Archive for the ‘Green Living’ Category

Sustainable Friday: Eco Tools

Friday, September 3rd, 2010

Hey! Just a quick Sustainable Friday post to share my most recent love, my bath sponge!

Mine was in desperate need of replacing and I came across this one by Eco Tools made out of recycled plastic. It’s the same price as the a non-recycled plastic sponge ($1.99) but better because it’s recycled. :) I found it at my local Target store not by all the body washes where you’d think it’d be, but instead up by the eco-products in the makeup section (by Burt’s Bees). I love that when it’s all torn up and worn out I can just throw it in the recycling bin! One less thing in the landfill, yeah!

Sustainable Friday: A Throw Away Culture

Friday, August 20th, 2010

I thought this infographic was incredibly interesting. It’s actually showing Great Britain, a country that does a better job at recycling than the US.

Here in Charlotte we just started being able to recycle plastic #3-#5 and #7 on top of #1 and #2. They also added in things like aerosol cans and wax coated OJ cartons. When I first moved here it was so odd to throw away tons of things because when I lived in Arizona I’d been recycling nearly everything since elementary school.

What about where you live, how’s the recycling system?

Recycling

Infographic by Recycle – Don’t bin it, recycle it

Sustainable Friday: Bottled Water

Friday, August 13th, 2010

This is a really interesting infographic about bottled water. I like that it address how clean water, a necessity and human right (in my opinion), is becoming a commodity. It’s also interesting to see what a marketing scam markets have pulled with the claim that it’s cleaner than tap. (If needed, click the link to make it larger.)

Instead of bottled water, I fill up my BPA free Camelbak, stick it in the fridge overnight and refill multiple times a day.

Sustainable Friday: Cosmetics

Friday, August 6th, 2010

When it comes to cosmetics, in particular make-up, I struggle finding green products I love. Yes, I have a body wash and shampoo that are both 100% plant based, but I love my foundation and mascara that aren’t green.

The truth is, I just haven’t found a green company that even comes close to the make-up I love. So what’s a girl to do when an unregulated industry is knowingly putting poison in their products and labels like natural and herbal really mean nothing?

First off, do your research. Cosmetics Database is a great place to check out your products and see what ingredients they contain and what the chemicals are known to cause. I checked everything from my lotion to my foundation.

Then, watch this excellent short (8-minute) video which does a great job of explaining this issue. I learned a lot and am completely recommitted to finding green products I love.

Sustainable Friday: Catalog Choice

Friday, July 30th, 2010

I’ve discussed this topic a few times before because it’s seriously something I have a love/hate relationship with. Love because I adore catalogs. I eat up the pretty pictures and styling of a select few, ahem, J.Crew. Hate because I seem to get added onto a million catalog and junkmail lists I don’t want. Additionally,  I think about how millions of trees are cut down each year just to produce them. Not to mention the toxic ink chemicals that go into printing!

So, when I think about it that way, the pretty pictures I love looking at are so easily replaced by online shopping and my desire to help the environment.

Which is why I mention Catalog Choice again… I seriously love their service. I haven’t visited in 2-3 months and was able to check the status of a few I’d submitted awhile back but am still receiving. I also submitted to have a few companies notified again since apparently the first time didn’t work!

If you have 10-15 minutes this is such a great, easy way to help the environment, cut down on the sh-t you have to wade through in the mailbox and help cut down on the never ending clutter we all seem to accumulate in our lives!

Sustainable Friday: Vintage Shopping

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

As a newish homeowner I’ve been decorating on-and-off for months. As part of my desire to live a greener lifestyle and let’s be honest, have a stylish, unique home, I partake in vintage shopping. Not only is it reusing and recycling, two green principles, I get awesome stuff for a steal!

Here’s a sampling of the goodies I’ve picked up the last two trips to Sleepy Poet, my absolute favorite vintage shop in Charlotte. Sleepy Poet, by the way, has seriously stepped it up in the last few months and their styling has become much better. If you haven’t visited in awhile or felt overwhelmed the last time you were there I recommend you check it out again.

A perfect storage console. It has a travertine top, tightly woven rattan doors, ample amounts of storage and amazingly fits in our hallway perfectly.

Blenko Glass candlestick holders.

A fun mixed drink or iced tea pitcher. Way prettier than all clear glass.

Faux bamboo brass picture frame and solo sterling silver candleholder. (That’s the stock picture that came in the frame. Something else will be replaced soon!)

Now here’s the kicker, would you believe if I told you all of this together cost less than $225?! Yep, it’s true! Vintage shopping is green and economical!

Happy shopping!

Sustainable Friday: Read

Friday, July 16th, 2010

As a lover of all things design, when my friend Rachel posted about his book I immediately was off to check it out. EcoDesign: The Sourcebook features some of the coolest, environmentally friendly products I’ve every seen. In the book, you’ll find electronics, furniture, appliances and vehicles with each item including a photo and description. Very cool and definitely worth adding to your coffee table book collection if you’re design focused, eco-minded or eco-curious.

New Feature: Sustainable Friday

Friday, July 9th, 2010

As I’m sure most of you know, I try and live a sustainable life. I use reusable bags, buy local and organic when possible, use green cleaning products etc. I’m by no means perfect and could do so much more, but I do what I can.

Anyway, through my company (which is going to have a big announcement soon!) I’ve become connected to two “green” networks here in Charlotte. So, in order to help promote what I learn through them, I thought I’d start a new thing here on Fridays where I introduce you to a new product, new website or just share an interesting article. I’ll call it Sustainable Friday and hope you enjoy it!

What would the world look like if everyone consumed like me? Pretty interesting to think about, huh?

As we all know, American’s are pretty into consumerism. I certainly like new to me things. (I say that because I do love vintage home shopping and get super excited about vintage scores on Ebay.) Anyway, this quick, fun interactive quiz was put together by American Public Media and is really interesting. I learned tons about both the way I’m living and my habits in general. I hope you’ll do the same. And, don’t forget to let me know what you think!

Landfill Tour Recap

Friday, May 21st, 2010

{My AIGA Charlotte Chapter tour group after we literally drove on top of the BFI landfill. Pictures of the actual landfill are not aloud so instead we snapped this in the nature preserve that’s right next to it.}

RECAP:
When I was preparing to tour BFI Landfill, I had this vision in my head of what it would look like.

The picture was a huge hole in the ground, carved out of the side of a mountain and bigger than several football fields. In my head, it was filled with anything and everything. I saw bikes, tires, plastic bottles, bags, food scraps and packaging material. I saw recyclables too. I’m quite certain this preconceived notion and fear was brought to life in my mind because of the unregulated dump that existed in my hometown during the 1980s. But boy, I was wrong. Instead, I left the landfill feeling educated and informed about my waste.

First a little economics lesson as surprisingly, trash and economics go hand-in-hand. Recycling came to be in the Northeast because they were running out of space for landfills. States were paying lots of money to ship their garbage to the Midwest and South. Here in Charlotte things were different. We didn’t have the space limitations and so, recycling had not been an economic necessity. Instead, it has come along because of environmental rather than economic concerns. But times are changing the larger Charlotte becomes.

So lets get into the nitty gritty. BFI is located near Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord. In fact, the speedway is built on top of an older filled landfill as are the camping grounds. Cool Fact: Because of the methane gas that’s constantly emitted, ground fires are not allowed on the grounds. Another Cool Fact: Within the area surrounding the speedway, there are five separate landfills, with one, BFI, in active use.

BFI Landfill is a 300-something acre site that handles all of Mecklenburg County’s residential waste. It does not handle construction/demolition waste, yard clippings, hazardous or medical waste. Daily, BFI disposes of approximately 4,000 tons of Charlotte’s waste. At the current rate the landfill is expected to meet capacity within 15 years.

What exactly is a landfill? What goes into creating one? Since the early-1990s(which doesn’t sound all that long ago) all landfills, including BFI, have a synthetic liner and several feet thick layer of clay designed to prevent leaching and treat leaching. It also has a method to capture methane gas and turn it into energy. When you fill your trash can, the dump truck picks it up along with hundred of your neighbors. At the end of the day the truck driver goes to the landfill, drives to the top of the mountain and dumps his truck. There is no sorting. So if you throw something away that’s bad for the environment it’s in there. The trash goes into a compactor, and is then mixed with dirt, layered and pushed in place by a bulldozer. As Brad Green, Manager of BFI Landfill said, “a landfill is breathing and living in the sense that it’s always changing.” It’s constantly settling and is monitored on multiple levels. Once the landfill is full, it’s covered with an impermeable layer several feet thick to protect from water entering. Then it’s covered with several feet of dirt and typically used for some type of non-intrusive use. For example, a golf course or a park with no trees as the roots could impact the integrity of the liner. Because it’s settling, landfills are not suitable for heavy weight building so no homes or shopping plazas are allowed. Post closure care and monitoring take place for decades.

One of the most surprising things I learned was that because of current federal restrictions, the chances of getting a new landfill approved in Charlotte are slim to none. Also, it didn’t smell as bad as I thought it would… although I think residents who live nearby would disagree but then when you purchase next to a landfill (which was there before the houses) what can you expect?!

The fact of the matter is, trash will never go away. Seeing the landfill was fascinating. It’s massive. If we want to reduce our waste increasing what we can recycle is a step in the right direction. But ultimately, mindful consumption and reduction of what we need to throw away is the surest way.

P.S. THIS IS NOT THE BFI LANDFILL. But, it’s pretty much what it looks like as your waste is being placed.

Oil Spill Infographic

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

This oil spill has made me so frustrated about the energy situation here in the US. As most of you know, I volunteer with SustainCharlotte as well as make every effort I can to be green. Safe green alternative energy sources exists, why are so many people (especially the decision makers) so opposed to investing in them instead of having short sighted solutions to our energy issue?

A whole industry, not to mention wildlife are being negatively impacted. Check out this infographic to learn more about the damages and cost of this spill. (Click the link to make it larger.)

P.S. I learned this from the Fast Company website where I found the infographic, “If the oil well causing the spill isn’t plugged in 50 days, it will overtake Exxon Valdez as the largest oil spill in U.S. history.” Also, what the graphic doesn’t mention is that “the oil rig causing the spill originally sank on April 20th–meaning that we’re already 16 days in, while capping the well might take up to 90 days. Not to mention what happens if the well-head goes completely belly up–in that case, the spillage rate will increase many fold.”

Via Fast Company

The Facts

Friday, April 16th, 2010

I find this to be so fascinating. Let’s get away from bottled water America!

The Facts About Bottled Water

Red Goes Green

Friday, April 9th, 2010

It’s no secret that I love Target. I could spend hours browsing the aisles and finding all sorts of goodies I didn’t know I needed. So when I read about their new green initiatives I fell in love with them a little bit more. Check these out:

- Get 5 cents off your total purchase for every reusable bag you use.
- Target is now partnering with NextWorth to offer recycling of used electronics. Send in your old device and get a Target gift card in return. How rad is that?!
- Every Target store now offers the convenience of recycling everything from plastic bags to plastic bottles and everything in between.
- Recycling 5 Target plastic bags = $1 toward a reusable one.
- On April 18 you get a free reusable bag with any purchase.

AND… they have a whole slew of initiatives they’re implementing to reduce their carbon footprint, reduce waste and conserve water. You can read about them here.

I seriously love Target so much.

Local Stops: Farm to Table Dinners

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

During the upcoming summer months local farm, Poplar Ridge, is offering a series of farm to table dinners accompanied by a lecture. For $65 you get beverages and a multiple course meal prepared by a local chef who is committed to supporting local, organic food. Past lecture topics have included sustainable agriculture, conservation, local food policy and more.

I’m thinking nothing could be better than enjoying a gourmet meal that’s only been picked hours earlier.  And having it served by a chef outside at a local farm. Who’s in with me?

Image: Danny Boyster

Product Review: Method Detergent

Friday, February 12th, 2010

This is my new favorite cleaning product. I know it’s not really exciting, but truthfully, after receiving a 25 load (yes 25 loads!) sample in my Alt goodie bag, I haven’t minded doing laundry as much!

I received the Fresh Air scent which is light and not perfumey at all. It smells clean. When I pulled out a set of towels over the weekend, they still smelled like the’d just come out of the dryer even though I’d washed them nearly three weeks ago.

As my regular readers know, I’ve transition into using only green cleaning and personal health products  and Method definitely doesn’t disappoint. I actually think I like this stuff better than the Kirkland brand I’ve posted about previously because it seems less harsh on my clothes. And bonus… I just received notice that Target is going to be carrying it! Yay!!!

Food, Inc.

Monday, February 1st, 2010

This movie made me cry. Not in a I’m so touched kind of way. But in a I’m so mad at the government kind of way.

Parts of the movie weren’t surprising. Especially in light of the information that has come out because of E-Coli poisonings. What was surprising to me was the proof that big corporations (not the FDA as the government says) are  regulating our food industry for their profit. And it’s hurting farmers, it’s hurting the American public and it’s hurting your health.

I learned the truth about corn. Why it’s inexpensive, why it’s bad, how it’s killing people and how it became this way. I learned about how small family farms are bullied into bankruptcy. How corporations consider themselves food engineers, not farmers and how and why genetically altered food isn’t labeled. I learned that 90% of some crops are controlled by one company. 90%! I even learned the truth about how some non-organic food is put through- hello- ammonia for cleaning!

I didn’t find many scenes to be disturbing visually or gross. The cold hard facts are enough to do that. More than anything though, this movie taught me the truth, it solidified my commitment to purchase organic food through our CSA, it has prompted me to only buy organic meat (I don’t clean my house with ammonia, why would I eat food that has been washed in it?!) and it has renewed my vow to help teach others.

I love our small farms. I want to know where my food comes from. I want workers to care about what they are producing for other peoples health, not how much is going into their pocket. And most of all, I am going to continue to vote with my dollars. Three times a day. The more people who purchase organic, the lower the prices will be. I definitely encourage you to watch the movie. Your body will thank you.

Related Posts with Thumbnails