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Sustainable Stocking Stuffer Treats

gleegumguy.gifStumped about what to stick in that cheery holiday sock (assuming coal is not an option)? Then Glee Gum just might be the green alternative you need to reward all the sweet-toothed members of your family—from the young to the young-at-heart on your “nice” list. According to the folks who make Glee Gum, not only is their gum gluten-free and vegetarian, but the chewy goodies (emphasis on good) provide employment to chicleros in Mexico and Central America who sustainably harvest the natural gum base, or chicle, to help create Glee Gum products. I was also delighted to learn that this gum contains no artificial preservatives or sweeteners such as aspartame or saccharin. You can choose from traditional flavors including peppermint and spearmint or try tangerine or triple berry. If your children are older than mine, you might also love Glee’s three “Make Your Own” kits, which allow you to cook up a lesson on teamwork, math, and chemistry, with a dash of rainforest ecology-nomics, all while testing tasty recipes for chocolate, gummies, or chewing gum! Mmmm…it’s educational and tasty!

Find It Here: Glee Gum

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Rough, Tough and Green

brush.gifAround my place, we eat a lot of veggies—especially carrots and potatoes, which means a lot of scrubbing and cleaning of said vegetables. Thankfully, we found the Tampico scrub/vegetable brush by the good people at GreenBoatStuff.com. (This family-owned company has a range of green products, with particular emphasis on boating and watersports, and proudly asserts its Earth-friendly nature in its name.) What I adore most about this rough brush, though, is not that it makes vegetable-cleaning a hundred times easier and quicker than, say, a toothbrush, though it really does; not its great price (a steal at $3.25 plus shipping); and not the health factor of having well-cleaned versus inadequately cleaned veggies. I love the green denominator best: It’s plastic-free and constructed to be as biodegradable as possible, even if it were to accidentally make its way into the marine ecosystem! The bristles are made of Tampico fiber, which is a vegetable fiber from a plant indigenous to Mexico, and the handle is of finished hardwood. A few of the other great things about Tampico are its capacity to store and release water, its resistance to heat and oils, and its abrasiveness, which makes it ideal for other applications on and off the boat and around the house. Although not the sleekest, most fashion-forward brush (but who needs form when you’ve got oodles of function?), it more than gets the job done—sans chemicals!

Find It Here: GreenBoatStuff.com

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Green Collar Veterans

With Veteran’s Day fast approaching, I wondered what might be a good way to offer my own salute to veterans—veterans like my father (Army) and father-in-law (Navy)—and to those of you who are (or have a  loved one) serving in our armed forces.

That’s when I discovered Bio Liberty, a group working out of the Louisiana area that seeks to train returning veterans in the creation of biofuels. After receiving training, vets who can then go out and share that knowledge with the community.

Under a flag of “make levees, not war,” Bio Liberty founder Gordon Soderberg designed this social network not only to market his veteran-owned and veteran-run business in terms of biofuels and other alternative energies, but to “demonstrate a sustainable business model” and employ veterans in much-ballyhooed (and with good reason) green-collar jobs.

Love ’em or hate ’em, biofuels are a critical component in achieving the intertwined goals of achieving energy independence, halting the break-neck pace of climate change, and preserving the Earth’s waters, air, and lands for future generations—and if Bio Liberty has anything to say about it, it may well become 100% natural to associate military members with saving the world’s natural resources.

Check out the social network at Bio Liberty’s home base, which includes links to videos and a radio interview with founder Gordon Soderberg.

If you are a veteran in the Washington area, the Veterans Conservation Corps might also be able to provide information on volunteering to preserve northwestern streams and wetlands.

Also check out the wealth of information found at Veterans Green-Jobs Alliance.

Finally, don’t forget to give a big, green thank-you to a veteran or currently serving military member on Nov. 11.

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Does Your Vacuum Cleaner Suck?

vacuum_cleaner.jpgIf you’re like me, an undomestic goddess of a kingdom comprised mostly of pet hair and assorted baby stuff, any help in biting back the dust is welcome. National Geographic’s Green Guide recently published an article on vacuum cleaners, including product comparisons and buying pointers. I dug that they say vacuums are super-easy to repair but that seldom happens. It could, however, probably save you some money, not to mention please Mother Earth (and who doesn’t like to keep on HER good side?) to try having the vacuum repaired or parts replaced (or do it yourself!) before you donate it to a thrift store, charity, or even “freecycle” it.  But if it’s time for a better vacuum or your household includes an asthma-and-allergies sufferer (like mine), take heart because today’s vacuum cleaning market lends credence to the idea that there’s a sucker born every minute—but this time, it’s in a good way! Some models with HEPA filters (sometimes pricier, sometimes not) even help whisk away and imprison the brain cell-killing chemicals in flame retardants, the hormone-tampering phthalates as well as the carcinogens and pesticides that sneak in from the outside world. I take safeguarding the environment seriously but I can’t resist one final pun—peruse The Green Guide and, for a more comprehensive list of vacuums’ green ratings, Consumer Reports. With these helpers, it’s sure to be a wind-wind situation when you choose your next vacuum cleaner!

Find it Here: The Green Guide

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Green Your ‘Ween

141.jpgThis Halloween, think green. Naturally, that means monster skin, toads — and chocolate. Chocolate! How can chocolate possibly be green, you ask? It’s easy with Sweet Earth Organic Chocolates. The chocolates crafted by this California company are 100% organic and fair trade. Sweet Earth offers everything from wedding favors to green gifts and Halloween-themed candies, including their 65% chocolate, which is also vegan and lecithin-free and are available in “Very Scary Halloween Chocolate” (the skull variety, of course) which sounds wicked good. I can’t wait to tickle my sweet tooth with these boooo-tiful chocolates!

Find It Here: Sweet Earth Organic Chocolates

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To Market We Will Go!

bomm_logo_color.gifIf you’re in Missouri—St. Louis, to be specific—this weekend, put a green star on your calendar for the Best of Missouri Market, an annual event sponsored by the world-renowned Missouri Botanical Garden. On Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 4 and 5, the MBG will sprout anew with more than 120 Missouri-based vendors, crafters, and producers offering everything from non-toxic wooden children’s toys to jewelry to organically grown produce and herbs. The show will go on, rain or shine, from 9 to 5 p.m. daily, and children’s activities will also be available. And even if you don’t have the chance to attend this special event, if you’re ever in the Midwest, don’t miss the Missouri Botanical Garden, a true ecological wonder nested in the heart of a city!

Find It Here:  Missouri Botanical Garden’s Best of Missouri Market

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