I am a total sponge convert. I have completely given up the polyurethane foam sponge in favor of TWIST biodegradable sponges. I use theTwist European Sponge Cloth (cut in half) for wiping up the counter and any spills—suffice to say my paper towels have lost their prime real estate on the counter and have been demoted to the dark recesses beneath the sink. And the Twist Biodegradable Loofah Sponge is a great sponge–very sturdy and is just plain better than other sponges on the market. And better looking too-the perfect complement to my York soap caddy. I have gotten multiple uses out of each product simply by tossing them into the dishwasher. The cloths do look a tad beat up after a couple runs through the dishwasher, but they last 2-3 months-far longer than a paper towel. And when you are done, simply toss in the trash. Or as one of the TWIST reps does, toss it to your dog and let them revel in tearing it to shreds. Click to continue »

Considering that most people leave their cell phones on at all times and their chargers plugged when not charging bleeding vampire energy, there is a great opportunity to improve the energy efficiency of this device. The good news is that cell phones manufacturers are wisening up and making an effort to make their designs a bit greener. Based on a report published by Greenpeace, Metaefficient.com generated a list the top 5 green cell phones on the market in 2008—so the next time you are in the market for a cell phone upgrade—consider the following “green” cell phones: Click to continue »

After one too many reprimands from my dentist about “needing to floss more,” I have become quite faithful to the floss. One day, after a complete flossing debacle forced me to open up the case and rethread the floss onto the spool, I couldn’t help noticing that the case was clearly designed to be refilled. Feeling a bit like an idiot, as all these years I’ve been tossing the case and buying a brand new one each time I ran out of floss. All along I should have just been buying a spool of floss and popping it back into the handy little case. So, I began my web search for spools of dental floss as it just makes sense. I even went so far as to email Crest to see if they could supply me with the spools so I’d stop wasting all of those cases. No response. So why can’t we just buy floss by the spool?? That’s what I want and waiting for word back from Tom’s of Maine, Crest & Preserve……and yes, far too much time spent on such questions of floss……but would definitely be thrilled if floss refills hit the market.

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(Updated: August 22, 2008) Recycline’s response to my inquiry about refillable floss containers:

Thank you for writing to Recycline, and for your efforts to reduce the amount of plastic that you use.

Unfortunately I do not know of any companies that sell floss spools without the plastic case. Other Preservers have definitely expressed an interest in the idea of a recycled container for floss, and our product development team is looking into the possibility. We are still some time away from a marketable item, but you may see a Preserve flossing product in the future. I’ll be sure to let our product development team know that I’ve heard more support for a recycled plastic floss case.

Thank you again for your e-mail, and best of luck limiting your plastic consumption!

g diapers — okay, I am sooo not in the market for this–but just think they are adorable and offer a clever easy-to-use alternative to landfill clogging diapers. I completely understand why a lot of parents have reservations about embracing the cloth diaper, but the g diaper is a perfect ‘baby step’ (pun intended) into the world of cloth diapers. The inserts are completely biodegradable and can even be flushed down the toilet if you think your septic system can handle it. The g diaper been awarded the prestigious Cradle to Cradle certification from MBDC! A starter kit sells for $26.99 at diapers.com, refills run for about $0.41/each when purchased in bulk. Click to continue »

If you are like me, you have a bag full of clothes and shoes that you need to figure out how to get rid. If so check out Soles4Souls, an organization that collects and distributes shoes to people in need. Soles4Souls has partnerships with stores across the US so you can either drop your shoes off with local participating stores or you can mail your shoes to the warehouse. Either way you are helping those in need by recycling shoes destined for the curb.

Jeanne Haegele opted for a ‘life less plastic’ by trying to go without plastics–easier said than done.

More and more evidence suggests that plastics can be harmful to our health. Specifically Bisphenol-a (BPA), the chemical used to harden plastics found in most water bottles, linings of canned foots and plastic utensils, Phthalates, used to soften plastics and found in toys and vinyl shower curtains, and BPDE’s a flame retardent found in wires and cables. All of these have been shown to have adverse affects on our health.

Here are some simple ways to lessen your exposure to harmful plastics: Click to continue »

Who: iSi, (HQ) Vienna Austria

What: iSi Soda Siphon

Where: Target.com, $69.99, plus $9.99 for 10 chargers

Why: The iSi Soda Siphon has finally moved out of the “What I Want Now” category and onto the list of my new most favorite things…….I am exceedingly excited about it. I found this lovely model in sky blue for a steal! It is now the most admired appliance in my kitchen-well second to the Liebherr Fridge—but a very close second. What can be more fabulous than spritzing your vodka with a dash of freshly brewed tonic? I feel like the the ultimate hostess when I mix up a delightfully fizzy beverage-wows the crowd, and the nieces as well who love the “spicy” bubble water. Note, the colder the water the better the bubble.

The soda siphon is a great eco-friendly alternative to buying (and then lugging home) 2 litre plastic bottles of seltzer. The iSi can be used for years and requires only the use of tiny recyclable steel CO2 cartridges. Using less plastic bottles means a smaller carbon footprint. I contemplated the Penguin, but seems more cumbersome and a bit pricey at $199.99. These posts from chowhound did raise some concerns about the quality of home brewed seltzer, so I will report back.

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(Updated January 12, 2009) Just found a great new website for all things Seltzer, Prairie Moon. List price for the iSi, $44.95. And P.S. I still love my iSi, definitely a conversation piece when entertaining.  Since I drink less icy beverages in the winter, I ended up leaving a 3/4 full bottle in the fridge for over a month and it was still fizzy!

The Story of Stuff is an incredibly powerful documentary about the life-cycle of stuff from production to disposal and our country’s dependence on consumerism. It is absolutely appalling the decisions made and the policies put in place in the name of consumption. If you’ve got some spare time, I highly recommend watching this 20 minute video – I laughed, I cried–well, I mostly cried, nonetheless a truly eye opening and informative account.

I consider my organic purchases as an investment in my health and the health of the planet. By choosing organic produce I am supporting farm practices that are gentler to the earth and that don’t release toxic pesticides into the soil or the food that I am consuming. But furthermore, there is no arguing that organic produce just tastes better. I purchased peaches at the Farmer’s Market yesterday for $2.50/lb (note non-organic peaches are currently $2.49/lb at Shaw’s) and the sweetness pouring out of those peaches was unparalleled by commercially grown non-organics. I know the prices of organics can often be a deterrent, so if you have to choose you should go organic with the following:

• Peaches
• Apples
• Sweet Bell Peppers
• Celery
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Lettuce
• Grapes (imported)
• Pears
• Spinach
• Potatoes

This list comes as a result of a study conducted by the Environmental Working Group to see which foods had the highest pesticide load. They recommend buying organically as all exhibited high pesticide loads, despite being washed and/or peeled. To read more see: 12 Foods You Should Always Buy Organic

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(Updated August 1, 2008)

I just came across this great article on how to go organic on a budget–lots of excellent tips! 10 Ways to Buy Organic Food on the Cheap

And here are just a few reasons why you should……

1) Single water bottles are contributing to our waste dilemma. About 1/5 of those produced don’t get recycled, and those that do get recycled still require significant amounts of energy to be repurposed. Even with companies like Poland Springs introducing new designs that used less plastic in their water bottles, they still use plastic to bottle a resource that is readily available in most U.S. homes.

2) Bottling water is incredibly inefficient. The resources, both raw materials and oil, used in the production, packaging, transporting and recycling of water bottles is criminal. The Pacific Institute estimated that in 2006, 17 million barrels of oil were used to produce water bottles to satisfy the US demand (this does not include the energy involved in transporting a heavy commodity like water), creating 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide (and this does not include that created disposal in a landfill or recycling center) and, this one is shocking, it took 3 liters of water to produce 1 liter of bottled water!!! That is just crazy. Particularly where so much of the world’s population does not even have access to clean drinking water, but I digress……

3) Plastics can be harmful to your health. It is recommended to not reuse single use water bottles as toxic chemicals known as BPA’s can be leached from the plastic.

4) The standards for contaminants are as strict if not stricter than those for bottled water, so you are not necessarily getting a ‘purer’ product. In addition, some of that bottled water you are buying is actually filled from a tap.

5) It is cheaper! Forgo the $1.29 bottle of water and just fill up from the tap. You’ll be paid back on your investment in a stainless steel or BPA-free water bottle in no time. This from the New York Times: “If you choose to get your recommended eight glasses a day from bottled water, you could spend up to $1,400 annually. The same amount of tap water would cost about 49 cents.”

6) Many claim they use single use water bottles because they are more convenient, but I would argue that my Sigg water bottle is far more convenient. Last minute road trip? Instead of going to the store to pick up a water bottle, I simply grab my water bottle from the cupboard and fill it up with ice cold water from the fridge and I am good to go. And I can refill at the next stop.

7) There are so many cute water bottles out there to choose from!! Check out REI’s inventory of BPA free water bottles or Klean Kanteen’s, EarthLust, Enviro and Siggs lines of stainless steel water bottles. Just got a sneak peek of the 2009 line of Siggs waterbottles, and they are gloooorious!!