meet unni strand

This week, I'd like to introduce you a great eco-friendly designer from Norway, Unni Strand. The girl does everything! From up-cycling, organic gardening, mom extraordinaire and a great teacher who inspires her students to be more earth friendly and eco-conscious.

Tell us a little bit about you.

My name is Unni Strand, I live in Norway, have two children (18 and 4), a partner and a cat. I feel fortunate. And of course, I am!
I live close to the wood and not far from big cities. (OK, I know that’s relative, since Norway’s biggest city is Oslo and have only 550 000 inhabitants…)
I love chocolate, eggplant, cats, hens, latte, flowers, printing, sewing and spring. And I truly care about the environment!

I run two Etsy shops: Strand Redesign where I recycle old fabrics with screen printing/sewing and Unni Strand where I sell t-shirts upcycled with new prints.

strandredesign.etsy.com

So you live in Norway, Tell us a little bit about your country.

I asked my son to help me with this one. He says: “We think we have a lot of snow, but we don’t. And it’s cold and awful.” And I guess it is partly true, if you don’t dress well. But with the right clothing you could have a great time outside with the children in winter. And summer is occasionally warm and lovely. We sometimes even have real heat periods. I am proud to tell that I grow peaches and grapes in my garden.

What prompted you to pursue a sustainable/green lifestyle?

I have been trying to figure out where my environmental obsession started. Besides living near nature and coming from a family of gardeners, I think it might have started with the book The ark of Barbapapa (Annette Tison and Talus Taylor) I had as a child. This book discusses pollution in terms children can relate to. In short: The Barbapapa's saving the animals, then the humans fixing the world. In the book, the world is getting more and more grey as people pollute and they also chase the animals. The Barbas come to rescue, build a spaceship and take all the animals away to a green planet. After a while, the people start to miss all the animals, clean up the world and plant trees and flowers. – Finally, all the animals return.

"I really loved the drawing of how nice the world looked when it was cleaned up and replanted. Such an inspiration, and it gave me the hope that it really is possible!"

What are examples of things that you do in your everyday life reflecting an eco-friendly and earth conscious lifestyle?

I compost the food leftovers and other vegetable and fruit waste into nutritious soil for my garden. I keep a vegetable garden. –Have grown vegetables since I was 8 years old and had my own garden since I was 20. And of course, only natural fertilizers and no spraying with pest control.

heirloom potatoes from my garden

Everyone should grow some vegetables! In their garden or a container or whatever they have! There is too little food in the world and too much unused land.

I save gift wrapping paper and ribbon from presents we receive and reuse it. I use the lawn movings for mulching in flower and vegetable beds. –It keeps weeds away and provides fertilizing.
I try to buy locally grown or organic food. I try to drive as little as possible, but this is really the hardest part for me since I work far from home.

I try to make as many of my presents myself. The habit I am most proud of is that I have started to use only reusable shopping bags whenever I shop. (My partner doesn’t, so we still have plastic bags for the garbage…) The hardest part was to get used to always keeping the totes in my handbag. And of course, I use my own recycled shopping totes!
What do you do professionally? And how do you incorporate sustainability in your work?

I am a teacher, teaching art and design subjects in high school. When I talk about design or materials science, I always incorporate sustainability and fair trade. I think my students actually might be a bit fed up with this. It really surprises me how little they know and care about these issues.unnistrand.etsy.com

In my redesign business, I reuse fabrics and I use only recycled shipping materials.

As a designer, what is your design philosophy? What inspires you?

I love to work with textile. And I have a need to create. Sometimes I am too creative for my own good and cannot sleep for all the ideas I have.
I do screen printing and redesign. I want to make new favorite objects out of old, unloved fabrics or clothes! I want to make shopping totes that make people want to use them instead of plastic bags. And I want my up-cycled t-shirts to be so cool that people prefer them before new tees.

I am inspired by nature, mostly flowers and animals. I like it if I can make my designs express a hint of humor. Before, when I did weaving I also aimed for that humor bit, but believe me, it’s far easier with printing than with the loom!

While pursuing a sustainable lifestyle, do you have any books/magazines/websites etc that you recommend where one can find info on how to incorporate eco-friendly options in our day to day life?

Etsy has opened a new world to me with lots of handmade and redesign. Team Eco Etsy has a great blog!

Who do you listen to currently? Favorite bands?

I want to share some great Norwegian artists with you!
Donkeyboy comes from the area where I live. They are quite new and have had a hit in Norway the last months. If you follow this link, you’ll hear their great song Ambitions:
http://www.myspace.com/soundberg

I like punk, and we have this great Norwegian punk singer, Ida Maria. You can listen to her here:
http://www.myspace.com/idamaria

And then we have the calm and masculine band, Madrugada: http://emi.no/madrugada/

What is the last book you read?

Divas don’t knit, by Gil McNeil. -A lovely book where knitting and knitting recipes play a natural part. I can’t wait to read the follower.

In 10 years, where would you like to be?

I would love it if I could make a consistent income from my designs! I hope to be able to work part time with this. But I do need my teaching too! I love working with the students!

Thank You, Unni!! You can visit Unni at the following places: blog, fb page, strandredesign, and unnistrand

XoXo,

Kristina

roulotte {diy}

[rruˈlot]
feminine noun
1. caravan (British), trailer (United States)

"We have made a roulotte (gypsy caravan) for our two daughters in our garden. It was really great working together on this project that we build using almost only materials that where recycled/found/given."

environmentally friendly

World Environment Day - June 5th

I know that this is a few days past, I did it on purpose.
Why, you might ask? Well, because I believe we should "have a date with the planet" all year long, not just on a special day when we are bombarded by the media to do so. I don't have reservations toward assigning a day to bring to light particular issues. However, I do have a problem with how we eagerly get our "green on" on times like Earth Day, World Environment Day, ect. But then, easily slip back in our ways and forget all the reasons why it is important that we make a commune effort to preserve our home.
I'm not one to push political agendas. Honestly, politics make me shudder in disdain most of the time. I, however, firmly believe that it is past time we start looking really closely at the way we spend and waste our resources.
Yes, the natural resources, that was gifted to us, are here for to enjoy and use but many are not replaceable and once they are gone, they are gone for good. Sustainability and conservation are becoming more and more important as the earth slowly turns into a red planet instead of a green or blue one. The saddest part is that 80% of our natural resources are consumed by only 20% of the world population. Places like Dubai, where natural resource is nonexistent, consume more than a whole entire continent, without any established initiatives to offset consumption or pollution.
There are many statistics that are supporting the fact that it is time for us to wake up and make changes. Numbers such as how humanity managed to deplete millions of years of natural growth in less than a century depict our new reality. Clean water is becoming a commodity in many parts of the world. Grains are produced at exponential rates yet we are in the midst of a global food crisis. The majority of our agricultural endeavour is geared toward livestock feed and bio fuel. While said livestock live in confined and crowded spaces without seeing a single blade of grass. Thousands of marine species are dying at exponential rates in our oceans because of polluted waste crowding the marine floors. Landfills are slowly becoming the new landscapes of our world. The glaciers are rapidly melting, raising the ocean's water level at an equal pace. So much so that places like New Orleans, which reside below sea level, will soon become distant memories. How can we turn a blind eye to these images? How can we accept that our children will live in a world where 200 million climate refugees will become a natural part of their lives by the year 2050 (that is in our lifetime!). I refuse to believe that we will stand by and not respond to our world's desperate call. It scares me to even imagine the new earth our children will come to know and live in. It is time to stop basking in our pessimism, shed our creed loyalties, and come together to find ways to preserve what is left. Yes, numbers and statistics can be translated in many ways, but the facts painting our new landscapes are not images that we can avert our eyes from or erase. They are clear calls for humanity to take actions for we are the chosen stewards of our world.
Sustainability is possible. Humanity has rapidly evolved over the past century with new technologies. Commodities become more and more available in our modern societies. But at what price? How high do the stakes need to rise before we decide to take actions? I am not advocating for us to revert back to the stone ages. However, we need to be mindful of our consumption and seek some means to conserve the small part of our natural treasure that still remains. If we can create computers so small that they can fit in the palms of our hands yet connect us despite millions of miles of distance. I believe we can find ways to provide clean water to every human population, to have ways where we work along with nature's evolution rather than against it, and to prevent hunger.


If you have a moment, check out: Home at http://youtube.com/homeproject
It premiered on World Environment Day (June 5th) and will be available for free in many different languages/subtitles until June 15th. Home is the beautiful story of our planet, showcasing it's natural marvel and the sheer miracle of its existence.

for the taste of it.

monday@momfuse - meet:claire

Claire and I met a few years back, at Barnes and Noble in Jackson, MS.  In no time our conversation jogged along the food pyramid while we talked about tea, veggies, and of course baked goods. I didn’t realize it at first that she was the soul behind one of my favorite treats from the local co-op: chocolate chip oatmeal cookies! They are pure yummy goodness!!Claire’s approach to food is holistic. She doesn’t just enjoy “eating and making it, but living it, learning it and loving it.” She is a true food artist who marries the old and sacred parts of food with the new. A health/eco-conscious philosophy is marinated at the heart of it all. - Kristina

Tell us a little bit about yourself name, location, stories, personal stuff.

Well, my name is Claire Fountain… born and bred in the southern state of MS and now I live in Brooklyn, NY. Upstate NY was home for a while and I have to say, it is the spot for real seasons and a fall that takes your breath away. Apples, pumpkins and real fall chills all spells soup, pie & roasts. The city is a funny spot with food from where you might want, and access to all, yet most people still get delivery. Find some smaller spots with great chefs, real love in the food and a conscious about where their ingredients come from…and you’re golden. 

“Tis a food life for me.”

Apart from cooking and food things, what do you do? 

Most of my work, when I’m not actually baking, is in food writing and food consultation. I believe that my connection with food is not so much about the actual food but the life and passion around it. I live for the taste of it. Comfort food can get a bad name and I think that’s a shame. We have to take what we know now about health and the environmental impact of food and marry it with the role food plays in our lives. It is home, memory, acceptance, culture, sharing, etc. I enjoy helping the old and the new coexist in a way that allows others to live just as fully, so I do a great deal of recipe trouble shooting, baking for friends, teaching cooking or baking sessions and basically empowering others to get out there and enjoy it too.

What first made you want to become a food psychologist/chef?

It started with the library and my obsession with perfection of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Then it was biscuits…then pancakes. I was into the science behind food, the history, the lore… everything that was food I would read. Did I enjoy Dickens? Not as much as I did researching (and making!) traditional Victorian foods… Already catering and teaching cooking classes at a young age, college seemed like a bother, though I flipped all my course around to mirror what I wanted to know about: Food. The anthropology of it matters a good deal to me as we are now having to go back to an older way of eating close to the earth as we did before industry was born and turned food into commodity. A sad truth.

I sense my life is like what was said in willy wonka, “My dear boy, do you ask how a fish swims, or how a bird flies?” “No, you don't. They do it because they were born to do it,..” I was born to me a baker and yes, everything I make is also satisfying and delicious.

What inspires you to cook? 

Inspiration comes from the soul purpose and passion that fuels me everyday… it is unspoken. I would have it no other way. Quite the story of my life, though I cook to find solace. Come back to myself, and honor those around me.

What is your favorite recipe?

There is a favorite for every mood, every season, every person and the list goes on. Some favorites are those I make over and over, time after time. Namely items with shrimp, bouillbasse (tops!), scones with big fresh berries and yeasted cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting. cakes, cookies, muffins… You must stop me before I get into the vegetables dishes or this will be much too long. (Psshh: Fennel, leeks, parsnips, fresh tomatoes and okra are big winners.)

Who is your favorite chef, person who inspires you and you aspire to become? 

That’s a biggie. Many mentors have come into my life at just the right times to inspire me as they should… to help me to see certain things in food, learn a new way or encourage me to keep going. Martha Stewart is huge to me as are many of the chefs around the country who do what they do day in and day out.

Simple ways to maintain a healthy and eco-friendly kitchen. 

I cannot stress enough knowing where your foods come from and taking a moment to consider what you are buying and why. It is important to educate yourself on what matters to you, your family…your health concerns, etc. It seems so easy as we have long relied on government standards to “tell us what to eat” but that is quickly changing as we see the reality of most foods we thought were safe and healthy. Do not blindly trust things, but inquire about things. There is no harm in wanting to know. It is our right.

That being said, thinking a little more also applies to buying locally if you can, and factoring in waste (packaging, excess gas mileage, or what you might not eat.) Compost if you. Start a community garden. Buy from a farmer’s market. Join a co-op. And most of these options also save you money. It’s a win-win for you and the environment. This is one spot I have helped me with developing a “weekly meal diagram” I devised that lays out foods in a working puzzle so you can see what you have, and how you’ll use it. These meals are built around seasonal and/or local items that are also nutritious.

Name top five favorite ingredients. 

Sea salt, shrimp, butter (an unsalted quality one,) fennel, sweet potatoes …. (eggs could be here too only because they are a master piece of science that is a backbone of many classic dishes; sweet and savory. Plus, what else makes a great breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner or batch of cookies?)

Name top five must haves in the kitchen.  

A good knife. A wooden spoon (or more, they can warp with time and use if not taken care of.) A cast iron skillet. A dutch oven. Good produce.

Where would you like to be in ten years? 

I see my books being published and hopefully managing a like-minded community of folks who also believe in being conscious about food, bridging old with new and living fully. It takes time and heart, which I think can be lost in hustle and bustle. One bite and one meal at a time, celebrate the little moments.

Anything else you'd like to add.

I enjoy nothing more than hearing other’s stories, tips and/or tidbits about food and life. Children dress up as vegetables? Planting herbs this year? Make the best taco on the block? Host a Frisbee and crawfish cook-off? You tell me! I welcome and enjoy all stories, and give credit where credit is due by featuring some of these great inspiring folks on my website. So gather round and pass the stories my way.

Contact info, ways moms could reach you for a consultation/advice. 

Always an email away. Claire Fountain clfountain42@gmail.com or please make use of the contact on the website. FortheTasteofIt.com

Shrimp Claire-ole

Being in love with the tomatoes of the Hudson Valley farmers markets, I decided to show case the tomatoes in a beautiful tango with the shrimp, all topped with the local organic olive oil. Throwing tradition to the wind, I went for it. Sautéing plenty of chopped garlic in full bodied olive oil, throwing in diced summer tomatoes which need little help tasting wonderful, and adding a few more ingredients yielded a dish that was less Shrimp Creole, and more Shrimp Claire-ole.

2 tbs. Ana Marie olive oil, plus more for drizziling

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped (or red if you prefer)

3-5 cloves of garlic, minced or chopped depending on taste

2 tbs. tomato pase

2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes, about 2-4 depending on size

(I don’t skin or seed them, but you can if you like)

1 small bay leaf

salt and ground pepper to taste

1 lbs large or jumbo shrimp (21/25 count preferred, peeled, leaving the tail on)

fresh parsley or basil, chopped

1.) Heat a medium deep sided, oven proof skillet (I prefer and use a cast iron here) over medium heat, adding in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once you the oil glistens, toss in the onions and pepper. Cook until tender, about 7-9 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste, cooking for 1 minute more, until both are fragrant.


2.) Add the tomatoes, and bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and add the bay leaf. Simmer until mixture becomes thick, about 20-30 minutes.


3.) Nestle the shrimp into the tomato mixture and cook just until the shrimp are pink and begin to curl slightly, about 2-3 minutes. (I actually turn the heat off, put the shrimp in, and let it sit 10 minutes or so. The heat cooks the shrimp thru perfectly without any risk of them becoming over cooked and rubbery.)


4.) Place in bowls and drizzle with olive oil, topping with fresh parsley or basil.

*I eat it like this. It is also great served over hot rice, and made with a little hot sauce.

"green" mother's day gift guide - momfuse

visit momfuse.com for details.

revisiting ... and mother's day sale at washwhendirty.etsy

i made this list way back in december. i've been doing a purging of sorts so i decided to revisit and make some edits. life has changed a lot since i posted that list. i'm enjoying a cleaner, less stressful yet productive easy going life these days :)

1. learning japanese: took a break from this little adventure. it's hard! really hard! and other fun things came along.
2. learning spanish: actually understood a quarter of a convo with someone who doesn't speak english last week. they had to speak very slowly though. mas despacio por favor! mas despacio!
3. swear off diet coke: H2O baby! H2O! and OJ too
4. re-read some of the classics: didn't get a chance to yet. been reading about 'green' living amongst other things. plus i needed to buckle down on vocab building.
5. learn more vocabulary and write more so i can write better: vocab has been a friend since january! writing skills improved? not sure about that part yet, but i'm excited to be one of the contributors for "the green scene" at momfuse.
6. finally learn about medium format photography. i have a vintage tlr that's just lovely: haven't had time to play with my little treasure, yet. but someone inspired me to pick up my dig camera and take some pics again. it's been fun!

new tidbits:
7. found a cause close to my heart, please visit: Where is Razily? and sign the petition.
8. still learning to quilt, getting better but there are tons of room for improvement. will soon be adding some quilts to washwhendirty.etsy.
9. found a way to balance what i love and all the other important life stuff.
10. joined the twitter revolution and learning how to use it for marketing and outreach projects.

... to be continued

And here is a little plug in for washwhendirty.etsy: Mother's Day Sale - come along to check it out! "GREEN" gift for mom :)

Limited Abundances

With growing concerns about food safety due to the increase in food borne illness such as Salmonella poisoning , it is important to make informed decisions as a consumer. Food regulations and standards are part of the equation that ensures the food we bring home to our families are safe, clean and healthy. Which is why I would like to talk about how these regulations affect us. Will they make our food safer and yet not restrict our food choice options?

Firstly, when dealing with food safety many people focus on location or origin where the food that they are feeding their families are grown. Some of them are labeled with country, region, or growth process, others are not. In addition to food safety concerns, finding more sustainable and eco-friendly food options are also becoming more important as we move toward a more preserving and less conserving mentality. In some cases, many believe that home grown organic produce, or local produce from farmers markets are both safer and healthier options to GM-Genetically Modified-food or the other options in supermarkets around the country. Will regulated food be safer? How will regulations affect small farms, home gardeners, middle America? ...


To read more visit: The Green Scene at momfuse.com

earth day everyday

yes, april 22nd has passed and gone. but super cool things are still on going
"you buy a tee, we plant a tree" - teesforchange.com

visit the tees for change practice giveaway at momfuse

earth day : april 22nd

april 22nd 2009 will be the start of Earth Day Network’s Green Generation^TM campaign . it's a 2 year initiative that will lead to the 40th anniversary of earth day in april 2010. a community building initiative that includes regular people pursuing personal and collective projects that strive to find solutions to national and global issues related to climate change, world water crisis, sustainable economical solutions ... that are both human conscious and earth conscious.

"The Green Generation^TM is open to everyone: people of all ages and all nationalities, consumers who are committed to buying green; community leaders who are focused on greening their communities; parents and teachers who work to provide healthy foods and green schools for their children; those who work in green jobs; academics whose research is focused on innovative products and services; scientists and engineers who develop new green technologies; and governments that seek to implement policies and support research that will build a green economy and healthy population, and the religious community who are committed to a vision of a just, sustainable, green planet. Corporations will play a key leadership role in the Green Generation campaign, particularly those that recognize that their future success is tied to sustainable products and socially just endeavors." source: The Green Generation^TM

we are living in a fast changing world, where concerns about preservation and consumer waste reduction blur borders and national boundaries. "green" issues are global problems that need global answers and solutions.we are at the birth of a new era, where preserving the Earth is a personal, corporate, and governmental responsibility."green" progress will be one of the hallmark of the 21st century. so don't lag behind the times, and move forward to work toward a better future for the next generation.

visit earthday.net for more info on ways to get involved.