Famous Green Label organic tee
Famous are well known for their surf wax products and whilst not all of their range of products are eco-friendly, some are. They have a range of apparel using American Apparel blanks.
The Famous Green Label t-shirt is a white organic cotton tee. It is made from 100% organic premium spun cotton. The print is down with water-based reactive dyes rather than the traditional screening dyes.
Buy Famous products online at Killer Dana or Pac Sun.
Sign up for online bank statements, credit card statements etc and save the environment
If your bank or credit card company offers online statements rather than the traditional snail mail statements then consider signing up for them. You can usually set it to send you an email when a new statement is available and you just have to login and view it. If possible, just view it on the screen and organise payment rather than printing it out too. You can always save an electronic version for your records. This way there is a paper saving in that it is not being printed and also the energy savings in it not having to be delivered so there is less mail floating around the post system that has to be delivered.
Of course the banks will saving money by not having to pay for the postage, although if you bank is like mine, they won’t pass the cost savings on. Perhaps if you have a few spare dollars then you can invest in the bank by buying shares as that seems to be more attractive than putting your money in one of there accounts. Ah, but I digress…
Shikai Biker Soap
ShiKai, is a California basec company that has developed their own Shikikai extract to use in their hair and body products. All their products are derived from plant sources and there is no animal testing. The soaps are mild enough to be used frequently without drying out the skin and do nt need any harsh abrasives to help break through the grease and grime.
Like many good products the Shikai Biker Soap was developed out of family necessity. One of the founder’s children, used to regularly ride their bikes and come home covered in dirt, dust and grime. Normal soaps worked, however, they were too abrasive and dried out the skin too much. So they asked their father to come up with a product that cleaned without the side effects. ShiKai Biker Soap was created and is a liquid soap that can be used everyday to clean messy hands without the need to then apply a moisturizer.
Buy ShiKai products online from Drugstore or Mother Nature
Beauty Without Cruelty Organic vitamin C vitality serum
Beauty Without Cruelty seeks to protect the animal population and still produce a fine range of skin, hair and body products. they use 100% organic materials in some of their products and there is absolutely no animal testing in their processes. All their products satisfy the vegan/vegetarian generally accepted principles and by utilising plant based ingredients it is made a lot easier. whilst not all their products are 100% organic, they are all paraben free and that is very important for ay skin or body care products.
The BWC Vitamin C with CoQ10 Organic Vitality Serum uses vitamin C and CoQ10 to improve skin circulation, clarity, tone and texture. This in turn makes for a more youthful looking skin and don’t we all wish we had skin like when we were young? Green tea and grape seed extracts also aid in reducing the environmental and sun damage caused as we go about our day to day lives.
Buy BWC products online from Mother Nature or Drugstore
Use light sensors in your offices to save energy costs
Ever noticed at night how office buildings tend to be lit up like Christmas trees and often you can’t see any people in there. Most likely they have been designed with only one or two light switches that cover the entire floor. This means if one person is working then the entire floor is lit up as if everyone was there. Individual offices on these floors often have separate switches although they are still tied to the main switches as well. Once again, people in offices tend to think they are too important to spend the five seconds turning the light off, or wish to leave it on so people think they are still working when they have already left for the day…
Putting sensors in the offices that turn the light off automatically, after,say ten minutes of inactivity, saves an enormous amount of energy. Of course it can be a bit disconcerting if you are working away and haven’t moved enough to activate the sensor so the light suddenly turns off!
Urbn Hotels – Shanghai, China
Ever walked into a hotel lobby or room and immediately need to put on another layer of clothing because the room is only a few degrees above freezing? Kind of defeats the purpose of those little notes in the bathroom about caring for the environment and reuse the towels if possible. URBN Hotels and resorts takes a different approach to the concept of an environmentally friendly hotel. They have a boutique hotel in Shanghai, not known for having the freshest air quality in the world. If you like modern architecture then you will like the interiors.
A few things they do to reduce thier impact is to partner with Emissions Zero (www.emissionszero.com) to offset all the carbon emissions from operating the hotel, their employees commuting to work and food and beverage delivery. Guests can also opt to offset their emissions from flights if they choose. URBN Hotel is China’s first carbon neutral hotel. they also provide six square metres of green space per hotel guest, have solar shading and energy efficient heating and cooling.
Another thing that makes them different is when building the hotel the renovated the existing structure rather than tear it down and start from scratch. Reclaimed Shanghai hardwoods and old Shanghai bricks were also utilised. This was inline with the idea to source locally made materials and thus reduce the need for transport and the associated emissions. Of course there is also low energy lighting, low VOC paints and double pane windows to aid with insulation.
See more at URBN Hotels.
Avalon Organics CoQ10 facial cleansing milk
Avalon Organics are always looking for ingredients to help promote a healthy body. CoEnzyme Q10 or CoQ10 is found in every cell of our bodies and is a powerful antioxidant. As the body ages, the production of CoQ10 decreases and this can occur as early as thirty years of age. This means less production of collagen and elastin, both essential parts of healthy skin. Free radicals also act to damage skin and CoQ10 can be a powerful force working against this type of damage.
The Avalon Organics CoQ10 Facial Cleansing Milk is a gentle soap free formula with organic white tea and sunflower hydrates. Increased hydration and nourishment help boost cellular renewal. The cleanser can be used for removing makeup as well and a general cleanser that removes impurites and leaves a scent of organic Bergamont.
Buy Avalon Organics products from Drugstore or Mother Nature
Buy in bulk or concentrates where possible to save money
Buying in bulk had long been recognised as a way to save money. It makes just as much sense to do it from an environmental point as well. You don’t have to visit the store as often, so possibly less fuel used and the packaging is usually less with bulk items than the smaller ones. With concentrates, it means you can buy a smaller container (usually a plastic container if it is cleaning products etc) which uses less resources to produce, and you can then have various concentrates mixed at home for the various tasks. Maybe buy the small spray/pump pack the first time and then keep reusing that container for the future refills.
Green tips will be added to Ecobye frequently
Just a quick post to let readers know that I will also be adding quick tips about things you can do around the home, at the office, in the car and generally anywhere else. These won’t be history making eco-friendly tips by themselves, however, added together they will make a difference.
Many of them won’t mean much of a change to your current lifestyle. For example, is it that difficult to remember to turn off the water when you are cleaning your teeth? If everyone does some of these then the effect will be huge.
By putting out some of these each week it means you can make a commitment to doing them rather than just reading a list of fifty things and maybe remembering half a dozen. This way you can introduced them as they are published, reduce your environmental footprint and probably save a few dollars are the same time.
Seventh Generation All Purpose Cleaner
Seventh Generation derived their name from the Great Law of Iroquois that states, “In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.” They are producing a complete line of household products that are usually known for harmful chemical in the products themselves in addition to the less than ideal manufacturing processes. Ten percent of the profits are also set aside for non-profit community, environmental and health organizations who are making changes for the better.
The Seventh Generation All Purpose Cleaner is a non-toxic, biodegradable cleaner that can be used around the home and work place. It is hypo-allergenic and free from fragrances, dyes and other masking agents. It’s good for most hard surfaces and also wet mopping, just not on hardwood floors. The ingredients are plant derived and is the perfect alternative for all the petroleum based cleaning products on the shp shelves.
Buy Seventh Generation products online from Mother Nature or Drugstore
