Not a Chinese Junk, Our Junk!

A friend recently sent me a link to a very interesting blog. It is the story of a raft named Junk, and made of just that, junk! Made from 15,000 plastic bottles, Junk, as I type this, sails from California to Hawaii with a strong message aboard: Recycle! There is more trash and plastic in the North Pacific Ocean now than ever. It never completely breaks down and pollutes the ocean and it's inhabitants with various chemicals. The 2 man crew of Junk recently reach the halfway point of their journey and you can follow them day by day on their blog.

To check them out and to learn more visit http://junkraft.blogspot.com/ and spread the word. The more people who know of Junk and its message the stronger that message will be!

The Big Yellow Idler

Looking back, the yellow school bus provided pages and pages of childhood memories. I remember waiting in the freezing cold Colorado mornings for the bus to turn the corner so I could board and get the feeling back in my toes. I remember the windows that never quite went up or down all the way. And of course, the smell. Why is it that school buses always had that distinct smell!?!

The smell buses are better know for now are their emissions! But the EPA hopes to scrub the air clean of that. The National Idle-Reduction Campaign hopes to spread school to school and encourage bus drivers to turn off their engines while they wait for kids to load and unload in their masses. What better way to teach the future how to properly take care of the earth, than by showing them!

The EPA knows that idling buses are bad for the environment, a waste fuel and money, and are a cause for concern when it comes to the health of drivers, students and teachers. The catch is, that they need our help. They've provided all the tools you need to begin your own Idle-Reduction Campaign in your school district.

Just go to their website or direct:
http://epa.gov/cleanschoolbus/antiidling.htm

This News is Good News..

No news is good news, or at least the story goes. I did however recently discover Grist; a news blog focusing on environmental news and seasoned with a sense of humor. That in itself is good news!

Grist covers all the same categories as your daily paper or online news source. There are discussions and articles on politics, lifestyle, energy, parenting, and even celebrities. I even found myself shamelessly reading an article entitled, "The Hot Rancher Speaks." And yes, he was hot! I tried to read his answers to very important environmental questions but found the pictures distracting.

Grist makes catching up on the news a more enjoyable experience and I will definitely be on top of the world issues now that I've hooked into their RSS feed!


http://www.grist.org/

It's Not a Bad Search

I always feel like there is more I can do to help those less fortunate than myself. Between work, personal and social obligations, there is little left of my own time to donate to local charities. One thing I do everyday for hours is use the Internet. It would be too good to be true if I were able to double-bill my time to work and charity. Well, apparently Ken and JJ Ramberg had hoped for the same thing when they started GoodSearch.


GoodSearch is a search engine which donates half of its profits to charities and schools. You, the user, designate the charities, and neither you nor the charities spend a cent of your own. They've also recently added GoodShop with the same idea. Various percentages of purchases made on Goodshop go to user designated schools and charities.

So, be sure to go some good searching and good shopping. You have nothing to loose and someone else has everything to gain.

GoodSearch
GoodShop


www.peezandques.com

Craft Republic Fair 2007

Time has flown, but the Craft Republic craft fair is upon us. If you are looking for something to keep you occupied tomorrow come check us out.
I know that a craft fair in itself may not be enough to convince you to drive to the Pomona Fairplex, however, there are actually several events to check out tomorrow. Go to their events page

Remember, you can get some of your holiday shopping out of the way while supporting hand-made! And, I would love to see you all!

Craft Republic Fair 2007
Saturday, Nov. 10th 11 am-7 pm
Millard Sheets Art Gallery @ the Pomona Fairplex
1101 W. McKinley Ave, Pomona
Admission $2, Kids under 11 free.

Have Your Teeth Suffered?

The aftermath of Halloween... oh how our chompers suffer! A plethora of candy and sweets will be eaten between now and the time you take your New Year's resolution. Now is the time to make sure you, and your kids, are taking proper care of your pearly-whites.

To keep your oral care green, be sure to find earth friendly products. I like Tom's fennel toothpaste. It takes a little bit to get used to non-mint toothpaste, but I find my morning breath is not nearly as offensive, not to mention it won't counter act any natural homeopathy remedies I may be on. Eco-conscious toothpastes are widely available and various brands (and flavors) can be found online. Drugstore.com has a great selection. Remember, you can find green options for every step of oral hygiene; tooth picks, floss, etc.


Not all natural toothpaste contains fluoride. If you do switch to organic you may notice an increase in your cavity count. Remember to swish with a fluoride rinse after you brush and floss. Now, instead of cavities, you can count your good eco-deeds.


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The Path Less Green

I know I've passed along these eco-footprint quizes before, but here's another. This eco-game created by American public Media asks a lot of good questions about your lifestyle. With each step of the game, you can see how many earth's it would take to support you, and the rest of the world, if we all lived with the same habits. I'm a pretty green-savvy gal, and I was very disappointed in my own score. I have some more work to do!


So, go to the Consumer Consequences game. You get to select a character and dress him/her up as ridiculously as you please. (mine was a little old lady sporting a bonnet and black dress buttoned up to the chin) You then choose your hood. Next step is answering the questions about the stuff you trash, the food you buy and the energy you use. When it is all done, you are given an idea of how wasteful, or not, you are. Then, after you've received your score you have the option to learn how to improve your score and compare yourself to other players.

This is a great way to show kids the impact they have, individually, on the earth!

Thanks for caring for Mama Earth!

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Tis the Season to be Crafty

The shopping frenzy that kicks off the holiday season comes swiftly. And with Black Friday comes craft fairs at churches, school yards and fair grounds. I love craft fairs. The goods are creative, well made, one of a kind and more affordable than items of equal quality at the mall.

If you live in Los Angeles County there are a couple you must check out. The best part is they are before Thanksgiving so you may get almost all your holiday shopping done and be able to avoid the horrific mall crowds entirely! Not to mention, I'll be there!

The Craft Republic Fair is on November 10th. www.crfair.com at the Pomona Fairplex.

Also on November 17th and 18th is the Saint Charles Borromeo School Holiday Boutique in North Hollywood. Part of the proceeds from this boutique go to support the school.
Saint Charles Borromeo School
10850 Moorpark Ave.
North Hollywood, CA 91602
(818) 508-5359


Don't forget, craft fairs usually have raffles. So, not only are you getting great stuff, but you might win something too! And most importantly, you are supporting your local small business people.


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The Green Behind the Mask

Most halloween parties and trick-or-treat get-togethers are this weekend. If you haven't already pieced together your perfect costume, then you are in a panic to look like anyone else but yourself at these festivals of candy.

The ultimate earth-friendly halloween costume is of course one that is rented or gently used. In Los Angeles, Fantasy Costume has a huge selection of costumes for pumpkin-carvers of all ages. Use Google, or your local yellow pages to find a costume rental near you. If you prefer to buy and alter a costume, try Ebay. But makes sure it's used to help preserve Mama Earth.
If you are handy enough, you can sew an earth friendly costume for you or your kiddos. There are lots of options in organic cotton and bamboo fabric these days. Martha Stewart and other craft websites have lots of costume ideas.

For those who couldn't be bothered with a costume at all, try this simple option.



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Sugar High

Who doesn't love a little sugar!?! I'm talkin' candy! With Halloween hastily approaching, we must accept that our children, will gorge themselves on sweets of all makes and models. At the very least, being of sound mind and adulthood, we should provide the lil' ghosts and ghouls with candy composed of ingredients they can actually read! No! I do not speak of corn syrup.

This year when you buy your treats for Halloween check out naturalcandystore.com or shopnatural.com. You'll be helping the children by not feeding them random chemicals and preservatives, and you'll be supporting companies doing their part to keep the world a greener place.

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Beachy Green

The South Bay of California is a place like none other. Beautiful weather, ocean breezes and small beach communities dot the coast off the Santa Monica Bay. Any given day at the beach you'll find the ocean providing fish to local fisherman and waves to surfers and swimmers. But the ocean can provide these things only if we care for it. One group who feared beach-life was in danger was the Heal the Bay organization.

Finding itself a dump site for trash and sewage, the Santa Monica Bay needed a hero. In 1985, Heal the Bay held rallies, involved the media and joined in lawsuits already pending against the City of L.A. for environmental abuse. These actions began the greatly needed process of healing for the coast off Los Angeles. Today the bay is not perfect, but much better than is was and is on the right track for further improvement.

It's easy to get involved. Heal the Bay has numerous volunteer opportunities, Adopt-a-beach groups, and of course monetary donations are always helpful. You can also participate in online petitions helping environmental causes, and other causes too of course!

So take a couple minutes for our oceans because it makes a world of difference for future generations.

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So Fresh and So Clean, Clean.

We are bombarded with cleaning options for our home, pets and ourself. A good majority of the products out there are not earth friendly. It's bad enough when we slather bottles of chemical-enriched lotions and soaps all over our skin (which by the way is our largest organ and absorbs into our body lotions and soaps that are put on it), but these same products get rinsed down our drains into our water sources during our daily shower or swim at the beach. So not only are you harming yourself, but you are also harming the earth around you.

I'll make it easy for you! Check out the products made by Ecos. They are in recyclable containers, not tested on animals, made with organic essential oils, and earth friendly. They have all the bases covered with products for the kitchen, laundry, personal care and even Rover can benefit from their eco-pet products.

My husband loves using the dish soap to wash down his beloved car, Benny, our Boston Terrier enjoys an after walk refresher with the pet wipes and I dig the hand lotion! What can I say, it's a family affair.

Check out Ecos.

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Mama's Preserves

I've been making a concerted effort to only purchase products that are on the green side. Sustainable, recycled, and recyclable. I'm lucky to live in one of the states that boasts a Trader Joes in every city. And, it was in Trader Joes that I discovered the Preserve toothbrush. It hadn't even occurred to me that a recycled toothbrush existed.

I purchased the brusher of teeth and have to say, I've been pretty happy with it. It is made by Recycline, a company also producing eco-aware tableware for single use, toothpicks and razors. The best part, is when you are done with your toothbrush, tongue cleaner or razor, you can return it to Recycline to have it recycled. And, as if you weren't sold already, they have a postage-paid label you can print off their website, so you don't pay a dime to recycle your goods!

No natural grocer in your area? Preserve products are also sold on their website!

Now go brush to greener teeth....


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The Green Street Journal

Investing in the stock market has never been second nature for me, but I do try to keep my investments green. Buying stocks is another way to support businesses doing their part in the fight for sustainability. I'm not suggesting you blindly invest in any company waving a green flag. Do your research and make smart investments.

One way to keep up with eco-business is GreenBiz.com. Articles from around the world are updated daily on this website. The stories are about businesses taking sustainability initiatives, statistics and research relating to earth-friendly products or approaches, and anything else you would expect to find in your daily newspaper, but with an eco-twist.

So, turn on your computer, curl up with your morning coffee (fair trade of course!) and catch up on your environmental news.


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I Would If I Could

I am in recycler's heaven. I have a bin on wheels in my driveway, and anytime I want, I can take my bag of recyclables to the big blue bin and I know they will be properly sorted and recycled. But many people still suffer the pangs of a neighborhood with no recycling.

When I first moved to Los Angeles I didn't have the option to recycle in my apartment building. But I went online and found a directory of local recycling centers on Earth 911. I was then able to bag my plastics, glass and paper and take them to a local center for recycling. Some centers will pay you back a deposit on the glass and aluminum but this is dependent upon the state in which you live.

While this is good for individual eco-advocates, I encourage you to talk to your home owners associations and begin a recycling program for your neighborhood or apartment complex. You can do the right thing for Mama Earth and help others in your community to do the same.


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