In certain circles it’s pretty well-known that I have a deep obsession with lip balms. And by certain circles, I mean my mom and my sister. No one else needs to know the true number of lip balms I actually own lest they think me a crazy person. However, I will admit that I have an entire drawer in my bathroom devoted to lip products which is embarrassing in itself.

Annnnnyway, by far the best chapstick I have found to date is Dr. Bronner’s Organic Lip Balms. They are certified USDA Organic and come in lovely flavors like lemon-lime and orange-ginger. Every night when I put some on before bed I try to decide which is my favorite. Lately I’ve been leaning towards the lemon-lime because it seems so summery, but all are equally effective. They don’t dry out my lips like other chapsticks, or make me reapply every five minutes.

A few weeks back I realized I was running low on the Dr. Bronner’s magic so I decided to order a bunch at once. It seems like every time I love something it is immediately discontinued, so in my ordering anxiety I ordered eight of each of the flavors. I kid you not, when a box of 32 lip balms showed up at my door even I had a moment of questioning my sanity. But now I am safe in the knowledge I won’t be running out any time soon!

And really, what’s more important than that?

Roof over their heads or organic food in their tummies? You know my answer.

Last night, I threw out a glass spaghetti sauce jar. The day before that, I bought two new Pack & Play sheets (buy one, get one – plus I had a 20% off coupon) without checking Craigslist first. Last week when I went grocery shopping, I didn’t buy any organic food AND I bought generic Dawn instead of my usual Seventh Generation. Oh, and I’m currently using Tide instead of a natural brand of laundry detergent. Are you shocked yet? Gasping for air and shouting to yourself, “And you call yourself a Greenist?” Well, I do call myself a Greenist…and yes, I’m experiencing a lot of green guilt right now – that feeling of I know I can do better. I know I can do more. But allow me to explain . . .  Read more…

At the risk of making every post I write for The Greenists a “Guess what ELSE you can do with vinegar?!” post, I’ve got one more for you. Seriously, people, it is a wonder substance. Can I help it if it’s a 200-trick pony? (Answer: I cannot. So let’s go with it, my friends.)

This time I’m taking it into my bathroom. My shower, specifically. Some of you know I spent a rather sizable chunk of the first quarter of 2010 without a usable shower in my home. It was for a good cause, because at the end of it, in place of the rusting metal tiles that I’d resorted to duct taping back on the wall as they came unglued (I wish I were kidding. It wasn’t pretty, folks), I had a gorgeous sparkling white tiled (fully waterproof!) shower that I’m no longer embarrassed to let guests see.

The beauty of a brand-new shower is that it looks clean even without cleaning it for a really, really long time. The drawback is that it tempts lazy people like me not to clean it for a really, really long time. Whether it’s reasonable or not, I’ve grown convinced that a generous application of daily shower spray after every use is a free pass not to scrub my new shower properly for several weeks on end. Which is all good and fine except that I am tired of buying plastic refill bottles of Method’s ylang ylang-scented shower spray. I’ve been on this beat long enough to know that surely I could make my own, right? Right. So I asked my cleaning consultant/doctor/navigator/recipe guru/general all-purpose resource (a.k.a., The Google) to tell me how.

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Okay, so apparently I’m in some kind of animal print obsession phase right now, but please bear with me. (Get it? Bear with me? Ha! I kill me.)

Ahem. Anyway, last month I posted about vegan designers Matt & Nat and the fabulous Santogold bag I got for Christmas. It has a sweet tiger print and it makes me feel pretty punk rock to carry the bag around. While perusing other vegan websites I came across Posh Pelts, a company that sells faux fur throw blankets and pillows in all different animal prints and colors.

You guys. I am in love. So much so that I ordered the faux black bear throw blanket so that I can have something classy to throw over my couch rather than my ratty blue Snuggie. They also sell faux Arctic fox, ocelot, lynx, and rabbit, and they are lovely.

Plus, a percentage of all their sales go to World Vision, a Christian relief and development organization that “offers material, emotional, social and spiritual support to 100 million people in 99 countries. World Vision also provides humanitarian aid to the Asia earthquake/tsunami disaster with a special focus on children and vulnerable populations”.

And also: they’re machine-washable. Which is important, with the amount of coffee and wine I drink on my couch.

About one month ago, my son, Owen (age 1), found a stray purple crayon hitching a ride in a toy dump truck. Being a typical 1 year old, he removed the crayon and decided to taste it. He babbled, turned around and shared a big goofy smile, teeth freckled with purple wax, chin and lips streaked with dye. Horrified, I grabbed the crayon and stared at it (probably just like the girl in this classic Sesame Street Episode). Whew! Non-toxic. 

Non-toxic. That’s a good word, right? Especially when it is typed on a product that children regularly play with. It’s even a better word when it is combined with the words all natural.  Enter Clementine Natural Art Products: All Natural, Certified Non-Toxic and Environmentally Friendly.

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Every time I go to the grocery store with household cleaning items on my shopping list, I go with the intention of only purchasing environmentally friendly items. Inevitably, I find myself in the cleaning supplies aisle staring at all the products that claim to be environmentally friendly or non-toxic or what not with no clue which one to purchase. Plus there’s that nagging worry about greenwashing — companies claiming their products are green without having any sound data to back that up.

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If you live by the mantra of reduce, reuse, recycle; then the first thing you should do is reduce, right?

It seems for years people had this backward and thought recycling alone was enough.  As the “green” movement has grown, however,  it has become more and more apparent that there are issues with consumption that cannot be cured by the simple act of recycling and instead requires a broader approach of rethinking what we do and do not need.  Luckily, it has also been shown that “stuff” does not equate to happiness.  In fact, there is significant evidence to prove the opposite is true: happier people place an emphasis on the people and experiences in their lives rather than the stuff life accumulates.  Less stuff and more happiness?!?? Sounds like a great exchange to me!

Of course, reducing what you have can be a daunting prospect- where do you even begin?  Well, take a look at Unclutterer or A Guy Named Dave’s 100 Thing Challenge for some ideas of where to start.

Starting, however, is only half the battle; losing motivation is the major culprit of unfinished projects in my life.  Luckily, there are also many people who have been there before and can show you the light at the end of the tunnel.  From Tammy’s Rowdy Kittens, Joshua’s Becoming Minimalist, or Leo’s Zen Habits, more and more people are finding happiness with less and may just inspire you to join them.

. . . Amanda, who requested the Puku Messenger Bag in orange and said it would make an awesome diaper bag.  Congratulations, Amanda!  And thank you so much to GreenSmart for helping us repeat our most popular contest of 2010!

One of the best parts of being a Greenist is getting to hear from all of you!  We love it when a good discussion starts in the comment section of one of our posts.  Here are the posts that got everyone talking the most:

What’s the Deal with Castile? – Stefanie’s great post about Castile soap and its many uses lead to a bunch of comments with household hints and tips!  Do you use Castile soap?  Have you made your own laundry detergent before?

Cape Cod’s Offshore Wind Farm: Yay or Nay? – Courtney’s post drew lots of comments in support of wind farms, as well as a commenter who worried that windmills would ruin the view.  What’s your take on offshore wind farming?

Preserving Your Summer Bounty – Dianne, our Greenists guide for all things food, gave us her tips for preserving food from the garden for winter, and lots of people commented with their favorite foods to can and freeze.  Do you freeze, can, or dry food for winter?

Method Laundry Detergent – Courtney tested Method Laundry Detergent’s claim that one little pump bottle held enough detergent for fifty loads of laundry, and Method passed the test!  Courtney isn’t alone in her love of Method’s Laundry Detergent.  Lots of people chimed in to say how much they love the stuff too!  What detergent do you use to launder your clothes?

Maggie’s Organic Clothes – I had so much fun testing out the clothes Maggie’s sent me, and everyone was surprised by how reasonably priced these fair-trade, organic clothes are!  Have you tried Maggie’s clothes?  Do you have a favorite ethical clothing brand?

What’s so Great about Soy Wax? – Stefanie gave us a lesson on the differences between soy and paraffin candles and a review of M. Carlesimo candles, and got a discussion going about organic soy, beeswax, safe candles for use around birds, and more.  Do you burn candles at home?  What kind do you use?

Save the SunChips Bag! – Courtney’s call to action to save compostable SunChips bags got lots of feedback from supporters of the bag.  And don’t forget to sign our petition to Save the SunChips Bag!

Sea Shepherd: Heroism, terrorism or imperialism? – A Free Man’s post about the more extreme side of environmental activism drew lots of heated discussion.  What’s your take on the methods the Sea Shepherd employs to try to stop commercial whaling?

Thank you so much to all of you who took the time to comment on our posts this year, adding your opinions to the discussion!  We love hearing from you, and hope you’ll keep commenting in the future!  And for those of you who haven’t commented on a Greenists post, what are you waiting for?  We don’t bite.  Promise.