Sunrise – Musings of a vacationing greener

No, I’m not on vacation yet… I was speaking more of a vacation from my life. The month of July was a pretty rough one with lots of challenges and grief. I want to apologize to the readers that I’ve let down over the last few weeks, but time was needed to get my health and soul back in check.

Where am I now with all my grand plans for a greener summer?

Although I haven’t quite fulfilled all my goals (100 mile diet Challenge has been postponed until September, canning season has been pushed back because of the weather, the elimination of processed foods was slowed due to lack of energy and will), I still have been striving to keep my house and home as green and organic as I possibly could. I've discovered quite a few new products I'm looking forward to sharing and recipes that I hope you will like.

I plan on getting back to writing starting this week-end. Inspiration is still a bit hard to come by, but I will try my best.

I hope you have are all spending a wonderful summer (or winter for my southern readers) and it feels good to be back, even if it’s simply to share the sunrise with you.

Produce and pesticides : What to buy organic if you can't buy it all

As I’ve mentioned before when I started this blog, I know how hard it is to try and make all the changes needed for a greener lifestyle. Sometimes it can be very overwhelming and trying to do it all at once can just be frustrating. Not to mention that suddenly buying everything organic can mean a major adjustment to the grocery shopping budget and going at it gradually can help you slowly incorporate smarter, healthier choices, without breaking the bank.

But where to start?

I’ve decided to start with produce. I did a little research and came upon quite a few varying resources for produce and their high or low pesticide ratings. So I considered the sources themselves and decided to compare them and it seems like many sites seem to agree with the EWG's (Environmental Working Group) Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides – Dirty dozen and Clean 15.

According to the guide, here are 12 fruits and vegetables that you should buy organic :

1. Peach
2. Apple
3. Bell pepper
4. Celery
5. Nectarine
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10. Grapes (Imported)
11. Carrot
12. Pear

And here are 15 fruits and vegetable that are lowest in pesticides :

1. Onion
2. Avocado
3. Sweet corn
4. Pineapple
5. Mango
6. Asparagus
7. Sweet peas
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Papaya
12. Watermelon
13. Broccoli
14. Tomato
15. Sweet potato

For a full listing of all tested produce, click here!

Now, I list these with some reserves. I have found some contradictory information on other sites. The same main culprits are often there, but they sometimes have different rankings. I guess the first steps for all is to really start reading labels and packaging. Study what is available to you, look for healthy alternatives.

In the best of worlds, we would buy everything from organic sources, but if you can’t, try and concentrate on the ones that are most damaging and go from there.

Shop smart and be healthy.

Which produce do you already buy organic?

Green beginning: My introduction.

Hello and welcome to my first blog.

I always thought of myself as a pretty socially conscious person. I've been a vegetarian for going on 14 years, been buying cruelty-free body products, been recycling everything I can, been going for the fair-trade coffee at the grocery stores, etc. But the thought of going green hadn't really hit me until just a few years ago.

I live in Quebec City, Canada. Not too small of a town, but not too big of a town either. What I love mostly about my city is the efforts that are generally put into making it a nice place to live. In the last few years, Quebec City (like many other cities around Canada, North America and the World) has taken many green and eco turns that have made me rethink and revisit a lot of my day-to-day habits. Everybody's always about buying the compact fluorescent bulbs and the Energy Star appliances, but what does it all mean really if you leave the lights on all day and you use non-biodegradable soap in the washing machine?

So I started reading every bit of text and joining every online green community I could find. I subscribed to so many newsletters I was getting lost in my own inbox.

The first thing my husband and I did was easy : We exchanged every cleaning product in the house for biodegradable, non-toxic products. Products were readily available in our local grocery store, they were within our price range and we have kept at it really well. That made us feel good...

Then, I got overwhelmed with horror stories of petroleum products and parabens in my make-up and body products (which I thought I was doing good with, considering all the cruelty-free natural stuff I was buying) and stopped using them. This time, replacing all these things for organic stuff became harder. The reality of it is that organic, a lot of time, means more expensive and "trying stuff out" is not always possible on a middle class household income. I can't afford to be the girl with 60$ worth of deodorants under the bathroom counter that were used only 3-4 times.

That is when I realized that going green was going to be more complicated than I thought and it would take some work and dedication.

I have decided to lay down a 3-step plan to achieve my dreams of a greener life.

My first step is to stop feeling guilty everytime and effort was made that doesn't pan out. People out there need to know that if everyone made a real effort at least part of the time, the world would be a much better place. So every little action counts. I know that everytime I use a reusable plastic container in my lunch instead of a ZipLock bag, I'm doing a bit of something real... I will deal with the toxins from the plastics later. Breaking down a two step (or more) process into single steps does not diminish the impact of these said actions.

My second step will be to commit fully to my actions when they do generate success. Now that I've been using earth friendly cleaning products for over a year, I will not go back. I will never again buy clumping cat litter for my kitties. I will continue to recycle even if it means I live in a neighborhood that does not have front door pickup. (That is what the local center is for and really, it takes only 2 minutes to get there from our apartment complex.)

My third step will be to share my experiences and knowledge, successes and failures, triumphs and frustrations, but without judgment or condescension. This is why this blog is being created. Partly for myself, to have a real record of my progress and downfalls, but also because I refuse to believe that I am the only one out there who is sometimes struggling in their efforts to provide themsleves and their community with a cleaner healthier world.

My blog will most likely be eclectic. I have a curious mind and an insatiable appetite for random facts and tidbits. Hopefully, some of my power of retention may help others in exploring the joys of cleaner living.

I really hope a lot of you will share in this journey!