Author Archives: admin

Smartwool, how to care for?

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At the Green Scene we frequently get questions about how to care for Smartwool socks. Lots of customers are worried about wool and how to wash it or if it can be machine washed at all. No worries! Just follow these simple suggestions and your socks will care for your feet for a long time.

How to Wash

  1. Machine wash cool or warm water.
  2. No Bleach.
  3. Turn socks inside out.
  4. Tumble dry low.
  5. Do not use fabric softener. (wool dryer balls is a much better idea)

One of the things you will find is that you can get by without washing them after every time you wear them. The merino wool used in Smartwool is naturally anti microbial which greatly reduces foot order.

 

Life Goes On

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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!

Cool Morning Has us Thinking.

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Woke up and the temperature was in the 50's. Not ready for summer to be over, but know that fall will soon be here. How long before we break out our Stormy Kromers? To get us in the mood here are some of our favorite Kromerisms.

Marshall District Library Programs

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Thank you to the Marshall District Library for letting us come in to lead a program called Household Essentials. Kate Samra and I had the pleasure of talking about natural household cleaning products, some items we stock and shared some recipes to make your own. There were many great questions and we are so encouraged that people are willing to take the steps necessary to live just a little greener! Here are the recipes we shared. We have several resource books available here if you want to look at something we didn’t cover.

Gardener’s Hand Scrub*

 

  • 5 oz (42 gm) pink Himalayan salt
  • 1 oz (28 gm) coconut oil
  • 1 oz (30 ml) Jojoba wax
  • 25 drops Lavender essential oil
  • 15 drops Lemon essential oil

Directions:

 

Blend salt, coconut oil and jojoba in a 4 oz (120 ml) jar, then add your essential oils.

 

This is a very oily recipe so you may want to shake the jar before using it to mix the salt which will act as an abrasive.

 

 

 

Sticky Residue Remover*

 

  • 1 oz (28 gm) baking soda
  • 1 oz (28 gm) coconut oil

Directions:

 

Coconut oil may be in liquid or solid form, just melt if in solid form. Pour coconut oil into a jar and slowly stir in baking soda. To use it, just put a little on an abrasive sponge and rub. The baking soda offers a nice gentle abrasive action while the coconut oil helps the residue slide off. Add sweet orange essential oil for fragrance.

 

 

 

Homemade Toilet Bowl Cleaner

 

  • ¼ cup liquid castile soap
  • 1 ¾ cup water
  • 2 tablespoons baking soda
  • 8-10 drops of essential oils to kill bacteria and freshen (lemon, tea tree, eucalyptus, lavender, orange, Thieves or Purification)

 

Mix all ingredients in a 16 oz or larger squirt bottle or swish. Squirt in the toiler bowl and use a brush to scrub it clean

 

 

Daily Sponge Spray

 

  • 5 oz (150 ml) water
  • 2 oz (60 ml) hydrosol of choice
  • 1 tablespoon castile soap
  • 1 tablespoon hydrogen peroxide
  • ¼ teaspoon white vinegar
  • 10 drops Peppermint essential oil
  • 10 drops Eucalyptus essential oil
  • 40 drops White Pine essential oil
  • 20 drops Lemon essential oil

 

Add all ingredients to an 8 oz spray bottle

 

May be used as a surface cleaner and keeps kitchen sponges smelling fresh!

 

Antifungal Cleaning Spray*

 

  • 15 oz water
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 40 drops Tea Tree essential oil
  • 30 drops Geranium essential oil
  • 40 drops Palmarosa or Lemon essential oil

 

Mix in a 16 oz spray bottle and shake vigorously before using

 

Grout Scrub*

 

  • 1 cup baking soda
  • 3 tablespoons castile soap
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 10 drops White Pine essential oil
  • 10 drops Tea Tree essential oil
  • 10 drops Lemongrass essential oil

 

Directions:

 

In a 10 or 12 oz wide mouth plastic container with a fitted top pour the baking soda. Add the castile soap to baking soda and mix. Add the white vinegar and mix (it will bubble a little). Add all the essential oils and mix, put the cover on to store.

 

Place a small handful of the scrub on an abrasive sponge and clean the grout.

 

Notes: Although essential oils are very safe some can irritate your skin, cleaning gloves are recommended with this scrub.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Furniture Polish

 

  • 1 fluid oz (30 ml) jojoba oil
  • 10 drops ylang-ylang essential oil

 

Combine ingredients and gently polish .

 

Wood Polish*

 

Makes one 4 oz bottle of hard polish for wood floors

 

  • 1 oz beeswax
  • 3 oz jojoba oil
  • 30 drops Siberian Fir essential oil

Tools:

 

Kitchen scale

Pyrex style large measuring bowl

Medium stovetop pot

Glass stirring rod

One 4 oz glass jar with lid

 

Directions:

 

Use the stovetop melting method to liquefy and combine the beeswax and jojoba oil.

 

After removing from the heat, add the essential oils and stir.

 

Pour into jar, add lid and allow to fully cool and harden before using. This should take at least an hour.

 

Notes: Use a clean cloth or rag to spread a small amount of the polish vigorously over wood. Use a second clean cloth to remove all excess polish. There should be no excess greasiness.

 

Outdoor Furniture Scrub Spray*

 

  • 5 oz water
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 20 drops White Pine essential oil
  • 20 drops Lemon essential oil
  • 20 drops Juniper essential oil

 

Pour the water and vinegar into an 8 oz spray bottle. Add the essential oils and shake well to mix. Note: Shake before using. Spray patio furniture liberally. Clean and scrub with a heavy rag. Avoid spraying directly onto the skin.

 

Cloth Diaper Laundry Booster*

 

  • 4 drops Tea Tree essential oil
  • 4 drops Lavender essential oil

 

Directions:

 

Add the tea tree and lavender essential oils to the soaking cycle of your washing machine. Notes: Tea tree oil helps to disinfect dirty diapers as they soak. Lavender gives the diapers a subtle, fresh aroma as they rinse.

 

Diaper Pail Spray*

 

  • 4 oz water
  • 15 drops White Pine essential oil
  • 15 drops Lemon essential oil

 

Add oils to the water in a 4 oz PET plastic spray bottle, shake gently to mix.

 

Notes: Shake before using. Spray liberally onto the diaper pail and onto any plastic surfaces around the diaper changing area. This spray is not for use on the skin. Avoid spraying directly onto the changing pad as baby’s bare skin may come in contact with it. If you prefer, you can use 30 drops of peppermint instead of the blend of white pine and lemon oils

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Recipes courtesy of the Aromahead Institute

 

 

We Love the Ocean!

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One of the things that we love in this world is the ocean. Some of our fondest memories are of time tide pooling in Alaska. The memories of observing the fascinating creatures will stay with us forever. We were reminded of those memories while listening to NPR's radio program, Science Friday. Below, you will see two videos of some amazing creatures. We may never have the opportunity to observe these animals in their natural settings it brings us joy just knowing that they are there.

Enjoy the videos.

How long these animals will be able to survive is in question. Every decision made while shopping for consumer goods for ourselves and homes has the potential to negatively impact the worlds oceans. Laundry products are among the most critical when thinking about the environment. At the Green Scene we are pleased to sell and use at our home, Zum Clean Laundry Soap, among the fine products from Indigo Wild. If you are not sure about the soap please ask for a free sample and give it a try.

In addition the plastic containers that laundry soap comes in is creating a major problem for the oceans and The Great Lakes. One of the most important steps we as consumers can take to help keep plastics out of the environment is to make sure we are recycling. At the Green Scene we take recycling serious. Bring your empty Zum laundry soap bottle back and we will refill it with the same great soap, and you will save $1.00 just for bringing in the bottle.

Sunny Saturday

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It has been another glorious spring day here in Marshall, Michigan. A couple of hours ago we experienced a minor earthquake which is very unusual for our area. At the same time there was a loud crash so I thought a truck hit something and didn’t realize until an hour later what happened. Fortunately it only measured 4.2 and had it’s epicenter about 30 miles from us. We are so grateful that it was small, making us wonder what it is like to be in the center of a 7 or 8.

On a completely unrelated topic I just had my inspiration for next years Kentucky Derby Day Sale. Check out the lovely couple on our Facebook page, she is sporting a fabulous hat in honor of Derby Day.

Have a lovely weekend!

Partnering for Community Service

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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.

Spring is here at last!

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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!

Vernal Equinox

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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.

Recipes

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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.