Mother’s Day the Eco Way

May 11, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Farmers market bouquets

You care about the environment and your mom. How do you show both? For many moms it’s not about the gift so much as it is about what is behind the gift; your love. But, if you feel a kiss on the cheek and time spent with her is not enough, then let me offer some suggestions that can fulfill both your requirements.

1. Your gift of labor. This year I’m asking my kids to weed my garden for me. I have not had the time and this will mean so much to me. Think about some task like that for your mom.  She might not have a garden, but maybe she’d love to have her house cleaned.

2. A charitable donation made in her name. Does your mom have a favorite charity that she gives to? Does she wish she could give more? Giving in her name tells her you care about her passions and interests.

3. Plant an organic garden or potted garden for her or with her.

4. Give her the gift of fresh, organic food. Sign her up for and pay for a Community Supported Agriculture club, also known as a CSA. You pay a certain amount at the beginning of the season and then each week you get a bounty of local, and most often organic or close to organic, fruits and vegetables. We have belonged to one for years and we look forward to it each summer.

4. Reusable basics, especially if she does not have it or only has a few. I’m speaking of water bottles and shopping bags. Both are everywhere now and come in beautiful colors and patterns.

5. Organic flowers are a beautiful way to say I love you. If your local farmers market is up and running, you can probably get a wonderful bouquet there, but otherwise there are organic options online.

6. Cook her a special, organic meal. To really make it extra sustainable, try to find all or mostly local ingredients.

7. A gift certificate for a massage is a pretty low impact gift that will make your mom feel special. Not only will she feel relaxed, but there are therapeutic benefits to massage.

8. An organic facial or body treatment is another way for mom to feel loved and relaxed. You could do it together, or maybe you could pamper her yourself at home.

9. Is you mom interested in saving gas and getting healthier? What about a new road bike all tricked out with baskets and such? Saddle bags can be added to the back so she can do small errands on her new bike.

10. The traditional breakfast in bed. Make it yourself from local, organic food. Cut flowers from your own garden and give mom the ultimate indulgence of lounging in bed as long as she can stand it. Don’t forget her favorite newspaper, book or magazine.

I do think I let my hand slip there; I’m not a good sitting in bed in the morning person, but many people dream about being able to stay in bed all day. You know your mom. If you don’t see an idea that would appeal to her in my list, then do some online digging. An even better idea is to check out your local businesses that are unique to your town. Most importantly, tell her you love her and that you appreciate everything she has done for you. That’s what we want most.

Filed Under: Holiday Tagged With: , , , ,

Back-to-School in a Green Way

August 12, 2011 by 2 Comments

Image courtesy of Naked Binder

Parents and kids are starting to wander around stores with lists and glazed eyes, yes, back-to-school is in the air. As a parents, there are days I look forward to BTS, but being a student myself, I also dread it.

The down side of BTS is the cost and the long list of less than eco-friendly supply requirements. Each year I struggle to find green products to replace the vinyl laden, plastic filled things. I have some suggestions to green that list. I also have a few websites that may help you if you can’t find green substitutes for the traditional requirements in your town.

1. Recycled paper instead of virgin-sourced paper. Try to get as close to 100 percent recycled, post-consumer paper as you can in notebooks, folders, loose leaf paper and printer paper.

2. Seek out recycled content plastic products in scissors, rulers, pencil boxes, and binders.

3. Mine your old junk drawers for items that can be reused, like last year’s scissors and ruler.

4. Try to find crayons made with beeswax or soy instead of petroleum.

5. Look for pens, markers and highlighters made from recycled plastic.

6. There are pencils made from old denim, recycled newspaper and FSC-certified wood products.

7. Pack a waste-free lunch.

8. Avoid nasty vinyl products like binders and cheap, nearly disposable, backpacks.

9. Invest in quality and, even better, recycled content backpacks.

10. Spread the green, waste-free message at your child’s school.

Image courtesy of Reuseit

Naked Binder carries eco-friendly binders, tabs and folders.

The Ultimate Green Store carries eco-friendly school supplies and waste-free lunch items.

Reuseit carries all sorts of sustainable products ranging from reusable water bottles, waste-free lunch products to eco office supplies and reusable shopping bags.

Filed Under: Environment, Health, Recycling, Reduce and Reuse Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Green Dads are Great Dads

June 2, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Image courtesy of Reuseit

With Father’s Day approaching it is time to find a gift for that favorite man in your life, your dad. Why not look for a present that says how much you love your dad, and how great he is. A dad that cares about going green is a truly great dad. Why? It means he cares about his children’s and grandchildren’s future, and what kind of environment he is leaving for them.

There are some very cool and manly green gifts out there; everything from techy items to sleek reuseables. There are some surprising green gifts such as eco-friendly sporting goods. Here is a short list, but I’m sure with some digging on your own, you can find more.

Courtesy of Thinksound

1. Thinksport Thermal Bottle- sleek and cool or hot.

2. AT&T’s Zero Charger- only uses electricity when it’s charging, no vampire power consumption.

3. Bedol Water Powered Clock- a funky little clock that runs on water.

4. Thinksound ts02 Wood Headphones- an elegant headphone with a rich sound.

5. Mountainsmith Recycled Backpacks and Bags- from small biking packs to serious hiking packs.

6. Recycled Content Golf Balls- make that next golf outing a little greener.

7. Respect Footballs, Basketballs and Soccer Balls- eco and fair trade.

8. Reuseit Workhorse Recycled Bag in Charcoal Gray- compact and in cool colors like gray, black and silver.

9. Battery BOS from Roller Gen- charge a battery while riding a bike and then charge a phone or iPod.

10. EcoBike Electric Bike- people powered with battery backup for extra long trips.

Filed Under: Environment, Holiday, Recycling, Reduce and Reuse Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Happy Father's Day! Is It Green?

June 20, 2010 by Leave a Comment

I hope all you dads are loving your Father’s Day.  So, is this Father’s Day a greener one for you?  Hopefully you are spending the day doing what you want, whether it’s time with your kids, golfing, fishing, boating or grilling.  In a couple of blogs I wrote about places to find eco-products for Father’s Day, like Reuseit for cool, reusable bottles, travel coffee mugs, reusable bags, or maybe a Built lunch bag.  There are also ways to green some of your favorite sports like golf and basketball with recycled content balls and bio-degradable golf tees.  Have you ever thought about asking your favorite golf course to really green their greens?  Golf typically is a pretty nasty choice when it comes to being eco-friendly; high water usage, high herbicide, pesticide and fertilizer usage, and a lot of air pollution and petroleum usage from all the machinery.  Audubon International has a program to help golf courses become eco-friendly.  You can also green your fishing trip by using those reusables instead of disposables and swapping your lead tackle to lead-free tackle. Lead in fishing tackle and lead shot kills many animals each year.  Also, make sure you pack all your trash out at the end of your fishing day.  If you boat then make sure your engine is tuned-up and in perfect working condition so it won’t pollute the water, and again, be responsible with what you take out and bring back.  Grilling can even be greened by switching from petroleum briquettes to real, natural, hardwood charcoal.  Seriously, charcoal briquettes should be called petroquettes, ick.  You can also green your grilling day by cooking locally and sustainably produced food.  The final step to clean up your grilling act is by NOT choosing disposable paper and plastic plates, disposable plastic silverware, disposable cups and paper napkins.  It’s really not that hard to wash up some dishes, especially since most of us have dishwashers.  Have a great Father’s Day and make it as green as you can for your children’s future.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Eco Outdoor Furniture

June 18, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Summer is the time for many of us to really enjoy the outdoors.  I realize some parts of the country, and around the world, folks have nice weather most or all the year.  Where I live, the Upper Midwest, we have a short season to sit in the sun and relax in the outdoors, about 3 to 5 months, depending on if the weather cooperates.  We just got done with about two weeks of solid rain, so that took a big chunk out of our summer enjoyment.  I’m not saying there aren’t activities to enjoy in the winter, but those activities don’t typically involve sitting, unless it’s ice fishing.

Whether you have a few months or a whole year to enjoy on a deck or patio, what do you sit on?  Finding eco outdoor furniture is getting easier, but it is still challenging.  One of the most eco-friendly ways to furnish your outdoors is with second-hand furniture.  Garage, yard, or thrift sales are a great place to find pieces like that.  Sometimes the furniture needs some TLC and a fresh coat of paint, but sometimes it’s in perfect condition.  FreeCycle is another source for used items.  Look for a local Free Cycle in your area.  Don’t forget about Goodwill, Salvation Army and other second-hand stores.  If you’ve exhausted all your second-hand options and still haven’t found the right thing, there is new furniture available that is eco-friendly.

Polywood is a nice choice because it uses recycled plastic in its production, which keeps the plastic out of landfulls (yes, I wrote landfulls on purpose).  There are many colors and furniture styles to choose from.  Polywood lasts a long time and doesn’t need maintenance.  There are many, many sites to find polywood, just type it into a search engine.  Natural wood is a good choice, but you need to make sure the wood comes from a FSC certified or Rainforest Alliance certified site.  Teak, cedar, and eucalyptus are good for outdoor use and will last a long time.  The other plus with wood is that while it’s growing it is giving oxygen to the environment and providing habitat.  Aluminum and steel can also be eco choices as well.  They are both recyclable and often times contain recycled content.  If aluminum and steel are well made and cared for they can last for many years, steel and last a lifetime.  Recycled and upcycled materials are wonderful choices for outdoor furniture.  Remember, a coat of exterior paint can make many items suitable for outdoor use.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , ,

A Solar Oven for Dad

June 15, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Does your dad love to cook outside?  Does your dad love to camp?  I’ve got another green gift idea for him, and your family; a solar oven.  You can use a solar oven year round as long as you have sunshine.  It is ideal for Southern and Southwest United States, and other countries around the world, where there is abundant sunshine.  Solar ovens have even been used high in the mountains in the winter.  You just need sunshine; the ambient temperature is irrelevant.  The Solar Oven Society is a not-for-profit organization that sells solar ovens here in the U.S., to help subsidies solar ovens to impoverished nations, where cooking fuel is hard to come by.

Women around the world spend much of their day collecting firewood for fuel to cook for their families.  The other part of their day is then spent retrieving water.  With a solar oven, these same women can free up many hours in their day to pursue other things, like making goods to sell to support their family.  With the solar oven, these same women can also boil water they collect to ensure its safety for drinking.

Around the world, forests have been decimated to provide fuel for cooking.  With solar oven use, there is a chance these forests can recover, providing habitat for endangered animals.  If these habitats recover, the ecosystems can recover, which increases biodiversity back to areas where it had been lost.

As you can see there is a massive domino effect for impoverished countries, when solar ovens are introduced, and utilized.  Using solar ovens benefits us here in the U.S., as well.  By using a solar oven, you save energy all year round, but especially in the summer.  When you use a solar oven in the summer it keeps the heat out of your kitchen, so your home stays cooler, and you have less need for air conditioning.  A solar oven is also a fantastic teaching tool for your children.

Investing in a solar oven is a good choice for your family, and other families around the world.  Give dad something to really smile about this Father’s Day with an eco and ethical gift.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , ,

More Green Gifts for Dad

June 13, 2010 by 1 Comment

Are you still looking for an eco-friendly gift for dad?  I’ve got a few more ideas.

1) A chess set made from recycled auto parts.  Nothing says manly like gear-head stuff and nothing says smart like a chess set.  This is the best of both worlds.  Auto parts chess set.

2) Recycle rubber basketball.  Wilson not only has a recycled content tennis bag, but they also have a recycled rubber basketball called the Wilson Rebound.

3) A recycled fabric golf bag by Wilson called the Wilson Staff Eco-Carry.

4) How about some organic beer.  This is a list of some organic beers from the North American Organic Brewers Festival.  Here in Wisconsin we have a fantastic local brewery called New Glarus Brewing that carries an organic brew Organic Revolution.

5) What about a recycled beer bottle to put his organic beer into.  The Green Glass Company makes glasses made from beer, soda, and wine bottles.

6) Guys love gadgets, Solio is a solar-powered gadget to charge their other gadgets.

7) Speaking of gadgets, here is a whole site full of EnviroGadgets.

8 ) The most eco-friendly sporting equipment is second-hand equipment.  Check with your local sporting store or Play It Again Sports to see what great deals you can find on gently used equipment.

9) Sporting and casual clothing in eco-fibers is another idea for whatever your dad is into.  Patagonia Men’s Shop carries organic cotton and E-Fiber clothing which is made from recycled material, hemp, and chlorine-free wool.  Much of it is recyclable through Patagonia’s Common Threads Program.

10) For the foodie dad, how about a great, gourmet meal made with local and organic ingredients.  In Eau Claire, we have a wonderful farmers market and, of course, Just Local Foods.  Even our other traditional grocery stores carry some local and organic food; Festival Foods and Hahn’s Market are two examples.  I’m sure you can find local and organic most anywhere in the country, or wherever you are.

Make this Father’s Day a great, and green one.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Keeping the Holiday Green

May 28, 2010 by 1 Comment

There are some simple things you can do to keep waste out of your Memorial Holiday weekend.  I know, it’s so easy to grab the cheap package of paper plates, plastic cups, plastic silverware, and paper napkins.  Resist the urge this year.  There are inexpensive and reusable products that are picnic and camping friendly.  Pick up some melamine plates and bowls.  I know, I rarely recommend plastic, but from the research I’ve done it seems melamine is benign when it’s used for plates and such.  It is not the same as the melamine found in poisonings in China and pet food.  You can find really cute patterns all over the place.  These dishes will last for years.  Glasses, I admit, are trickier.  I used to love my polycarbonate glasses on the patio.  If you really will be in your own backyard, then you can use your regular glassware.  But if you’re going elsewhere, that is harder.  I’ve seen some very cute stainless steel colored drinkware, like the aluminum stuff from the 60′s.  You could also pull out the good ol’ reusable water bottle.  You can also find melamine drinkware too.  For eating utensils there are some wicked cool new sporks.  These new sporks are a vast improvement to the old version. I have also used bamboo travel sets that have chopsticks, spoon, fork and knife  (the knife is not terribly functional).  You probably don’t want to drag out the good, holiday linen napkins to go camping.  It’s time to invest in some inexpensive cloth napkins or make your own.  Old sheets, tablecloths, or fabric remnants can be made into napkins, and you’ll have them forever.

If you feel you absolutely have to have some disposable, opt for eco-versions.  Look for recycled content or non-petroleum plastics.  You can even find compostable plastics. Locally, in Eau Claire,  I know Hahn’s Market carries some of these plates and cups.  I’m sure some other stores do as well.  Let your fingers do the walking to find out.  Below is a list of links for resources.  Have a great Memorial Day weekend.  Let’s remember to honor those that have given their lives for our freedom.

Life Without Plastic

Light My Fire Spork

Retro colored stainless drinking glasses

DIY Cloth Napkins

Reuseit’s Cotton Napkins

Sugarcane plates

Green Paper Products

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Tipping Point Near

May 24, 2010 by 2 Comments

Are we near an environmental tipping point?  From the classes I’ve taken, and from the articles and books I’ve read, the answer is yes.  The tipping point is not just about climate change; it’s about species extinction, resource depletion and too many toxins in the environment effecting water, air and soil.  The thing that so many people miss when this is discussed is that we as a species are at risk as well.  It is not just about the frogs or the giant mountain gorillas disappearing; it’s about humans disappearing.  We live in a closed loop system.  What we put into the atmosphere doesn’t dissipate into space.  It’s in our Earth system until the system can break it down.  Things like plastic are in the system, essentially, forever.  We have to see the big picture and the long-term.  We need to stop focusing on the millisecond, and focus on the millennium.  Here are some  articles about the tipping point.

Tipping Point

Science Daily

OK, so that’s the bad news.  There is good news.  We can change the direction we’re going.  We can all make small changes that can help.  We can also make big changes that can help.  Many of these steps can save us money too.

1) Switch to reusable bags instead of plastic or paper

2) Switch to reusable bottles for water.  Maybe that means a filter pitcher for your kitchen or a filter attachment for your faucet.

3) Switch to fluorescent or LED light bulbs.  Especially in the summer, stop heating your home with your lighting.

4) Switch to cloth napkins and rags instead of paper products that you throw away.

5) If you HAVE to have paper napkins or paper towels then at least use recycled paper.

6) Oh, yeah, stopping using virgin fiber old-growth trees to wipe your derriere!

7) Ditch the gas guzzler.  If you need a larger vehicle, then save it for when you really need the space or towing strength.  Stop running little errands with one person in the car with a vehicle that gets pathetic MPGs.

8 ) Eat locally.  Grow your own food, join a CSA (community supported agriculture) and shop you local farmers market.  A very large amount of energy goes into shipping food.

9) Eat as much organic food as you can afford.  Please refer back to my blog on Pesticides and ADHD.  I have a list of the Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15 when it comes to pesticides and organics.

10) Think about EVERY purchase.  Do you need that thing?  Can you find that thing in a renewable or recycled material?  Can you find that thing used?

11) Set your thermostat to a higher temp in the summer and a lower temp in the winter.

12) Replace old, inefficient windows and doors.

13) Seal up cracks around your home.

14) Use window treatments to keep your house more comfortable in any season.

15) Plant trees strategically.

16) Recycle, let me repeat, recycle.

17) Invest in renewable energy.

18) Reuse; before you toss something, ask yourself if you could somehow reuse that item.

19) Compost; indoor or outdoor, traditional or worm.

20) Walk, bike, carpool, and combine car trips when you can.

There, 20 things you can do.  You don’t have to do all of them to make a difference.  There are many more, and I bet you can think of some pretty quickly.  We just have to stop thinking like we have unlimited resources and unlimited places to throw stuff.  We live on one planet, and have finite space.  We have finite water resources.  There is a finite amount of fossil fuels left.

Here is a list of resources to find some of the items to help you live more sustainably.  You’re children and grandchildren will thank you.

Reuseit

www.composters.com

Earth Easy

Earth 911

TerraCycle

Arbor Day Foundation

Green Chip Stocks

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,