Joyfully Green: eco-friendly

Joyful Reads & Finds: Last-Minute Costumes, Super-Cute Treats, and Why Spiders Aren't Spooky

With Halloween quickly creeping up on us, I'm sending out my round-up of "Joyful Reads & Finds" a couple of days before the weekend. That should give you plenty of time to get ghoulish (and greener) for your Halloween festivities!

To be honest, I was never much of a "Halloween person" -- all of that pesky begging for candy, and toilet tissue in trees, made me into an October version of the Grinch. So why the change of heart? Well, it's pretty easy to get in the holiday spirit once your kids reach a certain age (somewhere above two and under twelve) and want to wear their Halloween costumes from early September through (oh, let me see...) late March? Anyway, some Halloween treats for you--enjoy!

I dare you to find cuter snacks for your party (and how funny are those mummies?!): Healthy Halloween Treats

Seems like you could work out some "healthy aggression" with this event: Host a Pumpkin Smash

Maybe these 2 Ingredient Beauty Recipes will help you remove all of that ghoulish makeup?

I love this "Family of S'mores" costume!

More fun and funny DIY costumes from the s'mores guys above: Easy costumes you can make from a box

From Sustainable Baby Steps: 22 Green Halloween Ideas

And finally, from my new blogging friend at the new blog Dawned Upon, why spiders aren't spooky: A Spider-like Resilience

Happy Halloween, friends--I hope it's a hoot!

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© 2015 by Joy Sussman/JoyfullyGreen.com LLC. All rights reserved. All photos and text digitally fingerprinted and watermarked. Please do not use any of my photographs without asking me first for permission at [email protected] and then clearly linking back to this site with photo credits. Site licensed by Creative Commons.

Posted on 10/28/2015 at 01:50 PM in autumn, BUGS!, eco-friendly, family, fun | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tags: compost pumpkins, DIY beauty recipes, DIY costumes, funny costumes, Grinch, Halloween party ideas, healthier treats for Halloween, healthy Halloween recipes, healthy treats, last-minute Halloween costumes, not scared of spiders, pumpkin smash

Joyful Reads & Finds for the Weekend, Vol. 47

Just a few of my favorite finds this week...enjoy and kindly share them:

Super Ewan: An 8-year-old out to change the world!

Some very creative upcycling ideas (but the greenest thing to do is to stop buying plastic bottled beverages in the first place)

I'm sooooooo happy for my Aussie friend, Eliza!

Bravo to these companies for taking a stand on palm oil

LOVE this: Let the kids play--nature can take it

Consider yourself warned: Cuteness attack, featuring squirrels

Happy weekend, friends!

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Posted on 03/19/2015 at 09:02 PM in eco-friendly, Joyful Reads, nature | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Tags: companies that boycott palm oil, cute squirrel photos, good reads, let kids explore outdoors, stop helicopter parenting, upcycling ideas for Coke bottles, upcycling soda bottles, weekend reading

The End of the Affair: Why I Said No to Nutella (and Anything Else Made with Palm Oil)

When I was in my early 20's (sheesh, back in the Stone Age!), I was on vacation in Antwerp (a lovely Old World city), and my Belgian boyfriend introduced me to Nutella. I could be mistaken, but I think I heard a choir of angels singing--the taste was beyond heavenly. A chocolate-hazelnut spread! On toast, topped with fresh fruit! That was my version of ambrosia, the food of the gods.

Well, my relationship with Nutella lasted a LOT longer than the one with my Belgian boyfriend. When I got back to New York, I found Nutella in the ultra-high-priced Upper East Side gourmet markets (and only there). I've been enjoying it for years since then--although it's gotten decidely cheaper, now that it's widely available in supermarkets, and pretty close to everybody in America has eaten it straight out of the jar by the spoonful. (Especially my kids.)

So, why did I give up something that I LOVE to eat? Because I found out that Nutella--along with the generic supermarket versions of it and the knock-offs from Jif and Hershey--is made using palm oil. And palm oil is a deal-breaker for me.

The palm oil industry has so many ugly problems, it's hard to know where to begin, but here's a start:

According to the World Wildlife Fund, an area the equivalent size of 300 football fields of rainforest is cleared (burned) each hour to make way for palm oil production.

Rainforest animals "get in the way" of the palm oil industry, and animal cruelty and killing is rampant.

Many species are being pushed to the brink of extinction, including Orangutans and Sumatran tigers.

If you have a strong stomach (warning: graphic photos), this link explains the everyday tragedies caused by the sourcing of palm oil.

The extent of the problem is HUGE, because palm oil is used in...oh, let's see...almost everything?! Here's a list from the World Wildlife Fund to illustrate that point. Check those ingredient labels!

Believe it or not, there's something good to report: Six months ago, Ferrero, the makers of Nutella, switched over to 100% sustainable palm oil. Hopefully, they'll update their label with that fact, and soon. But not all companies use sustainable palm oil, so if the label doesn't say it, check the product website or call them to ask.

FYI: There are several all-natural or organic chocolate hazelnut spreads made without palm oil. Check out this list called "Move Over, Nutella! We've already tried two of them at our house: Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter (too salty for me, but the kids liked it), and Nocciolata Organic Hazelnut Spread (that one's a winner!).

Tonight, feeling nostalgic for my Nutella days, I melted down some semi-sweet chocolate chips, mixed in some toasted almonds (no hazelnuts in the pantry!), and added a pinch of sea salt. It's pictured at the top, with sliced apples. Didn't taste a thing like Nutella, but I think I heard two angels singing. Or maybe that was just my kids...they loved it.

How 'bout you? Have you ever given up a product for ethical reasons? Do tell in the comment section below!

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© 2014 by Joy Sussman/JoyfullyGreen.com. All rights reserved. All photos and text digitally fingerprinted and watermarked. Please do not use any of my photographs without asking me first for permission at [email protected] and then clearly linking back to this site with photo credits. Site licensed by Creative Commons.

Posted on 11/04/2014 at 10:05 PM in delicious, eco-friendly, wildlife, YUMMY! | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Tags: near extinction of orangutans and Sumatran tigers, Nutella contains palm oil, organic alternatives to Nutella, palm oil industry and deforestation, sustainable palm oil, the problems with palm oil, which products contain palm oil, why is palm oil bad for the planet, why should you avoid palm oil, World Wildlife Fund

My Week in 5 Photos: Practically a Zoo!

This week's photos, just by happy coincidence, are all animal-related--even if they're not all photographs of actual animals. For example, the plant above is called "Hens and Chicks." I love Hens and Chicks! I would've bought two or three of these plants today, but the snooty florist had a bee in her bonnet. Bad service = no sale!

The little guy below was very attentive, though. We met him at a local farm. I think he was hoping that I was packing a few carrots in my purse. Goats have such interesting eyes, don't they?

For the last couple of years, my children have been collecting donations for the animal rescue organization that saved our wonderful dog, in lieu of birthday presents from their friends. (Yes, I am a proud mom!) My daughter is pictured below, delivering some of the bags of dog food that were almost as big as she is!

While we were at Eleventh Hour Rescue, some thoroughly adorable kittens were brought in for adoption. If I weren't allergic to cats (something I sadly developed in adulthood), we would have arrived home with two or three more whiskered friends, I'm sure. Just look at this precious little face...

We ended the week with monkeys! Dropping off kids' outgrown clothes and shopping for "new" camp clothes at Little Monkeys consignment shop. I love consignment shops! They're one of the greenest things around. If you haven't ever visited a consignment shop, look them up in your area and give 'em a try!

Hens, chicks, goats, dogs, cats, and monkeys...yep, I guess you could say it was one wild week!

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Before you go...

Join me in July for my 12-day photography e-course, "How to Take Better Photos of Nature and the World Around You."

All digital cameras welcome (any type, including smart phones).
Even if you have a full-time job, you'll be able to take this online course at your own pace.
Less than $10 per lesson--treat yourself today!
Click here for all the course details!

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Posted on 06/26/2014 at 09:25 PM in cats, eco-friendly, gifts, nature, photography | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Tags: children's clothing consignment shops, collecting for charity in lieu of birthday gifts, Eleventh Hour Rescue, goat eyes, hens and chicks plant, nature photography online course, photography e-course

10 Ways to Stop Wasting Water Today

1. Search Google for "images of African women carrying water" or just click on this article. While we can turn on the tap mindlessly, it's pretty sobering to realize that over one billion people in the world lack access to fresh water. Many of them struggle every single day to find clean water, or carry that water for miles in heavy jugs, or carefully ration its use until the next rare rainfall. Show the images to your children and discuss the very real value of water in the world.

2. When you boil water for pasta, put frozen vegetables in the colander. When you drain the pasta, pour it right over the frozen veggies, toss the pasta and veggies together, add a simple sauce and seasoning, and voila! Dinner is served.

3. Keep a watering can (or two) on your deck. After it rains, use the rainwater to feed your plants and flowers.

4. Put a clock in your bathroom to keep track of how long you're showering--preferably, a clock with an annoying alarm so you'll become more efficient with your rinsing time to avoid the horrid noise.

5. Add ice cubes to your pets' water bowls to keep their water fresher and cooler for longer.

6. Keep a large pot or basin in your kitchen sink with dish soap in it. Angle the faucet right above the pot so that any tap water used during the day goes into the basin. After meals, put your dishes and utensils to soak in the soapy mixture. They'll be all set for the dishwater later, without extra scrubbing.

7. When you boil water for tea, use the excess water for steaming and disinfecting your sink and sponges.

8. Curb mindless hand-washing. Have your kids aim for singing "Happy Birthday" twice while washing their hands with soap. When they're done, off goes the tap!

9. Invest in a rain barrel with a hose attachment for watering your lawn and garden. Yes, they can get pricey, but you'll save on your water bill.

10. Have a rain sensor installed on your lawn sprinkling system. How many times have you driven by a yard with a sprinkler system going off in a rainstorm? Don't let that next yard be yours!

Your turn: How do you save water at your house? Let's hear it in the comment section!

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If you have a digital camera (any type, including a smart phone) but don't know how to really use it to its fullest creative potential, registration is now OPEN for my July photography e-course, "How to Take Better Photos of Nature and the World Around You." Even if you have a full-time job, you'll be able to take this online class at your own pace. Click here for details!

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© 2014 by Joy Sussman/JoyfullyGreen.com. All rights reserved. All photos and text digitally fingerprinted and watermarked. Please do not use any of my photographs without asking me first for permission at [email protected] and then clearly linking back to this site with photo credits. Site licensed by Creative Commons.

Posted on 06/10/2014 at 09:02 PM in eco-friendly, leaves, photography | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Tags: how to conserve water, how to stop wasting water, rainwater barrel, scarcity of water in Africa, shorter showers, tips to save water, turn off the tap, water conservation, water waste

Why Do We Fill Up Every Last Space?

About a year ago, I was uncharacteristically early for an appointment (I'm sure my friends are nodding all-too-knowingly at that statement!), so after I arrived in the parking lot, I turned off the engine and took out a book.

But then I happened to gaze up and saw the tree pictured above. Stately and serene, standing tall at the end of a wild and pretty meadow.

Not your usual view from a dentist's office, right?

Instead of reading my book, I got out of the car and took several photographs of that particular tree and that particular meadow, along with other equally striking trees framing the natural space.

I loved the way that the trees and the meadow combined to form a perfect union. One part of the other, and both part of the whole. It was one of those happy coincidences that I was there to appreciate them.

And it's particularly fortunate that I captured all of my "Tree-Meadow Portraits" when I did, because when I returned to the dentist's office last week, the meadow was no more.

In its place were diggers and dumptrucks.

Piles of dirt and concrete blocks.

The line of trees was still there, thankfully. But the trees somehow looked forlorn next to the buzzing construction site.

And frankly, I was really sad that yet another natural place had been scraped out, chopped down, stripped bare, and prepped for commercial ventures. Probably for another nail salon or burger joint.

Why do we have this insatiable need to eradicate the natural in favor of the commercial? To put money above all other things that have value?

In our town right now, we already have far too many commercial properties that have been vacant for the past few years. We have construction sites that have been stalled in their tracks because not enough buyers were willing to put up the money to complete the jobs, after the woods had been clear-cut to make room for...oh, nothing in particular.

I thought of all the little things I didn't see in the meadow when I took these pictures. The birds that were filling the air with their songs. Some field mice, most likely. Dragonflies and butterflies. Plenty of wildflowers that I didn't get close enough to really examine. Probably a few rabbits. Unseen little creatures who had called this meadow "Home."

I thought about how Beatrix Potter used a large portion of the money she earned from her Peter Rabbit tales to purchase thousands of acres of undeveloped countryside in England, just so she could donate it all to the National Trust and safeguard its future.

I thought about something I'd just read within the past month from my "go-to guru", Thich Nhat Hanh:

"Our way of walking on the Earth has a great influence on animals and plants. We have killed so many animals and plants and destroyed their environments...We are like sleepwalkers, not knowing what we are doing or where we are heading. Whether we wake up or not depends on whether we can walk mindfully on Mother Earth. The future of all life, including our own, depends on our mindful steps." (from The Sun My Heart)

As soon as I got home, I searched for these photographs of the meadow, just to prove to myself that it really had been there...once.

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If you have a digital camera (any type, including a smart phone) but don't know how to really use it to its fullest artistic potential, registration is now OPEN for my July e-course, "How to Take Better Photos of Nature and the World Around You." Click here for details and join me online in July!

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Posted on 06/03/2014 at 08:16 PM in books, Buddhism, eco-friendly, nature, non-consumerism, perspective, photography | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Tags: Beatrix Potter and The National Trust, clear-cutting forests for commercial development, Peter Rabbit, protecting the environment, The Sun My Heart, Thich Nhat Hanh

5 Ways to Be Greener Without Spending a Cent

Sometimes, when I'm at the store, cringing at the price difference between organic produce and the regular produce that's been sprayed with Raid, I can't help feeling that it certainly costs a lot of green to live greenly. It's enough to make a person want to just throw in the green towel and put up the white flag.

But don't give up yet! You can, in fact, live a greener life without going broke. Here are 5 ways to get started:

1. Turn down the temperature on your water heater. You don't need the hottest setting (and you run the risk of scalding your family...yikes!). Experiment with how the water feels at a slightly lower temperature. And turn it waaaaaaaay down whenever your family is away for more than a couple of days. There's no reason to waste money on heating up your water if you're not even home to use it.

2. Open your windows instead of using scented sprays or turning on the air conditioner. Take advantage of the springtime air scented with freshly cut grass and blooming flowers. (Mmmmm...)

3. Ditch the liquid body soaps. Instead of buying heavily processed liquid soap in plastic containers, go for simple bars of soap wrapped in paper or--even better--no packaging at all.

4. Make your own counter cleaner out of orange peels and vinegar. You can use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar--both are natural disinfectants. The key is to add lots of orange peels to a large, closed container and let the mixture sit long enough so that you smell mostly the oranges when you open it. (It'll take a couple of weeks before you can strain out the peels and transfer the liquid to a spray bottle.)

5. Pack your own lunch in reusable containers. No reason to spend a mint on salads or sandwiches in those awful plastic clamshell containers!

See? That was painless, and you'll have more green in your wallet. Very handy when you're buying those organic strawberries!

Your turn: What's your favorite inexpensive way to be greener? Let's hear it!

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Learn how to take better pictures with your camera, no matter what kind of camera it is! Registration is now OPEN for my July e-course, "How to Take Better Photos of Nature and the World Around You." Click here for details!

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Posted on 05/27/2014 at 09:18 PM in eco-friendly, home, photography | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Tags: make your own green counter cleaner, natural disinfectants, organic fruits and vegetables are expensive, reusable lunch containers, turn down the temperature on your water heater, vinegar disinfectant

The Essential Thing to Carry When You Photograph Nature

There's a scene in an old episode of "Mad Men" in which Don and Betty Draper are having a picnic in the park with their children--enjoying the outdoors, the gentle breeze ruffling their hair, the kids running around in a game of tag. A "typical" family (well, a very good-looking version of a typical family!), spending an afternoon on the outskirts of suburbia. And then, Don glances at his wristwatch and they sigh: It's time to go home. So, Betty shakes out the picnic blanket, sending all of their food scraps and garbage flying out onto the grass, and carefully folds up their blanket in her fashionable tote, while Don crumples up his beer can and pitches it into the woods. The scene had a certain shock value to it, this blatant and thoughtless littering waaaaaaay back in the 1960's, because we all know that nobody litters anymore--we're all too enlightened now. Right...?

I don't know why it continues to catch me off-guard, but whenever I'm out shooting nature scenes like the ones in this post, more likely than not, if I turn the camera in the other direction, I'll see a plastic bag tangled in a bush, or an empty water bottle along the path, or a candy wrapper fluttering away. Yesterday, when I was shooting the scene at the top, I was listening to the brook burbling and some ducks quacking up a storm on the other side of the bridge, out of view. But right behind me was a little mound of crunched-up Bud Light cans on the ground. Annoyed, I took them with me back to the car. I would have been even more annoyed if I'd left them there. The nagging feeling would have stayed with me all day: I don't want any other people to start mistaking the countryside for the dump, and littering has a cumulative effect. (Also--obviously--I feel sorry for the wildlife.)

I was going to include my own list of possible reasons why people litter, but then I googled "Why do people litter?" and I found that the very first source tidily summed it all up for me! Here's a little experiment: Before you click on the following link, think up all of the reasons you can for why people might litter, and then, click to see how many of your reasons made this list: Why Do People Litter? (Did they leave out anything?)

So, what's the essential thing to bring with you when you're photographing nature? It's an extra bag, to pick up after the modern-day Drapers.

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Posted on 04/29/2014 at 08:41 PM in eco-friendly, nature, photography | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tags: Don and Betty Draper, empty water bottle, feel sorry for wildlife, Mad Men, photographing nature, plastic bag, reasons for littering, why do people litter?

How to Be Safer, Saner, and Cleaner This Spring

I finally pulled up the reflector stakes from the sides of the driveway last week--you know, those markers that keep the snow-plough guys from running over our hedges (well, sometimes!). So, even though we don't have any blossoms blooming yet (this picture is from last spring), I'm officially calling it: Spring is finally here--and not a minute too soon! To make sure you're adequately prepared for it, I want to include three of my posts that you might have missed the first time around:

This post could (quite literally) save your life--and your pet's life: Keep Off The Grass! Experts Sound Off on the Health Hazards of Lawn Chemicals

This post could save your sanity (not so literally): The Therapeutic Effects of Weeding Your Garden

And this post will get your house scrubby-fresh without all of the nasty chemicals: My Top Ten Green Products for Spring Cleaning

Happy Spring, friends!

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The photograph in this post is available as an art print (framed or unframed) in my Society6 shop.

Next nature photography e-course coming in July! Email me at [email protected] to get on the list for early details or to reserve your spot.

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Posted on 04/08/2014 at 09:02 PM in eco-friendly, flowers, home, springtime | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Tags: green cleaning products, health hazards of lawn chemicals, nature photography e-course, spring cleaning, spring has sprung, therapeutic effects of weeding

Joyful Reads for the Weekend, Vol. 21: The Re-envision Edition

With springtime finally springing upon us, I gathered a few of my favorite recent reads about seeing the world from a different perspective:

From photo-blogger Kim at Thinking Through My Lens, some absolutely gorgeous images of weeds. That's right, weeds: Homage to Weeds.

From Demilked, artist Etienne Lavie imagines a more artful world: This is what cities would look like with paintings instead of ads.

From Betsy at Eco-Novice, via The Green Phone Booth: How to be an Environmentalist without being a Total Downer.

Through Betsy's post above, I found this really smart piece at Grist: Want everyone else to buy into environmentalism? Never say "Earth."

From the always-delightful Alicia at Posie Gets Cozy, a post about the flowery, fluttery spring in Portland after a long, hard winter: Petal Flurry.

Have a re-energizing weekend!

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Did you enjoy this post? Get more like it by subscribing via email or RSS reader (in righthand column).

The photograph in this post is available as an art print (framed or unframed) in my Society6 shop.

Next nature photography e-course coming in July! Email me at [email protected] to get on the list for early details or to reserve your spot.