Going Paperless

DO YOUR PART!!

Did you know that a 2007 report from Javelin Strategy & Research and sponsored by CheckFree, now part of Fiserv Inc., found that if every American household viewed and paid bills online, it would:

• Save 2.3 million tons of wood, or 16.5 million trees
• Reduce fuel consumption by 26 million BTUs, enough energy to provide residential power to the city of San Francisco, Calif., for an entire year
• Reduce toxic air pollutants by 3.9 billion pounds of CO2 equivalents (greenhouse gases), akin to having 355,015 fewer cars on the road
• Reduce toxic wastewater by 13 billion gallons, enough to fill 19,846 swimming pools
• Lower by 1.6 billion pounds the solid waste generated, equal to 56,000 fully loaded garbage trucks
• Remove 8.5 million particulates and 12.6 million nitrogen oxides from the air, on par with getting 763,000 buses and 48,000 18-wheelers off the streets
• Save landfill space and curb the amount of toxic chemicals—including methane gas—released into the atmosphere as paper decomposes. Methane gas has 21 times the heat-trapping power of carbon monoxide and is believed to be a major contributor to global warming
  

By using electronic transactions, you can save trees, and minimize transportation costs for transporting bills, statements and payments. Following are some ideas on how to cut down on your paper bills in the coming year.

1. Make a commitment to pay your bills online. This not only saves the paper used in checks and envelopes, and the transportation resources to physically move them from place to place - it also saves you 41 cents per bill in postage.
2. Take it one step further and ask your billing companies to send your bill to be viewed and paid to your financial institution’s or billing company’s web site. Reduce clutter by turning off paper bills you no longer need to receive by mail once you get into the habit of viewing and paying online.
3. And while you’re at it, ask your financial institution to send your statements electronically. Not only will you save paper, you will save time that you would have otherwise spent filing and storing. If you need a hard copy, you can print what you need.
4. Ask investment and mutual fund companies that send you annual reports and prospectuses to notify you when the reports are available online, instead of sending paper copies in the mail. You will save reams of paper each year.
5. Choose not to receive a paper receipt at the ATM machine. You will save paper, and with online banking, you don’t need the receipts. You can see your transactions daily and will have better control of your finances.
Hug a tree, not paper :)
Beth

Techy Little Christmas

I"m a big fan of saving paper, so instead of going online and printing out those driving directions to grandma's house for your holiday dinner, consider using the TomTom Go GPS System. I was shopping at Staples the other day and I noticed they had tons of them. At $399.99, these are sure to make the top of "his" list, for sure!

I can't tell you how many times I've gotten lost navigating a neighborhood that I've been to 100's of times!

While you're there at Staples, be sure and pick up some of their cute business essentials. I found some really cute binder and paper clips that had poka-dots and stripes, oh so cute for the green mom in you!

AND, if you do have to use (recycled) paper, be sure and shred it thoroughly, Staples has those, too!
One stop shopping for the eco-mom in you!

Cheers!
Beth

It just gets better

Let's face it moms, sometimes convenience wins out in our daily soccer-ballet-music lessons-filled life! Del Monte knows that living healthy and mindful of the environment is on the mind of most moms these days. That's why they've come up with a cost-efficient line of organic canned foods, making organic eating much more affordable and convenient.

Del Monte Organics are grown and packed under strict organic conditions in nutrient-rich soil and are USDA certified organic. It's like having a farmer's market in your own pantry! The canned veggies retail for about $1.25 per can and are available in stores nationwide.

The choices include, organic cut green beans, organic sweet peas, organic whole kernel corn, organic baby leaf spinach, organic sliced carrots, organic tomatoes, organic tomato sauce, organic crushed tomatoes and more!

It's a great way to start your organic veggie journey! Who knows, maybe next summer, you'll be planting your own organic veggies in the back yard!

TOP 10 Reasons to EAT ORGANIC
Organic Products Meet Stringent Standards
Organic Food Tastes Great!
Organic Production Reduces Health Risks
Organic Farms Respect Our Water Resources
Organic Farmers Build Healthy Soil
Organic Farmers Work In Harmony With Nature
Organic Producers are Leaders In Innovative Research
Organic Producers Strive To Preserve Diversity
Organic Farming Helps Keep Rural Communities Healthy
Organic Abundance – Foods and Non-Foods Alike!

Got Vegetables?

FARM TO SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM

It’s a question that haunts any parent out there: How do you get a child to eat her broccoli?

Answer: Put that child in a classroom.

Yes, there can be an alternative way to double-chocolate-brownie birthday parties and candy-crazed holiday celebrations. And the way is lined with fragrant herbal gardens and lush tomatoes…

Seven Generations Ahead, a nonprofit based in Oak Park, Illinois, has been quietly leading the healthy-eating revolution, one child at a time, with its Fresh from the Farm program at area Chicago schools.

To read more, Click here

Out, Spot, Out!

There's one thing an eco-greenie like myself dislikes more than a spot that won't come out of my son's shirts or husbands shorts with out the use of heavy chemicals!

Well, help is on the way! Ecover Stain Remover really does the trick! I love the built-in scrubby brush on the top of the bottle and the convenient size, too.

To find out more about this little "Mother's Helper" log on to: www.ecover.com. Put the power of nature back into your ho-hum laundry days!

Beth

I'm Not Lazy

I'm not lazy, I just want to enjoy an easy, stylish and green life at my own pace. Well, Josh Dorfman has pulled it all together for me (and you) to do so! His book,
The Lazy Environmentalist~Your Guide to Easy, Stylish, Green Living.

Book Description:
We can’t all camp out in old-growth forests, lying down in front of the bulldozers. And it’s not only that we’re too busy: Some of us just don’t want our fabulous threads to get caked with mud.

But that doesn’t mean we don’t care passionately about the environment. Luckily, the days when becoming environmentally aware entailed eating bread that tasted like dirt, wearing clothes that looked like frayed burlap sacks, and spending summer vacations assailing whaling ships with Greenpeace are passing away. It is now perfectly possible (and increasingly easy) to be well fed, well coiffed, well dressed, and well traveled while remaining deeply committed to an ecologically sustainable lifestyle.

In The Lazy Environmentalist, Josh Dorfman—host of the Sirius Satellite Radio program of the same name—provides comprehensive guidance to fashion-forward consumers who are as concerned about the long-term health of our planet as they are about the design of their bathroom fixtures. Covering topics that range from clothing to electronic gadgetry, home decor to recreation, and gardening to financial investment, Dorfman lets us know which trends to watch and which eco-conscious products—cars, toothbrushes, cell phones, pet accessories—to buy. Green, it turns out, can be an extremely stylish color.

Check it out, go to www.Lazyenvironmentalist.com

Is He?

Have you ever tried an Izze? Recently I tried Izze's Sparkling Pomegranat drink and whew-we, is it ever good! It can so replace my craving for sweets (and sometimes soda). This caffeine-free, naturally sweetened treat uses real fruit juice to add that skip in your step, rather than refined sugar that does things you really don't want happening to your body.

Izze partners with Global Education Fund for Project Reach, a program that provides education-based development for farm workers and their families in the communities where they buy their fruit, check out http://www.izze.com/projectreach. I also like their clear glass bottles (better for the environment) and simple label design. Way to go Izze! You're my new favorite soda.

My New Addiction

Wow, you have to try my new addiction! I stumbled upon MANGO, an amazing new product and yummy treat from a company called, The Raw Choice. The dried Mangos are made with ONLY organic mangoes (no funny sweeteners).

This all-natural alternative to candy is so tasty, I keep a package in my purse, car and next to my computer and chew away when hunger hits. With 2g of dietary fiber per serving, this 2g-of-protein snack rates high on my list. Research has shown that dietary fiber has a protective effect against degenerative diseases, especially heart conditions and certain types of cancer, as well as lowering blood cholesterol levels. Mangos are also a great way to replenish lost potassium during exercise.

Mangos, known to many as the "king of fruit", really do make you feel great. Beyond being delicious, this comfort food is rich in vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants, as well as an enzyme with stomach soothing properties. These comforting enzymes act as a digestive aid and add to that feeling of contentment we experience while indulging in this this sweet tropical treasure.

Go ahead, feed your cravings for something sweet in Mango; tell them Beth sent you!

Living Klean

I've been reading so much information about how plastic water bottles are linked to breast and other forms of cancer that I've decided to invest in stainless steel water bottles for my family, just in case!

The water tastes so much cleaner and it's easy to just fill up the bottles from our kitchen sink (with an under-the-counter filter installed). It saves money in the long run and you feel much better when you see your children drinking from a safer bottle alternative!

Check out Klean Kanteen at www.Kleankanteen.com for more information about this bottle pictured here! They even offer a sippy top for the little ones!

Living Clean with your own Canteen!

Best,
Beth

Beach Glass

It's amazing how fast summer rolls by; it's already almost the 4th of July!

During the summer we live in Indiana at our summer home, just steps from the beach. It's surely one way to unwind and let the busy cares of the city drift away. One way I've found to cherish my days is to walk along the beach with my father (who happens to live near my summer home).

We decided that the long winter added a few inches to our frame and wanted to shed them quickly without "pain or strain". So, I suggested that we begin walking in the sand and the added bonus was that we would find an occasional piece of colored beach glass along the way.

Ironically, we began collecting over 20, 30 or even 40 pieces each time we went out early each morning. Today along we gathered 73 colored morsels (even a navy blue one).

The fun comes with the challenge of finding the "needles in the haystack" hidden colored, buffed and tumbled glass AND the fact that we know we are slimming down, toning up and building endurance with every step!

The bonus for "Mother Earth" is that we bring a zip lock bag and grab discarded trash, too. It is frustrating to see the random items strewn across the beach, but with a simple swipe, it's gone and disposed of!

Next time you take a walk along the beach or in the park, bring your zip lock bag and lend a hand, you might just find a treasure or two along the way!

(This image is a sliver of the 1 million plastic bottles that Americans discard every year!)

May Crowning

It's such a beautiful day today! Every year on the second Friday of the month of May, my son's school celebrates May Crowning. They have to bring in a flower to celebrate Mother Mary. Each year, I excitedly run to my yard and grab one of the newly-sprouted Lily of the Valley flowers that bring such pleasure to my day. The smell is just amazing. My sons are so proud to bring in flowers that were grown from home, too! It's really special to see your own children appreciate beauty in the world; it gives me hope and belief that the world will be o.k.

Take a minute today and stop to smell the flowers...your children often do!

XO
Beth

New Finds at the Organic Food Show

Yesterday I had some extra time so I decided to check out the Organic Food Show taking place here in Chicago! As a publisher I'm lucky enough to be able to go to conventions as press. So, as a good journalist, I'll report my findings!

There's not enough room here to post everything that I found, but 2 items stick out in my mind. The first is Wagatha's Biscuits for dogs (made in Vermont). These treats (once I brought them home and shared them with Barkley my black Cocker Spaniel) are truly delicious (according to my finicky pup). He's very picky and only eats certain treats, however the Wagatha vittle was gone in one dog gulp! I really like the neat canister it comes in, too; because if you're like me, you want you doggie treats to last a while without getting "hard". My dog is getting on in years and a hard doggie treat would rate as paws down. I would rate Wagatha's 4 green thumbs UP! Purchase or Check 'em out at www.Wagathas.com

Another great find was Bare Fruit Snacks, the perfect goodie to keep in your car for busy car pool lines or traffic. These dried fruit snacks are soooo delicious! I sampled the dried pears. OH-MY-Goodness! They taste so good! What I love about these snacks is that they don't have that dried up raisin feel or taste; rather they are soft, easy-to-chew and just darn sweet (which is perfect for a sweet tooth such as myself). I give these snacks 4 green thumbs up. If you check out their website, you can purchase them online or find a retailer near you at, www.bearfruitsnacks.com.

Let's face it, we're going to eat treats from time-to-time, so let's make choices that will make a positive impact on Mother Earth. Choosing organic food is always a better choice!

Here's to the Best Day Ever,
Beth

Welcome to my page on the web

Hi Everyone!

I'm delighted to begin my Green Mom journey with you! I've been living green for so long that I am not really sure how it all began. I'd venture to guess that, 11 years ago while I was pregnant with my first son Tyler, that I started investigating the how's and why's of healthy eating for pregnancy...and as the story goes, it lead to my discoveries into chemicals in our food and pesticides used on our produce.

It bothered me so much that I decided to make one change a week until my entire home was "clean and green". With these changes came quite a bit of criticism from family and friends, but as the years passed and 2 more sons were born, I decided to take matters into my own hands and create a media company for women offering ideas, insights and solutions for "Conscious-minded" women. Hence, For Her Information Media was born. I can remember holding my 10-month-old son on my lap late at night while I researched ideas for my TV series and magazine!

This blogspot is my "away-from-work" retreat where I'll give you my personal opinion on things, green and otherwise!

Also, you can check out my new travel website where you can purchase travel green or not, and the proceeds from sales will go towards charities that I'm involved with (more on that in my next post). Go to www.GreenMomTravel.com and check out some deals!

That's all for now!

Beth