More Hip Than Hippie #260 - Backyard Chickens

Thousands of ordinary folks are raising backyard or urban chickens as a source of sustainable food.

The "Chicken Chick" is in the henhouse! Carol Albrecht from Chaffin Family Orchards joins the Hipsters to discuss the ins and outs of chicken ownership. She also explains why we should avoid "battery eggs" and how to use roadkill to your benefit, then tackles questions from our Facebook friends!

Beer and Chocolate:

Beer: Holy Homegrown Hops! The Chatoe Rogue Dirtoir Black Ale is a delightful limited-edition brew not to be missed. "Dedicated to Farmers and Fermenters. GYO is a Rogue Ales term for Grow Your Own."

Chocolate: No, those aren't dog turds, they're Next Organics Dark Chocolate Coconut pieces. Nice flavors, but the brittle bits of coconut are a shock if you're expecting to bite into a Mounds bar.

Hip News and Finds

Finds:

• Val's Favorite Thing! Here comes sandal weather, so freshen your feet with Peppermint Foot Scrub. With natural pumice and walnut shells, this organic scrub exfoliates and invigorates.
• Toys R 'X'. They've banned pthalates from kids' toys, but what about adult toys? Find a selection of body-safe products at Ethical Sex Toys.

Hip News

• Et tu, TJ? After Greenpeace outed their fishy seafood practices, Trader Joe's has announced plans to clean up their act.
• Watt a deal! Guests at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Copenhagen can earn a free meal by generating a few watts of electricity on a stationary bike.

Teenie Weenie Greenie™

Put a lid on it! Shanan in New Hampshire writes: "Another way to reuse yogurt containers with lids is to punch a bunch of holes in the top and put baking soda in them. I pack one at the bottom of storage containers when I put my winter things away. Add a few drops of essential oils and put them in closets and drawers too; great way to freshen the house!"

 

Backyard Chickens

The "Chicken Chick", Carol Albrecht, is in the henhouse! She's part of Chaffin Family Orchards, a sustainable 5-generation family farm in Northern California. Carol has been raising chickens for 35 years and shares her wealth of knowledge about the care and feeding of backyard poultry. Her farm is currently home to about 500 chickens!

• Heirloom breeds help protect genetic diversity in livestock. Try to support endangered chicken breeds.
• When ordering chicks by mail, use a no-kill hatchery like Sandhill Preservation Center.
• Carol recommends Harvey Ussery's Modern Homestead to get great tips for raising chickens on a small scale.
• If your town doesn't allow backyard chickens, get support from groups like CLUC.
• Carol started a local chapter of the Weston A. Price Foundation, which is dedicated to "Food, Farming and the Healing Arts".
• She teaches cooking classes based on Sally Fallon's "Nourishing Traditions".

Listener E-mails

• Maggie in Madrid wants the truth about CFLs. Yes, they save energy! Use a dimmable CFL to extend the bulb's life in a dimmer switch.
• Sarah in NYC wonders about her acrylic drinking glasses. The bad news: they are indeed non-recyclable plastic. The good news: they don't contain BPA and you can buff out the scratches.
• Brian in Tennessee thinks NASA scientist James Lovelock is rightfully glum about our future prospects, but hopes we'll geoengineer Mars first. He also shares a story about self-pollinating almond trees.
• Ashanti in Austin, TX loves Dirt Girl World, an animated show about real food, coming soon to the Sprout Network.
• Katie in Toronto (eh!) wants everyone to watch the Story of Stuff and a shorter segment about Bottled Water. As for rental cars, go with something small and lightweight with cruise control and A/C.
• Heidi in New York can't believe the ticket price for a 3D movie! You should be able to Train Your Dragon on DVD by Christmas.

Twitter goes green on #EcoMonday! Follow Val on Twitter: GrnDiva, at your service! Add us to your friends on Facebook and MySpace!

Remember to vote for us at Podcast Alley, and leave a glowing review at iTunes!

More Hip Than Hippie is sponsored by Greenfeet.com.

More Hip Than Hippie #259 - Beautiful Butterflies

Butterflies play a vital role in maintaining earth's ecological balance.

Do you take the time to notice butterflies? There are more than 17,000 species found everywhere in the world except Antarctica. Dori and Val get to know these amazing insects a little better, busting a few myths along the way. This week's show also has a bass soundtrack as the Hipsters share studio time with Chico faves The Yule Logs!

Beer and Chocolate:

Beer: Our favorite Mexican restaurant brew is Negra Modelo. This dark beer not only puts out a jalapeno fire, but also pairs well with chocolate.

Chocolate: Ah, Ghirardelli, if only your Milk & Peanut Butter bar were made with dark chocolate! Great texture, nice creamy filling...just a tad too sweet.

Hip News and Finds

Finds:

• Greenhouse effect. Designers in New Zealand have created the Plant Room so apartment-dwellers can have their own garden in the sky.
• Seed money. Ready to start a Farmers Market in your community? The USDA is offering a grant program, so hurry and apply by April 15th.

Hip News

• The good news. The EPA moves to curb mountaintop removal mining by tightening water quality standards.
• The bad news. Obama reversed a ban on oil drilling off most US shores.

Teenie Weenie Greenie™

Three times a lemon! From Frugal Homemaker Plus: "I got three uses out of the lemons today! The zest and a bit of the juice made excellent lemon poppy seed bread. I then sprinkled baking soda in them and scrubbed my shower walls with them. (Some vinegar on a sponge took care of the spots the lemon/baking soda combo did not take care of.) I then ran the peels through my garbage disposal for that lemon fresh scent. Not bad for a couple of humble lemons!"

 

Beautiful Butterflies

One of nature's greatest pollinators, the butterfly leads a fascinating life. Learn how to attract these legendary creatures into your garden, how to assist a butterfly in need and how to help threatened butterfly populations.

• Butterflies are great indicators of a healthy environment.
• From egg to chysalis, the metamorphosis of a caterpillar to a butterfly is a wonder of nature.
• If you touch a butterfly, will it die? Nope, that's one of the myths about them.
• Bring butterflies to your home with a nice spa. No room? Whip up some butterfly bait!
• If you have space, grow these butterfly-attracting plants.
• We found step-by-step instructions for giving an injured butterfly first aid.
• It's been a bad winter for Monarch butterflies. Find out what you can do to help them at MonarchWatch.

Listener E-mails

• Paige in New York loves No Impact Man. She also heard that rabbits are the new urban chickens. OK, but only kill the ugly ones.
• Sarah in Maryland needs disposable plates for her green wedding. Check out Bambu, Preserve and Bagasse, or just go with the real deal!
• Patrick in NC wants to eat fish with a clean conscience. We recommend you roll with Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch.
• Jenny in Ontario (eh!) is proud of her green city, Windsor, which is hosting an Environmental Expo this month. Keynote speaker: Bill Clinton.
• Erin in New York doesn't want to use bleach to clean moss off her brick patio. Try Oxy-Boost and a whole lotta elbow grease instead.
• Kathy in Pittsburgh, PA found that a Klean Kanteen full of ice makes a great long-lasting icepack. But it couldn't make Rick Springfield less hot, right?
• Jason in Rochester, NY wonders where to recycle batteries and whether to start composting. He also enters the Porn Star Name Hall of Fame!

Twitter goes green on #EcoMonday! Follow Val on Twitter: GrnDiva, at your service! Add us to your friends on Facebook and MySpace!

Remember to vote for us at Podcast Alley, and leave a glowing review at iTunes!

More Hip Than Hippie is sponsored by Greenfeet.com.