wolfie and the sneak

I'm on a serious swapping kick!

I've mentioned the wonderful train of thank yous that can happen, and this quilt is definitely one of the best cars on the track. . .

I've known Claire since she organized the Christian Carlos Fund auction. We've kept up with each other on flickr, and she recently bought a print from my shop. I included a little something extra in her package, something similar to an item in my studio she'd commented on (a little more vague, please?) and so she sent me one of her fantastically colorful felted sweater blankies as a thank you!


I, of course, felt overwhelmed with the kindness, so I sent a painting back to her. We'll have to stop the madness soon enough, but I lucked out with this one!

Above is a little glimpse into Claire's green world. So I thought in posting this, I would find out 5 of her tips to live a low-impact, ecologically minded life.

5 easy green tips, in no particular order

1. replace most frequently used light bulbs with CFLs, Use smart strips.

2. eat less meat

3. vermicomposting or composting in general (maybe not so easy)

4. invest in a programable thermastat and use it

5. think twice before buying something new: freecycle, craigslist, thriftstore, consignment, library, borrow or rent little used equipment.

And for just a brief second, we thought we'd build rather than straight out buy our next home. I asked for some good books to read on the topic, and these were her suggestions:

Chelsea Green has great books
http://www.chelseagreen.com/2006/items/greenselfbuild

plus alot of other good books on solar, strawbale, etc, etc.

also Sarah Susanka of the Not So Big House fame is a good reference point
for the architecture /design standpoint..
http://www.notsobighouse.com/

Thanks, Claire, for the fantastic swap and for the great tips!