Lipstick to Crayons » Green Eco Friendly Finds

Simple Shoes – Easy on the Environment

lipsticktocrayons — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 11:53:21 +0000

More and more companies and consumers are starting to give some thought to the products we use and consume and their affect on the environment. But have you ever given any thought to the impact your clothing might have on environment? Simple Shoes certainly has.

Simple’s manifesto is: “HOW we make our shoes is just as important as WHY we make them.” That means finding more sustainable ways of doing business so we can make a gazillion more pairs of shoes. The company realized that with all the over-built, over-hyped products out there, it’s pretty hard to ?nd sustainable shoes that you can live with. So they started Simple.

I received the D-Kay Organic Cotton shoe to review, and I put it to the “Mom test,” which is to say I wore it all over the place. It’s comfortable, lightweight and while my toddler and I were enjoying the outdoors, I could feel good about doing my part to sustain the outdoors. The D-Kay upper is made from a certified organic cotton and hemp blend and certified organic cotton laces. The “pedbed” (the cushiony and supportive stuff at the bottom of the shoe) is made of super soft and squishy polyurethane foam and recycled rubber. And the sole of the shoe is biodegradable! Just another way to reduce our dependence on petroleum, and it also means no nasty smelling glue for the people who put your shoes together. Plus the earth friendly foot form inserts are made of post consumer recycled paper and the shoebox is made of post-consumer recycled paper, sustainable soy based printing ink, natural latex and starch based glue. Check out this cool message inside the shoe to get you motivated:

Still, I’m all about fashion, so if I didn’t like the “look” of the shoes, I wouldn’t wear them. Simple Shoes seems to understand the more “shallow” fashionistas out there, and they’ve made some really cute, fashionable designs to accommodate us. They make boots, sneakers, sandals and bags to please women, men and children.

Not surprisingly, such a hip and happening company that is aware of its responsibility to the planet while trying to pay the bills and is “in touch with its inner hippie” is all over the social media scene, so be sure to visit them on Facebook and Twitter .

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Great Organization Products for Couponing Moms – Giveaway: CLOSED

lipsticktocrayons — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 12:27:30 +0000

If you have joined me on the couponing bandwagon (and I hope you have — if not, start reading here), then you know the value of being organized in order to save the most money. I recently had the privilege of trying out a few new products that make grocery shopping with coupons and lists much more organized and efficient (and they’re eco-friendly!).

The Koala Pouch ($14.95 at www.momcepts.com) – A stylish eco-conscious shopping organizer that fits securely over any shopping cart handle to hold EVERYTHING the grocery shopper needs. It has:
•A dedicated pocket with index cards to keep coupons and shopping lists organized
•A roomy see-through pocket for easy access to your mobile phone
•A pocket with two stylish and spacious reusable bags so you’ll never forget them again!
•Enough space for a List Caddy, Koalabiner, keys, money, debit/credit cards etc.
•A pen/pencil holder

The Koalabiner Purse Hanger ($4.95 at www.momcepts.com) – This is a must-have accessory for all purse toting grocery shoppers and moms. The Koalabiner is a super sturdy carabiner that clips purses securely to any shopping cart or stroller handle to free up cart space and provide easy access for the shopper, and difficult access for kids or purse snatchers. It also is a great for securing reusable bags while shopping, and for clipping full grocery bags together to prevent items from spilling out.

The List Caddy ($1.99 at www.momcepts.com) – This is a sturdy list, coupon and pencil holder that snaps onto shopping cart handles and attaches to refrigerators for easy list and coupon management.

These items have made my recent larger grocery shopping trips much more organized. The items are certainly affordable, but Momcepts is offering one of my readers a set for free, so enter the giveaway below for your chance to win.

Giveaway Guidelines:

To enter the contest, you MUST become an email subscriber to Lipstick to Crayons. The subscribe button is in the upper right corner of the site. Once you subscribe (or if you are already a subscriber), leave a comment below telling me you did so, and make sure the email address you provide is the one you used to subscribe. After completing this mandatory first entry method, you can gain additional entries by doing any or all of the following (but be sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do):

Blog about this contest
Tweet this giveaway on Twitter
Favorite Lipstick to Crayons on Technorati
Stumble this post
Add Lipstick to Crayons to your blogroll or my button to your sidebar
Become a fan of Lipstick to Crayons on Facebook.
Post a link to this contest on your Facebook page.

This giveaway closes at 11:59 p.m. Central time June 29, 2010. Be sure to include a valid email address with each of your entries. Winners will be randomly chosen via random.org and will be notified via email and announced on this post.

If any winner does not claim the prize by July 1, 2010, he/she will forfeit the prize to an alternate winner who will be drawn at random.

USA & Canada residents only please!

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED. CONGRATULATIONS TO JULIE, COMMENT #56.

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Home Safety for the Holidays

lipsticktocrayons — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 01:36:31 +0000

As we head into the holiday home stretch, be sure to check out Underwriters Laboratories’ newly-redesigned Safety At Home Web site, safetyathome.com, which offers several tips to help you have a safe and bright holiday season. The site also provides a series of articles to help you and your family stay safe throughout the year, including general home safety tips, safety for college students, a safety checklist for older adults, and much more.

UL is a safety certification company that has been testing, verifying and inspecting products for over 115 years. Today, the UL Mark can be found on all kinds of everyday products to certify that they have been tested, inspected and verified for safety. In fact, the average home has more than 128 products with the UL Mark on them, and even more during the holiday season.

Safetyathome.com was recently redesigned to be more interactive. You can watch safety videos on YouTube, share thoughts with UL on Twitter, view photos on Flickr and even weigh in on blog posts within their community.

The “Green Answers” articles found in the Environmental Safety section of safetyathome.com provide insights on common questions – everything from BPA to lead-based paints, as well as how UL goes about validating the many “green” claims out there.

So, enjoy your holidays safely, and start the new year off right by reading up on ways to make your home safer for your family.

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Eating and Cooking Products

lipsticktocrayons — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:05:20 +0000

I’ve tried a few new products in the kitchen lately — both the kind you eat and the kind you use to make the stuff you eat — and I wanted to tell you about the ones I like.

The Orka Multi-level Steam Cooker has seriously simplified and improved my vegetable steaming process. I use this gadget — sent to me by the folks at Orka — all the time. This steam cooker set comes with a steaming bowl, steaming tray and silicone colander and lid. It is an expansion to Orka’s collection of silicone steam cookers and it combines healthy steam cooking and microwave speed. No more plastic wrap covered glass dishes for me when it’s time to steam veggies. I’ve even used it to steam shrimp and chicken! Plus, you can rinse, steam, serve, store and reheat food all in the same set, and you can use it on the stove top, too. Suggested retail price is $40 and you can find a store selling this steamer near you here.

———

Vitalicious launched Chocolate Mint VitaTops (muffin tops) this summer and these 100-calorie snacks are delicious. They give me a perfect chocolate fix and taste like a brownie/Andes mint combined, but without all the sugar and fat. In addition to being low on the calorie scale, they’ve got 6 grams of fiber, 4 grams of protein and 8 grams of whole grains per serving.

Vitalicious takes pride in producing only all-natural products, without any artificial additives or preservatives of any kind, so you have to keep these yummies in the freezer. You can buy a 12-pack for $16 here. VitaTops also come in Banana Nut, Triple Chocolate Chunk and Fudgy Peanut Butter Chip flavors, among others.

——–
Starkist Tuna Salad Sandwich Ready Pouches are a quick, convenient and healthy meal with no draining or mixing required. And, according to Hungry Girl Lisa Lillien, they’re “not overly mayo-y.”

They come in two varieties – Chunk Light and Albacore (my favorite) and include salad ingredients such as celery and water chestnuts for a gourmet flavor. They sell for $1.37 to $1.99 (depending on the retailer and the variety). Each 3 oz. pouch is 100 calories or less and is a rich source of protein and Omega-3’s. They’re shelf-stable and I carry them in my diaper bag with a bag of crackers for an easy, on-the-go meal.

———–

Reynolds Wrap now offers a foil from 100% recycled aluminum. I wasn’t sure if I’d like the product, because I expect my aluminum foil to stand up to some pretty tough treatment (veggie packs on the grill, for example). But this stuff is as sturdy as any other aluminum foil I’ve used. And in addition to the foil, the core and paperboard packaging are made from 100 percent recycled materials, too. This is a perfect product for consumers looking to take simple steps to care for the environment.

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Environmentally-friendly Battery Giveaway

lipsticktocrayons — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 21:27:26 +0000

Fuji recently introduced one of the first eco-respectful, high-performance batteries on the market — Fuji EnviroMAX™.

The battery line, which comes in Super Alkaline and Digital Alkaline varieties, was awarded the National Parenting Center Seal of Approval for its “Impressive Performance” and “Environmentally Respectful Manufacturing Process” as well as the iParenting Media Award for “Outstanding Product”.

Fuji EnviroMAX batteries bring long-awaited peace-of-mind to consumers who “live green” when choosing consumable products. The batteries:

do NOT contain poisonous cadmium, lithium, or mercury
are packaged with recycled paper and fully recyclable PET plastic
can be harmlessly disposed of through normal waste systems
do not contain ingredients harmful to the environment
are landfill safe as they degrade
equal or exceed performance/longevity of major equivalent brands
offer outstanding performance at an affordable cost

The Super Alkaline are available in AA, AAA, C, and D (MSRP $3.99), and are for the most common applications such as toys, remotes, or flashlights. The Digital Alkaline are available in AA, AAA (MSRP $5.99) and are engineered to provide superior performance in high-drain electronic devices such as digital cameras, radios and video games.

Fuji would like to give one lucky Lipstick to Crayons reader an Enviromax Battery Pack including 1 package of AAA batteries,1 package of AA batteries, 1 package of C batteries, and 1 package of D batteries, valued at $30. Read the contest guidelines below:

Giveaway Guidelines

To win this battery prize pack, leave a comment below.

Receive additional entries by doing any/all of the following, but be sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do:

Blog about this contest
Subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed
Tweet this giveaway on Twitter
Favorite Lipstick to Crayons on Technorati
Stumble this post
Add Lipstick to Crayons to your blogroll or my button to your sidebar

This giveaway closes at 11:59 p.m. Central time September 28, 2009. Be sure to include a valid email address. Winner will be randomly chosen via random.org and will be notified via email and announced on this post.

If winner does not claim prize by September 30, 2009, she/he will forfeit the prize to alternate winner who will be drawn at random. This contest is closed. Congratulations to the winner, Cindy, comment #9.

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A Lamp that Can Keep the Blues Away

lipsticktocrayons — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 03:14:02 +0000

I’ve often joked during the rainy weeks leading up to my beloved St. Louis summers that I suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). I’ve made similar comments in the middle of a long winter. Those endless days of gray, overcast skies just wear me down.

But SAD is a real condition. In fact, it’s a common condition caused by reduced exposure to daylight during winter months or an inside working environment. And I don’t know if I’ve ever really suffered from this condition, but I recently received a BlueMax lamp from Full Spectrum Solutions that I believe could keep it at bay.

Medical researchers have long suspected that a significant percentage of people experiencing mild depression are actually suffering from SAD. Plus, a report in the December 2007 issue of Bipolor Disorders indicates that depression caused by bipolar disorder, sometimes referred to as manic-depressive illness, also can be successfully treated with the use of light therapy.

BlueMax light therapy lamps from Full Spectrum Solutions benefit from the most natural light technology available. BlueMax bulbs more closely replicate the sun, according to Full Spectrum Solutions founder and CEO Mike Nevins.

“This is especially crucial for consumers suffering from bouts of depression such as the winter and baby blues, because research shows that these conditions can be preventable and treatable with the regular use of indoor lighting that mimics natural sunshine,” Nevins says.

I don’t know about the science behind the BlueMax bulbs, but I can vouch for the amazing light put off by my new BlueMax 70 watt HD Full Spectrum Desk Lamp. Can you say, “Land a plane during a power outage at midnight in the middle of Nor’easter” kind of lighting? I’m not joking.

The “land-the-plane” lighting is at the lamp’s highest setting, of course. Fortunately, it is dimmable from 100 percent to 20 percent capacity. Plus, it’s a good looking, sturdy lamp — not like so many desk lamps that are top heavy and easy to topple when you’re shuffling papers and a cup of coffee. The lamp comes in black or white, is energy-efficient, has a lifetime warranty and sells for $169.99.

So while we are in the dog days of summer right now, time flies and fall and winter are just around the corner. If youv’e ever thought that you or someone you love may be suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder, you might want to check out Full Spectrum Solution’s selection of lamps that can provide light therapy, as well as great illumination for a reading chair, basement office or college dorm room.

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Water Filtration System Giveaway

lipsticktocrayons — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 20:24:50 +0000

I try to drink water, but I seldom get my recommended eight glasses a day. I’m not good at drinking plain water and it’s expensive to buy all those flavored waters. But I know drinking water assists in weight loss and weight management (topics that are always on my mind). So I was pleased when PUR Water sent me one of their PUR Flavor Options Water Filtration systems to try.

The “system” really quite simple — it involves a pitcher, a pour tray, a filter, a lid with a blinking light, a flavor cartridge and a flavor release button. The flavor cartridge lets you add a touch of sugar-free, calorie-free fruit flavoring to your water by the glass. In other words, the flavoring doesn’t go into the pitcher, but remains in the lid and is only released into your glass if you press the flavor button as you’re pouring your water. This is probably my favorite feature of the product! And the blinking light lets you know when your filter needs to be replaced.

I also like the size and slim design of the pitcher, which fits easily into my already-crowded fridge, and I love the taste of the filtered water. I didn’t think I’d be able to tell a difference, but I can. Plus, PUR reduces contaminants in water while leaving fluoride, which is essential for developing and maintaining healthy teeth in children and adults. That’s not something you get with most bottled water.

If you’re environmentally conscious, PUR can help you reduce the number of plastic water bottles you’re using. I’ve started using my PUR pitcher to fill up my water bottles for on-the-go hydration.

The PUR Flavor Options pitcher retails for $23.15 at Amazon.com. The pitcher also is available at Target and Walmart, as are the flavor cartridges which retail for $9.99 for a set of two, and filters, which sell for $8 to $11 and last about two months.

But one lucky Lipstick to Crayons reader can enter this contest to win a PUR Flavor Options Water Filtration System, two flavor cartridges and a filter, thanks to PUR.

Giveaway guidelines

To win, let me know in the comments section below why you want to win the pitcher.

Receive additional entries by doing any/all of the following, but be sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do:

Blog about this contest
Subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed
Tweet this giveaway on Twitter
Favorite Lipstick to Crayons on Technorati
Stumble this post
Add Lipstick to Crayons to your blogroll or my button to your sidebar

This giveaway closes at 11:59 p.m. Central time August 3. Be sure to include a valid email address. Winner will be randomly chosen via random.org and will be notified via email and announced on this post.

If winner does not claim prize by Aug. 6, 2009, she/he will forfeit the prize to alternate winner who will be drawn at random.

USA and Canada residents only please. Good luck.

This contest is closed. Congratulations to Andrew, comment # 229 — you are the winner of the PUR Flavor Options Water Filtration System.

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Green Done Right Giveaway

lipsticktocrayons — Thu, 07 May 2009 17:37:13 +0000

Giveaway now closed. Congrats to our winner, Jennifer B!

Take a green step at home with SCOTT Naturals™ – a family of products that makes it easy to turn over a new leaf without sacrificing quality.

Scott Naturals has teamed up with Kahi Lee to produce several vignettes illustrating easy ways to green your own home. You can view the videos here: http://www.youtube.com/user/GreenDoneRight

To celebrate the nationwide availability of these products that deliver value along with environmental benefits, we’ve also teamed up with SCOTT Naturals™ to offer one lucky reader a Green Gift Bag which includes:

reusable tote filled with SCOTT Naturals™ product coupons
reusable water bottle
green light bulbs
cleaning products from Clorox Green Works

Giveaway guidelines

To enter, leave a comment below letting us know one step you’re taking to go green at home.

Receive additional entries:

1. For blogging about the contest and let us know in a separate comment
2. Subscribing to our mailing list/RSS feed and let us know in a separate comment
3. Twitter this giveaway and let us know in a separate comment
4. Favorite us on Technorati and let us know in a separate comment
5. Stumble this post and let us know in a separate comment
6. Add us to your blogroll or our button to your sidebar and let us know in a separate comment

This giveaway closes May 29, 2009 at 11:59 pm central time. Be sure to include a valid email address. Winner will be randomly chosen via random.org and will be notified via email and announced on this post.

If winner does not claim prize by June 4, 2009 they will forfeit their prize to alternate winner who will be drawn at random.

USA and Canada residents only please.

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Earth Day giveaway: Win an Aveeno Enrirosax bag!

lipsticktocrayons — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:49:41 +0000

In celebration of Earth Day, AVEENO® hosted a design contest with Fashion Institute of Technology students to create the print for a limited-edition, organic cotton AVEENO® ENRIROSAX® Bag. On Earth Day, April 22nd, the first 1,000 people to log-on to AVEENO.COM/JUBILANCE at 12:00 PM (Eastern Time) will receive the winning bag plus a sample of the new AVEENO® NOURISH+ Hair Care Collection.

These eco-chic bags, designed by up-and-coming designer Jeff Tsui, will never be sold in stores and they benefit a great cause! For every bag given away, AVEENO® will make a $10 donation to Global Green USA, which supports the fight against global climate change and the creation of green buildings and cities within the United States.

Don’t forget to set your alarm for 12:00 PM (Eastern Time)! You just may win a bag while supporting a great cause.

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“Kelly Green” just in time for Earth Day

lipsticktocrayons — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:21:03 +0000

Talk show host and eco-Mom, Kelly Ripa launched Electrolux’s newest eco-friendly washer & dryer in limited edition “Kelly Green” just in time for Earth Day and has kicked off an online campaign to encourage people to renew their commitment to living green by planting a virtual flower for a friend. For every virtual flower planted at electroluxappliances.com, Electrolux will donate $1 to Global Green USA to support their healthy green schools initiatives across America.