The Great Maryland Lawn Mower Event

This year we decided to redo the back yard. It had once been grass, that was then dug up an turned into a bicycle pump track. Unfortunately this led to a lot of mud. Combined with muddy paws and shoes all over my kitchen floor it was more than I could bare. So finally, after two years of filthy floors Mr. Jones agreed to convert back to a regular old lawn. We’ve decided we’d rather spend our time doing things that don’t involve constantly digging in the backyard anyway. So..back to mowing the lawn. We have an old hand-me-down gas mower that is a complete overkill for our small city yard. We’d consider switching to electric, but it’s been cost prohivitive given that our goal is reducing our debt, not increasing it. Luckily for us Baltimore City is again hosting to ‘The Great Maryland Lawn Mower Event’ on August 14. On Saturday morning Mr. Jones (who has already pre-registered here) will be trading in our old mower for a shiny new Neuton CE 6 battery-powered mower. Best yet, this mower which retails in the $400+ range is available at a substantial discount for only $175.  (They also have the CE5 available for $135 if you don’t need the larger cutting deck). This is a great opportunity for all Maryland residents to put a dent in their pollution output without banging up their wallet.

More on the Neuton CE6:

Cut a 19″ path with our larger model. The Neuton CE6 Mower gives you the powerful performance of a gas mower with convenience of DURACELL® battery technology. There is no gas or oil to spill and no engine emissions to pollute the air. Neuton is the only mower powered by DURACELL®. With 360 watt-hours of battery energy, it has plenty of power to mow through even tall, wet grass. The Neuton CE6 mower is ideal for lawns up to 1/3 acre (about 15,000 sq. ft.) on a single charge. If you need more time, just drop in an optional spare battery and keep mowing!

Bio-couture: The Future of Fashion?

photographer Santiago Arribas Peña from the Science Museum

I stumbled upon a link to the BioCouture research project and was intrigued by what I found there. From what I’ve found by looking through the various photos on the website is that the goal is to radically change the clothing industry to address the ecological impact and the sustainability of fashion in the future. There have been a number of movements in the last few years to reduce the environmental impact of the immensely destructive chothing industry. Recycling and Refashioning have challenged the way that fabrics are viewed and used. Organic and Fair Trade seek to address the economic and ecological devastation visited upon developing countries. However, this BioCouture movement may just be the most radical yet. They have created and are using a new type of fiber, bacterial-cellulose combined with natural fruit, vegetable and spices to dye the material. Their website, which seems unfinished, does show some completed pieces including a “Veggie” Biker jacket decorated with and a “denim” shirt stained indigo with natural colorants. What I’m most surprised to see if that most of these materials are dated 2007.

Under the “links” section is the equivalent of an “About” page that lists information about the project team members. These include an author, Suzanne Lee, and a Dr. who serves as co-director of a Biotech firm funded by a grant from The Research Centre for Fashion, the Body and Material Cultures. You can purchase a copy of Ms. Lee’s book, published in 2005, on Amazon: Fashioning the Future: Tomorrow’s Wardrobe. Unfortunately, there are no excerpts, comments or descriptions of the content of any kind. The Biotech firm Cellucomp, lists as their vision, “To be the World leader in th e provision of products based on high performance composites derived from sustainable sources which utilise green production methods”. I belive this to be a lofty and commendable goal for this Scottish start-up. They are known for materials such as Curran, a biocomposite made from carrots. This materials has been used to create everyday items such as fishing poles and tennis rackets and is said to be as strong as carbon fiber. Curran received an honorable mention for the MEDIUM Award for Material of the Year for 2009:

Curran by Cellucomp (UNITED KINGDOM) is a high-strength biofiber formulated from degraded carrots with a stiffness that rivals carbon fiber. The material is remarkable for its capacity to enhance sustainability in a wide range of applications where lightness, maximum performance, and durability are crucial, from consumer products to aeronautics.

In poking around the internet a bit more, I was able to locate the new, updated website for The Biocouture project website.  An update on the homepage indicates that the new BioCouture jacket is on display at London’s Science Museum in the Wellcome Wing. The jacket will appear in a new exhibit titled, “‘Trash Fashion: designing out waste’” beginning June 2010 through February 2011.

I’ll continue to follow the exciting developments of the BioCouture project. I love the idea of growing fabric from bacteria using environmentally-friendly manufacturing practices. Perhaps one day I’ll be able to buy new clothes without damaging the earth. Until then though, I’ll just keep refashioning the clothes I recycle from Goodwill.

TerraCycle is working to make products from Trash: Join the Brigade

My mother called me last night to tell me about an interesting notice on the side of her Wheat Thins box. Apparently Wheat Thins has teamed up with Terracycle to recyle their packages. My mother proceeded to tell me a bit more about it and then sent me a link to read through today. Here’s what I found in their “About Us” page:

It’s Flip-Flop Time People!

I’m so excited; it’s my favorite time of year. I love, love, love wearing flip-flops. Unfortunately the pair I have on today were frequently abused by my daughter last year and now the rubber thong pops out while I’m walking which is annoying at best, and dangerous at worst. So..it’s flip-flop shopping time. I’ll relegate my previously loved DC flippers to the gardening or house-cleaning pile and get a new pair. I wanted to go eco-friendly though and I began surfing for some new flippy floppies and found these, adorable Roxy Eden Sandals: 

Eden Sandals

The garden of Eden needs a little help and here’s a little way to start. This entire sandal is made from EcoFoam and rubber, giving the Earth a little break. Non toxic, recyclable, and decomposable. What could possibly be better? Imported.

According to the Greenprint Buyer’s Guide provided on the site my new flip-flops will be made biodegradable, natural rubber and non-petroleum EVA foam and stuck together using water-based glue. These things are good because:

That’s pretty exciting, and with such a snazzy design I”m going to snap up two pair (1 for me and 1 for my daughter).

A Clean Diesel? What is this Mercedez-Benz BLUETEC all about anyway?

We were all snuggled up on the sofa enjoying our dinner in front of the television as usual, when a commercial for a new Mercedes-Benz flashed across the screen. My husband remarked about how nice looking it was, but the first thing my daughter said, was “what’s blue diesel”? I replied something about it being greener and then decided to get to the bottom of what this greener (blue) diesel is all about. I found a great article on it at About.com that explained that it is essentially a more efficient engine that deliver the fuel at a high pressure to ensure “maximum combustion efficiency… [that] improves economy and lowers emissions.” The final piece is the exhaust which manipulates the temperature at which the fuel is burned and the mix to burn off particulates (soot) and reduce hydrocarbons in the exhaust which are released into the atmosphere and cause air pollution and cancer. In the end the BLUETEC works by using technology to increase the efficiency of the diesel powered engine to reduce emissions, and which is a step in the right direction. This technology isn’t new, but it’s the first I’ve heard of it and I’m glad that we are continually striving to make improvements in clean transportation. In fact, it seems as if Mercedes is actively working toward developing greener vehicles and a leaner, greener business, including building the first luxury dealership in the world to be certified by the U.S.G.B.C, a “Think Green Team” focused on environmental initiatives and even launching a zero-emission fuel cell vehicle slated for this Spring.

Target’s Eco-Friendly Page

I buy my household supplies at Target monthly and have always been satisfied with the number of eco-friendly products that they offer in terms of cleaning supplies, etc, but I always do my shopping in store. Today, when I received an email advertisement from Target I decided to check out their online deals. What I was really surprised to find what that they have a link to their eco-friendly products. Half-expecting to find a bunch of green-washed stuff for sale, I actually wasn’t disappointed by their offering. As always, it’s best to do without if you really want to help the environement by reducing your consumption of any raw materials, but I’m just not going to live that way because I live in reality land. So… if you are interested in learning more about some of Target’s eco-friendly alternatives you can find them here.  Everything from reuseable bags and organic cotton bed sheets, to furniture “Made of 100% formaldehyde-free birch plywood with eco-friendly, 100% nontoxic, water-based stains and UV-curved finish to minimize greenhouse gases”. I was pretty impressed with the selection of seemingly lower environmental impact products. While I’m certain that the most hardcore of environmentalists may not agree with shopping at Target at all, those of us in the moderate, just-trying-to-do-our-part category, this may be a useful way to investigate greener options to the products were were going to buy anyway. Just remember to try to combine shopping trips and don’t buy more than you really need; for the environment and for your own well-being (to be read as fiscally responsible) curb your shopping a bit and try to stick to picking up your basics once a month. Oh! Don’t forget; another important service that Target offers is recycling your batteries and cell phonesand donating the proceeds to charity. Just take your stuff to their Guest Services desk and they’ll contribute to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

The Story of Stuff: Printed on Trash not Trees

Buy The Story of Stuff from IndieBound here!
I was excited to receive an email telling me that The Story of Stuff has been made into a book and is now on sale. However, I then faced the moral conundrum that I was going to be buying more stuff and killing more trees. I was so happy to read on and learn that the book was printed on trash instead of trees. Now I can buy the buy the book to share with friends and family who don’t use the internet (yes, I have several who have not yet joined the intertubes) and I don’t even have to feel guilty about it; super!  I’m thinking of buying a copy for my daughter’s school as well, so pick-up your very own guilt-free copy today and share the love.

Recessionista Beauty Secrets

For those of you who have read my blog before you have likely read that I have issues with my complexion; it’s combination and acne-prone (ie, expensive to take care of). Over the last two years I have been working to reduce the number of products I use and looking for inexpensive, natural options to replace the plethora of expensive chemicals that I have been slathering on my face. I tried olive oil to replace my face wash with mixed results. It was definately inexpensive and natural, but it was also messy and dulled my complexion. It did turn out to be the best eye make-up remover that I’ve ever tried, and outshined even the most expensive products that I relied on to remove my hard working MAC eye-liner for pennies on the dollar in comparison. I would definately recommend rubbing on a bit of olive oil to remove eye-makeup and then wiping dry with a cotton cloth, because it moisturizes while it cleans and leaves my eyes looking fresh and wrinkle-free. As for the rest of my face, I now use differin acne medication by prescription, which has allowed me to eliminate a number of beauty products that I relied on previously. I now use Aveno face wash because it is gentle and non-drying and an astringent. I had been purchasing Mario Badescu Special Cucumber Lotion for years, but it did nothing to control the oil production in my T-zone, which left me patting down my face several times a day and it doesn’t fall into the inexpensive category to be sure. Buying it in its largest 32 oz size brought the $/oz down to about $1.50 per oz. I began researching astringent/toner alternatives and decided to try Witch Hazel.

Also known as winterbloom, snapping hazel and spotted alder, Witch Hazel is indigenous to the woodland areas of the Northeastern United States. This unique plant bears delicate golden flowers and seed capsules in late autumn, after the leaves have fallen. The seed capsules mature one year later, at which time they burst open and scatter the seeds away from the mother plant to ensure propagation of the next generation. The twigs and bark contain the therapeutic and aromatic constituents that when distilled create the clear, fragrant, natural astringent Dickinson’s is famous for today.

Native Americans recognized Witch Hazel’s value, and would apply it topically to treat minor wounds, abrasions and skin irritations. Nineteenth century missionaries learned of the plant’s therapeutic qualities and produced the first commercial Witch Hazel Extracts as basic ingredients for a wide array of personal care products.

Today, the applications of Witch Hazel go beyond facial care where a mild but effective astringent is desired; other applications include cleansers, body washes, hair care, eye gels and personal hygiene products. Consumers and medical professionals alike recognize Witch Hazel as a naturally soothing and cost effective botanical extract.

Witch Hazel is recommended for:

• Excellent for sensitive skin
• Removes excess oil and sebum
• Controls oil production
• Reduces skin blemishes
• Cleanses and conditions skin
• Tones and tightens pores
• Soothes redness
• Refreshes and cools skin
• Does not over dry
• Hypoallergenic
• Dermatologist tested

I checked this information with “The Derm Doc” and he confirmed that it would be safe and effective as a toner for my face and I started using it nearly 3 weeks ago. I purchased the Up and Up brand from Target and have used it twice a day (morning and night) each day over the last three weeks. The oil production has greatly reduced down to normal levels, leaving my skin looking taught, dewy and fresh. I haven’t had any breakouts or irritation as a result of using it and I would recommend this product without hesitation as an inexpensive, natural toner/astringent. I do not exfoliate my skin because I am currently using the prescription acne treatment, but I’m certain that there are plenty of inexpensive, natural options out there.

What inexpensive, natural beauty secrets have you discovered?

Rethinking the Cotton Round

Photo: Sproutzstore.blogspot.com

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, the production of cotton uses a lot of water which is a valuable and dwindling resource. Shortages of fresh water worldwide lead to famine and starvation, war and terrorism, poverty and disease. In thinking about how I can do my part to help eliminate the unnecessary use of this precious resource globally I have been looking to reduce consumption of disposable products that I can replace with reuseable options. The first and easist switch for me was to stop purchasing new clothes and reuse fabric that I have available locally. Next, I began to investigate other household items that I could replace and while I was washing my face last night it dawned on me; cotton facial rounds! These little cotton pads are great for removing eye make-up and cleansing, but I use several of them each and every day. I thought,”surely, there must be some way to buy or make my own reuseable pads”. This morning I began to look for alternatives and was pleased to find that I can both buy and make my own easily and inexpensively. There are packs of Organic Reusable Cotton Face Rounds on Amazon and variety of homemade versions on Etsy like these cotton buds or facial scrubbies. There are literally hundreds in a variety of colors, textures and materials on etsy just type “facial cotton” into the search box and go. If you are of the DIY persuasion there are even patterns so that you can crochet your own and tutorials to tech you to reuse fabric you already have to sew a few. My takeaway from this is that I can keep pushing myself to reduce my consumption in ways that help my family and the world, with little inconvenience to our way of life. Each little change that I make helps and if we can each change a habit or two, perhaps we can begin to make some real change. So keep pushing new ideas and sharing them with everyone so that we can all walk the long road to reducing our impact and improving our way of life for everyone together.

The Coming Water Crisis

While listening to NPR on my way back to Baltimore yesterday I listened to a very interesting story about the coming Water Crisis. Essentially the guest speaker, Steven Solomon, was discussing how global water usage is increasing at a leve that cannot be sustained. In fact, some of the hardest hit regions who will be facing water shortages soon are areas in which terrorism has taken, or is beginning to take hold. The global consumption of our limited water resources may even spark the next major conflict. You can read the article on NPR here and listen to the broadcast for more information, “Will the Next War be Fought Over Water?“.

Immediately after hearing this story I was reminded of an article I read while back on Treehugger, where it lists the amount of water needed to produce a single new tshirt or pair of jeans. Fortunately I found that article here, “How Many Gallons of Water Does It Take to Make…”

Here are the facts straight from the article:

Pair of Jeans
It takes around 1,800 gallons of water to grow enough cotton to produce just one pair of regular ol’ blue jeans. [2]

Cotton T-Shirt
Not as bad as jeans, it still takes a whopping 400 gallons of water to grow the cotton required for an ordinary cotton shirt.

Now, if you think that just because you make your own clothes by knitting, crocheting, or buying fabric in the store that you are helping to reduce your water consumption, just look at what the article says about your raw materials:

One Pound of . . .
Wool: 101 gallons of water
Cotton: 101 gallons

In short, one great way to avoid consuming more than your fair share of water and starting on the slippery slope that will lead to famine, death, terrorism, and finally war is to stop buying new clothes! There are thousands of vintage stores, second hand and thrift shops available where you can purchase used, or as I like to call them, previously loved clothing. There are so many great resources online that can show you how to sew, refashion, and remake clothes, If you prefer to knit, but can’t find a sweater that you really like, buy a used one and recycle the yarn. If you can’t bear to take up sewing or knitting, but still want to do your part, but don’t want to dig through thrift stores, then buy online. Online sellers like Etsy have tons of shops selling recycled couture, so you can still look good and do your part to slow the damage to our Earth. I’ll include more links below to help you do additional research on the size of the issue at hand as well as places to purchase used clothes and links to groups of folks who have pledged not to buy any new clothes to help reduce their footprint on the Earth.

The Water Crisis:

The Coming Crisis: Water, Not Oil

Failing Wheat Crop Causes Afghan Food Crisis

Obscured By War, Water Crisis Looms In Yemen

We Use How Much Water? Scary Water Fooprints, Country by Country

Groups Embracing the Stop Shopping or Nused Clothing Movement to Recycle, Upcycle or Refashion Clothing:

Wardrobe Refashion

The Great American Apparel Diet

Great Places to Shop for Refashioned, Recycled, Vintage Clothing:

Etsy

ArtFire

Ebay

Goodwill

The Salvation Army

Rusty Zipper

Mod Cloth

Blu Vintage

So, maybe you can make one of your New Year’s resolutions for 2010 to stop buying new clothes? So go on, get shopping, just make sure it’s been previously loved. Maybe you can even check off two resolutions, by using all of the money you will save not buying new clothes to pay off debt…not a sermon, just a thought