Do you know what those numbers on your Fruits & Vegetables Mean?

The numbers on your Fruits & Vegetables actually mean something to you not just the retailer or cashier to ring you up. The numbers, also known as the PLU code(price lookup number), tells you the following:

Beginning with the number 9 = Organic.
Beginning with the number 4 = grown by Conventional (code for Chemical) means.
Beginning with the number 8 = a GMO or Genetically Modified Organism!

Memorize this so you can make better purchasing decisions when shopping for your family!

Refill.Reuse.Reduce - Buy Stainless Steel Water Bottles vs. Plastic

Starting to buy Back-to-School Supplies? I know I have started stocking up. What choices can you make that are more green this year?

One great change you can make this year is that instead of buying your kids a plastic water bottle for their lunchbags, you could make a greener choice by purchasing a stainless steel water bottle.

Refill, Reuse, Reduce. Plastics are forever and stainless steel water bottles can actually be recycled! The average American uses 168 water bottles a year - can this be your year where you don't use any?

SOURCES:
http://www.takebackthetap.org/
http://www.kleankanteen.com/

Check out a Green Environmental Eco Book from your Local Library

I was thinking today - what green eco friendly tip can I give you today? I was thinking of getting one of the three Green Eco books I checked out of the library this week and getting some inspiration.

Guess what the inspiration is? It is for you to go to your local library and check out the latest Green book! These librarians are all over buying the latest Green Environmental Eco books that are out there. It is a section growing at your local libraries and it's a section growing with new and recent books. And it's good for the environment for you to check out the book to save some trees.

So, visit your local library with the kids and see what green book you can check out to get inspired to make your home more green, your office more green, your buying choices more green, your cleaning choices more green, and your eating choices more green!

It's Good to be Green !

Recycling Aluminum Foil & Green Aluminum Foil with recycled content

I just heard about "green aluminum" on twitter tonite. Hum?

First, you can re-use your aluminum foil over and over. One idea I ran across again and again is wrap your kids sandwiches in aluminum foil instead of a plastic bag and just wash and re-use and re-use. When you are finally done with it - you can recycle it with your aluminum cans.

"Plus, recycling aluminum takes as little as 5 percent of the energy you'd need to manufacture virgin aluminum, says the U.S. Department of State's Aluminum Task Force.If your municipal recycling eschews foil, and entering your zip code at Earth911.org doesn't turn up a suitable recycler in your area, you can still make amends by purchasing recycled aluminum foil, many brands of which are becoming increasingly visible in stores. Fun fact: Americans toss out enough aluminum every three months to rebuild our entire commercial air fleet, according to the Aluminum Association."

Brands that offer Recycled Aluminum Foil product:
Reynolds Wrap Foil from 100% Recycled Aluminum
If You Care 100% Recycled Aluminum Foil


SOURCES: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/aluminum-foil-reuses.html,
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/reuse-recycle-your-aluminum-foil.html,
http://www.reynoldswraprecycled.com/, http://www.ifyoucare.com/, http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1716161/20_uses_for_aluminum_foil.html

Where can you walk instead of driving this week?

I had to go to the store to get about $30 in groceries tonite. I decided to walk to the smaller grocery store that is about 1 mile away.

I brought my green environmental recycled koolaide bag (from www.rejuicedbags.com) and some cash, wearing my headphones and walking shoes.I walked to and from the store at a brisk pace. I bought great salad fixings and came home and had a nice big salad with my dinner tonite.

Where can you walk instead of driving this week ?

Big Green Purse Book by Diane Maceachern

Big Green Purse book by Diane Maceachern

~ Using Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World ~

This book is jam-packed with 413 pages of how you can spend your dollars wisely in 25 key commodities where your dollars can have the most impact plus dozens of other areas where you can make better choices for your environment and our world. This is a must read, a must buy, family resource book !

"MacEachern's message is simple but revolutionary. If women harness the "power of their purse" and intentionally shift their spending money to commodities that have the greatest environmental benefit, they can create a cleaner, greener world. Spirited and informative, this book:
•targets twenty commodities-cars, cosmetics, coffee, food, paper products, appliances, cleansers, and more-where women's dollars can make a dramatic difference;
•provides easy-to-follow guidelines and lists so women can choose the greenest option regardless of what they're buying, along with recommended companies they should support;
•encourages women to spend wisely by explaining what's worth the premium price some green products cost, what's not, and when they shouldn't spend money at all; and
•differentiates between products that are actually "green" and those that are simply marketed as "ecofriendly."

Whether readers want to start with small changes or are ready to devote the majority of their budget to green products, MacEachern offers concrete and immediate ways that women can take action and make a difference. Empowering and enlightening, Big Green Purse will become the "green shopping bible" for women everywhere who are asking, "What can I do?" "

SOURCE: http://www.biggreenpurse.com/

Growing up Green Book by Deirdre Imus

Growing up Green, book, by Deirdre Imus

I have checked this book out of the library 3 times now. I need to add this to my buy book list !
This book is jam packed full of information about making the best choices and decisions on which foods, cleaning products, chemicals, toys, and materials to expose your children to or that they may already be exposed.

Some topics included are:

• Environmental Triggers to Chronic Illnesses


• Prevention is the Best Cure


• Preparing for Pregnancy


• Eating Right for Two


• Developing your Baby's Palate


• Green Pediatrics


• Off to School - how safe is it ?

"The second volume in the New York Times bestselling Green This! series, Growing Up Green: Baby and Child Care is a complete guide to raising healthy kids. Environmental activist and children's advocate Deirdre Imus addresses specific issues faced by children in every age group-from infants to adolescents and beyond. With a focus on preventing rather than treating childhood illnesses, Deirdre concentrates on educating and empowering parents with information such as: How to make sure your child is vaccinated safely, Which plastic bottles and toys are least toxic, How to lobby for safer school environments and support children's environmental health studies, Advice from leading "green" pediatricians and nationally recognized doctors such as Mehmet C. Oz, M.D. Chock-full of research and advice, Growing Up Green makes it easy for you to introduce your child to the "living green" way of life."

"The World Health Organization estimates that we could prevent more than 80 percent of all chronic illnesses by improving our lifestyles in simple ways, like working to reduce our exposure to environmental pollutants and eating a healthier diet. Eighty percent ! So, why aren't we doing more to protect our children ?"

"For a number of reasons, children are more adversely affected by exposure to environmental toxins than adults. Pound for pound of body weight, they breathe and eat more than we do. Their still developing immune systems might mistakenly treat toxins as naturally occurring enzymes or hormones. And because children are growing and developing so fast, dangerous cell mutations can multiply at a faster rate. Children are also less capable of detoxifying and excreting chemicals than adults. Their blood-brain barrier is still porous and allows more chemicals to reach their brains."

This book is a compelling read and contributes to our family's mission to make better green options in our everyday lives.

SOURCES: http://www.dienviro.com/index.aspx, http://www.imusranchfoods.com/