Don't Be Mean, Go Green!

Walking Fido? Pick Up Some Trash While You Do It!

2010-09-08T16:47:00.000-07:00

Every day I like to take my dog for a walk. Its good for him and it clears my head of all my worries of the day. A while ago I noticed that there was a lot of trash around my neighborhood and it really started to bother me. Whenever I see trash I always pick it up to throw away later but lately I've been collecting handfuls of trash. To make it easier on me I attached on of those doggie duty bag holders to the back of the leash so that whenever I see trash I can pull out a bag to put it in so I can throw it away later. I've started to notice a remarkable difference in my neighborhood; it looks a lot cleaner. It makes me feel so good when I know I'm doing something good for the environment. Now whenever I walk anywhere its an instinct to pick up trash I see on the ground! What small things do you guys to do help the environment?

Put Your Clothes On A Line!

2010-07-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

Its Summer and its hot in most places. This Season is probably one of the hardest to eco-ofy. The reason is its hot which means people are going to be cranking up the AC and running water hoses 24/7. Every time I see a water hose left out running in the grass it makes me flinch and I think how many gallons of water are being wasted! Anyway, I have found a great way to save some energy (and money!) that will hopefully make up for some of that water being wasted! Instead of drying clothes, just hang them up on a line to dry. This will help cut your energy bill quite some bit! The problem with this tip is that it really only works in places that are dry and hot instead of humid and hot (sorry Floridians). But, there is a way to save money and the Earth even in those humid climates. It may not work to hang out your clothes (considering it'll take a good three days for them to fully dry!) so try drying (and washing) during off-peak hours. Off-peak hours are the hours that are priced cheaper because they aren't being used as frequently. To figure out the times click here.

Filtered Water Bottles

2010-07-22T13:10:00.000-07:00

When I'm at School I like to bring a reusable water bottle so that way I'm not wasting plastic. I have a 24 ounce water bottle and I found that sometimes I will drink all of the water in the bottle before I get to my third hour. I usually just refill my bottle with the water from the water fountain and I'm fine. I'm not too picky with what water tastes like so the flavor doesn't really bother me, but I know it does bother some people. I was shopping at Target and I found this new thing called a Filtered Water Bottle. It has a filter that is connected to the lid of the bottle and the water goes through the filter before you drink it. It is made with BPA Free plastic and its proven to remove 90% of chlorine, bad taste, and heavy metals. So that mineral taste that you get when drinking from a faucet or water fountain will be almost diminished. Its good for 200 uses or three months, if your not much of a counter you will be able to tell by the taste of the water when its time to change the filter; the water won't taste as pure. The water bottle itself comes with one filter and costs 13 dollars and the replaceable filters cost around 11 dollars, which isn't to high if you think about it. You would have to buy four filters a year which would be about 44 dollars. Think how much you would be spending if you bought a years worth of bottle water, there is a major difference. So not only are you keeping thousands of plastic water bottles out of landfills BUT you are also saving yourself hundreds of dollars! If you want to check out the water bottle click here!

Would You Like A Spot of Tea?

2010-07-21T23:40:00.000-07:00

Now, I am a huge tea lover. I like it iced, hot, sweetened, unsweetened, anyway you can make tea I drink it! So for all you tea lovers, like me, I'm going to share a few eco tips about tea! One is, if your gonna drink it opt for organic. The reason you should drink organic tea is because other teas have the possibly of being treated with chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The conventional way of growing tea is pretty harmful to the environment as well, it leads to soil erosion and disease. Not to mention that the pesticides being sprayed on the plants are harmful to workers who have to harvest it. Teas that are certified organic do not treat the soil with pesticides or anything harmful to the environment. A few great brand of organic teas that I recommend are Tazo, Yogi, and Stash Teas. If your not into any of these brands check out your local Trader Joes or Whole Foods. All of their teas on the shelf are organic! Another great way to go green with tea is to compost the tea bags! They make a great natural soil for your garden! Using tea will allow your flowers to flourish without the need of any chemical fertilizers.

EOS Lip Balm

2010-06-03T15:04:00.000-07:00

One night after my Ballet class I stopped by Walgreen's to pick up a leg wrap (I have terrible shin splints), and I was just shopping around and I came by an awesome little lip balm. I read the back of the product package and I found out that it was Eco-Friendly, had Shea Butter in it, was Paraben-Free, Gluten-Free, Petrolatum-free, and Phthalate-free! That won me over right there, plus it was 2 for $5 at my Walgreen's! Right when I got into my car I tore open the packaging and put some of it on. It was soooo soothing and smelled amazing. There are a total of four scents which are, Lemon Drop, Honeysuckle Honeydew, Sweet Mint, and Summer Fruit. I bought Summer Fruit and Honeysuckle Honeydew. Each flavor has a very nice, light scent that isn't over powering. I also found that these lip balms glide on so smoothly and it kept my lips moisturized for over two hours. So when your trying to give your lips some relief in an Earth Friendly way, check out EOS Lip Balms!

This Disaster Puts Oil In The Word Turmoil (Literally!)

2010-05-18T17:17:00.000-07:00

As you guys may know right now, the oil spill is one of the biggest environment disasters as of right now. I have been keeping myself updated every single with this frenzy. It hurts me to think that there is millions of gallons of oil leaking into the Ocean. So many amazing things are being destroyed it! Such as animals, underwater plants, and spectacular coral reefs. There has already been a reported 23 Sea Turtles found dead, these Sea Turtles are endangered and there is only a reported 20,000-40,000 left IN THE WORLD. Those familiar creatures could sometime in the near future be gone forever! Its so scary to think about that those aren't the only animals that are in danger of being extinct! If more environment disasters occur, it could cause the Earth to lose amazing things. I mean, the Great Barrier Reef is basically disintegrating away! It makes me feel so antsy like I need to hurry up and visit all of these before the die away! Anyway, the point of this post was to explain ways YOU can help the clean up the oil spill! Now I don't mean flying all the way to areas that are affected by the oil spill although, that is an option! (Visit Here For More Details) An awesomely easy way to help is to donate your hair.Yes, I'm talking donating your hair. Organizations are collecting human hair and animal fur to use to absorb the oil. Sounds weird but it actually works! Just think about how much oil your hair absorbs after a couple of days of not showering! (Gross, I know, but now that can go toward a good cause!) Mats are being made out of hair and then placed on top of the oil, once they absorb as much as they can they place a special type of oyster mushroom that absorb the oil and turn it into a nontoxic compost! Amazing, right?! I'm thinking about cutting some of my hair right now! If you want to get involved visit http://www.matteroftrust.org/programs/hairmatsinfo.html!

Earth We Love You!

2010-04-22T15:28:00.000-07:00

As you guys may know, today is Earth day. A day were we celebrate our beautiful Earth and all it has done for us. Its truly amazing if you ever stop to think about it. Our planet is capable of so many things, so its great if we just take this one day to thank it. It could mean turning off the lights and opening the blinds for natural light or just turning the AC up a few degrees. Even if you are just getting started to the whole "save the Earth" thing there are still plenty of ways YOU can help! A great way to started is to recycle! You can buy special trash cans from target that help you separate your recyclables. Most of them seperate Plastics, Paper, and Glass. You can find this adorable one here! Another great product that I have and personally love is the EVOLVE Shower head. Now what's cool about this thing is when you turn on your shower and let it run for a while to heat up it automatically turns to a trickle ones it gets to the perfect temperature. I love this because it saves so much water for when your not quite ready to jump in the shower yet but you still want to keep the water on to keep it warm. One your ready to hop in the shower, all you do is pull on a tab that hangs down to start it again. Another useful feature on this product is it has amazing water pressure and instead of the typical 3-5 gallons of water per minute flowing out of a regular shower head, it only uses 1.5 gallons of water per minute. That will save an amazing amount of water that is used during your shower. It also save you money on your water bill! This is a great low cost way to save the Earth and your wallet! Click here to learn more. I hope that these products will give your Earth Day a kick-off to a good start!

Eco- Friendly Friday!

2010-04-09T22:04:00.000-07:00

From now on, every Friday I'm going to share with you guys some quick tips and Eco-Friendly stuff about my week! Sort of like a Tips of The Day but there will be more than just one! Like the picture? I made it especially for this (: I thought I did a good job! So for this Eco-Friendly Friday, I'm just talking about things that interested me this week.

At my gym, they have a huge jug of water. Now, I usually bring my own reusable water bottle but I ran (literally) to the gym. So I just got water there. When I went to go get a cup I realized that they were using cups that were made from 20% recycled materials. It made me smile that they actually cared! So I searched online for good eco-friendly disposable cups and I found great ones! They are made from all corn and you can check them out here! They are called Green Stripe Corn Cups!

Right now is the perfect season to plant Strawberries! My mother and I were shopping around for a good strawberry pot! Oddly enough, we actually found one at TJ Maxx for 14 dollars and it was a good sized pot! We bought that right away and then we bough some strawberry plants. We haven't quite planted them yet so I can show you what it looks like but we will try to plant them this weekend. Then I'll keep you all updated! My mother and I have never actually grown Strawberries but we have grown Tomatoes and they have turned out great! Just make sure if and when you buy any type of fruit or veggie read and see how much sunlight and water they need! Well that's all I have for this Eco-Friendly Friday! Be sure to check back next week!

Anybody Out There?!

2010-04-08T14:36:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, just checking if anybody is out there! I haven't been getting any feedback so I wasn't sure if my posts were boring or if you guys are just shy. Anyway, I wanted to see if there were any requests. I really enjoy finding out what you guys want to see on this blog. Comment below telling me what you'd like to see! For instance, Eco-friendly yoga mats or Organic Lip gloss. I'm excited for what you guys have to say!

Gotta Gas Station In Those Roots?

2010-04-06T16:49:00.000-07:00

Many of us girls always have to deal with either flat lifeless hair or greasy hair at the end of the day. It gets so frustrating because it doesn't matter how much time you spend on your hair, it could still happen! Many dry shampoos out their are either very expensive or they aren't very friendly to the environment. Once again, Google being my best friend, I researched homemade dry shampoo recipes. Each one of these recipes are easy and organic! So go ahead, give them a go!

Cornstarch and Cornmeal Shampoo

1 cup of Cornstarch

1 cup of Cornmeal

Mix them together and place them in a container. If you want, you can add essential oils to them to make them smell good.

Oatmeal and Herb Shampoo

1/2 cup of any favorite crushed fragrance herb

1/2 cup oatmeal

1 teaspoon of baking soda

Mix all the ingredients together and store in a cool dry place.

Eco-Friendly Ways To Dye Easter Eggs!

2010-04-04T14:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter everyone! Whenever I dye Easter Eggs the first thing I notice is the smell of the dye. Its smells so disgusting to me because of the vinegar mixing with all those nasty chemical ingredients. Of course, once your done dying the Eggs you usually dump it outside or down your sink and then it leaves that icky smell for days. (Yuck!) So for all my lovely readers, I did some research and found a great eco-friendly way to color eggs!

Materials:

Grape Juice (For Purple)

Red Cabbage (For Blue)

Spinach (For Green)

Carrot Tops, Lemon Peels, or Orange Peels (For Yellow)

Coffee or Black Walnut Shells (For Brown)

Yellow Onion Skins (For Orange)

Beets or Cranberries (For Pink)

Red Onion Skins (For Red)

Water

Stove

Boiling Pot

Vinegar

Eggs

Directions:

First boil your eggs in water with a bit of vinegar and one of the materials for the colors above. Then allow it to simmer for 15 minutes. Then your all done! Simple, right?! Hope you all have an amazing and environmentally-safe Easter!

Earth Hour 2010

2010-03-24T11:25:00.000-07:00

Guess what, its that time of year again! At 8:30 on Saturday March 27th everyone around the world is going to turn off all of their lights! That's right, its Earth hour! I believe that this day should just be created a Holiday for everyone to use as little electricity possible! I love when I go outside and look around my neighborhood at about 8:45 on the 27th and almost everyones lights are out! I feel its an empowering experience because when you see lights out you know that someone cares enough about the Earth. If you feel your going to be bored for an hour without electricity, then plan something fun to do that doesn't involve any power! If you can't think of any ideas, I have some suggestions for you! If you want more information about Earth Hour then click here!

Play a board game with a flashlight
If you have an outside fire pit, sit around it and roast marshmellows
Have a late picnic outside in the grass under the stars
For people with a pool or hot tub, take a dip in it!
Light candles in one room (be careful not to set anything on fire!) and read a book by the candle light!
Go outside and play a sport with your friends and family
Plan a small block party outside, where everyone brings food and drinks to share!

Go Organic!

2010-03-14T20:51:00.000-07:00

Have you ever bought an apple and thought wow this thing is the size of my head! If so, that's defiantly not an organic apple! An apple is suppose to be around the size of the palm of your hand and when I mean palm, I mean that you can actually close over half of your hand around it. Now, that may seem small to you, but it is the natural size of the fruit. Natural size is the size of the fruit without growth hormones added to it. Growth hormones are added to fruits, vegetables, and meats to encourage excessive growth in a small amount of time. These are very unhealthy to the Earth and your body. When you eat produce or any food in that matter that has growth hormones in it, it adds unnatural substances to your body. Over time this can be very damaging on your immune system. The way it harms the Earth is it adds chemicals to soil which makes it become tainted and infects everything that grow in and around that area. Now, if this information is new to you this may sound pretty scary, but no worries there's an easy solution. Its pretty easy to figure out if something is Organic or not. You can tell by the size and most of the time if its truly Organic there will be some sort of label that says USDA certified. If you want to avoid the guessing game with your food then search around for a local farmers market. You can find all of your favorite in-season fruits and veggies. Sometimes you can even find meat there too!

Eco-Friendly Homemade Glass Cleaner

2010-03-06T14:50:00.000-08:00

Here's a great tip I found from SparkPeople that I thought I'd share with you. Its a recipe to make your own glass cleaner (i.e. mirrors, window, tables). All you need is vinegar and water. Yep, that's it, just those two common household items. You mix 1/4 cup of vinegar with one cup of water and there you go, your new environmentally friendly cleaner. If your not digging the vinegar smell of it you can add 4-5 drops of any essential oil such as lavender or peppermint.

Feeling Creative?

2010-02-24T16:01:00.000-08:00

Once again I was surfing Internet and I was just thinking about random things. Like how much I spend on haircare products a year or how much plastic is wasted from the containers and bottles of the haircare products. Then I though, well I wonder if you can make your own hairspray. So I research some more and found out you can! Its so simple too and it will be saving tons of plastic and money! All you need is a lemon (or orange for dryer hair), water, rubbing alcohol, and a plastic spray bottle (a reusable one, of course!) First, you chop up the lemon or orange but leave the peel on. Then you place it in two cups of water and heat it on the stove. Allow it to boil until there is only half of what you began with left. Once it gets to the right amount, strain it a few times until all the extra pieces are out. After, add one ounce of rubbing alcohol in it as a preservative. Then place it into your spray bottle and keep it stored in your fridge. You can leave it in your bathroom, but if you keep it in the fridge it allows it to last longer. It only lasts two weeks when it is unrefrigerated. If you plan on making your own hairspray for a while, then go the extra mile and decorate your spray bottle! It'll keep it fun and cute, plus if your storing it in the fridge then you will know that its your hairspray and not something else! If your not too sure where you could find a plastic spray bottle, check out your local drugstore or target and check the travel section! Remember, using this tip will help the Earth and your wallet! I give credit to free-beauty-tips.glam.com for this tip!

What do you think?!

2010-02-16T15:33:00.000-08:00

I was trying to think of ideas for this blog over the past week to spice it up. So I decided that I was going to start doing themes or try to weekly. Meaning, one week will have the theme be fruit and research all the ways you could use fruit in a eco-friendly way, where to find organic fruit, and more things! Then the next week would be another theme and for that whole week all the tips and reviews would revolve around that theme! So let me know if you guys like this idea! I love getting feedback, it allows me to improve my blog and make it the best it can be! Also, if you enjoy this idea give me some ideas for themes! Another thing I wanted to talk about was I was looking for a symbol or a logo to represent my site, that I could place on the site, on pictures, and mroe! If you guys have any ideas for that or want to make me one please comment below! Thanks for all the support!

An All-Natural Way To Clean Your Toliets

2010-02-16T09:02:00.000-08:00

I was watching the news the other day and a segment came on about being a "smart shopper." Which has tips about saving money and being economically aware. They started talking about ways to clean your toliet and keeping it clean. It included simple household items such as a lemon and table salt. They sliced a lemon in half and sprinkled a great about of salt on it. Then they rubbed it all around the inside of the toliet and the outside. Not only did it sanitize it but it removed that nasty, rusty ring around the inside of the toliet. Now that truely amazed me because not many cleaning products can remove that. Also, you don't have to worry about inhaling the cleaning product chemicals anymore! All you smell is pure lemon! There is no reason you shouldn't try this tip! It saves the Earth from nasty chemicals, plastic (from the container a toliet cleaner would come in), and money! Don't be afraid to try this all around the house, it works on everything!

Gaiam

2010-01-29T14:34:00.000-08:00

If your looking for great eco-friendly and organic products you should check out Gaiam. They a great variety of things such as bed spreads, candles, fitness products, clothing, and more! I love to spend hours just browsing through the website. I buy a majority of all my fitness products from this site. Everything they are selling is cruelty-free and 100% eco-friendly. Although the website is sort of high priced, there is a money-back guarantee and just think of how good you are doing the Earth. If you sign up for their emailing lists, you will get sales, clearances, and new deals sent directly to you!

Eco-Friendly New Year's Resolutions!

2010-01-27T15:45:00.000-08:00

I know this is sorta late but better late than never! If you still haven't decided on a good New Year's Resolution that you could stick to then try some of these!

Stop using and buying plastic water bottles! Invest in a nice, insulated water bottle. This is one of my resolutions and I've been sticking with it ! I've noticed that since I've stopped using plastic water bottles that I've been drinking more water, weird right? If all you buy for water is in plastic water bottles, then you can buy a nice Brita Filter (These are so fun! You can get special filters if you want flavored water!) or start buying the huge jugs of water. (Which is a lot cheaper!) Click here to learn about delivery of water to your house!
Start using reusable canvas bags when grocery shopping. Like this one!
Eat more organic food and less processed. Even if you eat only 5% organic food and 95% processed food, it still helps the environment!
Have a recycling bin for everything!
Watch the news daily. This will allow you to see what the traffic is like so you know what highway is congested and where there has been accidents so you can avoid them and save gas!
Carpool with a friend or co-worker
Use recycled or reusable lunch bag and utensils for lunches.
Switch your light bulbs to environmentally friendly ones!

Tired of Hand Washing Dishes?

2010-01-25T17:34:00.000-08:00

Well, now you have an excuse to use the dishwasher or to buy one! When you wash dishes by hand you use around 5-10 gallons of water depending on how many dishes you wash. With a dish washer you only use 5.8-8 gallons of water. I know that doesn't sound like much of a difference but think about it, your washing a huge load of dishes with a lot less water. Plus, its less work for you! Its easier on the environment oh and not to mention your hands! If your still not convinced, don't forget that you won't have to dry the dishes either! They are steam dried by using the left over water!

Burt's Bee's Natural Acne Solutions

2009-10-26T17:02:00.000-07:00

If your looking for an eco-friendly, all natural, non-hazardous way of getting rid of your acne, well I've got news for you! Burt's Bees came out with an acne line called "Natural Acne Solutions. They are certified organic and there are no toxins in them to harm you. They have a very herb-ally scent which reminds me of a spa, which is very relaxing. The ingredients in some of the products are Salicylic Acid (from willow bark), Prime Rose, and Root Beet Extract. As you can tell, these products really are natural. I have very sensitive skin and when I used them I did not have any side affects. This is a great switch from your chemical filled normal face wash to Burt's Bees Natural Acne Solutions.

Rip Em' Apart!

2009-10-09T18:21:00.000-07:00

This is probably the easiest tip in the book, and you all probably know about it but I just want to stress the importance of it. Its cutting the plastic on the six pack of soda, beer, or any other drink. This helps prevent fish, dolphins, turtles, and other sea creatures from getting caught in between the holes which can choke and kill them. Remember the movie Happy Feet? Did you happen to notice that Doctor of Love (or whatever his name was) happened to have a six pack ring around his neck which eventually choked him? It was really sad when they had to get it off because they went to see where it all was coming from and there were tons of trash and other gross things in the ocean water! Its horrible because sometimes the animals mistake the trash for food. You may all be thinking right now, "Why do I have to cut it if I'm throwing the trash away and its not being littered in the ocean?" Well, accidents happen and the trash can somehow end up in the ocean. So instead of waiting for it to happen and then deal with it, we are taking the steps to prevention. It only takes maybe two seconds of your life if not less. Also these rings not only choke them, they can stunt growth, make it hard for them to out run predators, and eat.

Just Two Degrees, That's All!

2009-08-28T23:18:00.001-07:00

In the Summer many Americans blast their AC a bit too high and vice versa in the Winter. Did you know that if you turned your AC up two degrees in the Summer and two degrees colder in the Winter you could be reducing the size of your carbon footprint by 25% or more! Its crazy how little of effort it is too! You won't even feel the difference. In the Summer I live where it gets extremely hot and I turn up the AC on full blast and I actually get cold inside my house and need a sweater! So really turning it up a few degrees won't even affect me! If you get hot easily in your house and changing the temperature seems crazy then try using a fan to circulate the airflow. For in the Winter you could just bundle up or turn on the fireplace to keep your house warm! Oh I almost forgot to mention that this will save you a good amount of money too! There's no reason you shouldn't be going green! I mean it saves you money and we all know that in these hard economic times we need to save as much money as we can get our hands on!

Hot Wasabi Bath, Say What????

2009-08-24T16:41:00.000-07:00

I was surfing through my FAVORITE eco-friendly website (GreenIsSexy.Org) and I found a really cool article I wanted to share with you guys. In it, it says that if your looking for an organic way to detox yourself (or if you had too many drinks last night and need a break) add green wasabi to your hot bath. For those of you that don't know what wasabi is, is its a really spicy member of the cabbage family that is often added to soy sauce to dunk your sushi in. It is known as Japanese Horseradish. The root of wasabi is what is actually made into well, wasabi. It is so spicy that when you eat just a tad bit of it, it opens up nasal passages and burns the tongue. No worries though, you will not actually be eating it. You actually take about a teaspoon (or more depending on your bathtub size) and run it under the bath water. Now, your probably asking what does wasabi have to do with detoxing??? Well, when you add it to your bath it increases your blood circulation through your organs and promotes oxygenation of your body tissues, which help clear your cells from waste. Just make sure when you are soaking in the bath that you remember to drink plenty of water! If you want to check out the actual article click here!

Start Drinking From Your Tap Water!

2009-07-31T21:02:00.000-07:00

Even though your tap water has a funky taste to it and it feels as if its not safe to drink, it actually is! Also it has floride in it (you know, the stuff the use at the dentist to whiten/strengthen your teeth after a cleaning). Basically, its really good for you but you just can't get over the weird flavor, right? Well all you have to do it squeeze lemon juice in it! That's right, lemon juice it'll eliminate that flavor and it will taste great. Plus on top of all that your saving plastic because your not drinking bottled water constantly! If you think of it the way I do, you'll actually be saving money too! Not just from not buying bottled water, but from not buying all that nasty, chemical filled, teeth whitening kits! Its amazing when you truely think about it how much you are helping yourself and the Earth by just drinking tap water!

Stores Can Be Good Influences!

2009-07-04T09:05:00.000-07:00

There has been this new trend that has been traveling all over different states. Its recycling your plastic bags from shopping. Now stores such as Walmart and Target have been putting up bins where you can deposit your old plastic bags. I've seen a lot of these bins filled to the rim which is such a breakthrough, people if there isn't a recycle bin in clear view will probably not go out of their way to recycle. Since big stores like this have been putting up these bins smaller stores will soon follow in their foot steps. Now if there is a store that isn't doing this in your area then you should request them to start doing it! Hopefully this trend will be contagious and travel even further! All you have to do is ask and it can help Mother Earth. Small things like this can make a big difference!

Cash, Debit, or Credit???

2009-06-26T13:15:00.000-07:00

Did you know that if you use your Debit or Credit card it actually helps the environment? Well the way it helps is money takes a lot to make. So if you put your money in your bank account automatically it will the recycle the cash back out, which means there will not be a for more money to made. Also using Debit and Credit cards is actually a lot safer (and easier) than money. If you were to lose cash you would never get it back but if you lose your card you just have to cancel that one and order a new one! There really is no reason you shouldn't start using your cards more! Also there is a new way to swipe/use your card where you only have to wave it over the key pad. If the total purchase is under 25 dollars then you don't have to sign. How easy is that? Especially if your in a hurry! There is a new thing out now where you can customize your cards too! You can put your own picture on there or chose a picture they have! A lot cuter than money right? I know I'm going to start carrying my Debit card, what about you?

Organix Shampoo

2009-06-20T15:31:00.000-07:00

If your looking for a new organic shampoo then you must check out Organix. Its a drugstore brand shampoo that is certified organic. There are twelve different scents and each one smells amazing. Such as, coconut milk, shea butter, teatree mint, mandarin olive oil, vanilla silk, whitetea grapeseed, mocha espresso, cucumber yogurt, pomegrante green tea, lavender soy milk, grapefruit mango butter, and passionfruit guava. I, myself have the coconut milk and I am very pleased with it. The lather is amazing and I've gotten many compliments on how good my hair smells. Also the best thing about the smell is it lasts the whole day! Each scent has a shampoo and a conditioner and they are $6.99 a piece. Which is not bad, especially when drugstores such as Walgreens has buy one get one free sales! The bottles that the product comes in are 100% recyclable. They even have their own billboard in Time Square New York! To learn more about the product click here!

Flying Anytime Soon?

2009-06-13T18:23:00.000-07:00

On airplanes you usually get a complementary beverage when flying. (Depending on what airline you fly.) Think how many people everyday get those little plastic cups that your drink is poured into. Now, think about how many people throw that cup away after they finish their drink and then ask for another soda and get a new cup! Scary, right? That's a lot of plastic and aluminum being wasted! There is an easy solution to eliminating some of the plastic being wasted. All you have to do is instead of getting a plastic cup to pour your drink into, just drink from the can. When asking for your beverage just politely tell the stewardess you'll drink from the can. Most likely they will be happy to do that for you. I mean hey, its less work for them and the planet! It also might even be more sanitary! If your not able to drink it from the can, then just hand on to the plastic cup until the next round of drinks. Don't throw it away until you know they are done serving drinks in case they want to give you more! Now if your feeling extra green hold on to your plastic cup or aluminum can and take it off the airplane to recycle when you land! Yes, one person can make a difference. Share this cool tip around and maybe if more people talk about it they might stop using mini plastic cups on the plane!

Simple Green

2009-06-02T14:09:00.000-07:00

The other day I was cleaning out the garage and I had to mop the floors. I was digging through all our cleaners until I came upon one I really liked. It was called Simple Green. It was a cleaner that was for floors, bathrooms, kitchens, and more. All you have to do is pour a little bit in the bottom of the bucket your going to be using to clean with. (Trust me on this one, a little goes a long way!) Then add water to it, it foams up right away. Usually eco-friendly products kind of have a bad smell to them or they just smell organic, well this product is not like that at all! It smells fresh and clean, sort of like evergreens. Another thing that is fun about this product is its bright green! I believe that Simple Green works just as well as any other cleaner, even better since your saving the Earth! Its made specially so that when you dump your water it biodegradable and won't harm any plants or insects where ever you dump it. They are also non-toxic so no need to worry about that harsh ammonia smell you get from other cleaners such as windex and clorox. Man, sometimes those smells just suffocate me and I need to stop for like five minutes just to catch my breath! I highly, highly, highly, reccomend Simple Green! This product line has so many different options! From tile cleaner to concrete and driveway cleaner! You can find it at places such as your local grocery store, Walmart, and Target!

Sun Chips New Decomposable Bag.

2009-05-27T17:07:00.000-07:00

Just when you think that Sun Chips could not get any more eco-friendly, they do! Now their goal is to get a fully decomposable bag by Earth Day 2010! Already this brand makes their chips healthy and Earth friendly, by making the chips with Solar Power and packing 18 grams of whole grains per serving! That's about once slice of whole wheat bread! They also are low in salt, saturated fat, and have 30% less fat than regular potato chips! These chips are now my favorite chip brand! I love eating them they taste delicious and are guilt-free! There are four different flavors! They are Original, Garden Salsa, Harvest Cheddar, and French Onion. Mmmmmm, delicious (: I have tried every flavor and I really love them. Its an easy swap out for regular potato chips. If you would like to learn more about the Solar Powered Plant check it out here!

Try Using A Water Bottle!

2009-05-18T15:41:00.001-07:00

Recently, I learned something pretty scary. In bottled water, the plastic has toxins in it. These toxins are not let out until the water bottle is heated. For instance, leaving it in the car during Summer, being stored outside at the grocery stores, or being stored at the big warehouses until someone orders a shipment. Scientists always say not to reuse water bottles if the bottle had gotten hot. Now over the years they are discovering more and more about plastic which in result is telling us how deadly they can really be. These toxins have been proven to cause cancer over a slow period of time. At first when you hear about them they don't sound like anything to worry about when really they are deadly.

Here are a few do's and don'ts:

Don't drink water that has been in a hot car
Don't buy water that is sitting out in front of the grocery store odds are they have the same exact deal/brand inside where its cool
Do buy a safe reusable water bottle. Buying a water bottle is probably the safest precaution you can take.
You know where the water has been and if its hot or not.

I have been using a water bottle for almost four months now. It keeps your water cool longer, saves the Earth (no plastic is being wasted from bottle water), more quantity, and saves you money (you don't have to buy bottle water!) Another thing is you can customize your own water bottle and make it cute! This way you'll want to carry a reusable water bottle instead of a boring ol' plastic one! Everyone please take this post seriously and think about your Health!

The Easiest Green Tips!

2009-05-11T21:54:00.000-07:00

I just gathered some tips that I knew and that I researched and combined them all together! These are just very simple ways to keep your Earth living strong!

Stop idling your car! This is a very easy way to waste gas and pollute the air!
Turn off your computer! If you aren't going to use in less than 20 minutes then put it into sleep mode or turn it off! Keeping your computer off if your not going to use it can save enough energy a day to light one medium sized room for a week!
Set your washer to use cold water! It saves energy because it will not have to heat up the water! Plus you won't have to worry about your washer shrinking your clothes!
Pay bills online, it saves paper, enough said!
Print on two sides of the paper!
Did you know that 100 million trees and 28 billion gallons of water are used to send junk mail each year! Who would of guess that they need water to send mail? You can stop junk mail by signing up at a website called DMA Choice! It only costs one dollar and think how many trees your saving!
Carpooling, anyone? Like they always say one is the loneliest number (in a car!).
Instead of using plastic and paper grocery bags invest in a good canvas bag that you can reuse!
One your incandescent light bulbs burn out change to florescent!
Conserve water by turning off the sink when you brush your teeth, only do full loads of wash, and try taking 5 minute showers!
Stop buying bottled water and try buying big jugs that are refillable! Plus you can get cute little water jug holders that you can have decorated to match your house or any holiday!
Unplug objects when not in use!

Organic Hand Wipes and Sanitizer!

2009-05-06T18:48:00.000-07:00

About the past two weeks we all have been having a Swine Flu scare. Now it isn't as deadly as they are making it though. (I talked to my mother's friend who's a nurse about this, she said the media is over-reacting.) Anyway, there is still no reason to stop washing our hands! I was thinking about how many chemicals there are in hand sanitizer and hand wipes that could harm us. So, I did some research and found some really good organic options. These products are by EO and are vegan. They have ingredients such as, Lavender Oil, Aloe Vera, and organic alcohol. There is hand sanitizer and hand wipes by them that have lavender in them. The really cool thing about the wipes is that they are biodegradable! I thought that this was so neat I had to do a post on it! You can find these products on Amazon and Drugstore.com

Something As Easy As...

2009-04-29T16:46:00.000-07:00

Taking your shoes off before you enter your house can help the environment. How you may ask, well since your shoes have dirt on the when you walk inside it tracks it through the house. Then making you either to have to vaccum or mop up the dirty mess. That wastes electricity, water, and not to mention all your soap! If you just have a desginated area where you put your dirty shoes it can keep your house looking tidy and your floors clean all while saving the Earth. Everyone remember, even if you help a little bit it goes a long way! Make everyday Earth Day in your home!

Happy Earth Day!

2009-04-22T15:09:00.000-07:00

Wooooo! Its Earth Day everyone! I'm so excited! It makes me happy every time I see someone participate! Today at my school they turned out all the hallway, cafeteria, and some classroom lights! It made me so happy! Plus it was kinda of cool to sit in the dark! Right now I have all my lights off in my room and I have my blinds open to soak up all that natural lighting (: Today I'm just going to tell you guys some easy tips to do and share with your friends and family!

Instead of putting your laptop/computer in sleep mode put it in hibernation! Its basically the same accept it saves more energy and your battery.
Instead of using a table lamp opt for using candle light, it'll save you money and make your house smell good!
During the day if its really bright in your house don't bother to turn on the lights. Get your daily amount of Vitamin D and open all your shades and blinds!
Try finding re-usable coffee filters! This will save you a major amount of cash.
Switch your washing machine dial to use cold water! Did you know that 80-90% of energy of washing clothes goes into heating the water.
Remove yourself from bulk mailing lists. It'll save paper!
Recycle your plastic and paper grocery bags!
Try using non-toxic soap when washing the dishes!
Switch from a stove-top kettle to a electric plug in one! It takes a lot more energy to heat up one on the stove because its on there a lot longer than an electric one. An electric on takes less than half the time of a stove.
When going out to dinner try to bring plastic containers to store your leftovers in instead of using the restaurants disposable ones.
Try installing a low-flow shower head, it'll save tons of water each time you shower.
Do not dump cooking oil, grease, or poultry fats down your sink. Its really hard on your plumbing, and it hurts the environment as well. How you may ask, well it kills all the pollution fighting bacteria and ends up going into our beautiful ocean killing even more creatures. Instead wait until all the gooky stuff cools then put it into a plastic bag and dispose of it in your regular garbage can.

Even though these tips seem like they can't help, they will. Each small step you take to make yourself a greener person it helps the Earth in a long run. Have a Happy Earth Day!

Lemon, Help You!

2009-04-13T20:46:00.000-07:00

Lemons are not only good for lemonade now, they are great for disinfecting. Instead of using that dirty ole' sponge, slice a lemon down the middle and crush it flat. Then go ahead and clean the counters, stove, sink, and even the inside of your fridge! It'll make everything smell good too! So put away that air freshener! Now you have the power of lemon. Its wayyyy less hazardous than any other cleaner. Plus you know the ingredients (since its just a lemon!). If your a bit lazy (or you just don't want to constantly use up a lemon) you can squeeze out all the juice from one or two lemons and then put into a spray bottle mixed with water. Then voila, your own disinfectant! This tip will save you a great amount of money and if you are a lucky one with a lemon tree in there backyard then that's even better! There is no reason not to start using lemons!

An Organic Nail Polish.

2009-04-06T17:01:00.000-07:00

Change your nail polish now! There is a brand I found out about called Suncoat, it has all organic or vegan products such as foundation, nail polish, and nail polish remover! Did you know that regular nail polish has chemicals (such as, toluene and amyl, butyl and ethyl acetate. I can't even pronounce those) in it that are neurotoxin. Toluene has even been proven to trigger some asthma attacks! Scary, right? Another freaky thing is that our nails are porous (meaning they are like pores on our face) and they can allow these toxins to get into our bloodstreams! To check out the nail polish click here! Suncoat is a water-based nail polish that has no toxins that hurt you or the Earth in it. The way this polish helps the environment is, all the other non-organic nail polishes have the toxins in it which absorb in to the air and can potentially harm the environment, while Suncoat polish doesn't!

New Eco-Font!

2009-04-04T23:02:00.000-07:00

So I was just searching the web, as usual, and came across this really cool new font. Its called eco-font, now its suppose to save ink whenever you print it. The font is designed with little white holes in it (like cheese) which when printed don't need ink to fill them and are instead left blank. It saves up to 20% of printer ink each print. Now that'll save you some money when buying printer ink. Download the font here! Also, while being in such an eco-friendly mood with using the font and such, you such really try to recycle your ink cartridges! Learn how to here!

Sexy People Recycle!

2009-03-30T20:42:00.000-07:00

Since I know you all already recycle, (: I found this sweet tip! When you are throwing away your cans and stuff you usually rinse them out, right? Well stop! It turns out all you have to do is empty the can (if its full) and just put it in your recycling bin. There are high powered water jets that rinse them with recycled water! Basically, if you rinse them and then throw them away they are getting rinsed twice! This also will save YOU time! Its a win, win situation! Woo! Go Mother Earth! This is kinda off subject but if you guess ever go to Disney World make sure you go on Living With The Land and Spaceship Earth. These are both really awesome rides. Living With The Land is more of an Eco-friendly ride. Its a must!

A Friendly Reminder,

2009-03-28T12:54:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Don't forget, that Earth Hour is today from 8:30- 9:30! Please all try to participate. Even if you can't do it a full hour it will still help the Earth! Even Google turned out their lights!

Mediocre Mouthwash.

2009-03-26T20:13:00.001-07:00

Did you know that your mouthwash can be harming the Environment? There is plant killing chemicals in it that flow back into the ocean also killing underwater life. A few damaging chemicals in it are formaldehyde, sodium lauryl sulfate, polysorbate, and Cetylpyridinium Chloride. What a mouthful; each one of these chemicals somehow manage to make sea creatures suffer, until they actually die. A great alternative to mouthwashes, that is very eco-friendly, is a saltwater gargle. You just add as much salt as you can to a glass of water until it can no longer dissolve. Then swish around in your mouth for about 30 seconds and spit. This is also a great teeth whitener. Now if you aren't too fond of saltwater then you can either try these mouthwash recipes or this mouthwash. A special thank you to Green Living Tips, for the information. Have a nice day! Don't forget to stop and smell the beautiful flowers this Spring!

Achoo!

2009-03-24T21:48:00.000-07:00

When its Spring time, a lot of us get Spring allergies. Which means the sniffles and sneezing all over the place! A great way to reduce waste is instead of using disposable tissues to blow your nose, is to invest in a good handkerchief. This is very beneficial toward you. Not only will it be softer on your nose, but it can save space in the dump. Think about it, when you buy tissues you have to basically throw away the whole product. Once you get a box of tissues you have to open it, which is wrapped in plastic which you throw away. Then you use a Kleenex which once again you eventually throw away. When all the tissues are gone then you (hopefully) recycle the container! Tissues can add up to a high amount of money each year. Just buy a bulk back of organic handkerchiefs (click here) and you good to go. Saving the Earth and money one tissue at a time. These special organic hankies aren't bleached or made with hard chemicals. Plus they aren't ever dispensed with a box! If you want to keep the hankies smelling sweet, try adding a few drops of essential oil to the last rinse! If you don't want to go out and buy hankies try to find an old shirt and cut it up in to squares or use an old worn wash clothe.

Earth Hour!

2009-03-19T12:02:00.000-07:00

Great news everyone, Earth hour is back! Now if your new to going green, Earth hour is when you turn off all your lights, TV, anything that uses electricity for one full hour. It will be taking place on March 28, 2009 at 8:30 pm. This is like letting our Mother Earth have a day off at the spa. It rejuvenates, and will allow the Earth to work harder. I will remind you guys by posting about it on the actual day! Click here, to check out a video about it. Go Mother Earth!

Where's Your Green-Spot?

2009-03-13T21:56:00.000-07:00

Did you know that you can really help the Earth by just placing your fridge in a good spot? Refrigerators already use a lot of energy and there isn't really a way that you can just turn off the fridge at night without all your food going bad. If it is placed where it is a bit warmer such as by the stove, oven, dishwasher, or even in direct sunlight it can make the fridge use more energy. So rethink about where to place your fridge. Not only will moving the fridge be good for the environment but it will be good for you too because it will run more smoothly and save energy. If you really want to step up your game try looking for Energy Star appliances.

A Simple Tip For Going Green.

2009-03-09T16:03:00.000-07:00

A simple way to help the Earth that anyone can do! Instead of buying one shampoo and one condition, get a 2 in 1 Shampoo. It will have your shampoo and conditioner in one. Now this helps the environment in many ways! It saves plastic because your only recycling one bottle, it saves energy when they ship over the products, and you are saving time in the shower, which saves more water! This is a tip that will not only help the Earth but maybe give you a few extra minutes in the morning or at night! A great product that is a 2 in 1 shampoo is Herbal Essence, they just came out with a new product like this! They have almost all your favorite original shampoos converted into one! So there's no reason you shouldn't switch! They have Color Me Happy, Hello Hydration, Body Envy, Dangerously Straight, and Totally Twisted. You can keep your hair looking fabulous and the amount of shampoo bottles thrown out every year! If you want to check out the product click here!

Rechargable Batteries!

2009-03-08T18:37:00.000-07:00

These are probably the coolest rechargeable batteries I've ever seen! The way they recharge is you pop off the top of them and there is a USB plug that connects to your computer! Did you know 15 million batteries are thrown away each year! That's enough to make a column to the moon and back! These rechargeable batteries are a bit pricey but they would be worth the money. Think how much you would save on batteries a year! It costs 20 dollars for a two pack of the rechargeable batteries. Now, if you can't afford this or your not willing to pay that much, no problem. There are other brands of rechargeable batteries such as, duracel or energizer. Here's the website for the rechargeable batteries.

Replace Your Night Light!

2009-03-08T16:32:00.000-07:00

Did you know that there are eco-friendly night lights? Well now you do! That's right you can now replace your savior of middle of the night toe stubbing with one that helps the environment! There are a few different types you can get, ones with a timer, motion detector, or ones that turn on and off when light hits it! If you can't find any of these (or just don't like them) try to find one with an LED light instead of a regular bulb. This can save you money and the Earth! So its very beneficial. Check out this awesome night light!

Tip Of The Day!

2009-03-06T14:57:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, I found out this really cool tip! Its about dryer lint! Did you know that lint can be composted? You can put it in your garden and it will disintegrate! Also a few other things that you can compost in your dryer are the Sunday Comics, tea bags, leather dust, pet hair, your hair, freezer burned fruit, and grocery receipts! Just make sure that when you are putting the dryer lint into your garden that you didn't use a dryer sheet with it! This way the compost will be chemical free. Making the world greener one tip at a time!

First Post!

2009-03-04T15:44:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, Its me Tori from Tips By Tori! I've started a new blog! Yippee! Its about going green and how it can effect your life and the world. There will be plently of things such as green beauty, living, and much more! Anything that I can find that can help the planet I will post! The blog is still not fully up and running so please be patient!

Going, Going, Green !!!