Kiva Goes Green

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard of kiva.org. If not, here's a very brief description:

We are a non-profit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Leveraging the internet and a worldwide network of microfinance institutions, Kiva lets individuals lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world. 

Why we do what we do
We envision a world where all people - even in the most remote areas of the globe - hold the power to create opportunity for themselves and others.
We believe providing safe, affordable access to capital to those in need helps people create better lives for themselves and their families.

I've loaned money through Kiva.org three times now, two have been paid back in full already. They are a great, GREAT organization helping empower people all over the world. It really feels good to help a person help themselves and their family. I also love hearing about the progress they are making, as some will post updates on how their business/project/housing is going. I didn't think I could rave about them any more highly, until I saw today that they are going "green" and are offering loans to help people live sustainably around the world. For more details click here. I just tried to make another loan, but unfortunately all the green loan requests are already funded! I was too late. But never fear, there will be more opportunities soon I'm sure, so if this is something you're interested in check back in a few days... OR... go ahead and make a different kiva loan. :) 

Reuse It: Straws

photo: reuseit.com

I finally, FINALLY, purchased a set of glass straws from reuseit.com. I've been wanting to get some for quite a while and now I will have my very own (I really have no idea why I didn't buy them sooner). I'm not a girl that needs a straw, but I would like to start using them to prevent staining my teeth with coffee and tea. 

I know I'm a dork but I'm sooooo excited for these to arrive! I ordered  the Glass Dharma set of 3 Glass Straws (9.5 mm) with Brush.

photo: reuseit.com (this picture is of the larger 12 mm size)

Eeeeeee! And... I found a coupon code (NEWCUST1, I heart retailmenot.com) to get this workhorse reusable bag FREE.

photo: reuseit.com

Now I'm on a hunt for a case or cozy (I didn't like the one they had) to carry one of the glass straws in my purse. Any chance any of you peeps know of one? 

Alrighty, just had to share! I'm not paid by Glass Dharma or reuseit.com, but I think you should hurry over and get some too... because really, gazillions of plastic disposable straws in our landfills is just sad. I'm happy to eliminate another plastic item in my life. 

Natural Silver Cleaner

Last week I was looking through my jewelry and got really frustrated by how my silver jewelry is so tarnished. My body does not like silver, it doesn't take long for me to tarnish it so I try to avoid it for the most part. Of course, I've collected some pieces I really like over the years. I remembered seeing a natural silver cleaner posted on Gorgeously Green's YouTube page and decided to give it a try - it's all natural and CHEAP! I had great results!

Here's how you do it:

1. Collect your silver jewelry (or actually anything silver you want to clean)
2. Cover a shallow dish with aluminum foil and sprinkle a generous layer of baking soda
3. Place jewelry or whatever in the dish and sprinkle again with baking soda, here's a picture of my first batch:
   
   
   
   
   
4. Pour boiling water into dish until items are covered
   
   
   
   
   
5. Let sit for 15-20 minutes
6. Remove jewelry and wipe with microfiber cloth (be careful of hot water)
   
   
   

Here's the video from Gorgeously Green. This is a YouTube channel I check regularly for ideas, from everything on how to make natural cleaners and ways to use hydrogen peroxide to disinfect my cutting boards. I also have her book which I recommend, Gorgeously Green: 8 Simple Steps to an Earth-Friendly Life.



Give it a try!

Review: REI Traverse 30 Women's Backpack

My goal this summer was to hike my first 14er, which I did, and will post about ASAP! In order to do this, I knew I needed the proper gear, and thus my backpack search began. My beloved Camelbak M.U.L.E. NV just wasn't going to do the job, I needed more volume to hold those 10+ essential items. I compared and read reviews online from multiple sources, and then went and tried on 5 different packs loaded with weights.

I chose the REI Traverse 30 Women's Backpack.

I chose this pack for a number of reasons, mainly because I like how streamlined it is, while still having plenty of pockets - 1 main compartment, 4 organizational pockets, and one small pocket on the hip belt.  There are also mesh pockets on either side to carry water bottles or snacks, and an internal sleeve to hold a 3.0L reservoir. The major bonuses for me with this pack are 1) the hidden rain cover which many of the competitors I looked at did not have, and 2) it appeals to the green nerd in me... this pack is made of 100% recycled PET polyester fabric. Which means this pack keeps 24 16-oz. plastic bottles out of landfills. :)

This pack lived up to it's hype. It easily held the essentials, with room to spare for additional items that would be necessary for longer hikes. On Saturday, we hiked ~5.5 hours and the pack was comfortable. I really liked having the easily accessible side pockets for my water bottle of Pure Fitness and snacks, and the hip belt pocket that perfectly held my chapstick, camera, and tissues.

The only downside I could find for this pack is that there isn't a small organizational pocket inside to hold things like my ID, search & rescue card, and cash (in case I need to pay-off a bear?). I'm concerned that it's too easy for this type stuff to fall out, or get accidentally pulled out of the existing pockets. However, this isn't such a big deal as I've figured out a work around. I plan to get, or find in my closet somewhere, a change purse type thing to hold such items and attach it to a hook in the main compartment. Problem solved.

Another plus with purchasing this pack through REI is if for whatever reason this pack doesn't hold up, I can return it to REI no questions asked.

Here's a list of the other major competitors (for me):

• CamelBak Fourteener Hydration Pack - Couldn't find it to try it!
• REI Venturi 30 - Women's - The large pockets on each side of the hip belt hit my arms as I walked, which drove me bonkers.
• Gregory Jade 30 Pack - Women's - Couldn't get past the ugly color...

I really thought I was going to get the CamelBak Fourteener (in the yellow/charcoal color)... but REI was sold out in the store, and after calling around and not finding it anywhere in order to try it out with weights - I decided to go with the Traverse. I still want it. I mean, it's called the Fourteener! Bad, I know...

I might have to start collecting packs like I collect Coach purses. :D

Here's my collection so far, aren't they purty?

The Power of H2O2

Great helpful video about household uses for Hydrogen Peroxide. My favorite use I discovered from watching this is #1, cleaning mold. It WORKS, I tried it yesterday and was amazed! I also like the idea of using it to clean cutting boards and disinfecting other surfaces (I'm thinking doorknobs, light switches, etc.).

I love finding safe (for my family and the planet), effective, and CHEAP alternatives to toxic household cleaners. Like err... Tilex - do you know how toxic the ingredients are? No? Do some research, you'll be shocked.

Household uses for Vinegar

Thought these were some useful tips to pass along.

Powered by Wind - Parking Lot Lights!

On my trip back to Hobby Lobby to pick up the correct size glue sticks (another post about that later)... I snapped a couple of pictures of these neat-o parking lot lights that are wind powered! Again, sorry about the low quality...

I know I'm a dork... but these are kewl.

Where is your milk from?

One of the many, many great things about our move, (besides moving to the great state of Colorado!) is that we live close to a Whole Foods now. This could be dangerous...

My hubby and I make an effort to avoid buying foods that are overly packaged, and when available choose glass over plastic. BTW, do you know how hard it is to find ketchup in a glass container?! It's hard, and I bet you can't find it in your local grocery store... we finally did at Whole Foods. So, you can imagine how psyched we were to also find milk in returnable glass jugs from a local dairy - Morning Fresh Dairy Farm. Their products are 100% all natural, and they are in the process of becoming certified organic. They have everything from skim milk to whipping cream, including chocolate milk (from brown chocolate cows of course), seasonal eggnog (sooo yummy), and other dairy products. We tried our first 1/2 gallon last week and it was great. So today I traded in our empty/rinsed glass jug for another, and also picked up a quart of eggnog for my man. We expected it to be expensive (um hello, it comes from Whole Foods) but no, it's only $2.49 for a 1/2 gallon plus a $1.50 refundable deposit for a total price of $3.99! When you return the glass, you get the deposit back. It's not only cheaper than other organic brands of milk, it supports the local community, has a smaller carbon footprint, and I don't have cartons of milk to curb recycle every week. Oh, and did I mention that it tastes better?! I just wish we were on their delivery route...

So anyway, check out your local grocery (it's worth a try), or local farmers market and see if you can find a local dairy! But do your research first, not all are created equal.

*sigh*

OK, off my soap box now.

Green iPhone Apps

Have I told you lately how much I love my iPhone? Here is a ZapRoot video covering a bunch of iPhone apps that can help you live more "green" (the first half anyway). I use the Good Guide quite a bit actually. I keep meaning to get iGas... will have to do that and try out greenMeter too!

I heart my iPhone!

Happy Earth Day!

Photo credit: NASA

Every day should be Earth Day. I mean really, does designating one day make a difference? What is sad is that so many businesses take advantage of Earth Day and greenwash their goods. I'm beginning to hate the word green… I do think it's great to have a day set aside where everyone focuses entirely on planet Earth, but the actions have to become part of a person's daily routine to make a real difference. I like this header from the article "Grist Tries to Explain its Screw Earth Day Campaign"...

See NASA's view of Earth on their Earth Day page which has all kinds of fun and interesting stuff - like 10 Things You Never Knew About Earth!

Are you considering making changes to better your health and the planet's? Check out Planet Green's How To Go Green Guides which are loaded with helpful information and cover everything from recycling to fashion to gardening to home renovations!

ZapRoot: Roadkill and Oil News

Entertaining as always.

News!

I am now an Independent Distributor for Shaklee!

Why? Because I am a huge fan of their products (specifically their "Get Clean" line) and want to share them with my friends and family! Their philosophy - which I love and believe in is,

"It is always safe. It always works. And it is always green."

A link to my distributor website will be posted on this page as soon as I get it up and running! I am already taking orders, so please let me know if you're interested in any of their products, or have any questions.

Go-Green Changes of 2008

While thinking up my 2009 resolutions, I couldn't help but think that 2008 is going to be hard to beat! I made a lot of changes last year - all in the effort to green my household. I decided I should make a list, so here we go!

My list of Go-Green changes of 2008:

1. Buy in bulk instead of individually packaged items (saved $ too!)
   
2. Began diligently using reusable grocery bags and produce bags
3. Switched to eco-friendly house cleaners, laundry detergent, etc. (yay for Shaklee!)
4. Became more conscientious of where our food comes from, and now buy more local produce
   
5. Buy more organic fruits and vegetables, especially the ones on the worst list for pesticides
   
6. Use my purchase power as a vote -- buy brands that use less packaging, and choose glass over plastic! Basically, live like I love the ocean!
7. Became more knowledgeable about the power we consume, and made efforts to reduce our household energy consumption.
   
8. Reduce the amount of waste I consume by packing a waste-free lunch for work, or buying lunch with the least amount of packaging possible.
9. Ditched the petroleum based candles for soy based ones, though unfortunately I have not made my own DIY soy candles yet.
10. Collected and disposed hazardous wastes from around the house - the right way!
11. Signed up with ProQuo and drastically reduced my junk mail!
    
12. Started a compost
13. Reduced the amount of curb side waste by at least 50%, probably more.
    
14. Greened my online shopping
    

What's on your list? What are your goals for greening your household in 2009?

Green Your Online Shopping!

I dread shopping this time of year. I avoid mall traffic at all costs, so much so that in recent years most of my Christmas gifts have been purchased online - and I know I'm not alone. Wouldn't it be great if every online purchase you made could make a difference to the planet? Well now they can! When Tal told me about his idea months ago, I was skeptical of how it could work. Then he revealed his website www.greenanysite.com, and how it works - and it couldn't be easier! He simply uses affiliate programs with shopping websites. So when you make a purchase and click on "Green this!" a small percentage of your purchase goes to green causes that are chosen by registered users. And no, you aren't paying more for your purchase, the retailer is paying what is called a referral fee. Check out his website GAS! for yourself and see how easy it is to GREEN your online purchases and make a difference. And if what I described above sounds like googly gook to you, all of your questions can be answered on the website. I've listed the benefits of registering at GAS below (copied straight from the website).

Reasons to Register:

• Track how much CO2 your purchases have helped clear (we do not store any info on your purchase, just how much you've helped donate).
• Display the amount of CO2 you've helped clear on your Facebook profile or in a widget on your site or blog.
• Decide where your money goes. The money that gets donated each month to green causes, goes to organizations picked by our registered users. Every registered user has a say in where the money goes to… Planting new forests? Researching alternative energy sources? Carbon Offsets? It's up to you.

Check it out and start greening your online shopping for the holidays, and all year long. Happy traffic free, no standing in lines, mob free, shopping!

Bye Bye Bottled Water

Another great ZapRoot video... I don't always agree with what they say, but this one was on the mark for me.

Ready to Compost

Today I assembled our new compost bin which is made of 100% post-consumer plastic (and is also recyclable). Now I just need to start it with a layer of yard waste... but it's pretty much open for business, I can't wait to have some nice moist compost for our garden beds. Not to mention that this will cut our curbside trash in half!

This can be checked off my Sustainable Kitchen Project list :).

It arrived!

Out with the Household Toxins

The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) held a collection for the past 2 weeks for Household Hazardous Wastes right down the road from me, and I took advantage! A few months ago I collected all my cleansers that were deemed household toxins (aka not Earth and people friendly) and boxed them up so I could hike them across town to recycle. I hung on to the boxes for a little while so we could be sure that we weren't going to need them, or change our minds... the last thing I want to do is buy more chemicals! Thanks to the EPA, I only had to drive 3 minutes down the road and they even took the boxes out of the car for me! I dropped off 3 small-medium sized boxes of cleansers, a few petroleum based candles, and a couple of batteries. Feels good to have all those toxins out of our home, not to mention all the cabinet space I've gained!

If you have Hazardous Household Waste (batteries, paint, tires, cleansers, pesticides, etc.) - PLEASE act responsibly and dispose your HHW properly! Improperly disposed HHW can contaminate septic tanks or wastewater treatment systems if poured down drains or toilets, and these in the end lead to our oceans! Not sure where to recycle/dispose your HHW? Go to Recycling Hotline: Earth 911 and simply type in your zip code and what you'd like to recycle - from plastic to household cleaners to mattresses. This hotline helps you locate recycling centers in your community.

Here's an interesting article on Forbes.com: Hidden Household Toxins

GREEN Holiday Cards

Last night I bought Christmas cards. That's right, it's October 25th and I already have Christmas cards... ME who usually buys them a week before Christmas and may or may not actually get them in the mail in time! I was shopping with a friend and she needed to pick up a few Birthday cards at the Hallmark store, so I went in with her and behind where she was looking was shelves of holiday cards... and then I see a couple of shelves labeled GREEN eco-friendly cards (or something like that I don't quite remember). Well of course that peeked my interest so I took a closer look. They have a whole line of boxed GREEN holiday cards - and cute ones too for a great price! I'm disappointed to say that I could not find these on the Hallmark website to post a link to them here. Such a shame... well, here's what is printed on the package:

These cards are made from 50% sugarcane by-products and 50% recycled paper, so no new trees were cut down to make them. They are also recyclable. Happy Holidays to the planet and to you.

WHOOHOO! I'm so excited to send these to my family and friends this year! Below are a few links for places to buy recycled holiday cards online:
CardsDirect
Pear Tree Greetings
KidBean (expensive but cute!)

I heart LUSH

LUSH is a company that sells fresh homemade cosmetics. A close friend of mine has been raving about their bath products for years now... and I never really paid much attention because a) there wasn't a store near me, and b) I'm not much of a bath person. Well... in my search to find more natural beauty products that come in less packaging, I stumbled across LUSH online and finally learned what all the fuss was about! WHY did it take me so long to get with the program? LUSH started over in England, and now has stores all over the world. What I like most about this company is that their products are homemade, and they publish their ingredients - which are good for you, and the environment.

The product that drew me to LUSH is their solid shampoos. I love that they have no evil plastic packaging, and they are great for travel because you don't have to claim them as a liquid/gel at airport security. The Seanik Shampoo Bar pictured to the left is the first one I have tried, they have a hockey puck type shape. I really like the way Seanik smells, it makes my hair soft and shiny, and I actually like the little pieces of seaweed. Each bar lasts ~ 60-80 washes depending on the length and thickness of your hair. I've ordered 3 more (right before the store near me opened - grrr), Godiva, Squeaky Green, and Karma Komba.

My new favorite soap (granted I've only tried a couple so far) is called Honey I Washed the Kids (HIWTK). It smells so good in it's honey vanillaness that you almost want to take a bite (no, you can't eat it). Besides smelling great, its creamy lather left my skin clean and soft, and the scent lingered for a while after my shower. I now have a slice sitting next to my sink, and I'm finding excuses to wash my hands!

Anyway... so far I have loved everything I've tried which includes Angels on Bare Skin (face cleanser), Mask of Magnaminty (face mask), Mudflats (soap with mud in it!), Skinny Dip (body butter), Seanik, and HIWTK. I have a few other kinds of soap, and a bath bomb that I am looking forward to giving a whirl. LUSH has definitely become a new favorite store... 4 days, and I'm already an addict! So, are you a LUSHie already? Have some favorites you'd like to share? Rants or raves? Leave a comment!