EarthMoment

We’ve all heard “buyer beware” but it seems with the whole green movement, buyers need to keep an even sharper eye on claims that companies are making about their so-called green products. If a product says it’s eco-friendly take caution and check for the labels that certify it as green. Here are just a couple of labels to check for;

-The blue Energy Star label proves that the Environmental Protection Agency certifies the product uses up to 75 percent less energy.

-The green FSC tree label certifies that the product has met sustainable standards during construction; the Forest Stewardship Council certifies these products that contain paper or wood.

-The Fair Trade Certified label means that the people who harvested these products were paid a fair wage and grew their food products with environmentally safe methods.

-The Green Seal means the products have a low impact on the environment through their entire life cycle.

GET INTO IT

Why not?

Before you make a “green” purchase make sure you’ve familiarized yourself with the labels.

Bring it

Worrying about forgetting your grocery list isn’t the only concern on consumer’s minds now. Learn more about getting what you paid for in this article, It’s Not Easy Buying Green

http://www.utne.com/2004-09-01/ItsNotEasyBuyingGreen.aspx

Not so guilty pleasure

Organic Dagoba Chocolate

http://www.earthmoment.com/product/3344728/
Organic-Dark-Chocolate-Roseberry-59-cocoa-12-Units-2-oz

There are little things each and every one of us can do to live a healthier life that lessens our impact on the earth. You can even do some of those things while you’re at work. Here are a couple of examples,

- Shut your computer off at the end of the work day, it sets a nice note of finality to the day as well as saving energy.

- Bring your lunch in reusable containers rather than disposable plastic bags.

- Put a plant on your desk, it makes your desk feel more homey and it also helps absorb airborne pollutants.

- Set your computer to go to sleep mode after a few minutes of inactivity. This way when you’re at lunch or in meetings you’ll be saving energy.

GET INTO IT

Why not?

Here’s a complete Top 10 list of how to green your office from Ideal Bite, http://www.idealbite.com/pdf/top10OP.pdf

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Let’s say you’ve got the green thing covered at work but what about the commute to work? Apparently, “commuting by office workers accounts for 30 percent more energy than the average office building itself uses.” Learn more in this article, How Green is Your Commute?

http://www.utne.com/Environment/How-Green
-Is-Your-Commute.aspx?blogid=26

Not so guilty pleasure

Peace lilies are known to really suck up those airborne pollutants.

http://www.earthmoment.com/product/8199031
/Potted-Peace-Lily-JustFlowers.com

Here’s a rundown on some of the biggest names in the biz who are doing their part to better the environment.

- Google offers organic and local food to their employees in the Google food courts. For 2008 their goal is to go carbon neutral, and they’re taking the necessary steps to accomplish this like installing solar panels.

- Aveda (my personal favorite hair care line) uses the “Cradle to Cradle” ideal when it comes to packaging their hair and skin care products.

http://www.aveda.com/whatsnew/whatsnew.tmpl?cm_mmc=
Google-_-Branded-_-Brand-_-aveda&psid=true#

- Method has supplied mega stores like Target with their green cleaning products, which are biodegradable and chemical-free.

http://www.methodhome.com/

- Nike has made an effort to offer more oganic cotton apparel.

http://niketown.nike.com/niketown/home.jsp?catalogId=1

- Patagonia has given its cotton line a green makeover, the entire line is now organic cotton. They’ve also promised that by 2010 all of their goods will be 100 percent recycled!

Here are some sale products in Patagonia’s organic and recycled material line!

http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/search/esearch.jsp?Ntt
=recycled&psDrilldown=true&search.x=0&slc=en_US%26S
ct%3DUS%26Src%3Dpkw&N=0&OPTION=ESEARCH_DD&
search.y=0&psPageNumber=all&tsPageNumber=

- Wal-Mart has vouched to reduce its solid waste by 25 percent. FYI: Wal-Mart is surprisingly the number one purchaser of organic cotton!

Wal-Mart recently launched an earth-friendly line, it includes items like organic baby food and energy-efficient appliances.

http://www.walmart.com/earth?redirect_query=organic

GET INTO IT

Why not?

Don’t want to run to the nearest store to grab some of Method’s green cleaning products? Then learn how to whip up your own cleaning concoction using every day items such as vinegar and lemons with this article; http://www.naturalhomemagazine.com/Health/2006-03-01
/BE-WELL.aspx

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A 2002 U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY FOUND CHEMICALS IN 80 PERCENT OF SAMPLED STREAMS: 69 PERCENT CONTAINED DETERGENT RESIDUES AND 66 PERCENT CONTAINED DISINFECTANTS.

So here are some more green cleaning products’ to keep your home (and the local streams) safely clean.

http://www.naturalhomemagazine.com/2008-05-01/
Spring-Cleaning.aspx

Not so guilty pleasure

Patagonia organic cotton tank top

http://www.earthmoment.com/product/19830997/
Patagonia-Simply-Organic-Tank-Womens

This summer join CSA (community-supported agriculture) and get the freshest produce delivered to your doorstep! Visit www.localharvest.org to find a farm near you that participates in CSA. You can become a stakeholder in a farm by helping finance the harvest and in return they provide you with fresh produce…sounds fair, and delicious, right? You just type in your zip code and it lists the farms you can join. Depending on the farm; the produce is mailed directly to you, delivered directly to you or you can go pick it up. It can be a great way to make friends too. I went to a party thrown by the originators of the farm, every shareholder was invited and it was a blast. There was a live band and an amazing feast; it was quite the turn out!

GET INTO IT

Why not?

Not convinced? Read this article to learn about the benefits to you, the earth, your community and your local farmer when supporting a local farm,

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable
-Farming/Meet-Local-Farmers.aspx

Bring it

To learn about how to start your own CSA farm read this article,

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-
Farming/1999-02-01/Creating-a-Market.aspx

Not so guilty pleasure

Here’s a scrumptious fruit basket, it’s not from a local farm but it still looks absolutely delicious.

Orchard Celebration for $108.99

http://www.earthmoment.com/product/8198010/
Orchard-Celebration-JustFlowers.com