Cucumber-Mint Water

Earlier this year I purchased a Jack LaLanne Power Juicer. My thought process was that it would help me drink healthier, because I rarely drink water and I'm usually drinking some sort of artificially flavored juice. I don't know what it is about the taste of water, but I just don't like it! I like something with flavor. So I started juicing and I juiced everything under the sun! Let me tell you, fresh fruit juice is way better than anything you can buy in the store. I then experimented with mixing some veggies into my fruit juices and I discovered that cucumber added a very cool and refreshing note. So when I came across a cucumber-mint water recipe in my Fine Cooking magazine I just had to try it out. You don't necessarily need a juicer for this recipe, but you will need a blender.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Report

I just returned from a Royal Caribbean cruise yesterday and I figured that I would write a blog about my experience and how it related to my ever increasing environmentally conscious life. Before I go into more detail I just want to say that I won this trip by entering a contest. I didn't go out and plan specifically to go on a cruise. My dad has a saying: If it's free, it's for me.

Before I left I looked into carbon offsetting my trip. In Sleeping Naked is Green she talks about carbon offsetting her vacation because she was taking quite a few airplanes to different places. She also mentioned an article she came across on treehugger.com comparing the purchase of a carbon offset to the purchase of an indulgence from the Catholic church to get into heaven. You can read the full article here. The idea of carbon offsetting didn't fit my ideals. In my opinion, offsetting does nothing more than clear a guilty conscious. So I went on my vacation well aware that I was going to add to my carbon footprint without offsetting, but I took some steps to reduce it as much as I could. I owe a lot to Vanessa Farquharson for providing these tips in her book. I fully intend to write her and let her know how much her book meant to me. (I finished the book on the plane... a little sad that it ended!)

Environmental Enlightenment #3 (Support Sustainable & Socially Responsible Companies)

I'm banning all Nestle products.

I've been on somewhat of a documentary binge lately. A while ago I watched Tapped which was a film about the bottled water industry and it's detriment to society and the environment. The star of the film was Nestle who owns a wealth of bottled water companies and 5 of the largest in the U.S. (Deer Park, Poland Springs, Ice Mountain, Arrowhead and Perrier). Then a month or so ago I watched Flow: For The Love of Water which asks the all important question: Can someone own water? Think about it like this; Would you pay someone for air to breathe? You need air to live just like you need water to live. Why would you pay someone for water when you can turn on your sink and get it for free?