Girly Green Girl

Holiday Gift Idea

2011-12-09T13:25:00.000-05:00

Ornaments made from recycled materials;

like the ones below made from recycled tin.

image from Crate & Barrel's website

They are on sale at Crate & Barrel right now, under $4.

They make a nice Hostess Gift.

I might have to stop in this weekend and get some myself!

I want one!!!

2011-11-30T08:46:00.001-05:00


image from windowfarms.org

Maybe this will be a series where I give you ideas for Eco friendly gifts to give this Holiday season (or shortly thereafter) .... or maybe I'm just here to tell you about this one cool new thing:

Windowfarms - Vertical Food Gardens!!!

I heard about this through a friend of a friend and while it's out of my budget right now I thought some of you might enjoy it. Here is a little bit about the product:

Windowfarms let you grow fresh vegetables at home by taking advantage of natural light and climate control indoors. The roots are bathed in nutrients from the sea, preventing food plants from getting root bound (as they do in traditional soil filled containers). You get healthier roots, and fresher, more nutritious vegetables without dirt in small spaces. (Kickstarter website)

Still not convinced? Check out this cool video!

Let me know if you end up purchasing one, or if you simply make a donation!

Water Conservation

2011-11-21T15:21:00.000-05:00

Do you remember this?

I think about it EVERY time I wash my hands, brush my teeth or wash something in the sink. That's a lot! It's stuck with me for many many years. Thought of it just now as I was washing my spoon in the sink.

Took just a few minutes to find it on YouTube. Enjoy!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving while you're at it!!!

~ GGG

3 months.... really?

2011-11-09T14:02:00.000-05:00

Has it really been over 3 months since I've blogged? My, time flies when you are busy kissing this face...

I digress. What brought me back to GGG is an e-friend's new business, Terra Vino Wines a wine shop "focus[ed] on wines that are organic, bio dynamic and locally sourced" (e-mail from owner Chris Carbone.) When I know more (and have a chance to see the place when it opens) I'll post about it. For now, I'm just putting it on your radars!

Since I'm here I might as well blog for real. Here's one small way the GGG household is going green with bottle cleaning:

Dis-assemble bottle parts (do we really need so many parts?!)
Squirt dish soap in a bowl and fill with hot water
Toss parts in, swish it around and give a good scrub with my hands
Let parts soak while I cover Zoey in kisses
Rinse

I can't imagine how much water I'd waste if I washed each piece under the faucet. Not only is it green, but more importantly, it saves time!

~ GGG

Ahhh, wine

2011-08-02T19:17:00.000-04:00

One of the best things about not being pregnant (aside from getting to cover Zoey in kisses) is being able to drink wine again. I've had an amazing bottle of zinfandel that I have been saving for a special occasion. I bought it way back when Urban Grape had their sneak preview for bloggers and T.J told me this was one I couldn't leave the store without. So it's been sitting in my wine rack for over a year! Today, I finally popped the cork and savored it. One of my B/f/f's came over with her baby and while we talked about burping, poop and bedtime routines we drank this fantastic wine. My first sip was just ok. I was concerned that maybe I had let it sit in my wine rack for too long but then I remembered I had just brushed my teeth (ha, silly me.) The more I sipped the more the flavor opened up. It was truly delicious. So, what is this wine and what makes it so special? Well for starters it's organic. Yay for pesticide free wine!! If you shop at Urban Grape (and if you live in the area and don't you are a fool) it's an 8R on the wall-o-wine. It hails from Napa and the Storybook Mountain Vineyards. It sounds so whimsical! It was a splurge at $36, but for my B/f/f who is about to return to work after her maternity leave, it was the perfect celebratory beverage.

Zoey couldn't have a glass of wine but she reminded us how important it is to drink organic wine by wearing the Go Green onesie she got from her uncle Matty!!!!

Ok, back to staring at my gorgeous baby... stay green!

My Girly Girl

2011-07-07T18:16:00.000-04:00

Last Wednesday, June 29, 2011, Zoey arrived. So for the past week this is what I've been staring at ALL day:

Sorry Readers, I'm on hiatus until further notice!

~GGG

Snippets

2011-06-28T09:55:00.000-04:00

~ We got our Earth Machine set up in the backyard. Next year we won't have to buy compost for the garden, sweet!

~ Composting is coming along slowly but surely, still hard to remember not to throw scraps in the trash but we're re-learning.

~ Our next goal is a rain barrel! As soon as we get one summer will officially hit and there will be no more week-long downpours; you're welcome in advance.

~ Still pregnant and getting pretty darn anxious to meet Miss Zoey. Forgive the sporadic blog posts.

~ Warning: blog posting may get worse (no, it definitely will) before it gets better.

~ GGG

Guess who's back...

2011-06-13T08:55:00.000-04:00

Back again. Composting is back... tell a friend.

Look what I finally pulled out of the way back of my kitchen cabinet and set up this weekend:

She already contains some coffee grinds, a banana peel, and some stale coconut. It's going to be an adjustment for my husband to get back into the habit of using it but since I compost in work I'm expecting to get right back on the wagon! Wait til you see what is coming home with me today...

Slow Cooker

2011-06-06T11:59:00.000-04:00

Not sure how "Green" this post is, but I'm doing it anyway...

I used my slow cooker this weekend to make pulled pork sandwiches for a lovely meal with my husband's family. It made preparing the menu so easy! I was talking to my sister-in-law about how marvelous a slow cooker is, but how it's hard to find the right recipe to use it. Sadly, I've only used mine maybe 5 times in 2 plus years. Four of those times being pulled pork and another being a disaster of a roast. I'm now determined to start using mine more (it'll be a Godsend when the little one arrives.) Do you have any killer slow cooker recipes?! Ideally ones that don't involve a lot of prep, like searing the meat before putting it in... I'm sure it tastes better but defeats the convenience of using a slow cooker in my humble opinion. I found one online for ribs which I might try for Father's Day. I think a chicken wing recipe would also be pretty useful. Send me recipes people!!

Bye Bye Food Pyramid

2011-06-02T15:47:00.000-04:00

New food plate icon: will it change how you eat?

You should also check out this funny little article by Dr. Alan Greene, he's a Star Pilot!

Recycled Plastic Adirondack Chairs

2011-06-01T14:19:00.001-04:00

This past weekend my husband and I were at Lowes (just like we are every weekend) and discovered beautiful Adirondack chairs made from recycled plastic. Of course we bought two; a blue for him and a green for me (Zoey is going to need a little pink one!) The material is very sturdy and the design is ergonomical (I have chronic back pain & am almost 9 months pregnant and found them to be very comfortable.) So the next time you're tossing your empty soda bottle into the recycling bin, wondering what it might end up as, think of me sitting in my green recycled plastic chair and how you too could sit in the lap of eco-luxury for only $18!

Here's an article I found about these chairs at Eco Village Green.

President's Picnic

2011-05-24T13:14:00.000-04:00

Every year the President of Tufts University, and his lovely wife, host a picnic for staff. It's always great, but this year was special. First let me say that Larry Bacow has been a fabulous University President; he goes out of his way to keep staff informed and shows every individual respect. He's leaving this summer and will be sorely missed.

Now onto the picnic! The food was delicious and if you happened to have a morsel left behind on your plate, there were plenty of stations (manned by staff & students) to compost it at. So my excess hot dog bun and napkins went into the compost, my plastic fork and iced tea container went into the recycling bin and just my ice cream wrapper went into the trash. Impressive right? There were also chip bags but I collected them from my table to bring inside and up-cycle. I brought my own plate too which cut down on waste (it's bigger than the disposables out there *wink*) In addition to the waste management stations there were water fountains for easy refills and a table for sampling bottled water vs. tap. If it went anything like last year then nobody could tell the difference!

I'm so proud of Tufts for working so hard at going green. Keep up the good work!

Dryer Balls Rule!

2011-05-23T10:20:00.000-04:00

Go out and get yourself a set of these Dryer Balls. Why? Because...

image from Amazon.com

a) They work really well. No static, no scent (ie no chemicals)

b) They just sit in the dryer until you're ready for them, no looking around for dryer sheets.

c) They are fun; just look at them!

The one drawback is the sound of bouncing balls in your dryer. My advice, don't start the dryer right before you go to bed. Otherwise, they fade into the background of all the other noises in your home. I love not using fabric softener with all its yucky chemicals and still having static free clothes (that do not smell like vinegar!)

For more Nellie's All-Natural Products check out their website.

Gardening is Fun!

2011-05-17T09:41:00.000-04:00

But also a lot of work! Lucky for me both my parents AND my husband have green thumbs. Last weekend we finally got around to some landscaping. We dug up dead mums, prepped the soil, planted some beautiful flowers, and added some mulch. It looks so much better! It doesn't sound like a lot but it took 3 adults (well, I don't suppose I count, but still) ALL DAY to do it. While myself, husband and mom worked on the front, dad worked out back digging up the ugliest gnarliest bush stumps you've ever seen. The previous owners had cut these bushes down to the nubs and just left them there sticking out of the ground (so ugly!) We now know why they didn't just dig them up, they were practically part of the house's foundation. But my dad wrangled them like a cowboy and hopefully we'll get the last 2 stumps out this weekend and beautify the backyard.

I haven't understood why my husband has been so fixated on landscaping, but I get it now. Now that I see our yard transforming before my eyes I have a sense of pride in my home. I'm excited to pull into our driveway. I'm dying for some nice weather to get out there and enjoy it!

Why do you garden; for fresh food, aesthetics, or is it just a relaxing hobby?

Baby Steps

2011-05-12T13:26:00.000-04:00


image from earthmachine.com

Baby steps to the elevator... baby steps onto the elevator. Isn't "What About Bob" the funniest movie?!?! Ok, I digress. My baby step is that I went to my Town's website and found where they sell compost bins and for how much. For $38 I can start composting with the Earth Machine. Since my husband is pretty gung-ho about fixing up the lawn maybe starting this project sooner than later will be beneficial. New plants need food and what better food than my scraps... for free!

Now, just need to find the time to go get my Earth Machine....

Sacrilege

2011-05-10T13:43:00.000-04:00

Husband (while unpacking boxes): "Oh look, the compost bin. Want me to set it up?"

Me: "~sigh~ I can't even deal with that right now."

I am still composting at work (with a vengeance.) I guess I thought our transition into the new house would be, faster. It's not. In the past I've been able to unpack and organize where everything goes in one day. Not this time around. Now I'm pretty much useless, my husband and family are doing it ALL. I simply cannot fathom setting up the compost bin right now when the knives are in the living room and there is no light in the office; it's a matter of priorities people! I'm also not going to set up the indoor compost bucket until we get a large bin for outside. I can't have bags of compost lying around waiting for the next trip to Whole Foods, I just can't.

So while things at home are a very pale shade of green, things at work are great. Staff is getting green power strips to replace our old surge protectors. When the device plugged into the first outlet is off, the rest of the outlets automatically cut power (here's a better explanation.) I'm proud of our LITS department for being so on top of green technology!

One cool thing to report on the home front, I finally bought dryer balls! My husband swears his clothes smell like vinegar when I use that as fabric softener so hopefully this solves all our drying problems. I'll let you know how that goes... when I do laundry next.... who knows when that will be.

Eco-Confessions

2011-05-06T07:00:00.000-04:00

Just one... I don't blog anymore. I'm just too dang tired! Any downtime I have is devoted to the New House To Do List (aka, the Get This Crap Done Before The Baby Arrives List.) So please accept my apologies and know that I think about posting, but just never get around to it. ~sigh~

While I'm here I might as well share with you a cool article (shared with me by the bearded portion of Meremy, thanks Dude!) on Sharing, borrowing and bartering on a high-tech level. I think it would be so cool to share things like a lawn mower, leaf and snow blower with your neighbors. Sure there would be some drawbacks, but think of all the money you'd save! Do you share, borrow or barter? Some of the home improvement projects we've been tackling have involved a lot of borrowing from my parents. Man we'd be lost without their help!

Have a fabulous weekend everyone. This weekend we are going to try and take a break from the house to celebrate our two fabulous Mom's. Happy Mother's Day to all you Mommies (and Mommies to be)!!

~ GGG

Cold Showers

2011-04-29T08:59:00.001-04:00

This is how I'm saving the environment this week. Our upstairs "regular" bathroom was demoed Monday and is slowly but surely being put back together. Therefore we are showering in the downstairs bathroom, ie in the basement. The basement is cold, the water is cold, I am cold. But by taking 5 minute showers I think I'm saving the world (ok, not really.) Don't pity me too much, I finally figured out that if I wait out the cold spell, after the gush of hot water, it starts to get warm again. So now my showers are more like 10-15 minutes. It feels pretty luxurious, but still less time than I used to take.

Another way we are saving the environment, my husband and I are carpooling (and I get to drive!) Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I'll be unpacking boxes, shopping at Lowes, and taking cold showers!

~ GGG

Check out what Terra Cycle is doing now

2011-04-26T10:54:00.002-04:00

TerraCycle® is proud to announce that we have partnered with Old Navy to collect used flip-flops at Old Navy stores through the Flip Flop Brigade! The Brigade begins on Earth Day Friday, April 22nd and runs until the bins are full or Saturday, May 21st (whichever comes first) in all continental US Old Navy stores.

Just bring your used flip-flops to the Old Navy nearest you and look for the TerraCycle collection bin located near the store entrance. Once the collection bins are full, Old Navy will ship the flip-flops to TerraCycle to be recycled into playgrounds that Old Navy will give away to a few lucky schools and community organizations. If your Brigade location is interested in becoming a recipient of a TerraCycle Old Navy playground, please complete the TerraCycle Old Navy Playground Questionnaire.

Not only will you keep your used flip-flops out of the landfill, but you will

also be helping to create a positive play environment for some deserving schools and community organizations. Now that’s flip-n-cool!

Participation in the Flip-Flop Brigade is simple and it’s completely FREE. There is no purchase necessary and you do not need to sign up on terracycle.net to participate.

Happy collecting,

The TerraCycle Team

Get a Free Tree at Lowes!

2011-04-21T10:36:00.000-04:00

I think it is so cool that Lowes is giving away trees for Earth Day. Check it out!

Thanks to Erin for sending this to me!

Moving Day Approaches...

2011-04-19T20:41:00.000-04:00

Pregnant and packing.. it'll be awhile before I summon up the energy to write a new blog post!

Happy Passover & Happy Easter!!

~ GGG

A Different Kind of 5

2011-04-15T09:43:00.000-04:00

While cleaning out our apartment and packing up to move to the new house we've trimmed a lot of fat. Here are 5 things we were able to get rid of in a green way:

1) Batteries: both regular and rechargeable. These, and the next item, are collected for proper disposal at work by the Sustainability Team.

2) Old cell phones: we had three of them, weird.

3) Spent writing instruments. Part of a new Terra Cycle Brigade; pens, mechanical pencils, highlighters and markers can be up-cycled to make cool things out of the plastic.

4) Clothes, books, games & kitchen equipment. We've donated 4-5 boxes of stuff to Good Will.

5) Paper and glass via good old fashion recycling. For some reason I find it necessary to hold onto the empty bottles of good wine so I remember to buy it again. Kind of funny for a pregnant woman to have that many empty bottles of vino in her recycling bin! I also saved like every scrap of paper pertaining to our wedding. Two years later, I was finally able to let go.... of most of it. We've been recycling like crazy!

Moving equals purging to me and it feels good to lighten our material load, if only to make room for baby gear! Have a great long weekend everyone.

~ GGG

Great Cloth Diaper Change!!

2011-04-13T10:28:00.000-04:00

Great Cloth Diaper Change - Help put cloth diapers in the Record Books!

Celebrate Earth Day, by joining the North American and International cloth diaper community on April 23rd, 2011 at Noon EDT to set the world record for the most cloth diapers changed simultaneously.

At City Hall in Medford, MA the first 25 attendees to register on our site will receive swag bags courtesy of the Diaper Lab and local retailers. All registered attendees will also be automatically entered into a grand prize raffle drawing at the Diaper Lab in Somerville, MA at the end of the day. (You do not need to be present at the Diaper Lab to win.)

Medford registration form.

In addition to our location in Medford, there are over 400 locations all over the world, including at the Diaper Lab in Somerville, MA. Check out additional locations.

Unfortunately I won't be able to attend, it's the day we move into our new house, but I'd love to hear how it goes!!

~ GGG

This is why I rarely blog these days....

2011-04-11T10:00:00.000-04:00

Zoey's room is finished, now she just needs some furniture!!

My head is still spinning...

2011-04-05T11:45:00.003-04:00

I thought I'd check in after my little hiatus. Since my last post my husband and I closed on our first house, I helped throw a baby shower for one of my B/F/F's, and I had Jury Duty (I did like "The Situation" and showed the judge my "situation" to get out of it... it worked... I knew the Jersey Shore was good for something), and so many little things happened in-between!

Closing on our house is the biggie. We went over this past weekend to change the locks, take stock, and test paint colors. I am so psyched about the nursery color, it matches the room decor I chose perfectly. Did you know that Benjamin Moore can mix ANY of their colors using their Zero VOC Natura blend? Well they can! We tested some patches and even with all the windows closed there was no odor. Impressive!

We've also had to buy some new appliances. We're starting with a washer and dryer. We chose the energy efficient LG front load washing machine and dryer. The coolest thing about this purchase is that right before I started looking I found out that through my work I get a discount on appliances at Sears. We saved a couple hundred bucks by utilizing it! Don't think that by purchasing energy efficient, and such a high end brand, you have to spend a fortune. The machines we chose were regularly $600 (they actually just jumped up to $700 right before I bought them but my guy held the original discounted price for me, score!) Compared to other machines that were over $1,000 this is a good price.

I'm so excited I finally get to flex my green muscle with home improvements!