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♥

Turn Off Your ‘Shift’ Key, America by Danial Orange

A friend of mine, Dan Orange, wrote a note titled Turn Off Your ‘Shift’ Key, America and posted it for all of his friends to read over on a social networking site. It is so well done and truly embodies the spirit of what we stand for here at GLR that I immediately asked permission to repost it in its entirety here. Dan said he would be honored so without further ado, here is something we should all keep in mind every day!

This is reposted just as it was originally written**

Dear poets and poetically-minded friends,

I conjured this up on my commute to work this morning. I'd love to get some feedback.

Turn off your ‘Shift’ key, America
by Danial Orange

if we turn off our ‘shift’ key, america
instead of talking @ people, we’d have to talk 2 them.

we’d be forced to see that hatred, fear and ignorance
are problems that exist within the US
because they really exist within us.

people in our nation’s capitals
would have to pay attention to our nation’s lowercases
living in lowerplaces, earning lowerwages,
with children exposed to risk at lowerages.

we’d place more value on =
and less on having +
if we turn off our shift key, america.

with ‘shift’ on, our thoughts are all $!
switch it off and we could be all 4 1
and maybe 1 4 all.

there’d be less emphasis on “I”
if we turn off our shift key, america.

**Photo taken my moi!

Eco Fashion Friday Featured Company the Andean Collection

The Andean Collection is a collaborative effort of jewelry designer Amanda Judge and the artisans who utilize sustainable materials from the jungles of South America to create one of a kind items that are simply, out of this world, cool.

This socially conscious company not only fairly compensates its artists for their work, but allows them to take part in a profit sharing program where they become part owners of the organization as well. Right on!

When my Classic Tagua bracelet in the color grape arrived in the mail my jaw literally hit the ground. Created from the harvested tagua nut (a renewable resource growing on the outside of the ivory-nut palm tree, not harvested until after it has fallen), I was immediately impressed with the durability of the beads. Because of the inherent strength of this material it can be carved and polished to achieve a beautiful sheen.

It takes dye remarkably well and comes in 13 colors (three are currently sold out). All dyes used are designed for use on textiles and are non-toxic as well as environmentally safe. In addition to this every last drop of material is utilized either as jewelry, feed for animals, as fertilizer or even as fuel in kiln style ovens.

These bracelets do double duty, not only does their sale provide income to the artists who create them but because they reside within the rainforest, selling these beads is a way to stop further razing of this precious resource as well.

In addition to the tagua, there are five other sustainable materials utilized in the Andean Collection - coconut, Açaí berries, huayruro seeds, jaboncillo seeds and Pambil seeds.

The best part of all? The bulk of the collection is well under $50. The tagua is only $18; well worth the cost! Similar synthetic versions would likely be more expensive and would not come close to the unique appearance of this naturally occurring material.

In addition to the materials, the company as a whole is striving to lower their carbon footprint by recycling, using recycled paper for marketing materials and tags, using energy efficient lighting and they will also continue Fair Trade practices.

With such a strong eye on providing not only a beautiful product, but an environmentally and socially conscious one as well, I am granting Andean Collection a Four Leaf Rating!

It is great to see a local company persevering in such a human friendly way, keep up the trend! ♥love♥

You Had Me at Chocolate, Taza Chocolate

Once in a while along comes a product that is so awesome I can not wait to share everything about it and when my Taza Chocolate showed up a few days ago I knew this would be one of those times the moment the stone ground cacao hit my tongue.

Taza is a local company to me, based out of Somerville, Massachusetts, and not too long ago I started noticing their round chocolate discs at the cash wrap of a few of my favorite locations. When my friend and I saw them at the Farmer’s Market shortly after that I knew there must be something to them so I picked up a package of their Nibs to see what the fuss was about.

I used the Nibs in a lemon pie recipe and they were just the right thing to give it some balance. I wanted more. As a self proclaimed chocoholic and a Greenie I am always looking for the perfect pairing so when I find out how wonderful a company is in addition to their chocolate, I sit up and take notice.

Using recycled winnower and roaster, shipping boxes that can be recycled and traditional stone grinding methods is just the beginning of what makes Taza Chocolate cool. Their chocolate bars come in the shape of a disc and a fairly compensated human is involved in every step of the process from the picking of the cacao beans to the packaging of the bar.

Oh yeah, did I mention most of their chocolate is Vegan approved and all of their product is certified 100% organic? Not to mention that founders Alex Whitmore, Larry Slotnick and Kathleen Fulton spent a good number of hours simply sourcing their first beans. They were only interested in purchasing from a sustainable farm where fair treatment practices were standard. Right on!

The company is dedicated to the environment from recycling efforts to direct trade, a reduced carbon footprint in manufacture to energy saving practices in the factory. In addition to these solid efforts Taza Chocolate also will deliver their product to patrons in Somerville and Cambridge by bicycle and they allow for local direct pick up at the factory.

As if all of this wasn’t enough they are currently working with a few Green initiatives locally to do their part to keep the community beautiful! This includes GoGreen Somerville and through this partnership they have begun working toward a zero waste facility via composting, recycling and donation efforts.

I can not find a single thing about this company that is not amazing! Because of this I feel it is my duty to bestow the long strived for, yet infrequently achieved Five Leaf Rating!

Taza Chocolate you are going in my cupboard, tummy and on top of everyone’s gift from now on as a little something extra. Thanks for sharing your love. Here is some right back!
♥love♥

Oxfam Is A Renowned Organization Partnered with Great Music

Recently while attending a concert for one of my favorite performers, Jason Mraz, I came across a gal hanging out at a very small round table with no one around talking to her. The bright lime color sprinkled about the area she was in attracted my attention immediately so I figured why not go and see what she was up to.

That was the moment I met Clara Herrero, an Outreach Training Program Assistant with Oxfam America. Clara is a volunteer based out of the Boston branch of Oxfam and she was totally excited to chat with my Mom and me about exactly what they were doing there and why.

Turns out this organization has been around since the first European activists took action against Famine back in 1942. The organization grew, expanded, began a United States branch in 1970 in Washington DC which relocated to Boston in 1973. Fast for a World Harvest is a campaign that began in 1974 and to this day is still one of the largest anti hunger campaigns in the United States and it helped to spawn Oxfam America; a separate entity from the originating organization in Great Brittan.

The focus of the mission of the organization as a whole is to battle against poverty and injustice toward all humans and they have grown to house locations in over 100 countries worldwide.

Oxfam has partnered with a slew of musicians such as Crowded House, O.A.R., Mraz, Coldplay and R.E.M. (among many others) to promote the campaign Rock the World. The organization volunteers reach out to concert goers to spread the word and I for one was so excited to have been able to chat with Clara! She provided me with information on what they are doing to help women specifically as well as how the poorest countries are the most at risk from climate change.

In addition to their official website these folks are all over social media:

They have a blog
Facebook page
MySpace account
Follow them on Twitter
Watch their videos on YouTube
Check out photos on Flickr

For those of you who will be heading out to a concert this summer please look for the Oxfam table and chat with the very friendly volunteers about their mission and goals. Then when you get back home, I strongly encourage everyone to check them out in one or all of the above locations. Why not consider donating time or money to this worthwhile organization today?

Whatchu Talkin’ ‘Bout Part II - Bio-plastic And Other New Eco Terms

Over the past couple reviews I have used the word ‘bio-plastic’ and it suddenly hit me that it has been quite a long while since I put out the first Green Terms post. In an effort to keep everyone up on the latest and greatest terminology, so you can shop and explore like the savvy Greenies I know you all are, here is part II in no particular order.

Bio-plastic: Where most common plastic (such as polyester or water bottles) is created from fossil fuel, known as petroleum, and turned into PET (polyethylene terephthalate), bio-plastic is different. Commonly created from plant based resources (such as corn starch) bio-plastic is as durable as its PET counterpart however it is less harmful to the environment as it can be composted in commercial facilities and will break down there in about 90 days. It produces far less emission to create as well as in its breakdown so the overall lifecycle impact is far less than petroleum.

Lifecycle: Sometimes referred to as ‘cradle to grave’ a life cycle assessment measures environmental impact of an item or service for its entire life (upcycling, recycling and reusing all help extend the lifecycle of an item ensuring less new is created).

Greenwashing: Greening up our lives has moved into the forefront of most people’s minds as more and more people are becoming aware of the very real impact we as humans are having on the planet and its resources. Many companies and organizations have decided to use this as a way to cleverly market their products regardless of the actual environmental impact. When a company touts their products as Green (or eludes to an illusion of such), yet the overall environmental impact is negative, Greenwashing has occurred. Diligence in research and review will make us savvy consumers in the realm of Green products and services!

Organic: Commonly confused with the word natural, organic methods and practices can be applied to all manner of items from food to clothing. Organic food is free of all chemical based products (pesticides, growth hormones, additives, etc). Organic clothing is created from natural fibers grown using organic methods (cotton, bamboo, hemp, soy, wool). Additional items such as baby supplies (lotions, toys) and cosmetics are offered in organic versions as well.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA): From Wikipedia - “is a socio-economic model of agriculture and food distribution. A CSA consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes the community's farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production. CSA’s focus is usually on a system of weekly delivery or pick-up of vegetables and fruit in a vegetable box scheme, sometimes dairy products and meat”. Plans in my area can run from $300 - $1200 depending on the items acquired and length of membership (many are seasonal) and the items are chosen by the farm for current availability in the crop.

Socially Conscious: A basic awareness and open eye to the conditions of the entire human race. Many people will define it differently but I believe it is both a global as well as local consciousness to provide as much as possible to all people. This can be achieved through monetary means, volunteering, product, service or trade.

Bio-diesel: Fuel for a vehicle (or other motorized machine), as well as home heating units, as sourced from resources other than petroleum but typically vegetable based (such as corn based ethanol).

Carbon offset: A literal counterbalance to the greenhouse gasses (CO2) emitted by any individual. Each carbon offset “credit” is allegedly equivalent to one metric ton of CO2 being removed from the atmosphere. For example, planting a tree or investing in a wind farm are considered an offset. The term and practice is controversial as some feel it encourages a lack of awareness to current practice as the bad behaviors can simply be “bought off”.

Part I of Whatchu Talkin’ ‘Bout includes these eco terms:

environment
green
recycle
upcycle
eco
repurpose
earth day
solar
passive solar
photovoltaic panels
wind turbine
compost
emission
sustainable
renewable resource
global warming
climate change
carbon footprint

What are some of the terms you would like to see defined? Let me know in the comments section!

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!