Structured Green’s furniture is good for forests and good-looking, too

I am in love with Structured Green’s furniture and corporate, LEED projects. For example, the circle drop table is made from wood that has been approved by the Forest Stewardship Council.  The council is a not-for-profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world's forests. 

The furniture also is made in Savannah, Ga., so you can proudly say your table is a one-in-a-kind find and made in the U.S.A. The table is delivered in FSC Black Walnut, FSC White Oak and River Recovered Cypress. It costs $1592.50.

Tossing your butts is mean, not green

A beautiful sight on a Sunday stroll.

By Mary Rose Roberts
I live next door to a commercial building that consists of a tattoo parlor, a laundry mat and residential rentals upstairs. For months, I’ve grumbled about the debris on the sidewalk outside the building—specifically the cigarette butts. As an ex-smoker, discarded butts are the last thing I want to see when I’m walking around the neighborhood.

Two weeks ago I started to hear about a new campaign, The 9/11 Tribute Movement. The movement organized a 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance where it asked citizens to honor the heroes and victims of 9/11 by performing good deeds, supporting charitable causes, volunteering and engaging in other acts of compassion.  In simple ways, people should use the day to better their community.

After a few piles. Looks great, right Bells?

So instead of grumbling, I spent Sunday sweeping sidewalks in front of the commercial building with a joyful spirit and the company of my black-lab mutt.  Cigarette butts and cellophane wrappers made up most of the trash, next to Subway cup lids and paper Hardy’s cups.

It made me think of all those times I had thrown a butt when I was young. It was disrespectable to my community and an eyesore. And it definitely wasn’t green.

Apple crisp promises nutrition and satisfied diners

My husband loves apple crisps. He has fond memories of his mother, Barbara, making them on cool evenings in Chicago and later at their family farm.  I had apples in the house to use up, rolled oats and black walnuts harvested locally in Missouri and purchased at my farmer’s market. I needed the rest of the recipe, so I text my mother-in-law, asked for directions and started peeling apples.

It occurred to me as I was making the apple crisps how nutritious the ingredients were. Granted, baking zaps a lot of the good stuff right out of our foods. But at least the contents were natural and full of health benefits. Green apples are a good source of dietary fiber and Vitamin C. Black walnuts are a good dietary source of essential fatty acids (avoid if pregnant). And oats are a good source of dietary fiber, phosphorus selenium, and manganese. Then there’s cinnamon, one of my favorite spices because it has vitamin K, iron and calcium.

Like always, I tweaked my mother-in-law's recipe a bit based on what was in my house:

Mother-in-Law’s Apple Crisps

4 cups of peeled apples

½ cup organic brown sugar

½ cup of old-fashioned rolled oats

^1/8 cup chopped black walnuts

½ cup chopped walnuts

1 tbsp. cinnamon

3 tbsp. of natural, unsalted butter

Heat oven 350 degrees. Butter an 8x8 baking dish. Peal apples and chop into cubes. Add to dish along with brown sugar, oats, walnuts and cinnamon. Mix well. Add butter cubes evenly on top. Bake for 25 minutes. Mix the ingredients and bake another 20. Makes 6 servings.

Modular eco-flooring has style and a conscience

If you haven’t heard of FLOR modular floorcovering or carpet tiles, it’s like creating your own carpet design using recyclable materials. It's not only chic, but it also has proven itself to be the the go-to product for many innovative eco-designers in urban areas. In addition, many of the company's styles meet or exceed the Carpet and Rug Institute's Green Label Plus standards for low volatile organic compounds. According to the Colorado Department of Public Health, exposure to such compounds may result in liver or kidney failure, among other diseases. (See fact sheet.)

It also offers a Return & Recycle Program—one of the few in the U.S. The program lets users call the company, receive a pre-paid UPS label and ship the used tiles back to its facilities in Georgia. The nylon face fibers are sent to be reconstituted into new recycled nylon fibers and new post-consumer recycled fiber is then available for purchase to be used in future products.

Recycled paper makes for a cute clutch

This is a one of the kind clutch purse made out recycle paper magazine, quality brass hardware and leather.

Grandma’s castor oil in handmade soap can help ease pain

By Mary Rose Roberts
It’s like walking through an outdoor classroom when I visit the local farmer’s market. This week, I was introduced to The Natural Way, a homemade soap brand that is made up of essential healing oils. When I approached the stand, a young woman was telling the vendor that she had multiple sclerosis, had purchased the muscle and joint pain soap and it helped her pain. She was back for another bar.

When she walked away, the vendor—Ms. Eftink—glowed.

“That’s what makes me feel good about making the soaps,” Eftink said to me with an ear-to-ear grin, “that it has helped someone.”

So I purchased the same bar because of arthritis in my hands. The soap is 100% vegetable-based, free of artificial fragrances and dyes and does not contain any animal or petroleum-based products. For pain, the formula includes castor oil, which is extracted from castor seeds and used for centuries as an anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant remedy for therapeutic benefits. The muscle and joint pain soap had a medicinal smell but was not offensive. After a week of using it, I could tell it helped somewhat with my symptoms compared to other soaps I’ve tried. The bar lasted about two weeks and retails around $5.

Call 573-243-2008 to learn more about pricing and delivery.