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Green America’s
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lean plastic bottlecaps, plastic jar caps, flip-top caps from personal care products, and flexible snap-on lids (e.g. butter tub lids) to turn into funnels and other items. 
ctures: 1900 18th Street; Spirit Lake, IA 51360.
e often get products to “test-drive”. Once the product arrives, we marry the product with the best person to review it. In this case, there was no discussion, no option for selecting anyone other than Lynda Calimano, the publisher, as the tester or this product. She has been on the hunt for a foot cream that is soothing, restorative, and eco-friendly. She found it in green & glam’s Peppermint Grapefruit Hand & Foot Repair. Here’s her feedback.
an anti-microbial, anti-infammatory and supports the repair of tissues, which is an excellent weapon for rough or calloused hands or feet. Peppermint, spearmint, lemon and grapefruit essential oils have anti-fungal properties and provide a lovely upbeat fragrance. Sunflower seed oil, orange peel wax and beeswax provide moisturize to distressed skin. Easy Ways to Reduce Plastic Use |
Join the Surfider Foundation’s Rise Above Plastic campaign and everybody wins! Everyone has a plastic footprint that measures how much plastic a person uses during a given time. The challenge is to cut unnecessary plastics from your routine. In honor of Rise Above Plastics Month, strive to make your plastic footprint look less like Big Foot’s and
more like Tiny Tim’s with these recommendations from the Surfrider Foundation.
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Stop using plastic grocery bags. Each year over one trillion plastic bags are used worldwide. Because these bags are so light and thin, they are easily carried by the wind out into the environment. Instead of taking a plastic bag when you shop, use reusable bags to get your groceries and other purchases home.
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Stop using single-use plastic water bottles. In nearly all cases, the water out of your tap is just as safe – if not safer – than the water distributed in single-use plastic bottles. Instead, buy and use a reusable bottle and fill it with water.
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Use a reusable travel mug each time you fill up for coffee (or tea). Use a reusable travel mug or to-go cup for your coffee, tea or other beverage purchases. Think of all the lids (as well as the waxed paper cups) you’ll save.
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Recycle! In those instances where you must use plastic, please make sure to recycle it. Most plastics can be upcycled to make cool and useful items.
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Reusable containers are rad! When it comes to lunch and leftovers, ditch the plastic bag and use reusable containers instead. Reusable containers are just as easy to use and far less harmful to the planet.
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Buy food in bulk. Buying food in bulk helps to reduce the total amount of packaging materials consumed.
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Always look for alternative packaging. Many items such as soft drinks, detergent, cat litter, etc. come in alternate packaging (such as aluminum or cardboard) that can be more easily recycled than plastic.
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Say “NO” to pre-packaged single-serving portions. These types of products are among the worst when it comes to excess packaging.
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Buy and sell secondhand. Clothing, toys, baby gear, furniture, household su
pplies, sporting goods and many other consumer items can often be found through secondhand sources, thereby reducing the amount of new plastic entering the waste stream.
The Surfider Foundation’s mission is the protection and enjoyment of oceans, waves and beaches through a powerful activist network. For more information, visit http://www.surfrider.org
Zeenie™ Dollz |
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The powerful, stylish and vibrant eco-warriors are on a mission, to save the planet with style! Perfect for holiday gift-giving, the six doll series merges fashion and eco-awareness. Each Zeenie, in addition to being a trendsetter, possesses a unique eco-power that protects the environment. To further the series’ green mission, each 12-inch ball jointed doll is made entirely of recyclable materials and non-toxic plastics.
Created for young girls and eco-conscious parents, the dolls are fashionistas, donning the latest in groundbreaking style, but Zeenie Dollz stand for much more. Each doll also brings to light an environmental cause that needs attention, bringing together education and green ideals for young girls. Zennia, the special edition doll in the series, leads the pack and embodies Mother Earth, the protector of our planet. As the giver and sustainer of life on earth, Zennia is passionate about combating the evil anti-environment villains that threaten to destroy the world. To assist her in protecting our environment and spreading eco-awareness, Zennia is joined by a team of five eco-warrior fashionistas:
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Evee, Protector of the Skies and Defender against Pollution
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Kazumi, Protector of the Polar Regions and Defender against Global Warming
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Lina, Protector of the Rainforest and Defender against Deforestation
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Sini, Protector of Farmland and Defender of Mistreated and Abused Animals
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Yana, Protector of the Oceans and Defender of Marine Conservation
The concept and mission behind Zeenie Dollz started with a sketch by Hansini Wadhwani, the creator, designer and inventor of the series. Hansini showed her mother, Laxmi Wadhwani, the first sketch of a girl with flowing blue hair and explained that her persona was that of Mother Earth. With overwhelming support and belief in the concept, Laxmi leveraged her years of experience in the toy industry to bring Zennia, the first doll in the series, to life. From there, the mother-daughter duo have worked together through every step of the creative process to take a beautiful sketch, a meaningful cause and a passion for the environment, and merge it into the Zeenie Dollz series.
Zeenie Dollz are made of a combination of two completely recyclable, non-toxic materials. The packaging also follows suit with the sustainable message; the shipping cylinder is made of a biodegradable plastic. In addition to their sustainability, the Zeenie Dollz also come standard with 12 ball joints offering much more flexibility and movement during play time.
“We are thrilled to launch the new Zeenie Dollz series,” said Laxmi Wadhwani, sales director, Zeenie Dollz LLC. “The dolls truly tap into a unique, eco market and we are proud to bring this message to the toy industry. The Zeenie Dollz are beautiful and fashionable, but they also align with environmental causes that need our attention. We hope this eco-awareness will appeal to a wide range of today’s children and parents.”
We can’t think of a better way to introduce and educate young girls to the environmental issues facing our planet today. Sassy, passionate, and fun…these dolls will make a perfect gift for the young girls on your holiday list.
Zeenie Dollz retail for $49.99 (special pre-holiday buy now for $39.99 and free shipping) are available for purchase at www.zeeniedollz.com and will be available at select retailers nationwide. For more information about the series, visit www.zeeniedollz.com or follow Zeenie Dollz on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ZeenieDollzLlc.
Composting With Cat Litter
There are multiple benefits to composting, including minimizing your household’s waste and creating premium (and free!) chemical-free fertilizer for your home or neighborhood garden. These eco-friendly advantages are being embraced by both rural and urban dwellers. In just the last few years, progressive U.S. cities have even begun encouraging, and in select locations mandating, that residents separate their trash for recycling and composting purposes. 
Michael R. Bloomberg, New York City’s long time mayor is the latest to join the movement in an effort to seize both the environmental and economical benefits of minimizing the city’s spending on trash removal. According to The New York Times, the big apple spent a whopping $336 million in 2012 disposing of residential trash, in which most of it was exported to landfills in other states. Clearly, composting is being seen as a personal and national resource and solution.
So where does kitty litter become part of the conversation? Unlike ordinary clay-based litters that are mined and never decompose and contribute to landfill overfill, Swheat Scoop® Natural Clumping Litter is made from natural wheat – a renewable, sustainable resource that’s 100 percent biodegradable.
Here are a few tips to composting with Swheat Scoop kitty litter:
Clean the litter box regularly.
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It’s recommended that feline pet parents scoop twice daily to encourage healthy feline elimination habits and to help keep the remaining, non-soiled litter clean and fresh.
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When it’s time to replace the litter (it’s recommended that the litter box be fully emptied, cleaned and refilled once a month), the residual litter can be added to the compost pile meant for enriching decorative gardens with flowers, shrubs, trees and other plants not intended for consumption. * Swheat Scoop compost should not be used in vegetable gardens.
Sort your waste.
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To yield the most successful compost, you must have the right “ingredients.” If you’re composting indoors you’ll want a compost bin, which may require you to add water periodically. An outdoor compost pile will naturally receive the appropriate amount of moisture from the ground and the rain.
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Materials you can add to the compost pile or container include:
· Non-protein food scraps
· Plant, vegetable, fruit or grass cuttings
· Eggshells
· Grains
· Coffee grains (this balances the compost’s pH levels, which helps manage odors and encourages a faster compost cycle) -
Items to sift or discard from your compost are:
· Meat or fish
· Dairy
· Grease
· Plastics or plastic-coated paper products
Maintain and enjoy the spoils, literally.
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Add your “ingredients” as they become available and turn your compost pile regularly (once a day is recommended). Over time the materials will break down and begin to look like rough-textured soil, that’s when it’s ready to add to your ornamental gardens!
Since emerging on the market in 1994, Swheat Scoop® Natural Clumping Litter has been celebrated for its effective, eco-conscious qualities. For more information on the brand’s ongoing commitment to the environment with it’s Happy Family. Happy Cat. Happy Planet.TM seal, please visit www.SwheatScoop.com. Also find them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, just search Swheat Scoop.
