Fri May 02, 2008
The Best Mother’s Day Gifts for the Eco Mama
Category:
Mother's Day Eco-Friendly Mom
Some compact fluorescent light bulbs. A big box of eco-friendly cleaning products. Just kidding! No mom wants to focus on cleaning and changing light bulbs on her day. Here are some eco choices that are a little more fun:
Sustainable Flowers
(20 stems for $39.95): These gerber daisies will brighten anyone’s day, and knowing that they were grown responsibly is all the better. Flowers from Organic Style are Veriflora certified by Scientific Certification Systems which means they meet high standards in terms of their sustainable crop production, ecosystem protection, fair labor practices and more. The flowers are also wrapped in a biodegradable corn-based sleeve.
Organic Bath Company Pomegranate Fig Instant Spa Kit ($27.58): This spa kit includes high quality products that smell divine. Organic Bath Company uses recycled and recyclable materials in their packaging and strives to produce and distribute their products with the least possible negative environmental impact. They use certified organic ingredients wherever possible. This set includes Better Body Butter, Sea Mineral Bath Soak, Replenishing Body Polish, a Spa Cloth, Daily Body Wash, and Bubble Bath Petals.
Recycled Vinyl Bag ($57): These bags are made from discarded vinyl billboards. Since the vinyl does not break down, reusing it is a much better alternative than letting it sit in a landfill. Since vinyl is strong and waterproof, it is perfect for bags. Each bag is one of a kind, but they all have a zipper pocket on the front, top flap with velcro and compartments inside.
Green Mom Tee from Peace Love Mom ($38): Made of 100% organic cotton of course. A comfy shirt with a cool design and message.
Carbon Offset Gift Card. Well, this is not exactly fun but it will do a lot of good. Climate change is the big one when it comes to environmental issues. So giving Mom some offsets is going to get the most benefit for your money. You buy the offsets and your money is used to produce clean energy, offsetting the carbon that your energy use generates. A two ton Gift Card is $11, while a ten ton is $55.
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on May 02, 08 - 12:00 pm |
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Tue Apr 29, 2008
Eco-Find: Reusable Shopping Bags with Style
Category:
Eco-Friendly Mom Bags
What: Envirosax Reusable Bags
Why: For a while, I schlepped back and forth from the grocery store with an armful of unwieldy, ugly burlap bags all in the name of earth friendliness. Yes, I was saving bags, but boy were these bags ever ugly.
You no longer need to suffer through the same fate in order to be eco-friendly. The line of reusable bags from
Envirosax are made from lightweight, waterproof polyester that is incredibly strong (equivalent to two supermarket plastic bags), and folds up into a portable 4x1.5in. pouch that can be easily stashed in your bag. But they are also so incredibly stylish that I actually get stopped all the time by people asking me where I got my “purse.” (Seriously.) The Mikado series is inspired by ornate but simple Japanese style, the Retro Graphic series pairs bold colors with striking mod patterns, the Flora series is inspired by the Australian rainforest, and the Monochromatic series has fun playing off black and white.
Price: $8.50 per bag or $37.95 for a set of five
Find it: envirosax.com
Tue Apr 22, 2008
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Pre-Cycle Instead of Recycle on Earth Day
Category:
Eco-Friendly How To
We know the mantra reduce, reuse, recycle. The last of the three seems to have caught on more than the first two. So some people use the term pre-cycle which means to pre-vent using something or to pre-think a purchase. Yes, this does mean basically the same thing as reduce and reuse, but it’s a little catchier. I’m sure many of you are already doing some of the following, but why not try to do them all? Here’s how:
Bring your own bag to the store. I expanded my own bag practice from grocery stores to places like Target and Marshalls, and I get some funny looks, but hopefully it will catch on. My favorite grocery totes are colored ones I got from Trader Joe’s for a couple of bucks. Here are some reuseable bags in creative prints and cool designs.
Carry around a reusable coffee mug and water bottle. It seems scientists are once again concerned that teeny weeny bits of bad things come from plastic water bottles, which is another reason to invest in Sigg aluminum bottles.
Use cloth napkins and kitchen towels. Paper towels are not essential to a kitchen. I have a cabinet full of tea towels, and a small hamper in the kitchen for them once they are really dirty. We have been living without paper napkins towels for years. If you don’t already have a bunch of cloth items stock up on basic organic cotton napkins and towels.
Now here’s one I have been attempting to for years but have yet to succeed. Bring your own utensils with you instead of using plastic ones. Sigg has a heavy duty set that comes in a cool case, but people may be scared if you pull it out in food court. I am going to try is to use a makeup brush case
to tote silverware from home. Does anyone know of a better way to carry a fork around?
Want more eco-friendly ideas? Click here to learn how to reduce waste in kids’ lunches.
Posted by:
on Apr 22, 08 - 12:00 pm |
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Shop Organic for Baby on Earth Day
Category:
Children Eco-Friendly
It’s getting easier and easier to shop organic for your family, and the selection of organic finds for baby, alone, has gotten mighty impressive. Inspired to go green? Here are some of the latest eco-friendly, organic goodies for your earth baby:
You probably know about babyGap’s collection of Organic Bodysuits
, but did you know they also have adorable Organic Baby Bedding?
Check it out in their new babyGAP Home Store if you live in LA, Chicago or NYC, but you can also find everything on their site.
Want something that’s not just organic, but multi-tasking too? Invest in Orbit Baby’s Green Edition Bassinet Pram. Use it as a Moses basket, a chic pram to go with the Orbit Stroller or as a cradle on the Orbit Rocker. Regardless of how you use it, baby will love snuggling up against the 100% organic cotton lining.
This one’s more for moms, but we had to include it since there’s nothing more organic than breastfeeding your baby. Nurse in eco-fabulous style with Bebe au Lait’s new Simple Nursing Covers made from 100% certified organic linen and cotton.
Tip: Find organic baby clothing, cloth diapers & natural toys at the BabyCenter Earth-Friendly Boutique.
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on Apr 22, 08 - 10:00 am |
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Save Your Laundry (and the World) One DROPP at a Time
Category:
Eco-Friendly For the Home
What: Laundry Dropps
Why: If I count the number of laundry detergent bottles I go through each year, I’d probably have enough to fill a small landfill—something I’m not particularly proud of. Here’s an eco-friendly (and back-saving) solution—
Dropps. One tiny dissolving pac contains enough detergent to wash a load of laundry, and it gets the job done nicely. No measuring, no messy spills, no guilt. Just good, clean fun. Yes, laundry can be fun.
Price: $6 for 20
Find it: dropps.com
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on Apr 22, 08 - 8:00 am |
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Mon Apr 21, 2008
Earth Day Find: Cruelty-Free Make-up Brushes and a “Totally Beautiful” Sweepstakes
Category:
Eco-Friendly Mom Beauty
What: Eco Tools Makeup Brush
Why: As I’ve been adding more Green to my make-up drawer (OK drawers) I realized that my brushes weren’t especially eco-friendly or animal-friendly. Ouch! Time to switch to the
Eco Tools at
drugstore.com.
. These brushes are made from bamboo, which has a lower impact on the environment, recycled aluminum and best of all Taklon bristles and not animal hair. They come to you in a reusable cosmetic pouch.
Price: $3.99 - $8.99 with double Drugstore.com dollars back award for buying Green
Find it: drugstore.com
Earth Day Alert: Reward yourself for being Green and enter the Earth Day “Totally Green Sweepstakes” at
TotalBeauty.com. You could win a 2008 Saturn Vue Hybrid filled with a year’s supply of green and organic beauty products or hundreds of other prizes. As a bonus, for every review you submit for a Green product on the site, TotalBeauty.com will donate $1 to
Healthychild.org, The contest runs through June 5th.
Fri Apr 18, 2008
Deal of the Day: Up to Half Off Eco-Friendly Fashion Accessories at Ecoist.com
Category:
Deal of the Day Eco-Friendly
Posted by:
on Apr 18, 08 - 12:00 pm |
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DadFinds Friday: Organic Dads Unite for Lunch
Category:
Dad Eco-Friendly
What: Go Organic Lunch Sack and Travel Mug
Why: One of the easiest ways to help out Mother Nature is to stop using Styrofoam cups and paper bags at lunch. While I love my Monkees lunchbox, I think my Green guy would prefer something simpler like this
I’m Organic Lunch Bag made from organic cotton. Pair it with this
I’m Organic Travel Mug made from 100% corn and some oatmeal thrown in for strength. The mug holds 16 ounces and when it’s time to toss, it will biodegrade in about two months.
I’m Organic also donates a portion of profits to organizations with sustainable education programs.
Price: $17 for the lunch bag; $20 for the mug
Find it: imorganic.com
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