Ok, ok I stole this title from Capital One, sorry, it just worked! While our home is not completely cleared of the items mentioned in the article attached, it doesn’t hurt to know about them so we can all work on removing them. I have been finding that white vinegar can replace many of them.

Here is a list of the chemicals environmentalists call the “dirty dozen“. It will surprise you.

Over the past six weeks my team has said goodbye to 3 of our members. We planned to create a short video for each one but they are all gone now so I will just tell you about them.

Kate Samra joined us last fall as a Senior at Marshall High School. She was dual enrolled at Kellogg Community College while completing her high school credits and attending the Battle Creek Math and Science Center. As a student Kate was one of the founders of the Environmental Club and MHS Gay Straight Alliance, as well as a peer educator with Project Trust. She is now attending the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Garrett Sander also joined our team in the late fall and was also a Senior at MHS. Garrett was also involved in the Environmental Club and GSA as well as a Junior Leader with the Alaska Great Lakes Project in 2014. He recently returned from a backpacking and hiking trip to the Adirondack Mountains with the Land Sea Program of Kalamazoo College where Garrett will major in Philosophy.

Shannon Hicks joined us in early January. She recently graduated from Marshall High School where she played Varsity Soccer and Golf. While at the Green Scene Shannon was always very excited to learn about our earth friendly products and promote them to her friends and family. Shannon is playing soccer at Trine and will be studying engineering.

While we are sad to see our seniors leave we are very proud of their accomplishments and with them well in their college careers!

This morning started at Oerther’s with Kathleen and a group from the Ketchum Park Advisory Committee which included Mitch Robbins, Kate Samra and Garrett Sander where they were presented with some of the funds we raised from our Earth Day Sale. Kathleen and I sold self- watering planters made from recycled wine bottles for Earth Day. We had great fun making them with the help of a couple of friends and sold them for $10.00 each. $7.00 from each sale has been designated for the Ketchum Park revitalization project. Thank you to the people who purchased them and those who simply donated, this is such a worthwhile cause that everyone will enjoy for years to come. We are committed to partnering with our neighbors for service to our community and encouraging our neighbors to think green! Thank you OERTHER’S for being that partner.

Well it’s been nearly nine months since Doug and I began this retail adventure, and I love coming to work more everyday! What a great sight this morning to see our main street lined with white blossoms on the pear trees and the American flags waving in the sunshine. This is what living in a small town is all about. It is quite a challenge for me to be so near Louie’s Bakery and not get something everyday. I am up to the challenge and try to stick to once per week, so far so good.

This is my first blog post so pardon the rambling. I plan to add something each day going forward, there is an abundance of information that I can share with you about living more naturally so I hope you will check in and see whats new. Go out and make your day awesome!

This is the first installment of The Green Question. Periodically we will be posting a question on our Facebook Page with either an environmental question or one related to the store and home town. These should be fun and thought provoking. We hope you have fun with this.

So, today in the Northern Hemisphere is the vernal Equinox, Autumnal in the Southern. At 6:45 PM the Sun comes back from its winter trip to the south. At 6:45 this evening the Sun will be directly over the equator and we roughly have the same amount of daylight and darkness.

The question: Where on Earth do they have the most daylight time over the course of a year?

The Answer: Sorry a trick question to kick us off. Everywhere on Earth over an entire year has the same amount of daytime and nighttime, just not distributed equally. Int eh tropics every day has nearly 12 hours of day and 12 hours of night. At the poles they have 1 day and 1 night each lasting 12 months.

We have the Earth’s axis tipped at 23.5 degrees for the change is seasons and the nice long summer days that we all love.

On Friday, February 6th during the Ice, Wine, & Blues event in Marshall, a number of people asked for the recipes of the snacks that were offered in the store. Below you will find those recipes.

Don’t forget that the next Girls Night Out is March 19th.

Enjoy.

Spinach Balls   by Marijke Guerin

Ingredients:

2 (10 oz) packages of frozen chopped spinach

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 cups Pepperidge Farm stuffing (make sure small pieces)

½ cup Parmesan Cheese

4 eggs beaten

¾ cup butter or margarine, melted

½ teaspoon thyme

Garlic, salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Pre-cook spinach according to package instructions and drain thoroughly

Squeeze liquid from spinach.

Mix all ingredients together and chill 4 hours or longer.

Roll into small balls and place on cookie sheet for freezing. When they are frozen you may place them into airtight containers for storing.

Bake as many as needed at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes or until lightly brown on the bottom or firm to the touch (should spring back

Buffalo Chicken Mini Meatballs

Yields 40(3/4 inch) mini meatballs

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/3 cup Franks Red Hot sauce or an other favorite hot sauce

1 pound ground chicken breast (I substituted ground turkey)

1 large egg

½ celery stalk, minced

¾ cup whole wheat breadcrumbs (I used regular)

1 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a 9 X 13 inch baking dish with vegetable oil (I used parchment paper and skipped the oil)

Combine the butter and hot sauce in a small saucepan over low heat, whisking until the butter is melted and fully incorporated. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes.

Combine the ground meat, hot sauce mixture, egg, celery, breadcrumbs, and salt in a large mixing bowl and mix by hand until thoroughly incorporated.

Roll the mixture into round, ¾-inch balls, making sure to pack the meat firmly. A small ice-cream scoop can help with uniformity.

Place the balls in the prepared baking dish, lining them up snugly and in even rows vertically and horizontally to form a grid. The meatballs should be touching one another.

Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, or until meatballs are firm and cooked through. A meat thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball should read 165 degrees F

Allow the meatballs to cool for 5 minutes in the baking dish before serving.

Serve with ranch or blue cheese dressing.

Make ahead – prepare mixture through step 5 only store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator without the oil. Best if made the day before.