Whenever a company makes great strides in improving their product in an effort to offer a better option for our families & homes I must give a salute!
Method has created a new line of “smarter, easier & greener” laundry detergents.

It’s made using 95% natural & renewable ingredients., it’s readily biodegradable and non-toxic in use, for skin-friendly clean clothes!  Due to its ultra concentrated formula, (they do not water down their formulas like other brands out there) they were able to serve the detergent in a smaller more convenient & easy to use bottle, with a pump.  Their bottle uses over “36% less plastic compared to traditional 2x detergents & 50% of that comes from recycled plastics.”

With the pump top, this detergent is easier & cleaner to use, there is no messy rim or cup to fight with and it takes up less room in your cupboard.  With one small bottle you are getting 50 loads of clean, fresh laundry!

Fighting dirty laundry one load at a time, while trying to make a softer footprint on our world, this product is an overall winner in my book of green!

Try it out and check out more details where you can print coupons as well!

So, I have been out and about all day taking in nature and truly celebrating the earth.  There is nothing like starting my morning at home with my goats, Jack & Daisy, and my dogs Bo, Skye & Sophie.  I like to get in my garden, work the earth then go up and make my green drink for a fresh start to my day!  With all that I have been taking in today, I thought it would be fun to share some great green tips!

10 Things to NEVER buy again:

• Styrofoam - ANYTHING!
• Paper Towels- use rags, or towels
• Bleached coffee filters
• Farm raised salmon - always go for wild caught fish, it’s the BEST choice for you and your family!
• Bottled water - reuse glass bottles (like old vinegar bottles, etc) or wine bottles to store water in your refrigerator.
• Chemical pesticides & herbicides
• Conventional household cleaners - there are so many great green products that are earth-friendly that it seems silly to use the abrasive & dangerous chemically filled cleaners.
• Toys made with PVC plastic
• Plastic forks or spoons - Biodegradable dinnerware is the best choice and it doesn’t leave an imprint on our earth!

RECYCLING FUN!  A great initiative for recycling old shoes is to send them to Nike to be turned into playgrounds and athletic flooring for schools!  This is a great alternative for your athletics shoes, or, if you would like to reach out even further you can donate your athletic shoes to One World Running, where they will be donated to athletes in Africa, Latin America, & Haiti.

I hope you are having a beautiful and earth inspiring day today.  Thanks for stopping by and…

until next time, live green!

Love,
Jen

Earth Day is coming up this week, I’m sure there are tons of exciting events in your area, just like me!  For everyone that is local, there will be an amazing Earth Day event at 3700 Wilshire Blvd on Wednesday, April 22nd.  The event will take place from 11-3 pm.  There will be many amazing vendors and green living tips, music and children’s activities!

Last year was a wonderful event and we had an amazing turnout of people to celebrate our earth & learn more about consciously living to ensure our earth’s life span & happiness for everyone.  Hope to see you there! 

Until next time, live green!

Jen

I am at the Farmers market weekly, sometimes a few times a week.  There is nothing I love more than to pick up local, organic fruits & vegetables and make delicious meals for my family!

I recently found a site that is so useful.   No matter what state you live in, they have created an interactive map to find out what is in season in your region by the month.  It is a great thing to be aware of what is locally raised and ready in the area you live in.  If you are buying strawberries in the winter (depending on where you live..), you may want to think about how far those strawberries have traveled to get to your table.  Buying local not only boosts local economies, it helps support your local farmer and it is a healthier approach to what you are putting on your table for your family.  Organic is always the best choice, but if for any reason you cannot get organic, buying locally will always be the better choice.  And if you can buy organic, locally, you are in a definite win-win situation.

I am attaching the link to the interactive map, go take a look and have some fun finding out what is in season in your area, the next fun step is finding great recipes to make with these items and enjoying them with your family!

As always, I am so happy to share the things that inspire me, move me, & enhance my life with you!  Thanks for stopping by and until next time, live green!

Jen

There is a growing concern happening in every town.  The more that we move forward as a country we are beginning to open our eyes and voice our concerns, inquiring about where our food is from, as well as what our food is.  I am constantly researching information about our food system and further, I have been working very hard at getting healthful foods into our school lunches.  I believe in a healthier food system in our schools as well as in our homes.  Education of these things is the first step.

With that,  I just read this article and felt the need to share this with you, for you and your family.  I hope you enjoy the read and maybe walk away from it with a little more info to stew on.  Every day is a new day to start something new to enhance our lives and well being.

Fast Food Article

Until next time, live green!

Jen

I have been so busy lately gearing up for Earth Day!  It is one of my favorite days to celebrate because it involves everyone getting outside, mixing it up with people from their communities and best of all educating one another on sustainable practices.

This year, I have the honor of speaking at Topanga’s Earth Day event along with some other great guest speakers!  If you are close by, I would really encourage you to load up the family and come on down to a “union of music, arts, science, healing, ceremony, tradition and sustainability”, you can find further information about Topanga Earth Day at:  topangaearthday.org

Until next time, live green!

Jen

It’s a sad fact, but many people toss their batteries in the trash.  Maybe we think “it’s just one, or two…” at that moment when we are faced with the decision about where to dispose of those batteries…but imagine how much that fills up when we all do that?

I found a site (www.batteryrecycling.com/) that offers a battery recycling kit, I ordered mine for my home as well as for my office.  The batteries that you can recycle with this kit include:  AA, AAA, C, D, power tool, laptop, cellphone, camera batteries and others, plus all hand-held electronics such cellphones, iPods, PDAs.

The kit is only $34.50 and holds up to one year’s worth of batteries, not only are we buying the piece of mind that we are doing our part with recycling our batteries safely, but it is such a small price to pay to insure that we are doing our part to make a healthy planet for the future and our children.

Even in rough times, cost can’t be an excuse as to why we cannot recycle for our planet, get together with a friend…or a few throw some change together and order one kit for all of you!  This is especially great for kids in college, roommates, friends, everyone!  Have fun with it!

Until next time, Live Green!

Jen

I am a big Etsy fan.  If you haven’t checked out the site I would do see as soon as possible.  The site is full of genius handmade products that many wonderful artisans are creating and selling themselves.  The products range from recycled materials to organic and chock full of originality and character.  My favorite thing to do is find products that benefit my lifestyle, or quest for the perfect gift for my friends and family.

I just stumbled upon this adorable product that I really wanted to tell you guys about.  They are reusable sandwich/snack bags made from 55% recycled hemp and 45% organic unbleached cotton, which makes these bags eco-friendly and a safe carrier for your favorite snacks or sandwiches.  Velcro seals the opening to make sure that all the goodness stays within the bags.  Each measures 7.5″x7.5″.

This is just another great product to add to your green living lifestyle and it makes lunch time so much more fun!  Check out the line of snack bags here:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/BebelooshMini

Until next time, Live Green!

Jen

I had the joy of stumbling upon gDiapers at a local Green Expo in LA a couple of weeks ago.  I am so happy to tell you about this company.  Their amazing efforts have brought the world a truly eco-friendly diaper.
Their diapers are not only adorable but the real magic within them is a 100% biodegrable “gRefill” that you change out once it is soiled.

According to gDiapers, 50 million, that’s right, 50 million diapers get tossed each DAY!  Each diaper then takes 500 years to biodegrade.  That means that your baby diapers aren’t even finished biodegrading, can you believe it?!
You can toss these gRefills in the toilet or add it to your compost, any way that you choose gDiapers break down in 50-150 days, which is so amazing!

We love gDiaper and we know you will too, check them out and try a pair, these would make a great baby shower gift and help to let more people know that there are options beyond the regular diaper.
http://www.gdiapers.com/

Until next time, live green!

Jen

I go to the farmers market every week and one of my favorite things to do is find great organic, locally grown, vegetables for delicious recipes that I make for my family and friends.  The highlight of my week is sitting down to a beautiful Sunday dinner with my family.  I’d like to share a delicious and really healthful recipe with you, hopefully you’ll give it a try for your Sunday dinners!

Lentil soup is a great meal, lentils are an excellent source of fiber, iron and protein.  They are truly a delicious thing!  Have some fun in the kitchen with this recipe.

Ingredients

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, miced
3 stalks celery, diced
3 carrots, diced
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup organic red wine
4 cups dried lentils
3 cups uncooked, fresh organic spinach
10 cups water or vegetable stock  (i like organic vegetable stock from Whole Foods, it adds that extra taste!)
1 tbsp organic brown rice vinegar
2 tbsp organic maple syrup
1 tbsp molasses
1 tbsp tamari
Sea salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

In a large soup pot over medium heat, saute onion & garlic in olive oil until its soft (just a few minutes)
Add celery, carrots, tomatoes, spinach and red wine in.
Rinse lentils and add to pot along with water or organic vegetable stock.
Add vinegar, syrup, molasses, tamari and your salt & pepper.
Stir all of the ingredients and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.
Cover and simmer the soup for 2 hours.

With this recipe, if you feel like adding a special vegetable in that you like, do so.  The flavors always work together well.  When it’s ready, taste the soup and add any extra seasonings you feel you might like as well.
I hope this recipe brings some joy to your dinner table, we certainly love it at my home!

Until next time, Live Green!

Jen