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Organic Food

Make Your Next Environmental Vacation Even Greener!


Like many of you readers, I have been bombarded with the word “Green.” I actually enjoy it, and find it fascinating to see how many mainstream corporations have embraced the term since its inception (although I am slightly concerned that, like many trends, this will fade). In terms of the Green movement, some folks in the general public seem not to be interested, and will not change. Others are waiting for more information and may linger on the fence as to how they feel about the issue. And then there are those of us who are so bought in that we cannot wait to see what the next step in the Green movement is!

But I digress, as this isn’t about the politics, about corporate greed or a call to any specific action. This is simply a quick little guide to help those that want to be more green on their outdoor vacation, to be a little more green!

1. As an outfitter I cannot count the number of times I see friends who hail from the same location or neighborhood arrive in a caravan of vehicles. There are a variety of valid reasons to drive separately, but on more than one occasion carpooling would have been an eco-friendly option. If you have a big group of folks coming rafting, look into busing. Some of the rafting companies can get you great rates with a bus company. For example, last year, for groups of 44 or less, I had a luxury bus line ready to provide round trip transportation from Southern California for as little as $36 per person. This is a great option. You’re traveling with friends, there are DVD players and a bathroom on the bus, and someone else is doing the driving. This is a nice carbon footprint reducing measure.

2. Cook with propane. If you have the ability to use a propane barbeque rather than charcoal, do so. Propane burns cleaner. This is a tough one, because the taste of charred cooking is so good. However, there are studies that suggest that the stuff coming off the charcoal is not great for your health, so now you have two reasons to reconsidered charcoal.

3. Sunblock is a necessity if you are on the river or anywhere in the sun. Some experts debate on whether or not sunblock is good for your skin, but one would be hard-pressed to find evidence disputing that the chemicals are damaging the ocean’s coral reefs. While there are no reefs located in the river, it is still responsible to look for organic or all-natural sunblocks that do not contain the following: PABA, octinoxate, oxybenzone, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor and the preservative butylparaben. Why? Because over six MILLION gallons of sunblock are dumped into the world’s oceans each year, just from swimmers!

4. If you love water and all the recreation that it can bring, you may want to invest in your own vest. Apparently we cannot call them “life”-vests any longer because there is no guarantee they can save a life (and someone somewhere sued). So in the industry, we call them Personal Flotation Devices or PFDs for short. But regardless of what you call that thing that buckles around your mid section and provides you with flotation, you have some choices to make. If you want to go as green as possible, you might want to look into Astral, as they use a completely recyclable foam. This is easier on the earth and easier to process. Not to mention that their vests have a good reputation!

5. Shop locally, shop organically. Have you gone organic yet? We have at my home. When you do, here’s something you’ll learn very quickly: food spoils far faster. After this initially happened, we paused, scratched our heads and asked: what the heck is in the other food that lets it last so darn long? Buying organic means, for the most part, that your food has traveled less distance to get to you and thus has a smaller carbon footprint. In many cases the products used to grow the food are far better for the earth, and the animals are treated better.

6. Here’s an easy one: By virtue of whitewater rafting, you are automatically going on a green trip! River rafting requires manpower, as opposed to an electric or fuel-run engine.

7. Another easy change that anyone can make is to get rid of plastic water bottles. Glass is actually the best environmentally-friendly alternative. Check out Green Is Sexy, a website owned by actress Rachel McAdams, where you can actually purchase designer glass bottles. If the breakage factor of glass bottles is too much of a concern (fully understandable), metal bottles are also a good option.

Each of these seven tips should help you with make your next whitewater rafting trip greener. My hope is that your new green habits will make you feel that you are doing something good for the environment and empower you to do more. The evolution of corporations that strive to create green products is fascinating, but ultimately, adopting environmentally-friendly habits will benefit all of us.

Enjoy your rafting experience!

Nature’s-Classroom offers whitewater rafting excursions for individuals and educational institutions alike. The program, located on the shore of the American River, is a great new opportunity for any adventurous traveler AND is environmentally friendly!

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3 Top Advantages Of Having Your Own Chicken Coop


Now that you have made up your mind on breeding chickens from your own home, it’s high time you get started. But what keeps you from going after your plan? Let me enlighten you with these 3 top advantages of having chicken coops at home:

1. Fresh produce guaranteed. One of the main reasons why you should opt building a chicken coop on your very own backyard is fresh produce! The assurance that you will get free fresh poultry produce every month guarantees great savings on the family purse. I bet you’d be happy slashing off your budget for fresh chicken meat and fresh eggs and instead stashing them away for other important purchases.

Fresh poultry and chicken eggs are a delight. Imagine serving fresh food to your family daily without hurting your pocket? Wow, what a great deal!

2. Chickens will maintain your backyard’s lawn pest-free. Chickens as we all know feasts on anything organic from worms, beetles, bugs, and other harmful insects and pests. They are also fond of weeding your backyard lawn from grass and even dried leaves as they move around your backyard in search for something they could eat.

Chickens also love to eat up unsightful weeds and leaves from the backyard ground. These ruins your backyard lawn, so having chickens ensures a clean and well-landscaped backyard lawn.

3. Chickens need not be pet, talked, walked or followed around. Chickens as we know can live on their own, free from being followed, pet or walked around. You must ensure though that you have sturdy fences around with no crevices wherein they can go into and stray further afar from your property.

Now you have before you the three vital reasons for having a chicken coop right from your home backyard. It’s high time you get started and turn this dream into a reality.

If you are looking for ready made chicken coop, visit Howie Kingsly’s guide on how to find chicken coops for sale and find a cheap chicken coop.

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Responding to a Major Environmental Issue as a Chef


There are many environmental issues that concern everyone nowadays. Many of these problems are basically caused by human activities. Unfortunately, there are some things that you cannot altogether avoid doing. For instance, you cannot totally avoid driving your car. You cannot altogether cease using water or energy. However, there are some things that you can do in order to reduce potential environmental threats. You can deal with one major environmental issue after another. What is important is that you know these problems.

A Chef’s Major Environmental Issue

In truth, all environmental worries concern chefs. No major environmental issue is more important than the others. Of course, there are some problems that probably affect chefs more than others, but this does not change the fact that chefs need to be concern about the environment. They need to do their part in ensuring environmental health.

There are so many problems that concern you as a chef. Of course, all of these problems concern everyone. Some of these problems include global warming, bizarre and erratic climate changes, genetic erosion, habitat destruction, species extinction, coral bleaching, whaling, energy conservation, efficient use of energy, renewable energy, commercialization of renewable energy, genetically engineered pollution, irrigation, meat production, overgrazing, desertification, land pollution, soil erosion, soil conservation, soil contamination, nuclear power, pollution and all its kinds, ozone depletion, natural resources depletion, blast fishing, bottom trawling, illegal logging, deforestation, waste disposal and burials.

No major environmental issue demands more attention than the others. All of these things are your concern. Of course, as a chef, you can only do so much. You can only respond and correct those that are within your immediate control.

Responding to One Major Environmental Issue after Another

The first thing that you have to do in order to respond to environmental problems is to decide to go green. It may seem daunting because this will require lifestyle modifications, but you will eventually adapt to the changes. To make it easier for you, you can start with the simplest things first.

For instance, you can start with changing your light. Use fluorescent bulbs in your kitchen and at home. If everyone will simply choose to change his or her bulbs, just imagine the impact this would create on a major environmental issue. This would significantly reduce pollution. If you have a restaurant, you can still use fluorescent bulbs to create a warm atmosphere.

There are also several things that you can do in the kitchen in order to help resolve a major environmental issue – energy and water wastage. Adopt these activities and make them a habit. You will certainly save water if you will forego rinsing the dishes before you put them in the dishwasher. You will save gallons of water by avoiding rinsing. You will also save a lot of time and energy. As a chef, you call the shots. If you want to help save the environment, then adopt this practice.

Another way to respond to this major environmental issue is to avoid unnecessary kitchen activities like pre-heating the oven. Unless, you are going to bake breads or pastries, you should avoid pre-heating the oven. You can just simply turn it on when you place the dish inside. You will also save energy if you will avoid opening the oven’s door every time you check the dish or the food. It is advisable, therefore, to equip your kitchen with an oven with a window, so you can always just peer through the window whenever you have to check the food.

If you are in charge of menu planning, perhaps you should create a vegetarian day where you will obviously only serve vegetarian meals or dishes. This is a great way to conserve water. Imagine how many gallons of water are needed in order to produce a pound of beef. You basically need about 2,000 gallons of water for one pound. Imagine how much water you would save by devoting one day to vegetables.

Now if you have to purchase vegetables, you should definitely go organic. You will certainly address more than one major environmental issue if you choose to go organic with your purchases. It is also advisable to buy from the local market. Not only will you support the economy but you will also help in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

There are still so many things that you can do as a chef in order to help improve the environment. The little things you do in order to respond to a major environmental issue matter.

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