Articles on Conscious Consumer

(Env)Iron(ment) Chef

Sadly, too many greenies don’t actually know how to cook. Instead we eat out at pricy sustainable restaurants — something we can afford less and less as our pocketbooks...

You Are More Than What You Eat

Raj Patel used to not give much thought to food. He grew up in a London convenience store, surrounded by, as he puts it, “all kinds of crud.” And in graduate school, where...

Looking Upstream

A man was standing beside a stream, when he saw a baby struggling in the water. Without a thought he jumped in and saved it. No sooner had he placed it gently on the shore than he saw...

What's So Bad About Chemical Cleaning Products?

Q: Dear EarthTalk: I’ve read that household cleaners contain cancer-causing toxic ingredients. What should I do, then, to keep my house clean but also safe for my kids? ...

5 Qs for Jessica Biel: Is She a Green Nerd?

Jessica Biel’s good deeds seem largely about saving animals, not the planet. She’s well-known for her support of PETA and other pet and wildlife organizations. And her first...

Solar Cooking Saves Trees and Does Global Good

The next time you turn on the stove to boil water, think about this: Between 50 and 60 percent of the world’s population — more than 3 billion people — still build...

How Solar Cookers Work + 3 Recipes for Backyard or Backwoods

If you’ve ever set a piece of paper on fire with a magnifying glass, you understand how solar cookers work. Solar cookers, also called sun ovens or solar ovens, use shiny metal...

Yes, We Chicken

When I told Tony, my neighbor, that I wanted to get chickens, his response was a litany of reasons why I should not: Noise. Smell. Bird flu. One by one, I dismissed each of his fears...

Get Active!

Feeling red with anger this Valentine’s Day? Sure, there’s a lot to be peeved about. You’re probably thinking about all those virgin rainforests being cut down for...

Reducing Ware and Tear on the Earth One Utensil at a Time

Imagine you grab a quick lunch and head back to the office. As you begin to pull your order from the bag, you realize everything is contained in styrofoam. Even the utensils are made...