Mindful Momma

New Life for Old Jeans

Last night I dropped off some ripped up old jeans at Lands End Inlet and got 5 bucks per pair!!  Well OK, I didn't exactly get cash, but I did get two $5 vouchers for merchandise at the Lands End backrack...which I promptly spent on swimwear and a new backpack for my 4 year old!  It's not often that you get paid for clothes that would otherwise go into the garbage!!

What's the deal?  Lands End has partnered with Cotton Incorporated and the jeans are going to be made into cotton fiber insulation that will be used in new home construction for Habitat for Humanity and similar organizations!!  Double good!!

The only bummer is that this deal only goes until June 21st.  Let's hope that other companies jump on the jeans recycling bandwagon.  I like it.  A lot.

Mindful Momma Giveaway: Simply Neutral Cleaning Products

 

If you're in the market for eco-friendly cleaning products, there are plenty to choose from.  And a lot of them are very good.  But I was excited to discover this relatively new brand, based right here in the great state of Minnesota, called Simply Neutral.  What sets this company apart from the competition is that they sell a waterless (i.e. concentrated) version of their products in order to reduce shipping weight - and hence the related creation of carbon dioxide emissions.

I met the owner, Maggie at the Living Green Expo this past spring.  Turns out she's a former house cleaner who kept having bad reactions to the products she used to clean people's homes.  She searched high and low for something that kicked butt on household grime but didn't make her skin break out...and she finally decided to create her own line of cleaning products.

I bought a few products to try out and I have to say, I am a total convert!  The products not only work well but they smell fabulous too!  The citrus/tea tree scent is just the right blend of essential oils to leave your room smelling great without being overpowering.  And the stainless steel cleaner works wonders on my fridge!  You can buy a premixed version if you want, but I love the concept of the waterless version - you buy the spray bottle with just about an inch of cleaning concentrate in it - then you go home and fill it up with water.  When you use it up, pick up a bottle of concentrate that makes 6 refills.  Works for me!  

Wanna try it for yourself?  Leave a comment on this post and you might win a waterless Value Pack that includes an all-purpose cleaner, a no-VOC glass cleaner and a non-abrasive cleansing scrub.  The contest will run through Tuesday, June 23rd.  (one comment per person please and you must have a U.S. shipping address.) 

If you don't win but would still like to try these great products, they are offering a BOGO (that's buy one, get one free!) promotion:  When you buy one all-purpose cleaner, you will get a no-VOC glass cleaner or stainless steel cleaner free.  Indicate which free product you would like in the "special instructions" box during checkout.  This special deal runs through Tuesday, June 30th. 

And if you live in the Twin Cities area look for Simply Neutral at:  Twin Cities Green, Linden Hills Natural Home, Eastside Food Coop, Fresh and Natural in Shoreview and Plymouth, Natural Built Home and Sunny Day Earth Solutions. 

The winner of a Simply Neutral Value Pack is Renee who is about to move and wants to start fresh with eco-friendly cleaning products in her new house!  Congrats Renee!!

Minnesota Minutes: Eco-Shopping for Baby!

If you have a baby to shop for, check out these eco-friendly Twin Cities resources:

Have you seen the lovely new baby store in Linden Hills called Oscar & Belle? WOW!  I have to admit when I first walked in, I thought it was probably a chain store....and a European one at that.  Imagine my surprise (and delight!) when I spoke with the owner and found out that she designs all the clothes and fabrics herself, that everything is made in the u.s.a. and that everything in the store is organic!!  If you are looking for a baby gift, this is the place to go!

Did you know you can buy cloth diapers and diaper supplies from The Natural Life at the Mill City Farmer's Market?  They will be there on the following Saturdays this summer:  June 27th, July 25th and August 15th.

Fresh, frozen baby food is all the rage.  But have you heard of the one that's Minnesota made??  Sweet Cheeks Baby Food is organic and comes in a variety of flavor combinations for babies of all ages and stages.  Find it at lots of Twin Cities area co-ops including The Wedge, Linden Hills, Seward and Mississippi Market.  It's even on the menu at The Birchwood Cafe!!  You can also find Sweet Cheeks for sale at both the St. Paul and Mill City Farmer's Markets this summer (check website for dates.)

May Day Magic

We have a fabulous May Day parade here in Minneapolis.  It is put on by a puppet theater called Heart of the Beast and all of the puppets are hand made from recycled stuff!!  Staff artists help direct and inspire, but the majority of the pieces are made by individual participants at free, public workshops held in the month or so before the parade. 

We attend the parade every year, but we have yet to actually be in it.  It's a pretty big commitment to attend all the workshops, but I'm thinking next year will be our year.  What an incredible feeling it must be to make your own beautiful puppet or costume or decorated vehicle and then show it off to the world by parading down the street!

Here's a little taste of the fun!

 

  

{photo credit: mathman72 via flickr}

 

 

{photo credit:  egusto via flickr}

Living Green Expo 2009

I headed off to the annual Living Green Expo last weekend with a less than enthusiastic attitude.  It wasn't just the fact that I was a bit preoccupied with other things in my life, but also because I have been to so many of these expos, they were beginning to seem a bit dull.

So I decided to mix things up a bit by spending more time chatting with vendors and visiting some booths that I never would have bothered looking at before.  I ended up having a blast!  Here are some of the highlights of my day:

Most interesting green concept:  Geothermal Heating.  I had never really bothered to look into geothermal heating because it didn't seem like a realistic option for your average home-owner.  But apparently the residential market for these systems is growing by leaps and bounds!  Yes, it's a pretty big investment and you have to have a pretty big yard to handle the installation, but it will save you a lot on monthly heating costs and WOW - what a good thing for the environment.  There's lots more to learn online. 

Biggest surprise:  The number of alternative vehicles. There was a huge tent devoted to alternative vehicles plus lots more cool stuff outside.  Some of those electric cars are so dang cute!  And Aveda founder Horst Rechelbacher's electric Tesla Roadster was there for everyone to drool over.

If money were no object:  Toyota Highlander Hybrid.  We're actually in the market for a new car this year.  We only have one car and it needs to have plenty of people and cargo space.  I was lusting after this one...until I found out they go for $35 to $40K.  And on top of that, we almost always buy used and there's not much of a used market for these things yet.

Fav purchases:

  Snack Taxi and Simply Neutral.  

• A Snack Taxi is a handmade reusable bag for snacks or sandwiches.  The outside is 100% cotton and comes in lots of fun fabric designs.  The bags are lined with a waterproof material that is free of heavy metals (including lead), phthalates, PBBs, and PBDEs.  
• Simply Neutral is a MN based cleaning product company that makes non-toxic cleaning products that you can order either premixed or waterless (you add the water yourself) to save on shipping costs.  Who in their right mind would want to pay to ship water?  I'll be writing more about this fab company soon! 

Biggest stretch:  Tupperware.  Ok, I can see how buying reusable containers could be a good thing for the earth, but when I asked if they had anything that wasn't plastic, the sales rep looked at me like I was an alien.

 

Most fun for kids:  The Giant Earth Balloon!!  I was kid-free at the expo this time but my kids and I had the pleasure of entering the earth balloon at an event last year.  What a blast!  And a great learning opportunity.  Earth balloon events can be arranged for both festivals and schools.

A good green goal:  Socially responsible investing.  This is something I would like to do (or have my husband do...ha!)  I picked up a brochure from a local company that does socially responsible investing but here's a link to a non-profit website that offers information and a directory of socially responsible services around the country.

Whew!  As always, I'm amazed at how much more there is to learn about living green!

Minnesota Minutes

Have you been to the new Seward Co-op?  Get your butt over there if you haven't.  I visited with child in tow so I didn't get to browse as thoroughly as I wanted to but my first impression was a good one.  The large size of the store gives it the feel of a Whole Foods but thankfully it still has that down-to-earth co-opy feel to it.  It wouldn't feel right if the Seward Co-op was a carbon copy of a Whole Foods now would it?  

They've got a nice big body care selection, a great bulk area and an awesome deli/prepared foods section filled with temptations (and a nice big seating area to eat your treats!)  My only complaint is that the produce area seemed cramped and a bit uninspiring. 

My favorite find?  The homemade Moroccan lamb sausages in the meat department.  Filled with pine nuts, raisins and amazing spices. My husband made a soup with them and the flavors that came out where amazing!

Seward Co-op:  Open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily | 612-338-2465 | 2823 East Franklin Avenue Minneapolis

Minnesota Minutes

For all you locals out there, I'm experimenting with a new feature about green & healthy happenings in Minnesota.  It will be mostly Twin Cities-based stuff but I'll entertain pretty much anything interesting I come across that's up here in the hinterlands.  I'll try to do it every couple weeks or so.  Let me know what you think!

Here's what's come across my path this week:

Twin Cities Green is having a big sale this week.  10% to 60% off through Jan. 23rd.

Casa Verde is a new sustainable design showroom in Minneapolis.  I stopped by to take a peek the other day.  It's a lovely showroom featuring kitchen, bath and other living spaces all decked out in eco-luxe style.  It's pretty high-end but they do sell some affordable accessories.  The website is still under construction.  911 West 50th Street (near Bryant Ave.)

The Linden Hills Co-op has some great educational classes coming up.  They are inexpensive and cover all sorts of topics from natural healing to Chinese food therapy to co-op shopping on a budget.  Call 612-922-1159 with questions.  These ones look particularly intriguing to me:

Raising Healthy Kids, Tuesday, 1/20, 7 – 8:30 p.m.

Dr. Tim Fargo, Director of Chiropractic Health & Wellness Center .  Please pre-register; $5/$3 members.  We’ll look at many health challenges facing children and explore natural solutions to these problems, including:  ADD/ADHD, ear infections, colic, bedwetting, scoliosis, natural immunity, and weight loss.  Dr. Fargo has completed post-graduate work in nutrition, sports injuries and Applied Kinesiology.

Health Advocacy 101, Tuesday, 2/24, 6:30 – 8 p.m.

Claudine Arndt, Certified Health Coach, & Marcus Seyward,  Fairview Patient Advocate.  Please pre-register; $15/$10 members.  This workshop is designed to promote an awareness about how each person in this country is ultimately responsible for his/her own health and health care in a system that can be difficult to navigate and understand.  While doctors try to provide the best care possible with the time and tools available to them, many people are still left stranded and confused.  How does our health care system really work?  How do we choose a good doctor?  What is the responsibility of the patient in determining the level of care that he/she receives?   When should one get a second opinion?  This course proposes to educate the average individual how to be a great advocate for him/herself within our health care system so he/she can begin taking control of their own health care journey.

Speaking of Linden Hills - the Linden Hills EcoParents group is meeting this coming Tuesday (Jan. 20th) in the Linden Hills park building (43 & Xerxes) from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.  Check the website for more deets.  http://lindenhillsecoparents.blogspot.com/

 

 

Rule Breaking Temps

I don't usually let the car idle when I'm dropping someone off.  An idling car emits 20 times more pollution than a traveling one.

I never start the car ahead of time to let it warm up.  Cars don't need to warm up before they are ready to drive.

Unless the temperatures have plummeted to double-digits below zero, like they are right now.  These are rule-breaking temps indeed!

(warm-up starts tomorrow!)

Paper Source is Going Green

  

I have to admit I've been avoiding going into this store lately.  It's called Paper Source and they sell...yup that's right...paper.  Not just any paper though.  Really pretty paper.  And when you're trying to be eco-minded, buying paper made from freshly cut trees somehow just doesn't feel right, even if it's really beautiful paper.

Anyhooo, a late appointment bought me a few extra minutes one day and I ducked in just to check out the world of pretty paper that I was sadly missing out on.  But this time I decided to do as Diane at Big Green Purse recommends and "ask for it in green".  "Do you have any recycled holiday wrapping paper?"  I asked the clerk.

Much to my delight I discovered that Paper Source is trying to green up their biz.  Not only did they have a bunch of really gorgeous gift wrap made from 100% recycled paper with 30% to 80% post consumer waste but they had very clear signage announcing that fact.  They are also in the midst of transitioning their entire supply of cardstock and envelopes to recycled paper - a huge leap for a designer paper company. 

As much as I try to use alternative forms of gift wrap, there are times when traditional paper gift wrap is the only thing that works for me so I personally am thrilled to know that there's a source that's close to me (and available online) where I can get pretty gift wrap made with recycled paper. 

Wrap on!

Have a Fair Trade, Handmade Holiday

Let's face it - most of us are going to be doing some serious shopping these next few weeks.  While my head is spinning with a variety of criteria to use in my gift giving decisions (eco-friendly, local etc..), I thought I'd give a quick shout-out to a few great resources for fair trade and handmade gifts - two causes that are near and dear to my heart!

Fair Trade: 

Fair Indigo - A clothing and accessories company dedicated to the principles of fair trade, like paying fair wages, providing safe and healthy working conditions and creating opportunities for economically disadvantaged people.  I think of them like J.Jill - only with a conscience!  Plus they have great stuff for men and babies too!

Birch Clothing- A Twin Cities based fair trade clothing retailer who just opened up an online store!  You may have seen my post last week about some of the amazing clothing lines they carry.  Now you have a place to order them if you are interested!

Global Exchange- "Your Online Source for Socially Conscious Gifts"  - Global Exchange works with artisans all over the world, building a sustainable system of fair trade.  While they are probably best known for their fair trade chocolate (I just won a box through Mod Mom!!)  they have a lovely selection of clothing, accessories and home products too.

Wedge Worldwide- This online extension of my neighborhood co-op carries a sweet selection of fair trade gifts.  They do an especially good job with jewelry and accessories.

Handmade:

Head to the nearest craft show near you (there are tons of them in my town at this time of year!) or check out these websites for really cool stuff.

Etsy- The ultimate online resource for handmade everything!  My fav thing to do is shop by color! 

1000 Markets- I just discovered this one thanks to a pal on Twitter!  Visit a marketplace defined by location, type of product (food, papercraft, wearable art...) or some other attribute (inspired by nature, modern simplicity...)  All of the merchants are small, independent artisans.

Craftsbury Kids- a collective of independent artists from around the world who create an alternative to mass-produced gifts for kids and babies.

eco-artwear.com- A showcase of artists who specialize in eco-friendly gifts from recycled, reused and natural materials.

Happy Shopping!