Monthly Archives: January 2009

Recycled Note Of The Week: Heartopus

I’ve been seemingly bit by the Valentine’s bug early this year, as I’m already finding myself strangely drawn toward hues of pink and red, shapes of all sizes and varieties that resemble hearts (admittedly not typically my favorite shape), or really anything that shouts “Hey! Valentine” with sugary sweet artistic lips.

It’s perhaps no surprise then, that I was smitten with this very romantic sea-dwelling shape, adorning this Heartopus card from Tofu Nutloaf’s Etsy shop:

From the seller:

Thea Heartopus is a rare freshwater cephalopod. It frequents deep, slow-moving rivers and lakes, and seems to prefer living near humans. It has been theorized that at least part of the Heartopus’s sustenance comes from human love vibes, although some scientists consider this theory bunk.

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Coconut vs. Polyester

In an article that came out last week on ScienceDaily and many other places around the blogosphere, researchers from Baylor University in Texas used coconut fibers taken from the husks to create molded composite board similar to the polyester version used on door bottoms, in trunks, and on floors of some cars.

Why, though, would you use coconut instead of polyester? We will do a comparison with a few simple questions and equally simple answers:

Where do they come from?

Polyester is an inexpensive, man-made fiber and can be made anywhere. Coconuts are inexpensive seeds that come from trees in the tropics.

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Freecycling Into 2009

The holidays are behind us, and we’re moving into the time of year when lots of people are facing the daunting twin tasks of finding places to put all the Christmas presents and getting ready to do some serious Spring cleaning.

If you’re like me, you may even have made a New Year’s resolution that seemed like a good idea at the time, but now seems a bit daunting: “Take care of the clutter problem.”

I suspect de-cluttering is harder for those of us who hate to add things to the waste stream. The thought of putting something into a landfill that someone else might get use out of is bothersome, but how do we find someone who needs or wants our old stuff?

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Great Green Giveaway: Ecostore USA

What better way to start the second full week of the new year than with a great review and giveaway for some helpful green home and beauty products?

This review and giveaway comes courtesy of Ecostore USA, whose eco-friendly, plant-based household cleaning products are as effective as the leading supermarket brands, and their body and baby care products are gentle on your skin, natural, and non-toxic.

From Ecostore’s website:

All of our products are made from plant and mineral-based ingredients, free of toxic chemicals that bring people closer to nature with non-toxic, environmentally safe solutions that also help to reduce our carbon footprint.

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Around The Greenosphere: Weekly Link Roundup

Here are some favorite posts from elsewhere that had us thinking this week, to help start your weekend a bit greener.

Monday Doreen at Mom Goes Green posted on ridding our respective mailboxes of copious amounts of junk mail, and her post features multiple organizations who will help you do that easily and affordably.

Tuesday EcoGeek published an article on a new and unusual use for cocunut husks.

Is this really practical on a large scale? For those of us living in parts of the world where coconuts are limited to the grocery store, it’s hard to imagine. But in more equatorially located countries, coconuts are everywhere.

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Wanted: More Awesome Green Behind The Scenes

5 Minutes for Going Green is growing, and growing, and growing.

We are currently looking for dedicated, passionate, eco-savvy writers to become part of our green writing team.

Excited about going green and how simple it can be? Embarking on a new green journey at home or at work? Raising a green family of your own and wanting to network and share some of your own trials and tribulations? Desiring to dig deeper into the world of conservation, environmental activism, and daily green living? Not a proverbial eco-nut yourself (yet), but just feel like writing outside of your comfort zone?

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New School Thinking

As we make strides to green our home and our lifestyle, we wanted to share our enthusiasm with the preschool where we send our two sons.

After noticing that the school did not have any recycling bins and the amount of paper scraps in the trash at the end of each session, I started thinking about how to reduce the waste and teach the kids about recycling.

Thankfully the head mistress and teachers have welcomed my suggestions about adding recycling bins in the classes. By allowing me to start with my sons’ classes and the office, it will quickly demonstrate how easy it is while providing an opportunity for the kids to learn about conservation.

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Recycled Note Of The Week: Floppy Disk Notepad

The perfect size for a notepad to carry in your backpack, purse or back pocket, these recycled floppy disk notepads from It’s Our Earth totally have me embracing my inner geek.

Made from a pair of recycled 3.5″ floppy disks and filled with 80 sheets of 100% recycled acid free paper, the seller has listings for individual notepads or packs of three in various colors you can choose yourself.

Per the seller, as these are recycled floppy disks, some of them may include original labels or a hand written note made by previous owner as to the content on the disk.

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Around The Greenosphere: Weekly Link Roundup

Here are 5 posts from elsewhere that had us thinking this week, to help start your new year off a bit greener. Happy! 2009.

Monday CNN ran an article discussing the business and potential profit (both economically and for the planet) of sustainable farming and green industry. Here’s an excerpt from the article, though the full length version is definitely worth a read:

But a complex mix of push and pull factors are making environmental business practices increasingly attractive to investors and with that, some say, providing fresh hope for a planet in trouble.

Not only are the emerging markets for alternative power booming — and corporate efficiency initiatives looking more attractive — as fossil fuel prices rise, but many companies are also increasingly aware that there are real costs associated with doing nothing.

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