Happy Earth Day!

Yea Earth, yea planet!

Back on Tuesday I asked for suggestions of ways to celebrate today’s momentous holiday. Being the 40th annual Earth Day I really wanted to do more than just what I do every day; I wanted to do something special!

One of my bloggy friends wylde otse over at Feast of Dragons was poetic with his suggestion:

“wriggle your toes in the earth, pretend to be a tree (worry about being cut down, or burned by a forest fire)

take a deep breath - breathe out 'thank you'

pull in pretend branches - give yourself a hug - for all the thoughtful environmental things you have done this year.

just before sleep tonight, imagine Gaia - at one with planet earth - conscious of you.
send love; sleep sound.”

Sounds pretty good to me! Especially the thanking Earth part. While I’m on the run today I plan to pay even more attention to the budding leaves of trees and tulips that made an appearance over night, breathe deep and do my best to enjoy the sun as much as possible.

Other things we can do that are fun, cheap and/or free:

~ Download some free music from a GLR favorite artist here at Benjamin Taylor Music.

~ Walk everywhere instead of driving if possible.

~ Become a fan of Sun Chips on Facebook and they donate $1.00 to environmental education causes (today only!) for every new fan.

~ Drink filtered tap water, turn off the water while brushing teeth, flush one less time today.

~ Purchase a reusable tote called “Love Your Mother” with the Mass Farmer’s Markets logo and filled with organic, stone ground chocolate from Taza. It is $45 and includes an automatic $20 donation to the Mass Farmer’s Markets.

~ Join a Freecycle group (or 3!) near you today!

~ Start planting your garden.

~ See Disneynature’s new movie Oceans (which opens today) during its first run week and a donation of $0.20 per ticket will be made to The Nature Conservancy’s Adopt a Reef Program in the Bahamas. They pledge a minimum donation of $100,000!

Most importantly, have fun, get outside and enjoy the planet today! Thanks Earth for another great year! ♥love♥

Thanks to astronomy-pictures.net for the picture! A very fun site to explore (hint, hint, another great thing to do on Earth Day!)

‘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!

Getting Back in the Groove by Giving

Good morning everyone! What a refreshing day it is, December first snuck up so quickly it surprised even me but I managed to complete the novel with a count total of 58,134 words. Yippie! What a fun time too! Now it is on to NaNoEdMo -- National Novel EDITING Month -- for me as I intend to complete my three or so rounds of edits during December and January and have this project of mine ready for publishing by February 2010.

But editing without a deadline means I can come back and keep up with all things Green again, hooray! I missed the research, reading and innovation available in this sector.

To get the ball rolling again I have started clicking to give.

A couple weeks ago my Mom sent me a link to the Animal Rescue Site. At the top of the page there is a big purple button that reads “Click here to give - it’s FREE”. I had forgotten about this website as it was something I used to do as part of my daily routine -- read email, click to donate.

There are six causes in total that are associated with the click to give movement:

Animal Rescue
Hunger
Breast Cancer
Child Health
Literacy
Rainforest

The sponsors of the website place advertising and donate based on the free clicks. Each page shares stories of how the sponsors were able to share through just a click of a button. The stories are also fascinating to read through, it is nice to hear how the simple click of a button can provide so much for so many. Our world is truly a fascinating place!

I strongly encourage everyone to click today (and everyday!) to help provide resources toward these very important causes. It only takes a second to click.

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♥

Zen Habits Always has Something Inspiring to Read

I have been subscribed to the blog Zen Habits for a few months now and enjoy receiving updates in my email every day because there is generally something uplifting, inspiring or just awesome involved in every single post. Today of course was no different.

Here is an excerpt from the blog:

“This is the addition to “Omit needless things” that is necessary: not that you have as little as humanly possible, but that every thing you do have counts… In anything you do, see if you can apply these principles. There’s no need to get obsessive about it, of course, but it’s always useful to examine what we do, how we do it, and whether we really need to do it.”

The post discussed our need to omit superfluous stuff be it physical things in our homes or offices, foods we ingest or even the goals we set out for ourselves. This minimalist lifestyle is one I attempt to live in most areas of life but reading someone else’s take on the subject really got me thinking about what is needless in my life and exactly what I do about it.

I am the worst offender of two things -- committing to way too many plans and allowing food to spoil in the refrigerator.

As you have all been reading I have been quite busy with Green Leaf reviews of late but that is just one area of my business. I am also a painter (as in wall treatments, not on canvas) and a writer. I have been working on all of these things simultaneously in addition to spending time with family and friends and keeping up with everyone and everything (paying bills on time, reading blogs, grocery shopping, etc). After a while the pace takes a toll and it is vital for me to find a way to blow off steam.

Matt and I take a walk almost every night which really helps my mind decompress. True that in essence it is another plan but we spend the time talking about our day and releasing any of the stresses we had allowed to sneak in. In the midst of go-go-go we both really look forward to that twenty minute span of time that is reserved for no one but us.

Not only does this allow us to purge the chaos from our minds by laughing about it but the endorphins from the exercise are a double benefit!

We now plan weekly meals to reduce the over spending on, and needless waste of, extra foods we never eat and go bad in the fridge. I write out a list of meals we will have for dinner and all of the ingredients used to make them. Things we can not make right away are frozen and as I make the meal it is checked off. Meals that leave a lot of leftovers are put in small containers and one or the other of us has it for lunch the following day. I guess one might say we reduce, reuse or recycle our food.

Not only has this cut down greatly on the food that goes bad, it has helped us save a lot of cash and fat by not eating in restaurants for lunch or dinner all the time!

These two things are small steps but steps none the less toward a simpler life.

Other things I do to cut out needlessness:

- Turn off the television (the over stimulation causes brain chaos!)
- Unplug things not currently in use (why drain the planet too?)
- Continuously remain aware of every action I take
- Smile and laugh, a LOT (happiness is lighter than negativity trust me!)
- Sell, donate, trade and / or share

I have a long way to go before my home will look as simple as the photo on the Zen Habits blog post but I am working on it by starting with the two areas where have the greatest issues and it truly feels great!

I hope all of you will read the rest of today’s post over at Zen Habits.

In case this post wasn’t enough to convince everyone how much extra there really is out there I strongly encourage everyone to check out the Story of Stuff again. If you’ve never seen it believe me it is a total eye opener.

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!

In Support of the Arts

As an independent, artsy type person it makes me crazy to hear that programs, or other essentials toward the development of creativity in America’s youth, get cut from public schools. Many of you know that aside from my love for writing, I also run a multi-faceted company called Chucka Stone Designs which is 100% artistic work and I would not be where I am today without the ability to try out different artistic endeavors through encouragement of teachers while I was growing up.

Math, English, Science, History -- yes these are the big subjects deemed most important by the school system as they provide a foundation of knowledge toward expansion of that information down the line. It is true that without at least a moderate and basic level of learning in these subjects it would be very difficult to function in daily society (2+2=4, house is a noun, H2O creates water, Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776). My concern is that without the addition of creative based subjects to a curriculum, such as Art or Music, there will be less and less distinction between children as they are not encouraged to express their individuality and interests openly.

So what can we do to ensure the Arts remain a supported and important part of the school curriculum across the nation so every child has a chance to decide if there is something of interest for them personally within that arena?

One of the strongest ways we can show support is to donate! Get in touch with your local school system and see if there is an organization or program set up which accepts donations in any form -- monetary, product or even time. Time can be one of the best donations so do not overlook this. Do you run your own successful business in an artistic capacity? Why not go and talk to students about it or better yet, schedule a demonstration for how to create one of what you do!

Another great way to show support is to purposefully become a patron of independent artists. Go out on a Friday night and listen to an unsigned band play and then pick up their disc after the show while you thank them for doing what they do. Get over to a site like Etsy and browse through the thousands of shops run by independent owners then pick up something completely unique for your Mom’s birthday gift. Pop into a local poetry reading, buy furniture hand crafted by the guy down the street, paint your own picture to hang on your living room wall -- the opportunities to show thanks for the many ways artists contribute to our culture and society are endless!

Why not sign a petition indicating your support of art as it would trickle down from the highest level? Something I came across recently while checking out Bushwalla’s tour schedule was he provided a link to an online petition encouraging President Barack Obama to create a Secretary of the Arts position in his cabinet. I felt this was a fantastic idea as many other nations have similar positions and we never have. The idea was started by Quincy Jones and I was signature number 235797. It was one small step but it felt good knowing I was doing even a little something to encourage arts remain a strong part of our country’s daily life. Please consider signing the Secretary of the Arts petition.

I will continue to create through words, paint and fabric on a daily basis as well as continue to support the creative endeavors of as many artists as possible. What do you do to show support for the arts? I want to hear about it so we can continue to learn from each other!