Simple Eco Life

2nd Annual Earth Day List

2009-04-22T17:45:00.000-07:00

It’s that time for the 2nd annual Earth Day list! Happy Earth dayJ
Looking for something to do to celebrate Earth day today? Try one of these easy tips:
- When you get home tonight, don’t turn on the TV. Sit down and have a conversation or play time with someone in your household or neighborhood.
- Carpool to work tomorrow
- Stop on your way home instead of making a second car trip to run errands
- Recycle – just one thing that you may not have thought of before (could be the cardboard from a roll of toilet paper)
- Eat an organic dinner
- Turn your office light off when you leave for a meeting.
- Turn the brightness on your computer monitor down.
- Buy something local - look for local produce at your grocery or farmer's market.
- Buy something organic, sustainable, and gorgeous ON SALE!! www.Nimli.com is offering 30% off through Sunday on their lovely earthy digs.
- Reduce what you can - offset what you can't. Sites like www.carbonfund.org is a great way to offset carbon emissions from daily life or travel. This also makes an excellent Earth Day gift for friends.

Just an earth day thought. Most importantly, encourage yourself daily - the fight to take care of this beautiful creation is not a one day event. Pace yourself by embracing each small step you take. You matter!

10 Simple things you can do TODAY to be more Green AND more Frugal

2009-04-07T22:18:00.000-07:00

Looking to start being more green, or just looking for ways to save money & don't want to kill this place you live in while doing it? This is your ultimate kick-off list!

1. Buy a stack of cloth rags (at the very most these will be $10 for a 12 pack @ Kohl's).
Greenest: organic cloths. http://www.simplefamilyliving.com/products.asp?pid=299&cat=36&mode=open
Savings: no more paper towels or disposable cleaning rags to purchase.
Green: no more paper towels or disposable rags in the landfill coming from your house!

2. Start recycling.
Savings: you can cut your trash pick-up down to one day, or perhaps every 2 weeks.
Green: saving thousands of items from the landfill & allowing new products to be created without using new natural resources to create them.

3. Start using cloth napkins.
Savings: no more paper napkins to buy, you will quickly recoup your investment in inexpensive cloth napkins - or you can sew your own.
Green: Less trees being used for paper products, less damage from processing, manufacturing, & shipping of paper napkins, less in the landfill.

4. Turn down the brightness on your computer monitor.
Savings: small savings on your electric bill - it all adds up, trust me!
Green: less energy being used (much of our energy supply is from non-renewable, eco-damaging supplies).

5. Switch lightbulbs to compact flourescents when old bulbs die.
Savings: on your light bill & these bulbs last longer - you get paid back for their slightly higher initial cost.
Green: less energy being used (be sure you are confirm with your recycling center that they will recycle these bulbs or ask them to point you to the correct location to recycle them).

6. Use Daylight! We're coming into the season of much more of it - turn off uneccessary lights when there is enough daylight outside to see around the house.
Savings: on your electric bill.
Green: less energy being used.

7. Purchase less. Before you go shopping next, try shopping in your own closet for that item or that something "new" that you may have forgotten about.
Savings: less money spent on clothing, etc.
Green: less polution from the manufacturing, shipping, and driving to purchase cycle.

8. Reduce your car travel. It's as easy as taking 2 extra minutes in the morning to plot out your day to minimize duplicative or unnecessary stops.
Next step: research carpooling & public transit in your area!
Savings: Gas & car maintenance add up QUICKLY!
Green: less polution from driving, as well as from the manufacture/refining process of oil.

9. Take a travel mug with you to your favorite coffee place.
Savings: ask them - most places offer a discount for not taking their paper cup.
Green: less manufacturing polution from the cups, less waste in the landfill.

10. Reuse! Glass jars that other foods come in (i.e. peanut butter) - wash them & use them in place of plastic storage containers.
Savings: no additional money spent on storage containers.
Green: two-fold - your glass jars won't be in a landfill or require any energy to be picked up & recycled; no more polution from manufacturing plastic containers.

11. I know - I said it would be 10, but I couldn't resist! Plug electronics & power cords into a power strip & turn the strip OFF when not in use.
Savings: most appliances continue to use energy even when in the off mode. Also, during warm months they contribute additional heat to the home which may cause additional energy cost to cool.
Green: less energy used= less polution making it!

My fav Simple.Eco.Get-Started-and-Save.Life.Tips!

Simple.Eco.Fashion

2009-04-06T22:04:00.000-07:00

Looking to expand your eco-consciousness, but not ready to let go of your fashionable threads? Do BOTH! New line Elroy does a gorgeous job of making green beautiful. Get yours before your friends and…you guessed it…they’ll be green with envy (I couldn’t resist)! Plus, our friends at Daily Candy has negotiated a 25% limited time discount – check it out!

Links:
Elroy (http://shopelroy.com/)

Deal (http://www.dailycandy.com/deals/details.jsp?id=42386)

Pacifico

2009-04-06T20:50:00.001-07:00

Simple.Eco.Question

2009-03-12T21:31:00.001-07:00

What is your opinion/thoughts on mass retailers that put a green "spin" or tag on the forefront of their marketing (i.e. Starbucks - I was just on their site: http://www.starbucks.com/sharedplanet/)?

Let me know what you think....I know it got me thinking & wanting to start the conversation! Can't wait to get the dialog going!

SIMPLE.ECO.DAILY.LIFE TIP

2009-03-11T20:35:00.000-07:00

Encourage yourself!!

Every little thing you are doing that is for the environment is helping. Don’t allow yourself to get overly discouraged by the things you haven’t changed yet – pick one thing at a time to attack so you stay excited about your little changes & keep making more of them! Do not allow yourself to get over-burdened especially by things you cannot change.

SIMPLE.ECO.DAILY.LIFE TIP

2009-03-08T19:51:00.000-07:00

Switch to cloth rags instead of paper towels.
Green Impact: helps reduce deforestation caused by manufacturing paper towels; reduced polution/energy impact in manufacturing & shipping as a result of multi-use item vs. single use item; reduced paper in landfill.
Other Personal Benefit: you'll recoup your investment by not purchasing single use paper towels.
Greenest: Use organic cotton or other eco-friendly fiber cloths (http://www.simplefamilyliving.com/products.asp?pid=299&cat=36&mode=open)
Eco Gift Tip: Tie up a stack of cloth cleaning rags in fun colors as a great housewarming gift (colors to match the home) or baby present (colors to match the baby's theme).
Greenest Gift Tip: Wrap gifts in cloth cleaning rags & be sure to let the recipient know that the wrapping is part of the gift in more ways than one! Nothing beats giving friends and family a manageable piece of the green pie!

Green Product Feedback

2009-03-08T18:55:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder why that company got rid of your favorite product or doesn’t just do the logical thing to improve their products with what’s in your head?

During the course of my green life journey, I’ve connected with some really cool people & continue to seek more connections to green this place up a bit! So why don’t you send me your thoughts & I’ll send them off to the right places.

And if you’re one of those right places – wouldn’t you rather get the green from the hourse’s mouth? E-mail me as well:

Simpleecolife@gmail.com

Just a simple.eco.get-it-greener.thought!

SIMPLE.ECO.DAILY.LIFE TIP

2009-02-26T19:22:00.000-08:00

Turn the brightness on your computer monitor down
You’ll use less energy (reducing your carbon footprint!)
Other Personal Beneft: reduce your electric bills!

SIMPLE.ECO.DAILY.LIFE TIP

2009-02-25T19:13:00.000-08:00

Switch to cloth napkins
Can you imagine how much less waste you’ll have by not throwing away paper napkins!
Other personal Benefit: you should be able to re-coup the initial investment in the cloth napkins w/in a year by no longer having to purchase paper napkins.

Eco-Gift Tip! You can make your own cloth napkins. Pick a pretty pattern at the fabric store on cotton twill or heavyweight cotton poplin & stitch up the edges (fold them back ¼” twice, pin them, then hand or machine sew). It’s that easy! You can even add a little personal touch by adding a hand stitched monogram!

GREENEST: keep cloth napkins in your car & / or your purse – use them when eating out if the restaurant offers you paper.
If you take your napkins to a restaurant that would otherwise use paper – ask if they will give you a discount for saving them this expense & helping them be a little greener!

SIMPLE.ECO.DAILY.LIFE TIP

2009-02-23T20:44:00.000-08:00

Take a travel mug to your favorite coffee shop instead of taking their paper cup.
Green Impact: reduce waste of throwing away or recycling the cup
if you recycled the cup, it would still take some energy to complete the recycling. Most energy in the US is not from renewable resources such as wind, solar, & hydropower.
Other Personal Benefit: Many coffee shops will offer a discount for using your own cup & being eco-friendly – be sure to ask for this if it is not advertised!

Be a good example

2008-07-17T18:22:00.000-07:00

In thinking about becoming a good Green example, the question begs to be asked,

"Why do you care about being green? What difference does it make to you that makes it worth your while to do something different than the norm?"

I challenge you to define that for yourself today!!! I'll show you my reason if you show me yours!

more tomorrow...

Be a good influence

2008-07-17T18:03:00.000-07:00

I'm an admitted green junkie. But as with other personal beliefs, I have made it my point in life to not force my views upon other people, but instead to just live my life the way I see best & if anyone else notices, so be it.

Lately, I've been overwhelmed by the impact my quiet green life has had. I've started a new job (that is unrelated to my green lifestyle) & am constantly referred to as the green expert for advice around the office. I work for a large corporation & am extactic that this is opening doors for me to turn this huge company in a more green direction. Amazing & humbling. I am thrilled to have people come up to me to tell me what green change they or their family has made or to show me their cloth grocery bag that they carried their lunch to work in. Outside of work the effect has been similar. I am more outspoken in my out-of-work life as it involves volunteer work & religious activities, but still - without fanfair, people are referencing my green ways & asking what they can do, or showing me their little changes.

I have learned that if you focus more on living your beliefs because they are what you believe in (not because you're hoping someone will notice), you will find much more fulfillment in this life & your positive impact on others will be immense. Lead by the example that your passion draws out for others to follow.

just another Simple.Eco.Thought.

Some Earth Day Tips

2008-04-22T19:30:00.000-07:00

If you're new to the eco-friendly movement, but want to do something, or know someone in those shoes, this is the e-mail I sent to my friends as a gentle reminder that today's a great day to start - even if it's small! Feel free to cut & paste this letter into an e-mail of your own (& I'd love if you include the link to this site at the bottom, too)

Hello everyone!

Just a quick reminder that today is Earth Day, & while I’m a big fan of…”Make everyday Earth Day” living, I think that any small change you make today will make a huge difference. Do something that slows pollution down a little, cuts one more thing out of a landfill and our kids/future generations will thank you.
Here’s some easy suggestions – pick one & you might even find that you like it enough to make the change every day. Pass this along to anyone you think might find it helpful. Happy Earth Day!

- turn your thermostat up a few degrees for a/c or down a few degrees for heat
- turn your thermostat up for a/c, down for heat during the day (I keep mine at 84 during the day when I’m not home)
- Don’t turn the outside light on if you don’t need it.
- Turn off one light in your house that you’re not using.
- Install one energy efficient light bulb in your home. (This is as easy as screwing in a light bulb…)
- Re-fill your water bottle instead of throwing it out or recycling it (even recycling takes energy & most of US energy resources are non-renewable, pollution causing)
- Switch from disposable water bottles to a glass water bottle (I buy a “fancy” bottled water at the store in a glass bottle & re-use this) – glass is less chemically intense to make, & causes less pollution.
- Carpool w/ someone you live near & work with.
- Unplug your home computer during the day when you’re not home
- Put your TV, DVD Player, Game system, etc on a power strip & flip the switch to off when you’re not using it. Even electronics that aren’t on pull power from your walls (& that power is probably coming from a pollution-causing non-renewable resource)
- Switch one item at the grocery with the same item bearing the “Organic” certification/label. Organic food production is less harmful to the environment by leaching less chemicals into our water supply, and often organic growers practice sustainable farming methods…meaning they rotate crops instead of depleting the soil.
- Consolidate car trips – don’t make multiple trips to the grocery, instead plan ahead so you can minimize your time on the road.
- Instead of going for a long ride to clear your mind, take a long walk or bike ride. You might even find that your mind is clearer – the air definitely will be!
- If you’re not in the habit of rrecylcing, recycle just one thing today. You’ll be amazed how good you feel.
- When you’re tempted to throw a piece of trash out your car window, think of the best time you ever had outdoors instead & hold onto the trash until you can get to a recycling container or trash bin.
- Challenge yourself to make as little trash as possible. Recycle everything that you can – which is almost everything but food waste.
- Compost – this is a little bigger challenge!
- Find a new use for something instead of putting it in the trash.
- HAVE FUN!
- www.simpleecolife.com

Happy Earth Day!

2008-04-22T19:29:00.000-07:00

Well - after a much longer than anticipated hiatus, I'm back!! What did you do to celebrate Earth Day?

Simple.Eco.Travel

2007-11-04T06:21:00.000-08:00

Looking to take a vaca & want to find an amazing place to do it guilt-free? Here are some great sights to check out for beautiful eco-travel. You may also want to go to www.carbonfund.org to offset your plane trip's carbon footprint, though more airlines are becoming more eco-conscious. Check out Boeing's site which will tell you who is using their particular eco-conscious products
www.aviationpartnersboeing.com
Silverjet is reported to be the world's first carbon-neutral airline, but with few stops, they are not always a viable option: www.flysilverjet.com

Now to the vacation...
www.trisara.com - located in phuket. offerings: holistic & organic food treatments
http://www.parklaneguesthouse.com/ - located in Austin, TX.

Simple.Eco.Carbon-Neutral

2007-11-03T09:47:00.000-07:00

Doing what you can to reduce, reuse, recycle & in general reduce your negative impact on the world, but still finding your carbon footprint is not looking neutral? Try out www.carbonfund.org. This resource allows you to offset your own carbon footprint & also helps you find companies who are doing the same. Check it out...this could be a great Christmas, Hannukah gift!!

Simple.Eco.Home - how to make your home more earth-friendly

2007-11-03T09:39:00.001-07:00

Junk mail overloading your recycling bin, or even (gasp) going straight into your trash cans that are overfilling landfills & poisoning air & drinking water? try http://www.41pounds.org/

Clean freak? Introduce some non-chemical cleaners into your repertoire to really make a clean difference:
multi-purpose cleaners for home & business: www.sunterra.us
Use white vinegar to clean your tile floors. Just use 1/3 white vinegar & 2/3 water in your wash water to clean the tile.
More household cleaners: http://www.pristineplanet.com/non-toxic-natural-biodegradable-environmentally-earth-eco-friendly/cleaners/5974_a_0.html

Also, try buying just some normal cotton wash clothes or towels to use instead of paper towels. Try going without paper towels for a month in your house - you can do it!!

Another tip to cut down waist? Buy some cloth napkins & use these instead of paper napkins. The smaller landfills will thank you!

Don't have the time? Have someone else do it for you the green way:
http://sagebug.com/greencleaning/greencleaning.html

Simple.Eco.Personal Care - Eco Friendly personal care shopping

2007-11-03T09:33:00.000-07:00

here is a great new product for personal care:

Preserve Razors - made from recycled yogurt cups.
recycline.com

Simple.Eco.Shopping: Green Clothing

2007-10-23T19:26:00.000-07:00

okay - so here are some websites for eco-friendly clothing shopping:

Organic or otherwise eco-friendly:
http://shop.therapyclothing.com/
http://www.lindaloudermilk.com/
http://www.stewartbrown.com/
bikinis made from sustainable & repurposed materials: etsy.com or ragtradeco.com

re-used / recycled:
accessories (& home goods): http://www.reformschoolrules.com/
handbags from recycled leather: http://www.shopfatal.com/store/pc/showsearchresultsBRANDS.asp?IDBrand=1&iPageSize=12

Multi-use
thus reducing the total amount you must consume, these items have multi-end uses.
ailin.com

just a start! enjoy your clothes that are good for you & the planet!

Eco-Friendly shopping

2007-10-18T19:38:00.000-07:00

In our consumer-driven society, one of the easiest ways to start going green without going out of your way is to simply shift where or how you make some of your purchases. This breaks down into some basic categories:

- eco friendly clothing
organic fibers
carbon-neutral companies
animal-friendly products

- eco friendly housewares
energy-saving appliances & devices
chemical free cleaning supplies
organic & chemical free furniture
reused appliances, fixtures, & building supplies
water saving appliances

- eco friendly personal care
organic products
paraben-free products
chemical-free products

- & more to come!!

The whole world’s going green…and I don’t have a clue.

2007-10-15T20:49:00.000-07:00

All right, so you’ve probably noticed that the green revolution has taken over. Don’t get scared…you’re not about to get preached at. This whole green revolution went away for so long. And now it’s back & it’s not just a small part of the population or someone’s hobby…it’s a social norm. So, what is the green movement & how can you participate without going over the edge? That’s what we’re here to do…let’s talk about it. What is it? How can I get involved – what are the little things if I’m not sure I want to make a big commitment? Or what are some new things I can do that I haven’t thought of? And really…why should you bother?

Well, there are some basic key areas in the green movement. This is NOT an exhaustive list, just some areas we’ll start with:
What you eat?
How you wear it?
How you get there?
How you get rid of it when you’re done with it?