Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Green Fitness

Getting healthier with a green twist is easy! Check out these healthy eating habits and fitness ideas.
Watch the food you eat and try to avoid “edible food-like substances”, such as my favorite, cheese food. J Avoid extra processing and additives which strip out nutritional value and are more difficult for the body to break down. Feast on a diet rich with fruits, vegetables and whole grains! These fill you up with good protein, vitamins and minerals.

  
Tips:
  • Stock up on whole foods and reduce or eliminate processed foods
  • Avoid empty calories from things such as soft drinks, chips, and sweets
  • Reduce your meat consumption
  • Drink more water 
Healthy Eating:

When preparing an exercise routine, consider going green. There are a lot of options for exercising outdoors or using equipment that does not require electricity. Try out fitness trails at your local parks or using free weights at your home. You can also combine a quick walk or jog with running errands at a nearby store.


Tips:
  • Head outside for exercising, such as a walk around the pond
  • Choose workout clothes made of organic cotton, bamboo or other natural fibers. We love the clothing from Gaia Conceptions, such as the yoga pants pictured above.
Fitness Information:

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Sustainable, Green Fashion

Did you know that your clothing purchase has a much larger impact than just making a fashion statement? Clothes also have an impact on the environment through the materials used, production process and longevity.

The easiest way for your wardrobe to contribute to being green is by avoiding fast fashion, or cheap clothing that is cranked out to meet the latest trends. These items usually have a limited lifespan, both in quality and aesthetics. Obviously, this creates more waste in landfills and increases your carbon footprint through the production and purchase of the clothing. By avoiding throwaway fashion and focusing on wardrobe essentials and timeless classics, you can build a lasting and eco-friendly wardrobe. Add a splash of fun then with a few select trendy pieces.

When you do buy new clothing, look for sustainable, or eco, fashion like the organic wool sweater by Pretty Birdie, http://www.etsy.com/shop/stephanieteague, pictured above. This growing trend of sustainable fashion focuses on creating and producing clothing in environmentally and socially responsible methods. This usually involves reducing chemicals through the production process, using natural materials, creating higher quality clothing that will last longer and following fair trade guidelines.

When looking for sustainable clothing, things you can do are
  • Buy clothes made from organic and natural fabrics (such as cotton, bamboo and hemp) or upcycled materials (materials that are reused or repurposed to make something new)
  • Shop at vintage or second-hand shops
  • Avoid clothing that requires dry cleaning
If you want to read more, check out these online articles:


And, as always, Etsy is a great place to shop and support small, independent business.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Add New Furniture by Reusing

Is money tight this year, yet still want to add some furniture or storage to help organize? Search for ways to REUSE items you may already have.

It all started when I suggested my husband go through his stuff in our garage, and make up some hardware goody bags for our son-in-law. And in the process he emptied one of these metal cabinets! Thinking I would give it to our son-in-law for in his garage, we loaded it up in the back of my car, and delivered it, with all the surplus hardware.



My daughter, being in desperate need for organization, and able to visualize potential, claimed the old metal cabinet before my son-in-law ever saw it! With a little cleaning, it has been transformed into a stylish, and, oh so practical, industrial-looking cabinet in her living room!



Moral of this story: look around, and reuse items you may already have. If you don't have a garage to look through, try your local thrift store or weekend garage sales. Happy Hunting!

- Judy

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Pack an Eco-Friendly Lunch

Pack your lunch and you will help the environment, save money and probably eat healthier! If you cook a little extra the night before and bring it for lunch, you reduce your carbon footprint by eliminating the traveling to get lunch, the energy used in the preparation of the meal at the restaurant, and the waste in the food packaging or presentation. Plus, while the weather is nice, you can sit outside and enjoy some fresh air during your lunch time.




You can pack an eco-lunch by using:
  • reusable lunchbag
  • metal/bamboo utensils
  • cloth napkin
  • glass food storage containers
  • aluminum or stainless steel water bottle

For further reading:

Here they actually calculated the difference in cost of packing your lunch with disposable items vs. 'wastefree' vs. packing.  www.wastefreelunches.org

And for finding a great selection for more eco-friendly lunch containers, here's a great site: www.reusablebags.com/store/lunch-bags-c-4.html

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Hanging with the INCrowdteam

What fun! We had such a great time at the Hoosier Artisan Holiday Boutique yesterday. It was great to meet so many of the fellow Indiana etsians from the INCrowdteam. I was so surprised and how many live just around the corner from me!


A special treat was that my family stopped by the event. Here's a photo that my mother-in-law took of my daughter and I in front of our booth.

I also wanted to pass along the names of some of my favorite InCrowdTeam shops that were on display:

I hope you enjoy discovering their wonderful handmade items as much as I did!

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Hoosier Artisan Holiday Boutique

To see a full selection of our eco-friendly products, come visit our booth at the Hoosier Artisan Holiday Boutique. The event is Saturday, October 17th from 10am to 3:30pm at the Mansion at Oak Hill. 50 Hoosier artisans will be selling their unique, one-of-a-kind handcrafted wares. Admission is free to the public; there will be complementary hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar available to our patrons.


We're very excited about this upcoming show and will be debuting our iPhone/Touch wallets made from handpainted fused plastic. Come check us out! http://www.hoosierartisanboutique.com/

In the news:

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Small Helpful Habits

A small helpful habit that I've gotten into is using my bedtime water to water my plants. Every morning when I wake up, I shuffle to the kitchen to make the coffee. On my way, I take my bedtime water glass and use any remaining water to water my house plants.

I love this little habit for so many reason. It keeps my bedside table free of glasses first thing in the morning, which is nice and makes my mornings feel less cluttered. By using water that I would have dumped down the sink otherwise, I'm conserving a little bit of water each day. Also, I really don't ever have to take time out of my day to water the plants. I used to be so bad about waiting until they drooped... I haven't had that problem since doing this.

I do this same thing with water glasses that our family leaves lying around. I gather these up at the end of the day and water the plants on my way to the kitchen. My house is less hectic and my plants are so much happier!!