As you know, Valentine’s Day is next week. Are you buying flowers for anyone special? If so, how about buying him/her 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.
Posted in eco holidays
The Green Queen hates to throw anything away. She’s always thinking, “how can I reuse, recycle or repurpose this?” And even when it comes to a worn out swimsuit or two, she doesn’t want to throw them in the trash.
Posted in clothes, eco holidays
Tagged Homemade Hearts, Sustainable Love, Valentine's Hearts
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. And isn’t love what Valentine’s Day is all about?
Posted in eco holidays, food
The pressure began after Christmas–the commercials urging men to buy their loved ones diamonds, jewelry, stuffed animals with cute sayings embroidered on red satin hearts. Enviro Girl appreciates the sentiment behind Valentine’s Day, but she’s hoping for a token of affection that she doesn’t have to dust. In short, love her, baby, but love her with less stuff. Here’s a short list of Valentine’s Day gifts that would make any red-blooded woman feel weak in the knees: Continue reading
Anyone with children understands that Valentine’s Day is really about the treats, not the declarations of affection. When Enviro Girl was young, she always made a “mailbox” out of an old shoebox covered in glitter and paper doilies to set on her desk. Each child would bring in paper cards to deliver to each of their classmates. Enviro Girl recalls carefully choosing exactly the right Valentine for each of her classmates out of the box her mother bought at the dime store. Occasionally someone would pass out tiny boxes of conversation hearts. Times have definitely changed. Fast forward to today’s school children. Enviro Girl’s tribe comes home from school and DUMPS their bags out, covering the carpet with tiny cards and a heaping pile of treats. Her sons bring home as much candy on Valentine’s Day as they do on Halloween! Is there a way to make this holiday a bit healthier, a little bit greener, but still fun? Continue reading
Posted in 3 Rs, eco holidays, eco kids, living green on a budget, school
Tagged eco friendly valentine treats, eco friendly Valentines Day for kids, environmentally friendly valentines, finding eco friendly kid valentines, green ideas for kids on valentine's day, greener classroom treats for valentine's day, kids and eco friendly valentines, less waste on valentine's day, reduce plastic on valentine's day, reduce waste on valentine's day
Everywhere people are taking down their Christmas decorations and storing them for another year. But what to do with that slightly dried-out Christmas tree in the corner of your living room? Whatever you do, do NOT shove it in your garbage dumpster! Your tree does NOT belong in a landfill–there are plenty of environmentally responsible ways to recycle or even extend the lift of that tree.
Enviro Girl views New Year’s Resolutions as a way to evolve. Each year she sets personal goals, sometimes with the intent of changing her habits and behavior and sometimes just to challenge her personal development. Over the years she has adopted “greener” behaviors, like diligently composting food scraps and recycling plastic bags. Let’s recap her 2011 resolutions:
Do you have any empty wine, sparkling cider, or pretty juice bottles sitting around after the holidays? Well, before you throw those pretty bottles in the trash, think again. Here’s one way you could re-use them.
We’ve all received on occasion a gift that we either cannot use or absolutely dislike. Is it wrong to pass on a gift given to us as a gift for somebody else? Enviro Girl argues that in most situations, re-gifting is perfectly acceptable, provided you are sensitive about it. It’s silly to hold on to things you can’t use and don’t like, it’s so much better to pass them along to someone who will put them to good use. What are the rules regarding re-gifting? Continue reading
It’s winding down to the last days of the holidays and we’re probably all giving a few gifts and tokens of affection. But…before you use more paper that will be ripped off the package, crumpled up into a big ball of waste and thrown into the trash, think reusable wrapping.
