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IKEA has been a green innovator for years since it’s at the core of their business practice to take responsibility for people and the environment.
Good design in and out of the box
IKEA is known for affordable design in sleek packaging. Many of us admire how well all the pieces fit into the box, even when we struggle to get their furniture together. This packaging is not just to cut down on shipping costs. The more boxes they can fit into a shipment, the less trips are made, the less fuel, and less waste. And now IKEA is doing even more to make their stores, and warehouses eco-friendly.
Lighting the way
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Eco-friendly hair products from davines
I decided to look at a shampoo/conditioner/hairspray line, davines, that I used about five years ago and loved and found that it is perhaps the most eco-friendly of the bunch. I remember the packaging for their Essential Haircare was very minimalistic and user friendly. Plus, with names like Love, Momo and NouNou, you can't help but pick them up and give 'em a second look.
They're pricey, with their largest shampoo (1000mL) carrying a price tag of almost $50, but when you consider that it's production has zero impact (they've supported the creation and maintenance of over six million square feet of green space in Costa Rica and Italy) and the ingredients are natural and just smell so yummy, they're worth the investment.
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If you have ever purchased children's clothing at a consignment shop or a yard sale then you are going to love ThredUP. This is an online children’s clothing trading service for parents who don't mind their child wearing gently-used clothing. And, in this economy, I'd say everyone is wearing hand-me-downs.
Expand your clothing swap circle
ThredUP has made it easy for parents all over the US to trade clothes. Suddenly your circle of hand-me-down friends has increased about 10 times over! It's free to register for ThredUP and there is a rating system so you can see how other swappers stack up in terms of fashion and quality. There is no bidding, no bartering, no arguing. ThredUP has made it easy for the average person to go green and swap those old kids clothes with someone else who will swap them again!
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gDiaper care and laundering
Many cloth diapering sites recommend washing diapers with vinegar to remove soap buildup. However, if you use vinegar to wash waterproof materials, you'll ruin it's waterproof properties. I had to replace some of my nylon liners for this reason.
Other than that, care for the gDiapers is really simple. I washed them with a cloth diapersafe detergent (less than usual since I have an HE machine) and then line dried the plastic inners. I machine dried the cloth prefolds I was using, only because I didn't have enough to wait for them to line dry. (With microfleece inserts like gCloth, it would take quite a while for all of the moisture to evaporate.) An occasional machine dry of the nylon liners is recommended in order to “reset” the elastic at the legs.
If there were issues with a pooh diaper staining the white nylon snap-in liner, being laid out on a sunny day made the stain disappear. Ah, the healing powers of the sun!
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This year's BlogHer conference definitely had a greener feel to it. Not only did the conference organizers take steps to be green, many of the vendors and brands were showing their greener side. Scotch-Brite was one of these companies.
Scotch-Brite collects green tips
At the Scotch-Brite booth, they asked bloggers to share green cleaning tips on video. I received a link to all the videos and was able to locate the video with me in it!
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Many of us who dabble in greener living consider the environment first, and our wallet second. Sometimes we have to spend a little money to invest in a cleaner future. The smart people at Practecol want you to remember that eventually, this investment will pay off in savings.
Everything but lighting
Practecol took a cue from the movement to switch to CFL bulbs and noticed how quickly people joined in. However, light bulbs only cover 11% of a typical household energy spend. If they were to develop a line of “Sustainable Solutions,” the products would need to be easy to use, easy to install, and address the other 89% of our home's energy use.
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Last week I stepped into a little eco-boutique in a small New England town and saw a display of beautiful colored circles. Upon close inspection I realized it was a collection known as Smart Glass Jewelry. Each piece is handmade from recycled glass bottles of every color, plus sterling silver or gold fill.
Glass jewelry is an art
I decided to look up the artist, Kathleen Plate, and found out she was a stained glass artist who had learned the skill from working with her mother. While in graduate school, Kathleen was in need of a gift for a friend so she decided to make a pair of earrings from stained glass. The gift was a hit with her friends and later with festivals and the collection took off when Aveda placed an order after seeing a necklace made from their own glass bottles.
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Here's a great idea for a gift when you are buying for someone who is known to either have everything, or has no problem going out and buying whatever it is they don't have. Sign them up for a monthly organic club where they will receive a delivery every month of something unique and organic!
There are lots of clubs to choose from and each one states whether it is certified USDA organic, or even Fair Trade. You can buy a three, six or 12-month membership depending on how much you want to spend. Here are a few interesting organic monthly clubs I found browsing online. Who knows...you may want to treat yourself to one of these!
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In her post last week, Janine talked about choosing organic wines for your next get together with the ladies. I have tried a few really great organic wines, especially since moving back to the Northwest, and I heartily second the motion.
Alone the same vine, er line, if you're looking for something affordable and eco-chic, look no further than Bota Box.
Boxed wine?
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