Tracey Bianchi blogs about finding a saner, greener life from the heart of the Chicago suburbs. She wrote Green Mama: The Guilt-Free Guide to Helping You and Your Kids Save the Planet(Zondervan 2009) and blogs at traceybianchi.com.

Posts By This Author

Experiencing God's Creation, Rain or Shine

by Tracey Bianchi 04-14-2011
I'm a Midwestern girl coming out of her winter shell this month. Flip flops are lost companions just now crawling out from under beds and hidden closet shelves.

Tread Lightly During Spring Break Travel

by Tracey Bianchi 03-23-2011

My family, while I was growing up, was not much for spring breaks. As other families we know flitted about preparing for palm trees and sand, my sister and I would pout and lament to my mother that we had the worst lives on the planet because we were not going to Florida. My Mom (and I now love her for this) really didn’t care. Her basic attitude was that we had more than enough adventure in our lives so suck it up and stop whining. Call another friend who stayed home and get out of the house.

Feeling Green Guilt at 30,000 Feet

by Tracey Bianchi 03-04-2011
I just returned from a fabulous little weekend getaway. Skipped town with the hubby. Just us, sans three kids for the first time in four years, and it was glorious.

How Do We Take Lent Beyond Chocolate and Caffeine?

by Tracey Bianchi 02-23-2011
Lent. It's an odd word, not exactly one that shows up in the vernacular of our everyday.

A Green Christmas: 5 Realistic Ideas for Celebrating the Season

by Tracey Bianchi 12-14-2010
Well, here we go. Like it or not, tis the season. For me the holidays are a mixed blur of emotions, hopes, and unfulfilled, unrealistic dreams and desires.

The New Consumer: Has the Recession Changed Us?

by Tracey Bianchi 09-16-2010
As young kids, my sister and I always loved to rummage through my grandmother's basement.

Darth Vader Goes Swimming and Clarity Floods In

by Tracey Bianchi 07-28-2010
We joined the flood club this weekend. I've heard rumors about this group of people before.

Convenience and its Consequences

by Tracey Bianchi 06-30-2010
I love the clerks in my local grocery store. The same women scan and weigh and slide my yogurt and tortilla chips every week.

I'm Part of the Reason For That Oil Spill

by Tracey Bianchi 06-02-2010

In the daily grind of life there are few obstacles as irritating as traffic. The opening scene of "Office Space" deftly captures the sentiment. You know it, the neurotic jockeying and ill-fated attempts we make to slip ourselves into the lane that appears to be moving.

Hot, Humid, and Green Summer Ideas

by Tracey Bianchi 05-27-2010
"So what are you up to this summer?" seems to be the question du jour. With the calendar about to flip into June everyone seems antsy for a summer plan.

My Green Hangover

by Tracey Bianchi 04-28-2010
Yikes. It has been a long month, and it is technically not over yet. Green jargon and advertising every place your eyes dare to settle.

10 Happy Little Earth Day Tips and Your Best Ideas Too!

by Tracey Bianchi 04-19-2010
This week is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. People all over this little planet will likely take a few moments this week to thing twice about how their daily routines impact this world.

Coffee and Compost

by Tracey Bianchi 04-09-2010
I was reminded of a little gardening tip last week that has my dear husband Joel rolling his eyes. Joel is a good sport.

Health Care: Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers?

by Tracey Bianchi 03-29-2010
So my son came home from kindergarten on Friday all ravenous and hungry like he always is. No snacks in school so he is always a raving lunatic looking for a cookie after school.

The Question of Climate Change is Secondary to the Need for Creation Care

by Tracey Bianchi 03-04-2010
It is still very much winter in Chicago. Sure, the calendar says March, but the piles of snow on the ground look more like mid-January. Everything is brown and crusty.

Supermarket Moments in the Environmental Conversation

by Tracey Bianchi 03-01-2010
Last week I was at the grocery store on a Sunday afternoon. I was sans children, and when that happens a trip to the grocery store can feel like spring break.

From Fat Tuesday to a Veggie Lent

by Tracey Bianchi 02-16-2010

It's Fat Tuesday. The height of the Mardi Gras celebration. The pinnacle of Carnaval. The time of year when religious and non-religious types alike trek to places like New Orleans and Rio de Janeiro to whoop it up before the season of Lent begins. Granted, most party-goers could likely give a rip about Lent, but to celebrate the storm before the calm is still a tradition many engage in.

Greening the Winter Games

by Tracey Bianchi 02-03-2010

This time of year I find myself humming the Olympic anthem throughout the day. The Vancouver games run Feb. 12-28; it is time to start dreaming of mogul runs and bobsled victories. For some reason I hum the familiar tune associated with the games on my way to and from errands. As if hauling my three children around were an Olympic event in and of itself.

Eternal Payoffs

by Tracey Bianchi 02-01-2010

God’s design for our lives includes stewardship of everything we have received. Most followers of Jesus give of their finances and volunteer their time, but stewardship also means responsible living with our cars, homes, energy consumption, water use, and so on. In these areas God provides an opportunity for wisdom and discernment on our part. At the very beginning of scripture, in Genesis 1, God outlines a partnership that is wider and greener than many of us realize. It is inconsistent if we slap our 10 percent into the collection plate and then head home in a gas-guzzling car and flip on all the lights

Wise Local Living -- Without Leaving

by Tracey Bianchi 01-11-2010