Made from 100% natural products, Celestial Seasonings Green Tea is made of all that is good. Great flavor for good health, this Green Tea is smooth and satisfying. No strings, tags or staples, Celestial Seasonings’ unique pillow-style tea bag is made for the environmentally conscious and is not packaged in individual wrappers saving over 3.5 million pounds of waste from entering our landfills every year.

Serving over 1.6 billion cups of tea every year, Celestial Seasonings has been harvesting all-natural herbal teas since 1969.  All ingredients are grown around the world utilizing the philosophy of ethical trade practice, assuring fair market prices which spur local businesses, creating more jobs, empowering farmers and their communities.

Steeped in hot water (not boiling), you will experience the mild, delicately balanced taste and the healthy goodness that Celestial Seasonings aspires to create. For a special cold treat, try the iced tea recipe on the inside flap of the box, it is delicious.

Everyone knows about the ENERGY STAR rating that comes with household appliances, right? Well do you know what it means? ENERGY STAR is a governmental joint program with the Environmental Protection Agency. In 1992, the EPA introduced ENERGY STAR as a voluntary labeling program designed to promote energy efficient products to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In our business environs, ENERGY STAR has been a force behind more widespread use of innovations like more efficient lighting, power management systems for office equipment and low standby energy use.

As an example of the work it does, in one state, say, Pennsylvania, the ENERGY STAR qualified homes built in 2009 are equivalent to eliminating emissions from 772 vehicles, saving 4,668,300 lbs. of coal, planting 1,276 acres of trees and saving the environment of 9,155,475 lbs of carbon dioxide.

Taken from the most updated specification sheets, the number of qualified ENERGY STAR clothes washers is 478 and this includes almost all popular name brands such as; Whirlpool, Amana, Frigidaire, GE, Kenmore, Maytag and Speed Queen. It doesn’t stop there; ratings include categories of appliances like air conditioners, dehumidifiers, heat pumps, light bulbs, dishwashers, computers, etc….  The ENERGY STAR website features many tips on how to improve efficiency in your new home or with home improvements. You can take a virtual walk-through of an ENERGY STAR home and it will show you how to save energy and money in all areas. There are tips on how to select a contractor and downloads for maintaining your HVAC equipment and several other topics. Give the site a look and see how much information there is available to help you save energy and money!

• Water Efficiency
• Waste Reduction and Recycling
• Sustainable Furnishings and Building Materials
• Sustainable Food
• Energy
• Disposables
• Chemical and Pollution Reduction

The GRA also rates on new builds and renovation projects and events with required minimum points to earn a certificate. The GRA website gives you several ways that you, as a consumer, can green your dining experience. You can also sign up for their newsletter to get updated information on all Green Restaurant Association news.

Most of the processes used in bamboo-made products are not always green. Factories are using harsh chemicals to turn the bamboo into a soft enough fiber to form it. To turn the bamboo into planks, they must use toxic glues and formaldehyde. As popular as bamboo is, most production facilities exist in China and are not regulated. To boost yields the trees are fertilized and sprayed with pesticides which defeat the whole purpose. That is the not-so good stuff.

Some of the greenest bamboo doesn’t come from monoculture plantations but, rather, from award winning operations such as Madagascar Bamboo, which harvests naturally occurring plants from the edges of farms. (The farmers used to think of the bamboo as a valueless annoyance.) This provides cash for crops which is given back to the farmer locally; it decreases pressure on forests, conserves rare hardwoods and is a sustainable product. When selecting bamboo products such as natural wood flooring, make sure you are using a company that is regulated, is helping out the local farmer and that the manufacturer is committed to social and environmental responsibility.

Burt’s Bees Peppermint Shower soap is 99.9% natural with the following ingredients; vegetable soap, glycerin, almond meal, rosemary oil, peppermint oil, rosemary leaves, peppermint leaves, comfrey leaves and calendula flowers. It is also NOT tested on animals. How much more natural can you get than that? I do recommend using it as it makes you feel very clean after you’ve showered and you know that you did your little part for our environment. Burt’s Bees products are in no-nonsense packaging and printed on recycled board containing 30% post-consumer waste.

By Dena Fritz

Energizer LED Rechargeable Flashlight

With our active lifestyle, we use flashlights for many purposes several times a week. We are always disappointed that our flashlights die out after just a few uses. It seems that just when we need them most, they fail us and leave us with frustration. On weekends, we are frequently away, to our boat on the Chesapeake or to our daughter’s cabin in the mountains. When we travel, we are always in need of a flashlight to turn the power on, or to row across a creek, or just to walk in the dark. After fruitless searches for the most economical and green way to light our path, I found this handy little tool that runs 8 hours on one charge and gives off a bright white Nichia LED light. It has two levels of luminescence and is very lightweight. The best part about it is that it plugs in the wall to be recharged and does not use costly wasteful batteries that harm our environment. We liked them so much, we bought two! We carry them with us every weekend in our luggage and upon arrival of wherever we go; we just plug them in to ensure that they are always fully charged. When we get home, we plug them back in and viola! We have charged up flashlights in case of an at-home emergency. This flashlight really fits our way of life and we wouldn’t want to be without them. Using them is responsible and cost effective.

Each year, over 3 billion dry-cell household batteries are purchased in the United States. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, consumer batteries contribute more mercury and cadmium to municipal solid waste than any other source. Long-term exposure to heavy metals can lead to serious health problems. Cadmium can cause lung, circulatory system, or reproductive system damage. Mercury can damage the brain, kidneys, or fetuses, as well as cause genetic, neurological, or psychological disorders. Cadmium, lead, manganese, mercury, nickel, and zinc have each been linked to cancer, developmental disorders, and immune deficiency. So needless to say, the less we use them, the better and the better for our environment.

Coral Reef Alliance

By Dena Fritz

It is predicted that within just a few decades our coral reefs will be reduced to piles of rubble on our sea floors. Sound shocking and over-dramatic? No it’s not. It is really happening and it’s coming at an alarming rate. Coral reefs are dying and scientists cannot pinpoint one cause in particular. It seems that the deterioration of our coral reef structure falls victim to global warming, sewage, inland agricultural run-off, overfishing, industrial waste, urban run-off, tourism, oil and gas exploration, to name a few.

 Supporting MPAs (Marine protected areas) appears to be the best and most effective way to slow the large scale threat to the reefs. What this means is to actively monitor and manage the reefs for recreational damage and negative outside influences on or around endangered coral reefs.

 Did you know that your actions right here in your local world can affect our coral reefs? Sustainability is of utmost importance of anything that you can do. Make an effort; it’s worth it and will affect this ever-delicate and precious gem that our world holds.

 Things that you can do to help our coral reefs:

1. Make a donation
2. Become a friend of the reef
3. Be a smart consumer
4. Show you support for CORAL
5. Become an Advocate
6. Live Sustainably
7. Join CORAL online communities
8. Enter the CORAL Photo Contest
9. Raise Money for CORAL
10. Educate others – Twitter and FaceBook awareness

Well, first of all, you have to rinse out each carton, container, or can that you plan on recycling. Second of all, you have to determine whether or not your municipality recycles what you are about to get rid of. Each place differs in what they take in. When I started, I had no idea that there were guidelines, and quite frankly felt ridiculous once I found out!

Once I was enlightened, I found that it was actually quite easy to decipher. All you have to do is go to your township’s website, and look up recycling. Almost all counties have it broken down in an easy to read fashion. This way, you aren’t wasting time or energy recycling something that isn’t going to actually be re-used, and vice-versa. Do me a favor and log into your municipality’s website and take a look…you will feel much more confident when you take out your recycling bin!