Green Guilt

Since Earth Day last week I’ve been feeling lots of “green guilt” towards my reckless consumption. I've decided to join forces with Thuy and take some small steps towards becoming more earth/green conscious. Here are my top five items I’ve recently purchased and am proud to say are officially GREEN!

1. Better World Books: I recently posted about my favorite spring books. If you wanted to purchase any of these books, but haven’t, please use this site. Better World Books not only has an amazing amount of books, but it also ships FREE in the US and costs only $3.97 to ship anywhere in the world. In addition, the company supports book drives and collects textbooks from universities and colleges. They convert these donated books into funds, which they use for literacy and education programs.

2. Ecojot: This paper company has some of the cutest journals around. All of their products are made from 100% post consumer recycled paper, their inks and glues are vegetable based, and the paper is chlorine free. Check out their darling sketchbooks for kids.


3. Grip Color EcoPencils: Not only are these easy on the eyes, but these pencils are also triangular, which means they won’t roll off your table. They’re non-toxic and made from reforested sources in Brazil. Plus, they have polka-dots! Hello? Need I say more?

4. Reuseable Snack Bags: Confession: I use a lot of Ziploc bags! I am sure that my consumption doubled after Emi’s arrival too. I’ve started the process of purchasing reuseable snack bags for my lunch. They can be a bit pricey for one bag, but it seems like a good investment, especially since I take my lunch to school and use about 5 ziploc bags a day! Yikes! Click on the different bags to be directed to the seller's sites.

Also, be sure to check back with us on Friday for Thuy's post about these lovely Evelynfield's bags. She'll be hosting a giveaway.

5. I’m Not a Paper Cup…cup: I converted my water bottle to a stainless steel bottle about a year ago. Yet, when it comes to my daily cup(s) of coffee, I’m guilty of using many paper cups. This cup solves my paper cup problems. I especially like the fact that it’s microwaveable, since most days I don’t finish my coffee until after I reach the classroom. (Maybe that’s why I’m so irritatable?)


Here's to taking the first of many small green steps!

Remember to visit us Friday for your chance to enter Thuy's giveaway.

-Kacey

Green is Good

Wednesday was Earth Day. It is actually one of my favorite days of the year because it brings a bit more consciousness to green living. Don't get me wrong, I still drive, eat meat, and add much to our local landfill. However, I do take little steps here and there to live a fairly green life by reducing my energy use, composting, recycling, and bringing my own reusable bags to the grocery store. Pretty simple, right?

If you'd like to start or renew your commitment to green living, Whole Foods is making it a bit easier. They are giving all of Oprah's viewers a free lunch bag made of recycled plastic bottles from now until Monday. Print the coupon and bring it in to claim your bag. Such a cute bag, too.

You get a bag! You get a bag! And you get a bag! Yes, you at home, too! Gosh, it feels good to be Oprah. :)

-Thuy

PS: Check out Oprah's Earth Day episode to find more cost saving and green living tips.

Taking Green To An Extreme

My husband is a man of many layers. When busy at work, our household runs very smoothly. I am in charge of things at home and he focuses on what he needs to do. However, with the downturn in the economy, my man seems to have a bit more time on his hands than usual.

This is rarely a good thing.

Last weekend, my husband announced that our household was going to become a bit more environmental...more green, if you will. I nodded and didn't give the proclamation much thought. However, while taking out the trash yesterday, I noticed these in our backyard:

Kidding! Actually, ours are much more fashionable and modern. The latest in barrel design, really. See for yourself...

Yes, it seems that we are now collecting rainwater. At first, I was concerned that my husband wanted me to use the water inside our home. However, he assured me that the water will only be used in our yard.

I remain suspect, though. As a guy who feverently believes that bigger is better, I am sure it won't be long before he is trying to convince me of the benefits to changing our lifestyle so that we can be more like Colin Beavan and his family, a threesome who are trying to live for a year without creating any waste. What does this mean for the Beavan family exactly? For starters, no electricity, no transportation (including even public transportation), and no food that does not come from within a 250 mile radius of their hut, I mean home.

Actually, the Beavan family hasn't changed their residence since they embarked on their little journey. They are still living in New York, as opposed to the "earthship" made of tires that I am sure my family and I will be moving to in Taos, New Mexico before too long.

I wonder how much rainwater we would be able to collect in our barrels there?

I was also happy to read on Colin's blog that he and his family have not become part of the freeganism movement. Have you heard of this? Freeganism is an off-shoot of veganism, meaning that most followers avoid all products made from animals. What's more, the “free” part of their descriptor refers to how freegans get their victuals. What is the preferred method for finding free food you might ask? The answer to that question is simple: digging through the dumpster.

On the upside, dumpster diving is not as bad as you might imagine. Those that partake aren’t homeless, and many of them have 9-to-5 jobs. Freegans eat pretty well too, chowing down on practically fresh veggies, day-old bread, and canned goods.

They even have cool tee-shirts.

-Francesca

Book Swap

I started out this year obsessed with decluttering. It's now turned into fanaticism because, in my effort to get organized, I have created various stacks around my house to donate, to toss, to return, to recycle, to pass on to friends, to file, etc. These stacks are out of control and may not be helping my cause. It is supposed to get worse before it gets better, right?

There are two stacks that I am particularly proud of: BOOKS TO KEEP and BOOKS TO SWAP. My husband and I are voracious readers. We spend a lot of time and money on books. As much as we would love to hold onto all of them, we need to keep tight control of our book selection until the glorious day arrives when we are able to have our own library. (A girl can dream, can't she?!) So, almost exactly a year ago, I joined http://www.paperbackswap.com/ to help manage our bookshelves. It's been a great experience.

Paperbackswap is basically a FREE online book swap community. Initially, I simply committed to swap twelve books. By doing so, I instantly earned three points to "spend." Each book I request "costs" me a point and each book I send out "earns" me a point. You can buy points too, but I've never had to do that.

I've swapped over 40 books over the course of a year. This week, I received two books that I waited a few months for: A Thousand Splendid Suns and Water for Elephants. (These popular books had a long wait time, but most books do not). I didn't mind waiting and can't wait to dive into these books, although if they're anything like Kite Runner, I'm sure I will be up all night reading.

Like I need more dark circles under my eyes.

-Thuy

Save Green and Read Green

I have a hard time of letting go of my magazines. Why else would I have copies of Martha Stewart Weddings after having been married for almost four years? All of the glossy, pretty pictures make it impossible for me to throw them out or even donate them to our local library. However, this is all about to change. In 2009, I’m going to be throwing out my old issues and resolve to live a bit greener by reading my magazines online.

To try out reading your magazines online (they have virtually everything available), go to http://goreadgreen.com/ to get your one year subscription, digitally, for FREE. (Free, my favorite word... or it is sale?!)

I subscribed to Working Mother, just to try out the magazine. My electronic subscription allows me to flag my favorite articles. Best of all, if there’s a site recommended in the article, I can simply click on the link and it will take me the website. It took a bit of getting used to, but I really like that I can search topics electronically, instead of thumbing through the magazine, to find exactly what I need. So interactive!!

If you try out a magazine and decide you like this method of reading, you can buy a digital subscription from the Go Read Green Initiative and help buy trees at the same time. A portion of your purchase will be used to purchase eco unit credits and buy more trees.

We can all read and breathe easier.

-Thuy