Green week 4

I can't believe April is over.  What a busy month it was.  I figured since I've been busy talking about educating ourselfs about toxic chemicals in our cleaners at Earth Day Events I'd use that as some of my green tips.

Green Tips:

** Educate yourself and your kids.  Learning about the ways to go green is one of the most important things you can do, and as I saw over the last 2 weekends there are many interactive activities at Earth Day Events for kids to learn.  When I was in school they also had activities for use, find out if there's something going on in your area where you can take your kids out to.
**One great way to go green and include your kids is to have your own garden, you and your family will enjoy watching the plants grow and eating the fruits of your labor :)  I look forward to planting our own garden this year although we're still deciding on where we're going to place the garden.
 **  Hang up your laundry to dry instead of using the dryer and reduce the amount of electricity you use.  Also with laundry wait until you have a full load instead of doing mini loads.  You can also use a green laundry detergent, softer, and dryer sheets.  These dryer sheets go right in your paper recycling when you're done.  And this stain remover and laundry booster can double as a toilet bowl cleaner and is safe enough that it won't hurt your pets if they accidentally drink it.

Green website/paper: www.worldwatch.org 

This site talks about why going green is important and ways to do so and also gives you resources to buy about sustainable living.

Green Person: The Late Wangari Maathai

Wangari Maathai won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her work in planting trees in her home country of Kenya, Africa.  She founded the Green Belt Movement which has planted over 30million trees in Africa!
I learned of her because she is very well respected in the Shaklee community this year I learned about the I am the Humming Bird  campaign where this year Shaklee has a goal of planting 1 billion trees world wide in honor of the late Wangari Maathai.

Green week 2

Tip: Filter your water.

Instead of buying cases of bottled water, get a water purification system and use that.  We like Get Clean Water, but there are many others for you to chose from.  I use to buy a lot of water (I did recycle the bottles) but I'm really happy to have found a water purifier that I trust and now will be getting less BPA, lead, and other contaminates in my drinking water :)

Website/Newspaper: Natural Awakenings Magazine

I stumbled across this for FREE at a local store I went to this week and picked it up.  It was great, it told me about Green Businesses in the area, and gave me more green tips, tricks, and reasons.

Photo by Little Deer Photography 

Person: YOU

Yes, I say YOU.  As in every one that reads this you that you tell, you, me, our kids, everyone can be green.  It doesn't take much, make one change and make a difference, make 5 small changes and make an impact, change your life and become an activist.  What you do is up to you.
Every one of us wants to live in a beautiful land, and weather you make a change to save yourself some money or because you want a better world for our kids we are all helping.
I'm far from perfect when it comes to going green.  I've driven my fair share of cars that get 8miles to the gallon and leak oil like crazy, I love to have a warm house and I take long showers, but I'm making small changes in other areas and that helps.  I feel better making these changes and knowing that I'm doing something good.
Don't be unhappy when you're going green and making these changes because that won't give you satisfaction.  By all mean if you get a water purification system and you don't like it, then go ahead and send it back in, get your refund, and buy your bottled water, but recycle the bottle when you're done with them.
Learn how to become an Earth Day Advocate and spread your passion.

Here is a photo of my husband, daughter, and myself.  Hope you all had a Happy Easter.  Would love to hear some ways YOU are Green!  Please post them below!

Green Day 2

Green Tip:  Eat less meat.

I read this in a book last week and found it interesting although I don't remember the name of the book I remember how it said that by eating 2-4pounds less of red meat we would be saving as much water as if we didn't shower everyday for a year!  Wow since I do like to shower a bit on the longer side that's a great way to save water so we've started doing this!  Then today I learned that there are a lot more reasons we need to take in less red meat to help the environment, like saving gas, money, grain, water, and greenhouse gas.
I don't have any issues with cutting my meat intake.  I love fruit, veggies, and grains.  My family however does not feel the same way, they are all big meat eaters but I've been very lucky in that my husband has jumped on board and agreed to go vegetarian at least one meal a week.  And we have also quit drinking cows milk and found that we love Blue Diamond Almond Coconut Milk better than dairy milk and that it has more calcium.  Also Dark Chocolate Almond milk is the best chocolate milk I've ever had!!
I plan on this summer going meatless 2 times a week.

A look at what's in my fridge now...since we couldn't find the Blue Diamond milk that we like so much

Green video: Wall-E

This is a great movie the whole family is sure to love.  My husband probably watches it more than my 3year old daughter!  There are a few messages in this cartoon: we need to take care of our planet, we are going to start running out of places to put our trash and have to reduce how much we are putting in landfills, we are lazy people and have learned how to become helpless and that we can change.  Let us hope that in 100 years this our planet is still beautiful and that this movie is still just fiction.

Green Person: Dr. Forrest C. Shaklee

Dr. Forrest C. Shaklee founded a wonderful company that was created with nature in mind.  The company he started has lead the way in many health and environmental ways.
"Follow the laws of nature and you'll never go wrong." -Dr Forrest C Shaklee
Here is a list of just some of the environmental heritage of Dr. Forrest Shaklee:

1956   Dr. Forrest C. Shaklee founds a company based on Living in Harmony with Nature® that is committed to developing products to improve the health of people and the planet. 

1970s   Shaklee introduces one of the first biodegradable laundry detergents that contains no phosphates, nitrates, or borates. 

1987 Shaklee is selected by Jacques Cousteau and the Cousteau Society to provide environmentally friendly 

cleaning products for use onboard their research vessels, the Calypso and Alcyone. 

1989 Shaklee helps build schools and health clinics and plants more than 1 million trees in Asia through a partnership with the American Himalayan Foundation, an organization chaired by Sir Edmund Hillary

2009 Shaklee commemorates the planting of the 1 millionth tree, a culmination of a three year campaign, “A Million Trees. A Million Dreams, with program Ambassador and 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Wangari Maathai and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

2009 Shaklee is honored with a Green Power Leadership Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in recognition of its commitment and contribution to helping advance the development of the nation’s voluntary green power market. 

On my facebook page I'm going to keep posting 1 green fact about Shaklee everyday so like it and learn more about this great company Dr. Forrest Shaklee started!!

To learn more about Dr. Forrest C. Shaklee check out these links: youtube, The-Shaklee-Name-History-ebook, The-Shaklee-Story

Thank you Dr. Forrest Shaklee for founding this great company with such a strong foundation that is bonded with nature.

Thank you makers of Wall-E for creating a movie to make kids and parents aware of where our world is headed if we don't change!

Green Day 1

Tip: Bring bags with you when you go out shopping. 

 I use canvas tote bags that have my business on them so I'm also doing my advertising as I shop.  One of my other friends reuses the plastic bags she gets from the store so that there's less in the landfill.

Trick: At first I kept forgetting to bring the bags with me when I left the house.  Put the bags so you trip over them when leaving the house, and on your way out put them in the car weather you're shopping that day or not, then you have them with you when you are at the store.

Website: Living Green Magazine online
Be sure to check out this online Magazine and stay on top of all the latest Green news!!

Person: Lisa Alexander 

Lisa is a great friend of mine.  She's also my business associate and mentor.  Besides that she has a long list of credits that all amount to her being the Queen Of Green.  She is often asked to talk all over about the latest in green building, saving money while going green, and green tips and tricks.  To view some of what she has said before please watch this video and feel free to look for other ways to go green with Lisa.  She just did a great webinar about going green and if you'd like to view that I'll have to send it to you in an email so be sure to message me and ask for that clip.
On top of all her creditably she is also an animal right activist and refuses to do botox and raises awareness about how cruel botox testing is done on dogs (to the point of death).  She also promotes green building, and saving money by going green.
Thank you Lisa in your part of taking care of our planet.