The Littlest Birds

(Source.)

This is the home of my latest job. And I love it. Such cuteness all around. Let me give a small tour of the lovely place.

Name: The Littlest Birds
Owners: Sonja & Allison
What: An organic and natural baby boutique.
Sells: Organic and locally-made clothing; baby carriers and slings; safe baby bottles & such; natural baby shoes; safe, lead and bpa-free baby toys; consignment clothing & such; natural cloth diapers; and lots more!

Some great brands they carry:
Simple Shoes
Livie & Luca
Ergobaby
Maya Wraps
Under The Nile
RolyPoly
Grimms Toys
Plans Toys
Born Free
Bum Genius
Happy Heiny

~Am~

Website of the Week

Hello Lu n' Am readers,

We have just received an e-mail from a representative of Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awarness Center, an organization recognized as the web's leading organization for relevant and authoritative information regarding asbestos and health complications associated with asbestos exposure.

The MAA Center regards high environmental and green presence as a critical part of their movement and promotes the use of sustainable green products, awareness of past buildings and preventative steps in avoiding asbestos exposure and mesothelioma.

Be sure to check out their website as well as their blog in order to gain further knowledge on these important environmental and health issues.

Also, we are hopeful and excited about the possibility of a guest post from the public outreach assistant of the MAA Center, and we are very honored to be able to relay such valuable information to our readers.

Please be sure to check out these links:

- http://www.maacenter.org/

- http://www.maacenter.org/blog/


Hope you guys have a wonderful week and that your fourth of July celebration was a fantabulous one!

-Lucie

Roof Gardens = Genius

Some of the perks according to this article (Toiture Truchon):
- Enhances building's appearance
- Adds space for tenant use and recreation
- One answer to the Urban Heat Island problem
- Stormwater management - retain 50%-90% of a typical rain fall on the roof


- Improves building's energy efficiency
- Processes airborne toxins and re-oxygenates the air
- Creates therapeutic and peaceful environments
- Total assembly warranted, from the deck up

I thought this video was interesting, there is tons of information on green roofs out there.





Links and Articles to check out:

-" Green Roofs are All the Rage"
-GreenRoofs.com"
-Chicago Green Roofs

-Lu

Making a difference on vacation

(Via flickr.)

I will be going, in a few short days, to the beach with a couple of friends. While there, I'm going to do my darnedest to be as eco-friendly as possible. Here are some things that I'm going to do to reduce my waste on the trip:

-Use personal water bottle instead of purchasing water bottles
-Use personal coffee cup instead of using the horrible non-recycle to-go cups
-Bring tote bags for shopping instead of using plastic store bags
-Use container from home for left overs instead of styrofoam containers
-Pick up trash that isn't mine on the beaches I visit

~Am~

Finding New Uses for Old Things

In my own home, I am always trying to find more ways to be more organized - to live in a way that's cute and stylish as well as easy and no-fuss. So that's why I get super-excited when I think of new ways to use things.

For instance, this week I decided to use some used glasses in my bathroom. I used a pretty grenadine bottle and a conveniently small (and quaint) Maille mustard bottle to hold razors. I already use various small plates and bowls to hold our shower products (our bathroom is very prone to mold - we basically live in a basement). This week I added a lid of a rice container (it's big, round and pretty purple color) to one of the plates to separate the soap from the shaving cream can. I used a tea bottle to put our toothbrushes in and to keep them off the often gross sink.

So the next time you're in search of a new item for your home (either for practical or purely aesthetic purposes) look around your recycling and see if anything in there suits your tastes!
~Am~

a "green guide"

I just adore reading National Geographic normally. They have wonderful pictures and great articles about really interesting topics. But lately I've been obsessed with reading their "Green Guides."

(Source found here.)

Right now I'm reading their Winter 09 guide and it's filled lots of facts and tidbits about going green. My favorite section though is their "One Green Year" article that extends for eight pages. This articles goes into pretty good detail about how you can "go green" by taking steps daily, weekly, monthly and yearly. It is an excellent article with ideas and suggestions for lists to keep track of your carbon footprint and your progress throughout the year.

I also really enjoy the advertisements in the magazine. All of them are related to being green, organic and natural. I don't really encouragement consumerism, but I enjoy seeing what my alternatives are as opposed to McDonald's and Wal-Mart ads.

~Am~

the little things

As our Christmas festivities come to a close, I would like to muse over the little green things that were implemented into my holiday celebration this year. All of these I am very happy about and am so thrilled to have been able to implement them so easily.

Wrapping paper/products-I used some old paper my mother gave me last year to wrap my presents. I then took construction paper and decorated the packages. I also printed super cute tags and stuck those on.

Decorations-I actually created some decorations this year and with a little help from some tuturials I flew right along making cute snow-like flakes, which I hung from my ceiling. These decorations we so simple, even my boyfriend made some with ease and enthusiasm. And of course, when I visited Lu and her lovely mom (La Martha Stewart of France) I saw how the love of handmade decorations had filled their home. There were snowflakes hanging from ceilings, little handmade trees with our names on them and candy cane stands.

(Bag by Lucienne.)

(Tea box by Lucienne, aussi.)

Gifts-Oh man, how I love handmade/homemade gifts, and did I ever hit the handmade jackpot this year! Our very own Martha Stewart of France made me and the beau a beaucoup of gifts! I received a friggin gorgeous bag (one of the many Madame Stewart has been making this season), a jewelry box, and a tea box. All handmade! And from the Lu I got, of course, my favorite thing to get from an artist, a painting! I had raved about this Nancy Drew idea for a painting that she had mentioned and, well, lucky me, I got me a Nancy Drew collaged painting! Score one for the home team.

Next year, or rather this year, I hope to make even more green and sustainable additions to my holiday celebrations.

~Am~

omfg

Sorry guys, it's been a week. Yes, a whole week since any of us has written an entry. Our profoundest apologies. So let's get on with the business of the day: blogging!

I'm of the belief that to make our world a green and sustainable world we are going to have to make this way of life accessible and affordable to EVERYONE. This is the only way. If everyone can access it and afford it, then everyone can do it and will want to do it.

This brings me to solar power. Right now, solar power is one of the most expensive forms of alternative energy. It literally costs tens of thousands of get the sources and to convert. Yet, I find it to be one of the most promising alternatives. So for solar power, we are going to have to find new and cheaper ways to make this energy source work for everybody.

(A D-I-Y solar power kit.)

This leads me to the discovery of a $600 D-I-Y solar power kit. This little kit will give you enough power to use some objects around your home (for instance, in one week it will give you enough energy to power your laptop for 40 hours.). Don't get me wrong, $600 isn't really cheap to me. Trust me, this post-graduate girl will not be getting one for herself anytime soon. But it's a start. And for many families and small businesses, this kit could make the perfect start! Plus, I'm a firm believer that every little thing counts...and many little things add up to one big thing!
~Am~

The Freecycle Network

Thanks roomie!
My roommate Lisbeth told me about this wonderful website.

http://www.freecycle.org/

Their Mission= "To build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources & eases the burden on our landfills while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community."

and what a good one it is.

Gifting being the key word. Everything is free.
I mean this is like a free thrift store online! Oh, thrift stores...how we love thee.
So next time you're thinking of throwing away an apliance, clothing, cds, crafts, frames, books...you name the item (someone out there probably wants/needs it)....you're remodeling your house don't know what to do with the old furniture? Don't throw it away!


Chances are they have one in your community. I looked up several smaller towns in my region and they all had a freecycle network.
This nonprofit movement is genius so be sure to check it out and participate within your community!

-Lu

"if it's yellow: let it mellow; if it's brown: let it drown"

Ok, so we're going to get dirty here at Lu n' Am. I want to talk about some bathroom etiquette, or rather - bathroom preferences.

You've probably heard this saying before: if it's yellow, let it mellow; if it's brown, let it drown. It's a saying that started in 60s, a product of the hippies and that mind set. It basically is encouraging the conservation of water and discouraging wasting water as much as possible. But I feel that this doesn't set really set too well for many people.

(Yumz...courtesy of jablife.)

Many people would find this disgusting. This motto was something I followed quite closely in my freshman year of college. I went to what some people would call a "hippie" college and signs with this motto could be found in many restrooms. I followed this until I heard of something called "backsplash." It's reminds me of backwash - the spit that is found in your drinks from getting your spit mixed in with your beverage while drinking. But backsplash sounds so much grosser - it's the pee splashing back onto your bottom. And not only is it pee...but it's someone else's pee if you are following this lovely motto. Ew, right?

So this conservation motto is really just a personal choice. For me, I will not flush if I am using a public restroom or in my own home. But for me the thing is, I don't really care if my own pee is "backsplashing." And in a public restroom, chances are the next person is going to flush the toilet and if they don't, well, that's their own personal choice.
~Am~

working at the car wash [oh, oh ,oh]

This blog post idea is actually courtesy of Lu, but I thought I'd run with it since she hasn't been posting too much lately.

Washing cars...sigh. I wouldn't know anything about this since I don't own or even drive a car. But it seems that some people really, really like to have nice, clean, shiny cars.

(From Dave Gorman, via flickr.)

Washing cars requires lots of water. Big duh. But did you know that washing your car at home is actually a bigger environmental hazard than washing it at a car wash? Laser washes are actually required by law to recycle and reuse their water. So that water you use goes into a drain which then cycles the water again in the laser washes' system.

Washing it at home is bad because if you are using nasty products to wash your car then the run off from your washing can (and most likely will) seep into the ground. This will then travel to our water (streams, rivers, etc.). And this, in turn, pollutes our last remaining fresh water and pollutes the water that comes back to us in our homes.

The moral of this story: If you want to wash your car, do it a laser wash! But if you really have a hankering to do it at home then consider switching your cleaning products. There are, thankfully, green cleaning products out there. For instance - the Simple Green Car Wash.
~Am~

living sustainable, tip

Ok, class, I'd like to take a survey. Raise your hand if you like to house clean. Hm, yes. Just as I thought. Not a single person likes to house clean. Well, I have to admit, neither do I. Housecleaning might as well be a sport, with all the work and trials that are involved in it.

There's the nasty, powerful, noxious smells. There's the bending and the pushing. There's the scraping and the pulling. Fortunately, there are ways now to get rid of some of these problems. The physical labor part will always be a necessary evil in the process, but one thing you can forget about is the overwhelming smells that usually go along with housecleaning.

(Method. One alternative to your bad-smelling cleaning encounters.)

There are many products on the market now that contain safe and good-smelling (nor overwhelming) ingredients. Some of these include:

1. Method. Very trendy. Very aesthetically pleasing. Very good smelling. Method is all these things. Plus, the products are naturally-derived and bio-degradable.
2. Seventh Generation. One of the first "environmentally-friendly" cleaning products I had ever heard of, this one is a regular on the green scene. Their products are always a safe bet.
3. Simple Green. Just discovered this kid. They've been making "safer" cleaning products for over 30 years. The products are made of bio-degradable, non-toxic, non-flammable and non-abrasive ingredients.
4. Mrs. Myers. Super cute packaging and design. Their products are biodegradable, natural, cruelty-free and free of any ingredients that would make you faint from one sniff.

But if you'd rather make your own products, then are many basic household products you can find that make excellent household cleaners. Below, are the most common products that will leave your home smelling fresh and looking clean:

1. White Vinegar
2. Baking Soda
3. Toothpaste
4. Lemon
5. Liquid Dish Soap
6. H2O

The mixture of some of these products also create good household cleaning products. You can find these household recipes all over the web. Martha Stewart and this blog are just two of places where you can find these awesome d-i-y concoctions.
~Am~

stop that junk mail now!

Who doesn't despise junk mail? Junk mail is not only annoying and virtually pointless, but it also creates an excessive amount of destruction to our planet's forests.

Thankfully, there are ways to stop any unwanted mail from coming to your mailbox. There are various sites where you can enter your mailing information and they will block your address from certain mailing lists.

(Courtesy of flickr.)

Another way to save the forests is to change many of your paper-based payments (electricity bill, phone bill, etc.) to the electronic method. Most, and nearly all, companies now give their customers the option to pay their bills over the internet. So this is another way to reduce the amount of paper mail you are getting.

Lastly, another suggestion to save paper is to change your newspaper and magazine subscriptions to the online versions only. I have to say that I'm guilty of not doing this. There is just something so satisfying about flipping through a new magazine. But I hope to accomplish this paper and tree saving goal one day. :)
~Am~

"Do I really need this???"

(Image from Pouletsue- Flickr.com)

Shopping....dun. dun. dun.
We are massive consumers when it comes to shopping. We are all guilty of it, we love it, and we will not stop.
Unfortunately ...we spend a lot of money doing it...and sometimes (if not most of the time) waste a lot of money. but most importantly this high consumption habit of ours has a great impact on our environment...and thus we should be more concerned with finding ways of being smarter about this little love of ours.

I am currently reading the "Shopping Chapter" in the Gorgeously Green book by Sophie Uliano, and this section is filled with tons of useful information on indulging in guilt-free shopping. After having read this section, the most important information I retained and practice on a daily basis is to ask myself a very important question before I pick up my next buy in a store. I ask myself...

"Do I really need this???" or better yet...." Can I live without it?"

So next time you are ready to pull out that wallet on your next purchase...ask yourself those two questions...chances are you don't. be honest with yourself ;)

But more importantly, just how much does our consumption have an affect on our environment? I rarely take the time to think how something was made, or who made it (and in what conditions) and where. What materials were used...what about the packaging? how much plastic or non-recyclable material is used to make this item...what chemicals are involved & do these harm our planet. Can this be reused? How much energy was consumed through the shipping process? Is this a fair-trade product?
Enough questions right...but the problem is we rarely ask ourselves these questions, and much of our society is apathetic to the answers. I think if we all took the time to think about some of these issues, we would have second thoughts on the answers to the two questions listed above.

More on this topic soon. Again, I do recomend the Goregeously Green Book...it is wonderful. ;)


Important Links:
Find out if your favorite brand is unethical. = www.sweatshopwatch.org
Learn more about the fair-trade products in larger stores= www.transfairusa.org
-Information on Buying Green

-Lu

good lists & tips

I am huge fan of lists. And I especially love to read a new list of "ways to be live sustainably." There are so many of these kind of lists out there in this big world. These lists almost always consist of overlapping information that I've read 100 times already, but I usually find little new nuggets of wisdom every time in these lists.

A good website for tips and lists galore of ways to live more sustainably, more energy efficiently, more green, etc. is Co-Op America. I think I somehow got on their mailing list a while ago, and they've been sending me random information and tips on how live in these ways. These tips have been sitting magnetically attached to my fridge for months now and I just today decided to read over them. After being educated a little bit more by these tips, I went to the organization's website.


I particularly like these three lists. Read up on these tips when you get a minute - because that's all it takes to read each of them!
~Am~

more about packaging

One great thing about living in Asheville is that I'm always finding something new related to sustainability/green-living. Lately, it's been the surge of green-packaging products I've been discovering throughout many Asheville restaurants and coffee shops.

I've always loved that most places in Asheville will give you the option on how you want things packaged. Don't want a plastic bag? Ok, we won't give you one. Work nearby and don't want to use styrofoam to carry your bagel? Ok, you can take the plate, but please bring it back afterwards. But now I've been seeing places use recyclable boxes and biodegradable cups for their carryout containers.

My favorite coffee shop and bookstore by far, Malaprops, uses biodegradeable and recyclable cups for their iced and cold beverages. Two of my new favorite places to eat in downtown are Chorizo and this cute soda fountain in the Woolworth Walk gallery. Having eaten at both of these places recently and taken left-overs/to-go boxes, I discovered that both restos use 100% post-consumer and recyclable boxes. I looked into this, I found out the boxes are made by fold-pak and the biodegradable cups are made by fabri-kal.

So the next time you go to a restaurant see what kind of products they use. You could even suggest to them to carry these products. Or, if you're even more hard-core about saving the environment, d-i-y initiatives and reusing, then you could bring you own tupperware/storage container to restaurants. It's something that I still haven't done, but would definitely like to start doing. :)
~Am~

eco-site of the day

I found this eco-minded site a couple of days ago and ever since then I've been meaning to write about it. The Lazy Environmentalist is a practical blog about living a easy and convenient green life. I have to admit that he does not exactly follow my way of life in green pursuits and living, but I do blame him or chastise him for this. (For example, one of his posts encourages shopping at Wal-Mart for cheap and earth-friendly products. And while I LOVE saving money, I abhor Wal-Mart. Even though they are jumping on the green wagon, they are still far from getting my approval on their union and worker's rights standards. But I digress.)

(Blogger Josh Dorfman also has a radio show based on the same ideas of his blog.)

One of my favorite things about his blog is that everything is simple and easy to read. And he has had some great links on the blog. I have found many other interesting green-related sites and blogs through the Lazy Environmentalist. So if you're looking for more ideas to save the world and save some money, head over to the Lazy Environmentalist, and you might learn a thing to two.
~Am~

#4, for Sustainable Living

I hope you're not reading this as you're getting ready to head to bed, but, honestly, we really need to talk about a certain nasty little monster in your home. He's the one that silently and secretly shoots your electricity bills through the roof. He's the one that slowly sucks all the energy out of you and your home. He's the...NO! Not him! Yes, he's the dreaded vampire energy sucker. (cue the "dun, dun, dun...")

(Seem familiar? [Photo courtesy of snowdaisy.] )

Yes, boys and girls I'm talking about that vampire, who is so subtle, some might also call him a phantom. The vampire energy sucker sips the energy from your home by continuing to use electricity when you don't unplug your electronics. We all already know that we should turn off the lights in a room that we're no longer using. But what hasn't been as widely spread is that we should be unplugging our electronics when we're not using them. Most electronics will still use energy even after you turn them off. These sort of electronics are your: microwave, tv, phone charger, laptop charger, lamps, fans, stereo, and other various appliances.

There used to be this thing that was said that basically encouraged people to not turn off their lights. This thought process with this thing was that it would take more energy (electricity) turning your lights on and off over and over again than it would if you turned off your lights at the end of the day. But over the years, studies have shown this little suspicion is incorrect.

The moral of the story, kids, is: unplug anything (that's reasonably within reach) after you use it! Do this especially with your electronics! I do this with everything that I can reach!
~Am~

It doesn't Matter Which Side You're On...

I found this video on you tube and I found it to be very powerful and have much truth to it. People are always taking a side; whether we're arguing about the human contribution vs. natural earthly cycle of global warming, republican vs. democrat, plastic water bottles vs. reusable ones... it seems we spend more time picking a side & arguing rather than taking action about an issue that is REAL and right in front of us...we are wasteful beings & this has consequences.

please watch...and share.
thanks,
-Lu-

Discoveries

Today, I was reading a very intriguing article in Wired (half of which I thought was pure bullcrud and half of which I thought was completely valid), where I discovered a website called worldchanging.com.

(Picture from current Wired article.)

Worldchanging.com is a website that...

is a solutions-based online magazine that works from a simple premise: that the tools, models and ideas for building a better future lie all around us. That plenty of people are working on tools for change, but the fields in which they work remain unconnected. That the motive, means and opportunity for profound positive change are already present. That another world is not just possible, it's here. We only need to put the pieces together.

(Worldchanging.com editor Alex Steffen's book.)

I really enjoyed looking at this site and plan on visiting it on a more regular basis now, especially after reading that Wired article (it was very negative and pessimistic and it also made me feel like all my efforts towards sustainability were for naught,even though I believe in getting many well-rounded views on all things). I suggest all to go here and check it out. It reveals many efforts that are currently being made towards living more sustainable, diverse, holistic and renewable lives on a large and small scale.
~Am~