Recycled Canvas Bags and Hats by PAZ Apparel | Fashion Peace.

Christmas Tree Recycling

Earth 911 is a terrific resource for locating a place in your area that offers live tree recycling.

Homes for Homeless Pets

I encourage pet adoptions so I was thrilled to see this guide to giving the gift of a pet on PETS 911. 

Vegetarian Cooking and Baking

You can tell I'm thinking a lot about food this week. I love baking during this time of year and if you are a vegan or vegetarian like myself you will appreciate The Angelica Home Kitchen: Recipes and Rabble Rousings from an Organic Vegan Restaurant. I've prepared nearly everything from this book and let me tell you the recipes are amazing. Some are pretty involved but they all deliver.

I especially enjoy the dessert recipes and tonight I'm baking brownies which are wonderful to give as gifts for the holiday's. And I always make a point of letting my gift recipent know that they are enjoying a treat made without eggs, butter or refined sugar. I can't tell you how many fans I've made by sharing these special baked treats as gifts for the holidays.

Well I hope you enjoy!!

Healthy Homemade Granola

Fed up with store bought granola? I am. Organic brands can be very expensive and conventional brands are just loaded with sugar. So, here is my super easy recipe for healthy granola.

4-6 cups oats
1 tsp. Nutmeg
1/2 tsp. Cardamom
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2-2/3 cup maple syrup
1 to 2 tsp. vanilla
2-3 tbs. olive oil or safflower oil
hand full of crushed walnuts (optional of course)
hand full of sliced almonds (optional of course)
half handful of pumpkin seeds (optional of course)
handful of raisins or cranberries. (be creative!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the dry ingredients with the exception of the raisins. (Leave these to the very end of baking)

Combine wet ingredients separately and whisk well.

Mix wet into dry and stir thoroughly with a wooden spoon.

Spread mixture evenly into a 9x14 or larger roasting pan with low sides.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Add raisins and let cool. Then enjoy with fresh fruit and soy or organic milk!

Use your nose to gauge cooking time and will stir the mixture once or twice during cooking time to ensure none of the oats burn which can happen if you are not careful. 

Wiki-Monday: Peace

From Wikipedia: Environmental peace "Many environmentalists think that protecting the surroundings is a way of peacemaking. This point of view posits that to demolish natural habitats, or to disturb long-standing equilibrium amongst any and all living things, may be perceived as a form of cruelty. This opinion centers its formation of peace on the natural world; this view may look upon peace as relative to the world or relative to all alive creatures, rather than relative to people solely."

Making your own Tempeh

I'm always on the look out for great vegan recipes. Here is a site with some terrific recipes and great information for those of you who may not know much about Tempeh.

Sustainable Wall Covering

Thinking of updating a room with a fresh coat of paint?

Think again.

I recently discovered an alternative that is non-toxic, resists mold and fading.

And it's all natural.

American Clay natural earth plaster. And it doesn't contain any nasty VOC's (Volatile Organic Compounds) which are certainly not good for us or the environment.

When you start scratching the surface of sustainability you really discover a new world of opportunity out there.

With so many home renovations taking place I am thrilled to see innovations like this one. And the texture is so natural

Coconut Palm Wood The Next 'Bamboo'?

If you are thinking of remodeling your home give some thought to Palmwood. I recently came across a store that specializes in selling only 'green' products for the home. Zero VOC paints (Volatile Organic Compounds), natural clay wall treatments, bamboo and yes even palmwood.

Palms were planted in the tropics during the early part of the 20th Century by the millions to supply the coconut oil market. Since palm trees only bear fruit for about 70 years they must be felled to make way for new crops. So, what to do with the millions of trees felled each year?

It turns out palmwood is terrific for indoor and outdoor projects as it is resistant to termites, mold and wood rot making it a great choice in both wet and dry climates as well.

And because palms don't grow in rings like other trees you get a beautiful linear grain that is unlike any you have seen before. Imagine palmwood floors instead of laminate which is just awful for the environment. Just gorgeous! 

Get Rid of Junk Mail For Good!

Thanks to another terrific post by Marguerite Manteau-Rao on La Marguerite here's a service that claims to rid you of junk mail saving countless trees and water in the process and all for a one time fee of just $15!

Sounds like a must have service and a great idea for a christmas gift!

No Foil Cooking

Thanks to Anna Shepard at Eco-Warrier for sharing this tip from one of her readers.