365 Good Reason to be a Vegetarian

Posted on October 19, 2010 by Michelle

Veg Out

I’m not a strict vegetarian (I think organic meat and poultry are pretty tasty every now and then), but I do think it’s a wonderful, healthy lifestyle choice. The more organic fruits and veggies you consume the beetter – okay, I couldn’t resist sticking that one in.

There are tons of great reasons for adopting a vegetarian lifestyle, or at least for consuming more organic fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. Good health, a clean conscience, and a more natural environment are just a few of the side effects of vegetarianism – those sure beat the obesity, cruelty, and the unhealthy, toxic environment that are the byproducts of our current factory farm system.

I’ve recently finished reading a wonderful book entitled 365 Good Reasons to be a Vegetarian, by Victor Parachin (1998). (Did I mention I found this book at my local hospice Thrift Store? I paid a whopping $0.15 for it – I love being green and frugal at the same time).

In his book, Mr. Parachin gives the reader an insight into the many benefits of living without meat on the menu. For instance, did you know that one acre of trees per year is saved each time an individual switches to a vegetarian diet? That’s pretty substantial – think of all that lovely oxygen being put back into the air.

Here’s another interesting fact: You could help to reduce the federal deficit. Most of the water used for livestock comes mostly from irrigation projects and government subsidies, which good old Uncle Sam collects from us, his loyal taxpayers.

Although I’ll still probably indulge in a little organic beef and poultry from time to time, I’ve come away from this book with a better understanding of the ethical, environmental, and health benefits of eating the vegetarian way. So thanks to all the wonderful folks who eat their Brussels sprouts!

What do you think about vegging out? Are you all meat and potatoes or carrot sticks and broccoli? Feel free to leave a comment below and share your thoughts with us.

Thrift Store Finds | Green Books for Next to Nothing

Posted on August 12, 2010 by Michelle

I’m a (used book) bookworm!

If you read Green Earth Bazaar regularly (which I hope you do), you’ll know how much I enjoy hunting for treasures at my local thrift stores. There’s nothing quite like the thrill of the thrift store hunt. There’s always new merchandise to be found, tons of unique treasures, and most importantly, everything is very inexpensive – I love saving money as much as I love saving the planet.

I like the idea of spending my money at a thrift store rather than a regular retail store. Less packaging involved, fewer items sent to the land fill, plus my money goes to charitable causes like hospice care – I love to shop like that!

I’m always finding neat, useful things to bring home with me when I shop my local thrift stores. My favorite place to shop, our local Hinds Hospice Thrift Store, always fills my need for good books, and last week was no exception. I found lots of interesting books related to the environment and food, and although some of them are a little dated (mid 1990′s), they’re stilled filled with useful, interesting information.

I found 16 books I was interested in reading, and at a mere $0.15 a piece, spent a whopping $2.40 on books. That’s pretty incredible, don’t you think?

What about you? Do you buy books or other items at your local thrift store? What’s been your favorite thrift store find?

How to Build a Home Library For Next to Nothing

Posted on April 26, 2010 by Michelle

Buying Used Books is Eco and Wallet Friendly!

At my house you usually can’t get too far without tripping over a book or two. We’re all avid readers here, and have collected tons of books over the decade we’ve lived in our home. If I had to wager a guess as to the number of books we have around the house, it would have to be at least a thousand plus. If I had to wager another guess as to the amount of money we’ve spent on all of our books, that would definitely have to be under a couple of hundred dollars.

What’s our secret? We rarely ever purchase books from retail outlets, and if we do, the books we buy are always sale items. We purchase the majority of our books from our local library, and the rest we buy from our local thrift stores. Our local library sells most of its books for a dime (pretty cool, huh?), and I’ve never spotted a book for sale on their shelves that costs more than $3. The same goes for our local thrift stores too. Of course living on a very limited budget has made it a necessity to shop for books in this way, and even if money were no object we’d still buy our books on the cheap.

Buying books that cost literally pennies is a great way to find out if you like a book or not. If the book wasn’t what you thought it would be, then you’re out only a few cents instead of a bunch of cash you wish you’d have put to better use than buying a lousy book.

Libraries + Kids = Free Outing

Our book collecting trips have become little adventures for all of us too. The kids love the whole experience from start to finish – wondering what they may find that will transport them to some magical land where dragons roam, or some pirate-filled ocean adventure. You never know what you’re going to find hidden on those book shelves. Some obscure out-of-print book, a new Oprah Book Club selection, an old childhood favorite – the possibilities are endless.

Our kids have become excellent, avid readers and writers as well because they have had access to reading material that they enjoy. As for myself, I have been able to find nearly all of the books on my to-be-read list by purchasing them in this way. I love the fact that we’ve been able to build a terrific home library, one that has helped foster a love of reading in our three beautiful children. What I love most, however, is the fact that we’ve built up our collection while giving back to our local community. The big chain booksellers aren’t receiving our hard-earned cash, organizations like our local Hospice thrift store or the local Goodwill are.

That’s what really matters to me. It’s so important, especially in these very difficult economic times, that we try to support our local businesses wherever we can. Another added bonus to buying locally – when we forego buying our books through dot coms, we’re saving on shipping, which means no added carbon emissions or anything else that may harm this big, beautiful planet of ours. When we’re finished with our books and no longer want them we donate them back to our local library, or to some other good cause. It’s just our little way of trying to make a difference at the grassroots level, all the while enriching our own lives through the wonderful books we find.