Author: Jennifer Chait

PeopleTowels is a new concept in green living on the go. I’m not sure how much a concept like this might catch on, but it’s intriguing in any case. PeopleTowels are 100% organic cotton, reusable personal hand towels that make going green as easy as drying your hands. These are personal use towels meant to be carried with you on-the-go which will eliminate the need for paper towels or electric hand air dryers when you’re out and about.

Of course there are benefits. To make all the many rolls of paper towels humans use and discard each year, this country (among others) uses plenty of trees and energy – according to some estimates one ton of paper towels uses up a full 17 trees and pollutes 20,000 gallons of water. If all of us in the U.S. replaced just one roll of virgin fiber paper towels with one roll of 100% recycled paper towels we could save 544,000 trees a year according to NRDC. However, even with recycled paper towels we’re using energy, water and other resources, so the clear winner in the how to dry your hands debate is cloth hand towels. Even after you factor in washing hand towels you’re still ahead of the game when it comes to green living. Especially since you can use cloth towels to death (for cleaning after they suck as hand towels).

About PeopleTowels:

• Small enough to carry anywhere
• Made with custom-made organic and fabric that is absorbent enough to dry your hands, yet dries quickly.
• Hangtags allow you to easily clip or loop your PeopleTowel to your backpack, belt buckle or purse.
• Designed to last for years.
• Machine washable.
• 100% Certified Fair Trade product.
• Designs are silk screened with eco-friendly dyes.
• Minimal amount of product packaging used; all made from 100% post consumer waste.
• The company is a member of 1% for the Planet.
• Manufactured according to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS).
• By simply switching to PeopleTowels, the average American can probably avoid using an average of 3,000 paper towels every year.

Any issues that popped out to me?

The company notes that PeopleTowels are a zero waste product which to me seems a little bit like a false claim. They may not overly contribute to harmful practices like deforestation and the growing problems of paper waste, excessive water consumption and pollution but I didn’t find anything at the site about a clean energy manufacturing process or buying back the carbon used for shipping. They note that their supply chain is chosen specifically for high, verifiable sustainability standards but unless the company has a totally paper-free office, runs their tech gear on green energy and so on they’re not technically “zero-waste”.  Zero-waste is very hard to achieve.

I haven’t tried these, but in my mind I can’t see how these would dry quickly enough to make them perfectly manageable. I’m all for cloth towels. I haven’t bought or used any paper towels in my own home in literally years – and to be honest don’t always dry my hands when I’m out and about because of the paper towel issue (flutter your hands a bit in the air and they dry).You can get an little eco-carry sack from the company to go with your towel though.

That said:

I still like the idea of PeopleTowels because one, it’s a small easy step that many people could take and while small it’s one of those great steps that add up. Two, it’s an affordable green option. I was impressed with PeopleTowel pricing; you cannot beat adorable ORGANIC towels priced just $21 for three ($35 for five). The price is totally affordable especially when you factor in how much paper towels cost individuals and the planet.

Three I love, love, love the designs. Right now they’ve got three lovely design options (3 packs); but you can also get a five pack. I think I like the Uno, Dos, Trees set best (see above) but all the other towels are super cute as well. They have designs that will suit both girly girls and full blown guys and everyone in between; plus offer the option to create your own mix-and-match set (see gallery below for all design options).

PS Now is a great time to try PeopleTowels because they’ve got a great Valentine’s Day deal happening – three Love towels for just $18. Visit PeopleTowels to learn more.

[images via PeopleTowels]

Post from: Blisstree

PeopleTowels Instead of Paper

Gardeners are pretty easy to shop for. There’s all sorts of garden goodness around, and when in doubt a unique pack of seeds will still make a gardener smile. That said, for Valentine’s Day something more heartfelt should be the plan or at least something that combines a nice mix of love + garden. Here are some ideas…

My most favorite green-minded, garden-minded Valentine that I’ve seen so far this year is the the too adorable to believe Two Peas In A Pot! This extra cute idea was created by Hester Jane at Fun In The Making with basic recycled materials, but the end result is ultra fun.  This would make a great garden minded Valentines for a child to make and give.

A cute little garden gnome with a heart.

Green Field Paper Company Grow-A-Note Recycled Cards in Red Birds or Peace and Love. If you’re more ambitious you could even make your own Homemade Plantable Paper then create some unique Valentines with it.

The sweetest little Garden Bon Bons! Seriously, this is such a great idea – pop over and see.

Beyond garden bon bons you could go with the real thing but with a flower touch such as Lavender Chocolate Truffles or organic and Fair Trade rose flavored truffles from Edible Love.

For Valentine’s day decor or as a gift you can create a pretty Crepe Paper Rose Bouquet which lasts longer than real roses and looks great.

For kids – make a fun pop-up garden card or a punch art flower garden.

[image via Fun In The Making]

Post from: Blisstree

Valentine’s Day Goodies for Gardeners

If you’re looking for the perfect green Valentine’s Day gift then LUSH has you covered with lots of bubbly Valentine’s Day goodness. Some good Valentine’s Day picks include…

LUSH Magic Mushroom Bubble Bar – strawberries and vanilla cream bubbles!

LUSH Love Soap – a pretty red, glittery heart-shaped soap will make everyone smile since it’s jam-packed with aphrodisiacs and skin smoothing ingredients.

LUSH Ex Factor Bath Bomb – a sweet little blue gingerman with a pink heart.

LUSH Be Mine Gift – a nice gift pack filled with pampering goodies. The set comes with three pleasurable products, all wrapped up in rose printed paper; Flying Fox Shower Gel; Shimmy Shimmy Massage Bar; and Honey Trap Lip Balm.

LUSH True Love Gift – this ultimate Valentine’s Day temptation kit is filled with aphrodisiac-infused Sex Bomb Bath Bomb, red glitter Love Soap and moisturizing Yummy Yummy Yummy Shower Gel plus Vanilla Dee-Lite Lotion bar.

Lush is not the perfect green company in my opinion, but that doesn’t mean they’re not close. Lush has many green perks such as…

• Naked packaging – meaning, if you head to a LUSH retail shop, about 70% of their products are available sans ANY packaging if you choose, including Bath Bombs, shampoo bars, bubble bars, massage bars, body butters and solid facial cleansers, deos, Emotibombs and sugar scrubs.. Ah naked soaps. With other products LUSH uses simple packaging along with post-consumer recycled, recyclable and biodegradable materials whenever possible. The total recycled content in all LUSH packaging is about 89%.
• Bath Bombs are made with moulds made of recycled plastic.
• The company uses motion sensors in their change rooms to save electricity along with a shower to encourage staff to bike to work.
• The company uses large compost bins outside their factory for all the seeds, pits and peels leftover from making products and use compostable cheesecloth to cover bins of product, so the product is kept clean and dust-free, and the cheesecloth “lid” can then be composted.
• No animal testing.
• All the bins and totes used to carry ingredients and products around are made of recycled plastic, and they have a zero plastic bubble wrap policy.
• Everything in North America by land (except for Hawaii).
• LUSH makes many solid products which help to reduce plastic bottles plus the products last longer.

Basically I’d like to see more organic products from Lush, but overall they’re doing well from a green living standpoint.

Post from: Blisstree

LUSH Valentine’s Day Goodies

Yesterday we looked at the unique owl plushies available at Night Owl Paper Goods. Today I’ve got some more great news about this company including a stellar discount code!

Night Owl Paper Goods is one of my favorite sustainable companies. Their products are totally adorable and made with the earth in mind. Hence my always talking about them. Beyond the cute plushies Night Owl Paper Goods also carries an excellent selection of Valentine’s Day Cards. They’ve got two green options; cards printed on 100% reclaimed & recycled cotton ecru cover or cards made with eco-friendly sustainably-harvested yellow birch card. The birch cards are suitable for framing and yes, you can even jot down your Valentine’s day wishes on them (they’re wood BUT writable).

Of course, your first choice, your best eco-choice is to make your Valentines with recycled materials you already have on hand, but if you’re going with store bought, make sure it’s an eco-friendly choice such as the cards at Night Owl Paper Goods. They have tons of great design options (see gallery above).

GET A GREAT DEAL!: In case you missed yesterday’s post, Night Owl Paper Goods stopped by and left us a great discount code. Simply head to Night Owl Paper Goods and select your favorite LOVE card(s), owl plushie(s) and any other goodies you’d like and enter the coupon code “blisstree” at check-out to receive 10% off your total order. A great deal for sustainable goodies!

[images via Night Owl Paper Goods]

Post from: Blisstree

Discount on Hip Eco-Valentine’s Day Cards

I’ve written about Sustainable Pet Design often. Sustainable Pet Design makes green roof dog and bird homes that are absolutely gorgeous. I love this company because of their innovative design savvy, their eco-friendly materials, and why go boring when you can have a totally awesome pet home?

It’s time for an update though because Sustainable Pet Design has some new killer styles available, including one home made just for the first family. Sustainable Pet Design created The Obama Dog Home. Summa Canum (Latin for “Top Dog”), “Not only to provide an appropriately sustainable and stylish home for the new leader of the free canine world, but to introduce eco-friendly practices and materials to the American people.”

Here are some stats:

The First Greenrrroof Dog Home is constructed from the wood of Tennessee Aromatic Cedar trees that our 7th President, Andrew Jackson, planted along the driveway of his estate, The Hermitage. After a tornado felled these trees in 1998, EarthSource Forest Products reclaimed the wood for lumber and has donated the last of it to Summa Canum.

Architectural Coatings and Design Center provided the zero-VOC paint and varnish that will ensure that the First Dog will not become ill from toxic fumes.

Emory Knoll Farms, a Maryland nursery specializing in green roof plants, is supplying vegetation. The dog home will arrive at The White House unplanted in order to provide the Obama kids with the opportunity to get their hands dirty in their own little garden.

Very cool. In other news, Sustainable Pet Design has a great new couture collection of pet homes. These homes, like all their homes are made with sustainable materials and a cool green roof. The difference is in the design aspect.

I love the Andrew Jackson Plantation which is constructed using Tennessee aromatic cedar, milled from 200-year-old trees that were felled during a tornado on Andrew Jackson’s estate. There’s a sweet graffiti print on the home, but it’s up to you if you’d like a less radical paint job. This is a limited edition item, so if you love it, I’d contact Sustainable Pet Design stat.

Another terrific new design is the 15° Wright, commissioned by architect Eric Lloyd Wright (Frank’s grandson) to be displayed with one of his prefab human homes at the Green West Expo. This is a beautiful modern dog home with all angles at 15°. Nice!

To learn more about these amazing one-of-a-kind dog homes visit Sustainable Pet Design.

[images via Sustainable Pet Design]

Post from: Blisstree

The Obama Green Roof Dog Home

Visiting big exhibits and botanical gardens is obviously a very different experience than visiting the same garden in spring or summer when most plants are growing or in full swing. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a wonderful time visiting gardens in the winter, and maybe learn a thing or two about winter garden habitats.

• Winter gardens are quieter which is a big perk – no crowds! They may even offer discounted entrance rates (if they charge).
• Winter gardens sometimes offer special winter exhibits to make up for the lack of fully blooming plants such as art shows, new sculptures unveiled, and more.
• Winter gardens are very peaceful.Plants, trees, and streams take on a different, more calming feel and look during the winter.
• Winter gardens are still thriving. While it’s true that you won’t always see as many plants as you may in the summer, it doesn’t mean you won’t experience a garden. You’ll see some of the plants that make it through the winter, see how a professional garden is cared for during the winter and likely see some little woodland creatures and birds.

Right now The New York Times has an excellent piece up about winter gardens – In Winter Gardens, a Marriage of Botany and Stark Beauty that delves into a few public gardens you can visit during the winter. It’s well worth a read. If you don’t live near any of the gardens mentioned in the piece take a look at the APGA Public Garden Search and find one near you. Not only are public gardens fun and educational but they’re a great way to get the kiddos and you outside and active during the winter.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Strolling Through Winter Gardens

If you’re looking to score a 100% unique Valentine’s Day gift for a little one, or even an owl lovin’ adult pal then you’re in luck. Night Owl Paper Goods has a decent collection available right now of their sweeter than sweet handmade owl plushies. These owls are not only eco-friendly but totally one-of-a-kind. No two completely alike and so your gift will be truly special.

Each Owl Plushie is handmade by Lori Nichols for Night Owl Paper Goods and each is an eco-friendly work of art. The bodies are made with re-purposed washed thrift store sweaters and the big round eyes are comprised of Night Owl Paper Goods repurposed wood & letterpress bits from their paper collection (or recycled map or book pages) along with natural acorns. Owls come with a wooden name tag as well. Due to their delicate nature these aren’t meant to be toys, but will delight a child while sitting perched on a bookshelf.

Because each is handmade once an owl is adopted he’s gone, so if you see one you like I’d hurry and order because they seem to go fast from what I’ve seen. Below are some of the little owl plushies who still need a home – why not bring home your favorite for Valentine’s Day?!

• Roberta Snow Owl
• Mary Owl
• Andrew Owl
• Ossie Owl
• Birch Owl
• Pip Owl

Post from: Blisstree

Unique Valentine’s Day Owl Plushies

Scabiosa is one of my favorite garden flowers. They’re easy to plant and care for, have a long flowering season, and work well as a stand alone plant or as an accent flower planted along side of other garden flowers. Scabiosa grows quickly which is nice if you’re trying to fill a plot in. I also like that they’re splashy looking and pretty, but not overly showy plus they look great in a bouquet and are easily pressed if you like to make pressed or dried flower art. Here are some basics…

Scabiosa is sometimes called the ‘Pincushion flower’ and comes in both annual and perennial varieties.

The annual Scabiosa atropurpurea is a good flower to start early indoors, but you can sow right into the ground in the spring as well. These plants can get pretty tall (up to 3 feet) and have a flowering season that can go from mid-summer all the way into autumn. The downside is that because of their height you may need to stalk the plants.

Scabiosa columbaria, or the perennial Scabiosa, is actually one of the very first plants I planted when I had my first garden. I planted the lavender shaded, ‘Butterfly Blue’ variety, but these also come in other colors. There’s no staking necessary with columbaria because the plants only grow about ten inches high with flowers that can be 18 inches long, but are often shorter. I like this variety because they’re perfect for cutting and have this crazy long flowering season (in the Northwest anyhow) that can start as early as May and will go until frost. I’ve actually seen flowering Scabiosa in mid-winter though here in Oregon, so if you have a milder winter climate you may get flowers almost year round.

Both Scabiosa columbaria and Scabiosa atropurpurea need full sun and rich well drained soil. I’ve heard that you can grow these in partial shade with some success, but they’ll have fewer flowers. NOTE: I haven’t tried growing these in the shade though, I’ve just heard this rumor around. Another perk of Scabiosa is that this plant will attract butterflies to your garden.

I’ve never really looked beyond lavender Scabiosa because I like them, but then this year I saw an awesome pink variety that made me wonder what other colors were out there. Here’s a collection of options below, starting with the pink variety I mentioned – Scabiosa atropurpurea ‘Summer Sundae’ – a totally pretty blend pink shades with a hint of white.

• Scabiosa Summer Berries – a lovely blended mix with blackberry, wine-red, dusty rose and delicate pale pink.
• Scabiosa ‘Butterfly Blue’– great blue – lavender shade.
• Organic Ace of Spades Scabiosa – this plant has deep maroon, almost black  flowers plus extra long stems for unique bouquets.
• Scabiosa atropurpurea Ebony and Ivory – While I don’t think I’d plant this mix, because it’s a little bold for my personal flower style, I do think that this mix would look stunning in the right garden setting.
  

Post from: Blisstree

Easy Garden Flower – Scabiosa Flowers

Dandelion Earth-Friendly Goods has pretty much taken the green baby market by storm over the last year with their delightful and developmentally appropriate toy collection for infants and toddlers. All of Dandelion’s soft toys & plush animals are made with 100% organic materials while their collection of unique ReUsable feeding items are made with corn that’s biodegradable with the proper facilities. Packaging throughout the collections are made with 100% recycled paper.

Late this year Dandelion pushed their commitment of social ethics towards mamas as well as babies with their new Pink Collection. This collection includes plenty of pink organic cotton toys that your little princess will adore and as an added benefit for all the mamas out there, a portion of the proceeds from the Pink Collection support Breast Cancer Research. All of the toys and items in the Pink Collection are made with the same organic materials and recycled packaging of the original collection and there are a slew of cool items to choose from, such as…

The sweet Organic Pink Doll shown above which not only makes the perfect first doll but her pretty ponytails double as a tugging & teething tool for your baby. Made with soft organic velour and natural corn fiber filling.

Other goodies from the Pink Collection include…

Organic Pink Bunny Teething Blanket – a soft and irresistibly sweet little bunny is stitched with a playful butterfly & pretty pink petals plus there are few knots & floppy ears great for tugging, teething & touching.

Organic Pink Crinkle Book – butterfly, flowers & bunnies… everything a girly girl needs. The Pink Book is a crinkly teething & discovery toy as well with 3 pages tied with knots.

Organic Tote “Green is the new Pink” – this is one of their newer pink products made just for mamas. Adorable graphics and unique rope shoulder straps make this bag a standout. This bag is also roomie, with 2 snap pockets to keep smaller stuff sorted plus a large front pocket with snaps, 3 back pockets, and an elastic pouch on each end. Also included is an attached key-catcher. This 100% organic cotton canvas tote makes a perfect diaper bag but is cute enough to carry around even if you’re sans a baby.

Organic Pink Busy Block – this chiming Pink Busy Block features butterfly & pretty petals stitching, textures & crinkle peek-a-boo flap to enchant your baby along with teething tags & knots.

Organic Pink Little House Shape Sorter – the Pink Sorter House is one of my favorite Dandelion products because of its adorable shape. Also this little home features textures & sounds to enchant your baby girl; 4 shapes in total  to shake, squeeze, crinkle and sort.

Adorably sweet toys that are green and support a good cause – it’s a win-win situation. Visit Dandelion Earth-Friendly Goods to see their entire collection.

[images via Dandelion Earth-Friendly Goods]

Post from: Blisstree

Green Is the New Pink

The Eco-Friendly Greenhouse Kit from Burpee was one of the first new products that caught my eye in the 2010 catalog. Personally I like reusing seed trays but I don’t like that most are made with non-renewable plastic in the first place and while I like fiber seed pots they cost more. That said this is a nice little kit if you’re looking for an easy and green seed starting solution and don’t have a dozen recycled egg cartons laying around.

The Eco-Friendly Greenhouse Kit is an all-natural and biodegradable seed starting kit. The kit comes with bottom watering tray, seed tray, Burpee’s Super Growing Pellets, three wooden plant markers and organic fertilizer. The growing pellets are made from sustainable coconut coir and the trays are made from plants.

I like this new kit but if you’ve got some spare time or handy kid helpers I’d suggest the PotMaker instead which allows you to make nice little seed pots with recycled newspaper. The PotMaker is longer lasting and even more eco-friendly than the kit.

Post from: Blisstree

New Eco-Friendly Greenhouse Kit

The Environmental Defense Fund has a handy dandy paper calculator you can use (for free) that will show your impact, or lack there of, when it comes to paper use. Paper does create a big impact. Even though you can easily recycle it, many people don’t and even when you recycle paper there is still an impact, for example both the manufacturing process and recycling process use resources such as energy and water. Making better paper choices can help you to better conserve all sorts of resources – water, trees, energy plus limit other issues like pollution.

Using the calculator you can calculate and compare individual papers, such as if you’d like to compare the impact of a specific paper to an alternative paper choice that contains a smaller or higher recycled content. You can also compare paper groups which will help you determine the combined impact of all the paper you may generally use and compare that impact to the combined impacts of different papers you could be using that contain more recycled content.

The paper calculator allows you to create an easy-to-read report that you can use to help your company, community, non-profit or other organization make the best paper decisions possible. Plus this tool will clue you into the environmental impacts your decisions create. I thought the tool was very simple to use and questions in the calculator were well explained.

Beyond paper calculations the paper calculator page at the Environmental Defense Fund offers links to more useful info such as…

• The environmental benefits of recycled paper.
• Resources that can help you make smarter paper purchasing decisions.
• An excellent glossary of paper and eco-minded terms to browse.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Calculate Your Paper Impact

I don’t know if you’ve been following this “eco” / “depression” Avatar madness or not, but I have and it’s seriously getting out of control. In case you have not heard about all the eco-weirdness surrounding this film following is a round up…

First off Avatar has been labeled as a recruitment for eco-terrorists by some industry groups and right wing pundits. The most insane post I’ve read related to Avatar’s sinister eco-motives is over at Red County where Dr. Richard Swier writes that Avatar, among other things, is, “Pure eco-propaganda released to coincide with the end of the U.N. climate conference in Copenhagen.”

Secondly in this freak show of a situation is the case of the Avatar fan forum site “Avatar Forums.” At said forums there’s a topic thread entitled “Ways to cope with the depression of the dream of Pandora being intangible,” that according to CNN, “Has received more than 1,000 posts from people experiencing depression and fans trying to help them cope.” The topic is reportedly so popular that a second thread has been opened up on the topic. People are seriously depressed that the imaginary world in the movie is their idea of ideal eco/harmony ethics while real humans continue to kill the planet we actually live on.

WTF?

Ok, one, it’s a movie! A movie. The people who think this movie is eco-propaganda are pushing it big time, and as for the folks who are depressed over the film, it’s not at all necessary. Being an eco-writer I review a lot of green-minded films and documentaries, and while yeah they make me think, I never come away feeling totally hopeless. Disappointed in how many humans act – sure. Disappointed that we even need a movie about saving the planet – yes. But utterly hopeless? NEVER.

Flow for example, was an excellent film, but fairly depressing (if you like the idea of clean water) but rather than feel hopeless about it, I came away from Flow with a feeling of what can I do to create change.

At the risk of sounding mean, my main take on all of these shenanigans is get a grip people. Avatar is very likely not at all about people selling their soul to “eco-terrorists” or about how humans bite it big time when it comes to being good stewards of the earth. It’s a movie; an entertainment tool; a money maker for James Cameron for sure – but all this eco-madness surrounding it, well, that’s just silly.

I should add that plenty of the forum members at the Avatar fan forums (luckily) aren’t on board with killing yourself or even getting yourself too worked up over a flipping movie and have now opened up a thread to discuss what other people are saying about it. Many forum members appear to have a great grip on reality and have spoken out to the people posting about depression and have offered support or simply told them to focus on reality and what you can change, which is exactly what I suggest.

It’s funny because we just discussed green guilt here recently. If you’re interested in creating change instead of feeling guilty or depressed over the state of green then it’s a good post to read. Remember if you zone out or become overly depressed over a movie you aren’t being productive and it’s not helping any eco-friendly cause.

Lastly, while I do find all of this Avatar stuff incredibly odd, I do get that people take things they love seriously. If Avatar really has depressed you to the point where suicide sounds appealing then you need to talk to someone now. Right now.

Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK. NSPL is a 24-hour, toll-free suicide prevention service that’s confidential, free, and a much smarter choice then going it alone if you’re depressed.

What do you think about all this Avatar craziness?

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Avatar Movie Eco Insanity

You may not think that a smaller choice, such as which watering can you should use for the garden makes any difference for the planet, but it can. A good watering can will conserve water by not spilling over or dumping out all the water at once. A sustainable can is made with healthy materials not resource draining plastic. Additionally a good watering can will last for a very long time, and hopefully have a rosette that can be replaced separately – the rosette is the part that the water sprinkles out of.

One excellent choice if you’re looking for a more sustainable watering can is Haws. Haws watering cans cost a little more than your average plain Jane plastic watering can but will last a lot longer and will allow for better watering control. Some perks of Haws watering cans include…

• Well balanced, easy to handle, and made with care.
• Durable and long lasting
• Most Haws watering cans have a removable brass roses to give a gentle spray and Haws offers many varieties of replacement roses for all of their watering cans..
• Haws cans are available in long lasting heavy gauge steel with a hot dip galvanised zinc coating to resist rust. They also make plastic watering cans, but plastic comes from non-renewable oil, so I’d skip it.
• They offer a variety of accessories, replacements and spares available including tons of rosette choices for all sorts of gardening needs.

Visit Haws to learn more.

[image via Haws]

Post from: Blisstree

Haws Sustainable Watering Can

If you’re looking to make eco-friendly living a little more fun for the kiddos try some Napkin Hugs and Hug Placemats from FUZ.

Everyone knows that cloth napkins are a smart green living choice, but it’s not like cloth napkins are all that exciting, unless of course you have these adorable hugs. FUZs’ Napkin Hugs are sweet little napkin ring sets that come with two girls and two boys that “hug” your napkins. The sets come in two different versions but both are eco-friendly. One type is made with 100% recycled black rubber and the other made with 100% wool felt in green people, blue boys or pink girls.

The Hug Placemats come with napkin rings as well only these pop right out of the placemat (fun!). Placemat sets come in green wool felt or 100% recycled black rubber. These products are a great way to get kids on board with green living. Visit FUZ to learn more.

[images via FUZ]

Post from: Blisstree

Give Your Cloth Napkins A Hug

The Mailorder Gardening Association (MGA) should be your first stop if you’re interested in ordering your garden supplies by mail or just want to find the best online gardening resources.

In case you haven’t heard of them, MGA pretty much rocks. MGA is the world’s largest nonprofit association of companies that sell garden products directly to consumers. You can find a wealth of information at MGA related to online gardening. Their biggest section is comprised of a huge assortment of mailorder gardening catalogs that you can search through by company name or by product type. You’ll find your favorite garden mail order catalogs here as well as many cool new catalogs you’ve never heard of – a great way to learn about new products and plants.

They also have a very nice selection of email gardening newsletters to browse – which is great if you like getting free garden tips and coupons via email. Other perks at MGA include a glossary of gardening terms, zone maps, kids gardening info, smart online gardener shopper tips, and information about the winners of the annual MGA Green Thumb Awards.

Visit the Mailorder Gardening Association to learn more.

Post from: Blisstree

Gardening by mail – where to start

An energy audit can save you a lot of cash in the long run. Most current estimates note that you can save around 15-20% on your energy costs if you have an energy audit but you may be able to save lots more. Since you can get an energy audit for $300 or less, paying for one can be a good investment. However, they’re not always worth the money, especially since you can often do a simple energy audit yourself.

What’s an energy audit?

Basically an energy audit means you (or a pro) looks at the areas of your home that could be improved upon from an energy conservation standpoint. You or the pro will inspect and analyze how your home uses energy and then come up with ways that can help your home to conserve more energy and help you to save more money.

What the professionals do:

An energy audit pro is well trained on what to look for – i.e. what issues a common home may have such as air leaks or poor insulation. They also can help teach home owners how to have better energy use habits. Usually pros have better tools than a DIY auditor might, such as equipment that can locate even super small air leaks.

Can you do it yourself?

Most people can perform a basic home energy audit all on their own. Energy audits aren’t that hard to do and there are plenty of DIY websites that can help you out. A perk of doing your own audit is that you get to be more invested in green living. You learn more when you complete an audit on your own vs. paying someone else to do one. Below are resources for DIY energy audits…

• Do-It-Yourself Home Energy Audits from the U.S. Department of Energy.
• Use the Home Energy Saver to learn the best ways to save energy in your home.
• If you end up needing to purchase an energy-efficient product or renewable energy system for your home, you may be eligible for a federal tax credit. Make sure you look up current federal tax credits for energy efficiency so that you don’t miss out on some savings.

If you decide to hire a pro here’s what to do…

First see if you can get a free energy audit. Many local utility companies will come to your home and perform a free basic inspection. You may also qualify for a Weatherization Assistance Program – which provides low cost (to FREE) energy savings for families.

After looking into free programs check with a reputable source to hire a professional. Two good places to look include RESNET and ENERGY STAR.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Should you pay for an energy audit?

It’s obvious that some garden issues are a danger for little kids. However, gardening also poses some risk for adults. Make sure you keep gardening safe and fun with these tips…

1. Canning is a good way to make your bounty last, but the dangers of canning incorrectly are deadly serious. If you’re not sure how to can properly take a class or read up a lot before canning to avoid harming your family.
2. During pregnancy make sure you always wash your hands after a gardening session. Toxoplasmosis Is a risk due to the fact that cats like to use gardens as their litter box at times.
3. No matter if you’re in the garden for a few minutes or a few hours you should be wearing safe sunscreen. That means year round too. The sun’s rays can harm your skin even in winter.
4. When lifting heavy items (i.e. bags o’ soil) use the correct lifting position to avoid back and leg injuries.
5. Never place toxic chemicals up high without first making sure the caps are on tight. The last thing you need is a bottle of fertilizer falling on your face. In fact a smarter move is to try organic gardening and skip this risk altogether.
6. Keep sharp tools sharpened all the time. Not only will they work better but if you get cut a clean cut is better than a rusty jagged cut. IF you get cut treat the injury right away with a disinfectant and if it swells, turns odd colors, or is overly painful see a doctor.
7. Be aware of lightening dangers in stormy weather.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Seven ways to keep gardening safe

According to some research women are more inclined to feel guilt when they fail at green living than their male counterparts. It’s not a huge surprise. Women pop up all the time in studies about guilt. Women seem to feel guilty about everything at a stronger level than men; baby raising, parenting in general, weight issues, childcare while working, keeping a clean house, and more. Research and the people around me point to women being super guilt ridden, or at least more so than the fellas.

But should you be guilty? I think not, and here’s why…

Research also shows that women are more likely to make green living resolutions and women are greener in general with the choices they make so it’s not like we’re doing too shabby.

More importantly, green guilt accomplishes nothing. In fact, I’d wager that green guilt hampers vs. helps you when it comes to living green. Too much guilt over things you can’t change or guilt over the fear of disapproval is not healthy. People who continually feel guilt also feel more stress which makes focusing on green actions harder not easier.

Do I have green guilt?

Not really, mainly because I’m not up for the stress. I know I’m bad with some green living issues – I’ll admit it. However, one, I can’t do everything. No one can accomplish 100% perfect green living – not unless you’re living in some cave far away from everyone and everything and even then, simply by being born you mess with the structure and resources of the planet, so it’s literally impossible. Secondly, I know I’m very skilled with some green living skills, as I’m sure you are. Thirdly, I realistically add new green goals to my life periodically with the plan that if they work out cool but if not I can always try again.

How to banish green guilt:

Focus on what you are doing well – even the small stuff. If you recycle all the time then you’re already doing a lot more than tons of other people. If you carry a reusable water bag or reusable grocery bags that’s a huge step over one lifetime that saves untold resources.

Ignore the perfect tree huggers you meet. As noted above there is no such thing as living perfectly green, but to hear some people talk you’d think so. I’ve met my fair share of holier than thou green folks and they’re obnoxious for sure, but not perfect. Don’t let other people make you feel bad. In reality they likely feel guilty themselves and putting you down makes them feel more adequate.

Make reasonable green goals. If you’re new to green living then goals like “I’m going to bike everywhere, eat 100% organic, and build my own solar panels” are way overambitious, and not even necessary. Better, smaller green goals would be, “I’m always going to buy at least milk and apples in organic form” or “I’ll try to buy less prepackaged foods” or even, “I’ll start cleaning with green cleaners.” These are doable, and as you accomplish easy goals you’ll feel better prepared to manage the large goals.

Do you feel green guilt? What about?

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Are you a guilty green woman?

Technically the official Bean Day was yesterday, which is when I meant to write about this, but alas, it was gloomy and chilly and in an attempt to warm it up, I totally forgot Bean Day and posted about spring colors instead. But it’s not like I missed Christmas or anything. Bean day is one of those kooky holidays that lacks a precise origin. According to Holiday Insights, Bean Day is an actual day that’s always celebrated on January 6th but there’s no rhyme or reason to it. Basically it’s just a fun day to focus on beans. Which sounds good to me. Fresh grown beans of all sorts beat dried, frozen, and canned by a giant landslide.

Bean varieties 101: When it comes to munching, beans mainly fall into two large categories – tough podded beans and edible podded beans. Although many go further and divide beans into the following – snap, shell and dry. With tough pods (or shells if you like) the beans are allowed to fully mature on the vine then are picked and the beans are removed before eating. Edible pods (no surprise) means beans that can be eaten pod and all before they reach full maturity. As for growing, there are a couple of bean varieties as well – climbing vine beans and bush beans.

Bean gardening 101: Beans hate the cold. They won’t grow properly in damp and chilly weather. Wait until your soil warms up in the spring to plant outside. I had luck one year growing some Blue Lake Beans inside, in a large container, in a sunny spot before spring hit so if you have a decent sized container this is one option. Beans aren’t too picky about soil nutrients but well-drained soil is a must.

For planting spacing make sure you check your seed packets. Beans vary wildly in space requirements. For example many pole varieties  can be grown in garden rows spaced about 25 inches apart and seeds every three inches while some lima beans need more space (plant seeds eight inches apart). But these are just generals, all bean types can vary so make sure you have room in your garden for the type you choose, both vertically and horizontally. Pole beans will need a support. Plant bush beans successively (every two weeks) and plant pole, lima, and shell beans once per season – but of course read up on your specific variety.

Bean harvesting 101: Allow tough shelled beans to mature fully and pick edible pod beans frequently before you see a strained bulge in the pod. One thing about beans is that while they do like warm weather they sometimes stop producing when it gets too hot. Don’t worry too much, just continue to care for your beans and once the hot spell passes they should continue to produce. Don’t pick beans when the plants are wet because it can spread disease among your plants.

Beans are pretty darn easy. However, as always grow a variety suitable for your climate and if you need more help, following are some basic bean growing guides.

• Growing French Beans
• Beans types and cooking tips
• Advice for growing organic beans
• Growing dry edible beans
• Methods of supporting pole or runner beans
• Grow soybeans at home
• Canning beans

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Celebrate Bean Day

I actually like the rainy season – good thing since I’m an Oregonian. Having grown up in the gray and rain I enjoy it. It’s cozy and soothing. However, all of us get the winter blahs once in a while and then some color would be nice. If you need a mid winter pick-me-up and spring feels too far off, an online journey through the historic Keukenhof gardens may be just what you need. The Keukenhof, located in the Netherlands is filled to the brim with blooming tulips, hyacinths, daffodils and other spring bulbs and images of the Keukenhof are a fast winter blahs fix when you need to see some color.

Where to browse images:

• You can check out the Keukenhof website for many gorgeous images.
• Webshots has some good pictures.
• There’s an amazing Keukenhof Bulbflower garden – Holland group at Flickr.

[image via Keukenhof]

Post from: Blisstree

Got the Gray Winter Blahs