself about all the green issues you probably already knew about because yes, actually, I have been living in a cave, and taking little baby steps to reduce my carbon feetprints.

Vegetarianism

I’ve tried twice before to be a vegetarian.

The first time, all I ate was cookies and grilled cheeses, and that lasted about 6 months before I got really ill, and ran into a hamburger joint in near tears.

The second time I knew what I needed — actual vegetables — but the only vegetable I liked was broccoli. All I ate was broccoli and rice and beans for another six months. I had no energy what so ever, and again, I ran back to my old friend the hamburger.

I couldn’t give up though. I was telling my fella one night how I felt like vegetarianism was a better choice for me morally because I don’t want to support the meat packing industry, and really it makes me sad to think of eating cute little animals. He pointed out that I was obviously a liar, since I ate cute little animals about every time I opened my mouth. He had challenged my honor to a duel and I couldn’t just sit back and let him!

This time, I’m taking it slow. I’m letting myself eat meat still once every week or two. It feels like I’m addicted to meat, because after a week or two of veggin it up…I start to obsess over eating a huge chunk of animal. I must be vitamin deficient, or maybe my body is seriously addicted to meat. We’ll see how this develops.

Carbon Feetprints

Call me stupid (Hey, stupid!), but I somehow didn’t know that the energy we use in our homes and stuff contributes to our carbon footprint. So, one big change I’ve made is now turning off lights and fans and air conditioners when I leave the room. Not exactly an earth shattering change, but it’s a little something.

I’ve also been using my hair dryer less, letting my hair air-dry for a while and then using my dryer minimally, just to make sure it doesn’t dry all wavy and crazy looking. (Believe me - not a pretty sight.)

I’ve been good about not using my car very often, but I still need to get a bike. I was mugged walking home from a bar a few weeks ago, and so my fella’s been making me take taxis home at night, not something I like to do. But, if I had a bike…

Edjumakation

The greatest change I’ve made is learning more. Learning how to contact my alderman to let him know of things that I think need to be changed. Learning about making conscientious shopping choices to help make a tiny change in what businesses rule our world. Being able to tell my friends where to go in Chicago to recycle.

Final words of Wisdom?

I still have a long way to go. I need to buy a bicycle. I want to learn more about the business and politics that really affect our life and environment. I want to learn more about the people in our world who have made a difference, and about what different cities do. I want to get more involved either in a volunteer or non-annoying activist capacity.

Wish me luck?? Hey, thanks! And thanks for reading!!

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I am lucky enough to live in South Ukranian Village in Chicago, where I get to throw all my recyclables in a fancy blue bin in my alley, where the city picks up all my stuff for me. Yay!

But what about you, poor soul, do you not have a fancy blue bin to call your own? Fear not, for the City of Chicago has so kindly opened up 15 new recycling drop off facilities just for you.

Where are these awesome drop off sites?

Open 7 days a week during daylight hours, the locations are (drumroll, please!)

1. City Facility Campus - 1424 W. 39th St
2. Near South - 1758 S. Clark
3. Calumet Park Beach - 9801 S. Avenue G
4. Auburn Gresham - 7811 S. Racine
5. Household Products and Electronics Collection - 1150 N. North Branch
6. Chicago Center for Green Technology - 445 N. Sacramento
7. North Lawndale - 1817 S. Pulaski
8. West Pullman - 11615 S. Indiana
9. Pasteur Park - 5825 S. Kostner
10. Marquette Park - 6734 S. Kedzie
11. Riis Park - 6110 W. Fullerton
12. Portage Park - 4243 N. Neenah
13. Kosciuszko Park - 2732 N. Avers
14. Rainbow Park - 3111 E. 77th St.
15. Far North Side - 6441 N. Ravenswood

What do they accept??

• Glass jars and bottles
• Aluminum cans, foil and pie tins
• Tin or steel cans
• Cereal boxes, paper towel rolls, other cardboard including corrugated cardboard
• Plastic bottles and containers (#s 1-5 and 7)
• Junk Mail
• Magazines and catalogs
• Telephone books
• Paper bags
• Office paper and file folders
• Newspaper and inserts

Throwing all my recyclables together sounds suspicious…

So, apparently there was a big stink about the “blue bag” program, where recyclables in blue bags were just thrown together with regular trash, as in maybe the blue bags were just all for show.

The difference now is that regular trash is separate from recyclables, and I guess there are people that separate all the recyclables…

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My mom treated me to lunch at Empire Cafe while I was visiting her in Houston. My mom lives in Friendswood, which is a town about forty five minutes south of Houston, an area where many of the astronauts live. Mom says some days she’ll find an excuse to come to Houston just so she can eat at Empire Cafe, located in the heart of the Montrose area.

The restaurant is open and sunny, (what Empire calls a “European atomosphere”) with plenty of outdoor seating…although personally I don’t know why anyone would go out of their way to sit outside on an oppressively humid summer day in Houston! Several walls are home to a group of fabulous, large vintage looking paintings of pin up and burlesque ladies, (none of which are risque or unfamily friendly, in case you were wondering), and one wall in the back is lined with polaroids of their “customer of the week.”

Menu

Empire has all the fancy type coffee drinks you’d expect from a European style joint. Their vegetarian friendly breakfast options include things like Italian polenta, Irish oatmeal, a long list of egg specialties such as the ”Hunters Style” (on foccacia bread with crimini mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, served with cheddar hash browns and fruit) and omeletes and a ”Spinaci Fritatta”. Vegetarian lunch options include an eggplant panini, pizzas on white or whole wheat crust, pastas, and a vegetable griglia.

Mom and I stopped by around breakfast time, and I ordered a “Verdi” where my two eggs came on a spinach nest of garlic and olive oil, and came with the sides of cheddar hash browns and fresh fruit. It was great. I’m not always a huge fan of hash browns (I know, I know, I’m maybe the only person on earth who’s not a big fan of potatoes), but I loved the cheddar hash browns. The food was delicious and elegantly presented. The cinnamon pastry my mom started off with was huge and decadent.

I would not have any complaints about stopping by Empire again the next time I’m in Houston.

Pros

I’m a sucker for the art on the walls

Plenty of vegetarian and omnivoric (is that a word?) options and coffee drinks.

Lots of outdoor seating.

Cons

Not a great selection of vegan options.

Contact Info

www.empirecafe.com

1732 Westheimer Rd

713-528-5282

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My Trip to the National Museum of Funeral History

I just got back from visiting my family in Houston. I dragged my mom along to all the kitschy things to do down there like the Orange Show (a folk art theme park dedicated to the orange which a former postal worker spent many years building from found materials), the Art Car Museum (Houston is reknown for its annual art car parade), and all the art museums.

Unfortunately we ran out of time for the Beer Can House (the house built entirely of beer cans), but we did make it to the National Museum of Funeral History, which was eerie but interesting. The museum housed examples of hearses through the ages, “fantasy coffins” which look like big wooden folk art sculptures shaped like huge crabs or turnips, a see through glass “Snow White” coffin, relics from celebrity funerals, and relics and photos of mourning through the ages. I definitely recommend stopping by the museum if you’re ever in Houston.

It got me thinking about graveyards and tombs. I understand the importance of having a place to visit, to honor your loved one who’s passed away, but it also seems like such a waste of land and space. I am not knocking cemetaries, I think they are beautiful, historic, and interesting, an important part in the mourning process, and spiritually important, but thinking about funerals and graveyards got me wondering about green funerals. Is there a way to accomplish the same things in a way to be environmentally friendly? Does that even exist?

Turns out they do exist!

So, what the heck is a green burial?

“Green Burial is a statement of personal values; it is a sustainable and spiritually fulfilling solution for people seeking to leave a legacy of care and respect for our planet,” says the Forest of Memories Website

They promote the use of biodegradable caskets, the avoidance chemical embalming, and encourage the planting of native trees and wildlife over the burial site instead of a more traditional gravestone, for the formation of a nature preserve in addition to a graveyard.

Where are Green Burial Sites Located?

In the Midwest, unfortunately there aren’t any green burial sites in existance yet…an organization called the Trust for Natural Legacies is looking for land that would be suitable for use. This is their website for more information

They list locations of conservation cemetaries, as they call them, in New York, Florida, Texas, California, and South Carolina.

Visit this page for locations in the US and Canada.

For More Information

* Here’s a link to an interesting article about the early years of the green cemetary in South Carolina From the AARP Website

* What about being buried in an elegant shroud? Visit Kinkaraco’s site

* Here’s a BBC Article about being buried in your backyard?

* This page on funerals.org discusses other matters, including organ and body donation, cremation, and suggestions for donations to be made to worthy or environmental charities after your passing.

* Here is a link to the Mother Earth News Forum if you have any issues you wanted to discuss with others…without freaking your friends out.

Any other thoughts? Resources? Leave a comment!

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My friend Alla just moved here from Decatur, Georgia, where she used to consistently shop at a huge, independent farmer’s market. Trying to find something similar here in Chicago, and sharing my dislike of Whole Foods’ high prices and sweeping takeover of independent stores, she asked me if knew anything about the business practices of Trader Joe’s.

Here are a few things I’ve discovered:

• Trader Joe’s does not take part in slotting fees like Whole Foods does.
  • Slotting fees are essentially little bribes that companies pay to have their products placed in key points in grocery stores, such as eye level, to ensure maximum selling power.
  • Slotting fees mean that items that might be better quality or price are often relegated to the lesser noticed areas and shelves, such as the very high or very low ones.
• Trader Joe’s endeavors to advertise more through word of mouth than through paper advertising, which creates less waste, and is far less annoying
• Trader Joe’s bases its product selection on customer demand and product quality, which is pretty cool, although (and I hate to say this!) sometimes the breadth of selection can seem a little lacking.
• On that note, the selection of fresh produce could be better. But hey, this gives more incentive to shop for produce at a Community Supported Agriculture farm.
• Some people get irritated by all the packaging on the fruits and veggies. (Though I sheepishly admit I don’t remember noticing this.)
• TJ’s is less expensive than Whole Foods. (but, honestly..what isn’t?)
• I hear TJ’s is anti-union, much like Whole Foods.

It seems like Trader Joe’s is a good option as far as grocery stores go!

www.traderjoes.com

CHICAGO LOCATIONS

• 1840 N Clybourne Ave 773-274-9733
• 3745 N Lincoln Ave 773-248-4920
• 44 E Ontario St 312-951-6369

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I’ve never done a single political thing in my life, save working at a call center in the 1996 elections to get extra credit for a government class. (I now know what telemarketers feel like, ug.)

As you probably already know, but what I was ignorant of, is that Chicago is divided up into 50 wards, which are run by an alderman, so if you want to contact someone about making a change, the alderman is your dude. (Or lady.)

The city of Chicago website has ward maps you can download, with the name of the alderman for your ward at:

www.cityofchicago.org (the link is on the bottom right of the page)

Once you figure out your ward, clicking the link on the City of Chicago website gives you their phone number, email and address for contacting your alderman about any issue!

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I’ve often wondered how someone can possibly make a living in this day and age as a farmer, and must bashfully admit I envision long, arduous, miserable hours of slaving away to scrape pennies out of the fields. Reading about huge corporate farms makes me sad, especially when it comes to the way it puts independent farming out of business, and the way they treat their employees.

Something we can all do to support local, independent farmers, to get fresh fruits and vegetables straight from the source, and to get more involved in our communities and the process of agriculture is to look into what CSA’s or Community Supported Agriculture are available near us. This type of operation completely eliminates the middle man, thus ensuring more money goes straight into farmers’ pockets, and fresher food goes into our homes and bellies.

Often, CSA’s will have consumers pay an amount up front to receive some of the bounty of the fields, which is picked up about once a week. Buying from local farms that take part in this process not only saves you money, but the farmers make sure to have as much of a variety as possible in each batch.

A Website you can visit to find CSA’s in your area is:

http://www.organicconsumers.org/csa.htm

CHICAGO AREA CSA’S

Although I’ve yet to visit a CSA, some listings for CSA’s in the Chicago area are:

• Sweet Earth Organic Farm
  • 608-875-6026
  • www.sweetearthorganicfarm.com
• Prarie Crossing - Community Supported Garden
  • 847-548-4030

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IF THE NAME FITS…

I heard on NPR yesterday that Lady Bird had passed away. I’ve always wondered why someone could, in good conscience, name a child “Lady Bird,” but apparently her real name was Claudia, and Lady Bird was just a nickname a nurse gave her at the age of two, as she was as “purdy as a lady bird.” Though Claudia hated the nickname, it stuck! Later in life she garnered another nickname, that of the Environmental First Lady.

Never much of a history buff, I never knew until yesterday that Lady Bird was hugely responsible for the beautification of our nation’s highways and cities with native plants and wildflowers, and though her work was largely overshadowed by the rocky presidency of her husband, she worked to eliminate pollution, urban decay, and poverty as well.

Lady Bird was criticized by some for her lack of style and glamour like that of her predecessor Jackie Onassis, but though she did entertain with her Texas charm in the White House, she was more concerned with preserving and increasing America’s natural beauty. Pretty cool, huh?

Here’s some history of the li’l lady in case you’re interested…

oil on canvas 16″ x 20″ painting by Laura Callier

THE “ENVIRONMENTAL FIRST LADY’S” LEGACY IN THE CAPITAL

Many people think of Lady Bird while driving along a highway surrounded by blooming wildflowers. The Highway Beautification Act of 1965 was the first major legislative campaign begun by a first lady, and received the nickname “Lady Bird’s Bill” because of her support. The act encouraged the control of outdoor advertising and junkyards along highways and the planting of native wildflowers to beautify the roadside. As a part of this .25 - 1 % of funds for the landscaping of highways is allocated for the planting of native plants and wildflowers.

She created the Committee for a More Beautiful Capital to beautify DC and make it an example city for the whole nation. Beyond just planting gardens around the capital building itself, Lady Bird inspired businesses to beautify parks and low income areas as well, and she concerned herself with pollution, urban decay, and the mental health of cities’ residents.

Lady Bird worked hard to preserve and conserve historic and natural sites, even helping to prevent the construction of dams in the Grand Canyon and the creation of the Redwoods National Park.

BEAUTIFICATION OF THE LONE STAR STATE

After Lyndon left office, Lady Bird focused her efforts in Austin, becoming one of the leading forces behind the 10 mile hike and bike trail along the Colorado River, and working on the Town Lake Beautification project in the 70s.

Starting in 1969, for twenty years Lady Bird worked for the beautification of Texas Highways, personally paying those who did the best work as a part of her Texas Highway Beautification Awards, and eventually creating the National Wildflower Center in 1982.

SOME QUOTES:

First Lady Betty Ford: “Her beautification programs benefited the entire nation. She translated her love for the land and the environment into a lifetime of achievement.”

wildflower.org: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center “The Wildflower Center is the capstone of her lifelong commitment to the nation’s environment…it’s become one of the country’s most effective voices for protecting native plants, natural landscapes and ecological health.”

“I think there is no legacy she would more treasure than to have helped people recognize the value in preserving and promoting our native land,” Luci Baines Johnson said in a statement after her death.

pbs.org
“Getting on the subject of beautification is like picking up a tangled skein of wool,” she wrote in her diary on January 27, 1965. “All the threads are interwoven — recreation and pollution and mental health, and the crime rate, and rapid transit, and highway beautification, and the war on poverty, and parks — national, state and local. It is hard to hitch the conversation into one straight line, because everything leads to something else.”

Sources:

wildflower.org

lbjlib.utexas.edu

pbs.org

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Eppy’s Deli cracked me up.

There was a handmade sign on the door depicting two men. The first was dead and had a Subway sandwich in his hand. The second man was surrounded by babes, and had one hand full of cash, and an Eppy’s sandwich in the other.

There was a handwritten timeline behind the register that went something like (I might be getting these dates wrong):

1956 - Epstein made fun of for using Kosher salt

1960 - Kicked off sports team. Joins accounting team

1976 - Ate at Subway for the first time. Got pissed off.

1986 - Ate at Subway for the second time. Got even more pissed off.

1995 - Saw Soup Nazi on Seinfeld. Got inspired.

And then, in 2004, self-described “old Jewish guy” opened his Kosher deli.

MENU 

As you might have guessed, their specialties include the corned beef, the pastrami, and the reubens, but I ate a made to order salad piled high with beets, artichokes, chick peas, broccoli, carrots, cucumber and a mountain of field greens. The ingredients were fresh, the balsamic vinagrette was nice and tangy, and the price was right. Other vegetarian options include the portabella mushroom sandwich, the egg salad sandwich and some of the rotating soups.

I will definitely head back to Eppy’s for a salad, and of course to appreciate Epstein’s lovely handiwork.

Note: Since writing this original review, I went back to Eppy’s to try the portabella sandwich. With each sandwich, you get to choose from 5 different breads, 5 different cheeses, any vegetable from the salad creation station, and 2 of any of the 5 sides which include cole slaw, fruit salad, and potato chips. The portabella sandwich was ok, but not stellar. I definitely liked the salad better.

PROS

Good, fresh salads

Cheap prices

They offer 10% student discounts, and 10% off if you work in the area

CONS

Not a whole lot of vegetarian options

LOCATION 

224 E Ontario St

312-943-7797

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