Help clean up efforts in the Gulf...with hair!

Okay...I know exactly what you're thinking...late April Fools Day joke right?  And while this sounds really weird and odd, I can assure you it's not a joke.

Photo:  Oil coated dead seal on Ocean Beach, Saturday November 10, 2007 after the San Francisco, California Cosco-Busan Oil Spill November 7, 2007

Matter of Trust is a non-profit charity heading up the efforts on recycling hair, fur and used nylons into adsorbent (adsorbent means 'sticks to' while absorbent means 'soaks up') hair mats and 'booms' to help ease the destructive power of oil spills.  And you guessed it...their focus right now is the massive BP oil off the Gulf of Mexico.

By having the donated fibers woven into a mat or stuffed into a mesh casing / old nylons, clean up crews simply have to 'pick up' the oil off the water's surface or beach to be dealt with.  And how good does it work?  Check out the YouTube video below to see just how fast it adheres to loose fur.

Loose hair and fur demo

So what happens to the oily booms and mats after being used?  Landfill right?


 

NO!  They get composted with other green waste by fungus and worms! The bacteria in the compost and worm tummies break down the oil and the worms create a fantastic fertilizer.  This way, the oil spills can truly be dealt with, without causing another polluting problem.

How you can help:
Donate Fibers:  First, go to their instruction page to get set up.  ALL salons, groomers, alpaca and llama fleece farmers, hairy individuals, and pet owners can sign up to donate hair, fur, fleece, feathers, nylons and funding. They'll send you an email where to send your donation. 

FYI-Right now they need nylons more than anything, as they have a nice supply of fiber, but hardly anything to put them in!  

Help spread the word of this great opportunity to clean up another human made disaster. Talk to your salon / barber shop / pet groomer, and let them know about how they can contribute.  And yes, while we humans may have made this mess, there is an earth-friendly way to clean it up...and ya gotta love that. 

 "Tears" by Andraliba on Deviantart.com

An Earth Day Present For Everyone!

To redeem:
1. Go to the Preserve online store.
2. Shop for your favorite Preserve products
3. Apply the coupon code to your cart: EarthMonthFS
4. Check out and enjoy the Earthly benefits!

Expires April 30, 2010
Cannot be combined with other offers.
Excludes international shipments.

Sprig Preschool Toys

Here's an exciting line of battery-free, eco-friendly, paint-free, kid-powered toys sure to dazzle the most discriminating preschooler.

Kid-Powered
Sprig toys harness the natural kinetic energy of push-and-pump action play to generate electronic features. Kids are rewarded for their efforts with engaging lights and sounds - fueling their imaginations and encouraging them to play longer.

Eco-Friendly
Sprig toys are molded using 'Sprigwood' - a durable, child safe, bio-composite material made from recycled wood and reclaimed plastic. No decorative paint is used in the production process, packaging is minimal and responsible manufacturing partners are selected to reduce Sprig's carbon footprint on the planet.

Battery-free
Did you know that each year consumers dispose of enough batteries to reach the moon?! Kid-powered sprig toys keep batteries out of the landfill, and eliminate the cost and inconvenience of battery replacement.

Expandable
Sprig vehicle and characters are designed to be interchangeable, creating endless combinations of adventures. Different characters offer unique voice and personalities, introducing children to diverse friends and animals from around the world. Future products will be compatible with existing lines, expanding play potential and the lines, expanding play potential and the life of each toy.


The electronic playsets tend to range in price from $29 (like the Rally racer shown above) and up to $60 for the deluxe set. Additional electronic people are $12. (Prices pulled off of their website)


The non-electronic are lower in price - ranging from $9 to $30 for the deluxe play set (like the dino adventure set above)

The best part is that they can be found everywhere! Amazon.com, ToysRus, Barnes n Noble.com...not to mention on their website. And conveniently they also have a store locator on the site

www.sprigtoys.com

I think I know what my 3 year old is getting for Christmas...

Carron Simply Soft Eco Yarn

Save Our Planet One Stitch At A Time!
Here's a product for all you crafty kids out there...



Talk about putting waste to a better use! 'NatureSpun' is a high quality polyester fiber made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles.

Just think! Now you can tie that quilt for your favorite charity and help lessen the burden on landfills at the same time! Make your favorite afghan, sweater or scarf and have a positive impact on our environment by using Simply Soft Eco Yarn.

So how much of an impact will you contribute? Check these cool numbers out:

A scarf = 1 bottle kept out of the landfill
A sweater = 4 bottles put to a better use.
An afghan = 10 bottles not sitting around as waste.



Lots of colors to chose from...I counted over 25! (Sorry the photo doesn't show the color differences very well...but they are different!)

When I found this, I immediately noticed the truth in advertising...it was SO soft! I squished all the yarns on the aisle and the only other softer one was the type used in baby clothes. AND...it was the same price as the Heart brand yarn-$2.57 at my Walmart. I know I've said it before...but I really love it when choosing enviro-friendly products won't dent your pocket book. Makes living the green life so much easier!

Perhaps now I'll have a reason to learn knitting or crochet!

EDIT - 1/11/10
My Walmart store stopped carrying this line of yarn, BUT you can still find it on their website's online store:

http://www.shopcaron.com/Simply-Soft-Eco_c_37.html

Nike's Shoe Recycling - Reuse-A-Shoe

Got an old pair of athletic shoes that just don't make the grade anymore? Lets turn them into playground padding! No, seriously!

Since 1990, the Nike athletic company has been grinding down old shoes and making them into courts, tracks, shoes, clothing accessories, athletic mats, synthetic turf and playground surfaces. As of this posting, 24,220,775 shoes have been collected and given another chance to play...and kept out of landfills.



You're thinking, "Sign me up!", right? Well, it couldn't be easier. Just bring your worn-out athletic shoes to any Reuse-A-Shoe collection center or shoe drive event. They can accept any brand of shoes, but remember - their equipment isn't yet able to process cleats, dress shoes or shoes with metal pieces. Make sure your shoes are dry and free of any mud or dirt. You can find your nearest drop-off location with the map on their website...

Nike's Shoe Recycling and Sustainability Program | Reuse-A-Shoe

P.S. I've sent the company a question if the metal pieces could be cut off before collection...therefore deeming more shoes as recycliable. I'll update with the answer when I get it!

~*~ UPDATE 10/8/09~*~
I got a reply from Nike:

"We do not recommend augmenting the shoes to our specifications, as we cannot assume responsibility for injury.

To let you know, our recycling equipment is set up specifically for the material and dimensions of athletic shoes. Footwear such as thongs, sandals, pumps, dress shoes, and boots contain different material and generally have a different shape. In addition, anything containing metal such as cleats or spikes is not accepted, as metal is not allowed in the sports surfaces containing Nike Grind material for safety reasons. It’s also hard on the grinding machines.

We are working diligently to improve our technology to accept all shoes types in the future. Until then, we suggest that you sort through the collected shoes and discard any unacceptable shoes mentioned above. It only takes a moment, and it makes all the difference in the success of the program."

So basically if you can safly remove any metal from your athetic shoes, then they can be recycled. No other types of shoes yet...But I'll keep you all posted if/when that changes!

I LOVE this company. In fact, I order from them when ever I can find a reason to. So before you start asking the who-what-why questions, let me elucidate with a description right off their website...

Preserve makes everyday products that offer more. We believe performance and style are every bit as important as their impact on the earth. Our toothbrush, tableware and all other Preserve products feel good to use and perform as well as or even better than the old standbys. And all of our products are designed to stay out of landfills when you are finished with them.


Are you in love yet? Well here's more reasons...


Preserve products are made from 100% recycled plastics and 100% post-consumer paper. By using recycled materials, we save energy, preserve natural resources and create an incentive for communities to recycle.

All of their plastic products are recyclable, either through our postage-paid labels and mailers (toothbrushes and razor handles) or at the curb side pick-up in communities that recycle #5 plastic.

They make their products in the USA, so that we can ship them shorter distances, using less fuel and limiting our environmental footprint.

They don’t test on animals. Period.


If your not swooning by now, this will get your heart thumpin'. This marvelous company has their own recycling programs. Preserve products are powered by their cosumers and their recycling efforts. Through Preserve's Gimme 5 program, you can recycle your #5 plastics—a kind of plastic that many towns and cities won't recycle. They make it so easy to recycle with pre-paid mailers (be sure to ask for a couple with your order!), drop off bins in specific Whole Foods stores and even a mail in program! AND they accept Brita water filters for recycling too! So what do they do with the toothbrushes, tongue cleaners and razor handles that get returned to them? Preserve works with a company to grind down the returned products – bristles and all – into plastic lumber to be used for park benches, decks and other useful products.

Now I'm sure everyone is itching to go look around Preserve's product list so here ya go...

www.preserveproducts.com

You can order straight off their website or they have a store locator for your convenience. Ooh, and sign up for their newsletter while your there. I love seeing it come into my inbox stuffed with enviro-tips!

Now I'm off to go order some more kids toothbrushes...and some razors...and perhaps a new colander...

Reynold's Recycled Aluminum Foil

Wahoo! Another mainstream company doing their part for a greener world!



What are the environmental benefits of buying Reynolds Wrap 100% Recycled Aluminum Foil you ask?

There is an 80 percent reduction in the amount of energy used during the process of turning recycled material into foil, compared to making the foil from new, also referred to as virgin, materials. Manufacturing and buying recycled-content products create a circle, or loop, that ensures the overall success and value of recycling. The process also produces fewer emissions, including greenhouse gases, and reduces the amount of landfill waste. It is also estimated that Aluminum can be recycled indefinately...so be sure to toss it (clean)in your recycling bin when finished.

As usual, I found it at Walmart for $3.32 for 50 sq ft. I noticed that it was the same price as the Reynold's Heavy Duty 50 sq ft. It's very nice when you don't have to pay more to be green!

Wanna give it a try for cheaper? Go the the website below for an online $.50 coupon.

http://www.reynoldsrecycled.com

After you filled out for your coupon, be sure to check out the tips for a greener kitchen and FAQ section...interest stuff!

EcoTex Bed Pillows

Three eco-cheers for a great night's sleep! The next time your looking to replace your bed pillows, be sure to check out these little sweeties.




Contains fiber made from recycled water bottles. Filled with eco-fill polyester to reduce landfill waste by reusing plastic. Very fluffy!

Biodegradable packaging begins to break down in the landfill in as little as three months. (I went a step farther and reused the bag my pillows came in as a trash bag.)

Features a 200 thread count of the 100% cotton covering. The cotton is bleached with natural hydrogen peroxide which is an effective bleaching agent...quite a bit safer for the environment.

EcoTex produced 2 different sizes: a standard 20" x 26" inch pillow for $5 and a full size body pillow for just under $9. I've seen them at various Phoenix Walmarts...so I'm hoping they're in most stores nation wide. Trust me...they are so comfy to sink into after a long day!

Sappo Hill Vegetable Soaps

So with everyone worrying over the H1N1 Epidemic...aka The Swine Flu, I thought I'd show off an Earth friendly soap.



The round bars of Sappo Hill soaps are vegan; produced without the use of animal products or testing. Packaging is minimal (you can order the soaps wrapped or unwrapped) and as environmentally friendly as possible (which is great in our book!). They offer 10 different scented varieties (like Lavender, Oatmeal, and Lemon Gardener's, and Aloe/Oatmeal pictured below.) as well as 3 unscented/uncolored soaps.



How are they priced? Oh so nice!
A 3.55 oz round soap cake will run $2.20 for the packaged and labeled soaps or $1.65 for the unpackaged soaps - great for refilling empty soap dishes.
They also have a guest-size (.9oz) for $.50 ea and are cello bagged and labeled.
For ordering online, they do have a minimum order of $15.00, but if you'd like to try a new scent out they have a store locator on their web site.

www.sappohillorders.com

Yay! They sell them at a Sprout's in a neighboring town! Think I'll go grab me a couple and share with a "Soap Sensitve" friend of mine to test their mild-ness.

Back Thru The Future CD / DVD Recycling

Did that last burn of data backup or your favorite songs go bad? Fear not...and don't throw it out!



Free CD and DVD Recycling and free hard drive recycling are services to consumers with a desire to improve their environmental footprint. CDs and hard drives are made of high value recyclable material - polycarbonate plastic and aluminum respectively. The recycling of CDs and hard drives saves substantial amounts of energy and prevents significant amounts of both air and water pollution attributed to the manufacturing of these items from virgin material.

Now before you think, "What harm could 1 cd do...consider this:
~ To manufacture a pound of plastic (30 CDs per pound), it requires 300 cubic feet of natural gas, 2 cups of crude oil and 24 gallons of water.

~ It is estimated that AOL alone has distributed more than 2 billion CDs. That is the natural gas equivalent of heating 200,000 homes for 1 year. (Shame on them!)

~ It is estimated that it will take over 1 million years for a CD to completely decompose in a landfill.

~ A cd/dvd is considered a class 7 other recyclable plastic, meaning that many city recycling programs can't accommodate this type of plastic.

Yay! Sign me up right? The best part is that it's a free service! You just have to pay shipping, and they do the rest. Place your CDs and/or DVDs in suitable shipping package. It is important that you do not include any packing materials and that you separate cds or dvds from cases. Large quantities of non-separated materials will be refused.

Ship to: Back Thru The Future, 150 Main Street, Ogdensburg, NJ 07439. Write "FREE CD/DVD RECYCLING " on the outside of your shipping package.

www.cdrecyclingforfree.com

Questions? E-mail questions to RECYCLE@BackThruTheFuture.com

~*~ UPDATE ~*~
10/6/09
Just wanted to say thanks for the returned shout-out!
http://twitter.com/shredharddrives/status/1695918101

EarthShell Plates and Bowls

Feeling lazy? Too lazy to get up to tackle the dishes that are accruing after each meal? Want to have more time to visit with family and friends rather than setting up your dishwasher for a load? Here's a disposible solution perfect for the eco-minded.


EarthShell plates and bowls are completely American made including all of its natural, raw materials, using starch from renewable potatoes and other vegetables, mixed with abundant limestone, water and air. And since they are completely natural, they go a step further by being environmentally responsible compared to traditional paper, plastic and foam disposables that take years longer to biodegrade, or never biodegrade.

Now I know what you're thinking, "That's all nice and dandy-but how do they perform?" Just like the eco-super heroes you'd expect them to be. From my experience, they are stronger than normal foam tableware, and microwave safe! No nasty chems leaching into your food like with plastic or foam, and they hold up amazingly well against knife cuts and are soak-proof. In fact, they worked great at our camping trip last year...with steaks.

Best of all, the price was very comparable to other premium brands, about $2.50 for 25 plates (about the same for Chinet) at my AJ Walmart. Alas, I can't seem to find them in any Walmarts anymore-but there's still hope! They have a store-finder option that I'm going to utilize AND, they have a 'community developer' to contact retailers to get their products in the stores locally. Go drop them a line to tell them, "My store too please!"

www.earthshell.com

Make it a good one!

Grab a Funny Picture from pYzam.com

Huggies Pure & Natural

Phew! It's been a while since I updated-but that doesn't mean there's been a shortage of Earth-friendly products! For example...


Huggies Brand Pure & Natural Disposable Diapers

I know what your thinking...how on Earth is something that's disposable nice to our environment? Well, they are NICER than your average diaper-and that's the point. Making many small changes to add up to big results. For instance...

* Made with organic cotton for a soft outer cover-less pesticides/herbicides!

* Liner includes renewable materials

* Hypoallergenic, Fragrance Free with Added Aloe and Vitamin E for soft rash-free baby-butts

* A lighter design on the diaper, using less inks versus Huggies Natural Fit Diapers

* Packaging utilizes 20% post-consumer recycled materials, primarily sourced from milk jugs and plastic bottles. Less plastic in landfills-but not sure if packaging is recycliable with plastic grocery bags...there wasn't a recycle symbol on the package. (I'll try to contact Kimberly-Clark to find out!)

AND for a limited time...you can request a free sample
(sizes N,1, or 2) at:
http://www.huggiespureandnatural.com/FreeSample.aspx

I found my package at my Walmart (ha-cuz I work there!) for $10.97 for 20 diapers(jumbo/small package)...about a dollar more than the same size of regular Huggies diapers. And they had sizes from Newborn up to 5's. Granted, they are a lot more expensive than the Walmart cheapies I normally buy, but these seem like a whole size bigger, letting my son wear this size longer.

(I'm gonna try to contact Kimberly-Clark to find out if packaging is recycliable and what they mean by renewable materials used in liner...and perhaps to suggest adding chlorine-free to the benefits of these sweeties!)


Hehe...I love the sweet little tree/blue bird desgn on the butt!

Eco-Glue

I'll have to get some of this to have on hand for household repairs!
Presenting...

Amazing EcoGlue®!
-is a water-based adhesive.
-Less than 1% VOCs (volatile organic compounds)
-Virtually no hazardous air pollutants (less than 0.165 by weight)
-No animal derivatives
-Excellent water resistance
-100% recyclable packaging!

Amazing EcoGlue® is for people wanting Earth Friendly products!

Be good to the Earth, yourself and your family.

I found this a my AJ Walmart ($3.97 in the craft section) but if you can't find it in your local Walmart...Their website has a "where to buy" searcher.

http://www.eclecticproducts.com/ecoglue/

Palm-sized Yard Solar Lights

Now these are cool. And so very affordable! So I was was out wandering a local Queen Creek Walmart and ran across these yard lights. It was in the middle of a 16ft section of other solar lights, but these quickly caught my attention.



Each unit is a seperate, meaning, there is no wiring! On a full charge they can burn up to 8 hrs at night, turn on automatically in the dark, and include a ground stake. I saw two colors that they come in: copper and a dark grey metal.

All that for $4.

So go look at all the fresh solar lights, but be sure to take a second look at these little cuties.

GAP Organic Clothing and such

As many more clothing stores are starting to carry more organic choices, the more mainstream (and hopefully less costly) organics will become. Which is of course better for all our health including our homes. So very thankfully, GAP inc. has a whole line of organics...mostly baby items but also some jeans, toys, and shirts. Here's a smathering of items...



I thought the organic cotton teething toys were especially neat; no pesticides or chemicals wanted in babe's mouth.

All ya gotta do is go to www.gap.com and type "organic" in the search bar. Easy as (organic) apple pie.
Thanks to Kim for tipping me off to this find.

Earth-friendly Toys

www.greentoys.com

This URL alone should be self-explanatory, but I'll elaborate.

Green Toys Inc. makes an awesome line of classic children’s toys constructed from recycled plastic and other environmentally friendly materials. This helps reduce fossil fuel use and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improving the overall health and happiness of the planet.



Here's a little taste of the very cute toys they offer...go check out their website for the whole selection.






















I actually just ordered the sand toys today (my kiddos needed some sand castle equipment for the park) so I'll post again when they arrive. I found them at Barnes & Noble online store for $25.00 including shipping. A bit pricey, I'll admit but in my option, very worth it.

Dial Eco-Smart Handsoap Refill

I love when companies update their packaging to be more nature-friendly. This time it's Dial. This 40 oz refill for pump dispensers can brag of a number of benefits. To quote the package...

"Compared to bottle refills, this pouch uses:
* 67% less plastic
* 86% less materials for transportation and fuel
* Significantly less energy to produce
* Significantly less impact on our landfills."

Sweet, huh?

On the down side, I don't believe this pouch is recycliable (but I will check next time I can) so there still is an impact on the landfill. Perhaps it is compensated by the other clean air benefits with less energy (generated at coal plants) and burn fossil fuels to ship.

This was found at Walmart, 40oz for $3.97 Don't run out and try to find it yet, this was a new item and may not be on shelves until 2nd week of February, approx. This is pretty comparable to the 50oz refill bottle that Dial sells at $4.24.