If you love the local food scene or would like to get involved – check out The Federation of Mass Farmers Markets, a non-profit organization, whose mission is, “To partner with farmers, consumers, and communities to foster, enhance and sustain farmers market in Massachusetts in order to improve regional farm viability, consumer nutrition, and community social and economic development.” Whether you’re looking to see what’s in season or where to find a farmer’s market (by zip, day or vendor) this is a great resource to connecting with food growers and purveyors. New this year is the ability to become a consumer member – and become even more involved with local agriculture.
Residents of Boston’s Cape & South Shore take note: You don’t have to travel to Terrene or The Green Depot in order to visit a green design show room. You have access to great eco-friendly, non-toxic products and finishes much closer to home. When it comes to home products like cabinets, countertops, tile and flooring, seeing and touching is believing. Some things are amenable to online ordering and some things are not. That’s one reason why G Green Design Center is such a great resource. The other is that they have done all the green vetting for you. They meticulously check the green credentials of all of their suppliers so that you can shop green with confidence. The Mashpee location also offers great workshops. If you haven’t yet visited the newest arrivals to the green design center scene, I urge you to pay a visit.
Here’s the bad news: the average American family of four uses a whopping 400 gallons of water a day. The good news is that it is relatively easy and cheap to dramatically reduce our usage by following basic conservation practices, such as finding and fixing leaks (the EPA estimates that 10% of American homes leak 90 gallons or more of water each day), and by replacing older fixtures with newer ones that use much less water.
Enter EPA’s Water Sense program: a certification program that allows consumers to easily identify water-efficient toilets, faucets and shower heads. Depending on the product category, EPA Water Sense certified products use 20-40% less water than the minimum federal standards. The program also certifies irrigation professionals who demonstrate their expertise in water-efficient irrigation technology and techniques.
One of my favorite organizations, Healthy Child, Healthy World educates parents, promotes policies and supports community efforts to protect our children from environmental health hazards, especially those that may be present in the home environment. Healthy Child, Healthy world has published a terrific guide to help parents maintain healthy homes. Their website provides clear and concise information about chemicals, environmentally-linked conditions and diseases, and public policy. It also features great tips for parents, including downloadable “pocket guides” for a variety of products including personal care products, cleaning products, baby food and formula.
No they don’t sell hay or baby chicks. Yes they do sell local produce, sustainably raised meat, and fair trade coffee. City Feed and Supply is a Jamaica Plain “people feed” grocery store and cafe with a passion for local food and a strong commitment to sustainable business practices. If I lived in JP (which I don’t) I might have to move into this store I love it so much. For a small store, they carry an impressive selection of green & healthy food, their breakfast and lunch menu is delicious and the vibe is just outstanding. If you live, work or play in JP and haven’t been to City Feed & Supply you must pay them a visit.
Are you a budding localvore? Then you will definitely want to check out Local Harvest an online directory of local & sustainable food sources including farmers markets, farm stands, CSAs, co-ops and restaurants. You can search by location, finding sources closest to where you are, as well as by product.
Greenward, located in Cambridge’s Porter Square, is an independently-owned eco-friendly boutique carrying a wide array of goods for your body, home, garden and more. Greenward screens all the products they sell to ensure that they meet their green criteria. In addition, Greenward accepts techno-trash for recycling (free of charge). For folks who don’t live in Boston, you can also shop online.
Perkins + Will, a commercial planning and design firm in Boston, has recently released a great new green resource for design/build professionals and the public alike. The Perkin + Will Precautionary List is an online directory of chemicals used in building products that are listed by government agencies as harmful to human health. You can search the directory by chemical, material use, and health impact.
Remember the old-fashioned system known are bartering? I know, it’s kind of fallen off our radar screens. But now there’s a great online resource to help you barter–or swap–books, CDs, DVDs, and video games you don’t want for those that you do.
It’s called Swaptree.com and the possibilities it opens up to reduce and reuse are so great, it almost make me giddy. Remember that series of books your child just had to have in first grade but has now outgrown? List them on swap tree and you could find yourself with the must-have series for third graders. Or how about those videos that your children watched endlessly as toddlers? Trade them for the Wii games they have been nagging you for. Or how about all those thrillers you buy at the airport? Trade them for ones you haven’t read.
The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy is a research, education and advocacy organization working to “ensure fair and sustainable food, farm and trade systems.” While IATP is based in the Midwest and focuses much of its policy work in this region, their publications are a great resource for consumers around the country. I especially recommend IATP’s Food & Health Smart Guides on topics such as plastic safety and hormones in the food system.
