For the past few months, I have written about green topics that are relevant to my life and my interests.

Now I want to put the ball in your court and ask, What do you want to know about green living? What stories of success or failure do you have to share? Send it all in, and we’ll get the conversation going. That’s not to say I’m proclaiming I know everything there is to know about environmental stewardship. I don’t. But what I do know is that I have a pretty darn good base, a quality network of eco-minded folks and resources, and the desire to educate. Between us all, we’ll sort it out.

It's a beautiful old ball.

We’ll leave the definition of green open-ended. You can reach me at: shop@greenalternativesstore.com

To get us started, here are a couple of common questions that I get, and some answers.

Is it better to eat local or organic?

The question of supporting the local  movement or the organic trend is highly debated among environmentalists, scientists, and everyday folks. No matter which you decide, you’re choosing right because you’re supporting healthier growing practices.

Though organic foods don’t use pesticides, chemicals, synthetic matter, or genetically modified materials to grow food, the largest of organic farms are located in California–a mere 3,000 miles away–which means that your food takes a cross-country journey on a tractor-trailer before it reaches your plate. But, at the same time, it’s organic, which is important to support. It’s not a perfectly simple issue.

Local food may or may not be organically grown, but it’s romantically produced from your neighboring farmer. Here is where the scales tilt for me. I know the farmers who grow the food at our local farmer’s market. I know the process of being certified organic. The majority of farmers who graciously deliver produce to our farmer’s market practice organic farming methods and just aren’t certified and that’s okay with me.

Certifying farms are required to have the USDA organic seal, which entails documenting a complete history of substances used on the farmland for the past three years. This usually requires a lull in farming for three years, and most working farms can’t halt production for 12 seasons to abide by this step.

The huge benefit of eating local means you’ll patron farmer’s markets, shortening the time from which food is harvested to the end–use when it’s prepped for your dinner plate. And perhaps the most important feature of local eating is that you’ll eat seasonal by default, which makes your tasty produce less expensive, planet-friendly, and healthy.

Why is green so expensive?

This is a touchy subject for me for many reasons, not the least of which being that I own and run a business specializing in green products, Green Alternatives. First, just to clear the air, green is not always so expensive, and many times is less expensive. Of course, there are items that do cost a little bit more than the traditional version. And I’ll tell you why.

In general, green products are designed to last longer and offer up more bang for your buck. Cleaning products are packaged in concentrate to save on packaging waste. I can’t think of one green cleaning product that doesn’t offer supreme value, usually costing less than a $1 a gallon.

If you’re thinking that green costs more because rain barrels are upwards of $100 a pop or low-flow showerheads are more expensive, you have to take into account the savings. One rain barrel used over a summer can save more than 1,300 gallons of water. Tat’s just one season of one year, while your barrel will last you as long as you want it to – most are made of plastic, which isn’t going anywhere. A 1.5 gallon per minute showerhead usually saves about $240 annually. Sure, it’s a little more up front, but the cost savings far outweighs the difference in price, and is usually made up in a short period of time.

I’ll admit that there are just some products that seem to cost more, and there are a few reasons for this. One, products made of environmentally responsible material aren’t produced on scales comparable to the synthetic stuff that line the shelves. The fact is, the economies of scale just aren’t on the side of green buyers, at least until the movement gets a little more momentum.   Second, many eco-manufacturers practice what they preach in more ways than one, and offer employees a better employment arena and benefits. There’s cost in that too.

It's like a gift, see.

I always tell people to vote with their dollars. Buy what you believe in, even if it does cost a little more, so that the norm can mirror your morals and beliefs in the future.

In the end I believe that if you live as green as possible, you’ll save money on the whole at the end of the day.

The Sustainable Living Fair

The Sustainable Living Fair  is this weekend at Waterside. All of the event details are posted at http://www.greenalternativesstore.com/sulifa.html. It’s totally free and if you can make it to Downtown, you’re in for a treat because we’ll have workshops all day both days, music, kid’s activities, local beer, wine and food. Here’s to green living!

Sustainable Living Fair Schedule:

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS – SATURDAY
10:00 | Movie – The Story of Stuff
10:30 | Make Your Own Rain Barrel REGISTER HERE
11:30 | Movie – The Meatrix
Noon | Trash Bash Commences FREE – REGISTER NOW
12:15 | DIY Tumbling Composter Workshop
1:00 | Movie – The Mouth Revolution
1:15 | Cooking Demonstration – Sabrosa Foods
2:00 | Solar Heating & Power
2:30 | Trash Bash Judging
3:00 | Canning Basics
3:30 | Recycling in Hampton Roads
4:00 | Square Foot Gardening
4:30 | Movie – The Botany of Desire – Apples
5:00 | Music Feature – Multicultural Steel Orchestra

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS – SUNDAY
11:00 | Canning Basics
11:30 | Movie – The Story of Stuff
Noon | Cooking Demo – Get Fresh Cafe
12:30 | Square Foot Gardening
1:00 | Movie – The Botany of Desire – Potatoes
1:30 | Rain Barrel Workshop REGISTER HERE
2:30 | DIY Tumbling Composter