Anyhow it got me thinking that enough was enough. I really need to do my part and purchase some re-usable bags for groceries and other everyday chores. Example - hauling my laundry to and from my parent’s house on the weekend.

Thus began my search for a stylish way to solve the problem of plastic shopping bags? Ding- Ding - Ding - Jackpot! Check out RuMe which was designed for busy men and women who want a lightweight and easy to use bag that can tote groceries in style.

Turns out the name RuMe stands for Reuse Me - clever little chaps, huh!

Better yet they offer adorable patterns that run the gamut from Hamptons Chic to Ultra-Modern Classics! I am really tired of the notion that people who care about the environment are dweebs, I would argue that hauling around passe’ plastic bags looks down right drab and ignorant.

Utility is where RuMe really shines, big enough to hold a five gallon container of water, but structured enough to hold just a few items and not crumple up in the back seat, these bags are tops!!

The design mimics an old-fashioned paper bag, and has squared sides and a bottom to easily fit anything. Plus, the handles are made to fit REAL people…with plenty of room to slide over bulky jackets or sweaters. Grocery or mall shopping; as a gym, sports, diaper or beach bag; for après ski, picnics or overnighters; for laundry, farmer’s markets, work or as ReUseable gift bags.

RuMe Bags are made from 180 denier polyester, with water-resistant coating; the innovative box stitch design offers a structured environment for loading goods, while maintaining a flexible space for over-sized, bulky items.

By incorporating RuMe Bags into our everyday lives, we can do our part in reducing the estimated:

• 17 billion gallons of oil used annually to produce plastic bags
• 100 billion plastic bags Americans throw away after a single use
• And save more than a million birds and 100,000 marine mammals and sea turtles that die every year from eating or getting entangled in plastic

Good grief, I’m all out of excuses. Time to put down my baby seal sandwich and do my part to save the planet. (I kid, I kid)

OH and they cost $28.50 - WORTH IT!

It’s your favorite guest blogger back with another fabulous decorating idea. At the end of last year I was an intern for a wonderful band called The Dresden Dolls. They were in the process of looking for some unique artists to make some rockin’ band merchandise for them. That is when I discovered the website www.etsy.com. Have any of you seen this site? If you are crafty and love all things handmade, this is the site for you.

That is exactly where I found this week’s Home and Garden find. I am a vegetarian and am against animal cruelty of any kind. Hunting for sport is something else I am not a big fan of.

That’s why I was so happy to find this artist who makes these incredibly beautiful and unique mounted deer heads out of wallpaper and resin (which is just a fancy word for plastic).

For those of you not familiar with Etsy, each artist on the site has their own profile and their own store where they can sell their creations. This artist’s store name is Ruby’s Lounge.

Take a look at these:

Black & White Deer Head

Colorful Deer Head

Look at this! The Big, Bad Wolf!

Ruby proudly advertises that “No deer were harmed in the making of this craft!”.

Each deer is made to order, so allow 2-3 weeks for production. Each one is around $345. To purchase or browse Ruby’s Lounge for a custom made Deer Head, click here.

These are the only deer heads I definitely wouldn’t mind displaying in my home.

What would you say? Write us your caption and post them in our comments!

The first thing I started to move in was my music, tons of it. I’m the kind of person that has to listen to music while in the shower, while getting ready in the morning, and definitely while driving in the car. I was delighted when I saw that my new office computer had the iTunes program already installed on it. I came to work armed with my MP3 backup music discs. After a few minor glitches I finally got all 7 gig’s onto the computer’s hard drive, which is only half of my whole music collection, just to give you an idea…

A couple weeks later I was having trouble logging into my computer and that is when I was told that it was because of the music I had downloaded and that it was a violation of my work agreement to install any foreign programs onto the computer I was using. I was promptly asked to delete all music files.

I went into panic mode. No music? At work? For 8+ hours a day? But luckily, I am a resourceful girl and I started to think of ways to resolve this issue. My first thought was to buy an iPod dock, but funds are kind of low these days and I don’t even have one at home, so if I’m going to buy one, it’s going to be a good one.

My next thought was of a pair of little speakers I had gotten from an ex co-worker. They are made by a company named Fashionation and are made out of 100% recycled materials. Here’s a sample…

And they come in different colors…

and designs …

Since they are made of recycled materials that is good news for the environment, but the fact that they are $14.95 a pair makes them good news for your bank account. They also run off your iPod’s battery, so no need to plug them in!

When I brought them to work I simply cut a small slit on the tops of each one with my Swiss Army knife and used clip hangers to hang them to the wall of my cubicle and now I can listen to my music all day long and the sound is much better than the speakers on my work PC.

Before I used them for work, I would use them while in the kitchen washing dishes or cooking dinner. The sound quality isn’t the greatest, but for the purpose that they serve, they are the best.

Find more info or purchase a pair of Fashionation Speakers by clicking here. 

Well okay I know that not everyone may see the humor in that situation but if you knew my brother you would. This is the same fellow who had his car stolen twice (recovered and stripped in Riverside) and who has an uncanny ability to get into hi jinx wherever he goes. So really the event didn’t surprise anyone, just brought additional chuckles.

The whole event made me wonder if there were other solar outdoor lighting options available that could not be so easily swiped.

Voila! I introduce you to the Driveway Solar Lights from Frontgate.com!

Place along the driveway or along the steps of your porch or front walkway and let the solar lights be a beacon for your way home. The lights will guide you on your path safely as you bring in your groceries at night, sleepily pull out your trash early in the morning, or slowly guiding your car threw rainfall or drizzle.

Powered by solar memory circuitry for 18 hours of run-time on a full charge (even when the skies are overcast), they provide reliable outdoor lighting all night long. Housed in rust free aluminum, 6 super strong LEDs provide bright and brilliant light, completely cordless so no wiring required to install. Also mounts vertically so you can add the Solar Lights wherever some luminance is required. 

Price - $59.50 (for a set of 2)

To shop for the Driveway Solar Lights from Frontgate, click here.

To browse a wide selection of Discount Outdoor Lighting Options, click here.

Happy Earth Day! Since Earth Day is supposed to be about finding a global perspective on the state of our environment, I decided to dedicate this post to interesting advancements in “green living” on a global front.

In Milan…

Droog Design displays a “Touch of Green” to their design work. I don’t know if this is sellable or is just proving a point, Above is “One day paper waste,” a table that shows one days’ paper waste in a more static form. They note, “Does it help the environment to recycle a one day gathering of paper waste from the office into a resin treated piece of furniture? Maybe not literally, but the intention to limit waste is at least one step in the right direction.”

Regardless the message to me is loud and clear, amazing what can be created by just one day of waste! We should definitely start supporting architects and designers who choose to utilize this by product into sustainable furnishings.

(Source: Treehugger.com)

In Australia …

Big things are happening in Sydney. First Earth Hour, which began in Sydney, went global last month. Then, the city unveiled its brand new 2030 vision, which outlines the steps that the city will take to reduce its emissions by 60%. And now, a new project planned for the outskirts of the city will become the most sustainable development in Australia.

Finish reading at Inhabitat, Australia’s Greenest Development.

In Scotland …

Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond is offering $20-million for any individual or company that can harness the power of the ocean to create renewable energy in an environmentally friendly fashion. This is the largest dollar amount offered by any nation to spur advances in energy technology and is hopefully a sign of things to come.

(Source: science.propeller.com)

We are making awesome progress folks, it warms my heart to read about all the global attempts to tap into new sources of energy, creative uses of by products, and innovative architectural designs that will literally re-shape the way we see the world.

It’s sad that we must get this bad before everyone starts caring and making bold strides to change, but hey I guess it’s better late than never, right?

Happy Earth Day Everyone! 

So as I stood in the aftermath of my families Thanksgiving dinner, huge black trash bag in hand, making my rounds threw the kitchen and living room, and pool room, picking up discarded bowls, dishes, cups, spoons, forks..napkins, I thought to myself; “Wow, this is a whole lot of trash!” And that was just one Thanksgiving dinner, imagine the accumulated trash across the country!

Which is why I made a mental note to search for biodegradable plates, cups and utensils as soon as I got back to blogging. The set featured above is from Branchhome.com and is made of plates, cups and bowls that are 100% biodegradable, compostable sugar cane fiber (bagasse) that is a byproduct of the sugar refining process. (Supplies of this material are virtually unlimited worldwide. The use of bagasse products eliminates the dependence of traditional wood fiber-based materials in disposable tableware. Since bagasse is traditionally burned for disposal, the diversion of the fiber into the making of tableware prevents harmful air pollution.) Source

The potato-starch cutlery is sturdy, attractive, reusable, and suitable for hot foods up to 220° F. It will biodegrade within 180 days in a commercial composting facility. Cutlery is sold in sets of 50. (Each set includes 50 forks, 50 knives and 50 spoons.)

On top of the benefits to the earth and atmosphere, these utensils are friendly to your wallet as well! They are very reasonable. Check out the prices and quantities offered below:

16 oz. Bowl (pack of 50): $8.50
12 oz. Cup (pack of 50): $9.00
7″ Plate (pack of 50): $6.50
9″ Plate (pack of 50): $9.00
9″ Compartmentalized Plate (pack of 50): $9.00
12″ Oval Platter (pack of 10): $5.50
Fork, Knife, Spoon (50 of each): $14.00
price:
Starting at: $5.50

Anyhow I ordered 1 set of 50 of each for Christmas and New Year’s, just thought it would be a good idea to spread the word.

To purchase or learn more about featured item, click here.

To shop for more Biodegradable Plates, Cups and Utensils, click here.

Honestly this is one of the coolest and most inventive stories I have read in a mighty long time, please read about eco-architect Mitchell Joachim’s visionary ideas about how to grow living treehouses from ficus molded around frame structures. Displayed below is a video from Mitchell Joachim explaining the details of how they work. Joachim does better justice to his imaginative ecological designs than I am able to do in a mere post, so if you have any interest in living tree houses (and you should), check out the video below.

YouTube - Watch Link

To read more about “Living Treehouses”, click here.

Well in support of our country’s effort to go GREEN, I would like to dedicate this post to the wonders of “Indoor Artificial Christmas Trees” !!! (cue uproarious applause)

I have chosen to highlight Frontgate.com because they offer a wide-selection of different “breeds” that are designer quality! They are the most lifelike, full artificial Christmas trees in the business. The trees are pre-lit, so you don’t need to fuss anymore with running around and around your Christmas tree with the lights. Well unless you enjoy that sort of thing, then by all means have at it! Ha!

In my house, I enjoy full, plush trees that are robust at the bottom and allow for alot of ornamentation. I usually purchase Noble Firs or Canaan Firs. The image listed above is of the Pre-lit Noble Fir Christmas Tree, which I believe is the top seller. The level of luxury and quality in these trees really amaze me! Plus they don’t shed or leave water stains all over your carpet, which is a mighty big perk!

Also they have this really cool feature, an interactive Gallery of Indoor Christmas Trees tool that allows you to hover over different styles, learn more about that particular artificial tree, and view a comparison chart. You gotta check it out, its awesome!

Honestly folks, save a tree near you today and go ARTIFICIAL!

To view and shop a wide selection of artificial Christmas trees, click here!

To help you decide check out Frontgate’s interactive tool, the Gallery of Indoor Christmas Trees.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 90% of the energy used for washing clothes is spent on heating the water. You’re paying for that energy, and it adds up over time. Also, clothes loose their luster at a slower pace when you launder them in cold water–warmer temperatures can fade color and weaken fibers.

I recently started washing most of my clothes in the cold cycle, and I haven’t seen any difference in how clean they get. The only exception I make is for whites since hot temps do seem to make a difference in removing stains.

I also hang dry about half my clothes now–in the summer sun, it’s a quick process, and come winter, I’ll hang them overnight on door frames and shower rods. If put it on hangers, it’s a cinch to put dry garments away.

Here are some more laundry-related, energy-saving tips:

• Always wash and dry full loads of laundry
• Change your water setting, if you must wash an incomplete load
• Don’t over dry your clothes–check the load at the 3/4 mark–they’re probably dry
• Use an energy star washer and dryer, like the Whirpool ENERGY STAR Duet Sport Front Loading Washer ($739) above. You’ll save 20-25 gallons of water per load. That’s a lot of water
• Clean out the lint filter after every load for maximum heat
• Check your dryer vent and make sure it’s not blocked
• Make sure your next dryer has a moisture sensor, which will turn it off once clothes are dry

Source.