Sometimes, being environmentally conscious just seems so daunting. Where to start? Change the light bulbs, or risk a cockroach invasion by composting rotting table scraps in your humid Florida kitchen? Ride a bike and risk death on the Miami streets or buy a Prius?
Then there are the zealots, the ones who take the no-carbon-emissions stuff to an extreme. There’s that guy in New York who calls himself No Impact Man. He and his family are eschewing take out food, air conditioning, TV and electricity. Then there’s Sheryl Crow, who (maybe) jokingly said that we should all use just one meager square of toilet paper to wipe our butts.
Fortunately for us here in South Florida, there are two people who espouse environmentally friendly ideas and common sense. Their names are Amy Hale and Rhett Aultman, and they have launched a cool new vlog (that’s video blog for you technophobes). The Plantation couple film their five-minute, weekly segments on sustainable living from their apartment. Previous episodes include green cleaning products, growing a container garden in an apartment and making your own soymilk. Upcoming episodes include a soy yogurt recipe, thrift-shopping and learning to grow mushrooms from coffee grounds.
What’s interesting about Hale and Aultman is that they aren’t overzealous in their advice – they admit to eating (and liking) meat – nor are they preachy. They also realize that many folks live in apartments or condos and not “off the grid in a cottage in the woods like Walden Pond,” says Altman.
They hope to bring some much-needed sustainable living advice to South Florida, which, compared to other parts of the nation, is a little behind in the green efforts. Check them out here. --Tamara Lush
