Environment, Organics, Fair Trade & Recycling at Big Green Purse

EARTH DAY COUNTDOWN - Bonnie and Cathie Shift More Than $1,000

The Big Green Purse "One in a Million" campaign urges shoppers to shift at least $1,000 of money they budget for household goods and services into options that offer the greatest environmental benefit. Meet two women from different parts of the U.S. who have reached the "One in a Million" goal by buying common products as well as more innovative ones.

Bonnie (above, with her favorite "eco" pal) decided to go green while she was replacing some major home appliances. Take a look at her balance sheet (which she downloaded here).

    Date                   Item                                                   Money
    Sep07              Toilets                                                 386.48
    Sep07              Microwave                                            249.95
    Sep07              Stove top                                            1099.95
    Nov07             Carpet                                                 3200.00
    Nov07              Recessed Lighting/CFL bulbs                1093.00

    Dec 07           CFL - Outside lighting                              298.00

    Total ........................................................$6,337.38

Cathie took a different route. While she has also replaced a major appliance -- a clothes washing machine - she's also shifted the way she spends her money at the supermarket, both on food and on cleaning products. Here's how she used her purse power earlier this year.

Feb 19 - March 1, 2008

Item                                             Money Spent
Front-load washing machine              $1,232.71
4 PVC-free shower curtains                        7.76
Mother Earth Food, Drink                         26.00
100% organic bathmat, top, pants             90.00
Organic food/Health Food store                15.00
Organic food/Amish market                      12.50
Organic Food/Adams                                  4.00
Make my own cleaners – savings of …        35.00
Stop buying bottled water – save $8/wk
   For 3 months      …………………..              96.00
Books on green living                               24.59

Total …………………………..                    $1,543.56

What's interesting about these One in a Million achievers is that, in the course of switching their spending to more eco-friendly products, they also saved money. Cathie saved almost $100 in just three months by foregoing bottled water for tap. Bonnie will save at least $30 in electricity costs over the life of the bulb for every compact fluorescent she installed.

"Shift your spending to save" is a big part of the Big Green Purse message. Not only do you save money, but you usually save time and energy, too.

Thumbs up, ladies! And congratulations!

Want to become One in a Million? Join us here. And see what the One in a Million community is up to at our new community forum.

EARTHDAY COUNTDOWN - Have a Big Green Book Party

Celebrate the many great green reads coming out this month with a  Big Green Book Party. Here's how:

Invitations : Reduce paper and postage costs by inviting your guests electronically. Apart from being quick and easy, Evite is free; Sendomatic charges a small fee, but there’s no advertising on its website. If you want to print and mail an invitation, recycled paper is available in many colors and designs from most art, stationery, and office supply stores. On-line, Twisted Limb makes invitations and stationery from recycled paper by hand. Use a copy of the book’s cover on your invitation.

Location and Lighting : Weather permitting, discuss your book outside.  A front porch, wrap-around deck, roof top, patio, or even park can create the perfect ambience to discuss a book all about protecting Mother Nature.

If it’s an evening affair, candles can help brighten your setting (and keep the bugs at bay if you do meet outside). 

• Way Out Wax offers a variety of candles made from pure vegetable waxes scented with natural essential oils like citronella, rosemary, orange or eucalyptus.
• Elegant beeswax tapers with all-cotton wicks can be found at Candlebee Farm, Abundant Earth, or the Beeswax Candle Company.

Want to be more festive?  String energy-efficient LED lights, which use 80 to 90 percent less energy than incandescent mini-lights, through trees and along walkways. Try the Light string from Inirgee; check Home Depot, Lowe’s, or your local hardware store.

  Refreshments : Serve locally grown fruits and vegetables, fresh hand-pressed ciders, artisan cheeses and homemade breads and pastries, all available from your nearest farmers market.  Whole Foods Markets and some natural foods stores prepare delicious platters of  organic vegetables, fruits, breads, crackers, dips and cheese.

Organic beverages – including fruit juice, sparkling cider, wine, beer and spirits -- are available at most natural food stores, Whole Foods Markets, food coops, and an increasing number of standard grocery store chains and liquor stores. Some brands to look for:

R. W. Knudsen's Organic Juices
Santa Cruz Organic Juices and Nectars
Frey Vineyards’ award-winning organic and biodynamic sulfite-free wines
Samuel Smith Organic Ale & Lager from Tadcaster, England
Wolaver’s Organic Beers from Middlebury, VT
Maison Jomere’s Organic Vodka and Juniper Green  London Dry Gin

If you opt for soda, buy cans or bottles you can recycle. Skip the bottled water in favor of cooled (and filtered, if necessary) tap water or iced tea.

Setting the Table : Use cloth table linens and napkins, and reusable plates and cutlery to reduce trash.

Reusable plate options can include ceramics you can get for a dollar a plate at local dollar stores, or “china” made from recycled plastic. Preserve offers sturdy, dishwasher safe plates in two sizes, a seven-inch that’s perfect for buffets, and a ten-inch that you would serve for a larger meal. 

If you must use paper, shop recycled. Marcal makes lunch and dinner napkins with high degrees of recycled content.

Adorn the table with flowers and greenery from your yard, enhanced with fruit, candles, ribbons and other nature-based decorations available at your fingertips.

When the Party’s Over : Recycle. Make it easy by setting up a bin for empty cans and bottles in the kitchen or on the porch.  If you compost, clean plates into the compost bin before washing.  Wrap up left-overs in reusable containers to send home with your guests or save in the freezer or refrigerator for a delicious reminder of the great time that was had by all!

EARTH DAY COUNTDOWN BEGINS...with sex!

Earth Day is the last day you want to use as an excuse to add to the world's population. Instead, practice "green" sex - "safe" sex with an eco-twist. 

*Toss used condoms in the trash, not the toilet. The jury's out on whether latex condoms are biodegradable. Regardless, they're a better option than polyurethane. "French letters" made from lambskin will biodegrade, but they won't prevent sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs), so only use them with a partner you completely trust.

*Choose intimate personal care products that are phthalate- and paraben-free. Before you reach for perfume, lotion, or jelly, read the label. Look for plant-based products over synthetics.

* Play around in organic cotton lingerie. Need I say more?

*Illuminate your loved one with soy-based candles rather than low-level - but polluting - incandescent lights. Better yet, turn off the lights altogether!

* Don't douche. Douching will not prevent pregnancy or protect you from STDs. It will simply wash away healthy vaginal bacteria, a practice that could cause infections in the reproductive organs.

And if you really want to keep your genes in your jeans, spend the day planting your spring  garden, cleaning out the nearest stream, or escorting a group of exuberant school kids on a nature walk. You'll be too tired in the evening to do anything other than eat a yummy (organic, vegetarian) dinner before nodding off to sleep.