Thanks to Modern Eco Homes, where this blog entry by Katie Nielsen originally came from, and they reached out to us, wanting to share their findings and learn from yours. Enjoy, and please share your eco holiday finds below in the comments

In 1621, the pilgrims at Plymouth celebrated the ending of a successful growing season with a harvest feast, an event that is generally considered the “First Thanksgiving.” They were joined by several Native Americans who had taught the pilgrims how to harvest foods and survive the harsh winter. The feast included foods locally grown and produced by the pilgrims such as duck, lobster, swan, native berries, boiled pumpkin, squash and a variety of other vegetables.

Jean Leon Gerome Ferris’s iconic painting depicts the first Thanksgiving celebration.

Today’s modern Thanksgiving celebration is a far cry from that first harvest feast where the settlers farmed, hunted, and gathered everything they consumed. Today’s traditional feast is a far more industrialized affair, comprised of pre-packaged foods that likely travel hundreds of miles before it ends up on your table.  In fact, it’s estimated that most of the foods consumed in the U.S. travel more than 1500 miles before being sold to consumers. The ability to shop a season-less global food market may be convenient but our incessant appetites and rapidly expanding food chain is taking its (hefty) toll on the environment primarily because of the immense transportation impacts. We have long forgotten what it’s like to eat as prescribed by Mother Nature, as those very first settlers did.

That’s why this year we’re challenging you to a 100-mile eco Thanksgiving! The traditional holiday for giving thanks presents the perfect opportunity to get back in touch with the original roots of the harvest celebration and make your meal local. That means everything you use to prepare your feast should originate within…you guessed it, 100 miles!

For some, preparing such a feast solely from local ingredients may sound daunting but pulling off a 100-mile Thanksgiving is far easier than you think; you just have to know where to look.

Find a Local Bird

The Turkey

Believe it or not, the traditional Thanksgiving bird is raised in most of the lower 48 states, which means most of us can find a local turkey from a farm within 100 miles. Check out Heritage Foods USA or Local Harvest’s Turkey Search.

Use Locally Grown Produce

Locally-Grown Produce

If you live in New England or Washington, delicious, juicy apples can be purchased from a local apple farm. You can find fresh potatoes if you happen to live in Idaho or leafy greens (think lettuce, arugula, cabbage, etc.) in New Mexico and citrus fruits in Arizona and Florida. Research local produce that’s available near you and incorporate it into your meal. The Natural Resources Defense Council offers an Eat Local search, where you can determine what’s fresh near you depending on the season.

Dairy Products

From milk to cheese and ice cream to top the pie, dairy products can be found at local dairy farms located in most states. Not sure what farms are within 100 miles of you? There are a handful of national dairy chains (such as Winder Farms) or you can contact your local dairy council who can refer you to farms in your area.

The Booze

Wine that perfectly complements dark turkey meat will be easy to find if you’re within 100 miles of Napa Valley. For the rest of us, getting our hands on local spirits may be a bit more challenging but certainly not impossible. DrinkLocalWine.com offers a plethora of info on regional wines throughout the country and the Brewers Association can locate microbreweries in your area. To make your Thanksgiving booze even greener, try finding local organic spirits.

Purchase Local Organic Spirits

The Stuffing

Instead of purchasing this traditional Thanksgiving side dish from the prepackaged box, try making a homemade vegetable stuffing using produce found at a local farmers market. There are more than 4800 farmers’ markets operating throughout the continental United States and chances are, there’s one near you. Local Harvest allows you to easily search for farmers’ markets in your area by zip code.

With few exceptions, everything you need to make your Thanksgiving feast (or acceptable alternatives) can be found within a 100-mile radius. Such exceptions generally include spices and coffee, which for many are fundamental to the quintessential Thanksgiving feast. The November holiday was instated to literally give thanks and celebrate blessings but its true meaning is often overshadowed by the impending and often expected feast that accompanies it. The idea behind the 100-mile Thanksgiving is to prepare and enjoy the celebratory meal while significantly reducing your carbon footprint. We encourage you to try new, scrumptious dishes entirely composed of local ingredients. Your 100-mile feast doesn’t have to be a traditional Thanksgiving – it just has to be one that you can enjoy in the company of your family and friends.

Are you planning a 100-mile Thanksgiving? We want to hear from you! Share your ideas, tips, and tasty recipes using only locally-produced foods in our comment section! We’ll post some of our favorites on our blog. Can’t wait to hear from you!

by Lynn Hasselberger

In Safe H2O Part 1, I reviewed the environmental and health issues related to bottled water and the fact that 25% (some sources say as high as 40%) or more of bottled water is tap water anyway—some treated, some not. For those concerned with their water quality, investing in a filtration system can be a very cost effective, environmentally-friendly option. But first, you need to test your water to determine what filtration system is best for you—or whether you even need one! And the good news: it’s possible to treat almost any water problem—funny tasting or smelly water—with proper equipment.

Keep in mind that the U.S. has one of—if not THE—safest drinking water systems in the world. Excellent marketing by beverage companies has led us to believe otherwise; hence the high bottled water consumption levels and the worry about whether our water is safe to drink straight from the tap.

Step One: Find Out What’s In Your Water

Many people jump right into a reverse osmosis or other filtration system without really knowing what’s in their water. That could be money down the drain (pun intended). Instead, find out what’s in your water first with a water test and you could save yourself some money and unnecessary work.

On city/public water? You’re in luck. Your water is likely as good, if not better, than bottled water. Why? By law, every municipality in the United States is required to not only test the water, but also do everything necessary to meet the national standards as defined in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Water Regulations.

If you have well water, like me, the EPA does not have the authority to regulate your well. But they do recommend that you test your water annually for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH level, and to always use a state certified laboratory that conducts drinking water tests.

The EPA also notes that you test any time you replace or repair any part of your well system and consider more frequent testing if any of the following apply:

•    Someone in your household is pregnant or nursing
•    There are unexplained illnesses in the family
•    Your neighbors find a dangerous contaminant in their water
•    You notice a change in water taste, odor, color or clarity
•    There is a spill of chemicals or fuels into or near your well
•    Someone buried a dead body near your well (just kidding, although I’m sure this would be of concern)

Before you run out and get a test kit, identify potential problem sources.

I was concerned about pesticides and herbicides: our village sprays for mosquitoes during the summer; many people in the neighborhood fertilize their lawns and/or spray their weeds or pests… What else could be lurking in our water? Here are some other things to consider:

•    Is there livestock nearby?
•    Are pesticides being used on nearby agricultural crops?
•    Do you live near a golf course, where they are constantly treating the grounds?
•    Is your well “downstream” from your own or a neighbor’s septic system?
•    Is your well located near a road that’s frequently salted or sprayed with deicers during winter months?
•    Are your copper pipes disintegrating? It’s happening in our home.

Step Two: Purchase a Water Test Kit from a State Certified Laboratory

In previous years, we picked up vials at our county health department for a mere $15 and our water tested well within the EPA standards for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids, and pH level. But, considering my concerns, I opted for a more thorough test this year.

A local lab gave me a quote for $500 or more. Ouch. The more contaminants you want to test for, the more you pay. Then I found Sweetwater LLC, owned by Jim McMahon, a professional ecologist with over 30 years of experience. I called Jim and not only was he friendly and patient, he asked questions to determine which contaminants may be an issue in our area. I purchased my water testing kit directly through him at a much more reasonable price than the local lab.

Step Three: Send in Your Water Samples

When we opened the box, it was so simple. There was a vial for bacteria, another for Volatile Organic Compounds, a container for pesticides and herbicides and last, the metals and physical factors vial. There was also an ice pack that we had to put in the freezer for at least 8 hours, then we filled up each container with untreated, unsoftened water, put it all back into the Styrofoam holder (which they recycle for future customers) and packed and shipped it in the same box it arrived in.

Step Four: Interpret your results – Public or Well

If you’re on public water and request a copy of your municipal test results, you can try to figure them out yourself or call someone like Jim.

Our well water test results came back with a handy brochure explaining how to interpret the findings with suggested treatments. Being of creative mind, my eyes immediately glazed over, so I contacted Jim. He explained the results and provided recommendations for improving our water quality. For research purposes, I also contacted our county’s public health department and the actual laboratory where our water was tested. Everything Jim told me was spot on—and even more thorough.

I learned more about the elements in water than I ever dreamed possible and Jim was the first one who was able to explain the reason for our dissolving pipes: Low pH level. No plumber could ever explain to us why our copper pipes were just deteriorating—pliable like a toilet paper tube.

Step Five: Determine Treatment, If Needed

There are LOTS of options out there and many companies that stand behind their product as being the best and the healthiest, etc. I’m not sure which, if any of these companies encourage you to test your water first. Sadly enough, many just want to sell you their system.

Jim not only analyzes test results, he can customize a water treatment system to suit your needs. But he won’t build it without the test results.

I will write more about what Jim recommended for us and why another day, along with our discussion about the pluses and minuses of water softeners. Luckily, our water is perfectly safe to drink as is, although—like anything else—there’s always room for improvement. However, the low pH levels will continue to deteriorate our copper pipes. Part of his recommendation included a contraption that would treat the water so that certain minerals would naturally line our pipes and even fill in pinholes—potential leaks—over time. Who knew these things were possible?

To be continued… In the meantime, feel free to contact me for a copy of our results. And, if you call Jim toll free at 866-691-4214 and mention myEARTH360, he will give you a free consultation, which usually costs between $50-$100.

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About the author: Lynn Hasselberger is the founder of myEARTH 360.com, a company that offers eco-friendly products and whose mission is to raise environmental awareness and help families transition to an earth-friendlier lifestyle. She is also the founder of the I Count For My Earth campaign and the author of the ICountForMyEarth blog

by Andrew Michler, LEED AP

It’s late spring, and this year there has been a lot of rain in my fair state of Colorado. Being in a high desert, with all this water coming at once, makes a lot of us want to save some of it for those hot, dry, sunny days. I am perhaps one of the lucky ones, as I installed a 1,500-gallon underground tank near my shop to catch the water that comes off its metal roof. Fifteen hundred gallons sounds like a lot of water, and it is. The tank is six feet high and seven feet in diameter. “A thousand flushes” has a new ring to it. All this water is used for flushing our 1.6-gallon toilet, which is a lot easier than pumping and treating water just to have it go right down the drain again. While I use rain for waste water now, a future garden and greenhouse is in the works. Even a 500 square foot roof is enough for two people.

Weather is unpredictable here and promises to be even more so in the coming years. A quick peek at the forecast of temperature changes shows that the Rocky Mountain region is headed for some hot, dry summers. It makes sense to do all we can with our homes to “future proof” them. Water catchment should be near the top of the list. And here are some reasons why:

1. The water is free
2. It keeps your landscape from being over-saturated and protects your foundation
3. It is clean and soft (low salts, high in nitrogen)
4. It can be used for multiple applications
5. It supplements our drinking water, which takes a lot of energy and infrastructure to get to your tap
6. You are using a local resource
7. 1 inch of rain per 1000 horizontal square feet of roof amounts to 620 gallons

Here are a few things to think about if you are considering catching your rain water. If your roof has asphalt shingles, the water should not be used for edible crops. Keep gutters clean and use a water filtering device before the tank. If you want to use the water for more than just the warm seasons, your system must be well designed for the cold. The collection tank needs to be covered to keep critters and mosquitoes at bay and large enough to handle storm surges and longer dry spells. You may need a pump, valves, and a power source to make the water go where you want it. Check your local laws. In Colorado, for instance, it is slowly being legalized (don’t get me started). The idea of “future proofing” a house is intriguing, so if you plan on building a new home, consider rain water catchment. Plumb a second line to your toilet, one for potable water and the other for rainwater. Roof your home with metal or tile so the water is kept clean. Be creative in your application of the water. Use it for your laundry– cold water is just as effective for rinsing as hot, and check out those cold-water detergents, they save a lot of energy. Maybe the house should have hose bibs for rain water to wash your car and water the landscape or even water livestock. With a bit of research, this can pay off for you, your neighborhood and protect the 21st century’s most valuable resource. View a short slide show on rain water catchment.

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About the Author: Andrew Michler, LEED AP has lived “off-the-grid” in Colorado since 1995. He started Baosol Sustainable Building Consulting in 2007 to cultivate the low entropy revolution. He is also the co-founder of the BeLocal Northern Colorado Green Builder’s Guild.

by Dottie Simmons

I find myself a rather lazy cook. I want to have my herbs and spices pre-blended so I don’t have to formulate them for every meal. Over time I have learned of or invented herb and spice blends for everything from steak to tofu, Mexican to Chinese. For us the process begins in the garden. Here are three blends of herbs we grow, dry and combine to brighten our meals:

MEAT TREAT:

1. Rosemary – An easy to grow perennial in the ground or a pot. It is impervious to bugs or deer.
2. Sweet Basil – A hot weather annual that is easy to grow. Pick repeatedly to keep from flowering and it will grow back.
3. Thyme – The regular sort, variegated or plain, perennial with tiny leaves. Harvest before it flowers.
4. Bay Leaves – Mediterranean Bay (the kind you get in stores) is milder. If you use the west coast native Bay Laurel, use it sparingly. We have a Mediterranean Bay tree in a large pot!
5. Garlic – We buy garlic granules by the pound. It is slightly coarser than garlic powder, and is definitely NOT garlic salt. I store it in a glass jar with an airtight lid.

FISH FEST:

1. Lemon Thyme – A wonderfully fragrant perennial, easy to grow and harvest as for Thyme (above).
2. Lemon Basil – Another wonderful basil, it loves hot weather and is an annual that you can harvest repeatedly. Just remember to cut it above two new leaf shoots.
3. I have never found Lemon Basil or Lemon Thyme in a store, so plan ahead and grow your own if you want to try this blend.
4. Dillweed – Use the feathery leaves, not the seeds. Plant this annual once and it will re-seed and grow forever.
5. Oregano – A hardy perennial. Greek is milder, Mexican stronger, use accordingly. We prefer Greek.
6. Sweet Marjoram – A very fragrant annual that is a relative to Oregano.  Use with eggs, veggies and meats.
7. Celery leaves – I actually grow a specific type of celery that mainly produces leaves. When I have tried to grow nice stalks of celery I always got wimpy stems with lots of leaves anyway – it just does not like our climate. I also save the leaves from celery (organic) I buy at the market and dry them in a colander after trimming them from the stalk.
8. Garlic – (See above)
9. Onion Powder – This we buy as well.

ITALIAN SEASONING:

1. Oregano, Sweet Basil, Rosemary, Thyme, Garlic… See above for all of these.
2. Fennel Seed – We buy this, toast it lightly in a small, heavy cast iron pan and then crush it slightly with a mortar and pestle.

PREPARING THE HERBS:

All the herbs listed here are harvested early in the morning after the dew has dried off of them, and hung in bunches by their stems in a well ventilated place out of direct sunlight. I like to use a rubber band to hold the bunch together, and a twisty-tie or string tied on to hang them. The rubber band conveniently stays tight as the herbs dry and the soft stems of basil and others shrink in diameter. Woody stemmed plants such as rosemary and thyme have no problem. As to the bay, I just prune off a very small branch full of leaves and dry it and that lasts us a year or two!

When dry, strip the leaves from the stems and store as whole leaves in airtight containers (we use glass jars) in a cool, dark cupboard. When you make a blend or use the herbs directly in cooking, that is the time to crush or chop them. Once broken, they will lose their aromatic and flavor qualities faster.
By the way, you can save the stems and bundle them, tie with cotton or jute string, and throw on hot coals when grilling for herbed smoked meats.

ASSEMBLING THE BLENDS:

This is the inventive part. I never measure anything unless I have to, and cannot begin to give you exact measurements for any of these, but I do have some “rules of thumb.” In all of the blends, you use equal amounts of the large leafy herbs (basil, oregano, dill, celery).

Grind these coarsely with an herb grinder (there are many styles, I like the Mouli Parsmint best) or chop with a knife. Thyme and rosemary should be around 2/3 the amount of one of the others after grinding. You can run the rosemary through the grinder as well.

To 1/2 cup blended herbs add 1 large bay leaf, ground, and/OR 1 Tablespoon garlic granules OR 1 Tablespoon onion powder, or 2 teaspoons fennel seed, as called for. If you use bay laurel, use less.
Mix all ingredients in a bowl, then store in an airtight container until used.

USING THEM:

Sprinkle Meat Treat over chicken, turkey, etc. before cooking. Add 1 or 2 teaspoons to oil and vinegar with 1/2 teaspoon salt for a nice herb vinaigrette.

Sprinkle Fish Fest over any kind of seafood before cooking. Also sprinkle with a bit of lemon pepper or a squirt of lemon juice.

Italian seasoning can be added to tomato sauce for pasta, lasagna or any tomato dish.

YUM! I’m hungry just thinking about it all. Now off to transplant my basil plants (sweet, lemon, purple (for salad dressing), mammoth (mild – good in salads), and Thai). I think ahead, as I work in the garden, to the harvest and culinary delights ahead.

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About the author: Dottie Simmons is a natural soap maker in the mountains of Northern California where her family is dedicated to learning to live with minimal impact on the land. From her blog you can read musings on living a healthy, sustainable and off-grid life, and from her family’s self-sufficient homestead, come the natural and nontoxic soaps and body care products that are Simmons Natural Bodycare.