Clean & Green

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For years now, I’ve carried a photo  on my cell phone that I stole from a website showing me what produce is best to buy “clean” and what is okay to buy “dirty.”

To be honest, I generally just buy the organic choice if they are available, as I know supporting the organic farmers is a critical step in helping us all get healthier. As organic farmers prosper, prices come down. . .  making greener choices more accessible to everyone.  Or at least that’s the theory. So, this past summer, I read a few updated reports on what is currently considered “clean & dirty” and Peter and I set to work on this graphic, which we hoped to apply to grocery bags, reminder cards, and yes, my cell phone.

So, we can take this discussion in many directions. . .  you can agree or challenge us on what you consider to be clean or dirty ( produce wise, please) or  you can help us decide what kind of reusable grocery bags to print this on. I’ve found some “plastic-y” types of bags that are made from recycled bottles that I kind of like. They stand up pretty well. are water proof.  . . and they have that neat little stiff bottom support. That was my first choice. Then I heard from my wife that she’d prefer to have a new insulated bag. That makes sense too. I also have a friend who loves the floppy cotton type of bag because they are washable and she loves the handles.  Or would you just like to get a card that you can put in with your grocery bags to remind you. . . or maybe a t-shirt to wear when you go shopping? . . . Too many options?

Agreed.  Thats’s why we don’t  want to have to make this decision alone. In the next few weeks we’re going to order some bags- and we’re going to use them in our campaigns to bring new readers to At the Green House. We’d love it if you’d give us your thoughts and opinions during this process. You can comment here, or on Facebook or Instagram. . . maybe even that Twit thing. . .

Just feel free to tell us what you think. We’re going to be giving away a few of these as soon as we get them printed, so make sure we know you’re interested somehow.

And I also need to thank my friend, Bonnie Santarsiero for donating her time and tremendous talent in creating the design and graphic from our concept sketches. Thank you, Bonnie. Bonnie gets the first free bag! :0)

PEACE!

Brad (w/ Peter looking over his shoulder, smiling at the cute little Wormy he drew)

Can a Worm Have a Footprint? . . .

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As humans, everything we do creates carbon in some form. . . even when we die. But before we get to that stage, we have a lot of living to do, and living requires creating CO2. What creates CO2? Eating, moving, clothing, communication, creating shelter, socialization. . . and well, everything we do.

  Everything we consume or utilize uses some form of fuel for it’s creation. If it’s a chicken wing  we’re consuming- consider all the steps it took to get to your plate. . . um. . . give me a second here, I’m trying to figure out how I chose talking about a chicken wing. . . I could switch to “celery stalk” but that would be “chickening out.” Literally.  NO, let’s give it a try. . . so, a farmer raises a chicken with all it’s food and water and nesting materials and heat and care and energy to make that life possible.  Think of all the corn that chicken may have eaten. . . and all the energy that went into creating that corn. . . Then, the chicken is slaughtered to create food for us. . . now a wing is the item of consumption and. . . ( I’m going to let you imagine the next few steps) . . . then it’s put in a bag (packaging was created for this) with other wings. . . fuel is used to keep it cold or frozen. . . fuel is used to deliver it to a market or wholesaler. Let’s say that this wholesaler sells it to “Wing It Bar & Grill” and you come in for a bite after work. . . . and yes, there’s one more wing left on the platter at happy hour and you get to be the lucky consumer.  How much energy was used to get this wing to you and make your hour happier?  Consider this. . . what if you just ate a piece of corn instead . . . and eliminated all that stuff in between the corn going to the chicken and happy hour?  I know. There’s a lot of math to be done and processes to consider.  There are many great websites out there where you can set up your own profile and try calculating your carbon footprint.  There are hundreds of great videos you can watch to help you understand it all better, and we’re going to link to one below that’s good for children to watch too.

But, I promised a few simple ways we all can reduce our carbon footprints so here goes:

Eat less meat, especially red meat. Grow your own veggies and fruit if possible. If not, eat as locally as possible. Support organic farmers.

Use your own grocery bags and use less plastic. Re-usables are very important!

Keep your heat lower in the winter (wear sweaters etc. ), and reduce A/C usage in the summer (shade your windows etc). Insulate your home, cut down drafts. Reduce home energy consumption.  Wash clothes at lower temps- dry outside in the sun if possible. Take shorter showers.

Limit your driving and travel (plan your outing to accomplish as much as you can in one trip). Drive slower. Use less fossil fuels.

Carefully consider your purchases. Try buying products with less packaging, no plastics, made with recyclable materials.  Buy less- consume less. Donate old or unused clothing to others. Donate home goods, books etc to others.

And when you get a chance, check out some more cool websites (like Link and Wormy are). Oh, and in case you’re wondering. . . worms are carbon neutral.

Actually, I don’t know for sure that worms are carbon neutral. I have no source for that information. . . I just made it up. But, I’m allowed to do that because I’m a cartoonist. That’s what I do.  Peace!

Brad (with Peter looking over his shoulder)

The Second Day of Greenness. . .

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2019- Back to the Drawing (and writing) Board . . .

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I’m just sitting down to start writing new ideas for At The Green House.  This has always been the hardest place for me. . . waiting for the ideas to flow. There’s a special place in my mind where the characters reside. Once I’ve tuned out all the other distractions and focus in on “their space,” the situations and conversations start to come forth. I read the quote (above) by my mentor, Jim Henson, many years ago and never quite grasped the meaning of the “guidance”  until years later. . . sometime in early 2006.

I was driving-  and staring off into the sky above the road ahead of me. Slowly, a vision ( I guess?)  came into my view. As I looked at the sky, an image of the Green House, printed in a newspaper began to form. I could see all the characters and the newsprint very clearly. . . and. . .  I could still see the sky and road. The black inked lines from the comic separated from the newspaper and with a shadowed effect, the newsprint vanished and the lines of the comic hovered there in the icy blue sky. I always thought of that vision being a gift from someone- showing me that the Green House would soon be real. . . in lots of papers and successful.  But that wasn’t the case.

It wasn’t long before the 30 papers we’d signed up weren’t paying us. . . the editor’s who had bought the feature were being let go, and the papers we were supposed to be printed in were going under. We had to close the door on the Green House. For many years, I kept remembering that vision and thinking that my spiritual guide needed an upgrade or at least a few lessons from a more accomplished angel.

It wasn’t until a few months ago that I was working on our book “Back To The Drawing Board” (a compilation of our old Green House material) and I came across THAT comic. . . the one that appeared to me many years ago. . . that I understood the meaning. I could see that moment clearly in my mind once again. . . the image appearing and separating from the paper. . .  Pretty obvious now, eh?  Someone out there in the spirit world was telling me that paper wasn’t the place for it. . . let it go and keep the “lines” -the spirit of the creation. And now it’s coming back.

By the way, here’s THAT comic. . .  Well, it’s time to start my day. . . my writing day. My wife is at work so. . . no hormonal distractions.

Just let the lines fall, rise, appear where they may. . . organically.

Ready to sit, open up and start receiving. . .  Jim, I’m listening!

 

_________________________________________________________

If you’d like to buy a copy of “Back To The Drawing Board” just go to the website and you’ll find info in our Store.

www.atthegreenhouse.com     Email:  ghfamily@atthegreenhouse.com

The First Day of Greenness

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Happy New Year! Happy Earth Day (Every Day!) Happy 2019. . . and welcome back to At the Green House!

It’s also The First Day Of Greenness.

What does that mean? It means something different to each of us- and that’s the best answer. . . but for today, I’d love it if you’d take a few minutes (like Wormy is in this picture), to look at yourself, your present life situation, and set some goals for getting greener this year.  Your First Day of Greenness.

Now, this brings up another huge question. . . What is getting “greener?” Well, “green” is currently a trendy catch phrase for a lot of wonderful things (and I’m so glad it is!). . . healthier eating, healthier living, getting back to nature. . .  Fortunately, in 2019, there is a growing focus on green issues- and bringing environmental issues to the daily public consciousness is a huge thing. Peter and I started talking about “green things” back in 2006 with “The Green House”– but the publishing world wasn’t ready for us back then (quote: “you guys are probably ahead of your time with this material”). . . more on this in a bit. . .

But getting green for me started back in 1980, meeting Jim Henson and working on The Muppets Comic Strip with him. He got me thinking about the environment, our place in it, being conscious of the world as a whole and as people as “one.” He let a frog be his main spokesman and I helped write words for that wonderful green voice for 6 years. Jim taught me that accepting a role as a comic strip writer meant being responsible for a little space in each person’s morning newspaper and making someone smile during that 5 seconds they spend seeing what you’ve put there for them. I’ll blog more on Jim later this month, but for now it’s my 5 seconds. . . let’s make that 5 minutes . . . to share something with you- and right now it’s about YOU.

What’s going to make you feel greener this year? What’s going to simplify your life, connect you to the earth you were born from? What’s going to bring you back to nature and bring out the greener nature of you? Well. . . . let’s start with 12 days of Greenness. First day, write down some green goals. You may not think you have many, but you will. Maybe the first is “define Greenness for myself.”  Try that. Maybe you’re already a “Greenie” and want to improve on one thing? . . .  That’s cool, too! On the Second Day of Greenness, we’ll talk about one more simple little thing you can do to get closer to that goal.  That’s all we have to say about the First Day of Greenness. Look in the mirror, grab a pen and write something down! If you need inspiration, eat a piece of fruit or a vegetable. You are what you eat and that’s a great place to start. . . hope it’s an organic snack! I think I’ve reached the 5 minute limit. . . for those of you who have a few more minutes to spare and want to connect more deeply to our Green history, keep reading!

Thank you for your time and participation. Peace!    ~Brad (with Peter looking over my shoulder)

PS: If you’d like an 8 x 10 pdf of the picture of Wormy & Friends (above)  – with the black & white circle for coloring- send an email to: ghfamily@atthegreenhouse.com   – Just put “1st Day- Coloring page” in the Subject. Thanks!

For those of you who are new to At the Green House. . . Welcome! We’re basically a comic strip about a family named The Greens, who wants to be greener.

We have Pam & Todd, the main people and a group of  “critters” who live in their yard, one of which is a little earthworm named Wormy. He eventually becomes the hero of our planet, literally, in a feature of his own. Our goal in the next year is to develop Wormy, alongside the Greens. . . but in his own weekly feature for children. Before we get too far ahead. . . here’s a bit more about the history of At the Green House (if time permits).

About At The Green House . . .
It’s been quite a while since we’ve been active on Facebook or with anything new in The Green House. . . but like all things green, sometimes the first attempt grows and doesn’t find the right conditions to survive. The key is to keep the seeds . . . and when conditions are right, give them some sun, well-composted nutrients and let them grow into something new and (hopefully) ever-lasting.

Peter and I have been keeping the Green House seeds dry and warm, tucked into pockets close to our hearts and waiting for the right conditions to plant them again. . . this is that time. Now.    2019 is the year!

For the past few months, we’ve been meeting, writing and drawing new material and formulating a “growth chart” for the Green House projects. And now the time has come. . .  We are going to share our adventures and stories about the “daily sproutings” and our “process” here with you beginning today!  It’s been a little like developing quality compost- mixing a little of this -with a little of that. . . green stuff, brown stuff. . . history, new ideas. . . failings, dreams, renewed hope and energy. . . a little manure. . .

What is At the Green House’s  story? It’s a story about finding our passion, believing in it, working hard at it and then keeping the embers glowing after it looked like life, time and circumstance had blown it out.

So at the risk of being long-winded here and “messing with our embers,” I’m just letting you all know that the seeds have been planted in the compost and we are returning to the Green House to get things GROWING!

Our gratitude goes out to all of you who’ve kept in touch with us, asking, “How’s Wormy doing?” and hoping to see some new foliage. New growth will be popping up here and growing toward YOUR light.  We hope you’ll read and contribute your thoughts and comments.

We didn’t give up. We were just composting.

Peter & Brad