Mom Goes Green

(This giveaway is now closed for entries. See “comments” for winner announcement!)

A healthy mantra to carry through life is “don’t sweat the small stuff!” While I DO attempt to do this in my everyday life, I often fail on a daily basis, in epic ways … I seem to sweat everything! (And anyone who truly knows me would probably agree!)

Well, it just so happens there IS a time when sweating the small stuff might actually do a world of good. I will begin this explanation by first saying that I’ve always felt that going green isn’t just about installing solar panels on your rooftop or buying a hybrid car… it’s about doing all the little things in our daily life that can make a great impact.

Want to know one of my sources for all of these little “daily life tidbits”?… well, it’s a fantastic little book called “The Green Book”.  It has shown me countless and simple ways to put conservation to work.  It includes tips for everything from home, to work, to school, to shopping, to travel…. all organized in a tidy, easy-to-grasp package.

And if you think the “little things” can’t possibly amount to much, read this excerpt from the book:

“You create 4.5 pounds of trash every day.  Over the course of your life, that will total six hundred times your average adult weight… in garbage.  Broken down, your torso would be paper.  One leg would be yard trimmings, the other food scraps.  One arm would be plastic with a rubber hand.  The other would be metal with a wood hand.  Your head would be glass, and your neck would be all the other stuff.  In the end, we will each leave a ninety-thousand-pound legacy of trash for our grandchildren.”

In usual Mom Goes Green fashion, I have a copy I’d like to share with a reader… interested?  Well, just leave a comment here saying you’d like to win, or send a Twitter message that includes a reply to @momgoesgreen and a link to this blog.  Facebook friends can also leave a comment to be entered. The winner will be randomly selected on June 4! (U.S. entries only… sorry!)

So join me in changing “the small stuff”… and I promise, you won’t even have to break a sweat!

(This giveaway is now closed for entries. See “comments” for winner announcement!)

My absolute favorite products have to be those that serve a real purpose, help the environment and also contribute to a cause… today I want to give you a chance to learn about and win one of “those”…

Let me introduce Bazura Bags!  These bags are created by a co-operative of women in the Philippines desperately working to put their lives back together after a devastating typhoon last fall.  Made from otherwise unusable drink containers collected by local schoolchildren (who are paid for their “supplies”), the women of the co-op create and sell these unique, fair trade bags to support themselves and recover from this disaster.

It should come as no surprise that Bazura is actually a Filipino word for “trash”!… well, not anymore!  They are creating these bright and cheery bags that can be used again and again for any shopping trip or occasion when you need a simple tote.  Just yesterday, I saw them for sale in the shop of Cleveland’s Museum of Contemporary Art, so they are truly considered little works of art!

I have a market bag* to share too!  Would you like to win it?  Well, just leave a comment here saying you’d like to win and tell me how you’d like to use your bag, or send a Twitter message that includes a reply to @momgoesgreen and a link to this blog.  Facebook friends can also leave a comment to be entered. The winner will be randomly selected on May 24! (U.S. entries only… sorry!)

Even if you don’t win, consider buying one of your own or take a look at their site for a whole variety of products the next time you have a gift to give… and then smile when you realize all of the ways these bags are making a big difference in the lives of these women and for the sake of the environment!

(*Please note:  because all bags are unique, the bag will not look exactly like the one shown above, but it will be very similar!)

(This giveaway is closed for entries.  See “comments” for winner announcement.)

As if I haven’t mentioned it at least a dozen times, I love reading with my kids.  During Earth Hour we read books by flashlight(!) and, with Earth Day just around the corner, there is a lot of eco-reading happening at Mom Goes Green’s house!

One of our new favorites is The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge… the newest installment in the series.  My daughter was thrilled to help me review this book because ever since she picked up her first Magic School Bus book, she’s been hooked… and so have I!  This time the adventure takes us from the Arctic to the equator to see all of the causes and effects of global warming… and give kids ways to make a difference, in terms that they’ll understand.  And, as always, Ms. Frizzle and her class does it in their usual fun and humorous way that makes “eco-friendly science” extraordinarily kid-friendly too!

Our daughter loves the book and it’s clear that she’s learned a lot because she loves spouting off little facts every so often.  Clearly, The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge made an impact on her and thanks to Scholastic a few Mom Goes Green readers can share the adventure too!

These fantastic prizes are up for grabs:

• One Grand Prize winner will receive a copy of The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge, plus a set of organic, reusable sandwich and snack bags
• Two additional readers will receive a copy of The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge

How do you enter?…. well, just leave a comment saying you’d like to win and tell me about the “little adventurer” you’d like to share these prizes with, or send a Twitter message that includes a reply to @momgoesgreen and a link to this blog. The winners will be randomly selected on April 26! (US entries only… sorry!).

If you’d like to take on an additional adventure join in the live webcast with author Joanna Cole and Bruce Degan on Tuesday, April 20th (1 pm ET/10 am PT) as they join Ms. Frizzle to celebrate Earth Day and their new book at the Liberty Science Center.

In the meanwhile, climb aboard… and join Mom Goes Green on The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge!

(This giveaway is now closed for entries.  See “comments” for the winner! And thanks to all who entered!)

One of my favorite family traditions is snuggling up to read books with my kids. They love a great story and there is no better way to give a “little green lesson” than to wrap it into a fabulous story that kids can embrace.

I especially love when a book ‘practices what it preaches’ and that’s why I love Simon & Schuster’s new series of “Little Green Books”! With Earth Day right around the corner (April 22nd, so mark your calendars!) there is no better way to start the conversation about our fabulous planet Earth!  And this series of books is as green as the tales they tell… they are made from 100% recycled paper, printed with vegetable based inks and 100% recyclable too (not that you would ever want to part with them unless you were passing them along, but “just so ya’ know!”).

I’ve always encouraged reading stories to children as a way to help plant the seed of awareness for protecting our environment and endangered species, and teaching kids that they can ‘take charge’ by recycling and conserving our resources… and my kids and I give this series a big green thumbs up!

I’m excited to tell you that Simon & Schuster is also offering a terrific “book bundle” from their series of Little Green Books for a Mom Goes Green reader!  Books include:

• I Can Save the Earth!
• I Can Save the Ocean!
• The Polar Bears’ Home
• Trees for the Okapis
• SpongeBob to the Rescue

All you have to do is leave a comment saying you’d like to win and tell me about the “little green kid” you’d like to share these books with, or send a Twitter message that includes a reply to @momgoesgreen and a link to this blog. The winner will be selected on April 7, so they’ll arrive in time for Earth Day! (US entries only… sorry!)

In the meanwhile, consider sharing some “little green books” to create some “big green ideas!”

(This post is now closed for entries.  See “Comments” for the winner.)

Usually the mere mention of “fallen leaves” makes me groan and roll my eyes, because it means I’ll have a rake in my hands for hours on end cleaning up my yard.  This time I was grinning from ear to ear, because the leaves arrived neatly packaged in a box… and there was absolutely no raking involved!

Enter: Leafware! The coolest use (ever!) for fallen leaves… think plates and bowls, all courtesy of Mother Nature.  They have created this fabulous line of tableware that is made entirely of naturally shed leaves.  They are collected, pressure-washed, scrubbed, sun dried, compressed and then sterilized to create this unique, eco-friendly and 100% biodegradable and compostable dinnerware.

Imagine being able to actually use disposable tableware without guilt!  Use them for hot or cold foods, in the microwave, the oven, the refrigerator, the freezer (or take them on a picnic!)… and when you’re finished, they degrade in 60 days in the composter.  The bigger bonus is that they are really beautiful so they can be used for any event, from casual to even your fancy-schmanciest occasion! They are that fantastic!

The fine folks at Leafware want to give a Mom Goes Green reader the chance to give them a try.  They are offering:

• (12) 9″ Square Plates
  
• (12) 8.6″ Round Plates
  
• (12) 7″ Hexagon Snack Plates and
  
• (12) 7″ Bowls

I know you want them(!) so leave a comment saying you’d like to win and tell me how you’d like to use them, or send a Twitter message that includes a reply to @momgoesgreen and a link to this blog. This giveaway has an approximate $50 value(!) and the winner will be selected one week from today’s post. (US entries only… sorry!)

Leafware is definitely doing something great here… now if I could just convince them to make a “pick-up” of all of my backyard leaves next Fall, I would be beaming!

(This giveaway is now closed for entries.  See “comments” for winner…)

It’s been a couple years since I had to think about “buying something for baby”.  But if I had it to do all over again, I would certainly make a slew of different decisions.  It’s not just about keeping them clean and well-fed, safely secured in carseats, happy and content, but it’s also about making safe product choices so you can rest assured that certain hidden dangers are kept at bay.  (Yea, it’s those hidden danger that can be tricky!)

Whether they’re infants, toddlers or young children, any parent knows that they eat… constantly.  And whether you’re at home or away, you need to be prepared when those “hungries” set in!  Despite all the thought and attention we may give to nutritional choices, we can’t forget that a second choice looms… how we “contain” what we serve.  You can make the healthiest food choices on the planet but if the containers that hold those foods leach chemicals and toxins, then we’ve defeated our purpose, haven’t we?!?

Well, let me tell you about thinkbaby!  They sent me this terrific feeding set that is completely FREE of BPA, phthalates, lead, PVC and melamine… those scary contents we’re all trying to avoid!  The set contains two sizes of bowls with lids, a bentos box, a cup and a spoon & fork set.  The interiors are food-grade stainless steel so you don’t have to worry a single second about hormone disrupting chemicals leaching into the food (just the sound of that makes me shudder!)  Add to that the cuteness-factor, because they come with a fabulously-screamin’ bright orange exterior.

Okay, now I hear you… “I want one! I want one!” you say?  Well, thinkbaby is helping with that.  They’re letting me give away a complete set, so all you have to do is leave a comment saying you’d like to win and tell me who you’d like to “gift” it to, or send a Twitter message that includes a reply to @momgoesgreen and a link to this blog. This giveaway has a $40 value(!) and the winner will be selected one week from today’s post. (US entries only… sorry!)

And even if you don’t have babies, kids or someone you’d like to gift this to, (with the exception of the spoon & fork set), it can absolutely be used by us “big kids too!”

Whether it’s baby, kids or YOU, the next time you serve up a nice little helping of food in a regular plastic container, just remember to “thinkbaby” first!

(This giveaway is now closed for entries.  See “comments” for winner.)

Well, I am officially in Stress-Out Land thinking about the holidays and all that needs to be done.  Shopping  (NOT “checked”).  Christmas cards (NOT “checked”!).  Tree up and house decorated (NOT “checked”!)   Outdoor decorations and lights (NOT “checked”!).  Yea, I’m way behind… and I’m starting to sweat!

So today, instead of a mind boggling post, I’m just going to help a reader get one item out of the way so I can get to some holiday “business”!

Let me first tell you about Citizenpip.  They sent me this fabulous lunch kit that will put at least one recipient on my gift list in the “checked” column.  It’s their Soup to Nuts Kit that includes an insulated lunch bag, stainless steel water bottle, insulated food jar, four food containers, a stainless steel fork and spoon set and five cotton napkins.  Everything is BPA-free, safe, reusable, eco-friendly galore and super cute! Perfect for avoiding all of that needless lunchtime trash, so yes… one little recipient on my list is going to be happy and really GREEN this Christmas.

Do you have someone on your list that would love a lunch kit too?  Well, I know you would certainly love giving one(!) and today, you can win a FREE Square Meal Kit right here! It includes an insulated lunch bag, stainless steel water bottle, four food containers and five cotton napkins.

All you have to do is leave a comment saying you’d like to win and tell me who you’d like to “gift” it to, or send a Twitter message that includes a reply to @momgoesgreen and a link to this blog. The winner will be selected one week from today’s post. (US entries only… sorry!)

If you don’t win, don’t worry!  The fine people at Citizenpip are offering an extra something for Mom Goes Green readers.  You can get a free fork & spoon set for every order over $50 (use coupon code: MOMGOESGREENgives at checkout), and for every $10 you spend, Citizenpip will plant one tree in partnership with Trees for the Future.  That, alone, should give you the warm, green, fuzzies!

So, while I try to de-stress and get something accomplished, take a chance at winning a gift that will make you feel a lot better too!

(This giveaway is now closed for entries.  See “comments” for winner announcement.)

Black Friday… I NEVER shop Black Friday!  Instead, I celebrate “Buy Nothing Day”.  Every year.  Period.

I know, I know… the sales, the excitement, the tradition.  I simply choose to spend the day NOT spending. It’s a great reminder that we DON’T need to spend obscene amounts of money, rise in the wee hours of the morning and push and shove our way to luxury items that aren’t even needed, if we really think about it.

So, if you would like to get a step-up on a great green gift, I will help you… no purchase necessary… (starting today and in the coming weeks).  I’m starting with an EcoUsable stainless steel filtered water bottle that will make a fabulous gift for someone on your list… as fabulous as the last one I gave away, only blue!!!

You want one, don’t you?  Well, if you must, you can even keep it for yourself and use it to stay hydrated while you prepare for the holidays!  It’s a great one too!:  stainless steel, BPA-free, reusable and stylin’, AND it filters everything from tap water, to water from a lake or stream, to pool water, if that’s your option! … what else could you ask for?!

So leave a comment here saying you’d like to win and tell me who you’d like to “gift” it to (there is no penalty for saying you want it for yourself!), or send a Twitter message that includes a reply to @momgoesgreen and a link to this blog. The winner will be selected one week from today’s post. (US entries only… sorry!)

Skip Black Friday!  Join me in celebrating “Buy Nothing Day”!… and take a chance to win something absolutely FREE!

(This giveaway is now closed for entries.  See winner in comments.)

Huh?  Sounds crazy, but it’s true… one Skoy cloth can take the place of 15 rolls of paper towels! These powerful little cloths have so many amazing qualities; I think I’m in love!

We all know we use far too many paper towels. Wipe down this, clean up that!  Even if you use a recycled brand, it can get a little excessive (and expensive) and they get thrown away after only one use.  Sponges are another household supply that is essentially useless.  Everyone knows that, after even a short period of time, they get disgusting and flat-out “schtanky” (yes, that IS a word… when the stink goes BEYOND stinky!) And that smell just let’s you know that bacteria is growing in abundance!

So let me give you lowdown on Skoy Cloths (if you haven’t already heard of them!).  These fabulous little cloths are 100% biodegradable because they are made from a natural cotton and wood-based cellulose pulp.  They are chlorine-free, use water-based colors and dry quickly so they don’t breed bacteria and they can be used again and again and again.  They’re essentially packageless because they come bound only by biodegradable raffia.  (And they’re super cute too!)

When you need to give them a little refresher, just pop them in your dishwasher or microwave them while they’re wet for a minute or two.  And when you feel like they’ve reached the end of their life, they can be composted (they break down completely in five weeks!) or disposed of.  That’s a LOT more environmental than 15 rolls of paper towels, wouldn’t you say?

Do you want to give them a try? Well, here’s your chance, because the fine folks at Skoy have a four-pack they’re willing to share… leave a comment here saying you’d like to win and tell me how you want to use your Skoy cloths, or send a Twitter message that includes a reply to @momgoesgreen and a link to this blog. The winner will be selected one week from today’s post. (US entries only… sorry!)

Good luck! (…and by the way… you can tell me if you prefer the Skoy or the 60 rolls of paper towels, but if you think we’d actually send you 60 rolls of paper towels instead, you’ve lost your marbles! Come on! Give Skoy a chance!)

(This giveaway is now closed for entries.  See “Comments” for winner announcement!)

No one was more disappointed than I was with the news that Sigg bottles had come under fire for actually containing BPA in the epoxy liner inside their bottles manufactured before August 2008.  After all, I did recommend Sigg as a choice to avoid that nasty chemical and I have a couple of those bottles in regular use for my own family (insert my frowning face here!).

Well, I’ve “looked into”(and I do mean literally and figuratively) EcoUsable stainless steel bottles and I can assure you… they are safe and one outstanding line of products.  They have even pioneered the world’s first stainless filtered water bottle and have launched the “Make the Switch” campaign. This campaign encourages consumers with aluminum water bottles to make the switch to EcoUsable stainless steel, BPA-free water bottles produced with no lining at all.

The amazing thing about this bottle is that it literally filters the water you drink!  So while you’re away from home you can always have clean, safe water… anywhere.  Need to fill it with tap water?  Go ahead … it filters it!  Need to fill it with water from a lake or stream?  Go ahead… it filters it!  Need to fill it with water from a POOL?  Yep, go ahead… it filters it!!!

Sound crazy?  It does!  But you want one, don’t you?!?

Well, then leave a comment here saying you’d like to win and tell me where you’d use your EcoUsable bottle, or send a Twitter message that includes a reply to @momgoesgreen and a link to this blog. The winner will be selected one week from today’s post. (US entries only… sorry!)

This giveaway is valued at over $40, and they’ve even thrown in a “Green 4 Life” bottle wrap for an extra little statement!

They are also offering a 20% discount on products until October 31, 2009, during this campaign.  Just click here to take advantage (discount is automatically given at checkout).

So if you want to know that your drinking water is as safe as it gets while you’re “on the go”, join me… and “Make the Switch”!