Mommy Goes Green

Recycled Glass Balloon Vases - VivaTerra carries these beautiful, unique vases made from recycled glass. I love their simple, classic beauty. Lopsided in just the right way, these oversized, delightful melon-shaped vases can be grouped as a threesome to hold tall flowers and branches, placed individually on tabletops, or clustered as a transparent accent.  From $39.00

Teething Necklace - This is a great gift for a pregnant or new mama!   They were created so moms wouldn’t have to give up wearing pretty jewelry, but would also be something safe for baby to grab and put in their mouths.  Available in 12 colors, they are non-toxic and dishwasher safe. Made from phthalate, BPA, PVC, and lead free silicone. $19.00

Year of Seeds - This gift, from Red Envelope, keeps continues to give with a year-round windowsill garden. Simply place the included soil and seeds into the pots, add water, and watch the flowers come to life.   Set includes seeds, bag of soil, 12 pots and easy growing instructions. 10% of proceeds go to the March of Dimes. $79.95

Custom Scrabble Tile Art Pendant by PendantLicious - I love how this mom repurposed Scrabble tiles into sweet necklaces. Send in your favorite photo and see it turned into a custom pendant.  Each pendant comes with a 2mm 18″ Ballchain Necklace ( other lengths available, upon request ).  These are so affordable, every mama needs one!  $8.00

BookSwim - If you know a reader, this is the perfect, unique gift!  BookSwim is the first online book rental library service lending you the latest bestseller, new releases and classic paperbacks, hardcovers and college textbooks Netflix®-style directly to your house!   Starting at $9.95 per month. For Mother’s Day, you can purchase a $50 gift card for $40. CODE: MOTHERSDAY2009

Envirosax - Have I mentioned what a HUGE Envirosax fan I am?  Envirosax are chic, inexpensive reusable bags.   They have a fantastic Mother’s Day special – Buy any pouch (set of 5 bags) and receive a Retro Kitchen pouch absolutely free ( value: $28.50 ) It’s only valid for pouch purchases until May 5. The free Retro Kitchen pouch will not show up in your shopping cart but will be added to your order by staff. $8.50 each or $28.50 – $37.95 per pouch ( set of 5 ).

Organic Bouquet – Take a traditional route and send flowers but this year, choose eco-friendly flowers from Organic Bouquet.  Their flowers are VeriFlora certified, grown with the least environmental impact.  Growers must meet rigorous criteria to achieve certification including fair labor practices, sustainable crop production, ecosystem protection, and product quality. $44.95

Kiwi Magazine Subscription - Mamas interested in a greener, natural lifestyle will love Kiwi. KIWI features the latest in everyday natural and organic family style – helping you to raise your children the healthiest way possible.  $11.95

Pacifica Soy Candles – Candles are such a treat, I love to curl up with a blanket, book and several candles.  Conventional candles are composed of  paraffin wax, synthetic dyes and artificial fragrances, which are toxic to produce and result in indoor air pollutants. Cheaper wicks may contain traces of heavy metals ( like lead ), which can get released into the air during combustion. Choose a safer product – soy candles.  Pacifica Soy Candles are handmade with vegetable soy wax, lead-free wicks and Pacifica’s signature perfume blends with essential and natural oils. $22.00

Handmade with Love – Any mama is honored to receive homemade gifts.  Gather the kids together, pick a project and get to work. FamilyFun.com has a great group of projects for all ages.

2009 Arbor Day Contest Winner - Geneva M. from Oklahoma

Today we observe Arbor Day to encourage tree planting and care.  They are likely local celebrations you can attend or host your own personal Arbor Day by planting a tree in your yard.  Why?

“The net cooling effect of a young, healthy tree is equivalent to ten room-size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day.”-U.S. Department of Agriculture

“Landscaping can reduce air conditioning costs by up to 50 percent, by shading the windows and walls of a home.” – American Public Power Association

“If you plant a tree today on the west side of your home, in 5 years your energy bills should be 3% less. In 15 years the savings will be nearly 12%.” -Dr. E. Greg McPherson, Center for Urban Forest Research

“One acre of forest absorbs six tons of carbon dioxide and puts out four tons of oxygen. This is enough to meet the annual needs of 18 people.”-U.S. Department of Agriculture

“There are about 60-to 200- million spaces along our city streets where trees could be planted. This translates to the potential to absorb 33 million more tons of CO2 every year, and saving $4 billion in energy costs.”-National Wildlife Federation

“Trees properly placed around buildings can reduce air conditioning needs by 30 percent and can save 20 – 50 percent in energy used for heating.”-USDA Forest Service

“Each generation takes the earth as trustees.” – J. Sterling Morton

Earth Day has all kinds of companies giving away stuff!

FREE roll of Reynold Wraps 100% recycled Foil – sign up for a rebate for $3.99 but it’s only available on Earth Day.

FREE nursing cover - Go to Udder Covers and click on ‘Shop Now’, enter the code ‘onefree’ and choose from pink or blue.  You will have to pay shipping.

FREE reusable water bottle – Go the Disney Store and bring 3 empty plastic bottles to be recycled.

FREE cup of coffee – Starbucks stores located in Target will give you a free cup of brewed coffee if you bring in a reusable cup.

FREE bottle of non toxic nail polish – Starting at 8am PST on April 22, the first 500 users to that log onto Butter London will receive a bottle of free non toxic nail polish ( free of formaldehyde, free of toluene, free of DBP ).  Coupon code: EARTH09.  You will have to pay for shipping.

FREE Jones Soda – Sign the Jones Soda Earth Pledge and get a coupon for a free Jones Soda.  Better yet, if you are in Seattle, stop by their office for a free soda.

FREE Seed Bomb – Visit any LUSH and get a free ‘seed bomb’.  What’s a seed bomb, you ask? Throw it in some dirt and BOOM – flowers!

Earth Day 2009 is THIS Wednesday, April 22 – here are 10 ways to participate!

1. Find a local event. 
2. Pack your kids a waste free lunch.  Include a cloth napkin, reusable lunch bag, drink bottle and sandwich containers. ( don’t include anything prepackaged )
3. Get rid of junk mail – start by cancelling unwanted catalogs.
4. Get outside - go for a hike or bike ride.
5. Tune your kids into PBS Kids special Earth Day cartoons.
6. Do a craft using recycled materials- from cotton ball trees to ladybug rocks.  I love the pet food scoop!
7. Plant a garden – it can be as easy as visiting a local gardening store to pick up strawberry plants.  Imagine  your kiddos eating home grown, pesticide free fruit ( and loving it! ).
8. Replace one conventional cleaning product with a toxic free one – for a quick, easy to find brand, check out Seventh Generation products.
9. Carpool, walk or take public transportation.
10. Watch BIG GREEN LIES, a new show on Fine Living Network.  Some of the topics:
    • should a smog alert be issue for your living room?
    • organic vs. non-organic foods?
    • paper or plastic?
    • the debate over disposable vs. cloth diaper continues…..

Let me know how YOU celebrate!  And if you watch Big Green Lies, let me know what you think – we don’t get Fine Living Network so I will sadly miss it!

Of all the planets in our universe, there is only one that we know can support life.  It’s called EARTH.

courtesy DisneyNature

DisneyNature Films, in conjunction with BBC, Greenlight Media and Discovery Channel have created a new film about one year in the life of the creatures who share our planet.  The file is appropriately titled ‘EARTH’ and comes out on Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22nd.

The trailer is spectacular, it reminds me of the IMAX films I’ve seen with vividly colored images and close up shots of animals we don’t get to visit with every day. It also reminded me of a trip my husband and I took last fall to Alaska where we were up close and personal with amazing animals that roam the earth not so far from the homes we live in. 

Disney will plant one tree for each ticket purchased during opening week, take your kids to see EARTH , I think we will all have a new appreciation for “the creatures who share our planet”.

Resale events are a great way to Reduce and Reuse!  You can reduce the amount of stuff at your house you no longer need and someone else gets to reuse them!  It’s also a great way to make some extra cash.

Last fall, I participated in a Just Between Friends (JBF ) resale event by consigning, volunteering and buying.    Just Between Friends holds children’s resale events twice yearly.  It’s a nation wide company but each location is locally owned ( great business opportunity for moms!).

It was a bit of work upfront ( entering items into an online database and printing price tags ) but I consigned some of my daughter’s clothes we no longer needed.  JBF pays consignors 70% of the sales price, typically 20-30%  more than local consignment shops pay. 

I spent 4 hours volunteering one evening so I could get into the sale earlier than the general public.  That time spent turned out to be worth it because when sale time came, I found some fantastic bargains!  If you are a used clothing hound, THIS IS THE PLACE to find it.  You will spend time combing through racks ( and rack and racks ) of clothing but you will likely find a whole wardrobe for your kids in the upcoming season. 

We were not in need of clothing so I hit the toys and baby gear sections to see what I could find.  There were tons of good quality and NEW toys, books, DVDs, strollers, backpacks, Bumbos and on and on.  I picked up a new high chair for my daugher’s dolls for $5, a very gently used Kelty backpack for $30 ( my best bargain ), several Dora the Explorer DVDs for $3 and an adorable, hand painted, wooden vanity and stool for my daughter’s room for $20.

The spring JBF sales are starting now so find one today – I highly recommend it!

Oh yah, I came away with a $125 check which more than made up for all the great finds I came home with!  I am participating in the next one in April!

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Remember, Earth Hour is tonight at 8:30 pm, for 1 hour, whatever time zone you are located in!  2,712 cities, towns and municipalities in 83 countries are already committed.  Dozens of celebrities are promoting the event and over 8000 schools, 20,000 businesses, 6000 organizations and even The Great Pyramids – and that’s just who’s signed up at the website.   Either way, you don’t need to sign up to commit to 1 hour of darkness.  Take up your own green flag and turn off the lights tonight.

I think I will let my daughter stay up late and we’ll get the flashlights out to play.  Let me know what you do during Earth Hour!

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One of the things I’ve found in my ‘green’ journey is that there is likely a healthier alternative to something I’m already doing or buying.  Although at times, that seems overwhelming, I just focus on one new change or purchasing one new product at a time.  Right now, I’m looking ahead at Easter. 

In 3 weeks, we’ll host our families for a big brunch after church and it wouldn’t be the same without a good ol’ fashioned Easter egg hunt.  As this is my 2 year old’s first year hunting eggs, I want to use real eggs, and I want to spend time with her dyeing them.  So, I went on a hunt looking for alternatives to the normal artificial food coloring in the $3 boxes at Target.

Now, I won’t say this is less work but I definitely think this is way more fun and educational, particularly for older kids.  Round your kids up and have them help you hunt through your kitchen and pantry for foods or spices that can be used to dye your eggs.   Here are a few examples to get you thinking: 

Red: Beets, cranberries

Orange: Outer skins of onions

Light Yellow: Carrot tops, orange or lemon peels

Dark Yellow: Turmeric

Blue: Blueberries, red cabbage leaves

Beige or brown: Coffee or tea

Once you gotten them together, put each in a pot to boil with water and a tablespoon of vinegar.  After they’ve boiled, put them into separate bowls and dip your eggs as normal.

We’re going to try our first round of naturally dyed eggs soon, I’ll let you know how they turn out! 

I’d love to hear your ideas on foods or spices to use – add a comment!

This Saturday, March 28, no matter what city, no matter what country, the planet is turning out the lights!  At 8:30PM, your local time, turn off the lights for 1 hour.

Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour. In 2008 the message had grown into a global sustainability movement, with 50 million people switching off their lights. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square all stood in darkness.

In December 2009 world leaders meet in Copenhagen to agree on a post-Kyoto policy for tackling climate change. One billion people voting with their light switch during Earth Hour will create a powerful mandate for our leaders to take strong and decisive action on climate change in Copenhagen.

If you have kids at home, make it fun by getting flashlights out and playing hide-and-seek or board games.  If you’ve put the little ones to bed or you don’t have kids, plan a romantic night lit by candles.  I plan to sit outside ( barring any downpours ) and check out the stars.  In a big city, you don’t get to see the stars that much.

What will you do during Earth Hour?