Mindful Momma

The Ultimate Bento Lunchbox

What would it take for you to give up the deli and start bringing your own lunch to work?  Perhaps this fabulous stainless steel lined lunch jar would be enough to tip the scales? 

The Ms. Bento lunch jar by Zojirushi is vacuum-insulated so it keeps food warm or cold.  It comes with 3 microwaveable bowls with lids, a 'spork' and a nice looking carrying bag.  If you throw in a cloth napkin and a reusable water bottle, you've got a completely waste-free lunch. 

At $50 bucks, this thing is not cheap - but if it really does get you to change your daily dining habits it will save you money in the long run.  You'll almost certainly be eating healthier food too. 

For the guys, there's a Mr. Bento - with 4 containers (what's up with that?) and a more manly looking bag. 

For those of you who would rather spend $50 filling up your gas tank, I've noticed some nice looking divided bento boxes that are probably less expensive - only problem is I can't figure out where to buy them in town or even online.  Possibly an Asian grocery store or a home storage store.  Here's a link to a flickr group on lunch tools that shows some great styles.  Let me know if you have any other fun Bento lunch box finds!

Recycled Materials for Your Home

I've got a guest post for you today, written by Renee Macalino Rutledge, editor of CalFinder about using recycled materials in your home.  This is a topic that I am very intrigued with but because we haven't done a ton of remodeling, I haven't taken the time to research it much yet. 

Although...we did just order a new countertop for our bathroom made from recycled glass and concrete...I can't wait to show you when it is finished!  But for now, enjoy this writeup about various types of recycled materials you can use in your next home remodeling project.  It never hurts to dream...

Living Green with Recycled Materials for Your Home

by Renee Macalino Rutledge

Being conscious of the environment and our impact upon it means taking a closer look at how we live and where. That means, literally, inspecting the very materials that make up our homes: our walls, floors, countertops, and other surfaces. If you are planning to remodel, you're luckier than you would've been years back…the choices have changed, making it not only possible, but practical to use green building materials or products that are sustainably made. Here are some possibilities.

 

Recycled Glass

It's hard to imagine walking comfortably on glass, but terrazzo floorsare an example of something that's been around for eons. It's made from finely ground aggregates combined with a binding agent. Glass terrazzo can be made from a multitude of combinations, including discarded car windshields, mirrors, beer bottles, recycled porcelain from kitchen sinks, even crushed oyster shells. Once polished, the surface is smooth, slip resistant, and naturally shiny. You can also use recycled glass to pave your landscape or as a tabletop, countertop, backsplash, and more. Companies that make it include Vetrazzo, EnviroGLAS, and IceStone. Recycled glass tiles are also available from companies like Sandhill and Oceanside.

Recycled Wood

Recycled wood is a beautiful thing. It usually consists of old-growth wood varieties that are no longer in the market, but that have the strength and distinguishing character that its newly harvested counterparts lack. At the same time, it helps offset the need to chop down more trees, and it keeps the wood from used barn siding, old floorboards, old roof beams, and the like, from going to waste. You can use recycled, re-milled wood for everything from your floors to your kitchen cabinets and furniture. Available from companies like Pioneer Millworks, Elmwood, AltruWood, and more.

Recycled Metal

Your sink, your backsplash, your floor, even your roof – did you know they could potentially be made from artistically colored and sculptured recycled metal, such as aluminum, brass, or copper? Take Eco-Friendly Flooring's recycled metal tiles that add a stylized, modern element to your kitchen or bathroom walls or floors. Eleekmanufactures cast metal sinks, and Enviro Bath uses makes products using salvaged brass and aluminum.

Recycled Paper, Rubber, and Cork

As you can see, any number of materials can be reused to create something that's as good as new and ready for the family to enjoy. Often times, these materials are also manufactured to be free of formaldehyde and other chemical bases that can potentially offgas. Paperstone, for instance, makes durable kitchen countertops made from up to 100% recycled paper. They're also formaldehyde free, so you don't have to worry about breathing in toxic chemicals.

If you plan to replace your roof, everything from clay, slate, rubber, and plastic are recycled for this purpose. You'd be surprised at how energy-efficient these materials can be, especially compared to traditional asphalt. Panelshake is made from post-consumer milk jugs, waste wood fibers, and waste jute. The Roof Tile and Slate Company offers reclaimed and salvaged slate roofing.

I can't write a post about environmentally friendly building materials without including cork. By now, you've probably heard of just how comfortable cork feels underfoot. Perfect for the playroom or baby's bedroom. Globus Cork makes a cork flooring option made from recycled wine stoppers.

With so many choices, all available in numerous styles, colors, and designs, there's no reason not to live green, and enjoy all the benefits that come along with it, in your very own home!

Swapping Stuff

When I donate something I always hope that it goes to someone that really needs it or is truly happy to have it.  When I have the time, I will drive across town to donate specific items to places where they are needed most...like baby gear to a women's shelter or cat supplies to an animal shelter.  But often when you donate or consign you have no idea where your things end up. 

That's why the concept of a swap is really intriguing to me.  You have what I want, I have what you want, so let's swap!  I've been to clothing swap parties before and boy is it fun to see other people get so excited about your old favorite shirt from college...or whatever.  Now the concept of swapping has made its way to the internet and for lightweight stuff, it seems like a cool way to go.

Swaptree- Swap your old books, music, dvds and video games for something new.  Apparently they've got a sophisticated algorithm that figures out the swaps for you.  It might be a two-way or a three-way trade but nothing more complicated than that. And it's free!  All you have to do is list what you have and what you want.  What really sold me is that you can print postage and mailing labels straight from the site and most packages can go Media Mail for only $2.50.  I really want to try this out but haven't found the time to list my books yet.  It would be the perfect way to get my book club books! 

Book Mooch - Similar to Swaptree but for books only and its a point-based system instead of a direct swap.  Mail your books to others and receive points.  Use your points to get the books you want.  One advantage of this one over Swaptree is that you can browse by topics or search terms (cookbooks for instance) to find titles you may not have heard of before.  The downside is that they don't seem to have much in the way of current or popular books - at least not the things I searched for.

SwapStyle - Trade your old clothes for some fresh ones using a token system.  I'm a bit skeptical about buying used clothes sight unseen but I suppose if you were looking for something specific it might be a good thing. 

Has anyone out there actually tried any of these sites?  I'd love to get some real feedback.  The biggest hurdle for me is simply taking the time to get organized and list things. 

UPDATE:  Thanks to Meredith who mentioned 2 more swap sites that I had not heard of: 

Kizoodle - a place to swap kids toys and clothing.

PaperBackSwap - another book swap site that allows you to print postage from your computer and mail from home.

Double Duty Packaging

I just bought a set of organic cotton sheets from Target and they came in this nifty organic cotton bag.  I think I'll save it to use as a gift bag.  It's a heck of a lot better than a plastic clamshell!

What other products have you seen that come in packaging that does double duty? 

Eco-Friendly Grilling

We're kind of a low-tech family (in oh-so-many ways) and we're still grilling on a good old Weber grill that's at least 10 years old.  So, I have to say I was a little distressed when I learned that charcoal grilling is LESS environmentally friendly than a gas barbeque.  Turns out, charcoal briquettes contain coal dust and sodium nitrate and emit more carbon monoxide and soot than a gas grill.

Fortunately there are a couple things you can do to make charcoal grilling a little bit more eco-friendly:

• Use hardwood lump charcoal instead of briquettes.  Lump charcoal still comes from a tree (using virgin wood) but you can find products that use wood from sustainably managed forests (like Whole Foods 365 Brand).  Natural hardwood charcoal burns cleaner than briquettes. 
• Start your fire with a chimney starter instead of lighter fluid.  They are SO easy...we've been using one forever.  Just crumble up newspaper in the bottom, put the lump charcoal in the top and light the paper.  It's way better than lighter fluid which is awful to breathe (high VOC's) and THE SMELL...Yuck-O!
• Cook leaner cuts of meat to avoid carcinogenic hydrocarbons from getting into your food.  (this happens when the fat drips onto the coals)

Who knows, we might 'trade-up' to a gas grill eventually, but for now we're going to keep doing it the old fashioned way...and try to make it as eco-friendly as possible.  Now, if it would just warm up around here, we could get grilling season started!

Recycled Melamine

Here's what I'm thinking about today...recycled melamine bowls.  I'm loving the fun, bright colors!   

What really makes these bowls cool is that melamine is not easy to recycle.  I mean, you can't throw it in your recycling bin at home.  But a company called Zak Designs found a way to do it and they made darn cute bowls out of it.

   and wouldn't these be fun for the kids?

If you don't see then at your local specialty store, you can buy them on Amazon.

Non-Stick Pans: A Sticky Situation

Have you been hesitant to let go of your nonstick pans because they're so darn good at their job that you don't know what you'd do without them?  I've been feeling that way...especially about my nonstick griddle pan that makes fabulous pancakes and grilled cheese sandwiches.  It's not TOO old, so I tell myself that there couldn't be very many dangerous chems leaching out yet...or could there be?

It depends on who you ask. PFOA (perfluorootanoic acid), the chemical used to make Teflon and other non-stick surfaces, has been listed by the EPA as a "likely human carcinogen."  Because of this, Dupont and other companies that make nonstick products have agreed to eliminate PFOA by 2015.  Word on the street is that at high temps, the nonstick coating breaks down and emits potentially hazardous particles and gases.  And old pans can flake off bits of coating into your food which isn't good either. 

On the other hand, a study by Consumer Reports found that the risk of using nonstick pans is very, very low.  The highest level of PFOA's detected in the air (near a heated nonstick pan) was about 100 times lower than levels that animal studies suggest are of concern.  Add to that, a report in Psychology Today that suggests that the manufacturing process for nonstick coatings is much more cause for concern than the use of an individual pan.  So be glad you don't live near a Teflon factory.

Still...if you would rather avoid Teflon altogether, there are other options including a well-seasoned cast iron pan that might give you some nonstick action.  If you're lucky.  Or...slop in lots of oil and cook in stainless steel.  Just have a good scrubbie handy for the aftermath.

True nonstick aficionados will be happy to know that there's a relatively new nonstick surface out there called Thermolon™.  I've read some rave reviews about it but haven't tried it yet myself.  Thermolon™- coated cookware releases 50% fewer greenhouse gases during production and contains NO toxic substances that could be released at high temperatures.  It's also highly durable and scratch resistant. 

GreenPan is the first commercial cookware to use Thermolon™ technology.  It's available through the Martha Stewart Collection at Macy's.

I'm itchin' to try out the griddle pan...and maybe, just maybe I'll finally be ready to give up my trusty old Teflon.

Mindful Momma Giveaway: ECO-Green Nikon COOLPIX Camera

Whoa - this is a big one!  The biggest yet.  I've got a digital camera to give away!  But it's not just any digital camera, it's an ECO-green Nikon COOLPIX S52 and it's part of the Buy Green, Be Green promotion put on by Ritz Camera.    

You see, Ritz Camera has partnered with Carbonfund.org, a non-profit organization working to fight global warming.  Each time someone purchases an ECO-green color Nikon COOLPIX S52 camera, Ritz Camera will make a donation to Carbonfund.org in an amount that offsets the customer's carbon footprint for approximately one month.  That means almost 2 tons of carbon dioxide will be offset per camera sold!  The donation will go specifically to fund reforestation activities.

So, if you happen to be in the market for a digital camera, this would be a great way to use your purchase power to help make the world a little greener.

Would you like to win???  Sure you would!  Just comment on this post with an answer to this question:  What is one thing you personally are doing to help fight global warming?  Or more than one thing if you feel like really getting into it. 

The contest will run through Wednesday, May 21st at midnight central time. (only one comment per person please and you must have a U.S. shipping address)  I will email the winner myself but the winner will also be announced on Prizey.Fetch. 

(Need a little background info on carbon offsets?  Here's a post I did awhile back with a little more info on how they work.)

This contest is now closed.  Congratulations to NES who is the randomly picked winner of the ECO-Green Nikon Digital Camera!

Ben Jelen CD Winners

Congratulations to the 5 winners of Ben Jelen's Ex-Sensitive CD's!

Adrian

Jessica

Leni

Beth (who is thinking of using Ben's music for her green wedding in September!)

Leslie

They get to kick back and listen to Ben Jelen's awesome voice and touching environmental lyrics.  Rock on!!

The New Nalgene: BPA Free!!

Nalgene, the company best known for the colorful, hard plastic water bottles that have been plagued by the controversial Bisphenol-A (BPA) issue, has come out with a new line of bottles that are BPA-free. 

Nalgene's Everyday line of water bottles are made from a material called copolyester that does not contain BPA.  It's still plastic and some of you might just want to pass on yet another plastic bottle.  But for people who appreciate the durability and affordability of plastic, these appear to be a good option.  Like their polycarbonate cousins, Nalgene bottles made from copolyester are:

• strong and durable (likely to survive a fall, even onto rocks!)
• leak-proof
• odor resistant
• top rack dishwasher safe
• clear
• colorful!!
• made in the USA

In a perfect world Nalgene would have a trade-in program where we could send back our old polycarbonate Nalgene bottles and get a discount on one of these new ones.  What do you think Nalgene????