Healthy Living
The Beautiful World of Sally Rooney
I just finished Sally Rooney’s Beautiful World, Where Are You. I’m not giving away any spoilers with this reveal: The Irish author’s third book is narrowly focused on four characters; one, a writer, seems to be a stand-in for Rooney. The plot is straight out of a Brontë novel — there’s even a brooding Heathcliffian love interest — and the prose can be distractingly cold and distant. But the questions this book forces readers to contemplate — wow. I’ve never read anything like it. Have you?
Flood Zone Homes
Last week a flood zone home in a beachfront North Carolina town partially collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean, scattering boards and debris that floated as far as seven miles. The cream-colored clapboard beauty with the bright-blue shutters was built in 1980 and had recently been listed as a vacation rental. Its dismantle must have been shocking to residents of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, where the home was located, but it didn’t seem to make much of an impact on a national scale. Why? I think it might have something to do with Celsius.
Giving Tuesday: Nonprofits That Matter
As we approach Giving Tuesday, I wanted to take the opportunity to present a few organizations that I believe in and support. Have you earmarked your end-of-year giving? Please consider these nonprofits, which force corporations to do better, defend democracy at a local level, and empower emerging BIPOC conservationists. Let’s do this!
Healthy Recipe: Chocolate Chunk Cookie
I’m not a huge foodie. I don’t follow chefs on TikTok. But when I want to make something that’s plant-based, gluten-free, and delicious, my go-to is Anna Getty’s Amalgam Kitchen. These healthy recipes go beyond good for you and your family — they’re yummy and easy to make, with step-by-step photographs that Anna takes herself. Want to score Anna’s amazing Tahini Chocolate Chunk Cookie with Smoked Sea Salt recipe? Read on!
How To Get A Sustainability Degree (Without Quitting Your Day Job)
I began working with brands and nonprofits — and writing about sustainability on EcoStiletto and Mommy Greenest — during what now feels like the dark ages. I was basically fumbling around, absorbing the wisdom of scientists like Arlene Blum, doctors such as Dr. Leo Trasande, and leaders including Ken Cook of the Environmental Working Group and Annie Leonard of Story of Stuff. But things have changed since then. Now you can get an actual degree in sustainability, which can lead to a high-paying position. And guess what? Through asynchronous online programs, you don’t have to quit your current job to study. Want to learn more? Read on!
YSK: Clean Water
Clean water is critical to health — and nobody understands this better than parents. That’s the finding from a new survey of more than two thousand people in the United States conducted by Aquasana, which researches consumer behavior around water filtration on an annual basis (and sponsored this post). Was COVID-19 a factor? You betcha — but that’s not all. Read on!
Game Changing Natural Laundry Detergent Sheets
Loving these new zero waste natural laundry detergent sheets I just discovered! They work just as well — or better — than liquid or pods, both of which contain water. Liquid laundry detergents are about 90% water, which makes them heavy to transport and gives them a higher carbon footprint. Now that laundry can be done with a sheet, there’s no need to lug home a plastic bottle. Clothes get clean, plastic gets saved, and greenhouse gases are reduced. Win win win! Want to find out more about how to get clean clothes with less impact? Read on!
Zero Waste Natural Deodorant Score
When it comes to natural deodorant, I’m kind of a slut. I’ve tried most brands on shelves, gave away a bunch and even developed a natural deodorant DIY! Realizing that potentially cancer-causing ingredients were in most deodorants — and that natural alternatives are competitively priced and readily available — set me on the natural beauty path in 2008. Because no one wants to put that crap next to your lymph nodes, especially now that breast cancer is the leading cause of death for women in their late 30s to early 50s — roughly the ages that I’ve been since I began writing as Mommy Greenest. (P.S. Just clicked through these…
