Boycotting Gas? The Great American Gas Out Sham.

Just like every Spring, emails and Facebook feeds are lighting up with news of this year’s Great American Gas Out.

For the small price of refusing to buy gas on this one arbitrarily chosen day (or sometimes chosen weekend), you effectively decrease the profits of oil companies.

Actually, you inflate your own sense of eco-righteousness.  That is about all that you will accomplish.

Gas prices will stay the same (despite the false claims of previous years causing gas prices to fall $.30 overnight).  This “event” is a total sham.

20130311GasOutSham

I have never played along with the gas out, even during my years writing this blog as “Green Grounded” when I yearned to be the most environmentally-friendly gal in town.

Why did I avoid this annual boycott?

Think about it.  Who are we joking to think we are changing anything with this method?

Even the originators of this email suggest fueling up on the 14th, or on the 16th.   Fuel away!  Fill your car overflowing with glorious liquid gold (not the cheese) with abandon!  The oil companies will feel our wrath on the 15th, however, when suddenly their sales are all dried up!

Gandhi said something about being the change, right?  Not staging a one-day protest where you simply put off doing a chore you will happily oblige to the day after.

I feel the same way about Earth Hour, realizing Read more »

To Kill, Or Not to Kill… What’s Greener?

This blog was once a true joy to me – an ability to express things I was learning and passion I felt about helping our environment through everyday living.

Slowly, it became a way of what the internet is – preaching to the choir.  Rambling to a crowd of people who perfectly agree with me used to see productive… and then I grew up.

Then it became an awakening that so many people want to do what they can, but get really tired of the condescension they feel from the “green” gurus who tell them they are still failing to do their part.

“American Pickle”, which has also been “Green Grounded” (and something else, I am sure), served to let me vent anger toward advertising and mindlessness in our society.

It has allowed me to show gratitude for new ideas and products and eco-advocates in our world.

My sad, sad absence of consistency since 2010, however, has shown more about my flailing desire to find my “voice” with this blog.

I have stressed whether or not to kill this blog off, and always find reasons to keep it up.  Is using energy on it greener, or killing it?  Death to American Pickle would certainly be greener to my wallet.  Hehae.  Still, I know clearly that it is not death to this, my first voice, my first blog, my extension from my time at WNCN NBC 17, which gave me a platform and understanding of social media back in 2007 when my amazing boss, Maryann Balbo, and a social media expert, Terry Heaton, encouraged me to create this part of myself online.

If it were not for this gift, I would have missed out on a very rewarding experience and personal growths through Facebook, Twitter, and other blogs that I have since created and nurtured.

I just felt the need to address that.  I am more than aware, painfully so, that I have been lackluster in keeping this once successful blog up.  For the three of you that stumble across these last posts and those to come…

Thank you.

Sustainably yours,

Ashley Sue

A Life Without Poo… But I Actually Prefer It, I See.

For years, ever since I stepped into the fast lane of wanting to live as natural and organic and peaceful as possible (all while being on the fast track to a corporate job in media), I realized that most of our beauty and hygiene products are seriously whack when it comes to the ingredients list.  (Yeah, I said that.)

Being vegan back in the early 2000s exposed me to the toxic ingredients (or at least controversial ones) in our everyday beauty regiment.

As I delved into a “greener” lifestyle for work and passion back in 2007, I saw clearer than ever how stuffy some people are about their natural choices.  A lot of people chirping about how they use clay for toothpaste and boasting arrogantly of how they do not use soap or shampoo is a large reason some people turn away from “green”.  Besides, who wants to smell like a hippy?

In walks Ashley (not me), who is anything but grungy, stinky, dirty.  No, this chic glows.  She is beautiful, she is elegant, she is lovely.  She is modest, she is meek, and she is graceful.  Not pretentious, not boastful, not an annoying hippy.

She is also one of the very first blogs I ever followed, as I was captivated to learn how she and her beau were learning to build a life together, as environmentally and healthfully as possible, in a tiny space.  I watched her explore being newly married, feeling like an adult, having her own baby, and explore her career.

Ashley inspired me when she stopped using shampoo.  In fact, not only did she stop using shampoo, but she enjoyed the experience so much, she shared her experience and tips over several posts.

I committed myself.  I bought a jumbo bag of Arm & Hammer from Costco, and a big jug of apple cider vinegar.

Here are the highlights from my two months with no ‘poo in my ‘do:

  • Hanging out with friends and realizing I had a large, dried clump of baking soda inside my ear.
  • I told my girl Sara about my attempt.  Her reply was something like she tried it too, but gave up after a week or something.  It was not working for her.
  • Realizing while I was shopping I Read more »

My Good Friend, Cleaning my House

For years we have heard plenty about not using harsh chemical cleansers in our home.  Vinegar and baking soda are supposed to be the magic cleaning agent in order to disinfect your home and keep your family healthy – and away from toxic fumes, carcinogens, and questionable ingredients.

Then Clorox paved the mainstream way of trying to convince us the make a truly “green” cleaning line, and names like Seventh Generation became everyday brands.

Living that middle ground as I do, I took several years and bought only Shaklee, Seventh Generation, Ecover, and the like.  I spent bundles of Marc’s and my money toward these products, and often to find myself itchy, my dishes still dirty, and my bathtub still grimy.

This past with pricey alternative cleaners explains why I was at Wal-Mart (yes) this week buying Comet.  Gimme that bleachy teal powder that would turn tar snowy white!

I grabbed the 2x Comet (twice the white and half the elbow grease!) when I saw it:

The cutest little bird, letting me know it was my “Good Friend”, or in french, “Bon Ami”.  A powder cleanser, just like coment, but “America’s Original Natural Home Cleaner”.

“Cleans your home without dye, perfume or chlorine”.
“Sprinkle Scrub Rinse!”
“Before cleaning turned ‘chemical,’ there was Bon Ami.”

They say they have a simple purpose, “to return your home to a natural state of clean.”

Biodegradable, hypo-allergenic (and those commercial cleaners you buy are NOT), Bon Ami is made of “five simple ingredients”:

  • Limestone
  • Feldspar
  • Biodegradable Cleaning Agents (from coconut and corn)
  • Soda Ash
  • Baking Soda

Technically, would “biodegradable cleaning agents” not count as more than one ingredient?  That reminds me of idiots on Pinterest who say their cake is only three ingredients… but one of them is a box of cake mix which has eight ingredients and multiple preservatives itself.

Anyhow, Bon Ami is still far less harsh and far more natural than what I showed up to buy.  Plus, for less than a dollar, what do I have to lose?

I got both.  No better way to test something out, right, than to have the tried-and-true on standby to make everything pearly if the natural product fails.  I likely would have bought Bar Keepers Friend, which was between the two products, but it was sold out.  I hear it is fantastic, too, though.

Any experience with this cute little chickadee?

Sustainably yours,

Ashley Sue

PS.  No, we still have no fridge.  The old one is sitting in the middle of our kitchen floor, and we should have one by tomorrow night.  Oh, I hope, because the random coolers and tote bins of food sitting on our porch is a little janky.

The Planet’s Best Honey

I already lied.  While Buckwheat honey is now one of Marc’s and my favorites, I still contend that Locust honey is the most amazing honey on Earth, tasting like droplets of Heaven that fell to our mouths.

Buckwheat honey, however, is absolutely amazing.  The flavor is much bolder than a lot of honey varieties, and from a bit of internet research, I see that buckwheat honey is praised for its high mineral content and healthful benefits.  Dr. Oz approved.

Not all buckwheat honey is created equal, though.

My Grandma and I took a trip to Virginia last Autumn and stopped at Brady’s Farmers Market in Hillsville.  Seriously, while I have been to much larger farmers markets, I have been to none as hospitable or with such a slammin’ selection as Brady’s.

courtesy of bradysproduce.webs.com

Jars of honey, sorghum and molasses lined a wall, and the prices were unbeatable.  Literally, the same size jar of honey in Raleigh cost me $10 while Brady’s had them for under $5.  The selection was insane, so I grabbed one of my favorites as well as tried two new varieties: Avocado Honey and Buckwheat.

While the Avocado was about as flavorful and impressive as good ol’ grocery store clover honey or alfalfa (boooooooooring), the Buckwheat punched our taste buds in the face with a WHAM!  It was scrumptious.

Do not think you have to like buckwheat to like this honey.  Buckwheat pancakes have been something we merely tolerate on rare, forced occasions… but this honey?  Divine.

Previously, Marc and I always kept two jars of honey on hand.  I preferred Water Tupelo as a(n easier to find) variety, Marc preferred Sourwood (which I am not a fan of).  Now, we both are bigger fans of Buckwheat.

Thought I would share those two nuggets of information in case you are cruising through Hillsville, Virginia or you are searching new honey varieties.

When we ran out, we desperately wanted to replace it, though.  Not living anywhere near Hillsville (like, hours and hours away), I hoped Google would cure our thirst.  The few brands I found online were incredibly expensive to buy and ship (boo) except a brand I found online at either VitaCost or Vitamin Shoppe.  This buckwheat was a big disappointment.  It was thick and opaque, which my Google research said it often is.  The flavor was much more full of pollen and hive tidbits than what I found at Brady’s.  In fact, it was downright gritty in flavor and texture in my throat in comparison.

So, now we seek affordable, super dark, amber-brown, buckwheat honey, completely translucent, like looking through a beautiful, dark craft beer.  When I see that, I will know to expect more of the incredible, extraordinary flavor of our buckwheat honey.

Cheers!

Ashley Sue

courtesy of bradysproduce.webs.com

Do Refrigerator Repair Men Get Plumber Butt, Too? (The True Cost of a “Green” House: Fridges)

In pursuing the “true cost of a green house,” considering the state of your kitchen appliances matters.  Sure enough, this is what our week will entail.

In my effort to make a post a day, every day for October, I chose to take Sunday off.  God rested, my brain was fried, and we were processing deer. Three deer.

Somewhere along the way of processing deer, we realized our refrigerator is not working correctly.

Actually, we were making ice cream cones last week and noticed the ice cream was not hard.  I ended up serving sweet, sugary soup in bowls with an ice cream cone upside down on top.  The freezer was not defrosting at all, so we emptied the entire appliance, turning it off, and using a hair dryer to thaw the coils and unit.  Problem solved.

Or not.  Yesterday, after being able to put all of the food back in the fridge and freezer from the coolers, and putting a lot of baggies of freshly cut deer in the freezer, we saw the freezer was frosted over again completely and the fridge is not cooling at all.

Sheesh.

Hours of research let us know our appliance either needs a new defrost heater, defrost timer, or defrost thermostat.  We could spend all of today testing the three components to figure out which to replace, but then again, we would have to hope that was the only issue.

Is a 1994 model refrigerator worth repairing, or do Read more »

The Fine Line of Green Worship

How do we live our lives, live as Christians, and live sustainable “green” lives simultaneously?

I know not everyone who will read this subscribes to Christianity, but as someone who does, I realized long ago that “living green” so often becomes it’s own version of worship.

The pride and arrogance over all I do to make the world greener, all I know that others seem to be figuring out, all that I teach other and judge them for not doing, and all the things I realized I still did not know that I had to gobble up to reach the pinnacle of green zen…

My search for “Green Grounded” was anything but grounded.  I had made an idol of being green.

So where is the balance?

Another writer deals with this, too, as her family lives “on the crunchier side” as well as has a child that is allergic to plastic:

It’s avoiding all the baggage that comes along with it. It’s avoiding the dogma. The theology of the earth as giver and creator. The “save the earth!” slogans. The idea that more than one child per family is unduly burdening our ecosystem. The explicit understanding that we’re all part of one big cosmic happy place, and that anyone who subscribes to the idea that there’s one true way is just bringing everyone down.

How do we make our difference, live our truth, support the ecosystem and community, all while keeping our eyes and hearts focused on the bigger-yet picture?

Any thoughts on living a balance?

Sustainably yours,

Ashley Sue

Fluoride Rots Your Brain and Kills.

OK, I had no idea how to make a headline about fluoride seem important, so I used a cheap tactic.  One of the oldest out there.  Sorry.*

All the same, fluoride is something we Americans are taught to revere.  And we cannot escape it.

From a young age, we get fluoride treatments from the dentist and hear all of these commercials about how great this toothpaste brand and that mouthwash is because of the cavity-fighting fluoride.  Heck, the CDC hails fluoridation of water as one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century.

Fluoride, however, is linked to cancer, bone fractures and weakness, low sperm count, endocrinology issues, and more.  According to FluorideAlert.org,

While the health impact of these exposures remains poorly understood, research shows that comparable doses cause serious health conditions in areas of the world with widespread fluoride poisoning…

…In terms of acute toxicity (i.e., the dose that can cause immediate toxic consequences), fluoride is more toxic than lead, but slightly less toxic than arsenic. This is why Read more »

Get the 811

Today’s post from One-a-Day-in-October on American Pickle:

Call 811 before you dig.

I choose this as today’s topic because it is a simple but very important reminder, as we are now in Autumn.  If you are anything like us, you either already started your fall gardening or will soon.

Indeed, while our vegetables are winding down again until Spring, we ripped out two rose bushes and planted a lantana and weigela to our yard this week.  Later this month, we will plant heucharas and transplant daylilies.

We also have, like you, pipes and cables all under our yard.  Some are feet below, while others are perhaps a foot below.  Cable lines, power lines, natural gas pipes, water lines, sewage, and more.

One simple call to 811 makes sure you do not hit the natural gas line and Read more »

Mattress. Mattresses. Decision Made, but How Green Was It?

I have chronic anxiety (which I am trying the medication of meditation of Christ to relieve), but the last couple months I have slept more soundly than I have in years.  Our house guests do, too, now.

Months ago I wrote how Marc and I were hunting a mattress for our bedroom.  In fact, in the ever-rotating cycle of furniture Marc and I have always lived, we also knew the time had come to replace the creaky, jabby blue vinyl pullout in the guest room with an actual mattress.

First up, we wanted a new bed.  My Kingsdown mattress had been given to me in 2000, and as great as a company as they are, the mattress had just taken a beating and a flattening over the years.  At the age of 30-something, our joints were starting to hurt all the time.

Hunting and hunting and hunting, we finally chose Read more »

Eating from our Yard (Our Second Year)

Last year and a lot of effort yielded us three tomatoes the size of a hacky sack (remember those?), and a bucket-sized ornamental Thai pepper plant that a single hornworm wiped clean the day before we were going to harvest.  Nice.

This year, with some extra effort, better knowledge of where the sun falls in our yard, and a bottle of iron phosphate granules (also known as “sluggo”), we amassed about 10 hacky sack tomatoes, less than a hundred sweet grape tomatoes, a handful of small green peppers, a dozen Hungarian hot peppers, and a dozen cayenne peppers.

Considering we planted nine plants, many would hardly call this a successful farming season, but I am pretty thrilled.

Something thrilling comes over me every time I walk out of my front door in my PJs to get a bundle of whatever is ripe.  If only all grocery shopping were so easy.

Alas, we are at the end of our farming efforts for this year, but we take lessons with us and look forward to next year.

Perhaps we need to actually get the book our crazy successful farmer neighbors suggested.  Really, these folks have a quarter acre of land which they have grown thousands of tomatoes, hundreds of peppers, hundreds of eggplants, hundreds of jalapenos, hundreds of corn Read more »