I’ve been meaning to write about this for a while, but I think living in Panama blocked me from feeling - or even thinking about - cold weather. Moving back to Florida in December, however, allowed my memory to come back a little. My girls have been wearing pants and long sleeves on and off since we arrived, and last night - GASP - I turned the heat on for a little while. A teensy while, because 1 - not using the heater all year makes the house stink and 2 - it got really HOT! It was then I remembered this great challenge from favorite blogger Crunchy Chicken called “Freeze Yer Buns”.
Freeze Yer Buns is simple - or is it? How far do you think you can turn your thermostat down in the name of the environment, not to mention saving a little dough? Having the heat on full blast constantly is harsh on your skin, parches throats, and overall isn’t the best condition to be in. Even lowering your thermostat a degree or two makes a huge difference (especially with your heating bill). As of today, Crunchy has 187 people who are altering their personal home heating levels. I’m shivering for all of those people who keep their home at 50 degrees, but commend them for their stamina, guts, and creativity to keep warm!
The proverbial freezing of buns is going on until April 1st, and everyone is welcome to join. Then, it switches to “Sweating Yer Buns,” I guess! Whatever the case, see how chilly you can make your home - you’ll be amazed at the results!
This is my favorite time of year that only happens every four - primary time. The Florida primary is tomorrow, and while only the Republican candidates are being voted on, (don’t get me started about this whole DNC punishing the state about pushing up the primary date…) I’m still thrilled over all the excitement here. I love election years, and this year, I’m paying much more attention to environmental issues and the like. However, just as tough as is it to truly figure out who to vote for, it can be even more daunting to find a website that will take you through the research process easily and without bias.
Enter Glassbooth. Like its name, Glassbooth gives you clear, unbiased access to the candidate’s stances on all of the major issues at hand. Of course, since you’re reading this, you’re probably wondering how Obama, Clinton, McCain, Romney, and the rest of the pack stand on the environment. Glassbooth breaks down the environmental issues further into subcategories including investing in alternative energy, fuel efficiency standards, endangered species programs, and public transportation, among others. Health care, the economy, education, and pretty much anything you might have on your mind (or what’s on their minds) is covered as well. Glassbooth provides candidate quotes, voting records, videos from interviews, links to interviews, and many other forms of information for each category.
Want to know which candidate is standing with you across the board? Glassbooth has a neat quiz you can take to compare where you stand on the issues with the candidates, issue for issue. Start with the point ratings on the homepage, and it will take you further to help you find your perfect candidate. It’s like matchmaking for the President! Your results will be in a unique URL you can send to others, or remind yourself where you stand. It’s a truly comprehensive resource you’ll need to share. And don’t forget to vote!
Thanks to MZS for the tip!
One of our most popular giveaways last year was from Tees for Change, an amazing, inspirational shirt company that lets you wear positivity on your sleeve. You guys loved the bamboo/cotton blended shirts with such sayings as “Laugh Often” and “Live Mindfully” on them - reminders to ourselves and others of what matters the most in life.
This week, Tees For Change is having their annual “Inspire Me” contest, and they want you to enter. Do you have a personal mantra, something that helps you get through tough times - or any time? If you have a two-word phrase you want to share with the world, now’s your chance! Tees for Change wants your ideas - visit the survey link below to enter ONLY two word phrases. You have until January 31st to enter, and you can only enter once. On February 1st, you’ll receive an email with the finalists, and then you can vote (and get all your friends to vote) on your favorite saying. The winner will be announced February 7th!
Here’s the link: http://m1e.net/c?76411746-F3ck
The winner will receive a $100 gift certificate to Tees For Change, AND the winning phrase will be available on a Tees For Change shirt in their Spring/Summer 2008 collection! What a great way to start the New Year! So, put those thinking caps on…Good luck and have fun!
I’m going to try something a bit different this week with my giveaway schedule - I’m sure you won’t mind! This week I fell in love with Happy Green Bee clothing. A new venture from Roxanne Quimby, the founder of Burt’s Bees, Happy Green Bee’s 100% organic, fair trade cotton clothing for infants and toddlers are fresh, fun, and kiddie approved. I think the Happy Green Bee philosophy that clothing should be “comfortable, colorful, playful and ecologically responsible” is on the mark! What’s also super about these clothes is, aside from the dress and skirt, the clothing is gender neutral, each piece designed with a signature bee stripe motif. They also do wonderful, free photo shoots for kids at boutiques that carry Happy Green Bee. Check out the adorable photos, and see if they’re coming to your area!
My two-year-old has worn her Happy Green Bee dress over and over again. For a child who changes her outfits three or more times a day, I’d say we found a winner! The dress has washed amazingly well, and held up to school, the playground, and many meals (she’s a messy one). Speaking of winners, I have a great Happy Green Bee giveaway this week that will give any kid reason to buzz. Happy Green Bee is generously giving a short sleeved t-shirt, leggings, cardigan, and beret set to one lucky reader, a retail value of about $75! Please leave a comment at this post with an answer to this question - what’s your favorite Happy Green Bee color combo? This giveaway will be open until Monday, February 4th at midnight, PST. Good luck!
This contest is now closed. Congrats to Ellie, and thanks for entering!
…plastic ones, that is. Whole Foods announced today that by Earth Day of this year (April 22), they will completely eliminate offering plastic bags as an option for shoppers. You’ll still be able to use Whole Foods paper bags, which are made from 100% recycled paper and are 100% recyclable. They’re also offering a new “Better Bag” - made from recycled plastic bottles, the Better Bag will cost you 99 cents to pack up and take home. This is an enormous step to cutting down on plastic bag use - on their site, Whole Foods explains it takes about a thousand years for a plastic bag to break down, as well as releases toxins when they decompose. They also estimate that from Earth Day to the end of 2008 alone, they’ll be keeping about 100 million plastic bags out of landfills! Check out the FAQs from Whole Foods for more information.
Not to defend the plastic bag, but as do many people, I really reuse the bags I accumulate from Whole Foods. They go in the smaller garbage cans around my house, in my car, stashed in travel bags, at the beach, anywhere a kiddie emergency is needed. And, if you’re like me, you can’t just run into to Whole Foods for a couple of things you can throw into a couple of canvas bags. I’d like to know your thoughts about this - would you buy Whole Foods’ “Better Bags” for 99 cents, bring your own bags, use the paper bags, or a combo of all of them? I carry a couple of small canvas bags in my car for the library, but I don’t think it’s enough for a Whole Foods run!
I think I may have to place an order on Reusable Bags to celebrate!
Giveaways are my favorites to write and post, and these next few weeks are going to be super exciting, starting with this week. I was lucky enough to be put into contact with (and score a sample of) BabyBearShop’s line of super rich and luxurious mom and baby products. Started by mom Diana Lussenden Stewart, BabyBearShop’s signature Cheeky Baby Butter came about when she was living abroad and gave birth to a highly food-allergic baby. As Diana was strict with what went into her daughter, she was concerned about what was being put on her as well - and Cheeky Baby Butter was formulated. All of BabyBearShop’s products are made with 100% plant-derived ingredients, fair trade, cruelty free, 100% natural, and 99% organic. BabyBearShop is a member of SafeCosmetics as well as the Organic Trade Association, and collaborates with Healthy Child, Healthy World.
I have to say, I have used the Cheeky Baby Butter since the day I got it, and not just for my girls. I’ve used them on my hands, my heels, crusty noses, tushes, and scrapes. It’s amazing, and the teeny jar I have is going a looong way. It is the ultimate dry skin cream - you know, the one you’ve been looking for, forever.
This week, one winner can win BabyBearShop’s “Appreciate” gift set, which includes Certified Organic “All the Better to Kiss You With” Lavender Vanilla Lip Balm, Organic Cheeky Baby Butter, and the ever-famous Organic Mama Belly Oil. Leave a comment here with an answer to this - what is your favorite flavor of Lip Balm? The giveaway will be open until midnight PST on Thursday. Good Luck!
This contest is now closed! Thanks for entering, and congrats to Jessica!
Growing up, the Jewish holiday of Tu B’Shevat always struck a chord with me. Maybe it was the treehugger in me, or maybe the holiday is what made me this way, but I have always had a thing for gardening and giving back to reforesting and nature organizations. When I was 13, I made it all the way to Israel and hand-planted trees for my grandparents. It was a momentous trip that will always connect my love for nature. Monday night and Tuesday marks the Jewish holiday of Tu B’Shevat, or the New Year of the Trees, the Jewish Arbor Day, OR, according to my kids, the Birthday of the Trees. For two weeks at school, they’ve been planting seeds, making green “tree” cupcakes, and overall studying nature and literally hugging trees to help give back to the Earth for what it gives to us.
Originally, Tu B’Shevat marked the ‘fiscal year’ of trees, the date used for tax purposes for farmers. Now, it takes a more immediate, even urgent feel. Planting trees brings more food to the hungry; more shade for the overheated; better air quality. It might sounds like a strange holiday to celebrate in the middle of winter - in the US. In Israel, however, the rainy season has brought the trees to bloom, and to celebrate, we eat fruit and grains from the “Seven Species” of Israel - wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and honey. We eat a meal to taste all these foods, and to really get ‘back to nature’. It’s a very easy holiday to share with children - nature still holds a big fascination, and to get hands-on through planting and eating brings the idea of Earth cycles, well, full circle.
So, even if you’re not Jewish, eat some fruit on Tuesday and think about the tree or plant it came from. Here’s a website with coloring pages and Tu B’Shevat activities. And if you’re feeling particularly charitable, here’s a list of organizations where you can ‘plant’ trees, in honor or memory of someone. I often plant trees in honor of births, or to mark special events in my families lives. No matter if you’re planting for someone else or yourself - the earth is the real benefactor!
Jewish National Fund - planting trees in Israel since 1901!
Eco-Libris - love to read? Donate $1 for every book you read (or your kids - a great incentive!), Eco-Libris will help plant a tree in a tree-needy country. They’ll even send you a sticker for your book!
The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation - aiming to plant 18 billion fruit trees worldwide - three for each person in the world!
Trees for the Future - helps teach communities how to plant trees and rebuild their environment.
American Forests - helping to replant wildfire sticken areas.
Now that I’m back in the states, one difference in my daily routine stands out - carpooling. In Panama, my girls took a bus to school (yes, even the two year old!) It left me jittery, but with an odd sense that putting 10 kids and a couple of teachers in one vehicle every day made more sense than 10 SUVs in all their gas-guzzling glory prowling the streets. Odd, maybe, but now that I’m driving to school again, I’m completely guilty of that unique mommy characteristic - idling my car. I’ve been finding myself waiting 20 minutes or more for my kids in the carpool line, letting my car idle for the sake of using air conditioning (I live in Florida, a necessary evil or else for much of the year). Forget defending myself - evidence of idling shows it’s not only bad for the environment, but your health as well. Here are some myths about idling your car you’ve probably agreed with over the years -
- Turning your car off and on again wastes gas and is bad for your engine;
- Idling is good for your car (keeps it warm);
- Your engine needs to be warmed up before driving (great theory in the middle of January!).
Here are the realities -
- Idling your car for one hour burns almost one gallon of gasoline;
- Turning your car off and on does no damage to your car, and actually saves you money over time (ie, you’re not wasting gas!);
- Really, we all jump in the car and ‘warm it up’ for the heater anyway, but driving your car is the most effective way to warm your car up.
One suggestion is to park your car and, in my case, wait inside the school until it’s time to pick up the kids. Or, on nice days, jump into a friend’s car and catch up. You might not be able to listen to the radio, but if you’re idling for 20 minutes a day, five days a week…that’s 100 idling minutes, equal to wasting over a gallon and a half of gas! That adds up to a lot of money over time. There’s also evidence that idling can lead to health problems over time, perhaps from car fumes traveling through the car. And let’s not forget the pollution that’s spilling into the air.
Check out what the Consumer Energy Center has to say about idling myths and truths (their other energy myths and facts are pretty fascinating as well), and keep them in mind the next time you’re waiting in your car!
It’s a new year, and, well, global warming is still a hot topic (sorry, it’s early). It’s nice to see that there are still innovative people getting involved in bringing awareness to the fight for the planet. WE ADD UP, a campaign whose motto “No one can do everything. Everyone can do something,” literally counts you for the fight against global warming. When you purchase one of WE ADD UP’s organic cotton t-shirts, the shirt will be hand-printed with your unique number (with veggie inks, of course!), along with an action, such as ‘carpool’ or ‘buy local’ for adults, and ‘Act Now’ for kids. For kids, this number is a very special way for them to be proud of their participation that “counts them in” to helping the environment (does anyone else have that Sesame Street song in their head right now?) They can show off that number, feeling proud that they participated in their own special way. Started by a mother/daughter team, WE ADD UP is a wealth of reading and other practical, organic products worth looking at as well! You can even start a WE ADD UP fundraiser at your school!
This week, two winners can get a kid’s WE ADD UP “Act Now” t-shirt! I love the idea that each shirt is made to order. Just leave a comment here with an answer to this - which is your favorite WE ADD UP action? This week’s giveaway will run until FRIDAY night until midnight, PST. Good luck!
This contest is now closed! Congrats to Danielle S and Michele!
One great thing about Panama - no junk mail. Well, no MAIL really - they don’t have a well established government regulated postal system, so if you have a PO Box, you get what you subscribe to and not much else. So, I thankfully didn’t need to recycle 100 pounds of catalogs in November and December, but now, I’m already ankle deep in junk mail (and I haven’t even been shopping yet!).
This wonderful service called Greendimes, however, will help eliminate your name and address from all the popular junk mail lists, and reduce your junk mail by, get this, up to 90%! Started in 2006, Greendimes boasts it has stopped over 3 MILLION pounds of junk mail from reaching mailboxes across the country; almost 500,000 unwanted catalogs from being thrown away or recycled; and over 680,000 trees saved from a life of junk mail.
For $20, let Greendimes do all the work, and only find happy, wanted mail in your mailbox. If you sign up, you can even choose which catalogs you want stopped being sent (hellooooo, I haven’t bought anything from that company that makes silk longjohns since I moved from New York SEVEN YEARS AGO). You get the point. Greendimes is a great concept that you can participate in for little money. Think about it as a new waistline for your mailbox! Easier than getting to the gym, for sure…
