Looking for Sustainability ideas

I thought I find a way to keep costs down while still trying to stay eco-friendly. Trying to keep striving for sustainability. This a record of that journey.

Sometimes blunt and straight forward then sometimes sarcastic

This frugal crunchy hipster single momma is doing what she can to save Mother Earth while not breaking the bank!

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Reuse Reuse reuse


Eco-friendly gift containers? I found this site where you can download a template for your Folgers Coffee container. They have some that you could let the kids color also. I know it is very hard to get the smell of coffee out of the plastic but it would be great for a coffee drinker.... humm maybe some coffee spoons.

Coffee spoons
Recycled Spoons (Wendy's are very strong)
Chocolate chips
Candy canes (crushed)

Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Try not to boil chocolate this makes it very tough to work with.
Drip spoons in melted chocolate
Drip into crushed candy cane.

I have also seen them at the fancy coffee places with just chocolate but white chocolate was drizzled over top. Carmel sauce too............

Use to stir (favor)  your coffee

Animals Rights Girl used to do this for her teachers, and more than one LOVED them. So when she got older she would do it for the people at Church and her boss (the ones that liked coffee)

ivy

More about Black Friday (a warning!!)

I did work Black Friday and it was a day!! The area police where called and lucky they were only down the street to break up a fist fight in the Toys R us store.  But some customers noticed 3 people walking around the parking lot checking doors and back seats.   They would walk up to the car look in the back seat and if they saw something they try the door.  A couple times they broke the window to get inside.

The one police officer commented that this has happened all day and to tell everyone to put the gifts or packages in the truck!  Out of sight........ Plus he was impressed that a customers (more than one reported it!!)  from the parking lot called ... we knew nothing about it, we where too busy inside and NO this wasn't the 5 AM rush this was in the middle of the afternoon.

Seems with the economic problems comes crime, for more people are desperate looking for easy ways to have presents under the tree..... Sad.

But hide your gifts and bags!!! This time of year is stressful enough without a broken window and lost presents (and the feeling of being violated  you are left with because of  the act!!).... Be safe.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Black Friday is Here!

So many people are running out to the stores at early early hours to try to get bargains on their Christmas list.  While thousands of people are out today buying gifts, many people are telling you that this day should be called Buy Nothing day. Buy nothing day is an international day of protest against consumerism. A day for society to examine the issue of over-consumption and waste in this society.

My thoughts are I don't go shopping on Black Friday.  I have to work. Yea most of the store is scheduled to work today it is a busy day.  BUT the busiest day is usually is not one day but 2 or 3 days:  the week-end before Christmas. 

Today is the day Jdimytai Damour, a Wal-Mart associate that  died  in Valley Stream, NY.  The day that the shoppers didn't even notice that they broke down the doors minutes before it opened and had stomped a man to death.  I just glad the same didn't repeat itself this year!

So please remember that most store employees know the pressures of the holiday and the craziness. We don't decide the prices, how many will be in the store or what we carry. But we are just like you working to pay for a nice holiday whatever religion you or they follow. Play nice or I will have put people in corners!!


PS more on eco-friendly gift ideas coming up I have to get ready for work!!

ivy

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Hoilday Mail for our Heros

Ok it not really green but it will brighten our heroes holiday.
The Big Cutie, my grand-baby; Is missing his Daddy in Iraq.



I was so happy to hear at work that they are taking up a holiday card collection for the soldiers. So I thought what does someone who doesn't work for my company do? I found this site! Red Cross Holiday Mail for Heroes

Holiday cards will be collected through a unique P.O. Box address from Monday, November 2 through Monday, December 7*.

First, cards from across the nation must be sent to this address:

Holiday Mail for Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

So no glitter or letters, sign with your first name NO last names or your address. Cards should say “Dear Service Member, Family or Veteran”. Limit is 15, no need to put each card in a envelope, Place all your cards in a single large envelope and send to above address. Don't place anything inside the cards for they will be thrown away by the Red Cross when they screen the cards.

So spread the holiday cheer to those who as risking their lives for our country......
ivy

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Ecostore USA Reveiw and $25 Gift Certificate Giveaway


Ecostore USA is a company that has taken the nasty chemicals out of household products using plant- and mineral-based ingredients. There are no toxic petrochemicals, no synthetic enzymes, no optical whiteners, no sodium lauryl sulphate, no phosphates, no chlorine, no ammonia, no Triethanolamine, Diethanolamine or Monoethanolamine, no parabens, no propylene glycol and no synthetic perfumes or dyes. Many of these things are know to cause cancer, mess with hormones and kill wild live. We put these poisons on our skin and bodies daily! Many of these items also can cause contact dermatitis, which this blogger is very sensitive to getting from a number of things. My friends tease me I am allergic to everything... I almost am!

So when I received my Laundry Liquid I had to try this. When I read the bottle and it said 3 to 5 Tablespoons of Laundry Liquid I thought no way! But the suds told me yep it was true. Ecostore found a way to make things super concentrated. They took out the filers. You use smaller amount and it last longer and works great. I have been using this for about 2 weeks and my clothes are so soft and I still have most of the bottle left!! It smells great, no strong smell, as a concentrated soap this was a surprise. This is things I notice being the sensitive skin person that is thinking I hope I don't rash out when trying new products. It works great without tearing up my skin. A winner in my book!!

I also got the Vanilla Shampoo. I have tired so many different shampoos it isn't funny. I started to use health food store shampoos after learning about the nasty chemicals and there effects years ago. I have baby fine hair; my hair feels thicker with these type of shampoos. But after trying the Vanilla Shampoo I was blown away. I use a pea size amount and my hair is so soft. It stays soft also. The soft feeling lasts without the slick feeling some shampoos can give you. I wear a hair claw clip to keep my hair up at work and many shampoos and conditioners can leave it slick soft that the claw slips down. But Vanilla Shampoo keep the strength and the softness!! This product is the one that isn't almost fill but that is 2 people are using it!! But we do have about half left and that good for the thick hair daughter to not use a hand full each time. Plus she doesn't really like the smell of most vanilla products. But this vanilla is mild and smells great. She even thinks so! It smells clean!


Last but not least I got the pet leave-in conditioner. With 2 cats that are long haired I wanted a detangle product. This worked great for Miss Fluffy girl who had some big snarls. I put it on her snarls and let it sit for a half a hour then combed threw. The bottle says 5 minutes but she wasn't really going to make it easy for me, she hates to be combed or fussed over. But I had a present side effect with this wonderful stuff. Psycho kitty; who is allergic to many things just like her owner, was rashed out from fleas and her flea meds. I started to put some on her to see if this would break her out, she began to rub on my hands on the side of her head. That is a miracle in itself. She will run and hide when anything medicine based is opened. She didn't have snarls but she did have a rash there from the flea spot treatment. I thought why not it can't hurt. What it did; was help! Her rash was looking better the next day, and she was in good spirits. Princess also had a rash on the back of her neck from fleas and the hot spot meds didn't help but this conditioner did... Those are the 2 cats that are not long hair. The dog he is a good boy he didn't mind getting the conditioner on after his bath. He is soft too!! These conditioner is a keeper for my animals.
Ecostore USA has FREE Shipping for ALL Orders of $25 Plus I am told that a holiday sale is coming up!! YEA!!

now available exclusively at Meijer stores throughout the Midwest


Win a $25 gift certificate



ways to win:
First go to the Ecostore site and look around. Leave a comment on what product or product line you would like to try.
Follow this blog (or remind me that you are a follower)


Winner will be picked by Random.org On November 30th 12:00 AM...... or around there!!

Good luck!

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Today is America Recycles Day.


Thanks Mommy is Green . She blogged about today is America Recycles Day. Which is interesting because my city does have city wide recycling and tonight is trash and recycling night!! But no invents in my area. Oh well. I didn't get online til late due to the internet being down. I might not be able to go anywhere anyway.

We used to recycle and get paid per pound. Truth is that we still take our aluminum cans for pizza money. Many times on Eath Day they will give you a great deal.

Glass is the easiest to recycle. If you ever have seen a glass blower; the glass can easily be reheated and blown to many different shapes. Sad thing is that at work recycle plastic and paper but not glass. Glass jars can easily be reused and no worries about BPA.

Paper is another easily recycled item. Many young groups collect paper if your city doesn't have city wide recycling. Little things can make a big difference. Just recycling your Sunday Paper will save one tree!! Using recycled paper will also reduce air pollution 95%.

We started to recycle when Miss Animal Rights was little and her grandparents gave her a subscription to Ranger Rick. I read to her about recycling and how it would save the animals home. She cried we hav eto save the animals homes!! So we started tor recycle. She got her grandparent to recycle. They too used the money for pizza or ice cream parties for her. That was years ago!

Let not forget to recycle things like our cell phones, inkjet cartridges and many other things. We drop off our dead cell phones at Petsmart store to help animals. But there is a site online that you can donate your dead cell phone to help people in need (many times victims of domestic violence) called Secure the Call . Just download and print this label and send them your phone or inkjet cartridges.

TerraCycle is another place to send your recyclables to and they will make something new! Drink pouch backpacks and tote bags are many things you will find there. Find out how to send them your empty glue sticks, glue bottles, drink pouches, chip bags and more!

ivy

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Black Tea and Green Tea


I have been trying to cut down on my pop drinking. I used to drink 2 or 3 cans a day. Plus I really don't drink very much water. I don't like the taste of water. I know water isn't suppose to have a taste and I do live in the city. So I have been drinking more tea. I mix green and black tea.

We have heard that green tea is a anti-oxidant that is good to drink for our health but the same is said about black tea! Fact is that green tea is just slightly higher in anti-oxidants! Green tea fights bacterial infections and black tea fight viruses. Cover all the bases for things that way. It is cough and cold season.

Benefits I learn about both black and green teas:

caffeine isn't overstimulating to the heart
increases concentration
raises the HDL cholesterol levels (that the good kind)
relieve diarrhea
Fights tooth decay
Helps open airways for asthmatics
Raises your metabolism rates to aid in weigh loss
Reduces Stress

Plus they believe and are doing studies on the affects of both teas on cancer cells. They are believed to help blood clots from forming to cause strokes and heart attacks. Help suppresses the Cox-2 gene that triggers inflammation, says research at Rutgers. This they believe will help arthritis.
Not too shabby, for a cup of tea.
ivy

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