I used to know a guy who was steadfast in his belief that every single story on the news boiled down to one of two topics. The first was “I want my baby back,” and the second was “Why water can kill you.”

Think about it for a minute; he was (cheekily, to be sure) on to something.

When it comes to greener living, I find myself quoting that “why water can kill you” line often. It seems like every other week there’s news explaining why the thing you thought was so green turns out to be less environmentally friendly than the alternative.

Or—to give an example folks of my generation may remember—consider butter. Remember when They (who are They, anyway?) decided butter was bad, and every household in America switched to margarine? And then later, They decided that actually, trans-fats are even worse, maybe we should all go back to butter…? I’m talking about stuff like that.

So when I came across this piece on green living myths in the Christian Science Monitor, I started chuckling before I even read it. That said, a couple of them really surprised me.

Go give it a read. I know it never once occurred to me that recycled paper may be less earth-friendly than virgin paper. (See? You’re surprised, already.)

I came across this story on CNN this morning and just had to share it; what a testament to the powerfulness of going green!

From the story:

[A] program in Washington state helps military veterans learn marketable job skills and make sense of their experiences in combat. Program managers say the Veterans Conservation Corps initiative helps hundreds of vets study and train to enter the growing “green” jobs field.

In return, the veterans work on projects that help restore the environment in state parks.

The VCC, though, is much more than job training for Grisham and many of the other vets. It’s a form of therapy.

“Sometimes it feels really good. When we take invasive weeds off a tree that’s being suffocated and we free something. I feel a bit lighter inside,” Grisham says.

I just absolutely love this. What a wonderful way to help those who have served our country, and a great way to maintain some of our precious natural lands. I’ve always suspected that gardening (on a much smaller scale, of course) is therapeutic for me… it just brings a smile to my face to know that getting back to nature is being used as a tool in this way.

… just ask the bugs!

I promised myself two things this year, when it came to our gardening efforts. First, that I would planet enough that we could eat fresh veggies for the bulk of the summer and even have surplus to freeze and/or can; and second, that I would keep the garden organic.

That means no commercial growth solutions (and I have used that thing that rhymes with, um, Piracle-Mow, in the past), no chemical pesticides. While I’ve not had a problem with the first item (owing, in part, to having found some nice organic fertilizer options), my garden is currently bursting forth and Houston, we have a problem. Specifically: We have bugs. Lots of them.

I’m already planting basil alongside the tomatoes (to help keep tomato-loving bugs repelled) and scattering eggshells around the base of the plants the slugs love (they’re too sharp for the slugs to cross), but we also have beetles and flies and who knows what else.

So I’m spending a little bit of quality time doing some research. I’m digging this Natural Pest Control overview from Green Living Ideas, and because I love a good chart, I’m also liking this Organic Pest Control Guide from Extremely Green. And I’m feeling confident that I can rescue our plants and still keep our garden green. That’s a nice way to start off the week!

Yesterday on Twitter (you are following us on Twitter, right?) we got to wondering (out loud, and in 140 characters, naturally) what would be the most environmentally-friendly coffee to pursue.

This is one of those iddy biddy things you may not think about. But many of us start the day with a cup (or three) of coffee, and it matters. It matters because there’s a lot of ecological damage that happens when rainforests are clear-cut to make room for more coffee fields, and it matters because paper cups from coffee shops are filling up the trash. So what’s a java lover to do?

Obviously, brewing at home and using your own reusable drinking vessels is a good start, but seeking out beans grown in a sustainable, earth-friendly manner is part of it, too. I really like this piece at Eat. Drink. Better. explaining the various terms and what they mean. Like, did you know that the USDA allows a product to label itself “organic” even if it’s only 30% organic? I sure didn’t.

When it comes to greener coffee, organic or not is only a part of the story. You also want to consider whether it was shade-grown (which allows for less deforestation and less disturbance of the local ecosystems) and Fair Trade (which keeps farmers from having to grow more and more just to make a decent wage), as well. There are many factors to consider, is my point, and the above-referenced article covers them in an informative and easy to understand way.

Now I’m sort of wondering about the ecological impact of the tea I drink, too, but I think I need to finish this cup of coffee before I can start thinking about that.

I have a new blog crush. I hope that my other blogs don’t mind—there’s certainly enough blog-love to go around.

When it comes to iddy biddy everyday steps towards being greener, sometimes it takes a big of creative thinking. And Cara, the voice behind repurposeful, is so creative with this stuff, I don’t know whether to kiss her or just be jealous that she’s so good at it. I think I’ll settle for directing you all to her blog.

My favorite thing about repurposeful is that it is—as its blurb so succinctly states—”A little bit green, a little bit frugal, 100% useful.” Oftentimes it feels like going green is necessarily more expensive, and that’s not always the case. Cara has tons of ideas that are not only eco-friendly, but super-cheap because they involve using things you were probably just going to throw out, anyway.

Here’s just one example: I’ve already told you about my efforts to green up our packed lunches, but the sandwich wraps I purchased—although great!—are kind of pricey. But thanks to Cara’s blog, now I know how to turn old placemats into sandwich wraps, so I have a much cheaper option, now.

I’ve got her bookmarked. Check out repurposeful; I think you’ll soon be sharing my crush.

So remember my winter lament about tasteless tomatoes? It was over 80 degrees outside, yesterday, and I’m getting ready to plant.

The garden is on, people. I can’t wait.

Of course, this year I’m committed to making a few small steps towards being even more eco-friendly in my planting. Last year, my husband built us a rain barrel (it’s not nearly as hard as you might think; there are great online instructions and it’s a lot cheaper than buying one ready-made). Given that my area is pretty consistently drought-ridden, the rain barrel was a great step for us. This year I may add a second one.

Last year I considered buying some fairly expensive planting systems that were deemed “fool-proof,” but in the end the cost is what kept me from doing so. Now I’ve come across some DIY instructions for building them, complete with information about which materials are safest to use in terms of chemicals leaching into the soil. I wouldn’t do an entire garden this way, but it’s a great, water-saving method for tight spaces or specific plants.

And last—but not least—I love this BlogHer post about making your own seed pots. I’ve never been very good at origami, but my kids are wizzes at it; I bet they’d love to help me get some starter pots going that don’t involve bringing more plastic into our lives. Score!

I’m one of those holiday grinches who tends to believe that Valentine’s Day was made up by Hallmark (bah, humbug), but with kids I sort of feel like I don’t really have the luxury to opt out. Valentine’s Day is a big deal in elementary school, you know. Or so my children keep reminding me!

This year I’m committing to taking a few iddy biddy steps towards making our holiday involvement as eco-friendly as possible. For example: I’m thinking those boxes of characters cards from the store are probably not the greatest green choice. Ahem.

I’m loving all of the suggestions on how to Go Green on Valentine’s Day from Reader’s Digest Canada (I know, I was surprised, too), but my favorite is definitely the idea of using biodegradable seed paper. The kids could cut out hearts and write “PLANT ME” on them! It fulfills their need to give out a little something to everyone, and my need to feel like we didn’t just add to the landfill. Perfect.

(And, hey, if my husband reads that article and decides to get me some organic flowers and Fair Trade chocolate, well, that just makes it a family effort, right? Right.)

Okay; maybe I was a little hasty in my last post. Maybe when I’m snuffling and sneezing and dripping and miserable is not the right time to consider whether or not I’d be willing to give up my box of Kleenex.

It’s possible. I’m just saying.

So, a few days passed and I started feeling better. Hooray! And what happened after I was feeling better? Well, I happened upon this post at BlogHer about eco-friendly handkerchiefs! It also includes a link to a great review at Grist about how to select the most eco-friendly of traditional disposable tissues, if you’re not ready to give them up entirely.

This either means that I really have my finger on the pulse of important green issues of today, or that a lot of people have colds (and guilt) right now. Either way.

As big of a fan as I am of books, I’m not much of a how-to book sort of person. I believe in doing, not in reading about doing. And I’m particularly wary of books about how to get your kids to do anything, because heaven knows that if getting children to do anything was as simple as following instructions, there would be a lot more well-behaved children in this world. And in my house. Ahem.

Anyway, that said: I absolutely love this book, You Can Save the Planet: 50 Ways You Can Make a Difference. It’s a little paperback. It has both text and wacky little drawings, and it has great information in kid-sized bites.

But more importantly, my kids ate it up and promptly started lecturing me about things they thought might be eco-violations. This is a book that says the things your kids refuse to hear from you, because you’re also the person who foolishly believes they should remember to put their dirty socks in the hamper and eat their vegetables without complaining.

It’s from Scholastic. It’s $4.99. It just may get your kids excited about going green. What’s not to love?

Merry Christmahanukwanzaakah from all of us here at Idbids! Whatever you celebrate this holiday season—or even if you sit on your couch and say “Bah, Humbug!” to the world this week—we’re in the holiday spirit and hope that you and yours are having a safe, happy, and greener time, this year.

I was digging around for some ways to incorporate some greener habits into our holiday celebrations, and found a few resources I thought I’d share.

First, proof positive that even an iddy biddy step can be delicious: We always have fruit salad on Christmas morning (among other things), and I always marvel at the pile of orange peels that gets tossed out onto the compost pile. A friend introduced me to candied orange rinds (that recipe calls for dipping them in chocolate, which is yummy, but not even necessary), and now I’m feeling virtuous about making goodies! Turning the peels into edible treats may not seem like much, but it’s a small and easy way to reduce waste (and appear to be a gourmet, to boot).

Amy at Crunchy Domestic Goddess has a great round-up of eco-friendly holiday crafts, and my personal favorite are the light bulb ornaments. (Hey, we always seem to have a few incandescents hanging around; what better green way to use them?)

Eco Child’s Play’s Julie Finn has a few more green holiday craft ideas, including festive LEGO ornaments which you can simply disassemble and put away after Christmas.

GreenYour.com comes to the rescue with a comprehensive list of ways to green your Hanukkah, too.

However you celebrate, and whatever iddy biddy step you choose to take, happy holidays from the Idbids!