On a friend’s recommendation, I was thrilled to try a mocktail recipe book that compiles some of the best zero-proof drinks that bars around the country have to offer (with some unorthodox ingredients). While I’ve only scratched the surface of the possibilities here, I’m thrilled to see that just focusing on making a good-tasting drink (instead of replicating a traditional cocktail) can generate yummy results.
Leaving no rocks glass unturned, I took several friends’ recommendations and expanded my search for something resembling a more satisfying Non-Alcoholic cocktail than what I explored in Part 1. It turns out there are better NA options than what I originally thought was available, thanks to better ingredients and better technologies, but in the end, individual experience comes down to personal reasons and expectations.
I’m finding more advertisements for non-alcoholic cocktails popping into my social media feeds, more NA drinks showing up on menus when I’m out at restaurants, and more of a need to explore these options as I age. With that in mind, I recently started exploring zero-proof and lower-proof cocktails to see if I could find something capable of going toe-to-toe with my favorites.
I love that my garden has been a teaching opportunity for my neighbors, as well as a habitat for native wildlife. This year, that opportunity expanded to educate my local code enforcement officer when my garden was flagged for violating our local property maintenance requirements. After another season of hard work, I was pleased that my work justified itself in big and very small ways.
Kombucha has been hailed by some as a panacea, providing multiple health benefits including digestive, cardiovascular, and immune system health. There’s still a big gap of scientific research on the subject, but some of the connections are at least plausible, if not demonstrable. I’m getting back into making my own for better digestive health as I continue to rebuild my microbiome.
I spend my workdays reading, writing, and talking about the health impacts of poor air quality, so when the Canadian wildfire smoke hit Pittsburgh this summer, I took a cheap and simple step to clean the air in our home. This DIY air filter is something I actually put in other people’s homes for my last job, which is why I know it works.
The suburban landscaping aesthetic includes a lot of lawn and not a lot of trees. I’m bucking that trend by replacing my one dead ornamental plum tree with three uncommon native trees that will support more biodiversity, soil health, and climate resilience. In order to do that, I needed a crash course on how and where to plant, plus how and where to prune.
When a tree came down in our yard, we had to figure out what to do with it. Tree removal and disposal comes with its own risks to humans, and tree replacement comes with risks to the new tree if not done correctly. The chances of those risks increase in likelihood when a stubbornly optimistic gardener with a multi-year design plan is involved.
I am excited about trying new techniques to mend my clothing, in both invisible and visible ways. What remains to be seen is how welcome some of the results will be in professional settings. Even as a sustainability professional, I don’t often see colleagues wearing mended clothing, and I wonder if that is an intentional choice or the symptom of a pervasive business norm.
Most of our clothes today are made with plastic, which tends to be cheaper than natural materials but leads to pollution, climate change, negative health impacts, and more money spent in the long run compared to investing in quality garments and maintaining them. Unfortunately, many of us lack the necessary money, time, or requisite skills to opt for the more sustainable option.