CasaSugar

Would You Get Married on a Farm?

CasaSugar — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 06:15:18 -0800

According to a recent New York Times article, farms are quickly becoming a popular wedding venue for many couples. There are many advantages to a farm wedding, including a reduced price tag. According to the article, "Farms Are For Lovers," "Farm weddings can cost a fraction of nuptials at more traditional sites, because couples usually take care of services like catering and music. And small farmers like pulling out the hay-covered welcome wagon because it helps them survive."

Would you choose to have your wedding on a farm?

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This Just In: Adrian Grenier's Alter Eco Premieres Tonight

CasaSugar — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:15:01 -0700

If you're a long-time CasaSugar reader, you already know that Adrian Grenier used green insulation when he renovated his Brooklyn brownstone. But did you know the eco-minded actor has his own green television series? Grenier's new show, Alter Eco, premiers tonight at 9 on Planet Green. The 13-part series will follow Grenier and his team as they green building projects all over Los Angeles, including overhauling a club using salvaged materials. I love Grenier's down-to-earth attitude about greening one's lifestyle. In an interview with Ecorazzi, he said, "If everyone just became a little more aware of his or her own personal impact on the earth, real change would ultimately result." Find out more about Planet Green here.

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Guess What This Insulation Is Made From

CasaSugar — Mon, 19 May 2008 10:04:12 -0700

It's not your standard fiberglass, or even cellulose. Hint: Even though it may look blue, it's actually a green material.

Casa Verde: Consumer Consequences

CasaSugar — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 05:05:57 -0700

We've all heard a lot about sustainability, carbon footprints, and greening our lifestyles, but have you ever actually calculated how many resources your lifestyle requires? If you're curious, do as I did and play Consumer Consequences. This easy-to-use, fun platform seems more like a game than a survey, and at the end you'll know how many planets would be needed to support your habits. In my case it was 2.1 - which is a lot, but still a lot lower than the American average!

After you play the game, let me know what your results were by commenting below, and also leave suggestions about how you might change your habits to reduce your score. My biggest offenses seem to be diet-related: I eat meat, drink coffee daily, and drink wine nightly. Oh boy - I don't know if I can compromise much on those last two.

How-To: Making Your Wedding a Little Greener

CasaSugar — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 06:30:30 -0700

Unfortunately, just because you're holding your wedding ceremony in the great outdoors that doesn't mean your celebration is good for the planet. If you want some ideas for cutting down on the environmental impact of your big day, take a look at my tips.

For a Greener Wedding

Who doesn't love flowers? You can keep your flowers eco by buying organic blooms or buying the flowers locally.
When considering where to hold your wedding, think about where most of your guests are located. Midwest? East Coast? The Southwest? Then, consider holding your ceremony there. It will cut down on travel expenses as well as the environmental cost of planes, trains, and automobiles.
You can now buy compostable cups, plates, and utensils for your shindig. This means that your guests' plates will end up enriching the soil instead of sitting in a landfill.
If guests are traveling from a long distance, ask them to offset the carbon produced from their travel. It's cheap, quick, and easy. In lieu of wedding favors, which are often thrown away or forgotten, you could also offset your entire wedding guest list's carbon output. You could have a message telling them about the carbon offset "gift" printed up on wildflower seed cards that are left on each guest's plate. Make sure the guests take the cards home and plant them.

For the rest of my tips, just read more.

Instead of cut flowers, arrange small potted flowers in groupings on reception tables. Encourage guests to take the plants home to their garden at the end of the party.
Keep your registry eco-oriented, with gifts from green designers, artists, and furniture stores. Crate and Barrel and Ikea are two big retailers that have consistently scored high marks in terms of environmental responsibility.
Print your invitations on recycled paper that use nontoxic, soy-based inks.

Anyone else have some great ideas to make your wedding greener? Let me know by leaving a comment below.

For all of our wedding coverage check out IDoSugar.
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Garden Therapy: A Park For a Day

CasaSugar — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 04:30:24 -0700

Last year I wrote about the Park(ing) day in San Francisco, and I'd be remiss to not mention it again during Good to Grow month. Park(ing) Day is an event where businesses, government offices, and volunteers in several corners of the world take the time to construct parks in parking spaces. I found a cool video that shows the positive effects of this one-day event, and it's got me excited for this year's Park(ing) Day in September. I just might have to start my own park(ing) for the day next September . . . .

Home Library: Squeaky Green

CasaSugar — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 04:30:05 -0700

While Squeaky Green: The Method Guide to Detoxing Your Home ($16.95, Chronicle Books) won't be released until April 1, it's so perfect for this month's theme that I had to tell you about it.

Written by Method founders Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry, the book comes in a hardcover binder format, with seven organizational tabs for each section of your home, from living rooms to bedrooms to bathrooms to pets.The introduction, from green guru Danny Seo, notes that, "Method's cleaning products are nontoxic solutions that really work and smell great and the packaging is, well, sexy. Yes, sexy."

I definitely agree that Method's design-savvy green products have been a main reason that many people have converted to green cleaning, and this introduction of sleek design to formerly homely/hippie green products has helped to mainstream the trend. But Method's much more than a pretty face, as reflected in the pages of this book. Squeaky Green is chock full of excellent advice on how to clean your home thoroughly with green products. Some of the facts are just plain shocking: Did you know that there's beef fat in fabric softeners and dryer sheets (see page 114)? Or that women who work at home have much higher cancer rates than those who don't, most likely due to conventional cleaning products (see page 47)? This book offers both startling facts and easy solutions to making sure that your home is squeaky clean and green. You can order an advance copy here.

Recipe For Clean: Garbage Can Deodorizer

CasaSugar — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 11:15:42 -0700

Of course, we want to keep our homes smelling so fresh and so clean, so it's logical to think about taming the beast that is the garbage can. If you've assembled your home cleaning kit you'll have most of the ingredients for this Recipe For Clean. Use it to get your garbage cans smelling Spring clean.

Supplies

1 cup baking soda
1 tsp. tea tree oil
white vinegar
water
favorite herbal scent or essential oils (optional)

To find out the steps for this DIY, just read more.

Mix the baking soda, tea tree oil, and a few drops of your favorite essential oil (optional) together.
Make sure to get out any lumps. You can use the back of a spoon to squish out lumps.
Take out garbage and garbage bag. Line the bottom of your garbage can with the mixture. Let sit for a half hour or more.
Rinse pail with white vinegar and water.
Let the garbage can dry in the sun.

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Casa Quickie: Rinsing Out the Recycling

CasaSugar — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 09:00:53 -0700

I always rinse out my cans and bottles before I toss them in the recycling bin, but according to Ideal Bite, it's unnecessary. In fact, you'll be saving water if you don't rinse out your recyclables. The Ideal Bite team advises that you scrape out any peanut butter stuck in the jar, but any scouring beyond that is both excessive and unneeded. For more great green advice, check out Ideal Bite, or better yet, sign up for their online daily newsletter.
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Etsy Find: Shower Treat Natural Laundry Soap

CasaSugar — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 06:45:21 -0800

What better way to get your home So Fresh and So Clean this month than by going green? Etsy seller Shower Treat Soap helps make your green transition easy by offering a sample pack of three different scents of natural laundry soap ($6). Just choose your favorite three from their available stock and they'll send you enough soap for 15 large loads. This way, you can get a good sense of whether or not this soap is for you at a low investment. Shower Treat Soap also sells soaps in greater quantities as well.

Not only is this low-sudsing formula good for your septic system and the environment, it also contains no dyes, phosphates, or artificial fillers, which means it's great for sensitive skin, including people who suffer from allergies, exzema, and other skin issues. It's also a great choice for laundering babies' and children's clothing. The soap is made through a cold-process method, grated, dried, and then powdered, so it will dissolve quickly, even in cold water. Only one tablespoon-sized scoop is needed for a large load, and only half a tablespoon is required if you use a front loading washing machine. There are a ton of scents to choose from, including Sweet Pea, Spearmint, Rosemary, Eucalyptus, Mandarin Orange, Lime, Rose, Hyacinth, Light Musk, or any combination of available scents. Another cool fact: 5 percent of the company's profits are donated to Women For Women International, an organization that sponsors women survivors of war.