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I found the Coolest Site!

Lara Velez — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:23:50 +0000

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

Becki — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:05:52 +0000

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.

Freecycle It!

Becki — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:23:38 +0000

We can recycle most plastics and papers, glass and cans, but what about those big items you have starting to collect in closets or the garage? How do you get rid of those in a “green” way? One solution is to Freecycle it! Most cities these days have a Yahoo Group set up for Freecycle. You can usually Google search your town’s name and the word Freecycle and find it. Joining the group is free and puts you in contact with many other people in your local community who care about the earth just as much as you do and don’t want to see it getting junked up.

The idea behind Freecycle is that you post your unwanted material and others who want it will be able to come pick it up – freely. It is a way to recycle or repurpose goods that you no longer want.

My family has been using Freecycle for over two years now and we have been able to give away everything from stacks of scrap paper to plastic baby food containers, to a lawn edger – all to people who then took the materials and used them for different purposes (the baby food containers were used for crafting, the paper went to an elementary school teacher for her students to write on, and the edger was fixed up by a guy who desperately needed one for his lawn). Not having to just dump these items in a landfill made us not only feel good inside but it also made us feel better about helping the immediate environment in which we live.

Freecycle is a great resource to use for both giving and receiving – I’m certain you will love it!

More on Back to School Green

Becki — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 04:05:59 +0000

Across the country kids are flocking back to school and many of us are wondering how to start the year off while encouraging a greener way in our youth. It can sometimes be hard to get kids to think about “being green” when all they really want to do is look cool and hang out with their friends, but by our example they will learn and a great example can be set just in back to school preparation.

It starts with school supplies. While many of those flashy and bright notebooks can be eye catching, why not help our environment a little and purchase recycled paper instead? Many manufacturers are now offering this option. Also, rather than spiral notebooks go for the refillable binder. While some places will allow for recycling paper on a spiral bind, many still do not and this means a lot of paper waste simply because people don’t want to spend the time tearing paper off. When purchasing the refillable binder try to find one made of canvas or cardboard. Plastic may feel durable, but it is also, well, plastic. And if you still have a binder from last year that is in good shape why not just reuse it?

Backpacks are big business during the back to school shopping, but with a quick wash most old backpacks are just like new – use a gentle cycle and air dry.

If your school requires books to be covered you can stay green by recycling paper bags rather than buying fancy book covers. Give your kids some crayons or markers and stickers and they can decorate the books to their liking.

Pens and pencils are imperative for school and you can make sure to buy refillable pens and refillable pencils (if you use mechanical pencils). Also, if buying regular pencils there are some brands that actually do use recycled materials.

Clothes for back to school can hit the budget hard, but what’s worse is that so much of last year’s fashion goes to waste. This year before you throw out the old stuff check to be sure it doesn’t still fit or that it can’t be made into something else great for the year. If it is a “must go” then give it to a local charity rather than just throwing it in the garbage.

Back to school supplies aren’t the only area where were can help our kids stay green - there is also the issue of back to school transportation. If you live within walking or biking distance go ahead and have your kids walk or bike. You can walk or bike with them to show that it isn’t so bad. I live right across an open field from the schools in my town and it amazes me how many parents will hop in a car, drive for three minutes (literally), drop their kids off and then drive home. Walking is not only exercise, but it saves on fuel consumption and it teaches kids that they can move without the world coming to an end. If it’s raining out give your kid an umbrella – it won’t hurt them and you will be teaching them a natural mode of transportation in the process. If you live too far for walking or biking then get involved in a local carpool – you can take turns driving your kids to and from school.

And finally, when that first day (or maybe I should say the entire first week) arrives and the mounds of paper work start coming in make sure to sign what you have to sign and return it, but for the rest don’t just throw it in the trash – have your kids walk it to the recycle bin thus instilling in them once again that recycling is good for us all. Remember, back to school is a great time to lead by example and teach your kids the importance of a greener way of life. Have a great school year!

Click Here for More Tips for Going Back to School Green

Green Tip – (08/25/09) – More Tips for those Paper Tube Rolls

Lara Velez — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:05:43 +0000

We did a great article awhile back with tips to reuse cardboard tubes from toilet paper and paper towels. You can read it here. Well, good news…we have a few MORE ideas!!!

More Tips to Green those Tubes

Seedling pots – Cut a few of the cardboard paper towel rolls into four pieces OR toilet ones into two, then fold the bottom part to hold the soil. Add the soil and plant your seeds. Once your seedlings are ready to go into the ground simply plant the whole paper roll and it will biodegrade right into the ground where it is planted. This is also a GREAT way to have a mini herb garden for your daily kitchen use that is not only eco friendly, but made from recycled materials!

Maracas: Fold the bottom of a cardboard paper roll over and staple it closed. Fill with dry beans or rice. Fold top of roll and staple closed. Decorate. Enjoy.

Puppets: Glue a Popsicle sickle stick (two recycling items in one fun craft! LOL!) to the bottom of the toilet paper or paper towel roll to make a handle. Now, decorate the roll with funny faces. Use yarn or colored feathers to make hair. Those little fun eyes and whatever else you have in your art box can add to your funny faced puppet people. Let the kids put on a recycling puppet show for you when they are done! Making it fun will help your kids WANT to recycle and be better stewards ofg God’s planet!

Wildlife Yard pots – If you’d like to attract wildlife into your garden paper rolls are a great biodegradable option. Fill with nuts and seeds and place amongst a pile of leaves to bring hedgehogs and lots of bugs and insects into the garden. You can also insert a string from the top of it and hang it hidden in a tree. Fill it with bird seeds to attract the birds.

Get creative with your old cardboard paper rolls. You will be surprised at the many things you and your kids can use them for!!!

Stay Green!

Send Your Kids Back to School Green!

Lara Velez — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:56:46 +0000

Our youth are the future. If we train them to do the right thing while they are young they will continue in it. We are told in Proverbs 22:6; “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” This is true for every aspect of our jobs as parents…from how to behave, who God is and even being better stewards of God’s planet!

If we send them back to school green minded and looking green, their friends will notice. We should be raising leaders that want to impact our planet for God’s glory! What better way to bring God glory then by honoring Him and being good stewards with what He loaned to us??

Tips to go Back to School Green

Go with as many recycled materials as you can!

paper would be the biggest. Unfortunately, schools have not come up with a better way to have our children do their school work. So, if they must use paper, make sure it is recycled paper!
forget the wood pencils that kill trees! Go for reusable plastic pencils…or better yet keep using the wood ones, but, try PaperMate’s “Earth Write” line. Yes they are wood, but, they are recycled!
eco Binders are a must as well.
backpacks can be green too. go for a recycled material instead of the norm.

Pack Green Lunches.

go for organic choices.
no plastic baggies. period.
use reusable containers.’
give them recycled napkins.

Clothes.

Looking cool is important for most kids, especially as they get older. What is cooler than recycled clothing??

go for organic cotton.
let them wear green proud. get them shirts that TELL the WORLD to be green.

Getting to School.

This can be tough depending on how far you live from the school. However, even getting to school each day can be green!

have them walk.
ride a bike.
car pool.

As you can see, being a better steward of God’s planet is not as difficult as one might think. The simple task of sending our kids back to school can be a way to be greener and become better parents by training our children to appreciate what God has given them…including the planet!

Stay Green!

Compost Anyone?

Becki — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 05:00:05 +0000

We just moved into a new house and with that comes a whole new yard. I told my Husband that I would really like to plant a garden, but he informed me that the soil quality where we live is very poor and that I would have to buy topsoil and other nutrient-rich additives if I was to have the hopes of anything actually growing. At first I was a little bummed out, but then I thought this was the perfect time to start that compost bin I have always wanted to start. If I start now, by the next planting season I should definitely have something substantial to add to the poor soil that is already here. My Husband likes this idea so a compost bin is in the works and will be placed out back soon.

I know you can add things like rotten fruits and veggies to a compost bin, but there is so much more!

Below is a lit of stuff that you can add to a compost bin…

…things I never knew before!

Pet hair
Lint
Old herbs and spices
Coffee grounds with the filter
Tea bags and leaves
Egg shells
Kleenex tissues
Old potato chips (stale)
Moldy cheese
Shredded cardboard cereal boxes
Hair trimmings including those your Hubby shaves off his face
Toenail and fingernail clippings
Cooked rice
Old plain pasta
The liquids from canned veggies and fruits
Pencil shavings
Cotton swabs with the cardboard sticks (not plastic)

And those are just a few of the weird and unusual things I found that can be composted! In addition to that of course you can all old kitchen scraps (as long as they don’t have meat products), grass clippings, pine needles, leaves, etc…

I can wait to get my compost bin started and along with creating some nutrient rich material for my garden I am also helping keep necessary waste out of the landfills – it is win win for everyone!

Get a Little Crafty with a Pineapple Juice Can!

Lara Velez — Fri, 22 May 2009 15:56:11 +0000

I finally used a can of pineapple juice that has been sitting in my pantry. It went fabulous with the ham I recently made. When I was finished with it though, I was perplexed as to what to do with the can.

Have you seen a pineapple juice can?? They are huge. LOL. Well, I had to get the creative juices (no pun intended…lol) flowing because there was no way I was throwing that bit of mess into a landfill!

What to do…what to do…

Then it dawned on me…Don’t just recycle it…Make something new with it! Now, keep in mind, I have not done this yet. It is still in my head. When I actually do it, I will post pics and instructions.

I am going to make a utensil holder. For big stuff, like wooden spoons, spatulas, etc.

What do you think?

Stay Green!

Green Review: Green Bags (greenbag.info)

Lara Velez — Mon, 18 May 2009 21:01:03 +0000

If you are a regular reader, then you know that I am a regular Christian wife and mommy who always trying to think green. I am by no means an expert. However, I am doing my best to make positive changes that will help me to be a better steward of God’s planet.

One thing that I just changed is buying a reusable grocery bag. I could only get one to start. I estimate I will need at least 5 bags to do a full grocery run. The good news is that they are super cheap! Yeah!

I love this bag. It is green. It says the name of my favorite grocery store on it and the material is great. It is easy to clean too. Just wipe. It comes with a plastic type material square piece for the bottom of bag to remain stable when groceries are in it.

I had the bagger put my groceries in it and I tossed it on my shoulder like any other hand bag. It was totally awesome people! ROFL! I am very happy that this change is occurring. I will finally be free of the bags and dilemma of how to reuse them!

When I got home with my groceries, I was looking over the bag, I saw a website; GreenBag.info

Me being me decided to check them out…

I read about my nifty new bag and found out how wonderful this reusable grocery bag is!

Features of my Green Bag Include…

water repellent
carries what takes 3-4 plastic bags
the more people who use them the more trees we save
100% recyclable
Easy to pack
Easy to use
Strong
Can be used for more than just groceries
The most affordable bag I have ever bought
A one year guarantee…and I only paid a buck!
It’s the color greeeeeen! Lol!

They do not offer an Online shop from what I could tell. However, they do have a query section and a section for retailers. I am considering having some make with Green Christian Network on them for my readers! What do you think??

Stay Green!

Green Tip – (05/15/09) – Garage Sale Season

Lara Velez — Fri, 15 May 2009 15:54:22 +0000

It’s that time of year. Garage Sale season. What better way to recycle? Plus, you can make some extra cash to spend on your family this summer. Your trash really can be someone else’s treasure.

Garage Sales are a green idea that has been around longer than the green movement! Lol!

The best part is the cleaning you will have to do in order to find all the goodies you need to “recycle.” Get the kids involved by telling them they can keep the money they make from selling their no longer used items.

You can turn it around too…meaning if you need some stuff, try going on a garage sale trip one Saturday afternoon to see if you can find what you need used. You will save money. Make it a family walk through the neighborhood and you will be even greener! Lol!!!!!

Let me know how it goes…

Stay Green!