green products
Pure Clear Glass Water Bottles
Speaking of wasting water, why not conserve it in a nice clean glass container? Pure has come out with a shatterproof completely clear solution to glass water bottles.
They were nice enough to send me their 520ml Traveler bottle to try out and it quickly has become my waterbottle of choice. The outer coating is BPA free and gives the bottle a nice non-slip grip and feel while remaining totally transparent.
The top is also ingenious with two screw tops, one with a wide mouth to accommodate ice cubes and easy cleaning, and a small drinking top to prevent splashing when drinking on the go.
A great replacement to bottled water, this reusable choice keeps waste out of the trash vortex in our oceans and out of landfills.
Plus it’s clean, stylish and can accommodate any drink mixes, powders or liquids you can throw at it. Nice!
Veggie and Fruit Wash Soap Labels
Now those stickers on your fruit can serve a purpose other than at the register. Scott Amron has come up with a clever dual purpose UPC label sticker which not only tells the checkout clerk how much to charge, but also will clean the fruit once you are home.
For those who are unaware, fruit can be covered in all kinds of pesticides, wax, fertilizer, bacteria and nastyness, so it’s always a good idea to wash your fruits and vegetables, whether they are organic or not. This label just makes it easier since the wash comes on the fruit rather than buying it separately!
Engineered to only dissolve when rubbed with water, it is actually water resistant and won’t fall off before it reaches the check stand, and can always be peeled off if desired. It is also made from organic biodegradable materials which won’t harm the environment. › Continue reading
Seattle Green Festival 2011
We are all in luck to hear that the Green Festival will be returning to Seattle this May! After just wrapping up in San Francisco, the festival will be in Chicago on May 14th and 15th and then come to Seattle on May 21st and 22nd. I attended green weekend last year and was blown away by the amount of exhibitors, knowledge of the speakers, and the interactive booths that were there. If you are looking for something to do in Seattle for a weekend, don’t miss this opportunity.
The Green GTL (Gym Tan Laundry) Bag by ‘The Situation’
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, made famous on MTV’s Jersey Shore reality television show, is now jumping into greener endeavors. Pairing up with Green Garmento to offer his own official limited edition version of the eco-friendly all-in-one reusable drycleaning and laundry bag.
Tote your dry cleaning to an eco-friendly CO2 dry cleaner in a sleek black or green GTL logo reusable garmemt bag. Cut down on your plastic bag usage and pick up some GTL style.
“There’s nothing sexy about plastic bags,” says Mike.
Sorrentino is fist pumping the estimated 300,000,000 pounds of drycleaning plastic that ends up in US landfills and waterways each year out of existence. Available for only $11.99, it could be one of the coolest and greenest things to come out of the Jersey Shore. › Continue reading
The Driving Significance of Hybrid-Electric Vehicles
I am currently undergoing the search for a beautiful new (or used) car for myself. As daunting as the search can be, there are a lot of great facts about hybrid-electric vehicles that I’ve found during the process. Luckily, as the importance of protecting our environment becomes apparent, the amount of research and production of green technologies increase. Rising energy consumption is what drives the worlds ecological footprint, and income and population growth are the forces increasing greenhouse gas production. A large industry for green technology exists within hybrid and electric vehicles, just as the growing industry for Bio Fuel, Bio Diesel, FlexFuel and alternative fuels exists. “Green technologies are the master key to the future of the automobile,” says Thomas Weber, head of research and development for Mercedes-Benz. Now, the federal government has created a 2.4 billion dollar Recovery Act in order to provide subsidies for electric battery factories and continued research. These subsidies will help car manufacturers meet the new emission standards enacted last year by the Obama administration. By 2016 automakers must achieve 35.5 mpg. This is an increase from the current standard of 27.5 mpg. “Hybrids are less than 3% of the market and they’ve been less than 3% for years,” says Rebecca Lindland, and analyst with the research firm HIS Global Insight. This means that about 97% of the vehicles sold in the United States in recent years were powered by gasoline, not electricity.
A Great Green Festival Weekend
Last weekend I had the pleasure to attend the Green Festival Seattle 2010. Upon first walking into the event, I was overwhelmed with over 300 exhibits, excited to see all of the friendly faces, and ready to learn a lot about everything green. The Green Festival took place June 5th and 6th in the Washington State Convention Center. I attended the festival on Saturday, June 5th, and volunteered there on Sunday which was a fantastic experience. The staff of the event were knowledgeable, friendly, organized, and most of all excited to be a part of, and provide, a wonderful weekend for many individuals and families. One thing I noticed while I was volunteering: a large percentage of the people coming to attend the event had free passes which had been given out at Verizon stores and other places. The Green Festival is completely focused on trying to provide as many people as possible the opportunity to spend the weekend learning about living green and green products, and that is a great thing.
Here are a few products and companies I learned about while I was there:
Marcal Small Steps – Marcal is a company with a ‘green culture.’ Being the oldest environmentally friendly paper product distributor in the US since 1950, their mission is to provide affordable and recycled paper products to families. Their Small Steps line was created in 2009 and consists of recycled bath tissue, napkins, towels, and facial tissue. Because their products are 100% recycled, no trees are used in their manufacturing and they have already saved 23,720,740 trees and counting. › Continue reading
Crayon Health Bars
There are many fantastic and interesting inventions out there, with new ones happening every day. (Even paper chips!). One that really caught my eye is a remarkable idea for a health bar – a crayon. Luxirare (a combination of Rare and Luxury) is a weekly, elegant, webzine that focuses on portraying the beauty of fashion and food. The webzine concentrates on one item at a time and spends a lot of time towards executing the creation and presentation of that item. In this case, Luxirare has created crayon health bars, and captured the attention of many.
Luxirare created the crayons out of colorful foods, all listed on the back of the box, and many of the ingredients are very healthy and an appealing change from normal fruits and vegetables. The yellow crayon, for instance, includes processed corn, nuts, yellow Fruity Pebbles, dried bananas and bee pollen (which is super healthy). Luxirare separated many different types of foods in small containers and captured the creation process and end result in many striking photos. › Continue reading
Green On The Go
With life becoming increasing more busy, many people simply don’t have time to think about what they can do to help the environment, or the steps they can take to start living green. Here are some easy tips and items for an on-the-go lifestyle that won’t hurt the planet.
Buy in bulk – Buying in bulk and stocking up on sale items saves money and decreases the amount of packaging used. Also, you won’t be scrambling to buy new paper towels or soap when you frequently run out. Of course, make sure you have places to store all of your bulk items!
Totes Eco-brella - This umbrella is made with 70% recycled materials and is great 
for rainy Seattle weather. The canopy is made from 100% recycled PET bottles and the frame is made form 70% recycled aluminum. The Notch/Runner is made from 100% recycled Nylon. The handle is made from bamboo and has a waxed hemp strap for holding. For an added bonus, it comes in environmentally friendly packaging and proudly displays the recycled symbol within a raindrop on both the canopy and tie strap and can be purchased in many different colors! › Continue reading
