MIdwest Renewable Energy Fair

The Mercantile made its debut at this year's Midwest Renewable Energy Fair. It was a great success! It was especially gratifying to see all the little items that I have been obsessing about for the last two years sell, and sell well. We sold out of stainelss steel screens for spouts and the organic cotton/hemp un-paper towels. Vintage hankies did very well (my personal campaign continues) as did Klean Kanteens. We met some incredible people, and made a lot of really good connections for future seminars to be held at the Mercantile. I'll fill in more details later!

Creativity, Courage, and Forgetting to Drop Your PomPoms

Tomorrow morning, at the ungodly hour of 4:30 a.m., I am off to the train station in Quincy, Il. From there I go to Chicago ("...my kind of town, Chicago is..."). On Saturday morning, at 9:25 a.m. I will be standing in front of three (or so) editors of Country Living Magazine, trying desperately to explain the fabulousness of the Milkweed Mercantile. After my two minutes, they have three minutes to ask questions. They will choose five or six women entrepreneurs to be featured in the magazine.

I am so torn. A part of me feels supremely confident, fearless, brave and excited - this is the part of me who loves microphones, public speaking, sharing ideas and being the center of attention. But the other part of me, the part who forgot to drop her pompoms during cheerleader tryouts (at age 15) and then promptly burst into tears, is a bit worried. How to tap into the first, but not the second? How to honor the foiled cheerleader while embracing the woman I've become?

To me, the Mercantile is a wonder. Each day something new is finished, and we get closer to being open, and I am so excited that I practically jump up and down and clap my hands. I did a mock-up of a display for photos to bring along this weekend (since the building isn't exactly finished, I chose to feature bits and pieces...) and had so much fun doing it I thought my heart would burst.

But how to convey this in two short minutes? If my "product" were, oh, I don't know, a new kind of stapler, two minutes would feel plentiful and abundant. Two minutes for the Mercantile feels inadequate, miserly and impossible.

I've written and rewritten my 2-minute pitch, but was feeling totally stymied the other night. Kurt and Sparky happend to be there as I was melting down, and both suggested I listen to Elizabeth Gilbert's TED talk.

I did, and promptly burst into tears. This is the part I especially love:

I had this encounter recently where I met the extraordinary American poet Ruth Stone, who’s now in her 90’s, but she’s been a poet her entire lie and she told me that when she was growing up in rural Virginia, she would be out working in the fields, and she said she would feel and hear a poem coming at her from over the landscape. And she said it was like a thunderous train of air. And it would come barreling down at her over the landscape. And she felt it coming, because it would shake the earth under her feet. She knew hat she had only one thing to do at that point, and that was to, in her words, “run like hell.” And she would run like hell to the house and she would be getting chased by this poem, and the whole deal was that she had to get to a piece of paper and a pencil fast enough so that when it thundered through her, she could collect it and grab it on the page. And the other times she wouldn’t be fast enough, so she’d be running and running and running, and she wouldn’t get to the house and the poem would barrel through her and she would miss it and she said it would continue on across the landscape, looking, as she put it “for another poet.”

I want to be there to catch the poem. I want to not miss my creativity as it goes barreling across the prairie. I want to be wise enough and prescient enough and present enough to grab it and share it with these editors, so that they can see what we are doing out here.

So Saturday, at 9:25, please stop for a second and send positive thoughts towards Chicago. I'll be waiting there, to grab them, and share.

Eco Goes Mainstream - International Home & Housewares Show

Recycled glass glasses from EuroCeramica.

Where does the time go? It's been over a month since I returned home from the Home & Housewares Show in Chicago.

What a great four days that was!

Topping off my experience was the opportunity to be on a panel of retailers discussing The Green Gourmet: Merchandising Green in a Gourmet Housewares Setting--What Works and What Doesn't. The three panelists were various shades of green, ranging from extremely customer-service oriented, green-if-it-sells Dominic Cimilluca of Dominic’s Kitchen Store, a traditional gourmet housewares store to way, WAY green (that would be me). In the middle was Maria Ornesto-Moran of Green Home Experts, who tries to lead her customers to greener options in her fabulous Oak Park, Illinois store, specializing in all things green for your home, from cleaning products to paint. Thoughtfully moderated by Bill McLoughlin of Gourmet Insider Magazine it was a fascinating look at how the cooking industry is slowly but oh-so-surely ooching it's way into the world of true sustainability. To listen, click here.

This is the Oatmeal Brulee from breakfast at the Hyatt. At the risk of sounding a bit naive, I thought it was a really cool idea!

In addition to the microphone aspect (which, as you may know, is my idea of a good time!), it was really fun and thought-provoking. I so enjoy speaking about the Mercantile and sustainable business, and am passionate about being able to share my ideas. Bill's questions led us down a very interesting path, and brought up all kinds of new ideas for me. It is also a really fun interacting with the audience, and I love practicing thinking on my feet. Trying to convey the many layers and facets of sustainability felt challenging and creative. Like most things in life, there are so many shades of gray, but a few key points stand out:

1. First of all, do you really need to purchase something new?

2. If you decide to purchase, consider investing in top quality goods and using them for decades. While a Le Creuset pot uses a lot of embodied energy to create, it will last FOREVER. This is so much more sustainable than a $5.99 "bargain" from WalMart that gets thrown in the landfill after a year.

3. Given a choice, choose the greener company. Granted, this is often VERY difficult - greenwashing is rampant! The good news is that many companies have certification that will help you determine if they're real or not. Take Bambu for example; on their website is a page that tells you all about their sustainability initiatives. They are members of 1% for the Planet, use certified organic bamboo, and have sustainable packaging. Additionally, they support Fair Trade practices (they are members of Green America) and take a socially responsible approach to business.

4. Ask questions, scrutinize the fine print, and use common sense - This Luminarc glassware display was shouting "GREEN" at the show. Upon closer inspection the product was glass, but not recycled glass. The box it came in was not made of recycled materials, it was merely "recycleable."


5. Which brings me to point number five: do we really need so many disposable, um, I mean recycleable products? No matter what they're made of, they're STILL disposable. It's time to return to bringing real plates to picnics instead of bamboo or compostable plates. Because, honestly, how many of those plates really get composted? Very few, I'd imagine.

Can you say "Greenwashing?" This product was supposedly green becasue it was glass, and came in a cardboard box that was recyclable. Wake up, Luminarc! This isn't going to cut it!

That's it for now. More soon on the very exciting, well-made, sustainably-sourced products from responsible companies that the Milkweed Mercantile will be bringing in. Thanks for reading!

What We Eat When We Eat Alone - A New Book by Deborah Madison

One of the sheer, unadulterated joys of my life is eating fresh, beautifully-prepared food. This kind of food is the inspiration for the Milkweed Mercantile Organic Cafe, and I spend more time than I care to admit reading cookbooks, food magazines, food blogs, gardening blogs, and then trying all of the ideas out on Kurt and whichever friend happens to wander in (they, of course, keep telling me to "keep practicing!").

Because of this food fetish, one of the publications I delight in is the local version of Edible, which is called Edible Iowa River Valley. (Because we are just 15 miles south of Iowa, and about 200 to either St. Louis or Kansas City, it seemed the most appropriate version). I LOVE these people, the food they produce, the food they write about, and the passion with which they do it all.

What brought on all of this (above) Edible love blathering? On the latest email blast, the following video was featured. It is for Deborah Madison (her first cookbook, The Greens Cookbook, was written with Ed Espe Brown. Both are bright stars in the sustainable food galaxy).



What do YOU eat when you're alone? I laughed at how often bacon came up. I tend to gravitate towards breakfast (eggs & bacon), or comfort foods like homemade mac & cheese or tapioca pudding, eaten warm. Sometimes when I'm missing my mom I'll make a brown sugar sandwich (don't knock it 'til you've tried it - spread butter on two slices of bread, generously sprinkle with brown sugar, put 'em together and eat). I make a lot of cookies, but usually tire of them by the second one (thank goodness!).

Time to go finish up the homemade pizza - oh, so good! I think I'll put a couple of fresh asparagus spears on one of them...yummmmmm!

Earth Day 2009 - Let's Make a Difference!

Photo: Adam Schuster on Flickr

Ah, Earth Day. Created in the 70’s to raise awareness, it has morphed into another demon shopping holiday – or has it? As the host of the Green Mom’s Carnival for this Earth Day, I am delighted to share the insights of some very talented, thoughtful women. Always impressive, they continue to astonish me with the ways they look at the world, and how hard they are working to make it a better, and greener, place.

When I received an email notice from American Airlines suggesting that I celebrate Earth Day with a discounted international flight, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. So I was thrilled to read Jennifer Taggart’s (of The Smart Mama) post, which absolutely nails the nuttiness of Earth Day right on its pointed little head in A Cranky Rant on Earth Day. Long live cranky rants!

In 7 Kid-Friendly Ways to Celebrate Earth Day, Jenn Savedge of The Green Parent extorts us get outside, get dirty, and show our kids why this planet is worth protecting,.The best way to teach kids about going green is to help them fall in love with nature.

In a poignant and heartfelt post entitled Take Care of the Earth and Yourself on Earth Day, Anna Hackman of Green Talk reflects on the fragility of life, and turning inward to enjoy the beauty and simplicity of the Earth on such a special day.

Karen Hanrahan of Best of Mother Earth brings gratitude to the forefront in Dear Mother Earth: Thank You for Trees.

Lynn at Organic Mania inspires us to local action in Earth Day and Graham Crackers. Yes, you and I really CAN make a difference!

Beth at Fake Plastic Fish reports on those who have taken the pledge to use less plastic. There are so many ways to less your impact - check out some of these great ideas!

In Earth Day: Looking Back and Thinking Forward, Micaela at The Mindful Momma looks back on some of the eco-friendly changes that she’s attempted to make over the past year or so, admitting that while some have been more successful than others, all have been a learning experience. And isn’t that what it’s really all about?

Diane at Big Green Purse brings us Ten Low Cost, High Impact Ways to Celebrate Earth Day.
These are things that we all can, and must be doing!

The Green Superheroes at The Green Phone Booth (Where Ordinary Women Become Eco Heroes) present Earth Day is For Sharing, where letting their green show around the edges since last Earth Day have inspired people to change their non-green ways, with very non-preachy, creative methods.

Over at In Women we Trust Mary Hunt brings us Viva La Green Revolution! where she says: "Everything is changing for the sake of a better planet - politics, manufacturing, food production, construction, education, media... Everything is getting better, people are talking and nations are looking for ways to put down the guns and work together. That's something to celebrate and turn into your own personal battle cry." We should be so fortunate to have such women in charge of all of our revolutions!

Lisa at Retro Housewife shares a lovely video and a message of hope, while Lisa at Condo Blues double-teams us with both a happy-ending story and a giveaway of Dr. Bronner's soap (which, btw, is certified fair trade and packaged in bottles made of recycled plastic).

And last, but certainly not least, the oh-so-fabulous team of Jenn and Karina at Tiny Choices are campaigning to bring back the drinking fountain in their Earth Day Extravaganza.



Thanks for stopping by. Here's wishing that your own Earth Day is filled with nature, good thoughts and hope for the future.

The Blogosphere's Best and Brightest on Evil-Spawn-of-the-Devil Plastic

It's time for the mid-April Green Mom's Carnival, hosted this month by the spunky and unwavering Beth at Fake Plastic Fish. Read what 19 of the best bloggers in the business (plus me, humbled at the company) have to say about plastic, here. You'll be glad you did. And thanks for checking in!

Enough with the plastic, already!

When you come to a fork in the road, take it.
—Yogi Berra

If you're reading this blog, you undoubtedly know that plastic is a plague. It is everywhere, and it isn’t going away. Ever.

It is time for me, you, and all of our friends to take action. Just say no to water bottled in disposable plastic bottles, and carry your own refillable bottle. Yes, this is sometimes (often) not the most convenient option. Plastic bottles never go away, the bottled water industry is unregulated (meaning that it is not tested and can be water from the tap at the bottleing plant) and costs from 240 to 10,000 times what you are paying for tap water. So save your cash, buy a filter and a Klean Kanteen.

And speaking of the plastic never going away, if you haven’t already, please watch this brief (7 minutes) Ted video featuring Captain Charles Moore of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation. It is absolutely fascinating, eye-opening, depressing and yet inspiring.

You and I and all of our friends and relatives can make a difference. Here are a few ideas:

1. Make a pledge to never again use plastic water bottles. Give reusable bottles like Klean Kanteens and Sigg bottles to everyone you know for birthdays and other holidays.
2. The same with soda bottles. If you’re going to drink soda, purchase it in aluminum cans rather than plastic bottles. Yes, the embodied energy that goes into producing a can is higher; however, the likelihood that the can will be recycled is much higher, too.
3. Stop plastic on land before it reaches the ocean – be responsible for your own plastic, and that of others. Pick it up when you see it, and make sure it gets into a garbage can somewhere.
4. No more plastic shopping bags. Bring your own reuseable bags.
5. Consider bringing your own reuseable produce bags, too. You can find some fantastic ones on Etsy.
6. Patronize only companies that use recycled plastic in their packaging. For example, Dr. Bronner’s products are packaged in 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles. If your favorite product does not come in recycled plastic packaging, let the company know that you want it to. Change starts with you!
7. Consider plastic when shopping. Do you really need individually plastic-packed yogurt?
   Consider making your own food instead of food that comes packaged in plastic: yogurt, mayonnaise, etc.
8. Use lists like this one when shopping. Perhaps what you’re looking for is made of recycled plastic – if we don’t support the companies using recycled materials they have little motivation to continue!

Working together we CAN make a difference. Now, go save the earth!

“Only we humans make waste that nature can’t digest.” ~ Captain Charles Moore, Algalita