2011 December | My Five Acres

Santa: The World’s Worst Polluter?

December 24th, 2011
Jane

Right now I’m feeling guilty. You see, I had to travel for the holidays. It’s amazing how much your carbon footprint grows when you’re on the move. For a start, there’s a lot of hand washing (germs abound in airports) which goes along with a lot of throwing away of paper towels. That’s nothing compared to the massive emissions from the flight. And worse still (in my mind at least), because of poor planning on my part, I had to eat at a fast food chain in the airport. A crime against nature, real food, and my stomach. All this got me thinking about the man who does…

Meatless Mondays Recipe: Pear and Chestnut Holiday Pie

December 19th, 2011
Jane

The first time I made this recipe was for my first Christmas in London. Actually, I’m pretty sure my then-boyfriend now-husband made it while I sipped rum and eggnog by the boarded-over fireplace. That was in 1998. The original recipe was from an issue of BBC Vegetarian magazine. By the time we needed it again the next year, the issue had been lost. So each year since then, we’ve relied on our increasingly fuzzy memory of the original to recreate this rich sweet and savory pie. After almost 15 years of making it, it has changed sufficiently that I feel I can safely call this one my own…

Photo by Afrikaforce

Latest Green News: December 16

December 16th, 2011
Jane

Photo by Afrikaforce It’s official. Politicians hate the environment. Even ones who pretended to like it when they were getting elected a few years back are all, “yeah, I might give the go-ahead for the Keystone XL pipeline any day now”. At this rate, Obama is going to flip-flop his way right out of the White House. Newt and Mitt are also in the hate the environment corner this week, as are some 100 beluga whales, who are hoping global warming would hurry up and warm. Read on for details… Latest Green News That Made Me Go Arrrrgh I have been much shamed by my countries of citizenship…

Is Your Yoga Mat Killing You?

December 12th, 2011
Jane

*12.16.11: Since posting this we’ve had quite a few questions about the Lululemon mats. Stephen has added some additional info in the comments.* I’m honored to have a post written by my first guest blogger, Stephen Ewashkiw, who happens to be my favorite yoga teacher. (Full disclosure: He’s also my husband.) On the surface, this post is about Stephen’s trials and errors trying to find an eco-friendly yoga mat. But it’s much more than that. It’s also about consumer responsibility, corporate green-washing, and not being afraid to ask the hard questions. So even if you think down dog is something couples do in the privacy of their own…

Latest Green News: December 9

December 9th, 2011
Jane

It’s that time again, when we check out what’s been happening in the latest green news that’s fit to print. OK, green news hardly ever gets racy – we leave that to the politicians. Despite any lack of sauciness, you’ll want to read on to find out what Cyndi Lauper has to do with wooly mammoths (no, it’s not their identical hairstyles) and much more… Latest Green News That Made Me Want To Spit The Daily Mail reported this week that tuna are going extinct. Turns out they’re no match for our industrialized and largely unregulated fishing industry. Who knew? According to the article the tastiest tuna will…

Meatless Mondays Recipe: Black Bean & Chocolate Chili

December 5th, 2011
Jane

When I make chili, it’s different every time. You can make this recipe as is if you want, but I encourage you to get a little adventurous. Experiment and adjust it according to what you have in the fridge and the cupboard. That’s how I discovered that it’s hella good with maple syrup. Here’s to another tasty meatless Monday. The Recipe This recipe is certified non-vegan friendly. Ingredients 1 med onion, chopped 2 clove garlic, minced 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp dried oregano 1/2 tbsp cumin 1/2 tbsp coriander powder chili powder to taste (this all depends on how hot your powder is and how hot you…

November 2011 Accountability Journal

December 3rd, 2011
Jane

Lights, camera, action! November was launch month on My Five Acres. Even though I probably wasn’t quite ready to launch I went for it. After all 11/11/11, which was my 40th birthday, seemed like an auspicious day to start a blog about the impending end of the world (as we know it). I was forewarned that trying to create a successful blog would be a lot of work. But damn, it is SO MUCH WORK. State of Mind Agggh, what have I gotten myself into? Every free minute is spent writing, researching, or thinking about the blog. I’m still learning so much. I said to my husband yesterday…