Eco-Friendly Holiday Cards

Seasons Greetings! Once again, its the time of year to spread glad tidings and holiday cheer to all of our friends and loved ones. Holiday cards reach out to those that we see often, and those we don't. But while we are spreading the love, shouldn't we keep things green? Well, my little greenies, of course we should, and I have the solution that will appease your green consciences.

Check out HolidayClassics.com, an online card shop that offers a lovely selection of holiday cards, including the card in the adjacent photo. These "greenings" are made from 100% recycled materials.



If you are looking for something that makes even more of a statement, consider a plantable holiday card from BotanicalPaperworks.com. Not only is it a beautiful handmade card, and made from recycled pulp, but you can drop it in a pot or in your yard and watch it grow into wildflowers! Incredible! Here's a sample on the right.

Many card and gift shops now carry lines of recycled gift cards, so now you can conserve our natural resources AND make a statement about your beliefs, if you dare!
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Turn Black Friday GREEN

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

So tomorrow is Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year. Thanks to the sub prime mortgage market crisis, the slump in housing, and poor retail sales figures thus far, retailers are scrambling to offer you something special to get you out the door. Their idea of an incentive? Opening their doors at unspeakable hours - midnight tonight, 4am, 5am and 6am tomorrow, in order to entice you to beat the crowds and load up on merchandise. Call me crazy but the idea of waking up in the middle of the night to walk around some department store with a bunch of psychotic shoppers is not my idea of a productive or enjoyable day off.

My green suggestion is to completely skip Black Friday. Instead, go for a jog. Talk a walk around your neighborhood with your family. Clean out your closets and donate your old clothes to the needy. Play a game of scrabble. Skip the madness and enjoy life!
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Does Your Child Drink their Bath Water?

I hope not, but mine does, and it drives me crazy! She acts like it's delicious but I think she just likes to irritate me (probably the latter.)Initially, my negativism was directed towards the dirt and germs that were washed off her and were now floating in the water. But then I started wondering about the cleanser used to clean the tub too. This is where the real harm is, and it became clear that an all-natural solution had to be found.

Lately, you can find a plethora of natural cleaning products and laundry detergents on the market, such as Method, and Seventh Generation. Or you may opt for the old fashioned method that is effective and economical, by using baking soda, vinegar, and lemons. I like using them in certain areas of the house like the kitchen, but in others, I feel like I need to bring in the big guns, so to speak. That's why I was so excited to find this revolutionary product called the Lotus Sanitizing System.

I first saw this product on "The Big Idea by Donny Deutsch." Essentially, this machine turns ordinary tap water into a chemical free sanitizer that kills microbes and removes toxins by super oxygenating it. It has several attachments, so your can either sanitize water for cleaning, or you can clean fruits and veggies from germs and surface pesticides, while increasing their shelf life. Additionally, there is a baby bottle attachment for sterilization, using the same process that hospitals use. During demonstrations, I have witnessed the removal of 10 year old carpet stains in seconds and the sterilization of counter tops after chopping raw poultry. Time Magazine awarded it 2006 Best Invention Award and sales are going through the roof.( Can I buy the stock?) This product retails somewhere around $149 and $199 depending on attachments and can be found online and through retailers like GaiamLiving.com.

This one is a great gift for a family with kids! Me likey!
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Reduce Your Junk Mail for Free

Are you receiving a lot of unwanted catalogs that clog your mailbox? If you are like me, you dispose of 90% of them without even opening them. Sometimes I save my favorites, pretending that I'll have 5 minutes of free time to sit down in peace with a cup of coffee and meander through them. Hey I can dream, can't I? They end up right in recycling. What a waste of a tree.

The fact is, it takes approximately 53 million trees to produce the 19 billion catalogs that are sent out to homeowners annually. That's a lot of green. If you would like to join 165,000 other consumers and simply opt out, now you can. A coalition of environmental groups has introduced a free Web site, called CalalogChoice.org that allows people to decline delivery of over 1,000 catalogs. Unlike GreenDimes.com, or 41 Pounds.org that charge for this service, CatalogChoice.org is free and encourages consumers to reduce their catalog consumption, not to eliminate it completely.

This morning, I tested this service. After logging in, I opted out of 44 catalogs that I know that I receive but never look at. CatalogChoice takes you through an alphabetized list, and you can choose each vendor one by one. This task took a total of 10 minutes. Then you can review what you have done, and opt back in if you made an error. CatalogChoice also allows you to invite friends, which I highly recommend. Who WOULDN'T want less crap in your mail??

Within 10 weeks, your mailbox should be free of that unwanted junk mail and together, we will have saved a tree or two, million.
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How Many Pesticides Make it to Your Thanksgiving Table?

Thanksgiving is my all time favorite holiday, and not just because it's a day of fabulous food, friends and family, but it's a great time for reflection. This year in particular, I will be giving thanks for my new found commitment to green living. After years of living blindly to the dangers that lurk in our food, our homes and the Earth, I finally realize that it is so important to the health of our families. Duh. I guess better late than never.

This year, we will be hosting the 1st Annual All Natural Organic Thanksgiving! Here are a few ideas for you to keep it chem-free.

Step 1: Order an Organic Bird. This can be done at a quality butcher shop, or even a local farm. If you want a really good one, based on a test of 9 turkeys conducted for the New York Times, buy an Eberley (also labeled D'Artagnan) certified organic or an Eberley (D'Artagnan) natural, which is similar except it's not fed organic grain. In taste tests, these turkeys ranked #1 and #2 hands down respectively vs. the other 7, which included a Butterball, a Bell and Evans, a kosher turkey and several wild birds. To order one, call 800-327-8246 and they will ship it right to you. It costs more than store bought, but this is one day to splurge. Or try IGourmet.com; they also offer organic turkeys.

Did you know the world famous Butterball brand is injected with the following: vegetable oil, water, salt, emulsifiers (mono- and diglycerides), sodium phosphate, annato color and artificial flavor. Is this supposed to be Thanksgiving or a high school chemistry experiment??

Not that I'm Giada de Laurentiis or anything, but I do highly recommend brining the bird the night before in a salt water mixture. This helps the turkey retain its moisture and tenderness. You can find many recipes using this technique at www.epicurious.com.

STEP 2: Organic Bread Stuffing. This is an easy one. Buy a few loaves of organic wheat bread ( or mixed varieties) and let them go stale. Not rock hard, just day old. Then cut off the crust and chop into bread cubes, add poultry seasoning, onions, celery, milk, stock or whatever you fancy and voila, fresh and natural dressing.

STEP 3: Haul yourself to the best organic market in your area or the local farmers market, if available. In my area, that is going to be Whole Foods. They have a wonderful selection of produce, and organic potatoes, both sweet and regular, should be on your list. Contrary to my own incorrect assumption, and according to the Environmental Working Group, 81% of potatoes were shown to have contained harmful pesticides, after peeling and washing. Here is a list of other Thanksgiving favorites, with the percentage of the sample that contained known pesticides, according to a study by the EWG:

Celery 94%
Carrots 81.7%
Green Beans 67.6%
Winter Squash 41%
Sweet Potatoes 58.4%
Cauliflower 84.6%
Spinach 70%
Lettuce 68.2%
Broccoli 28%
Frozen Peas- 23%

Not all veggies made it to the list, like my beloved brussel sprouts. But this list is fairly comprehensive. So shop accordingly.


Step 4: Dessert. I haven't found results on pumpkin, but I am confident that you can find a can of organic pumpkin puree at a good market, or use your old pumpkin off your stoop and hope it won't kill you. Based on the fact that you are only using the inner scrapings, my guess is that its not bad at all. Apples for that cobbler has a high concentration of pesticides also- 94%, and peaches 96%, strawberries 92% - but blueberries seem to be the big winner at 27%. Go figure. Or find an organic bakery and let them do some of the work!

I hope you found this information helpful. Enjoy the fruits of your labor, and be thankful for YOU- for putting out such a healthy and delicious meal!

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Eco Cosmetics: GREEN is Beautiful

When I think of chemicals in my home, or how to avoid them, my first thought is of my home cleaning products. We all know they are so toxic that we have to lock them in a cabinet or sequester them to a far reaching dark corner, far far away from the kids. ( More on this soon!) Yet on a daily basis, ladies and gents, we come into contact with up to 200 chemicals, and we rub them all over our skin! The average person uses up to 25 cosmetic and personal care products per day, exposing themselves to many harmful ingredients. For example, some mascaras contain a preservative called thimersol, a derivative of mercury. Certain fragrances in creams cover up phlalates, which can disrupt thryoid function. And formaldehyde has been found in foundation makeup, for freshness.(No wonder some women look like mummies!) A general review of the products in your medicine cabinet will most likely locate these and many more.

Luckily, we don't have to revert back to Elizabethean times and resort to beet juice and vegetable dyes. A few interesting products have emerged that I felt were worth sharing.

JOSIE MARAN COSMETICS. Other than being the first person to be kicked off "Dancing with the Stars" this season, I had no idea who this person was. Nevertheless, she has done well by creating a full line of cosmetics that are responsibly developed, free from parabens, petrochemicals, and toxins. Most of the packaging is biodegradable and they list every ingredient in each product on their website, at www.josiemarancosmetics.com. You can also see her products exclusively at Barney's NY. It's worth a look.

SAFFRON ROUGE. This website is like an online Sephora, with lots of makeup to choose from, and a plethora of personal care products. A visit to their site reveals that most of their products are from overseas. Apparently, Britain, Germany and other nations have been busy working on products like this since they have known for years what I am telling you today. Duh- we're a little slow here in the US...

ORIGINS ORGANICS. This is a new line of personal care products most of which are certified organic by the USDA. Origins features shampoos and conditioner, body soap, moisterizers, toners, lip balm, and massage oils. They are blended with essential oils and smell sooo wonderful. www.origins.com.

100PERCENTPURE. These cosmetics and other products are made with 100% natural ingredients, many which contain a healthy shot of anti-oxidants as well as organic fruit. This company has been featured on QVC network, and their body scrubs and shower gels look simply delicious! Also, check out their Elizabethean-esque lip glosses and cheek tints that contain pure fruit pigments, patent pending. Maybe they did have the right idea back then?!

TOM'S OF MAINE. This is not a cosmetics company, but I feel so strongly about the quality of their products and the quality of the company that I feel compelled to plug them again. Tom's puts out superior toothpastes, deoderants, and mouthwash products and I would especially recommend the natural flouride Children's toothpaste, since traditional children's toothpaste is loaded with mysterious flavoring and artificial coloring (and Lord knows what else).

Go through your makeup bag, throw out that mascara that's been in there for 6 months, and buy the eco version. Going green has never been so beautiful, naturally.

If you are interested in more details about the chemicals found in your cosmetics, check out www.thegreenguide.com and www.safecosmetics.org.

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Fashionistas Frolic for Eco Designs

Thanks to a global marketplace, US consumers are able to buy mass quantities of goods at bottom of the barrel prices. During a trip to the local superstore, I marveled at the ridiculously low prices for children's clothing, and happily snapped up a thing or two for myself. After donning my trophy outfits, I came to the realization that they are simply cheap crap that don't wash particularly well. Not to mention that some of those "easy care" products contain formaldehyde, which is linked to several diseases and even cancer. So the affordability of the global economy is a mixed blessing. On one hand, cheap goods help our dollars stretch further. On the other hand, the availability of these products is a great detriment to our planet because of the resources that are utilized to both manufacture and ship these products to our local stores. We're talking major CO2 emissions folks.

Another fashion trend has come forth, as reported in Vogue magazine's latest issue. Minimalism is back. Less is more. It's about quality not quantity. The message is if you invest in quality pieces and stick with a look that suits your body type and your style, you will benefit and so will the planet.

This is the way I like to live, but at some point, you still have to shop. Here are a few noted brands that have emerged as major eco designers:


EDUN at their latest NY Show

EDUN. This is an Irish based company founded by Ali Hewson, Bono's wife. ( Love him!) Their fashions are made in Africa and other developing nations with "green" in mind- the fabrics are organic and the products are made by local groups in order to provide them with a trade in which to grow their economy by. Their motto is "trade not aid." I think the concept is brilliant and certainly worth supporting. Clothing can be found at major retailers, including Nordstrom.


A Design by Linda Loudermilk

LINDA LOUDERMILK. This LA based designer has been fitting eco conscious Hollywood stars for years, beginning in 2002 when she started to experiment with fabrics. Known for her "Luxury Eco by Linda Loudermilk" label, she designs everything from jeans to haute couture, and the October W magazine named her one of the most influential people in 2007. Her eco designs are found in dozens of stores around the world. Find her at www.lindaloudermilk.com.


A Model in Deborah Lindquist

DEBORAH LINDQUIST. Another LA designer to the stars (are you noticing a trend here?) is Deborah, who uses recycled, re purposed and vintage clothing in her eco designs, as well as hemp and organic fabrics. The fine details of her work are astonishing, and Deborah also features environmentally conscious wedding dresses! She can be found at www.deborahlindquist.com.

Eco Fashion is not just for Hollywood or the wealthy. This movement has made it to the mainstream, and can be found at the houses of Patagonia, Timberland, and Hanna Andersson childrens clothing. Even the Gap has a line of Men's Organic cotton T's as well as an Organic Layette line. ( I feel that Organic Baby clothes, especially layette, are a must! Also, check out www.bestbabyorganics.com for some great options). And organic doesn't just stop at clothing. Ralph Lauren has an Organic Bed and Bath collection, and Pottery Barn features Organic bedding. I could go on and on...

Good news: many options are emerging for us greenies! Read more!

Hot Hybrids for Today and Beyond

If you have filled up at the gas pumps lately, you have noticed that we are again over the $3.00 per gallon mark, at least in my neck of the woods. According to news reports, and my wallet, this is unseasonably high. Typically gas prices jump before the summer months, so OPEC and the oil companies can rip us off right before that long family road trip or trek to summer camps. Another big thank you to George W!

I have been looking into getting a new car once my lease is up, and I seriously need to consider vehicles with higher fuel efficiencies. My current vehicle gets 15city/20 highway which sucks and it costs $75 a week to fuel. That is absurd, and the carbon emissions are horrible too. So what are the choices? I am leaning clearly towards a hybrid or electric car, but there are not that many to choose from, yet. And wait a minute here, what about the luxurious appointments, the satellite radio and the Corinthian leather? Do I have to give up all the goodies to be green?

Well, if money is no object, and you are childless or drive solo, then the answer is no, you don't have to give up the goodies. Enter the Tesla Roadster. This is a smokin' hot car; George Clooney is on the waiting list, naturally. The lines on this car are simply beautiful (even as a chick I have to admire it), and allegedly, this car is about performance, not just looks. This baby goes 0 to 60 in 4 seconds, rivaling even the highest performing sports cars on the market. And the beauty of it is this: zero emissions! It's 100% electric...hopefully the batteries work right? Actually, production is delayed partly due to this very reason. Tesla does plan to come out with 2 lower priced models, one in the $50,000 range and one below that somewhere. Check out the specs at the above link.

Given my familial status, that one doesn't work, plus its too expensive anyway. Other options? The Chevrolet Volt. Its a concept car at this point, and is a combo hybrid and electric, and its a really nice looking too. Unlike every other car Chevy makes, they finally figured out that we consumers want something that doesn't look like a tin can on wheels. This vehicle is due out in 2010, if it ever makes it to production. I like it, and you can find it at http://www.chevrolet.com/electriccar/.

As far as vehicles you could buy today, there is a "decent" selection. Honda offers the Accord and Civic hybrids, Saturn's Aura is on the market, Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner SUV's are available (Bill Clinton opts for the Mercury), and Toyota seems like the most comprehensive dealer with the Camry, the Highlander and the good 'ole Prius. I have heard that the tax credits have expired on the Toyota models, but check this out before buying. And also, Lexus offers an SUV and the luxury LS600 hL too. In my opinion, they offer the goodies but the fuel efficiency is subpar and the emissions are too high. So what's the point?

Another one I don't get is the Chevy Tahoe and Suburban Hybrid. Those monsters get only about the 15/20 mpg that I get already with a regular car, and the emissions are just a bad! What is the point, Chevrolet?

Enough whining and complaining-I feel much better now. It seems to me that you might be giving up some goodies if you buy an alternative fuel vehicle in 2007 although the Prius does offer leather, satellite radio, GPS and a few other bells and whistles, so it's not impossible. Do you homework, and don't forget the tax credit piece of it which is important. Lease a car for 36 months and by the end of the term, you will have serious options. A JD Power and Associates report claims that US hybrid-electric car demand will see a 247% rise from 2007-2011, so if US auto markers want to start making money, they will have to show us the goods. Can't wait. Read more!

The Facts about Tap vs. Bottled Water

Like many other Moms out there, I have taken pride in the fact that my child has never drank regular tap water. Providing her spring water was "the only option" because it was simply the best, purest and most natural. In fact, my whole family has exclusively drank spring water for at least the past 10 years, maybe more, and I'm sure many of you have a similar history. Recently, I started wondering if it was as pure and natural as I always thought it was. So I did a little digging around. Eat your heart out, Erin Brockovich.

Ironically, the entire marketing strategy for bottled water companies is to promote the health benefits, yet there are no strict standards to enforce their purity. A test conducted by the Natural Resources Defense Council found that after testing more than 1,000 bottles, about one fourth of the bottled water brands (23 of 103 waters, or 22 percent) were contaminated at levels violating strict enforceable state (California) limits for the state in which they were purchased, in at least one sample. Hmmm, that doesn't sound right, 25% contaminated? Here are a few more discoveries I made:

1. The EPA sets standards for tap water; and the FDA sets standards for bottled water. According to the NDRC, the FDA standards were very weak and needed significant reform.

2. At least 25% (and up to 40%) of all bottled water in this country is actually bottled tap water, some filtered additionally, and some not.

3. Big city tap water must be disinfected, tested for e coli and fecal coliform, Crypto-sporidium, Giardia, viruses and organic chemicals such as benzene. Bottled waters, seltzers and carbonated waters are not, at all!

4. The Pacific Institute estimates that it takes approx. 17 million barrels of oil to produce the amount of plastic bottles we need to meet US bottled water consumption annually.

5. The amount of energy used to make the plastic water bottle, fill it at the "source", transport it to US cities and finally to our homes, and deal with the waste accounted for 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, in 2006.

6. Americans buy 28 billion water bottles a year, and 80% of it goes back to the dump! Worldwide, recycling rates are even lower, closer to 90% to the landfill.

7. Bottled water is in a plastic bottle, and usually comes with an expiration date. A plastic container may leak chemicals such as phthalates or Bisphenol A into the bottled water, even if the water itself is pure. Storage in cool and dark places helps reduce leaching of these chemicals. All those half full water bottles in your car that heat up in the sun, throw them out now!

8. The NDRC study found that overall, most waters were safe, but some were not. I think we all take for granted that if the water is in a bottle, its 100% safe, and that is not the case.

Shocking, huh?

Here we are spending thousands of dollars a year on water that may or may not be better for us than actual tap water, because of the health implications that are programmed into our brains. In fact, much of it is tap water! Then we learn that the plastic may leach into it, and on top of it all, its causing unnecessary carbon emissions into the atmosphere. OK, so what are the options?

Well, the first thing you can do is to get a report from your local water company and see what the quality of your water actually is. If you enjoy good water quality like most of us in the US, you are all set. If not, you can opt for a filtration system like Brita, Culligan or PUR. The links are attached in the side column for your convenience. You must be vigilant to change the filters on these systems to really see the benefits. Or you could stick with bottled water and be more serious with the recycling, if you are not already, if you must! Maybe just reduce your consumption of it. Also, reusable bottles are a nice alternative for those trips in the car or to the gym. Check out www.filterforgood.com, where a portion of your purchase is donated to the Blue Planet Run Foundation, a water centered non-profit group.

I know, I know, the thought of drinking tap water is really freaking me out too. You feel that you must drink from the pure and natural spring next to a serene mountain or on a tropical island somewhere! It will definitely take some deprogramming in our sales & marketing saturated brains. But take my comments, get your water report, do some due diligence online, and make an educated decision.

Look at the bright side- you could afford to buy all organic food with the money you save on water! :) Read more!

Carbon Contributors to Climate Change

As most of us already know, unless we have been living under a rock, global warming is a direct result of overpopulation and over industrialization. Our world simply has too many people in it, and our increasing demand for more goods and services creates by-products called waste. Whether it be the packaging a product comes in, the output of carbon from our car, or the energy it took to make millions of mass marketed goods from our local superstore, it is a contributor of climate change. In fact, 75% of carbon output is a direct result of human use; the other 25% is primarily from the change in land use, principally deforestation. According to the Earth Policy Institute, here is a breakdown of that 75%:

42% is from the use of electricity, in which we burn fossil fuels.
24% is from transportation, in which we burn fossil fuels.
20% is from industrial use, in which we use electric, that burns fossil fuels.
The balance is from residential and commercial use, that burns fossil fuels.

No wonder those Saudis are so rich!

Obviously, necessities like vehicles and electric are not going away anytime soon. We can be more efficient, however, and utilize existing technologies that will significantly decrease the amount of carbon that is borne into our atmosphere each day. Solar, wind and geothermal power are becoming more and more efficient and with subsidies from state and federal government, more financially feasible as well. Auto makers have started to answer the call on reducing fuel consumption. According to JD Power and Associates, the US hybrid/electric vehicle market will see a 247% rise in sales volume from 2007-2011, and US and world auto makers are working on developing these autos as we speak. And in January 2006, the US Department of Energy increased its standards of new appliance efficiency, requiring manufacturers to make big improvements.

So it seems that things are starting to head in the right direction, but there is more work to be done. Additional lobbying is needed to improve tax credits for all things environmentally responsible, from cars to solar panels. Consumers need to shop at stores that are socially responsible, support our local businesses and make a statement each day at the cash register by purchasing something that is good for you, and the planet.

Here are a few suggestions to reduce your carbon output and get you on the green train:
1. Plan your schedule and run errands in the same vicinity to conserve on gas.
2. Buy power strip cords and install them on your audio/video and computer equipment. Those 10 cords plugged into the wall are still drawing tons of power, even when off, but if you turn of the power strip, it stops the flow of electric.
3. Unplug all cell phone and Blackberry chargers when not in use.
4. Use Compact Fluorescent light bulbs and conserve a ton of energy.
5. Buy from your local hardware store and local market whenever possible rather than hauling it to the giant superstore.
6. Less is more. Do you really need that sweater or knickknack? The less you consume, the better so make your purchases count.
7. Go au naturale. Buy organic whenever possible, and cut back on anything artificial or processed.
8. Recycle. Reuse. Reduce. Rrr.

Interested in finding green merchants and products that you can feel good about? Need some new boots or a new sofa? IDOG is planning a resource guide to arm you with consumer information to help you make the smart choice. Subscribe to our regular email and be sure not to miss it! Read more!