july newsletter - a breath of fresh air!

Hey Y’all!

It’s very officially summertime and my ‘theme’ for the past couple of months has been “Fresh Air”. This is inspired by the organization of the same name (The Fresh Air Fund) that I have been doing fundraising for as a member of their team for next week’s NYC Half Marathon. Yesterday, I visited their summer camps where thousands of low-income NYC kids go on free vacations ever year, and had a blast walking around the woods, checking out the camps’ farm, singing with the campers, and watching them play carefree in the fields and lake. …And there’s no reason we can’t take that same spirit and apply it to our own summer fun!

Have a Picnic!
Picnics are one of my absolute favorite things about the warm weather. I like to invite a few friends to meet in a public park, everyone brings something to share, a blanket to sit on, their own fork from home, and it’s an instant and easy party! (Not to mention you don’t have to prepare your house for guests or do any major clean up after). Or, you can make an ordinary meal a bit more “ooh la la” special by dining by candlelight in the backyard or on the roof. (If you need some picnicspiration, try my Greenmarket Potato Salad recipe or Mark Bittman’s 101 Picnic Dishes.)

Go Raw Together!
A couple of the things I love about camp is the opportunity to try new things, make new friends, and work together. With the abundance of beautiful and delicious fresh produce in season right now, it’s a great time to experiment with new recipes. But no one wants to slave over a hot stove when it’s hot out, so try some raw or mostly raw dishes. You’ll get to play up the lovely flavors of summer produce with a minimum of sweat-inducing effort! Have a raw foods potluck, encouraging each invitee to bring a friend you haven’t met. (If you feel like getting fancy, check out recipes from Raw Food Real World).

Ride a Bicycle Made for Two!
Or, do something else you haven’t tried that can get you out and about. If you live near a lake or a river, you can probably rent or borrow a canoe, kayak, or tube and go out on the water. If you live near hills or mountains, go camping or for an early morning bird-watching hike. If it’s too hot where you live, go out for some late-night stargazing, run through the sprinkler at sunset, find an indoor ice rink, or check out a museum in town you’ve been meaning to go to. Or, if you’re stuck in the city, spend a day exploring a new neighborhood—try new foods and learn more about your neighbors! (Try TravelSkoot for ideas.)


NEWS FROM AJA
I'm Running the Half-Marathon! NEXT WEEK!!
Continuing with my running streak, I'm competing in the Nike NYC Half-Marathon next week for charity. I'm on The Fresh Air Fund’s team and I’m looking for sponsorship-- anything you can give will help to send 10,000 low-income NYC kids on summer vacations in the country.

I'm hoping to raise $1,310. Or, $100 per mile of the 13.1 mile race!
Though I think it would be great to raise a bit more- $1,600, which is the cost of sending one child on vacation. I would be really grateful for absolutely any contributions you are able to make.

You can donate online: http://freshair.kintera.org/ajamarsh
(There are also instructions there for how to donate by mail)


ANNOUNCEMENTS, etc.
In Season: It’s Wild Salmon season! It wasn’t really until last year that I realized I liked salmon. I always thought it was too fishy tasting and the texture didn’t appeal to me. Last summer, I had some really nice, slightly rare wild salmon, and oh my, what a world of difference. So if you think you don’t like salmon, I implore you to give it a try. Here’s a recipe for my Wild Salmon Burgers.

Cool Recent Blog Posts: Read about the highlights of my trip to Summer Camp, get some Green Cleaning Tips, and make some Vegan Brownies this weekend!

Guest Blogger Opportunities: I’m always looking for interested individuals to write guest blogs for Stem+Leaf about green and healthy-lifestyle related subjects, from your own perspective. No need to be an experienced writer-- just enthusiastic with something to say! Please contact me for more information.

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The day is yours—soak it up!
Aja

think less, do more: cleaning greener

A while ago, my friend Heather wrote to me, asking:
"I was wondering if some day you might give advice on how to be a "green house cleaner"--I find myself using a lot of paper towels, and I'm not sure whether it matters what cleaning products to use. How do you dispose of your waste in a green way--aside from recycling!"
A bit belatedly, I'm happy to share a few easy tips!

Without having to go the distance of making your own cleaning products (even though it's fun and super economical), let's see what we can do to make our normal routines a bit more eco-friendly.


Paper Towels
If you are using paper towels in your home, purchase ones that are unbleached and made from recycled paper. If you are looking to reduce the usage of paper towels try these tips:

for use as napkins: tear each sheet into 2 or 4 pieces-- this is probably all you'll need! or simply use washable cloth napkins.
for cleaning: switch to lint-free towels that you can use again and again, or even more economically, use pieces cut from old towels or t-shirts.

Product Recommendation: The Twist family of biodegradable cellulose and bamboo sponges and cleaning cloths are of a style that's all the rage in Europe, and are great for green cleaning. They are easy to wash and reuse again and again, but are affordable enough that they can be disposed of when no longer effective. To replace paper towels, try the Twist European Sponge Cloth.


Cleaning Products
I try to steer clear from chemical exposure as much as possible, and it's especially important to me to use non-toxic cleaning products and to keep a chemical free home. (Read more on why this is important). What you keep and use in your home affects not only whoever is using the product via exposure, but also who and whatever else is living in the home by disturbing air quality, creating chemical residues, and heightening or creating respiratory or contact allergies.
(I started realizing the importance of using natural products after logging lots of hours in commercial kitchens where I had a lot of contact with bleach and industrial strength soaps-- my hands turned to raw eczema ridden beasts! Now between wearing gloves and using only friendly products, my hands stay in a much more friendly disposition).

Many people have a whole cabinet or two devoted to various sprays, powders, scrubs, and solutions that they 'need' to keep their house clean. The easiest thing to do would be to purchase non-toxic cleaners from natural foods stores or online, or to make your own. You really only need two or three products to do most of your household cleaning. I would also recommend a non-toxic dish soap and laundry products.

Some of my favorite green cleaning products: Seventh Generation Dish Soap; Method Disinfecting Wipes; Mrs. Meyers Clean Day Laundry Detergent and Dryer Sheets


Air Fresheners
Between all the sprays, spritzes, plug-ins, and candles, we have no shortage of opportunity to make our spaces 'smell good'. But all air fresheners are not created equal and most contain perfumes and chemicals that can aggravate allergies and settle on our skin and into our bloodstreams. There are other ways to make your home smell fresh.
get some fresh air! Open windows on opposite sides of your home for a cross breeze and turn on standing or ceiling fans to encourage circulation.
simmering spices. Simmer a pot with aromatic herbs and water - cinnamon sticks, cloves, and nutmeg are lovely options. Refill with water partway through if it's getting low.
burn baby burn. Burn candles scented only with essential oils, use essential oil diffusers, or use natural incense or burning sage to cleanse the air. These products can be found online and at natural food stores.


Disposing Of Your Toxic Products
If you are interested in making the switch to green products but don't know what to do with what you have, you can of course, use them up and recycle the containers, or pass the partially used products off to an organization with limited resources that could make use of them. If you would prefer to dispose of them, read the labels to see if there are any special disposal instructions, and also consult your local hazardous waste department-- I would resist the urge to dump them down the sink, because despite filtration and water cleaning systems, it's still likely that some of that will make their way into our waterways. Here's a site with a few suggestions.

Recommendation: Green-Kits can get you started with a Green Cleaning Kit with all of the products you'll need!


Make Your Own!
I've started making my own cleaning supplies and it's fun how cheap and easy it is! And you could get away with just having white vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice on hand and clean just about every surface in your house, but you can get a little fancier and make your own mixes to keep on hands, add some essential oils, like lavender or tea tree, for anti-bacterial and good-smelling benefits. Here's a guide to making the switch to natural products and a few easy make-at-home ideas.

A few other websites with 'recipes' for making your own natural cleaning products:
25 Non-Toxic, Homemade Cleaning Supplies; Recipes for Homemade Cleaning Products; Non-Toxic Home Cleaning


Waste Not, Want Not
As far as trash and recycling goes, well, it's a big issue. The easiest solution is to purchase fewer packaged items, and when you do try to purchase items that are packed in recyclable containers. Keep the old 'reduce, reuse, recycle' adage in mind, and you'll probably find new solutions everyday!

Reduce. When it comes to cleaning products, by using cloth towels and reducing paper towel usage, that's a big help, but you can also usually buy cleaning supplies in larger containers and use those to refill the smaller containers you already have. You can also streamline the products you have and limit it to just a few, and that will help, too.

Reuse containers as much as possible to store bulk food-- bring them with you to the bulk aisle and save the life of a container that way! Or use them in other creative ways throughout the house. Also check with after-school centers, churches, schools, and other organizations in your neighborhood to see if they can use them for craft projects or other activities. Reuse and repurpose other things around the house too-- jam jars become containers for bulk grains or drinking glasses, a water bottle can be cut and used as a funnel, office paper can be reprinted on, or flipped over and cut into quarters, stapled and used as notepads.

Recycle. Recycling paper, cardboard, plastic, and metal is of course, a great option to reduce what is sent to the landfill, but also be sure that you are following the recycling restrictions for your area, and know what can and cannot go into the bin. (Hard plastic lids, for example, are not usually curbside recyclable; and the tetra-pack containers that rice milk and other beverages often come in are regrettably not recyclable either). In NYC, the Park Slope Food Co-op accepts recyclable items from the community that cannot be picked up curbside. In Austin, Ecology Action of Texas accepts a wide range of recyclable material and also can help you find other centers.

Compost. Food scraps account for a large portion of our daily trash output, but you can save produce and other food scraps and compost them in your yard in a pile or special bin, in your house (with a worm bin), or take them to a local farm, farmstand, or community garden who will probably be more than happy to take them off your hands. Do a little looking around in your area and you'll probably find a way. Since I've started collecting scraps to drop off to the LES Ecology Center's table at the Greenmarket, I've noticed a 50% reduction in what I throw out. Sometimes more. And I can feel happy that the scraps will turn into a fantastic and nutrient-filled earth that can make plants grow stronger and make a new round of produce tastier!

You can actually compost quite a lot of things, but it really depends on where you're composting it and what it's being used for. Community gardens, farms, and other recipients of your food scraps will each have their own set of 'do's and don'ts', so if you're not composting for yourself, you should check what they allow.


Where to Buy
If you have a Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, or other natural foods store nearby, you'll definitely be able to find these green products. Many regular grocery stores and big stores like Target are carrying many of these products too. If you want to save some money and/or don't have easy access to stores that stock these products, buy in bulk and/or split big orders with friends or neighbors, by purchasing directly from the company or another online retailer like Amazon.com.

If you're making your own, you can purchase extra large bags of baking soda for $4 at large grocery or wholesale stores, lemons are available at every grocery store, and white vinegar is only about $1.50 a gallon. If we could only say the same for gas...


Have you tried any make-at-home products or are there any other tips you'd like to share or get more info about? I'd love to know-- post a comment!

guest blog: fish: follow the rules

This guest blog is part three of a 4-part series about the benefits of dangers of eating fish, and how to consume it responsibly. Janet Watkins is a freelance writer living and blogging from the Midwest at www.insidewords.blogspot.com.Please contact me if you are interested in writing a topical guest blog.

Having decided that the benefits derived from eating fish outweigh the risks, what do you do to ensure that what you’re eating is safe? Some basic rules to follow:

• Avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or tilefish– they contain the highest levels of mercury.
• Eat varieties low in mercury like shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, Pollock and catfish.
• Canned tuna comes in white and light. Albacore, a large species of tuna accumulates moderate amounts of mercury, and should be eaten cautiously. Chunk light tuna a smaller type of tuna contains approximately 30% the mercury levels of albacore.
• Check the EPA National Listing of Fish Advisories– a map tool on the site can tell you about the safety of fish from your local lakes, rivers, and coastal areas.
• Download a pocket guide– see below.


Cooking Tips to Reduce Pollutants
Those pesky pollutants like mercury, PCBs, dioxins and some pesticides concentrate in the fatty tissue of fish. Mercury binds to the protein in fish tissue; it cannot be removed by cooking. But you can reduce the chances of consuming contaminants by prepping your fish before cooking.

• Remove skin, fat, internal organs, and lobster and crab roe, where toxins can collect.
• Drain fat away when cooking.
• Fish sticks and fried fish fillets are generally made from low-toxin Pollock. However be careful of what you fry at home. Frying locks in pollutants in the fish’s fat, whereas other cooking methods let the fat drain away.

Downloadable Guides
To make selecting fish a bit less bewildering:

Environmental Defense downloadable Pocket Seafood Selector lists the best and worst choice for the environment and also notes which ones within those categories are high or low in environmental contaminants.

Oceans Alive Contaminated Fish Chart– a guide to consuming making the best and worst eco-choices.

Seafood Watch Pocket Guides – provides up to date regional information and allow you to choose fish from your part of the country.

published in the ladies who launch magazine!

An article I wrote called 'Staying Healthy While Launching' has just been published in the Ladies Who Launch online magazine as the featured article of their March Wellness Issue. It features two recipes and loads of tips for staying on track while running a business, or just a busy life. Check it out!

Healthy Holiday Tips!

With the holidays in full swing, we might find ourselves struggling to keep our hands out of the cookie jar, pie plates, and cake stands. Or we might just be too busy to bother to eat well! Hey, I'm guilty of this as much as anyone! I think it's great to treat yourself to some 'naughty' foods and enjoy all kinds of tasty treats-- sweet and savory-- this time of year, but it can quickly out of hand—leading to guilt induced new year's resolutions that don't stick. When you find yourself at holiday parties, dinners, and other events, there are a few easy tips you can employ to help stay healthy during the times of temptation.
- Eat very small portions, or just take one or two bites, if you are interested in trying several different items. Take the time to savor those small bits, and you will feel just as satisfied.
- Resist the urge to eat until you're about to burst. This will only make you feel bloated, fatigued, and make your body work harder than necessary to process it all.
- Even on days where you know a big meal is imminent, plan to eat a regular breakfast, lunch, and snack, so that you don't over-do it come dinner time.
- If possible, encourage your hosts to include healthy offerings such as fresh fruits and vegetables, or, even better, bring a healthy dish to contribute to the feast!
- Keep to your normal routine as much as you can-- take time to workout several times a week, eat healthy home-cooked meals, and be sure to take time for yourself to rest.


These tips were also posted on the Ladies Who Launch blog.
(Ladies Who Launch is an excellent international women's networking group that I am a part of. They have groups in cities across the country.)