Sorry I haven't posted anything in 2 months. I've been busy. And I've been out of town for a month. I'm here in sunny, green, friendly MN, the land of milk and honey. I'm staying with my friends Tom and Sophie, and they are killer recyclers. In the old fashioned way -- they reuse everything that can't be recycled by their city recycling program.
1/They use a dehumidifier in the basement, and when it's full of water, they pour the water in the washing machine or use it for watering plants.
2/They realized that their radiators didn't need to be heating the walls, so they placed reflective insulation behind all of their radiators. Now, the heat gets sent back into the room.. SO SMART.
3/They reuse and reuse and reuse every plastic container they get. For snacks, for leftovers, for packed lunches. Same with plastic bags - they wash and reuse tons of times.
Same with jam jars--which become drinking glasses!!
4/They compost every food item -- starting in the kitchen unit, which gets emptied into a huge compost container in their backyard.
So, lesson here: what's better than recycling -- reusing until you can't find any more use. Then recycle.
Naturally, I had to get them a house present for hosting me for a month. I found this funky vase at a consignment shop that fits perfectly in their red and orange-themed living room.
Who knows how many times it was re-gifted before it landed in the shop.
Who knows if my friends will re-gift it once I'm gone?
Check out a close up of the funky detailing.
Bye, Bye........
Loving Seventh Generation's Dish Liquid and Automatic Dishwashing Powder -- both from the Free & Clear line (no dyes, no bleach, no perfumes or fragrance, no phosphates, etc). Today tried an all-purpose spray cleaner from EO - love it! Check the site for reviews. 
I'm here in Minneapolis for a long vacation, and I've been getting around by light rail (to be honest, I've also been mooching rides off friends -- mostly to the light rail station, except for today when I walked there - 45 minutes, brisk pace). The trains are clean and airy and so fun! Another bonus--in friendly MN, when I talk to strangers on the train -- they talk back. We have conversations. We interact. 
One cool thing about the train stops are these little boxes that look sort of official. There's a button in the middle that's begging to be pushed. So I read the inscription on one today-- "Thanks a Million. Small kindnesses, weather permitting. #28." When I pressed the button, the box played a funny little song about MN. I was so excited, and kept trying to flag down strangers to listen with me, but it was rush hour and all the natives were plugged into iPods. 
Check out a close up of the funky detailing. 
So there I was, shopping at my local "fair trade" gift shop, when my friend and I bumped into a half naked mannequin (womanequin?). Appalling!
I also posted a new review to Fancy Green today (well, at 2 am last night, which is really today): Loomstate men's v-neck t-shirt. Check it out.
Fashion is a funny thing. Sometimes you know it when you see it, and it's fantastic. Sometimes you see it, and don't like it, but you can accept it. Sometimes you want to grab a person, shake them by the shoulders, and scream, "NO, no, no!"
Wow. Went to Seattle GreenFest, along with thousands of other eco-curious people. Got to meet some of the people behind the gear we've reviewed, like George from Green Label Organic Tees. Met some other nice people, too, like Suzanne and Cynthia at Lucky Sprout. They sell the cutest organic children's tees that are emblazoned with adorable images and kind messages we all should heed. 
