New Greenie on the Block!

Good morning friends! For those who celebrate, it is Easter Sunday here in the good old United States. On this day a few interesting traditions have taken hold such as egg hunts, baskets filled with candy and other goodies, and dying eggs to turn them into funky colors.

I don’t really know where the tradition of coloring eggs game from but when I was a kid we used to pick up the little kits that were sold at grocery stores or drug stores, shake the powder into a bowl, pour boiling water over it then dip our hard boiled egg into the liquid with the handy egg dipping thingie that came with it.

Now that I am older, and don’t have any kids, dying eggs fell by the wayside. I hadn’t paid it much thought until I was reading Jennifer’s blog, Green Earth Goodies, this morning only to discover she had posted a fantastic tutorial on how to accomplish this fun activity using all natural ingredients that are better for the planet and probably already right there in your own home!

Here’s a snippet from the post:

“…depending on preference for depth of color (and keep in mind, these will look more like natural Easter eggs – earthy, soft and muted, so don’t expect the harsh color that comes from artificial food dye or kits); if you plan to eat the eggs, then you should move your glass containers into the fridge once the dye has cooled off…”

Obviously pastel colored eggs will be tough to achieve using the at home dye creation method but kids (or adults alike!) will have double the fun squishing up berries or veggies to use in the mixes too.

If you haven’t gone out to buy a kit (or even if you have) I suggest checking out Jennifer’s DIY Coloring Easter Eggs Naturally tutorial and giving it a try. Then be sure to use the eggs for egg salad, deviled eggs or any other treat you like after the day has passed.

Does anyone have suggestions for what to do with the leftover “dye”? Has anyone used this method before?

Would love to hear feedback, and please welcome Jennifer to the Greenie blog roll!

Burt’s Bees Natural Toothpaste

Recently I received a free sample tube of Burt’s Bees Natural Toothpaste in the mail. With six different versions in their toothpaste menu they sent out a 0.5 oz tube of the multicare with fluoride for me to try.

The first thing I noticed right away is that it is a thicker paste than the brand I currently use, it was heavier at first gliding across my teeth, but it did foam up nice and the heavy feeling went away in just a second. The flavor is good, very minty but not knock you over strong. Best of all? My teeth feel cleaner than with the toothpaste I currently use! I didn’t see that coming; as a coffee drinker it’s important for me to have a great toothpaste. I think I might have found my new favorite.

The package claims it is 99.2% natural which is a pretty high number. Burt’s Bees makes use of natural cranberry as its plaque fighter. According to the website, cranberries contain a nutrient known as Proanthocyanidins [PCAs] and this is good because:

“Studies have shown that PACs inhibit oral bacteria from sticking to the surface of teeth, thereby helping prevent plaque formation before it starts”

The paste also contains calcium and phosphorous but does not contain SLS (Sodium Laurel Sulfate), artificial flavors, sweeteners, color or preservatives. And they never test on animals.

Online a 4 oz tube goes for $5 which is competitive compared to my usual brand. Plus the product is currently available at 11 major retailers (including Whole Foods, Safeway, drugstore.com, Duane Reade, etc), coming soon to Target, Walmart and Rite Aid, and of course can always be purchased on the Burt’s Bees website.

The company has a long and solid track record of caring about the planet and the people who reside on it by providing natural products that work. I’ve been a fan of their lip balms for years already and now they can add me to the list of toothpaste converts as well! Due to their strong commitment to a more natural life I am granting Burt’s Bees multicare with fluoride toothpaste a Four and a Half Leaf Rating!

Want to get your own free sample and check it out for yourself? Just head on over to their website and fill out the brief information to get yours!

Thanks for your attention to our pearly whites Burt’s Bees and for doing it with a natural twist. ♥love♥

Eco Fashion Friday Featured Designer Jonano

We gals love to feel enveloped in something luxurious, even women like me who tend to wear sweats and hoodies most of the time! There is something about pulling an all natural, fine fabric from our closet for those special occasions that can give us a feeling of total heart rush. Jonano is a company that recognizes how a lady likes to feel pampered every once in a while and they sent me one of their gorgeous silk and linen scarves to try out.

The weave is tight enough that even the sheerness of the fabric does not threaten the strength of the item. The fabric is soft and it drapes beautifully. I tried wearing it in a couple of ways -- over my head to protect my hair from the rain as well as around my neck. Here in the northeast United States it is vital to have a warm scarf all winter long. I was not disappointed, my neck was toasty warm but I didn’t need a super bulky item to ensure it.

As a supporter of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Bonnie Siefers created this scarf for the Daffodil Collection. 10% of all the proceeds go to support the cause. Nice!

I know that many of you might be thinking ‘but creating silk kills the silkworms’ and typically that would be true, however, Jonano uses peace silk in their garments which ensures the silkworm is unharmed in the creation of the fabric. Instead of creating one continuous silk thread by not allowing the creature to emerge from its cocoon as a moth, the moth emerges and the cocoon is then harvested to be spun into fiber instead.

The price for this scarf is somewhat beyond the reach of many women at a suggested retail of $69 but it is a well made item that will be a versatile piece meaning it will potentially get a lot of wear. The one thing I was put off by was that the fabric shed. I tried it on first with a white button down shirt, then the green shirt seen in the photo above, and the scarf left behind tons of pilled fibers. Sadly because I was asked to return the item to the company after testing it out I was unable to wash or dry clean it to see if it would eliminate the issue.

Overall I am impressed with the humanitarian efforts to support breast cancer research as well as the ethical treatments of the silkworms used to create this item and I am awarding a Three Leaf Rating to this chic scarf! (an array of cool fashion is available online, I highly suggest checking out the website for more!)

Thanks for proving that couture can be Green, Jonano! ♥love♥

EcoSmart Garden Insect Killer

A few months ago at our monthly Bennetts Brook Green Group meeting a few members were discussing the need to rid their yards of grubs that were wreaking havoc on their gardens. We all went on the hunt for an environmentally friendly alternative that would not simply flood our lawns with heavy doses of chemicals. So when EcoSmart contacted me to review their Garden Insect Killer I was definitely excited to report back to all of you as well as the BBGG.

The product comes in either a 32 ounce bottle with a nozzle for a hose attachment or a 24 ounce spray bottle (the one I was sent) and individual bottles retail for $8.00 - 15 in the EcoSmart online shop. The price is right as I did a little research in my local garden center and chemical based insect killers average at a similar cost.

And that is the best part. The ingredients in this product include a whole bunch of natural oils such as: rosemary, peppermint, thyme and clove. Additional ingredients are listed as water, mineral oil, octadecenoic acid potassium salt, and lecithin. Naturally I had never heard of octadecenoic acid potassium salt and was curious as to what it was.

Turns out this is a fatty acid salt. So what does that mean? It is classified as a soap and adjuvant (an agent that is inert alone but modifies the effects of other agents). So since this is an agricultural adjuvant I consulted Wikipedia to read:

“The adjuvant acts here by reducing the surface tension of the water on the surface of the spray drop and by reducing the interfacial tension between the spray drop and surface of the leaf. This requires an adjuvant that will preferentially aggregate at these surfaces. This may not be done effectively by the surfactants that form and stabilize the oil/water emulsion from the concentrate formulation”

Basically what I have deduced is that this acts as an extender to help spread the oils out all over the surface since the main ingredient is water and we all know that water and oil don’t mix. Fair enough but what exactly is octadecenoic acid? When I plugged this into wiki it suggested a new spelling (octadecanoic) and led me to the page for stearic acid. A fatty acid, it is developed from animal fats. As is lecithin.

So the good news is that EcoSmart’s claim for an all natural bug killer is in fact all natural, the bad news is it is clearly not a Vegan alternative. The other good news is that it is listed to rid the yard of aphids, mites, thirps, whiteflies, beetles and caterpillars. Grubs become beetles and therefore would be removed naturally. Again, the bad news is that by then it is potentially too late as new eggs may have already been laid causing more grubs.

I will be giving this bottle to my sister in law, you all know her as the fearless writer and reviewer Melissa around these parts, so she can give it a go and hopefully rid her yard of these pesky critters once and for all, in the most environmentally friendly way possible. Until her practical review comes out however I am granting a Three and a Half Leaf Rating to the Garden Insect Killer!

EcoSmart you have shown that with an eye to the planet as well as the health of humans and our pets we are able to have natural alternatives to keeping our gardens pest free. ♥love♥

Earthworm Cleaning Products Series Bathroom Tub and Tile Cleaner

Welcome back to the Earthworm cleaning products series! Clean Earth Brands sent me two full boxes of their fine products to review and Leaf Rate. Now that I have had a chance to put the rest of these products to the test, today I would like to share my feelings on the Bathroom Tub and Tile Cleaner.

We do not have tile in our home but our tub surround is a little grimy with soap scum and build up from time to time so I was eager to give this a try. Again, as per their directions I shook it up well, sprayed it on and allowed it to do its thing for about seven minutes. It indicates an absorbent sponge or cloth should be used so I made use of the one in the photo, which also has a mild scrubby side.

The formula did not immediately run down the wall which was nice, it was more of a spray on foam that adhered to the surface but lightly covered. I scrubbed gently with the sponge and then used moderately hot water from my removable showerhead to wash it off. The result was pretty good. It did not remove any stains that had set in previously but it did take off all the soap scum and left the surface feeling clean.

**As with the other products I have already reviewed the ingredients contain preservatives. Again, I would like to be clear as to what these preservatives are?**

I am leaving the above paragraph static as I feel it bears repeating in all of the Earthworm reviews. What most concerns me is that every single product I have tested so far is comprised of the exact same listed ingredients, which leads me to wonder if it is the same product repackaged with a new name and sold as something different?

Overall I am pleased with the performance and granting the Bathroom Tub and Tile Cleaner a Three Leaf Rating! ♥love♥

Coming up tomorrow -- Earthworm Floor Cleaner

The EcoBag Series -- Day One: Loofah-Art Kitchen Scrubber

We have all been there, on the stove sits a daunting pot with something burned/caked/cooked onto the bottom of it that our everyday sponge just will not handle. We do not want to waste the water it would take to soak it for hours and steel wool pads sometimes contain chemically enhanced detergents, so what should we do when trying to remove something so stubborn?

I recently received this Loofah-Art Scrubber from EcoBags and I must say, after using it a few times for just the very scenario described above I am in love with this little apple shaped cleaning tool!

Most recently I used it (with just a little water added to the cleaning pad itself) to remove some completely dried vegetable soup from a bowl and it took it off with no problems and little pressure. Rinsing the scrubber utilized far less water than soaking the bowl would have. Listed online for $3.99 the scrubber is completely biodegradable, since loofah is a plant, and the package indicates that the dye is vegetable based.

I liked reading that a portion of the proceeds from Loofah-Art sales help to support the funding of schools, medical care and decent living conditions in the countryside in India where they are created by independent farmers and fairly paid workers.

There are 55 different designs for both the shower or kitchen (on the Loofah-Art website, EcoBags shows different options based on availability) so there is likely one to fit in with any décor or preference. I love my apple; it was the perfect choice for Loofah-Art to allow EcoBags to send me to review as I have some apple items already hanging around my kitchen!

The scrubber dried relatively quickly but I will say it was a bit stiff to work with at first and slightly rough on my hands as I do not wear gloves when washing dishes by hand. Also, there is a minimum order of two scrubbers required on any of these, including the body loofah which retails for $14.99 and is substantially larger of an item (I found this slightly odd). I will definitely be curious to see how long the Scrubber lasts before it either begins to emit an odor or begins to break down.

Despite some personal preferences, this is definitely a more environmentally sound option than similarly designed nylon based versions, and I am awarding the Loofah-Art Kitchen Scrubber a Three Leaf Rating!

Not only is this product functional but it is attractive and eco-friendly! Nice work! ♥love♥

Coming up tomorrow -- the reusable Produce Bag

Vlaskaas Cheese from Beemster is Yummy for a Great Cause

I recently had a block of Vlaskaas cheese from Beemster (a company based in Holland) shipped to me to test, research and review and as a self proclaimed cheese lover I might have already been slightly biased when it arrived at my doorstep. But I put my personal love for milk protein aside and vowed to be completely professional on this review.

The first thing I noticed was the pink ribbon on the package and included blurb that for every pound of Vlaskaas sold between September 15 - October 31, Beemster would donate $.50 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. They also guarantee the minimum donation to be $10,000. I was impressed by their effort to support such a worthy cause in the fight against Breast Cancer.

Next thing that jumped out was the fact that this cheese is 100% all natural ingredients -- cow’s milk, salt, cheese cultures, rennet and annatto -- just six ingredients keeps the cheese in its purest form.

While reading through the story about the inception of this cheese I learned that it was invented as a snack for workers during the celebration time of the harvesting of flax. The recipe is the oldest in the line but was introduced the most recently as it was revived in about 2004 when the festival was also reborn. The literal translation of Vlaskaas is Flax Cheese.

Their pastures are 100% pesticide free and along with companies like Ben & Jerry’s, Beemster is part of the Caring Dairy program. The program includes efforts to provide enhanced love and, well, care for their cows. They have opened up the available space each animal has to move while inside (including the ability to simply lounge and relax), allow the animals to range freely among the pastures and just generally treat their cows with love and respect. Cool!

It also does not hurt that it was amazing on top of our vegetarian chipotle chili the other night and even better naked on wheat crisp crackers a few days later. Cheese does not usually last long in our house but this one seemed to go particularly quickly.

With only six cheeses in their line Beemster is able to consistently focus on the treatment of their animals, as well as the quality of their cheese, and by donating time and monies earned to such fantastic charitable organizations they certainly had no trouble impressing me. With all of this said I am granting Beemster Vlaskaas a Four Leaf Rating!

Next time I am in the cheese aisle you can be sure I will keep an eye out for Vlaskaas; keep up the great work Beemster! ♥love♥

Natural Plasters from American Clay are Beautiful and Earth Friendly

Before I begin discussing the product I am about to review, it might be helpful if everyone gets a little back story on me and why this product is one I am most excited to talk about. For the past few years I have enjoyed a part time career as a decorative wall artist. I have been exposed to a healthy number of different plasters and plaster type materials and am extremely proficient at applying Venetian type. American Clay is very different from anything I have used before but quite a welcome alternative!

The company offers three finish options -- Loma (a suede like feel), Porcelina (super smooth like Venetian) and Marittimo (visually deep due to addition of crushed shells but smooth to the touch) and 43 standard color selections that are created from Earth friendly, natural pigments. On top of that they say they can custom match just about any color and with 43 base colors to start with I can definitely believe it!

What is really cool about this type of plaster is its benefit not only toward beautifying a home but in its inherent environmentally friendly properties. For example there is no VOC (no off gassing like many paints or plaster alternatives), it is 100% natural, resists mold and controls moisture, it is non-toxic and there is never a drop of waste. Even if the plaster is dried out it can be rehydrated to do touch ups and repairs.

The plaster can be applied either with a trowel or through a sprayer designed for drywall compound (generally these are used to spray on things like popcorn ceilings, they have a larger hopper and spray nozzle hole to prevent clogging).

I can not express how much I love the feel of this plaster, it is soft and smooth no matter which option although it can be applied in a rough style if that is the desired effect.

The one slightly daunting thing is that the mixing and measuring might seem a bit overwhelming to a novice or the average homeowner and this might keep them from attempting to apply it as many plasters do come in pre-mixed form these days. In fact the company offers a list of trusted professionals who have worked with their product and they strongly recommend hiring one for the installation.

The environmental benefit as well as the availability of the product throughout the United States (5 locations in Massachusetts alone!) but the definite need for a professional installer have me granting American Clay a Three Leaf Rating!

As a professional finisher with a love for plaster American Clay is a product I will be excited to become a pro at installing, and the Earth will thank me for it! ♥love♥

Paper Water Bottles

Yes you read that title correctly! A few days ago one of my favorite foodie bloggers Karen sent me a link for Paper Water Bottles. I was completely intrigued as I had never heard of or seen anything like this before and I dove into researching this bold concept to see if it was even viable because my initial reaction (as I am sure many of yours) was ‘how can paper hold water?’. What I discovered is that the 306 Paper Water Bottle by Brand Image is an innovative and feasible product, but it is one I seriously question the need for.


Brand Image is a marketing company and as such wants to ensure their literal image is seen by as many people as possible. Since this concept is seemingly so impossible it will likely receive a lot of press which ensures a vast public viewing. The thing with consumers these days, especially those who are eco-conscious, is that they are savvy and no matter how “cool” the concept is, if it is not a solid contribution to the planet, they ain’t buyin’. The 360 has pros and cons.

When compared to a plastic water bottle the life span of the 360 is much shorter. The bottle is lined with a sugar based polyester (PLA film) which is fully biodegradable but will also break down quickly meaning each bottle will likely only get one go round. Some experts say a plastic water bottle should not be used more than once, however it is actually possible to do so without a breakdown of fibers. Also as a plastic bottle has a screw on cap, the 360 has a snap off top which is said to reseal but if the paper (or other natural fibers such as bamboo, etc) begins to break down, the cap will not secure tight enough for transport.

Both a plastic bottle and the 360 can be recycled which is definitely a pro but unlike a plastic bottle which is only partially (if even) created from recycled materials, the 360 is created from 100% renewable resources.

Where the 360 has plastic beat is in both its total design and reasoning behind its creation. It comes in six pack or larger and every bit of the packaging for transport is the same material as the bottle itself which ensures full recycling capability. The reasoning behind its creation is to ensure that the 86% of plastic bottles thrown into landfills each year is transformed into a biodegradable material instead. I must admire the innovation there.

Overall I am back and forth on this concept where on the one hand it would be great to find a use for all the paper we toss each year but on the other I question why we can’t just make use of a travel mug or aluminum bottle. Due to its innovative concept and environmental consciousness I am granting the 360 a Two Leaf Rating.

Thanks for thinking in the right direction Brand Image!

Coffee, the Elixir of Life, Just Got Even Better

Call it what you will -- café, java, joe, high test, cahfee (the Bostonian pronunciation), cawfee (the New Yorker pronunciation) -- to me this lovely bean creates the one and only thing that will wake me up in the morning and cradles my personality into one that others want to be around. Well, that is, once my morning cup has been ingested.

While reading through Yahoo today I came across a lovely list of stuff we can do with all of those grounds left over after we brew up the bitter goodness. It excites me to learn there are more uses than simply aging paper or putting in the compost pile.

The transcript of the article is below, or check out the original post here.

Recycling your used coffee grinds
By Huddler's Green Home Community
Posted Mon Apr 27, 2009 2:25pm PDT

Did you know that the average American consumes about 3 cups of coffee a day? That’s a lot of used coffee grinds going into the trash.

There are actually many ways you can recycle and reuse your old coffee grinds to help preserve the environment and maintain your health. And for other ways to green your caffeine, check out the wiki all about having an eco-cup o' joe or maybe even look into drinking organic coffee!

A Cup of Joe Goes a Long Way

You’d be surprised at just how many different methods have worked for people:

* Touch up furniture and other wood scratches with grounds and a Q-tip.
* Sprinkle around areas where pesky insects, slugs and snails dwell to drive them away.
* Mix with soil as a natural fertilizer for plants.
* Dye clothing or paper.
* Rub into your dog as an organic flea dip.
* Fill old nylons and hang in your closet or fridge to repel odors.
* Use to fill old pin cushions.
* Scrub away grease and grime from pots and pans.
* Throw on ashes before cleaning out the fireplace to reduce dust from spreading.
* Feed to worms to help with your garden.
* Rub on your hands to eliminate odors.
* Mix ¼ grinds with one egg white and massage onto face like a mud pack.
* If you’re not an avid coffee drinker but you live near a coffee shop or cafe, you can always ask them for the old grinds. Places like Starbucks actually give bags of used grinds away to people who use them for their home and gardens.

Recycling is just one way that we can help maintain the natural beauty of our environment, so next time you drink a cup of coffee save those coffee grinds for future use.