A great message to start the new year on

I normally get royally miffed when I get forwarded messages from friends with "inspirational" messages but this message (written by George Carlin of all people) was so powerful that I had to share. It's a great kick start and ah-ha for the new year. Here's to a GREAT 2008! I hope you send this post around!

"The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

If you don't send this to at least 8 people....Who cares? "

--Dr Bob Morehead

Help People and Planet - Give to Co-Op America

Greetings Conscious Spenders,
For any of you looking for that last taz write off before the end of the year, here's your donation location:

Help Co-op America advance their programs into 2008 and beyond!

Each and every donation goes toward:

Tackling the climate crisis
Building sustainable communities
Creating a fair trading system
Advancing green from coast to coast

Your contribution will be matched dollar for dollar. Give today!

Nature Rocks

Nature rocks...literally. See some photos from my recent trip to Utah where I took to the open road and enjoyed time in canyons.
When you spend time in nature, it really makes you appreciate the environment...PROTECT IT! :)

Here's to a GREAT 2008!

Help Share Knowledge - Give to the Breast Cancer Fund by December 31

The Breast Cancer Fund is all about research to aid in Breast Cancer prevention and they need funding to continue their efforts. This is a conscous request to help put any "I want to donate before the end of the year dollars" to a great cause. BCF released a great report called The Falling Age of Puberty in U.S. Girls: What We Know, What We Need to Know by Dr. Sandra Steingraber, and State of the Evidence: The Connection Between Breast Cancer and the Environment.

Any gift through December 31 in support of the Breast Cancer Fund's scientific work will be matched, dollar for dollar, up to $50,000.

Women and Men of all ages are at risk for Breast Cancer and you can help!



Click here to help Breast Cancer Fund Reach the $50,000 Betsy Gordon Science Challenge Grant

Green Holiday Recap

Greetings Conscious Spenders,
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. I am in Santa Barbara trying to not inhale all the ash that is STILL blowing around from the October fires and working to get settled back in from the holiday madness.

The holidays were great and my green gifting was a success. The people who received Organic Bouquet flowers from me couldn't rave enough. I will definitely use them for green gifts again. Quality company, amazing service.

I splurged and bought a pretty foofy foofy (but green!) gift from Organic Kitchen via Neiman Marcus that totally rocked my world. As a cleaning nut and green girl, this was the perfect healthy cleaning gift - too coolio. The Patchouli Grapefruit lotion is divine!

It was really positive to see all the green gifts and my mother-in-law even asked for all her gift bags back after her grand kids opened presents to recycle them for next year - I was a proud kid :)

Here's to a happy, healthy new year!

I shopped, I saved, I gave back (to Co-Op America!) I'm stoked!

It's that fab time of year where all conscious spending goes out the window and we are not in the holiday "oh s-%$" gift-giving-madly mayhem. For those of you who had a list and stuck to it, I sincerely commend you.

I for one, thought I was on track, bragged in a previous post that I had omitted so many unnecessary gifts, yet here I am ready to leave for Utah for the holiday (I live in California) and as I blog, I am also frantically online buying last minute gifts for people I just realized I need to gift.

BUT HERE'S THE GOOD NEWS ! You can still give gifts that give back that are meaningful. Co-Op America has a deal with Organic Bouquet where you get a 25% discount AND $10 is donated to Co-Op America!

So I supported a green company, gave beautiful gifts and supported a great cause.

Whew!!! Still consciously spending!

We will talk about ways to pay off credit cards in 2008! ha!

Happy Holidays!

Give the gift of Green Clean this holiday!

One of my best friends on the planet is expecting her second baby and the first friend words out of my mouth at lunch last week were questions about the products she uses to clean her house for her 3year old and baby-on the way.

Homes are the MOST TOXIC environments, mainly due to the crap (TOXIC CRAP) that we use to "clean" our homes. Chemicals weaken immune systems, especially infants, kids and seniors (folks with weaker systems)

So, instead of giving a silly gift this year, give the gift of green clean - healthy cleaning products! It's creative, caring and makes a difference.

I lovelovelove www.livingreen.com owned by Ellen Strickland, green pioneer and healthy living advocate extrodinaire. She has stores in Santa Barbara, Montecito and Culver City and now you can shop healthy cleaning products online with them.

Give a great gift this year - help make healthier homes!

Skip the Mall - Shop online and support the Breast Cancer Fund!!!

Do yourself a favor and spare some stress this holiday season. Make a cup of tea, get on your computer and skip the mall and do your shopping online - who wants to go to fight the parking wars and shop for silly thneeds anyhoo?

You can shop online AND support the breast cancer fund! If you buy through their online shopping mall, they get a percentage of donation with every purchase.

The Breast Cancer Fund supports science and research to help stop breast cancer in the first place. One of my best friends is a breast cancer survivor, I have seen the impact this disease has and I LOVELOVELOVE causes like BCF that work for prevention!

Support a great cause, find great gifts and if you still have not sent cards this year, it's not too late. You can send nature-inspired, video holiday greetings online through Three Leaf Cards. 10% of every annual membership purchase goes to the non-profit organization of your choice, you can choose The Breast Cancer Fund.

Happy Holidays and Here's to Conscious Shopping!

Give the Gift of Feeding a Child for a Year

Blake Mycoskie (the absolutely handsome) owner of TOMS Shoes, sent out an email today announcing the FEED BAG PROJECT.

For every bag purchased, one child is fed for 1 full school year through the World FOOD Program. The FEED bag is designed to raise awareness and funds for hungry children and to help them get into school and out of hunger. Each FEED bag sold will provide a school year of meals for one child in need and give them the hope of an education and a regular meal. Whether you tote your FEED bag to school, work, play, or shop, remember that your bag helped to FEED and educate one child for one school year.

Need a cool gift? Buy these! Everybody needs a new grocery tote (saves paper and plastic) and it's for a good cause!

Great Conscious Spending Oprah Segment

I was surfing the web for conscious spending resources to keep the motivation for conscious holiday spending in the air and I came across a great clip from Oprah.

See Oprah's Conscious Spending Segment

It's an older TV segment, but the tips are still valid. It's about spending money with thought and reason.

There is a conscious spending quiz and video clips.

Invest in yourself for the new year, revamp your conscious spending savvy!

Green Gifts - Don't let your gift giving kill you

It's the time of year where we max out our credit cards in the name of "holiday cheer" and go crazy buying "thneeds"
four our friends, family, coworkers, contact and loved ones.

I am going to be on my green gifts soapbox until the holiday, so I thought I'd kick off my rant by suggesting how you avoid buying holiday gifts period.

I worked in retail (Saks Fifth Avenue) for years and spent my holidays selling, wrapping, selecting and taking returns for all the thneeds that people bought over the holidays. The stress kicked in, conscious spending went out the door. It never failed, I watched people get Christmas coo-coo every year and as much as it made my commissions soar as a shopgirl, it started my loathing for stupid holiday shopping and my start of scaling the madness.

Here's how I started saving my green for the holidays:

1. I stopped the gift exchange stupidness - who needs to buy a gift to get a useless one in return? It ends up in the trash (bad for landfills) or takes up space OR you give a nice gift and get one that is so-so in return. Stupid, done, off the purchase list.

2. I asked my family to stop gift exchanging and give to charity instead. This took my parents years to break the habit (but you know, two years after getting a card that says "I donated to charity" that was not attached to a gift and they come around). I live in a teeny condo, this change has saved my wallet, my space and my stress. It's tough to get this in place, but it is SO worth it.

3. Give gifts to kids under 15 ONLY. The holidays are for kids anyways! Some on, put your moolah into giving to the lives that love this time of year - the smiles you get in exchange are so worth it.

4. Give the gift of connection. I try to take my holiday cash and put it into visits and dinners with family. We don't need a damn thing for the holidays, treat the ones you love to conversation and a great meal. So worth it!

5. When you do give, GIVE GIFTS FROM CONSCIOUS COMPANIES. I give client gifts as I am so grateful for my great work partners and I give gifts from companies like Aveda (Aveda candles are a PERFECT gift)!

Make the holidays meaningful - start by being a conscious spender! Be green and save green!

A truly reSOURCEful toothbrush

We live in a time crunched world...when we lack time, we tend to naturally lack time to think.

Thank goodness the folks at RADIUS TOOTHBRUSH took the time to think about the fact that 80%, yes 80% of the materials used by standard toothbrushes do not have to be replaced Post thought, they created the source toothbrush. The handles are made with renewable resource bio-plastic handles that are made from recycled wood or flax mixed with post-consumer polypropylene.

SO COOL and uber conscious.

It's the same concept with razors, you only need to replace the heads of those, so why not only replace the heads of toothbrushes? I know, ah-ha!

The next time you get a new toothbrush, get a eco-friendly toothbrush!

I didn't panic when I bought expensive jeans that were organic

It's been a wild week, plus it's the start of the chaotic holidays. So, what's a stressed out girl to do? SHOP! (Duh!?) So even though I spent a LOT on my new organic bootcut jeans, I feel good that they are 100% organic cotton (and they make my butt look good, thank gawad) Even better, the online clothing boutique that I bought my jeans from, Kate Boutique, donates 1% to Heal the Ocean. Poifect!


Dear Conscious Spending Goddess:
I bought quality over quantity today but and I will wear these timeless jeans forever. I will wash them with my Cleanut Vegan soap only after I have worn them several times because I don't need to wash them every time I wear them. I will wait at minimum four wears. I will wash in cold. I will be a conscious spender. I am grateful for conscious shopping therapy.
Amen.

Spare yourself card sending drama - Send online greetings for the holidays!

I'm going to do all of you conscious spenders a BIG favor...I am going to tell you now, honestly, that you will not have time to snail mail lots of meaningful paper holiday cards to all the people you care about this year OR you will buy a stack of cards and they will sit on your desk until 2008 and you will feel bad that you didn't have time to send them OR (and this may be the worst scenario) you will just sign the card (BTW, I hate getting a card with nothing but a signature) and stamp it and send the paper cards that have no special message and ends up in the recycle bin (I hope it at least goes into recycle) But don't feel the paper card ick any more...

Say no to holiday paper card lameness! Make a conscious choice to save TIME, TREES and MONEY and send meaningful holiday cards ONLINE with Three Leaf Cards. The owners are both artists, all the cards are custom video cards and the message will be truly meaningful. Plus, you save time, trees and money! It's only $19 for the whole year to send kick-ass online greeting cards (love that!)

With Three Leaf Cards, you can send great memorable cards and custom select the:
-Card
-Quote
-Heading
-Music
-Date (can schedule cards in advance)
-Logo of the non-profit partner who you support (Three Leaf Cards donates to Breast Cancer Fund, Sustainable Conservation, Mountain Institute, Co-Op America and the Conservation Fund.

Save yourself the stress of holiday greetings, be a conscious spender, get a Three Leaf Cards membership and start pre-scheduling those holiday cards now so you can spend more time ENJOYING the holidays! Plus, 10% or more of your membership goes to a GREAT CAUSE...Go!!

5 Easy First Steps You Can Do Today

MSN now has a Green Section Hooray for that! I love seeing large entities take initiative and make a difference!

Check out the new green tips section on MSN AND their link to 5 easy steps you can take to simplify life and make a healthier life and planet

Part of being a conscious spender is being CONSCIOUS, yep, it's that easy. Think about your actions and your can re-train your brain to make savvier choices for a happier, healthier life.

Here's a recap of the 5 easy steps:
1. Bring a canvas or reuseable bag when you shop. I find it's easiest to have a few in my car at all times for grocery, farmers market, nordstrom (yep, I even bag my new clothes in canvas!)

2. Conserve electricity. I have a two light rule at home and I often find I only need one if I am home alone. Candles make a better light and mood at night anyhoo!

3. Save gas. Can you walk to the post office vs. driving there on your lunch hour? If so, DO IT! The planet and your tush will thank you for it!

4. Buy local. The waste involved in transporting produce is insane, support local farmers for healthier produce and to minimize impact. You are what you eat so eat quality!

5. Reduce your plastic water consumption. I say this as I just bought a six pack of Fiji water at the grocery store thinking I rocked for supporting a green water company however, it would have been better to buy larger quantities of Fiji water vs all the little ones.

I have some conscious choices to make too!

Bags of Change

A fellow conscious spender referred me to Bags of Change (thank you for your great feedback!) a way to help alleviate all the plastic bage wastola AND support/get deals at organic, fair trade stores.

You can support your local shops and say no to plastic bags forever with Bags of Change. Even better, their organic hemp-cotton bag award you discounts on local, organic and Fairtrade goods at participating stores.

The organic, Fair trade stores are UK based.

Happy shopping!

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's a day of rest and thanks, so all I have to post is this goofy photo (dare me to bake it???) and overwhelming feelings of gratitude. I am thankful for my great friends and amazing family, health and wonderful work partners. I feel hopeful for the planet and the future. Spend time with children, they are the reason we need to be conscious and caring and make better choices so when it's their time to cook Turkey dinner, they can do so in a healthy planet.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Be a Conscious Shopper - Use Reuseable Bags!

I am sure a lot of us are frantically doing last minute Turkey Day Shopping. Before you get in the car, make a conscious choice to use reusable bags to reduce your impact on the planet!

Co-Op America awarded their annual People's Choice Award prize this year to ReusableBags.com, a member of their Green Business Network devoted to helping society overcome its addiction to the ubiquitous petroleum-based plastic shopping bag.

"Our ongoing mission since day one has been to change the status quo of society's use-and-toss mentality by providing sound, practical ideas and products," says Vincent Cobb, founder of ReusableBags.com. "We were thrilled to be nominated the past two years, and are incredibly honored to win this year's award."

In addition to being a GREAT company, the eco-friendly shopping bags are great. They are durable, make transporting goods easier and make the planet less landfill-y (it's late, I made that word up)

Buy a few eco-friendly shopping bags and store them in your car, then you never have an excuse to forget and you will spread the conscious spending love!

Buy Shoes that give back - TOMS

The next time you need a new pair of shoes, buy from a company that gives back - TOMS.

TOMS just introduced their Fall TOMS Collection. With EVERY pair you purchase, TOMS will give away a pair to a child in need.

Companies that give back rock and retail therapy gets a whole new meaning!

Top Ten Green Toys for the Holidays

One of Three Leaf Card's Nonprofit partners, Co-Op America, just released a Ten Green Toys for the Holidays list.

Start thinking holiday conscious spending - buy Green Toys for tots!

Still NUTS over my new cleanut detergent

I am not one to gush over doing laundry, but last week I did a post on my new eco-friendly laundry detergent and I love it so much I want to marry it.

A week later, my clothes smell yummy and are really, truly softer than ever.

I am hooked on cleanut detergent. Vegan detergent, good for skin, organic ingredients. It makes laundry tolerable!

Play a Cool Online Game AND feed hungry people free!

Greetings Conscious Spenders,
For those of you who need a constructive diversion from your day (great diversions include reading this blog too!!!) Check out FreeRice!

FreeRice is a sister site of the world poverty site, Poverty.com. They have two goals:

1. To provide English vocabulary to everyone for free.
2. To help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.

They do the cool site they do because of sponsors who advertise on this site.

What are you waiting for? Go play!

Gifts that make a Difference

Aveda (one of my favorite companies on the planet) is using renewably-sourced paper in their gift sets this year to help brighten the future for families and forests. Aveda stated on one of their gift flyers that:

"Over 20% of carbon dioxide greenhouse gas emissions worldwide are due to forest loss"

You can learn more about the Aveda partnership here in their video.

As a conscious customer, I love knowing that my dollars to Aveda give back.

Little Spending Choices can Light the Way

Hola Conscious Spenders,
I have been reading a lot of articles and listening to people talk about ways we can help make the planet a better place by conserving and making better choices and one pattern I hear a lot is that small, simple choices can make a big difference (if we all take part!)

I thought I'd kick off the weekend with a simple conscious spending tip - when it is time to replace those light bulbs, buy compact.



There was a great article in Fast Company in 2006 Called How Many Lightbulbs Does it Take to Change the World? One.

According to the article:
"Compact fluorescents emit the same light as classic incandescents but use 75% or 80% less electricity.

What that means is that if every one of 110 million American households bought just one ice-cream-cone bulb, took it home, and screwed it in the place of an ordinary 60-watt bulb, the energy saved would be enough to power a city of 1.5 million people. One bulb swapped out, enough electricity saved to power all the homes in Delaware and Rhode Island. In terms of oil not burned, or greenhouse gases not exhausted into the atmosphere, one bulb is equivalent to taking 1.3 million cars off the roads.

That's the law of large numbers--a small action, multiplied by 110 million." (Source: FastCompany.com)

So if Home Depot is on your weekend shopping list, pick the compact fluorescents!

Now Accepting Climb Against the Odds 2008 Applications

Want to make a great New Year's resolution that gives back in a big way?

Join the Climb Against the Odds mountain expedition hosted by Breast Cancer Fund. The event is for breast cancer survivors, supporters and others impacted by the disease —both women and men. They only take 40 climbers on the team, so slots are filling fast.

If you would like to join the inspiring journey for breast cancer prevention, now's the time!

Learn more and apply to climb today »

Event: Climb Against the Odds
Dates: June 15 to 21, 2008
Location: Mt. Shasta, Calif.

Note - the photo is two-time Breast Cancer Fund Climb Against the Odds team member Sherry Miller, 52, of Reno, Nev. She stood on the summit of Mt. Shasta in July 2006 while undergoing her fifth round of chemotherapy. Sherry died May 1 of metastatic breast cancer.

Urge Congress to Connect Diseases with Causes

The information below came directly from the Breast Cancer Fund Newsletter. Help them help you...read below and take action!

125 million Americans live with some form of chronic disease, 3 million with breast cancer. Science points to our increased exposure to toxic chemicals as a contributing factor. Yet there is no nationwide system to track chemical exposures and link them to rates of breast cancer and other diseases.

Senator Hillary Clinton and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi have introduced The Coordinated Environmental Public Health Network Act of 2007 to meet this urgent need.

Their bills would expand what we know about disease rates, the pollution levels in people, exposure to toxic chemicals and how they’re all connected—and to respond so we can prevent breast cancer and other diseases in the future.

Ask your legislators to support the Coordinated Environmental Public Health Network Act »

The average woman consumes one tube of lipstick a year - make it organic!

In a former life, I was a cosmetics manager (a "get my butt though college" job that paid well!) and I recall learning in one of my sales trainings that the average woman consumes one tube of lipstick a year. That stat freaked me out (I wish I could recall the source) but it does make you think....

If you are going to wear lip color and you are going to ingest some of it, you better make it good for you!

I discovered Colorganics Lip Tint It is sheer, organic lip tint that is moisturizing with a slight hint of natural color, perfect actually. It's made with organic castor oil and moisturizing organic hemp seed oil.

For those of you who are really into safe cosmetics, ingredients are below.

Ingredients: Certified organic castor oil, certified organic beeswax, carnauba wax, certified organic hemp seed oil, certified organic jojoba oil, natural vitamin E. May contain mica, iron oxides, carmine, titanium dioxide (non-FD&C natural pigments).

Conscious beauty comes via conscious spending! May your next tube of lipstick be a quality one!

Help Spread the Word About Climate Change

Hey Coolio Conscious People!

Since it's almost that time to give thanks, I thought I'd suggest that we give thanks for nature and the planet and take advantage of the power of the world wide web and:

1. connect with people you care about
2. help spread the word about climate change (it's not going away, awareness is the first step towards conscious change)

Check out the free powerful climate change cards on Three Leaf Cards and the slightly satirical climate change card and send the card around!

Have a great day!
P.S. The "Glacier Guy Free Video" was featured at an NRDC dinner

Nuts Over My New Laundry Detergent

I recently purchased an eco-friendly laundry detergent that that I discovered at the Green Festival in SF last week. It's made with natural and organic ingredients, it's allergy free, and REALLY economical. Only 1 FL oz per load - too coolio!

The products we use on ourselves get into our water systems so we have to be conscious of what we use for our health and the planet.

cleanut has no dyes, no phosphates, it's safe for septic systems and IT WORKS. My clothes are softer and the smell is great.

We can can make easy choices that make for a better planet, respect the planet, respect the products that end up on your skin and support great companies that make good stuff!

Cleanut - The Powerful Soap Nut - Liquid Laundry Detergent - TWO bottles of 25 Fl. Oz. each - 50 LOADS (1 Fl. Oz./load = only $ 0.38/LOAD)

Do you NEED that Thneed? :)

I am still riding my creative retreat high from all the insight I gained from the Co-Op America Green Conference and traveling home yesterday allowed me to reflect on what I learned from all the speakers and attendees about being a responsible customer, business person and community leader and the biggest a-ha and summary on what I can do to make a difference goes back to the basis that I learned from Dr. Seuss:

YOU DON'T NEED A THNEED.

What the heck does that mean? It's really quite simple. I challenge you to go back to life at the age of five and remember the wise lesson from Dear Dr. Seuss in his amazing book, the Lorax.

Dr. Seuss tells the story of the Lorax who wants to save the trees and fights the man who wants to cut down the trees while convincing the masses via savvy marketing that we need "thneeds". After the masses buy these silly thneeds and satiate their consumeristic needs, they end up with a polluted planet and ultimately, a poor quality of life. The little man who fought for what he felt was right in the Lorax is a persona that still exists out there today. These eco-protesters are taking the people and planet issues personally and commit to making their life's work to encourage us to step back and THINK. Yep, think, that's all we have to do to start making a change for the better. Think about the difference between wants and needs and ask yourself when you make purchases if you really need that "thneed" or if you can we re-use something. When we do need to buy something, ask:

1. Where it comes from?
2. Is is made/conducted by a responsible company?
3. Will is last years and years and years?
4. What is the value of the product/service?
5. What are the values of the organization?

The Lorax was right, he is still right, and when you buy that next piece of furniture or bedding or household cleanser or invest in that next fund, ask yourself a few questions first so you put your money into companies and organizations that think first before they produce products and offer services.

If we exercise our thought and take mindful action via conscious spending, we CAN make a difference.

And we all need a darn good excuse to take a healthy retreat back to kidsville, so buy The Lorax and read it to the kids in your world...getting consciuous can also be a hell of a lot of fun!

Green Loop Pre-Holiday Sale

For those of you who need (need as in need, not want, okay, it's Saturday, maybe a little want is okay) Greenloop (Green Life, Green Style) is having a Pre-Holiday Sale on great vendors like Stewart+Brown and Emily Katz. Don't panic, most of the clothes are organic AND beautiful, so get your green clothes shopping on, or buy your green holiday gifts and save a little moolah so you have more to give to great causes this year!!!

Conscious Spending - Period (Literally)

This is probably one of the most un-sexy posts I will ever do about conscious spending, but as a woman and someone that gives a damn about people and planet, I cannot NOT talk about conscious spending choices that relate to our periods, specifically healthy feminine hygiene products (phew, there, I said it)

Okay, getting your period sucks most of the time but what can suck even harder is putting toxic (toxictoxictoxic) bleached products into our bodies in the name of "hygenine". We have choices to make and women owe it to themselves and their families to make healthy feminine product choices.

The Seventh Generation site explains why we need to think and make better choices about feminine care products:

"Most conventional feminine care products are made with absorbent fibers that have been bleached with chlorine, a process which sends dangerous chlorinated toxins – especially dioxin – into our atmosphere, water, and soil. Over time, those chemicals may end up back in our bodies."

Worse, tampons are placed directly into our bodies, so we need to think twice and act by buying chlorine-free care products.

Stores like Whole Foods carry these kinds of feminine care products. Being conscious requires change (conscious awareness) - once you get in the habit of making healthier choices, it will become unconscious and your body will thank you for it.

Happy weekend! :)

Green Festival In SF

My sister (who lives in SF and lived in my hotel room with me while I attended the Co-Op America Green Conference all day and night the last two days) emailed me with the great plug that was on Daily Candy SF for the Green Festival this weekend - If you are in the city this weekend, go!
From Daily Candy San Francisco:
Green Festival
What: Mingle with the ecognoscenti over art, politics, music, and food.
Why: Everything you ever wanted to know about sustainability but were too afraid to ask.
When: Fri., 2-8 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Where: San Francisco Concourse Exhibition Center, 635 8th St., at Brannan St. Tickets online at greenfestivals.org.

In the Co-Op America Inspiration Zone

Greetings conscious spenders...It's been a few days (which is a rare thing for me to NOT have something say, as opinion is my middle name), but since I arrived in San Francisco Tuesday for the Co-Op America Green Conference, I have been on information overload (in a good way!) attending all the great networking events, socially responsible business sessions, break out sessions (great blogging/social media session hosted by David Anderson of Green Options Media) wining (organic wine of course!), dining (vegan and organic) talking to my fellow conference attendees about Three Leaf Cards tree-free holiday greeting cards and getting up the next day to get more green data in my noggin. So, the point of the run-on sentence is to say that all the inspiration has left me a little blog-less to say the least. I am so overwhelmed with excitement about being a part of this industry and now have so many new tidbits of great information to share, that I think I simply am at a loss of where to start!

I always attend events like these with no expectations, as half the excitement of attending conferences is that you never know who you will meet. I have met green decorators, green media companies, socially responsible business consultants, eco-friendly food companies, organic cosmetics companies and much, much more.

I plan to go through all my notes when I leave San Francisco and share all the conscious spending wisdom that I have collected. Stay tuned in the next few weeks.

The biggest overall takeaway so far from the conference is how important is to support companies that are working to make a positive impact to help people and the planet and that we have NO (I'll say it again, NO) EXCUSE to not make conscious spending choices because there is not a lack of any socially responsible service or product provider out there, it's just a matter of empowering ourselves to know who they are and support them.

Three Leaf Cards supports great non profit organizations that are truly making a quantifiable impact. Co-Op America is one of the companies that a member can choose to donate 10% of their funds to, and after seeing the team in action, I am beyond proud to support them as well as all of our great Non Profit partners

Companies are out there making a difference, I cannot wait to share all the great companies I have stumbled upon to keep conscious spending fun and impact-ful.

For anyone in SF, go to the Green Festival this Friday - Sunday and see for yourselves all the great green companies that you can consciously support!

How you can stop junk mail and save trees

I did a post a few weeks ago on how to stop junk mail (after you click, scroll down) and since then, I have been taking the advice of 41pounds.org on ways to reduce my carbon footprint and stop the gastly inconvenience of junk mail.

I wanted to share some information that I didn't know until I had the help of 41pounds and wanted to pass along the wisdom....

#1. We have rights - we can stop junk mail. We just have to contact all the companies that send us junk mail and ask them to stop, or better yet, get companies like 41pounds to help you with the contacting (they make it really easy!)

#2. If you move, ask for a mail forwarding form NOT a change of address, as the post office sells your new address information (I feel so slimy thinking about that!) but really good to know huh?

#3. Supermarket club cards are an instant way to poof out that mailbox, they track our habits not to give us great savings (ok, maybe that's some of it) but they use it to market and cram our mailboxe full of landfill crap. No club cards anymore conscious spenders!

#4. When you donate, you have to request that they do not sell, share or rent your information as they most likely will.

Help save the planet, be mindful when you spend and know that as a conscious customer you have choices and there are great services to help stop junk mail

Green Guide

National Geographic offers a GREAT and free online green guide that offers eco-friendly and conscious spending green living tips. I stumbled upon them when I was searching for Green Athletic Shoe Makers

They also have a web-only special on Smart Conscious Shopper's Cards that
helps conscious spenders make product choices that are healthier and/or ecologically improved. Their web listing cards have easy to access ingredients to avoid, labels to look for, recommended products, or the like.

Get your conscious savvy shopping on!

Travel Green - Support Green Hotels

I travel a lot for work and one way that I try to offset my travel output is by staying at eco-friendly hotels. I am HUGE fan of the Kimpton Hotels (when I stay in SF, I love the Hotel Triton and I just saw today that the staff at one of the Kimpton Hotels, Hotel Solamar is supporting the victims of the California Wildfires in San Diego...too cool...

Being a conscious spender means being aware of a company and their practices and I have always admired the Kimpton company for their environmental eco-friendly hotel practices (organic bedding, towels, conservation, recycling and more) but now I am a super fan of them socially too...

See their message below. If anyone wants to help the California fire victims, please do so and as a conscious customer, SUPPORT GREAT COMPANIES LIKE KIMPTON HOTELS!

We have been following the news of the wildfire and want to do something to help.

The staff of Hotel Solamar has begun efforts to provide emergency supplies to surrounding shelters to help the victims of the wildfires. To provide more widespread aid, Hotel Solamar is also collecting donations to be distributed by St. Vincent De Paul Charity and Goodwill.

If you would like to join us by making a donation, please bring the following items to the front desk at the Hotel Solamar between the hours of 8 am and 8 pm, through November 7, 2007:

* Clothing
* Blankets
* Non-perishable food
* Baby food and diapers
* Bottled water
* Pet supplies

Team Three Leaf is going to the Co-Op America Green Conference in SF! Come see us!

Team Three Leaf is going to remove ourselves from our computer monitors next week to attend the Co-Op America Green Conference in San Francisco!

We will be getting our green brains on and meeting like-minded green companies and organizations.

Stay tuned for blog updates from the show and contact us if you want to meet up! We are making tree-free holiday cards this year for organizations to save time, trees and money and can't wait to talk it up next week!

If you haven't yet, sign up for the green business conference!

Green Goods - Instyle.com

It is often a challenge to be a shopper junkie and a conscious spender, so I was stoked that Instyle.com had a Green Goods slideshow on their site...perfect for conscious spenders like us!!!

Pure Prevention - Help Reduce your Chances of Breast Cancer

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so the team at Breast Cancer Fund, Luna Bar and Pure Prevention have joined forces to help fight the fight by preventing breast cancer in the first place!

There are easy steps that can be taken to help prevent Breast Cancer, many are simply conscious choices:

1. Create a Healthy Home - Be conscious and make wise choices about your household cleaners, furnishings and pest killers. We breathe all that crud you know!!!
2. Eat Smart - We are what we eat, including the chemicals in our food. Before you fill that grocery cart up, think before you buy. Buy quality food, your body will love you for it!
3. Choose Safe Cosmetics - The makeup we buy matters. Some of the industry's worst offenders include nail polish, hair dye, hair relaxer and skin lighteners. For a list of save cosmetics, visit Skin Deep
4. Get Outside - The air indoors can be really toxic, mix it up, breathe fresh air and move that body!
5. Join the Pure Prevention Campaign

Toxic Costumes? Halloween Goes Green

Not really. Halloween wouldn't be Halloween, after all, if there weren't the staple colors of orange and black everywhere!

But, now your Halloween can be ³greener² thanks to some tips provided by Treehugger.

PVC and vinyl create toxins such as lead, cadmium, and phthalates. Yea, thanks but no thanks.

And if you read our post about how toxic make-up is, then you already know about how toxic these face paints really are. Some of the toxins you will find here include formaldehyde, lead, and other potential cancer-causing agents.

Treehugger suggests getting creative and finding things in your closet or the local thrift store that will turn your children into those Halloween ghouligans!

What about the make-up? Maybe try to make your own this year. Might be
fun. Read more about Green Halloween Costumes

The State Of Our Planet, Graphically Speaking That Is

People like you and me post on blogs like Conscious Spending, make conscious choices in our living and try to make a difference for the world because we are aware of what kind of impact we have on our environment. So, we all also know how big of a threat the climate crisis really is.

But, amazingly, many people are still in denial when it comes to just how critical and urgent the situation really is. BBC came out with a great story that shows the effects of global warming and human impacts on the climate crisis, with nicely illustrated pictures.

Now, for those of us who are unable to "picture" the breadth of this looming disaster, now we can get a great visual reference through these images.

Check it out on BBC.

Wildfires Consume California

We are all aware of the devastating situation with the wildfires in Southern California. I¹m sure there are a lot of factors contributing to the destruction by this super fire, including overgrowth of plants in the area, high-population density and the intense winds. With crazy gusts over 50 mph, the wind is helping to spread the fire quickly and creating a very dangerous environment, which includes the now famous Fire Tornado.

Now, area residents are being warned to stay indoors as the air quality continues to decrease. These types of fires emit very dangerous, and tiny, soot particles that can cause extreme health concerns, especially for the younger and older populations.

I was in Denver during the Heyman Fire, and the skies were an eerie orange glow and their was ash constantly falling on my patio; and that fire was a good 50 miles out of town. I can only imagine how intense and crazy this urban fire is and the kind of havoc it is wreaking in this densely populated region of the US.

Our thoughts are with the residents, both those in danger and those 500K displaced people, and hopefully Mother Nature will lend those brave firefighters a hand.

Pre-Consumer waste bags are HOT!

I was oogling over my friend's cute tote bag the other day and it turns out that it they are made from pre-consumer waste...it may not sound sexy to some, but to someone like me who is trying to make eco-friendly purchases, I was giddy.


Bazura Bags is a women’s cooperative in the Philippines that utilizizes ‘Pre-Consumer’ waste packaging gathered from juice container manufacturers and used advertising banners in and around Manila. This waste material is normally deposited into landfills.

The co-op cleans the used materials and recycles them into these great bags! Way to take poor recycling systems and find a positive spin! Great holiday gift too...

Your Next Home A Tree House?

Every year the car companies come out with these insane concept ideas for cars of the future; and now there is one for homes!

Tree houses aren't just for kids anymore. There is an architectural concept for a house that can be built by, and in, a tree over the period of 5 years.

From future-thinking architects Mitchell Joachim and Javier Arbona, this tree house utilizes vines, roots and the tree itself to build a perfectly "normal" house.

The inside of the home will be plastered with the usual materials and techniques, while apparently the windows are the last point of concern. The architects still work to discover a way to make soy-based windows, or some other natural material, that can continue to grow with the house.

I'm not sure how mud and plaster would grow with the house, but I love this futuristic idea! I love that people are thinking about what our future can be like, beyond flying cars, and living in the skies like the Jetson's.

Check out the house for yourself with this green living tree house video

Three Leaf In Santa Barbara Independent - Green Greeting Cards

Three Leaf Cards was featured in the Santa Barbara Independent today! Very cool that our local press is into conscious companies, especially as we approach the holidays. It's the year to send tree-free cards!

Happy Heating

I don't know about where you live, but here it is getting downright chilly at night. The heater is starting to get warmed up for the busy winter season.

With winter nipping at our toes, here are some helpful hints to make your heating experience greener.

1. So, think you'll be saving some cash this winter by using that fireplace? Did you know that fireplaces are, on average, only 10% efficient? That means they lose 90% of their heat through the chimney, which may not make this such a good idea after all. If you must burn, consider ecobrics. They are made with compressed sawdust and are less harmful on our atmosphere. Burning longer is also a plus.

2. Here's an easy, low-cost, no brainer... it is actually zero cost. Since most of a home's heat is lost through the windows, pull those drapes closed at night!

3. Speaking of windows, storm windows can save up to 50% of heat!

4. It also helps to have any leaks or cracks fixed. If you have a broken seal on your window, or you can see light gaping through the door and the frame, you probably have a little work to be done. Don¹t overlook outlets!

5. The last tip for today is to spread the wealth. A fan set at low can keep the air moving at eye level instead of trapping all that good heat in the ceilings or in unused spaces.

Here are 3 even bigger ways to step it up:
1. Harness the sun. ­ There are a couple of ways to harness the unrelenting power of the sun: solar panels and solar water. There are many more tax rebates available for installing such energy savers, and the costs to build are getting much cheaper. Many homes have an option for one or both ways to capture and store the sun¹s energy, and it's easier than it ever was before.

2. Solar panels not in your future? If not, you can upgrade your current furnace and/or water heater. Today¹s models are much more efficient, potentially saving electricity, gas and water. You may want to have a handyperson give your old units a quick look through, as they may just need a minor tweak or two to operate at a very acceptable 78% efficiency.

3. Gooooo Geothermal! The stats from Treehugger¹s post about geothermal are so staggering, I¹m pasting them below (mostly word for word):
While a 3-ton geo system at $7,500 compares with $4,000 for a traditional HVAC
system, a geo system could save around $700/yr., paying for itself in less
than six years, not even counting the lower maintenance costs as well as the
government rebates and incentives available. Over 1 million homes in the US
use geo-exchange systems, saving 9 billion pounds of CO2 per year.

As the days get shorter and the nights get cooler, don¹t mind the brown of the trees and the white of the snow; just keep thinking green.

States Rank In Carbon Output

Hope everyone had a great Blog Action Day! It was such a success that they are planning to do it again next year. Over 20,000 websites participated. You can read more stats on how big of an impact we all made at www.blogactionday.org.

Speaking of stats, I stumbled upon a very interesting website today. It details, by state, exactly how green we are, regionally speaking, based on our energy consumption.

There are some obvious winners, like the fairly populated states, but there are some surprises in here. For instance, California fares better than N.M. in per capita carbon output, while Alaska, which has one of the lowest population ranks, is the number 3 contributor to U.S. carbon output, with Wyoming taking No.1.

Check it out in detail on Eredux.

Conscious Spenders – Get on Green Dry Cleaning!

I felt like I was pretty green when it came to dry cleaning. I do not get plastic bags over my garments (which is easier said than done), I recycle my hangers, and I wear my dry-cleanables as many times as I can before I have to take them in. However, after I read Co-op America’s article today about Green Dry Cleaning, I am realizing that there is a lot more to the equation….

Part of the Green dry cleaning equation is about the waste, but is it very much about the chemicals that are used to “clean” the clothes too - chemincals that are dangerous to our health and the environment (which of course, impacts health, all cyclical)

According to the Occidental College’s Pollution Prevention Center, 85% of dry cleaners in the US (over 35,000) use perchloroethylene (also called perc) as a solvent in the dry cleaning process. This is a toxic chemical that is not good for people or the planet.

But we are not doomed to perc-cleaning. There are ways to clean clothes bearing a “Dry Clean Only” label without putting toxins into the environment, or bringing dangerous chemicals home or harming the health of the employees working at dry cleaners (thinking about their exposure to all those chemicals freaks me out)

We love Co-Op America’s suggested alternatives to dry cleaning:

Best Bets for Delicate Clothes (from Co-op America)
Our top recommendations for dealing with your “Dry Clean Only” clothes:

• Handwash your dry-clean-only clothes: Green living expert and Care2.com editor Annie Bond offers eco-friendly instructions on safely handwashing silk, wool, and rayon clothing.

• Use wet and liquid CO2 cleaners: Occidental College recently launched a national directory of liquid CO2 and wet cleaners. (The liquid CO2 cleaners listed do not include Solvair cleaners, which use a toxic solvent as part of their process.) Also, keep in mind that some wet cleaners, like Chicago’s Greener Cleaner, allow you to mail in your clothes and will mail them back to you wet-cleaned and pressed. Contact Greener Cleaner at 888/875-8345.

• Avoid hydrocarbon, greenearth, and solvair CO2 cleaning: Though somewhat better than perc, these methods all use toxic solvents.

And because Co-op America rocks, they even condensed all the information in their Real Money green dry cleaning article into a portable dry cleaning alternatives wallet card you can take with you. Get your downloadable green dry cleaning wallet card here.

Green Internet TV ­ A Tribute to Blog Action Day!

Happy Blog Action Day! In celebration of Mother Earth, bloggers all over the world are participating in Blog Action Day, where over 15k websites are all going to unite and blog with one voice for the environment.

For our participation, not only are we having a party with cake and streamers, but also we thought we would share some great websites that stream videos, all about the environment.

The first is Green.tv. Produced by the UN Environment Program, Green.tv takes a look at all environmental issues with a focus on climate change. Sounds like the latest college degree, doesn¹t it?

Big Picture TV features environmental speaker¹s videos from conferences and forums, primarily covering the topic of Ecology. It costs to play in their sandbox though.

UK-based Public TV offers videos from government, private and public organizations, with a dedicated channel to the environment. Keep a pulse on what is going on with environmental issues in other country¹s political chambers.

Frontier.tv ­the short and sweet is that this website offers a section that features a directory covering environmental and conservation topics.

Lastly there is Friction.tv. If debating is your game, this is the place for you.

Happy Blog Action day! Keep blogging away and keep thinking GREEN!

Al Gore Wins Nobel Peace Prize

I can't help but imagine what the state of our country would be if Gore had not conceded and had taken a seat at the desk in the oval office on that controversial day nearly eight years ago.

Not only does he have an Emmy and an Oscar under his belt, but now he is also among the elite Nobel Peace Prize winners, joining the ranks with social advocates such as Jimmy Carter.

Of course, Al didn't win this on his own and shares the big prize with the UN Panel; but this is a huge win for the earth either way.

Not only has the general population finally accepted the fact that climate change is a real crisis and not just some Halloween myth, but now changes can finally be made to help reverse or slow global warming, which is affecting animals, plants and humans alike.

Read the full story on Al Gore's Peace Prize on Yahoo.

Be a part of the change you want to see in the world. You can send this free make a difference about climate change ecard to spread the word and inspire change.

The State Of The Paper Industry

According to GreenBiz.net, we aren't the only people working to limit our consumption of paper in the office and in business in general. On average, 42% of industrial wood harvest goes to paper.

The State of Paper Industry report produced by the Environmental Paper Network, takes a first-of-its-kind look at the paper consumption world, from recycling to forest depletion, within the context of climate crisis.

With "Reducing Your Carbon Footprint" becoming a common topic for more and more companies in North America, businesses are waking up and becoming more aware of their carbon footprint. They are taking steps to help alleviate their impact on global warming and the ever-threatening climate crisis.

Just a couple of key findings from the report include:

* Paper manufacturing is the largest consumer and polluter of our fresh water resources

* The paper industry is No. 4 contributor to greenhouse emissions.

You can read the full article and download the report by visiting GreenBiz.net.

Environmental Threat To Pregnant Women

Mostly in the farmlands of California and Florida, a pesticide used in strawberry farms to rid us of those nasty pests was banned after research found that it was contributing to the depletion of the ozone.

They replaced it with Methyl Iodide, which poses a more immediate threat to pregnant women and their unborn children.

Many scientists are urging the EPA to remove the pesticide and replace it with a safer chemical, but the debate continues.

You can read more about this issue in the recent article on Treehugger.

You can run, but you can't hide from climate change

Yep, you heard me. Climate change is scary...and so is Halloween, so in the name of seasonal online greetings, Three Leaf Cards created a spooky halloween ecard that has a cute climate change twist.

Check out the scary climate change ecard and tell us what you think.

And in the name of upcoming Hallmark holidays, there's no harm in a shameless pitch to remind all our conscious customers that you can send meangingful cards online to save time, money, stamps, resources and contribute to great nonprofit organizations (who are working to make the planet a better place) all at the same time.

Get a membership to Three Leaf Cards and you can pre-schedule all your Halloween cards now!

Stop Junk Mail - Help the Planet

I was at the post office today picking up my mail and I was abhorred by the poundage of junk mail discarded by the mail picker-uppers. As much as I wanted to have warm fuzzies that lots of the crap solicitation garbagio was going to recycled, I could not stop my level of growing infuriation (in public) that the stinking junk mail was delivered to all our mailboxes the first place.

I managed to not loose it in front of the other mail-gatherers and got into my car and remembered that change starts with me...so, what's a conscious consumer to do? The obvious answer was to take steps to stop the junk mail in the first place.

Being the conscious consuming nerd that I am, I started my research of companies that help stop junk mail. Some sites show you how to stop junk mail on your own but being a busy person, I realized quickly that I wanted to engage the help of a third party to do the heavy-lifting for me.

After comparing several stop junk mail sites, I found www.41pounds.org. Not only do they contact tons of direct marketing folks to stop your junk mail, they are an official carbon-free organization. 41pounds serves to stop junk mail and the service fee covers five years AND they donate more than a third of the fee to non profit organizations. Way coolio.

I had a wave of conscious consumer giddiness after I signed up. Here's to stopping junk mail and making a difference!