This blog is about you. In a society where time is your most guarded asset, when you’re trying to balance a family, a social life, and a demanding job, not many of you have the time to spend reading research and calling up companies in your free time. And who wants to spend a bunch of money on unfamiliar products in a process of elimination to find out what works for you?

So here’s how to do it all, without compromising your values. I’ve learned a lot of valuable insider information over the years, and I’d like to share it with you. The Sustainable Scoop can help you whittle your time on finding good products down to mere minutes. I have already put in the money and the time, so you don’t have to.

Please remember: Everything on this site is my personal opinion, not related to any company or product I write about in any way. I’m not a scientist or a doctor. I’m not even cool! I’m just your average gal, though above-average in height and below-average in coordination. I have to make compromises like everybody else, it’s really hard to live perfectly in line with your ideals in every single decision. And when I do make concessions here and there, it’s always after weighing the options against my time, cash flow, and ideals.

Also, in the interest of transparency, I should disclose that my father-in-law, Walter Robb, is Co-President and COO of Whole Foods Market, and that my mother-in-law, Emily Mattison, is the Owner and President of Jungle Products, Inc. Though I write about these two companies frequently, my relationships with my husband’s parents in no way affect what I write here. My mission with the site is to bring honest and useful information to my readers, and my family doesn’t factor into those responsibilities. I receive no sponsorship from either Jungle Products or Whole Foods, just my family’s love and support.

The Sustainable Scoop began in July of 2006 as a Typepad site. However, this didn’t allow access to the files on the server, so in September of 2007 I transferred the site over to the Wordpress platform. The site currently uses the three-column Cutline theme, designed by Chris Pearson of Pearsonified.com. I did all of the design customization and most of the coding for The Sustainable Scoop, but I did have some indispensable help from a guy I only know as Couchmouse. (Thanks, Couchmouse!)

The site uses many web applications, including SiteMeter, Flickr, VideoEgg, BraveNet, and Creative Commons. The site also uses several plugins, including the Articles plugin by Alex King, the Askimet plugin by Matt Mullenweg, and the Translate Widget 2.0 by Trevor Creech. Yay for nerds!

Also, a big shout out to the folks at Living Dot, who, in a word, ROCK. While the site was changing platforms, they answered the unreasonable amount of questions that I asked them, and they were even super-nice about it. If you knew how stressed out I was during that time, you’d be amazed that the people at Living Dot were nice at all. (And Ted didn’t smother me in my sleep, which is about the best I could have asked for given the fact that I totally deserved it.)