Mom Central Goes Green

Practecol puts an emphasis on saving green

Many of us who dabble in greener living consider the environment first, and our wallet second. Sometimes we have to spend a little money to invest in a cleaner future. The smart people at Practecol want you to remember that eventually, this investment will pay off in savings.

Everything but lighting

Practecol took a cue from the movement to switch to CFL bulbs and noticed how quickly people joined in. However, light bulbs only cover 11% of a typical household energy spend. If they were to develop a line of “Sustainable Solutions,” the products would need to be easy to use, easy to install, and address the other 89% of our home's energy use.

I recently received a box filled with a variety of Practecol products. What I noticed first was that each box told me about how much I would save per year using that item. For example, installing a Practecol six-outlet surge strip that can be turned off with a convenient foot switch, I can expect to save up to $84 per year. If you add up all the products in the line, you would realize a savings of almost $450 annually!

Practecol products are easy to install and use

Here are the items I'm currently testing:

Energy Monitor - This little device plugs into any outlet then you plug the device you want to test into it. An LCD display can tell you the device's kilowatt hour consumption, and approximate cost! Want to see how much the Wii is costing the family? Prove your point with this little meter. Then, move on to the next device!

Refrigerator Kit - This kit comes with a temperature monitor that sounds an alarm if the door is left open too long and the temp inside the fridge starts to rise! Now I no longer have to be the refrigerator door police!

Surge Strips - I received a switch power strip that you can turn off with your foot - perfect for home computers or office equipment (printer, scanner, etc.) where you don't want to be bending under a desk to unplug or turn off the power strip button.

I also received a remote control power strip that has two always-on outlets, which is perfect for a TV/DVD/DVR setup since the DVR needs to stay on to keep recording while the other devices can be turned off.

Remote Control Outlet Adapter - Much like the surge strip, you can plug the adapter into any outlet, then plug in the device and turn it on and off with a nifty remote. This is a great product for anything you have plugged in with an extension cord.

Indoor Retractable Clothesline - I was really excited about this item. Even though I have an Energy Star rated dryer, I've been hanging more and more clothes outside in the sun to dry and have noticed it’s lowered my electric bill. Think of how much you'll save if you can hang dry clothes all winter long! This device can hang lots of clothes on its four lines, and it neatly retracts and stores clothespins.

Where to buy Practecol

The Practecol line of products are available online at Target.com and at select Target retail stores. Items range in price from $4.99 to $19.99 and you'll save that money in energy costs in just one year of use.

Janine Nickel (@Twincident on Twitter) documents her neuroses, the drama of raising twin girls and offers product reviews and giveaways at TwoferMom.com.

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Disclosure: Janine received a selection of Practecol at no charge for review purposes. All opinions are her own.

Egg nutrition and safety: farm fresh eggs sold here!

With the recent scare over salmonella and the recall of millions of eggs, it's made me take yet another look at how I purchase the food for my family.

When I started researching what local farms sold eggs, I found a number from which I could buy and also some information I hadn't thought about. Namely, there was the suggestion that supermarket eggs are less nutritious than those laid by hens that are allowed to peck in a pasture and do other things chickens do.

The Mother Earth News study

A small study performed by Mother Earth News compared eggs from 14 flocks around the country with the official USDA nutritional data for commercial eggs. Their results suggested that the pasture-raised hens' eggs may contain four to six times more Vitamin D, three times more Vitamin E, double Omega-3 fatty acids and seven times more beta carotine, thus beating the pants, er shells, off their supermarket counterparts.

The other side of the story

However, the Egg Nutrition Center (ENC) states that “The nutrient content of eggs from free-range and cage-free hens is the same as for those produced by hens housed in cages.” (The ENC is funded by the American Egg Board. You can learn more about their funding here.) As always, it's important to look at both sides and consider all of the facts before deciding what's best for your family.

So much more than scrambling: great egg recipes

In addition to eggs providing a great source of protein, fritatas are probably my favorite go-to meal these days. They're a great way to use up vegetable and cheese odds and ends and, when served with a salad, still makes a cohesive meal that looks like you made a big fuss. My kids love scrambled eggs at any time, so I've found that they'll eat a piece of fritata for dinner, no matter how big the vegetable chunks are. Now I don't even have to be sneaky to get them to eat their greens! The Incredible Egg site has a ton of recipes that you can try. For this year's Easter brunch, I tried Jeffrey Saad's Mini Orange-Maple French Toast Casseroles but baked them in a 9x13. They were a hit!

Lastly, and I know it sounds silly, but I've found that farm fresh eggs truly do taste better. So next time you pass a Farm Fresh Eggs Sold Here sign, stop in and give a dozen a try. No matter what you decide about where to purchase your eggs, hopefully you'll be eggcited to taste-test and try out some new recipes.

More resources about egg nutrition and safety

• Egg farming: Industrial vs. organic by Caleb Hellerman of CNN
• Eggs Nutrition: Are some eggs healthier than others? by Gloria Tsang, RD of HealthCastle.com
• The hard boiled truth about egg safety and the salmonella recall from Mom Central Food

When Sara isn't busy chasing her kids, testing out new recipes or knitting up a storm, she can be found as SallyHP at Sex and the Knitty and its companion blog Knitty Reviews.

Finding new purpose with repurposed furniture

What do you have lying around the house that might be made into something else? For Anthony Regole, he had a collection of old hockey sticks. He also has quite a story.

According to Anthony,

“It all started when I was a freshman in high school and one of my projects for English class was an assignment to do something you have always wanted to do but you never followed through with doing it.”

Anthony's father was a trim carpenter and he had always had big dreams of building something original all his own. He had heard of other people building chairs with hockey sticks. Anthony decided to try building an Adirondack chair with his used hockey sticks. He received an A.

Finding new purpose

In 2007, Anthony was driving home from ice fishing and hit black ice. When the flipping and spinning was over, he was paralyzed from the waist down. Still in high school, Anthony had his future ahead of him, and eventually had to decide what he would do for a wheelchair – thus Chair Built Custom Woodworking was born.

Repurposed hockey sticks become furniture

Anthony's first project was the Adirondack chair. (It takes about 30 hockey sticks to build an Adirondack chair, and at $200-$250 would make a great gift for a hockey coach or fan.) He has expanded the line to include framed mirrors, beautiful tables, a large chest or trunk, even hat and coat racks. 

You can see more products made from hockey sticks at the Chair Built website.

Are you inspired to build something?

Janine Nickel (@Twincident on Twitter) documents her neuroses, the drama of raising twin girls and offers product reviews and giveaways at TwoferMom.com.

Recycling is fashionable with Smart Glass Jewelry

Last week I stepped into a little eco-boutique in a small New England town and saw a display of beautiful colored circles. Upon close inspection I realized it was a collection known as Smart Glass Jewelry. Each piece is handmade from recycled glass bottles of every color, plus sterling silver or gold fill.

Glass jewelry is an art

I decided to look up the artist, Kathleen Plate, and found out she was a stained glass artist who had learned the skill from working with her mother. While in graduate school, Kathleen was in need of a gift for a friend so she decided to make a pair of earrings from stained glass. The gift was a hit with her friends and later with festivals and the collection took off when Aveda placed an order after seeing a necklace made from their own glass bottles.

Smart glass open recycled line

The collection I saw was the “open” line of earrings, necklaces and bracelets. Each circle is unique and has a very natural feel. Because they are handmade sizes and shapes may vary slightly. Some pieces, like the small earrings, are simple and sophisticated while others, like the open cascade earring are bold. I fell in love with the bangle bracelets, but it's best to try these on in one of the retail locations because just as each person's hand and wrist size varies, so too does the width of a bangle.

Glass art for the home

After browsing the entire line of jewelry online, I took a quick peak at the artist's website and saw the most incredible piece of lighting I've ever seen. The same glass circles she has used in the jewelry are used to make stunning wall art, sculptures, and lighting.

Thanks to Kathleen Plate, I see that recycling glass bottles is not just good for our planet, it can become a work of art to be worn on the body, or displayed in a home.

Janine Nickel (@Twincident on Twitter) documents her neuroses, the drama of raising twin girls and offers product reviews and giveaways at TwoferMom.com.

School lunch: the struggle between convenience and eco-friendliness

Since I started making a true effort to be as green as possible almost two years ago, I've found that there are a couple of areas that I really struggle with and one of them came to the front lines today as I was at Costco shopping for school lunch supplies.

The struggle I have is between getting the mega portion of something and doling it out in to containers that he'll bring home, or getting the mega pack of single serve items. As this is my first year as a “school mom'” (preschool didn't really count since it wasn't every day and I only had to pack lunch and have to pack lunch and snack) I'm trying to make it as simple as possible for us to find a groove.

Balancing convenience, health and value

I decided to go with a good middle ground. For things like raisins, I got the large package that had two bags of organic raisins and I'll dole them out in reusable bags or containers while goodies like applesauce I purchased in the single serve containers, but I bought the organic option. Crackers and chips, I went half and half - I had a coupon for the variety pack of Annie's so I got them, but then bought the large bags of Pirate's Booty.

To clarify, these are for the things that I'll alternately give him on different days. I'm not filling his lunch box with crackers and snacks, but this is in addition to the sandwich, cheese or yogurt and fruit that will go in his bag each day. All of those will be sent in reusable containers or nature's own container (the skin) if it's not something that needs to be cut or peeled first.

When we moved, my girlfriend's generously gave me a gift card to Pottery Barn, so I splurged on the lunch bag and Kleen Kanteen of the Darth Vader variety for my son, even adding the monogram. That way, he won't ever be drinking bottled water. He will, however, sometimes be given either an organic chocolate milk box or an Honest Kids juice pack.

It's such a hard balance, and I know that there are a lot of moms out there who manage to never put anything in their kiddos lunches that has been processed or has preservatives and to them I say, Bravo! However, for me, I'm still not there. I don't know that I'll ever be to that place. And, I'm okay with that. For now.

Are there things that you've found yourself compromising on in order to make life run smoothly? Leave a comment!

When Sara isn't busy chasing her kids, testing out new recipes or knitting up a storm, she can be found as SallyHP at Sex and the Knitty and its companion blog Knitty Reviews.

Gift-giving made easy with organic by-the-month clubs

Here's a great idea for a gift when you are buying for someone who is known to either have everything, or has no problem going out and buying whatever it is they don't have. Sign them up for a monthly organic club where they will receive a delivery every month of something unique and organic!

There are lots of clubs to choose from and each one states whether it is certified USDA organic, or even Fair Trade. You can buy a three, six or 12-month membership depending on how much you want to spend. Here are a few interesting organic monthly clubs I found browsing online. Who knows...you may want to treat yourself to one of these!

Harry & David Organic Fruit-of-the-Month Club

OK, so fruit-of-the-month might not be the most unique idea but if you've ever had Harry & David fruit you'll know why this is a great gift. Each piece of fruit is chosen for freshness AND appearance. They are wrapped individually and handled with care until you unwrap it and dig in. According to the Harry and David website, “The selections in this Club are certified ‘organic’ by the Washington State Department of Agriculture,” and are grown in accordance with the USDA National Organic Program. A three-month club delivery is $119.

Organic Beer Club

What better way to introduce someone to organics than with beer? Football season is around the corner so why not treat a special guy to some beer that is made with ingredients free of pesticides and herbicides? The organic beer club I found only ships within California but I'm sure there are others out there. The delivery each month includes '”a six pack sampler with two different varieties of delicious, pure, and certified organic microbrews.”

Organic Nuts of the Month Club

How fun to get a different selection each month of organic nuts grown all over the world? I love nuts for snacking, for making homemade granola bars, and for a little boost of protein in my cereal. This would be a great gift for a friend or a co-worker. There are different subscription levels available and for more information visit gourmetnutsofthemonthclub.com.

Organic Coffee of the Month Club

Nectar of Life offers monthly deliveries of gourmet, organic coffee that is also Fair Trade Certified, which means the growers have better trading conditions (they are paid a higher price) and the growing practices often meet a higher environmental standard. You can choose from dark and light roasts as well as regular or decaf, and you can expect two 12-ounce bags each month. Imagine never running out of coffee again!

Janine Nickel (@Twincident on Twitter) documents her neuroses, the drama of raising twin girls and offers product reviews and giveaways at TwoferMom.com.

Product review: Bota Box...it's not your mama's Franzia

In her post last week, Janine talked about choosing organic wines for your next get together with the ladies. I have tried a few really great organic wines, especially since moving back to the Northwest, and I heartily second the motion.

Alone the same vine, er line, if you're looking for something affordable and eco-chic, look no further than Bota Box.

Boxed wine?

Boxed wines have had a bad rep because of their predecessors such as Franzia, which were essentially cheap wines in bulk. Now, however, you can enjoy a premium California wine by the glass. I like to enjoy about a glass of wine, maybe two, a night. Being married to a micro-brew fanatic means I'm going solo on the vino. A bottle can easily go off before you've had a chance to drink it, making the Bota Box an awesome solution. After opening, it stays “good” for up to 45 days and contains the equivalent of four standard bottles of wine. In most areas, it retails for less than $20, making it a real bargain.

Wine varietals

Just this summer they introduced a Riesling which joined their line-up of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Old Vine Zinfandel, Shiraz, Merlot, Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio. Whether you like it white or red, sweet or dry, you're sure to find something to please your taste buds. In addition to a broad spectrum of varietals, several of these California and Lodi Appellation wines are gold medal winners and score above 90 points.

I've tried both the Cab and the Old Vine Zinfandel and was pleasantly surprised by both. They won't replace the awesome wines that I have at my fingertips now that I live in Washington's Wine Country, but they're great for camp-outs, picnics, large gatherings, and the aforementioned solo treat.

Thinking outside the box

The real genius is in the box itself. While all bag-in-box wines fulfill an eco-friendly niche by using up to 85% less landfill waste and a smaller carbon footprint than glass packaging, Bota Box has taken their green initiatives one step further.

Their boxes are made using Kraft paper layers that are bonded with corn starch instead of glue and is printed directly on instead of bleaching it first. The recycled paper is composed entirely of post-consumer fiber and the entire box is 100% recyclable. While you have to remove the bladder and spout to recycle the box, the bladder and spout are also recyclable wherever number seven plastics are accepted. The ink and coatings are soy, rather than petroleum, based and the bladder is BPA and phthalate-free.

We can all raise a glass to that!

When Sara isn't busy chasing her kids, testing out new recipes or knitting up a storm, she can be found as SallyHP atSex and the Knitty and its companion blog Knitty Reviews.

Wind energy: pros and cons for this green energy source

Growing up in Eastern Oregon, you could always count on a lot of windy days and wind that blew against your car and forced it to the side. Or wind that made it pointless to spend too much time on anything but a ponytail. And now wind that is making a statement in the majestic wind farms along all the mountain ridges and in the valley. Their size can be deceiving until you see a semi carrying just a single blade that takes up the full length of the truck.

When I visited my parents from Massachusetts and saw the first few windmills, they were pretty awe-inspiring. The next year, it was as if they'd multiplied as quickly as dandelions. At the same time I was admiring them, I saw a petition in the local coffee shop to stop building them. I asked the person ahead of me in line about it, He said that there was a lot of controversy but that the main complaint was that they were loud for the people whose homes they were close to although it was promised they wouldn't be over a certain decibel. (It's reported that the noise level varies from one turbine to the next.)

The State of California issued guidelines for reducing the impact on birds and bats (PDF) as when the birds try to fly between the blades of the windmill they are often hit. However, as this pros and cons of wind energy fact sheet points out, birds are negatively effected by other forms of energy production as well due to pollution and/or radioactivity.

As for the noise levels, Oregon residents who are in what is becoming one of the largest wind farms in the nation (soon to be the world) are reporting health issues that may be linked to the noise. While these claims have not been substantiated, they are not yet being dismissed because there hasn't been time to study them. All of the concerns seem to be centered around inner ear issues of balance or feelings of internal unease due to vibrations.

I encourage you to read more about wind energy, as I'm trying to do so myself. The basics of wind energy are laid out in this document, and helped me get a better grasp when it stated that at the base, it's really just a converted form of solar energy. I don't fully understand how the energy that's being captured in Oregon can be sold to places as far away as Florida, but it's all part of the education process, right?

It's a hot topic right now and it promises only to get more electric (pun intended), so starting to read about it now may help if and when it becomes an issue in your own area. However, if my last few trips through the Gorge are any indication, business is booming in the wind farm industry, and the pros seem to be outweighing the cons for now.

When Sara isn't busy chasing her kids, testing out new recipes or knitting up a storm, she can be found as SallyHP atSex and the Knitty and its companion blog Knitty Reviews.

Bring organic wine to your next girls night out

I enjoy getting out with my girlfriends every once in a while. A little “GNO” (girl's night out) helps me break away from the pressures of work, motherhood, and blog. A GNO with wine is that much better in my book. So I decided to look into buying organic wine for our next get-together, and I was pleasantly surprised.

What is organic wine?

According to the USDA document on organic wine, in order for a wine to use the term 100% organic, “it must contain 100 percent organically produced ingredients and have been processed using organically produced processing aids, not counting added water and salt.” Organically produced ingredients means no pesticides or artificial yeasts.  For a wine to be labeled organic, “it must contain at least 95 percent organically produced ingredients, not counting added water and salt.” In addition, organic wine must not contain added sulfites which are act to stabilize wine.

Organic versus sustainable win

Organic wine that must adhere to strict USDA standards must not be confused with the ever growing sustainable wines that are said to be made using eco-friendly processes. According to the California Sustainable Wine Growing Program, the term sustainable is defined as “growing and winemaking practices that are sensitive to the environment, responsive to the needs and interests of society-at-large, and are economically feasible to implement and maintain.” These are all good things but “sustainable” is not monitored like “organic” and is a more fluid definition. For example, a winery may compost (a sustainable practice) but may also use pesticides.

Where to buy organic wine

You might be able to find a small selection in your local beer and wine shop and your best bet seems to be smaller, independently-owned shops. If you don't have any look, try online!

The Organic Wine Company - here you can browse through wines from France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, California, New Zealand, Argentina and Chile that are made with organically grown grapes, and that are backed with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Wine.com - I found a nice selection of organic wines that also list their “green” practices like recycled packaging, including a gift set that included a trio of organic wines from France, California and Australia.

EcoVineWine.com - is a wine club specializing in wines made from organic grapes and wines that are sulfate-free. They do offer a two-wine trial membership so you can test the waters, uh wine, first.

Janine Nickel (@Twincident on Twitter) documents her neuroses, the drama of raising twin girls and offers product reviews and giveaways at TwoferMom.com.

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Photo by roblisameehan on Flickr

Green knitting by using eco-friendly yarns

I am an avid knitter, and I started out the same way that a lot of people do - giant needles using a ball of acrylic yarn to bust out a scarf. After a couple of years, I've learned that it's fun to use really nice yarn, especially if it's for a gift.

If you've got the time and space, you can spin your own wool yarn from organic rovings, but it's now easier than ever to purchase yarn that's been created in an eco-friendly way, there are many ways that you can make an environmentally conscious item for your next project.

A lot of the time the nicer yarns are also ones that are green. However, a lot of mainstream brands have now started to branch off and carry their own luxury lines. LionBrand has organic cotton, organic wool, a cotton-bamboo blend and Nature's Choice organic cotton that are fairly affordable and widely available. Bernat and Patons are two other brands that were previously known for acrylic or regular wool yarn but have branched out to a wider selection, including organic cotton and wool.

Brands such as Koigu, Blue Sky Alpaca and Vermont Organic Fiber Company are going to carry a heftier price tag, but are so nice to treat both yourself to (as the knitter) and whoever will be wearing the final product.

An easy and budget-friendly way to try out a luxury yarn is to go even smaller than your standard scarf and knit a cowl like Emily Kausalisk's A Noble Cowl or a hat like Emily Mooney's Foliage, often taking just one to skeins. Not only will you be able to determine if you like the way it holds its shape, how well it knits up and whether it was worth the price, you'll be using something soft and lovely where it counts the most - right against your face and neck.

As the summer draws to an end, the crisp fall air makes my fingers itch to pick up the sticks. Hats and cowls make great Christmas gifts and can easily be made over a weekend for a beginner and in an evening for someone who's been doing it a little longer. 

When Sara isn't busy chasing her kids, testing out new recipes or knitting up a storm, she can be found as SallyHP atSex and the Knitty and its companion blog Knitty Reviews.