That's Fit

A week ago, I told you about a study that showed that China and Australia were found to be the greenest countries in the world, based on how serious their citizens were about taking care of the environment, how many steps they took to reduce their carbon footprint and how much they supported green companies. It got me thinking about that last point -- supporting companies who support the environment.

Do you make a special effort to purchase goods or services from companies who you know have a good, solid, eco-friendly reputation? In most ways, I try to be good to the environment, but this is one regard where I am not doing so well.I often don't think much about the companies I give my money to, and I don't look into their environmental impact. I tend to go for places that are convenient, and now that I think of it, I'm a little mad at myself for doing so.

Raising kids "green" really isn't difficult at all. After all, they don't have any preset ideas about the way things used to be, like we do, and they have so much energy for anything that involves any degree of fun. My kids complain if we drive anywhere in walking distance (even when it's raining). By age two, both were pretty good at helping to sort the paper from the plastic and aluminum in the recycling bins. This summer, we planted our first garden together and my preschooler got her first lesson in eating local, organic foods. They're like little sponges, just waiting to soak it all in!

Gaiam has a list of five Earth-friendly activities to do with your child, including taking a hike, biking to the store, planting a garden, or teaching your children about the solar system to help them understand that the Earth is the only planet we have, so we need to take care of it. Just having a healthy respect for wildlife and nature will lead kids toward wanting to respect and preserve it. Older children might enjoy sitting down with you and learning more about their carbon footprint and how to reduce it. What's your favorite eco-friendly activity to do with your family?

Are you using CFLs -- compact fluorescent lamps/lightbulbs? If not, read this -- pronto! And if you're one of the millions who've made the switch to super-efficient, low-energy bulbs, here's a tip: You can save even more energy by installing dimming swtiches in rooms where it's appropriate -- the dining room and den, for instance. That way, the bulbs don't have to be on full-force whenever they're turned on, though you can choose to have them on high when you need more light.

Doing this could potentially save quite a bit of energy. For example, if you reduce your lights by 25%, you save 25% more energy than you would if you has regular swtiches and so on.

If you care about animal rights (and I do), then you understand how hard it is to find a cruelty-free egg. But if animal rights aren't on your radar, you may be surprised to learn that eggs laid by healthy, happy hens are more nutritious than eggs laid by birds kept in crowded, unsanitary cages.

The best way to find eggs laid by happy hens is to find a local source. You can visit the farms and see for yourself how the chickens are raised. It's less likely to be a large, commercial operation, and your eggs won't have to travel thousands of miles to reach you. But if a local farm just isn't an option, take a minute to school yourself in egg carton lingo. For instance, did you know "all-natural" doesn't really mean anything? On the other hand, if a package says "certified humane," then you know the farm has been inspected and certified by outside sources.

It's not always easy to find a cruelty-free egg, but you can't beat the benefits. Less cholesterol and saturated fat, more vitamin A and E, and more beta-carotene and omega-3 fatty acids mean more nutrition for you!

You can apply eco-friendly principles to pretty much every aspect of your life. But even ... your sex life? Yep, according to this article from TreeHugger. They've listed some things you can do and products you can use to protect yourself, protect the environment and still have a great time with that special someone. Some tips?

• Shower together. Not only do you save water, but you are sure to have a steamy time.
  
• When it comes to lubes and lotions, go for the ones that are as natural as possible -- so without artificial colour, scents or tastes. You can even find organic products at some stores.
  
• Try bamboo sheets on the bed -- they're sensual and slippery.
  
• Try some natural aphrodisiacs. Herbs like ginseng and ginko biloba are rumored to be aphrodisiacs, plus some food items like strawberries, oysters, chocolate and wine. Know of any others?
  

Our city recently announced that a new power plant would be built in the area -- a coal burning plant. It will sit right next to our existing coal-burning plant, the one that's responsible for our significant air and water pollution issues. It's distressing news for someone who wants to see her city clean up their act, and I wish that my area leaders would look at some of these cities -- Yahoo's top 10 greenest -- for inspiration:

• Portland, Oregon
• Austin, Texas
• Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Boulder, Colorado
• Burlington, Vermont
• Madison, Wisconsin
• New York, New York
• San Francisco, California
• Santa Monica, California
• Chicago, Illinois

Some of the ways these cities earned their way onto this list include: good public transportation, well-kept bike trails for commuting, year round farmer's markets, dedication to renewable energy, and strong recycling programs. Do you live in a green city? What kinds of things does your city do to encourage sustainable living?

Though my older daughter isn't yet old enough to eat lunch at school, I still get the menu each Friday in her backpack: hot dogs (served daily), pizza, chicken pot pie, nachos, all often served with french fries. Rinse, lather, repeat each week. Needless to say, there isn't a lot there to celebrate, even though it is National School Lunch Week. I'm disappointed to see a menu that has changed little since when I was in school, despite everything we now know about nutrition.

Then I came across Chef Ann and her Lunch Lessons site. Chef Ann is working hard to change the way we think about school lunches, including outdated school budgets and our dependency on commodity-based foods. She's an amazing breath of fresh air. Check out her blog and her "meal wheel" for helping parents and kids choose healthy foods. Not coincidentally, I'm sure, she's also celebrating her third annual National School Food Challenge where she asks parents, kids, and advocates to challenge their school systems to improve the nutritional level of their school lunches. It's important to add that Chef Ann focuses on finding local, sustainable sources for school meals.

It's easy to say, "Oh, I'll just pack my children's lunches." (I'll admit it, it's what I thought when I saw our school's lunch menu.) But while that solves the problem for my own family, it does little to address the bigger picture. Chef Ann can help concerned parents approach their schools for a healthier future.

Think global, act local ... by eating locally on the 100 Mile Diet.

British Columbia's Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon embarked upon a unique challenge in the spring of 2005. For an entire year, they pledged to purchase and gather sustenance within 100 miles of their home. Considering most ingredients travel about 1,500 miles before reaching our mouths, this was no easy task. No Chilean grapes, no California wine, no Italian risotto.

Alisa and James' great undertaking was life-changing. They ate loads of potatoes until finally locating a local wheat farmer. Buying directly from farmers, they discovered the seasons, the micro-seasons, and even learned the art of canning. Their blog resonated with individuals and grassroots organizations across the country. Check out their book and consider how globalization and industrial food systems impact your diet choices and connections with community.

Give eating locally a whirl -- try cooking one meal a month from local sources or host a 100 Mile Diet potluck. Please, do share your experience!

Halloween is one occasion where we can get away with wearing bizarre items that have been sitting in the back of the closet for the past few decades. In fact, come to think of it, halloween is a great time for recycling any old thing you don't wear any more -- you can incorporate it into your kids' costume, or even your own! The DIY Diva at the Green Guide has some great suggestions:

• Paint yellow stripes on an old black turtle neck for a bumble bee costume.
• Stuff old newspaper in back stockings for spider legs.
  
• Cat ears can be made from a head band and some old material, or felt from the hobby store.
  
• For a mask, consider a paper mache one or one made from a paper plate.
  

In my house, we always had recycled costumes, and though I'm past my dressing up days, I'm at the point where I wouldn't consider buying one of those tacky department-store costumes. What do you think?

A recent study found that household cleaners may raise the risk of adult asthma, possibly accounting for as many as one in seven cases. The study followed 3,500 people over a nine year period, and found that those at the highest risk were women. Surprisingly, only 1 in 10 of those women stayed home full time. In addition, just one cleaning a week was enough to raise a person's risk. Air fresheners, furniture cleaners, and glass cleaners seemed to be the biggest culprits, though scientists have yet to pin down why.

You don't have to give up your dream of a clean home when you give up household cleaners. Homemade, non-toxic cleaners are inexpensive and easy to make with a few essentials like baking soda, vinegar, and lemon juice. And by adding in your own essential oils, you get to choose what your home smells like when you're done cleaning. Another option is to buy earth-friendly cleaning products at the store. Beware of greenwashing, however, where a label makes claims that the product is green when it really isn't. Consumer reports recently did a review of popular green cleaning products, so take a minute to check out their results before you buy.

Being a steward of our natural resources is a gratifying adventure. Whether global warming is a theory you embrace or dismiss, most of us are varying shades of green when it comes to the footprint we leave on the environment. Maybe you are an avid recycler, drive a hybrid, a Sierra Club member or simply grow heirloom tomatoes in your garden. Each and every decision makes a difference.

Even the fitness clothing we purchase can impact the earth's natural resources, depending on the philosophy of the clothing manufacturer. Design, durability and use of recycled materials go a long way to lessen the stress on our planet.

Based in Boulder, Colorado, GoLite is a leading manufacturer of lightweight outdoor adventure clothing and gear. Their designs use less raw materials, incorporate recycled contents where feasible, and they even offer a lifetime guarantee on every product to reduce consumerism. Other on-line clothing manufacturers to consider are Gaiam, Patagonia and Timberland. Check out this recent article summarizing the philosophies of these four eco-friendly sources for fitness clothes and gear. GoLite and Go Green!

Today, October 15th, is a day of action -- blog action, to be exact. It's Blog Action Day and today, we ask that you do your part to spread the word. Blog Action Day is committed to educating the masses on the importance of the environment and how crucial it is that we all do our part.

In honour of blog action day, That's Fit and several other blogs on the Weblogs Inc. network will be rolling out helpful information on our earth and what we should be doing to care for it. And our newest blog, the Green Daily, will be providing full-day coverage of Blog Action Day -- be sure to check them out and show your support.

What an you do? Spread the message -- through your own blog, through Email or through good old-fashioned word of mouth. And practice what you preach -- it will encourage others to do their part for the environment too.

Fall is a great time of year to try some veggies that may not typically cross your dinner plate. Today, at the farmer's market, I picked up a Hubbard squash, a spaghetti squash, and some sort of gray bumpy thing that I have no idea how to cook. But that's the fun of trying knew things and the Internet is filled with recipes, so why not?

Squash, spinach, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, arugula, and cabbage are all in season right now. If you're leery about trying something new without at least a little background information, check out this guide from Real Simple that will teach you how to buy, store, and prepare some of these common fall vegetables. Then, do what I do: Go to your favorite search engine, put in your main ingredient plus the word "recipe" and hit enter. A whole world of healthy, tasty fall dishes will open up to you!

September's almost over, but I still love the ideas in this article about 10 healthy habits to adopt this month. It includes suggestions like: eat more seeds, go apple-picking, add 10 minutes to your walking routine, and find a new way to stay fit. That's a lot of good advice! Don't worry if you can't cram it all in before Friday, those tips are season-neutral and will help you build fitness, build nutrition, and have more energy right through the fall and into winter. What's your favorite way to stay fit this time of year?

President Bush's No Child Left Behind (NCLB) educational initiative has failed on many fronts. I'm working on an M.Ed. in Elementary Education and you should hear the frontline educator buzz of disgust surrounding NCLB. 'Teach to the test' is the mantra these days -- at the students' expense.

NCLB's focus on testing in the core curriculum has been especially damaging to K-12 environmental education (EE). As a result, an exciting movement appropriately named No Child Left Inside has emerged to advocate for EE in school classrooms.

No Child Left Inside has sparked 16 members of Congress to co-sponsor new bi-partisan legislation -- the No Child Left Inside Act H.R. 3036 -- to bring EE back into educational focus. Most excitedly, the 2007 draft reauthorization of NCLB dedicated 14 pages to EE, and No Child Left Inside is working on further strengthening the language. If we want our increasingly overweight children to move and be active, we have to get them outside, touching and studying the environment around them. Take action on behalf of EE! Contact your members of Congress about H.R. 3036, join the No Child Left Inside movement, write a letter to the editor in support of EE.