Special post by Carrie Witkop In my urban neighborhood, just outside of Washington, DC, and just inside the large freeway known as the Beltway, I am known as the composting queen and an environmental pioneer because of some of the ways I save resources and even use them to beautify my yard.  Through composting, mulching and collecting rainwater, I reduce waste and redirect it to growing beautiful fruit trees and flowers and creating an urban

What I’ve learned from my years as a family dinner planning expert is that the key to maintaining our sanity around dinnertime, plus reducing waste and saving time and money, is to plan a few meals in advance (I usually plan 4 or 5) and try to grocery shop just once a week.  I’ve developed 6 steps to easy weekly menu planning: 1. Keep a grocery list somewhere prominent in your kitchen so that you

By guest blogger, Anne Schleicher, Lakewood, Ohio Do you ever feel a tinge of guilt when, in the course of preparing a meal, you throw out food packaging? I really started to after reading about efforts to reduce a mass of plastic waste floating in the North Pacific Ocean. Dr. Marcus Eriksen of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation estimates it could be twice the size of the continental U.S.! Held in place by swirling undercurrents,

Taste buds are mystifying things.  How is it possible that I could gobble up fresh steamed beets like candy, while they disgust my friend Jeanne (and a lot of other people I know)?  Or that for many food lovers mushrooms are a delicacy, while for others like my colleague Betsy, they are repulsive? Sure, we all have certain foods that we love or hate with a passion, but in my 12 years of creating and