This soup is so quick easy to make! Using plenty of pesto (which I previously blogged about, here is my recipe) and sun-dried tomato puree (paste) gives it a rich, minestrone-like flavor.

3 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 cans butter beans (can substitute canellini beans)
4 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste (I used regular tomato paste)
5 tbsp pesto
salt + pepper to taste

Drain and rinse the butter beans. Put the drained beans in a large pot with the stock and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat and stir in the tomato puree and pesto Cover, bring back to a simmer and cook gently for 5 minutes.

Transfer 6 ladlefuls into a blender or food processors, scooping up plenty of beans. Process until smooth, then return to the pot.

Heat gently, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, then season if necessary.

I started my first container garden this summer and it's been going great! I planted the tomatoes in late May (with a $5 starter plant from Driftless Organics that I got at the Farmer's Market) so I've already been reaping the benefits of that plus I've been growing lots of lettuce and basil (both from seeds.) The sugar snap peas have not been going so well - I don't think they were meant for a pot, but I'm still hopeful something resembling a sugar snap pea will form at some point! The tomatoes + lettuce have been making excellent BLTs for the past few weeks, but now that the basil is overflowing, it's time to make a bunch of great pesto.

In my last blog post, I was talking about the idea of camping in your backyard as a way of connecting with nature. Some people commented that they would love to do something like that BUT the mosquitos are so bad, it is sometimes prohibitive. I thought a post about eco-friendly and DIY bug sprays would be a perfect follow-up - you do have options!

The active ingredient in most conventional bug sprays, N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide, or DEET, has come under fire in recent years, since it has been found to impede cognition in some animal studies. A study conducted in the late 1980s on National Park employees found that one-quarter of the subjects experienced negative health effects, including rashes, numb or burning lips, nausea, headaches, dizziness and difficulty concentrating.

The National Wildlife Federation wants you to join the Great American Backyard Campout on Saturday, June 26, in your backyard, parks, campgrounds or even your balcony!

No site is too big or too small to spend a night sleeping under the stars. Create lasting memories by connecting with family and friends in the great outdoors. It's something simple you can do to promote happier, healthier children!

Ways to Participate

• Camp! - Invite your friends or family members to join you for a sleepover under the stars.

Join us this Sunday June 6 from 10-4pm for RIDE THE DRIVE! It's a celebration of Madison’s commitment to healthy, active lifestyles. This community event is an invitation for all citizens to leave their cars behind to experience some of Madison’s most scenic byways a whole new way - by riding, walking, skating, or strolling along some of our city’s most beautiful streets.

The Free Light Bulb Initiative, created by Energy Efficient NOW!, offers you two free compact fluorescent light bulbs mailed directly to your house (they pay shipping). There are no strings attached. EEN simply wants to spread the word about sustainable living and cut down some carbon by encouraging more people to make the CFL switch. You can order your light bulbs here.

It’s easy to convert our lawns into native prairies that will attract birds and butterflies, and provide restful beauty for the eye and spirit. After all, mowed lawns mean toxic emissions from mowers, money wasted on gasoline, the temptation to use herbicides, and many hours of work. Who needs it?

Maintaining large, green lawns is hard on the environment because of the fertilizers, pesticides and gas-powered mowers usually used. You can turn your green patch into a colorful, bird and butterfly attracting native garden instead - I'll show you how!

Whole Foods Market announced that all 292 of its stores in the U.S., Canada and England will collect customers' wine corks with the goal of turning them into really cool items. The company has partnered with Cork ReHarvest to find various ways to repurpose the corks.

In our area, Whole Foods stores plan to give the corks to Yemm & Hart, a cork-floor tile manufacturer.

Hello! I've been contributing to 1thing for the past year and I've never introduced myself - shame on me! I'm the person behind the Green Team Facebook Fan page. I'm also the Digital Director at Triple M and am just a general "care about the earth" sorta person. I like to share interesting articles and ask questions to get a read on what local eco-issues people really care about.