Posted by Tara Burner on August 29, 2008
Every morning I drive by a local Dunkin Donut (it’s next to the gym) and am always dumbfounded how long the drive thru line is at 8:45 a.m.
I decided to time a vehicle to see how long they really waited in the line before getting their food.
17 mins 43 seconds, that’s how long!
Now, if you ask someone who goes there odds are they’ll say they go through the drive thru to “save time”. How is sitting in your car, with it running nonetheless for that long “saving time”? Wouldn’t it have been faster to just eat at home and then leave to drive straight to work? Or, here’s a novel thought, get up earlier in the morning! Oh but wait, due to all the donuts and funky chemical food they’ve eaten, they’re not in the mood to get up earlier because of their lifestyle their health isn’t the greatest which could affect their sleep and make it harder to get up in the morning.
I know it’d save on your calories most likely, seeing how an average Dunkin Donut glazed donut is 180 calories. Note the break down, of fat, sugar, and sodium and nothing of nutritional value. Then we have their coffee w/cream & sugar which is only 90 calories but nothing of real nutritional value. So, for the average coffee & donut they’re using up about 270 calories, all of which are empty.
Now, if the person had eaten at home, they could’ve had something that was actually good for them. Let’s use blueberries for our example. One cup would be about 81 calories and full of antioxidants and vitamins & minerals. Plus how long does it take to prepare a cup of blueberries? 20 seconds? or over 17 minutes?
A smoothie, protein bar, bowl of cereal would all be better nutritionally as well as time spent to prepare and eat compared to the Dunkin Donut drive through.
Shall I even touch on the idling cars in the drive thru? You do the math, look at the below information and note the above time that one person sat in line. Then figure how many people do eat on way to work, lunch, dinner, all via fast food drive thru’s.
It’s shameful!
According to CarbonRally.com:
On average, each American car is idled 5 to 10 minutes per day. It is estimated that those cars idle enough each day to burn an additional 3.8 million gallons of gasoline. That’s right — 3.8 million gallons each day. That means that useless idling is responsible for Americans releasing an extra 40,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere each day or 13 million tons of CO2 per year.
According to IdealBite: Idling 15 min per weekday can cost you up to $100 in wasted gas over the course of a year.
Which is probably more now that gas prices have gone up.
So, can someone please explain to me how it’s more convenient and time saving to sit in a drive thru rather than eat at home. Here’s an idea for those who go through drive thru’s on way to work…
get up earlier than you normally do (even if it’s only 10 minutes)
make yourself a healthy quick breakfast at home
then leisurely leave for work
You’ll ultimately save:
time
calories
your health
money
gas
the environment
possibly save yourself from having an accident since you won’t be driving and eating/drinking
Give it a try so people like me won’t feel compelled to time you at the drive thru from the gym window and come home later to blog about it.
UPDATE!!!!
My bud Dave Conrey, posted about this and more…Guilt Forces A Hungry Man Indoors, it’s a must read and goes along with this existing post
Posted by Tara Burner on August 26, 2008
Reusable bottles
Reusable bottles save you money as well as precious natural resources by cutting down on the trillions of cans and bottles trashed each year.
When looking for reusable bottles look for these features:
# Safe alternative to polycarbonate (#7) – do not leach toxins like BPA
# Durable, light-weight & great looking – 100% recyclable
# Made with fair labor / fair wages paid
Our reusable bottles are all of the above and come in stylish designs.
Posted by Tara Burner on August 25, 2008
Ok, I recently joined a new gym, after being out of the gym scene for waaaaaaaaay too many years. It was a toss up between one that is co-ed and an all females. Now I’m wondering if I made the right choice 
I opted for the all women gym because this way I could go in, work out, be left alone and have no bothers. Ya know, ipod earphones in just minding my own biz, doing my own thing…hit the stairmaster for 30 mins, weights and then bike or treadmill for another 30 mins to cool down. Go to the yoga class and enjoy…and not have anyone talking to me or bothering me, blah blah blah.
Today was going great…worked up an awesome sweat on the stairmaster. Looked around and the time of morning I go, there’s only like maybe 8 other women in there of all ages and sizes. Most of them were in some step class (sorry I don’t do those…hands/feet/body coordination isn’t there for me! that’s why I stick to weights and machines!). Well, I noticed none of them sweat, and here I was with my “wife beater” tank totally drenched and sweat running down my arms, face. Apparently while I was noticing them NOT sweating, they were noticing me sweating because someone made a comment to someone else…whatever ladies….I continue on about my workout, and just turn up the ipod a tad louder to tune out their ’step’ music and their whispers.
Hit the machines, ahhhhhhhhhhhhh feels good to squat 100 lbs again…it’s been awhile. Love the burn! Did some more weights and then decided I’d better hit the bike and get outta there so I can get some work done.
On the bike, ipod going, reading a magazine (hey remember I’m queen of multitasking) and texting my son who was happy to find out next Monday is a paid holiday for him at work! I was about 23 minutes into my bike cool down when an older woman got on the bike next to me. I smelled her though before she got there. Not sweat, but perfume and in massive amounts to where I gasped for air as soon as she came near. I gasped again as she got on the bike next to mine and tears came to my eyes, that’s how much perfume she had on. For those who don’t “know” me, I’m mega sensitive to smell (read some of my past rantings about perfume counters in malls). I had to leave, there were no other bikes to use and later I’m going back to gym with daughter to use treadmill anyhow. So, all because someone bathed in perfume before coming to the gym, I had to leave early
Which brings me to these thoughts:
While I own Affordable Mineral Makeup™, you will NOT find me wearing makeup in the gym while I’m working out.
I don’t understand those who get all ‘made up’ to go work out (especially in an all women’s gym, I mean it’s not like some buff hunk of a man is going to be checking you out).
I don’t grasp why people bath in perfume and cologne…especially prior to going to the gym…I mean aren’t you going there to work out, build up a sweat, hit the sauna & rid yourself of some of the toxins in your body?
I really don’t understand why people in a gym find it odd to see others sweat. Or perhaps I’m just the odd one because I enjoy working out, enjoy sweating and am there to accomplish something not just go and socialize and not get anywhere with my health.
Perhaps tomorrow my attire will include my ipod along with a mask over my face too so I can breath fresh air and not chemical funk that some of these women are bathing in.
Posted by Tara Burner on
Photo taken July 07 by me of mountains in Asheville, NC
Posted by Tara Burner on August 21, 2008
PowerPockets use the latest in “Thin-Film” solar energy technology to quickly and efficiently turn sunshine into electricity. Great for charging mobile phones, games, PDA’s and any other 12 Volt electronic device – and when you’re done, hide it away easily!
You can even use it to jump your ATV or bike. If you’re not going to use your vehicle for awhile you can have the PowerPocket trickle energy source to battery so it won’t be dead when you are ready to use it.
This can come in handy while hiking, boating, out on the horse trail or even in a hurricane or other natural disaster. You’ll be prepared to charge your cell phone in event of emergency. I have the 6.5 watt one and fortunately haven’t had to use it yet (we just recently had to deal with Tropical Storm Fay but fortunately she didn’t do anything but dump lots of rain and wind on us).
This is a must have accessory.
Get your PowerPocket here
Posted by Tara Burner on August 20, 2008
This will be the first of many wordless Monday’s where you can come, see a photo taken by us and reflect and contemplate it.
Start the week off on a positive note 
Today’s is a flower photographed by me on Jungle Island in Miami, FL
Posted by Tara Burner on August 16, 2008
What gives?
Storm preparation people always tell you to make sure your cars have gas and you have gas for generators, etc.
I just got back from the gas station and they maxed me at $75 worth of gas. I had one car to still put gas in and 3 more gas cans to fill for backup for generator and they topped me off at $75. Had to finish, then go back in and have son pay for more gas since they were maxing people at $75.
Why???
I mean for all the non eco lovers who drive big SUV’s and 8 cylinder trucks $75 will not go far. At $3.89/gallon that’s like 19.28 gallons. My matrix holds 16 gallons when bone dry. So how do they think people with generators are going to get gas if they max us at $75?
Just thinking out loud, because I thought as long as I have money I could buy whatever I wanted…didn’t know we were already rationing gas even days before a possible storm.
Posted by Tara Burner on
They’re both horrendous acts that nobody should have to do, much less on the same day!
It’s bad enough to have to go to the mall with the masses of people who it seems many aren’t partial to bathing before they go out in public but then to dodge the fake smiling women attempting to spray you with their chemical migraine inducing ‘perfume’ as you walk into any main department store is hazardous to my health and theirs. Their’s because they’re going to get an earful from me if they spray me.
We go from one extreme to the other: BO vs chemical funk. Neither appeal to me.
What is it with department stores that have the perfume section right at the entrance, making it impossible to get to the kids section without having to plan a quick path holding one’s breath and hope you make it safely through without getting sprayed? Why do those perfume people think everyone wants to douse themselves with chemical funk? Sorry but spray me and you’ll suffer the consequences, because when I get an instant chemical induced migraine because someone decided to invade my ’space’ and spray me, that’s not a good thing.
What is the deal with clothing manufacturers? Why can’t someone design fashionable clothes in a size somewhere between an 8 slim and…seems 8 & 10 slims just don’t fit properly and if they do most of them are not ‘fashionable’ for a preteen diva. Size 0 in jr’s are the right style but oh so long and big. Is there no fashionable smaller clothing? Does anyone know what it’s like to spend hours at the mall (which I cannot stand to begin with) and deal with preteen attitude because ‘nothing fits’. I wish things fit, I really really do…but seeing how I can’t design cloths nor sew, I can’t do anything about it. Finally after hours of pushing and getting trampled by smelly people find 1 pair of capri’s, 2 pants and a bathing suit…hey wait, why do we need a bathing suit for school?? Oh, because it’s on sale! O.k.
Then there’s the threat of “Fay” heading this way (sorry we don’t use the “H” word here, I simply refuse to speak that word!). That means water, nonperishable food, batteries, hmmm where are the flashlights? Oh, how cute Ace Hardware has pink, green and blue kids lanterns…a preteen diva must have one (in each color of course!) Thought I went in there to buy rope, wow that was some expensive rope that turned into rope and three mini lanterns (apparently one can never have enough lanterns or flashlights in case of power outage).
Let’s see…nonperishable foods means run to the health food store stock up on Clif Kid Energy Bars and Clif Kid Twisted Fruit (both organic). Ah, little one proceeds to eat a few of these as we walk through the health food store…opps need to go back and grab some more to account for the ones she ate in the store, so we have enough at home! Already have trail mix, seeds and nuts so we’re good on that respect. Oh yea must get some organic juice boxes just in case since they’re ok if not cold.
Let’s see, what else do we need? Oh yea, let’s grab that 40 lb bag of dog food too while we’re at it, that’ll hold over the dogs for awhile.
Now, off to the gas station, must fill up car and get extra gas cans of gas…was caught off guard when gentlemen at pump on other side of mine was actually talking and carrying on a pleasant conversation as he filled his gas cans (nobody talks to anyone, much less nicely in the course of preparing for hurricane). Wow that was a nice surprise, simply amazing! That was the high point of the day was a friendly conversation with a total stranger making small talk at the gas station in the midst of all the chaos and rudeness of the back to school shopping crowd and the insane people fighting in the store for water and batteries. Fortunately we didn’t need to get those at store and got all we needed between the hardware store and the health food store.
Ah, let’s fill up all the water bottles and containers… how many gallons per person per day are we supposed to have? hmm think it’s one gallon per person per day? plus 2 dogs? hmmm really should read those preparation guides they give at the beginning of season. Been though this enough times though over the course of 23 years, you’d think I’d have this down by now.
Now off to figure out what one does with the small external filter system to the above ground pool so it doesn’t blow away and take the hoses with it, causing 3500 gallons of water to come pouring out of the pool. Oh yea, that’s what I got the rope for! Forgot about the rope, was still reveling in my purchase of pink, green, blue cute little lanterns that made daughter oh so happy.
Now, after surviving the school shopping and storm shopping all in one day, let’s see if school really starts on Monday or not!
Posted by Tara Burner on August 15, 2008
Affordable Mineral Makeup™ is approved by PETA as a cruelty free company.
We’d have been on the vegan listing as well except our mineral mascara and organic mineral tinted lip balms have beeswax.
We strongly stand against any form of animal testing and find it a pointless painful procedure. Animals compositions are different than ours, so even testing on animals isn’t going to have same effect as a product would on a person. You can visit PETA to see more information on the effects animal testing has on the test animals
Affordable Mineral Makeup™ is listed on PETA’s “do not test list” which means we do not test any of our products, nor are any ingredients in our products test on animals. We want our clients to know that not only are our products natural and safe for them, but also that they’ve never been used on animals nor harmed anyone (human or animal).
CaringConsumer.com “don’t test” list
and, yes there is a process to go through to get PETA approval and be able to legally use their cruelty free logo
You must submit application, wait for approval after they investigate and review the application and in order to legally be allowed to use their logo you must pay the fee. Sadly many people don’t do that and they just place the logo on their sites, so make sure to check the listing at CaringConsumer.com “don’t test” list to ensure the company you’re dealing with is in fact listed with them and simply didn’t ’steal’ the logo.
So you can shop at Affordable Mineral Makeup™ knowing our products are cruelty free and you can also confirm that they’re safe via Campaign for Safe Cosmetics because we’re listed there as well.
Posted by Tara Burner on
Just blogged about the benefits of using microfiber cleaning cloths at
http://gogreenwithtaraburner.com/blog/green-cleaning/microfiber-cleaning-cloths.html
Tara
