Eco Friendly Holiday Lighting

With the holidays upon us, and inflation surging, now is a great time to make smart, energy efficient choices within your home to lower your overall operating expenses. LED (light emitting diode) holiday lighting is a popular, eco-friendly option, since it's both long lasting and 90% more efficient than incandescent lights.

Here's a great vendor with some great green options: HolidayLED.com. Holiday LED.com offers traditional holiday lights in a full range of colors, popular icicle lights and even pre-lit Christmas trees, all made from energy efficient LEDs.

Better yet, this vendor offers a special recycling program. Send them your old incandescents holiday lights for recycling and they will send you a 15% off coupon for new LED lights! Sounds like a good deal right? There's more!

They are offering an additional discount exclusively for IDOG readers: an additional 10% off by using Coupon Code "GKRIST." Offer expires 12/31/2008.

Happy Holidays!
Photo courtesy of HolidayLEDs.com. Read more!

Steals & Deals: Viva Terra Eco Furnishings

Good news for a change! I just saw that one of my favorite retailers, Viva Terra, is having a sale on one of their most unique and unusual pieces, the twisted stool/side table, and I just wanted to alert my readers. Aren't they really nice? These works of art are hand sculpted from sustainable monkey pod wood, have a variety of uses and are on sale for just $175 (for the tall size). When can you get a handcrafted anything for this price??

Click on this link, TWISTY, and enter the code "NT8101" when ordering. Offer good until 11/15/08. And don't forget to check out their other fantastic furnishings! Read more!

Eco Floors: Natural Cork by Globus Cork

When renovating my "green" house this summer, I chose to do the kitchen floor in a natural cork material. I wanted to use something durable, beautiful and sustainable, and cork was a perfect solution.

I looked to a local New York manufacturer, Globus Cork to provide the product as well as an education in cork flooring. First off, cork is a renewal material - it gets harvested from the bark of cork oak trees every 9 years and it then grows back. Even so, the cork tiles themselves are made from the scraps of the wine cork manufacturing process, so they are truly a recycled product. Folks, you really can't get much greener than that! Once the tiles are formed, depending on the color/style, they get a coat of voc-free stain and sealer. Cork tiles come in either the glue down or the floating variety, and either one provides a beautiful outcome! They are offered in a wide variety of patterns, shapes and colors and the good people at Globus Cork can help you either design your floor or make suggestions based on your ideas.

Cork flooring offers even more benefits. Cork is very soft under foot and is easy on your joints and back. It's also super durable, water and stain resistant (within reason), and maintains its freshly laid appearance over time. One of my green contacts tells me that her cork kitchen floor of 5 years still looks fantastic. And cork flooring is not hugely expensive either, unlike many other "green" products.

The images you see show the cork floor I used in my own kitchen project. Please email me if you need any details...I would be happy to share them with you. For further information about the environmental aspects of cork, the many color/design options, and more, visit Globus Cork. Read more!

Back to School Basics: Reusable Water Bottles

If you are providing your child with bottled water each day, you are potentially adding 200 water bottles to the landfill annually. Multiply this by 800 kids in my local elementary school and it makes 160,000. Yes, some schools have recycling programs, but is your 6 year old disposing of it properly? You see where I'm going with this. A much better alternative, a reusable water bottle. I recommend Sigg aluminum water bottles.

Of course, Madonna and Cindy Crawford's kids already use them, but who cares about them. The benefits of Sigg bottles are as follows:

1. Reusing is better than recycling and/or creating waste.
2. Aluminum bottles don't leach plastic bottle chems into the water over time.
3. Aluminum bottles actually keep the water cooler.
4. They come in about a million varieties - designs, colors and sizes- so that kids can find the one they love.
5. Your child will be setting a good example to others. Monkey see, monkey do.
6. The spill free design keeps things clean, and kids love to use them.
7. The flip top cap keeps the drinking spout germ free.

The only bad news is that they are next to impossible to find, due to high demand. I lucked out at the local Whole Foods and found one Paddington Bear bottle. It's so cute and my daughter loves using it. The price of the small bottle was $17.99 which was high but reasonable considering how much you could save on bottled water, plus the benefits to Mother Earth.

Visit the Sigg website, or go to Whole Foods, Dick's or other retailers. Try EBay if you are out of luck locally. Read more!

Recycled Bags a la Stella McCartney for LeSportsac

Among the top designers in the world, Stella McCartney is clearly a leader in the green movement. First came her line of Organic Skin Care, and now this: Functional and super chic bags, rucksacks and luggage designed with recycled materials! Finally, my theory that "green" is not just for crunchers anymore is proven once and for all. Oh contrere, eco chic is headed our way like a Category 2 Hurricane.

Case in point: Her new Fall line for LeSportsac, made from 100% recycled nylon and other recycled materials. You go girl! These are the it-bags for the stylishly eco-conscious. There are plenty of varieties such as hobos, totes, travel bags, and even a convertible rucksack ( a personal fav.)Stella's smart designs can be found at top retailers, but for more information and a look at every bag, go to the LeSportsac website.

I'm wondering which celeb will be photographed with one first? Stay tuned. Read more!

Eco Beauty: Scrub-a-Dub Dub

Have you ever tried one of those super-rough exfoliating facial scrubs? You know, the kind with some sort of microscopic roughage that feels like you are rubbing #300 sand paper on your face?

For years, I endured those grueling treatments in the hopes of that pure, baby soft porcelain skin of yesteryear. The fact is, using harsh scrubs are unnecessary and the need for them is a misconception amongst many women. "No pain, no gain" should not be the motto for facial cleansing. Luckily, I found a natural, chem-free skin care line complete with a wonderful exfoliator!

It's a skin and hair care line from Noah's Naturals. The company's eco-friendly products were carefully formulated with the help of Aveda creator, Prakash Purohit. One of them is the Exfoliating Face Scrub with Jojoba Beads and it's lovely! While rubbing it on my face, I noticed that the beads were soft to the touch, yet they did their job to gently and effectively exfoliate. The product also left my face feeling fresh, soft and moisturized. And the best part was that it was free from parabens, sodium lauryl sulfates and propoylene gylcol. Furthermore, all Noah's Natural products do not test on animals, are made from the purest ingredients, and use fully recyclable packaging.

It is definitely a product I felt good about using, and it worked really well. Check out some of their other great organic products at Noah's Naturals.

Find Noah's products on their website, or search for a local participating retailer. Read more!

Green House Makeover : Eco-Friendly Hardwood Floors

When I purchased a 1920s Colonial for renovation, I wanted to maintain its original character yet use as many eco-friendly products and features as possible. The house had the original hardwood floors throughout; Douglas Fir on the first floor and Southern Yellow Pine on the second floor. Both were shabby. The first floor showed plenty of discoloration, large scratches and even a hump in the middle of the floor. The second floor was partially covered in hideous pink ceramic tiles, so we weren't sure what would happen. We knew that the green way to go was to salvage as much original planking as possible, rather than to scrap it and start new. But would it work?

Our plan of action was to hire the best flooring contractor in the area. That was easy. Dave Novak Flooring of Long Island is a real pro and knows his green products to boot. Dave helped us to determine whether or not the situation was salvageable or not. Miraculously, they were able to correct the major flaws, including the hump, some wide gaps, and the discoloration. The next step was to determine what product to use to restore the floor. He highly recommended BonaKemi products, for their quality, durability and environmental friendliness. In fact, Bona's extensive line of products are the only hardwood flooring system that is GreenGuard certified for Indoor Air Quality. With a combination of BonaKemi's water based stains and sealers, and Dave's expertise, our floors became absolutely flawless. Our Green House Showcase slide show pics at the top of this page show the gorgeous (and healthy) results.

When renovating your hardwood floors, talk to your contractor about the benefits of a water based treatment vs. oil based polyurethane. Or contact ours: Dave Novak Flooring at (516)-672-2413, and please visit BonaKemi.com. Read more!

Green House Makeover: Toilet Talk

Did you know that your old toilet (circa 1994 or earlier) uses up to 70% more water annually than a new dual flusher? In areas where water costs are high, replacing your old bowl can save you some significant coin! Since our fresh water supplies in parts of this country are dwindling and are expected to drop precipitously low in the future, dual flushing technologies are essential.

At our recent Green House Showcase in New York, reducing water consumption was one of our main objectives. One way to meet this goal was to install dual flushers. These toilets have been used for years in Europe and Asia, and they are slowly making their way to the US. Here's how they work: there are 2 flushing options, either 0.8 gallons or 1.6 gallons, depending on your uh, needs. And they come in all types of styles, from traditional to super contemporary, and best of all, most of them are affordable. The ones we installed cost about $250 each, made by Sterling for Kohler. See how the tank in the photos is so small? This makes them look so tres chic - ooh la la! (Both photographs show the same toilets in 2 different baths, fyi.)

Ok now let's talk functionality. Do they work and get the, er, job done, shall we say? The answer from my experience is a wholehearted yes! I have had many a construction worker over the house and let's just say that I didn't find any nasty surprises.

In conclusion, mon ami, adopting water saving features like dual flushers in your home are a fabulous way to reduce your consumption and save money in the process. Manifique! Read more!

Eco Furnishings Found Locally at Crate & Barrel

After renovating a house recently with all environmentally friendly features, it was now time to look at furnishings. Of course, I wanted to go eco friendly. Home furnishings can be toxic and negatively impact your indoor air quality. I learned this first hand last year.

I made the incredibly stupid decision to purchase some bedroom furniture from a major national furniture chain. A few hours after it arrived, I noticed a heavy "new car/furniture" type of scent in the room. I figured it was just new and needed some time to air out. After a day, the odor was still there. After 4 days, the odor was still there. After 10 days straight with the windows opened, the odor DID NOT dissipate AT ALL! I was having visions of those poor people in New Orleans in their FEMA trailers! With the windows shut, I could only tolerate 5 minutes in the room before a headache would set in. I knew I had to take action and removed the furniture immediately.

My guess is that the wood frame and drawers were constructed with plywood that contained formaldehyde and heaven knows what else. In other types of furnishings, upholstery can be treated with flame retardant chemicals (and stain resistant chems too) that off gas into your home, and your family get the breathe it in! So going eco friendly makes a lot of sense for a lot of reasons.

The next challenge is to find these types of furnishings, which are few and far between. Luckily, I stumbled onto a national chain that offers eco friendly furnishings and housewares, as a part of their Eco Initiaves Program - Crate & Barrel. They carry everything from Bamboo Dining Tables, to chairs with Soy foam cushioning, to recycled glass dinnerware. Some of the pics on this post are from their line. I was lucky enough to get some of these lovely pieces for our Green House and everyone loved them, especially me.

For more eco furnishings, take a look at:
Fernwalla
Cisco Brothers
Read more!

Eco-Fabulous Bath Furniture by Waterfall

Are you looking for eco-friendly bathroom furniture that is not only green but beautiful and functional? On my endless quest for all things green, I have noticed that finding something chic and green was not easy. Luckily, I found the needle in the haystack: Waterfall Bathroom Furniture.

As you can see by the photos, Waterfall offers a variety of styles that are sure to please even the most discriminating tastes. The materials used to make them are all environmentally responsible: from FSC certified MDF (medium density fiberboard) to the lowest VOC (volatile organic compounds), water based paints available. Even the countertops are made of CaesarStone, a certified green product.
Add a low flow faucet and your vanity will be full-on green! To see their complete line of products, go to Waterfall Bath. Read more!

Feelin' the Love for Organic Love Lipsticks

It is said that the average woman ingests up to four pounds of lipstick or gloss in a lifetime. According to the Environmental Working Group, a partner of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, one-third of personal care products contain at least one chemical linked to cancer. With that in mind, I decided to begin looking for some safe alternatives, and I found a GREAT one with Afterglow Mineral Cosmetics' Organic Love Lipsticks.

Depending on the shade, these lipsticks are made with approximately 70% to 82% certified organic ingredients. Some of the key ingredients include organic jojoba seed oil, Vitamin E, organic pomegranate seed extract, organic grape seed extract, and organic apricot kernel. The rest of the ingredients are iron oxides and micas, (for pigment) and titanium oxide (for opacity), which are all pharmaceutical grade inert minerals. Organic Love is free from petroleum, gluten, paraben, nuts and the entire line of cosmetics is cruelty and gluten free. These gals over there are on the ball!

Aside from all those benefits, the lipstick itself goes on light and smooth, not heavy and waxy. Your lips will feel fabulous, as though the nutrients were going to work to moisturize and condition instantaneously. For real!

I highly recommend this product, so go to their site, drop $22 bucks and eat all the lipstick you want.

Note: Visit the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics site, which has a ton of information about all beauty products and their ingredients. You will find it invaluable. Read more!

Highest MPGs on the Market

With summer fast approaching, you can bet your booty that gas prices could reach $4 a gallon, or thereabouts. In some parts of the country, they are already there. If you are in the market for a new car, I highly recommend getting yourself an education in high fuel efficiency autos.

Rather than searching each auto maker's site individually, I did my research at GreenCars.com. They offer an excellent summary of fuel efficient vehicles, listed by price. Some models weren't included, such as Audi, Lexus and the new Saturn's but the site was chock full of info for cars priced from $15,000 to $30,000.

One standout was, of course, the Toyota Prius with efficiency around 50-60 mpg. In that department, the car is freaking awesome and untouchable. After personally test driving it, I was pleasantly surprised by the available extras such as Navigation, Bluetooth and leather, even if it wasn't a particularly powerful performance. Hey you can't have it all, not for $20 grand, anyway. Also notable was the Toyota Matrix which is a nice looking sporty wagon, and the intriguing Pontiac Vibe.

Volkswagen is now offering an impressive collection of diesel powered cars, such as the Golf, Passat and Jetta. Unfortunately due to the emissions regulations in a handful of states like New York and California, they are not offered, but they are working on it and hopefully they will offer those great fuel numbers in all 50 states.

If size doesn't matter (yeah right!), the Mini Cooper is just cool and the convertible model is pretty hot for summer.

Find the gas mileage of your dreams at http://www.greencar.com/features/features36/! Read more!

Great Green Gifts: Housewares by Fire & Light

For anyone looking for a unique and meaningful gift, look no further! I was recently thrilled to stumble upon a little bit of "green" heaven in a line of gifts and tablewear from a company called Fire & Light.

It all started years ago when the oldest recycling community in the nation got together to discuss ways of resolving the issue of shipping their glass for recycling, which was very expensive and cost prohibitive. After discussing their options, a solution emerged. Fire & Light was created to utilize the post consumer recycled glass and in the process, create jobs for the community. ( Who said that green business can't save our planet and our ecomony? Pishaw.) Currently, Fire&Light produces a delicious line of glass tableware, home accessories and art glass in colors that take your breath away.

Here are some of my favs.

Splash Bowl. It's shape, color and the swirls of color within it make it a true work of art. As with many of their products, it comes in a wide range of hues. And at $46, it's a deal.

The Goblets and other barware. At left. This colorful glassware make that beverage extra special, and a set of 4-8 make a eco fab gift.

Purchase their dinner plates in one color and salad plates in another. This creates wonderful contrast and texture.

Soap dish & Footed Jar w/ Lid. Add some natural lavender soap and you have yourself another special gift.

All of the Tealights. The candlelight reflects into the glass for a special effect. Love the Splash and Conch Shell in particular.

Many of the items come signed by the artisan, making it a true piece of art!

See for yourself at http://www.fireandlight.com/.

Read more!

Boost your Kids' Immune Systems with Organic Veggies

Back in October, I wrote an article favorably reviewing Jessica Seinfeld's new cookbook Deceptively Delicious. This is the "Results" post, so to speak. In the book, Jessica describes how to puree veggies and hide them in your kid's food. While many people criticized the book saying that she copied someone else's idea, and she gave Oprah 21 pairs of Manolos Blahniks for promoting it, I say "Who gives a shit!" It works. I found it to be brilliant and implemented her, or whoever's strategies. The only difference was that I went purely organic. Now this was at a time when my daughter was NOT consuming many (or any I should say) veggies at all. She was in and out of school almost ever other week with one ailment or another, and she would take a tremendously long time to recover. After several months of constant pureeing, and a vitamin supplement to boot, the results are in. I am happy to report that she is rarely sick at all. In fact- and I hope I don't jinx myself, she hasn't been sick all year, even though stomach viruses have passed around, and the flu, and a million other weird preschool sicknesses. I am a true believer that the power of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc. from vegatables have strengthened her little growing body. ( OK now I'm really jinxing myself!) And you know what, it's really not that much extra work and I like it in my food too. We make a mean turkey, broccholi and mushroom burger!

As a side note, my daughter and myself DO NOT eat beef or beef byproducts as a result of, what I believe, is unacceptable meat processing standards and lax quality control by the USDA. The hormones, the antibiotics and heaven's knows what else. We will pass on the 'downer cow' burger, thanks!

If your kids get sick a lot, try this...it worked for me. Read more!

Save Money & Energy with Balls!

Blue balls are usually not a positive thing, if you are male anyway! In this case, it's all good.

If you must use a clothes dryer, which is hard not to, consider spending $10 on a 2 pack of these dryer balls. You use them in place of those expensive dryer sheets that have that artificial perfume scent on them. Ick. They work to fluff and soften your laundry, as well as help the heat of the dryer circulate more efficiently, which reduces drying time. Naturally. No chemicals here. The balls last for about 2 years and really work.

Less energy used, fresh laundry scent, & you save on dryer sheets. Win win win.

Find them on http://www.asseenontv.com/.

Read more!

Take a Breath of Fresh Air - Inside

Did you know that in many cases, the air quality outside your house is actually better than inside your house? According to the American Lung Association, many indoor air pollutants are 2 to 5 times higher than outdoor pollutants and in some cases, 100% higher. This is of great concern because many people spend up to 90% of their time indoors! Our home's interior air quality is compromised because many items in the home contain chemicals that off-gas - everything from furniture and upholstery, carpeting, paint, even kitchen cabinets. Besides living in the wilderness, there is not a ton we can do about this. But we can improve the quality of our indoor air by taking a few simple steps.

1. Air things out. Cold weather or not, we should do this. Generally, I like to this in the morning after everyone is gone. Try to get a nice cross ventilation going for about 5 minutes.

2. Look into purchasing an air purifier. These are great for people who are have sensitive allergies, and for rooms that don't get a lot of ventilation. I put one in my basement, a place I could rarely go because of my allergic reaction. With the help of our air purifier, I can now stay down there for hours. I highly recommend getting one if you have little ones playing down in the basement. Bionaire makes several good models. http://www.bionaire.com/.

3. If you are planning an interior remodel or painting the new baby's room perhaps, you should consider a low voc paint. This is a paint that contains low or no VOC's (volatile organic compounds) and solvents, so you don't have to breathe in those noxious odors. Plus you can move immediately into freshly painted areas, if need be. This is a must, in my opinion, in a new baby's room! Sherwin Williams carries an environmentally friendly line called Harmony. http://www.sherwin-williams.com/.

4. Wood burning fireplaces actually contribute quite a bit of fine particles, carbon monoxide and other toxic compounds into your home. I still love it because of the wonderful atmosphere it creates, but consider closing the doors as much as possible during the "burn" and ventilating soon afterwards. People with lung related illnesses or athsma should stay away from wood burning fireplaces.

5. Add indoor plants to your home. Like trees, house plants can remove carbon and oxygenate your home. This is a nice affordable and attractive way to green your home.

Over time, as you move or upgrade your existing home, you can begin to make other product choices that will also positively impact your interior air quality, one selection at a time. To learn more about home pollutants, visit www.lungusa.org.

Read more!

The YouBar: Customized Nutrition

We are all on the go so much these days that having a meal in the sitting position is a true luxury. Skipping a meal is commonplace, and the after effects usually involves strapping on a feedbag to make up for it! I have tried dozens of meal replacement bars on the market, but none of them are made with my specific requirements and needs in mind.

Until now, the YOU BAR is here!

A brilliant mother and son team in LA began formulating and creating their own snack/nutrition bar recipes for themselves, and when friends and relatives started bringing them their personal requests, they realized that they were onto something. YouBars don't sell these in stores, only online, and you can select all the ingredients personally based on your nutritional needs,tastes and preferences. They offer many all natural and organic ingredients, dairy and gluten free options, even vegan varieties, and so much more! And if you don't like your own concoction, they offer a money back guarantee!

Healthy foodies, check out this smart product!

www.youbars.com Read more!

New Eco Skincare Line by Stella McCartney

We eat organic. We workout. We clean our homes with natural products to avoid chems. So why is it that we are caring for our skin with chemicals? It doesn't make sense.

Enter CARE by Stella McCartney.

This skincare line was developed because Stella believes that we shouldn't have to sacrifice quality and luxury simply because we want a natural product. This line is both. It consists of cleansers, moisterizers, and elixirs. The ingredients are 100% certified organic and are free from petrochemicals, silicones and chemical preservatives. Even the fragrance is derived from 100% natural organic essential oils, and the packaging is all recyclable.

Go to StellaMcCartneyCare.com and learn more and find a retailer near you.


Those of you who have used this product are welcome to review it in the comments section for the benefit of those who have not. Read more!

A Good Green Clean

This kitchen is in need of a good all natural cleaning! All of surfaces shown, with the exception of the stainless steel, can use the prescribed ingredients.

In my opinion, we are a bit brainwashed into believing that unless we smell the powerful odor of ammonia or other noxious fumes, our homes aren't clean. This couldn't be further from the truth. Natural products are just as effective if not more so.

You will have noticed many new "green" cleaning products emerging on market shelves. Many of them are good products and are non toxic to us and the Earth. The Method line of cleansers, Seventh Generation and even the Lotus Cleaning System are all wonderful products. Even Clorox is jumping on the bandwagon with their GreenWorks line of cleansers. However, they are expensive, and the jury is still out whether they are 100% natural. Thankfully, the most natural ingredients are effective and are affordable. Introducing...

Baking soda, white vinegar, and lemons. Just like Grandma used.

Vinegar is an all purpose cleanser and its cheap. One part water to one part vinegar will clean your kitchen and bathroom, floors, sinks, and tubs. It breaks down soap scum and water marks. For the toilet, use straight vinegar or sprinkle in baking soda. Never use any of these on marble or granite, or any natural stone for that matter. Nor stainless steel. I would use soap and water on stone, and a natural granite/marble/stainless polisher like Method offers. Or try the new Clorox product for that, which claims to be safe on stainless and sealed stone. Also, add a squeeze of lemon to polish fixtures for a nice shine. Lemon rinds are great in your disposal to freshen it up. And you can polish your wood floors with olive oil and lemon. Baking soda is great as a stain and odor remover for carpets and other surfaces. For tough stains, sprinkle baking soda on a 1/2 lemon and scrub.

Using natural cleansers is especially important when children enter into the equation. The less exposure to toxic chemicals during their fragile growth years, the better.

More info on using natural products can be found on About.com. Read more!

Don't Buy New ~ Refill Your Printer Cartridges

Well, now that we are headed straight for a recession, we need to think about ways to stretch our dollars. One way to save some coin and reduce waste is to refill your printer cartridges. Rather than spending $35 bucks on a brand new black ink cartridge, you only pay $10. Color costs only $15 vs. $55. And contrary to what you might be thinking, there are no messy refills for you to deal with. All you do is hand them the old cartridges and you are done. Sounds pretty good, right?

It really is, so check out Walgreen's Pharmacy , which is a national chain. Visit the photo department, and they will refill your cartridges on the spot.

FYI The national office supply stores are not selling this service, obviously, since they sell the new ink cartridges. I already double checked for you.

Being a greenie is getting easier all the time!

www.walgreens.com Read more!