Pound the pavement for your cause!

It's that time of year when spring feels like it's just around the corner, and for me, I feel a strong urge it to get back into my running. I try my best to run regularly in the winter, but it just isn't the same, so come spring I'm out the four times a week - rain or shine. In anticipation of the upcoming Green Living Show here in Toronto (it takes place at the end of April), I was browsing around their site and came across information for the Earth Run.

This April, the Green Living Show will host Toronto's first ever Earth Run on Sunday April 26 at the Exhibition Place. Signing up for this race will help you kill two birds with one stone - it's the perfect opportunity for you to help raise funds for local environmental initiatives and for you to get fit just in time for summer. The run is a mellow 5 kilomotres long, so now if the perfect time for you to get outside and get training.

There are also Earth Runs in Vancouver and Ottawa, as well as the United States and Spain, for those of you outside of Toronto.

For more info, or to sign up for the race, visit www.earthrun.com.

Have you been spending more time outdoors in anticipation of spring? How do you plan to get back in shape after the long, cold winter?

A perfect read for all those trying to green-ify their lives!

I was recently sent a copy of a very humourous book called Mom, Will This Chicken Give Me Man Boobs?, by Robyn Harding. In it, Harding records her trials and tribulations with her mission of raising a green family. She accurately describes the difficulty with navigating the green world - trying to separate fact from greenwashing, appeasing her kids' environmental worries and cutting back on Christmas and birthday celebrations, all the while trying to avoid going broke in the process. Harding aptly says that she'd have to sell a kidney if she wanted to continue purchase organic milk.

One of my favourite parts of the book is the chapter with the same title as the book. Harding recounts a humourous conversation that started with her family over dinner one evening, inevitably leading to her 10-year-old son asking if the chicken they're eating contains hormones which will give him man boobs.

If you're trying to go green, or have already gotten there, I guarantee that you'll find this book a very good, funny, educational and easy read. You'll be able to relate to it in many ways. In case any of you rush out to buy it, the book does not hit stand until March 7, so unfortunately you'll have to wait a few days.

What green books would you recommend? Why?

There's nothing quite like a warm bowl of hearty soup!

I once heard that the song Pease Porridge Hot was based on how, in the good old days, a pot would sit on the wood burning stove and in it would go most kitchen scraps. And in this pot, from these scraps, would cook a hearty soup to feed the family. Now, I have no idea whether or not this is true, but ever since I heard it I thought it would be a great way to use up vegetables that are on the brink of going bad. I'm certainly more discriminating of what goes in the pot than maybe they would have been back in the day, but if it's in the fridge and looking a little tired then I start thinking about throwing together a speedy vegetable soup.

When I stuck my head in the fridge the other day I found some soft peppers, a tired-looking head of broccoli, a couple of half-used onions and a lonely carrot. I spent a few minutes chopping these veggies (plus a couple of potatoes) up. I sautéed the onions in a bit of olive oil, then added the rest of the veggies. I then added some vegetable broth and just let my soup simmer on the stove for about 45 minutes. Once it cooled down a bit, I gave it a whirl around the blender. Voila! A hearty vegetable soup my partner and I have been enjoying for a few days now. I always serve my soups with a fresh baguette!

The great thing about soups like these is that you can also freeze them. I usually freeze about half of my soup, so one day down the road when I need a quick dinner I'll just pull it out of the freezer.

Just think of all the vegetables you'll save from going in the compost - and all the money you'll save by not wasting your veggies

What do you do with the tired-looking fruits and veggies in your fridge? How do make sure not to waste your on-the-brink food?

If you need a bit more guidance when making a vegetable soup, here are some great recipes to try:
Hearty Vegetable Soup
Winter Lentil and Vegetable Soup
Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup

Hi readers!

Thanks so much for sharing all your acts of green. Picking a winner was very hard (it looks like everyone makes such a great effort), but unfortunately I can only pick one. The winner of the GAIAM DVD Simple Steps to a Greener Home is: (more...)

Valentine's Day: I could take it or leave it, but pass me the chocolate!

Well, Valentine's Day is here and love is in the air - or in the window of your local drug store. Let's face it, you either love the day, or hate it. But chances are, you reap the benefits of the mass amount of in-your-face chocolate and candy. Personally, my favourite day is February 15, when I head to a store and clear out the 50 per cent off bin – it's filled with Valentines Day themed chocolate. Though I'm usually woozy with delight at the thought of eating chocolate, I try to keep in mind that what we buy affects the environment.

When buying chocolate, I try to ensure that the package states that my bar is Fair Trade Certified, which means that cocoa farmers receive fair prices for their goods. I also look out for the words Certified Organic, meaning the cocoa I'm about to consume was grown without using pesticides and fertilizers.

I read in National Geographic's Green Guide that we should also be looking for the words "Rainforest Alliance Certified" on our chocolate products, meaning that the cocoa plants were grown in a shade, which allows for wildlife habitat to remain protected and preserved.

Some reputable chocolate brands:

Green & Black's - is apparently the world's first organic brand. They are also proponents of ethical trading.

Cocoa Camino - great (a.k.a. delicious!) Fair Trade Certified and organic certified chocolate products.

Organic Fair - It pretty much says it all in the title.

I also recently read about LPK's Culinary Groove, a green, organic organic and fair trade pastry and chocolate shop in Toronto.

Need more ideas for ways to go green this Valentine's Day?

• Find out why you should buy organic roses

• Shopping with a conscience

Do you enjoy Valentine's Day? How do you celebrate it? Will you go green this V-day?

What are your acts of green?

I've seen many ads with the handsome George Stroumboulopoulos, always talking about this One Million Acts of Green. I've been dying to know how I can get in on the George action ... errrr ... I mean, GREEN action.

Here's what's worth knowing about this great campaing:

It was launched last year with the intention of mobilizing Canadians to perform at least one act of green, as each act can make a difference. Whether you walk to work once a week, change your regular lightbulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs or vow to only buy local fruits and vegetables - or decide to undertake all those acts – your actions will make a huge difference.

Once you undertake your One Million Acts of Green mission, you simply visit green.cbc.ca to register your act. A green calculator on the website will calculate the impact your act has on the environment. And, all your "acts" will be saved on the site, so you can keep track of the difference you've made.

For instance, if your green act is to do your laundry in cold water, you'll see that of the 154,000 participants that have made this change, and as a result, have saved a total of 1.8 million kg of green house gasses. All that from just doing your laundry in cold water. I hope you're tempted to make the change!

As of this morning, we've surpassed our goal of one million acts of green by over 67,000 – and the numbers continue to grow.

What are your acts of green? Why did you decide to make a green resolution? Share your answers with me and Green Living Blog readers and you could win a copy of the GAIAM DVD Simple Steps to a Greener Home. This DVD will help you turn your home into an eco-friendly haven. Environmental lifestyle expert Danny Seo will help you go green - in style!

Need some great tips and ideas on how to go green? Check out our guide to greener living!

Ginseng, a bitter-tasting cure-all

Most of us have heard of ginseng. Perhaps you associate it with Eastern medicine, or maybe you have some ginseng tea bags in your cupboard. Whatever you connection with ginseng, its healing powers cannot be denied.

In the article "Change of Pace," featured in last month's Walrus magazine, the author thoroughly explains that ginseng is used for the treatment of "fatigue, stress, diabetes, headaches, dizziness, colds, influenza, high blood pressure, low blood pressure, thinning hair, failing memory, tumours, diminished libido, allergies, inflammation, poor appetite, a logy immune system, various circulatory issues, and/or generalized feelings of dispiritedness."

It was in the same article that I learned that Ontario is the largest producer of American ginseng, making local ginseng, ginseng capsules and powders readily available.

Around 1716, a Jesuit priest began the mass production of ginseng in Canada. Hearing of the popularity and abundance of the root in China, he figured that French Canada's environment (similar to that of Northern China's) would grow the root. After three months of searching, he found the root growing close to Montreal, Quebec. After his discovery, Canada began exporting American ginseng to China, where the root was, and still is, in high demand.

Ginseng is commonly used as a tea, powder, capsules or pure extracts. Many people also add whole or ginseng extract to their cooking - meat, soups, stews and desserts!

Now that you've had your dose of Canadian history, and hopefully learned a thing or two about ginseng, I'll leave you to mull over its healing powers. But before you rush out and buy some ginseng root or extract to get you through those long days, be sure to talk to a naturopath, medical doctor or other professional – ginseng can interfere with other drugs or herbs, so it's best to have some guidance before taking it.

For more on ginseng, read The Scoop on Ginseng.

Do you use ginseng? In what form? How would you describe the taste? Does it help cure your ailments? Please share your answers!