“I see you got the good garbage bags,” said my husband. He meant the white tall kitchen garbage bags with the red drawstring—sturdy white plastic that I can easily grab, tote out to the garage, and fling into the big […]
Marianne Peters
What We Know About Energy
One morning, I was the last one in the shower, only to find that the twelve-year-old had luxuriated so long that all the hot water was history. Grumbling and shivering, I wondered when I had last reminded her about taking […]
Our Connection to Trees
I’ve had trees on my mind lately, mostly because I’ve been shopping for one to replace a fallen tree in my front yard. I don’t often plant a new tree, so I spent a while searching through catalogs, flipping through […]
Keeping Nature in Mind: Green Picnics
My idea of a picnic is lingering over a delicious gourmet meal under the spreading branches of a tree at my favorite park, in the company of adult friends who understand the art of conversation. However, the picnics I usually […]
Where Do All My Recyclables Go?
The town I live in recently started single-stream recycling. Instead of sorting our recyclables into separate piles, we toss them all in one big bin for collection. I have to admit that it felt strange at first to throw everything […]
Downsizing My Wardrobe
Lugging the huge dresser up the stairs to our bedroom was no picnic, but I was thrilled to inherit the beautiful old piece. I thought my mother had emptied it, but when I opened the top drawer, I found a […]
Low Carbon Living
When I was living in the suburbs, it was easy to forget that my household hooked up to the grid, since the power cables were tidily buried under green lawns. Now that I live in town, I can glance out […]
Feeding the Hungry from Our Own Backyard
How a Minnesota congregation filled bare shelves at local pantries by tithing the produce from their gardens. At Karmel Covenant Church in Princeton, Minnesota, we began praying and contemplating what it would mean for our rural congregation to “contextualize” its […]
Greens on the Windowsill
I love homegrown vegetables. If I haven’t eaten something fresh and green for a day or two, I really miss it—amazing for someone who grew up on frozen peas, canned corn, and that perennial favorite, green bean casserole. As I […]
A Green Read: How to Walk Gently
Another Indiana January finds my nightstand groaning with books. Reading is one of the blessings of winter—no yard work calls my name, and the early evening darkness encourages me to ignore the dishes, curl up on the sofa, and open […]
The Transition Initiative: One Way to Face Life after Oil
How would your lifestyle change if oil was no longer cheap and readily available? For the founder of the Transition Initiative, Rob Hopkins, it means that relationships with others would become the most important resource for living. This growing movement […]
Sharing My Green Convictions
Are you kidding?” I said, dumbfounded. “No! I take home all my recycling from Mom and Dad’s,” my friend Angie told me. I could almost see the green flames snapping behind her pupils. “They won’t recycle it, so I just […]