Green Thumb

I was browsing the dollar section at Target the other day and found some plant and herb kits that were absolutely adorable and only one dollar! I have been wanting to grow some of my own herbs for cooking so I thought I try my hand at it!

I bought Oregano, Marigolds (for fun), and Basil.

I already messed up and left the tiny (and by tiny I mean the height of my pinkie finger) pots outside during torrential downpours last week, but they survived and now I have some baby sprouts!!!

Check your Target and see if they still have these little kits. They are so cute! If not, just buy some soil and seeds and small pots! It is very inexpensive and very eco-friendly. Eventually I would love to have my own vegetable garden...I'll get there one day!

All Natural Cleaning: Lemons

I came across an article on the MSN homepage yesterday about all-natural cleaning. One of my Earth Day Resolutions for the year was to use eco-friendly cleaning products and also make some of my own, so I was very interested to see what kind of tips the article offered!

The best cleaning tip I found in the article was the idea of using lemons for cleaning. I LOVE the smell of lemons and as most people do, I associate the smell with cleanliness (especially in the kitchen).


Here are some of the suggestions the article made on how you can use real lemons for cleaning:

Countertops: Dip the cut side of a lemon half in baking soda to tackle countertops; wipe with a wet sponge and dry. Don't use on delicate stone, like marble, or stainless steel (it may discolor).

Cutting boards: To remove tough food stains from light wood and plastic cutting boards, slice a lemon in half, squeeze onto the soiled surface, rub, and let sit for 20 minutes before rinsing.

Dishes: To increase the grease-cutting power of your dishwashing detergent, add a teaspoon of lemon juice.

Faucets: Combat lime scale by rubbing lemon juice onto the taps and letting it sit overnight. Wipe with a damp cloth.

Garbage disposal: Cut a lemon in half, then run both pieces through the disposal.

Grout: Spilled morning coffee on your tile countertop or backsplash? Here's how to tackle grout stains: Add lemon juice to 1 or 2 teaspoons cream of tartar (an acidic salt that acts as a natural bleaching agent) to make a paste. Apply with a toothbrush, then rinse.

Hands: When you touch raw fish, the smell can linger on your fingers. Rub your hands with lemon juice, which will neutralize the odor.

Laundry: To brighten whites, add 1/2 cup lemon juice to the rinse cycle for a normal-size load.
Plastic food-storage containers: To bleach stains from tomato soup and other acidic foods on dishwasher-safe items, rub lemon juice on the spots, let dry in a sunny place, then wash as usual.

Earth Day Resolutions

As most of you know, today is Earth Day! I hope that everyone has something planned to honor the day whether it is spending a few hours outside or shopping with reusable bags for the first time. In addition to your Earth Day activity, try making some Earth Day Resolutions. Just like New Years, make some resolutions for yourself or for your family that will improve the environment.

Here is my list of Earth Day Resolutions:
1. Keep a reusable bag in my car at all times...just in case I have spontaneous grocery run!
2. Practice eco-friendly decorating in my new apartment.
3. Buy more eco-friendly cleaning products and make some of my own.
4. Keep up with my green blog!

**My Going Green Inspiration...over-grown bright pink bougainvillea flowers and palm trees**

Now, it's your turn! Find some inspiration and make a resolution or two!

Watch Movie, Disney Plants Tree

T-minus two days til Earth Day! I hope everyone is planning on doing something (even the tiniest thing) in honor of Earth Day/week/month. I have been throwing out some ideas of things to do or buy for Earth Day and I have another one!

On Earth Day, April 22nd, Disney is releasing their movie titled Earth. Earth is the first film in the new Nature Disney series. For every ticket bought during the opening week, Disney is planting a tree in your honor.

Check out their website for more information about the film.

http://disney.go.com/disneynature/earth/

This is something I am definitely planning on doing within the week so I will give you all a follow up on how it is!

More Reusable Shopping Bags: Kir DeVries

I found this site a few days ago on another blog I follow (MadebyGirl...check it out). Since I just posted about the Gap shopping bags, I thought I would continue the trend and give you some more options for cute reusable shopping bags.

Kir DeVries bags have bright, fun patterns and can be bought in packs of three if you wish!

http://www.shopkirdevries.com/index.html

Gap Reusable Bags: 0% Plastic

I have always been a HUGE fan of the Gap. I'm not lying when I say that it was my childhood dream to be a Gap model. Of course, that didn't work out for me, but I still love Gap and everything they sell!


So naturally, today, my best friend and I stopped in the Gap to do some shopping and I found another reason to love the Gap even more! The Gap is selling really cute reusable shopping bags for just two dollars! AND, when you purchase a reusable bag, you receive a reward...10% your next Gap purchase!


My best friend decided that it was her time to give in and buy a cute reusable shopping bag. I guess she figured if Gap thinks it is cool, then it is.

So, in the blogging spirit, Rebekah (my best friend) and I decided to document the event of buying her first reusable shopping bag! I am such a proud friend!

Keds Green Label

Happy Monday Everyone! I thought I would get the week started off with a fun post. What is more fun than shopping...? Eco-Friendly Shopping!

I just found out this morning that Keds (yes, the shoes you used to wear when you were 5) has come out with a new "Green Shoe".

http://www.keds.com/text/greenshoes/

The shoes are made from recycled material and 100% organic cotton. In addition, when you buy a pair of these shoes, Keds will plant a tree for every pair sold in 2009! They have two different styles and several different colors, so don't worry....you don't have to wear green colored shoes to be eco-chic!

Wondering where to buy them? Well, you can buy them on the Keds website and at Nordstrom.

And speaking of Nordstom, my dear friend sent me this link from the Nordstrom website which features "Eco Fabulous Finds".

http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/6022791/0~2376779~6008000~6022788~6022791?origin=Flip_Book

Enjoy!

Earth Hour

I subscribe to the newsletter from Seventh Generation called 7Gen. I am a huge fan of the Seventh Generation products and they have a pretty cool newsletter too! I received their latest one today and there was an article about "Earth Hour". I had heard about "Earth Hour" a few weeks ago, but had totally forgotten about it. I usually don't get excited about things like this, but I do think this is neat. On Saturday March 28th at 8:30pm local time, everyone around the world is going to turn off their lights for a full hour. Obviously, participation in this is easy! Just turn off your lights from 8:30-9:30pm this Saturday and be apart of a united act to make a difference and a statement.

So, mark your calendars and light your candles...soy candles, of course!

Read This: Green Marketing

I am currently reading the book on the right called Green Marketing: Opportunity for Innovation by Jacquelyn Ottman. Ottman is a consultant and a pioneer in green marketing. This book has great insight on the forces behind the green movement and how it effects marketing and business in general. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in marketing, advertising or consumerism. It is an easy read with short chapters, case studies, and graphs. I was not able to find it at my local bookstores, so I ordered it from Amazon.

Happy Reading!

Green Music on iTunes

I was browsing on iTunes this afternoon trying to find some great Spring Break music to listen to while I'm laying on the beach (pure bliss). I came across an iTunes Essentials playlist called "Earth Day". It is a compilation of songs about conserving and loving our planet from different artists. It is awesome to see how many artists have advanced the awareness of our planet through music. Some of my favorites on this playlist include "3 R's" by Jack Johnson (a.k.a. Reduce Reuse Recycle), "Big Yellow Taxi" by Joni Mitchell, and "Mercy Mercy Me" by Marvin Gaye. Check it out and purchase some earth lovin' songs!

I'm thinking that my blog theme song should be "3 R's" by Jack Johnson. If anyone knows how to play songs on blogs, I would appreciate the help!

Follow Up

I want to do a quick follow up on some past posts. I have gotten some really great comments on some of my posts and have received cool sites to check out. So here are a few things I want to share with you!

First, in response to my post about the Do's and Don'ts of Recycling...although plastic grocery bags do not recycle, many grocery stores will recycle them for you. I noticed that even Wal-Mart has a bin near customer service where you can bring in plastic bags to be recycled. I have started keeping all of my plastic bags in my laundry room until I go to Wal-Mart and can drop them off.

Second, one of my readers posted this site in response to my post about Bare Tableware. I think it is definitely worth sharing with everyone!

http://www.verterra.com/

And third, another reader posted this website. If you are looking for a durable reusable bag, this looks like a great option!

http://www.reusablebags.com/store/acme-bags-workhorse-style-1500-p-1.html

Thanks to all of those who have been following my blog so far! I am learning so much and am excited to continue sharing my adventures with you all. I hope you all keep reading and telling your friends about Take On Green!