Alicia Silverstone's Blog, page 136
March 7, 2012
kind classics: calculate your carbon footprint
There's a lot of lingo that goes with being green and eco-friendly. The term 'carbon footprint' gets thrown around a lot but many of us don't really know exactly what it means so I wanted to share some information with you.
Your 'carbon footprint' is a measure of the impact your day to day activities have on the environment and climate change. I recently found this handy Carbon Footprint calculator online. All you have to do is answer a few simple questions and you'll have an estimate on your 'carbon footprint' in minutes.
If you don't like the estimate you get and want to reduce your 'carbon footprint' here are a few easy tips to reduce it:
-Avoid using the dryer and air dry your clothes if possible
-Wash your clothing in cold water
-Replace light bulbs around your home and office with Compact Fluourescent or LED bulbs
-Turn off lights when you're not in a room or even if you're going somewhere for a short amount of time
-Regulate the temperature in your house - even 2 degrees can make a huge difference!
-Clean and replace your air filters on a regular basis so they work more efficiently
-Turn off the faucet while you're brushing your teeth - this will save 25 gallons of water per month!
-Carpool!
-Unplug and turn off all electronics when you're not using them
What is your 'carbon footprint'? And what are you doing around your home or office to reduce it?
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going green on the red carpet
Meryl Streep and my friend Missi Pyle went green on the Oscar red carpet! Missi wore a dress from Red Carpet Green Dress and Meryl Streep wore an eco-certified gold lame. Meryl also announced that she's joined Livia Firth's "Green Carpet Challenge." You can check out the full story at EcoStiletto.
What were your favorite red carpet looks from the Oscars?
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March 6, 2012
kind classics: gas stations
Here is my advice on filling up your tank: try and get gas from the little guy in your neighborhood - the gas stations that are smaller non-chains that are locally owned if you can find one in your neighborhood. You can search for local gas stations on www.fuelmeup.com. Just avoid Chevron and Exxon like the plague because they contribute so much pollution and are so destructive to the environment.
If there aren't any Ma & Pa gas stations around you just make sure to avoid Chevron and Exxon. The other big guys feel a tad less offensive than these two. Chevron and Exxon are dumping toxic waste in the Amazon without consequence! This toxic waste overflows into streams and pollutes all of the water. Take a look at the piece that 60 minutes did. It's so upsetting! Chevron even went so far to produce a fake news segment which misleads the public! What's so scary about this is that this fake news segment seems to be totally legit as they used a CNN correspondent.
There are ways to conserve fuel too such as avoiding high speeds don't accelerate or brake hard make sure you keep your tires properly inflated use your A/C sparingly take care of your car and service it regularly use cruise control when you can avoid heavy loads when taking long trips... and if you need to purchase a new car make sure you get a fuel efficient one! 
If you live in Los Angeles make sure to stop by this amazing BP gas station on Olympic and Robertson called Helios House. Check out what the LA Times has to say about it:
"The nation's first certifiably green gasoline station sports a futuristic metal canopy covered in shiny triangles of uncoated recyclable stainless steel.
The rooftop holds 90 solar panels and a collection system that gathers rainfall to irrigate drought-tolerant plants nearby. The underside is outfitted with low-energy lighting. Cars will roll across concrete mixed with bits of recycled glass...
Dubbed Helios House by BP the eco-friendly station at the corner of Robertson and Olympic boulevards replaces a slightly run-down Thrifty station that served customers from Los Angeles and nearby Beverly Hills. The new gas station was built with cutting-edge earth-friendly design using such materials as farmed wood and less-polluting paint and its customers will be pushed to save energy.
Members of the station's "green team" will check the tire pressure on customers' cars and advise that properly inflated tires boost gas mileage. They will give out energy-saving tips printed on recycled paper embedded with flower seeds that sprout when the card is planted in the ground.
While its customers pump gas -- a three-minute task on average -- BP will show eco-vignettes and green videos on screens built into the fuel dispensers."
This is my absolute favorite gas station. I just love going there! It has such good vibes and even though there is still gas involved I feel like this is the best place to get it.
Any of you who don't live in Los Angeles - have you found any groovy green gas stations like this?
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pregnancy and kind life with baby live chat and q&a
Calling all Kind Lifers! I'm going to have another live chat on March 13 at 2pm PST and I want all of you to join in! You can ask me anything you want about pregnancy and living a kind life with your babies so mark your calendars and be sure to become a member of The Kind Life if you haven't already so you'll receive the email notification when the live chat starts.
What questions would you like me to answer during our live chat? Start sharing them in the comments below!
I can't wait to talk to you all!
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March 5, 2012
kind classics: electronic waste recycling
I know there are tons and tons of recycling programs and events throughout Los Angeles and the rest of the country.
For all of you Angelenos there is an E-Waste Collection every second Sunday of the month at the Melrose Trading Post. And if you can't make it there check out UCLA's recycling program.
Here are some other programs I found while researching e-waste on the web:
-Goodwill
-All City Electronics Removal
-West Coast Computer Recycler
-EZ PC Recycle
You can also check out Earth911 to find an e-waste recycling center near you.
How do you recycle your electronics?
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success story: tina gets her mane back
Kind Lifers Craig and Tina recently shared how a kinder diet led to hair regeneration and a renewed resolve to protect the environment.
"My wife Christina had a 'hair' situation and your advice to her about veganism/vegetarianism has been a Godsend to her. As of now her hair is the healthiest it has been in years; it no longer falls out in droves like it had and is actually growing at record speed! She is even gaining some new hairs so her hair is thicker than it was a few years ago. Believe me she is utterly beyond happy about it."
"The life change has not only improved our health but has strengthened our resolve and faith in protecting the environment as a whole and using it in harmony."
"My wife says she would give you a hug if she could but a virtual one will suffice."
Awww thank you so much! A big virtual hug right back at both of you and thank you for sharing your story.
If any of you kind lifers have a success story to share private message me or upload your story to your profile and "like" it. I may feature you on the homepage of The Kind Life!
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March 2, 2012
nourishing breakfast porridge
I wanted to remind all of you about the Millet and Sweet Vegetable Porridge recipe in my book page. 164. It's just so good so healing and a great breakfast dish! It's really good for you especially during the colder months of the year and is the perfect way to start off your day!
I want to encourage all of you who haven't tried this one yet to make it! It's such a healthy superhero breakfast dish... so nourishing not to mention yummy! The best part about it is that it tastes just as good if not better when you eat it as leftovers a day later! I usually make one batch and it feeds me for 2-3 days in a row.
Personally I prefer to make it with big chunks of Kabocha squash – almost inch wide cubes – cause I like it when the squash is big and chunky says bite-sized pieces in the book...oops!. But if you're not into chunky veggies you can use smaller pieces of squash. Either way it's delicious!
Millet and Sweet Vegetable Porridge
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
1 inch piece kombu
1 yellow onion finely diced
2 stalks celery finely diced
1 cup finely diced kabocha or butternut squash
1/2 cup yellow millet
2-3 teaspoons white miso
2-3 scallions white and green parts thinly sliced on the diagonal
Instructions
Layer the kombu onion celery squash and millet in a soup pot
Genty add 5 cups of water to the pot cover and bring to a boil
Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the vegetables are tender and the millet is creamy about 35 minutes
Place the miso in a small bowl
Stir in a few tablespoons of the cooking liquid to dissolve it and stir the miso back into the porridge
Simmer gently uncovered for 3-4 minutes to avoid destroying the miso's enzymes
Serve sprinkled with scallions
Enjoy!
What's your favorite breakfast dish?
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Photo Credit: whyiconsumeart.blogspot.com
March 1, 2012
our next book club book is
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If you are thinking of having a baby or you are already pregnant read this book. It's written by Dr. Holly Roberts who is a board certified Obstetrician/Gynecologist. I think it will answer tons of your questions and much more. It's really a must read for anyone who wants to have a healthy pregnancy... Especially non-vegans! The book takes you through your pregnancy chronologically and provides information about everything from how to get enough iron to quelling morning sickness. I can't recommend it enough!
You can buy new or used editions of Your Vegetarian Pregnancy on Amazon where you can also download the Kindle edition. Of course it's a great idea to check your library first although this is a book you might want to keep on hand.
I hope you enjoy the read and don't forget to post your comments and questions below as you read. I can't wait to hear what you think!
PS - Toward the end of this month I'm going to host a live chat here on The Kind Life all about vegan pregnancy so read up now and stay tuned for details on that soon!
February 29, 2012
win free luxury vegan shoes & handbags!
Everyday this week ecoCLOSET is giving away a free luxury vegan handbag or pair of vegan shoes. All you have to do is go to our website and sign up for VIP Access. It's free and easy!
Launching in March ecoCLOSET is the first personalized shopping site with style and conscience featuring luxury vegan shoes and handbags and jewelry at up to 70 off. As an ecoCLOSET member you get access to limited collections and personalized style recommendations. And each subscription helps sponsor a rescued animal through our partner Best Friends Animal Society. There's no obligation to purchase and shipping is always free.
Enter to win today!
To enter to win Kind Lifers must sign up for VIP Access using your email address. A winner will be randomly selected each day to win a free pair of vegan shoes or handbag from 2/29/12 through 3/7/12. The value of each pair of shoes is 100-150 and the value of each handbags is 85-125.
Today's post is proudly sponsored by
February 28, 2012
success stories: kind life inspired beauty
Kind Lifer Kaylin recently shared how living a kinder life is a more beautiful life…
"I read The Kind Diet a couple of years ago close to its release. I am proud to say that your book and blog encouraged me to first flirt with veganism then to make the full commitment a few months later. I really appreciated reading about the successes of other vegans from celebrities such as Olivia Wilde to 'regular' people who had become incredibly healthy. When I made the switch I was shocked at how my extra ten pounds just melted away.Suddenly I felt lighter and healthier than I had ever felt before."
"Around the time I became a vegan I began working as an eco-friendly makeup artist. However "eco-friendly" was not enough; I knew I had to align my business with my new vegan lifestyle. For the past year I began a wide search for the best vegan cosmetics beauty products and personal care items. Your work as an activist has inspired me to take up the cause as well blogging and now writing a book on vegan beauty and personal care products."
"I wanted to thank you for leading the way and inspiring me to make the switch to veganism. It has had an amazingly positive impact on my life over the past two years and I couldn't have done it without your help."
Yay Kaylin!
If any of you kind lifers have a success story to share private message me or upload your story to your profile and "like" it. I may feature you on the homepage of The Kind Life!
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