Many of you may have a family apple-picking adventure on your fall calendar. We plan to visit our favorite apple orchard The Historic Orchard at Altapass this weekend. We have so much fun hiking through the orchard, picking apples, and eating them as we go!
If you find that you have more apples then you know what to do with after your orchard trip, you can make simple, dried apple slices. These treats are perfect for the school lunchbox. Read on to learn how to make these simple treats in a couple of short steps.
What you will need:
– organic apples
– cinnamon
Directions:
Dehydrating: Line your food-dehydrator shelf with parchment paper. Cut your apples into super-thin slices and arrange the slices on the shelves of your food-dehydrator. Sprinkle with cinnamon and either dehydrate at 135° until crisp.
Baking: Line a baking sheet with a reusable mat or parchment paper. Cut your apples into super-thin slices and arrange the slices on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake in the oven at 225° for about 1.5 hours.
Do you make apple slices during the autumn season?
Inviting friends and family over for a leisurely BBQ with good company and even better food is one of life’s simple pleasures but it isn’t always the greenest option. Don’t panic, though – you don’t have to give up your precious BBQs – there are so many things you can fo to make your next cookout a lot more green…
Buy food from the farmer’s market
Cut down on food miles by purchasing your BBQ meats, veggies, etc., from a local producer. Farmer’s markets are the ideal place to find locally produced food and you will probably find that it tastes even better than the stuff you buy at the store too, which means not only will your BBQ be greener, but you’ll be able to blow your guests away with the quality of your cooking too. What’s not to love?
More meat-free options
You may all be meat-eaters, but why not throw a few more veggie recipes on the BBQ than you normally would? Meat tends to have a much higher carbon footprint than delicious veggie options like grilled corn and cauliflower steaks, so even if you replace a small amount of meat on the BBQ with fruit and veg, you will be lowering your footprint, and you know what – ith the right marinade they’re just as delicious.
Switch straws
Chances are you’ll be making up a pitcher or two of your favorite cocktail, but instead of serving it with plastic straws like you normally would, why not go straw-free or if you can’t manage that, use biodegradable straws instead. Straws are greatest for sipping a delightful drink, but if they’re plastic, they’ll still be around polluting the environment long after you’re gone. By making a simple switch, you can still enjoy your drinks, but in a far greener way.
Set up a recycling station
If you’re BBQs and to result in a lot of trash, one thing you could do is set up a recycling station that you can encourage your guests to use. This can be as simple as setting up an area with cardboard or plastic boxes each labeled with the type of trash they’ll take – paper, plastic cans, etc.. Then, you won’t end up with a trashcan full of perfectly recyclable stuff, nor will you have to sift through said trashcan to separate it all out yourself.
Use a wood-burning stove
If you already have a grill, there’s no sense in going out and buying a new one – that would just be wasteful – but if you’re in the market for one, consider going for a wood-burner instead of a grill that uses gas. That way you can use reclaimed or sustainable wood to cook your food, which is a little greener than fuel that has to be extracted from the earth.
Use fuel sparingly
Using only just enough fuel to cook your food is a great way to make your BBQ a little greener without compromising on the taste of your food. Even turning off the gas hen yo0u aren’t in the process of grilling will make a huge difference and if you do this, cover the grill when cooking and watch fuel consumption, you’ll use less and produce less pollution.
As summer ends, I’m determined to squeeze in ONE more picnic! When we lived in Florida, my family spent most of our weekends picnics at the beach. My most precious memories include Eben and a picnic blanket – the perfect setting for mother-son chatting.
Now, he’s a grown man (23! WHAT?), I make sure that when we do spend time together, I’m in the moment (and yes, we still chat like never before!)
Here are some eco-friendly picnic goodies to inspire you to get outside for one more summer picnic:
1. A Cozy Picnic Blanket: I love a good picnic blanket, and now that we are empty nesters, I’m determined to have more romantic picnics (just the husband and me!). I love these picnic blankets. How do I choose which one?
2. A Hydration Station: The essential item to pack on a picnic is water—it’s crucial to stay hydrated on hot summer days (even these end-of-summer ones!). These are our favorite glass carafes; we always use them for multiple flavors of tea in the fridge!
3. A Good Read: Snuggle up with my boys is my favorite (we do scary movie nights when Eben visits from grad school), and next, snuggling up with a good book! This one seems up my alley; I love a good charcuterie board!
4. A Picnic in a Basket: Of course, I will need something to pack all the goodies in. This eco-friendly picnic basket is on my list! I have wanted a formal picnic basket forever!
Do you have a thing for picnics, too? What is your picnic must-have?
Summer adventures and eco-friendly outings are coming to an end, and this is a great opportunity to involve children in caring about the environment. Here are tengreen end-of-summer activities you can enjoy with your children—from beach and museum visits to seeing your backyard in a whole new light; kids will relish making these summer memories while learning more about Mother Nature.
1. Local Farms: Visiting a local farm is a great way to show your children how food is grown and harvested. They can see which fruits and veggies grow in your area, and they may also interact with and learn more about farm animals. Some farms offer classes that allow kids to milk a cow, collect eggs from hens, feed the goats and sheep, and ride a horse. You could also visit a fruit farm, such as a strawberry patch, and spend the day picking your berries.
2. Nature and Science Museums: Many local nature and science museums feature exhibits that allow children to see, touch, and interact with fascinating subjects. You can also check out an IMAX movie with a nature theme to give kids a grandiose view and insight into the environment.
3. Butterfly Pavilion: Visit a butterfly pavilion and experience free-flying butterflies, birds, subtropical and tropical flowers, plants, and trees.
4. Zoo: Your zoo may offer a junior zookeeper program where your child can learn about caring for the animals while learning about their natural habitats and any threats they face.
5. Nature Preserves: My family lived in Southern Florida for five years and loved our time at the local nature and animal preserves. You can take guided tours to learn about the animals that live there, and many offer classes.
6. Library: Your local library is stocked with environmental information that your children will love. Check out issues of Ranger Rick and National Geographic Kids.
7. Botanical Gardens: Visit your local Botanical Gardens and learn about native plants, trees, and flowers. Many offer classes and have ample space for an outdoor picnic. While you are there, look closely for bugs and birds.
8. Hike and Swim: Explore a natural trail in your area. Let the kids explore nooks and crannies and climb on rocks. Please pack a lunch and enjoy it next to a watering hole where the kids can swim.
9. Hit the Beach: Slather some sunblock on your kids and top them off with a great summer hat, then enjoy the waves, build sandcastles, or bury each other in the sand. The beach is undoubtedly one of nature’s best forms of entertainment. Take kids on a Heal the Bay mission to clean up trash on their treasured beach.
10. Your Backyard: Walk around your neighborhood or local park. Prepare a nature scavenger hunt for the kids. Write down several items on a piece of paper. Give each child a bucket to collect the items found on the list, such as a leaf, rock, flower, feather, etc. This is tons of fun and gets them looking for items they may have overlooked.
What are your green outing plans for this summer? Let us know in the comments section!
Sustainability has become more and more of a focus around the world in recent years. Countless people now make it a priority in their daily life, and this affects which companies they buy from. Because of that, you could need to run a more sustainable business.
Doing this offers more than a few benefits, like:
Bringing in more customers and increasing customer loyalty
Helping to reduce your overall costs and increasing your profit margins
Letting you attract and retain top talent in your industry
Developing a competitive edge in your market
As appealing as all of these are, you’ll need to actually put the time and effort into achieving them. That’s where many companies could struggle, as it seems like a lot of time and work.
While there’s no getting around the work you have to put into it, it doesn’t have to be as much of a struggle as you could think. Using the right strategies could be relatively straightforward, and they’ll have much more of an impact than you’d expect. They’re worth diving into.
Run a More Sustainable Business: 7 Great Strategies
1. Make Sustainability a Mission
There’s no point in just putting a little bit of time and effort into sustainability. You wouldn’t end up doing much if you’re not taking it seriously.
By making sustainability a part of your mission, you change your mindset about it. You’ll take it much more seriously, and you’ll end up actually giving it the time and effort it deserves. As part of this approach, develop a sure-fire strategy to become more sustainable and make it a part of your company’s culture.
While this takes a bit of time and effort up front, it’ll reap dividends in the long-term.
2. Consider Your Back Office
When you’re trying to run a more sustainable business, it’s natural to focus on some of the more customer-facing areas. These are far from the only areas you’ll need to consider.
You’ll also need to think about the back office. There are more than a few steps you can take here to be more sustainable. Reducing or completely getting rid of paper usage is an obvious idea with this. The same can be said for more than a few other steps to take.
Figure out what you can change and make more sustainable in your office going forward.
3. Manage Chemicals Safely
There’s a decent chance you use chemicals in your business, especially if you’re in manufacturing. These can have a significant impact on the environment.
Make sure you properly manage your chemicals throughout your business operations. The proper disposal of them, as per legal guidelines, is a large part of this. At the same time, it’s worth using EPA-approved chemicals wherever you can. These wouldn’t harm the environment nearly as much as other options.
Don’t overlook your cleaning products when you’re doing this, as these could have more of an impact than you might’ve thought. Go with the safest options you can.
4. Properly Manage Your Waste
Your company will inevitably produce waste as it does business. This isn’t often sustainable, but the trick is to actually manage your waste the right way.
Investing in a commercial waste management software and taking steps to reduce your waste is a great step in the right direction with this. With the right tools, you can figure out exactly how you can cut down on your waste going forward.
After that, it’s a matter of actually putting the time and effort into these strategies.
5. Give Back
There could be plenty of times where you’ll need to replace older equipment and other company assets, despite the fact they can still be decent to use. Do something good with this.
By donating them to charities or nonprofits whenever you can, you elongate their lifespan. This is much more sustainable than simply throwing them away. Even donating a percentage of your profits to environmental causes can be a great way to give back and look after the environment.
Figure out the best strategy for you to give back, and you shouldn’t have much of a problem.
6. Improve Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency is always a great area to focus on when you want to run a more sustainable business. It’s also one of the easier areas to get through.
There are more than a few ways you can do this. Replacing older equipment and electricals with more energy efficient counterparts is a great start. A lot of machinery is rated for this, so you can find them easily. Using LED lights instead of more traditional options is also a quick and easy way to help with this.
Once you put the effort into this, you should even see your company’s utility bills come down.
7. Get Certified
While you mightn’t have thought about it, you can get certified for your sustainability. Once you’ve implemented various initiatives, this could be worth focusing on.
There are more than a few agencies and nonprofits that focus on giving this certification. Each of them will have their own criteria you’ll need to meet first. By looking into these and meeting this criteria, you’ll make your business more sustainable long-term. It gives you goals to work toward.
At the same time, the certification you get can help with your marketing and branding, helping to bring in more customers in the future.
Tips For Running a More Sustainable Business
As much as each of the above strategies can help you run a more sustainable business, they mightn’t be the only areas to focus on. Sometimes, it could be worth adding a few tips into the process, too.
These could help you get through the process a lot more effectively than you’d think. Some of the more notable of these are:
Embrace Customer Feedback – Customers can often have preferences when it comes to sustainability in the companies they buy from. It can often be worth getting feedback from them to help you find the right sustainability initiatives for your company.
Work With Your Suppliers – Your suppliers can have an impact on your environmental friendliness. Take the time to work with them to develop a relationship that’s actually sustainable. Focusing on environmentally friendly suppliers also helps with this.
Get Employees Involved – While you’ll be the key decision-maker in your business, it doesn’t mean others shouldn’t have a say. Let employees have an input on your sustainability initiatives, and it’ll help more than you’d think.
Adding these to the strategies above should help you run a more sustainable business much better than you would’ve thought. You shouldn’t have a problem getting there, though it’ll still take some time and effort to get there.
Run a More Sustainable Business: Wrapping Up
It’s always worth putting the time and effort into becoming a more competitive and profitable company. It helps you succeed more and more long-term, and there are several ways to do this. One of the more notable of these is to run a more sustainable business.
It helps you bring in new customers, attract top talent, and increase your profit levels. You’ll even care for the planet a lot more than you currently do.
Many entrepreneurs struggle with actually doing this, though. They’re not sure where to start, and they mightn’t be sure about the best path forward. Thankfully, this doesn’t have to be too much of a problem. With the right strategies, you’ll get there before you know it.
You’ll end up with a more sustainable business than you would’ve thought.
