I like to think of my self as “green” and care about the environment, but I was really taken aback when my daughter Michelle said that I like stuff and that my generation is really into stuff.   I realize that I do like “stuff” but at the same time I am pretty appalled by it. 

I am from an island called Lussin (Veli Losinj) in current-day Croatia, I was born in 1955 and it still had the World War II effect and we lived pretty simply.  Electricity, but no indoor plumbing.  I knew where the food came from… from the ground, the fish from the sea, and the meat from the animals I saw roaming around… such as the lamb that grazed the olive grove.  When I had a tummy ache my nonna would make me chamomile tea.

So, moving to the US at age 8 things did not seem natural. We lived in Astoria, NY and the cement on the ground was very disturbing, the subway was pretty amazing but dirty, life in NY was not pretty.   It was very disturbing.  I would think why so much garbage, dirt.  Dirt in Lussin  smelled sweet, it actually energized me. In Lussin at that time we did not have garbage pickup, but we didn’t have litter all over like  Astoria did. Why??  How confusing to a little child. We were in America!! Before coming to the US we lived in a refugee camp and all the pain was worth it because we were going to America. What a disappointment to land at JFK and see the dirty snow and be taken to a basement apartment my aunt lived in.... read more

Green Goes Simple: Conservation at Home
 

How Healthy Is Your Bedroom?
 

By Marisa Belger for Green Goes Simple

The kitchen may be the most popular room in the house, but the bedroom is where you clock the most time. Human beings dedicate one third of their lives to sleeping. With good reason: Sleeping refreshes the body and mind, recharging you for the next day. And while you can’t control many of the factors that interfere with slumber -- noisy neighbors, early-bird toddlers, antsy dogs -- a few simple changes can transform your ordinary bedroom into a snoozing sanctuary.

Emily Anderson, eco-style expert and author of Eco-Chic Home, has developed a 10-step plan to improve your bedroom health.... read more

I recently had the opportunity to view the construction of a sustainable house being built in my neighborhood in Newton, Massachusetts.  The home was designed by LDa Architecture and Interiors, based out of Cambridge, MA.  

Green Goes Simple: Conservation at Home
 

Planet-friendly Parties
 

By Elizabeth Barker for Green Goes Simple

By making a few easy changes to your party-planning strategy, you can cut back on waste, reduce your use of natural resources and even slash your spending budget. Here, Green Chic author Christie Matheson serves up eight tips for eco-fabulous entertaining:

1. Ditch the disposable goods and use your own tableware. Not enough to go around? Consider renting what you need or borrowing from a friend. You can also check your local chapter of Freecycle.org, an online community where members give away used household items.... read more