We shouldn’t just celebrate Earth for one hour or one day, we should celebrate it every day. The community of Serenbe does just that. Located below Atlanta, Georgia this is a green community that was built on the concept of sustainability.

“Each home is certified to EarthCraft Homes “green” standards.” - From Serenbe website

What first struck me after the gorgeous land and homes was the eclectic style of the community and people. Everything from street-lamps, trash cans, and benches were made from recycled/repurposed materials. The lawns at each home have no grass (to probably save on water usage), and where there is grass it’s allowed to grow as nature intended it. It makes you wonder if this community can do it, why can’t these ideas be implemented into other communities around the nation?

Serenbe is separated into three districts: Selborne - center for arts, residential homes; Grange - organic farms, stables, and forestland;  Mado -  still in the planning stages, but should have an upscale hotel, destination spa, etc.

HGTV Dream Home 2012

Inside Serenbe is the new 2012 HGTV Dream Home. If there’s any ‘Dream Home’ to win this is the one. Not only do you get a fantastic eco-friendly home, but a community based on reusing, recycling, and repurposing.

The Organic Food

If you can only do one thing at Serenbe grab a bite to eat. With two restaurants and a bakeshop (and a vegetarian restaurant planned for the future) there is something for everyone, even gluten free options. It would make sense that the food is so fresh, real, and delicious since both the founders Steve and Marie Nygren have backgrounds with food.

“The Hil” was our choice of food for Earth Day dinner. From Crispy Calamari to a Margherita Pizza almost everything on this menu is from there organic farms.

Here’s a few menu items we tried and would recommend (some might not be available all the time):

• Organic Whole Wheat Bread with Butter
• Crab Fitters with Remoulade Sauce (this is made of almost ALL crab, highly recommend!)
• The Hil Burger with Shiitake Mushrooms, Swiss Cheese, Smoked Bacon, H1 Sauce and “Hil Made” French Fries
• Pan Seared Maine Scallops and Crispy Braised Pork with Roasted Turnips and Mustard Jus
• Warm “Hil Made” Waffle with Butterscotch Pecan Ice Cream and Bourbon Caramel Sauce (I think this was everyone’s favorite of the night.)

You can see more photographs here or learn more about this green community here.

This feed comes from Green Behavior The specific article's link is: Live Earth Day Every Day in Serenbe

Going green seems to be the new movement. This could potentially be from an increased awareness in the suffering state of our environment, or perhaps maybe just a conscious effort on the forefront of morality. Regardless, our environment is where we live and if we want to sustain a healthy, comfortable life for future generations, then we need to do what we can now to preserve it. That is where the so-called “green movement” kicks in. Every green effort, no matter the magnitude, is fighting for the greater good and preservation of the world we inhabit.

For some, being green means a never-ending, pocket-emptying struggle to purchase the latest and greatest products and services. However, while dropping a pretty penny on a Prius would be great, it simply is not feasible for most. The good news is that being green does not have to empty your bank account. In fact, you can make small efforts from the comfort of your own home. For example, the kitchen is one of the easiest places to promote a green lifestyle. It is also the room in the house that usually consumes the most energy so starting your greener lifestyle in the kitchen is probably a good idea.

Green Kitchen

For some reason or another, a lot of people are oblivious to the amount of energy a common appliance, such as a refrigerator, consumes. Not only do your appliances consume a substantial amount of energy, but they also use electricity even when not in use. This consumption of energy has wittingly become known as “phantom” or “vampire” energy loads. To combat against this, one of the cheapest methods is by purchasing a special power strip that controls the amount of electricity being used. Aside from that, basic preventative maintenance is next. Simply do a visual lookover of your major appliances, such as your dishwasher, and look for any obvious signs such as a worn out gaskets, broken seals, or standing water. If a problem is found, it can usually be remedied by a visit here, or locally, at a home improvement store.

Naturally, the best option in transforming your energy-hog of a kitchen into a sustainable, green kitchen is by purchasing newer appliances boasting the famous Energy Star logo. However, as we all know simply by walking through Home Depot, new appliances are not cheap. If you’re lucky enough to not be constrained by a budget though, more power to you; or should I say less power?

Outside the Kitchen

A green kitchen does not necessarily stay confined to the kitchen. You would be surprised at how environmentally un-friendly the supermarket you shop at is. Moreover, open up your refrigerator and look at most any food product in there. What do you see? Plastic! Most manufacturers wastefully enclose their products in plastic wrapping and packaging. This plastic may not seem to harmful, but when you think about how much of it ends up clogging our landfills, your perspective may change. To reduce the amount of unnecessary plastic in your kitchen, create a meal plan that incorporates fresher, home-cooked meals. The reasoning behind this is that fresh ingredients usually possess much less plastic because they are intended to be used immediately, not needing to be enclosed within a thick plastic packaging.

There are plenty of ways to promote sustainability in the kitchen, and mentioned above are just a few of the possible methods. Notably, your appliances are the biggest culprits promoting an unhealthy kitchen. If you truly want to make your kitchen green, begin your battle there.

© 2012 Andrew Brusnahan

This feed comes from Green Behavior The specific article's link is: Is Your Kitchen Holding You Back?

One of the first tasks of my new year was to send out “thank-you” cards to everyone I had received gifts from this Christmas season. Easy right? It would have been, however I needed to find masculine-looking cards since they would also be from my boyfriend. What I found was a boxed set of eco-friendly blank notecards by Greenroom. Green, versatile, and man-approved (by my boyfriend) the cards features a wood grain texture on the front, available in green or a teal color, (other prints also available).

About Greenroom

Greenroom is founded by a husband and wife team making California inspired, sustainable products ranging from notebooks, binders, expanding files, clipboards, stationery, planners, etc. Only available at Target, make sure to check out these man-approved recycled set of notecards.

You can read more about this company and their products at Greenroomeco.com

This feed comes from Green Behavior The specific article's link is: Greenroom Recycled 24-Count Boxed Notecards

Interested in updating one you you most used pieces of furniture to your new found green lifestyle? For about $250 you can have a beautiful organic bamboo desk!

It’s not the sleekest design I’ve ever seen and at $250 for a desk, that’s a higher price point than most of us would ever consider.

But consider the value behind the $250 before you decide if that is beyond your walet forever.

• Solid bamboo = desk is strong Bamboo is one of the strongest building materials, it’s tensile strength is 28,000 per square inch versus 23,000 per square inch for steel
• Tool less assembly The desk uses a tab / slot design to put the desk together like a puzzle, testimonials on the site actually describe it as fun to put together.

Don’t forget that a tab / slot design would be easy to disassemble. If you have to move you don’t have to move the big clunky desk the same way you have to move your dressers and couches - you can easily disassemble it and not worry about losing screws or weakening the structural integrity when you reassemble it in your new home.

Detail Photographs

This is a product I will highly consider the next time I am in the market for a desk. Bamboo is great sustainable and durable building material! I also like the way it has 7 additional (and optional) pieces to customize the bamboo desk to your specific needs. maybe you need a little more space, or you want to connect it to another bamboo desk.

You can read more about the organic bamboo computer desk at Abundant Earth.com

This feed comes from Green Behavior The specific article's link is: Organic Bamboo Desk - Green Office