This is such an easy dish to prepare, it freezes well and is simply delicious—one of my favorite winter dishes. I like to serve it with pork loin and roasted Brussels sprouts. Perfect served with a nice red wine. Yumm!

Serves: 8 -12

In a large deep skillet or dutch oven, cook the bacon on low heat for 15 minutes. Add the onions and cook for 10 minutes until wilted. Then add all the remaining ingredients, stir well, cover and cook over a medium heat for and hour and 15 minutes. Stir occasionally and add a little more liquid as necessary. Serve hot. Can be reheated in a microwave or in a saucepan on top of the stove, may need to add a little water when reheating.

While potty training my son, I began the process with the idea that it was a journey—I never planned for him to use the toilet overnight. As a result, I definitely prolonged the pre-potty training process. I read books that recommended placing a child-size potty in the bathroom so the child could get used to it being there. I brought my son with me every time I went to the bathroom and let him sit on his potty each time so he could get used to it. These are all things I would continue to do with my daughter.

There are some changes I plan to make. When I trained my son, I used pull-ups. I think these were a mistake—they made me lazy and they prevented my son from feeling the discomfort of wetting his pants. As soon as I got rid of the pull-ups and went straight to underwear, we were successful. I might choose some reinforced organic underpants for my daughter, like the ones from Hanna Andersson, more to minimize messes than anything else. My hope is that by using underwear that will only contain one accident, I will be more diligent about taking my daughter to the bathroom more frequently. If you don’t want to go straight to underwear, there are several companies that make cloth training pants. Tiny Birds Organics offers some cute training pants, and I like that they’re website makes it easy to determine the appropriate size for your little one.

I contemplated using a child-size potty or just using a seat that fits on the regular toilet for my daughter. As you may have guessed, I’ve decided to re-use the child-size potty we had for my son to help her get used to using the toilet. Admittedly, the toilet I have for my daughter to train on is not eco-friendly since I bought it before I was as environmentally aware as I am now. The only thing eco-friendly about it is that I’m reusing it rather than buying a new one. While it is not eco-friendly per se, our potty is versatile. The seat comes off and can be used on the adult toilet, and the lid closes on it so it can be used as a step stool. If you are looking for a nice eco-friendly children’s toilet though, I would suggest the Beco Potty, which is made from waste plant material. Once you’re done using it, the company suggests you “pop it in your garden” where it will biodegrade. Based on what I’ve seen, this is the most eco-friendly training toilet available. I did come across an interesting product called the Disposable Potty. I have mixed feelings on this one.  These biodegradable, disposable potties store small (you can carry them in your purse) and give you the option to “pop-up a toilet” when you need one for your children. While they are biodegradable, I can’t help think they are still causing unnecessary waste. I think these may be okay for long road trips when children may need to go to the bathroom between rest stops, but I can’t imagine using something like this every time I’m out with my children. It still seems wasteful.

Once you have all of the tools for successful potty training, I think the most important part comes—the right mindset. It’s important to stay calm and positive throughout the entire process. Sometimes as adults we take for granted how easy it is for us to use the toilet. For children it’s such a new process. After two or three years of just going in their pants, children are suddenly expected to become aware of how their body feels when it needs to use the bathroom. Remember, your children did not learn to walk overnight, so they should not be expected to potty train overnight.  Here’s what I would recommend for success, and this is simply based on my own experience. I am not an expert, but I have successfully potty-trained a boy before he turned 3.

1.     Bring your child to the bathroom when you go and encourage him/her to sit on their own toilet while you sit on yours.

2.     Display good habits—wash your hands with your child after each trip to the bathroom.

3.     Find a good reward system when your child is successful on the toilet—my son was happy with flushing the toilet after he went to the bathroom. He also loved it if we clapped and sang his praises.

4.     Accidents will happen. Don’t make a big deal if an accident happens. Just clean it up and go about the day’s business. Getting angry could cause your child stress and he/she may start “holding it in” which could lead to other health problems.

5.     When you’re really ready to go full-force—I would say, at least 6 months after simply bringing your child with you for each bathroom trip—pick a weekend to really focus.

6.     On your “focus weekend,” sit your child on the toilet every 30 minutes. They don’t have to stay long, just long enough to try to go to the bathroom. If you feel they are not sitting long enough, you might want to try some books. The library is a great place to find some potty books for kids—you might also ask some friends if they have books you could borrow. My son would sit for hours reading “Where’s the Poop?” over and over. My daughter prefers “Dora’s Potty Book.” 

7.     Relax! Just remember, you never see children going to kindergarten in diapers. Your child will get it and the calmer you are, the more comfortable your child will be with the whole process.

Good luck and Happy Potty Training!

Lindley Ashline Flickr/cc license

The third Monday of every February, we celebrate President’s Day and honor the past Presidents of the United States, specifically George Washington whose birthday falls on February 22 and Abraham Lincoln whose birthday is on February 12. Today we wanted to take a look at the famous residency located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to see how green the home to our country’s leader really is.

Anyone who is in a position of leadership and power, like the President, carried with them great responsibility.  Their actions both on a professional and personal front, are watched closely, but this also means that they have the power to do good, influencing others to do good by following in their footsteps.  In taking strides to make the White House eco-friendly, the President is encouraging the rest of the country to do the same. As President Bill Clinton once said, “…Before I can ask you to do the best you can in your house, I ought to make sure I’m doing the best I can in my house.”

There have been many great Presidents in our history who have taken action to help the environment. Theodore Roosevelt for instance placed a high priority on conservation, established five national parks, 18 national monuments and played a key role in creating the U.S. Forest Service. In 1979, Jimmy Carter had a $28,000 solar water heater installed on the roof of the West Wing, making him the first President to utilize solar power in the White House. On Earth Day in 1993, Bill Clinton introduced the Greening of the White House project, which would take strides to evaluate and improve the energy efficiency throughout the historic monument. In its first six years, nearly $1.4 million was saved in conservation efforts.

These strategies where further implemented during George Bush’s time in office. In 2002, three solar systems were installed on the roof and by 2007, according to an NBC report, many improvements such as energy efficient lighting, low flush toilets and improve insulation, among other things, had been made.

As the house’s current residents, the Obamas are continuing the momentum to make the building, which is over 210 years old, as efficient as possible. Aside from Michelle’s organic vegetable garden that she planted, President Obama also installed additional solar panels and solar hot water heaters to the roof during the spring of 2011. President Obama is also seeking LEED certification for the White House through water and energy conservation. The Treasury Building, which sits right next to the White House, received the LEED Gold certification in December 2011, and is currently the oldest building in the world to have received the certification.

How would you rate President Obama’s efforts to green the White House? What are some other changes you would like to see him make?

Each month we will ask a new eco-maven 18 questions about his or her life, occupation and advice for other like-minded people. This month we were able to sit down with TV Host and Author, Sara Snow, to learn more about her view on green living.

What is your name (and age)?

Sara Snow

What is your occupation?

TV host (Living Fresh and Get Fresh with Sara Snow for the Discovery Networks), Author (Sara Snow’s Fresh Living, Bantam Publishing), Green Living Expert

Do you have a “green” memory growing up? 

I’ll always remember the smells and feels of being in my dad’s natural foods deli – rooting through the bulk barrels of raisins, ordering up a pita sandwich at the deli, and watching my brother man the register at age six. Those were the early days of Eden Foods and the early days of my life.

What’s your favorite meal?

Soup in the winter and salad in the summer

Who/What inspires you to be more “green” in your life?

It has always been my parents because they were some of the early pioneers in this movement. But now it’s also my daughter and my husband because I want to do better for them.

Where on the “green scale” do you fall? 

Far from the bottom but far from the top.  I, like everyone else, try to do better every day.

What are the most rewarding and most challenging parts of your job?

The most rewarding are when people tell me that I inspired them to change the way they live – buying more organic foods, recycling, etc. The most challenging is because there’s always more to do!

Where’s your “greenspot”: food, bodycare/beauty, oceans, home or neighborhood, explain:  

The place where I feel most zen, so I guess it’s what you’d call a greenspot, is my parent’s house and (small) farm.

Where do you turn for your news?

Online some time in the afternoon while my daughter naps.

What is one environmental change you vow to make in the next year? 

I think it’s a good challenge for everyone to cut down on their waste. I do pretty well already since I recycle, compost and avoid disposables (napkins, etc) whenever possible, but I know there’s always more that I can do.

If you could trade places with one person from any time in history (past or present) for one day—who would it be and why?

John the Baptist…because he paved a new road, saved lives and got to meet Jesus.

You have a meeting with the leader of every country in the world. You have 30 seconds to tell them anything you want. Go!

Let’s quit fighting, share our resources, and realize that we’re all in this together.

You have the chance to send one tweet to all the tweeps in the world. Let’s hear it in 140 characters, or less!

LOVE! Come on, tweeps, quit hating and just love each other.

If there was one industry/product that you could make more eco-friendly, what would it be?

Hospitals – there’s so much waste!!! There are probably others but this is on my mind right now.

Where in the world would you most like to be right now?

Holding orphaned babies in Kenya.

What is the best book you have read recently? 

Novel:  Fall of Giants

Non-Fiction:  Half the Sky – I’m reading it right now and feeling so inspired

What makes you cringe?

People who feel like they need to preach and soapbox about how green they are. It’s good to encourage and to educate, but not to alienate.

What do you want your legacy to be?

That I inspired…and loved.

sunshinecity flickr/CC license

Walking through the aisles of the Gift Show, last month, it was easy to start envisioning your home being filled with all of the décor and gifts as I passed them by.  There are gifts for every season, style and lifestyle.

I was very pleased to see sustainable, green and natural product companies touting their wears. Some may think that green means it may be functional, but not high design, but they would be very wrong. The products and companies I came across had high energy and some were even trendsetters. The distinction comes in the materials used to craft their products, their packaging, their recycling policies and the way they give back to the environment.

Throughout the years I have been attending the show to ogle over the latest and greatest, I have never been disappointed. What even gets more exciting is the evolution of sustainable companies who offer cool gadgets and hip décor, children’s gear and pet products, keeping the environment in mind.

Companies I came across were from as far away as Australia and as close as Brooklyn, all of which are small businesses.

A few of my top finds were:

• Dream Farm – Problem-solving solutions for the kitchen, bathroom and other parts of your home.

• Maroma USA, LLC – Very contemporary commitment to Earth-friendly product content and environmentally responsible manufacturing practices for its diverse range of aromatic products like incense, soaps, bath salts.

• KeepCup – The first Barista standard reusable cup in an amazing array of colors to choose from.

• Bambu – A range of contemporary serveware products for the kitchen and home made from renewable materials.

• Soggy Doggy Productions, LLC – The Soggy Doggy Doormat absorbs water and dirt from wet, muddy dog paws and boots so less washing of dirty mats.

After speaking with these passionate companies it made me stop and think about the thoughtful way they represent their brand and the questions they shared with me to evoke ecofriendliness:

1. What sustainable home décor company do you think represents a standard in green living?
2. What is the best way for a company to represent their green philosophy?
3. Which cause can be most harmonious with your eco friendly product and how do you choose?

I look forward to attending future shows and continuing to see the progression in green and sustainable décor.

Image via Geograph/CC License

Most of us have old electronics sitting at home that are either broken or are so outdated that we will never bother to turn them on again. Besides throwing them in the trash (which you should NEVER do, of course), selling them at a yard sale or convincing someone to take them because “they still work,” what are you supposed to do?

First of all, let’s examine how electronic goods (let’s call them e-Waste) differ from other recyclable and disposable goods. E-waste generally contains trace amounts of precious metals that can be harvested and reused.  These precious metals in addition to batteries contain harmful acids that, if not discarded properly, may leach harmful substances into water streams and so forth. The E.P.A. estimates that E-waste accounts for only 2% of landfill waste, yet 70% of all toxins resulting from landfills are due to the neglectful disposal of electronic goods! Learn more about the different components that make up E-waste here.

While most households in the US have access to conventional recycling services for paper, plastic and metal goods, disposing of E-waste is a little more difficult. Sadly, it is still legal for consumers to throw E-Waste, with the exception of rechargeable batteries, in the garbage.

Services offered to consumers and businesses varies greatly depending on locale, but generally speaking, retailers and manufacturers will accept electronic goods and recycle them or direct you to an appropriate organization. For a list of participating organizations and retails see the EPA E-Cycling center page. For more cumbersome electronics where drop off and conventional shipping is not an option, GreenDisk offers a great resource for discarding/recycling e-Waste.

Where it goes from there depends on the company and what type of product it is. Many retailers and manufacturers have contracts with specialized electronics recycling centers. While many of the components in these electronics are quite valuable, the high cost of sorting and transporting to special facilities negates much of the profit. It is in the interest of the recycling companies to forge contracts with large retailers and manufacturers and to streamline their productivity in order to turn a profit. Ideally, the convenience of this process works in the favor of the consumer. Unfortunately, it is just as convenient and cost-effective to put E-waste on to a ship and send it to a landfill across the other side of the world. This is becoming an increasingly serious issue and organizations are committed to holding polluting nations accountable.

For more information on the controversies surround the dumping of E-waste and to see what you can do to tackle the problem (besides E-cycle responsibly!), check out related pages on:

-       GreenPeace

-       Electronics Takeback Coalition

-       PBS

In a slightly-related side note, we discovered this fascinating video that explains how conventional recycling is sorted.

The following is a guest post from Raising Natural Kids

Because food and drink are the two things that we intentionally put into our bodies on a regular basis, they’re the best items to start with when it comes to detoxifying your life.

Some Quick and Simple Tips When at the Grocery Store

1. When buying produce, make sure that if the fruits and vegetables that you are buying are listed on the top 12 of the “Dirty Dozen” list, that you buy them organic. Every year the Environmental Working Group puts out a list of the top 12 produce items to avoid due to the high amounts of pesticides being used on them. They also put out a list of produce with the least amount of pesticides used. Below is the list for 2011 (The 2012 list has not come out yet). If an item you are curious about isn’t on one of these lists, you can look the item up at What’s On My Food. Remember, you can’t wash or cook off pesticides and these toxins get into the cells of the fruit and vegetables that they are sprayed on.

The items that contain the highest amount of pesticides are: 1. apples, 2. celery, 3. strawberries, 4. peaches, 5. spinach, 6. imported nectarines, 7. imported grapes, 8. sweet bell peppers, 9. potatoes, 10. blueberries, 11. lettuce, 12. kale/collard greens (EWG)

The items containing the least amount of pesticides are: 1. onions, 2. sweet corn (BUT over 80% of corn is genetically modified, so you still want to buy this organic), 3. pineapples, 4. avocado, 5. asparagus, 6. sweet peas, 7. mangoes, 8. eggplant, 9. domestic cantaloupe, 10. kiwi, 11. cabbage, 12. watermelon (EWG)

*In order to tell if the produce is organic you must look at the barcode. If it is a five number code that starts with the number 9, it is organic. If it is a four number code it is not organic. If it is a five number code starting with an 8, not only is in not organic, it is also genetically modified.

This barcode shows that this apple is not organic and that it is not genetically modified.

2. Many parents think that the yogurt targeted at kids must be the better choice for kids. This is absolutely NOT the case. All yogurts targeted at children, including GoGurt, YoBaby and Danimals, all contain a high amount of sugar, including unnecessary refined sugar. Many also contain artificial flavors and colors, which can cause an array of issues, including cancers and ADHD type behavior. Instead, buy plain greek yogurt and add your own toppings, such as fresh fruit, granola, nuts (finely chop these and they blend quite well into the granola), finely chopped carrot or kale and/or a little bit of honey. The sugars you add yourself will be less than what’s in a typical flavored yogurt, and they will be natural.

3. I am not a fan of wheat, be it white or whole wheat. So many people cannot tolerate or effectively digest the wheat gluten, yet many people don’t even realize that they have a problem with it because they don’t relate the symptoms they experience from it to wheat. That being said, I know many people buy bread and I want to tell you what to look for. For starters, if you are looking for a truly wheat free bread, read your labels. Even many oat and rye breads contain wheat as the number one or two ingredient. Second, if you are buying wheat bread, make sure it is unbleached, is low in sugar, doesn’t have high fructose corn syrup and doesn’t contain any artificial flavors, colorings or preservatives as many do. Also, if buying wheat, buy one that also contains other grains as well (just not corn!).

4. Breakfast is the most important part of the day, so start your family off right. Organic eggs are great and so is oatmeal! Buy both, and make sure that the oatmeal is the old fashioned, slow cooking kind (which doesn’t actually take all that long to cook!). The reasoning for this is that “the time it takes to cook the oatmeal commensurates with how it will deliver energy to your body. The energy given from the slow cooked kind will ‘simmer’ in your body, dispersing it in even and balanced amounts, while the kind found in the instant oatmeal will deliver it all at once, thus spiking your blood sugars before sending them and your energy crashing”(Lorenz). Also, the instant kinds contain added refined sugar. If you buy the slow cooked you can add your own healthy toppings. I add raisins, apple, and peanut or almond butter for protein. If I feel I need more veggies on a particular day, I add pureed sweet potato or butternut squash. I top it with a little bit of honey.

5. Save yourself money and skip the juice. Water is the ONLY liquid a human needs after he/she turns anywhere from one to two years old and NEVER does anyone need juice. Juice is adding unnecessary sugar to a diet for no reason. And let’s remember that according to Dr. Jerry Lee Hover, “Eating white sugar will paralyze and hinder your white blood cells from fighting off an infection. Eating 25 teaspoons of sugar will paralyze 92% of your white blood cells for approximately five hours. The average American eats over 42 teaspoons of sugar per day. For example: A banana split has 24 teaspoons of sugar. A 12 oz coke has approx. 8-10 teaspoons, a piece of white bread 2 teaspoons. It must be remembered that sugar or empty calories and junk foods interfere with the working of the body’s immune system.” Instead of a sugary drink, go for the whole fruit where you can receive the fiber and all the nutrients it has to offer. If your family is currently juice dependent, start by cutting the juice they drink with water and ‘wean’ them off. You can then add fresh lemon, lime or orange juice to their water if flavor is required.

6. Don’t be fooled! if a product says that it is all natural, it doesn’t really mean much of anything! If you are looking for something to be sincerely natural and organic, it must say 100% organic. In order to determine just how natural a product is, you NEED to read the label and the list of ingredients yourself. If you can’t pronounce something or there are lists of letters, such as TBHQ, it’s not natural.

Resources

EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce. Web. January 9, 2012.

Hoover, Jerry Lee, M.D. Natural Cancer Cure. Web. January 9, 2012.

Lorenz, Donna (Dr. of Naturopathy). Personal Interview. January 10, 2011.

The “Red Dress” has become an identifiable symbol that has sparked a movement. Women everywhere are aware of what the red dress symbolizes and have embraced what it signifies.

In this anniversary year, the 10^th Red Dress Collection was unveiled at the start of Fashion Week. On February 8^th, at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC, top fashion houses, models and celebrities bought the Red Dress Collection 2012 to life!

The presenting sponsor Diet Coke, partnered with Bobbi Brown Cosmetics and Elizabeth Arden red Door Spas. Eco18 was honored to be at the event to experience the excitement and celebration of what The Heart Truth stands for and means to women.

Stunning red dresses from internationally renowned designers including—Badgley Miscchka,  Chris March, Pamella Roland, Jason Wu, Adrianna Papell, Nicole Miller, Oscar de la Renta, Narciso Rodriguez, Randi Rahm, Carlos Miele, Alberta Ferretti, David Meister, Rachel Roy, Tadashi Shoji, Diane von Furstenberg, Marc Bouwer, Marchesa, and Donna Karen—wowed a packed house.  And the beautiful women on the catwalk were a joy to watch. Aisha Tyler, Chaka Khan, Christie Brinkley, Cindi Leive, Debbie Phelps, Elisabeth Rohm, Giselle Blondet, Gloria Estefan, Idina Menzel, Jeannette Torres-Alvarez, Jenna Elfman, Jennifer Nettles, La La Anthony, Linda Evans, Minka Kelly, Patti Stanger, Rebecca Romijn, and Rose McGowan made the evening a celebration of women everywhere. The loudest applause was reserved for Debbie Phelps, when she stopped to blow a kiss to her “swimmer gold medalist son” Michael, who left his front row seat to honor his mother.

The Heart Truth is committed to educating women about heart disease and to empower them to make healthy heart changes. Their 10 powerful ways to a healthy future are:

1.     This year, get serious about heart health

2.     Find out your heart disease risk

3.     Eat right

4.     Be physically active

5.     Keep a healthy weight

6.     Don’t smoke and, if you do, quit

7.     Take care of all your risk factors

8.     Follow a practical, realistic plan that will gradually lower your risk

9.     Get encouragement from family and friends

10.  Remember the Power of 10 for heart health—for yourself and those around you

You can find out more at www.hearttruth.gov

jessgrrrr flickr/CC

“I more than love you, I’m not whole without you. You are life itself to me. When you are gone I’m waiting for you to return so I can start living again.”

- President Ronald Reagan

The art of writing a hand written letter has become ancient history to most since the invention of the internet. When I think of love notes, I instantly think of the scene in the movie Grease when Sandra Dee has a sleepover with the girls and writes a love note to Danny. Just 30 years later in Sex & the City: The Movie, Big sends Carrie love letters via email to get back in her good graces. While email, text message, Facebook and Twitter may be the primary way of communication these days, they seem to loose a bit of sentiment when conveying messages from the heart. Seeing the words “I love you” in a text message just doesn’t convey the same emotions and feelings as a handwritten letter.

While the origins of the love letter can be traced back many years, it was made popular in the Victorian era during the 18^th century. During this time, letter writing was looked upon as a skill and those that could do it eloquently with great words and penmanship were highly regarded. It was also a very popular means of communication for loving couples during times of war, and still is. It gave soldiers hope and was a way for couples to stay in touch while worlds apart. My grandfather served in World War II and wrote letters to my grandmother while he was away. My father still has some of these letters that he holds on to to remember them both by.

Many famous men have written love letters throughout history. Ludwig Von Beethoven, the famed composer and pianist, wrote many love letters throughout his lifetime and his most famous collection, “Immortal Beloved”, was discovered after his death.  Charles Darwin, the scientist who founded the theory of evolution, was also known for his fondness for letter writing, along with Woodrow Wilson, the 28^th President of the United States, and Ronald Reagan, the 40^th President of the United States. Reagan wrote love letters quite frequently to his wife Nancy, who he was married to for over 40 years, whether he was traveling or sitting across the room from her. The famous couples collection of letters can be read in the book, “I Love You, Ronnie: The Letters of Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan” published in 2002.

If you’re looking for a special Valentine’s Day treat this year for your significant other, why not write a good old fashion love letter? It’s thoughtful and is sure to be cherished by your loved on for many years to come. Here are a few of our favorite eco-friendly stationary sets and journals to get you started:

 Vintage Vinyl Journals, Disney’s Lady and the Tramp ($34.99): Combine your passion for music and writing with this journal featuring Disney’s 1969 Lady and the Tramp album, handcrafted with recycled and environmentally friendly paper.

Papyrus, Mudlark Kiko Keepsake ($15.95): This beautiful, intricately detailed stationary set from Papyrus offers recycled cards, envelopes and even a keepsake box to store old letters.

Smock Paper, You Have My Heart ($4.00): Perfect for a special occasion or just to say “I love you”, these cards are sustainable, made with bamboo paper and envelopes.

EcoJot, Fresh Flowers Notecards ($12.00): This Canadian-based stationary company offers beautiful flower painted notecards that are 100% recycled on acid and chlorine free paper.

Twisted Limb Greeting Cards ($19.00): These unique cards are made with 100% recycled handmade paper and envelopes, and feature intricate flower detailing.