Posted by Greenbee on February 26, 2010
Reusable Bags are popping up everywhere as people are making efforts to help the environment. Yesterday we would hear the echo of “paper or plastic?” but today we know better and carry our bags with us. Reusable Bags are even being upgraded some with insulating liners to keep foods cold or hot. Others have separate compartments keeping veggies away from your meat products.
Stores are selling reusable bags for as low as .99 cents but that means you are buying that bag with that stores name on the side. You have become a form of advertising billboard for the store. Companies are not dumb they know that putting their store name or image anywhere is free advertising and you, the earth friendly bunch multiplying in droves, are their current market. With all these different bags from different places putting their names on the bags, I have always found it hard to decide which bag/store do I want to use and thus indirectly endorse.
Do I want to be a walking Walmart ad? What will this tell people who see me walking with items and using a bag with Walmart on it. I probably should not obsess over this but I do, and I am sure if I do others do. With Walmarts negative image do I want to be seen as a person helping “the man” when I am just trying to be green? I merely want to buy some milk and bread, will riots ensue if I am seen with such bag in hand?! What if I use a Target bag while shopping at a Kmart store? Will their employees want to spit on my items as I am purchasing them. How can I avoid the madness of all this… Must I buy shopping bags from every store just to appease them masses and keep myself safe from harm? I am sure that 99% of this paranoia is coming from within, but it is there and just swirls around.
I needed to find a solution that is easy and won’t cost me hundreds of dollars on a therapist who will tell me it is just in my mind and try to make me face and conquer this paranoia. Don’t have the time or dime for that solution. If your thinking “hey it is for the environment! suck it up and just use a bag and forget what others think!” I will assume you are my sister and just not call you as often for advise or an ear!
A few fixes I thought of and were suggested to me that I thought I’d share to help other paranoid bag uses like myself:
- Make your own reusable bags: If your able to sew two pieces of material together and construct some form of a handle walla! You got yourself a bag to use. I failed home economics so this is just crazy talk.
- Put tape or cover on the bag name or brand. Too much work they messed it up why should I fix their bag for them. But for those of you who are handy in that sense by all means slap some cover on the name/brand and you are on your way!
- Use a non-store related bag? They are out there? While shopping at one of those buy brand names for a fraction of the price retailers, I found a bunch of reusable shopping bags for $3.99 no labels! no logo! nada! I snatched up a bunch of these. Granted they do not have the cool insulation that some stores have this worked for simple shopping and I was able to shop with mental peace and that is well worth $3.99 per bag
Paranoid or not there are solutions. If one does not work try another if that does not work post a suggestion of something you think might work or did help you or someone you know cause I can always use the advise too. Therapist can cost a fortune thank god for free useful comments as they are priceless!
Posted by Greenbee on December 14, 2009
Enfamil rolls out a Eco-friendly package for its Premium Lipil baby formula. It offers a better value when compared to other Enfamil package formula they sell. The Eco-friendly packages use 50% less packaging vs. the old tin can containers used by Enfamil and with no tin means BPA fears are gone. Another added bonus if you buy one of the new Enfamil Packages at a BabiesRUs store between now and Dec 24 2009 you get a 10 ToysRUs gift card… Now that’s a savings that will have you seeing green for the environment and in your pocket.
Posted by Greenbee on December 1, 2009
Going green does not always have to cost you an arm and a leg. Many on our path to Green-ville can now save a few bucks on Seventh Generation household products. Seventh Generation is one of the more known companies that produce eco-friendly products from household cleaners to your babies diapers for over 20 years. I use a few of their products in my home and I also love a savings so these coupons have made both the earth friendly and money saver in my happy!
Simply go to Seventh Generation website register for an account if you do not have one and click on the coupons tab. You also might need to download e-Centives a program that is used by many coupon printing companies and sites. It helps the company limit the number of coupons each person downloads to print. Then just make sure your printer is set up as your default printer and your set! Enjoy living greener and with some extra cash saved.
Posted by Greenbee on November 28, 2009
1800-Watt Convection Toaster Oven with Element IQ
I have been searching for just the right toaster oven for months. I got tired of having to heat up my whole oven when I just wanted to make a quick batch of cookies and I hated having my counters and cabinets cluttered with various toasters and broiler units. With the family also is working on living a more greener life, I wanted something that was energy efficient.
After reading a dozen product reviews on various consumer sites and magazines I finally had narrowed my choices to a few toaster ovens, and believe it or not the Breville The Smart Oven
was not on that list. I had been searching for Toaster Oven and the Breville was called a Smart Oven so it never really came up on my various searches.
Then one day I came home and my husband told me he had a surprise for me and when I opened the box it was a the The Breville Smart Oven. I thought Smart Oven?! I wanted a Toaster Oven! I went on one of my rants of how people never listen to me and I had finally found the one I had wanted and was on the verge of buying it. He told me he saw how much I kept putting off on the purchase and wanted to get me one finally so I would stop searching and finally be able to enjoy a toaster oven. To which I replied but you bought me a Smart Oven not a Toaster Oven!
After ranting back and forth he told me he would take it back and I could get the Toaster Oven I wanted but he also said he told the sales woman he needed a Toaster Oven and she suggested the The Breville Smart Oven. I finally glanced over and read over the box and saw it did have a toasting feature so that kept me interested and I read on. Next I went online and decided to search out the The Breville Smart Oven and see what this little guy was all about.
After about an hour of reading reviews and learning about the Smart Oven on consumer reports I had a foot in mouth moment. Not only was it the no.1 pick on consumer reports but it was everything I had wanted in my toaster oven plus more! It had convection oven oohh ahhh but it did not have the rotisserie feature and it was about 100 usd over what I had wanted to spend. My husband now feeling he was for once in the winners seat quickly told me that the energy efficiency will make up a lot of the cost difference and he used a coupon! which got him 20% off saving him over 50.00 usd. I love that man of mine! He was also letting the victory get to his head and pointed out that I had never once rotisseries anything and would I every need that feature given our family are vegetarian… good point I thought. I had really only wanted that option cause I thought if my mom or in-laws visited and wanted to rotisserie something they could, a poor reason to have a feature now that I think about it.
I unpacked my new smart oven and began putting it through various tests. Toast came out perfect, cookies were so chewy and good. I found this little smart oven was toasting, cooking, baking better than any appliance I owned! I realized after 2 weeks I had not used my huge oven once! I love the convection oven it cooks everything perfectly! I can not rave enough about this little guy. My husband beams as I tell him about how much I love my gift and would never doubt him again, something I will probably not live up too but I said it and did mean it at the time.
Okay all the glory aside there a con. I realized soon after I would want to purchase an addition wire rack and Baking Pan to help me utilize the The Breville Smart Oven’s space allowing me to cook more at the same time. There are three rack slots but the Smart Oven only comes with 1 Wire Rack. I went to the Breville website and found the Cutting Board & Serving Tray so I added it to my shopping cart but could not find anywhere the Baking Pan nor the Wire Rack. I finally called Breville and was told they had the items but not on the site. I had to put the order in with them and then accounting would call me back to get my credit card number to process the order. No tax or shipping was included with the purchase but I found it very odd that they had to call me back to complete my purchase. In a day of ID theft I would wish they would allow a person to place an order and take payment at the same time. Other than that one gripe I love love love my Smart Oven. However if anything should arrise in the future I will make sure to update you all
I do give the Breville 5 out of 5 green stars! I thought of taking away 1/2 a star for the unusual way Breville has you place orders but I can not fault the Smart Oven for the companies poor consumer policies.
Posted by Greenbee on November 12, 2009
I learned a new term one that is not in our dictionaries but should be. It is upcycle or upcycling, which is the taking of waste material and making a new and useful of it. Upcycling leads to less material being thrown away and the new end result did not take any new resources to be made. I had not thought of this before but upcycling is everywhere I just did not know it had a term and just how big it is getting.
Many of us have seen upcycling in some form in the Art community a form of this upcycle is used in Found Art. Found Art, is basically the creation of art from objects we find in our everyday lives. I recall an exhibit where a toilet was placed in the center of a white room and that was it. Today upcycling has grown and people are using, wearing, displaying all the new materials and objects created from all the various forms of upcycling.
Upcycling can even help you recycling things that or normally non-recycling. Heidi Hooper is a woman who takes her lint and even has people send her their lint and from the lint comes her art. Over on Etsy.com you can find creations by PopTopLady who makes handbags and more from soda can Pop Tops. Not only is upcycling a green movement but it can also be a lucrative one.
Currently I own a purse made of old Jeans, a handbag made from men’s silk ties, and a CD case made of an old Hawaii licence plate! Not sure if the licence plate is legal, should you return those to the state? LOL oh well… I have had these for a while and never thought I had bought it for a good purpose, I bought them because they were neat. I didn’t have the environment on mind when making any of those purchases. Upcycling has indirectly made thousands of consumers a bit greener without their knowledge of it happening and that is great! I truly admire those who upcycle as I would have never thought hey why not take my old jeans and make a purse of it or hubby don’t throw that tie out I am going to make a handbag!
Two form of simple upcycling you can do are:
- One of the oldest forms and we do it all the time are Kids Crafts! Remember taking the old milk cartons and toilet paper rolls to school. Well why not do these at home! I know many of you are and do it all the time but for others when doing crafts you don’t always have to run out to the craft store you got all your material at home
- T Shirt Rugs! OMG these are the craziest things. You buy a simple mat and cut up your old t-shirts or towels and tie them into knots up and down the mesh mat and you got a rug. These things sell for over 100 usd retail and from what I see they are so simple to make. I have not yet made one but I am sure going to try so video soon to follow.
This gets my creative juices flowing and I hope yours too!
