Hemp and raffia clothing? A shirt made from recycled plastic bottles? Could such a product look like anything other than a potato sack? I was dubious…until I found LiViTY Outernational, an apparel company who is, in their words, ‘110% for the planet’. I recently had the opportunity to try several of their products, including the…
Category Archives: The Green Consumer
After-School Snacks that Tread Lightly on the Planet (and your Grocery Budget)
If you’ve been following my posts here at 5 Minutes for Going Green, you know I’m all about taking baby steps toward eco-living. In other words, I tend to take two steps forward, followed by at least one squarely on my cushy bottom. One step forward I’ve taken recently is to bake and cook healthy,…
Recycling Plastic Markers
My daughter, Hannah, is almost 5 years old and she loves to draw. She’ll use whatever’s on hand but her favourite drawing tool, by far, is a marker. I can see why – they have the most vivid colours and they don’t become dull with use. As long as you remember to put the tops…
The Dinner Co-Op: an Easy Way to be Green?
A number of years ago, an acquaintance of mine belonged to a dinner co-op. The concept was simple: four friends (living on the same block) shared the burden of the evening meal. Each friend was assigned one day of the week (Monday through Friday) and on her assigned day, cooked dinner for all four families….
Dreaming of a Green Vacation
Those who read my site Pitstops for Kids know I’m a big fan of family travel, and when planning a trip and choosing accommodations, I do look at the environmental impact of my choices. We do a lot of backpacking and camping, yurt camping in the off-season, and stay relatively local to explore our own…
Package Sizing and Sustainability
My grocery buying habits have shifted over the years. Once upon a time (in a long forgotten age) I was a single university student living alone. Most of the food I bought came in small packages. In the first place, there just wasn’t much cupboard space in my tiny apartment. In the second place, there…
Great “Green” Toys
Last week, I shared some of my ideas for what makes a good kid toy. This week, I would like to share with you some sources and suggestions for toys that are durable, fun, useful and green! Next week is Thanksgiving and as we know the day after T-day the Christmas spending season begins. However, some folks (like me) observe a…
Planning for a Green Holiday
The holidays are approaching really quickly. Far more quickly than I would like, in fact. And along with the parties and the treats and the annual photo of the kids with Santa, I am thinking about the environmental impact of all of this celebrating. When you consider the presents, the packaging, the gift wrap and…
‘Add to Cart’
I’m a big fan of online shopping. I was well-versed in Paypal and credit card verification numbers back when my next-door neighbor, my hairdresser, my mother-in-law, and everyone else’s mother-in-law were still shaking their heads in disapproval, telling me it couldn’t possibly be safe, and that my bank account, identity, and quite possibly my firstborn…
Staying Warm in the Winter
One of the best ways to reduce our carbon footprint is to use less fossil fuels- pretty simple right? The complicated part is expanding our awareness so that we understand the ways that we are consuming. In the winter I notice my energy use raising. A few examples: I turn the lights on earlier in…
