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Green Education

I start teaching an online class tomorrow.  Originally I decided to do this because I am a teacher at heart and missed teaching.  Also, what a great way to make some money while working at home!  However I have since realized that the best bonus of teaching an online course (besides not leaving my little kids) is that I am teaching in a paperless classroom!  The textbook is available online for my students, the assignments are posted to online forums and the students hold discussions in a chat room; instead of passing notes.  What a great concept.  A green education.  I decided to do some researched and learned that almost every accredited college or university I checked offered online courses!  If you are looking to go back to school, try learning the green way and take an online course. 

Green Earrings

Modify just got in 20 new pairs of Annabuilt earrings!  I love these earrings.  They are eco fashion that everyone can afford.  Annabuilt earrings are art for your ears. Artist Anna Johansson uses recycled metal to create these stylish jewels.  They are so versatile.  You can wear them with your favorite jeans or your favorite dress.  At only $25 a pair you can buy as many as you want!  My favorite are the triple drop earrings, in every color!  I especially love the green in this collection.  Thanks to Anna Johannson for giving us eco friendly art to adorn our green summer selves.

The Plastics Quandary

If you are like me you are somewhat concerned and confused by all this talk about good plastic and bad plastic.  Basically it seems that a chemical, Bisphenol - A (BPA) is found in some plastics.  Recent studies have shown that this chemical may cause some harms to humans, especially when the plastic has been heated.  If you are concerned about BPA and plastic in general avoid plastics with the numbers (3, 6 & 7).  Here are a few web sites that have a lot of information about plastics and BPA.

The Green Guide - Plastics This site is sponsored by National Geographic.  It has several articles to help those of us living a green lifestyle understand plastic.

Facts On Plastic The American Chemistry Council writes and sponsors this great resource.  There are several articles about plastic, update news and research as well as an entire page devoted to understanding BPA. 

CHEC's Household Health  This website provides a simple list of each plastic number and what it means.  A great checklist resource.

Z Recommends  This is a blog that offers help and advice on buying BPA free products.  The link will take you to the "sippy cup site"  (I have two kids under two) but there are links on the right to other household plastics. 

Green Coffee

In honor of Earth Day (belatedly) this year I would like to share an example about how everyone can do their part to help the planet.  My husband is a great guy.  He is a terrific dad, my daughter thinks the sun rises and sets on his command.  He is the best husband and a great friend.  My husband is also a hard worker; he runs a coffee roasting company.  They roast the most delicious coffee you have ever tasted. Now, in addition to all of the above roles, my husband is doing his part to help the earth.  He already does his part at home, but he has expanded this to his company.  La Colombe recently launched an all organic  coffee, an Afrique blend where the profits are going to help a school in Africa and now they have purchased wind energy to offset their electric usage.  They are not a large company and it was not easy to do but with the help and urging of several employees La Colombe is now doing it's part!  I am so proud of him and his company.  They are a great example of how everyone can do their part.  Look at the   impact they are making.

La Colombe Torrefaction, Inc. is proud to use NewWind Energy. We have purchased enough wind energy
to offset 100% of our electric usage. NewWind Energy is clean, locally generated, safe and endless.    

The environmental benefits of switching to NewWind Energy are equivalent to NOT releasing 287,704 lbs of carbon dioxide, 2,006 lbs of sulfur dioxide and 652 lbs of nitrogen oxides a year!  The CO2 reductions are equivalent to planting 19,571 trees or NOT driving 250,151 miles!

Green Baby

I gave birth to my son on February 28th and have spent the last few weeks falling in love.  Noah is my second child and like his big sister Lily we are trying to raise him with thoughtfulness towards the earth and green living.      In todays world there are so many ways that you can help your children live a green life.  You can start with diapers and wipes.  There are many companies that make earth friendly products like diapers and wipes for babies.  I love seventh generation.  I even use their laundry detergent for all of us.  Of course the most earth friendly diapers are cloth.  You can use low chemical products to clean and care for your baby like California Baby shampoo and plain old corn starch for diaper rash.  Less chemicals are good for the earth and good for your baby.  Try cleaning with just a vinegar and water solution.  There are countless more things you can do.  Think about the foods you feed your child.  Are they organic, local, maybe even vegetarian?  What about free time, how often are you outside appreciating nature?  These days you can even buy earth friendly clothing.  My friends and family are so supportive of Modify that they are buying Noah organic cotton and bamboo onsies, sleepers and blankets.  One of the easiest ways to be an earth mama is to nurse your child and think of all of the money you can save! I feel so lucky to have so many opportunities to raise my children in a green and earth friendly way.  I apologize in advance if I don't post a lot in the next month or so, I will be busy falling in love with my kids : )

Is Green the new Red? Happy Valentines Day

Today is Valentines Day and it made me think about how I go out of my way to make the people I love feel special on this one day a year.  Then it made me think about things I could do to make them feel special everyday and that made me think about things I do that help them and the Earth!  A Green Valentines Day!
The two most special people in my life are my husband and my daughter.  I hope that besides feeling like the most loved little girl ever, that I am teaching her about being responsible to the Earth.  I think that is a great gift that shows her love and allows her to show love.  She is being raised a vegetarian and we try our best to buy only local and organic produce.  She learned how to eat whole artichokes "the big girl way" before she was 1!  We go outside as much as possible and talk about how pretty the trees are and the flowers and birds. (birds, flowers, pretty and tree) being four of her first words in that order.  I am hoping that the love of outside we give her now will make her want to care for and protect it when she is older.  My husband is a great partner in this.  He wants to make sure that she sees every national park before she is eighteen.  Also, he will stand at the window with her when it is too cold to go outside and they will spend almost an entire morning naming all of the pretty things outside the window.  So on Valentines Day today, I am going to give my daughter a hug (or 20), a kiss (or 30) and try to spend some time outside with her and all of her "pretty" things.  What a great way to make Valentines Day Green.  Who needs cards, candy and chocolate?  Ok, maybe I need the chocolate!!!

J Brand Green Label (yes, you read that correctly)

The eco-chic fashionista in me is jumping up and down excited to announce that J Brand is about to introduce a Green Label line of denim!  Not only that, but Modify will be the first online eco-retailer to carry the line.  Hooray!  Hooray!  Hooray!  I feel like I can have my cake and eat it too (although not if I want to fit into my J Brands).  The fashionista in me loves the style and fit of J Brands.  They are everyone’s perfect pair of jeans.  Now the eco-chic chick is satisfied too by the Green Label earth friendly  fabrics.  J Brand jeans in eco friendly fabric, what a great Valentines gift.  Because they are such an amazing company, not only is J Brand coming out with a Green Label, but they are also taking a role in the green movement.  They listed the following tips on their website courtesy of “The Green Guide.”

•    Use cloth napkins and kitchen towels
•    Choose powdered laundry detergent
•    Turn the thermostat down 2 degrees
•    Bring your own coffee thermos to work
•    Install a water-saving showerhead
•    Don’t pre-rinse the dishes before loading the dishwasher
•    Take yourself off junk mail lists
•    Plug appliances into surge protectors and turn them off at night
•    Switch to energy-efficient lights
•    Use cloth totes instead of plastic or paper bags

Check back at www.shopmodify.com to order your pair of J Brand Green label and check out www.thegreenguide.com for great green living tips.   

Top Twelve Ways to Go Green in 2008

Looking for some quick and easy ways to go green in 2008?  Follow these tips to a healthier you and a healthier earth.

1.  Buy local.  This reduces your carbon impact as well as supports local farms, producers, small businesses and artisans.
2.  Buy organic.  Stop putting pesticides in you and the earth.
3.  Reduce your trash. Think carefully about the trash you bring to the curb.  Is it compact?  Is it necessary?
4.  Buy less.  Think twice before you make a purchase.  Is it something you can not live without?  If you can live without it, then don't buy it.
5.  When you make that big or small purchase, bring your own bag!
6.  Be a good role model and teach your children, friends and relatives about being green.
7.  Enjoy the earth.  Spend time out doors hiking, walking, running, reading, sitting, thinking or anything else you can think of to take advantage of our beautiful home while still respecting its beauty.
8.  Lower your heat by two degrees.  This will save you money while you help the earth.
9.  Buy products that have a low environmental impact from companies that our eco conscious.
10.  Replace conventional light bulbs with energy efficient light bulbs. 
11.  Unplug!  Unplug your electrical devices when not in use.
12.  Go to EPA.gov to learn where and how to recycle your Christmas tree. 

Green Resolution

As I was sitting down to blog about the new year I kept thinking about all the little ways that we can green our life.  For example, bringing our own bags to the supermarket, not buying plastic water bottles, making every possible effort to recycle.  The more I thought about my list the more I realized that I hope everyone already knows these quick, easy and obvious ways to green your life.  That’s when I decided that the point of my “New Years Blog” would be to remind everyone that it is also important to try to be green in those little ways that might be a little harder to remember or take a little more effort. 

At Modify one of the biggest green challenges for us to overcome was the desire to purchase mannequins without creating a huge environmental impact.  After much discussion, debate and research we came upon this great Co lorado company, Fusion that designs high fashion mannequins for some of the biggest names out there; yet they make every effort to minimize their environmental impact.  Below, read how Fusion creates their green mannequins.  This new year, when making your resolutions remember Fusion - think creative and think green.

•    As a result of Fusion’s efforts to protect the environment from our manufacturing processes and materials, Fusion Specialties, Inc. was awarded the Colorado Alliance for Better Air Award, which recognized Fusion’s innovative ideas and voluntary initiatives to improve air quality in Colorado.
•    The open-mold technique used in the fiberglass process allows for harmful emissions to be expelled into the atmosphere. Fusion’s closed-mold technique and materials greatly reduces these emissions.
•    Fusion’s patented material is recyclable.
•    Fusion’s patented material is pigmented through out, eliminating the need for a painted finish, and therefore any additional emissions produced from hazardous paints and finishes.
•    Fusion’s patented material is highly durable, versus the brittleness of traditional fiberglass. Our products ensure a lower breakage and scrap rate and longer life on the retail floor resulting in a lower disposal rate and a lower number of mannequins in landfills.
•    When paint or other finishes are specified by a customer, Fusion seeks to use only waterborne materials to eliminate harmful emissions from the finishing process. If no waterborne material is available to achieve the required look, it is Fusion’s stance to inform the customer of the potential environmental hazards of the products they are requesting and work together to seek alternative methods.  Fusion has eliminated the use of all solvent-based lacquers and painting materials.
•    By design, Fusion’s advanced RIM technology utilizes compressed air to clean our rotational machinery instead of hazardous solvents such as methylene chloride that traditional elastomer dispensing systems require, further reducing any harmful particulates released into the atmosphere.
•    Fusion’s innovative packaging insert design eliminates the need for any peanuts, bubble wrap or extraneous materials, greatly reducing the amount of packaging required. We use only recycled cardboard
•    All sculpting armatures and clay products are reusable and recyclable.

Have a Green Holiday Season

    In this season of celebration don't forget to stop and celebrate the Earth.  I have listed below some of my favorite ways to stay green during the holiday season. 
    Most of us kick off the season by decorating the day after Thanksgiving.  Even though holiday lights have been a part of many of our traditions for so many years, they are not an environmentally friendly choice.  Instead of a light in every window, how about burning a real candle in your home's windows? 
    Now its time to buy and decorate the tree.  Make sure to buy a real tree not a fake one.  Real trees can be replanted and recycled.  When you trimming your tree use edible or compostable items like cranberries and popcorn.  My personal favorite holiday trees are outdoor trees adorned with ornaments intended to feed the local critters. Use pine cones and peanut butter or empty orange skins filled with bird seed to attract little holiday visitors.
    The tree has been trimmed, the house lit with candles.  Now its time to send those holiday greetings to friends and family.  Send e-cards, call your loved ones or be sure to use cards made with recycled paper.  Cards printed on glossy paper can not be recycled.  Some of the best cards are made from recycled gift tags from the previous holiday.
    Gift giving is a great way to go green and spread the eco-message.  There are so many creative ways to give green gifts this season.  Try some eco-friendly apparel or accessories (you can start your shopping at Modify.)  Home made gifts are always appreciated or you can set up a recycled gift exchange with some of your friends.  Other great green options are charitable donations or planting a tree to honor a loved one.  Two of my favorite gift giving charities are Heifer International and The Arbor Foundation. 
    Don't forget to be green when wrapping your gifts.  Use old magazines for small gifts and newsprint and old maps for larger gifts.  This season, be creative, be joyful, be loved and of course be green!