Site in the Spotlight - Earthly Affair: Earth Friendly Invitations

Earthly Affair is a fabulous company that not only offers "green" invitations but they practice a lot of eco-responsibility as well. They carbon offset, donate to charity, compost and recycle everything that they can. That's super green. Plus they offer unique, elegant and stylish invitations.

Earthly Affair offers two great earth friendly papers for their invitations: "One is a 100% pcw, which means it uses no new trees and averts waste from landfills. The second is a cotton paper, FSC certified for responsible forest management and consists of partially recycled content." Even their envelopes and printing practices are earth friendly.

Jennifer Stambolsky has created a great green company.

Free Tote Bag for Taking a Quiz

My friend Tammy sent me this link for a quiz from Earthbound Farms Organics. Fill it out and you could win a free reusable shopping tote.

I love reusable tote bags. I'm collecting quite a few because the problem I usually have at the store is that I don't have enough bags. I go shopping once a week for five people and three cats. That adds up to a lot of groceries. I usually don't have enough reusable totes for everything. I try to take plastic bags with me that I've collected from stores (I try not to throw them out until they have been used to the end of their life span) but still sometimes don't have enough. So I keep picking up cheap and free bags wherever I can.

Oh, on a different note, Kroger now has a bin for recycling plastic bags as soon as you walk into their store (at least the one in Flushing does, not sure about the rest) so totally cool. Now I have a place to take all the ripped up and holey bags that aren't going to be used for anything else. Usually I stuff them in a box and save them for wrapping up breakables for shipping or storage.

Anyway make sure you take the quiz to get your free tote. The offer expires 4/30.

Happy Earth Day

Happy Earth Day everyone! It's a beautiful day here in Michigan so I plan to get outside and enjoy it as much as possible. No staying stuck in front of the computer today.

Earth Day, Everyone's Celebrating This Year

I think it is amazing that Earth Day is being celebrated like a major holiday this year. Never before have I seen so many things about Earth Day everywhere, in the papers, in the news, local celebrations both public and private, and the stores...the stores are really going all out this year promoting green products.

It's about time it caught on, it only took almost 40 years. The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970 but Senator Gaylord Nelson started being very concerned with environmental issues in1962. Over the next several years he was working with environmental topics then in 1969 the idea for Earth Day came to him. Read more about it here: http://earthday.envirolink.org/history.html

I remember I first heard about Earth Day in the 80's when I was a kid. I thought it was so cool I wanted to have a big party, but no one else knew what Earth Day was or bothered to celebrate it here in the Rust Belt. That's the way it has been here. But now even the Rust Belt is going green.

Today's Flint Journal featured no less than 3 stories with a green angle including one about businesses going green, one about Earth day and things everyone can do to make a difference and one about local Earth Day celebrations that were held over the weekend.

Anyway I am so thrilled to read about all the local stuff for Earth Day going on here in Flint. I think it is way past time. And even though it is going extremely commercial, all the businesses are hopping on the green bandwagon, you know I guess it is the outcome that counts. The ends justifies the means. Anyway you look at it it makes it easier for everyone to go green and live green.

Home Depot now carries all kinds of organic stuff for my garden including my Miracle Grow which now comes in an organic formula. Yea! Plus, this is the best, Home Depot now has no VOC paint. I've been waiting and searching and complaining at the local Home Depot for awhile now and finally they have it. About time. I need to paint my bedroom and didn't want to have to order online or drive all over trying to find no VOC paint when Home Depot is right around the corner from my house.

Along with Meijer who's having a huge Earth Day thing next Saturday, April the 26th. They are showcasing all kinds of new green products, giving out free samples and having drawing and prizes. I'll be there checking it out.

I will also be hauling my old electronics up to the Best Buy on Miller Rd Saturday. I've been holding onto a couple broken TVs cause I didn't know what to do with them. Couldn't just send them to the trash. On Saturday the 26th Best Buy is holding an electronics recycling collection from 10 am to 4pm. They'll be taking cellphones, TVs, VCRs, video game consoles, and other small electronics and appliances under 100 lbs. Woo Hoo I can finally clear out some of my junk that's been piling up.

So for those environmental enthusiasts that think everything is becoming too commercial and too green washed, don't despair too much. It's for the greater good. Everyone can be a greenie now. Come on, it's what you've been working for right? Raising awareness, promoting recycling and conservation...

I know, I know...I snort and guffaw at some of the companies that are promoting green and the ways that some are going out of their way to be green but just think at least you have some entertainment.

Enjoy Earth Day (or Earth Week, or two Earth Weeks, even Earth month as some are promoting it now) your way. I'll be planting flowers and maybe a tree. I'm not sure. (The power company has issues with trees in my yard, they cut down all of them that even came close to the power lines.) Maybe I'll look for some dwarf trees or bushes that won't get big enough to touch the lines.

Oh well, I was rambling again. Back to the point. Enjoy Earth Day, celebrate your way.

Green Books for Green Living

In honor of Earth Day I have created a list of some of my favorite green living and green wedding books. Yes, I've included my own. :-)

Site in the Spotlight- VinoGlo

Don't send your wine bottles to the trash or recycler yet! Repurpose them by turning them into a romantic oil lamp by using VinoGlo products.

What is VinoGlo?

"A VinoGlo is an insert, with a wick, that fits into the opening of a glass bottle and converts it into a beautiful romantic oil lamp. Our VinoGlos create do-it-yourself wine bottle lamps, and they can be used with any glass bottle, too. "

"Capture the romance, keep that special bottle and always remember that special day or evening. The VinoGlo may be used in your favorite glass bottle. As a wine bottle accessory or for any of the following, a water bottle, a champagne, olive oil, or a decorator bottle may be used. "

I think this is a totally "green" product because it converts one thing into something else that is useful.

Turn off the lights and light up a romantic oil lamp. I wonder if eco-friendly oil can be used like hemp or olive? I'll have to check that out.

But I think this is a great product. If you have your wedding reception in an area that allows open flame candles or lamps you could consider using your repurposed bottles into oil lamps as fabulous green centerpieces.

Not only does VinoGlo have the wick but they have the glass flame protector (hurricane thing that goes over the bottle and around the wick), they have oil, and they have bases so you don't have to worry about the lamp tipping over. You can buy products seperately or as a kit.

Guest on Colleen's Blog on Friday

Quick update, I'll be over at Colleen Gleason's blog on Friday the 18th. Before I wasn't sure. Make sure you stop by and check it out.

Guest Blogger on Author Colleen Gleason's Blog

Coming up this week, Tuesday I think, I will be guest blogging on Colleen Gleason's Blog while she's out of town.

Colleen is a fellow Michigan writer and the author of The Gardella Vampire Chronicles. Very cool series of books. The main character, Victoria, is a regency period vampire hunter. She's been described as Jane Austen meets Buffy. I'm a big vampire fan so I love these books.



So if you get a chance stop over at Colleen's blog and see what I have to say about Earth Day and green weddings, I'll even be posting a few tips and ideas for having a green wedding along with some shameless book promotion for The Everything Green Wedding Book.

So don't forget to stop by, read my post and check out The Gardella Vampire Chronicles.

Quick Update and Hello

This week I've been busy typing away, submitting queries and working on projects while my kids are on Spring Break.

Have I got much done? Yes and no. I've gotten some writing done but not as much as I wanted to. So I've worked on other stuff, spring cleaning and what not.

I couldn't concentrate on writing with all the yelling, screaming and giggling going on so I started planning my garden and some craft projects that I want to do. I'm excited to get out in the dirt and start digging soon. I just wish the Michigan weather would cooperate.

Oh, I haven't blogged all week...how was everyone's Earth Hour? I shut all my stuff off for as long as I could. I shut down and even unplugged everything I could except for my fridge and my DVR (had stuff set to record :-)) It was nice, so quiet and dark.

Too bad my husband had to work, it was just me and my two youngest. We had fun though.

I really have to do that more often, though I'll probably wait until summer when it is warmer and much easier to do cause it did get kinda cold since I went all out and turned the heat off too.