Monthly Archives: February 2010

Going Green in the Big City

Posted on February 12, 2010 by | 2 Comments

Living in Gotham City isn’t exactly what many think of as “living green”. Most of us have to travel a bit to just sit under a shady tree, 8 million of us live together in a small geographical area, and  there’s the traffic noise and car alarms to deal with. There’s plenty of ways we can try to do our part, though, and it’s not just by living live in small quarters where we make the most out of the space we’ve got.

Photo from Flickr by Barbara L. Hanson

The first thing that comes to mind is buying local, seasonal food at the green markets — they’re everywhere! Dairy, eggs, fruits and veggies, honey, bread, wine, meats, and flowers! It’s all there. You can even bring your food scraps for composting to many sites around the city. If your window sill isn’t large enough to satisfy your green thumb, you can join a community garden. Don’t feel like cooking tonight? You can always have a meal where local ingredients are on the menu. City Harvest is right there at the end of the day at many restaurants collecting food for the hungry that would normally go to waste. No need to buy bottled water here either — just look for Tap It stickers on cafes and restaurants where you can refill your own water bottle for free.

Interested in beekeeping or raising chickens? You can do that too!

Yes, there’s many vehicles on the streets but most of us do all our shopping by foot and if it’s too far to walk, there’s our amazing mass transit system that will take you all over the five boroughs by bus (some of which are hybrid) or subway. You can even get around like our messengers do by cycling through the city on our many bike lanes or routes.

We can choose “green power” and recycling is made easy in our buildings with bins. There’s even trash cans for recycling around the city for while you’re out on foot!

Photo by The Green Mommy

Let’s not forget the Public Libraries here too. With so many around the city, the book you’re looking for is bound to be at one of them so there’s no need to buy it, which really helps to save a bit of space that you really don’t have anyway!

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Posted in travel

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What to do with your old glasses

Posted on February 11, 2010 by | 6 Comments

Everyone in Recycla’s household wears eyeglasses.  In fact, a couple members of the household have multiple sets of glasses depending on their function — distance vision, reading, prescription sunglasses, etc.  Recycla and her husband tend to wear their glasses for years; usually discarding them only if the frames are truly broken beyond repair.  Recycla’s children, however, have recently outgrown some of their old frames, so Recycla decided to do some research on what to do with those old glasses.

The best possible solution is to donate your old glasses to an organization that will then distribute them to people who could not otherwise afford glasses.  This gives the frames a new life and keeps them out of landfills, not to mention helps out other people in need.  Check out this article at Charity Guide for useful links on how your old glasses can be re-used by people here in the U.S. and in developing nations around the world.

If you have frames that need simple repairs, don’t throw them out!  Instead, see what you can do to get more life out of them.  All drugstores carry those wee little screwdrivers that can tighten the teeny tiny screws in your glasses.  If, however, a repair is beyond your capabilities, most optical shops will repair them free of charge.

And if you are in the market for new frames, check out this post on eco eyeglasses!

Tell the Eco Women:  Do you wear glasses?  If so, what’s your style?  Edgy metal European frames?  Bright red horn-rimmed frames?  Black Clark Kent frames?

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Posted in 3 Rs, health

Green Ways to Keep Your Family Healthy During Cold & Flu Season

Posted on February 10, 2010 by | 3 Comments

Go to any elementary school, restaurant, airport or government office and you’ll see this information posted in bathrooms:

“Please Wash Your Hands”

It’s that simple!  FDA-approved, affordable, and convenient, hand-washing is the #1 way to stay healthy during cold & flu season.  Consequently, well-intentioned people are pushing anti-bacterial soaps into our grubby, germ-infested fists like a sales girl at Harry & David’s pushes free truffle samples.  Almost 3/4 of all the soap sold today is anti-bacterial, but is this really the best product for keeping us healthy?

Enviro Girl doesn’t believe it.  Her sinks are stocked with rectangular white bars of plain old Ivory Soap (the soap that floats!).  She insists her kids wash their hands before meals and before bed, she makes them get 9-10 hours of sleep every night, and she puts plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables on their plates.  Three kids — all attending public school and a variety of extra-curricular activities — only one cold since last winter.  No multi-vitamins or other chemicals were involved in this success rate.

But Enviro Girl is not a virologists or a biologist or a doctor.  She’s a SAHM.  Let’s see what the experts say about this topic.  To find out, Enviro Girl went to “How Stuff Works.”  She already knew how soap works — it provides a slippery surface for things to glide off your skin’s surface and down the drain.  But how does anti-bacterial soap work?  Does it work any better?  Is her family’s health just a fluke?  She learned four things:

1.  Most colds & flus are viral, not bacterial by nature, so anti-bacterial soaps do not provide any tactical advantage against them.

2.  Because bacteria is a living thing, it can evolve and it does evolve to become resistant to anti-bacterial chemicals.  Consequently, anti-bacterial soaps stop working after a while.

3.  Bacteria benefits us — and anti-bacterial soaps do not discriminate between good and bad bacteria.  It kills them all, leaving us with fewer defense for our body’s health.

4.  The anti-bacterial components must sit on a surface for about 2 minutes before they work. If your kids are anything like Enviro Girl’s, you know that anti-bacterial soaps aren’t going to be effective because kids speed-wash.

This information made sense to Enviro Girl.  She considers pesticides that do not discriminate between helpful bugs like honeybees and bugs she despises like mosquitoes.  Of course anti-bacterial soaps will destroy helpful bacteria.  And she knows our bodies become resistant to antibiotics, so why would anti-bacterial soap be any different?

How Stuff Works referred to a study Enviro Girl saw years ago:  Extensive testing of anti-bacterial soap has proved it’s no more effective than regular soap and water washing. Even the CDC endorses this stance.  They agree that the best way to keep germs at bay is to wash your hands with soap and water, scrubbing well, for 20 seconds, the time it takes to sing the ABC song.  And if soap and water isn’t an option, the only practical hand sanitizer is one that’s alcohol-based because that will kill germs.

Enviro Girl sez:  Quit buying anti-bacterial soaps.  Save money and buy a six-pack of Ivory bars to keep your family healthy and germ-free.  Antibacterial soap is not better for your health and the environmental impacts are yet unknown.  We do know this:  bacteria keep mutating in response to the widespread use of these products and that’s potentially more hazardous to our health.

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Posted in health, issues, living green on a budget

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Become your own bottling company?

Posted on February 9, 2010 by | 4 Comments

Recycla has written before about her search for the perfect soda.  She doesn’t drink sodas very often — perhaps once every month or two — but she does love the occasional Coke with her pizza or one of her husband’s divine grilled burgers.

What Recycla does not love is the fact that Coke uses high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in their U.S. sodas, as opposed to the sugar used in Europe and Canada.  Recycla can assure you that European and Canadian Cokes are superior to the American version.

Because Recycla is so anti-HFCS, she has searched far and wide for sodas that contain only sugar or honey as sweeteners.  She is even willing to pay more for a superior product.  This search has been going on for two years and is ongoing, as the products she likes are not always available.

For example, Recycla’s daughters don’t drink sodas all that often — only once or twice a month — but when they do have sodas, they like root beer or creme sodas with their pizza.  Recycla found a great root beer that is produced in her home state of Virginia; unfortunately, it appears to be no longer available.  She also found a creme soda that is made by a family-owned company.  Alas, her local Whole Foods no longer carries it and she has not been able to find another local store that does.  She looked into mail order but found the costs to be prohibitive.

Recycla’s husband is a different kind of soda consumer.  He has a three cans/day Diet Coke habit that stretches back more than 20 years.  Yes, Recycla recognizes the health issues associated with this level of soda consumption but has been unable to convince her husband to change his ways.

Because of the sheer number of sodas that Recycla’s husband consumes and the rest of the family’s desire for quality products with no HFCS, Recycla and her husband have discussed the possibility of making their own sodas.

As it happens, several weeks ago, someone from Sodastream, a company that sells home soda makers, approached Recycla and asked if she would be willing to review their products for this blog.

Whenever any of the Eco Women are asked to review products, they have a group conversation about the product first and decide it if fits in with their mission.  The Eco Women agreed that, while reducing soda consumption is something most Americans should do, Sodastream’s products offered the possibility of at least cutting back on waste.  Recycla agreed to do the product review.

When Recycla’s sample soda machine arrived (via FedEx because of the CO2 canister that is the water carbonator), she was so excited.  Unfortunately, this excited waned when she opened the box and discovered that the soda maker was made entirely of plastic and not a very durable one at that.

Recycla was sent the Fountain Jet, which is the company’s basic model that sells for $89.95, including one carbonator and two plastic bottles.  While Recycla is not entirely opposed to plastic, this is the kind of plastic that will surely end up in landfills and she doesn’t feel that this particular product will stand the test of time.

Recycla also received assorted soda mixes.  A 16.9 oz. (500 ml) bottle of soda mix produces approximately 33 cans (12 liters) of sodas.  Each bottle of soda mix costs $4.99 at the Sodastream online store and you can buy ten bottles for the cost of only nine, which helps increase the savings.

Recycla received two BPA-free plastic 1 liter bottles with her soda maker.  The bottles may not go in the dishwasher and must be handwashed, which is almost never convenient  for anyone.  Stainless steel bottles are available, however, they are twice the price.  Recycla thinks it would be a better choice environmentally if the company eliminated the use of plastic bottles altogether and provided only glass and stainless steel options.

As for the carbonators, they come in steel bottles and the empties can be returned to the company for refilling.   Once the canister is empty, one can order a pair of new carbonators online for $49.95 plus shipping.  Frankly, this seems a bit expensive.

But let’s get to the soda-making part…

To get started, Recycla had to first insert the carbonator in the back, which she did easily.

Then, to make sodas, she filled one of the bottles with very cold water and attached it to the front of the soda maker.  Attaching the bottle was an awkward process that never really got any easier with practice, but would have definitely been easier if Recycla had been born with a third hand.

Once the bottle was in place, she pressed a button at the top of the machine to activate the carbonator and add lots of lovely fizzy bubbles to the water.  This part of the process took less than 30 seconds.  Unfortunately, no matter how tightly Recycla attached the bottle to the machine, water leaked out of the top of the bottle and made a mess on the soda machine and the kitchen counter.  She was also afraid to tighten the connection too much, as she was concerned about breaking some of the plastic parts.

After the water was carbonated, Recycla added in the soda mix.  She was sent a nice variety of flavors, including diet cola, orange, and crème soda.  She poured a small amount of the soda mix into the green cap from the mix’s bottle and then s-l-o-w-l-y poured the mix into the bottle of carbonated water.  Note: If you don’t pour slowly, the entire mixture will fizz explosively and go all over your counter, your floor, and yourself.  Trust Recycla on this.

For reasons Recycla cannot fathom, the soda mix cap has a double rim around it.  Try as she might, she was not able to pour the mix without some of it ending up between the two rims, where it pooled until it then leaked out and made yet another mess.

Messes aside, let’s talk about flavor, because that’s the most important part, right?  How do the different soda mixes taste?

The Sodastream company makes a big deal on their website and in their marketing materials about how their soda mixes are not sweetened with HFCS.  What they do not mention — except in small print that’s not easily found — is that they sweeten the soda mixes with Splenda.  Recycla recognizes that not everyone has an issue with artificial sweeteners, but she does.  She would prefer to stick with ingredients that were not created in a lab, plus she thinks that artificial sweeteners taste terrible.

Before agreeing to review the Sodastream products, Recycla had searched through their website and found the information on the Splenda, which was almost a deal-breaker for her.  However, after a great deal of thought, she was willing to open her mind a bit and give it a try, just in case it was better than she thought it would be.

When the Sodastream kit arrived, Recycla made crème soda first.  She took a sip and gagged.  The Splenda had a very heavy, chemical flavor.  She didn’t tell her children about the Splenda and, when they tasted the crème soda, they immediately screwed up their faces in displeasure and pronounced the soda to be “disgusting.”  Recycla then made diet soda for her husband.  He gave it the college try but ultimately pronounced the product “undrinkable.”

Unfortunately, Recycla now has several bottles of unopened soda mixes that she and her family refuse to drink, as well as a soda making kit that is now useless to her.

Recycla has since gone online and read dozens of reviews of Sodastream’s products.  There are quite a lot, as it appears that the company’s marketing people have been effective in reaching bloggers like Recycla.  She thinks it is important to disclose that, in general, she found that many (but not all) bloggers were complimentary about Sodastream’s products.  In most cases, they were not eco-bloggers like the Eco Women, so they were not looking at the products from an environmental point of view, not to mention that quite a few of the reviews were by bloggers who were self-admitted soda addicts.

Recycla recognizes that this review will not please the people at Sodastream, but she believes that it is her job to be honest with her readers.  Plus, she hopes that maybe the Sodastream company will read about her concerns and then make some positive changes to their products.

Recycla is not an employee of Sodastream and, other than receiving a free soda kit, received no other compensation for this review.  All photos courtesy of the Sodastream website.

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Posted in 3 Rs, food

14 Easy Ways to Consume Less Plastic

Posted on February 8, 2010 by | 5 Comments

In the last couple of years we’ve tried to consume less plastic at our house.  This not only shows in our garbage can every week (we throw away about 1 1/2 tall kitchen garbage bags a week), it also shows in our recycling.  I used to drag out a bin overflowing with plastic every other week.  Now we generate half the recyclable plastic from a couple years ago.  How did we achieve this?  It wasn’t painful and it wasn’t expensive.  Here’s how:

1.  We switched from buying bottles of juice to buying frozen juice concentrate.  Saves money, uses less packaging.

2.  We buy milk in reusable glass bottles.

3.  We preserve our garden produce by freezing or canning–no more buying preserved fruits and vegetables at the store.  We reuse the glass jars and metal lids each year.

4.  We never accept a shopping bag.  We bring our own and if we forget (because we’re human and sometimes do), we carry our goods out in our hands.  Fortunately, when you have 3 kids, you generally have plenty of hands to carry things.

5.  When the kids are offered plastic trinkets (at the grocery store, at restaurants, etc.) we politely decline.  They understand we have plenty of crap, there’s no need to add more.

6.  Likewise, when we go places we tell our kids ahead of time, “We’re not buying anything, so don’t ask.  We’re going in empty-handed and we’re walking out with only good memories of good times.”  On our last family vacation we brought back some shells and photographs–nothing else.  On a recent trip to play laser tag and video games, the boys handed their tickets to me and we walked out without cashing them in for prizes.

7.  We’ve encouraged our PTA to give out consumable raffle prizes at events instead of bargain bin toys and trinkets.  In our town we have the following locally owned and operated establishments:  drive-in movie theater, miniature golf, bowing alley, ice cream parlor, sub shop, movie/game rental store, family restaurant.  The PTA buys gift certificates to these places for winners–supporting our local economy in a win-win way.

8.  We buy soda and beer in glass containers–glass is 100% recyclable.  It’s not often that we need to buy soda, but we’ve found a locally made brand sold in returnable bottles.  Perfect for parties–the kids love all the flavors and the bottles are smaller-sized, only 7 oz.  When we entertain, we usually serve beer and lemonade and iced tea–the latter made in our own glass pitchers and served in our own glasses.  Healthier and better-tasting than the single-serve options of plastic bottled beverages.

9.  We bought a set of 8 plastic dishes  and plates for outdoor dining a few years ago.  We never buy disposable plastic plates for parties or picnics anymore.

10.  We bought reusable containers for the kids’ lunches and snacks.  No more plastic baggies–and we save money by portioning out bulk snacks instead of buying individually wrapped treats.

11.  Baked treats are made from scratch here.  Instead of Twinkies and Little Debbie cakes (wrapped individually in plastic), I bake a cake or cookies or a pie.  By preparing food from scratch, we generate less waste.

12.  When we buy clothes, we always leave the hangers behind at the store.

13.  We buy bars of soap, never bottles of liquid soap.  We don’t use anti-bacterial anything at our house and all five of us have suffered a total of 3 colds all winter so far.

14.  We opt for the paper-wrapped version of products–paper is a renewable and biodegradable resource, always trumping plastic.  Whether we’re buying paper for our computer printer or a carton of eggs, we buy the kind packaged in paper.  (It sure seems silly to package printer/copy paper in plastic, doesn’t it?)

Some of these things seem obvious, all of them are convenient to do.
Tell us, reader, how do you consume less plastic at your house?

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Posted in 3 Rs, living green on a budget

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Baby, It’s Cold Outside!

Posted on February 5, 2010 by | 1 Comment

This winter seems to be never-ending, with many of us getting unexpected snow yet again this weekend.  That got Eco Lassie thinking about the special needs of our pets in this prolonged winter season.

http://www.wunderground.com/data/wximagenew/e/Eddiedog/67.jpg

Pet owners should be aware that dogs and cats can suffer from hypothermia and frostbite.  The latter affects the ears, tail and paws the most.  If your pet is a house pet, allow bathroom breaks and play time outside in measured amounts of time.  Be aware that wind chill lowers the temperature.  Dogs with larger frames and longer coats will naturally be able to stand being outside in the cold (and some seem to love it!) far better than their smaller, shorter haired compatriots.

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Frostbitten skin gets highly reddened or turns grey.  If you suspect your pet has gotten frostbite, gently warm the affected area with moist warm towels and call your vet.  Never rub the area to get circulation back as this can cause tissue sloughing.

If your pet just likes to romp outside and comes inside wet and snowy, be sure to wipe and dry his paws.  Even dogs who enjoy cold weather can be subject to cracks in their paw pads.  Keep the hair between toes and under the feet trimmed, and if pads appear dry or cracked you can try one of several commercial paw protector cremes,  available on Amazon. com with  names like Musher and Exel ($10-17).  OR you can do what Eco Lassie does, and rub in good old petroleum jelly.

http://www.sheepdogwhistle.com/Dogs%20in%20Snow.jpg

Remember to up your pet’s calories in this weather to provide extra nutrients, and to check their outside water supply, which freezes easily.  Eating snow is not a good alternative to a pet’s water intake.

In the south where Eco Lassie and her two dogs live, mud is our current problem.  Cold temps and sleeting rain have left large puddles that just call my dogs.  Our Spinone, Radar, especially loves to play in the muddy marshes that surround us.  One way to combat bringing that nasty mud into the house is LL Bean’s Mughog.

http://www.lucaspinone.co.uk/Luca%20April%2007%20001.jpg

Available in two colors for$60, this one lasts and lasts and is made from recycled soda bottles!  It can be easily hosed off in the shower or outside in nicer weather, and channels collect water from wet coats, too.

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If your pet is a working breed who prefers to stay outside even in cold weather, be certain his home is draft-free, off the ground several inches, and the bottom is covered with insulating cedar shavings or straw.  (Cedar will repel insects, too.)

Pets will be drawn to your heat sources, so watch long tails near open flames or heater coils.

http://www.haciendavargas.com/images/inset_dog-kiva-fireplace.jpg

And remember that cats are particularly drawn to warm car and truck engines if they’re outside.  If you have a cat who lives or roams outside, it’s best in this weather to either slap the hood or honk the horn before driving away.

http://www.pictures-of-cats.org/images/cat-on-car-tyre.jpg

One last tip: avoid bathing your pet in colder weather unless absolutely needed for oil or grease.  In winter their coats will normally thicken, and they will produce more dander and sometimes dry skin from indoor heating.  So keep up  with your brushing and if you must bathe your pet, use a moisturizing conditioner on her coat after the shampoo is rinsed out.

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As you keep your family warm and safe in the next few weeks, remember these tips for your pet!

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Be My Valentine: Chocolate for the Eco Warrior

Posted on February 4, 2010 by | 4 Comments

With Valentine’s Day approaching, you’re probably thinking about what to get your True Love (or yourself.)

Today, Recycla is here to talk about CHOCOLATE.

Chocolate is a big part of Valentine’s Day and for good reason.  This product of the cocoa bean has been revered for centuries for its aphrodisiac qualities.  Mmmm hmmmm.  And isn’t that what Valentine’s Day is all about?

So don’t just go to Target and buy your True Love a heart-shaped box of generic candy — get something special.

But what’s good enough for your True Love?

Does your hometown have a local gourmet chocolate shop?  Shop local!   Recycla is lucky enough to have a couple of amazing gourmet chocolate shops in her town.  They use the freshest ingredients and make their chocolates by hand, one at a time

If you don’t have a gourmet chocolate shop in your town, search for organic and Fair Trade options.

Why?

  • Organic chocolate TASTES better.  And doesn’t your True Love deserve the very best?
  • Organic chocolate keeps pesticides and chemical fertilizers out of the cocoa beans, promoting a safer and healthier Planet Earth.
  • Lots of organic chocolate is Fair Trade.  Opt for this and you’ll help ensure livable wages for farmers in developing nations.

Some of Recycla’s favorites:

  • Vosges Chocolate — This is Recycla’s favorite chocolate these days, with a variety of flavors to tickle your tastebuds and make you beg for more.
  • Green & Blacks — This one is a favorite among Eco Warriors.  The chocolate is so good, you’ll feel your taste buds reacting.

Tell the Eco Women — what is YOUR favorite eco chocolate?

The Eco Women are not affiliated with the chocolate companies listed here, nor were they paid to do this review.  Photo credits: Lake Champlain Chocolates, Vosges Chocolate.

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Posted in eco holidays, food, issues

“Green” Gems & Jewelry for Valentine’s Day

Posted on February 3, 2010 by | 3 Comments

According to the television commercials, every kiss begins with “Kay” as in the jeweler–and if a guy really loves you, he’ll go to Jared.  Enviro Girl’s husband knows better–he knows his wife was deeply affected by Blood Diamond and gaudy, sparkly jewelry isn’t her taste.  If her husband is going to shell out a couple hundred clams on a piece of jewelry, she sure as heck doesn’t want it to be the carbon copy ring/necklace/bracelet thousands of other women got from shopping  malls all across America.  No, Enviro Girl would want a custom piece, uniquely hers and not something she’d see adorning another woman’s hand/neck/wrist.  She’d also want it to be a quality piece of jewelry, one to last a lifetime or longer and she’d want it to be an ethical and environmentally-conscious purchase.

So what’s a lover to do?

Enviro Girl has thought of these options for purchasing ethical and environmentally conscious jewelry:

1.  Etsy.  Every single time Enviro Girl goes on Etsy she is dazzled by unique pieces–in every imaginable price range, all well made and original designs hand crafted by artists.  Etsy would be the first place Enviro Girl would want her husband to look.  Check out these sterling silver wedding bands–absolutely beautiful!  Often Etsy artisans work with recycled materials, too.

2.  Antique shops. Check out this gorgeous engagement ring from an antique dealer.  Whether you are shopping online or in the store, antique shops sell all nature of gems and jewelry.  This is recycling in its purest form–there’s nearly NO chance of finding another person wearing a duplicate piece of antique jewelry, especially since most jewelry made “back in the day” was custom-made and custom designed.   The stories behind some pieces might even add to the sentimental value … and the craftsmanship will far surpass the jewelry you’ll find mass-produced for shopping mall jewelers.

3.  Custom jeweler.  This is actually how Enviro Girl got her wedding ring.  Mr. Enviro-Girl bought a loose gemstone and presented it to her in a plain setting.  For their wedding, Enviro Girl designed her own ring and the stone was set into that design.  No one has a ring like hers and the quality has stood the test of time.  The “greenest” way to go about this would be to buy antique gemstones and have them reset into a custom design.  The one below is a fine example.

There are ethical and environmentally conscious ways to give and wear jewelry–and all of these ways beautifully adhere to the 3 Rs–Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Reader, what have been your experiences with “Green” gems?

** If you’re stunned by any of these pieces, the images are linked to the sites where they may be purchased.

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Posted in 3 Rs, eco holidays

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Be My Valentine: Flowers for the Eco Warrior

Posted on February 2, 2010 by | 2 Comments

So you want to buy your True Love flowers for Valentine’s Day? Aren’t you sweet! How about being even sweeter and buying organic flowers?

Why?

Because the majority of cut flowers are grown in Latin America and equatorial Africa in an industry in which the employees (mostly women) work for low wages and without benefits.  When the holidays roll around and flowers are in demand, the workers are required to labor overtime.

The flowers themselves are grown in greenhouses or under broad tents –- not to keep weather or insects out, but to keep pesticides in. Growers in other countries frequently use pesticides banned in the U.S. Heavy application of pesticides in confined areas has significant impacts on both the environment and workers. The chemicals get on workers’ clothes, in their skin and lungs, and are carried out of the greenhouses to their homes. Pesticides also contaminate the soil and seep into water supplies.  Studies in Costa Rica have indicated that 50% of floriculture workers show symptoms of pesticide poisoning, and rates of miscarriage and birth defects are higher in areas surrounding flower farms.

Certified organic flowers are grown without the use of dangerous pesticides –- making a safer environment for floriculture workers, their families, and their homes. Fair Trade flowers are grown by workers who are paid a more reasonable salary than otherwise.

Where can you get organic and Fair Trade flowers? Check with your local florist to see what they carry. Also, try your local organic grocery store. Whole Foods, for example, carries eco-friendly flowers.

If you are sending flowers to your True Love from afar, try one of these online florists:

Tell the Eco Women: What’s your favorite flower to receive for Valentine’s Day or another time?

The Eco Women are not affiliated with any of the companies mentioned.  Photo credits: California Organic Flowers, Yahoo Images.

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Posted in eco holidays, issues

Be My Valentine: Eco-Friendly Cards & Trinkets for the Classroom

Posted on February 1, 2010 by | 2 Comments

Enviro Girl KNOWS that Valentine’s Day ends up being a bigger candy haul than Halloween. Her tribe comes home from school and DUMPS their bags out, covering the carpet with tiny cards and treats. Is there a way to make this holiday a bit healthier, a little bit greener, but still fun?

First, it’s important to recognize that while the Valentine’s Day card is NECESSARY, it’s really only a vehicle for getting an attached treat. To that end, if you’re crafty, you can reuse scrap supplies like construction paper, CDs, yarn, fabric and have your kiddos make their own. Family Fun Magazine and the internet abound with cool card ideas that use up supplies already in your cabinet. Something as simple as a Dum-Dum sucker with twin paper hearts attached as wings can pass for a butterfly card with a message like, “You make me aflutter, Valentine.” Basic, cheap, and definitely NOT over the top.

However, if you’re like Enviro-Girl and have all boys who don’t care to make 25 cards for their classmates, you’ll buy a box or two of character cards for a couple of dollars and have your kids sign their names. But you still have to attach a treat–or your kid will be a classroom pariah.

But does it have to be candy? Shelling out for organic candy for classrooms of 30 students can get expensive, and while that’s the best option, you can substitute all kinds of other items for a treat. Tattoos, stickers, pencils, play dough, erasers or little notepads are all fun ideas–but they still fall under Enviro-Girl’s category of “Plastic Crappe.” She’d really rather find 25 Dum Dum suckers over 25 little toys. Your local organic food store will sell all sorts of “healthy” candy treats you can tape to those Valentines. OR, instead of candy, perhaps individually wrapped string cheese, fruit leather, granola bars or crackers can get taped to your classroom cards. But if it’s got to be candy, a Dum Dum sucker is small and probably the least harmful to a fair trade economy and uses minimal packaging–mostly made of paper. It’s the economical choice of candy, won’t contribute woefully to a child’s health since they’re only 25 calories each and fat free, and they’re made in the USA–in Ohio!

Bottom line: if you can get your kid to make their own cards out of recycled materials and attach a whole grain granola bar to it, you’re an Eco Warrior with Super Powers. But if this battle isn’t worth it, buy a bag of Dum Dums and a box of Valentines and save your super powers for the next fight.

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Posted in eco holidays

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