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Category Archives: The Green Consumer

Recycled Note Of The Week: Anna Ruby King

Written on November 20, 2008 by SusanC

This week’s Recycled Note Of The Week comes from Anna Ruby King’s Etsy shop.

Smaller than your average note, these Coldgull Note Cards are comprised entirely of offcuts of other cards, and are 100% recycled.

Use them as thoughtful notes in school lunchboxes, as non-traditional flashcards, thank-you notes, or, as the seller suggests, “They are perfect…just to say ‘Good morning honey, can you please take out the rubbish with you when you go to work.'”

She also has these adorable handmade gift cards in a larger size, featuring re-purposed fabric and hand drawn details:

The cards themselves are 75 and 100% recycled, made primarily of post-consumer recycled content.

in Great Green Finds, Recycled Note Of The Week, Reduce Reuse Recycle, The Green Consumer

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Avoiding Flame Retardants In Cozy Children’s Pajamas

Written on November 18, 2008 by Guest Contributor

12 Comments

boy in pajamas with teddy bear With the turn of the seasons and the cold weather, you might be looking to buy your children new pajamas. Or, if you are like me, new pajamas are given the night we decorate the tree.

But if you are concerned about being green and your child’s exposure to toxic chemicals, you might be wondering whether those new pajamas have been treated with flame retardants? And does it matter?

Whether or not it matters is a decision you’ll have to make yourself.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) considers chemically treated pajamas safe. In the 1970s, it banned brominated Tris and removed chlorinated Tris from being used on children’s pajamas after they were found to mutate DNA and identified as probable human carcinogens.

in Blog, Green Parenting, Green Thoughts, The Green Consumer

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Shop Responsibly this Holiday Season

Written on November 17, 2008 by Guest Contributor

5 Comments

For many people, Christmas has become a very commercial holiday. It has shifted from being a season of giving, to being a media circus and it has become a season of excess. This year tailor your shopping to be a bit more responsible and ethical in the items that you buy.

Shopping conscientiously doesn’t stop at being more frugal when making purchase decisions. We also need to think of the global implication. Every purchase we make is essentially a vote for the world we want. We need to look at the people behind the products that we invest our monies with.

in Blog, Conservation, Frugal Living, Green Holidays, Green Thoughts, Reduce Reuse Recycle, The Green Consumer

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Christmas Is Not Your Birthday, Green Edition

Written on November 13, 2008 by SusanC

2 Comments

Christmas is Not Your Birthday is an initiative started by the brains behind CoolPeopleCare.org, in an attempt to redirect the typical holiday hub-bub and excessive consumerism surrounding the holiday season with local outreach, outward thinking, and overall giving.

In 2006 they asked readers from all over the world to simply think outside of themselves, and outside their needs and wants, for that particular holiday season. In 2007 they asked everyone to buy gifts for their friends and family that made a difference to the local and global community, to commit to buying better gifts, purchases that gave back in some way.

in Activism, Conservation, Green Holidays, Green Outreach, Green Thoughts, Reduce Reuse Recycle, The Green Consumer

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Recycled Note Of The Week: Ecojot

Written on November 11, 2008 by SusanC

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This week’s Recycled Note Of The Week comes from Ecojot, a Canadian based environmentally friendly stationary line designed by Carolyn Gavin.

The paper comprising all Ecojot’s cards, notebooks, agendas, and file folders are created from 100% post-consumer recycled content, which means no new trees are ever used in their creation and printing process.

The three notebooks above came in a set I found at Powell’s, but there are many other colorful and eco-centric designs on Ecojot’s website. I liked these because they were simple and perfectly pocket or purse-sized, while also rocking three re-purposed mantras which make them not only great for list-making, but as a thoughtful and eco-friendly gift, too.

in For The Home, For The Office, Great Green Finds, Recycled Note Of The Week, Reduce Reuse Recycle, The Green Consumer

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Green Gratitude

Written on November 10, 2008 by Guest Contributor

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Autumn brings not only a rash of holiday events, but birthday parties for my two sons. So when I started thinking about presents, favors and hostess gifts, I tried to put on my thinking cap (Sister Carolyn would be proud!) and get creative.

Halloween was a breeze. Despite my husband’s protests, we gave out locally produced apples from Nichols Farm purchased at our local Green City Market. Whew! Something I could believe in, an item my kids actually prefer over candy, and used dollars to benefit a local business. Perfect! No plastic crap made in another country to mindlessly buy to give.

in Frugal Living, Great Green Finds, Green Holidays, Green Parenting, Green Thoughts, Reduce Reuse Recycle, The Green Consumer

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Save Energy & Win Green With The Home Depot

Written on November 6, 2008 by SusanC

1 Comment

The Home Depot is running a “Save Money. Save Energy. Win Big!” video contest until midnight PST on Sunday, November 9th. The contest winner will receive a $5,000 Home Depot gift card and up to $2,000 for installed insulation or radiant barrier products from The Home Depot Home Services.

How to win these awesome eco-prizes?

Just shoot a short video to show how you are saving money and helping the environment by making your home more energy efficient, and enter it at www.homedepot.com/youtube. That’s it!

The videos should focus on conserving energy in your home and addressing issues to prevent high energy bills – such as the use of dimmer switches, ceiling fans, water conservation and/or insulation.

in Conservation, For The Home, Frugal Living, Got Energy?, Green Giveaways, Reduce Reuse Recycle, The Green Consumer

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Recycled Note Of The Week: Norie & Lee

Written on November 5, 2008 by SusanC

3 Comments

I found this week’s recycled note of the week at Norie & Lee, an Etsy shop dedicated to fun, lighthearted, and 100% recycled greeting cards.

Here are two of my favorites from the shop, both of them holiday-inspired as December is once again fast approaching (so crazy, that):

To My Favorite Person

Holiday Stokage

Norie & Lee’s clever designs are waterless printed in small quantities with soy-based inks on paper that is 100% post consumer waste recycled, Green Seal & FSC* certified, manufactured with Green-e certified renewable wind-generated electricity and processed chlorine free.

Envelopes are also 100% recycled, with at least 20% post consumer waste.

in Great Green Finds, Green Holidays, Recycled Note Of The Week, Reduce Reuse Recycle, The Green Consumer

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The Undertow of Materialism

Written on November 4, 2008 by Guest Contributor

11 Comments

Trust me, I know how it is. You feel like you can just dip your toe into that ocean of consumerism this holiday season and walk away unscathed. Keeping it simple this year, you say? Not that many gifts or toys or decorations, you promise? And then one turns to two which turns to ten and whoosh! You are swept away. Just like that.

And in that rip current of consumerism, there aren’t only dollars floating into oblivion, there is waste.

Think of all the things thrown away during the holidays: wrapping paper, tissue paper, special little note cards, holiday cards you mail, tape, that do-hicky that holds the tape on your wrist (this includes all those other “helpful” plastic gadgets), shopping bags, receipts, fuel, gas, electricity, food, decorations and the list goes on and on.

in Activism, For The Home, Frugal Living, Green Holidays, Green Outreach, Green Parenting, Green Thoughts, The Green Consumer

- 11 Comments

Around The Greenosphere: Weekly Link Roundup

Written on November 1, 2008 by SusanC

1 Comment

Alison, at Homeschoolers’ Guide to the Galaxy, wrote a post this week sparking thought and discussion regarding green cooking and eating. It’s definitely a hot topic, and one worth pondering and researching further, no matter where you are personally in your great green journey.

Deb and her “marauding band of vintage avengers” are perpetually asking you, “Did you buy that new?” This site is a great resource for great vintage finds, and for creative ideas on what you can do with them! Reduce reuse, repurpose.

Lori Ann over at Simple Makes has a great and informative series of posts on composting geared toward those living in apartments, or in houses sans a lot of yard space.

in Around the Greenosphere, Great Green Finds, The Green Consumer

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