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Let’s Talk Underwear

underwear.jpgDid you know that nearly nine million tons of clothing is dumped into America’s landfills every year? NINE. MILLION. TONS. That’s kind of mindblowing, no? Here’s another handy statistic for you… Each pound of recycled clothing saves 1.7 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and we all know eliminating carbon emissions is something that needs to be done wherever and whenever possible. Fortunately, our friends at Ideal Bite have provided us with some excellent resources for  recycling something that you’ve probably never even thought about—your underwear!

  • Project Underwear is a program that collects new and gently used underwear to be distributed personally to poor children in third world countries like India, Ethiopia and Romania. For more details, please visit the Project Underwear website.
  • Goodwill and Salvation Army thrift stores and donation centers accept donations of clean underwear in good, wearable condition. Visit their websites for more detailed information on donations.
  • Patagonia Common Threads Garment Recycling would like you to send in or drop off your worn-out thermal underwear and other thermal clothing and Patagonia will turn them into NEW apparel. For details, visit the Patagonia website.

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Green Machine

6.jpgI recently became the proud owner of a VitaMix 5200 high performance blender. Yes, I know…it’s a blender. Big deal, right? Well, I’m here to tell you that the VitaMix really is a big deal. For one thing, it’s about a hundred times sturdier than the last THREE blenders I’ve owned, all of which died premature deaths because they were basically el cheapo grande pieces of crap that were never intended to last more than a year or two.

I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s much greener to just buy quality the first time, especially since it’s not at all unusual for VitaMix machines to last upwards of 25 years. But that’s not all… The VitaMix does a ton of things that make a lot of other appliances in your kitchen obsolete.

Like? Let’s see… it blends fruits for fresh smoothies, cooks hot soup from scratch, makes low-fat ice creams, grinds healthy whole grains, makes fresh nut butters, kneads dough hands-free, juice whole fruits and vegetables, purees homemade baby food in seconds, creates lump-free gravies and sauces, crushes ice, chops cheeses both coarse and fine, mills gluten-free grains and beans, cooks scorch-free cheese sauces in minutes, grinds meat, churns fresh butter from cream and most impressive, it CLEANS ITSELF in minutes. God help me…I sound like an infomercial, don’t I?

Really, it does even more but I know you don’t have all day so let me just tell you that the container is made of Eastman Tritan copolyester which is virtually unbreakable as well as chemical resistant and best of all, contains no BPA—zero, nada, zilch!  So if you’re in the market for a blender that will last and you’re hoping to find something on the eco-friendly side, the VitaMix 5200 has the Green Mom stamp of approval.

Find It Here: Vita-Mix

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Five Green Men to Love

brad_pitt_shirtless-1258-w180-h2000.jpgEverybody loves a hot star that supports a good cause! We’ve seen stars associated with AIDS, political campaigns, children’s hospitals, etc., and now it seems that everyone’s going green. The following  men have been involved from the beginning and have done a lot to bring attention to the environment:

Leonardo DiCaprio: Founded the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, which focuses on global warming and it’s environmental impact. He flies commercial airlines and sports a Toyota Prius. He recently auctioned off his $300,000 watch to benefit his charity.

Robert Redford: He’s been an activist for thirty years, bringing awareness to issues such as: the climate, condition of the Utah wilderness, and the many uses for solar energy. He’s recently slotted time on his Sundance Channel for eco-shows.

George Clooney: He’s fighting to change American’s dependence on oil, and involved in many of his friends’ environmental charities. He was the first person to own the Tango electric car.

Edward Norton: Norton comes from a family of environmentalists. He provides solar power technology to low income homes and hosts a National Geographic series on global environmental problems.

Brad Pitt: He has been actively involved in rebuilding New Orleans with environmentally friendly housing. He and Angelina live there with their children when they’re not traveling the world supporting other causes.

Author Patricia Wooster is the founder of the Project Organic Eating blog, where healthy eating meets affordability!

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Give Dreams. Not Stuff.

header_dreambank_logo.jpgNow that the holiday season has passed it might be a good time reflect on how to make giving even more meaningful. So often, it seems that we are pressured to buy a lot of useless stuff that the recipients may not even want or need. What if we could give the perfect gift sans gift wrap; something that the person may actually really want?  Stay with me here—what if our dreams could come true?  Enter DreamBank, the ultimate gift registry.  In three easy steps you could be on your way to fulfilling a dream.  1) Think of a dream gift. 2) Post your dream gift. 3) Share your ultimate gift dream with friends and family.  And then tell them to do the same. So what is a dream gift? It could be anything! A quick search of the database finds one woman dreaming of a trip to Australia to visit her sister with breast cancer. Then there’s the couple that dream of owning their own home and the prospective parents close to adopting twins and in need of essential baby items. And finally, my personal fave—the person saving up for a new tattoo! Whether it’s something big, small, or just plain wild and crazy, isn’t giving the right gift better than giving 10 ho-hum gifts that will be regifted or tossed and ultimately forgotten? We think so! Along with helping people dream big, DreamBank gives 10% of all net transaction revenue to charities. Ten percent!  Now excuse me while I do a little dreaming myself…

Find it Here: DreamBank

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Giveaway ~ Green to the Letter Valentine Kit!

valentine_small.jpgGet your kids involved in coloring their own Valentine’s Day Cards this year with Color ‘n Kids recycled Valentine’s Day Cards from Stubby Pencil Studio - our favorite place for eco-friendly kiddie arts and crafts supplies! With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we’re excited to be giving away a deluxe Stubby Pencil Studio Green to the Letter Valentine Kit with a whole slew of their eco-friendly art supplies including all of the items below:

  • 3 sets of Color ‘n Kids recycled Valentines
  • Set of 8 Washable Markers (25% recycled plastic)
  • Set of 16 Soy Crayons
  • Set of 12 Giant Color Pencils (reforested wood)
  • Set of 10 Graphite Pencils (recycled cedar)
  • Pencil sharpener

Win It! Win a Green to the Letter Valentine Kit, courtesy of Stubby Pencil Studio! Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter VAL57 as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: What is one other type of Color ‘n Kids Cards from Stubby Pencil Studio (besides Valentines)? Open to US and Canadian residents only. Enter by 1/30/09. $55 value. Contest closed. Congrats, Tina S.!

Deal! Receive a free set of Color ‘n Kids Birthday Wishes with purchase from Stubby Pencil Studio using code “GMF09″. Expires 3/31/09.

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Fun on the Run

yhst-83333507685311_2036_4572280.jpgDrinking on the go just became the “funnest” activity for my son. But then again, how could drinking from a flip-top, stainless steel Spiderman canteen with a pop-up straw NOT be fun for a little kid? His eyes practically jumped out of his head with excitement when he saw it for the first time and he hasn’t let go of it since. *I* love the fact that it’s stainless steel inside and out and free of BPA, PVC and phthalates. Add to that the fact that it’s virtually spill-proof and super easy to clean and you’ve got a winner in my book. If Spiderman’s not your thing, you can get these FUNtainer Straw Bottles (with matching insulated and equally fun! food jars)  in a bunch of different styles for boys and girls, such as princess and Cars patterns. The straw bottles keep contents cold for 12 hours; the food jar keeps food cold for 7 hours or hot for 5 hours. Both will keep kids having fun for a long, long time.

Find It Here: The Soft Landing

Deal! Receive 10% off at The Soft Landing with code “GMF109″. Expires 2/28/09.

NOTE: The straw for the Funtainer includes a small piece attached from the outside of the bottle, which can be a choking hazard for young children. If you’re shopping for a child 3 or under, please choose another product.

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Green and Gifty Personalized Books

picture-1.pngBooks are wonderful gifts and as moms, we especially love, love, love them. We can’t ignore, however, that the book publishing industry uses a lot of paper which requires a lot of carbon-eating trees and uses a lot of nasty chemicals. That said, we think book exchanges and libraries rock when you want to read something and not necessarily buy it brand new. But—if you are going to buy a new book, say as a gift for a child, we think the personalized books from Little Bunny Press are completely adorable, as well as being more environmentally friendly than the average book because they are printed on 100% recycled paper that was manufactured using sustainable wind energy, which, of course we love. Of course, kids will think their Little Bunny Press book is super duper awesome simply because…they’re IN IT!

Find It Here: Little Bunny Press

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Ten Foods That Don’t Need to Be Organic

While it would be ideal to have all the foods we eat be organic, we know that’s not always possible. Oftentimes, budgets dictate that we cannot buy everything in organic form and sometimes, certain organic foods simply aren’t available. That said, The Daily Green ran a helpful piece today on the foods  for which buying organic isn’t critical because their pesticide loads are among the lowest. Hopefully this will ease your mind a bit when you’re shopping for produce!

Here’s the list:
Read the rest of this entry »

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Swaddled in Style

images1211.jpgCloth diapering has come a long way since the days of diaper pins and today’s mamas have it a quite a bit easier with all the various cloth diapering options - prefolds, all-in-ones, pocket, fitted… Personally, my favorite diaper covers are those that grow with your baby from birth to toddlerhood, like the new econappi from Swaddlebees. Because it comes with three sets of height-adjustment snaps on the outside, this diaper fits children from 8-35 lbs. That’s like three years of use out of one diaper! Made with hypoallergenic organic cotton velour on the inside (sooo soft!), the econappi can be used two ways - as a regular diaper cover with an absorbent organic cotton/hemp pad (included) on the inside or as a pocket diaper with the pad inserted in the pocket. Bottom line: this diaper is super soft, versatile, easy to use and comes in some really cute prints, like “pink lemonade” for girls and “blue summer” for boys. Those tired old bad-for-the-environment disposables ain’t got nothin’ on these babies when it comes to style!

Find It Here: Swaddlebees

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Kiddie Loungewear at Its Finest ~ Giveaway!

aboutimage.jpgSome of my favorite times with the kids are the lazy days when we just stay in, relax and hang-out playing together. And on those days, I’m all about wearing comfortable clothing, which for me, means nothing with buttons, zippers, etc. That’s why I am now in love with a new shop - Rattled - that specializes in simple, mix-and-match children’s pieces in a variety of colors. Made of 100% organic cotton under fair-wage practices, these pieces are ultra soft and totally lounge-worthy. Choose from hats, pants, onesies and tees (short and long-sleeved). Perfect for layering on colder days…or lounging and cuddling on any day.

Find it Here: Rattled

Win It! Win a Short sleeve onesie and hat of winner’s size and color choice, courtesy of Rattled! Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter SR43 as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: How does Rattled give back to the community? Open to US residents only. Enter by 1/19/09. $32 value. Contest closed. Congrats, Christina G.!

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Happy Green New Year Giveaway!

gift_wrap.pngIt’s a brand new year and to help you go even greener in 2009, we’re giving away a box of great green goodies!

CoolTote Non-Toxic Lunch Bag: A lead and PVC-free, reusable, insulated replacement for the old brown bag. Comes with an adjustable shoulder strap and handy inside net pocket. 8 oz. Freezer Pack is included. Made in USA.

1 Baby Blend “Surf Chick” Long-Sleeve Onesie: Made of 100% organic cotton and  eco-friendly water-based inks & dyes, Baby Blend’s babywear and tees are embellished with kid-friendly yet cool designs that don’t scream “My parents are hipsters!”

2 Showertime  Shower Timers: 20% of your home’s water usage comes from the shower. A 3-minute reduction in shower time, from the average 8 minutes down to 5 minutes, could save 6-15 gallons of water per shower per person per day. The cute little Showertime timer gently reminds you after five minutes, that well, you’ve been in there for five minutes already. Very handy!

1 YES to Carrots C Me Smile Lip Butter: Made with all-natural ingredients such as shea butter, beeswax, olive oil and coconut oil, C Me Smile lip butter is paraben, petroleum and phthalate-free, as well as certified organic and not tested on animals!

1 copy of Seven Wonders for a Cool Planet: Seven Wonders is a fascinating little book that uses everyday items, from the bicycle to the ceiling fan, the clothesline to the library book, to illustrate that we need to look no farther than our own backyards to find ways to change the world.

1 copy of The Hippy Gourmet’s Quick and Simple Cookbook for Healthy Eating: Bruce Brennan, the host of the hit PBS show The Hippy Gourmet shows you how to make easy, delicious dishes using freshly-grown ingredients. His vegan, vegetarian, and pescatarian meals will transform your eating experience and help you change the world for the better, one meal at a time.

1 copy of The Compassionate Carnivore: How to keep animals happy, save Old MacDonald’s farm, reduce your carbon hoofprint, and still eat meat—a unique and intimate perspective on the morals, economics and practicalities of raising and eating meat humanely.

1 Verimeri “Go Green” Tee, size S: Verymeri tees are all designed by kids. They host t-shirt design contests for schools, camps and non-profits—kids submit ideas for tees, vote on their favorite, and the winning design is made available for purchase. The kid designers, Free Arts for Abused Children and other partnering organizations receive a portion of the sales. Verycool!

1 Goodnight Room Twisty Pals Teether: Made of unbleached, undyed, non-chemically processed 100% organic cotton, Twisty Pals teethers are easily washed and dried along with baby’s laundry. The twisted organic cotton body is pliable, providing the perfect texture for teething and can be wet and then frozen for extra soothing. Made in USA.

Win It!  Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter “NYG09” as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: What would you like to see more of on The Green Mom Review? Open to US residents only. Enter by February 11, 2009. $150 value. Contest closed. Congrats to Denise!

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Baby Cubes

babycubespackaged.jpgEvery now and then I come across a product that makes me wonder why I didn’t think of it first! Baby Cubes is one such example—it’s a freezer storage system for home-prepared baby food where each unit is stored and capped individually (total convenience anyone?). Made of non-toxic and recyclable polypropylene, they can be used for baby food, breast milk or anything else that requires airtight storage and they’re freezer, dishwasher and microwave safe. Best of all,  they’re BPA, phthalate and PVC-free. I don’t even have babies anymore and I’ve already thought of a dozen ways I could use these genius little cubes around my kitchen!

Find It Here: Amazon.com

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