StephanieK's Profile

hah! thanks -- fixing ....

Thanks Susmita and deirdre! The link should be fixed now...

Grace2,
I think it's fantastic that you are teaching your daughter about agriculture and food. I really wish it had been a required subject when I was going through school.

My parents have always had an abundant garden (my mom was raised on a farm) and I'm ashamed at how little I know -- especially as I make my way through this book. Although it does inspire me to learn more.

I agree with you about the California/fusion cuisine -- although I think I see what Barbara Kingsolver means: If we do have a cuisine it doesn't seem to be ingrained in our culture the way Italian food, for example, is ingrained in the Italian culture?

Oops
I didn't mean to imply that we'd be reading the entire book in a week (I'm much too slow for that). I think we'd read the book over the course of a month or two but maybe have small comment-based discussions once a week or once every other week.

Should have phrased that one better!

Thanks for the interest and consider Omnivore's Dilemma on the list.

Mason,
We really appreciate the feedback. I hunted around a bit and found the floorplan (and downloadable PDFs) for the mkLotus:

http://www.mkd-arc.com/homes/mklotus/floorplans_l1.php

Hope that helps!

olivegreen

The GreenSleep at Furnature looks like a great find also.

One thing, I should have mentioned in this post: Starting next month, Keetsa is going to be covering their mattresses in a bamboo fabric. I don't know if that would affect your decision .. but it is a cool thing to note.

Good luck shopping!

apointe,

The best article I've ever read on baking soda is here at Curbly.

If you scroll down, you'll see this:
In the laundryroom: Soak smelly clothes in a baking soda/water solution to remove odors. Or, apply baking soda directly to affected areas to remove mildewy smells. Then, make a paste of bi-carb and water to scrub the inside of your machine, and to encourage stuck-on leftovers - such as candy or gum - to release themselves..

Oops! Chris and Nyla's cottage is in Berkeley, Ca.

Wow - I never imagined this post would lead to such a passionate debate on green prices. But I think it's a good conversation to have. It's true and frustrating: Some green products are still priced above their traditional counterparts but, hopefully, if we keep paying a little more when we can, demand will soon bring those prices down. I do think that if you are going to buy something, and your budget allows, buying recycled (or local/secondhand--definitely!) material is the sustainable way to go. And if the budget doesn't allow, luckily, there are still plenty of green things we can do in our homes that cost next to nothing ...