Timbeland Tote Bag Made From Earthkeepers Billboards
Last fall, Timberland launched the
Earthkeepers line of boots, made mostly with organic and recycled materials. To promote these rugged, durable eco-friendly boots, Timberland erected billboards in Boston and Providence. At the end of the campaign, the billboards were repurposed into tote bags, perfect for shopping or the beach. Just like the Earthkeepers boots, these bags are durable, yet lightweight. Each bag is unique and available for about $25 in Timberland retail stores.
I love my iPod and could not live without it. I feel that downloading new music to my iPod is a green practice, as I no longer purchase excess packaging, cds, shipping costs, etc. Now, I have found an eco-friendly wood iPod or iPhone speaker dock made by Vers. This 15 watt stereo is made from sustainable wood grown on a plantation and is packaged in recycled materials. The whole tree is used to minimize waste. This "Green" stereo requires 50% less electricity than standard switching power supplies, and of course, the sound is great!
Everything's Cool, billed as a "real-life disaster movie" is a film about Americans' growing awareness of global warming in the wake of Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth and Hurricane Katrina. It's also an incredible time capsule for our mass awakening to climate change as an issue that will shape our lives, with parallels to other political issues and the way they are framed by industry representatives and an easily-manipulated media.
The film follows a groups of "global warming messengers" through three years -- 2003 through the beginning of 2007 -- and looks at how the country came to realize what scientists had long recognized -- that global warming is happening and that something needs to be done about it.
Where an Inconvenient Truth focused on the science of global climate change, Everything's Cool looks at the political debate around the issue -- how a small group of energy-industry-funded think tanks created a debate when scientific consensus existed, and how the media's desire to present both sides of a story can move political dialogue way off course.
The toothbrush handle is made of 100% recycled plastics, including at least 25% recycled Stonyfield Farm yogurt cups. The ergonomic, pea pod shaped handle makes it easy to grip. The nylon bristles are soft and gentle on kids' teeth and gums.
Each brush features a fun fact about one of three endangered animals: the Karner Blue Butterfly, the Utah Prairie Dog or the Grizzly Bear. And a portion of the proceeds from each toothbrush sale supports the National Wildlife Federation's efforts to protect endangered species.
As if good dental hygiene isn't a reward in itself.
It must be fall. My skin has been dry. Not flaky dry, but just sort of, well, malnourished. Which is why I was so glad to remember the Rejuvenating Enzyme Mask the folks from Lily Organics sent a couple of months ago.
As far as I can tell, the mask is mostly honey -- a natural humectant which draws moisture to your skin. The mask also includes fruit enzymes from papaya and pineapple to dissolve dead skin cells, as well as comfrey, lily, horsetail and mint. According to the Lily website, this combination works to
remove the build up of dead skin cells, stimulate new cell growth, balance combination skin and regenerate damaged skin.
All I know is that I'm grateful for it.
The mask went on smooth, smelled great, and was easy to wear for the recommended 30 minutes. At the end, it washed off cleanly, and left my skin soft, shiny, smooth and moist.
Lily Organics Rejuvenating Enzyme Mask is all natural, and gentle enough to use everyday, even on sensitive skin.
As someone who struggles to get enough calcium in my diet through whole foods, I try to take a daily calcium supplement. Historically, I've rotated between Tums and Viactive, preferring chewable calcium supplements to the giant horsepill variety. I usually buy the chocolate or caramel flavor of Viactive, but have long felt that people who believe it tastes like real chocolate are kidding themselves. Well, as of right now, I am changing my tune: with Adora Chocolate Calcium Supplements, you can have your chocolate and your calcium, too.
Pacific Shaving Oil: Big Things Come in Small Packages
A while back, our friends over at Shaving Stuff did a feature on shaving oils. "You should check these out," Russ said. "Think of all the shaving cream cans you're keeping out of landfills."
Well, we did think about it recently, when we came across a tiny bottle of Pacific Shaving Oil. According to the packaging, a tiny 2 ounce bottle contains up to 400 shaves. You apply just a few drops of the oil to your face for each shave, and go from there. According to the folks at Shaving Stuff,
Shaving oils work by applying a thin layer of lubricant to your skin, so the razor glides over the oil and can cut the hair without damaging the skin. This is similar to the way creams and gels work, just without all the extra junk which gets caught up in the razor. Think of it as a back to the basics shave. The fundamentals. You're only applying to your face the bare essentials of what's needed. It's a good philosophy.
We like Pacific Shaving Oil because it's made from all natural essential oils like Sunflower, Tangerine Peel, Grapefruit Peel, Avocado, and Kukui Nut Oil. Plus, for each bottle you purchase, Pacific Shaving plants a tree. Best of all, because you use so little of it for each shave, you won't be purchasing too many of those little bottles.
Speaking of which, about the landfills: Pacific Shaving Company estimates that sales of its shaving oil have already helped eliminate 18,000 pounds of shaving cream cans from landfills, enough to span five miles if laid end to end. If you haven't been shaving, it's almost enough to make you want to start!
SkinFree products are all natural, fragrance-free and petroleum-free. SkinFree owner Julie Hilton, a practicing pharmacist, designed the skincare line in response to customer requests for recommendations on products for difficult skin conditions, especially fragrance allergies. Her products are recommended for individuals with skin allergies, eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis. They're also ideally suited for pregnant moms, babies, diabetics, renal patients and people undergoing radiation therapy. I can understand why.
When I was pregnant, I developed a sensitivity to petroleum-based ingredients in my regular skincare products. My skin was dry and itchy, but I couldn't stand the petroleum smell in products containing mineral oil or petroleum jelly.
Weekend Reading: Adventures of an Italian Food Lover by Faith Heller Willinger
Admit it. Summer's over. Time to head back to school, back to work, back to everyday life. But that doesn't mean you can't dream about being somewhere else.
Personally, I'm headed to Italy, with a copy of a beautiful cookbook and set of stories from Faith Heller Willinger called Adventures of an Italian Food Lover.
Willinger, a contributor to Epicurious who lives in Florence, has compiled stories and recipes from friends across Italy into a sophisticated and highly readable book that pays tribute to warm, talented people, fresh local ingredients and the meals you can enjoy when you bring them together. With listing information for restaurants and buying information for products as well as recipes, it comes off as part cookbook, part guidebook, and part love letter to a country that Willinger has gotten to know through its cuisine.
Just got back from a week-long vacation on Martha's Vineyard. While there, I had the opportunity to sample a product that recalls a different kind of vineyard -- Desert Essence Organics Italian Red Grape Conditioner. And absolutely loved it.
The sweet-smelling conditioner is suitable for both color and non-color treated hair. It contains the antioxidants resveratrol and red wine extract, which act as antioxidant UV filters to protect the hair from environmental stresses like sun and saltwater. Other key ingredients include grape seed oil, Vitamin E and Vitamin B5.
But the best thing about it is the smell, which folks I was with described as "real grape", "an afternoon in Tuscany in the height of autumn", and "like grape Hubba Bubba, only better because it's organic and makes your hair look good."
Like all Desert Essence Organics products, Italian Red Grape Conditioner uses organic ingredients wherever possible, is 100% vegan, and is wheat and gluten free. It's paraben-, silicon- and petroleum-product-free, and is not tested on animals.
The verdict: It's no Pirate Booty, but Chaos is a nice mix of sweet and salty. And the 2 oz snack bag is perfect for school lunches or an afternoon snack.
On Earth Day, Russ and I dropped by Home Depot to pick up our free compact fluorescent bulb, plus a couple of extras for good luck. And, because my husband is a scientist, we did a few tests, trying out different bulbs in different locations around the house.
We picked up three lightbulbs by n:vision -- in Soft White (green packaging), Bright White (blue packaging), and Daylight (red packaging). The Soft White is a 14 watt bulb -- the equivalent of a 60 watt regular lightbulb. The Daylight and Bright White bulbs are both 19 watts -- equivalent to 75 watt regular bulbs. According to the packaging, these bulbs can save $56/year in energy costs if the lightbulbs are used for 3 hours a day. All three bulbs have a 9 year warranty.
So, now the question of the hour, which bulbs - if any - would we use around the house and where would we use 'em?
I'm salivating over Creme Caramel, a 1/2 cup serving of which has just 150 calories, 2% of your daily fat and 15% of your daily calcium. Heck, I may need to eat two servings. :)
Stonyfield Farm Organic Low-Fat Frozen Yogurt also comes in Cookies'N'Dream, Minty Chocolate Chip and Raspberry White Chocolate Chunk. The company also makes a nonfat version and a super premium ice cream.
We got a long-sleeve tee with a design based on the expression "Fish Out of Water." The clothes come wrapped in neat brown paper bag packaging with a rope cord and the Blirt logo -- kind of like the kind used for whole coffee beans, but way hipper. The shirt is super-soft cotton, with the "Fish Out of Water" graphic and the expression written out on a stitched label underneath. It comes with a little booklet explaining the meaning of figure of speech.
As we mentioned, this is a shirt you'll feel great wrapped your baby in and snuggling up to. The cotton feels great against your skin and Blirt's non-toxic dyeing and screening process ensures that the only thing touching your baby or toddler's skin is soft organic fabric.
Maybe partly because of the dyeing process, the shirts come in a more natural range of colors than your typical baby gear. "Fish Out of Water" is olive green with baby blue design; other shirts in the collection are brown, light blue, granite - hip, natural colors for hip, natural kids.
As we mentioned in our earlier Blirt post, the shirts are made of 100% organic cotton, using fair trade labor practices. So you can feel good about your purchase while your kid looks good. Super cute, and a nice gift for eco-conscious parents-to-be. As an added bonus, shipping is free!
Timbeland Tote Bag Made From Earthkeepers Billboards
It must be fall. My skin has been dry. Not flaky dry, but just sort of, well, malnourished. Which is why I was so glad to remember the 
Chocolate Lovers and Nutrition Buffs Unite! I've just discovered 
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A while back, our friends over at 
Many thanks to the folks from 
Just got back from a week-long vacation on Martha's Vineyard. While there, I had the opportunity to sample a product that recalls a different kind of vineyard -- 
We can't get enough 
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