My Green Devotion

True Man, Composte

2009-09-03T10:23:00.009-04:00

Well it's definately been a while since I have been on here, but it has been a very busy spring and summer, and things are only now settling down. Plus, now that I have a house, well, trying to make it eco healthier and strong has been challenge. But my new eco lust object, I want a composter.

I've been doing yard work and decided I sincerely need one of these. The other day as I ripped up a flower garden, pulling all the weeds and old mulch out, I cringed and almost cried over throwing that all in the trash pick up when I know what it would be doing for me if I had a composter. It would be decomposing and creating nutrient rich mulch for my Spring plants. Now it is just sitting in a landfill, probably not getting any light or air in order to even break down. That is a waste of good nutrients, plus I now have to buy mulch and compost for my plants. And worst of all, so incredibly non environmental friendly.

So I've been looking for a composter that won't look like an eye sore in my back yard. Funny, this is pretty difficult. Someone needs to get to work on making pretty composters so that they don't have to be hidden because your HOA thinks that their looks will bring down property values. My other criteria are: ease of use to help compost deteriorate, size, and of course, price.

Here are some I found and my thoughts.

Enviro Cycle Composter:

Price:$139 on sale at CompostBins.com

Size: 25.5W x 20.25D x 30.5H inches

Ease of Use: The reviews say this is the easiest and best composter.

Attractiveness: Not bad since it is small

Personal Thoughts: It is a bit small, but then I'm not really growing a huge garden anyway. It is easy to use. You can simply turn it on little rollers and when you want to use it somewhere else, you can roll it off the stand and roll it across the yard. It also collects "liquid" compost to spray on your plants, which is a very nice feature.

Wibo 110

Price: $80 on sale at Compostermart.com

Size: 30"L x 30"W x 34"H (holds 110 gallons)

Ease of Use: Moderate

Attractiveness: Looks like a step stool

Personal thoughts: Even though all the side doors come off, you still have to shovel out the compost. There is no mobility, and you have to aerate it yourself. However, it holds a lot of compost for the price. It is small, and it isn't bad looking. It's also is easy to assemble.

Rotating Bio Orb Composter

Price: $169 at Cleanairgardening.com
Size:36" in diameter (hold 13 cubic feet)

Easy of use: Easy

Attractiveness: Not bad

Personal thoughts: It doesn't look bad, and the price sn't bad either. IT looks simple enough to use since you just roll it around. The instructions say that it is held together by a joint in the middle, so assembly shold be easy. There are no reviews on it though.

Ecomposter 11 Cubic feet with Base:

Price: $249 on sale at CompostBins.com

Size: 32L x 32W inches (hold 11 Cubic feet of compost)

Ease of Use: Relatively easy

Attractiveness: Not bad, but looks like the Death Star

Personal Thoughts: The reviews say this is an easy composter, but it is terrible to assemble. Some people on reviews at other sites said it took them three hours to assemble it! Also another review said that it leaked. It does hold a lot of compost, and all you have to do is turn it to help it decompose matter, and you can take it off the stand and roll it around. But I bet it's heavy when full, so that doesn't make it too easy for a weak chic like me. The price is a bit higher than I want to pay as well.

So that is some I've found, and some I'll keep in mind. Don't know which one I'll get eventually, but fall is coming with all it's leaves on the ground and the composter would definately get used soon. Hmmm, decisions decisions.

Time to Wake Up!!

2009-03-13T18:30:00.002-04:00

So it finally hits the limelight again. Took it long enough. What am I talking about? The headlines touting the carcinogentic ingredients that are in baby bath products. Why are people so shocked about this? Environmentalist and natural beauty experts have been screaming this for years. It hits the news stands now? Silly people.

Even sillier is tht baby products aren't the only ones with these ingredients (formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane). Adult products have them too. They are preservatives and foaming agents. Stories about that haven't come out with that yet since the watch group that did the study with only popular baby products (L'Oreal, American Girl, Johnson and Johnson, Sesame Street, etc). But would adults act so strongly if they knew what was in thier products? Maybe not. But, oh, for the children, of course they will.

Forgive the fact that I find this funny. It isn't that the findings are humorous, it is the people's reaction to such news that I find funny. They are so surprised, so shocked. Well, here it is wonderful public, Johnson and Johnson doesn't care about what is in the products, they barely care if they work. What they care about is that you BUY them and they make a profit. Time to wake up, general public. Look at what is really causing the cancer and disease we didn't have years ago. And even better, look at what you can do about it. Boycott their products, demand better, healthier ingredients. When they lose profit, they begin to listen. Make that the bigger lesson here.

For a link to the main story, go here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2009/03/13/DI2009031301426.html

A Fabulous Eco Face

2009-03-09T22:35:00.003-04:00

I've been meaning to write about this, but I had to really test it out for awhile to see the results.

I have a new skin care regime for my face that i use and it has saved me through the cold snow, the brisk 30 wind chills, and even this nice change to 80 degrees. And it is eco-friendly.

My exfoliant is a simple small loofah. I got one that is surrounded by bamboo terry cloth.

My soap is the Seattle Rainwater soap I got for x-mas, but when I run out of that I will simply use castille soap. These soaps are nice and gentle to the skin. They cleanse without completely pealing away the good oils for your face, the oils that keep dryness at bay. So they leave the skin so wondefully soft and clean. Besides, if you can't use a soap on your face, why are you using it anywhere else on you?

The I spritz myself with a witch hazel. I use a simple spray bottle with a diffuser type spritz. You can find some rose water if your face is more sensitive. But these make for wonderful astringents. Simply spritz and let it dry for a minute. It also makes fora great skin pick me up on a hot day.

My main moisturizer is pure grapeseed oil mixed with a bit of vitamin E oil. Since grapeseed oil is very emoilient as well as very light it makes a wonderful facial oil. It might even be anti-oxidant. In fact it is already in a lot of facial products. Aura Cacia makes a premade mix of the two oils that cost about $7. The biggest trick to putting this on (i rub it in with my fingers after putting a little less than a dime size portion in my hand) is to let it set for a minute on your face, then blot off the excess with a hand towel.

I use this night and day and it has made my skin fabulous. I don't break out unless I forget to do it one night, it is simple, and it is eco friendly. I couldn't believe how easy it is to have soft, non-greasy, normal skin. Try it for a week or two. You might really begin to notice a difference. It also works well in getting make up removed. Who knew?

2009-01-31T11:50:00.003-05:00

Just a quote I wanted to share:

"Man has always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much ... the wheel, New Tork, wars, and so on, whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins believed themselves to be more intelligent than man for precisely the same reasons."
-- Douglas Adam, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

The Beauty of Nature

2009-01-26T22:07:00.004-05:00

I sitting here with honey on my face. I kid you not. Infact when I blink my eyelashes ar getting stuck in it, hahaha. Why am I sweet and sticky? The other day I made a toner from witch hazel and green tea. I don't think my skin liked it. I'm not sure why. Maybe the witch hazel with alchol wasn't a good idea. I don't know. I'm trying it with just green tea today. Oh, there was some grape seed extract as a persevative, maybe my skin doesn't like that? Test, test, test.

So anyway, my skin was itchy, red, tight, horrible all day, enough so that people commented on it. I tried a soothing exfoliant of yogurt and pureed cucumber, but it didn't like that either. Then a mask of banana, honey, and cucumber. A little luck there. So now I'm pulling out the big guns and using just plain honey for 20 minutes. It can't be bad for it. Maybe it will work. I've never tried it before, so why not? (Oh, all of the above was organic.)

I did have one accomplishment this weekend. I made a wonderful sugar scrub. It works well and doesn't get the tub nasty. i'll have to send some out to you folks.

I ran out of conditioner and I wasn't thrilled to find out my Avalon Organics wasn't as organic as it should be, so I hunted for a new shampoo and conditioner. I was caught between salon style John Masters Organics and hippie style Aubrey Organics. JMO was $20 a bottle for 8 oz. AO was $12 for 12 oz. JMO wasn't completely organic. AO is about as natural as you can get other than just using spring water from a mountain deep in the Rockies or Alps. i chose the Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Moisturizing shampoo and conditioner. The jury is still out on this one, but I can say that it didn't do anything bad to my hair. It only didn't do anything fantastic either. However, it does make my hair shiny and soft, and that is a pretty decent thing. And it does smell pretty nice -- honeysukly, or maybe dish detergent, you decide. I like it so far, I think. Last night I wasn't sure about it. Today it isn't bad.

i also changed my facial care this past week (although didn't have anything bad until this morning). I ditched my Burt's Bees and instead am using plain natural bar soap as a cleanser, witch hazel as a toner, and grapeseed oil as a moisturizer. Well, as mentioned above the toner changed... But still my face has been nice and soft. I don't know what happened today. Anyway, I'm saving a boat load of cash and I'm still being natural, so I'm good for it until my skin decides otherwise.

I also changed my deodorant to Desert Essence Tea Tree. Then while I was massaging, I came up with a recipe I might try later for deodorant. I'm not sure if I like the powerful smell of Tea Tree, so I also use my Tom's of Maine lavender deodorant on top of it to cover the smell. So far so good, but honestly I'm just not sure about these. Tom's works fine as long as i don't shave. But I kind of like shaving. I'll play until I get annoyed.

What did I do to be eco-friendly today?
Slathered in natural beauty...

The Cost of Paper

2009-01-18T19:20:00.002-05:00

I"m tired. There, I got that out.

Anyway, finished reading Organic Beauty Magazine and loved it. Not to shabby I must say. Flip through it if you find a copy.

I'm bummed I can't find the coveted Physician's Formula Organics Mascara. I don't think anyone carries it.

This past week I bought a standard sized cloth box from Target and used it as a trash can for all my paper in my office. Just paper -- nothing else. In one week I generated 2 lbs. of scrap paper (technically 1 lb 15.7 oz. I know, I weighed it). It made me think. I work in a small office of about40 people. If we all generated 2 lbs of paper a week, that is close to 100 pounds a week. 400 lbs in one month. 2000 lbs or 1 ton of paper in 5 months. 2 tons in one year. That is the wieght of a small compact car. And we are one company of 40 employees. Imagine what larger companies contribute to the paper that isn't recycled. Scary thought.

And that is just paper. What about all the other trash? Even scarier thought.

Hmmm.

What did I do to be eco-friendly today?

I cleaned my shower drain with a bubbling mix of apple vinegar and baking soda. Try it, it works. I was skeptical at first, but, oh it works nicely with no chemical smell to it.

Tell Her About It

2009-01-15T21:54:00.002-05:00

Here's a small thought. If you are being green, trying to be green, or reveling in the smugness of being green (admit it, you are), then your job for today is to educate someone else about it today. Bring it into conversation any way you can. Don't be preachy, just speak it. And talk about something other than recycling. You know there is so much more to do than just freaking recycle. Talk about eco eating, eco body products, eco office products, ethical shopping, composting, just something. Make the other people think for a moment. Tell them that the FDA only removes harmful chemicals after a plethora of complaints, so who is to say their shampoo really is good for them? Tell them that their $6 shirt was probably made by some poor person who probably got only 2 cents for a day's wages and some other town was polluted by fertilizer for the cotton that grew the material, and even better it will fall apart after 6 washes. Say that you have decided that eating local farm food is helping keep over crowded residential areas popping up in the country, which makes for less traffic on back roads, and less hassle. Even invite them to share some of your compost to make their roses prettier than their neighbors.

Just educate someone today on being green. Tell them something that isn't cliche. Speak out about the less talked about green things in the world. Get them thinking. If everyone started thinking about it, then true change can really happen. The cosmetic industry is answering, so are the car companies, and even fashion. If we speak, we will be heard. So, start talking.

What did I do to be eco-friendly today?
Talked the talk, and walked the walk, eco groovin' all the way.

P.S. If you need some mood music for your head today, check out this song....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4jKF4LWViE

You can't go wrong with a line of "Water spirit feeling springing 'round my head, makes me glad I'm not dead..."

Green Goodies

2009-01-14T21:43:00.002-05:00

Oh, I have found goodies in the past few days. Eco goodies are always great; good for you, good for the enviroment. Let me share.

Wal-Greens and Ulta have been having a small sale on Physician's Formula Organic cosmetics. I got some stuff for as low as $2 each. Yay! Which also by the way, I picked up some of the eye shadow and I really like it.

I spent $10 on a small 6 piece set of bamboo cosmetic brushes. They wrap up nicely in a hemp wrap, too. I picked these up with a set of small bamboo/loofah exfoliator pads ($3). Good buys from Target. Or check out the products here: http://www.parispresents.com/EcoTools_s/36.htm The company is also part of 1% For the Planet, where 1% of the company's annual sales goes to environmental organizations.

My favorite purchase this week is spending $12 on a $50 Bamboo/organic cotton bath wrap from Shirts of Bamboo (http://www.shirtsofbamboo.com/women39s-bamboo-bath-wrap-p-295.html). It's on major clearance. And hey, all they have left are pink ones, but I would say that to miss this buy is almost wasteful in itself. (With 2 day shipping and handling costs, it still cost just under $20.) It is made of silky soft terry that has a good weight to it. It has snap closures, and will fit any size. I got mine today, and I love it, even if it is pink.

With that purchase came a free compressed bamboo towelette, a very nice soft surprise. Packaged in a size a bit bigger than a 50 cent peice, these towelettes are made from 100% bamboo. All you need to do is get it wet, and presto, a nice sized cloth for your use. And oh my, so soft!!!! I used mine tonight to wash my make-up off, and enjoyed the silk soft, baby butt feel of it. And what makes me happier is that they are re-usable too, or when it gets worn out it can be composted. They suggest it to be used like papertowels for cleaning etc. Even better, you can get a 10 pack for only $6. Not too shabby and economic minded too. (http://www.shirtsofbamboo.com/bamcloth-bamboo-compressed-towelette-br10-pack-p-126.html)

In the literal world, one of my dreams has finally come true. I have found on the newstands a brand new magazine called Organic Beauty!!! The name says it all. It reads like any other beauty agazine, but every product is organic or natural. I love that they put the prices beside of the products when they talk about them, instead of getting dollar shocked when you try to find them. I also love the DIY beauty product article (this month making a lavender salt scrub). The articles are pretty short too, so you can read one in a small sitting. I don't like that it is a glossy, but I'll overlook that for now. I didn't get to finish the whole issue, but I will. In fact I look forward to it. To check out the website, go to:
http://www.organicbeautymagazine.net/

I'm still reading Green is the New Black, and I'll have a review and view point on that later. But for now, I'll say I am quite enjoying it, and it might change the way I shop, believe it or not.

What did I do to be eco-friendly today?
Enjoyed the luxurious feel of bamboo and organic cotton fabrics and spread more word about being green to various people.

Quick Fix

2009-01-11T22:04:00.002-05:00

So I tried the Physician's Formula Organic tinted moisturizer SPF 15 today while i massaged for 4 straight hours. I love it! It help up against mild sweat and the occasional hand or fabric rub. It coats evenly and blends well. It isn't heavy on your face (this coming from a gal who HATES makeup, especially liquid concealers etc). It looks natural. It can help decrease the dark rings under your eyes. It makes you look a bit more even.

I don't like that it has a way of showing your pores off to the world. Maybe I can get around this somehow.

Anyway, it is worth the $10 I spent on it.

Oh, and buy it at Target. It's cheaper there than at Wal-greens or CVS.

What did I do to be eco-friendly today?
I did crack open another eco book...if that counts.

Little Brown Monster

2009-01-10T22:18:00.002-05:00

When I tell most people that I am going green, I get a variety of comments. Everything from "That's cool." to "It's expensive!" Most everybody is pretty ok with it and don't quesiton me much. Some of my guys at work poke a bit of god natured fun at me, but it never bothers me. My family doesn't bother me much about it either, and my friends are supportive. It would all be so easy and do-able and great if I didn't have one brown monster in my life -- my Beloved.

My Beloved is a skeptic on everything involving the eco movement. Although he loves cooking, he won't buy organic food. He won't bother with green cookware. He does our laundry, but isn't into the green laundry detergent. We went looking for a dog bed today for the puppy, and he wouldn't go with the recycled plastic bottle made one because it wasn't soft enough. He criticizes my green choices. I had to buy to new light bulbs, and he got the less energy efficient ones.

It drives me nuts that he will logically argue any of his points, and won't accept any of mine when it comes to this topic. I think I spent a good quarter of the day in an arguement with him about how green products are healthier. He wants the hard facts and I just can't pull them out from the air when I need them. He irritates me greatly with his disapproval.

He doesn't want organic food because it costs too much and we are on a budget. He doesn't want the green cookware because they are all frying pans and not skillets. He doesn't want to the efficient light bulbs because if we are moving in a couple of months, then we won't be taking the lightbulbs. He says we are living longer and are healthier than ever before in time, so our bath products couldn't be killing us. Non-organic/bamboo linens do the same thing as organic/bamboo linens do -- dry you off, keep you warm.

I think it is worse becuase he does have more say in the household decisions since he pays for most of it. i can try to respect his want to save some money. But I feel that I am giving in more than just to him, I'm giving in to my own health.

I will say he isn't completely brown though. He did allow me to get Method soap for kitchen and bathroom, as well as Seventh Generation dish soap. He didn't mind the Method cleaning products either. He didn't scoff at my multitude of re-usable bags for Harris Teeter. I brought home the natual oral care, and he said he would try anything once. I even found him watching Planet Green TV the other day. So maybe there is hope?? (Maybe if I just bring it home, he will say yes to a countertop composter???)

I'm sure we all have our own brown monster somewhere in our lives. ( I hate that i live with mine, but oh well, I love him lots for other things.) How do you deal with yours?

What did I do to be eco-friendly today?
Not kill my Beloved...

Be a G-Girl -- Green that is

2009-01-10T21:41:00.005-05:00

So I started reading The Green Guide to Beauty, and I think I might put it down for awhile. Remember I said it was heavy? That was an understatement. It is like mountain weight. I mean it reads easy. It is easier to understand. There is a ton of science that is easy to understand. But it is full of information that is freakingme out about what goes into our products, even the ones that say they are eco-certified, USDA organic etc. It even has a sentence in there saying that Alba/Avalon Organics ws sued by California for bad chemicals, and that company is touted everywhere as a great eco-friendly choice. I'm on page 31 and getting freaked out that I might have cancer soon.

Yet, at the same time, I am loving it. I am reading about all the chemicals that are bad and there are actual scientific references to the info, and the author lists those references in the back of the book in case you want to find them too! The author also goes into how some bad chemicals aren't listed in ingredients because they are by-products of production and not official ingredients. (Coffeebean, i think of you, and I think you would highly enjoy this book.) i also learned that since the European Union is must stricter on cosmestic products (most of the world is stricter than the US on cosmetic product ingredients!), that if you can find products labeled "pass EU certification" then you might be healthier. I haven't gotten to the silver lining yet, but I'm sure there is one somewhere....oh, and I'm beginning to think that Method brand is not as eco as we thought it to be when it comes to soap.

I also picked up another book, fresh on US shelves too (oringinally published in 2007 in Great Britain) . It's called Green is the New Black --How to change the world with style by Tamsin Blanchard. I haven't really cracked it open yet, but I might put down the scary book and open this one soon. It looks kind of trendy, hip, cool. So of course I'll have a review of it coming soon.

I'm going to give props to Target today. They are coming out with more eco products. They have organic cotton and bamboo sheets. They are carrying more natural/organic cosmetics and essential body stuff. They occasionally have organic cotton clothing. They have some organic foods. They carry eco cleaing products from toilet to laundry. They also have a decent yoga selection of eco mats and blocks. They now carry eco cooking ware and kitchen stuff, as well as recycled glass pitchers and glasses. And the eco cooking ware is cheaper than any other place I have seen it. They are also carrying eco pet gear. So good props to Target!! (Now Wal-Mart, WHAT THE HELL??? Get with it already!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Whi/e strolling through Target this evening, I bought some organic tinted facial moisturizer with SPF 15 in it by Physician's Formula -- $10. I also grabbed some organic eye shadow by them as well -- $8. (I want their organic mascara, but they were out. In fact, the selection was picked quite clean; must be getting popular and it is cheaper.) I got them home and tested. Perfect color in the moisturizer. Now, I will give it the ultimate test tomorrow -- MASSAGE for 4 hours straight! I'll see, and report back, ok? Oh, by the way, if you oick up any eye shadow from this company, be prepared to have your own applicator. One doens't come with the package.

I also got some Tom's toothpaste and mouth wash. The toothpaste is different from any other toothpaste, and has a strong spearmint flavor without any sweetness. BUt it makes your teeth feel clean, almost a sticky but clean feeling. But I like it. It's realy hard to describe. The mouthwash has little flavor, but it wonderfully lacks what prevents from using most mouthwash -- burning alcohol scorching my tongue and gums. Well it has some of that, but not a lot. It isn't bad, might take a moment to get used to if you are not completely open to it. Me? I'm open to just about any eco thing. Both items make you feel clean and pure in your mouth. I'd consider them worth a try if you want to find eco oral care.

What did I do to be eco-friendly today?
The above purchases...

The New Eco Chick

2009-01-10T09:21:00.003-05:00

Oh happy day, two more converted!! It is nice to see your friends suddenly becoming green butterflies. They are outdoing me in their greenness, but I'm thrilled for them. More inspirations in this land of brown.

Sorry for the lack of posts, I've been busy and tired, and my beloved wants to spend time with me, so I haven't been here. However, I have been busy reading some good eco literature. A new eco book on my shelf is The Eco Chick Guide to Life: How to be Faboulously Green by Starre Vartan. Similiar to Gorgeously Green, it gives you life strategies on how to make your life greener while still not doing without needed fashion and health. However, I would say it is marketed more to the 20-30 something lady, instead of families. It is written by a eco fashion journalist who has done many articles on the topic of this book. It reads easiliy (I finished it in 2 days) and has a lot of ideas for the eco Cosmo girl.

What I liked about it:

Easy to read and think of ways to implement the ideas into real life
Throughout the book, she addresses the cost of going eco friendly and understands it isn't as cheap as we like it to be
There is a whole story of how blue jeans are made, and it makes you want to never buy them again unless they are made fairly and ethically
Every chapter has at least 10 - 20 websites on where to find the items in the chapters
It was first published in august of 2008, so it's ideas are newer and take into consideration all the new things that are now on the market
It covers everything from beauty to convincing your boss to green the office you work in and your family to follow the green path

What I Didn't like About It:

Very similiar to Gorgeously Green, so I'm not sure if the same ideas are suggested or not
Has Profilesof Eco Designers, Chefs, and other professionals that I really just didn't care about

However, if you do nothing else on the web today, please go to the book's website, www.eco-chick.com You will all love it, especially the rants. The site is almost like a good, savvy eco magazine (it has it's own staff for all topics, even a European correspondent) and it is great to hear others opinions and rants that match my own. So please, cheak it out, book mark it, and visit often.

My next book I'm starting is The Green Beauty Guide by Julie Gabriel. Also written by a fashion and beauty journalist and published in 2008, it contains chapters on how your skin if affected by chemicals, what chemicals to avoid and why, and how to make your own goodies for your skin. Being that it is so new, I'm curious what will be said about certain chemicals, and to see what other new research has been done and results shown. It is quite a tome at a heavy 350 pges (Eco Chick is only a light 232), and full of (hopefully) science to mull through. I'll give it a review when I'm done with it.

Oh real quick, I have now tried the Seventh Generation dish soap in lavender mint scent. It smells a little funky, but natural. It works well. And I like the packaging so much better than Method's annoying top (it would constantly get clogged with drying soap gel) as well as it cleans better too. Also easily found at Target and Harris Teeter, it is on average the same amount as Palmolive. A very good buy and product. Yay!

What did I do to be eco-friendly today?
The day is barely begun, but I used eco friendly shampoo (Avalon organics), shower gel (Kiss My Face), and lavender body oil (EO).

A Re-Joinder to the Green

2009-01-05T20:01:00.002-05:00

Ahh green-ness. I have scented my little hideaway here with a homemade reed diffuser. How? I went to Wally World and found some cute little milk bottle like bottles for $3. Then I hoped over to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and bought the refill reeds for theother diffusers ($2). I poured and mixed some water and alcohol into the bottles, then dashed it with some spearmint essential oil. Stir, flip reeds, ahhh, relaxing pure essential oil....all for about what, $5? I probably could have re-used some decorative bottles that I have instead of buying new ones, but oh well.

However, I did re-use some jars to re-organize my bathroom. I found that my favorite for everything jar are salsa jars, expecially the Tostitos 15.5 oz salsa con queso jars. My beloved and I have found lots of uses for these. He uses them as ashtrays on our porch. I use them to organize my hair clips, scrunchies, and pony tail holders in my bathroom drawer. They are justthe perfect size to hold writing utensils, screws, loose change, and other odds and ends. ut anyway, I used an old apothecary jar for my Q-tips and an old pharmacy jar that previously held bath salts from Bath an Body Works for my cotton balls. They are elegant and pretty when decorated with some spare colorful wire and charms from broken necklaces. I love them, and now I'm not digging in the bathroom drawer to get either item and making a mess.

And speaking of cotton balls and Q-tips, you can find them made from organic cotton now. (As well as cotton pads.) They aren't too expensive either, maybe $0.10 or $0.50 more than the normal ones. However, when you think of any chemical that came into contact with it (pesticides etc) and you want to rub that on your face or ear to help clean? Kind of wierd. However, as I have said numerous times, do not go out and buy green until your other supplies are gone, so I haven't gotten any yet myself. However, I will!

I also forgot to mention in my other blog that I found organic cotton pajama tops and bottoms made by Hanes at Wal-Mart this past week. They were $6 for each shirt or pant, and they are wonderfuly soft. I bought two sets. At $12 a set, how could I not? I use them to lounge, do yoga, or whatever. They are like comfier scrubs...

I saw organic yoga supplies mentioned in a comment, and thought I would inform that the 100% rubber Gaim yoga mats are $30 at Target. They smell funky, but they are soft. They offer a bit more cushion (not a whole lot, but a bit more) than standard mats, and they are nicely non-slip. My only qualm (and it is small) is that they don't roll up as easily because they are of a soft, more flexible material. On the plus side of that though, you don't have to worry about corners rolling up when you are on it. (Find this and many other yoga items here: http://www.target.com/gp/search/ref=sr_ln_3/177-6802628-0937552?ie=UTF8&index=target&field-browse=1038604&rh=k%3Ayoga%20mat%2Cn%3A1251324011) And it looks like they are on sale now too, darn.

What did I do to be eco-friendly today?
Hmm, took my lunch to work today in re-usable containers

It's time! It's time for 2009!!

2009-01-04T18:20:00.000-05:00

Oh the new year. I love fresh starts. It's time to pass GO and pick up our $200. Time to follow the yellow brick road. Time to shout, " Ya---hoooo!!!! Get goin' little doggie!" It's time to show a wide panning shot across a beautiful landscape with a big lettered title materializing in the center of the screen. The coin toss has been called and the game is on !!!

Oh yes, I love the new year, new goals, new accomplishments, new challenges, and maybe if I'm lucky some good new finances. I will hope for the best for myself, and all of you, dear reader(s).

So what am I tackling in the eco-field this year? Hmm.

*being more eco friendly in the following departments: cosmetics and beauty products and the home.

*becoming educated with science to help justify eco needs (and sharing the science)

*updating this site at least weekly

*starting massage practice centering on using eco products

Uh, I could be really ambitious and say reducing my use of paper and plastic, but that would be very ambitious. How about instead i say I will shop mindfuly for eco products. Yah, that fits better.

True, I haven't been on here in while. But that doesn't mean I have not been practicing my green habits. To be honest, I have been very efficient with my eco needs, buying many eco products when my normal products ran out (which is the best way to go to save money). I have tried some new products as well and tested them for durability. The following are my favorites:

*Harris Teeter has their own line of eco-friendly things called "Naturals" and they are easily spotted with the baby blue packaging. I tried the recycled plastic trash bags. Function just like normal trash bags and hold up just as well.

*Giovanni Organics Triple Treat Tea Tree Shampoo and Conditioner. It has peppermint in it and makes your scalp tingle, as well as helps your hair and scalp become healthy again. No more itchy flaky scalp, hooray!!

*Kiss My Face shaving cream. Lasts a long time and it is made from natural products. Gives a close shave and makes skin soft.

*EVA shower curtain liner. Ok, so it has some PVC in it, I think, but it doesn't have chorline in it, it doesn't smell, and it's really soft and nice and it was only $10 at Bed Bath and Beyond.

* I splurged on a X-mas gift for myself and bought a 100% bamboo robe. It is silky soft, but since I just opened it today I am still wondering when it gets good. Maybe needs to fluff some.

*Bamboo shower puff from Target ($4). Soft, nice, but I unwrapped it from the strap, and it's sort of like wash cloth. Still love it though.

I did buy everyone eco friendly gifts this year. I thought this was going to be a tragic mayhem with my finances, but after three weeks of searching, i found a lot of good deals and websites to provide fair trade or natural materials. New favorite sites:

*Greenfeet.com
*ShirtsofBamboo.com
*Get'nGreen.com

I also just found a new tip website called: Idealbite.com

Some new magazines I have found with an eco theme: Plenty magazine & E magazine. Now if I couldonly find Plenty in stores. They tout Targetand Borders, but I can't find it there. Oh well. they have a great archive online.

Anyway, on to other things....

So I have been friendly to mother earth, just haven't been typing it here. I do plan some changes to this blog, cosmestic only. Change is good. Eco change is best.

Oh and one last thing: I have a feeling that 2009 will either make or break the Green Movement. Because every company is trying to bank with it now, it probably means that it might not last long, or it could last awhile. Let's hope it isn't a fad, but I think it is, and all fads go. However, true greenies, well, we keep digging regardless, don't we?

What did I do to be eco-friendly today?
Got squeaky green clean with all eco products. Yay!