An Inside Look: My Midwife Appt. @ 32 weeks!

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Did you see my “Lil Superman” move wildly in my belly?!!?

Eco Book: LU and the Earth Bug Crew!

As a eco mom, I want my son (and baby on the way) to enjoy and read books that are about saving the planet. I believe that our children are the future and the sooner we expose them to earth saving deeds the better for our planet. My eco wee one who was born on Earth Day (by default), doesn’t even realize the responsibility he’ll be in for ahead. LOL!

I love to read him books that relate to saving the planet and that have an earth friendly message. I don’t want to pressure him about this issue but I do want him to recognize why it’s important to do what we can to help save our planet.

While at the GoGreen Expo over the weekend I came across a wonderful booth that was selling the book LU and the Earth Bug Crew. The booth captured my attention because of the illustrations and vibrant colors exuding from the books that were displayed. The author happened to be the one who was telling us the story about the this exciting adventure. We didn’t know this at the time until he mentioned it after we had asked a couple of questions regarding the book.

I read this book the first night to my son and love the message it portrays. The adventure packed book discusses why it’s important to lessen our carbon footprint in everything that we do. LU and the Earth Bug Crew find out that energy has spiked and it’s up to them to make sure they save the planet. Each character has a role in saving the planet. They’re cool and hip and eat organic too.

Lu and the Crew get down to business becoming polluntant and waste stopping heros.

The book has a glossary in the back for all the eco-terms used which I think is a fantastic entity.

Some eco highlights of the book:

• FSC Certified
• Printed in the U.S.A
• Printer was ISO 14001 EMS certified (reduced operational impacts to the environment)
• Printed using soy-blended inks
• Printed on 10% post-consumer waste paper- from a renewable and sustainable source.
• The publisher Veneraxion Industries, is a proud member of 1% FOR THE PLANET

I highly recommend this book. If you’re looking for a great way to send out an eco friendly message that’s action packed, LU and the Earth Bug Crew, is a wonderful read with awesome illustrations. It will definitely capture your little one’s attention.  I was lucky enough to get a copy and have it signed by the author.

Just so you know, I was not paid to write this post nor was I persuaded to do so by the author. I truly enjoy the book and wanted to share my thoughts about it with you!

You can buy, LU and the Earth Bug Crew directly from the publisher.

My 30th B-Day @ Disneyland & The Lil Guy’s 1st Visit!

We celebrated my 30th birthday yesterday at Disneyland and it was Fantasmic!!!!

 

 

*CLOSED* Bloggy Giveaways~ Mama Goes Green: Earthlust Bottle

 

It’s Bloggy Giveaways week and I’m here to present you with a Bloggy Giveaway from Mama Goes Green!!

Forgo the pesky plastic waterbottle habit and go green with a 20oz Earthlust Stainless Steel water bottle (red/crow). Think of how stylish you’ll be- say bye, bye to plastic. These BPA free water bottles are naturally safe unlined and 100% recyclable.

The paints used to create the designs are non- toxic and the tops are #5 plastic.  It’s the way to go these days!

I have a few different waterbottles and love that I can re-use them and that they’re sturdy and clean well. Plus, I’m saving tons of money since I just keep re-filling instead of buying packs of bottled water.

Plastic bottles are out… Earthlust Stainless Steel reusable water bottles are in!

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to go green and be part of the mantra to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

WIN IT:

Visit Mama Goes Green and tell me what your favorite product is (other than the Earthlust bottles).

Come back here and leave me a comment. Pls. leave your email address in your comment.

Earn an extra entry by tweeting: Earthlust Waterbottle Giveaway from @MamaGoesGreen with the link back to this giveaway! :)

Be sure you leave a seperate comment for tweeting!

Giveaway ends Sunday, February 1st, 2009. Enter before midnight PST. U.S Entries only, please!

Winner will be announced on the 2nd.

Good Luck!

* Be sure to check out the Bloggy Giveaways Carnival for more giveaways going on throughout the blogosphere!

Perf GO GREEN~ Intv. with Michael Caridi Vice Chairman

Perf GO GREEN- GoGreen Expo 09′ from Leslie Quigley on Vimeo.

Perf GO GREEN products can be found at Walgreens, Sprouts, Basha’s, Amazon.com, or drugstore.com!

Go Green Expo Highlights

Yesterday, I went to the Go Green Expo and it was a blast- I was exhausted after walking around and checking out all the different cool eco-booths but overall it was great fun. I learned lots of information on how to make the world and my lifestyle a greener place.

There was quite a turnout- folks of all ages. I overheard lot’s of interest coming from people who were eco-curious. It was refreshing. There were all kinds of vendors. You had vendors selling your basic shopping bags to bags made from sail clothes and plastic bottles. What I found most interesting was the solar powered exit signs that were completely recyclable and the eco denistry booth.

 

I was happy to see all the green products available for children. Those booths seemed to be very busy. You had your alternative medicine booths and natural makeup and skincare vendors. Your green clean products and much much more. The electric bike booths were popular with the greenies including myself. I want one! Organic food and drinks seemed to being over well too! Lot’s of yummy refreshing drinks and some tasty treats to try out. My favorite was testing out the different flavors of chocolate at Theo & Glee Gum  .

 

It was nice to mingle and talk with a lot of the new start-ups that were doing they’re best to promote their green goods (more on that later). Hint, hint- Green Guru Gear- rocks! I even had the opportunity to learn about the devastion of orangutans and the conservation being done to help save them. Did you know there is only about 6,000 orangutans left on the planet which has a lot to do with the palm oil frenzy? I saw quite a few environmental cause groups. I have a video I’ll be sharing with you on that as well- later this week.

You could also find speakers and panelists about every hour discussing how to lower our impact and why sustainability is important!

 

Overall, I highly recommend the GoGreen Expo to anyone who’s interested in going green or for any of you greenies out there. Most of the exhibitor’s I talked to were more than happy to talk about their products and give you an idea of why sustainability is important to their company.  GoGreen Expo is an eco -hot spot and also included eco fashion and art at it’s finest.

It’s a place where all green things come together.

Just so you know, I have lots to share with you about this expo but plan to break them up in posts in the coming weeks ahead!

Are You A Shameless Shopper?

  

Are you familiar with the Marshall’s commercial- “Be a shameless shopper, shop at Marshalls”? I’m definitely guilty of being a shameless shopper- if that’s what you call it. This year- I’m going to do my best not be one because I’m trying really hard not to buy things unless it’s for Tristan, Baby Clark, or necessities that we must have.

I guess I could make excuses to have it but I’m going to try REALLY hard not too! Anyway, my point here is that in my shameless shopper path I’ve found many organic/green products, and wooden toys for much less than you would find them online or from a major department store. A lot of the time the products are on clearance and it’s an even bigger score!

For instance, we purchase our coffee from Marshall’s it’s called The Organic Coffee Co. which normally retails for $8.99 but I’ve been able to find for $5.99! I’m not a huge coffee drinker- I like my tea’s and they’ve been known to also carry Numi Tea. The retail value differs but it can be as high as $9.99 and I’ve bought it for $4-5.99.

In the bath department, I’ve been able to find Barielle products which are one of my favorite eco nail polish companies- but besides polish they have other great products (nail, hand and foot) too. I’ve used their foot cream and a few other products that I’ve come to like. Barielle is a high end line, that takes pride in their products by creating them without all the nasty toxic chemicals.

Mostly, when I find a Barielle product it’s on clearance for $2.00- I think the foot cream was $3.99-4.99…the foot cream retails for $22.00!!! The polishes (strengthener’s/nail care) retail from $12.00 and up. Not only have I scored on Barielle products but I’ve found some other eco bath and body products that I love. AND- eco friendly cleaners like Mrs. Meyers.  

I’ve even found organic clothing there. Plus, they have bamboo this and that (utensils, bathmats, placemats, cutting boards, napkins, potholders, and even plates & bowls!) in the housewares department for low-low prices! Now, I’m starting to sound like the commercial…LOL! You get my drift.

My favorite is the toy department because this is where I go eco-nuts. At Christmas, I found tons of Melissa & Doug toys and I was totally surprised when I found a few Brio toys. Once again, the prices were just right. Not only is Marshall’s a good source for finding green products but so is Ross & TJ Maxx. It’s really a hit and miss with these places. Sometimes, you’ll go and score on all sorts of great items and other times there out of everything you’d normally find.

I bought my cast iron pots and pans from Ross, on clearance. So, it’s really a matter of knowing when they get shipments in. We also buy children’s books for cheap at Marshalls or Ross! Even cheaper than Target sells them for. Target is also another great source for organic foods and eco friendly items. They have PVC free shower curtains, organic bedding and a line of organic foods called Archer…but they also have carried Annie’s Natural, Envirokidz, and a few other organic brands that are great.

Keep your eyes peeled. It may not be around the first time you visit but if you start to frequent these stores just for that reason and you’ll be surprised at what you can find. There is hope out there for finding green products on the cheap!

What about you? How do you go green on the cheap?

7 Fixes from the Green Economy

Bold solutions from the green economy are the antidote to the broken economy—and can repair the damage and create a world that works for all.

Everyone now understands that the economy is broken. What our members and readers have known for years— that the economy is not working for people and the planet—is now playing out on Wall Street and Main Street every day.

While many name the mortgage and credit-default-swap crises as culprits, they are only the most recent results of an economy with fatal design flaws. These design defects range from a dependence on growth, consumerism, and the structure of money to the short-term focus of today’s markets, and policy goals that are focused on growing Gross National Product. Yet, when GNP growth includes a whole set of “bads”—from sweatshop labor to manufacturing toxic chemicals—every dollar of GNP growth actually reduces wellbeing for people and the planet.

Taken together, these fatal flaws systematically create economic injustice, poverty, and environmental crises.

It doesn’t have to be that way. The green economy offers solutions that are the antidote to the current breakdown.

Green America members have been trailblazers for green economic solutions for years. We now have a teachable moment to be bold in stepping up with these solutions for long-term change toward sustainability—and helping people through tough times. Now these green economy solutions are more important than ever.

Simply put, we need to move from greed to green.

Here are seven green economy solutions to today’s economic mess.

1. Green Energy—Green Jobs
A crucial starting place to rejuvenate our economy is to focus on energy—for the sake of the economy and the environment. It is time to call in the superheroes of the green energy revolution—energy efficiency, solar and wind power, and plug-in hybrids—and put their synergies to work with rapid, largescale deployment. This is a powerful way to jumpstart the economy, energy independence, job creation (with jobs that can’t be outsourced), and the victory over the climate crisis. The five green-energy keys are rapid, large-scale deployment of:

• Energy efficiency—moving toward 50 percent savings in five years.

• Solar and wind—getting to an all-renewable electric grid.

• Plug-in electric hybrid vehicles (PHEVs)—getting to at least 20 percent of the US vehicle fleet in ten years.

• Smart grid—rebuilding our aging electric grid with a smart grid that makes it easy to scale up energy efficiency and renewables.

• New national and state electric utility regulation and building codes that make it easy to scale up with efficiency, renewables, and PHEVs.

This year, Green America is launching Project LEAP—our Low-carbon Energy Acceleration Plan—to show how to combine these superheroes for real economic prosperity, energy security, and 80–90 percent greenhouse gas reduction. We shared this with our allies on President Obama’s incoming team (along with our idea for the financing mechanism; see #2 below). But you don’t have to wait for Washington—use Green America resources to get started today:

• Guide to Efficiency First!
• Solar how-to articles, and interviews with the solar leaders of our Green Busienss Network™
• Solar High Impact National Energy (SHINE) Plan. [PDF]
• Utility Solar Assessment (USA) Study. [PDF]

 
2. Clean Energy Victory Bonds
How are we going to pay for this green energy revolution? Green America and our allies at Clean Edge propose Clean Energy Victory Bonds. Modeled after victory bonds in World War II, Americans would buy these bonds from the federal government to invest in large-scale deployment of green energy projects, with particular emphasis in low-income communities that are hardest hit by the broken economy. These would be long-term bonds, which would pay an annual interest rate, based in part on the energy and energy savings that the bonds generate. During WWII, Americans bought over $185 billion in bonds—that would be almost $2 trillion in today’s dollars. Millions of people are looking for a way to help the country right now. During the townhall- style presidential debate, one person posed this question to the then-candidates: “What would you ask us to do?” Green America’s answer: Invest in Clean Energy Victory Bonds so our country can start building the clean-energy infrastructure and get people to work in good, green jobs, right now.

Sign up for the Green America e-newsletter to help advance these and our other green energy policy measures all year long.

3. Reduce, Reuse, Rethink
Living lightly on the Earth, saving resources and money, reducing inequality, and sharing —jobs, property, ideas, and opportunities—are the principles crucial to restructuring our economy. This economic breakdown is, in part, due to living beyond our means—as a nation and, in too many cases, as individuals. With the enormous national and consumer debt weighing us down, we won’t be able to spend our way out of this economic problem. From planting gardens to conserving energy to swapping clothes to making gifts—these green economy basics will help us move to an economy that works for all.

As Dr. Juliet Schor, economist and author, puts it, “We’ve lost the ability to profitably … grow our way out of recession. The usual kinds of consumer spending (cars, electronics, furniture, apparel, travel) degrade vital eco-systems and have an economic cost. Business-as-usual puts us deeper into an economic hole.” Ultimately, we need an economy that’s not dependent on growth and consumerism. So it’s time to rethink living over-consumptive lifestyles, and turn to the principles of elegant simplicity—what Green Americans have known all along.

4. Go Green, Fair Trade, and Local
When we do buy, it is essential that those purchases shift from the conventional economy to the green and local economy—so that every dollar helps solve social and environmental problems, not create them. What we spend our money on—and refuse to buy—does matter. Expanding the green economy is fundamental to the transition to an economy that works for people and the planet. Moving dollars away from conventional agribusiness and toward supporting local workers and local, organic farmers creates more justice and sustainability.

Use the National Green Pages™ to make as many of your purchases as possible from the green economy. Turn to Green America all year long for ways to be intentional with your money—to help create a better economy with the choices you make every day.

5. Community Investing
All over the county, community investing banks, credit unions, and loan funds that serve hardhit communities are strong, while the biggest banks—from Washington Mutual to CitiGroup —required bailouts. The basic principles of community investing keep the community investing institutions strong: Lenders and borrowers know each other. Lenders invest in the success of their borrowers—with training and technical assistance along with loans. And the people who provide the capital to the lenders expect reasonable, not speculative, rates of return. If all banks followed these principles, the economy wouldn’t be in the mess it’s in today.

You can provide capital to community investing banks and credit unions—it’s as easy as opening a federally insured account. Check out the community investing section of our Web site to get started.

6. Shareowner Activism
When you own stock, you are a shareowner and have the right and responsibility to advise management to clean up its act. Had General Motors listened to its activist shareholders, it would have invested in the efficient and electric cars that would have prevented the need for a bailout from bankruptcy. Had CitiGroup listened to its activist shareowners, it would have steered clear of the faulty mortgage practices that brought it to its knees. Activist shareholders are key to reforming companies—from jumpstarting them on the energy revolution to addressing executive compensation to stopping the corruption created by corporate lobbying—for the transition to the new economy. Let’s up the ante.

7. Building Community
“Whatever the problem,” says Dr. Lynnaea Lumbard, psychologist and interfaith minister, “community is the answer.” Connected, resilient communities help people get through tough times—and celebrate during good times. Now is the time to get started. Get to know your neighbors. Do a neighborhood skills inventory—so people can help each other fix their roofs, repair their bikes, mend a torn coat—saving money and building community. Plan a community garden, a neighborhood garage sale, or clothing swap. Start a dinner or home improvement co-op. (Get more ideas and learn more here.)

The Time is Now
It looks like we have a huge opportunity on our hands—a global economic breakdown that is teaching us that we are all interdependent. There’s no “there” to escape to, so we all might as well figure out how to live together —and transition our economy to one that protects vulnerable people and our vulnerable planet. Stay tuned to Real Green all year long. We look forward to working with you on turning today’s problems into opportunities for a more just, sustainable, and joyful world

 —Alisa Gravitz

*This article was originally posted at Green America

Solutions from the Green Economy

Everyone now understands that the economy is broken.

While many name the mortgage and credit-default-swap crises as culprits, they are only the most recent indicators of an economy with fatal design flaws. Our economy has long been based on what economist Herman Daly calls “uneconomic growth” where increases in the GDP come at an expense in resources and well-being that is worth more than the goods and services provided.  When GNP growth exacerbates social and environmental problems—from sweatshop labor to manufacturing toxic chemicals—every dollar of GNP growth reduces well-being for people and the planet, and we’re all worse off.

Our fatally flawed economy creates economic injustice, poverty, and environmental crises. It doesn’t have to be that way. We can create a green economy: one that serves people and the planet and offers antidotes to the current breakdown.
Here are six green-economy solutions to today’s economic mess.

1. Green Energy—Green Jobs
A crucial starting place to rejuvenate our economy is to focus on energy. It’s time to call in the superheroes of the green energy revolution—energy efficiency, solar and wind power, and plug-in hybrids—and put their synergies to work with rapid, large-scale deployment. This is a powerful way to jumpstart the economy, spur job creation (with jobs that can’t be outsourced), declare energy independence, and claim victory over the climate crisis.

2. Clean Energy Victory Bonds
How are we going to pay for this green energy revolution? We at Green America propose Clean Energy Victory Bonds. Modeled after victory bonds in World War II, Americans would buy these bonds from the federal government to invest in large-scale deployment of green energy projects, with particular emphasis in low-income communities hardest hit by the broken economy. These would be long-term bonds, paying an annual interest rate, based in part on the energy and energy savings that the bonds generate. During WWII, 85 million Americans bought over $185 billion in bonds—that would be almost $2 trillion in today’s dollars.

3. Reduce, Reuse, Rethink
Living lightly on the Earth, saving resources and money, and sharing (jobs, property, ideas, and opportunities) are crucial principles for restructuring our economy. This economic breakdown is, in part, due to living beyond our means—as a nation and as individuals. With the enormous national and consumer debt weighing us down, we won’t be able to spend our way out of this economic problem. Ultimately, we need an economy that’s not dependent on unsustainable growth and consumerism. So it’s time to rethink our over-consumptive lifestyles, and turn to the principles of elegant simplicity, such as planting gardens, conserving energy, and working cooperatively with our neighbors to share resources and build resilient communities.

4. Go Green and Local
When we do buy, it is essential that those purchases benefit the green and local economy—so that every dollar helps solve social and environmental problems, not create them. Our spending choices matter. We can support our local communities by moving dollars away from conventional agribusiness and big-box stores and toward supporting local workers, businesses, and organic farmers.

5. Community Investing
All over the country, community investing banks, credit unions, and loan funds that serve hard-hit communities are strong, while the biggest banks required bailouts. The basic principles of community investing keep such institutions strong: Lenders and borrowers know each other. Lenders invest in the success of their borrowers—with training and technical assistance along with loans. And the people who provide the capital to the lenders expect reasonable, not speculative, returns. If all banks followed these principles, the economy wouldn’t be in the mess it’s in today.
 
6. Shareowner Activism
When you own stock, you have the right and responsibility to advise management to clean up its act. Had GM listened to shareholders warning that relying on SUVs would be its downfall, it would have invested in greener technologies, and would not have needed a bailout. Had CitiGroup listened to its shareowners, it would have avoided the faulty mortgage practices that brought it to its knees. Engaged shareholders are key to reforming conventional companies for the transition to this new economy – the green economy that we are building together. 

It’s time to move from greed to green.

   –Alisa Gravitz

** This article was originally posted at Green America

Happy WW~ The Beauty of Trees

 

 

 

 

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