Recent Green Living Posts
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By Steve Rypka on May 19th, 2011
 What room is (or has the most potential to be) the greenest room in your home? It’s the kitchen – by a mile. You can drive a hybrid or even walk to work, take water-sipping showers, and put solar panels on the roof, but nothing can match the benefits of a green kitchen. It requires no special appliances, there is no cost and you can start right away. In fact, it is deceptively simple, incredibly effective and even profitable.
So what makes a kitchen green? Quite simply: a consciously-planned, scrumptiously-delicious plant-based diet. Now some of you might think that’s an oxymoron, but before you roll your eyes and turn the page, let me tell you a story.
I’ve been eating plant-based foods almost exclusively for many years. One of the most common questions I hear is, “What do you eat?” Many folks can’t seem to imagine that a meal without meat could be satisfying and delicious. Continue reading Kitchens can be Greenest.
By Steve Rypka on December 30th, 2010
As 2010 comes to a close, I thought it would be interesting to take a quick run back through the year’s Green Living column topics to reflect on what where we’ve been and perhaps get a glimpse of where we might be going.
Continue reading Looking Back on 2010.
By Steve Rypka on August 26th, 2010
 Living lighter on the planet is a worthy endeavor. For most of us, the best opportunities for green living are right in our own home but there are many other ways to make a difference, respect the planet and help heal the world. The creative application of green living can also be fun, inventive and good for business.
There’s no better example of this than a new locally-owned startup near the Galleria Mall called Atomic #7 (605 Mall Ring Circle #110 in Henderson or on the web at atomicnumber7.com). This curiously- but as it turns out very appropriately-named small business is all about green living, in a very enjoyable way. In a nutshell, the owners of Atomic #7 specialize in custom-made desserts, of the ice-cold, healthy and very refreshing sort, using a wide array of healthy ingredients combined as you wish. They’ve developed a very unique process to fast freeze them before your very eyes.
Continue reading Atomic #7: Way Cool.
By Steve Rypka on July 29th, 2010
 The sun oven is fired up, steaming hot inside - and totally carbon-free! Renewable energy can be fun, easy, inexpensive – and good tasting. Yes, it’s all those things and more when you get into the joy of cooking using a sun oven. We’ve had our sun oven now for about five years and this summer we’ve been using it more than ever (they work during the winter too by the way). Who needs a hotter house, a bigger gas or electric bill, or food that has to be constantly watched to keep from burning? Solar cooking is the new barbeque – and it is a lot of fun!
Continue reading Solar Cooking: The New Barbeque.
By Steve Rypka on July 15th, 2010
Every home should have a library. It doesn’t even have to be an entire room; just a special place to keep your books will do, or perhaps it’s simply  a cozy spot to read your latest treasure from the public library. The point is to value the experience of reading good books.
A library is potentially the greenest part of any home. The knowledge contained in books can profoundly transform lives and many can help us learn to live in sustainable ways. The best books take us on a journey of discovery, presenting new ideas that excite and motivate in ways that other mediums simply cannot do. All that is required is an open mind and a bit of time.
Reading the right book at the right time can even save your life.
Continue reading Health: People and Planet.
By Steve Rypka on January 28th, 2010
 Would you like a cow with that oil change? I recently had an interesting email conversation with some friends about green solutions and the gray areas that often accompany them. First, a little background. One powerful, economical and healthy method I use to reduce my carbon footprint is a vegetarian diet. I like our meat-free home and the wonderfully diverse, delicious and delightful meals we cook in our kitchen! I’ve written before about the impact of a meat-based diet as a major source of greenhouse gas emissions.
Now along comes an email from a friend who is also committed to living lighter on the planet. He asked what I thought about a new product that replaces conventional oil with a new “green” product made from animal fat using nanotechnology. We’ll call it animal-oil. The company markets this substance as a very green product.
Continue reading Animal Oil? – No thanks..
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What room is (or has the most potential to be) the greenest room in your home? It’s the kitchen – by a mile. You can drive a hybrid or even walk to work, take water-sipping showers, and put solar panels on the roof, but nothing can match the benefits of a green kitchen. It requires no special appliances, there is no cost and you can start right away. In fact, it is deceptively simple, incredibly effective and even profitable.
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