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m o r e (burning cookware questions answered)

Unfortunately, I've been using nonstick muffin pans since I got married, seven and some years ago, back when I wasn't yet privy to the noxiousness of nonstick.

(Nonstick surfaces coated with Teflon are pretty dangerous when exposed to high heat--the fumes can even kill pet birds! Read more on toxic nonstick here).

While I've shunned nonstick cooking pans for a long time (see my efficient, healthy cookware here), it just didn't click with the muffin tins that I bake with almost once a week. Until recently when I decided it was high time. (Here are some suggestions on how to reuse discarded nonstick pans if you do the same.)

So I thought about it and did some research. I came up with wanting a solid stainless steel pan, but after searching local independent stores, then chains like Sur La Table, then online, all I could find was an aluminum version with a stainless steel coating. Was this safe? Was the coating enough?

I decided this was a good time to give GreenAnswers.com a try. There, you ask the community a question and you get answers. And you can give them too.

I got this answer which states I'm probably safe with the coating but encouraged to get cast iron. A good, thorough answer to my question. I was pleased.

My only problem is that while I love my cast iron skillet, for muffins, Lodge only carries ones that hold six and it is pretty darned heavy to boot. I think I'm going to stick with the stainless steel coating, but I'm not totally thrilled with the compromise.

Do you have any suggestions/muffin pan secrets to share? 

Or questions to submit at GreenAnswers?

Finally, here's Eartheasy's roundup on healthy cookware.

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Photo credit: dothezonk

m o r e (cycling sightseers)

Dreaming about spring vacation? I know I am even if it's just a weekend at a new pal's cabin in the nearby mountains.

If you're going to any of a burgeoning number of U.S. cities this spring or summer, you may just be able to rent a bike instead of a car. (That is, if you're not sporting your own folding bicycle in your suitcase.)

As David Byrne proves in Bicycle Diaries, tooling around a town on a bike is the best way to catch the true culture, the pace, to really get to know the place--same as when you're staying put.

So skip the rental car and check out RentaBikeNow.com.  It's a network of bike shops and bike rental joints so you have access to all participating bikes in one place. And you can book yours, be it mountain or tandem or comfort, there, online.

It even touts roadside assistance courtesy of my favorite four and two-wheeled auto club, better world.

Find a bike and book it here.

And for international bike-rental and all things bike-sharing, see the aptly named: Bike-sharing Blog.

Finally, for other modes of transport for those not inclined to cycles, check out the public transportation system in the state to which you're heading.

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Photo credit: purplemattfish

Wrote a roundup of sites that help you share today at Your Daily Thread.

And am sharing it with you:

"As they say, when the times get tough, the tough get...sharing. That's right. One positive side effect of this recession is more people are getting together and pooling what they have. So, for Valentine's Day, maybe we can ditch romantic exclusivity and share the love--and other stuff--all around."

Here's the rest:

"Share the Love."

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Welcome to a guest post by Julie Naylon of No Wire Hangers, an eco-friendly organizing service in Los Angeles. She helps her clients "streamline their lives and downsize their carbon footprint[s]." (Be sure to check out her list of facts about how clutter and our households impact the state of the planet.)

As a professional green organizer I see a lot of clutter, most of it in the form of paper.

In addition to reducing clutter, you can also make a huge environmental impact by paying bills online. According to Pay It Green, "In one year, by switching from paper to electronic billing, statements and payments, the average American household would save 6.6 pounds of paper."

And for those of you who are concerned about identity theft it's actually safer to be online.  About 85% of identity theft cases are due to "offline" transactions such as lost checkbooks and stolen bills, statements, and check payments. 

It's really easy to set up electronic billing; just collect your bills and register through your payee's website. Each month you'll receive your bill via email. I also recommend auto-pay so you will never have to pay a late fee again.  If you need copies of your bills and statements for tax purposes you can download a pdf each month and save them on your computer. No more hassle of filing or spending hours shredding documents.

Get organized and simplify your life by paying your bills online.

Check out about's how to guide for setting up online billing with individual companies/utilities and your bank.

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m or e (trees not trash)

This time of year brings a lot of direct mailers and, well, junk, to our mailboxes. I might even be interested in a coupon, but none of them are ever for sustainable products, so no thanks. And while I actually love real, live mail from friends, I can't say the same for fishing mailers from my letter drop just to direct it to the recycle bin.

So, here are some answers. A couple of junk mail stopping services have been reborn as Precycle. The whole idea is not to have to recycle the unwanted mail you get, but to preempt it ever showing up.

By signing up with Precycle and paying forty-odd bucks, it'll plant five trees, send you two CFLs and a reusable shopping bag, and will, more to the point, help stop your junk mail. It claims that in 90 days, you'll see a big difference. I haven't used it so far, but I'm thinking about it's worth the investment to have someone do it for you. Has anyone used it yet? Do tell.

You can also give it as a gift, the gift of decluttering and saving trees.

Then there's Catalog Choice, a free site where you sign up and choose which catalogs to stop getting (you can keep receiving the ones you want). Simple as that.

I've got some more tips for going paperless in your office or home office (like opting out of credit card offers and the DMA's free opt out of junk mail service--just know that having the company's names handy who send the mail is a must).

And let's not forget signing up for e-bills and using your bank's online banking tools. Or my favorite paperless, online financial service, mint. 

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m o r e (steps to reduce and reuse)

My husband still has a pair of Campers he bought probably eight years ago. Two years ago he got them resoled at a little shoe repair joint within walking distance of our apartment. Welcome to a few more years of a great pair.

While I think that's still probably the best route, finding a local business who can slap some new soles on your worn out ones to make them last, it won't have the exact sole from that exact brand of shoe--which sometimes matters a great deal (like for, say, a hiking boot or certain men's/women's dress shoes).

That's why there's Resole America. 

Pretty amazing--you mail off your shoes and they come back to you with a brand new sole that matches perfectly in a little over a week. It works with certain brands as well as categories of styles.

Here's how the math breaks down. I was told by a customer service rep that it usually costs around 40 or 50 dollars, plus shipping. So, if your pair of kicks is still in great condition except for what lies beneath and they cost you a fair amount (a good pair of boots or men's dress shoes would cost up or around 100), then you're still saving money if you resole and reuse. If they aren't looking so great and/or were cheap to begin with, it's probably not going to be a cost effective answer while albeit an eco one.

For your next footwear purchase, here are some eco-friendly options to try on for size:

Even Payless has gotten in on the action with its Zoe and Zac line made of organic  cotton and recycled rubber (and gives a dollar to the Nature Conservancy's Plant a Billion Trees for Z&Z purchases) though I prefer a company that's less mainstream and more broadly planet-focused.

Simple has a history of going the distance to construct shoes with eco-soul for men, women, and kids (think hemp, think biodegradable).

J-41 has plenty to offer in the way of conscious kicks crafted for adventure.

El Naturalista makes pliable leather walking shoes with natural dyes and pays fair wages to its employees.

Patagonia is always up to something amazing; I like that you can replace the insole of some of its shoes and the recycled rubber and natural materials that abound. I mean, check out this warm winter boot, for example.

You can find a number of brands making significant environmental strides at Planet Shoes.

And good old TOMS has a line of vegan slip-ons made from recycled and vegan stuff and with the same incentive as all the rest--you buy one, someone in need gets a pair, too.

Know of any other sources for shoes that look and do good? Do share!

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m o r e (creature connection)

I confess I have never ridden a horse. Maybe there was a pony ride way back when, but I have virtually no experience with these powerful creatures. So I was intrigued to read the article, "Horse Power," in the hard copy of October's Natural Health.

There's a whole school of psychotherapy that uses horses to heal. I love that. Just standing next to, grooming, or interacting with an elegant equine can help deal with anxiety, depression, anger, and more. From doing a little poking around, I think there are programs that are simply targeted for personal growth as well, and plenty for kids to conquer their fears and feel empowered.

I'm thinking one of my holiday activities is going to have to include hanging out with a horse.

If you have the same hankering to get in or back in the saddle, visit The Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association for listings of places with special horse healing programs. There's one not too terribly far from me called Big Heart Ranch where rescued animals of all stripes--horses, chickens, llamas--and humans get to know each other (it even offers organic gardening!).

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m o r e (borrowing versus buying)

In Southern California or a few other dives, you can sign on to NeighborGoods in its beta stage (via O Magazine) to get your share on. Masterminded by Micki Krimmel, it's an attempt to get people to borrow, barter, lend, and loan rather than buy. More than that, it reduces the need for stuff or finds it a good home. It also fosters community. Think of the possibilities: a more communal car, bread maker, or bike. A place to find that extra large folding table for Thanksgiving. Or the fax machine or camping tent I only need twice a year. I even saw a listing for a Tinkerbell Halloween costume! 

Then there's BorrowTools, a lending library for, that's right, tools, in Sonoma County, California (via Utne). If you've got a project but either can't afford or don't want all the necessary gear, you can borrow it instead. A la the public library, you don't pay a thing unless you get dinged with a late fee (seems only fair). It's pretty amazing--a chainsaw, a paint scraper, a bolt cutter--all for free.

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