On-the-Go

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Lucky Earth: Wash your car with ZERO water

August 23, 2009 in Green Your Home, Healthy Green Home, On-the-Go by Jennifer | 2 comments

Each year people waste tons of excess water washing their car. As a home owner this not only raises your water costs but also runoff caused by the hose can allow chemicals from your car into your yard, driveway, and if you walk in that water, into your home via your shoes. One option that can keep your car clean without the negatives above is a waterless car wash. There are lots of waterless car wash brands on the market, but they’re not all the same. I recently tried Lucky Earth Waterless Car Wash and here’s the inside scoop…

Lucky Earth “Waterless” Car Wash is Lucky Earth’s signature car care product. It’s made with just water, natural surfactants (the cleaner) derived from coconut, and silicone. According to Lucky Earth, “The surfactants break up and lift the dirt from the vehicle’s surface, while the silicone allows the dirt to be easily whisked away without scratching.  The silicone leaves a smooth feel and glossy shine on automobiles, boats, and all types of motorsports and watercraft.” View the MSDS product sheet (pdf) which notes no toxic ingredients.

I reviewed the 32 oz. spray bottle of “Waterless” Car Wash which provides enough product to wash your car about 7-10 times. The wash doubles as an interior car cleaner, and can be used on the dashboard, leather seats, doors, and any other non-fabric surfaces. This product must be used with microfiber towels and I also got a set of those to review along with the wash.

What I think: Read the rest of this entry »

ECOlunchbox Kit – Gorgeous Waste Free Lunches

July 28, 2009 in On-the-Go, Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle by Jennifer | 1 comment

I tend to stick to home topics here, but since back-to-school time is rapidly approaching, and because I know some of you must take a lunch to work, we’re going to be looking at some cool waste-free lunch kits over the next couple weeks.

Why bother?

Waste-Free Lunches estimates that the average kid’s lunch creates 67 pounds of waste per school year (that’s about 19,000 lbs of waste per each average elementary school). It’s not just kids either. How many adults carry a lunch to work each day? How many college students. When you get thinking about the numbers it’s insane. Bagged lunches are full of all sorts of waste that end up in the landfill. Some typical waste…

  • Paper bags
  • Plastic bags
  • Plastic containers
  • Cracker and cookie snack packs
  • Yogurt tubes and cups
  • Drink bottles
  • Juice boxes
  • Plastic baggies, foil, and plastic wrap for all sorts of foods.
  • Lunchables and other building lunch kits.
  • Paper napkins
  • Plastic silverware.

It’s not pretty and it’s a huge waste. Many people won’t or can’t take the time to recycle either. That said, you can still take a lunch anywhere but make it waste-free. There are plenty of safe and reusable lunch kits on the market right now.

I wanted to start of with something extra yummy so we’ll kick off our look at waste free lunches with ECOlunchbox Kits. These lovely lunch kits come with almost everything you need to pack the perfect waste-free lunch.

This lunchbox kit is 100% plastic-free, waste-free, lead-free, BPA-free, PVC-free and vinyl-free. It includes:

  • A handmade ECOlunchbag that’s machine washable and 100% cotton. Sewn from fabrics that are hand block printed by artisans in India, and oh so pretty. Many color and style choices available. The bag is fully reversible and adjustable to fit children and adults. It converts to a backpack, sling bag, shoulder bag and hip bag. I just wish it was organic – but it’s still pretty cool.
  • A two-tier stainless steel food container that’s dishwasher safe. Comes with closures that are kid-tested and will not snap little fingers. The container is designed to fit three different foods. The bottom layer is 1 inch deep and fits a small whole sandwich while the top layer is 1 1/2 inches deep and fits cut fruit, dry snacks, pasta or salad. There is also a small inner box, which contains 1/2 cup, and is good for thick yogurt, thick applesauce or cut fruit. They didn’t use any plastic or gaskets so the lids are not 100% leak-proof.
  • Three cloth napkins designed for use as placemats or napkins.
  • A spork is made of sustainably grown bamboo.

The only thing bad about this set is since it’s cloth a typical ice pack will sweat in there and make a mess. However, you can get a very nice non-toxic ice pak and sweat free cover to remedy that situation. It also doesn’t come with a water bottle, but there are plenty of good ones on the market.

Learn more at ECOlunchboxes.