By Audrey van Petegem, Contributing Editor
Don’t you just hate those reusable water bottles that have such a small opening on top that makes them so hard to clean? Plus, when you drink from it there is a nasty metallic taste to the water. Well! I just discovered these stainless steel water bottles from Good Life Gear that I just love! The reason that they are so great is that you can screw off the entire top to effectively clean the bottle. Plus you can actually put ice in it (it’s the little things, you know…)!!! The bottles also have a [...]

I wrote about Kickstarter this past August. It’s a crowdfunding vehicle that matches creative projects/dreams with the individuals – people like you and me – who are willing to fund them. You can find all sorts of fascinating projects on Kickstarter; lots of film makers, musicians, writers and artists of all kinds have projects listed. I’m backing four of them at this moment and wanted to give a shout out to this particular one: Lumi Co.. because I’m quite certain that they will be revolutionizing the textile industry.
Indeed, take a look at Lumi Co. This brand new start up company [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Contributing Editor

Just before Christmas I went to Chicago to visit my friend Anne-Marie.  She took me to the One-of-a-Kind show, which features artists from all over the States and Canada.  It was quite a show and discovered all sorts of neat things and met some very interesting people. One of the people I met was  Annie Duggan. She and her sister, Mary, started a company called the  DugganSisters that helps people transform their lives.
After both women recovered from various illnesses and injuries, they decided to share their amazing transformation stories and to dedicate themselves to helping [...]

Hopenhagen. As in Hope for the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this December 7 to 18.
Hopenhagen is a tool for “the people”, across the globe, to create a strong, purpose-driven, environmentally concerned community that demands a call to action from the world leaders to make the changes necessary to create a more sustainable way of life on our planet.
You can sign the petition here to make your voice heard. There are only four weeks left to get the petition signed before it is presented to world leaders at the conference.
Hopenhagen is change – and that change will be [...]

I know that I’m harping on the subject (oh, just here, here and here, that’s all), but it’s whatever it takes to spread the word about how invasive-ly nasty water bottles are for our environment. We’ve all fallen for the pure-spring-fed-mountain-fresh bozo claims of water bottlers, but NO more.

And here in a movie-is-worth-a-thousand-words, is Tapped the Movie, which will help the message sink in:
“From the plastic production to the ocean in which so many of these bottles end up, this inspiring documentary trails the path of the bottled water industry and the communities which were the unwitting chips on the [...]

By BR Thomas, Guest Contributor
Sports Drinks for Hydration and for Taste.
Most sports drinks in the stores are just empty calories, chemical additives, disposable plastic bottles and unnecessary costs. Some of us are drinking bottled water, but that still has the problems of disposable bottles and costs per gallon greater than that of gasoline! We all need to be well hydrated to keep our bodies functioning properly, but what should we drink to achieve that goal?
Sports drinks provide water, sugar, salt and flavor. Sugar and salt in sports drinks are needed only for intense workouts longer than 1 hour to [...]

School and routine are starting again. Time to educate our children on new environmental practices too. Some stats to get us motivated from WasteFreeLunches.org: “it has been estimated that on average a school-age child using a disposable lunch generates 67 pounds of waste per school year. That equates to 18,760 pounds of lunch waste for just one elementary school”.
This guide brings cool ideas to help us convert to easy & convenient litter-free meals:

Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation (2001) book really got me started in 2001 (read excerpts here). Hardly walked into a McD again unless under extreme duress (when there were NO better choices. It happens). It was the eye-opener that I needed. I’m afraid that Food, Inc. might just push me over the edge and I’ll become a fanatical activist. Still, we should all be informed about a product that determines our survival, don’t you think?
Food, Inc. is now showing in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco with wider release starting next week. I’ll get to see it in a [...]

I have been joyfully soaking in the advent of summer by listening to the birds sing. And, I love watching hummingbirds flutter nearby. Quite the perfect portrait of summer. If you wanted to catch the fever and welcome these delightful tiny creatures into your backyard, here are some beautiful hummingbird feeders for  you to consider.

The Parasol Garden Company makes some of the prettiest hummingbird feeders to be found anywhere. The company was started in 1997 when founders Alfredo García-Lucio and Jim McKeever could not find a birdfeeder to satisfy their sense of aesthetics. Thank goodness, because then Alfredo, [...]

A little something to underscore Earth Day today and to celebrate a back-to-basics idea of sending someone a handwritten note. And one that will grow at that! Here are some great makers of plantable papers:
Botanical Paperworks is a classic. They’ve been making plantable papers since 1995. We particularly love the Yummy Cards set that will grow basil, chive, parsley, dill, sage and mint. Each card includes a recipe (mint tea) for the featured herb. $19.95 per box of 6 cards.
While you are on their site, you will want to take a look at their books & journals.

By Audrey van Petegem, Contributing Editor
With summer right around the corner, I’m happy to have just discovered the handiest little skin protector that offers SPF 30 sun protection that not only blocks harmful UV rays, but also moisturizes and heals dry skin.   The product in question is Face Stick by Eco Lips.
I have always struggled to find the right sunscreen for my 5 year old daughter, Thea.  She has had eczema since birth and tends to flare up with most over-the-counter skin products.  Finding the right sunscreen for her is always a challenge.  The Face Stick contains 82% certified organic [...]

With all the talk about Green, Ecological, Environmentally-Friendly, Sustainable, Renewable, Recyclable, Earth-Friendly, Fair-Trade, Waste-Reducing and Organic labeled products, how can we tell what’s really green? As we are approaching Earth Day 2009 (Wednesday, April 22), I thought it would be timely to address the question.
And, here’s a fantastic resource for that: BuyGreen.com has become a trusted source for green products. Allison Huke and a partner started the company a couple years ago when she found it difficult to find all the green products that she needed and trusted for her family and her home. She certainly solved that problem! BuyGreen [...]