Monthly Archives: October 2009

These are just a few of the awesomely different tee designs by Ban T-Shirts.  The shirts are US made, sweat shop free, 100% organic and they plant a tree for every t-shirt that’s sold!  They’ve got a huge range of completely original and strangely thought provoking designs that speak of the earth, war, peace, religion, politics and freedom.

They’ve got shirts that say funny things like “Dinosaurs for Creationism” or awful truths like “Work Harder, Support the Rich”.  These meaningful shirts speak volumes more than the Gap or Nike shirt that every other person seems to be wearing.  These alternative messages may start conversations with strangers about morality, truth and freedom of speech.  Better yet, they may just make other people think!

Organic Girl has a giveaway on her blog right now where one lucky reader will win one of these alternative shirts that veer sharply away from the mainstream media messages.  I follow her blog like a lunatic and she’s always got great eco-friendly finds there that I love learning about.  There’s a ton of contests too so that you can actually try out the products she’s talking about.  Definitely a must-follow blog!

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This is my beautiful daughter at two days old.  When you become a new parent, your entire life changes.  All of a sudden everything baby becomes your focus.  What’s the best diaper?  Best crib?  Best toys?  etc. etc.  You suddenly want the world to become a much better place for your beautiful new child to life in and enjoy.  Being a parent has made me more aware of the world and more nurturing of the entire planet.  I want to help to save the earth for my kids, my grand-kids, etc.  Suddenly everything became much more urgent and pressing.

As a family, we have consciously decided to try to live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.  That means recycling, reusing, repurposing, supporting local companies, spreading the eco-living message, buying natural and organic when possible and a whole range of other family activities.  It’s not hard to change your habits as long as you start slowly.  With my daughter, we started from the very beginning to try to raise a more natural baby.  This means purchasing organic when possible whether it’s food or clothes.  She was fed breastmilk exclusively with no supplementing of formula which is pretty hard to do when you have a very large baby (she was 11 lbs 5 oz).  We made much of her baby food at home instead of buying the pre-made varieties.  It’s more cost effective and better for the planet because there isn’t excessive packaging and shipping of the baby food involved.  When she was older, I would simply turn our leftovers into purees and freeze them in ice cube trays.  Reheat and voila — food that would have ended up in the composter was being enjoyed!

It’s important to not add additional and unnecessary stress to your lifestyle as a new parent.  Not everything can or even has to be environmentally friendly.  The point is to take small steps in the right direction and to keep heading in the right direction most of the time.  Pretty soon, composting food wastes will become a habit and you’ll never forget your re-usable shopping bags when you head out to your locally grown organic food market.  Then you can move onto some of the bigger steps such as reducing gas consumption or growing some of your own organic veggies!  Your green baby will see you role modeling appropriately earth responsible behaviors and turn into a green kid, a green teen and hopefully, a dark green adult!

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It seems like everyone you talk to uses a different search engine as there are tons of them to choose from.  Google, of course, is a popular stand-by but it’s important to realize that other search engines have different benefits that may help improve your searches and bring you untold fame and fortune!!!  Well, okay, maybe not fame and fortune but there definitely are a ton of benefits to using the AAfter search engine which gives you a web search with privacy.

Of course, privacy’s not really my main concern.  The environment is to put it quite bluntly.  This engine can actually help me achieve my eco-friendly goals in a few ways.  First of all, you get cash back rewards by signing up with their program which is completely free.  You can also make sign up your favorite green charity to receive the cash back from your eco-shopping expeditions online.  You can search for the best price on those bamboo placemats your Mom really wants for Christmas and keep an eye on any cash back programs the retailer has in place.  Then, you can send the proceeds to Greenpeace or whereever you’d like.

Another cool benefit of this engine is that you can search for local businesses.  I truly believe that it really helps out the environment to shop as locally as you can.  It helps reduce shipping pollution and waste and stimulates your local economy.  When you buy from a big box store, you’re supporting it’s ideas.  When you buy from a small local company, you’re supporting your neighbors ideas instead!  It’s kind of cool that the search engine makes it easy to find what you are looking for locally.

Lastly, AAfter has a zip code feature that will keep you informed of environmental conditions.  It doesn’t seem to work yet in Canada but for Americans, this feature can be really handy.  It will let you have weather forecasts, allergy alerts, asthma alerts, air quality alerts and pollution updates instantly just by typing in your zip code!  This is an awesome feature for people who love nature because they’ll obviously be spending a fair amount of time outdoors enjoying it!  Pollution and air quality reports are also very important for parents with kids who have respiratory issues such as asthma.  Very cool feature and something I plan to use in the future!

This is a sponsored post with 100% real opinions.

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Check out Etsy crafter Glamarita‘s line of recycled tie dresses.  They are absolutely fabulous and I’ve got to say that I’m more than a little impressed!  This is a 100% recycled product that is sure to be one of a kind, hand made by a crafter that is definitely a very wearable product that any woman would love to own!!  Glamarita states in her profile that she is a special education teacher who has found a creative outlet to reduce her stressload caused by too many kids with needs unable to be fulfilled by just one person.  Instead of facing career burn out as many do in such industries, she cleared out a space in the basement and started sewing.  She says of her abilites:  “I am not a professional seamstress, but I have a good eye for color and design. I have a quirky sense of style and absolutely hate to blend in with the crowd.”  Her talent shines through in every piece listed in her shop.  You’ll be sure to stand out in the crowd in these gorgeous gowns!

There’s more than just dresses though.  She also makes skirts of varying lengths, halter tops, tank tops, corsets, belts, vests and even a wedding gown pictured above made of silver and ivory ties!  The short and sassy skirt pictured above sells for only $55 and is certainly going to make it onto my Christmas list this year!  Glamarita’s got them available in a range of sizes and color schemes currently on her site.  Need a different size or want a different color palette??  She takes custom orders!!  Order right away if you want one of these statement making pieces for a Christmas or New Year’s party though as she’s going to quickly fall behind on her custom pieces.  They’re gorgeous and there must be a huge demand!

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More and more people are recognizing the value of natural herbal remedies.  There’s a new online store called Herbal Remedies Elite Store that offers a huge variety of herbal remedies at a reasonable price.  The company is a member of the Natural Products Association which helps to assure that the ingredients used are indeed natural.  The company’s mission statement is: “To deliver the highest quality health and beauty products with the best value to our customers.”

Many people in today’s society are endlessly prescribed drugs by a whole host of doctors.  The effect of these chemicals on both the body and the planet is dubious at best.  It’s best to always follow the advice of your trusted family physician while being aware that many have the tendency to overprescribe medications.  Herbal remedies can be used to supplement your health in a more natural way for your body and the earth.

The Herbal Remedies Elite Store offers a range of natural products that can help with weight loss, colon health, sexual health, teeth whitening, sports nutrition, skin care and cosmetics.  They also have a more general selection of remedies including ones specializing in both health issues for men and health issues for women.  There’s even some trial offers that allow you to check out some of their remedies for free or at a reduced cost when multiple bottles are purchased.  Definitely worth checking out!

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Let’s face it…Halloween isn’t exactly Earth Day.  We buy tons of pumpkins we don’t need, cut them open, toss the guts and seeds, stick a parafin wax candle in it and throw it away after a few days of watching the ghoulish face we carved in it slowly get more ghoulish.  We hand out tons of sugar laden, over packaged candies to kids we don’t even know who’s parents are slowly following them down the street in their gas guzzling SUVs.  The kids themselves are dressed in awful, overly shiny polyester chemical laden costumes shipped from across the world to portray themselves as figures that the media uses to ensure that they too become overconsumers of toys and movies.  However, with kids, it’s not exactly a holiday you can easily opt out of.  I can’t imagine what my kids would do to me…

Luckily, there’s some easy (also fun and money saving!) ways to green up that favorite holiday of goblins galore.  Let’s start with the pumpkin.  First of all, why not take the kids out to a local farm to see where and how pumpkins actually grow.  Even if the farm isn’t organic, the kids can learn a thing or two while you support local farmers.  This makes for a fun filled day that’s also easy on the budget.  Kids are much more enthused when they can pick the pumpkin themselves!

When it comes to carving, take the seeds out, wash them, soak them, salt them and bake them in the oven for a healthy snack.  Much better than just throwing them away.  Try carving an eco-friendly theme into the pumpkin such as the recycling circle or a silhouette of the earth.  That way, your neighbours will maybe catch the green living bug too!!  Stick a bee wax candle inside and your pumpkin is ready for the step!

Next, instead of handing out junk, try something else instead.  One of my girlfriend hands out the smallest tubs of play dough to kids and seldom gets complaints.  All the other houses (maybe not all but definitely most!) are handing out candy so the kids will definitely get plenty enough of that!  If you’ve got more energy, you can easily make your own free playdough to hand out.  There’s tons of recipes available online.  I particularly like the ones that use kool-aid to give the dough a fun color and scent.  It’s completely non-toxic so the kids will be okay even if it’s not particularly yummy.  You could also hand out organic juice boxes, organic cereal bars, recycled newspaper pencils, etc. The only real limits here is budget, imagination and my most valuable commodity, time.

Walk with the kids.  Don’t drive them for pete’s sake!!  If it’s too cold to go far on foot, go to a community party or the mall for some indoor trick or treating.  The costumes themselves are also easy enough to green up.  You can buy used, trade with friends, make a costume, convert something you already have into a costume or buy a handmade one.  There’s a lot of articles online about how you can have a more eco-friendly costume and many ways of doing it.  Go for an earth friendly theme too — try to avoid Disney princesses, Toy Story toys, etc.  Be more original!  I’ve seen kids dressed up as broccoli or trees.  They definitely stood out in a crowd and had people everywhere complimenting them on their costumes.

Good luck on greening up your Halloween this year!  Go easy on the treats and remember to have fun and enjoy it whether you have kids or not…that’s what Halloween is really about.  Another reason to party and have fun!  Happy Halloween all!!

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This gorgeous, energy efficient fridge is only one of the prizes available to be one in the Dr. Oetker contest currently being run exclusively in Canada.  The grand prize is $20,000 for the kitchen renovation of your dreams!!  You can enter the Dr. Oetker Kitchen Makeover Contest simply by entering pin numbers found on the interior of their delicious Casa Di Mama pizzas.  Each pin gives you a virtual pizza slice.  Collect all four slices of the same pizza and you win the corresponding prize.

The prizes range from free pizzas (delicious) or pizza cutters all the way up to the grand prize of $20,000 so that you can completely renovate and have the kitchen of your wildest dreams!  There are 2,000 instant prizes of pizza cutters and pizzas as well as 8 secondary prizes of Whirlpool appliances.  The grand prize is what I’ve got my eye set on though.  I’ve got the money already spent in my mind…

I have to admit that I’d completely gut my kitchen.  There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just not stuff that I would pick if I had built the house myself!  I’d make sure that the cabinets and appliances were handled carefully though and carted off to be re-used or sold with the profits going to charity though.  There’s absolutely no point in throwing away things that someone else could use!

I think I’d choose bamboo cupboards with a dark, non toxic, eco-friendly stain.  Recycled glass tiles would make up the backsplash in shades of red and brown.  The countertops would probably be concrete or maybe one of the eco-friendly imitation stones that are now on the market.  And then, of course, the appliances…  Energy star would only be the beginning of my eco-friendly qualifications for the appliances.  They would need to be super efficient and run with the least amount of waste.  Surfaces would need to be very easy to clean to reduce the amount of eco-friendly cleaners that would be necessary to have them shining.  I’d probably avoid stainless steel because kids leave so many fingerprints on them and you can’t really stick things to the fridge with magnets if it’s steel!

If you want to win the contest, I’d suggest you do so ASAP as the contest ends January 10, 2010 and I plan on buying as many pizzas as possible before then!  If you become a Savoury Moments member on the website, you’ll not only get a bonus PIN number for the makeover contest, you’ll also get handy tips, great savings and a heads up on upcoming contests run by the company.

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Now you can pay homage to the largest producer of hydro-electric power (Niagara Falls) and visit an environmentally friendly spa all in the same visit!  The Four Points Sheraton Suites is opening up a new spa at the end of the month that has been built to be eco-friendly literally from the ground up.  The aptly named Eco Spa is 3600 square feet of environment friendly indulgence.  It will be offering a full range of spa services including holistic rituals, men’s spa services, manicures, pedicures, hair styling, hair removal, registered massage therapy treatments, eco facial treatments and a large assortment of body therapies.

The spa has tried to reduce their impact on the environment even during the construction phase by using VOC free paint, recycled flooring products, energy efficient lights and low flow fixtures.  They’ve even incorporated a five story high skylight to reduce the need for artificial light.  Beautiful and efficient are the key words here!  Being surrounded by nature also helps to relax the senses and allow the clients to unwind.

The Eco Spa uses a line of cosmetics which are made from the pure elements of nature.  The natural properties of herbs and minerals are combined to produce fabulous and all-natural results inspired by the world around us.  You can choose an aromatherapy infused eco invigorating pedicure that uses eucalyptus and mint essential oils to relieve the stress and aches in your tootsies.  Or, you could choose a eco relaxing manicure that uses the essential oils of vanilla and orange to soothe the mind and ease the body.  If it was me, I think I’d have to have them both!!

The spa also offers hot stone therapy with smooth basalt stones to help balance your energies.  Or, you could have an Indian head massage which uses pressure points to help you de-stress.  Okay, I’ll admit it…everything on the brochure looks good.  Maybe I’d have to have one of everything!! 

Even the brochures make you feel good because two trees are planted for every tree used for printing them!  Of course, you could just look at the brochure online here.  You’ll see that your ticket to heaven comes really reasonably priced too!  I wish this environmentally responsible spa all the luck with their grand opening in a couple of weeks!!

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EGG Maternity is a New Zealand based company started by a woman who could not find stylish and comfortable maternity wear when she was pregnant.  She started her own design company and included a line of 100% organic cotton and bamboo clothes!  I found that it was very difficult to find anything that even fit properly when I was pregnant, never mind something that also fit in with my eco-conscious lifestyle.

The organic line consists mainly of the basics — there’s a long sleeve top, a short sleeve top, exercise pants, a pencil skirt, a dress and a wrap.  And they’re only available in black and white!  However, with these sorts of basics in your wardrobe that are organic, every girl knows just how far you could stretch it by pairing these organic items with colorful pieces from your closet.  I think it’s a fabulous start to offer any kind of organic collection at all!

Besides having their all organic line, EGG Maternity has recently funded a postpartum leaflet to be distributed to new mothers in New Zealand to let them know how to get help if they think they are at risk of post partum depression.  After the company heard about two recent suicides of new mothers suffering from PPD, they knew they had to do something.  New Zealand is a country which, unfortunately, provides no government funding to women who are suffering from PPD so companies that donate money to the cause are a major benefit to new mothers.  EGG Maternity also held a silent auction of their products with all monies received going to the Mental Health Foundation to support new moms who are suffering or at risk.

It’s important to remember that post partum depression is a very treatable disease.  It’s classified as a major depression which is significantly longer and deeper than the very common “baby blues” which is due to the sudden drop in hormones after a baby’s birth.  Post partum depression effects not just the new mom but the entire family.  The babies of mothers with PPD have actually been shown to smile and laugh less than babies of moms without it in some studies.

I know that in my case, after suffering from post partum depression twice, my husband really had to pick up the slack.  It was a struggle for me to care for myself never mind this gorgeous new crying baby that we were blessed with the first time.  The cooking, cleaning, parenting and social aspects of being new parents all fell to my husband as I struggled to try to get a grip on myself.  After many months of denying there was a problem, I finally got the help I needed and slowly began recovering.  Any company who can provide the means to help moms in situations that I was in and provide eco-friendly options is an industry leader in my book!!  Remember that when you open your wallet, you’re funding a company and the way they operate.

Thanks to Katherine at her blog Post Partum Progress for filling me in on this great company!

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