Preserve Kitchenware

A few months ago, I told you about a toothbrush from Preserve that is made of recycled materials. Since then, I've heard so much buzz about this amazing company, Recycline and their Preserve product line. What started with a toothbrush has turned into a line of products for you and your home that are all made from recycled materials.

Even though their company has grown recently, their commitment to their customers and the environment remains solid. From their website:

• Preserve products are made from 100% recycled plastics and 100% post-consumer paper. By using recycled materials, we save energy, preserve natural resources and create an incentive for communities to recycle.
• All of our plastic products are recyclable, either through our postage-paid labels and mailers (toothbrushes and razor handles) or at the curb in communities that recycle #5 plastic.
• We make our products in the USA, so that we can ship them shorter distances, using less fuel and limiting our environmental footprint.
• We don’t test on animals. Period.
• Preserve products are made to last – and to look good doing it.

Preserve now has a line of kitchenware products that are amazing. I recently got to try out their colander and I have to tell you, I love it. It's sturdy, cute and huge. It's also only $11.99 and can be found at Target along with the rest of the products in the line.

Take a look at these cutting boards and mixing bowls in beautiful colors! All of the products in this line are also BPA free and dishwasher safe...what more could you ask for?!

These are products that you will find useful and you can be proud to use them, knowing that you are using products from a company that values their customers and their environment.

Merry Christmas!

I have a giveaway up for a greener way to do your laundry! Check it out here.

Have a great Christmas and I'll be around more after the holidays have settled.

Discs for Dogs

What to you usually do with old CD's or DVD's that you no longer want?

Did you know that over 45 tons of old discs are thrown into landfills each MONTH? It's true! To make it worse, those discs aren't biodegradable so they just sit there and clog up the land as years pass by.

There is a better option! Discs for Dogs will take your unwanted discs and turn them into profits to be donated to the SPCA.

You simply mail the discs to them, using a printed mailing label from their site and they will sell the discs for a small price online and donate the profit to the local SPCA. They will even reimburse you for shipping or donate the shipping cost directly to the SPCA per your request. Read more about it here if you are interested.

America Recycles Day

America Recycles Day is coming up on November 15!

Check out the site and sign a pledge to commit to recycling.

You can also get tons of information about recycling. Everything from what to recycle, where to recycle and why it's all important. There's also a very informative "Do and Don't list" of Recycling.

You can look up events in your area and get involved, as well.

I have to say, I hadn't heard much about this before. One of our local radio stations does a "Green Minute" each day and the DJ mentioned that America Recycles Day was coming up but that was the first and last I'd heard of it. Had you heard? Are there events in your area?

Magazines

Over at my other blog, I am talking about my sad addiction to magazines. I realize that this isn't a very green addiction so I'm here to ask for your ideas.

What do you do with magazines once you are done with them? If you don't subscribe to any or even like to read them, just pretend that you do.

I have several options for the magazines that I have around my house. Some are recycled when I'm done. This is usually if my daughter has cut out all the pages and used them for her weekly homework assignments that require cutting out pictures that begin with the letter they are studying for the week. So, really, I get another use out of them before they get recycled.

Another option is to donate them. Whenever I have a dentist or doctor appointment, I call ahead and ask if they need any new magazines in their waiting rooms. I've never had them turn me down. I black out or cut out my name and address on the front and take them in. Everyone wins here because the ones I have are usually more recent publications than what are usually the waiting rooms. We also send them to my husband's friends who are deployed. We ship them over and one of his friends will either put them in the lounge of the dorms or fitness centers to be shared.

The last option that I have is to keep them. I try to only do this with magazines that I know I will use or look at again like cooking magazines or ones with articles that I found helpful for whatever reason.

Tell me, what do you do when you're done?

Free Bag from Target

You can get a free reusable bag from Target here.

Real post coming tomorrow and I'll need your input!

Clorox Green Works

Have you tried the Green Works line from Clorox? I recently had the opportunity to try several of their products thanks to my lovely friends at Mom Central.

Let me cut to the chase with these products. I love them! I've been testing green cleaning products for a while now and I've been disappointed time and again. I opened the All Purpose Spray and went right to work on my kitchen. The smell of this product is amazing! In the past, the natural cleaners have seriously lacked in the smell department and that is very important to me. Another good thing is that the spray actually works, too! Good smell, safe product AND it works? I'm devoted.

In addition to the All Purpose Cleaner, I also tried the Dishwashing Liquid, Bathroom Cleaner, and Dilutable Cleaner. I love each one so far. They all have a nice smell without being overpowering, which I've mentioned is very important to me. More importantly, they all WORK. Even better than that, I feel good about letting my kids come around after I've cleaned because I know the products are safe. I also know I'm not washing something down the drain that could contaminate our water supply. I'll be using these products from now on.

The folks at Green Works have developed a web site, 30 Days To Natural, to help you on your own journey to being green. You can receive tips on going green from them and watch videos about regular people who are doing the same. You can invite your friends to learn along with you. This is a site that I'm learning to love. There are a lot of tips, ranging from the very simple to things I hadn't thought of.

If you've tried these products, let me know what you think. I personally love them and since they are affordable and they work so well, I'll be using them for a long time.

Oil Cleansing Method

Recently, my friend Christy posted about something new she was trying for facial cleansing. My initial reaction was, “Ewww.” Getting over that, I was intrigued.

Have you heard of the Oil Cleansing Method? Basically, you combine caster oil with either olive oil or sunflower oil and clean your face with it rather than your normal, most likely chemical based facial cleanser.

Sounds simple, right?

It totally is! The hardest part was finding caster oil. Let me save you some time, head for Walgreens because I live in a fairly large city and they were still the only place that carried it.

You can experiment with how much of each oil you’ll need. I have crazy skin that’s oily in some places and flaky dry in some so I started with mixing a small amount in case I needed to adjust. I started with 20% castor oil and 80% extra virgin olive oil and that seems to be working well for me. Read the article to find out what mixture will work best for you.

I had some fears going into this. First, that I’d smell like an Italian hoagie. Not at all! While I’m massaging the oil into my skin, the smell of the olive oil drives me batty. As soon as I’m done, the smell is gone. I have even asked my husband if he can smell it and he says that he can’t.

I was also afraid that I’d have problems with this making my skin really oily. Sure, I’d read that the castor oil actually breaks up the oil on your skin but the thought of rubbing oil on my skin seemed contrary to taking the oil off. Believe it, friends. It works!

My final fear was that I'd have to use a seperate product to remove my mascara. This works as well as any cleaner I've used in the past (and I think I've used them all!) at removing all of my eye makeup.

I have been able to eliminate my nightly moisturizer since I started using this method just over a week ago. On top of that, I hadn’t yet found a “green” facial cleanser and this keeps me from having to try out all of the expensive ones.

If you have tried this method, please let me know! I’d love to hear how you like it.

**Photo credit: Liv Friis-larsen - Fotolia.com

Well, Well, Well

I'm sure you guys probably thought I was gone forever, didn't you? I have been away from this blog for way too long and I have been itching to get back.

The truth is, I haven't written here because I didn't feel like I had anything new to share with you. We have been cruising along quite nicely with all of the changes that we made to make our lifestyle more green but hadn't tried anything new.

It occurred to me that I originally wanted this blog to be about sharing my journey with you but I also wanted a dialog with you about what you are doing and how this journey is working for you. I wanted to share products with you that I'd either heard about or tried...the good and the bad. I wanted to encourage each other as we tried to make our lives better and take care of the world we live in.

I'm ready to get back to those things. I'm ready to talk. Do you have something that you want to hear about that I haven't covered? If you guys are still reading, let's chat. I'll have at least two new posts up this week and in two weeks, there will be a giveaway here that you won't want to miss. So, bring your ideas, questions and tell your friends because I'm back, baby.

Fabkins

School is about to start here and we have been gearing up and getting all of our supplies ready. It occurred to me as I was making my lists for school shopping that I may have to start buying paper napkins again to use in lunch boxes for the kids. I don't have enough of a supply of cloth built up yet at home to let them take those. Plus, all of our home ones would be rather large for a lunch box.

Luckily, I found Fabkins! These are the most adorable cloth napkins in just the right size for a child's lunch box! I was so excited about these that I let my kids pick out which they wanted and went to order right away. Unfortunately, the ones Sister chose were out of stock. I emailed the company to find out when they'd be in and I got an almost immediate response from co-founder Paige Rodgers. She explained that the ones we wanted were out of stock until October. Sister picked out her second favorite and we had an email saying they were shipped in less than 24 hours. How's that for customer service? I'm beyond impressed.

I'll let you know how they work out when we start using them. For now, I'm just glad that I don't have to buy paper napkins again!

Apologies

Folks, I haven't forgotten about this blog or you. I promise! I'm still trying each day to make strides in a more green lifestyle but I haven't had the energy to tell you about them. We have had one crazy summer and these past couple of weeks have just gotten crazier.

I will tell you that the big strides that we have taken lately are going really well. I'm still using the re-usable cloth bags on shopping trips. I've even take recently to refusing bags at places where I'm just making small purchases. We also haven't purchased paper napkins since I shared with you that I've made the switch to cloth! I've got to say that this is the biggest thing for us because I loathe laundry. But, I haven't noticed any extra laundry and I just throw them in with whatever load I'm working on. I've gotten comments from friends who are dining with us about how great they think it is. Of course, the follow on is that they don't think they can make that switch and I get to explain how easy it was for us.

Another thing I've noticed recently is that I cringe when we are out and I see a lot of unnecessary packaging. Restaurants are notorious for this and an overuse of Styrofoam. A year ago, I wouldn't have given it a passing thought but now it really grates on my nerves.

So, there you have it. I'm still around and posting will pick up here very soon. I've just got to catch my breath first.

I've Got a Beef To Pick

While I'm vacationing with my family for a few days, I've asked one of my favorite ladies in the world to stand in for me. She has no idea that she has been an inspiration to me in my green journey. I remember way back when she was the first of our group who was bold enough to try cloth diapers. She was also the first to make her own baby food. I love her, admire her and can't wait to share her with you! Enjoy Amy from Wake Me When It's Over and make her feel welcome!



I am so excited Heather asked me to guest blog on here! She's been such a huge motivator to step up my going green. With the sheer abundance of info out there it can be so overwhelming to figure out what step to take next. But with Heather here passing all her information along I've really been able to step up my game. So thanks Heather! You've been a huge help!


I've been throwing around the idea of switching to grass fed hormone free beef for quite a while. There are so many reasons that grass fed is better for you and the environment. Cows are meant to be grazing creatures. Instead they are fed corn because this fattens them up faster, which in turn causes the animals to become ill. Think acidosis, rumenitis, liver ulcers and bloat. So thanks to all those nice little illnesses the cows are pumped full of antibiotics. Oh and to get those tasty little cows off to slaughter sooner they get loaded up with hormones. Mmmmm...... I'll take 1 hormone riddled antibiotic laced steak please.

Antibiotics and hormones. Those are big one for me. I've heard time and again that our bodies are growing more resistant to antibiotics. Could this be because we are exposed to it almost daily through our foods? Seriously. I don't know, but it makes sense to me. And hormones? We have girls going through puberty earlier and earlier. It's been suspected that the hormone laden meats could be a cause for this but I haven't been able to find a full blown study. And breast cancer? Again, no study. It would be nice to have these studies done wouldn't it?

So all in all grass fed hormone free beef seems to be the way to go. The animals are raised more humanely. When it's time for slaughter you won't find them jam packed in a trailer cruising down the freeway to the likes of Hallmark Meat Packing Co. You know, the place where those videos of abuse and neglect surfaced a while back. Nope, generally they are slaughtered on site or at small independent slaughter facilities. And with all the meat recalls this would help me breath a little easier. The meat it self is higher in nutritional value. So I guess that leaves us with cost. Sure, it is a bit pricey. And I know every time I start looking into it I shy away because of the price. But then I think about it and realize I can't put a price on my families health.

I'm sure I'll take the plunge sooner than later. But I just can't shake this nagging feeling that I might be setting my boys up for some teasing in the future. I mean if the majority of other kids are eating hormone riddled beef will they have an advantage? Will they be bigger? Stronger? Faster? I know. It seems kinda silly. But Kids can be the most vicious creatures out there. I'm just trying to think of their emotional health too.

Winner!

The lovely winner of the Organic Cotton lounge set from Maggie's Organics is the Sassy Pink Boutique! Congrats! Thanks for entering guys!

What Not To Wear....And a Prize!

I have a chance to share something with you that I'm really excited about. Recently, I read a post by Shaun Groves that made me want to research more before purchasing clothing for my family. I followed the links within the story to other posts detailing a recent trip he took to the Dominican Republic with Compassion International and immediately felt convicted. Of all the things I've been trying to change within our family, I have given little thought to our clothing, where it comes from and how it's made.

Ideally, I'd love to be able to support companies that use organic cotton, safe dye and support fair trade. I realize that this is often difficult to do given the extra expense involved and time it would take you to research in order to find such a company.

Maggie's Organics is a company that I am proud to introduce to you. They use only organic materials in making their apparel and were instrumental in creating the Fair Trade Zone, "a 100% worker-owned Sewing Co-Operative in Nicaragua that has helped hurricane refugees create a new life for themselves and their families."

Further, they are currently helping a group of displaced textile workers in rural NC (an area that owns a piece of my heart because I am originally from there!) by helping them start a sewing company owned by the workers themselves.

This company is getting it right. Click here to find out more about how they are putting back into local communities and using materials that are sustainable and safe. If you're curious, Maggie's Organics is also very reasonably priced. I know that is a big issue for me when finding companies to support.



Maggie's recently sent me one of their lounge sets to try out and let me tell you, I'm hooked. I love pajamas and these are soft, comfortable AND cute! They were also kind enough to send along a pair for me to share with you! I have this one in a size large and to win, go to Maggie's Organics site and browse through their products. Come back here and let me know what you love the most and I'll randomly draw a winner from the comments on Wednesday, July 30. In you post about this contest on your own blog, I'll give you three extra entries! (Be sure to let me know that you've done this!)

If you have any questions, feel free to leave them here in the comments or click the link on your right to email me! Good luck!

Color Again

I just love when kids get involved in doing something to make a difference. If kids can come up with creative ideas, why can't the rest of us? Check out this story:

http://www.coloragain.org/about.html

How cool is that?

Bad Hair Day

Hi, I'm Heather and I'm addicted to hair products. A lot of hair products. My basket overfloweth.

I'm at your mercy, Internets. I can't go green in the area of the hair products. I've tried several greenish shampoos and conditioners and they just leave me ugly. Like, frizzy and Frankenstein ugly. I haven't even attempted to change in my old hair styling products for the green version because I'm scared.

Yes, I said it. I'm scared. I don't like to be ugly, frizzy and Frankenstein.

Come on, you know you don't like it either.

This is where I turn to you. For the love of all things healthy and green, please tell me if you have a product that you use and love. For the record, I have naturally curly and dry hair. I straighten it a couple of times a week. Help me.

Stinky Subjects

Back in the spring, I started looking at switching deodorants. I wanted an aluminum free version that would keep me from smelling like an unwashed farm animal. I tried Tom's of Maine first since it's most readily available at all of the mainstream stores.

I thought I had hit the jackpot. I didn't notice any smelliness coming from the pits and I felt good about using a product that didn't have the potential to give me cancer. Along came summer. Tom let me down. As it turns out, he wasn't as good in the summer heat as I needed him to be.

I picked up Trader Joe's brand next. It goes on a little sticky. As in, you put it on and hold up your arms a little bit to wait for it to dry...like a roll on, but it's not. However, Joe has been so much better to me than Tom. I haven't had any smelliness yet. I've been using it for almost a month now and the temps here have been in the high 90's many times. I'm impressed.

I'll post a little more later on why it's important to use deodorant without aluminum but for now, I wanted to get this out there in case you are struggling in the dog days of summer, like me.

Cloth Napkins

I've been hoping for some time now to start using cloth napkins for our family. I didn't have big hopes of completely replacing paper napkins with them yet but I figured as with most things, we'd move towards the goal slowly. Within the past two weeks, I realized that we are using more paper napkins than ever before and it started to bother me. It bothers me to the point that every time I hand out the napkins for a meal, I cringe a little on the inside. People, this is a major step for me.

Last weekend, I was doing some shopping with my Sisters and I ran across some beautiful cloth napkins on clearance. They are well made and I loved the way they looked. I decided to pick them up and give them a try with our family. My kids thought we were celebrating something! They looked nice and my Son didn't need to go through three of them in one meal to keep his hands clean. (He HATES being dirty!) I've decided that I can make them just as easily myself because I like to sew and I have lots of material left over from various projects that will be just the right size. If you don't sew, check out Etsy and Ebay because I found some great deals on both of those sites. My thinking is that if I keep enough on hand, I won't have to scramble to keep them washed up and it will be easier to resist the temptation to use paper napkins. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

I've told you before that I'm not an all or nothing girl. I'm also not someone who you'd consider totally green. I'm getting there. But daily I'm seeing changes in myself and my way of thinking that I know are for the better. I'm liking it! This is one thing that I'm hoping to be all or nothing about. I'd love to not have to buy napkins again!

What about you? Do you use cloth? Make your own or buy from other places?

Preserve Toothbrush

Recently, I was given a Preserve Toothbrush to try out. Have you heard of these? The handle is made of 100% recycled plastic and when you are done with it, you ship it back to them in a postage paid envelope that they provide and they recycle it for you. Couldn't be easier.

They have a partnership with Stonyfield Yogurt that allows them to pick up used yogurt cups as well as the scraps from Stonyfield's plant in New Hampshire and they turn them into toothbrushes, razors and tongue cleaners! Also? The plastic case that it comes in is sturdy enough to keep and use as a travel case for your toothbrush, complete with tiny air holes to keep nasty mold away. I will say that the 45 degree angle curve of the handle took me some getting used to but there are certain parts of your mouth that it just reaches better.

I was curious to see what else this company has to offer so I browsed their site a little and found these cool little cutting boards!

You can find these Preserve Toothbrushes at Target for just over $2 each but if you can't wait that long or (Heaven forbid!) don't live close to a Target, I have one extra to give away! Just leave a comment here before Sunday, June 29 at midnight and I'll draw one random winner for the toothbrush! Don't forget to leave an email address where I can contact you.

I almost forgot to tell you! You can get a coupon for Preserve toothbrushes here.

Recipe for Clean

Here is one of the recipes I came across for making your own cleaning supplies. If you have others, I'd love to hear them! I'll post more soon. I've found so many that use Borax but I'm still trying to decide if that is something that's really safe for me to use in a house with small kids.

You will see that a lot of them use essential oils. These can be found online easily or at your local health food store. I've seen several at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, as well.



This is Gorgeously Green All Purpose Spray:



32 oz. Plastic Spray Bottle

2 Cups Water

1/2 Cup Distilled White Vinegar

1 Teaspoon Pure Castile Soap

3/4 Cup Hydrogen Peroxide

20 Drops Tea Tree Oil

20 Drops Lavender or Lemongrass Essential Oil



Fill the spray bottle with the water first. Then, add all the other ingredients and use! This is safe for acrylic, ceramic tile, wood, marble and granite.