Link-worthy

Uncle Adam’s candids rock! And his landscapes are even better. After years of requests to make his work available to the public he has finally done it.

Check out his site for amazing pictures of the SF Bay Area, the Rockies, and more! Here are a couple samples to whet your appetite. (Click for larger versions.)

Just as I was mourning the waste created by our seasonal gift giving and receiving and my own increased impact during visits to homes that don’t recycle or compost I was forwarded a link to a story about a man who saved his trash for an entire year.

I was inspired, so I now have a stash of recycling to bring home from our holiday travels in my suitcase just as Ari Derfel brought home his 16 pounds of trash from Hawaii.

Becoming a parent has had a huge impact of my material footprint. Convenience is tempting when you add juggling a kid (or two or more) to your life, and I choose it more often than I’d like - sometimes it is in the form of disposable diapers, other times it is in choosing a prepackaged food, or driving somewhere instead of walking. I try to walk a line that allows me to reconcile my idealism and intentions with cultural norms and reality, but the idea of saving one’s trash for a year is humbling. It reminds me that I probably err on the side of practical moderation more often than I succeed in modeling true ecological responsibility (whatever that is!).

Our roles as parents bind us to the next generation though, and they will be left sharing this earth with the trash our generation creates - including all those dirty diapers we are changing. I’m not advocating that anyone actually save the dirty diapers, but the idea sure makes a strong case for considering alternatives like cloth diapers, elimination communication, or g-diapers. If you have been considering trying one of these it’s not too late to make it a New Year’s resolution…

We found this recipe for lentil and squash soup at Epicurious in response to leftover Halloween pumpkins and butternut squashes from our final CSA pick up of the season, and have made it twice. The simple act of eating it makes me feel healthy.

Someone forwarded me a link to “Online, Off Kilter” by Donna Eis, and I thought it was worth sharing. Enjoy!

saras-toy-box.blogspot.com

There are so many folks out there with advice on which toys to buy… Here’s a new blog inspired by all the recent recalls. It highlights some creative toys, including some from one of our new favorite places to shop, A Toy Garden. Enjoy!

You can find recipes for natural cleaning supplies all over the web. I have tried a few and tend to improvise each time. Here’s the link I used for a starting point today:

http://www.eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_solutions.htm#substitutions

Loudoun Proud, a blog written by a local mom, is enjoyable to read and also includes plenty of local tidbits.