A Green Wedding Can Be Elegant, Too.

July 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Wedding Photo by Tiffany Coggins

I was recently at a lovely outdoor wedding. So often I cringe at weddings, when I see all the waste, especially when it comes to the cocktail and food part. Many receptions are chock full of disposables; paper plates, paper napkins and non-recyclable plastic glasses.

This wedding had none of that, and it was all accomplished on a budget. The bride and groom scoured local second-hand stores. They bought entire plate services, sets of flatware and coffee mugs. The tables all looked beautiful with the second-hand settings. As a matter of fact, I didn’t even know that all the settings were second-hand and mismatched, until the bride’s mother told me.

The mugs were all set out on a table, and each had a tag on a string. The guest were asked to pick their favorite mug and write their name on the tag. That was their beverage ticket for the night. We all got to take the mug home with us. It was a fantastic, green idea. There was also real napkins and tablecloths.

The mother of the bride plans on loaning out the plates, flatware, napkins and tablecloths to anyone that needs them for a party or event. I hope people take her up on her generous idea. They will save money, help keep waste out of landfills, and reduce demand on precious resources.

Bravo and well done. Congratulations to the lovely, thoughtful couple. I know they will have many, many long years of happiness.

Filed Under: Reduce and Reuse, Sustainability Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Remembering, Conserving and Preserving on Memorial Day

May 28, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Picture taken by Tiffany Coggins

Memorial Day we typically spend with family and friends. We go camping or have cookouts. Let’s all make sure we remember why we have Memorial Day.

In between our hamburgers and smores, thank and honor all the people who served our country. Let’s not waste the bounty we have. The bounty we have because of soldiers who gave up so much for our country.

Patriotism is more than waving a flag. It means preserving our lands and natural resources. While we celebrate and honor today, also reduce the waste that burdens the countries landfills. Keep plastic out of our beautiful landscape and waterways. Work to reduce toxic chemicals that pollute our amazing land, water and sky.

We owe it to the men and women that defended this country, and gave their lives for this country. We owe it to our children and grandchildren. Be patriotic and reduce, reuse and recycle.

Filed Under: Holiday Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Happy Independence Day!

July 4, 2011 by Leave a Comment

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe day celebrating the independence of our nation. Remember, keep those fingers. You need them to open your beverage.

While you are holding onto your digits, remember to keep your celebrations as green as possible. Look for wonderful organic berries, like the strawberries that are in season here.

For your burgers, hunt down organic, grass-fed beef, bison or other wild game, or veggie burgers. You can also find hot dogs and brats made from organic or wild game or vegetarian ingredients.

If you feel you have to grab for disposables, find ones that have recycled content. Recycled paper plates and cups are out there, along with plates, cups and utensils made from corn or sugar. All those are not quite as green as using reusable plates, cups or utensils, but it’s better than using stuff made from chlorine bleached, virgin stock.

I am completely in love with my cloth napkins. The napkins do not have to be expensive or linen. Make the small investment. The napkins can get washed with any of your usual loads, so it’s really not any more work. No, you do not need to iron, unless that’s your thing. It is definitely not my thing.

You can arm yourself with cheap reusables by hitting Good Will, Salvation Army, Savers or garage sales. Look for melamine plates or old Corning Ware. Do the same for glassware. Then seek out old mismatched silverware. If anything happens to any of it, you won’t be gnashing your teeth or yelling at small children. A dishwasher is easy to load and run, and there won’t be huge piles of garbage sitting at your curb.

Celebrate, be safe and be green!

Filed Under: Food, Holiday, Organic, Recycling, Reduce and Reuse, Uncategorized 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: , , , , , ,

Upcycled Jewelry

May 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment

This is my favorite, new piece of jewelry. I won it last night at a fundraising silent auction. It is made out of up-cycled, vintage, typewriter keys. I love the look of it! It is especially perfect since I am a writer and green blogger. Many artists make amazing jewelry and accessories out of reused items like scrabble tiles, bottle caps, buttons, dominoes, silverware, and old ties.

This piece came from Old Anew. Lisa makes custom pieces. Email her at lisasoldanew@yahoo.com

Etsy is also full of interesting, one-of-a-kind accessories.

In Eau Claire, WI, Tangled Up In Hue carries these unique items.

Filed Under: Beauty, Local, Reduce and Reuse, Upcycled Tagged With: , , ,

Happy Earth Day!

April 22, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Have a Happy Earth Day! I hope each of you learns one new idea on going green that you can incorporate into your life. Every day should be Earth Day and we should use Earth Day to highlight what more we can do to make our planet and our lives better. As you travel through your day, think about each decision you make and try to make a greener choice.

1. Walk or bike instead of driving.

2. Take advantage of mass transportation.

3. Remember your reusable water bottle or travel coffee mug.

4. Switch out five of your most used light bulbs for a CFL, LED or ESL bulbs.

5. Hang your reusable bags on the doorknob, then remember the bags for all your shopping trips.

6. Refuse straws in restaurants and bring your own reusable straw like the Dharma Straw

7. If you do have to drive, bundle all your errands into one trip.

8. Slow down and do not speed.

9. Put flow restrictors on all your faucets.

10.Reduce your use of plastic packaging by buying in bulk and not buying single serve items.

11. Buy second-hand when you can.

12. Reuse what you already have.

12. Always, always, always recycle!

13. Pick up plastic trash that you find.

14. Use less plastic in every aspect of your life.

15. Buy local!

16. Buy organic.

17. Support your local restaurants that also buy local.

18. Start a garden.

19. Or, go to the your local farmers market.

20. Remember, we all share this planet. It is the only one we have, and if we destroy it, we destroy ourselves.

Filed Under: Energy Efficiency, Holiday, Local, Organic, Plastic, Recycling, Reduce and Reuse Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Reusable Bags Are For More Than Just Groceries

February 25, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Image courtesy of Reuseit

Image courtesy of Reuseit

This is a reminder that you can take those wonderful reusable bags to the mall or any stores you like; liquor stores, auto parts stores, department stores, home improvement stores, discount department stores and your local stores.

That is why I especially love the Reuseit Workhorse bags.  The bag tucks into its own little pouch that can fit in you pocket or purse.  I usually have about 3 or so of these little gems tucked into my purse, and no, I do not have one of those purses the size of a piece of luggage.  Baggu, ChicoBag, Reisenthel, Flip & Tumble, Freak-O-Bags and Envirosax all have ultra compact bag options.  There are endless shapes, colors and styles to choose from.

For the trip to the liquor and/or wine store I particularly love my Reisenthel bottle bag.  I get compliments on it every time I take it to the store.  It is also nice for the smaller glass bottles of milk and cream from your local dairy.  So, remember those reusable bags for everything, not just groceries.

Image courtesy of Reuseit and Reisenthel

Filed Under: Reduce and Reuse Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Hand Soap Refills

January 27, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Image courtesy of Mrs. Meyer's

A simple step to save money and reduce waste is to refill your hand soap bottles from refill bottles or pouches.  Mrs. Meyers, Method, EO, Dr. Bronner’s and Kiss My Face are five that I know carry refill sizes.  I’ve used them all, but my two favorites are Mrs. Meyers and EO.  I’ve got the Mrs. Meyer’s basil scent at my kitchen sink right now.

Ask your favorite local store to carry the refill size, if they don’t already.  If you can’t find the refill size locally, you can get them online at stores like Amazon, Mother Nature, and Pristine Planet.

The best part about refilling is that you are not throwing the pump out each time.  The bottles are usually easily recyclable, but the pumps are not.  Refills are less money per ounce (about 7 cents) than the pump bottles.  You will also have fewer trips to the store for soap.  I cannot think of a downside to using refill sizes.

Filed Under: Reduce and Reuse Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Green Cocktails

January 22, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Want to find a way to green your evening cocktail?  I found a couple vodkas at a local store to help you do just that.

The first vodka is called Prairie Organic Vodka.  It is made in Benson, Minnesota from organic corn grown nearby.  It is also gluten-free.  The parent company of Prairie is the Phillips Distilling Company.  Food and Wine Magazine named Prairie the best new vodka in 2009.  Its Facebook page says it won the Double Gold Award at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC) in 2008, but I looked at the PDF from that year and I could not find it listed anywhere.  I did find it listed as a Bronze Medal winner in 2010.

Vodka 360 is the other vodka I came across.  McCormick Distilling is its parent company.  This vodka is not organic.  My best guess is that it is made from GMO grains, which is not eco-friendly.  I do applaud 360 for the green initiatives it is taking such as: using recycled paper in labeling, using recycled glass in the bottles, reusing the swing-top caps, purchasing renewable energy certificates, and using biodiesel.

I found other organic vodkas online.  Rain Organic Vodka which won a Double Gold at the SFWSC in 2008. Sazerac Company of New Orleans is the parent company.

Square One Organic Vodka is made from organic American rye.  Square One also uses wind power in its production and purchases carbon offset credits for air travel.  This is a smaller, family owned business. 

Crop Organic Vodka is another organic vodka on the market.  Its parent company is Chatham Imports Inc. 

Ocean Vodka is made in Hawaii using organic cane sugar, and desalinated water from 3,000 feet below the surface of the ocean.  The company also uses other sustainable initiatives in its business.

Vodka 14 is organic, and uses sustainable practices in the bottling process.  It has also won a Silver Medal in the SFWSC twice, and other taste awards.

Kanon Organic Vodka is a Swedish vodka that is produced with ingredients that are locally sources, everything is from within three miles of the distillery.  Kanon also uses power produced by wind, water and steam from the fermentation process. 

Braeside Farms Vodka is made in Oregon with its own estate grown potatoes and barley.  Braeside Farms also distills whiskey, honey liqueur and topinambur (a sunchoke vodka). It is a very small, what they call nano, distillery.

Another Oregon distiller is Organic Nation, or O-N.  O-N Vodka is made organically and sustainably.  O-N also makes gin. Both the vodka and gin have won taste awards from SFWSC.

I also found CapRock Organic Vodka, Pure Green Organic Vodka and Purus Vodka.  I was surprised by the number of organic vodkas I found online.  It would be great to see all these available in locally.  In my search I also found organic gin and whiskey.  Most of the companies seem to be doing multiple things sustainably.  Some companies even donate regularly to environmental causes.

Just think, if you add your own organic mixer, and reuse or recycle everything you have made a difference, and had fun.  Who says going green is boring?  Not me.

I have not personally tried any of these vodkas, but next time I buy vodka I will give one a try.  In order to visit any of the sites you must be 21 or older.  And remember, drink responsibly.

Filed Under: Organic Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

It’s Time to Leave the Bottled Water on the Shelf

January 6, 2011 by Leave a Comment

As if people needed more reasons to dump bottled water, this report by the Environmental Working Group on Bottled Water should be the extra push that some need.

The are so many reasons to leave bottled water on the shelf:

1. Out of the 60 billion PET containers used each year only about 28% of those were recycled (Container Recycling Institute)

2. Plastic waste is found everywhere on the planet, including the ocean

3. Plastic does not biodegrade, but photodegrades into smaller and smaller pieces, which are then consumed by animals

4. Bottled water is expensive, costing up 100 billion a year for the U.S. alone (OneWorld.net)

5. Tap water is more closely regulated than bottled water by the Environmental Protection Agency

6. A reusable stainless steel water bottle won’t leach chemicals, even when left in a hot car

7. Home water purification systems cost pennies on the dollar compared to bottled water (Natural Resources Defense Council)

8. Bottled water uses between 32 and 54 million barrels of oil to bottle and ship in the U.S. alone (Live Science).

Do yourself, your wallet, oil reserves, animals and the planet a favor and leave the bottled water on the shelf.  Invest in reusable, quality water bottles.  There are many styles and materials to choose from: stainless steel, glass, nylon, aluminum and BPA-free plastic.  I  keep a bottle in my car that I fill as needed.  Each member of my family has at least one water bottle.

Photo courtesy of Reuseit

Reusable water bottles are everywhere now; local grocery stores, national chain stores, eco-stores and online stores.  In Eau Claire I can find reusable water bottles at Mother Natures’s Foods, Little Bare Bottoms, Festival Foods, Target, Scheels etc…  Online I can find them at Reuseit, GreenFeet, Amazon, EcoBags, Uncommon Goods, etc…  There is NO reason not to buy a reusable water bottle anymore, and there is a long list of reasons to NOT buy bottled water.  Make the change.

Filed Under: Reduce and Reuse Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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