Did You Know?

Did you know?

*Turning off your computer is MUCH better than leaving it on sleep all night long. Seriously. Not sure where you heard the opposite, but it's not true, turn it off at night!

*In California alone 3 MILLION (!) plastic bottles are thrown out each day, yes I said day! Make a difference and stop the trend, use a reusable bottle for gosh sakes!

*You can rent hybrid cars at big name rental places across the country. Aren't you curious to try one yourself!?

*There are 87,000 flights in the US alone each day, ummm hello! Think of all that fuel. WOW

*Most dishwashers use 15 gallons of water per cycle vs. 5 gallons per minutes at the sink, that's per minute, how many minutes do you spend washing dishes, more than 3? I thought so. I wish I had a dishwasher to use! Until then, we keep the water on low and go as quick as we can.

*Almost all mainstream detergents are made with petroleum, ew. Know what's in yours? I do! Switch to a natural brand like Seventh Generation, Method or Mrs. Meyer's.

Daily Eco

Have a rummage night (or week in our case). Kevin and I have been having rummage night for years now, where we eat "whatever" in an effort to reduce food waste and save money. This week we are extending that to rummage week! So far we've roasted up a ton of veggies we had in the fridge, yummy frozen veggie presses from Trader Joe's, nachos and black bean quesadillas (which Juliette loved too I might add) and tonight we're serving up some tortellini, yum! I know it's going to get less exciting by week's end but we were on a mission to lesson our weekly grocery spending and do a real clean out. If that means we'll be having scrambled eggs and popsicles by Friday, so be it.

So get to it! Come up with lots of random, rummaged meals, you're walled and the earth will thank you. Plus then you can restock full of fresh and delicious goodies when you're finished cleaning house!

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Daily Eco

When you're shopping you can go through this mental checklist to make sure you're staying Eco-Friendly even when consuming, because as much as we don't want to admit it, we all consume, everyday.

Eco-Shopping Checklist:

1. Do I need this, really need this?

2. Where was this item made?

3. What is this item made of?

4. How much wasteful packaging does this item have? Is there an alternative?

5. Can I recycle this item somehow (give away, recycle, reuse?)

6. What will I do with this item?

7. Do I need this? (Yes I asked that already, but it is a very important question!)

Your Green Today

Pick up a power strip if you don't already use them. Plug everything into them so you can conveniently turn everything off before you head to bed, or to work.

What Will I Do For The Earth Today?

*Spending the day outside of course, enjoying the sunshine!

*Turning off all lights as I leave rooms, even if I am coming back soon

*As I take out the garbage in the house, make sure I didn't toss any recyclables in the wrong place (ie, paper trash throughout the house, I pull out to recycle)

*Made Juliette her breakfast with a banana that would otherwise need to be tossed in a day or so (we are leaving town tonight for the weekend, so it's important to use what will go bad before we leave) instead of pulling out something fresh

*Added to my clothes donation pile instead of adding it to the trash pile when cleaning out my closet

*Made sure I have my reusable Aladdin BPA free jug for iced coffee on the go & a small Earth Lust bottle of water so I don't end up purchasing a plastic one.

What are you going to do for the earth today?

What Did You Do For The Earth Today?

Here's what I did:

Said "NO!" to shopping bags at 2 stores and opted to fit the items in my large canvas tote.

Brought my own reusable bottle for my iced coffee and came home to use my own grass-fed organic small farm milk

I made Juliette's breakfast, lunch and dinner (pears & bananas) out of all organic fruits of course and stored it in a re-purposed jar.

I made sure things were unplugged like the coffee machine & toaster after I used them

I kept the lights off most of the day even when I was hope, instead opting for opening the curtains and letting in natural light

What did YOU do?

Shift Your Habit

I was sent this great book, Shift Your Habit by Elizabeth Rogers to review. At first I thought, oh here's yet another book on going green with all the typical suggestions. But once I opened it I realized how much information was packed into this book and how worth a read it really was.

Instead of just telling you what the change, this book offers real data, real statistics on why the change matters. Not only do you find out how shifting your habits changes things for the planet you also find out how these changes help you financially. Which at this time in our lives couldn't be more relevant.

Here are some of my favorite ways to shift my habits from the book:

Make you own baby food
Save up to $1,500 per year. Juliette has only been eating solid food for about a week, and we've been making all of her food. I've already noticed how much less pricey it is for me to make it. We bought a huge bag of organic sweet potatoes from Trader Joe's for under $4.00 and she's had at least 5 meals already with it and I cooked up the rest and have frozen about 7 portions for later use. Whereas 1 jar of Earth's Best Baby Food is $1.20 at my local store.

Buy a laptop instead of a desktop computer
Save up to $45 in your electricity bill each year, and conserve roughly 450 kilowatt-hours of electricity.

Buy a multivitamin instead of individuals
Save up to $350 per year plus you conserve the production energy used to generate additional supplements and containers

This book just came out yesterday, so don't hesitate to snag a copy for yourself at you local bookstore! I'll be sure to post tons tips from the book too.

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Daily Eco: A Cleaner Mani/Pedi

Pamper yourself with an eco friendly mani-pedi! If you're local spot doesn't treat customers to chemical free products, bring your own and ask them to use them.

I am treating my pregnant toes to a pedicure today, mainly because I can't reach them but also so that when I do go into labor which could be any day now, I can relish in the fact that my feet look spotless! I am toting my Butter nail polish and Peacekeeper nail polish remover with me. Peacekeeper also makes nail polish in a few shades and has a mission statement to impress:

"PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics is the first cosmetics company to give all of its after-tax, distributable profits to women’s health advocacy and urgent human rights issues."

See you can pamper yourself and help others all at the same time!

psst...Butter nail polish is available at Beauty.com!

(Images: iamapeacekeeper.com)

Daily Eco: Shorter Showers

If you cut your shower time by 2 minutes you can save up to 150 gallons of water a month! I know it's hard to get out quicker when it's so refreshing in there, but come on you can do it!

(Image:onelittlething.org)

Red White & Green

July 4th is right around the corner, and it's time to make that BBQ shopping list! What better time to start some eco-friendly traditions. Focus on a vegetarian menu or splurge on organic chicken and beef this year. Seek out the grass fed/pasture options. There is no greater way to say I LOVE YOU to the country than to start treating it better, from the beautiful land itself to the animals and people who inhabit it.

Check out your local farm stands for the freshest produce & meats, introduce yourself to the farmer and make your voice heard!

I know this wasn't a huge post, but hey it's a holiday weekend and I've gotta get cracking on my plans!

Enjoy yourself, be safe and have fun!

(Image:z.hubpages.com)

Eco-Weekend Plans

As the weekend approaches it's time to put your eco-thinking cap on and set out to keep the green momentum going. Here are some ideas of what you can do to get your green on this weekend.....

As the sun begins to shine, get those curtains or blinds open, ditch the lights in the house and use natural light to get you through the day. Make sure you turn lights off all day long, it's habit to turn them on despite barely seeing any additional light when the windows are open. Cut your bills too!

Cook! Create a feast for your loved ones with delicious in season organic produce, naturally and socially responsibly raised meats & poultry. Looking for grassfed in your area, click here! I know you'll find what you're looking for at EatWild.com

Ditch the car for your bike, or legs! Walk where you're going, ride in the sunshine and enjoy the fresh air. Obviously this depends on where you live, but the more you spend outside enjoying the fresh air the better, no matter where you live.

Support local artisans by shopping at local boutiques and farmers markets. I will be attending the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn this weekend, with over 300 vendors this year I can't wait! I am hoping to find a little something sweet for baby...The craft fair rolls around to Brooklyn, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago, check out the link above to find out more info, dates & links to vendor sites.

Enjoy yourself....

Movin' on Up

My husband and I are moving next week and have been collecting used cardboard boxes from his work for weeks now, we're lucky, there's always an abundance of shapes and sizes. But if you're moving and can't seem to find boxes near you, please please don't go buy them! There are so many options for finding reusable boxes.

* Talk to your local grocer about picking up their used boxes, ask for egg boxes too as they are extra thick and great for heavy things!

* Find out what night your local community puts their cardboard trash out, for example in my hood one night a week the streets are covered in boxes!

* Check out the website BoxCycle to purchase reused boxes at a much cheaper rate, plus you're helping extend their life before being recycled.

As for packing papers, use old newspapers & magazines. So what if your hands get black, you're making use of trash, that's worth it!

(Image:www.thebudgetfashionista.com)

Bake & Cook at Home to Save Green and Be Green!

When you cook at home you are closer to the food you eat, you know the ingredients and are more inclined to choose natural and organic components. Plus there's nothing like filling the house with the scents of homemade goodies. In case you need more inspiration, check these photos out:







(Images: Oh Happy Day!, A Cup of Jo, A Day That Is Desert)

Daily Eco: Mail Greener

When you mail packages make sure you always use recycled materials! Pack fragile items in old newspapers, magazines and office paper balled up. Pick up recycled content packing supplies (boxes, mailers etc) at Staples. Click below for links to their products available.

Padded Mailers

Bubble Mailers

Shipping Boxes

As for what to mail, well that's up to you!

(Image:images-cdn01.associatedcontent.com)

Happy Earth Day!!!

Some background:

From Wikipedia: Earth Day, celebrated April 22, is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment. It is held annually during both spring in the northern hemisphere and autumn in the southern hemisphere. It was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in in 1970 and is celebrated in many countries every year.

The United Nations celebrates an Earth Day each year on the March equinox, a tradition which was founded by peace activist John McConnell in 1969.

Now that you know the history here are some ways to celebrate today:

- Take a long walk as close to nature as possible, if you're in a city, spend some time in your local park. Enjoy nature's bounty!

- Plan a vegetarian meal for dinner, or hit up your local vegetarian cafe to indulge in some delicious earth friendly bites.

- Turn of your lights and dine by candlelight tonight

- Take the step to help your office recycle better, make sure the bins are being emptied by the right person. Trust me, I've lived through this, a blue recycle bin doesn't always end up where you think!

- Bring your own bag lunch to work today, and make sure you're using reusable containers and bringing your own cutlery. Oh,and obviously you own reusable water container!

- When you pick up your morning coffee make sure you're ordering the fair trade beans and ask for the organic milk. If they don't have it, take yourself to the next cafe!

- Unplug anything you're not using, no literally do it right now! Could be your phone charger (while it's not charging), a light on you don't need or the printer that can be turned on throughout the day when needed.

- Wish someone Happy Earth Day and ask what they are doing to help the environment and honor Mother Nature.

- Rent An Inconvenient Truth, Planet Earth, Earthlings or another eco-minding flick tonight.

- Schedule an organic/local pot luck dinner for friends this coming weekend. Make it a rule that all ingredients must be organic and locally sourced.

- Avoid processed food today, eat only pure ingredients, that means fruits, veggies and whole grains. You'll feel healthier and maybe start a trend.

(Image:www.probush.com)

Daily Eco

Share the wealth. If you purchase food in bulk, share it instead of letting it get tossed. For example, if you know you're not going to get to those apples before they go bad bring them to work and share! Waste is SO not eco-friendly!

Daily Eco

Just say no! To double bags that is, bring your own or say "no" to that extra bag. Be present when you shop, most often you don't need that double bag. And really, bring your own anyway!

Daily Eco

Stop picking up the paper on your way to work only to toss it before you exit the train station (for you urban dwellers). Read the paper online! It's not a hard switch, especially for those of us with Internet accessible phones with us. Podcasts can keep you in tune with your favorite news program too, anything to lessen the paper usage.

Also, I've said this before, share your magazines, don't read and toss, read and share! I bring my old magazines down to the building lobby and leave them for my neighbors. I save a few for friends and family too. Magazines may only cost a few bucks, but everyone loves a free gift!

Daily Eco

What am I doing to stay eco-friendly today? Well, I'm heading to the thrift stores in my neighborhood with 2 huge bags of clothes/shoes and coats to sell, hopefully I can make enough to take my husband to dinner tonight!

In addition to that, I'm counting the days till Sunday, when I can see how my compost is fairing, I've been anxiously waiting...

What are you doing to stay eco-friendly today? Tell me!

Daily Eco

Check out this great site Earth Seasons for USA specific season foods. This way you can know what to choose at the grocery store. Fruits and Veggies are flown in from all over the world, costing a lot and wasting a lot of fuel. That's not very eco-friendly is it? When you go to the site, don't forget to choose Canada/USA!

A sneak peak? Sure!

Celery Root, Leeks and Potatoes are in season right now