Going Green This Holiday

December 16, 2009 By Anne

( picture from my aunt’s garden, thanks!)

There are so many ways to “be green” this holiday season, but will we?

Here’s a list of what I’m doing:

1. Use recycled wrapping paper or make your own. I am not buying any wrapping paper or tags this year. you can use your kids artwork, brown paper bags, comics or even cloth bags out of scrap material or clothing (see The Frugal Girl)

2. Buy eco-friendly products and share the knowledge. My Secret Santa at work wants grocery totes – yeah. I bought several from different stores.

3. Buy toys and books from thrift stores or from yard sales. I bought several gifts for Savannah this year from yard sales.

4. Make your own gift tags. Use Christmas cards from last year or kids artwork. I bought a stencil kit from Current several years ago and use it every year.

5. Make your own gifts. I usually make cookies and give to the neighbors ( I’m not sure if I’ll do that this year). I’m making cotton dish clothes this year to give to teachers – they’re eco-friendly (less paper towels).

6. Recycle your Christmas Tree! Take off all the tinsel and make sure to put your tree out for recycling.

What are you doing this yea to be more eco – friendly?

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!

SnackTaxis Review/Giveaway

December 4, 2009 By Anne

You know by now, I’m all about going green and recycling. I dislike using plastic baggies and for the last few months have been using reusable baggies 95% of the time. When do I not use them? Peanut butter and jelly sandwichs. If I can’t use a plastic container, I use a baggie. I’m lazy and do not want to clean up the PBJ from the fabric.

I found another great company, snackTaxi, that makes reusable snack and sandwich baggies.They also make lunch totes and cloth napkins. I received a snack and sandwich baggie to try out and have no complaints. I use them everyday and love them!

From Erin Kelly – Dill, owner:
I invented snackTAXIs way back in 2003 as a way to stem the tide of plastic ziplock bags that flowed from our house to the landfill when our 3 kids started school! We pack over 500 lunches every year, and had definitely fallen prey to the easy appeal of the ziplock bag.

snackTAXIs are easy too- really! They are made in our home-based workshop by talented (and fun!) local sewers- we are committed to keeping our business local, and will never outsource our labor.

SnackTaxi has offered one Mommy Has to Work reader a set of baggies for themselves.

To enter go to http://www.snacktaxi.com/and tell me what fabric you like.

Additional entries are as follows:
2. Follow this blog.
3. Subscribe to my newsletter. ( you will need to activate your subscription in order for entry to be valid)
4. Grab my button and place on your blog.
5. Post this giveaway on your blog or website, or tweet about it. Please leave a link to post. You can tweet once a day, just leave a comment for each one.
6. Email a friend about this giveaway and CC mommyhastowork@aol.com
7. Follow me on www.twitter.com/mommyhastoworkand/or
become a fan on Facebook
8. Follow me through Networked Blogs.

Contest ends December 14th at 9:00pm EST. Winner will chosen by Random.org and will have 48 hours to respond. I was not paid to do this review, but did receive a set of snackTaxis and this did not affect my opinion.

Anne

ReBinder Eco – Friendly Paper Products Review and Giveaway

December 3, 2009 By Anne

Are your children’s school supplies getting worn down. Mine are. I already need to replace folders and binders!

I found this great website Rebinder.com, that has recycled school and business supplies.

Rebinder was started in 2003 with a triumphant goal of creating an alternative to those nasty vinyl binders and CD jewel cases that cannot be recycled.

Today, Rebinder makes the world’s only FSC Certified line of binders (the ReBinder). In addition to being FSC Certified, the ReBinder is assembled by a local, AbilityOne certified disabled workforce. Our binders, CD sleeves, journals and presentation/event materials are all made from post-consumer recycled materials. Many companies and organizations have standardized on our products for internal use, as well as the products being used as branding tools, for conferences and events around the world. Additionally, designers and graphic artists use our products because many pieces can be customized with Rebinder’s in-house custom printing services using water-based inks.

As a privately owned business in Seattle, Washington, our philosophy embraces a balanced approach to providing great products at a great value to our customers and products that reduce the environmental footprint of our industry and our customers.

I was sent a Back to School sampler pack and love it! The folders are sturdy and very eco – friendly. The only downside was they are plain, so if your child is creative they can decorate them. My set included:

(1) 1.5” ReBinder recycled 3 ring binder
(2) ReBinder replacement covers
(6) RePouch recycled slash pocket dividers
(6) RePocket eco-friendly pocket folders
(2) ReWrite 8×10 recycled notebooks with lined paper
(2) ReWrite 8×10 recycled notebooks with graph paper
(2) ReWrite 5×8 Recycled notebooks with blank paper
(3) ReMark eco-pens
(6) ReSleeve recycled CD sleeves
(3) RePlay recycled CD cases
This retials for $39.99

Also included were the ReMark pens.

The true eco friendly pen – ReMark pens contain no petroleum plastic, they look and feel like plastic but they are made from plant resins from sustainably harvested wood and organic cotton. Send them back to us and we’ll “upcycle” them and make new pens.We hope to make the term “disposable pen” a thing of past. We’re asking our customers to save their old ReMark pens after they run out of ink. When your office has finished a box of them, send them back to us. We’ll grind them up and make new pens out of them.

Rebinder has offered one Mommy Has to Work reader a Back to School sampler pack, just like I received. (Only valid for the lower 48 states.)

To enter go to ReBinder and tell me what else you like.

Contest ends December 14th at 9:00pm EST. Winner will chosen by Random.org and will have 48 hours to respond. I was not paid to do this review, but did receive sampler pack metioned above and this did not affect my opinion.

Anne

Tree for a Change – Unique Gift Giveaway

December 2, 2009 By Anne

Do you have someone on your gift list that has everything? I don’t like buying a gift just to buy a gift. I found this great website Trees for a Change that sells Tree Gift Cards. They will plant a tree in your name or that of the recipient. What a great idea!

Each Trees for a Change Tree Gift Card includes:

*The planting and care of one tree in a U.S. National Forest
*A beautiful card and envelope with an explanation of the tree gift and plenty of room for your own message
*The inclusion of your gift recipient on our online Tree Registry
*Online access to photos and information about where the tree was planted

Each time you give one of these cards as a gift, just send Trees for a Change one of the postcards included so they’ll know when to plant the tree and whose name to add to the online tree registry. Great for last minute gifts, they never expire!
Your Tree Gift will be planted in a U.S. National Forest that has been destroyed by wildfire.

Why Trees for a Change?

* They are unique and personal
* They help restore a devastated forest
* They are made from 100% recycled paper
* They include an online name registry
* They allow your recipient to find their tree

The roots for Trees for a Change really sprouted when I was 5 and decided to start my own business selling glittered pine cones on a card table in front of my house. Ever since then I have wanted to own my own business, and I just had to figure out how to combine that desire with my love for nature and making things.

I hope you find our Tree Gift to be a beautiful and meaningful way to celebrate another person while doing something good for the earth and her future generations. Please know that when you order a gift from Trees for a Change, your gift has been created with the care and attention I would put into gifts for my own family.

Green Business Practices

Trees for a Change is committed to the environment and to environmentally responsible practices and policies. We recycle everything we can, and believe in using products with the highest recycled content possible. The following supplies related to our business are made with 100% Post Consumer Waste recycled materials or fibers:

*certificate paper *letterhead *business cards *brochures *Tree Gift Cards *photo mailers *packing materials *shipping labels *wood frames *paper towels *toilet paper

No tree will be harmed in the operation of our business, if we can help it!

Trees for a Change has offered 2 Mommy Has to Work readers a $15.00 Tree Gift Card.

To enter go to http://www.treesforachange.com/index.htmland learn something, then leave me a comment.

Contest ends December 14th at 9:00pm EST. Winner will chosen by Random.org and will have 48 hours to respond. I was not paid to do this review, nor did I receive any product.

Anne

Buy Soap Nuts Review and Giveawy

December 1, 2009 By Anne

In my quest for green and eco friendly products, I came across Buy Soap Nuts. It’s a different way to clean.

Soap nuts are small berry like fruits that grow in warm, tropical and sultry climates. They are native to India, Nepal and some other South Asian countries and consist of a small yellowish Brown fruit covered by a hard outer covering. It is the former that is mostly used in the various products that are now available in the market. The main ingredient in soap nuts is saponins which make them an excellent cleaning utility that can be used to clean almost everything ranging from clothes to dishes and regular household cleaning.

There are a number of ways in which soap nuts can be used to make our living greener, natural and more environmental friendly. You can use Soap Nuts to wash clothes, clean your house and even use to clean yourself.

This scrub pad is made from 100% coconut coir fiber bound together by a non-toxic adhesive. SafixTM coconut coir fiber scrub pads have the following advantages:

* Never rust, splinter or fall apart after just a few uses.
* Easily remove baked on, burnt and stubborn greasy deposits from all types of utensils and dishes.
* Use less detergent.
* No foul odor and extremely hygenic.
* Last for months
* Each scrub pad is biodegradable and may be composted after use.

SAFIXTM scrub pad have revolutionized cleaning. You can feel the difference when compared to other available scrub pads. Dishwashing is effortless, and with no more foul odor, ensuring total cleanliness.

The story behind this innovative product is begins with a journey to Rural India. Women there are still using loose coconut fiber to clean their dishes. This wonder fiber is a gift from nature discovered in India to be used as an inexpensive scrubber.

I recently tried the Soap Nuts in my laundry. I used them on our towels and they worked great! I’m not sure if I’ll use them for all my laundry, but I will definitely use them.

This would make a great gift for the person trying to go green.

Buy Soap Nuts has offered one Mommy Has to Work reader a 500g bag of soap nuts and a Coconut Scrub pad.

To enter check out their website, learn something and leave a comment.

Contest ends December 14th at 9:00pm EST. Winner will chosen by Random.org and will have 48 hours to respond. I was not paid to do this review, however I did receive a bag of Soap Nuts and scrub pad, which did not alter my opinion.