Bulk foods on Amazon

Did you know that you can now buy bulk foods on amazon.com? So far we have purchased, the gluten free pizza mix we like and the Yogi brand tea that I drink in the afternoons/evenings.  Not only are you able to save by buying in bulk, you can save more if you subscribe to the items.  Right now we are subscribed to buying 6 pizza mixes every 3 months and 6 boxes of tea every 6 months.  Through you Amazon.com account, you change/manage your subscriptions.

I haven't worked out the environmental benefits/hurtfulness of shopping this way but as soon as I do, I will be sure to share what I find.  


In the mean time, be sure to check out our farm blog, www.Fireflyskiesfamilyfarm.com to stay updated with our farm progress.

Grist makes link between Girl Scouts and Orangutans

This afternoon I read an interesting article on Grist.org titled, "Are Girl Scout cookies killing Orangutans?" 

The article states that Girl Scout cookies are made with palm oil and that palm oil is:

"the No. 1 culprit behind deforestation in Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia and Malaysia." 

 The Grist article goes on to say that the Girl Scouts can switch to canola oil which is more environmentally friendly and healthier as well.  The next part of the article is what I found most interesting.  Apparently, the Girl Guides of Great Britain use olive and rapeseed oil instead of palm oil and are offering to help the Girl Scouts and Girl Guides Canada switch as well.  This little tidbit comes from the blog, "Please do not tap on the glass" 

I didn't understand why the Girl Scouts don't change oils until I read that they need palm oil to keep the chocolate chips from falling out of the cookies!  Fair enough.  However that excuses flies out the window when your sister organization comes to you and says, "Hey sis, we found another oil that works and guess what? Its more environmentally friendly and healthier then how you are currently making cookies!

So why don't the switch? Cost.  We Americans demand cheaper prices on everything which in this case leads to deforestation which leads to a lost of Orangutan habitat. 

So are the Girls Scouts helping to kill Orangutans with their palm oil filled cookies?  Yes they are.

Who else is helping? Everyone that buys the cookies.

Remember, you can always:

 

Be Greedy - Save the World

Is global warming real? Yes? No? Who cares?

If you said yes, then there are plenty of documentaries out there for you. If you said no or who cares, then you should check out the new documentary called "Carbon Nation."

This film is not trying to change your mind on global warming, all they take about are energy solutions, creating jobs, and saving money. Check out the trailer below.

300 years of fossil-fueled addiction

Eww...Bacon! How bacon is made

Egg Recall

You should check out this post on the blog Small Measure

How big is the BP Oil Spill now?

I heard about this great website the other day while listening to the BBC.  The site is called: ifitwasmyhome.com (If It Was My Home.com).  All you have to do is plug in your city and state and it will overlay the oil spill onto your hometown (or whatever city you pick).  You can pick any city in the world.

Here's what it would look like if the oil spill had happened where I live.

How the Top Kill works

The BBC has a good step-by-step walk through of how the "top kill" operation will stop the oil flow.  Check it out here

Is this where your milk comes from?

I found this video at treehugger this morning.  Watching this video made me sick.  I am glad we don't eat beef or drink milk.  I am going to have to do more research on where the milk in our cheese and yogurt comes from.

Easy way to save the whales - just stop killing them

The size of the oil spill

click here for larger image

The numbers of this chart are simply crazy...I cannot believe how much oil is leaking into the ocean.  There has got to be a better way to get energy then pumping oil out from the ground.  

Thanks to Good.is for the article and the graphics.

Oil spill numbers

image from GOOD