First Annual Arizona Gives Day

The entire state of Arizona - lawmakers, grass-roots activists, businesses, non-profits, and the citizens - are all coming together on Wednesday March 20, 2013 to celebrate the new partnership appropriately dubbed Arizona Gives Day.

This initiative was born just under a year ago when it was brought to the table by Patrick McWhortor and Marissa Theisen of the groups Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits and the Arizona Grantmakers Forum. They were looking for a day of giving in our state that would be a collaboration between every citizen who calls Arizona home.

There are over 800 non-profit organizations participating in the day of giving tomorrow. Donations can be made online and the website is very easy to navigate. Recipients are involved with every corner of life for Arizonans.

Categories include:

• Animals
• Arts & Culture
• Children & Youth
• Community & Society
• Economic Development
• Education
• Environment
• Health
• Humanitarian Aid
• International
• Religion
• Science & Technology

To find out more about a cause or organization you'd like to support on Arizona Gives Day, visit azgives.org then donate as much as you can to help our state aspire to even greater heights!

Not in Arizona? No problem! We'd be happy to accept doantions coming in from across the country or across the globe!

Together, we can make Arizona the most generous state in the nation for even one day!

Life Is Good!

This past weekend here in Canton, Massachusetts the well known lover of all dogs, Life Is Good, held their rockin’ good time festival and Matt and I were lucky enough to attend on Sunday.

The festival, held on the grounds of Prowse Farm, featured so much it would be almost impossible to list it all here but I’ll highlight the stuff we took part in and saw.

We started the day with the best part of all -- free parking! Parking was graciously donated by Reebok as their building was about a ten minute walk from the field and they had a parking garage which housed a healthy number of cars. Instead of waiting for a shuttle bus, Matt and I walked the distance to the field with our beach chairs, backpack (filled with towels, a roll of toilet paper, our Nalgene bottles and travel sized Scrabble) and a smile.

We arrived right on time to get set up to see Emily Elbert. Originally from Texas, Emily went to school right here in Boston at Berkley. We’ve seen her live before and couldn’t wait to catch her act on a much larger stage. The music she does is a nice mix of bluesy, jazzy, poppy, rock and her voice holds so much soul you’d never think it was coming from such a teeny girl. She rocked and even had an interpreter signing for the crowd!

From there we made our way to get some food from the local vendors and the prices were really reasonable which was a welcomed change from most festivals I’ve attended. We passed the Life Is Good merchandise tent on the way. Oh yeah, did I happen to mention that 100% of the proceeds from this event of LiG merch are being donated to the Life is Good Kids Foundation?

Cool!

Next up for us was They Might Be Giants, one of Matt’s all time favorite acts. They have taken to doing lots of kids music in recent years but we’ve discovered that the jokes and chatting the guys do on stage in between the tunes is all for the grown ups. So, sans kids of our own, we hung out on the periphery and enjoyed the fun!  They made a funny reference to Woodstock when one of the John's came up to make an announcement and I even recognized a few tunes (Alphabet of Nations I think is one of them) from having taken our nephews to their show a few months back.

We had a bunch of idle time until the next act we were interested in seeing so it was time to mingle -- festival style!

We passed on taking part in the sporting events because we just like to walk around (and also because we both had a drink so safety first!). There was a rock climbing wall, Frisbee toss, bocce, tug-o-war and a whole slew of other fun stuff for all ages to take part in! On the way around we passed the Art for All Mural (pictured at the top of the post) and I was in love!

It consists of 1500 tiles that are hand painted in pre-determined colors/palates by selected volunteers and when it is all put together this 25’ high by 31’ wide canvas is a most impressive piece.

We made our way around to catch a little bit of Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars on the main stage (who were quite grooving, I danced my way across the field!) and then headed back to the smaller stage to watch OK Go and Brett Dennen.

We played a little Scrabble (I won which is pretty normal around here, I come from a long lineage of fierce Scrabble competitors!)

Took a few photos.

And then, I had a Say Anything moment with my favorite eco-conscious musician, the headliner that night, Jason Mraz. Just like Lloyd Dobler and Diane Court “shared a moment” in a mall food court in that movie, my moment with Jason was quite the exciting sighting for me. He passed by about ten feet away with, I think, his Joyologist Tricia but I wouldn’t swear to it. They were walking with a purpose and headed toward the main stage.

I nudged Matt and pointed Jason out but he didn’t catch on until the man himself had already passed by. Oh well, maybe one of these days I won’t be so shy and just approach the guy. I mean really, we have the planet in common at least even if nothing else right?

After Brett was wrapped up we had a lot of time before the next act we wanted to see, Jason, so we kind of milled about the place. We caught a slight snippet of Guster (good!) and Corinne Bailey Rae (very mellow) but when we got to the kid’s tent I was really happy we walked all the way down there.

We were lucky enough to see most of Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue and they were amazing! The name says it all, with Cajun, jazz and big band swing influence this act even got Matt dancing (a treasured moment to be sure!). These guys were supposed to open the main stage but had travel problems and couldn’t make it in for the 12:30 start. We were both really glad to have caught the act.

A little more wandering, people watching, throwing trash into the designated receptacles for compost, recycling and trash itself and claiming our spot to see the main stage from a vantage point a healthy distance away and we were ready for the main act.

Jason took the stage right on time and it was such a great performance we ended up heading closer toward the crowd so I could concert call a few friends, also fans of his.

Matt and I danced the entire set and it was a super fun show. Jason was opening his tour this month and I don’t know for sure but I think this was the first stop. He was full of energy and so was the huge crowd even when he performed a whole bunch of new music. At one point he tossed a piece of his cantaloupe into a guy’s mouth in the crowd then later invited the same guy (Joe) and another gal (Katie) up on stage to dance. Good times.

After the satisfying end to a day full of love, fun and music we walked back to the car, tired but happy to have had the experience and lucky enough to sit in zero traffic when leaving.

Thanks for such a great event Life is Good, the day was phenomenal and I can’t wait to hear how much you raised to support the Kids Foundation! ♥love♥

Ice and Dice Casino Night Fundraiser for Boston Bruins Foundation

Last night my aunt, her friend, and myself, all headed to Kowloon Chinese restaurant in Saugus, Massachusetts for the third annual Ice & Dice Casino Night. Tickets were only $30 and I knew the proceeds were going to a super worthy cause -- The Boston Bruins Foundation.

The Foundation is a not for profit that provides grant monies in the realms of athletic, academic, health and community outreach to various area children’s charities. For example, they have donated to The Children’s Room, a Youth All-City Choir, The Mayors Cup Roller Hockey program and Boston Partners in Education among many, many others.

Last night there were casino tables with all kinds of games but we stuck to a game with dice (it had an hourglass type cage with dice inside it that spun and you bet on numbers) and blackjack (my personal favorite). Bruins alumni, friends, family and many others were present to celebrate the evening for a great cause.

The night began with everyone receiving $1000 worth of chips and then at the end of the night the three people with the most chips won some pretty cool prizes, like a stick signed by the whole team. Then on the way out the ladies (and some of the men grabbed for their own ladies!) were rewarded by some nail polish (5 bottles!) donated by ProStrong.

Because gambling for cash is not legal in Massachusetts all the money was fun money but in order to raise even more, there were a few items in a live auction as well as a slew of silent auction items. Our friend even won one of the bids!

All proceeds from last night’s festivities went to further support the Foundation's Pan-Mass Challenge Bike Team's 2010 donation to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. I don’t know the final tally but at one point our emcee for the evening, Bob Sweeney, Bruins alum and the Foundation’s Director of Development, told us they were in the neighborhood of $50,000 in total. Outstanding!

It was a really fun night and although I’m not much into gambling, the “fun money” atmosphere kept the mood light. Thinking about where the proceeds would be donated made me so happy to have been a part of it all. Thanks Bruins for your continued support of the youth of our fine city of Boston and thanks for a fantastic evening!

Interested in donating, volunteering or just finding out more about the Foundation? Head on over to their Donations Page for more information.

Project 365 Community Is Helping to Support Doctors Without Borders

Good morning folks, hope everyone is enjoying their weekend and that perhaps it is sun filled like ours here in the northeast United States! Matt and I have a full day today running around seeing friends who just moved back to the area, other close friends having a little get together and going to check out my mom’s photographic contribution to the “Images of Arlington” show over at the Arlington Center for the Arts.

In the spirit of supporting my mom’s photography, I thought it was high time to tell everyone about a really cool project she is involved in. The name of it is Project 365 and the premise is for all the photographers who are involved to snap and share one photograph a day. Might sound easy but 365 days is much longer than one might think when trying to find fresh ideas for photo subjects!

The group had the great idea to take a sampling of the captures and bind them together into one very awesome coffee table book which is available to purchase through blurb. The book is:

365 Community: A Photo A Day

There are professional photographers and everyday picture enthusiasts (and everyone in between!) featured in this book, but the best part of all is that all the proceeds from the sale of the book will be sent to support Doctors without Borders!

DwoB is an organization operating in over 60 countries worldwide and their main goal is to provide quality medical care to those who are unable to acquire it in their region due to threats of violence or the trauma of living in a post catastrophe environment. Doctors from all regions of the globe, and from all walks of life, come together to provide healthcare in an impartial way to those who need it most.

In March alone the Project 365 book helped to raise $86 for DwoB! Now admittedly that is awesome but I’d love to see that figure jump a mile! Photos are always a wonderful gift and what better way to give that gift than providing over 190 pages of unique photos from some amazingly talented individuals?

My mom has 5 photos featured in the publication; this is what the pages look like inside:

Think Father’s Day people! Don’t get dad another tie, golf club or fat filled meal, give him a gift that really counts and will bring a smile to his face! Not to mention the faces of those people who will benefit the most from access to medical care.

The book is only $46.95 for the softcover but I say go for the image wrapped hardcover version for that extra classy touch since it comes in at only $65.95.

Thanks so much Project 365 for donating your skills to such a worthy cause as DwoB, every dollar raised is a tremendous help and I’m proud that my own mom is a part of it!

♥love♥

Charles River Center Benefit Gala -- Building a Dream

Over the past couple months I have decided it is high time for my company to start giving back and I have been looking for charitable causes that I feel strongly about so I could do just that. As many of you know I run my own company, Chucka Stone Designs, which completes installations of various specialty paint treatments in an array of types, styles and locations.

I contributed one of my finishes to the Driscoll School Auction as the school this year was attempting to raise money for installation of Green initiatives in the building (hooray!) and also did a company match donation to the American Cancer Society’s Climb to Conquer Cancer which my sister took part in this past March. When my aunt recently sent out a request for donations to the Charles River Center Benefit Gala -- Building a Dream, I knew it was another very worthwhile cause!

My cousin is significantly developmentally delayed and lives in a group home with other disabled young adults, which is managed by the Charles River Arc. The Arc, dependent on state aide and private contributions, provides housing and programs that allow individuals to achieve a work / life balance in a positive and caring environment. Their clients, who might be considered to have a major disadvantage, accomplish amazing thing in terms of independence, friendships and productive social activities.

For example, my cousin volunteers at a nursing home, a pet shelter and with the Salvation Army and has made many great friends which I have had the pleasure of being introduced to over the years. He is fortunate to have residential services, but many of the clients still live at home, many with aging parents. If The Arc loses their day work program benefits through funding cuts, one parent would probably have to quit their job to stay home as these individuals aren’t independent enough to left alone throughout the entire day.

To me, this is a significant blow to an already struggling community of individuals and it only seemed right to help. I put together a collection of 3 picture frames, similar to the one in the picture above, and handed them off for my aunt to include in the silent auction. I know they won’t raise thousands of dollars but every last dime sure does count!

There is still time to donate! If you have been looking for a worthwhile charity to donate even a few dollars to, please consider the Charles River Center Building a Dream campaign. The gala takes place tonight, May 5. To donate you can click the link to be taken to the donation/gala attendance page. Thanks for considering this worthwhile charity which will continue to benefit my cousin and his friends in such a significant way.

Eco Joe - Environmentally Friendly Home Selling Helper

My step mother is a Real Estate Broker so for years now I have known about the secret of the use of Saint Joseph that many Brokers use to assist in selling their listed homes. A small statue of Joe is buried in a particular location on the property and it is said he will assist in bringing in a buyer as he was always the guy who helped Jesus have a roof over his head.

The problem with most of the Saint Joseph statues out there is that they are made from plastic and if the Real Estate Agent or owner forgets to dig him back up again after the sale (or in our case can’t break ground due to snow cover!) the plastic and its coating can leech poisonous chemicals into the soil over time.

Probably not what Joseph had in mind all those years ago when he was working in construction right? Likely, no. So instead of using those chemically toxic versions Founder, Cindy Lin, developed and introduced us to Eco Joe.

The packaging Joe come in is minimal, from 100% post-consumer content and printed using soy based ink. It can also be recycled after use and it is recommended all over the box to do so. The company purchases carbon offset credits to account for its shipping impact and each quarter their proceeds support a different charity (they even take requests as to a new one to sponsor!).

But best of all is the statue itself. The 4-1/2” Joe statue is cast out of Earth friendly and non-toxic clay. It feels like one of those bare porcelain statues kids would get in ceramics class to paint but there is not a drop of paint on him. The price for the kit is reasonable too -- listed at just $14.99 as opposed to the plastic version at $10.99 -- well within range for most real estate pros.

With the strong likelihood that this practice will be adhered to by industry pros for generations to come I thin Eco Joe is a truly innovative product that helps keep the impact of divine intervention to the minimum possible, promotes social consciousness through donation to charity, is into recycling and minimal packaging and that is why I am awarding the ever elusive Five Leaf Rating to this cool concept!

Thanks for taking an already existing concept and improving on its planetary impact without compromising its function Eco Joe! ♥love♥

Redefine Christmas, For Every Occasion

For the past couple years my Mom has been both giving and receiving charitable donations as gifts for Christmas. Not only has it helped all of us to pare down the stuff we receive at that time of year but it makes us feel great to know that we are helping out another who truly needs it.

This year I had asked her to locate her favorite charity who’s mission was to keep music in schools. Sadly she was unable to find something so specific that was not regionally based (and outside of our own country at that) so instead she donated to the Surfrider Foundation; considering I love the ocean and music about equally it was a great choice!

For Matt a donation was made to the National Parks Association and it made us both feel pretty great to realize that both land and sea were taken care of this year.

My aunt replied to the email my mom sent out thanking her for her generous gifts and mentioned the organization Redefine Christmas. Apparently these folks have been getting a lot of press as of late as their message and thought is the exact same as my mom. Fantastic!

Partnered with JustGive.org and Changing the Present, the folks at Redefine Christmas help provide links to so many different charities there is surely one to fit every single person in all of our lives.

Many of you might be thinking it is odd that I am commenting on a Christmas charity just after that holiday has come to a close but I say no way! Let’s consider all that is coming up -- Valentine’s Day, birthdays, Passover, Independence Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, heck I bet there are holidays in a calendar year that people celebrate that I’ve never even heard of! What better way to show someone how much they mean than to give through them to someone truly in need?

I pledge this year to be the year of charitable donations, no fancy gift wrap, no expensive and newly created items that may or may not ever be used. No, instead for all of those holidays and more, this year is the year I give generously in other people’s names!

Who’s with me?

Thanks for the festive photo and the inspiration Mum, you are truly a pioneer!

‘Tis the Season for Sharing and Caring

Welcome back to Eco Fashion Friday loyal readers! This week I have a nice idea for all of you regarding some of our old fashions becoming a new piece for those in need.

Twice a year I sort through my wardrobe to swap over clothing for the seasons so a couple days ago I finally admitted that my flip flops and tank tops should probably be packed away and replaced by sweaters and winter accessories. Here in New England it is vital to have clothing that accommodates for every conceivable type of weather -- temperatures from below zero to over 100 degrees, snow, rain, sun, clouds, wind and any combination of those above.

With those sub zero temperatures on their way, the most important piece is a winter coat. I just recently purchased a new one as my old jacket had never been functional for me. The arms fit but my shoulders are quite a small frame so the jacket would slide backwards and it was uncomfortable. But because I am a gal who firmly believes that saving money is a virtue, I have worn this jacket for the past ten years anyway.

It is still in perfect shape, seeing as though there are not too many days below 20, so I had considered donating it to the Goodwill, until last night. While watching television I saw a commercial for the Burlington Coat Factory Coat Drive and knew just what to do with this jacket!

Together with One Warm Coat, this is the third year that the national chain will be receiving gently worn coats to help cover those who are greatly in need. Last year they received just over 177,000 coats and they hope to top that number this year. With donation stations at every customer service desk it is easy to donate.

Best of all, they will give a 10% off coupon to anyone donating so if you’re in the market for a new coat yourself and already planning to purchase one why not consider doing so at Burlington Coat Factory this season?

Those in need will be truly grateful for the donation and you save a little money in the process. Now that is what the holiday spirit is all about!

VioClean is the Responsible Way to Clean Carpets

Recently a family member happened to notice a VioClean van in their neighborhood and sent me the name so I could do a little research; apparently the vehicle indicated they were an environmentally responsible carpet cleaning company. I was intrigued.

Turns out that VioClean is not only a carpet cleaner but they also provide rug, upholstery, tile and grout cleaning and they do it all in a manner that is safe for children, adults and pets right here in the Boston area**.

The process used is called hot water extraction and they perform it in ten steps which include a pre and post cleaning inspection, a thorough vacuuming of the area with a hepa filter machine and a spot cleaning of stubborn areas. Not to mention that moving small furniture is included and they will groom and speed dry the carpet upon completing the cleaning process to ensure a faster dry time.

All of the products used in the cleaning process are purported to be non-toxic and natural; they indicate no soaps, detergents, petrochemicals or solvents are used. In fact the cleaning products are also odor free, do not emit any VOC, they are organic, colorless and non-allergenic (tend to reduce allergens in the air!) and they do not leave a residue on the carpet fibers.

These folks are an ideal solution for busy landlords as not only will they get down to the heart of the grime in a carpet and remove it but they will also (for a varying fee) remove and recycle appliances, furniture items, electronic equipment and other assorted items that may have to go (pianos, exercise equipment, etc.). Cool!

On top of all these environmentally responsible efforts, the website indicates this is a family run business and that they support such charitable causes as Know Breast Cancer (provides education on the disease and its prevention).

Overall I am not only impressed with the services they offer but that they do it all with an eye on being Earth friendly. With all this in mind I am granting VioClean a Three and a Half Leaf Rating!

With an eco-edge on other cleaners in this area VioClean I encourage you to branch out and start offering your services nationwide! ♥love♥

**If VioClean is not available in your area I strongly encourage everyone considering this type of service to look into the most environmentally responsible company in geographic proximity.

Eco Fashion Friday Featured Organization Bosom Buddy Bra Recycling

Alright girls, let us all be honest. In our lifetimes, since that tender age when we first put on our very first bra, how many of these necessary undergarments have we purchased and wore once but found them so uncomfortable we could never wear them again, outgrew the style or size, or worse, flat out simply never wore? Ten? More? What did we do with all of these rejects?

Well now thanks to Bosom Buddy Bra Recycling program, those of us who have freed ourselves from the constraints of the uncomfortable-for-us bra can now donate those garments to women in need!

The company was founded by Elaine Birks-Mitchell and her husband Johnny and is based out of Queen Creek, Arizona, a small town in Maricopa County located in the southwest area of the state. These amazing people receive bras from people all over the world and they redistribute them to deserving women in desperate situations.

Many of their articles go to shelters (many local) where the women are most concerned with accommodating for their own safety and security but a little thing as simple as a bra can help these women to feel more comfortable and confident again.

They only have four rules -- 1. wash it, 2. fill out a recycled bra form (found on the homepage), 3. box it up in something sturdy and 4. ship it to their facility. They will take any style, any size (a strong need for larger sizes is indicated on the website) and are interested in specialty bras as well (post surgery, etc). All the parts must be in good working order.

If you are a gal, or know a gal, who has one or two unused bras hanging around they can be sent on out to:

Bosom Buddy Bra Recycling
Attention: Elaine Birks-Mitchell
23844 S. Power Rd, Ste 102-433
Queen Creek, AZ 85142

Or if you are in the state of Arizona please review the drop off locations available for collection of the garments.

For such a wonderfully humanitarian organization I am granting Bosom Buddy Bra Recycling a Four Leaf Rating!

This is exactly what the Green movement is all about, doing all we can to help where and when we can. Keep up the great work Bosom Buddy and expect to see donations from a whole slew of Green Leaf Reviewer’s readers! ♥love♥

Eco Fashion Friday Feature on OneCause

A few days ago my sister, who many of you know is a Director of a preschool in Tucson, Arizona, sent out an email regarding a website she and her parents have been frequenting lately called OneCause. Her email gave some basic detail -- the site is a click through portal that leads to hundreds of merchants that her parents already shop at -- and I was intrigued.

The site costs nothing to join and it could not be easier to register, just providing a small amount of information gains access. Then each time you shop at the affiliated merchants just use the OneCause website to access their pages and voila!

You may be wondering why I have chosen to feature these folks on an Eco Fashion Friday. I have done so because many of the affiliated merchants are environmentally based and socially conscious clothing manufacturers. Fantastic!

By going through OneCause for your shopping needs, a percentage of the total is donated to the school or cause of your choice (varies by merchant). With just under 800 merchants on board it is almost impossible to count or list all of the fashion conscious choices but, with companies like Gaiam (who donates 3%) or Little Earth (4%) on board, it is easy to see how this Boston based company has already helped foster over $200 million in donations across 30,000 well deserving places in the ten short years it has been up and running.

My sister’s school, Adventure School in Tucson, could greatly benefit from this socially conscious shopping experience! I have registered with the site and chose Adventure School as the cause I want to contribute to. Next time I am shopping online I simply open the OneCause website, find my desired shop and go to it like normal.

Here is a good example:

I am traveling in November and likely will use Travelocity to book everything, keeping the process simplified. This particular company donates 1%. On a potential $1000 vacation that is a donation of $10 to the school. Over time those dollars really add up!

I hope that everyone will sign up and begin using OneCause as their primary portal into the online merchants they love. When selecting a school I do understand there are many choices but if you do not have children of your own in a currently supported school I strongly encourage everyone to select Adventure School in Tucson, AZ as your school to support.

Thanks everyone now get out and find those Green and environmentally responsible selections through this socially conscious manner!

The Feeling is Good Society and the Word Is Denim

Its eco-fashion Friday again, where do the weeks go?! In my quest for eco-fashion this week I inadvertently stumbled across an organization called Good Society and what I discovered about these folks really impressed me. They have a few divisions including: Pathos Water, Deconstruction Reconstruction, Fannypack and the division I will be reviewing today -- Sling and Stones which is all about denim for both men and women.


What sets the company Sling & Stones apart in the world of denim is their use of American grown, handpicked organic cotton to make their Supima denim, as it is a rare but natural fiber. In addition to the organic fiber, the indigo dyes are all natural and ozone friendly washes are utilized to finish each piece. The fiber is hand loomed at a small Japanese mill and the jeans are then constructed back in Seattle. Oh and did I mention that the rivets are created from 24K gold?

This should lead into the cost quite nicely (and it is the only draw back I could find because the company supports charities worldwide), each pair will set you back $260 - $350. The price is steep but if you are a lover of soft, easy to break in, last forever, high end denim, then the price will be well worth it knowing the environmental benefit each pair possesses.

With their efforts to employ workers in Peru, donate to such charities as suicide prevention in Japan and their use of organic and Fair Trade materials, Sling & Stones is on the cutting edge of eco-fashion awesomeness. I am granting the company a Three Leaf Rating simply due to the price point which would be out of reach to so many.

I will be keeping my eye on both Sling & Stones as well as Good Society as trail blazers in the eco-fashion world. Keep up the great work! ♥love♥

After the Holiday Comes the Clean Up and Clear Out of Toys

In my house we live by the ‘one out one in’ rule. If I purchase something new it is generally due to the fact that something else has completely worn out, broken, or become outdated to a point where it is no longer functional and has already made its way to a recycling center or charity. Since it is just my husband and I there are far fewer family members to determine the supposed need for the item in question. Even though we do not have children we do own some board games, stuffed animals of sentimental value and other items that are deemed “kid”. These items are a small portion of our overall possessions but for those with children it becomes necessary to locate an alternate solution for all of the toys the children in question no longer find appealing.

A friend of mine collects all of these toys and other items her children outgrow in a given year and sells them on craigslist to families who are looking for a toy in that growth stage at a reduced cost. She collects this money over the course of the year and uses it to completely finance their summer vacation. In the past few years she, her two sons and a friend have been taking tours of all the major league baseball parks in the country, seeing games and touring the cities they are located in. The trips are a lot of fun for everyone and they are making far greater memories by selling these items instead of placing them in boxes in the attic.

Not all people have the desire to spend their time uploading photos and descriptions of items onto an internet selling or auction site but there are many additional ways to recycle without going through all of those steps. Why not check in with local preschools, public schools, churches, hospitals or other charitable organizations to see if they would be able to utilize the toy in question. Another great way to recycle a toy is to check with local community organizations to see if there are families who have fallen on hard times and are in need of assistance. For new families in the neighborhood why not put together a gift basket of formerly loved toys that are still in great shape. This will help the family save a great deal of money and introduce the child to something they may not have had the opportunity to acquire otherwise.

Earth911 is a website dedicated to discussing the benefits to recycling just about anything from toys to bicycles to eyeglasses. They provide great tips for recycling parts of children’s toys like batteries or electronic components. As the world of technology improves, toys can become outdated faster but throwing them away leads to tons of e-waste being placed in landfills. Recycling these toys will help keep over half of all toxic waste out of landfills and stop potential pollution of waterways. In addition it will ensure less air pollution as emissions are not being released to construct something new.

Now that the holidays are winding down families are attempting to find space to store all of the new items that have come into their home and one of the easiest ways to do it is to recycle the old. What may seem boring to one child might just be the best gift ever to another.

This Is Exactly What This Time of Year Is All About

Last year for Christmas my Mom started a new tradition within our family of giving gifts of charity to each other in lieu of stuff. It went over so well and everyone got involved. This year we decided our charity of choice was going to be something environmental; Repower America for alternative energy sources. Although a few members of the family did donate to this charity (and we excitedly received the confirmation emails), a couple others did something a little different.

Today we received Christmas cards from family in Arizona and when we opened them we were delighted to discover a cardboard card inside with the words “Give the gift of green” printed on the cover. I opened the card and to my surprise there was an American Express gift card inside, confused I began to read the fine print.

Turns out that the Westcor chain of malls sells these gift cards and they are meant to be used anywhere American Express is accepted. The cool news with this one is that through October 31, 2009 $0.70 of each purchase will be donated to American Forests. Westcor will donate a minimum of $100,000. In addition the card holder is created from 30% recycled paper.

In the spirit of attempting to avoid being caught in nothing more than a consumerist trap of buy, buy, buy just for the sake of spending money, this gift card will be one I will be happy to spend. However, in an effort to maximize the importance of the gift I plan to make it a two-fer by spending it on environmentally responsible versions the every day items we might run out of such as laundry detergent, dish liquid, face wash or shampoo.

Pimpin It For The Planet

Solve this equation:
Upcycled fabric + style - shipping cost + holiday gift ideas - parking lot drama = ????

Stumped for the answer? OK I will tell everyone that the answer is…

Chucka Stone Designs handmade, one of a kind fabric fashions and accessories of course!

I never do this kind of thing, I generally prefer to promote others over myself but for one day I guess it won’t kill me to give my own little corner of the eco-friendly cyber world some lovin right? This is mostly because there are some amazing events coming up over the next couple weeks that I am taking part in to help others so I wanted to share a few of them with everyone!

I am adding tons of items to the shop through Cyber Monday but here is a little mini preview of some of the goodies available right now that can take advantage of my FREE SHIPPING sale through the end of 2008.




My Mom and I will be sharing a table at the CUREFest Craft Fair in Tilton Hall at Clark University in Worcester, MA on Saturday December 6 from 12:00 - 5:00. This event is rad because the proceeds from table fees go to Worcester AIDS research and over 90% of sellers are independent artists so come on out, say hi and shop for some truly unique gifts!



Team Eco Etsy is promoting a phenomenal event as well and I was eager to be a part of it! From December 7 - 14 10% of all sales in my Etsy shop will be donated to Heifer International, an organization dedicated to eradicating hunger world wide. If it does not sell at CUREFest I hope to see it go during this week to help another truly worthy cause!

Finally, as I was spending some time in the Etsy forums last night promoting my shop and some of its new items, I came across a message from kaleidoscopestudio about feeling invisible. As I tend to be a rather frequent thread killer (read: I show up to chat and everyone already in the thread goes screaming in the other direction, leaving me all alone), I was drawn to her title immediately. Turns out, her message was a bit more serious. Her mom passed away recently after a long battle with ovarian cancer and left behind a loving family but a stack of medical bills. She is holding a silent auction in New Hampshire in February and was asking for donations to help raise money for paying off those bills. Since Matt and I are in an odd situation financially right now I do not have a lot of cash to donate to the charities I usually support every year but I can certainly send Erica a kickin’ tote bag instead! I have a few options for the ones I am thinking of sending up to her but welcome suggestions so feel free to swing by my shop and check out the selection. The link to the thread will allow you to contact Erica through her shop if you would also like to get involved.

So in the end I guess I am still promoting for others in addition to myself but ‘tis the season to do so after all! For all of us independent artists I wish many, many, many sales to boost our economies this festive holiday season.

Buy handmade and go green!

I Have Heard of a Vegan But What Is A Freegan?

Right off the bat I need to say that when I typed up the title for this post in Word I had to add Freegan to the dictionary, meaning that it is such a new word that Microsoft does not even recognize it. Of course what I discovered this morning is that even though Microsoft does not know what it is there is an entire world associated with and dedicated to this not new concept. With the country and economy in the state it is in I can definitely understand why it is gaining steam.

Yesterday while researching the Tiny Free House built exclusively from pallets I came across the word freegan a couple times while reading his blog. I did not think too much of it at the time but decided to use it as a tag for the post anyway. The fact that I was not entirely sure what it was though had been gnawing at me all night because I do not want to lead anyone down a misinformed path or put something out there that I am not entirely sure about so this morning it became clear that what I needed to do was dedicate an entire post to this one word.

Perhaps someone may say it is impossible to write an entire article or lengthy blog post on the basis of just one word. Well those people clearly do not know me and the way I do research! I discovered websites, blogs, articles, tips and even a wiki dedicated to this one word. If I were really ambitions I could likely dedicate three posts to it but I will leave that second layer of exploration to the individual discretion of each person reading.

So what is it already right?

Freeganism is about sharing. Freeganism is about community, freedom and generous social interaction. Freeganism is about dumpster diving, especially for food.

Wait, what?

On the website freegan.info the tagline states “Strategies for Sustainable Living Beyond Capitalism”. It is basically a conscious decision to remove oneself from the place of support for what companies stand for by boycotting the purchasing of products created by them. It goes for all companies. Yes this does also mean food.

Yesterday I discussed the fact that we would be utilizing free shipping pallets to construct our entertainment center and it opened up a can of freegan worms that, if we so chose, would propel us down the path of: no longer paying rent (either squatting or living in the “wild” purposefully), no longer paying bills (paying the heat bill encourages the production and use of fossil fuels and all that is associated with that concept), begin rummaging through dumpsters for food (waste should feed people, not be thrown away) and a literal myriad of additional ways to completely remove our foot print from the planet or provide positive impact only (composting, communal living, etc).

I am certainly all for people doing what they like and although I could never picture myself going down a completely freegan path, I can understand the inclination because just the research into the concept has caused me to think about the following:

☼ Buying only what we need to survive and using it to its fullest extent so as not to waste
☼ Living in just the amount of space we really need and conserving the resources used within that space
☼ Donating even more than we already do to charitable organizations (not just monetary but material as well)
☼ Repurposing materials for alternative solutions if possible
☼ When looking to procure or get rid of something check craigslist free in my local area first (for example Matt wants a bike so he has been on craigslist Boston to find one for free)
☼ Begin researching where my goods come from and noting what impact it has/had on the planet to not only construct it but to get it to where I am from where it originated
☼ Start clipping coupons for everything I buy
☼ Share as much as possible with whomever I can and accept when others do the same for me

What are some of the ways you could see yourself being free?