Don't throw away those pretty Christmas cards!!!

Instead of throwing away all of those pretty Christmas cards from friends and family, cut off the front of the card and use them as gift tags for next year. Depending on the size and design of the card, you can get up to 5 or 6 gift tags per card! This is something my mother has done for years and I always thought was so silly....now I realize that she's had a little bit of "green" in her all along! It won't save the world but it'll save you some money around the holidays and will provide you with lots of unique gift tags.

New Book Suggestion

Pam brought a book that looked interesting to our last Green Meeting. (She got it at her library) Almost Green

Blue Agave

This is one of the wholesome foods that Alyson mentioned in her food presentation so I thought I would give it a try. It is a natural sweetener that can be used in place of regular sugar. Alyson said she used it in place of syrup. When we were at my mom's for Thanksgiving she made pancakes one morning but forgot she only had a bit of syrup left. I brought out the Blue Agave and everyone used it instead of syrup. It was a BIG hit! I don't think anyone missed the syrup. (BTW check out the ingredients on your syrup bottle next time you use it..unless it is true maple syrup it is made of high fructose corn syrup) Cory now uses it to sweeten his oatmeal in the morning. Give it a try!

I fixed the drain!

So Cory was ready to call the plumber for our shower drain but he let me have one more shot at it. I used a lot of baking soda and vinegar but it worked! I poured boiling hot water down after the vinegar and baking soda (then let the hot shower run). I am so excited by this very green remedy!

Kathy's favorites

OK Leah - here's my product review ....finally! Be careful what you ask for.

I really like Kiss My Face Liquid Rock deodorant. It's a roll on that I got at Target. It does the job - no stink and it keeps me dry (which is no easy task!)

I am very happy with all of the method cleaning products, but I do like the Mrs. Meyers glass cleaner better because it doesn't streak.

I tried the laundry detergent Alison (our food presenter) recommended .It's called Biokleen - I got it at Whole Foods. It worked pretty well - the whites were brightened with the addition of Borax. The Seventh Generation detergent was a waste of money. I just bought Mrs. Meyers detergent this week and it's my favorite so far. It's a liquid, so I'm surprised that it cleans better than the Biokleen powder, but it really does.

As far as other things I've tried - I am using Seventh Generation paper towels, toilet paper, napkins, and Kleenex. It was hard getting used to the brown, but now we're there and I like them all. Sophie actually thanked me for buying the "expensive" toilet paper - it's 2 ply.

I went to Whole Foods about 2 months ago now and bought new foundation that I really like called Mineral Fusion. It goes on evenly and is a clean natural look.

Two shampoos I have been really happy with are an all-in-one John Masters Organics ($20 for the bottle, but I've had it for over 2 months - you don't need a lot!) and Desert Essence Organics - I got it at TJ Maxx for $4 / each instead of $8/ each at Whole Foods.

The Burt's Bees Baby Bees is what I'm using on the kids hair and bodies. It's a nice clean smell. Mike likes the Burt's Bees Men's soap and shave creme.

I bought the Jason hair gel for Mike and it's good, but DON'T buy the Jason deodorant for your man. Horrifying.

Overall I have had a hard time getting used to living without familiar smells. The Johnson's Baby with the kids was a total favorite. Bleach and Windex scents mean clean to me. I LOVED my perfume. And I liked the smells of Mike's products.

I am happy with the changes we have made though - it gives me peace of mind as a mother and a wife.

P.S. We just did a lot of painting with the green paint at Home Depot and it worked great. No paint stink, no head aches, and if you messed up, you could clean it with water, even after it was dry. Very happy with that paint. Worth the price.

Natural deodorant and BO

So I have tried Kiss My Face Active Enzyme deodorant (it's a stick) and it doesn't work at all! I would not suggest it unless you want to smell like you have been on Survivor!!

Truvia

I am skeptical, but this is supposed to be a new - natural - zero calorie sweetener. It will be interesting to watch and see how this plays out. See the attached link...

Ode to Borax

How much do I love thee Borax let me count the ways...

1. You make my laundry so much brighter when I add a 1/2 a cup to each load

2. You make our tub sparkle with just a touch

3. You get rid of odors in Hope's stinky diaper pale (this is quite a feat!)

I know clearly I need to get some sleep but I am just so excited by how well Borax works that I had to share. This is also a money saver since it has so many uses and is very inexpensive. We are now using this exclusively to clean our bathrooms. You can find it near the laundry items. Add a comment if you have other uses for Borax. Oh yeah and it is approved by Gorgeously Green!

Awesome resource for the holidays

Hi guys,

I can't recommend this site enough: http://www.simplifytheholidays.org/. (The parent site, http://www.newamericandream.org/, has a ton of great resources for sustainable living. I'm in love with their Alternative Gift Registry, which we should all recommend to any engaged or pregnant people we know!!) But as we all prepare for holiday festivities, I highly recommend the free, downloadable brochure "Simplify the Holidays." You have to sign up as a member to get it, which is totally free and totally worth it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Olivia's Organic Produce Coupons

Click on this link to sign up for Olivia's coupons. They are a local company and I really like there organic produce...mostly salad greens.

Organic Valley Coupons

Click on this link for coupons from Organic Valley - milk, cheese, etc.

Lunch Meat Sandwich Alternative

I have been struggling with what to eat for lunch if I do not want to use so much lunch meat and I came across this recipe. I know it sounds gross and I was definitely skeptical, but it is delicious. (I did not chill it over night like it says to) Try it and let me know what you think.

Needed Ingredients:

1/2 granny smith apple, unpeeled, sliced paper thin, 1 Tbls mayonnaise, 2 tsp honey mustard, 2 whole wheat wraps or flour tortillas, 4 slices cheddar, muenster or swiss cheese, 2 cups baby spinach leaves.

To Prepare: Mix mayo and mustard, spread wraps with mixture; layer with spinach, cheese, apple slices; fold and wrap tightly; refrigerate overnight.

Skin Care

I know a lot of you of looking into new skin care so I thought I would share my recommendation. I am using Aubrey's Organics and am really happy with it (i am using the rosa line for dry skin). My skin is really soft now...feel free to feel it next time you see me ;0) When I was in the health food store they suggested this line because they said it was the purest brand out there. Anyone else have any suggestions???

Clogged Drains

At our last meeting, Pam told us how she unclogged her drain using a combination of white vinegar and baking soda. Kathy told me that it only unclogged it for a short time and they ended up calling a plumber. Later that week I saw on tv a "green cleaning specialist" and he said that lots of people complained about this concoction not working. He then shared the secret to making it more effective...pour boiling hot water in the drain after the baking soda and vinegar. This is good to do for preventative maintenance as well.

Sustainable Farms

Here is a link to an article in the Boston Globe about Sustainable Farms in the Boston area. The farm I am hoping to join is one of the highlighted farms. Hopefully we can all find one in our area.

Food Presentation

Just want to thank Alyson and Becky for their amazing presentation on food at our last meeting. They definately made us think about what we are putting into our bodies. I have extra handouts for anyone who could not make it. Here are a few of the notes I took. (Ladies please post if you remember other items I forgot!)

Definately check out Alyson's website She has a ton of great information - I especially like her recipes(with pictures!) and book suggestions. (we also got a shout out on her page!) She includes the pumkin cake recipe that she made for us. She also lists her meals for the week which I love...not that I can make any of them yet ;0)

Becky recommended the book Nourishing Traditions which Tara and I ordered on Barnes and Nobles.

I am definately empowered to spend more time on our food choices. We have no idea what we are putting into our bodies everytime we eat. I am looking into purchasing grass fed beef from a farm in Vermont. I don't think I can ever eat ground beef that is not organic after the description she gave. (I will spare everyone the details!) Here is an article that she posted on her blog that I thought was very informative.

I would love it if people could start posting recipes since I know we were all inspired to make a few changes. (Johanna and Pam I know you each already have one that you could share). Also I think it would be great if we could try to find some cost saving ideas since organic food is more expensive.

(By the way I finally figured out how to make links in the postings so anything that is Green in my posting is a link to another site.)

Whole Foods Coupon

print a five dollar coupon...good until October 22nd.

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/products/wholedeal/index.php

Bakset Liners

A friend of mine forwarded me this website for bakset liners made locally in Dracut, MA.

http://www.thinkgreenbasketliners.com/

Minutes from Meeting III

Hi Ladies -

We started off by postponing our discussion on food until the October meeting so that we could all do some research on the topic. Book suggestions included Skinny Bitch and Omnivors Dilemma. Everyone can bring their research and share ideas with the group. We also talked about everyone bringing a "green" recipe and we could make a recipe packet. A recipe book I found that might help us is the Farmer's Market Cookbook.



www.earth911.org - This website has lots of great information and includes town specific info. You can also sign up for weekly tips to be sent directly to your email account.

www.goodmorningamerica.com - Go to the "Just One Thing" page and find all sorts of green tips.

www.sprigtoys.com - green toys that don't require batteries

www.marriott.com - lots of green ideas

Other Ideas:

Johanna shared some of her green ideas -
- Two paint choices: Mythic (Low Voc) adn Fresh Aire (No Voc)
- Preserve products made from recycled materials can be found at Target
- Green Fiber Instillation

Save Paper by printing on both sides of the paper - Sarah said Fidelity is going to have their printers default to this. I asked about this at NNHS and the head of technology was totally into the idea but did not think our printers were capable. Worth a shot to ask at work!

We also made body wash using Castille soap and essential oils (with vegetable glycerin as a thickening agent).

Thanks for another great meeting!!!

If anyone remembers anything I left off feel free to post!

Lousy Post

I can't find a link to that page anywhere - it was an email, but there's nothing on the Children's Museum sight -

Tuesday, Oct 14th 6 - 7:30

A Conversation About
Chemicals & Our Children

Learn how to create a healthy home for your family and how you can take action to ensure our children are safe from harmful chemicals.

Join us for a lively discussion about the impact of chemicals on our children, the importance of consumer products ingredient disclosure and the need for improved legislation.

This special evening conversation promises to be both educational and empowering.
OUR DISTINGUISHED PANEL:
Dr. Alan Greene - Panelist
Alan Greene, M.D., is a practicing pediatrician, renowned authority on family health and the author of Raising Baby Green: The Earth-Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Baby Care.

Jane Houlihan - Panelist
Jane Houlihan is the Vice President of Research at the Environmental
Working Group

Courtney Loveman - Panelist
Courtney Loveman serves as the Brand Mother at Seventh Generation.

Simran Sethi - Moderator
Simran Sethi is an EMMY awardwinning journalist, focusing on social and environmental sustainability

CHILDREN ARE WELCOME. FREE ADMISSION FOR ALL.

ATTENDEES WILL RECEIVE A SPECIAL GIFT FROM
SEVENTH GENERATION.
Hors D'oeuvres and Refreshments will be served.

***I'm sure their waiters won't be as wonderful as our usual waiter, but nothing's perfect!

Let me know if you're interested and I will RSVP for our group!

Thanks,
Kathy

Children's Museum Green Night!!!

Hi Ladies -
I got this email today and I am definitely interested in going to this. Hope some of you can join me!
Kathy

SEVENTH GENERATION AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING GROUP INVITE YOU TO ATTEND
		A Conversation About Chemicals & Our Children
		Tuesday, October 14, 2008
		6:00-7:30 PM
BOSTON CHILDREN'S MUSEUM • 300 CONGRESS STREET • BOSTON, MA

	OUR DISTINGUISHED PANEL: Dr. Alan Greene - Panelist Alan Greene, M.D., is a practicing pediatrician, renowned authority on family health and the author of Raising Baby Green: The Earth-Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Baby Care. Jane Houlihan - Panelist Jane Houlihan is the Vice President of Research at the Environmental Working Group Courtney Loveman - Panelist Courtney Loveman serves as the Brand Mother at Seventh Generation. Simran Sethi - Moderator Simran Sethi is an EMMY awardwinning journalist, focusing on social and environmental sustainability.		Learn how to create a healthy home for your family and how you can take action to ensure our children are safe from harmful chemicals. Join us for a lively discussion about the impact of chemicals on our children, the importance of consumer products ingredient disclosure and the need for improved legislation. This special evening conversation promises to be both educational and empowering. CHILDREN ARE WELCOME. FREE ADMISSION FOR ALL. ATTENDEES WILL RECEIVE A SPECIAL GIFT FROM SEVENTH GENERATION. Hors D'oeuvres and Refreshments will be served.
	PLEASE RSVP TO COHN & WOLFE: Nikki Wheaton at nikki.wheaton@cohnwolfe.com or 512-542-2834. For directions, transportation and parking information at Boston Children's Museum, please visit www.bostonkids.org.

how to recycle anything - real simple magazine

A co-worker of mine gave me a copy of this article from October's issue of Real Simple Magazine. I haven't finished reading it yet but thought I'd post the link out here for everyone to see.

http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/content/organize/0,21770,1835098,00.html

Boston Green Fest

Hello ladies - I just read about Boston Green Fest 2008, which is this Friday and Saturday (Sept. 26 and 27), 10 am - 5 pm, at City Hall Plaza (Government Center). This is what their website says:

Boston GreenFest 2008 is an entertaining education festival celebrating the many ways we can create a better world through greening our neighborhoods, our communities and the entire Boston area.

We will display and demonstrate many fun ways people can save energy and save money with products and systems available today.

Movies, music, art exhibits, virtual interactive experiences, youthTalks and much more...

Compost

Oh ladies- check out my compost- are you jealous of my pitchfork?

Turn your Trash into Treasure

Below is a green living article from the October 2008 Shape Magazine. The idea is that you can sign up to collect a certain type of item, such as energy bar wrappers, Capri Sun juice pouches, Bear Naked granola packets, corks and so on, that are not normally recycled. TerraCycle donates a token amount for these items to the organization of your choice and then turns them into totes, bags and other products. Some of the items to collect have a waiting list, but it is still worth checking out.

TURN YOUR TRASH INTO TREASURE

Sure, you recycle your newspapers, milk cartons and cans. Now, you can add chip bags, energy bar wrappers, juice pouches and wine corks to your list. TerraCycle, an eco-business that's teamed up with Kraft, is committed to "upcycling" - turning trash into useful products such as office supplies, totes and flower pots. Even better, it gives 2 cents per item collected to the organization of your choice, whether it's the Natural Resources Defense Council or your child's soccer team. The process is simple: Go to www.terracycle.net/brigades to sign up, pick your cause, then start collecting.
(Shape Magazine - Oct. 2008)

Lights Out Boston!

Check out this Boston.com article! Boston is going to start turning out lights in it's tallest office buildings - an effort that will save 25% in energy used for lighting!

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/articles/2008/09/03/lights_out_conservation_on_for_citys_tall_towers/

BPA Free Baby Products

Check out this website started by a nurse. Thanks Holly for the tip!
http://thesoftlanding.com/

Reusable Bags

Check out the website http://www.reusablebags.com/
I am most interested in their bags you can use for produce at the grocery store instead of the plastic bags. Let me know if anyone wants to make a purchase b/c we can save on shipping!

Stonyfield Company

Hi Ladies -
Stonyfield Farms is a local (NH) organic company that I am sure you have heard of. Just wanted to let you know that on their website you can download a bunch of coupons. http://www.stonyfield.com/

Also there is another local company that makes recycled products out of stonyfield Farms used yogurt cups. Check them out...
http://www.recycline.com/index.html

Boston's Plastic Bag Ban

At our last meeting, we discussed the many countries around the world that have banned the use of plastic bags....and why can't the USA catch on??? San Francisco has officially banned plastic bags and we've heard rumblings of a similar ban being put in plase in Boston. I was fairly unsuccessful in my search for any updates since the latest information I could find on-line was from back in 2007. I did get in touch with the Boston City Counselor who is sponsoring this initiative - his response was "The legislation is currently under review by our legal department. I anticipate filing it before the City Council sometime in September." While trying to get in touch with this City Counselor, I was in contact with someone else in the office and she sent me to this website http://www.plasticbagfree.com/. "According to an article in the Boston Globe on May 11th, 2008, Rebecca Hosking, 34, was diving off of the coast in SW England and saw piles of plastic bags on the ocean floor. She called a meeting with town leaders and eventually had the bags banned." It's an interesting web site, so check it out! More updates to follow as I hear more about the ban in Boston.

Fruit Spray

Just an update about the fruit mix...that should be put in a spray bottle and sprayed on fruits and veggies. It should sit on them for 5 minutes and then wash them off. Also when we made it at our house I used Grapefruit essential oil and I should have used Grapefruit Seed Extract...oops! Grapefruit oil is good for lifting your spirits and to combat cellulite. So at least we know our fruits and veggies won't have any cellulite! You can read about this essential oil at http://beauty.indobase.com/essential-oils/grapefruit-essential-oil.html

We should definately be using this mix since just washing fruits/veggies does not remove the pesticides.

New organic baby store in Wellesley

The woman who started this store in Holliston is opening a branch in Wellesley in August.

I just read about it in the July 25, 2008 edition of the MetroWest Daily newspaper.

"The store will sell organic baby products such as clothes made without chemicals or dyes, wooden toys, organic bedding and cloth diapers...The store's products are primarily for newborns to children around 4 years old...The store will be very mom-friendly, with chairs for nursing moms."

Leah, let's plan to hit this on a playdate!

Minutes from Meeting II

Hi Green Ladies -

Quick programming note: On chronicle TONIGHT at 7:30 there is a show on how our recyclables are used. Should be interesting!



I am including the notes from our 2nd Green Meeting.
We revisited the topic of our skin care products and searched somemore on the website http://www.cosmeticdatabase.com/

Plastic Bags
Then we focused on plastic bags and how bad they are for the environment. I am attaching a powerpoint that was very powerful that my cousin sent me.
She also sent a site with another clip of the garbage in the ocean that can be viewed at http://www.vbs.tv/shows.php?show=1154&source=sc This is soooo disturbing and we decided at our next meeting we will talk about strategies to get our individual towns to ban plastic bags. Sarah is going to do some research on the Boston ban and how we can support it.

Veggie/Fruit Wash
We also made this wash that you should use on all non organic produce to help remove the pesticides. They say to let it soak for 5 minutes and then rinse off. Here is the recipe (be sure to put the baking soda in first - someone may have not done that and had it explode all over her kitchen...don't know who that could have been!)

1 cup water
1 cup distilled white vinegar
1 T baking soda
20 drops of grapefruit seed extract (you can get this at whole foods or health food stores - it smells amazing and Kristy was heard saying she wanted to drink the veggie wash- not recommended!)


Also I talked about a restaurant I had recently eaten at. It is completely the kind of place I want to eat at. They are all organic and buy food directly from all local farms. The food was absolutely delicious!!! Check them out at
http://www.stonehearthpizza.com/index.htm

Possible Field Trips?
We also talked about taking the green club on the road sometime. Suggestions were Stone Hearth Pizza, Wilson Farms in Lexington - that Kristy raves about for local produce etc., recycle center possibly. Any other ideas???

Book/TV Show Recommendation
Amari read and highly recommend's the book Omnivor's Dilemma - which is a book about the US food chain and is definately disturbing at times.

Holly recommended the TV show WASTED which shows families how much trash they make and how they can cut it down. I still couldn't find it listed - maybe it is on summer break but the website is cool. http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tv/wasted/

Also remember to check your local towns for composters and rain barrels!

I am so excited about our Green Club. Keep up the good work ladies! We will save the world ;0)

Minutes from Meeting I

We had a wonderful first green meeting last night. We basically just blurted out all different green ideas. We spent a lot of time looking up the safety of the body products we use. You can do this on the website www.cosmeticdatabase.com

Books we referenced:
1. Gorgeously Green (my personal favorite)
2. Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings (9th Edition)
3. Green from the Ground Up

Johanna had some good information on how your town can help you go green. She was able to get a composting machine for only $25 through her town. She also found that Milton was giving out rain barrels for residents...too bad I missed the deadline.

For compost: www.earthmachine.com
For rain barrels: http://www.greatamericanrainbarrel.com/

We talked about buying bottles that are free of that plastic # 7 and Kathy mentioned that you can return your camel back bottles to LLBean and get a store credit for the PBA free bottles.

Another option for bottles is to buy Sigg Bottles which are stainless steel and not plastic.

We tried some sample products that 2 companies sent our Green Club..I have some left if anyone is interested in those.

One of the companies was Blooming Lotus. They sent us a discount code for our first order of 10% off. Enter the code welcome10 during check out.

I think this is most of it. Anyone who remembers something I didn't put in let me know.

Let's use this email to share ideas. Check out the website www.gorgeouslygreen.com for good ideas too.

Dryer Balls

I just saw these on HGTV. I am definately going to try them! I read a news article on them and they say they really do work.

Designed to reduce drying time and soften fabrics without the use of chemical fabric softeners, Dryer Balls are an eco-friendly solution to landfill-clogging dryer sheets and chemical-laden liquid softeners. As your wet laundry tumbles in the dryer, these bumpy balls lift and separate fabric to make it soft and fluffy, and allow air to flow more efficiently.
Proven to make ironing easier, decrease lint and reduce drying time up to 25% in independent testing.

Phthalates

Another dangerous chemical and an article that lists items we should get rid of in our house. Not to freak anyone out...

http://www.enviroblog.org/2007/10/avoid-household-phthalate-exposure.htm

Cheatsheet: Triclosan

This is a web link about this dangerous chemical. Thought you would like to know.

http://www.enviroblog.org/2008/07/cheatsheet-triclosan.htm