Mindful Momma

Biz Cards, Eco-Friendly Style

Trading business cards is big stuff at BlogHer.  Pretty much everyone you meet gets one.  And I came darn close to not having any to hand out.  I had a new card designed and things just took longer than I thought....so there I was scrambling to get them printed the day before I left.  I ended up going to Fedex/Kinkos where the most eco-friendly printing option was an 80% recycled cardstock.  Next time I print I'll do better...100% recycled with as high a percentage of post-consumer material as I can find.  I've heard that GreenerPrinter, Moo Cards and UPrinting all offer 100% recycled stock.

While I was waiting on the design, I managed to whip up a cute little pouch to hold my new biz cards.  Eco-crafted from the pockets of a thrifted blouse, it has 2 compartments - one for my cards and one for the cards I picked up from others.  I was planning to do a little tutorial on how to make it but it was so friggin' complicated I'd need an engineering degree to figure out how to reconstruct it.  I'll try to come up with something a little simpler and share it with you later - promise!

 

P.S.  The card is a sneak peak of my new blog design....coming soon!

Green Baby Steps at BlogHer '09

Some of my favorite green bloggers were on the green team for BlogHer this year in an attempt to 'green up' the conference a bit.  BlogHer is a mighty big conference (over 1400 attendees I believe) and I can't imagine how hard it must be to organize the thing, much less worry about the environmental impact.  Kudos to BlogHer management for listening to the green team and putting some smart green initiatives in place this year!

Still, many of us thought there was room for improvement, primarily on the part of the sponsors.  It was hard not to be dismayed by the huge amount of waste generated by the endless stream of sponsor-provided drinks, snacks and SWAG at the conference.  Clearly sponsors make the world go round (couldn't have the conference w/out 'em!) but perhaps there's a way to do it with less waste.  Clearly bloggers love free stuff (hey - I'm right there with you!) but perhaps we should be more mindful about what we take and what we refuse.

Here are a few examples:

Pepsi (BlogHer's primary sponsor) did NOT bring bottled water BUT they still gave away A TON of other drinks in plastic bottles.

All participants were provided with a BPA-free water bottle BUT most people used plastic cups at the water stations.

The conference brochure was available digitally BUT there was still a heck of a lot of paper trading hands.

The conference swag bag was made from recycled materials BUT there was a plastic Mrs. Potato head inside (which admittedly I took home to my 4 year old and I truly wish I hadn't.)

There was a place to donate and swap SWAG BUT the swag-mania still left many conference-goers with a bad taste in their mouth.

A part of me says Hey - who are you to try to change the world?  This is BlogHer, not GreenHer.  Yet there's still this desire to educate and influence, even if it's just one baby step at a time.  What do you think?  Should we expect a mainstream conference to really go green?  What other baby steps could be taken to make a conference like this more sustainable? 

Back From BlogHer...and Better Than Ever

While I was packing for BlogHer, random thoughts and fears kept running through my mind, threatening to make me cancel my flight and ditch the whole crazy thing... 

Why am I paying a bunch of money to go to a conference about something that brings in no income whatsoever? 

What will the other green bloggers think when they see the real me...the one that wears polyester and drinks Diet Coke?

Will I end up hiding in my room because I'm too shy to talk to people I don't know?

What was I thinking when I signed up to share a room with Beth from Fake Plastic Fish whom I have never met in my life?

I'm one of those intro/extroverts...the type who's a total social butterfly in comfortable situations but not so good when surrounded by a million strangers.  Yet...I packed my bags, got in the car, got on the light rail, got on a plane, got on The L (chicago light rail), got on the bus, got to the hotel...and had a FABULOUS time!!

To try to summarize the BlogHer conference would be completely futile so I'll just leave it at this: It was the perfect combination of AMAZING women, inspiring stories, useful information, not-so-useful information, off-the-wall parties and way too much SWAG.

Meeting the gals from the Green Moms Carnival and many other eco-bloggers was truly the highlight of the weekend for me.  Turns out there was nothing to be scared of - the other greenies were real people too.  We may have bitched a bit about the sponsorship overkill and the swag-mania, but no one was an eco-snob.  Even Beth - the plastic-free goddess, didn't bat an eye when I used plastic cups at a cocktail party or accepted cheap plastic crap in my swag bag.  She and I got along like two peas in a pod and I wouldn't trade it for the world.  And I didn't have to worry about the Diet Coke either.  It was Diet Pepsi and Lynn from OrganicMania had one too. :)

 

Here we are wearing our Green Moms t-shirts (starting top left): Lynn from Organicmania, Micaela from Mindful Momma (that's me!), Maryanne from Not Quite Crunchy Parent, Lisa from condoblues, Beth from fakeplasticfish, Diane from Big Green Purse  (missing:  Jennifer from The Smart Mama and Sommer from Green & Clean Mom)

DIY To-Go Utensils

I was tempted to go out and buy a set of To-Go Ware utensils for my trip to Blogher because I'll be eating out for an entire weekend and I really want to avoid using disposables whenever possible.  In case you aren't familiar, To-Go Ware makes super cute bamboo utensils wrapped in nifty little holders that are perfect for stashing in your briefcase or purse.  Keeps you from needing those pesky, plastic disposables when you are forced to eat on-the-run.

But then I got smart.  I decided to put my money where my mouth is and create my own little utensil package instead of succumbing to the temptation to buy something new.  Why buy new when used will do?  Anyway, it's pretty darned simple to make your own: 

• Grab some mix-n-match utensils that are already sitting in your kitchen drawer. 
• Find a cloth napkin. (mine was one a sample that I made for my book!)
• Place the utensils near one side of the napkin
• Fold over the top and bottom of the napkin
• Roll it all up
• Tie with a pretty ribbon

Voila!  My very own little utensil set.  Pretty cute too, if I can say so myself :)

Blogher or Bust!!

I'm flying to Chicago today for Blogher - my first ever blogging conference!!

There will be lots to learn and no shortage of fun but the part I am looking forward to the most is meeting a bunch of the gals from the Green Moms Carnival.  We've been corresponding by email and coordinating monthly blog carnivals for well over a year now!!  I feel like I know these women even though we've never met in person.  I can't tell you how excited I am to finally meet some of them! 

So I'm busy getting all primped up (gotta make a good first impression, no?) and packing my bags with way too much stuff.  I've colored my hair with ammonia-free, permanent hair color from Naturtint.  My toenails have a shiny new coat of eco-friendly nail polish from Honeybee Gardens.  I've packed my Aveda cosmetics, my Bare Escentuals mineral makeup and my fav new organic lip balm - Softlips Pure (loving the acai berry flavor!)

I wish I could say my wardrobe was a little more eco-friendly.  My clothing will be a mixed bag...a little bit thrifted, a little bit new and a few organic cotton t-shirts thrown in to boot.  And the shoes?  Nothing but comfy in that department.

Thanks to Blogher's Green Team, there will be water stations all around the hotel (instead of disposable plastic water bottles) so I'm bringing my reusable water bottle of course!  I'm also packing my coffee mug, my Glass Dharma glass straw and my own utensils.  And my snacks (cause I don't go nowhere without my snacks) are packed in this cute little snack bag from graze organic (more about this awesome company coming soon!)

I think I'm ready for take-off.  I'll report back with good news and green tidbits for all!!

More Eco-Friendly Fabric Finds...

Geeeezz....you'd think the whole world is searching for organic fabric, for all the hits I've had on my blog about this topic.  Since I did my little write-up on organic fabric finds a few weeks ago, I've come across even more juicy tidbits...

I'm not sure how this one slipped past me but the talented people behind the Tiny Decor e-store and blog have an etsy shop called Naturally Modern with some of the most gorgeous sustainably produced fabrics I've seen.  I'm loving this hemp/organic cotton blend called Red Riverstones.  Wouldn't that make a lovely pillow?  Or duvet cover?  Or dress?  oooooh, a dress!!

Designer Jenny Lee-Katz creates really gorgeous fabrics made from either organic denim or organic cotton & hemp.  She uses eco-friendly, waste-free pigment dyes too.  The only bummer is they cost $90 a yard.  Totally out of my price range - but that doesn't stop me from drooling.

And here's more news about Betz White's new organic fabric line...I've been waiting on the edge of my seat to hear about it!  She's got 5 designs, printed on an organic cotton/hemp blend canvas that is perfect for pillows, tote bags and hats.  I think she's expecting it to be available in August.  (no news on pricing yet) 

One last thing...if you ever get a wild hair to print your own fabric designs - now there's a way to do it on organic cotton!!  KarmaKraft offers custom fabric printing services and the process looks to be incredibly easy.  Upload your design, pick your fabric and click send!  At only $27 per yard for organic cotton this could be the makings for some incredible holiday gifts...or the beginning of a fabulous small business.

Sun Tea Licious?

I usually drink a lot of iced tea in the summer - it helps keep me hydrated and is a welcome change from water.  I've been making sun tea for years but only just discovered that when you brew tea in the sun you might also be brewing up a big bacteria-fest.  Apparently the heat from the sun isn't quite powerful enough to kill bacteria that is sometimes present in tap water.  Eeeeewwwww!! 

I'm bumming about this.  Here I thought I was being so eco-fabulous by harnessing the power of the sun to brew my tea. I remember the bacteria scare in iced tea sold in restaurants - but I never thought about how that might apply to homemade tea.  Some say that if you make a small batch and only let it sit outside for 3-4 hours it will be OK....only it has to be caffeinated tea because the caffeine apparently helps keep away the bacteria.  No help for me because I only drink herbal.

Meanwhile, I just took my fresh batch of sun tea and set it to boil on the stove for a bit.  Hopefully that will get rid of any pesky bacteria that might be hanging around.  Goodness what a fuss over something to drink.  I guess I'll be making my tea in the refrigerator from now on.  I found a post over at angry chicken about making concentrated refrigerator tea in mason jars.  This could be a good alternative but I'll miss my beloved sun tea.  :(

Any other sun tea lovers out there?  Do you still make it or has the threat of bacteria scared you off? 

P.S.  However you make it, don't forget to compost your tea bags!

Make It Green - DIY Links You'll Love

So many ideas, so little time.  There's no way I'll be able to try them all, but honestly, looking is half the fun!

This paddle boat made from an empty plastic bottle looks easy and super fun for the kids.  I'm guessing that the paddle part is made from styrofoam...a good use for something totally non-recyclable and it looks like the sticks on the sides are old chopsticks! {via Luckybeans}

Here's a quickie tutorial for how to make a lavender/flax filled dryer ball out of an old sock.  It will leave your clothes smelling fresh & clean without all the nasty ingredients found in conventional dryer sheets. {via EcoEtsy}

I might make one of these cereal box wallet/business card holders to take with me to Blogher (yes - I'm going this year - for the first time ever!) {via Replayground} 

This I've got to try.  Take your scissors to an old long sleeved tee that you just don't wear anymore and turn it into the perfect 3/4 sleeved cardigan for summer.  No sewing necessary! {via angry chicken}

I'll probably never get around to doing this...but maybe you will!  A men's dress shirt refashioned into a peasant blouse.  {My Momma Made It via Whip Up}

And if crafting's not your thing, maybe you like to cook?  Check out this 'recipe' for baking chocolate chip cookies on your dashboard...for real! {Baking Bites via Lifehacker via Treehugger}

Shhhhh....Don't Tell!!

Iced coffee (fair trade, organic Peace Coffee) with just a dollop of that homemade ice cream I was telling you about yesterday.  Shhhhhh...it's our little secret.

Fruit Dayz

Aaaaahh, summer.  If it's up to me, I'll have fresh fruit with every meal. 

Organic nectarines were on sale at Whole Foods this week and the blueberries?  Well...they were conventional.  (have you noticed that blueberries are not on the EWGs shoppers guide to pesticides?  I emailed them about it but never heard back)

 

For dessert the other night w/friends:  John made the rhubarb crisp using rhubarb from our garden and I made the homemade vanilla ice cream.  Just say mmmmmmmmm!!