Bea Green Blogorama--One step at a time

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Being "green" is a very noble, necessary goal. But when you make a decision to be greener with your purchases and practices, sometimes the sheer amount of information and ways to be green can be overwhelming. So I'd like to suggest that if you are new to this whole movement, you start slowly and take it one step at a time.
1. Start small
Focus on one thing at a time. Research it, figure out if it's worth caring about and how you can be a force for positive change in that topic.

2. Set some goals.
Change one thing at a time. Decide what to focus on, or focus on first, and make a plan. Whether you decide to change one thing a month, or one thing a week, or 4 things a year, spend a few minutes planning out what you will research and how you will implement the change.

3. Go easy at first
Sure, it would be great to switch to biofuel and start fresh on your pantry, but while high and lofty goals are good vision-casting, start small. Instead of throwing out all your old cleaners and shampoo, simply buy the green version when you run out. Simplify.

If you aren't sure where to get started, here are a few small changes you can begin with:

~ Switch to natural cleaners (like baking soda, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, etc.) or find ecologically sound alternatives. Pick one to start, such as your glass cleaner (use vinegar instead) or your laundry detergent (when you run out, start buying something better like bio-kleen).

~ Replace your incandescent light bulbs with a greener, more energy-efficient light bulb. You don't need to toss all your light bulbs in one day, just replace them as they burn out.

~ Unplug. Practice unplugging appliances when they are not in use, or find a power strip that does not idly drain energy.

~ Pick a food group and start replacing your current staples with healthier, more natural/organic ones. For instance, perhaps you can't afford to get (or are overwhelmed by finding) farm-fresh local organic produce. Read up on which produce is the most contaminated and start in your local grocery store with that. Maybe someday you can buy a cropshare from a local organic grower, but if you find that overwhelming, start small now.

~ Pick an area of beauty or health aids and start buying safe, eco-friendly options as you run out of the old ones. You might not be able to go from using 10 different products for 10 different things to Dr. Bronner's instead overnight, but perhaps find a paraben and SLS-free shampoo and start there. Skin Deep is a good place to research your best options.

~ Ride a bike! Exercise is good for you, and riding somewhere rather than driving impacts the environment in a good way. Be sure to be safe about it (wear your helmet! follow the rules of the road!), and find one thing you can bike to as opposed to drive to. Maybe you're not going to be able to jump on your bike tomorrow and begin commuting to work that way, but when you run out of milk and need to hit the store, consider biking to the nearest place instead.

How about you? What steps are you taking?

AAAAnnd the winner IS!!!!

Using the random integer generator from random.org:
Here are your random numbers:

13

Timestamp: 2008-09-07 17:14:36 UTC

Simply Brandy! Congratulations!

Closed!

Thanks to all who participated in the latest Bea Green Blogorama! Be sure to come back on the 16th for the next meme, although there won't be a giveaway associated with that one. Still, a chance to spread the word about making the world a better place, and show off your natural savvy!

Use It Up, Make Do

In the past, people would find very creative ways to use every scrap of every thing they owned. Clothes were patched, or remade into something else, or when they were just too ratty to even be used as rags, shredded into stuffing. Parts of animals we wouldn't dream of eating were made into sausages and regional dishes.

Maybe we don't need to make headcheese anymore, but I think a principle has been lost over the decades as we've moved into a consumerist, disposable society. I can't think of many people I know that would patch the holey knees in their jeans--it's hardly fashionable these days (and unfortunately, cut-offs and holey jeans are also not fashionable), but rather would run out to buy new ones, and throw the old ones away.

On the flip side of the coin, there are those that save every last little thing, but never do anything with it. They hang on to those holey jeans in case they need them for something, someday (full disclosure: this would be my bad habit). Every gadget they've ever received is stored for future use--whether they will ever, in fact use it or even KNOW how to use it or not.

As I've begun this journey toward a more green, frugal, simple life, I am learning there are things to keep and things to give away. Being more of a "pack-rat" I have lovely intentions for everything I have, but frankly, I don't need the clutter and stuff. And frankly, it does NO ONE good for piles of stuff to sit gathering dust. So I have begun trying to practice "use it up, make do, reinvent, go without". Out of all the kitchen gadgets I have ever owned, the best three have been a wooden spoon, a large sharp knife and my can opener. Everything else is nice, but peripheral. "Make do" for me is slowly weeding out my kitchen for things I don't need and don't use.

The difference between being a hopeless pack-rat and becoming simple, green and frugal is simply actually USING it. And allowing yourself to go without (at least, possibly in the future). And acknowledging that other people may find a more immediate use for something than you can. I might *like* to use these sheets to make a shabby chic rag quilt, but maybe someone else needs them for something right now. If I can't fit that project in to my life in the next 6 months, I need to give it up.

On the other side, those who would consume and replace could take some notes from the pack-rats. :) Instead of immediately tossing something, see if you can fix it. If you can't fix it, see if you can remake it into something else. If you can't, see if someone else could use it. Don't just toss it in a landfill. And see if you can "make do" or go without.

The key here is to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Reduce the amount of stuff you have--and especially the amount of stuff you have coming in and going out--, reuse what you can until you can't, or remake it creatively; and recycle things you can't use to those that can or to an appropriate facility. Did you know, for instance, that there are cotton recycling facilities? As long as your item is 100% cotton, you can send that unusable whatever to be remade into something new rather than sitting in a landfill.

GIVEAWAAAAAAAY!
To participate in this giveaway, you have three options:

1. To earn one entry, leave a comment to THIS entry detailing a way you are bea-ing green

2. To earn one entry, write about bea-ing green on your blog (feel free to use the bea-green blogorama button, and do link back to this entry). Then, use Mr. Linky below to input your blog entry. DO NOT link to your blog, you must link DIRECTLY to your entry! I will delete any inappropriate links or general links.

3. To earn TWO entries, do both!!!!!!

This giveaway will close on Saturday, September 6th at 10pm PST. A winner will be chosen by a random number generator on Sunday, September 7th and announced sometime that day. :) Please be sure there is a way I can contact you if you win, whether through your blog or through email!

This time, I decided to go with a gender-neutral option for our giveaway. Winner will receive one Basic Black market tote with shoulder straps!!! Great for a guy, great for your husband, and great for the woman who appreciates the chic simplicity of black. Black is always in style, and more palatable for the "green"-averse guy in your life. My husband won't carry the groceries in foofy bags, and he didn't even want any "guy" prints. So if you or someone you know is that guy, or even that girl, this is the bag for you! On the other hand, if you are someone who appreciates the finer things in life, black is also an excellent choice. Classic, elegant, and classy could definitely describe this bag. :)

Now, I like to take my pictures in natural light, but it's raining :*( So here is a picture of the Basic Black market tote to tide you over until I can take pictures of the actual bag (so please note, while your bag will look like this, it won't be *exactly* like this, as handmade items vary a bit naturally...for instance I used white thread on top of the label instead of the black you see on this bag.):


Remember, you have until Saturday to comment and/or post. Have a bea-utiful day, and have fun bea-ing green!!!

Get Ready!!!!

Be on the lookout later today for the Bea Green Blogorama!

Get your posts on bea-ing green ready, for there is a market tote to win :)

Go Green, Save Money?

An article on MSN that talks about ways going "green" can save you money

It's true...there is another reason to switch to fabric or reusable grocery bags--it may save you money. Many stores all over the world will give you a "bag refund"--a small amount of money back per bag you use that isn't theirs. And more and more states, cities, and countries are moving toward fining, banning, phasing out, or penalizing plastic or paper bags.

I did find it ironic, though, that the bags they featured--while very cool--were rather expensive. I mean, it would take you a long time to make that money back. I understand...I mean, I sell my bags basically at wholesale price. I could--and probably should--charge more than I do. But that would kind of make them out-of-reach for some people, and perhaps take advantage of the more economically advantaged green folk. But we won't get into all that since I've talked about it before. It was still rather ironic. :) However, the good news for those that can't afford a reusable grocery bag priced at $50 or more is that you have many more affordable options. Including yours truly, of course. :)

Housewarming Gift

My littlest sister recently struck out on her own, renting a two-bedroom house with a friend. Her friend had lived on her own before, and apparently had many of the basic gadgets covered. Between that and what my mother was giving her, she didn't really need much in the way of basic necessities. So what's a girl to give as a housewarming gift?

I knew she wanted a bag from me, which would make an excellent gift in and of itself. Especially as more cities and states and countries are moving toward limiting, taxing, fining, or banning plastic and/or paper grocery bags, the gift of a Bumble Bea Green market tote or three is an excellent choice for the savvy giver. Green, beautiful, and rather multi-purpose, a market tote is sure to score.

Of course, she is my sister, and I can't just stop at one thing. Oh no. I'm the type of person who likes to give theme gifts. Last Christmas, I made several family members cry--in a good way--with a thoughtful gift. That Christmas will be hard to top, heh. Anyways, I knew that for her gift I wanted to give her things that were ordinary and yet so often overlooked. Things like, the little touches that make a house a home.

So I scoured Etsy for something unique, handmade, and yet ordinary. I found a refreshing "bath tea infusion" from Ollie Baby. My sister works a very physical job, and I knew it would be the perfect tool to help her soak away those sore muscles in her antique claw-foot tub. One thing that is fun to have are pretty magnets. So I consulted one of my favorite Etsy shops, Washi by Maoiliosa, for a perfect set of lovely pink magnets to grace her antique fridge. Finally, I wanted to add one more personal touch to her house. Having added a bit of relaxation and heavenly scent in the bathroom and a glimpse of her pink-obsessed personality in the kitchen, I decided to go with a set of coasters from RuBee Designs that reflected her shopping obsession (especially with shoes and purses!). Perfect! Now all I needed to do was put it together!

Another great use for my totes is using them as gift bags. These items, however, were small and fragile. So I thought I could just wrap it all together, but that wasn't a fun and eco-friendly idea. Then I thought...what if I use the bag to wrap it up?

Here are my carefully chosen and handmade-by me and others--items


A close up of the goodies I bought


I carefully placed all the items inside, putting the coasters more on one side and the other items on the other side


Then folded the bag up around the items


I folded the bag in half, and used the straps to secure it. Voilà!


Green, handmade, beautiful, meaningful, unique gift that wrapped and even padded itself. How awesome is that? :D