Frankly Green

Father's Day Gift Ideas

Thanks to my friend Paul Banas at Great Dad (www.greatdad.com) for passing this along!

Here are some unconventional ideas for Father's Day from www.sustainstores.com. The company is a fantastic new resource and the family behind it is committed to providing customers with a wide selection of eco-friendly products, and showing them that living a more sustainable life is attainable.

To encourage your readers to try out the site, we offer a discount code "sustain" that when entered in the keycode part of the checkout form will provide a 20% discount off everything (the discount will be confirmed in an email after the order is processed.) This code expires June 21, Father's Day.

Here are a few items you will find on the site:

Solar Headlamp • $49.95
The world's first Solar Powered LED Headlamp with a powerful and lightweight lithium cell phone battery. The 5pcs bright white LEDs in this solar-rechargeable Headlamp run all night long with only 6 hours of full sun charging. The LED sequencing switch provides different operating modes – bright, photocell (for automatic dusk-to-dawn operation), dim and blinking. There is also a charge indicator for the battery and the LEDs switch off periodically as the battery runs low, so you're never left in total darkness without warning. Cutting edge solar-powered LED Headlamps are perfect for outdoor use (especially camping) off-grid living, or emergencies. Awarded Editors’ Choice 2008 by Backpacker Magazine.

Freeplay Kito Flashlight • $25.00
Simple, rugged, reliable light – anytime, anywhere.  The Freeplay Kito flashlight combines the independence of trusted wind-up Freeplay technology with the reliability of LED illumination. The Freeplay Aid and Development Group exists to help Freeplay achieve its social mission: to bridge the energy gap in the developing world.

Do New Bulbs Save Energy if They Don't Work?

By Leora Broydo Vestel, NYT
Link to Article

I have been using CFL bulbs for over two years and have not had one fail yet. This is certainly disconcerting as poor quality and defects may keep potential buyers away thereby leading to higher energy consumption. Thanks Tom P. for sending this.

SAN FRANCISCO — It sounds like such a simple thing to do: buy some new light bulbs, screw them in, save the planet.

But a lot of people these days are finding the new compact fluorescent bulbs anything but simple. Consumers who are trying them say they sometimes fail to work, or wear out early. At best, people discover that using the bulbs requires learning a long list of dos and don’ts.

Method Completes Cradle to Cradle Certification on 20 Products

 

Method has completed Cradle to Cradle certification on 20 products, making Method the company with the most C2C certified home care solutions.

Cradle to Cradle certification takes into account what type of materials are used, how recyclable or compostable those materials are, the use of renewable energy and water, and the company’s overall dedication to social responsibility.

Dr. Michael Braungart, co-author of Cradle to Cradle, said that “Method has built C2C principles into the core of its business model, and everything the company does is according to the C2C philosophy. We are proud to have Method be the first brand in the cleaning space with a range of C2C certified products.”

Method is committed to transparency and ingredient disclosure. Complete ingredient listings for our core cleaning products are available at www.methodhome.com, as well as an explanation of each ingredient’s function and the health and environmental summary.

Can Bamboo Save the Planet?

Link to Article at CNN.com

Thanks Michael P. for the link to this piece!

Bamboo may prove to be more than the food staple for the giant panda. Considered to be the world's fastest-growing woody plant, it could be a key component in lifting thousands of people in the developing world out of poverty.

According to the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR), as many as 1.5 billion people currently "depend in some way on bamboo and rattan," and several organizations are now investigating how growing bamboo in economically deprived areas can boost the income of the residents, particularly small-scale farmers.

Guide to Greener Electronics

BlueAvocado Reusable Bag System

 BlueAvocado has created the gro-pak - a fashionable reusable bag system made from recycled materials. gro-pak™ is a grocery-shopping nirvana - a sustainable system that includes everything from large multi-use bags to stylish totes to ventilated produce bags. To make things even easier they've assembled 4 stylish combinations - they call them Kits - to choose from.

The system has bags for fruits and veggies (VEG),  freezer items (CHIL) and dry goods (POD, GRO) that all fold up and fit into the main PAK bag.  They are currently being sold in Whole Foods SW Region, select HEB stores in Austin and they are in talks with additional retailers!

Thanks to my friend Jeff S. for sending this!

8 Solar Gadgets, From Serious to Silly

Looking for so solar powered holiday gifts? Check out this piece on MSNBC!

From a cell phone-charging ski jacket to a battery-extending iPhone case

Link to Article

Greening the Whiteboard

From my friend Zem at Ecofafulous!

If you’re anything like the ecofabulous crew, you can’t resist the lure of the endlessly reusable whiteboard. Still, those noxious pens can make an otherwise exciting brainstorming session end with an obnoxious headache.

AusPen is writing a new chapter in erasable markers. Not only are the Xylene-free inks clear of dangerous toxins, but once they’ve survived their natural use, they won’t join the 400,000,000 rotting markers that fill our landfills–the equivalent of 25,000 tons! The refillable pens, made from completely recyclable materials, each come with an extra bottle of ink, with a 12-pack retailing for under $40. Committed to environmentally friendly practices, the company has received EEC health and safety approval. So the next time your creative muse hits, you can embrace true freedom of expression without having to air out the conference room.

Sun Jar

From my friend Zem at ecofabulous.....

Need a night time pick me up? Try a Sun Jar. No, it’s not a new cocktail, sorry.

Made with a traditional Mason jar packed with a highly efficient solar cell, a rechargeable battery and low-energy LED bulbs, when the jar is placed in sunlight the solar cell creates an electrical current that charges the battery over a few hours. This energy is then used at night to light the jar, which glows in either blue or orange. The Sun Jar makes a great nightlight, or can be used outdoors in the garden, or as part of a camping or emergency kit. Better yet, tell trick-or-treaters that there is ghost jelly in the jar.

Bummas: Eco-Friendly Baby Wipes

Bummas are a reusable, super-soft cotton baby wipe.  These wipes come in fun and funky colors, and help to eliminate painful diaper rash as well as excess waste caused by traditional disposable baby wipes.  Bummas can also be used as a “pee blocker” for boy babies!  Check them out at www.bummas.com

The creation of Bummas came about when we had our first baby boy. When your first arrives, you are given all kinds of advice:

“Use the wet commercial wipes, don’t use the wet commercial wipes, use gauze; use whatever is handy to block the pee; use another diaper to block the pee; don’t use that, use this; use powder to dry them off, don’t use powder-it contains talc and studies have linked talc to cancer.”

A lot of advice. Some of it was good, but in the end you find your own way.

The one thing that was never mentioned was how to dry our little guy’s “stuff” off after the clean up. Our baby’s bum was just way too wet to put a diaper back on--and blowing down there until you’re blue in the face just wasn’t working. Thus Bummas were born. A soft absorbent, luxurious baby cloth to soak up all the wetness.