Monthly Archives: November 2011
Join the Green Holiday Guide Blog Carnival
| November 30, 2011 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Green Holiday Guide, Green Holidays |
December will be here tomorrow! I can hardly believe it’s time for the Green Holiday Guide to start again. If you haven’t been a follower long enough to be apart of the past Green Holiday Guides, basically I will be posting all kinds of info to help you have a greener holiday season. And like last year I will be having a blog carnival so all of you bloggers out there can join in.
You can post recipes, gift ideas, homemade gift ideas, decorating ideas, anything that has to do with having a greener holiday season. All you have to do is write the blog, send it to retrohousewife05@gmail.com and be sure to link back to the blog so your readers can see the other posts. You can also use the image below. Posts are due December 4th at midnight central time.
Don’t forget to also RSVP for the Green Holiday Guide Twitter Party which will be on December 4th.
Reusable Menstrual Products & TSS + Giveaway
| November 29, 2011 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Green Living, Toxins, Waste |
In case the title isn’t enough warning, guys you may want to skip this post.
“Last summer (2010) Amy Rae Elifritz went from being a healthy and happy 20 year old with her whole life ahead to losing her life in a matter of days . . . sadly, this could have been prevented.
Did you know that tampon related Toxic Shock Syndrome is real, relatively common, and can be deadly? Last summer when Amy experienced flu-like symptoms the fact that she was menstruating seemed unimportant. A few days later, on June 13, she died from Toxic Shock”
Amy’s mom, Lisa Elifritz, founded You ARE Loved to raise awareness about the link between tampons and TSS. Women let’s be honest, how many of you have ignored or forgotten to change your tampons every 4-8 hours? At the end of your period it can be easy to leave your tampon in a little to long, we are busy after all. But that could lead to a very dangerous, even deadly illness.
“TSS is real, it’s common, and it kills. 1 in 700 women will get tampon related TSS in their lifetime. It’s estimated that nationwide 5,000 to 10,000 cases of staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome now occur each year, making it as common as Lyme disease. TSS can strike any woman or girl without warning and can act so rapidly that more fatalities among tampon users are inevitable.”
Pretty scary isn’t it? Thankfully there are many simple ways to reduce your risks.
- Use the lowest absorbency you need at the stage of your period.
- Alternate tampons with pads.
- Use pads at the end of your period (the time we seem to “forget” to change our tampons the most).
- Wash your hands before and after handling the tampon and touch it as little as possible.
- Use tampons made of organic cotton (thought to be safer).
- Use only pads.
- Never use internal menstrual products if you have ever had TSS.
And another tip is to use reusable menstrual products. If you haven’t heard of reusable menstrual products they aren’t as gross as they sound. They are simple to use and great for the environment and your body.
One option is the DivaCup which is an internal menstrual product and while you should use the same precautions with it as you do with tampons they have not been linked with TSS.
Most women that have tried DivaCups swear by them but they aren’t for everyone, I will admit I haven’t tried one. If they aren’t for you another option is LunaPads, LunaPads are reusable pads. They are soft, more comfortable than disposable pads, and great for the environment. There are several sizes and styles to choose from just like their disposable cousin.
Even if you are doing all of the things to reduce your risks of TSS it’s good to know the symptoms (the person may have all or some of the symptoms)
- Symptoms start suddenly
- High fever (at least 102′F)
- A rapid drop in blood pressure
- Diarrhea
- Headache
- Sore throat
- Muscle aches
- Vomiting
- Sunburn-like rash, anywhere on the body.
- Bloodshot eyes
- Unusual redness under eyelids or inside of mouth.
- Fatigue and weakness
- Thirst
- Mental changes
- Decreased urination
Be sure all the women in your life know the risks and the symptoms of TSS.
Now for the fun part, when I told LunaPad I was writing about You ARE Loved and TSS they offered a $50 gift certificate for one reader. So if you are looking for a way to help the environment and help reduce your risk of TSS be sure to enter this giveaway.
And now for the rules-
1. Post your e-mail!!!!! Every time people forget, you can’t win if you don’t leave an e-mail address. (If it’s on your profile that counts, just make sure I can find it)
2. Go to LunaPads and tell me what you would get with your $50.
3. Enter by December 7th at 11:59 p.m.
Extra Entries (post separate comment for each):
- Blog about the giveaway, post link.
- Blog about TSS awareness, post link.
- Post on Twitter, post link.
- Add me on Twitter @retrohousewife5, leave username in comment.
- Follow me, let me know which way you are following. (Google, NetworkedBlog, E-mail, other)
- Add my button to your site. (the button and code are on the right side of the page) Be sure to leave a link for where you put the button.
- Subscribe to the Retro Housewife Goes Green newsletter.
- Like Retro Housewife Goes Green on Facebook.
- Add Retro Housewife Goes Green to your Google+ Circles.
- Like LunaPads on Facebook.
- Follow @Lunapads on Twitter.
- Add LunaPads to your Google+ Circles.
- Like You ARE Loved on Facebook.
- Follow @youarelovedTSS on Twitter.
Remember post a separate comment for each of the above ways to enter! They will only count if they are separate. Each extra entry only counts once.
This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canada residents, 18+ only. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Winner will be selected December 8th and will have 7 days to respond or a new winner will be picked.
*This giveaway is sponsored by LunaPad, the prizes comes from them. I was not paid for this post. Also I’m not a doctor, consult your doctor about all things medical not me.
Buy Nothing Day or Green Friday
| November 25, 2011 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Green Holidays |
This is a post that should have gone up yesterday but I was at my family’s house until after 11 p.m. and had gotten very little sleep the night before so it didn’t get posted, better late than never I guess.
Today is the craziest shopping day of the year. There are already reports of injuries and even in my own town some lady at Walmart decided to open up a pallet of stuff before they were allowed to and that started a fight and the cops had to come in and threaten to taser people. So what can you do to avoid this? Well first you can celebrate Buy Nothing Day instead.
Or you can at least choose to make your Black Friday a Green Friday. If you do go shop choose the locally owned stores, they are less likely to be as busy (sadly!) and you will be giving back to your community. You can also stay home and buy from green online stores that are having deals for Green Friday. Either way let’s say NO to Black Friday.
Here are some deals that will be taking place online on Green Friday (and some will go on all weekend).
Reuseit- Every item will be on sale, only on Black Friday.
Gifts With Humanity- Get 30% OFF your entire order of handmade Fair Trade Gifts and Jewelry. Sale runs 11/25/11- 11/29/11.
CleanWell- Get 25% off all orders. Sale runs 11/25/11- 11/28/11
Bouncing Woolies- Discounts and deals will be posted on their Facebook page so keep an eye on it this weekend.
Lunapads- Get free shipping until November 30th, 2011.
Celebrate Green- Get 50% off the book Celebrate Green.
Soap For Goodness Sake- Save 10% with the code CYBERME on November 28th. Click here for details.
The Changing Table- Black Friday- Cyber Monday get 20% off AppleCheeks and Happy Heiny, 15% off Best Bottoms, Blueberry, Swaddlebees, Weehugger packages, and select PlanetWise wet bags, 10% off EcoPosh, B1G1F bumGenius Econobum, B2G1F GroVia shells and AIOs, B3G1F or $15.95 each Fuzzi Bunz (excluding the Elite), B4G1F Rumparooz, B5G1F bumGenius 4.0, Elementals, and Flips, Free gift with every $50 spent on Friday.
ChicoBags- Get 40% off (excludes accessories and sale items), use the code savegreen on November 28th to redeem. Click for details.
Earth Mama Angel Baby- Get 30% off (excludes kits and bundles and already reduced items), use the code SaveGreen on November 28th to redeem. Click for details
Eat Cleaner- Buy one, get one free (only valid for fruit+veggie wash kit. Includes free shipping (26.99 value)) on November 28th. Click for details
eco-kids- Get 15% off on November 28th. Click for details
GoGreen Diapers- Get 20% off (excludes sale items) on November 28th. Click for details
Kate Quinn Organics- Get 25% off (excludes furniture and clearance) on November 28th. Click for details
Moby Wrap- Get 30% off on November 28th. Click for details
To-Go Ware- Get 30% off on November 28th. Click for details
Natural Candy Store- Holiday candy is in! You can also save 20% on Surf Sweets Gummies and get a 1/4 lb of holiday candy (chocolate Santas or peppermint organic candies for free with each order. Thru Cyber Monday
Kaia House- Get 25% off of everything, 50% off of gifts.
Ecolissa- Get a free Fair Trade necklace with any $100+ purchase.
Kids Konserve- Get $20 off of the new U-Konserve kits.
weeDECOR- Get big discounts at the sample sale.
Envirosax- Save 50% on select bags.
Green 4 Your Soul- Save 20% on your order plus free shipping on all orders over $30. Use the coupon code CYBER
Ma Snax- Get free ground shipping with $30 or more.
The Ultimate Green Store- Save 20% on all orders with code CYBERSAVINGS valid through the 29th.
Purrfect Play- Get free shipping through Nov 30th with the code QGC111124043551
Jackglass- Save 20% with the code GIMME20
Find more deals on Eco Fabulous and The Eco Chic’s Facebook page.
If I find more deals I will post them so check out often. If you see any green deals be sure to post them in the comments below.
*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, if you order from them I will receive a small percent but this doesn’t effect my views.
Green Holiday Guide Twitter Party
| November 23, 2011 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Giveaway, Green Holiday Guide, Twitter Party |
When: Sunday,December 4th, 2011 at 8 pm/EST
Where: On Twitter, we recommend you use TweetGrid to keep up with the party.
To learn about using TweetGrid for Twitter parties check out their how-to video.
Hashtag: #greenholidayguideWhat is a Hashtag?
How to Join:
- RSVP in the comments with your Twitter name. (You don’t have to RSVP to join in the fun but you can only win a prize if you RSVP)
- Follow @Retrohousewife5 and @UltGreenStore
- Use the Hastag #greenholidayguide in your tweets.
- Be on Twitter at 8 p.m. eastern time!
Sponsor:
Prizes:
Eco Tools Recycled Aluminum Retractable Kabuki Brush
Aon Box Eco-friendly "Scrolls & Sculls" Collapsible Portable Green Speakers
Rock Star Organic Shampoo & Conditioner Gift Tote
DayNa Decker Provence Lavender Couture Chandel
Remember to RSVP below to have a chance to win the prizes! You also must be present at the party to win. While everyone is welcome to the party the prizes can only be shipped to addresses in the continental US.
Disclaimer: The prizes come from Ultimate Green Store and not from me. I was paid to host this party but all views stated by me (@retrohousewife5) are my honest views. Ultimate Green Store and Lisa Sharp are not responsible for the content at the Twitter party. The prizes are open to U.S. and Canada residents, 18+ only. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. The number of RSVP entries received determines the odds of winning. Winner will be selected at the party and will have 7 days to respond or a new winner will be picked.
Coming Soon- Green Holiday Guide
| November 22, 2011 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Green Holiday Guide, Green Holidays |
I’m having a hard time believing that this week is Thanksgiving, also feeling a bit rush because of all I wanted to do before then. And even more rushed since after Thanksgiving means Christmas is around the corner! It seems like it was just Christmas a few months ago. I’m not complaining because I LOVE Christmas but it sneaks up on you. And the whole point of this is, Christmas means the Green Holiday Guide!
If you are new around here the Green Holiday Guide is my yearly green holiday event. I have gift guides, DIY ideas, recipes, giveaways and more. I will be having a Twitter party again this year, this year’s sponsor is The Ultimate Green Store. I will also again be having a blog carnival so start thinking about what you want to write for it!
Everything will start December 1st, with the blog carnival. I will post details a bit closer but anything green and holiday related is great. On December 4th we will have the Twitter party and from December 1st- Christmas I will be posting all kinds of other wonderful things. I hope everyone will join in for the fun and spread the word.
Green companies that want to be apart of this can e-mail me for more information.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Click here for my full disclaimer.
Kids Everywhere Rejoice, Pizza is a Vegetable
| November 18, 2011 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Green Parenting |
Feeding your kids vegetables just got easier, the Agriculture Appropriations bill was approved by a conference committee of House and Senate members earlier this week. One of the last-minute additions to the bill will allow pizza to be counted as a vegetable in school lunches. And that’s not all the bill will do.
“The bill also wouldn’t allow the agency to spend money on reducing sodium in school meals beyond what the USDA proposed for the first four years after the rules are in place. School lunches—which have been cited for being high in sodium, accounting for as much as half a student’s sodium allowance for a full day—would have had to become drastically less salty over 10 years. Another change chips away at the USDA proposal on whole grains.
These changes are in addition to others that prevent the USDA from limiting the amount of white potatoes, corn, lima beans, and green peas served on school lunch trays. Senators from several potato-growing states worked that into the bill before it went to the House and the change stuck.”- Education Week
This comes after the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act was past just last year. The act would have allowed the USDA to make changes to school lunches and had received more than 130,000 comments on the proposal. But with this new bill likely to pass it will greatly interfere with the good that could have come from the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. And why did this even come up? Because the potato growers and makers of the frozen pizzas asked them to do this.
It’s not that pizza, potatoes, corn, lima beans, and green peas are bad, but they aren’t good in huge amounts. Corn is a grain not a vegetable, I think we all will agree that a frozen cheese pizza with a little bit of tomato pasta isn’t a vegetable and the others are full of starches, which should be eaten in moderation.
Our kids deserve healthy lunches. The childhood obesity rates are through the roof, yet we are letting lobbyists for the food industry dictate our kid’s health.
Photo credit: The Pizza Review
Safer Chemical Act Hearings Just Finished
| November 17, 2011 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Toxins |
Supporters of "The Safer Chemical Act" at today's hearings.
Today (November 17th, 2011) the U.S. Senate held a hearing on “The Safer Chemical Act”, a bill sponsored by Senator Frank Launtenberg (D-NJ). This is a huge day for all of us that are asking for safer products.
There are many rules to ensure all kinds of products sold in the U.S. are safe, everything from food to pharmaceuticals to cars. Yet there are no requirement that the chemicals used in consumer products be tested for safety, even if they are used in children’s products. This leaves us trying to figure out what is in each product and if it’s safe.
Earlier today, Women’s Voices for the Earth and Healthy Child Healthy World released a report about hidden chemicals in cleaners. The report found hidden toxic chemicals in products from Clorox, Procter & Gamble, Reckitt Benckiser, SC Johnson and Son, and Sunshine Makers (Simple Green). You can find more on that here, Dirty Secrets: What’s Hiding in Your Cleaning Products.
I’m sure most of you also remember the recent report from the Campaign for Safer Cosmetics that showed Johnson & Johnson’s baby products contain known carcinogens. That report was an awakening for many parents and both of these recent reports show why “The Safer Chemical Act” is so important.
More should come out about the hearings soon, to keep on top of this issue check out Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families. And ask your senator to support (better yet, sponsor) “The Safer Chemical Act.” You can also find more info on what happened at the hearing on the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families Facebook page.
Photo Credit: Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families
I Still Want to Save the World
| November 16, 2011 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Uncategorized |
I was watching the above video and thought to myself, I still want to save the world. I have since I was a kid and I never grew out of it. We all make an impact on this world and we can choose if it will be a positive one or a negative one. I may not be able to solve all the world’s problems but that doesn’t stop me from doing what I can. I live as green of a life as I can, I volunteer, and I try to be a kind and loving person.
In the words of John Lennon “some may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.” Often I do feel like I’m the only one since I live in a small rural town that isn’t really known for environmental activism. However, this past weekend my mom and I didn’t feel so alone. We attended a peace festival in Oklahoma City and were blown away by all that was offered there. There were dozens upon dozens of booths and we enjoyed almost all of them, there was one that was a little out there, even for us.
Me talking to the Sierra Club.
We talked to the people that run the Oklahoma co-op, talked to vegetarians about our flexitarianism, met some very nice socialist (no socialist aren’t scary, evil people, they are people who believe in a political ideology, it’s not scary, even if you don’t agree with it), talked to the local Sierra Club, I met a sweet lady that founded the Maisha International Orphanage, and as many other wonderful people. We also met people of all different faiths; christians, muslims, buddhist, quakers, etc…
The musicians that played while we were there.
It was a wonder event that we hope to attend again in the future. There is something empowering about being around people with similar goals to your own. It helps you to not feel so alone in your fights and personally I feel that is the best feeling to have as an activist.
So do you still believe you can save the world or did you grow out of that belief?
Photo credit: Stolen from my mom
Review + Giveaway: reVetro
| November 15, 2011 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Giveaway, Review |
Often people think eco-friendly can’t be beautiful, reVetro shows that’s not true. reVetro sells amazing jewelry made from reclaimed items like wine , liquor, beer, water and soda glass bottles. Each piece is handcrafted and made with sustainability in mind.
I was able to review one of the necklaces and it has become one of my favorites. I wear it often and always get a lot of compliments. People are shocked to learn it’s made from a Skyy Vodka bottle.
Jewelry can have a been environmental and social impact but with reVetro you know that you are getting a sustainable and ethic piece that you can enjoy for years to come. There are many great styles to choose from so be sure to check them out.
You can also enter to win the necklace above! It’s made from a reclaimed wine bottle and has a 18″ copper chain. This piece is sure to be a conversation started so be sure to enter!
And now for the rules-
1. Post your e-mail!!!!! Every time people forget, you can’t win if you don’t leave an e-mail address. (If it’s on your profile that counts, just make sure I can find it)
2. Go to reVetro and tell me what piece, other than the one being given away, is your favorite.
3. Enter by November 24th at 11:59 p.m.
Extra Entries (post separate comment for each):
1. Blog about the giveaway, post link.
2. Post on Twitter, post link.
3. Add me on Twitter @retrohousewife5, leave username in comment.
4. Follow me, let me know which way you are following. (Google, NetworkedBlog, E-mail, other)
5. Add my button to your site. (the button and code are on the right side of the page) Be sure to leave a link for where you put the button.
6. Subscribe to the Retro Housewife Goes Green newsletter.
7. Like Retro Housewife Goes Green on Facebook.
8. Like reVetro on Facebook.
9. Follow @revetro on Twitter.
Remember post a separate comment for each of the above ways to enter! They will only count if they are separate. Each extra entry only counts once.
This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canada residents, 18+ only. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Winner will be selected November 25th and will have 7 days to respond or a new winner will be picked.
*This giveaway is sponsored by reVetro, the prizes comes from them. I was not paid for this post but I did receive a necklace for the review. This does not effect my post, these are my honest opinions.
Poverty and Being a Green Consumer
| November 10, 2011 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Green Holidays, Human Rights |
This month’s Green Mom’s Carnival topic is “How to Be a Green Consumer.” This topic was chosen since it’s almost Black Friday. I had been trying to come up with something I wanted to talk about that had to do with this topic and have been having a hard time. However, last night a conversation about poverty in my town broke out on my Facebook and I knew that was what I needed to write about.
First a little background, I live in a town of around 17,000 people in rural Oklahoma. Yesterday I attended a meeting for the local recycling coalition, we often end up having very interesting conversations, yesterday was no exception. When listening to a report about the Reuse Center in town one of our members talked about how he had been very skeptical of the center and that he thought people would just dump there junk and it would just sit in the center until they had to throw it away. Instead the Reuse Center has about the same output as input. People drop off there unwanted items that are still useable and people can come pick up those items for free. The conversation turned to the reason the center is such a success, and that the reason is that there is so much need here in our town.
Later last night I decided to see what my town’s poverty rate is, it’s 28.1%. The US poverty rate is somewhere around 14% and Oklahoma’s poverty rate is around 16%. While 28.1% seems high, what is more shocking is the fact that people above the poverty line are still unable to make ends meet. The US poverty line in the 48 contiguous state is $22,350 (total yearly income) for a family of four. Even with low cost of living in my town, a family of four can’t meet their basic needs on even considerably more than $22,350.
So what does all of this have to do with being a green consumer? What is one of the greenest things you can do? Buy nothing. Now I’m not suggestion you don’t buy gifts this holiday season, I will be buying gifts, it brings me a lot of happiness to give people gifts. However, there are ways to have a great holiday season, still have gifts to open and help others. Here are some ways you can help others this holiday season and have a greener holiday at the same time.
- Consider gifts of donations. This is a great idea for people that have more than enough stuff and are hard to buy for. Try and pick a cause that is close to their heart or a local cause that will benefit the community they live in.
- Consider as a family giving up one gift each and using that money to buy gifts for a needy family. You likely won’t miss that one item each but the family you help will be very grateful to have anything to open.
- Even if you are one of the many families struggling this holiday season you can help those less fortunate than yourself, by donating your time. Serve at a local soup kitchen, sing Christmas songs at a local nursing home, have your children make cards out of things found in your recycling bin to drop off at a nursing home, shelter or other place people are often ignored during the holidays. Giving joy to others is often worth more than gifts.
These are just a few ideas of ways you can help others this holiday season and by putting your focus on helping other. And also by having a meaningful holiday you can reduce your environmental impact and have a happier and less stressful holiday as well.
Please share your ideas in the comments below. And be sure to check out Eco-novice: Going Green Gradually to see the rest of the posts for this carnival.
Photo credit: Justin Marty
