Farmers Markets

Summer is in full swing and it is time to go to the Farmers Market! I love supporting my local farmers and eating better then I do all year. Industrial agriculture has tremendous impacts on the environment and on communities and our culture. So if you can't plant your own garden, please please please try and support your local farmers and shop at a local farmers market. You will be able to know exactly where you food comes from, what sort of (if any) chemicals were used to grow it, and the faces of those who work hard to feed us all. Plus, I love discovering new varieties and getting new recipes :)


http://www.localharvest.org/ is an excellent resource to use. It listed everything relevant to my zipcode, so I trust it will work for you as well.

Just put the dates they are open down on your calendar and you won't forget! Happy Eating :)

Madsen Cargo Bikes

Madsen Cargo Bikes can haul up to 600lbs and are a perfect eco-friendly way to take home your groceries or even lug the cooler to the beach. Based out of Salt Lake City, the company looks legit. At a MSRP of over $1000, the bikes aren't cheap, but compared with a car and the environmental/social/etc impacts of that, the price really isn't bad. Click on the button above to learn more, order, become a dealer, or whatever else you might want to do. (Free shipping through June 15, 2009 with code FREESHIP!)

Hidden Water

The BBC had an interesting article on the amount of water hidden in different products the other day. I had never truly considered it but they have an interesting app about half-way down this page:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7785479.stm

Jeans topped their list, consuming 10850L of water per pair on average. Other facts they posted ranged from 3875L/kg of beef to 10 liters of water per sheet of paper. I had no idea so much water went into producing just one sheet of paper--it made me feel guilty all week.

The lesson that this article gave implicitly is that we need to reduce our consumption to protect our water sources in general. And because it does take goods (and food) to live, companies like Unilever are making the right move when it comes to reducing the water used in production. Just simply buying concentrated soap makes a huge difference!

RADIUS Toothbrushes Review

For the last several months I have had the pleasure of enjoying one of two eco-friendly toothbrushes from the Radius Toothbrush Company. See me previous toothbrush blog HERE to learn about a few of the options out there. I am fortunate enough to be able to afford to make little changes in my lifestyle that help the planet in little ways-- and I strongly believe that people that are financially able to should also. From an economic standpoint shelling out more then a few dollars for a toothbrush might not sound like a very good idea, but I feel like these brushes merit a few extra dollars. Besides, we should feel good about how we bursh our teeth-- good dental hygine pays off well into old age. So lets talke about the two brushes I used.

The Source Toothbrush

Enviro Cred:

• Handle from recycled wood, flax, or US Currency
• 93% recycled material, 47% which was originally a renewable resource
• Replaceable head
  
• Handle comes from 100% recycled sources and can be used indefinitely
  

Review:
Here is a great use for the almighty dollar...haha. The head on this toothbrush is smaller, which took some getting used to for me. I found that it offered a good deal of control in brushing and that I had to concentrate on the fact that I was brushing my teeth, thus forcing me to give myself a better brush. Overall I am more used to a larger head, but wouldn't discourage anyone from using this model. And the replaceable head is very cool--and very "green."

The Original Radius Toothbrush:

Enviro Cred:

• Cellulose handle from a sustainable yield forests (is a 100% renewable resource plastic)

Review:

This was by far my favorite and the one I tended to use a little more. My dad's first impression of this when I came home for a visit was "Can you fit that in your mouth." But even though it looks large, it feels like someone is massaging your teeth and gums. Really, I love brushing with all 6500 bristles. (and I have a small mouth-from a dental perspective that is.) I feel like I have been getting an excellent brush with this one and would recommend it over the other that I tried. The only drawback was that it won't fit in my toothbrush holder or case-- but I'll live.

And the company makes several other great products to help go along with greening your teeth (in a good way!). I tried the dental floss, which was about as exciting as any dental floss, but it did have some green merits (see company website for details). As for the traveling cases (helpful toothbrush carrying cases and even a condom carring case--thats something I never thought about existing) I couldn't tell if they actually had green merit, but the company does so why not just get all your stuff at once.

As for shipping, they have taken measures to reduce its impact by reducing packaging. But if I were you, I would use thier store locator at the top of the site to find somewhere local to by the toothbrushes. Personally I try to keep the sales tax dollars in the community and also support my local business owners.

More info at: http://www.radiustoothbrush.com/

Ceiling Fans: A tool to keeping cool

Using ceiling fans, floor fans, wall fans, attic fans, and all other types of fans is an excellent method to keep a little bit cooler in the summer time in a green and energy efficient way. In this post I want to talk about ceiling fans.


Fans cool people not rooms!

Ceiling fans can make the room feel 5 to 7 degrees cooler. So turn the thermostat up that amount and let the ceiling fan do the rest to save energy and those carbon emissions.

Buying:
What you pay for are a couple of different things:
*Efficiency
*Style (size, materials, aesthetics)
*How long it is designed to run per day
*Water resistant/not
*Other add-ons such as remotes, fancy lights, etc.
A lot of these depend on the fan's room and usage. What you should pay attention to is wether or not you can use efficient CFL light bulbs with the fan. Also, I strongly encourage buying an Energy Star rated fan because they should have the most efficient motors, blades, and be equipped for CFLs. As always, a little extra upfront will be worth it in the long run.

Using a Ceiling Fan:
In the summer flip the switch to make the fan blow down on you. In the winter use at a low setting blowing upward to help force warm air from the ceiling onto you.

Installation:
When installing, I would recommend just talking to the person at the hardware store for getting all the tools and stuff you need. Different ceilings require different mounts and it really depends on your room. I will refer you to the ALA.

Other Sources:
Energy Star
The Wiki!

Traveling Food

Grist Puts Out Its 15 Green Finds

Click Here to Check Out Grist Magazine's 15 Green Finds

Sustainable Shaving

Shaving is a daily requirement for men and women. Why not try and "green" this practice. Check out theartofshaving.com for products that are long lasting and environmentally sensitive-- specifically their shaving products and strait or safety razors (the other razors don't count). Also, Avalon and Herban Cowboyoffer sustainable shaving products. Furthermore, a Recycline offers a recyclable razor. Furthermore, check out classicshaving.com for more great shaving products. Remember, many of these razors have high initial cost, but they are made to last and you will save (both money and the planet) in the long run.

Get them fast: Hemp Shoes

http://www.rawganique.com/

Hemp is one of the most- if not the most- sustainable and useful crops that man knows of. Unfortunately, for political reasons, we can't grow it in the US (maybe I'll go into this on my other blog and post a link). But never-the-less hemp products are available on the market. Rawganique offers a large selection the hemp products for the whole family. The prices are not cheap, but you get what you pay for. I encourage you to browse their selection and give hemp a try. Not all Rawganique's clothes are on the cutting edge of fashion, but they are practical and for the most part good looking and can replace the environmentally unfriendly cotton that controls much of our wardrobe.

Action Alert

I want to post a link to something a ran across today:
Please click and take action to stop prohibitive fashion copy-writing laws. LINK HERE

Reusable Bags abound

CLICK HERE To see my posting on my other blog about why plastic bags are bad and what you can do about it. Most notably, you can buy a reusable bag. I browsed the internet selection and am point towards these:



Not your ordinary reusable bag. Click here for stylish prints and designs you will want to show off.

For Bold Colors click here

For more Reusable Bags then you every thought you would need click here
Here is a good review of them

And another store with good pricing click here

Here is Threadless's Efforts (check out the t-shirts while your there).

For your store: click
or here

A Review of Okabashi Shoes

Looking for a great pair of flip-flops or sandals? Look no further then Okabashi Shoe Company for a great selection of comfort-geared footwear. The company has been producing comfort-geared footwear for over 25 year at their plant in Buford, Georgia. The company incorporates at least 15% recycled regrind (scraps ground up and reused) in the footwear, and they claim to strive for environmental sustainability by increasing efficiency and encouraging good practices at their company such as carpooling and recycling. On a different note, they are the only shoes I know of endorsed by the American Chiropractic Association because of their innovative design. Furthermore, the shoes actually do look good (not to fancy, but not cheap either) and are very well priced. Oka b., a different brand of Okabashi, offers the same quality shoes, but this brand is a little more fashion-minded and a little more expensive. The shoes can be found a many chain stores such as Walgeens, Rite-Aid, and CVS (either a plus in the fact that you can buy them there or a minus in the fact they are chains driving local owned stores out of business), or you can order them online. One last concern is that PVC is contained in the sandal materials. Click here for the dangers of PVC. But the shoes are supposed to last a long time, so one purchase might not be that bad.

KidBean.com- A Family-Owned Vegan Superstore

Today I wanted to point out a great example of how the power of the internet gives entrepreneurs a great platform to launch small business which can benefit us all. KidBean.com is a family owned "Vegan Superstore" tat offers a variety of sustainable products geared toward babies, young children, and mom. The site preferences products made in the USA and only provides product made with fair labor standards and in an environmentally conscious way. They are certified by Co-op America, which validates their environmental claims. With thirty-three plus brands and a variety methods of payment I don't think any mom (or dad) could go wrong with KidBean.com
P.S. Vegan is "strict vegetarian: using no animal products, dairy or eggs; animal derived products (leather, silk, etc.) not used" (Source)

Sustainable Toothbrush for the eco-friendly mouth

Today, I want to look at a product that is essential to daily modern life: the toothbrush. The average American replaces his or her toothbrush 1.5 times per year. This translates into about 50 million pounds of toothbrush trash going into landfills each year. But we can eliminate or significantly reduce this amount. A little research turned up these results:

Recycled (and recyclable) Materials:

1. My favorite toothbrush out of all that I looked at must be Recyline's Preserve. Made from recycled polypropylene (aka old yogurt cups), the toothbrush can be returned to the Recyline to be reused in other products! A near perfect product. The Preserve is sold at many retailers all around the country. Click here to find one near you.
Watch a video profile of the company here.
Click here for a more in depth analysis from the blog Sustainableisgood.


2. Another cool toothbrush brand is Radius. The Original toothbrush is as innovative in its design as its cellulose based handle made from sustainable yield timber. Furthermore the Radius claims that the toothbrush lasts longer then conventional ones. Also, Radius offers the Source toothbrush with replaceable heads and a renewable handle. And another plus is that Radius manufactures all their products in the US!

Replaceable heads:
1. Eco-Dent offers a full line of environmentally friendly (and often vegan friendly) mouth care products. Just saving the body of the toothbrush reduces waste by 3/4! Their products can be found in some stores (leave a comment if you know where in your community) and online.

2. Smile Britefrom Lotus Brands also offers toothbrushes with replaceable heads, and furthermore, you can opt for natural boar bristles instead of synthetic ones.

3. Natural Collection offers some certified organic toothpaste and more toothbrushes with replaceable heads. But shipping from oversees has its climate implications.

Sources:
http://environment.about.com/od/earthtalkcolumns/a/toothbrush.htm
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/03/recycled_toothb.php
http://www.pathtofreedom.com/journal/archives/2005/12/this_isnt_your.html

Reusable Coffee Filter Guide!

From Ecofilter: "Do you realize that if 25% of Los Angeles residents make 1 pot of coffee in the morning using a paper filter, (one used filter measures 5cu. Inches) this amounts to 81,159 cu. Ft. of trash per day, yes, each day, 81,159 cu. Ft. is aprox. 10,000 sq. ft. an area, the size of two McDonald buildings." Now think about the world's usage.

Disclaimer: I am not a regular coffee drinker, nor do I make coffee at home.
Nevertheless, the idea of a reusable coffee filter seems brilliant to me. Here is what I have seen available so far:
These are several different approaches to the reusable coffee filter, including the washable cotton filter, the washable hemp filter, synthetic filter, and metal filter. I have listed the options in order from good to best in my own opinion. Though, I think that ANY reusable filter vastly beats nonreusable ones.
[Click on the blue text to go to link]

4. The Cotton Filter:
These unbleached cotton filters sound nice. Also, Care2 is a company worth supporting. (4 for $15 + shipping)
Made in the USA, the Ecofilter sounds like a good deal (2 for $13 + $1.5 shipping).
Down to Earth Distributorssells these and others, but the ordering process is unclear.

3. Synthetics:
These are $6 + $4 shipping from Miles Kimball.
Another version that looks promising from groupWeston.

2. Hemp:
Grassroots Natural ($6-7)
Fair Trade Global Exchange($6)
Vegan Unlimited ($5)

1. Metal:
Gold and Titanium are used in some reuseable coffee fiters because these metals do not tranfer metalic tastes as steel or other metals would.
Metal Filters
Coffee AM ($16-17)

If any of you have had experience with these products, please post you experience as a comment!!!

Nanotech Paint (Big Savings!?!)

A company called Industrial Nanotech Inc. has developed a new paint that uses nanotechnology to insulate whatever it is painted on. An insulating nanotech paint may not sound like a product with any home applications, but you would be surprised how many it actually does have. The most obvious is as house paint, and INI has developed both indoor and outdoor Nansulate paints. To cut costs, start by painting your attic and other “hot spots” around the house. (Here is a good guide). Other uses of the paint are coating the hot water heater, heating pipes, and ducts. In addition to having insulating properties the paint also doesn't allow mold to grow. So how much better of an insulator is this Nansulate paint? Well, normal insulation has an r-value (ability to resist heat transfer) of 3 to 7 depending on the material. Nansulates's r-value is 10-13! A 3 to 6 point increase is outstanding and means heating and cooling costs will go down- saving money and CO2 emissions. I encourage you to explore the website and post your experiences. I know of a town who planned on using this paint, and I plan to investigate their results. The paint is not cheap, but the heating and cooling savings should OFF SET the initial costs in the long run- after all, when will you paint again? And don't you plan on your home to be around for a while?

Industrial Nanotech Inc.

P.S. INI's products also have a myriad of industrial uses.

Certified Jeans

The Site: Certified Jeans

Looking to buy organic jeans made in the US from a small company? Well CERTIFIED Jeans of Seattle may be your ticket. Their website offers three styles of men's jeans, two styles of women's, and one women's work shirt— this no frills website is easy to navigate. Ordering is a little low tech (I wouldn’t use the email option). However, ordering by phone seems to be one of the safest ways to ensure security. Also, the check option is nice for anyone who doesn’t want to use a credit card. At $74-88 plus $4-6.50 shipping the jeans are not the cheapest available, but for the type of materials and where they are made, I think that the price is reasonable. I find that by spending more on quality product that I tend to buy less, thus the product functions to lesson the impact of my consumption and lessen my consumption itself.

Most Environmentally Friendly Clothing, Shopping!

The most environmentally friendly clothing is recycled clothing, A.K.A second-hand clothing. I know, thrift stores and resell shops don't have great reputations for fashion and great clothing, but you would be surprised by what you can find. Need a few t-shirts for working in the yard or on the job? Go to a thrift store. Need a tie, but not willing to pay $30-$185? Visit a thrift store. Want to find the softest or best retro styles? Once again, visit a thrift store. Goodwill, the Salvation Army, and similar stores are best for a low impact buy. Better yet, these type of stores provide temporary jobs, fight local hunger, or support other charitable causes. The other option is a non-charitable resale shop. The classic example is Ebay, but any sizeable city has resell shops. Most of these shops will buy clothing (for little to nothing, but better then nothing) and also sell clothing. I have been surprised at what people have found at thrift stores-- designer clothing, fashionable shoes, and the all ways popular joke clothing for costumes. So, today's tip is checking out local thrift stores for a sustainable shopping experience. I think that once you start, you will have fun searching for impossibly great bargains.

Online Suggestion: Shop Goodwill Online

American Apparel: Great Clothing (+ organic!)

Vertically Integrated in the USA, American Apparel is a fashionable and sustainable. Because the whole manufacturing process occurs under American Apparel in LA, we can comfortably purchase from them knowing that the labor standards met US requirements. They offer a wide range of product for everyone in the family. All your basic fashion needs can be met from birth till death at a very reasonable cost by shopping at American Apparel. And although a store might not be near, you can always shop online- and even take advantage of sales!





American Apparel clothing is defined by solid colors and down to earth style. I love their fashion throwbacks, drawing off the styles of the 60s, 70s, and even the 80s to provide the foundation of any fashionable person's wardrobe. The organic are good, but I am still disappointed that they only produce organic clothing in the color "natural," AKA off white. I think you are better off buying your organic somewhere else, but American Apparel definitely meets all your other clothing needs. With colors abound, you can walk the streets, hang in the dorm, or dress up for a date with a since of style and identity wearing American Apparel.

Off Your Back Shirts

A review of Off Your Back Shirts

http://www.offyourbackshirts.com/store/index_oybs.php

Their Tag-Line: "Your online source for organic, sweatshop free and fair trade apparel. We donate a portion of profits to poverty and the environment."

This site offers great shirts that you can feel good about wearing. And better yet, their prices are very affordable! Most of tees are fashionable, and a few are sort of alternative. Of their slogan t-shirts, I like the "Do Justice, Do Something" one and the "Is This Living" one. Both are causal enough to wear anywhere and present a thoughtful message but aren’t offensive. The good thing about these messages is that, unlike some joke t-shirts, you won’t get tired of them. And the understated placement allows you to make it but not push it in everyone's face.




But my favorite tee is the blank black one. An organic, fair-trade tee "sewn in a women's cooperative in Nicaragua" is hard to beat. And it makes a silent but bold statement. Solids go with anything and create a bold, daring look that is both retro and fashionable.

The site offers a smaller selection of women’s t-shirts and several beanies also. So, check out the store and tell me what you think. I think that you will be happy with your purchases, and there is no better feeling then wearing quality clothing from a quality source.
Good luck!

Mission Statement

I am constantly frustrated with the lack of a quality online shopping, so I am building this guide for organic, fair-trade, sweatshop free, made in the USA clothing. I made a commitment to myself to only purchase clothing, shoes, and accessories that have some combination the mentioned qualities, and for the last year I have succeeded in sticking to this commitment. With this blog I hope I can aid and direct you to good online shopping and to brands which have at least one of the following characteristics: Organic, Fair-trade, sweatshop free, made in the USA (I support American Jobs and Labor standards, but also recognize the EU standards as well). I hope you enjoy and give me good feedback.