Green on the Go

Have you ever been out shopping and wished you had some sort of reference to which products are actually good for the environment, healthy, and in sync with your green lifestyle? I know I have! It can be frustrating to sit there reading labels and not being quite sure what all you are looking for – especially if your are new to being green. I felt there must be an answer out there somewhere so I went on a search. Most people these days have mobile phones and many are opting for the iPhone and boy are we in luck! There is a new product out called “Good Guide” and it is an app for the iPhone or a text alert app for regular phones. And what’s even better – it’s FREE!

According to its website, Good Guide provides instant access to a library of over 70,000 products. Through this access you are able to quickly and efficiently look up product ratings, create favorites lists, and get product recommendations to suit your needs. You can even create a list of products you want to avoid in the future – I like that!

Products are rated on a 1-10 scale in categories of health, environmental, social, and the overall general rating. The higher the rating, the better the product – it is that simple!

Smart phones are everywhere these days, so why not make yours just a little bit smarter than the rest? With Good Guide being free you really have nothing to lose, but the time gained in quick access to this product guide is priceless.

Copyright ©  2009, Becki, Green Christian Network, All Rights Reserved

               

I found the Coolest Site!

Recently, Becki wrote a post about Freecycling. Well, I found another option that goes hand in hand with that concept. Just another way we can reuse and reduce!

Listia is a unique auction site. They have auctions for free stuff. Users list things they no longer want, like an old stereo. Then other users bid on the item. Not with money though. They use credits. They get credits for signing up, referring friends, or selling their own stuff. How col is that??

As I was browsing there site this morning, I saw some pretty cool stuff up for auction; Panasonic 37-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV, TwitterPeek Mobile Tweeting Device w/ Lifetime Service, and Blu-Ray Movie Xmen 3 The Last Stand Free Shipping. ALL for FREE! They cost users NO money. I am literally in awe. LOL!

As soon as I finish this post I am going to sign up and take advantage of their current promotion of giving away 300 credits free to those who join and list an item! Woot!

Let me know what you think! I mean get free stuff, get rid of unwanted stuff AND help the environment? And…NO catch. LOL! I am loving it!

               

Donating for the Environment

It’s easy to collect a lot of stuff over the years – books, CD’s DVD’s, software, video games – but once you are done using them the question remains as to what you will do with them now? Just throwing away such items is not only wasteful and damaging to our environment (filling up landfills with yet more senseless waste) it is also often times emotionally altering. We become emotionally attached to such things and we don’t want to see our precious possessions just discarded as if they meant nothing. For me the hardest to part with is books – I love books and I know I have so many that I don’t read or even need anymore, but the thought of just throwing them out makes me cringe. Lucky for me, and for everyone else who feels as I do, there are a couple of great options.

Option 1: The Local Library
Most libraries will take used books, CD’s, and DVD’s as donations to be either added to their collections or sold later in book sales to raise funds for library activities and improvements. Donating these items is as easy as just putting them in a bag and delivering them to the circulation desk. You de-clutter your space and help a vital local resource at the same time.

Option 2: EcoEncore.org
I recently discovered a site that allows people to donate books, computer software, video games, CD’s, and DVD’ to go up for auction and the profits from the auction are then used to help along various environmental charities – this site is EcoEncore.org. It is incredibly easy to donate – simply fill out a form and send off the items – and you help a great cause in the process.

Checking out your local paper, chamber of commerce, churches, or environmental groups is also a good way to find other places that will take your used items and recycle, repurpose, or resell them to avoid creating further waste. With a little research and a little thought it is easy to part with items and feel good about it in the process.

Copyright ©  2009, Becki, Green Christian Network, All Rights Reserved

               

The Green On Produce

I have said many times that going green is possible for anyone who is willing to be creative. However, when you are on a very tight budget, it can be extremely hard to go green in the food department. And, produce is what we will discuss today. Yes, it can be pricey. However, again, if we can be creative and know all our options, we can do this green thing!

Going Green with Produce Tips

• Buy Organic. Yes, pricey. However, only buy in season and only buy local. You will find that it is not as expensive that way. Better yet, grow your own if feasible!
• Wash and Peel. If organic is just not in the cards for you, make sure you wash and peel produce very well.
• Widen the Gap. Eating a wide variety of produce will minimize eating the same bad chemicals over and over.
• Children. Only feed them organic. They matter more than a latte from Starbucks. Invest in their health and development.
• The Most. Whatever produce you notice is consumed the most in your family, consider buying that only in the organic versions.
• Avoid the Worst of the Bunch. If  you cannot go organic, then avoid the following produce items. They have the highest levels of contamination; apples, peaches, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, lettuce, imported grapes, pears, spinach, potatoes, carrots, green beans, hot peppers and cucumbers. Yeah, I know. Some favorites for you too, eh? Well, make some budget changes and buy the above in organic. It really is the only option. They are way too contaminated for any sane individual to not take notice!
• Go for the Least Contaminated. The following produce still have unhealthy pesticides and chemicals like the previous list. However, they are the least toxic. A few are; onions, avocado, frozen sweet corn, pineapples, mango, frozen sweet peas, asparagus, kiwi, bananas, cabbage, broccoli and eggplant.

We need to pay better attention to what we are eating. We especially need to protect our children. Mostly, we need to make changes that will affect the produce industry as a whole. If consumers rise up and say NO MORE, these companies will be forced to make better choices. They will be forced to stop poisoning our food, and contributing to cancer and many other unnecessary diseases!

Think. Pray. Most of all…DO something!

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Stay Green!