Shopping “green” is not always an easy task. It only takes one trip to the supermarket to realize that companies—now more than ever—are making green marketing claims to sell their products. Phrases like “all natural,” “less packaging,” and “No GMOs” seem to take up more space on the supermarket displays than the products themselves. But it’s not always easy to tell which companies behind these products are “talking the talk” versus “walking the walk.” Truth be told, there’s probably a whole lot more talking out there than we’d like, but the good news is that many companies are starting the walk too. And for the environmentally-oriented mom, there’s a tool to help determine which ones are truly making a difference.

 

Climate Counts, a non-profit campaign that scores companies annually on their efforts to reverse climate change, is uncovering which companies are working to address their climate footprint. The Climate Counts Company Scorecard -- launched in June 2007 -- helps moms vote with their dollars by making climate-conscious purchasing choices in their everyday lives. What’s the goal? To put pressure on the world's most well-known companies to take the issue of climate change seriously. Climate Counts has currently evaluated 122 companies -- representing over 3000 different brands -- in fourteen major consumer sectors. Recently, Climate Counts scored the Toys & Kids Equipment sector to help you know what the makers of your children’s strollers, dollhouses, and diapers are doing to protect the long-term health of the planet your kid’s will someday inherit.

 

We know that you care about living sustainably. Check out their Company Scorecard to help make your purchasing decisions consistent with that goal. Download their free Pocket Shopping Guide for quick and easy information on-the-go.

 

We have been checking Craigslist and Ebay for a bike for Noah but haven't had any luck. So today we peaked into a local bike shop to check prices.....I was surprised that most were over $200. which is not in our budget right now.

Then I remembered about Santa Rosa's Community Bikes store.

We found a great 20" Trek bike in perfect condition that they will tune up and add training wheels to, for $60. In addition to the great deal, we are also keeping a bike out of the landfill and not adding to the waste of more new raw materials that would be used to make a new bike.

I would recommend anyone in the market for an adult bike, kid's bike (they even had princess and Ariel bikes for little girls), unicycles, tandem bikes (yes.... they had it all) to check out Community Bikes in Santa Rosa.

Noah is very happy with his "new to him" bike and we are even more happy for the green choice Community Bikes gave us the opportunity to make.

ALSO, if you have a bike that you would like to donate, they will take it, fix it up and sell to someone else. The money made from the sale will go to their great cause of keeping bikes out of the landfill and encouraging biking more and driving less. 

NEED A NEW-TO-YOU BIKE?

Community Bikes is a non-profit collaborative that promotes driving less, biking, repair and reuse. We support these programs by refurbishing and selling good quality bikes and parts donated by individuals and local agencies. Our inventory varies week to week - road bikes, mountain bikes and everything in between. Please come by or visit us on Craigslist! Volunteers and donations welcome. COMMUNITY BIKES 4009 Sebastopol Rd, Santa Rosa One block south of Highway 12 and one block east of Wright/Fulton Rd & Joe Rodota Trail; Halfway between Sebastopol and downtown Santa Rosa Sunday, 1-5pm and Thursday, 5-9pm A project of LITE Initiatives www.liteinit.org, 707 579-5811 

 I heard about this on NPR and thought I would pass it on.....

I am happy to hear that "green" is going mainstream. There are some down sides to greening mass production that's done overseas ( as you will hear when you listen to this story), but I am still happy to hear about the direction we are slowly heading in.

  Zoe&Zac, the new "green" shoe collection from Payless Shoes, hit shelves last week on Monday, April 13. The collection offers shoes featuring organic cotton canvas, hemp, linen, EVA (non-PVC) foam beds, recycled rubber and water-based glues.

The entire collection for women and girls is offered at a budget friendly price of under $30. The packaging is also eco-smart and uses 100 percent recycled shoe boxes printed with soy-based inks.

Also, for every Zoe&Zac item bought, Payless will contribute $1 to The Nature Conservancy's Plant a Billion Campaign.

Alice Walker Designs has put out an eco-friendly lunch tote that I think is great. It's stylish and durable and allows you to pack a lunch that will leave no waste behind. The lunch box is insulated to help keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. It includes full size cutlery (fork, knife and spoon) and a cloth reusable napkin which all attach securely to one side of the inside of the lunch tote. The tote also includes three food containers with leak proof lids sizes small, medium and large. these containers could easily hold 1-2 adult meals or 2-3 kid meals inside. A stainless steel water bottle is  provided with an insulated bottle holder and strap/ carabiner if you wanted to take it somewhere separately, for instance on a walk or hike.

 The lunch tote is lead free and vinyl free and comes with a removable shoulder strap that is great for parents who are carrying arm loads of "stuff" everywhere. It allows one to sling the lunch box strap around the shoulder or across the chest for easy carrying. 

Chic, cute, and hip all describe the look and design of this lunch tote. The tote I received has a bright green interior on one side with a zebra print on the other. The water bottle is zebra print and the cloth napkin has a bright green and white polka dot design. The outside can be monogrammed in your / your child's initials for a customized look. The outside front of the lunch tote also has a small plastic window for you to include your address or phone number in case you leave it somewhere, which if you are anything like me, happens on a regular basis : ). 

I highly recommend this product for adults use in taking their lunch to work,  and kids to use for school lunches. It's purpose and design are appropriate for use by all ages and it's style and function make it a great buy for oneself or as a nice gift idea for a child or friend/family member. 

This eco-tote makes packing lunch and caring for the Earth fun! 

For more information on the Eco-Tote, please visit their website on the link above. 

I came across this brand while doing some online "window shopping". Unfortunately, this brand doesn't carry my width but I think they are really cute and all profits go to a great cause.

An ancient Chinese proverb wisely states, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Thanks to an initiative established by Lance Clark, sixth generation of the family behind the footwear company of the same name, this proverb is being put into action by Soul of Africa to help South African villagers affected by AIDS to help themselves.

Working with communities in the informal settlements around Durban in KwaZulu Natal, where the AIDS infection is highest, Clark and a handful of leading South African business people in the footwear industry have since been sharing their shoemaking expertise to teach local villagers how to make this simple yet comfortable hand sewn product for the Soul of Africa line.

Soul of Africa shoes are made by hand using supple leather and quality materials to create footwear that is flexible, durable, and soft. Incredibly comfortable, Soul of Africa shoes are simple, sleek, and stylish as well!

For every pair of Soul of Africa shoes sold, Clarks will donate all profits to the care and support of South African children orphaned due to AIDS. Additionally, each pair sold helps to provide an ongoing livelihood for the individuals who stitch the shoes. Since 2004, Soul of Africa has raised well over $1,000,000 since its beginnings.

I feel a movement coming on...I was inspired by this, and wanted to share.

ROSA LOVES

This CROW clothing company is an inspiration. They are eco-all the way around- and offer a sliding scale pricing for their clothing line. It reminds me of the business model that One World Everybody Eats uses. It is so great that companies are beginning to have such a positive and inspirational business model. Definitely something to support!

The kids and I went to the Goodwill today to do a little shopping and I noticed that the employees were wearing T shirts that read, "Goodwill, Not Landfill". I love that. They usually focus their marketing on all of their humanitarian efforts which are wonderful too and include education, training, and job placement programs for people with disabilities. But it seems now they are focusing on the ecological benefits of donating and shopping at thrift stores too.

I still cant believe how often I hear people say they went through their things and threw out everything they didn't use anymore.  I keep hoping they mean they gave it away but I have a feeling many times they REALLY mean that they threw it away. 

While at the checkout line, I found information on the Goodwill's new online store. What a great idea! 

Jen A. and I were visiting this weekend and she told me about Burt's Bees being bought out by Clorox.

I think that made us both pretty sad. We love some of the Burt's Bees products and now it is going to be more difficult to buy those products knowing that you are also supporting the country's #1 bleach maker. 

Clorox was willing to pay almost $1 billion for Burt’s Bees because big companies see big opportunities in the market for green products. From 2000 to 2007, Burt’s Bees’ annual revenue soared to $164 million from $23 million. Analysts say there is far more growth to be had by it and its competitors as consumers keep gravitating toward products that promise organic and environmental benefits.

The New York Times article (linked above) also mentioned that L'oreal bought the Body Shop and Colgate bought 84% of Toms of Maine. I knew none of this until hearing about this article from Jen yesterday.  

The plus side to this I guess is that big, generally "un-green" companies are seeing the future money making in going green, which makes me hopeful for the direction consumerism might be headed. However, these buy outs of small, environmentally friendly, community conscious companies by BIG corporations may mean that more corners are cut in order to reach their bottom line since their heart isn't behind the product as much as the money making aspect is. 

What do you all think? Do these buy outs make a difference to you in whether you will support brands like Burt's Bees, Toms of Maine and the Body Shop?

Thanks Jen A for making me aware of this article. 

Greenfeet is a  website that I came across while reading a magazine article  in a waiting room today . It looks like they carry many interesting "eco products". It was begun by a stay at home mom  who has 7 employees (including her husband : ) and a projected gross revenue for 2008 of 3.5 million dollars. The article focuses on how to run a green business.....

 

Greenfeet makes it easier to leave smaller, "greener" footprints. Hey, nobody's perfect - including us. We recognize that there are often obstacles in the path of green footprints. They range from awareness and knowledge to economics and availability. It's our mission to help everyone overcome these obstacles. Welcome to Greenfeet! We truly want your experience to be fun and educational. We are dedicated to helping you make informed decisions about our products, so you are 100% confident in your purchase. Our first responsibility is to provide high-quality, truly natural products that you can trust. If you don't trust us, then you won't buy from us again and, quite frankly, we don't like that any more than you do. We continually strive to:

• Live by the philosophy that our customers are like family, treating each one with respect and honesty.
• Treat our employees with respect, loyalty and fairness. Their commitment is key to Greenfeet's success.
• Be socially and environmentally active in our local community, and conduct business in an ethical and responsible manner.

Wells Fargo Center for the Arts is hosting a used clothing sale for children on October 19th from 11-7pm and Oct 20th from 10-4pm.

There will be a huge selection of quality childrens clothing in all sizes. Shoes, toys, tights and accessories too. Wee Peats offers slightly experienced  quality clothing, and Wee Three Children's Store will bring up past years Fall/Winter clearance. Over 25,000 pieces! Excellent shopping both days, all day!

Click here for more information! 

The ReStore sells new surplus and gently-used building  and landscaping materials along with home improvement supplies.  All items are priced at 50-70%  below retail.  Days and Hours open:  Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays 9am-5pm and Saturdays 9am-4pm Location: 24 10th Street @ Cleveland Avenue , Santa Rosa,CA

Walmart announced yesterday that it will measure their energy use and emissions of the entire supply chain of seven product categories, and find ways to increase their energy efficiency. Wal-Mart will examine the supply chains for seven categories of products: beer, DVDs, milk, soap, soda, toothpaste and vacuum cleaners.

The company said these categories were good choices to begin with because many customers regularly purchase products in these lines. In addition, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, one of Wal-Mart's biggest DVD suppliers, announced that it has already begun its own supply chain analysis.

I don't shop at WalMart (for many reasons including racial and gender discrimination, low wages, poor environmental record, running local/small business owners out of the towns where they open their big box stores, etc etc etc) and still won't but I think this is a very small step in the right direction and it is nice to hear about.