The Green Movement is Gaining Momentum

I was working at my computer yesterday, the tv was on but I was not watching, I heard someone say something about making their restaurant green.

I looked up and it was a soap opera. Days of Our Lives had most of their show about going green.

As they talked about making Chez Rouge green and then the Brady's talking about making the Brady Pub green I was thinking to myself, the green movement is truly growing and what better platform than a soap opera? How many million women and yes, even men, watch these daily? The answer is astronomical then they are replayed on Soap Net at night for those that missed it during the day. Yes I am a Days fan, have watched it since it hit the air back in the 60's. I do not watch in the day as I am always busy with something just happened to have the tv on while working yesterday.

I decided last night to check out Soap Net and see if any of the other soaps have begun to promote going green as of yet, didn't find one last night but I am sure if they aren't they will follow soon.

I think it is great that not only Oprah, Martha Stewart and other day time talk shows promote going green but the soaps have followed suit.

Do your part today by taking at least one step to change something in your home, office or some part of your life.

Cheryl C McNeil

Tips For Going Green With Your Beauty Regimen

My first hint for this part of going green is to use what you already have. Us women are notorious for buying more and more beauty products than we need. So chances are you have plenty of good products that need using up.

Now recycle the containers if they are recyclable and make sure to check when buying products in the future.

You can also re-use the containers for storing different things around your house. I keep small containers to keep pins, the kids rocks they love to collect when we are out and about, my husbands nails, screws and wire ties he loves to collect but never seems to use. There are many things you can keep around your house in smaller containers.

I buy supplements and meal shakes for the children that come in fairly large containers and these are great for storing leftovers. As they have lids they are perfect.

Use all natural products

After you have used up what you have stored in your bathroom then look into all natural products for cleansing and make up. Using these products has helped my skin and my environment. I find they have worked better than any product I have ever bought over the counter.

My girls will not use anything that is not natural, they totally freak out when they go to their aunts to spend the night when she tries to bathe them in her products. I have had to make sure to include their products in their bags when they go anywhere overnight. I can say I have done my job well on teaching a 4 and 6 year old to be environmentally conscience.

So even with beauty and personal care you can still use the three R's, re-use, recycle and reduce.

Have a great day and look for more posts coming soon.

Cheryl C McNeil

Green Gift Wrap & Alternatives

There are many occasions throughout the year for giving gifts. You need alternatives for gift wrap if you are choosing the green lifestyle. Researching takes time, thus my goal with this blog is to save you the steps by giving you many green ideas.

Reusable Bags

There are many sites with reusable bags, I love using them to put gifts in. Not only will you be giving the gift you purchased for the occasion but also a gift of a reusable bag which eliminates plastic bags to our landfills.

Check out Happy Bags

Make the container part of the gift

Use buckets, stock pots, mixing bowls etc... to place the gift in. For instance for the cook you know use a huge mixing bowl and place a great cookbook, pot holders, kitchen towels, or anything else that comes to your great imagination in it. A nice bucket with flower or herbal seeds, small gardening tools or books on gardening make a lovely gift for the avid gardener. Always be thinking outside the box when it comes to going green.

You Don't have to use Bows

Instead of bows for decoration look to nature. Berry sprigs, pine cones, leaves, sea shells and many other options are available for decorating your gifts.

No Need for Tape

If you are going to use gift wrap make sure it is recycled and earth friendly. There are many sites online with green gift wrap. Instead of tape make sure you fold tightly then instead of using petroleum based tape use hemp or wool yarn which is also reusable.

Green Gift Wrapping

Here are some sites for purchasing green gift wrapping.

The Daily Green

Green Girl Gift Wrap

You can find many more sites with green gift wrap online. Make sure to give the gift of green all year long.

You can even use aluminum foil, newspapers, old greeting cards and many other items lying around your house.

I love being green and sharing my ideas with you weekly. If you are just beginning to share my passion for living green I know you will find some useful tips for going green on this blog.

Cheryl C McNeil

Tips For Going Green

Being very passionate about my planet I chose to Go Green. I will list some tips here for you that can make a huge difference in your health, your electric bills and most of all your planet. I know that many of you are concerned with Global Warming and would love to do your part, I am going to help you with that today.

Paper Or Plastic?

The answer to that is neither. Most people answer this question saying paper, that is a wrong answer. Use re-usable bags that you can buy online or from stores in your area. Keep your bags in your vehicle so that if you make an unexpected stop to purchase something you have your own bag with you. You can google cloth bags and find a choice for yourself.

Cleaning Products

Not only do cleaning products put toxins in your home for you, your children and your pets to breathe they are also not environmentally friendly. I use products that are natural and organic, have no warning labels so I know if my toddlers get them I am not going to have to rush them to the emergency room to have their stomachs pumped or call the poison control center. Women that work at home run a higher risk of cancer than women that work away from home. The risk is 54% higher. As I work from home and have children and pets I switched to all natural products. Shaklee not only has all natural products they are also the first company in the world to be certified Climate Neutral meaning they leave no footprint on the planet.

Packaging

When you are buying look at the packaging, things that are packaged inside of packaging cause too much waste. Buy things that are minimally packaged.

Paper Plates Or Plastic Plates?

Of course it is best not to use either but there are times when we must. When you are faced with this situation buy plastic plates that are 100% recycled. You can wash these, in an all natural dish detergent and use them over and over. Once done they are recyclable.

Organic Produce:

Buy produce that is organic. This means that it was grown with no pesticides which makes it healthier for you and for the planet. It costs a little more but is well worth the price. You can find a place near you where you can purchase organic produce online. Local Harvest is a great place to look, type in your zip code to find a farmer near you.

Reusable Water Bottles:

Instead of buying bottled water buy reusable water bottles. With the money you save from buying bottled water you can afford to buy a water filtration system for your home. Or you can buy reusable water bottles with a filter built in to them.

Look at your local landfill:

If you go take a look at a landfill in your area it will give you a wake up call. Most of the things there are not bio degradable and the ones that are will not be gone in your lifetime or the lifetime of your children and grand children.

Light Bulbs:

Buy energy efficient light bulbs. They are higher than the regular light bulbs you have been purchasing but they last for 5-10 years so the cost is minimal in reality. G E makes some great CFL bulbs. You will not only be helping the planet you will also find that you save on your electric bill. If everyone changed just one light bulb it would be equivalent to saving the carbon emissions on 800,000 cars. I switched all light bulbs in my home so I know this has made a huge difference to the planet.

Re-Cycle

The average person creates 4.5 pounds of trash per day. Think how much is going into the landfills if you are not re-cycling. You can re-cycle aluminum cans and foil, glass, but please rinse all containers before re-cycling, paper, a 4ft stack of recycled newspaper is equivalent to a 40 ft. fir tree, cardboard, such as cardboard boxes but if you have a cardboard container that pizza came in it can not be recycled as they can not use it if it is dirty, take your packing peanuts to your local shipping store, most will take them from you happily. I re-use my aluminum foil over and over before recycling it. I also buy foods packaged in containers that I can use to put left overs in when possible.

Water Consumption:

When showering or taking a bath spend less time in the shower and do not fill your tub to capacity when taking a bath. This will save a lot of water and if we all did this we could save enough water to ensure that everyone in the world could have water. Also fill up your sink when shaving instead of running the water for the duration of the time it takes you to shave.

Re-cycled Products:

Use re-cycled toilet paper and paper towels. I know it is not as easy to shop when you have to check packaging but think of the good you are doing for the environment.

Napkins:

The average person uses 6 paper napkins a day. That is a lot of waste going into our landfills. I switched to cloth napkins and then I just wash them in my environmentally friendly laundry product and re use them. I love the feel of the cloth napkin as opposed to paper also, it adds a nice touch to the meal.

Smart Power Strips:

Plug your small appliances, tv’s and clocks into smart power strips. When not in use turn them off from the strip, this will save you a lot of money on your electric bill and is very healthy for the environment.

Candles:

Most of us love candles. Use an all natural candle made from soy, they burn clean and clean up with soap and water. I know I love the smell of candles in my home.

Printer Ink:

Instead of buying a new cartridge each time you need ink take your cartridge to a store where they re-fill them. I get mine done at CVS Pharmacies.

Gift Wrap:

Buy gift wrap that is made of 100% recycled paper.

Computers:

Instead of throwing your old computer away donate it. You can also find people that buy them to re-build them.

If each of you will incorporate one of these tips into your daily life the difference you make will be huge. I do all the things I have listed, as I said I am very passionate about my planet and especially the health of my family. It is difficult in the beginning to make all these changes but it becomes routine before long as anything you practice all the time does. How passionate are you about the planet? Thank you for being here and I hope I have given you some great tips you have not thought of before.

Cheryl C McNeil

While On Vacation

I just returned from a week at The Great wolf Lodge here in Grapevine, Texas. This place is geared for children, an indoor water park, the magi quest that is 3d interactive on all 8 floors of the hotel, the arcade where you win tickets from the games to get prizes with and a creativity class where the kids can paint their own shirts, banks, play on the computer and many other activities.

The indoor water park is part of the package when staying at the lodge but as it is indoors walking in to it the smell of chlorine almost knocked me out. I had much trouble breathing and could not stay in there over an hour at a time. I understand that I am very sensitive to the smell of chemicals as my home is toxin free but this was truly ridiculous.

I am not ragging on the place, the children had a wonderful time and the concept is great. I also had issues with no form of recycling, as I am very into being green this bothered me, the waste there is unbelievable. This place is sold out constantly and they are doing nothing to help the environment but they are giving tours about the animals and the rhythm of nature. It seems to contradict itself at every turn.

These lodges are all over the United States and they do a huge business. I have written them of my concerns for being more environmentally friendly but one voice is never enough and I need all the help I can get to make a difference. I believe with enough people contacting them that they would be willing to change some of their policies.

Though I loved the whole concept, the way the kids loved it and the good time they had I can not in good conscience go back or recommend this place to others until some changes are made there with the green movement. I did introduce them to my non toxic cleaners and showed them how they could save millions a year using them they had no interest in that either.

I will be writing letters to their corporate offices and sending in many ideas that would help them leave less of a footprint on the planet and would hope that anyone that has visited one of their lodges would do the same. If we all use our voice we can change many things in our lives.

I am going forward, who is coming with me?

Cheryl C McNeil
5/9/08

Green Wedding Ideas

We are coming into the busy wedding season, have you thought of a green wedding?

I would like to give you some ideas of things you can do for your wedding to help with the environment while still having a great and unique wedding.

Starting with the invitations that are plantable and will grow beautiful wildflowers. Check out the options at Botanical Paperworks.

The catering is always important and going green with your menu is also an option open to those that are serious about the green movement. It may take a little longer and cost a little more but the impact on our planet makes it well worth the extra time and money. Start by using organic meats and vegetables that you can find through your local harvest site for your area. You can find meats, poultry, vegetables, eggs and many other things through this site. Make sure you check out the fair trade coffees and chocolates at Global Exchange.
You can also purchase organic wines, visit Four Chimneys Organic Winery. Be sure to add some comments about your choices and why you chose them so that people will understand why you are choosing the food selection you have. Go seasonal as much as possible to cut down on the expense.

For the most important day of your life, you must have the most beautiful gown. Still green is an option, go to Olivia Luca, check out the menu, you will find fair trade materials, hemp, organic cotton and you can play with the design and build your own wedding gown on the site. Check online for other apparel for the wedding party. There are many options, you could even have a used gown.

Your brides bouquet can be from organic flowers as well keeping with the green theme for your wedding. Go to local harvest for organic flower growers to check out your options of beauty for your wedding. You can type in your zip code to find a merchant near you. You can find not only the bouquet but options for the flower girl and for the wedding parties flowers, centerpieces and more.

Throwing bird seed instead of rice is a good idea, the birds will come along and eat it later. Make sure it is a bird seed that is for the birds of your area.

The wedding cake and how to top it. You can choose edible toppers made from marzipan from Aisle Dash. There are many resources available to you I am just giving you a few here for your convenience and ideas for green weddings.

For a huge array of wedding favors that match your theme go to wedding favors. You will find many different types of wedding favors and those for all times of year as well.

These are just a few ideas and you can find many more by researching green weddings. With the green movement becoming huge, funny I just looked up at the tv screen and it said Going green and is showing some wedding ideas on the news right now. The green movement is gaining momentum, I see something about it daily on the television or somewhere. I am proud to say I have been involved in this great movement since the 60's when us "hippies" got together and became socially and environmentally conscience.

When planning your wedding plan it in a location that is closest to the most people so there can be car pooling to save on emissions. Watch the weather if you are having it outdoors so that your perfect day stays perfect.

Hope you have a wonderful day and if you are planning a wedding keep the green theme in mind.

Cheryl C McNeil
5-9-08