Checking out for summer with Eco-Mama in Maine

Hello and happy august! I hope all of you are at it and doing eco better than before...in the high high heat of summer.
I have been in the midst of some major transitions, but all in the best ways possible. I moved to Portland Maine in January, and went though some changes which was a true test. It unfolded as a scramble from near desperation to the discovery that I was and am fully capable of handling everything that comes my way and enjoying some of it too!! Life is beautiful, what can I say, but love each moment. I am proudly working at an organic grocer over-seeing the coffee and candy/chocolate departments. Couldn't be happier to participate in "good organic practices" and classes that teach me where our food and body products come from. (more on that knowledge at a future date).
I am here to post some images of summer...that's all, just to share some of the homegrown goodness that's come from my work and need for organic produce and outdoor time. I've gained my summer's worth of vit. D and toned my body while working, weeding and tending to...also from running and playing on the beach. I've found some breath and balance too.

Until next time, I hope everyone feels good about their eco choices, and eat local, seasonal and fresh!!
ciao,
mariah

Oh, check out Lonny Magazine (love it!) and look for this article on page 41: Slowing It Down featuring Dominique Browning

I Love Plants

Another image from Hearblack

Eco-Lust

OMG! It takes a lot to have my jaw drop these days but low and behold while perusing my favorite blogs this afternoon I discovered hanging upside down planters on Poppy Talk! Amazing. I want, badly....

Can by purchased here!

(Image: rockettstgeorge)

Eco-Mama Prezzies!

As Mother's Day approaches, it's time to think about what you're going lavish her with. There are many ideas that involve your creativity and just a little bit of cash. We all know the economy stinks right now (man am I sick of hearing about it!) but that doesn't mean your mama has to suffer, right!

Stock up at your local nursery and/or garden store. Organic Bouquet still can get your gifts to Mom on time! I love their 'Hens & Chicks' succulent plant, affordable and super easy to take care of.

Of course there's no need to order online, head to your local spot and pick out a beautiful plant that will last much longer than flowers. Make sure you ask about care instructions (you can write this on your card) and pick up any plant food that might be needed. Plants come in all prices and sizes, so you can't go wrong with this idea.

If you live near your mama, wake up early on Sunday and cook her a 100% organic pancake breakfast. Use the Internet to find your recipe, replace ingredients for organic ones, get farmer's market fresh berries and don't forget a cup of fair trade
coffee!


Still stumped, don't waste your money on expensive cards, make your own. Get creative and use rubber stamps to personalize a beautiful folded piece of recycled paper, print a photo from your computer and write a loving message on the back or take the time to create a one of a kind card your own way. Whatever you just remember it's about Mama & it truly is the thought that counts.

(Images: www.gillbaby.com

Planet Friendly Valentine's Day v1

It's not too late to green your Valentine's Day.

I generally find the holiday annoying and tacky, but that doesn't mean I don't like taking part. My husband and I take the annoyance out of holidays by cooking together. We find it keeps us from the overpriced fixed menu prices and overbearing "romantic" overtures and gives us time together. That being said, who doesn't love receiving presents. Here are some great ideas to share the love with your better half.

Ditch the cut roses (boring and obvious) and spring for a beautifully exquisite orchid plant that she can enjoy long after the 14th has passed. Potted plants are much better for the environment and provide better air quality around the house.

(Image:ftdfloristsonline.com)

I Heart The Brooklyn Botanical Garden

My Growing Urban Garden

I adore succulents and have as many as can fit in my tiny apartment!  I urge you all to go out and buy up the garden shop!  Stock your house full of plants, they make you happy!  I swear!

Union Square Serves It Up

I enjoy going to the Farmer's Market so much, even if I am just there to enjoy the sights...

Eco-Fashionista: Plant Love

Hello, hello my eco-beauties. In a world that claims to go green, how can we tell what is green in terms of being eco-friendly, and what is for show?
Beauty products have come a far way since Aveda, in terms of them being the frontrunner in carrying all natural, all botanical products that aren’t tested on animals. They also revolutionized the beauty packaging industry. By minimizing their packaging, and maximizing the use of post-consumer recycled materials, they use materials that can be and are recyclable, and designs their packaging so that the individual parts can be separated for recycling. They also work with suppliers who manufacture our packaging materials using renewable energy.
Today, I would say that is passé. Most beauty companies have gravitated towards animal-free testing and recyclable packaging. (And if they haven’t, you should be boycotting them…) Bravo to Aveda doing their part, but in a consumer society, packaging sells, and we are easily captivated by the “newest” products that tickle our fancies.
That being said, and one that truly falls into that category, I’d like to profile CARGO’s new PlantLOVE lipstick.
The mindset is behind the creativity being eco-friendly is simply amazing. Are you sitting down? Good. The carton housing the lipstick is biodegradable, embedded with seeds so that when moistened and planted, flowers will grow. THEY WILL GROW!
The line consists of multiple coloured lipsticks with the tube made from compostable corn plastic, and thus considered a renewable resource. (But can we say plastic then??) And the lipsticks themselves are not made with Petroleum based ingredients but a patented Orchid complex, which, for 20 bucks for a tube of lipstick, should make your lips feel like bio-degradable silk 
If you thought the buck stopped there, your wrong. CARGO is donating two dollars from the sale of these lipsticks to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Not only will you look great, the seeds sewn are truly from the heart and will not only affect future generations, but the planet as well. So invest; in the earth and in our children.
You can pick one up at Sephora or go to: http://www.cargocosmetics.com/plantlove.html
And order a whole bunch.
What better way to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY or I LOVE YOU than planting a lipstick garden?

Put That in your Pipe and Smoke it

Let’s just get this out of the way first. Hemp fabric is NOT marijuana and no you can’t smoke your t-shirt after you’re done wearing it. It is a long standing myth that the fibrous hemp plant is the same as the marijuana plant. They are two different plants producing two different results, only one of which is drug related. Phew, now that we’ve said that, onto Hemp fabric!

Hemp fabric is a lovely, soft and durable fabric (x4 more durable than cotton!). It can be made into 25,000-50,000 products including fabric, food, paper, paint, linoleum and biodegradable plastic. It is illegal to grow in this country, though it can be grown in climates and all 50 states. It is not illegal to import the fabric in, so it is available to all of us. Why you ask is it illegal to grow? Well as most things in this country it is important to follow the paper trail back to money and power. In the 1920’s and 1930’s Henry Ford along with some big US companies were on the brink of a Hemp revolution, creating huge quantities of products from hemp. When the petro-chemical and pulp paper industry got wind of this they were not too happy about it. They, including Randolph Hearst launched a huge negative publicity campaign against hemp complete with coverage in Mr. Hearst’s own newspaper.

Here are some quick facts about hemp that will make your head spin (not in the marijuana way though)
*Hemp has been used for thousands of years; archeologists have unearthed hemp fibers in China over 10,000 years old.
*Betsy Ross made the first American flag out of hemp
*The Founding Fathers were hemp farmers
*1st and 2nd draft of the Constitution were drafted on hemp
*Levi Strauss made the first pair of jeans out of hemp canvas
*Hemp is anti-microbial
*Can be grown in all climates and in all 50 states
*Cultivating hemp is illegal in the United States
*Hemp fabric is soft and durable

Hemp also has huge environmental benefits as well. Because the plant is resistant to insects they require no pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers. This helps reduce the runoff of chemicals into our waterways and into the soil. And unlike conventionally grown (non-organic) cotton, hemp does not deplete the soil of rich nutrients. Just to make this point hit home, ½ of all agricultural chemicals sprayed in this country are on conventionally grown cotton. Enough said.

(Image: http://www.thediaperhyena.com/images/hemp.jpg)

Urban Garden Memories

Summer on my balcony.... This photo is like a baby photo of the now 10 times the size plants keeping warm in my apartment this winter. Adorable! From the far left it's Lambs Ear, Aloe and Lavender. I can't wait to get these guys out in the sunshine again. I know it's freezing in NYC but Spring is just around the corner.

Plant me a Miracle

Here’s one really easy way to ecofy your life. Get a few plants. Ones that you can actually keep alive! Do some online research, find out what does well inside in semi-shade. My “urban garden” keeps me happy and helps clean the air of toxins. It’s magical! I have successfully kept alive a huge aloe plant, lambs ear, eucalyptus, lavender and rosemary. They are my babies….I take such good care of them. It is hard in this city, with such small apartments to have plants I know, but it is worth the time and space loss. Once summer hits, you can move them onto balconies, fire escapes or window sills no longer blocked for winter with heat saving plastic! My advice is avoid the stunning orchids that bloom once, die and leave you depressed yearning for the god awful silk orchids you see forever “blooming” in shop windows. Get herbs! They will enhance your cooking and look great on the window ledge. There’s nothing as special as when Kevin, my fiancé and I are cooking and I can run over and pull of a sprig of Rosemary to add to our dinner. Go out there, get some plants and breathe a little fresher air!