Okay... so it has been a year and a half since I have written anything here, but believe me, it has not been because my passion for all things green has waned. Indeed, my concern about the health of our earth has only increased. But I have been busy starting a new business as a massage therapist to support myself, while I continue to do all that I can in my local community to walk the talk and educate others about living a more sustainable lifestyle.

To that end, I have invested much of my personal green energy into producing the Framingham Earth Day Festival, an annual community event to educate and excite folks about making greener and cleaner choices. Along with around 20 other passionate and generous volunteers, and partnership with Framingham Sierra Club and many other sponsors, (Framingham DPW, Staples, Refoamit, GreenUp Day and Levine Design) we had our first event last year.

This year, Framingham Earth Day Festival 2012 will be even better. More vendors, new great live music, fun kids' activities, composting, recycling (of bikes, fluorescent light bulbs, rechargeable batteries, eyeglasses and styrofoam!), an interactive "prayers for the earth" display, a magician, a walking labyrinth and more! Indeed, this event has started to take on a life of its own as the greater community has become more involved and invested in its success.

The event is on April 28th, and between now and then, I hope to maintain updates on these pages; Not only to bring awareness to this great event, but to also regain my habit of maintaining a green connection with the handful of you who once decided to follow me!

So, if you're in the Framingham, Mass area on April 28th, the event is from 11am to 3pm on the Framingham Centre Common. If it rains, you will still be able to enjoy the event at Framingham High School! So please, LIKE us on Facebook, put it on your calendars, tell your friends, and bring the whole family!

And between now and then, I hope to buzz again into your life with some tidbits of greenformation that you think is worth your while...

Until then,

Happy Spring from the Green Bee

You CAN recycle that water filter!!

How many folks out there have a Brita water pitcher and throw your filters away when it's time to replace them? (A scarier question however is, how many of us keep using the filters in our pitchers long after they expire?? )


Well, I'll fess up that up until a week or so ago, I didn't really think about what to do with these filters... I mean, I've been a Brita pitcher user for at least 8 years or so, ( or however long they've been out) and not once have I lamented over not knowing what to do with the used filters. I guess I figured, one every 3 months, how big a deal is it really?


Until now, of course. Now that I am accountable to the world (or at least 4 of you!) via this blog, I find that I am acutely aware of many things that previously slipped under my radar.


So this past week when I changed my filter, I put the old one aside, remembering that I'd read something somewhere about how to recycle these.... hmmm, where did I see that article? Oh yes, in my favorite magazine, body+soul! I was psyched to find, on page 24 of the July/August issue that you can recycle these filters, "along with any other hard-to-recycle #5 plastics, through Preserve's Gimme 5 program."


Preserve is the company that takes Stonyfield Farm yogurt cups and uses the recycled plastic to make toothbrushes, razors, tablewear, etc.... Check them out at http://preserveproducts.com/ At their site you can find if theWhole Foods near you is a Gimme5 location , or how you can mail your #5 plastics directly to Preserve.

I encourage you to visit their site, as it is also full of information about their process and products, and how they assess their "greenness" through a third party Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). An LCA measures all aspects of a product's sourcing, manufacturing, packaging, usage and disposal process, giving a true measure of the REAL impact of a product on the environment and resources. Daniel Goleman talks about this in his book "Ecological Intelligence"... a great read for those really interested in understanding the impacts of their choices... and the power of their pocketbook.


Ok, now that I've sent you all over the internet for more information I will leave you to consider this: What is one thing that you've been thinking about doing greener... but you just haven't done it yet?

It could be as simple as buying a truly green product to support an authentically sustainable company, or as in depth as working to convince YOUR company to become aware of its carbon footprint.

What would it take for you to move in that direction... starting today? What shift do you need to push you past the point of complacency into action? Can you imagine how empowering it would be to take that action and know that you have acted in accordance with your vision for a better world?

Go ahead, give it a try... and let me know about it.