I don’t know about you but when it comes to someone actually touching my head and putting “stuff” on my face, feet, hands & arms, I want to feel good about them and the experience.  It really is up close and personal.  I write VerVe quite a bit on Facebook and usually always post a picture after I have had a service there.  Because it’s always that good.  I tell family members, friends, people I meet, strangers on the street (a bit of a stretch, okay)   to check them about because they are green, because they do use healthy products & because they DO provide great service. So here are Mrs. Green’s Top Seven Reasons why I love VerVe Lifestyle Salon.

#1  Because of the warm, sincere welcome I get the minute I walk in the door (always offered a cup of soothing tea or spa water

#2 Because once I am in my chair, the atmosphere is friendly, soothing and overall relaxing.

#3  Because when I am getting my hair dyed, I know that the products my stylist are using are 97% plant-based, don’t burn my scalp like my “other” salon products did and are less harmful to my body and to the planet. Want to meet some really neat people there?  VerVe is locally owned AND are making a global impact.  Now if I could just get better on video…

#4  Because while I am sitting there letting the color work its magic, I get a wonderful, soothing, hot foot soak just because! This shot after I had a foot soak and an over the top pedicure.  How many people do you know are that excited about their pretty GREEN  toes?  I’m just sayin’….

#5  VerVe collects all of my bottles caps, sends them to Aveda, which recycles them and uses them to make the bottles for its own products. Why do I care you might ask?  Because we throw them away  millions of them end and they up in the ocean.  I know mine are not causing any little  sea critters harm when I take them to Verve.

#6 Aveda believes that beauty is as beauty does.  A visit to aveda.com  will inform you why I changed my personal practices and am blessed to have a place like VerVe in my hometown.  Look at this brief description of what Aveda is all about.  “To care about the world we live in….”

#7  Because the stylists & staff there know me, listen to my stories, REMEMBER them (well, at least they tell me they do) and they even laugh at my jokes!

Is this adorable or what?

Adorable ? Yes!  Green? Not very.  Chapman’s GM called me one day to inform me that we had to make a switch; he supports me 100% when it comes to walking the walk. So, it was good-bye, VW Bug.  Hello, Honda Insight.

So question #1:  Does your car dealership REALLY sell fuel-efficient and/or clean burning cars?  Do your research.  Honda & VW still make the grade.  Check it out:  http://cars.about.com/od/toppicks/ss/Ten-Most-Fuel-Efficient-Cars_12.htm

Gosh, I love happy endings. My current car is a VW Jetta TDI from Chapman VW.   It gets AMAZING gas mileage; it’s zippy and it’s one of the cleanest fuel-burning cars on the road today.  Case in point for “saving green?”  We drove from the middle of Tucson, Arizona to downtown San Diego last summer and it cost us $37 — there were stretches when we were getting 54 mpg.  What do you think of Mrs. Green’s current VERY cleaning burning wheels?

The Mrs. Green Mobile

Question #2 – Does your car dealer care about giving back to the community?  It’s called sustainability.  Since I am committed to writing shorter blogs, I can’t list everything Chapman has done for the community the last five years we’ve been partners. But supporting the FC Champion Soccer League is right up there with meaningful community support.  Community Food Bank?  Yes.  The Humane Society of Southern Arizona?   Yes.  In fact, Mrs. Green will be attending Chapman Honda’s Pick a Pet Day this coming Saturday. Chapman provides the venue, covers the adoption fees and offers refreshments to anyone who stops by. And the list goes on…

Chapman’s Community Food Bank Drive

Question #3 – Does your car dealership care about being green from the inside out?  I am going to write another blog about the Chapman Going Green Team accomplishments. To date, they put recycling bins under desks in their two largest dealerships, are providing customers with reusable water bottles and working VERY hard to change the habits of the sales force to get THEM to use reusable bottles instead of plastic. This one is a work in progress but it’s clearly moving forward.  Here’s just a little “insider”  snapshot from one of our Going Green Team meetings.  FYI, both the VW & Honda managers attend the team meetings and help make things happen.

Chapman Going Green Team

How can you take green living to another level ( if you haven’t already)?  Make sure your next car is fuel-efficient, clean burning, and as part of  the buying process, be sure to quiz your car dealership about their sustainability practices – do they walk the walk?  If we don’t ask, things won’t change – I pretty much believe it’s time they have to change.

Make it an intentionally great green day.

When? April 28, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm

Where: See link below

Little bit of background on Cyclovia 1:

Cyclovia 1 was a fabulous day on the south side of Tucson.  The weather was perfect, the streets were closed to motor vehicles, the smell of delicious food wafted through the air and it felt like a community.  Make you sorry you missed it?  Not a problem. Since it got rained out last year, the wise planners from Cyclovia planned  two events in two different neighborhoods.  I got to Cyclovia 1 early and stayed late.  Here are Mrs. Green’s Top Ten Reasons why you should put this on your “must attend” list. But first – proof positive that Mrs. Green got her “biking” on.

Mrs. Green Gets Her Biking On!

1.  It’s FUN and FREE

2.  All the streets are closed to auto traffic

3. It’s a great opportunity to get outside & learn about your community.

4. There are GREAT community partners who participate.  Pima Association of Governments   is a sponsor and Habitat for Humanity’s Habistore   is a must “go to” booth.

Mr. Habistore Himself – Terry Dee

5. Water is available along the route from free water dispensers provided by Sparkletts. So be sure to bring a reusable water bottle or buy one at any of our five info booths.

6. You can bike OR you can walk, jog, skate, skateboard, and skip freely on the public roadways.  You don’t have to have a bike to enjoy the car-free streets.

7. Free bike repair will be provided by five different local bike shops.

8. There will be LIVE music and DJs, bike decorating, jumping castle, bike rodeo,  art projects, street games, and did I say plenty of food?

9. You will get to see a really neat neighborhood in Tucson that you really wouldn’t see from your car.  It’s a new route through mid-town Tucson, connecting neighborhoods and businesses along Glenn, Blacklidge, and Dodge.  One end is the Keeling neighborhood and the other end is Brandy Fenton Park, next to The Loop.

And Top 10 Reason #10?  The outrageous number of adorable little kids.  Think I am kidding?

A Picture is Worth 1000 Words!

Couple of more “good to know” tidbits: You can enter and end anywhere along the route, because there is no start or finish.  You can stop at various activities along the route or have a leisurely lunch at one of the food vendors, because there is no race or schedule.

Want to know more because you clearly see why Cyclovia 2 promises to be another fun filled day?  Maps and information for making the entire day car-free or car-light are available at www.cycloviatucson.org And if you STILL aren’t convinced why you should make this a must attend event, have a listen to this great podcast.

Green living is fun and sustainable – truly.

The blog, written by Miranda Farley,  is about the new reusable Starbucks cup that you can purchase for a $1. The blog is excellent in every way – engaging, fun, informative and thought-provoking. Ms. Farley begs the question: is the cup green or is the effort greenwashing?  The responses to the blog are equally engaging.  I cannot believe all the work people did to write contemplative, insightful and content rich responses.   In other words – Miranda hit a chord and my hats off to her on many many levels. The cup in question….

Want to read it for yourself?  I hope so. Here is the link: Starbucks Recycable Plastic Cup: Green of Greenwash?

As for Mrs. Green?  I shall continue to keep writing from my heart about things that matter to me & sharing other great blogs when I find them.  I like being the big green dot connector. It sustains me and hopefully helps us all with living green.

“Hi my name is Amie Sue and I am addicted… to kale chips!  With my confession made, I can now relax and share a little bit about myself.  I have been building a raw food recipe website since 2008.  I currently have over 800, mostly original, recipes that I share for free.  I love inspiring my readers to add more whole and healthy foods into their diet. I like to think of crowding out the garbage foods with fresh foods that are packed with not only nutrition but amazing flavors. Because lets face it, if it doesn’t taste good, we won’t eat it.   We are all on our individual journeys when it comes to health and I believe that it is important to honor our bodies by learning how to listen to its needs and wants. We all know the rap; eat clean, eat organic, eat with consciousness …  I would like to add to that… eat with joy, eat with gratitude and during the process have fun!  Today I am going to share with you my Spicy Italian Kale Chips.  For more ideas that will feed your addiction to kale chips, please visit my site, Nouveauraw.com

Ready to take a road trip with me?  If so, have your bags packed when you make this recipe, because you will soon be transported to sunny Italy!

Spices are fundamental to Italian cuisine so using the right combination is crucial.  Therefore I used Homemade Dressings Italian Gardening seasoning mix.  It  is a traditional blend of herbs and spices including basil, oregano and garlic that gives a true Italian flavor.   You will find that I tend to use their spice mixes quite often in my recipes.   They are 100% natural, no sugar added  and they are gluten-free.  If you don’t have a premixed Italian seasoning on hand, you can make your own blend.  You will find a recipe down below.

I want to share a few tips for making a successful batch of kale chips.  Start off with fresh kale.  Wilted kale can often taste bitter.  Use curly kale, it holds onto the sauce much better which gives it that great crunch.  Tear the kale into bite sized pieces.  Kale chips can be very messy to eat when you have to take multiple bites from the chip.  Wash the kale but really pay attention to the drying process.  Wet kale will repel the sauce and make it watery.  I make my sauces nice and thick and use a particular ratio of sauce to kale to ensure a hearty chip!  With these tips, you should end up with a magnificent kale chip.  Enjoy and please keep me posted if you give this recipe a try.  I am pretty confident in saying that you just might end up eating a whole head of kale in one sitting so I think it is my responsibility to remind you to drink plenty of water.  Dehydrated foods can be dehydrating on the body, so drinking more fluids is recommended.

Is Your Mouth Watering Yet?

Ingredients: yields 3 cups sauce

• 2 cups cashews, soaked 2+ hours
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup (25 g) sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp + 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes, blitzed
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 heads (bunches) curly kale

Preparation:

1. Wash and dry the kale then remove the stems.  Tear into bite-sized piece and place a large bowl.  Set aside.
2. After soaking the cashews for 2+ hours, drain and rinse them.  Place in the blender and add the vinegar, lemon juice and water.  Blend until smooth.  This can take 2-4 minutes, depending on the blender.
3. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes and oregano.  Blending until well mixed.  If the sun-dried tomatoes are hard, rehydrated in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain the water and add to the sauce and continue blending.
4. In a large bowl pour the blended mixture over the kale and massage in until all the leaves are well coated.  I use my hands to assure even coverage.  The batter will seem heavy for the amount of kale but trust me, this will make a nicely coated chip.
5. Place dehydrator trays lined with the reflex sheets and dehydrate at 105 degrees for about 8 hours.  If they aren’t crispy enough, leave them in a bit longer.
6. Store in glass containers on the counter.  I have no idea what their shelf life is because they disappear way to fast in my house.

Amie Sue
http://www.NouveauRaw.com

More feasts for the eyes:

A Thing of Beauty & Good Health

Kale Chips: The New Popcorn

Amie Sue
http://www.NouveauRaw.com

Final word from the Mrs. Green team? Thank you, Amie Sue. You not only sustain my soul but help sustain our bodies & make green living & eating fun & DELICIOUS!

Would love to share with you two special happenings in Tucson in the weeks to come!

#1 – It’s Cyclovia! Cyclovia is an event that is FUN, free and open to everyone. You can walk, skate, bike, skateboard, and jog the route, so all ages and levels of physical ability are welcome. (In other words, children of all ages!) People will visit neighborhoods in different parts of the city in a casual, hassle-free environment – no cars, no traffic. There are fun activities, music, and food all along the 4 to 5 mile routes. It’s a great way to get more people comfortable biking and walking for transportation. Can you think of a better way to spend a Sunday with family & friends? Save the dates of April 7th and April 28th AND check out their fun website for more info. www.cycloviatucson.org. And, yes, Mrs. Green will be there with some kind of green bells on!

#2 – Bikefest. Are you ready for this? Bikefest is a MONTH long event to celebrate & support getting your biking on! Pedal the Pueblo? Bike to Work AND School Day? Walk and Roll To School Day? Yes to all of them and so much more. Whet your appetite? I hope so. Check it out because seeing is believing. And believing is “springing” into action. http://www.bikefesttucson.com/events/

Have to add just one more very important tidbit. PAG (Pima Association of Governments) is a major sponsor of both Cyclovia and Bike Fest because PAG is a truly a leader in promoting alternative transportation and funding programs that support the mission of the Travel Reduction Program and Sun Rideshare commuter services – increasing alternative mode usage. These community events have been successful in increasing awareness about alternative transportation, promoting more active lifestyles, which should lead to less air pollution, traffic congestion, and gas consumption. I can attest to all of this!

So get up, get on your bike, get up and make it happen!

Hungry for more info? Here are three websites to check out for more great, green info: www.884ride.org, www.cycloviatucson.org, www.bikefesttucson.com

“Hello! Scott here again checking in from beautiful Anacortes WA. You may have read my previous guest post about my yearlong adventure in the Northwest. Today I want to tell you a little about the larger journey…

Since meeting Gina Murphy-Darling, aka Mrs. Green, I have been on a Green Journey. We have discussed it on her radio shows and in Social Media. It started with becoming aware of actions I take – reduce when I can, reuse as often as possible and recycle as much as possible! These little actions and most importantly to start thinking – has really made changes in my behavior and my impact on our fragile ecosystem. I am not a scientist, not an educator for the environment, not someone who is trying to change people actions, just a regular person who has been bouncing around the planet, consuming, wasting and unaware of the consequences. It was not malicious, it was not knowingly, it was just the way it was – for many of us.

Many people ask me “what’s the big deal?”, “what’s all the hubbub?” – the planet will heal itself, it is an amazing system – and that is true! The global biological system is truly amazing, trees turning CO2 into oxygen, rivers and streams constantly filtering water, toxins are always being removed from the oceans and air. The best analogy I have come up is the human body, another amazing system! Our kids fall, scrape their elbows and get a boo-boo, and it heals. We can break a leg, shave our heads and it all grows back and repairs itself! Amazing! What is happening, though,  is that over time global population has skyrocketed, use of fossil fuels is expanding exponentially, trees are being harvested faster than they are replaced and it is overwhelming the ability of the planet to heal itself. Back to my analogy. This would be the same as someone who has received one thousand cuts instead of one and it is just too much for the body to overcome and the body dies.

You’re probably now thinking, what a downer! But it’s not! The exciting part is that the planet CAN heal itself, trees ARE growing taller and stronger,oceans CAN clean themselves – we just all need to help out a little bit, we need to do the easy stuff, Mother Nature will do the heavy lifting! I’m having a great time on this adventure and making small changes are not difficult, and it’s actually fun! I’ve been learning so much and now sharing is part of my journey! I hope my analogy helps a few people to look at what we do a little differently.

I hope you enjoyed my little post and stay tuned for the next one – titled:  Mission 2013!  I will share with you major changes and goals I have set out for myself in 2013. Until then – have a green great day!”

I can’t wait!

I have always believed that to know better is to do better so hopefully your having this information and sharing it will help us all do better and be healthier The good news is the EWG just  released their new Water Filter Buying Guide to help us remove toxins and other chemicals that may be hazardous to our health. Here is a link to the report.   http://www.ewg.org/research/water-treatment-contaminants

This is certainly not the first time I have referenced the great work of the Environmental Working Group.  Their commitment to a healthier, more sustainable planet is second to none.  They are green from the inside out in every way & we are working to get their leader, Ken Cook, for an interview on our radio show.  We will keep you posted.

Here’s to your health & making great green choices every chance you can.

“Aveda cosmetics are safe.

Recent statements by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics claiming that cosmetics contain ingredients that may be harmful to your health are irrelevant to the reality of Aveda’s product formulations.

Aveda was founded in 1978 with a purpose to bring to the beauty industry products that are safe for professionals, their clients and the planet.  We hold ourselves personally accountable for the safety of our products and their impact on the environment. We also pride ourselves on unique product development processes by which we have raw materials and products intended for formulations reviewed by environmental and toxicology third-party experts.

In addition, Aveda is an innovative leader in Green Chemistry that aims at finding natural alternatives to petrochemical materials.  We work with natural plant and certified organic ingredients which we ensure are sustainably sourced and scrupulously traced. Sustainability, safety and performance are what drive Aveda researchers to formulate some of the highest quality products available today. As a result, we are not only ahead of the Safe Cosmetics initiative; we strive to lead the industry in product ingredient safety standards and practices.

Lastly, Aveda does not outsource its R&D or manufacturing of core products, unlike many companies, and retains better control and traceability of its ingredients and finished products.

We have chosen not to sign the agreement set forth by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics because we are already well ahead of this commendable effort.  If an ingredient’s safety is debated by the scientific community, we will study the scientific publications and obtain third-party analyses. If published studies remain inconclusive, we will work towards proactively removing it from or replacing it in our formulations.

We would like to assure you that you can be confident in our products. We stand behind their safety 100%.

Should you need further assistance, please contact our Consumer Relations team at 800.328.0849 between 8am-5:30pm Central Standard Time to speak with a Customer Service Representative.

For a greener planet,

Tricia
Aveda Web Relations”

Mrs. Green’s two cents?  I have seen Aveda pull entire product lines off the market to reformulate in order to remove any harmful chemicals.  I am not a scientist but I believe this answer to be quite respectful and I understand their position.  Thoughts anyone?

My message today is to get off the beaten path, GET out of the box and just do something different.  We have all heard the clichés, but changing your environment can have real word benefits for your outlook, physical health, mental well-being and your happiness!  This week I am driving from Tucson, Arizona to Anacortes, Washington and the first decision is the route.  Convention wisdom, and lots of friends said, “easy – head to LA, then north on the 5!”.  Yuck!  Been there done that.  I sought a route to go through as many new and different places as I could.

Why head off the beaten path?  Too see things I’ve never seen, to learn things I’d never known and to meet people I’d never met!

Yesterday I got to see wild horses tear across the desert in Nevada, got to drive across the new bridge ABOVE the Hoover Dam, bought some fruit from a farmer and his kids, saw a volcano, walked across Cold War era ICBM missile silos, wrote my name in the snow (ok – TMI), and got time to think, re-imagine, and actually talk to people.  Real people, not followers, fans, readers or connections!

This is the beginning of a year-long adventure for me – leaving my home, friends, comforts and do something different!  New climate, new activities, new routines and the wonder of what else will come!  Thanks for reading and I’d love to hear your thoughts, advice and recommendations in the comments.  With my friend Mrs. Green’s permission, I’d love to continue guest blogging and share with you my adventures, and mis-adventures along the way.

So, today – take a different route to work, say hi to someone in line for coffee or TEAR UP THAT BOX!  (Recycle it of course!)

Scott Caddow

So of course Mrs. Green has to add her two cents.  Does this blog not give you wander lust & make you want to hit the road?  Sustainability for my soul! Travel safely & write often my friend!  Scott has appeared on my radio show www.mrsgreensworld.com numerous times sharing with our listeners great trips about green travel, ecotourism & other fun, green stuff!