The Green Mom Review™

Green That Swag

2009-11-10T13:35:05Z

Remember floppy disks? Yeah, the plastic ones that stored about a megabyte of data… These days, we have nifty USB drives to store data and about a thousand times more of it, which is cool, but how about USB drives made from something a bit more natural than say, plastic? Earthimprints takes a greener approach by offering them in walnut, maple, bamboo and redwood finishes. These pocket-sized drives are great not only for consumers, but for businesses, too. They’re an item that computer users either rely on now or will eventually need. With that in mind, they’d make great (read: useful) promotional items—I mean does anyone really need another keychain? Instead of giving away a bunch of plastic junk, entice potential clients & customers with non-plastic 1, 2, 4 and 8gb USB drives they’ll not only appreciate, but will actually use, too.

Find It Here: earthimprints

On Our Blog: Bite on This: More Grocery Store Secrets

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It’s NOT Your Mother’s Patio Furniture

2009-11-10T05:25:18Z

Reason # 386 why recycling is a good thing: outdoor furniture that’s can last a lifetime and? It’s made out of recycled water bottles and plastic containers.

It’s called HDPE (High Density Polyethlene) furniture, and it’s taking the outdoor market by storm. This isn’t your mother’s patio furniture. HDPE is extremely durable–it can withstand the harshest elements without rusting, cracking, splitting or peeling. There’s a huge selection that includes single pieces, entire collections and outdoor accessories, and unlike other more traditional patio sets, this furniture is available in a variety of FUN colors.

And if that sounds good, then check this out: HDPE furniture is super easy to maintain. A quick wipe with a wet cloth or a spray with the hose keeps it clean, and thanks to its rockin’ durability, HDPE furniture holds its own all year round, without having to be covered or stored.

Why waste your hard-earned greenbacks on wimpy, flimsy outdoor furniture that’s only going to wind up in a landfill when you can have HDPE furniture that will last, while soothing your conscience with the fact that it’s durable, as well as recycled?

Find It Here: Premium Poly Patios

On Our Blog: Bite on This: More Grocery Store Secrets

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Woopsies!

2009-11-10T05:24:54Z

What: Bucky’s Woopsies Kids Soothing Packs

Features: Can be warmed up in the microwave or chilled in the freezer

Green Factor: Made with machine washable bamboo terrycloth and premium whole buckwheat seed filling

Bonus: These creatures, with their bright colors and funny faces, are sure to distract kids from their owies!

Find It Here: Kids and Baby Design Ideas

On Our Blog: Bite on This: More Grocery Store Secrets

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Bite on This: More Grocery Store Secrets

2009-11-10T13:43:35Z

We all know chlorine is a poison. It’s toxic and has been linked to infertility and disease. Sadly it’s everywhere—in our drinking water, bleaching our paper towels and toilet paper, in pools, in PVC plastics, in pesticides, so we do our best to avoid it by getting unbleached products and filtering our water (even the showers!) and just when we thought we were safe, we find out that chlorine is routinely used to keep our healthy produce “fresh” by, and I quote the MMS Newsletter:

“In the grocery store, glistening carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, bell peppers, etc. all glisten and look fresh primarily because five days ago they were picked, washed, then passed under a cloud of ClO2 gas that destroyed bacteria and disease-germs that ordinarily cause food to quickly spoil.

Some transportation trucks carrying produce (sometimes on two-day trips) can blow some ClO2 into the enclosed truck before closing the rear doors. The spoiling of food begins from invisible surface contaminants. ClO2 eradicates such bacteria.”

I learned this first hand before searching for it on the web to confirm. A truck driver was explaining how when transporting strawberries, chlorine vapor kept his strawberries from molding and therefore looking pretty and lasting longer.

Of course we already knew conventional strawberries have some of the worst pesticides and poisons sprayed on them to keep the pests away (makes sense, they are sweet and delicious, what little critter wouldn’t want to take a bite of that?!) and not only are those chemicals driven into the plant itself, but since they are hard to wash, they cannot be removed from the outside either. And now we learn about this little trick of chlorine gas to keep them looking freshly picked. Ahh, things are not always as they appear.

While searching for this I also learned that all those conveniently pre-cut fruits and vegetables we see in the produce counter are most probably dipped in a chlorine solution before cutting and again after cutting before being packaged and placed on the store shelf for our purchase so that they stay fresher longer.

Double-dipped chlorine strawberries gassed with chlorine in transit and a side of extra harmful pesticides from the farm, anyone? Yup, sounds fresh to me! Yet another reason to go organic

Author Annie Malka is a mother of four living in the Florida Keys. She writes about cooking, nutrition, organic foods and sustainability at her blog Hip Organic Mama.

The Green Mom Review™.

Weekly Green Round-Up

2009-11-02T13:11:41Z

Walmart Knows What’s Best for Us Green Moms. Right? by OrganicMania — Lynn shares her thoughts on the Walmart Sustainability Index, which they are putting together with NO consumer input. (This makes me feel all kinds of stabby, particularly as one of our ad networks, despite past objections, has been running Walmart ads this week on our site.)

Bottled Water is Best by Crunchy Chicken — Bottled water isn’t nearly as bad as you might think and Deanna will tell you exactly why… It’s awesome satire with a sly side of sarcasm.

Cast Iron Cookware by Big Green Purse — Diane discusses alternatives to toxic PFOA (i.e. Teflon) non-stick pans. I personally use cast iron and love it.

Reviewing ‘The Story of Stuff’ by Enviromom — In this post, Renee reminds me of a fantastic short film—The Story of Stuff is twenty minutes of awesome that I promise you won’t regret watching.

Why Bother by Crunchy Domestic Goddess — CDG discusses a NY Times article by author Michael Pollan about reasons to NOT give up and throw in the towel in fighting climate change.

On Our Blog: Bite on This: More Grocery Store Secrets

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