Our Top Ten Most Popular Green Living Tips Posts of 2009

With just four days left of 2009, we've rounded up ten most popular green living tips posts of 2009, and have decided to share those with you here.

10. Environmentally Friendly Soap Nuts. The number ten most popular green living post of the year was on the eco friendly soap berry known as saponin, or soap nuts. These little berries effectively wash clothing, and don't have the damaging effects laundry detergent has on your clothes (rips, tears, scents, fading). If you're curious about this product, they are available in trial sizes (click shop for products on the right side of the page).

9. Have a Green Valentine's Day. Cards, candy, flowers, they all have their impact on the environment. If you're looking to have a greener alternative to traditional Valentine's Day items this year, try out these recommended replacements that will be just as romantic, while being kinder to the environment.

8. Top Ten Things to do During Earth Hour. Cellphones, computers, television, lights, video games... sometimes we just miss the world around us because of the constant stimulation from modern day gadgets and inventions. Earth Hour is just one simple hour of time when things get much less complicated, and we take a moment to enjoy our natural surroundings. It's also a great way to realize our own carbon footprint, and just how much we depend on electricity and modern conveniences. Earth Hour might not be the solution to ending climate change, but it could help change people's minds about climate change.

7. Top 10 Green Eco Friendly Christmas Gift Ideas from Chartreuse Products. The holiday season brought not one, but ten easy gift ideas from Chartreuse, all with an eco friendly twist. For instance, the shower gel is not only organic, but refillable. Purchase the refill pouches and save the bottle to save more plastic from being thrown away. The foaming hand soap is also refillable, and smells much better than the traditional harsh cleanser.

6. Top 10 Reasons to Use Not a Paper Cup vs. a Disposable Paper or Styrofoam Coffee Cup. It's the refillable coffee cup that took the green world by storm! I Am Not a Paper Cup is a cool way to reduce the amount of plastic and paper that you throw away, while keeping your drink hotter longer. The ceramic base keeps the drink hot, while the silicone top makes for an easily cleaned sip-top to enjoy your hot chocolate, latte, or coffee any time of day. You also might just get a small discount at the local cafe for bringing your own cup.

5. Reuse Things In Your Life and Be Greener. Recycling is a great way to give your disposables a second life. However, what if your toilet paper rolls, kiddie pool water, floor tiles, and greeting cards could all be turned into something else useful - by you? Be creative, have fun, and start reusing with these 50 ideas today!

4. Reusable Products, Safe Organic Household Cleaners, and Natural Beauty Products: 50 Reasons to Buy from Chartreuse. It's hard to find a truly green company that isn't full of greenwashing techniques. You have every right to be skeptical of someone who claims that something is "eco friendly." We've outlined 50 reasons to buy from Chartreuse, from their dedication to keeping products truly all natural (and organic whenever possible), to keeping the shipment of products green through refill pouches. Need more reasons? There's 48 more left to read.

3. Growing Your Own Spices and Herbs Indoors. When late fall hits, it's sad to see the fresh vegetables and fruits go, as well as the tasty garden fresh spices. There are a few products on the market today that will help you make it through the fruitless (and often canned and frozen veggie filled) winter months! Stop on by to see some of the latest products available to help you grow your own indoor spices and vegetables, and enjoy summer fresh garden veggies any time of year.

2. A Reasonable Replacements for Paper Towels. It's no wonder this was the #2 most popular post of the year! Americans alone send 3,000 tons of paper towels to landfills yearly. When you take out your trash and it's filled with paper towels, it seems pretty wasteful, doesn't it? Throwing away a paper towel every time you need to wipe up the counter just doesn't make sense. Luckily there are replacements for paper towels out there - reusable ones! It takes some getting used to not throwing your towels in the trash, but once you've got the hang of it, you'll be lightening your trash, your bills, and preventing trees from being cut down. It's as simple as that.

1. The Benefits of Eco Friendly Road Salt. Our most popular post of the year was our post on the benefits of eco friendly road salt. While most towns and cities haven't made the switch yet, we can all use it on our walkways and driveways to help alleviate some of the stress on the environment. When the snow melts and the roads clear in the spring, the damage from salt is evident. Our cars are filthy, sometimes rusted, the roads are covered in grime, potholes and bumps have been eaten into the road, and our yards are littered with sandy salt. The cleanup process takes weeks, and we can still feel the effects months later in our water supply, our burned up lawns, and our bumpy roads. The biggest dilemma facing lawmakers and locals in making the switch is the price. The chemical road salt is cheaper, while the eco friendly alternative is much more expensive. Over time, maybe a more affordable solution will be invented, but for now, it's a matter of cost.

Thanks to everyone for a great 2009! We've seen a big increase in readership, and would like to continue our move forward in 2010 to providing green tips, facts, links, recommended products, and simple ways to green your life. Enjoy the rest of the holiday season!

Green Living Tips Blog Retrospective - Part 4

We've come to the final installment of our retrospective of our past posts here on the green living tips blog. On this post, we'll be reviewing posts 76-100 with a brief sentence or two description along with a link to that previous post. In this post, you'll read about the new product, I Am Not a Paper Cup, find some of our latest reusable bags, SIGG bottles, and more eco friendly products, as well as other green tips from the past few months. Here's a countdown:

76. If you haven't tried out the I Am Not a Paper Cup product yet, it's a great replacement for your disposable coffee cup that really keeps it piping hot. And, it's reusable!

77. In the summer, there are so many options on where to get your produce. I think we can all agree that local is better tasting and better for the environment, but if it came down to it, would you choose the farmer's market or farm stand?

78. In September, we rolled out 4 brand new reusable shopping tote bags, like our save the turtles bag. Have a look!

79. We welcomed autumn in with these 10 eco friendly tips for the fall season, from back to school tips to energy saving maintenance.

80. Our reusable bag contest for September was announced on September 28th, and it was a big hit with our readers. When will the next contest be announced? You'll just have to keep reading this blog to find out!

81. Adding to our lineup of green products, we've added our reusable SIGG bottles, which you can find here. Custom images with green recycling themes and environmental themes are what you'll see!


82. Boosting your veggie intake isn't just good for you, it's good for the environment. That's why many environmentalists are vegan. Even if you eat meat, reducing meat consumption and increasing vegetable consumption will make you healthier, and reduce the toll on our environment.

83. The winter is upon us, did you winterize your home before the cold weather hit? It saves money, and prevents valuable energy from escaping from your home.

84. Next Halloween, take the environment into consideration with these green tips for Halloween.

85. We announced the winner of the September reusable bag contest on this post! Congratulations!

86. The November reusable bag contest featured our reusable gift bags. These were a big hit this holiday season, and prevented plenty of wrapping paper from being thrown in the landfill!

87. We came up with twelve ways to go green for Thanksgiving, from the food to the shopping and leftovers on this Turkey Day post. Gobble!

88. Avoid mercury in fish by reading which fish are on the safe list, and which ones you should avoid on this post. We can still eat fish, but you should be aware of which fish!

89. There's snow on the ground, it's freezing cold, and we're moving around less. It's winter! We check our cars, our houses... but did you prepare your body for winter this season?

90. Want a quick fix to reduce your energy bill? This one easy step will do just that!

91. Who wants an extra serving of BPA? Not me! Exclude it from your lunch by making the switch to eco friendly BPA free sandwich bags. They aren't disposal either, so you'll be doing the environment a favor!

92. For the holidays, we introduced our polar bear, penguin, Frosty and holiday reusable gift bags! These also make great gifts, or if you'd like to have your own special holiday bag to carry around with you, for groceries, the office, shopping and more.

93. Every contest has a winner, and this one received not one bags, but two bags for the holidays! Stop by and wish your congratulations to the winner.

94. The holiday season is a great time to go green, and Chartreuse has a number of ways that can help you do just that! These affordable green gifts will make great stocking stuffers, housewarming gifts, gifts for a Yankee swap, Secret Santa, or for your anyone that appreciates the environment!

95. It's harder to stay healthy during the cold winter months, when produce prices rise, and fresh vegetables get harder and harder to come by. Luckily, there are a few ways that you can still introduce vegetables into your winter diet this year.

96. We celebrated our 101st post by starting this retrospective on this post.

97. In the next 25 posts, we aggregated them into 25 easy green tips.

98. And finally, we offered 25 ways to be more eco friendly on our last post through offering more information from past blogs.

99. Today, we created this post, our final retrospective, part 4. Yes, the next post will be a regular post, we promise!

100. And as our final link that we might suggest to you, why not become a follower of our blog? You can find the follow button on the right hand sidebar. You can also follow me on Twitter for the green tip of the day, posted daily!

Thank you to all of our readers for the past 100+ posts, it's been wonderful, and we look forward to our next 100 posts where we can offer more green living tips, information, contests, and other eco friendly fun ideas!

25 Ways to Be More Eco Friendly

Being more eco friendly, reducing your carbon footprint, and recycling more isn't something that is accomplished overnight. If you're looking for some small, easy steps that you can take right now, try out one of these suggestions. Part 3 of our look back on our green living tips blog, we're reviewing posts 51-75 as we look for more ways to be eco friendly.

Posts 51-75: Go Green with these Eco Friendly Tips!

51. Find a more eco friendly gift wrap for your holiday gift giving this year with this eco wrap!

52. The New Year is fast approaching. What's your green New Year's resolution?

53. If you're looking for tips on going green for the New Year, look no further than these 29 ideas.

54. Go green on Valentine's Day and avoid the disposable gift giving we're so used to!

55. Stop recycling and start reusing with this post that will give you 50 ideas to reduce your waste!

56. We've held plenty of contests, but this was one of the first in January, the backyard bird contest.

57. Traditional plastic trash bags don't break down into the environment, but biodegradable trash bags do.

58. Nothing tastes better on Valentine's Day than fair trade organic chocolate. It's better for you, and better for the environment.

59. In late January, we compiled 30 easy green tips, much like this post right here!

60. Still on the fence about buying a hybrid vehicle? Here are 7 reasons why you should invest in a hybrid car, from new gas saving technology to steep consumer discounts.

61. Eco friendly road salt may have less of a toll on our environment. Have you ever noticed the condition of the roads and damage road salt causes?

62. Clean up your finances with these ways to green your finances and budget. It turns out that greening your wallet can also make your life greener - and healthier.

63. Every year, Earth Hour gets a little bit bigger. Just a few years ago, it didn't exist. Take a look back at Earth Hour 2009 and prepare for the next big event!

64. Come February, you might be longing for the days of summer and fresh spices. Grow your own spices and herbs indoors with one of these convenient growers and you can enjoy garden fresh taste all year.

65. Wondering what you can do during Earth Hour this year? We've come up with ten things you can do during Earth Hour to enjoy the time away from electricity!

66. If you know someone that isn't all that into green living but might want to give it a try, this video is an excellent introduction to going green.

67. In April of 2009, we held the earth day contest. We had a lot of interest and will probably be holding another one in 2010, keep reading this blog for details!

68. We gave bloggers a special place to enter the earth day contest on this page, which was a smash hit for both readers and us.

69. Traditional laundry detergent can contain harmful chemicals and wear through clothing, proving to be bad for both you and the environment. Soap nuts are an eco friendly, natural solution!

70. What can you recycle and can't you recycle? This list of 50 things you can recycle will give you some excellent ideas on what else you can stop throwing away.

71. What are you putting on your face in the morning? An organic facial care regiment can benefit your skin and complexion, while supporting organic farming techniques and all natural, pesticide free products.

72. Sick of wasting paper towels? Paperless towels are a great replacement for paper towels that will use far less than the ordinary roll.

73. Here's a list of ten things you should be buying green from cars to homes.

74. Chartreuse is a great green company for your household cleaning, facial care, and gift giving. Find 50 ways you can go green with chartreuse on this post and see if they win you over!

75. Freshen up your home without the chemicals with these chemical free aromatherapy air fresheners! They come in two amazing scents of energizing peppermint and refreshing citrus.

You can find our other posts on our 101st green living post, and part two on our 25 easy green tips post. On our next post, we'll be covering part 4, keep reading, and have a happy holiday season!

Our 101st Post! The Past 100 Green Living Tips from our Blog...

Over the past 100 posts, we've learned quite a bit about green living and blogging itself. In this post, our 101st post, we'll review our past 101 posts with a brief one sentence review of what you can find on that post. It's our way of looking back at our accomplishments of each post, and a great way for you to find some of our best green tips. So here they are, listed from earliest to the most recent! We'll be breaking this post down into 4 parts. Enjoy, and thank you everyone for reading the green tips blog over the past 100 posts!

Our First 25 Green Living Tips Posts

1. In our first post, we simply introduced ourselves and gave a link to read our "why use reusable bags" page. A simple welcome to our blog introduction.

2. Try out some indoor plants for fresher air all year long, especially in those winter months.

3. Find out some of the benefits of switching to CFL bulbs in this post on greening your budget.

4. Experience local farm fresh taste all year with a CSA near you!

5. Make the switch to tap water from bottled water and save some cash, and spare yourself the BPA.

6. Maintain your car and save money on fuel expenses, tires, engine repairs, and not to mention keep the environment and our air less polluted.

7. Properly dispose of paint to avoid these potentially hazardous chemicals and ingredients from leeching into our environment.

8. VOC, aka volatile organic compounds, can be found in many plastics and man-made items. Avoid them whenever possible, if possible!

9. Save cash on packaging supplies by reusing and looking for green and often free alternatives whether you're an Ebay seller, shipper, or small business owner.

10. Turn down the fridge temperature and save a boatload of money on your electric bill every month.

11. Find the reusable bag of the month for August 2008 on this post dedicated to our special bird bag!

12. Reduce pesticide exposure on produce by following some simple steps.

13. Considering a hybrid car? Learn which hybrids were good, bad, and the best on this post.

14. All cities were not created equal. Find out if your city is walkable or more car-friendly on this useful post.

15. Turns out that VOC can be found in many more things than originally thought!

16. In August '08, we reviewed some of the greenest hybrids to come out at the time, some of which are still on the top list.

17. Chevrolet announced an innovation in green technology in the Chevy Volt, a largely electric car that can potentially burn zero fuel!

18. Pepsi had a great campaign in 2008 to encourage more Pepsi drinkers to recycle their aluminum cans.

19. Find the nearest recycling center to you with these fast and easy websites at your disposal.

20. Despite having many benefits, CFL bulbs do have some downsides that you should be aware of.

21. Recycle those strange, odd, and unusable-to-you items here.

22. Clothing can always be recycled, as you'll find out here, no matter what.

23. Don't let go of balloons, they do have some negative consequences on our local wildlife.

24. Cut down on back to school waste by reusing, cutting back, and recycling every September.

25. This is one of our reader's favorite posts. Ever wonder what world without recycling would be like? What if no one recycled? We've imagined the possibilities on this post, What Not Recycling Will Do to You.

Continue on to part two here!

Environmentally Friendly Soap Nuts -- the Alternative to Traditional Laundry Detergent

Soap nuts have been around forever. So why are we just starting to use them now? Traditional chemical laundry detergents have become more and more popular over the last century, particularly for their sudsing ability. People associate "sudsing" with things getting clean. In actuality, the cleaning agents clean the soap. The chemicals that cause the soap bubbles do nothing. Saponin, or soap nuts, naturally clean and suds in the washing machine. These berries are reusable and safe for the environment. They do not cause the water to be treated with harmful chemicals, and are less destructive to your clothing.

The average saponin berry (soap nut) will last a few washes, and are cheaper than traditional laundry soap. Hot washes use them up quicker. Soap nuts are unscented, and really do work on your clothing. I've been using them over the past few months and have noticed that the laundry is softer and seems to last longer now. They have a natural fabric softener in them that will help your clothing feel softer, so you won't have to use fabric softener. That's another additional savings! Soap nuts are available from Chartreuse, or you can read more about soap nuts here.

Have a Green Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day always sneaks up on you...it's that period of time after Christmas where no one wants to buy anything else but they feel like they should...and maybe they shouldn't! The day is supposed to be more about spending time with your significant other and your family and showing them that you appreciate them. You can be different and have a lot more fun without the stress of having to worry about expensive Valentine's Day gifts by being greener this year on the big V-Day. Find more tips on having a green valentine's day here...from ecards to organic chocolates, there's a bunch of ways to show them you care without being wasteful, thoughtless and predictable. Try these out!