Known to her fans as the Kitchen Pantry Scientist, she’s a blogger-scientist-garage band singer who, in her own words, is “culturing more germs than ever” as a mom of three.
We love that her blog encourages parents to open up the pantry and stir up some practical science with their kids. Just watching her demo on how to make Window Sprouts will make you understand why your kitchen can be a lab for a fun and valuable lesson too.
As Liz writes: “Our world has become too sterile and disconnected from nature. Like plants, we need dirt, sunshine, fresh air and clean water to survive. Who cares about a few bugs? So try planting a few bean and pea sprouts in plastic bags to show your kids how sunshine and water can make a plant sprout! Find your inner farmer and let your children find theirs—organic food is cheap when you grow it yourself!”
And besides, who doesn’t love watching a Sprout grow?
I’m so sick of all the waste that’s invading my mailbox. How many versions of the same catalogs and sneaky credit card offers can one address take?
According to the Do Not Mail campaign, junk mail in the United States accounts for one-third of all the mail delivered in the world. That’s just plain crazy.
Ready to give your mailbox a makeover? So am I. Click here and watch.
To reclaim your mailbox, start by registering at the Direct Marketing Association, then start pulling your name off the marketers’ lists.
Sprout was on the scene at this year’s Minneapolis Home and Garden Show at the Convention Center. Highlights included hearing Metro Hippie Josh Foss talk about how we can overcome “eco-villians” like pollution and ineffiency in 2010; and chatting up the vendors who are aiming to turn your homes + gardens into eco-paradises. I was also a little starstruck meeting Sasha Andreev, the host ofCurb Appeal on HGTV who just became a Twin Cities homeowner himself!
Who in their right mind would run a ceiling fan in winter, you ask? Why that would be me, thank you very much. I recently learned that flipping the switch on my fans so that they run clockwise helps distribute heat that gets trapped near the ceiling, which in turn means no more need to run the heater at full blast. {In the warmer months, fans should run counterclockwise for the opposite effect.} Sources say doing this might cut my energy use by as much as 10%. Such a brilliant reinvention of a traditional home fixture: A fan for all seasons!
For more info on installing and using ceiling fans, and generally cutting your energy bills,CLICK HERE.
On my way out of Ikea the other day, I grabbed a frozen yogurt cone + noticed the option to toss my leftovers and napkin into a dedicated organics recycling bin. The directions alongside made it super easy for your average Joe—who might not know the ABC’s of composting—to sort and go. If only picking out the right lighting were so easy…
Whether you celebrate V-Day or Singles Awareness Day, it’s hard to argue against the allure of fresh flowers—like these beautiful arrangements at Minneapolis floral design firm Luna Vinca. When possible, LV purchases their posies from local flower distributors; they also use biodegradable planters which naturally dissolve into the earth (just throw them into your garden after your plant wilts). So please tell my honey that he and LV share the same office building…
I lusted after a Mariette Himes Gomez chair at the Macy’s Home Store, but quickly came to the realization that for the price of one I could renew a pair of secondhand Craiglist chairs with beautiful upholstery. The process took extra work + some agonizing, but in the end I really enjoyed playing decorator with the fabric books I picked up at mom-and-pop shop Harrian’s Upholstery on 44th (the dragon print was generously given to me by a friend) and conversing with Mr. Harrian about welting + other fancy upholstery terms. So now I’m anxiously waiting for Mr. Harrian to drop off my as-good-as-new chairs, knowing that soon I’ll be sitting pretty.
Well, sort of. First let me say that this is my first attempt at Vlogging (yet another strange new millenium verb). I figured there were a few things that might be more fun to watch than to read—so now and then you’ll see me in action (and maybe even learn something).
Now to my claim that Composting is Cake. At first I thought, boy oh boy, another waste management system to contend with. But now I’m hooked, and still can’t believe how much less garbage I produce. The process is super easy for me because my neighborhood has a curbside organics collection program that was launched in ‘08, thanks to the organization Linden Hills Power & Light.
All I do is collect my kitchen scraps in a stainless steel compost bin purchased at LH Natural Home; then when it fills up, I dump the stuff into a green cart outside my door. That cart goes out with my recycling once a week and the compost-to-be gets picked up and taken to an offsite processing facility where it eventually turns into rich soil. How sweet is that?
Just like city recycling programs eventually became the norm, I’m hoping more neighborhoods in the metro adopt organics collection programs. Take it from me: Composting is even easier than dividing up your bottles, cans, and cardboard.
For more on what you can and can’t compost + to learn about how this program works, CLICK HERE.
There’s a point every year when I need to see some green and feel the sun’s warmth on my skin. While flying away to a far-flung beach isn’t an option right now, I get my substitute slice of summer at the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory at St. Paul’s Como Zoo. Built back in 1915, this beautiful glass-domed horticultural treasure is home to more than 10,000 plants, and has several rooms to soak in the splendor, from the Sunken Garden to the Palm Dome. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and you are in a warm, verdant jungle…in January.
The floor I inherited in my master bedroom was 70s shag. Underneath that, rotted wood. It was time to re-floor, so I called on Natural Built Home—a local eco-friendly building supply company—and they brought in a great team to level and install a beautiful local FSC Certified maple floor (in the photo, it’s the top half). The new floor has a simple matte finish + to me looks + feels so much more natural than the old polyurethane-coated variety.
