Mommy Goes Green

I’m a bit of a fanatic about recycling – I just love the idea of avoiding the landfill and getting further use out of something – particularly for products that people use all the time AND throw away all the time.

If your kids drink Capri Sun – I’m talking to you!  Capri Sun has partnered with TerraCycle to upcycle Capri Sun pouches into new products like totes, bags, pencil cases and now dresses!  The one-of-a-kind dress ( made entirely with Capri Sun pouches! ) was created by designer, Justina Blakeney of Compai, a company renowned for rehabiliting “used and abused” clothing and it’s being auctioned off to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Not only does Capri Sun want your used drink pouches back – they’ll pay you to get them!  Sign up at TerraCycle to start a “Capri Sun Pouch Brigade” at your school to collect Capri Sun pouches ( Honest Kids and Kool Aid pouches also qualify ) and get 2 cents for each pouch – TerraCycle will even cover the shipping costs.  

Donate a couple garbage cans to your school lunchroom, use the bags provided by TerraCycle, label them clearly and let the parents and students know!  Capri Sun has even provided some educational materials and curriculum to coincide with the program. Sounds like an easy way to earn money for your school – and these days, our schools could use some extra $$ !

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When my daughter started crawling and then walking, she instantly started touching everything she could get her hands on. Most medical recommendations say that washing with good ol’ soap and water is sufficient but sometimes there was no soap and water in sight so hand sanitizer became a ‘must-have’ in my purse.  I couldn’t stand the alcohol smell of most hand sanitizers so with a little research, I found Cleanwell, an alcohol free hand sanitizer, that has a pleasantly light lemon smell.  Little did I know that the smell of alcohol wasn’t the only thing I should have been concerned with.

I didn’t realize the actual amount of alcohol in most hand sanitizers.  I’ve even read that children have been hospitalized for alcohol poisoning from them!   They have a surprisingly heavy amount of ethyl alcohol ( Purell and Germ-X contain 62% ethyl alcohol, a little 2oz bottle = 4 shots of vodka! ).

Triclosan is an anti-bacterial ingredient used not only in hand sanitizers but also in a lot of personal care products.  According to the EWG, it is linked to liver and inhalation toxicity, and low levels of triclosan may disrupt thyroid function. Wastewater treatment does not remove all of the chemical, which means it ends up in our lakes, rivers and water sources.  

The American Medical Association recommends that households do not use anti bacterial products as it contributes to the spread of antibiotic resistant bacterias and the New England Journal of Medicine reports that alcohol based hand sanitizers pose as intoxicants to high-risk populations, like toddlers.

CleanWell, a hand sanitizer made with Ingenium, is a great alternative.  Ingenium is a patented mix mix of plant essential oils, including the active ingredent, thyme oil.  It is 100% biodegradeable and kills 99.99% of germs including MSRA, Salmonella and Staph.  It’s totally safe for kids with no risk of harm from ingestion.   They have a couple products, including a purse version of their hand sanitizer, sanitizer wipes and hand soap.  You can purchase their products in the MGG SHOP, Target, Whole Foods, and Bath & Body Works.  Other alternatives to try: For My Kids or Clean George products.

One last thought : a lot of day care centers, preschools, and schools use hand sanitizers in their classroom.  You might ask them to choose a better product or donate a large bottle to your class. 

FREE STUFF: We have a 6oz bottle ( over 1300 uses! ) of CleanWell Hand Sanitizer to GIVE AWAY to our readers – you can enter to win by signing up for the MGG newsletter by Sunday, March 22 at 11:59PM PST.   The newsletter sign up is located on the right hand, middle section of the MGG homepage.  We will choose one winner at random and notify them by email. Open to 18 year old + residents of the U.S. and Canada.

CONGRATS to Jessica Petlun, the winner of our CleanWell Hand Sanitizer sweepstakes!