8 Green Body Care Product Reviews

I struggle with this topic because I find that it is hard to find a good variety of products and also because there is a wide range of effectiveness in their use. For example shampoo....it works well for the first month or so and then I find it just stops working and all of a sudden your hair looks like shit. At one point I found an old bottle of  "regular" shampoo and I used it. OMG my hair felt and looked so nice again. It shouldn't have to be like that! We should be able to use products on our bodies that are good for the environment and do their job!

So I am going to start blogging about which products we use and what our successes and failures are with them. This will include products for adults and products for babies/kids.

If you have a product that you would like me to check out just leave a comment and will add it to the list below. If the product is not available where I live I will let you know so you aren't waiting for a review.

My Rating System

OMGWTFBBQ run away from this product

If there is nothing else left on the planet but this or a traditional body care product then go ahead and use it.

Some good and some bad with this one. But overall would be good to use.

Great product and would totally have my seal of approval

If it was possible to marry a product it would be this one.




Body
Maxim Hygiene Tampons - 4 Leafs. Fantastic organic alternative to traditional tampons that also helps you reduce the amount of waste you produce. Read full review.

Kiss My Face Bar Soap - 3 Leafs. They really did a great job of cleaning and feeling clean afterwards with no residue feeling. But I found that they did not lather at all.  Read full review.

Kiss My Face Deodorant  - 3 Leafs. Great natural product but unfortunately natural deodorants do not work for me. At all.  Read full review.

Face
Kiss My Face Facial Products - 5 Leafs. These products work fantastic and keep my skin looking great. I actually saved money switching to Kiss My Face from Aveeno and its better for my skin! Read full review.

Hair
Miessence Shampoo - 5 Leafs. Best shampoo I have tried. Leaves my hair feeling clean and soft with no harsh chemicals. Read full review.  Check out my review with apple cider vinegar rinse.

Live Clean Shampoo and Conditioner - 3 Leafs. These products worked fantastic at first left build up in my hair after 2 months. I think the results would be different if I had combined with an apple cider vinegar rinse. Read full review.

Kids
Burts Bees Diaper Ointment - 5 Leafs. Works fast to cure or prevent diaper rash and last a really long time (still using the same tube 3 years later!). Review full review.

Kiss My Face Kids Toothpaste - 3 Leafs. Good starter toothpaste for kids as it tastes good and lasts a long time.  Read full review.

Live Clean Baby Bubble Bath - 3 Leafs. Gentle for that baby skin and smells fantastic (that new baby smell) Read full review.

Sunblock
Natures Gate Sunblock - 4 Leafs. Easy to apply and goes on smooth, which is important when applying when on the run.  Read full review.


Products Currently in Use (so far)
Badger Sunblock
Burts Bees Baby Shampoo and Wash
Burts Bees Baby Bubble Bath
Dr. Bronners Liquid Soap
Dr. Bronners Bar Soap
Live Clean Baby Lotion
NatraCare Organic Tampons
Natures Gate Hand Soap
Urban Cowboy Bar Soap

0 Green Hotels - The Good

We went away on a long weekend trip to Ottawa recently and stayed at the Minto Suites.  I went into this trip expecting to be wow'd by our hotel choice based on the environmental ratings it had received. I was excited to see the cool things that our room would have. I think any hotel that promotes itself as a green hotel should have offerings that are above and beyond what you would expect to see in a typical hotel. I want to see things that I haven't seen before. So here is the 'Good' of what we got at a 4 Key and 4 Leaf hotel.

The Good

There was a dual flush toilet in the bathroom, which allows you to select the amount of water that will be used when you flush. Now only the one bathroom had this kind of toilet, the other was a low flow toilet. I am not entirely sure why there would be two different types of toilets in the same hotel room but regardless it is the first hotel that I have stayed at that has this option.

The only shampoo, conditioner and body wash available in "bulk" on the shower wall. I liked this because it reduces the amount of packaging in those tiny bottles and it also reduces excess waste from them replacing those bottles every.single.day once you open one of them.

There was in room recycling. I find that this is probably the second most common "green" program that hotels offer. The most common is the towel usage program. You know the one where they have that little card in the bathroom that explains their commitment to the environment and how if you leave a towel in the sink or tub that it means you want it washed and replaced but if you hang it back up then you want to reuse it. This hotel has that program as well and they actually followed it.

All the keys were reusable. They were not the cards that you typically find in a hotel. Instead they looked like old keys that were actually electronic. At the end of the stay we simply returned them and then they can reprogram and reuse them. The same for the keys for the parking garage.

There is a bike rental program for adults and kids. We didn't use this because B is too young but I love this idea in a city that is very bike friendly. When we are back in the city when B is older we will completely take advantage of this program!

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3 Week 10 - 2011 in 2011

Spiders. I hate spiders. I hate the idea of them and I hate seeing them (OMG or feeling them on me). For some reason I decided to start working on the garage AKA spider paradise this week. After an hour I had to go have a shower because I just felt like there were spiders on me. Truth be told I only actually saw one spider but I know there was like at least 7979868761191 looking at me.

Here are my totals for the week.

Recycle - 68
Garbage - 13
Hazardous Waste - 3
Donate - 10
Sell - 1
Giveaway - 0
Return - 0
Compost - 27
? - 0
Total number of items = 122

Grand total so far = 1543

Most interesting item - There were several items that were interesting to me. It was like a trip down memory lane going through one of the boxes that was all kinds of stuff from Joe's previous truck.

Most thought provoking item from an environmental perspective - I don't understand the packaging on some items. I was cleaning up the packaging from solar garden lights we bought several years ago. They were in a cardboard box and inside the box there was cardboard packaging as well as each light was in a plastic bag. Why the plastic? They seem to serve no purpose at all.  If possible I am going to start opening boxes to see what is inside of them and pick the product with the least amount of packaging.

Best green item - Nothing really. But I do love that we can compost kleenex!

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2 Green Hotels - Eco Rating Programs

Recently we went on a mini vacation to Ottawa. There were several aspects of the trip that I want to blog about but it would be at least eleventy billion pages long so I will break it into several posts. The first topic will be about selecting a hotel based on an Eco-Rating Program.

I picked Minto Suites based on a variety of factors including their environmental impact. They are part of the Green Key Eco-Rating Program and have earned a 4.  When I first looked into this program I was kind of surprised at the number of hotels that had their logo on their website. I mean a lot of hotels..some I have even stayed in and in no way would I say that they are 'green'. Perhaps there are things going on in the background that I don't know about but from a customer perspective they just didn't scream 'Hey we care about the environment!!! Save the polar bears!!!!'  To be part of this program a hotel completes a questionnaire only and within minutes is automatically assigned a rating of 1-5. The hotel may be subjected to an on site inspection (20% of member hotels are inspected annually - currently 2100+ hotels registered).

They are also part of the Audubon International GreenLeaf Eco-Rating Program and have earned 4 leafs.  To start a hotel registers for the program and receives information on how to become more eco-efficient. Within 3 years of registering the hotel completes a checklist of all areas of operation. Based on this checklist a 3rd party verification audit is conducted and a rating is given to the hotel (1-5 leafs).

A program that is self-administered and not fully 3rd party verified is not as reliable as a program that is 3rd party verified. But a hotel that has taken the time to complete the checklist and start to make changes in their operation is still taking positive steps in the right direction to being more sustainable. Personally for me when I look at a hotel now I will look for more than just the GreenKey logo. I will look for additional programs, additional information on their website or endorsement from a green travel group.

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3 Thank You!

I have been named one of the Top 25 Eco-Friendly Mom's by Circle of Moms. I ended up being #19 out of 119 blogs! This is a huge honour for me and I want to thank YOU. Thank you for voting for my blog, reading what I write, posting your comments and sharing your stories.  I am learning as much from you as I hope you are from me.

You can see the full list here. I am in some awesome company.

In the coming months you will see some changes around here. I plan to do a small blog redesign and find a hosted solution that uses renewable energy (not GoDaddy). In the last year or so I have focused on  waste reduction and green cleaners and while I will continue to talk about those subjects I plan to talk more about energy and water conservation, eco-fashion and hygiene products. The last two I really struggle with so I am excited to learn and find alternatives for my family. We are also planning some major renovations around our home so I will be blogging about how we are incorporating sustainable choices into our projects.

Thanks again for voting!

0 Earth Day!

Earth Day turned out to be a really great day! It was cold out so that limited our options of things we could do with B. We decided to go and buy a tree that we will plant in our front yard when it is not so frickin cold outside. Hopefully that will be one day this week ::narrows eyes at the groundhog that said it would be an early spring:: 

I believe that you don't have to go "big" for Earth Day and that all the small things are just as important. I think we should all think about our habits and figure out what changes we can make to lead a more sustainable life. For instance, we sometimes get coffee from Tim Hortons on the weekends. We get their takeout cups and tray. Sure all of these can be recycled but why even use the materials to start with? The next time I get my coffee/tea from there I am going to take my own cup and opt out of the tray (isn't this why we have cup holders in the car?). Or if needed we can just reuse the same tray over and over.

Every single day should be Earth Day.

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3 Week 9 - 2011 in 2011

Sometimes you find lots of things to get rid of in the smallest of places. Like a kitchen cupboard. You know the one that you open slowly so nothing falls out onto you because it is so jammed pack with old storage containers. I keep yogurt and sour cream containers to reuse to store leftovers in the fridge. For some reason I ended up with 41 lids to get rid of and only 8 containers. Not sure how it got to that point where I had recycled so many containers without thinking about the lids? Regardless I cleared an entire shelf and a half in the cupboard! My plan is to slowly replace all of the plastic containers we use with glass.

Here are my totals for the week
Recycle - 52
Garbage - 0
Hazardous Waste - 0
Donate - 6
Sell - 3
Giveaway - 18
Return - 0
Compost - 0
? - 0
Total number of items = 79

Grand total so far = 1421 items

Most interesting item - Are old ice cube trays interesting?
 

Most thought provoking item from an environmental perspective - Lots of food products come in plastic don't they? And how does one get away from that? You could make your own yogurt but then you would also have to make your own cottage cheese and sour cream?

 
Best green item - Giving away hand me downs to our family and friends!
 
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0 Whales, Trails and Polar Bear Tales Contest

Canada is a pretty awesome place to live isn't it? There are the never ending prairies, the mountains, small fishing villages and of course the arctic. My Grandma went to Churchill Manitoba decades ago and has the best stories of staying in cabins and not being able to go out alone because of the polar bears. Scary? I say awesome!

What if you could take your family to see polar bears? What if you could also see whales?  This is your chance to win one of four grand prize family eco-adventures to Churchill Manitoba! Enter the Earth Rangers contest and you and 3 family members could be spending 6 days and 5 nights at the Churchill Northern Studies Center where you will  have the chance to to kayak with the beluga whales, go on a tundra buggy ride to spot polar bears, explore the Boreal forest, go fossil hunting and lots more.

To enter go to the contest page and click on Enter Contest. Click Log In if you are already an Earth Ranger member. If you aren't then click Join and go through the process of selecting the animal you wish to sponsor and creating your avatar. Contest ends on May 24th at 9:59AM EST and is open to residents of Canada (excluding Quebec).  Make sure you check out the full contest rules.

While you are at the Earth Rangers website take a look around. It is a really great organization!

10 Uses For Your Old Pillows

My friend Kelly and I were recently chatting about pillows and how often we buy new one's. If you have seen that one OMGCANTGETITOUTOFMYHEAD Oprah episode you probably buy new pillows on a regular basis. But what do you do with old one's? I don't really even know if I have thrown a pillow out before. Have I? I seriously have no memory one way or the other.  You can't donate them because charities will not take them due to the same things we saw in the OMGCANTGETITOUTOFMYHEAD Oprah episode. So what are the options? It can't really be that they just end up in the trash?

Here are some ideas in the order in which I like them.

Donate to a animal shelter!

Obviously call ahead of time to make sure they accept them but they may just take the filling to make pet beds for their animals.

Make draft barriers!

If you live in a cold climate like we do then you know that sometimes when the wind is blowing fierce you can get a crazy draft under your doors. Why not take your old pillows and make a draft barrier with the pillow stuffing! I like this idea and can see it being very useful in the winter.

Make pet beds!

You can use all the filling in your old pillows to make a pet bed. I believe this may be the most realistic option for us but I have a feeling Louie (our cat) won't like it one bit. I don't know if I have ever seen him sit on a pillow. He prefers random places to sit/lay/sleep. Like on suitcases, chairs, my sweaters, that one fabric chair that is impossible to get fur free.

Make throw pillows!

Cut your pillows into squares, sew them back up and make (or buy) some decorative cases. If you need to make them pillows fluffier than cut the pillow into a square and take the stuffing out of the one side and put that into the square.

Make 2 old pillows into 1!

Pillow get so frickin flat so fast. Take the filling from one pillow and stuff it into another and then keep using that pillow. The only way I would do this is if I knew 100% there was no way my pillow had any of the OMGCANTGETITOUTOFMYHEAD Oprah episode stuff in it.

Use them to protect things!

Not like a body guard or anything like that but if you are moving things or putting something into something (I am getting very technical here) and you don't want it to be scratched you could use some old pillows as protection. This option seems like a good one to me but when does it end? Won't you just end up with that one room that no one goes into because it is full of pillow you keep just in case you have to pick up a dresser your buddy bought on craigslist?

What do you do with your old pillows?

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2 Am I a Top Eco-Friendly Mom?

I want to thank whomever it was that nominated me to be considered a Top Eco-Friendly Mom. I started this blog in hopes of sharing a little bit if the environmental knowledge that is in my head and in my heart. I am touched that so many of you come here to read what I write and keep coming back. It means even more that you think I belong on a list with the ladies who have also been nominated.

I really try to be realistic about the environmental choices we make in life. I hope that you like the common sense approach we bring to our sustainable living. I hope you think we are as crazy as we really are and that by coming here you laugh and feel inspired. I learn from each of you that leave comments and suggestions and I know other readers do as well!

If you feel that I should be one of the Top 25 Eco-Friendly Moms then please vote for me by clicking on the badge and then the orange thumb. There are still 2 days left of voting and you can continue to vote once each day. Thank you so much for your continuing support. Thank you to everyone who has been voting over the last week.

1 Hometown Heroes

As Earth Day approaches we are reflecting on what we can do to protect our local environment. We probably all know someone in our life who is going above a beyond to make this world a better place for each of us. Someone who is enhancing the community in which we live.  This is your chance to recognize them but nominating them to be a Hometown Hero! You can also nominate groups or small businesses.

This is really an opportunity to recognize someone who has had an impact on your life and who fosters meaningful, long-term community awareness and action.  The deadline for nominations is April 22nd. Nomination forms can be found on the Hometown Hero website.

The prizes are excellent too. For individuals it is $10,000 ($5,000 to keep and $5,000 to an environmental organization), for groups it is $10,000 to support their work and for small businesses it is an all expense paid trip to a course/conference/workshop that focuses on the environment.

If you live in the Toronto area you may have already seen advertising for the Hometown Hero program. There are capes on the back of bus seats and stenciled capes on bike lane symbols.

Do you wear a cape? Do you know someone who does? Nominate them today!

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5 101 in 1001 (again)

Here is my list for my second shot at a 101 in 1001. Anything with a * is carryover from the last 101 in 1001.

Start Date - April 14th, 2011
End Date - January 9th, 2014

Items in green are in progress. Items in blue are completed. Items in crossed out are cancelled (plans or timelines have changed).

Number Completed - 43
Number In Progress -11
Number Not Started - 40
Number Cancelled - 7

Conclusion

It sucks not finishing. It sucks even more to not even get half done. Those 11 that are in progress...they are all so close. I had 2 movies left to watch, the yoga classes are bought and start soon. The biggest problem is that so many of the items I had listed were major projects and while back in 2011 it seemed realistic when push came to shove it really wasn't. I never factored in that things never go as planned. Projects are delayed, Contractors take off, products can't be found. And honestly, work took over the last couple of years. That shed we built in our backyard in 2012? Yep, still not done. It shouldn't be like this. How in 1001 days can I not find a few hours to bake bread??

Over the last few days I have been thinking about the results and if I want to do another round. I decided that I do but that it needs to be more about me. More growth, more making life what I want it to be. 

Adventure
1. Go on a hike with a picnic - completed August 2013
2. Go on 2 week long camping trips - completed August 2013
3. Take B on his first plane ride - January 2012
4. Go fishing * - completed July 2011 (Joey taught me how)
5. Go camping in Algonquin *
6. Attend Oktoberfest *
7. See 2 "big" objects *
8. Go to a local baseball game *
9. Go on one big vacation
10. Learn to really roller blade (not what I currently call rollerblading)
11. Visit the Ice Hotel

Blog
12. Buy own domain - Spring 2012
13. Start a Facebook fanpage - 12.30.11 You can find it here
14. Blog at least 20 times a month for 3 months
15. Redesign blog

Family
16. Start making the squares for B's quilt
17. Send a video Christmas message
18. Create childhood photo album for Joey *
19. Kiss in the rain
20. At least 1 date night per month (4)
21. Become a foster parent

Fashion
22. Learn to apply makeup
23. Redo wardrobe *
24. Get a haircut at least every 12 weeks
25. Clean rings annually

Financial
26. Create an education fund for B and create a deposit schedule - completed May 2012
27. Donate to 2 charities each year
28. Pay off line of credit *
29. Double RRSP contributions * - completed May 2011

Fitness/Health
30. Run 10km
31. Treat myself to 3 spa visits
32. Workout 3 days a week for 3 month - completed April 2012
33. Breast reduction
34. Buy a bicycle *
35. Go to bed by 11:30 every work night for 1 month- 12.29.11
36. Learn to skate *
37. Take a yoga class
38. Learn to play golf (and not just on the Wii)

Food
39. Learn to make 5 dishes I have not made before 
40. Bake the perfect cake *
41. Go strawberry picking - completed July 2013
42. Go apple picking - completed Oct.2011
43. Learn how to make bread *
44. Learn to make a good curry - completed June 2013
45. Make own wine *
46. Shop at the farmers market at least once a month - completed
47. Find a local supplier for organic, free from, free range meat
48. Use a CSA in the winter at least once a month - completed April 2013
49. Learn to cook the perfect steak
50. Don't eat fast food for 1 month

Home
51. Finish basement with as many sustainable materials as possible
52. Landscape property using as many native species as possible
53. Get some of Sam's art up in here
54. Fix grass beside driveway
55. Fix fence
56. Win the battle with the vine on the side of the house - Completed 09.14.11
57. Create B's toddler room
58. Purchase a new front door
59. Restart the home composter
60. Hookup the downspout to the rain barrel
61. Install a sprinkler system
62. Build a bigger vegetable garden - completed July 2012
63. Plant 1 tree/year -  completed 2011
64. Get an outdoor clothes line *
65. Restain stairs *
66. Decorate family room *
67. Decorate living room *
68. Decorate master bedroom *
69. Decorate office *
70. Create photowall of black frames *

Organization
71. Clean and organize garage
72. Organize pantry *
73. Redo filing system *
74. Organize digital photos * - burn CD's and label, backup storage purchased, uploading to Flickr
75. Finish all photobooks *
76. Complete the 2011 in 2011 - Completed 10.23.11

Personal Growth
77. Read 22 books (6)
78. Make a Learning Tower
79. Take a photography course - completed February 2012
80. Learn to change a tire
81. Learn to knit *
82. Volunteer for at least 1 organization - completed 12.13.2012

Professional
83. Make final decision on Masters
84. Get and retain professional staff *
85. GG *
86. Write at least 1 time per week for Rex's website

Random
87. Build a snowman - 12.27.11 Here
88. Watch the sunrise
89. Take 1 picture of B every week for 52 weeks
90. Watch all of Fringe
91. Be nice to my toenails
92. Research an environmentally friendly car - completed December 2012
93. Watch all Godfather movies *
94. Finish Super Mario Brothers *
95. Donate blood
96. Watch 26 movies I have never seen with each starting with a letter in the alphabet (24)
97. Go to the drive-in theater
98. Randomly pay for someone in line behind me

Social
99. Get together with the girls more often
100. Host a dinner party *
101. Make a new friend

2 Plastic Pollution

You have probably heard about the garbage patches that our in our oceans but may not know the exactly what it looks like. I however do. I have sailed through 2 of them. I remember the first one we sailed through. Joey and I were amazed and the suddenly onslaught of garbage and wondered if a local fishing boat was dumping into the ocean. We quickly realized it was far more garbage than what could come from one boat. For most of the day we saw garbage and it was as far as we could see into the horizon. 2 years later we sailed through a 2nd patch and while we were not as surprised with what we saw we were still taken aback by the vast amount of garbage floating by.

I tracked just how much plastic I used today. The results are really shocking for a typical day. I didn't count things each time I used it (like the toilet or the remote), I only listed each item once.

BlackBerry, our bed, toothbrush, toothpaste tube, toilet, toilet paper holder, deodorant, facial cleanser bottle, shampoo bottle, conditioner bottle, razor, shower head, storage shelves in shower, moisturizer bottle, hair brush, B's humidifier, TV, remote, cable box, hair dryer, lid for oil for hair, lip stuff, buttons on my sweater, buttons on B's shirt, drying rack, B's highchair, B's yogurt, plastic bag inside cereal box, plastic bag inside cracker box, B's water bottle (recycled plastic), cat water dish, cat food mat, kitchen recycling bin, garbage can, sunglasses, backpack, car, garage door opener, light switches, B's carseat, B's fire truck toy, B's changing pad, diapers, diaper cream, wipes case, zippers, B's train track, keys, spoon (forgot mine at home), milk container, button on coffee machine for hot water, stand on coffee machine for resting cup as it fills, plastic bags in recycle bin, fridge handle at work, ID badge, badge scanners, laptop, laptop docking station, monitor, keyboard, mouse, chair, foot rest, laptop charger, BB charger, binder (I am only at 9:30AM here people), elevator button, phone, end of a ethernet cable, part of a table, paper towel holder, pen, BB charging station,  cottage cheese container, compost bin, blue boxes (2), kitchen compost bin, cutting board, knife handle, part of a pasta box, plate, spout on box of wine (WHAT??), towel rack, drink container, plastic stacking cups, B's shampoo, dish soap, dishwasher racks, dishwasher handle, microwave.

I think that is it.

I try to not use all that much plastic but find that there are just some things I can not get away from. Like my moisturizer comes in a plastic bottle, my brush is made from plastic, there is plastic in my car, plastic in this laptop I am currently using.  I do try to not be wasteful with the plastic I do consume. I don't get new electronics because I need the latest and greatest. I look for products with the least amount of plastic packaging. I reuse whenever possible. I have a reusable water bottle (but it has a plastic lid).

What can you do?

- Look for products with no or reduced amounts of plastic

- Take your own containers when getting takeout

- Get your own water bottle and reusable travel utensils

- Buy in bulk!

- Get your own reusable produce bags

- Recycle, recycle, recycle (although this is not a long term solution)

- Check out My Plastic Free Life. Beth has so much great information.

Okay now how depressing was that? What does your day look like?

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1 Week 8 - 2011 in 2011

Where is Week 7 you must be asking? We went on a long weekend getaway so I didn't get a chance to actually collect anything (well other than 1 item). So we will just continue on with Week 8!

Lets talk IKEA. What is with all the little screws and do-hickies that come with each piece of furniture? I found 35 of their plastic shelf holders in our office closet. Not sure why I kept them in the first place when I don't have that shelving unit anymore. We seem to have random IKEA thingamjigs all over the house. Those round long wooden plug things, instructions with no words just random pictures and eleventybillion allen keys.

Here are my totals for the week

Recycle - 40
Garbage - 5
Hazardous Waste - 1
Donate - 8
Sell - 3
Giveaway - 0
Return - 0
Compost - 0
? - 0
Total number of items = 57

Grand total so far = 1342 items

Most interesting item - Nothing....a real snoozefest this week

Most thought provoking item from an environmental perspective - I have been to a lot of conferences with tradeshows. As we all know one of the biggest appeals of a tradeshow is the giveaways. And all the things I have gotten are somewhere in this house. Squeeze toys, pens, flyer's, pins, flashy things. I'm smarter when I go to the shows now....I barely take anything unless I will actually use it or I need a sample for work.

Best green item  - One of the things I came across this week was butterflies that were made from old pop bottles that you stick in your window.

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2 The End of my 101 in 1001

Well 1001 days has passed. When I first came up with my list I was confident I would get everything done. I clearly didn't. I completed 43 items, have 27 in progress and did not start 31 items. It was harder than I expected to get everything done. But mostly things that were on my list and were important 101 days ago just aren't now. Or things I thought I would be able to do on a vacation we had planned I didn't get to do and there was no other way to complete it (like step in the Mediterranean Sea).

Favourite completed item - Learning more about Joe's childhood. Oh the stories and pictures!

Item I wished I had finished - Completing Super Mario Brothers. Joe bought it for me for Christmas and I haven't finished it yet. Oh but I will....I will.

I will be doing another round of this and I will also be adding all the items I didn't finish that I think I can actually finish onto that list. I am going to be smarter about writing my items this time. I doesn't make sense to say 'do 50 crunches a day for 2 months' because if I miss it for one day I reset the clock. A smarter goal would be 'do 50 crunches a day for 30 days within a 2 month period'.

Have you done the 101 in 1001? What was your experience?

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0 Top 25 Eco-Friendly Mom Blogs!

I have been nominated for the Top 25 Eco-Friendly Mom Blogs! If you love our blog then click on the button below and scroll down until you see our blog, then VOTE! You can vote 1 time per day and voting ends April 17th!

2 Monkey See Monkey Do

It is a crazy world we live in isn't it? A world where people buy a purse because Kim Kardashian or Paris Hilton have it. A world where Heidi Montag has over 1.1 million twitter followers. What if more celebrities were living sustainable lives and didn't buy into consumerism? What if talked about their choices openly and what if people listened? Can you imagine the impact it could have.

There are millions of people out there like Joe and I. Individuals and families making sustainable choices in their lives and even sharing it with their little corner of the virtual world. Celebrities have more bandwidth than we do. They can reach more people faster and lets face it people will follow what they do.

What if the products placed in TV shows and movies were environmentally friendly products. No more water bottles, instead reusable bottles. No SUV's but instead electric cars. Fair trade coffee, home gardens, no more paper towels.

What if our children looked up to celebrities for being more than an athlete or movie star?

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The Girl Effect

Rapanui Eco Clothing

Do you have a "line"?

1 Green Cleaner Review - Ecos Toilet Cleaner

Cleaning the toilet always seems to be a task where people tend to think harsh chemicals are needed. I am not one of these people. I have watched commercials recently where they recommend pouring BLEACH into your toilet to leave it sparkling white. WHO DOES THAT????  I have tried "green" toilet cleaners before and was unimpressed so my expectations were not high when I started to try Ecos Toilet Cleaner.

Let me set the stage for you. I opened lid of the cleaner expecting to smell that chemical/burn your nose hairs off smell. What did I get instead? A flood of memories. You see Ecos Toilet Cleaner smells like camping. Yep, camping. It reminds me of when I was a Girl Guide and had to clean the lat with the hardest brush known to man. It is easy to apply, gets great coverage and it works!

Now check out this data sheet. Yep...no hazardous ingredients or no hidden recommendations that suggest that you call poison control if you ingest it. It is biodegradable, plant based, free from harmful chemicals and is the least acidic toilet cleaner on the market.

This is a product that we will be using in our home from now on.

***I was given this product to review but as always the opinions I express are my own.

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Green Cleaner Reviews
Poop Happens
Sh*t Box

0 Water FOUND!

During Canada Water Week I looked at our water bills and discovered that our usage the last few months was staggering high compared to what we normally use. We have been using our best Nancy Drew skills to figure out what the heck was going on. I think it is multiple issues but we have found the source of one!

It appears someone (::whistles::) forgot to turn the water to the garden hose off. I remember being out there in the fall and there was a wasp nest in the thing (technical term) that the hose rolls up into. Which is at the exact height my head would be at if I bent over to turn off the water. So I didn't. I remember thinking that I would have to tell Joe so he could do it. I didn't. So since then the water has been dripping at the tap. It is now turned off and will hopefully make a difference.

Now on to solve the problem of why I think our toilets (all 3) are leaking.

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Green washing

Think the oil spill doesn't affect you??

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5 Ultimate Blog Party

Welcome to our little corner of the internet! If you are joining from the Ultimate Blog Party then stick around and have some fun! If you were already here then go and check out the party.

Lets see...I guess I should introduce myself. I am Jen and am an environmentalist (by trade and in my spare time). I have always tried to live a sustainable life and started this blog when I started to get a lot of questions about how to have a more green lifestyle. So here I am, talking about our life and what we are doing. We aren't perfect and I openly talk about when we fuck up. But I love sharing our successes too. 

My husband is Joe and he is not as crunchy as I am but is still very supportive and along for the ride! Our son is B and he is the coolest kid in town.

Here are some posts I would recommend checking out.

2011in2011
Vinegar isn't just for fries
Greenpeace
No Impact Experiment
Have you met our apple tree???
::rolls eyes hard::
McGruber
Being a green mom

1 Do you know where your compost has been?

I have had people ask why we continue to compost at home when we have a city compost program. We can compost much more in the city program than we can at home (like meat) and in the winter it is so much easier to put our scraps in the bin in the garage vs having to shovel a path to the bin in the backyard. But there is a reason why we will continue to compost at home while still using the city program. We like to use the compost on our garden and although we can buy compost from the city program I don't trust it. I don't know what other people have been putting into their green bins so why would I put it onto our vegetable garden?  By using what comes out of our own compost bin we have control over what is being put onto on garden and eventually ends up on our plate.

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What's in the Waste Week 2