Real vs Fake Christmas Trees

December 15, 2010 By Anne

On a few of my previous giveaways I asked the question: What will you do to be green this Christmas?”

I noticed several people said they would be using a fake tree to “be green”.

Then a few days ago I received my weekly iVillage email that addressed the real vs fake tree debate.

I would opt for real trees, because I can then recycle the trees into mulch and/or the tree will “go back into” the Earth. However I know that the fake tree will be used over and over again.

Here is what I found out on iVillage – go with live trees – these trees can be replanted and will continue to grow.

This passage is from iVillage:

While there is no crystal-clear answer to the age-old “real versus fake” Christmas tree debate, most would agree that real trees are the better choice. Live trees are renewable resources, requiring only soil, sun, nutrients and water to grow. Artificial trees are typically made in China from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, which is produced from petroleum and associated with toxic pollution from production to disposal. Live trees don’t require space for storage and can easily be composted after the new year. We buy living trees at our house and plant them after the holiday — another option if you have the space!

Treehugger.com also addressed this with a lot of detailed information. The comments made after are interesting too. They’re saying – If you’re already using a fake tree, keep using it. If you can buy a live tree, then use that.

I’m not sure where to buy a live tree in South Florida, so I may be buying my normal real tree this year and will recycle it. HOWEVER, I will be looking into the live tree version if not this year, next year for sure.

So what about you? What do you think? Real, fake or live?

Anne

I'm a mother of 2 who likes to get involved in too much! Besides writing here I started a non-profit, I'm on the PTO board, very active in my community and volunteer in the school. I enjoy music, reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family. We just adopted our 3rd cat and love them all!

LOVE Reusbale Bags Review/Giveaway – Holiday Gift Guide

November 18, 2010 By Anne

Okay – so by now you much think I have a reusable bag addiction – my husband might agree. But there are so many cool bags out there, not just those cheap one you get at the grocery store. Don’t get me wrong I have a ton of those too!

I want to introduce to you LOVE Reusable Bags. LOVE Reusable Bags are the newest collection by American Joe. LOVE Reusable Bags are fashionable and eco-friendly!

“LOVE Reusable Bags provide the perfect blend of style, utility and fun that our eco-friendly
fans have been requesting,” stated Vice President of Marketing, Grace Rogers. “We designed
this line with the on-the-go shopper in mind; functionality and fashion are at the core of this
collection. The bags look great in any venue and encourage consumers to reduce the use of
paper and plastic bags.”

Love Reusable Bags come in a variety of flavors and designs.

The Chill Set is a 4 in 1 set that includes 1 insulated thermal cooler and 3 sturdy, washable bags that can carry 60lbs! The 3 bags fit into the cooler for great ease of transport to the store. Everything just fits nicely together. I received a set of these and the cooler kept my ice cream nice and frozen on the trip home.

Then, there is the Stash It, which is one of those super lightweight bags that fit into a little pouch. I love these – you can just throw them in your purse!

The Love Sack – is a perfect sized canvas shopping tote with cool designs.

And finally there is the Wine Oh – I will be getting 2 of these for my wine oh parents! Hah! A perfect bag for a perfect bottle of wine!

Prices range from $8.95 to $39.95, LOVE Reusable Bags is available in select specialty retailers and online at http://www.lovereusablebags.com/ .

Now on to the giveaway! One Mommy Has to Work reader will win a Stash It!

To enter visit LOVE Bags and tell me what design you like.
Bonus entries: Follow LOVE bags on Twitter and/or Facebook

Additional entries: (please leave a separate comment for each entry and please leave your email)

* Subscribe to my newsletter. ( you will need to activate your subscription in order for entry to be valid)
* Blog about this giveaway on your blog or tweet about it, post on Facebook. Please leave a link to post. (include @mommyhastowork for tweets )
* Email a friend about the giveaway and cc mommyhastowork at aol dot com
* Add my button to your blog.
* Follow this blog on GFC
* Follow me on www.twitter.com/mommyhastoworkand/or become a friend/fan on Facebook
* Leave a comment on any other post – this can done more than once.

Giveaway ends December 3rd at 9:00pm est. US shipping. I received all of the above mentioned products to facilitate the this review. This did not affect my opinions. My opinions are my own.<>

Anne

Cool Green Products Review/Giveaway #2 (Ann Made Art Bracelet)

November 14, 2010 By Anne

Cool product #1

One of my new favorite green items is jewelry made with can tabs!

Have you seen Ann-Made Art before? Ann Made Art has environmental, eco-chic wearable art in the form of bracelets, earrings and pendants handcrafted in America. They use re-purposed, post-consumer soda can tabs. Because these items are so unusual, eco-friendly and priced right, they also make great gifts. The price range is $20-$25.

Not only is the jewelry very cool and quite beautiful but the mission of the company is to do as much good all around as possible. They purchase the tabs from local non-profit groups, print all of the packaging on 100% recycled stock, cut down used (but clean) cartons to support the packaging and donate a portion of their sales to environmental causes.

They are honored to carry the Green America Seal of Approval for social and environmental responsibility. Check her website: http://www.annmadeart.com/index.html.

Ann-Made bracelets are handcrafted from 22 recycled soda can tabs (the men’s version
uses 26). The colorful variety of beads and stones are woven directly into the bracelet holding them firmly in place. The result is a beautiful bracelet that is strong, resilient, and long lasting.

Price: $20.00 each

Ann-Made pendants, like the one at the top of this post, are handcrafted from extra large recycled can tabs. The tabs are entirely wire-wrapped with various colors of wire.The colorful variety of beads and stones are worked into the design as the tab is wrapped. Each pendant is strung on an 18″ rubber cord and connected with an extremely strong magnetic clasp. Because natural gem stones are often used in our jewelry, each stone will vary slightly.

And, of course, everything is handmade. This ensures you will definitely have a one-of-a-kind piece. I love wearing my necklace! I do not wear a lot jewelry, but wearing something like this makes me feel good, because it’s recycled.

Price: $24.00 each

I received both pieces above to review and I would like to offer one my readers the bracelet! The one to be given away is the one pictured above. It’s so cool how these are made and I wish I could make them myself!

Cool product #2

How about lighting up a room and purifying the air all at the same time?

Check out the Ionic Bulb!

It’s a light bulb with an air purifier. We all know the importance of changing our light over to LED, but what about one that can purify the air as well?

The Ionic Bulb emits a healthier, more natural light full of negative ions. These ions attach themselves to pollutants and quickly neutralizes them.

The Ionic Bulbs can clear smoke and odors out of a room in minutes. This would be great for the bathroom – or even the kitchen! Unfortunately, I have recessed lighting and did not have alot of places to put mine. I did try it out in the bathroom. (see above photo)

You can save on your electric bill too! The Ionic Bulb uses just a quarter of the wattage of standard bulbs to produce the same amount of light.

A 2 pack is priced at $19.95.

Check them out online and Twitter and Facebook .

So now for the giveaway!! One Mommy Has to Work reader will win an Ann Made Art bracelet – the one shown above. This will make a wonderful present or keep it for yourself!

To enter – leave a comment on how your going green this holiday season.

Additional entries: (please leave a separate comment for each entry and please leave your email)

Giveaway ends November 30th at 9:00pm est. US and Canada shipping. I received all of the above mentioned products to facilitate the this review. This did not affect my opinions. My opinions are my own.

Anne

Cool Green Products Review/Giveaway #3 (Up We Grow Book)

November 13, 2010 By Anne

Cool product #1

Want to teach your little one about growing your own foods? Check out Up We Grow!

Up We Grow! is an informative and inspiring book highlighting the importance of small, local farms.

Beautiful and heartwarming photos invite children into the world of a small, co-operative farm over four seasons. Readers will get to know the hardworking farmers who plow, plant, compost, mulch, harvest and market fruits and vegetables, and care for animals.

Children will discover people of all ages and abilities working together to grow and share food, while protecting and respecting the land and animals we depend upon for our sustenance. Savannah loves looking at the pictures. There are pictures of fruits an d vegetables, chickens, cows and more. She’s a little too young to appreciate the book for what it really is. It’s intended for ages 4-7.

This book is written by Deborah Hodge and illustrated by Brian Harris and sells for $16.95.

See the end of this post for a giveaway of a copy of this book!

Cool product #2

These bags are made form recycled billboards! I heard of totes made from many different things but never billboards – so I had to check them out!

Boards2Bags creates stylish, unique totes and other products out of recycled, vinyl billboards
from Ralston Outdoor Advertising. These are made of thick vinyl material designed to withstand the elements. The one I received is very thick and very durable. Some of the totes I have are flimsy and break easily – not these!

Each product designed is a one-of-a-kind.

Check them out on Twitter too!

There are a ton of different water bottle companies out there. But they are not all the same.

U-Turn 2 Tap was born out of a need to provide products that are good for the body, the community and the planet.

Benefiting the body: U-Turn 2 Tap’s stainless steel water bottles are made from 304 grade 18/8 stainless steel that is always BPA and Phthalate free. The bottles are a safe, healthy alternative to the dangers of plastic toxins.

Benefiting the community: U-Turn 2 Tap contributes to programs that offer children the tools they need to create and experience art in all forms. With funding rapidly being stripped from the education system, it is our goal to ensure that programs for art and art therapy are supported.

Benefiting the planet: U-Turn 2 Tap’s stainless steel water bottles aim to stop the plastic water bottle frenzy that fills up our landfills and oceans. In the US alone, 60 million plastic bottles are hitting the landfills every single day!

* Each bottle is designed by an eco-artist and manufactured responsibly.
* U-Turn 2 Tap bottles are made from #304 food grade stainless steel and painted with non-toxic paints
* All bottles come with a stainless steel loop cap and a BPA-free sport cap.
* U-Turn 2 Tap is a member of 1% For Planet and is involved with projects promoting the value of art in communities

Check them out on Twitter and Facebook!

___________________________________________________________________

Now on to the giveaway – one Mommy Has to Work reader will win a copy of the book – Up We Grow!

To enter leave a comment telling me which product you like best and why.

Additional entries: (please leave a separate comment for each entry and please leave your email)

Anne

ReUsies Reusable Baggies Review/Giveaway

November 13, 2010 By Anne

If you’ve been reading my blog you know I love, love reusable baggies. Why are we (everyone else) still using so many plastic bags!!

Don’t get me wrong, I still buy them, but I use them sparingly. There are several companies that make fun, affordable and easy to use reusable baggies. One of them is ReUsies. I’ve reviewed for them in the past and they were kind enough to send me another set to review and they are offering a set for one of you as well.

So how did Reusies get started? It all started with moms who realized they were using way too many plastic baggies for their kids lunches.

We developed ReUsies™ for their waste-free quality, but many customers primary reason for purchasing our product was to eliminate plastic from being in direct contact with their family’s food. Whatever your reason, know you have made a good choice!

We are Seattle moms with a passion to do right by our children, and hope that the footprint we leave behind for future generations will be much smaller. We take pride in our product and we hope you enjoy them too!

* ReUsies are 100% cotton lined with leak resistant nylon and come in tons of cute patterns (lead, BPA and phthalate free).

* ReUsies are simple to clean, can be washed by hand, thrown in with the laundry or the dishwasher.

* Each ReUsie keeps thousands of sandwich baggies out of the landfills!

Now on to the giveaway!

To enter – Visit ReUsies.com and tell me which pattern you like.

Extra entries

Follow Reusies on Twitter and Facebook.

Additional entries: (please leave a separate comment for each entry and please leave your email)* Subscribe to my newsletter. ( you will need to activate your subscription in order for entry to be valid)
* Blog about this giveaway on your blog or tweet about it, post on Facebook. Please leave a link to post. (include @mommyhastowork for tweets )
* Email a friend about the giveaway and cc mommyhastowork at aol dot com
* Add my button to your blog.
* Follow this blog on GFC
* Follow me on www.twitter.com/mommyhastoworkand/or become a friend/fan on Facebook
* Leave a comment on any other post – this can done more than once.