Simple Summer Tips from BeGreenNow

Summer is coming fast and here are some great tips from BeGreen to help you stay cool and be green this summer.

BeGreen (http://www.begreennow.com/) is one of the country’s leading carbon offset providers.

BeGreen has put together the following tips to help them save the planet and “look cool” doing it.

Sure, we know that taking steps to cool down Mother Earth needs no reward, but there’s no harm in making oneself seem a little more hip in the process:

Become A Groupie for “Green” Artists

If your iPod playlist is getting stale, download the latest hits from trendy “green” artists like Radiohead, Jack Johnson and G Love & Special Sauce.

These and other artists have become known for their efforts to reduce the environmental impact of their concerts through activities such as running tour buses on eco-friendly bio-fuels, avoiding plastics, using solar powered sound and stages and offsetting travel with carbon offsets.

G. Love & Special Sauce has taken the environmental message to social networking by setting up MySpace pages devoted to “green” initiatives and using video (http://www.myspace.com/glovebegreen) to educate fans about way to make a difference.

By buying their music, you’ll also be supporting earth-loving causes.

Scoot Around On Greener Wheels

Once considered an eyesore, the Toyota Prius is the vehicle of choice for Hollywood stars like Jennifer Aniston and Leonardo DiCaprio.

But if a Prius isn’t a person’s cup of tea, there are a number of “green” vehicle alternatives like scooters, other hybrids, or the Smart Car. Even tough guys like Mickey Rourke have been spotted scooting around town in eco-friendly Vespa scooters. Best of all, you’ll save a lot of green by making the switch.

Eat and Be Seen At Green Eateries

Eco-friendly eateries are all the rage. And, not by any coincidence, these “green” food spots tend to be some of the places where all the “cool kids” hang out. Places that promote themselves as vegetarian or use organic products are a good start, but even those shops that buy their produce, meat and fish from local sources save the pollution created from shipping food from different parts of the country.

With a little searching, it isn’t hard to find a handful of local “green” restaurants and cafes that you can incorporate into your dining out routine – starting you on the path to coolness.

Bag the Handbag

Whether you’re doing some shopping, going to the gym or simply strolling the beach, eco-friendly totes, made from recycled materials, provide an easy way to make an impact – and look cool doing it.

Perfect for summertime and designed as environment-loving alternatives to plastic grocery bags, “green” bags, like the BeGreen Pod can update your wardrobe while being fun and functional. And they’re cheap chic, to boot – most are under $15.

Win 250 Greeting Cards from Uprinting.com

• Want to win 250 greeting cards?

Uprinting.com is offering one lucky winner 250 greeting cards for free, all you have to do is pay shipping.

Uprinting is making the effort to be a green business through sustainable practices and offering the options of recycled paper content, soy and vegetable inks.

From the website- "UPrinting.com recognizes the importance of everyone doing their part to help the environment. We are committed and have taken steps forward to truly offer an environmentally friendly green printing service and not just a hot new buzz word. "

They proudly use vegetable-based inks which have lower levels of VOC than traditional petroleum inks and they coat most of their prints with non-toxic water-based aqueous (AQ) coating to improve bio-degradability of the products and improve print drying times.

UPrinting.com also recycles all unused paper scraps, printing plates and ink waste.

I love companies that make the effort to go green!

About UPrinting.com

For over 25 years, UPrinting has been a trusted leader in Online Printing , featuring its signature easy-to-use website and the famous free file review, a complimentary proofing service which requires no upfront payment. UPrinting offers convenient marketing support services such as design, lists, and direct mailing to help grow small and medium-size businesses nationwide.

UPrinting.com's high quality printing services include Greeting Card Printing, Envelope Printing, brochures, canvas prints and more, all at the most affordable prices.

How to Enter

1. Leave a comment at the end of the blog post, describing what you would use the free greeting cards for.

2. You must then make a blog post on your own blog about the contest and include the URL of the post along with your comment to be eligible to win.

Prize

250 greeting cards for one winner

Rules

Printing is free, winners only have to pay the shipping fee

Winner will be chosen two weeks from today on Monday May 11th!

Happy Earth Day Everyone!

Today is the greenest day of all, Earth Day.

Of course we should care and be as concerned about the Earth everyday but today we celebrate it and hope that the awareness lasts with us the rest of the year.

Please drop by some of the green sites and links to the right in my sidebar. Many green sites are offering giveaways, steals, deals and loads of green information. Support the green economy and see what everyone has to offer.

Butterfly Effects Soy Candles

Butterfly Effects offers beautiful soy candles perfect for gift giving, home decor and for decorating your green wedding.

Butterfly Effects soy candles come in tumblers as well as in little glass jars with lids. They come in several sizes and a multitude of yummy fragrances.

Why Soy?

Paraffin candles are often made from petroleum by-products dependant on foreign oil. Soybeans are grown here right i the US and are a renewable resource. Not only that soy wax is safe, eco-friendly, and if you cause a spill it is an easy clean up.

Another great thing about soy candles? No harmful soot to clog your lungs.

They also burn 30-50% longer than regular candles. Which means more burn time for your buck.

All Butterfly Effects candles are handcrafted, made with lead free cotton wicks and natural soy wax from American farmers, with hand selected fragrance oils insuring that you get high quality, fresh candles.

Butterfly Effects candles are also dye free so you get a purely natural candle experience.

I personally love the selection of aromas available: Eden's Apple, Black Currant and Nectarine, Cool Citrus Basil, Green Tea and Lemongrass, Honeydew Melon, Lavender Vanilla, Moon Lake Musk, Ocean Breeze, Strawberry Shortcake, Tuscan Melon and Apricot, White Tea and Berries and several others.

They all sound so delicious I want to fill my home with their heady, natural aromas. I have Eden's Apple and Honeydew melon- both which smell absolutely divine before, during, and after burning. And they are in adorable little jars with lids.

Their signature soy candles would look lovely on your wedding tables and come in three different sizes: 5 oz, 9 oz and 15 oz.

If you aren't looking for lidded candles check out the tumblers which come in 7.5 oz and 14 oz sizes.

New Places The Everything Green Wedding Book is Mentioned

I just received my copy of The Georgetowner today -I was interviewed for an article on green weddings for the publication. Very cool.

Scanning the web today I also found these mentions:

My book made it in the Columbia Daily Tribune's Literary Links for the month of April, "Each month, the Columbia Public Library offers a selection from its collection related to a current best-seller or hot topic. Reference librarian Svetlana Grobman compiled this month’s selection."

And I'm #5 on this top ten wedding book list, woo hoo!

I also found myself mentioned in quite a few green resources for libraries. That's awesome.

New Products in My Etsy Store

I have several new wedding products in my Etsy store drop by and check them out. http://www.wildrosegarden.etsy.com/

SPIRIT BEAUTY LOUNGE OFFERS CUSTOM GIFTS AND FAVORS FOR GREEN BRIDES

Here's a press release I received. Green Brides in New York may find this very interesting.

(New York) – For a truly custom green wedding, brides can do their one-stop-shopping for gifts and favors at Spirit Beauty Lounge, which offers custom party favors and gift packages for the green bride’s wedding, shower, and event needs.

Spirit Beauty Lounge allows customers to choose from four eco-friendly packaging options including fair trade recycled paper gift bags, recycled jewelry boxes, recycled pillow boxes with organic cotton, and sustainable raffia ribbon. Then choose any combination of luxury organic products from the site’s entire inventory to create a custom bag or box.

Some of Spirit Beauty Lounge’s favorite favors include All The Better To Kiss You With organic lip balm tins in peppermint, lavender vanilla, chai, or pomegranate. Dirt Organic soy tea light candles in a variety of natural aromas including “Wedded Bliss” and “Open Arms.” Skinny Skinny organic bar soaps are beautifully wrapped in pages from discarded books.

In addition to sample size bath and body and skin care products that make great favors, Spirit Beauty Lounge can also custom order organic chocolates and other items from its vendors, or integrate other items at the brides’ request into the favor sets at no additional service charge.
Spirit Beauty Lounge can custom-fill most favor sets for up to 200 guests within 2 to 4 weeks.

Spirit Beauty Lounge is the only carbon-neutral online boutique for luxury green, organic and cruelty-free beauty and lifestyle products.

The company was launched in fall 2008 as a one-stop shop for organic and sustainable beauty products from companies with clearly defined humane, ethical, and environmental policies. Spirit Beauty Lounge also carries recycled and vintage jewelry, hard-to-find European skincare lines and non-toxic household cleaning products.

SpiritBeautyLounge.com was founded as a place to shop online for the best in organic beauty and lifestyle products safely, knowing they’ve done the research for you.

Artist, activist, and beauty school dropout turned “beauty warrior,” founder Spirit Demerson has spent years searching for effective organic beauty products. Frustrated by the less-than-luxurious selection available at natural foods markets and misleading labels at drugstores, she decided to become an expert, spending hours obsessively researching ingredients and often mixing up batches of lotions and potions in her kitchen.

At Spirit Beauty Lounge, the product selection process involves countless hours of research and testing based on their “3P” scoring system:

· Performance: a product should do what it promises and do it well, period.
· Potency/purity: Spirit Beauty Lounge demands the highest possible percentage of organic or biodynamic, active ingredients.
· Presentation: packaging must be beautiful as well as biodegradable or recyclable.

Spirit Beauty Lounge discusses all aspects of manufacturing and production with its vendors to ensure that no sweatshop labor was used and fair trade claims are certified; products and ingredients were not tested on animals and do not contain inhumane animal byproducts; and products are manufactured, sourced, and transported with minimal impact. Featured brands include: Acquarella, Alima Pure, Alkemie, Alex and Ani, Amazon Beauty, CTonics, Ila, Intelligent Nutrients, Jurlique, Lulu Organics, Nahui Ollin, Nvey Eco, Organic Apoteke, Patyka, Priti, Suzanne Aux Bains, Tsi-La, and more.

The site rivals the big box beauty stores by offering services like a live personal shopper and live chat customer service, free shipping offers, and free samples with every order.

Spirit Beauty Lounge’s shipping and office facilities are powered by 100% Green-e certified renewable wind and hydro energy, and the Web site is hosted with 100% solar energy. The company ships and gift wraps using only biodegradable or recycled materials, and offers carbon offsetting for the shipping footprint of every purchase.

Spirit Beauty Lounge also makes efforts to reduce its own carbon footprint. As a member of 1% for the Planet, the company donates 1% of sales to a network of 1,458 environmental organizations worldwide, and its annual donation to Carbonfund.org supports carbon-reducing projects like renewable energy, energy efficiency, and reforestation projects.

Spirit Beauty Lounge can be reached at (888) 409-8889 or www.spiritbeautylounge.com.

Green Wedding Article in Trumbull Times

Kate Harrison author of The Green Bride Guide and I were interviewed for this article in the Trumbull Times by Stacy Maxwell.

Download a pdf here at Kate's website.

Kate is really great with statistics and tips, you should check out her website. She also has photos from couples that have had green weddings and have shared their own ideas and tips. It's a great place to learn more about green weddings...from someone that has actually had a green wedding.

My own wedding was greenish back in 2003 but green was not all the rage yet back then and almost unheard of here in Flint, MI by anyone except die hard greenies.

I borrowed and rented a lot of things and used all local services, family and friends. We did a lot of DIY stuff. Like I did all my flowers and centerpieces and my unity candle arrangement.

My husband's family did the catering.

Our wedding and reception were in the same location (and only about two miles from our house) in a building that stays decorated for weddings so we had to provide minimal stuff, centerpieces were pretty much was all we added which were floating candles in glass bowls (which have been used and reused multiple times for parties and other weddings) on top of mirrored tiles.

I also bought bouquet holders and clips and after the ceremony my bouquet and all my attendants' bouquets (five) were placed in the holders at the present table and across the front of the bridal table. The six bouquets in clips and stands added beautiful double duty decor without spending extra.

I also reused the two flower girl baskets by placing them on a table as decorations.

Things I couldn't make myself I bought from artisans that handmade them like my castle guest book and castle cake topper. (We had a fairytale theme.)

Even our (one night) honeymoon was close to home, only about an hour drive from our house.

We saved a fortune by staying close to home and going DIY, we also saved a bunch of resources.

Turtle Love Committee: Diamond Free Affordable Wedding Rings

Turtle Love Committee offers gorgeous rings at super affordable prices-all diamond free.

You have got to check out some of the rings-they are stunning. I wouldn't mind having a few myself. I am a huge sterling silver fan and I love garnets which are featured in a couple of the rings. If you are on a tight budget and think you can't afford gorgeous wedding rings think again. Some of the sterling silver bands are as low as $50. Wow. And they are super beautiful.

Read more about Turtle Love in their press release below:

"Even in this tight economy, people are still getting engaged. But these days, couples are looking for value and timelessness, and it has become tacky to flaunt “bling.” As a result, non-diamond engagement rings are gaining popularity."

"Turtle Love Committee is an online jeweler that has embraced that back-to-basics approach. The Portland-based company focuses exclusively on non-diamond engagement rings and wedding bands at prices between $100 and $200."

“Orders are coming in from all over the country,” says Adrianne Zahner, the company’s founder.

"The Turtle Love Committee collection includes a wide range of styles, all in sterling silver: there are vintage replicas, classic solitaires, organic designs and modern pieces."

"Non-diamond engagement rings are not a new phenomenon. Johanna Farrell of Bellingham, Washington, has worn a garnet solitaire much like ones in the Turtle Love Committee collection since she and her husband became engaged in 1978. She says she loves her ring “because it is a reflection of who we are as a couple. I like knowing that my husband and I put creative thought into the ring I’d wear for the rest of my life.”

"Other jewelers have also reported an increase in sales of non-diamond engagement rings. Nina Dinoff, a New York jeweler, has been selling rings from her accessories collection to couples who plan to wear them as engagement and wedding rings. “I asked one client if he’d like me to use diamonds instead of small gold balls in the setting, and he said no, his fiancée would love it just the way I’d designed it,” Dinoff marveled.

"Turtle Love Committee was founded last year by Zahner, 29, an attorney who was alarmed by her colleagues’ subtle competition to have the best or the biggest diamond engagement ring. She chose the name “Turtle Love Committee” because she liked the “TLC” acronym and the imagery of a group of wise elders dedicated to promoting love."

"According to Zahner, an engagement ring from Turtle Love Committee’s collection “is priceless - it represents a huge emotional commitment, not a huge financial commitment.”

For more information about non-diamond engagement and wedding rings, visit Turtle Love Committee online at http://www.turtlelovecommittee.com/. "