Reusable Bag Contest - Win a Free Reusable Bag!

Every year, millions of plastic bags head into landfills or are thrown into our environment causing pollution and problems for wildlife. The man-made convenience known as plastic bags didn't exist 100 years ago, but has become a giant problem for us to conquer in modern times. They pollute our waterways, and cause emissions during the production process. The solution has been around for years, and we all know what it is: reusable bags. Our ancestors used reusable bags to go the grocery store because they were sturdy, sustainable, and they made sense. At some point in history, the plastic bag came into our consciousness as an easy way to have a bag at the ready cheaply. Not thinking of the consequences, first paper, then plastic bags became more and more popular.

Today, a trend has started in the world of plastic bags. There's a reversal happening, even it's a tiny one. People are starting to bring their own bags, and other people are noticing. You're always going to have those few people that are very resistant, but change is happening, and the reusable bag is finally becoming popular again!

Every month, EcoGreenBags holds a contest to win a free reusable bag. This month is no different! This month, the winner will receive the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle tote bag. A beautiful double sided print bag, this is perfect to carry your groceries, and it's even machine washable (so you can use it for meat and raw foods). To win this bag, head over to the official contest page for details on how to enter. The winner will be announced on January 31! Entering is simple. Good luck to all of those that enter, and keep using your reusable bags!

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!

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!

The Grinch of Halloween

Halloween is upon us! Next week all of the neighborhood children will be dressing up and going out to Trick or Treat or to attend Halloween parties. Costumes will be worn and the candy will be handed out until late into the night.

But I think its important to just stop and think for a second how we could lessen our environmental impact this Halloween. The more you think about the "holiday" of Halloween you realize how large the environmental impact can actually be.

Costumes. Imagine each child (and adult for those of us out attending Halloween parties) that is buying a new costume every year. After that one night of fun is over, where does the costume end up? Passed along to a friend for next year? Maybe? Packed away for next year? Possibly, but who wants to wear the same costume two years in a row? Thrown away to make room for other more important things you need to store? Very likely. Instead of going out every year to buy a new costume, consider what items you may already have in your house to create a costume for you and the kids. After Halloween is over you can return these items to their normal use within your house. For example, check out these creative recycled Halloween costumes.

Face paint. Now just about every child coming to my house has this face paint smeared all over their face. First we have the issue of the packaging and extra face paint which comes in the containers. Due to the fact that the paint will dry up before next year, most face paint is thrown away.The next issue is removing the face paint and either washing the toxic paint down the drain or throwing it into your trash, which by default could potentially end up in a water source. The last danger is that toxins included in the face paint will be absorbed into your child's skin while your child is wearing it. Consider looking for organic, non toxic face paint or perhaps make your own!



Lastly, we have the candy. Bags and bags and bags of candy. Creating waste not only from the packaging for all of the large bags containing the pieces to hand out but also the individual wrappers on the candy pieces. Then there is always candy that the kids receive which no one in the house likes-so the solution, just throw it away. Of course, all pieces which look potentially tampered with should and are immediately thrown away. Then, as I have heard from people, sometimes after the kids are in bed some more of the candy will be thrown away just so the kids aren't consuming mass amounts of sugar. More waste is created when the kids receive the fresh baked goods packed in individual baggies, which again for safety reasons are thrown away instead of being consumed. Instead of creating all this additional waste consider saving the candy your kids don't like for a local food pantry, and also having them include some of the candy they do like as a life lesson.

To help have a greener Halloween consider hosting a green Halloween party at your house for your friends and your kids friends. Make it a requirement that all costumes must be designed from items which they already own and are repurposing for the night. Have fresh baked goods instead of individually wrapped candy bars. Play some fun games, such a who can eat a donut the fastest when it is hanging from a string from the ceiling. Or you could have a pumpkin decorating contest and see who comes up with the most creative design.

Anything to lessen our impact will make a difference! As you can see from above, even a slight "holiday" such as Halloween creates a large amount of waste, creating only a larger problem for future generations...

Remember, "Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children." (Ancient Indian Proverb)

Earth Day Contest

Earth is April 22. What are your plans? Are you planning on planting a tree? Educating other people about Earth Day? Picking up litter? How about writing about Earth Day?

Until April 22, you can enter the Earth Day contest, where you can win $65 in organic and reusable products from Chartreuse. So how do you enter? First, visit the Earth Day contest page to read everything about the contest.

If you're a writer, this is your chance! Write about anything that's a green themed topic, like:

• Earth Day


• Recycling


• Activities in your local area on Earth Day


• Tips on energy conservation


• Climate change


• How to reuse things


• Water conservation

Or any other green topic you can think of!

The winner will be decided by voters, who will vote for their favorite blog post. The voting closes at midnight on April 22 EST. Two other winners will be chosen if enough entries are received!

Enter here: Earth Day contest

Good luck! And be sure to pass this contest along to anyone you think might like entering. Then, come back and see the other posts and vote for your favorite!
Photo of rainforest by Tauntingpanda under Creative Commons 2.0

Ten Things to Do During Earth Hour

Earlier last week, we posted about Earth Hour and what it is, how it's growing, and what cities worldwide are participating. Here, we're going to give you some ideas on what to do during Earth Hour this year:

1. Catch up on your sleep. If you have no kids, this is the perfect time to hit the hay a little early and catch up on some sleep.

2. Go outside and view the stars. How often do you actually do this? Walk to somewhere where the light pollution levels are low if you can. If you have a telescope or some binoculars, bring those along. How about some nighttime shots of the sky, or the outdoors?

3. Take a walk outside. Taking a walk at night is a far different experience than during the day. Try having some recorded owl sounds on hand, you never know what might call back.

4. If you're near a beach, walk on the beach at night. There's a whole bunch of things you can do.

5. Make Smores on the grill or by a campfire. Or, have a late BBQ.

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6. Extend Earth Hour to an all-day event and challenge yourselves to think of ways to entertain yourself without electricity for an entire day. It can be done (and will make a great inspirational story for other people!).

7. Play hide and seek in the dark with your family. Ten times harder, and it will make your rely on your other senses to find people!

8. Tell scary stories by candlelight. Need some ideas? Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is an classic that scared the crap out of everyone, whether you like to admit it or not!

9. Play board games at night. But watch out, it's easier to cheat with the lights out!

10. Catch up on some reading. There's no distractions around you, so what better time to get caught up?