Green Options

I am way too young to be a hippy but I have always had that New Age vibe going on, so I am totally digging the candles that Lorain at Lorain’s Touch makes. They are so awesome.

I love that her tag line is that the candles are made with love, “From our hands to your heart”. Another cool thing? The soy candles are made on or close to the full moon so they are infused with positive energy.

Among all the huba-lo, we received some fabulous eco friendly gifts for Christmas. Hubs is learning well and spent a great deal of time searching for natural lotion, eco friendly packaging, and soy candles.

Here’s our favorites:

Kiss My Face Ultra Moisturizer in peaches & creme. Can I just say, “Yum!”. I’ve been on the search for a natural lotion that actually works. Husband did the work for me and brought this bottle home. It retailed just under $9.00 for 16 ounces. I’m slathering the kids with it post bath and my hands after every washing (I wash a lot, because its the best way to fight germs y’know?). This yummy lotion is paraben free, light and smells luscious.

EcoBags: Classic String Bag. This bag rocks! It stretches out so much I was able to haul our gifts around to family and friends. The kids can toss all their toys in for a day outing. It’s a lifesaver in the produce aisle. It also fits inside my purse so I will never again be without a bag!

With the Thanksgiving Holiday just a few days away, you are probably focusing on how to have a green Thanksgiving. I have enjoyed reading tips and ideas from around the Green Options network and the blogosphere. Here are some of my favorite green Thanksgiving posts.

There are plenty of ways in which you can get the kids involved in helping you with your Green Thanksgiving plans. I sent mine off to the park with instructions to collect whatever would look great on the table. Watch this video to see what they came up with.

Bamboo-Fabric Tees That Make Everybody Happy

When Kathryn Haydn-Hays read a story six years ago about forced child labor in foreign sweatshops, she realized that she didn’t know where her clothes really came from. “I really understood, for the first time, that nearly everything we purchase has a direct effect on people around the world, whether it’s an environmental or socio-economic impact,” says Haydn-Hays.

So she made it her life’s work to raise awareness and create more conscientious consumers. She started Affirm-Aware.org, a website which sells bamboo and organic cotton fabric tee-shirts, soy candles, organic reusable totes, and lovely unique jewelry — all created by 100% sweatshop-free labor.

But Kathyrn wanted to go a step further. She wanted to print affirmations on the tee-shirts so that the wearer would benefit from reading it every time he or she looked in the mirror, so she printed reverse images of the affirmations and called them “AffirmaTees.” (The “Duet” line has the affirmation both forwards and backwards, for those that want to spread the happy thoughts in both directions.) The site also features an “Affirmation Cafe” which has tips for meditation and positive thinking.