High Impact Mom » Green

Top 10 Ways to Green Your Halloween

Amanda — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:02:16 +0000

We decorated our house this weekend in the spirit of Halloween/Fall. After adding about a bagillion pumpkins, planted some gorgeous mums, and added some hay bales (which will cover our garden after fall) I thought it might be nice to share with you my top ten ways to green your Halloween. I asked some of my friends to share what they do to make their Halloween more green too!

Top 10 Ways to Green Your Halloween

*Claire from The Mom Claire suggests “Hay stacks are cute for decoration and can be used as a beautiful addition to your garden after Halloween is over!”

*Mom Most Traveled says to “Green Your Halloween by using a costume that can go in the kid’s dress-up box. Or that came from there.”

*Wendy Hagen also suggests you “borrow a Halloween costume or buy 1 at thrift store. or pray that your kid wants to be something you already have.”

*Kim from CraftyMamaof4 says of costumes:” my daughter uses one of her dance costumes as her Halloween costume that year. Sometimes we take them apart and we put them back together as something different.”

* Ilina Das Ewen also suggests: “We’re having a costume swap with a bunch of kids so we can reuse old costumes…saves money and reduces the waste of tossing out stuff that doesn’t fit anymore.”

*Create your own costumes. KG is going to be Strawberry Shortcake this year and we are making her outfit from clothes we already have in her wardrobe. All we added was a little paint to an already stained white tee.

*Use a Cloth or canvas shopping bags, or pillow case, to collect candy in. Saves on plastic bags.

*Give treats the little treaters can use again, mini-decks of cards, erasers, small boxes of crayons (on sale right now @ Walmart).

*If attending or throwing a Halloween bash, try to use locally grown/produced foods and products made locally. Try the local farmers market for great decorations and tasty treats!

*Hosting a party? Send evites rather than paper cards/flyers, also try using recyclable paper products or even better use reusable products (plates, napkins, silverware).

Ok, I’ve two more tips for greening your Hallowing..because I couldn’t leave these out:

*Use all the pumpkin parts. Roast pumpkin seeds, use the pulp in pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, or yummy pumpkin rolls.

*At the end of the holiday, store your Halloween decorations in a tub in your attic or garage so you can reuse them each year. (Great money saver too!)

Now, go drink some apple cider and take time to enjoy nature this Halloween.

I’d love to know what you do to make your Halloween more green, so please share with me!
Check out more things that work from We are THAT family’s Work’s for Me Wednesday.

Final Clue: You’ll find the prize info where you can learn more about me.

Fuji Goes Green With EnviroMAX Batteries: A Review and Giveaway(CLOSED)

Amanda — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 22:59:45 +0000

Update: Comments # 4 & #6 are winners!

I don’t know about you, but in our home, we have a bagillion toys that require a plethora of batteries. However, as a eco-conscious mom, I worry about the effects those batteries have and will continue to have on our environment.

Improper disposal of batteries can cause run-off and contribute to the pollution of our drinking water and even the air we breathe. Normally we go out of our way not to purchase toys that do not use batteries, but inevitably every birthday/holiday one of the girls (or both) receive toys that batteries.

Recently, Fuji sent me a package of their EnviroMAX AA and AAA alkaline batteries for review. I set right out to test them on some of our toys. The Fuji EnviroMAX batteries lasted just as long as our Duracell batteries in KG’s Leapster and KJ’s talking Elmo doll.

Product Info:

*do NOT contain poisonous cadmium, lithium, or mercury
*are packaged with recycled paper and fully recyclable PET plastic.
*can be harmlessly disposed of through normal waste systems
*do not contain ingredients harmful to the environment
*are landfill safe as they degrade
*equal or exceed performance/longevity of major equivalent brands
*offer outstanding performance at an affordable cost

Fuji offers two types of their EnviroMAX batteries: Super Alkaline and Digital Alkaline. “The Super Alkaline, available in AA, AAA, C, and D (MSRP $3.99), offer unexcelled power for the most common applications such as toys, remotes, or flashlights. Digital Alkaline, available in AA and AAA (MSRP $5.99), are engineered to provide superior performance in high-drain electronic devices such as digital cameras, radios and video games.”

Fuji EnviroMAX batteries are made in some of the world’s most eco-respectful battery plants, operating under ISO 14001 environmental certification, under the strictest standards of environmental responsibility. Most of all resources used in the Fuji EnviroMAX manufacturing process are reused and recycled. The result is batteries that meet a world standard for environmental responsibility and recyclable materials.

For more information on Fuji EnviroMAX batteries be sure to check out www.greenfuji.com.

Want to hear the great part? The generous people at Fuji are offering 2 of my readers 2 sets of Fuji EnivroMAX to try for themselves.

Entry Details:

Comment here with how many toys/gadgets you have in your house that need batteries.

Bonus Entries:

(You MUST comment separately to say each method)

*One bonus entry per day: Tweet “Win a set of Fuji’s NEW EnviroMAX batteries. http://tinyurl.com/ma9y6b ” Retweets don’t count.
*One bonus entry: Adding High Impact Mom to your blogroll.
*One bonus entry: Subscribing to High Impact Mom
*One bonus entry: Friend High Impact Mom on Facebook

Rules:

*Contest is open to all U.S. residents where legal under local statutes.
*Void where prohibited.
*No purchase necessary.
*Valid email address required. Entries with email addresses visible to the public will be deleted and are not valid.
*Valid entries will be received beginning Tuesday, September 1, 2009 thru 11:59pm Friday, September 11, 2009.
*Winner will be selected at random based on the list of valid comments using random.org.
*Winner will be notified via their email address and have 3 days to respond to the email from amanda(at)highimpactmom(dot)com

Good Luck! Happy Winning!

Don’t forget to enter one of our great giveaways we have going on this week!

Disclosure: I received 1 package of AA and one package of AAA batteries in order to do this review.

Green & Frugal Tips for Back to School

Green & Frugal Tips for Back to School

Amanda — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:35:18 +0000

With back to school right around the corner for many of you and actually here for my family, I though this would a convenient time to share with you a couple of green and frugal tips for your children’s lunches. If your child takes her lunch every day like mine, chances are you are spending a lot of time and resources preparing it. You probably use plastic bags, paper towels, individually packaged foods and drinks, all of which put a strain on your budget and the environment.

With just a few minor adjustments to your daily routine and buying habits you can save a bundle over time and do your part for the environment.

*Instead of using plastic bags to put your kiddlet’s lunch goodies consider purchasing reusable plastic containers. These can be used for everything from sandwiches to dried fruit and other goodies.

*Purchase an easy to open small sports bottle and fill each day with your child’s favorite drink. Just make sure it has a good seal, we don’t want it to spill out and soak kiddlet’s food.

*Stop buying individually packaged foods. I know this is one you’ve heard before, but I can’t stress enough how easy and how big of a money saver this is. Individually packaged foods not only cost more, but require more natural resources to package.

*Let your child pick out their favorite cloth napkin design and I suggest purchasing 5 or so. It may seem like up front, but you’ll be glad you don’t have to wash the same napkin every night. Plus you’re more likely to continue using them if it isn’t a hassle.

*Invest in a sturdy, insulated lunchbox sans characters. Yes, they’re cute and yes, your child is going to whine for one..but putting the money down on a good one now that will last them many school years with save you money in the long run.

*Rather than sending plasticware each day, spend a little money and pick up a couple packages of cheap toddler reusable forks and spoons. Toddlerware is great because if your child accidentally throws it away it’s no big deal and they can be washed and reused.

We’ve been doing these few small things since KG started school last year and it has saved a ton of money along the way. I’m also impressed by how much KG has gleaned from these small practices; she asks for snacks in bowls/containers rather than in a snack bag and loves to drink out of her very own water bottle.

I would love to hear your frugal or green back to school tips!

Please share them with me here!!

Unclog Your Sink Naturally Without Chemicals

Amanda — Wed, 13 May 2009 13:00:30 +0000

With two children under six, I have battled my share of clogged sinks and in the process have learned a thing or two about unclogging it on the fly or without any Liquid Plummer.

Remove as much of the standing water from the sink/bathtub, pouring it in a bucket for the time being. You can pour it out later.

Boil a large pot of water and pour the still boiling water down the drain. Use a plunger if necessary.

Its that simple.

I rarely need to do anything else to remove regular clogs.

For more ideas about things that work, check out We Are THAT Family.

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Organic Eating

Amanda — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:57:17 +0000

As a parent, your main goal centers around keeping your family happy and healthy. As I grow, I learn and one of the big things I’m learning is we put a lot of chemicals into our bodies, oh, and cancer is prevalent in our society. Personally, I draw correlations between the two and because of this my family has embarked on a new adventure. We are delving into the realm of natural eating; however, we still live on a strict budget and this isn’t likely to change anytime soon.

In an effort to buy organic and stick to my budget, I have been researching the “dirtiest” fruits and vegetables. From the list, I have narrowed it down to a few fruits and vegetables along with milk, beef, and potatoes. I am planning to slowly increase our intake of organic foods as our budget allows beginning with the foods we eat the most.

Keep Reading…

Support local CSA, Farmers Market, and local resturants

Earth Day 2009

Amanda — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:52:24 +0000

Like many families, mine is gearing up for Earth Day tomorrow. For us, it will be our first year celebrating/observing in our new home so we are doubly aware of the impact we make on the Earth around us.

This year’s Earth Day has more significance than ever before to us due to our family’s efforts to make our lives greener and healthier. Earth Day affords me the chance to teach the girls a little more about why we are doing what we do. I will take to opportunity to show them Scriptural examples given to us to follow and have several fun crafts to play in addition to everything I talked about last week. I hope you join my family in our observation of Earth Day 2009.

Earth Hour: Type A Mom Article

Amanda — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 00:59:12 +0000

This was our family’s first year to participate in Earth Hour. I planned plenty of “unplugged activities” for our family to participate in Saturday and got plenty of cleaning done. After an early morning grocery stop for me, it was back home to spend some quality time with my family. I also wanted KG to understand what we were doing and why it was important for us to participate in Earth Hour.

Unplugged Activities

When deciding to take on such an undertaking as no electricity for the day, it became evident many great activities were going to be required. To read more about what my family did to participate in Earth Hour head over to Rural Moms on Type A Mom and check it out!!

Green Tips Tuesday ~ Earth Hour Reminder

Amanda — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:32:33 +0000

Just wanted to spend a little time for Green Tips Tuesday reminding you about Earth Hour, coming up this Saturday from 8:30-9:30p where ever you are. You will be sending a message to the world that YOU care about global warming and that YOU are pledging to make a difference.

Read more about Earth Hour and how my family will be participating, in last weeks Green Tips Tuesday!! I hope you’ll join me!

Be sure to sign up to participate in Earth Hour, March 28 @ 8:30p!!

If you want to read more helpful green living tips, read my Green Tips Section.

GreenPurse~Recycled Fabrics Made into Purses

Amanda — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 02:23:00 +0000

Photo Courtesy of Green Purse

In keeping with the reusable bag theme for the day, I am spotlighting a wonderful earth-friendly company and product called GreenPurse. GreenPurse was founded on the principle that no scrap of cloth should be thrown away. Whether its old blue jeans, a worn out tie, or a well loved (well worn) silk shirt, GreenPurse makes beautiful bags out of it.

GreenPurse has many choices of bags from a fancy black evening bag to the sweater bag, the “Tie One On” purse, the perfect white bag for your wedding, and my personal favorite: the Rag Time Bag.

Tina, founder and owner of GreenPurse sent me the Rag Time Bag mini so I

Courtesy of Green Purse

could attest to the bag’s quality and look. I am impressed by the quality and beauty of the purse; knowing they are each made from previously used and scrap material. It’s very stylish and I get compliments every time I take it out. The mini is just that, a mini, but it fits my wallet, cellphone, and tube of lipstick, so it’s perfect for me when I go out without the girls.

GreenPurse donates 10% of their profits to charitys which aids the victims of domestic abuse, particularly children. This endears me to them more than anything. So the next time you “need” to go purse shopping, stop by GreenPurse and do something great for the environment AND a child.

Giella Custom Makeup

Green Tips Tuesday

Amanda — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:43:13 +0000

Technology today has made it easy to save money with just a smal out of pocket expense. Here are just a couple of examples of things you can purchase for a small amount, but will save you in the long run.

Smart Strip Energy Saving Power Strip
($31-$42)-Smart Strips have a few different models available and save energy costs by automatically shutting down or starting up your peripherals after it senses the computer has been shut off or turned on.

Light switch and outlet insulating sealers
(we just installed these this year) (about $2)-These reduce drafts from outlets and switches located on the outside walls of your home.

P3 International P4400 Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor
($24-$50) This device makes usage costs extraordinarily easy to calculate. Simply plug the device into the electric appliance before plugging the appliance into the wall.

These are just three of the thousands of tools on the market you can use to monitor and lower your electricity usage.
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