Why Organic Cotton? Another Simple Way.

My dear friend Nickie asked in my last post "What is the point of buying organic sheets?" Which is a very good question, my dear!

Conventionally grown cotton uses a lot of pesticides. I mean a lot. It's estimated that cotton pesticides are 25% of the world's uses of pesticides.

Why are pesticides bad outside of our food? Well, for one, it can leech into water.. cause cancer.. tons of nasty things you simply don't want to expose yourself to. And not to mention the harm it causes for the workers who have to work in those chemically sprayed cotton! :(

Organic cotton, much like organic produce is grown withOUT any pesticides, and it's all natural and just much better for the environment all around.

So when you can, get organic cotton stuff. I know it's 93583597 times more costly than regular cotton, but Earth will thank you for it.


Oh! And the Target sheets - while they feel nice, and they feel even nicer than they really are because it's organic cotton, I'm not head over heels about them. My regular old Egyptian cotton sheets felt better, but these feel a bit more serene to me too. I'm happy with the price though, and it seems the bamboo ones are really nice too so I'm wondering if I should get some... or should I just save my money?

Organic Sheets at Target!

If you love Target as much as I do, you must head over now, because their organic sheet sets are on sale!



Starting at $19.99 for a twin set, that can't be beat. :)

Needless to say I bought some of course :)

P.S. They also carry bamboo sheet sets online, and they seem to really have rave reviews! I'd pick some up, but I like buying in person vs online because I hate waiting!! :P

Environgentle

There's a store nearby that I like to go to called Environgentle, which sells the coolest things! Going in there is like going into Trader Joe's for the first time - you just don't know what you'll find! And it's so much fun. Everything is environmentally friendly, and I just love looking around. Whenever I'm in Encinitas, I try and make a stop there! There's also another store called My Organic House in Carlsbad that is supposedly similar (seems to focus more on home items rather than misc) and I want to try and go there soon too!

Here are some images from my last time at Environgentle :)

Trader Joe's Organic Wine & more

I love Trader Joe's. I would go there everyday if I lived closer to one. But I only get to visit one every other week or so because I always end up going to a closer natural foods store. But I try and wait till I hit up TJ's!

A friend of mine told me that their Organic Chardonnay has been recommended to her, and that I should try it first. So we did!



I think this is a recent development with them offering organic wines (correct me if I'm wrong), and I picked up a bottle of the chardonnay yesterday. They also offer Shirah, which we didn't take. The bottle was only $4.99.

Taste - it was decent! Nothing spectacular, but not horrible either. It tastes similar to the popular Charles Shaw (Two Buck Chuck) wines they are so popular for. For an organic wine, the price can't be beat! :)

Also, speaking of organic treats, I went to Costco the other day to pick up some things, one of which were treats for the pets. I usually get the large bags of dried chicken strips - all natural 100% chicken, which both Mooch and Gromit LOOOOVE. They also sell such things in pet stores, but it's usually $20 for a 1lb tub, while at Costco, it's $12 for a 2lb bag.

Anyway, I was disappointed that they didn't have the chicken strips there, but instead, found this:





Organic chicken treats, with no wheat or fillers! I immediately picked up a box, which is a fairly large box, plus it was only about $12.



Gromit AND Mooch loves the treats! I def. recommend heading out to TJ's and Costco for some awesome finds!

Buy British

I've been fairly busy this weekend - helping with wedding planning, getting my car checked out and fixed, etc! Today, when my boyfriend and I were waiting for our cars to be done, walked around the little shopping center and found a store called "British Foods" And I realized that it was an English import food store! Of course, I had to go in!! And I found lots of fun things. A lot wasn't organic and etc, but I have a blast finding new things!


Rishi Tea, which I've heard good things about. Fairly high quality tea too, it seems - it cost about $20 for one of the cans of tea. I put it down immediately because I can't afford such extravagant teas!!



I loved the way these sacks looked with their little owl eyes! So cute!


This was the only thing the boy and I bought - a bottle of Schweppes Bitter Lemon soda. The cashier lady (who had the cutest accent) told us it was the "most refreshing drink." We put it in the fridge and took a few sips once it was chilled - and interestingly enough, it tastes just like the Dole Lime fruit bars that unfortunately got discontinued! :( - only in all liquid form!

Here are a few more interesting things in the store I took photos of:





I have more I'm going to post hopefully tomorrow! :D

DIY Grocery Bags

Making your own grocery bags (or anything bags, really!) is a great way to make it whatever size you want, and whatever fabric you want (recycle!)! I made this bag a loooong time ago, using a thrift store find table linen (or was it a bed sheet?? I can't remember!) and the Jordy Bag pattern.



I obviously made the size of the bag much bigger than a handbag, and I attached the straps differently. I not only use this bag for groceries (which I've gotten compliments on) but I use it for EVERYTHING - a beach bag, a carry bag for Gromit's things when we have friends watch him, a book bag, library bag, etc!!



The best thing? This HUGE bag only cost me about $3 for the fabric and it's lasted for years already!

Grocery Finds

I went to the store the other day after dance class as usual and found the coolest thing (to me anyway!) - ORGANIC MILK in REAL glass bottles from Straus Creamery!



The part that caught my eye when shopping was on the milk case there was a sticker saying "Return bottles for a refund!" Apparently, you can return these glass bottles of milk at the store you bought it, or any store that carries this milk and get some money back. Now I don't know how much money, but that's an awesome way to not waste!

Another cool thing about the milk is that they do it old fashioned way, so the cream of the milk actually floats on top. My boyfriend was horrified by this, as he hates pulp in his orange juice, so the idea of cream in his milk makes him refuse to even try it! I really enjoy the milk though - it's nice and I think the flavor is ten times better than normal milk. I wouldn't mind drinking glasses of this, but I hate drinking normal milk.



The creamery is located in Northern California too, so it's local (somewhat) ;D

Another thing I discovered are these Green Tea Mints:



I got the "lively lemongrass" flavor, and it's nice - the mints are all-natural and apparently 3 mints equals one cup of green tea, so if you don't feel like drinking any but want your green tea fix, try this! Caffeine free too.

Mutts Shtuff

Mutts is my favorite comic ever - I love the honest, innocent insights from Mooch and Earl, the main characters (a kitty and a dog! Incidentally, we named our kitty Mooch too). It's just too adorable! I LOVE some of the stuff they carry in their online store too - here are two things I'm really wanting right now!


Greeting Cards that you can plant!
I LOVE this idea - you send someone a greeting card and bouquet in one! Each card is embedded with wildflower seeds - I would love to even receive a card and plant it just to see!!

The card company that they use, Green Field Paper, is located here in San Diego as well, and I actually tried hunting down their products locally before, but I really want to try and find these cards just to try it out!!


100% Organic PJ's
My favorite is one with Earl saying "Go Organic!" of course :)

Edit to add: Thanks to Arcadia at The Goode Life, there's also a link that shows you how to make your own paper you can plant with seeds! Awesome - I should really put this to use, since I have some wildflower packets I haven't been able to use.

Five Simple Ways

Going green feels like such a huge daunting task when you first begin. I remember thinking "Where in the world do I start?! I'm just one person, I'm not going to make that big of a difference!" Easy way out, right? I actually felt very depressed about the whole thing. The world was doomed, in my eyes.

It wasn't until I watched "An Inconvenient Truth" that I felt my attitude about the world's state change. It went from "I can't make that much of a difference" to "Even if it starts at just me, it's starting somewhere." Others see by your example and change their own behaviors. Even if they don't, know that you are living in a way that is gentle on the earth. And don't you want to care for things you find valuable?

Lifestyle changes are hard though, especially if you're not in the right mindset. So don't do it because "everyone tells you to" or you feel obligated to. Do it because you want to make a difference, and you want to care for the earth. Do it because you want to. Because without that mindset, you're not going to do anything wholeheartedly.

I read in Organic Housekeeping that it takes 21 days for someone to form a new habit or break a habit. So if you're willing, try to change little things for 21 days in a row. Here are some great and easy ways to start if you don't know where to start!

1.

Recycling is one of the easier ways to lessen your impact. Instead of contributing to landfills, you're allowing something to become something new and reused. Most major cities have a lot of recycling programs out there, Earth 911 is a great way to start finding recycling locations near your area.

Luckily for us, we have recycling bins near our trash bins in the complex (although it irritates me to no end when I see recyclable things in the trash!!). If you don't have a recycling program in your area, try and find out how you can implement one in your neighborhood - people will recycle more because it'll be more convenient for them.

I know in California, they raised the return money for recycling this past year, for you get 10 cents for large containers and 5 cents for small ones. You can find more information at bottlesandcans.com. We currently keep all bottles and cans and plastics in plastic bins and everything else (paper, cardboard) goes into the neighborhood recycling bins. We also recycle the plastic grocery bags we get, I know the Ralph's supermarket in our neighborhood takes used plastic bags for recycling - check your neighborhood store if they do too.

2.

(Our dog, Gromit, not included)
This one is a little more costly, since I know a lot of people re-use plastic bags as trash bags (*ahem* like my parents.. and most Asian families). But recycle those bags, and use biodegradable bags instead! I get a satisfying feeling when I know that I'm using something that wasn't from non-renewable sources, and that they biodegrade.

They cost about $5 a box, and you can find them at most Whole Foods or natural food store. I have yet to see them at Trader Joe's though! The only problem is that you can't really throw out food in the bags because well... they biodegrade. Well you probably could if you took out the trash more regularly than we do... :P

3.

Yes, buying organic does cost more. But I think of it this way - I'd rather be spending more out of my own pocket, than harming the earth and my health. Same goes for buying things like Bio Bags. Also, supply and demand. The more demand in organic foods, the lower the prices will get. Spend your money where your mouth is.

Two things to look out for when buying organic:


Look for the USDA label. This means that the product is certified organic, because really, anyone could label their stuff "organic." This was only recently implemented in 2002.


When buying produce, look at the number stickers. If there's a "9" in front of a 4-digit number, then it was grown organically. If there's a "8" in front of it, it means that it was genetically modified (STAY AWAY!) If there are only 4 digits, then it was grown conventionally.

Also, pay attention to where it was grown! Try buying local - farmers markets are great, and read the signs and labels to see where it came from. The closer they are, they less energy it took to bring it to you. And that's better for the planet, yes?

4.

Again, buying recycled does cost more, but you're reusing, yes? Make sure you check the label and read the percentage of POST-COMSUMER waste that was used. Meaning, people already used it, rather than pre-consumer, which means that it could be from things like wood shavings on a mill floor or something. The higher the post-consumer, the better.

5.

Using cloth bags is one thing that I have a hard time remembering to do because when I want to go to the store, it's on a whim, and I don't have my bags with me. So sometimes I have to grudgingly get a bag, or just carry without bags. But when you can, use reusable bags! Some stores give discounts, or put you in a raffle when you use your own bag. Apparently, IKEA is starting to charge for plastic bags. I know many places in the UK and overseas do this, and I'm so glad SOMEONE is starting this in the US.

You can get bags at many stores - Trader Joe's has the canvas ones for $3, and there are many great ones you can buy at reusablebags.com.

...

Looking back, that's all a lot of information, and it may be a lot to take in - but you can always start small! Recycle for a bit first, then move onto something else. But all these things are good to keep in your mind when shopping at the grocery store. What helped me in the beginning because I felt very overwhelmed with ideas, is to jot things down. Make a list of all the things you want to change, and cross them off when you accomplish them - it was easy for me after that, cause I constantly thought about it. Your mileage may vary :)