Make a stand against big oil – at home
We are all sick about the situation in the Gulf. If you can’t trade in your SUV for a Prius or you aren’t able to carpool to work or take mass transit, here are a few changes that everyone can make at home to cut down on our oil consumption.
Change your household cleaning products and personal care products to non-petroleum based alternatives. I am amazed at how much petroleum is in the products that we use in our homes everyday. Here are a few examples:
* Liquid laundry detergent – If every household switched one 100 oz. bottle to a non-petroleum based detergent we would save 466,000 barrels of oil.
* Trash bags – If every household replaced one package of 20 count drawsting trash bags with recycled trash bags we would save 39,000 barrels of oil -courtesy of Seventh Generation
After you change your cleaning products, take a look at your bathroom counter.
* Switch to natural lip balms. Name-brand balms are made from petroleum products, which harm the environment during production
* Using lotions made from natural plant-based ingredients, they are helathier for your skin and keeps non-renewable resources out of your medicine cabinet
Check out the Good Guide to see how your favorite brands rate and find some great alternatives. Remember that small steps make a big difference!
In search of – cool reusable coffee mugs
We love that everyday more people consider making their morning cup of coffee at home to save money or bring their cup with them to their local coffee shop to save the planet. The problem is finding a cool reusable coffee cup that you want to take with you. Most of the ones we have found our plain or covered with a corporate logo; or they are made of plastic that make our coffee taste horrible.
The search is over – we have found cool reusable coffee mugs made by Vessel Drinkware. Made of double-walled porcelain, these cups don’t require a coffee sleeve and my coffee tastes great. Add in the fact that they are dishwasher and microwave safe and the designs are cute, cool and a little funky – we are sold.
If you take a mug to your local coffee shop instead of using a to go cup, you will save 2555 trees every single year – pretty amazing. A lot of stores are now offering small discounts if you bring your own cup too.
Let Little Twig nurture your little ones
Little Twig’s philosophy is simple – “Children mean the world to us”. It’s that philosophy that drives them to make natural bath and body products for children. Made with organic and natural ingredients, pediatrician tested and non-irritating, paraben free and SLS free, made in USA, pH balanced, not tested on animals, hypoallergenic, no synthetic fragrances, phthalate free, no artificial colors and packaged in PET #1 recyclable bottles.
Featured in People Magazine, Instyle Magazine and most recently on the Today show to celebrate Earth Week, celebrities and parents are seeing their praises.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Our favorite pick at Natural Luxe is the Lavender Bodymilk lotion. It sinks in to the skin and has a wonderful light lavender scent that instantly relaxes both mommy and baby. Add Little Twig items to your baby shower registry or include some in your next mommy gift!
Energy Smart Charlotte – everything green in the queen city
We love websites that make our life easier, here’s another one in our favorites; Energy Smart Charlotte.
It’s a one stop shop for everything green in the beautiful Queen City of Charlotte, North Carolina. Green businesses, services and events are now easier to find. Their mission is to promote a greener, smarter, healthier Charlotte by connecting Charlotteans with the knowledge of who is really green in their neighborhood.
Feel free to submit an article or list a business that is not already a member and Energy Smart Charlotte will do the rest. Next time you are ready to shop, take a yoga class or need plans for the weekend, stop by their site to see what is going on in the world of “green”.
Natural Luxe is excited to be one of the first Green Retail stores listed in the Charlotte directory!
The grass is greener on SustainLane
You’ve made the commitment to go green – awesome! Now the hard part; which products and companies are really green and which ones are merely green-washing? The Luxe Report has a great place for you to start your research – SustainLane.
SustainLane is a free, on-line community that features reveiws on over 30,000 products, services and businesses. You can count on an unbiased review because they are submitted from members of the SustainLane community. Check out a company’s green score and see how they rank, too expensive, good for the community, good for the environment, etc.
Trying to shop local? Type in your zip code for an in-depth directory of businesses in your area.
They have also launched the local action challenge in the hopes of encouraging individuals to take steps towards a greener lifestyle. Earn points by completing challenges from your city’s list, each point you earn is an entry into that week’s drawing for prizes from green business sponsors.
Mudlark papers saves the handwritten thank you note!
The famous thank you note: you love to get them, always put off writing them, and no, a quick email will never take its place.
Luckily we have found Mudlark Papers. They design beautiful recycled note cards that make the perfect thank you card. Mudlark was founded in 1994 as a little family owned business before recycling was so popular. They didn’t use recycled materials to be “green” or “recycled”, they just did it because it was the right thing to do. Mudlark products are made from post-consumer content and soy-based inks and are packaged in air pillows to avoid Styrofoam packing peanuts, which are not biodegradable.
Each set of recycled note cards comes with a beautiful keepsake box with an inspirational quote on the inside cover.
“If we could see the miracle of a single flower, clearly our whole life would change.” – Buddha
Order a set today and let your friends and family know how much you appreciate them!
