Archive for the ‘Green’ Category

The items you need for around the house and everyday living to make responsible choices this fall and winter.

Even though the temperatures aren’t cooling off across the country, it’s September and everyone knows Fall is in the air.  Today we’re taking a look at our top 10 items you need for a more responsible lifestyle in the home and your daily life this Fall.

Bulb Hound Garden Planter

Bulb Planters – It’s never too early to start planning your spring garden, and planting bulbs in autumn always brings a pleasant surprise come spring.  A bulb planter, like this one from Hound Dog (IMRE client) will ensure you are planting at the right depth.  Do the work now and in spring your blooming flowers will be a great inspiration to keep developing your summer garden.

Laptop Lunch Products

Responsible Lunches – Whether you’re packing lunches for yourself or the kids, try a Laptop Lunch kit to save all those plastic baggies and avoid the frustration of searching for Tupperware.  Laptop Lunch kits come with a book of healthy lunch ideas, are reusable, recyclable and dishwasher safe.  They also contain no phthalates, BPA or lead.  We recently saw these at Whole Foods and had to have one.

Sustainable Textiles - Hopefully the summer heat will be cooling off soon, and when it does you’ll be looking to wrap up in a cozy blanket to keep off the fall chill.  Whether you’re at a football game or just watching a movie at home, we recommend having an organic blanket on hand like this one.

Bird Feeders - During the fall it’s a great idea to install a bird feeder as it allows you to enjoy nature from indoors on the chillier days, and helps the birds in your backyard find food as the temperatures begin to drop.  This post on re-nest offers a great assortment of bird feeders that we love.

Ball Home Canning Basics Kit

Canning Kit - This holiday weekend, between all of the block parties and picnics, we plan to can the last of the great fruits and vegetables summer has to offer so we can enjoy them all winter.  There are tons of sites you can visit on line to get directions for canning your favorite foods, and a kit like this one is a worthwhile purchase.

Leaf Composting – This fall instead of raking and bagging your leaves in all those plastic bags, try composting them.  There are a number of leaf composting tools and accessories available from bins to bags.  We suggest starting off with these bags from Bosmere.

Insulated Blinds – If you didn’t get them to keep the heat out this summer, we definitely suggest you purchase them to keep the cold out this fall and winter.  Efficient blinds will save energy, and how much you’re spending on heating costs.

Responsible Comforters – In this post on Grist.com, Umbra lays out all the sad truth behind down blankets, and no matter how warm they may keep you in the winter, there’s a number of great alternatives that are much more ethical and responsible purchases.  We like organic wool comforters like these.

Stain Remover – With soccer and football season starting up again, there’s no doubt you will spend some time working on removing grass stains from t-shirts and jerseys this fall.  We recommend having Method’s laundry detergent with smartclean technology™ on had for tackling those difficult stains the eco-conscious way.

Air Purifier – Finally, with back to school and the change in temperature, fall and winter are the height of cold season.  Something to consider for your home is a eco-friendly air purifier.  This will help keep the air in your home clean in a low impact way.

These are just a few of the products we recommend keeping around the house for a responsible and environmentally conscious start to fall 2010.  Stay tuned for more as summer winds down.