Sun Crystals are Sprinkling Weddings with Sweetness!

What could be better for a busy bride than to have every last detail of her wedding planned for her? Sun Crystals all natural sweetener wondered the same thing and tomorrow, October 22, 2009, these folks are going to help a whole bunch of “sweet couples” tie the knot or renew their marriage vows at Foley Square in NYC.

The campaign is a simple concept -- “To celebrate the introduction of the SUN CRYSTALS® Brand, the first all-natural, low-calorie sweetener that marries stevia and sugar cane, two plants nourished by the sun. The event also highlights the brand's commitment to environmental sustainability. McNeil Nutritionals, LLC, with its SUN CRYSTALS® Sweetener Product is a member of 1% For The Planet®, donating 1% of its sales this year to the American Solar Energy Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the use of solar energy, energy efficiency and other sustainable technologies in the U.S."

Get it? Marry, celebrate, commitment…it was an easy leap for Sun Crystals to bring the idea to light but the best part of all is the word “sun”.

The entire day’s events will be fully powered by rolling solar panels. Very cool!

Sun Crystals sent me the information on this event and I was thrilled to do a little write up on it but when I also received a sample of the product, well, I thought that was really sweet of them.

Get it? Sweet? Okay, okay, I know.

The sweetener is created by blending stevia and pure cane sugar, is 100% natural, low in calories (only 5 per packet as opposed to 15 in sugar) and boasts that only half as much is needed to do the job of sugar. On the back of the bag there is even a recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies and a claim that this is suitable for people with diabetes.

I am impressed that they are involved with 1% for the planet and that this year they are going with donation to solar energy as alternative energy sources will greatly assist with reducing climate change worldwide, allowing the sun to continue to help grow the very plants used to create this product.

The only information I could not find is if this product is sifted with bone char (so I am unsure as to its Vegan-ness) and whether or not the cane sugar is unbleached.

Overall I think what they are doing is sweet and I am granting a Four Leaf Rating to Sun Crystals!

Good luck with the nuptials tomorrow couples in NYC and thanks for keeping your eye on the Earth and its resources Sun Crystals! ♥love♥

CVS Joins the Growing Trend with Earth Essentials Sugarcane Dishware

These CVS Earth Essentials plates and bowls are not the first I have seen created from sugarcane and because it is such a lowered impact on the planet to use this type of disposable dishware, as opposed to paper or plastic, I hope they are not the last.

With cookouts and parties, as I have said before, comes the disposable dishware option. Most people use these due to the sheer convenience of knowing they do not have to wash dishes at the end of the party. The good news about these disposables is that they are created from the rapidly renewing resources of sugarcane.

At only about $2.50 per pack (15 nine inch plates or 20 seven inch bowls) the cost is reasonable and right in line with other brands that may or may not be eco-conscious. They are sturdy too, with a fairly deep well on the plate and a nice wide double ridge rim on the bowls these plates will stand up to just about anything put on them.

I did not see these items available for purchase online, only in store, so their availability may vary from area to area. They are water and oil resistant but can not be washed and reused as the underside is not coated. As I have said before, the items are still disposable so it is not the best choice for day to day use, but if a commercial composting facility is available in your area they will break down quickly and with less of an overall impact. Otherwise they must be tossed in the trash like a standard paper plate.

Overall even though the availability of types and sizes is a bit limited I am happy to know that when shopping for this type of convenience item there is a more beneficial option out there so I am granting the CVS Earth Essentials dishware line a Three Leaf Rating!

Day two of being impressed by this exclusive line CVS! ♥love♥

Coming up tomorrow, the final installment: CVS Earth Essentials line bathroom tissue and paper towels

Staples Finds it EcoEasy Being Green

Recently while perusing through the local Super Stop and Shop I remembered that I was in desperate need of Wite-Out (review to follow!) and I headed for the office supplies isle. Being a super Greenie sleuth just about anything Earth tone is generally going to catch my eye. Being a writer when the brown thing is a composition book there is no way I will not pick it up. When I flipped it over Staples won me over and this baby went straight into the cart!

Inside the front cover is a world of information on this innocent looking comp book. Not only is the book made from 80% waste, it is made from sugarcane, a more rapidly renewing resource than trees! Then to top it all off the inks used to print the covers and page lines are water or vegetable based.

Staples EcoEasy line offers over 3000 products including this comp book. They are also available online for purchase** and the prices are fairly competitive with the similar not so eco friendly versions. The cost of my comp book was $2.49 at the grocery store and online it is being offered for the same price. Not too bad!

Ball point pen ink doesn’t bleed through at all so I could write front to back with no fear of illegibility. Of course I do not always use ball point so I tested a few other types of pens from thick Sharpie to fine Sharpie to a Rolling ball style. Both markers did show through some, but less than I had expected, and the liquid rolling ball was somewhat visible but better.

Based on my own writer’s test of this composition notebook, the Staples EcoEasy line as a whole and the company’s solid efforts to save trees and energy, I am granting this baby a Three and a Half Leaf Rating!

For all of my future office supply needs I will be sure to check out Staples EcoEasy line first! Keep up the great ideas folks! ♥love♥

**As a side note, OneCause will donate 1.5% of all purchases made at Staples online store so do not forget to set up a OneCause account and download the toolbar prior to shopping so the school of your choice (such as Adventure School in Tucson) can benefit as well. Being Green is Easy!

Going Green with Solo Brand - Bare

I know what you are all thinking - ‘how can a company that makes disposable products possibly be considered Green?’ and if you saw my leaf rating tag at the top of the post you might be even more curious. Well read on to learn about the entirely new, environmentally responsible side called Solo Bare™!

We have likely all had experiences with the Solo brand; their plastic cups have practically become synonymous with the word ‘party’ in the past 73 years since the company’s inception. Their cups are instantly recognizable for their shape and color. They can be rinsed and reused, or even recycled, but more often than not they are simply tossed into a garbage bag and thrown away. The centuries it will take for this plastic to degrade times the number of parties Americans throw every year equals a huge landfill problem.

But most party goers want something convenient and easy, something they can simply be done with at the end of a night full of laughter and fun.

Enter Solo Bare™ (Bringing Alternative Resources for the Environment).

With plates made from sugar cane and bamboo in the Bare dinnerware line, and cups created from either plant based materials or 25% post-consumer recycled content in the Bare drinkware line, Solo just put a new twist on the old stand by!

The compostable** sugar cane plates come in three sizes for all party needs and are square with high edges so food will not spill out. They are free of chlorine, ink and dye and are cut resistant as well as microwave safe.

The renewable plates created from bamboo fiber are a khaki color, round, and also have a deep well for food. They are also microwave safe and take advantage of a fiber sourced from a rapidly renewable resource which can sustain a new crop in approximately 5 years as opposed to tree based paper which can take upwards of 40 to fully mature.

Solo Bare, 14 oz cups are created from plant based materials, (likely corn starch in the US) and are either compostable or recyclable. The larger 18 oz clear drink cups are made utilizing 25% post consumer recycled content and are also recyclable.

Now it would be imperative to recycle the 18 oz cups as they are PET based plastic and without a commercial composting facility available it would also be difficult to ensure suggested disposal of the sugar cane plates or 14oz cups, so this is my only reservation. Party goers and hosts would need to be diligent in practicing proper recycling disposal of these items.

But with such a progressive concept, especially where the bamboo plates are concerned, I am impressed with this giant leap forward from such a well known company as Solo and am granting a Four Leaf Rating to the entire line!

Keep the innovation for new and eco-forward™ concepts flowing Solo and you will remain the number one purveyor of party products for a long time to come!
♥love♥

Visit the Bare by Solo website for coupons and to find a retailer who carries the product in your area as well as to read about the Keep America Beautiful campaign which Solo is a big part of sponsoring and taking action with. Hooray!


** all composting of materials must be done in commercial facilities. Bio-plastics will degrade in approximately 90 days in this type of environment as opposed to upwards of 500 years for petroleum based plastics sitting in a landfill.