WorldofGood.com eBay community is LIVE!

I am so excited to share with you all that we have a great new conscious spending resource! WorldofGood, powered by eBay, is an awesome online community where individuals can create positive change through commerce, as part of a global community.

The founders saw the need for education and collaboration so people could be more empowered with the choices they make to better impact people and the planet. World of Good partnered with eBay to marry passion with web power and voila! Super conscious community!

What I love about the site is the people-powered component. It's all about collaboration, trusted information and transparency into how and where products are made.

Three Leaf Cards blogs periodically on World of Good, and I encourage you to bookmark their site and create an account and make a difference!

There was a great interview on Treehugger.co, about the founder - check it out! Treehugger Interview: Robert Chatwani, eBay’s Greenest Rising Star

Day One of No Water Bottle Use

It is day one of my no water bottle usage committment. I would like to thank my new friend Amanda from the Brooklyn Green Team (how eco-hot are they, by the way?!!!) for emailing me back so fast when I pledged my committment. Y'all rock!

Day one is off to a good start. I have this old Starbucks almminum mug that is going to come with me everyhere to spare any desire to buy or use a water bottle.

Right now it is full of coffee, but nonetheless, I have not used a water bottle yet.
I will also commit to bringing my own pre-filled water bottle to they gym to spare any desire to buy a plastic water bottle.

If you haven't signed up for the NO WATER BOTTLE CHALLENGE, get on it! Every little thing makes a BIG difference!

WATER BOTTLE CHALLENGE

Laurie David, one of our eco-heroes and founder of www.stopglobalwarming.org, sends a superb enewsletter (if you are not on the list go to www.stopglobalwarming.org and get on it)

One of her email topics was proposing that we commit to NOT USE WATER BOTTLES between now and Earth Day. The following is straight from Laurie's email:

"Inspired by our friends at Brooklyn Green Team, who are running their own "No Disposable Water Bottle Challenge," we would like to challenge our virtual marchers to give up disposable water bottles. Start with a commitment not to purchase any plastic bottled beverages between now and Earth Day (April 22).

Every year, Americans throw away over 22 billion plastic bottles, the majority ending up in landfills. Across the country, only 10 percent of plastic water bottles are recycled, says a report from the New York state Department of Conservation. Bottle production requires millions of barrels of oil, and the bottles create toxic air pollution as they are incinerated with regular trash. As the Brooklyn Green Team puts it, it's time for us all to "kick the disposable lifestyle."

I am ready to try this out...it's just me and my aluminum bottle baby! Anyone else who is in, please post a comment to this blog. If we get a strong response, we'll donate free online greeting card memberships as prizes to support the No Disposable Water Bottle Challenge!

I want to see some support!!!!

'Mood lighting' can still save energy

I get a great eNewsletter from Community Environmental Council and they had a great tip on mood lighting!

"Dimmable lights in your home or office can have their bulbs replaced by highly efficent CFLs. Learn where to buy them on www.GetEnergized.org"

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

THREE LEAF CARDS LOVES YOU!
We want to wish all our great clients, partners, and non profit partners (Breast Cancer Fund, Sustainable Conservation, Co-Op America, Mountain Institute, 1% for the Planet and Conservation Fund) a wonderful heart day!

We love you all - thank you for your support of our great online greeting cards. We love serving a greater good :)

Oh, and it's not too late to send a fabulous Valentine's Day eCard!

Last Minute Valentine's Day eCards

I have been buried, hence the lack of posts this week, BUT I was a good girl and sent all my loved ones Valentine's Day eCards with Three Leaf Cards. Who has time to send paper cards these days anyway?

It's not too late, save time and trees and support great non profits - give a great nature card...and give your people a moment of nature zen with those fab cards :0)

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!! May you all be conscious spenders even on this Hallmark holiday! Give a plantable plant, something that makes oxygen, an online greeting card, organic dinner, wine...green can be romantic you know!

20% OFF at Greenloop for Valentine's Day - Ends Soon!

Valentine's Day is coming and Greenloop is offering 20% off green Valentine's Day gifts! The coupon good through February 10th. Use code: GREENLOVE

Patagonia Walks the Talk with Freedom to Roam Initiative

Patagonia is one of our favorite companies.
1. They have AMAZING outdoor products that we use when we are shooting photos for our online greeting cards
2. They are a socially responsible company (Three Leaf Cards is a member of 1% for the Planet)
3. They are an environmentally active company.

They have an initivate called Freedom to Roam that is dedicated to establishing migration wildways for animals between protected areas. Patagonia’s partners in Freedom to Roam include other companies, conservation organizations and recreation groups.

I got this email from Patagonia that explains the purpose and passion:
"Climate change threatens to drive more than a million land species to extinction, according to the Extinction Risk from Climate Change study. Habitats for mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs, and butterflies will become warmer. If these species remain trapped in warming habitats due to human development, one-quarter of them could disappear by the end of this century.

Providing species (like this grizzly) with greater freedom to roam between shifting habitats can do much to support their survival. In North America, this means protecting and restoring wildlife corridors along the Pacific Crest, the Continental Divide, the Appalachians, and several other smaller, but equally important, locales.

Freedom to Roam is a partnership of conservation organizations, recreation groups and corporations dedicated to establishing migration corridors between protected areas."

Learn more about the Freedom to Roam partnership and SUPPORT COMPANIES that CARE!

You can vote with your wallets conscious spenders!!

Organic Style Magazine - PaperLESS Edition!

Organic Style Magazine now has a paperless digital edition so we can still get their great organic style news AND Save Trees!

Read the free edition of Organic Style and make a conscious choice to recycle any magazines you do not read anymore.

Good recycling magazine tip - to get more life out of the printed magazines, take mags you have read already to your gym so your guy buddies can share!

Give TOMS this Valentine's Day

Conscious Spenders,
Since Valentine's Day is coming, I thought I'd focus my posts on socially responsible companies that serve a greater good (Since Three Leaf Cards is all about making a difference, we'd feature companies in our same camp!)

If you give Tom's shoes as a gift (gifts to yourself are ok too!) every pair you buy = one given to a child in need.

Oh, and let's not forget to mention that Tom is a megababe, we can consciously support cute do-gooders - woohoo!

Be well!

Send Meaningful Valentine's Cards Online!

Hey Conscious Spenders,
I rarely plug Three Leaf Cards but since it's almost Valentine's Day (and it is my blog and I can do what I want to!), I have to suggest conscious spending by getting an annual membership to send great online greeting cards that serve a greater good!


Three Leaf Cards has GREAT Valentine's Day Cards that have amazing imagery and beautiful quotes...have fun making cards and you can schedule them in advance so you can hit up all your loved ones!!!

Don't Hate Me Because I am Eco-Beautiful

Eco Friendly Fashion never looked hotter! ShopBop.com has three pages of eco-friendly pages which is a great step towards fashion getting green.

Be a conscious spender and wear what is already in your closet. If you NEED anything else, then buy eco-friendly clothing and make a conscious fashion statement!

You can find other eco-friendly fashion on inhabitat.com

and Stewart and Brown - Organic Fashion Pioneers

and if you want to eco-fluff the heck outta your interior design, then Livingreen is a hot shop!

There's a bitchin cool flower in my teacup

I got a sweet gift (my friend is buying all his gifts lately from remindyourlove.com to consciously show his love of his fave ladies) and I am enthralled with the Adagio tea bags that I got - the tea bag opens up to a blooming flower in your tea cup. It made my gloomy afternoon! eeeee!

Check these flower tea blossoms out!

I love the Hotel Triton so much that I want to marry it

Well, after a post like that I don't really know how to follow, but I'll give it a go! I was up in San francisco this week and stayed at my favorite hotel EVER! Hotel Triton is owned by the Kimpton Hotel Group. They are a socially responsible company. Their mission says it all:

"Be a leader in the hospitality industry in supporting a sustainable world, by continuing to deliver a premium guest experience through non-intrusive, high quality, eco-friendly products and services."

I love supporting Kimpton Hotels 1. Because their hotels ROCK and 2. Because of their Earth Care committment:

"Kimpton Hotels has made a life-long commitment to environmental responsibility. Being environmentally responsible is not a one day job. It is a commitment and one that Kimpton is dedicated to for life. Every three months, new products and practices are introduced to Kimpton EarthCare, furthering our vision to reduce our impact on the environment. Of course, all the while we protect the high quality hotel experience our guests expect."

The service is stellar, the eco-friendly emphasis makes me feel good about where I put my moolah and I am surronded with conscious care.

Sustainable Furniture - New Conscious Choice

When I attended last year's Co-Op America Conference in San Francisco, I walked away inspired and committed to making choices about where my money goes to help make a difference.

My conscious choice of the week was investing in new office furniture, but not just any office furniture, sustainable office furniture!

I am buying National Office Furniture not because it's a cheap deal (oh noooo!), but because they are a company that cares and I am buying (or should I say investing) in a QUALITY product that I will have forever. Plus, my home office will look really sexy and that's a plus too!!!

If you want to make conscious choices, support companies that WALK THE TALK. Need advice on how to find these companies? Check out members of 1% for the Planet. Three Leaf Cards is a member of 1% for the Planet, a very conscious choice that counts to consumers who want to support companies that put their money where their mouth is!

Ernesto Soy Lube for Bikes

Ernesto is trying to build name recognition with a soy-based bike lube. It’s biodegradable, and you can even send the empty bottle back when it’s gone to get it refilled.

If you’re looking to lower the environmental footprint of your bike, this might be the only way to increase your righteousness while winding a cargo bike through streets crowded with SUVs.

A 4oz bottle of Ernesto Lube is only $6.

Kudos to a Santa Barbara Day Spa Owner for Recycling!

I stumbled upon a Busy Working Moms Blog run by a day spa owner in Santa Barbara. Check out her cool tips about recycling.

I LOVE business people that care!!!

Read the Recycling Made Easy Article from the BusyWorkingMom blog and support conscious business people where you live!!!

Conscious Hotelling

Greetings from the Georgia Tech Conference Hotel in Atlanta (it snowed here today!) I had a conscious moment when I checked into my room...

So much of the toiletries go to waste..do we REALLY need to open soaps in the shower and bathtub?

Help minimize your hotel consumption:

1. Only use one soap during your stay (it won't kill you to pick the soap up from the sink and take it to the shower!)

2. If the hotel has a linens program where you can request that they don't clean your linens daily, opt for that!

3. Turn off all lights when you are not in the room!

Free Envirosax Shopping Bag with a $50 Greenloop Purchase

Need clothes? Buy green! Greenloop has sustainable clothes that look as good as they make you feel AND they are giving away sweet bags with a $50 purchase! Just enter code ENVIROSAX into the Order Comments box under your Payment Method at checkout, and Greenloop will include 1 FREE Envirosax Shopping Bag for each $50.00 of your purchase.

Shop on conscious spender!

Great Site - www.uptownliz.com

Hey Readers,
I wanted to share a new site from my new blog pal, Ramona Russell.

www.uptownliz.com was created in memory of Ramona's 28 year old sister, Liz who sadly lost her life from breast cancer last year. The site that supports giving back through shopping.

Uptown Liz (www.uptownliz.com) promotes products from companies whose proceeds directly give back to charitable organizations.

Check it out and support fellow conscious business people....our dollars can make a difference!

Conscious Spending Tip - Online Bank Statements!

Quick tip of the day - Save time and trees and make a positive eco-decision today.

Set all your financial statements to be online only!

I received several tax statements in my email inbox today and went and changed all my banks statements to be web only...no more papers to file, no extra mail, one step towards saving trees.

What are you waiting for? Go make the change! :)

Confessions of a Conscious Shopper

Sometimes it's tough being a wild web woman. You live behind a computer screen, your only interactions with the outside world are via email or web conferencing and you feel all alone in your little wild web world. Now, don't get me wrong...my lack of commute and work flexibility is great, but sometimes you just have "one of those days"...

...And sometimes when the going gets tough, the tough just has to go shopping....

So I was at a meeting (yes, an actual get in the car and meet people in person meeting) and the shopping mall was on the way home...going back to my home office and sitting behind the laptop was not desirable and since I was already in the shopping area, I realize that it would be less impactful to shop now versus make a second driving trip (you are hearing all the shopping excuses already!) back to the mall, so I make a conscious shopping choice to STOP, SHOP and ROLL....keep rolling with me as I confess my not-so guilty shopping sins....

Let me first pat my conscious spending self on the back for taking my canvas bag with me before I started my shopping extravaganza. Go me...ok, rolling on...

First shopping stab - AVEDA. I love Aveda so much I want to marry them. Their products are amazing, the company is cool and most importantly, they are dedicated to making a difference. I try to consciously support companies that do good and Aveda is top on my shop therapy list. Did you know that they are the first beauty company manufacturing with 100% certified wind power?

So, I walk into Aveda feeling pitiful and tired and I am overwhelmed with a stellar customer service "Welcome to Aveda!" greeting. As I sip calming Aveda tea, I get pampered with makeup help (and honestly, I needed some help in the beautification department) a hand massage and overall stellar service. After I look like a naturally glowing goddess thanks to my Aveda superstar, I use my Aveda points (BTW, I am going to Jamaica on Aveda points, mark my conscious spending words!) and as the women are ringing me up, they thank me profusely for bringing my own canvas bag. Getting shopping support when I try to be green really rocks. Then we proceed to talk about their new wind energy movement, my goal to go to Jamaica (a la supporting Aveda) and I'm off....

My seond shop therapy stop was lululemon athletica. I had a gift certificate to the store burning a hole in my pocket and there was no better time than now. Conscious spender note - lululemon has great shopping bags I use as a gym bag or lunch bag and they give you $.50 off when you bring in any shopping bag. I love stuff like that!

I find some great workout wear that is in line with my gift certificate amount and I bought basic black so I can wear this stuff forever. Suggestion for conscious fashionistas - buy classic and the shelf life of clothing will be super long...saves shop time because you have the basics you need and you don't have the trend factors that kill clothing shelf life. lululemon has a great manifesto
that is very pro balance, health and what really matters. Another cool company that I am happy to support.

Once my canvas bag had new workout clothes and Aveda goodies, I was consciously shopped out and wanted to call it quits. I supported two great companies, felt good about my choices and now feel some redemption from my conscious shopping confessional......

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.......

Win a free trip to the Seattle Green Festival!

One of Three Leaf Card's nonprofit partners, Co-Op America, wants you to join them at their newest Green Festival this spring in Seattle.

They are giving you a chance to win a trip for two during the weekend of April 12 and 13, to enjoy visionary speakers, hands-on workshops, green shopping, live music, fun family activities, and more at our famous two-day party-with-a-purpose, co-produced with Global Exchange.

The Green Festival shows you what a truly green economy would look like – Fair Trade, renewable energy, organic food, sweatshop-free clothing, recycling and composting, and much more.

For your chance to win, simply answer their short survey about your green living steps and you'll be entered for the getaway. Tell three friends about the getaway and you'll get three more chances to win. (See rules and restrictions.) The survey questions help COA plan the articles for their e-newsletter, print newsletter, and magazine for you all year long, so don't hold back.

The Seattle Green Festival Getaway prize includes airfare for two to Seattle, two weekend passes to the Green Festival, a weekend stay at a green hotel, dinner at a green restaurant, public transportation passes to help you get around Seattle car-free, and carbon offsets to make the whole trip totally carbon neutral!

Visit http://lists.coopamerica.org:8383/t/1534122/315554/42248/0/ for more information about the contest or click here to answer their survey -- and to enter for your chance to win the Seattle Green Festival Getaway.

Conscious Gifts for Valentine's Day

Heyheyhey Conscious Spenders!
I hope you are well. I'm loving this shiny new year...we can all start the year out right by making wise spending choices and STICKING TO THEM!

Although I am normally not one to be a big "Hallmark holiday" supporter, I do have to share some conscious gifting ideas for those of you who honor Valentine's Day so you spend consciously!

Need great Valentine's Day gift ideas? Shop Co-op America's Green Businesses for conscious companies so your gifts give back and make a difference.

You all know how giddy I was over my gifts from the holiday from Organic Bouquet - I'd support them again ANYTIME. Other great Valentine's Day gifts can be found too!

And for those of you who actually want to be really conscious with spending on the day of love, take your loved one for a walk and have a picnic and save resources and moolah!!!!!!!!

OrganicStyle.com Offering 10% Discount!

Don't Panic - Organic Style is offering a 10% Discount! I got an email from them today - follow this link to get 10% off (they build the discount in and you see it in the shopping cart.