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Hurriance season + really really large oil spill in the Gulf = oil all over the place inland. And not like a little bit inland...they are predicting that it could extend over a major chunk of the US. Can you just imagine how gross this is going to be and how much bigger the environmental impact will become? 

Hopefully there won't be any hurricanes for awhile but unfortunatly that is not what they are predicting. They are saying there will be more than normal.

When I opened our PR package with the Green Cleaners in it I also found 2 surprises. Otterbottles for Joey and I!! We didn't have stainless steel water bottles so this was perfect. What did we use for water then? Jen - well I used plastic reusable bottles. I have about 4 of them, 3 of which smell and the 4th has a broken lid.  Joe - he drinks bottled water. The empty bottles are all over his truck. It is depressing.

I love my bottle too. I use it at work all day and then bring it home on the weekends to use. I was out in the garden on the weekend and the water stayed cold for a long time even though it was at least 204953483894 degrees out. I like that I can clip it to my backpack. I also love that it has a cool design. I have had many colleagues grab it and ask where I got it. My only complaint is the plastic top. It would be nice if there was no plastic involved at all, even though the plastic is BPA free and 100% recyclable.

What makes these bottles different than other stainless steel bottles out there? The Otterbottles are 100% 18/8 stainless steel. There is no liner and no aluminum.

The last 2 things that I love. These bottles were created by a Canadian lady named Shannon Andrukow who lives in Calgary. I also love that for every bottle sold they are donating proceeds to the David Suzuki Foundation. If you want to grab yourself some of these awesome bottles head on over to Otterbottle.

We absolutely love ours and will be using them for a very very long time.

Before we went on vacation in February we went to get a few supplies, one of which was sunblock for B. I insisted that we get Aveeno Baby SPF 55 because I thought that it was the best and safest option based on what was available. We don't seem to have the same organic or environmentally friendly options as the US does so things can be kind of limited.

It seems like every blog is talking about the EWG's 2010 Sunscreen list so I thought I would check it out. I am actually totally in shock that B's Aveeno sunblock is ranked at a 7 (meaning it should be avoided due to the harmful and toxic ingredients). 7!!!! a fucking 7.  The No-Ad sunblock that Joe and I use I thought for sure would be a 15 even though it is only a scale to 9. Nope it is better than the crap I insisted we get for B.

Joe had wanted to get Coppertone Waterbabies because it was cheaper then Aveeno but I said no. Le sigh....I just had to admit that I was wrong. I am never going to live that one down am I?  Coppertown Waterbabies is ranked as a 3. Not a 7....a 3.

Looks like I need to hit up the store to replace the toxic crap that I have been slathering onto him to protect him from the sun.

I am not the traditional environmentalist by any means. I am in no way crunchy (well except for those years in highschool when I wore bell bottoms every day - and no this was not the 60's) and I am a big believer in making change from within instead of fighting it from the outside. I have worked for a chemical company (oh the horror) and loved the change I was able to make while there. Do I have a line? Yes ofcourse I do. I remember clearly when Joey came home last year and said he had a job offer from a local company. I asked what they did and he looked nervous to tell me. One of their sectors was veal. I lost.my.shit. This was over my line. I didn't want any money from a company in this industry even though he wouldn't be working with that sector at all. To me it didn't matter.

Several months ago they invited me to come to their veal farm to look at their practices. I know they were trying to win me over. Heck if you can win someone like me over then you have a fighting chance at increasing your market share with those not as focused on the environment as I am. Before I went I posted online and asked why people are against the veal industry. The results were not surprising. People felt the same as I did and we all pictured baby cows chained inside of small isolating pens where they are unable to walk or be outside. I went into this meeting open minded but also thinking I knew what I would see.

I was surprised. This wasn't anything like I had pictured or even imagined.

When we first arrived at the farm I saw the calves who had just arrived. My first thought? My son. I don't know why my mind went to him but it instantly did. Perhaps because when he was born I only had a brief amount of time with him before he was taken away and I didn't get to see him for several hours. I imagined the mother cows thinking similar thoughts. So why take the calves away from their moms right away? In Europe they remain with their moms for several weeks. I really don't know what is the better situation. To have that bond for weeks and then lose it or to not get that time together at all??? See this is why companies like this have a hard time winning me over. I frickin compare my thoughts as a human mom to a cows thoughts. (it's okay to laugh at me).

We continued on our tour to the large rooms where the cows are kept according to age. Several ran up to me to lick my hand. Yes they ran up to me. Obviously because I am delicious. They were not chained or confined in any way, infact the stalls were spacious.  They eat ate a  state of the art feeding system that regulates how much milk replacer they are eating and can adjust their food by reading their ear tag.

At this farm the cows do not go outside but the company is piloting a program at another farm where the cows do have access to the outdoors. While indoors they are not kept in the dark. They have access to 16 hours of daylight through windows and ceiling lights. The cows weren't being pumped full of antibiotics either. At this farm they approach it the same way most of us do with our kids. You treat them when they are sick.

These animals were treated humanly. I was impressed by that considering I have heard nothing but horrible things about the industry. I also don't think it was all show just because I was there.

Okay now the cool stuff...the stuff that gets my heart racing like I am 16 and going on my first date. They are turning the cows poop into energy. There is a huge biodigestor that will allow them to put electricty back into the grid to power 500+ houses and to sell pathogen free land nutrient to golf courses and local farms.

With movies like Food Inc. being the trend right now people more than ever are wanting to know where their food is coming from. I am no exception. Veal isn't for everyone, including me. Will I ever eat it? Probably not. I know this is not what they want to hear from me but anyone who knows me won't be surprised. Afterall I went vegetarian for several years after realizing my university residence put chopped up spare beef parts (I have no idea what it was) into the pasta sauce. However, if someone asked me about the industry and this farm in particular I would recommend it. If you are going to eat any type of food why not go for the best? Pick the option that is the most humane and that has the least impact on the environment. Know where your food is coming from and what has gone into producing it.

Joe has said this to me twice this weekend.

The first time was when I opened the 3 pack of Stride gum we had purchased and saw that each pack was individually wrapped in plastic. I don't understand why it is necessary when it is already in an outer package . I suggested switching to a different brand and I heard "Okay now you are taking this too far".

The second time was when we were at Canadian Tire using the self checkout. I picked up the 4 items we had purchased and started to walk out of the store. I didn't take a plastic bag. Joe stopped me and said "You aren't putting them into a bag?" I said "No" and he told me again I was taking things too far.

The first time made me realize how different we are with regards to what we are willing to give up for the sake of reducing our impact on the environment and what we aren't willing to do. I like that he has a 'line' and I can respect that as I know that he respects mine.

The second time just made me laugh. But then as B was sticking his hands in Joe's sausage condiments (okay that sounds horrible) I really wished I did have our stuff in a bag. Time to start carrying reusable bags in the truck.

After the fiasco with our last all purpose cleaner I have to say I am a bit jaded of products working and being green. I have been using Gloves Off Disinfectant for about a month now and was immediatly impressed with how well it cleaned. My counters have seriously never felt or looked cleaner. It gets almost everything up off the counter too. The only thing I found that it would not remove was a small stain from the curry we had last Friday (mmmmmmm curry). But you know what did work? The Gloves Off Stain Remover!  It is like Batman and Robin in action.

I have used the disinfectant on our kitchen counter, stainless steel appliances, bathroom counter, sinks, toilet, walls and kitchen table all with the same outcome. This product just plain works. The smell is great too...no strong chemical odour here.

This product is made from plant based biodegradable  materials so it is green (compared to some competitors on the market who just claim to be green but aren't really). I also love that it is registered with Health Canada for eliminating 99% of germs (does it work on cooties though?????).

*** I was given this product to try out and review. I was also given some to giveaway to my readers. This however had no influence in my review because I am not a sellout.

I have 2 Brita pitchers to giveaway. You have to enter by 11:59PM EST on Friday May 21st. Those with Canadian address only.

Enter here. Do it. Enter. Do it. Go. Enter. Do it.

So it has been 14 days since I first started this little experiment. What did I expect to find at this point?  For the bag in the composter I expected to find that it had started to break down. Maybe some of the colours would start to wear away. For the bag in the ground I expected it to be exactly the same as the day I put it there.

I was wrong.

I got it backwards.

The bag in the composter showed no change. It sounded, looked and felt exactly as it did on Day 1.  The bag in the ground however sounded and felt differently. It was softer, not as crinkly as chip bags (especially these one's) typically are.

I have had a lot of new followers lately and participating in the d-listed Blog Party this week so I thought I would say hello to everyone!

What is a Blog Party?  It is not like a keg party...that I know for sure. Although I suppose you could involve some beverages while partaking in the festivities. Basically it is an opportunity to visit a whole buttload of other blogs and have others visit yours.

If you are interested for sure check out some of the other awesome blogs. There is even a chance to win a $100 VISA gift card.

So about me....My name is Jen, my husband is Joey. I am an environmentalist and together we are trying to make environmentally conscious decisions in our every day life. We aren't perfect (who is really?) but we are trying to make this world a better place for our little guy.

I like to blog about the lighter side of Going Green. Even though the environment is SERIOUS BUSINESS I like to add a little humour to it and for the most part try not to focus on all the BS politics around it.

If you have been around for awhile you will notice that I finally have a header. Big ups to Sam for designing it for me. I have felt naked without it so it is great to finally have it up!.

If you have a topic area in particular you would like me to blog about leave me a comment. I have had people ask me to look into certain topics and blog about my opinion. I am open to doing that if there is an interest in something. And hey because we are friends I won't make you send me cookies (but if you did I wouldn't turn them away).

We have a lot of plastic containers that we use for lunches, leftovers etc. They are mostly yogurt, margarine, cottage cheese and chinese food containers. A lot of people are attempting to reduce or completely eliminate plastic from their lives and yet I sit here will a full (like close the door quickly before the stuff falls out kind of full) cupboard of plastic containers.

I don't heat food in them. Just store stuff in our fridge or take it to work with me to keep sandwiches and snacks in.

We could replace all the plastic with glass or stainless steel containers. But which is worse?

Getting rid of all that plastic that is technially still in good condition and can be used over and over again and get glass/stainless steel.

OR

Keep the plastic and use it until it can't be used anymore and then replace with glass/stainless?

Note - all the plastic containers are accepted by our regions recycling program.

I have a thing for robots. If I see anything that has a robot on it I have to buy it for B. Thankfully I have found loads of great robot clothes at the local consignment shop. B grows so ridiculously fast that the idea of spending a crap load of money on new clothes for him just seems ridiculous to me. $30 for jeans for a baby???? COME ON! I don't care how much money you make it just makes no sense to me to spend that kind of money for something your kid will puke and crap on.

We have bought the majority of B's clothes at a 2nd hand store. Some of them are new with tags on still, some are gently used. They are all in great condition, which is what matters the most. I love that we are saving money and also doing something for the environment. When he outgrows them we will sell them back to the same store or sell them online.

Now that B is almost 1 we are starting to get into hand me downs. My brother and sister in law gave us their son's old clothes...like 4 diaper cases worth of clothes. Sah-weet deal.

If buying used clothes isn't your thing then consider donating your clothes or selling them back to a consignment shop when your kid outgrows them. You are helping the environment by reducing the amount of resources required to make clothes and all the waste and emissions that go along with it.

I have mentioned before the horrific state our 3 year old TV is in. It is sad really. I can barely watch the Food Network because the food is 1 of 2 colours. Yellow or green. There is no nom nom noming going on in this house.

Joe was flipping through the Best Buy flyer and came across an Eco TV. Seriously....the thing even has a sensor to shut off if no one is in the room. I wonder if it works for sleeping (snoring) people in the room? I wouldn't have to come downstairs and turn it off after Joe has fallen asleep watching whatever boring movie is on that night. ::fingers crossed::

So all it took was about 30 seconds for him to convince me that this is our future TV. I think he is starting to catch on that this is the way to get what he wants. I am in trouble aren't I?

Tax time got me thinking last month. Why is it that I pay the same amount for property taxes as people who are wasteful with our resources? Shouldn't there be some sort of program where you can get tax reductions for using a rain barrel or composting? I pay the same for garbage pickup as everyone else and yet generate way less because we compost in our backyard. We don't even have enough to put out the trash every week.

Paying per bag of garbage would never work because people would just dump their garbage elsewhere. But if those who found eco alternatives to putting everything in the landfill (and using city services to do so) could get a tax reduction I think more people would start backyard composting or vermicomposting.

Hire some co-op students to do random audits. I would more than welcome showing them what we are doing in order to get the tax break. If enough people get on board maybe they wouldn't need to do weekly garbage pickup but rather bi-weekly. This would also reduce the overall emissions from the garbage trucks.

I know this is a pie in the sky idea and would probably never work in the real world but I think something like this could be effective in getting more people to look at ways to reduce their consumption and their waste. For some people money does talk.

Last month I came up with the idea to test if the new compostable Sun Chip bags will actually breakdown in the time promised. After finishing my yummy Sun Chips I put 1 bag in to the composter and another into our garden. I decided to put one into the garden because in their commercial they just show the bag being in the ground and composting. I know it is probably just an easier way to "show" it giving back to the earth but I still want to see if the bag will breakdown at all this way.

They claim it will take 14 weeks to breakdown so I will check back on the bags every 2 weeks and document their progress. Check back every couple of weeks to see the progress as the bags hopefully breakdown!

We have a microfiber sectional in our family room. It is a lighter colour which looks great but is a real PITA to keep clean. It is even harder when your husband spills chili (with extra hot sauce) on it or when he sits back on it when he has just applied some goopy stuff to his new tattoo. I have tried everything to get these stains out. Oxiclean, soap and water, yelling at it. Nothing has worked. So needless to say I was less than optimistic when I was given a bottle of Gloves Off Stain Remover to try.

Chili stain - it took 3 sprays and dabbing it for abour 10 seconds with a wet cloth and the stain was totally gone. Tattoo goop - 2 sprays and about 5 seconds of blotting and it was gone. You know when try to remove a stain and it leaves a lighter colour ring around the stain, this product does not do that.

When we first got our package with the Gloves Off products in them Joe opened each one and smelled them. Don't ask me why...even I don't understand it. He thought this product smelled really good...it doesn't smell like chemicals and it also doesn't smell overally fragrant.

I have only tried this product on our sofa so far but I can see trying it out on the carpet if say Louie decides to have lunch in the litter box again.

I would 100% recommend this product to anyone who is looking for an effective stain remover that is also environmentally friendly.

*** I was given this product to try out and review. I was also given some to giveaway to my readers. This however had no influence in my review. Homie don't play that.

Although some may say that this is not very eco-friendly we use Ziploc bags in our house. There are just some things (like freezing meat) that I can not find alternative solutions for. Recently I have seen Ziploc bags (the Evolve line) made from 25% less plastic and partly using wind energy. When our current box runs out (we reuse them for awhile so we don't go through a full box too quickly) I am going to switch to these one's.

What can you do with used Ziploc bags? You could make a really tiny hat, keep them in a pile that you keep meaning to clean but never seem to get around to it (WHAT???), fill it with air and make a floatation device (don't try this at home kids). OR you could send it to TerraCycle.  Their current brigade is a special one because it is for schools only. I remember being in school and collecting things for charity. Everyone would get so excited. I remember collecing pop tabs and them somehow going to make wheelchairs. Side note - does anyone remember the different meanings for pulling of the tab in full or without the bottom part???? Anyways, I think this is a cool way for kids to get excited about the environment and to raise money for their school.

Right now the Ziploc brigade is only open to schools in the US but Canadians keep your eye on the Canadian TerraCycle site for upcoming brigades (there are currently 3 on there).

Using Murphys Oil Soap brings back so many childhood memories for me. I don't know if it is just the pine smell or what..heck I don't even know if my parents even used this product or not but every time I use it to wash our hardwood floors I think of my mom cleaning on a bright sunny day.

I have been using this product for several months now and I really find that it does an awesome job of cleaning our wood floors. I don't need to use a lot of the product to get bubbles in the water and it doesn't leave a residue on the floor.

For me the only downside is that I need to use another product on the tile floor. So if I am washing all the floors then I have to empty out the water and then put the other cleaner in with new water.

To be honest I had no idea that it was an environmentally friendly option until I saw the little sticker on it that said it was made from 98% natural ingredients.

*** I have not been paid to review this product nor was I given any of this product to review. I bought the product with my own cash monies and am reviewing it on my own.

If you checked out my post about the ridiculous amount of plastic bottles Canadians consume then you saw the video from Brita's Filter For Good Campaign.

We have been Brita users for as long as I can remember. It started because I found the tap water tasted like bleach and well I like my water as cold as I can get it. Cold enough that it makes my teeth hurt but not so cold that it gives me brain freeze.

In an effort to help reduce the number of water bottles used Brita has offered our readers the chance to win a prize pack that includes their limited edition green Brita pitcher!  We have 2 of these bad boys to giveaway so you have an even better shot at winning.

To enter do at least one of the following (#1 being mandatory). Leave a separate comment for each item that you do. I will use random.org to pick the 2 winners. Please make sure you also leave your email address.

1. Go to Brita's website and tell me what your favourite product is and why.

2. Take the Filter For Good Pledge

3. Tell me what you are doing (or have done) to reduce the amount of water bottles you consume.

4. Follow my blog using Reader or Google Friend Connect (on the left hand side of the blog)
5. Vote for me in the Top Mommy Blogs (button on top right)

Green Peppers - 3 of them $7.31

Red Peppers - 2 of them $6.10

Tomatoes - 4 of them $6.06

Spanish Onion - 2 of them $3.56

::runs in circles waving arms wildly:: These aren't jazz hands folks...these are freaking out flails of WTF'ness. There is a new rule in our house. Even though something is on the list don't buy it if it is an insane price. 

How long until our garden is set up???

We recently started using stainless steel bottles for our water when we are on the go. We have a Brita filter/jug at home and we use to fill up our plastic reusable bottles. Well I did...Joey likes his water cold so he would just get a new bottle of water from work whenever he needed it. I am not exactly sure how many bottles a day he was going through but since he started using his stainless steel bottle he is not using any bottled water.

If you want to reduce the amount of bottled water that you are consuming check out Filter For Good Canada or USA. Take their pledge to reduce the amount of plastic water bottles you use. Also stay tuned for posts later this week about an exciting giveaway from Brita and our review of our stainless steel water bottles.

In the meantime check out this video about waste from water bottles.

Winner winner chicken dinner.

The winners of the Green Cleaner Giveaway featuring Gloves Off and Concrobium products are:

Rachel for saying that she does Elimination Communication with her son as a way to reduce waste (not as many diapers).

 Mom for saying that the products are sold at Canadian Tire.

I will be contacting you both to get your info to send on to the fine people who put on this giveaway so they can send you your products. Congrats to you both!

Make sure you check back later in the week because I have another giveaway from Brita!