Mint Green Lifestyle

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic by 4 people | Log in to rate

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Organic Solutions for the Mint Green

Most of us are striving to be "Green". We recycle, buy hybrid cars, turn off the water when brushing our teeth, etc. In a world where a Toyota Prius can be driving behind a Hummer, one has to think, why isn't everyone "Green"?

But the greenies? Are we really green? The answer, sadly, is no. We still buy plastic, we don't buy organic clothes because they are still tooooo expensive. Those of us that are striving to be as green as possible, well, we're just half way there. We are actually "Mint Green". Our society has made it almost impossible to be truly green. We try and we try, for that we should be awarded!

 

   Wear your Mint Green badge proudly!

Come and grow in your personal search to be Green.

I work diligently to find all the latest news on living a Greener Lifestyle. If we move towards a more sustainable way of life think of all the possibilities! I review on Natural Healing, Eco-friendly products, Green Home Trends & Eco-Travel.

 

  This page will feature mostly my top 10 lists.  (a work in progress)   

   And Check out my shopping guides                                                  

 

Disclaimer: As you'll learn from my Squidoo page and my blog, not all organics are created equal. I have no controll over who/what Squido and Google choose to advertise on my page (top header and bottom footer) If you see a company you question, feel free to contact me and I can research it for you. Remember, only the USDA  Organic Label (or other country of origin labels) can gaurente certification. A "made with" or "includes organics" type of label does not insure 100% compliance with organic standards and laws. Please shop wisely. Vote with your dollar! My page will hopefully help educate you in the right direction.

Organic Solutions for the Mint Green 

World Famous Blog (external site)

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Care2.com Petition 

Yup, I started a petition.

I wanted to see how many people cared about Organic Labeling Integrity. Do you agree with me that body care/personal care items should be regulated the same as food in order to use the name Organic and/or logo?

Check out my petition I started on Care2.com
Pass this on to friends and family and other groups.
Thanks!

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/organic-labeling-for-non-food-items

The Basics of being Mint Green 

A How to List. ( a module in progress...)


What can you do to acheive Mint Green Status?

  • Reduce. This means anything and everything. Buy second hand. Reduce the amount of clutter you "need". Share. Easy ways to reduce.
  • Reuse. Why buy "tupperware" when you can reuse glass jars? Just one example.
  • Recycle. Everything and anything...the list is huge. Check with your local recycling center to see what they take in.
  • Take your own cloth shopping bags to the store, don't use those icky plastic ones. Need a pet "doodie bag" then then check out: http://www.biogroupusa.com/biobag_dog.htm
  • Don't buy single serve items
  • Buy a reusable stainless steal bottle for toting water, and get a filter for your tap. Skip bottle water you buy from the store in plastic. EWWWW for the environment.
  • Buy BioBags instead of petrolum based bag items.
    www.biogroupusa.com
  • Ride a bike, as often as possible.
  • Buy LOCAL & Organic produce from farmer's markets.
  • Can't go solar, No problem. Most electric companies are now "selling" green points or something similar. Basically you are electing to have some or most of your energy use come from "green" resources like wind power. In some cases it may cost a little extra a month, but well worth it! This helps the electric companies convert to more green methods without the huge cost and also shows the companies how important green really is. We vote with our dollar. The more people who vote "yes" it will make them take notice.
  • Check these links. 

    Mint Green Blog
    The blog I write. I work diligently to find all the latest news on living a Greener Lifestyle. If we move towards a more sustainable way of life think of all the possibilities! I review on Natural Healing, Eco-friendly products, Green Home Trends & Eco-Travel.
    Bio Fuel
    Are you driving around a diesel? Want to change into a Veggie Car? Check these guys out and learn how you too can convert to save green.
    Green Washing
    Learn what it means to be green washed.
    Non-Electric Life
    A squidoo lens that is worth checking out. This author gives great ways to incorporate non-electric ways into our lives.
    Organic.Org
    Organic Education

    Books I recomend: 

    T rying to go green? Here's a great collection of books that will help you do just that.

    Paper or Plastic: Searching for Solutions to an Overpackaged World by Daniel Imhoff

    Paper or Plastic: Searching for Solutions to an Overpackaged World by Daniel Imhoff

    The deceptively simple supermarket choice echoed i more...0 points

    Stirring It Up: How to Make Money and Save the World by Gary Hirshberg

    Stirring It Up: How to Make Money and Save the World by Gary Hirshberg

    Gary Hirshberg is the CE-Yo of Stonyfield Farm Yog more...0 points

    Raw: The Uncook Book: New Vegetarian Food for Life by Juliano Brotman, Erika Lenkert

    Raw: The Uncook Book: New Vegetarian Food for Life by Juliano Brotman, Erika Lenkert

    "Gourmet raw cuisine"--if that sounds li more...0 points

    Green for Life by Victoria Boutenko

    Green for Life by Victoria Boutenko

    In search of the perfect human diet, Victoria Bout more...0 points

    The Complete Idiot's Guide to Solar Power for your Home, 2nd Edition (Complete Idiot's Guide to) by Dan Ramsey, David Hughes

    The Complete Idiot's Guide to Solar Power for your Home, 2nd Edition (Complete Idiot's Guide to) by Dan Ramsey, David Hughes

    The perfect source for solar power—fully illustra more...0 points

    DVD's I recomend: 

    Who Killed the Electric Car?

    Actors: Martin Sheen.
    It begins with a solemn funeral%u2026for a car. By the end of Chris Paine's lively and informative documentary, the idea doesn't seem quite so strange. As narrator Martin Sheen notes, "They were quiet and fast, produced no exhaust and ran without gasoline." Paine proceeds to show how this unique vehicle came into being and why General Motors ended up reclaiming its once-prized creation less than a decade later. He begins 100 years ago with the original electric car. By the 1920s, the internal-combustion engine had rendered it obsolete. By the 1980s, however, car companies started exploring alternative energy sources, like solar power. This, in turn, led to the late, great battery-powered EV1. Throughout, Paine deftly translates hard science and complex politics, such as California's Zero-Emission Vehicle Mandate, into lay person's terms (director Alex Gibney, Oscar-nominated for Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, served as consulting producer). And everyone gets the chance to have their say: engineers, politicians, protesters, and petroleum spokespeople--even celebrity drivers, like Peter Horton, Alexandra Paul, and a wild man beard-sporting Mel Gibson. But the most persuasive participant is former Saturn employee Chelsea Sexton. Promoting the benefits of the EV1 was more than a job to her, and she continues to lobby for more environmentally friendly options. Sexton provides the small ray of hope Paine's film so desperately needs. Who Killed the Electric Car? is, otherwise, a tremendously sobering experience. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

    Amazon Price: $12.49 (as of 12/22/2009) Buy Now

    Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price

    Actors: Edith Arana, James Cromwell, Diane DeVoy, Jordan Esry, Red Esry...
    Everyone has seen Wal-Mart's lavish television commercials, but have you ever wondered why Wal-Mart spends so much money trying to convince you it cares about your family, your community, and even its own employees? What is it hiding?

    WAL-MART: The High Cost of Low Price takes you behind the glitz and into the real lives of workers and their families, business owners and their communities, in an extraordinary journey that will challenge the way you think, feel... and shop.

    Amazon Price: $12.95 (as of 12/22/2009) Buy Now

    An Inconvenient Truth

    Actors: Al Gore, Billy West (II).
    With the fate of our planet arguably hanging in the balance, An Inconvenient Truth may prove to be one of the most important and prescient documentaries of all time. As he jokingly refers to himself, "former President-elect" Al Gore felt an urgent personal calling to draw attention--as he had been doing throughout his political career--to the increasingly desperate crisis of global warming, and this riveting documentary is basically a filmed version (by respected TV director Davis Guggenheim) of the PowerPoint lecture that Gore has presented (by his own estimate, well over 1,000 times) to attentive audiences all over the world. Considering Gore's amiable, low-key approach to charts, graphs, statistics, and photographs that leave no room for doubt regarding the reality (not "theory") of global warming as Earth's ultimate environmental crisis, many viewers will be surprised by just how fascinating and convincing this no-frills film really is.
    As we learn about the milestone events that shaped his character (including his sister's death and young son's near-fatal injuries after being struck by a car), Gore sheds the stiff demeanor of his 2000 presidential campaign and impresses us as a man with a mission, transcending partisan politics with an impassioned plea for common sense, ethical forthrightness, and passionate purpose in reversing the harmful effects of global warming through personal and political responsibility. Some may accuse Gore of exploiting global warming as a Democratic platform, but his honest conviction regarding this "inconvenient truth" (i.e. overwhelming evidence of global warming that's troublesome to those whose interests are threatened by Gore's irrefutable message) is likely to silence all but the most obtusely stubborn detractors. By taking the high road and discreetly avoiding a full-on assault against the George W. Bush administration (which has steadfastly avoided "the inconvenient truth" with obfuscating spin control and policies favoring the oil industry), Gore effectively rises above political differences with a stern but hopeful eye toward a better future for our children.--Jeff Shannon

    Amazon Price: $17.49 (as of 12/22/2009) Buy Now

    Organic Clothing for the Kiddos 

    All-Natural Kimono Bodysuit in Chocolate (0-3 Months)

    Amazon Price: $18.95 (as of 12/22/2009) Buy Now

    Adult stuff 

    Ok, big "kids", it's your turn.

    Sorry, there are no results available from Amazon.

    Knick-Knacks and Paddy-Wacks 

    Earth Friendly Of Course

    Melissa & Doug Shape Sorting Cube

    Amazon Price: $10.31 (as of 12/22/2009) Buy Now

     

    Real Organic or Fake Organic... 

    Always read the ingredient labels

    Not all organics are created equal:



    OK here's the low down. The word Natural is not regulated. So it really doesn't mean a darn thing. The word Organic by it's self, also doesn't mean much. When the word Organic is paired with Certified, pay attention this means something! The types of marketing: (the good the bad, the ugly)

    A. (the good) Certified Organic paired with the USDA logo (or other countries logo, see below for pics) This is the good kind of Organic. This means that the product from field to retail shelf had no chemicals involved. No chemicals were used on the plants during farming or harvesting. No chemicals were used during the processing of the product. No synthetics were used either.

    B. ( the bad) "Made with Organic Ingredients": well this just means there are some ingredients in the product that are certified organic. It does not mean that the whole product or the finished product is certified. This means you need to look at the ingredient list to make sure nothing icky has been also added. This is a cleaver way for companies to trick consumers into buying an organic based product that has other questionable ingredients. There is no regulations in play when the "made with" label is involved. This type of labeling is not regulated and is just a cleaver marketing ploy companies have come up with to jump on the bandwagon of Organics without going the whole 9 yards.

    C. (the ugly) Natural: well, petrol is natural by definition, but I wouldn't want it on my skin. Natural is not a regulated word and anything can technically be called natural. To know if you are getting a totally chem/synthetic free product, look for the USDA label. That means the finished product as a whole has been certified. If you find a company that is mis-using the label, report them immediately. They threaten the integrity of the Organic label laws.

    Also, be careful of brand names that utilize the word organic. There is no regulations saying they can't even if there is not one certified organic ingredient. If there is no logo, always check the ingredients.

    Now, back to certified organics. There is allowed to be 5% non-organic ingredients in a product with the other 95% being certified organic. This could be ingredients such as water, minerals, salt. Companies complying with these rules can carry the USDA logo on the front of their packaging.

    OK, here's an example of a bad organic label.


    BOOOO. SHAME!. This company is trying to trick you with a label that says "Made with Organic ingredients". A close look at their ingredients shows they have some organic and also synthetics & chemicals.

    Here's some of the logos to look for= The good guys!






    Want to learn more? My blog is located:www.mintgreenlifestyle.blogspot.com.


    I am proud to be affliated with:




    A body care company that not only cares for people but for planet earth!

    Check Me Out on the WWW... 

    Where else do I pop up?

    My Blog.
    My Blog.
    Helium
    Short Essasys.
    Women's Eco-Shopping Guide
    Shopping Guide Launch Page
    Yummy Organic Foods Guide
    This is where I list what I've tried and my tastebuds gave a thumbs up.
    Massage Therapy
    My part time biz.
    Boutique Organica
    An online Boutique.

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    by Tree-Hugging-Dirt-Worshiper

    I blog about the latest and greatest in achieving a Mint Green Lifestyle. I hope to introduce new concepts and ideas to the general public.


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