The Big Green Help - Nickelodeon Goes Green

Loyal TwoGirlsGoGreen reader, and all around fantastical person, Allison, sent us an awesome note about Nickelodeon's Big Green Help project. It really struk a cord with her, and she offered to do a spiffy guest post for us. Click the "read more" link to find out her thoughts.

Nickelodeon goes green?! They're teaming up with the natural resources defense council, the national wildlife foundation and the boys and girls club of america to influence the youngest generation of cartoon watching couch potatos to get involved in the green revolution with their newest project "The Big Green Help". Nickelodeon is asking kids to pledge themselves to follow the four elements of the big green help which include "slow the flow" (conservation), "recycle and precycle"(obvious), "grow the green" (plant trees), and "curb the car" (avoid pollutant causing travel.

While the messages that the big green help are conveying are simple green concepts they still amaze me. I think it's totally awesome that they're getting kids as young as toddlers to take an interest in our planet in the simplest of ways. Seeing the ad for the big green help is a great reminder that being green doesn't have to be difficult. Doing the little things everyday like drinking filtered tap water instead of bottled water and riding your bike can really add up. Nickelodeon has message boards where the kids talk about their efforts to go green and there are THOUSANDS of posts from kids like these:

I totally agree! Today me and one of my save the Earth club members went outside and made a difference. We picked up trash and recycled bottles.
My club cares. We all sign! -kahaj2

i agree with all of you and if we really work hard we are gonna change the earth! -FARMY788

I think its inspiring that so many of our nations youngest have hope for saving the earth! Mad props to nickelodeon and all the tykes out there who've pledged to go green!

Thanks for letting me invade this blog. - Allison

Well, Allison, you're most welcome, and we'd love to have you do it again some time! You're right, Nickelodeon's Big Green Help project completely rocks TwoGirlsGoGreen's socks off - what an awesome program and an awesome way for young people to take a part in the type of activities that can really make a difference for the environment.

You rock, girlfriend!

To read more from Allison, a 17 year old uber cool chic from good old Michigan, check out her website - http://www.allisonspinkjulys.blogspot.com/. You'll be glad you did.

What green projects have you guys participated in? We'd love to hear about them!

My not so eco-friendly gift wrapping routine...

Merry Christmas, everybody! And Happy Holidays, for those inclined!

Each Christmas Eve, I sit in my parents’ living room and wrap gifts. Lots and lots of gifts. Basically, while my father is hiding downstairs and my brother pretends to ignore any calls for assistance from my mother (who is frantically running around the kitchen baking random cookies), I wrap all gifts that don’t happen to have my name on it. Hooray. Luckily, I enjoy the sound of crinkly paper, ripping tape and scissor-curled bows.

But this year, as I sat with my legs crossed in front of a space heater (I’m always, always cold… I could probably manage to be cold in Hawaii – no joke, just ask the boy I’m dating.), I realized something very, very disturbing. I was using, and theoretically wasting, a substantial amount of paper. I was indeed killing trees. Gasp! Shame on me. (And extreme guilt-tripping-shame on my brother, who when he does wrap gifts uses 4x too much paper…)
So, I got to thinking, what if next year I did things differently? How could I potentially “green” my Christmas wrapping routine? Well, I came up with several nifty ideas. Curious?

1) Unwrap all gifts delicately and save the paper for reuse next year. (Obnoxious to everyone else waiting for their gifts, but a wonderful way to not waste paper.) You can even make it a game – every time you keep the paper for reuse, write the date on it. Then, see how long your paper will last throughout the years. 2 years? 5? 10? 20? (Ok, so 20 might be pushing it… that could get rather icky.

2) Put all gifts in reusable shopping bags! You do have a reusable shopping bag for each of your favorite stores, don’t you? You should, they’re handy. Put mom’s gifts in the Wally World (Wal-Mart) bag, brother’s in the local mall bag, etc. Brilliant! Saves time and money. And trees.

3) Don’t wrap gifts at all. Who really needs to be surprised? Most everyone knows what they’re getting anyway… I mean they did ask for it. Unless of course you only buy gifts that nobody wants/needs.

Or…

4) Just use recycled gift wrap from Smith and Hawken. It’s cool, snazzy, affordable, and eco-friendly. Good stuff.

What holiday traditions do you have? How could you make them more eco-friendly? Let us know!

PS: This year we used LED lights on the tree – they’re ridiculously bright, yet they use a tremendously smaller amount of energy. Nice. I think they’re actually less fire-inclined too.

Scrub-a-Dub-Dub

Disclaimer: A giveaway is found in this post.

On a small island located in the middle of the ocean, near where the great Indian Ocean and prodigious Pacific Ocean collide, dwells a small eco-village. And in this small village, lived a man. Now, this was not just any old man...

In fact, this man, Malcolm Rands, holds a special place in my heart, because he created the best soap I've ever used in my life. No joke.

I'd like to share the wealth, so I will be doing a giveaway for two bars of this newly discovered eco-friendly soap.

All you have to do is shoot me an e-mail, Gawkygreen@gmail.com, saying you want in on the contest, and I'll enter you in. I'll enter you in TWICE, if, you also make a comment on this post. And I'll enter you in a THIRD time, if you comment on our blog on greenopolis.com. I'll pick a winner after the new years on January 5.*

I am getting way way way ahead of myself though, first, let me tell you a bit about the soap....see if you're even interested.

This soap came from Ecostore USA. It's created from vegetable oils and uses natural fragrances. They sent me their Lemongrass bar, and I am very much in love with it. If you like the smell of a fresh lemony scent, this'll make you melt in the shower. My skin cells are pulsating just thinking about it. The smell is phenomenal, and it lathers right up (which to me is extremely important). I love bubbles.

Ecostore USA is extremely up front and open about its ingredients too, which use none of those "nasty chemicals." For example, the site says the lemongrass soap is made of:
*Sodium Palmate (palm oil)
* Sodium Cocoate (coconut oil)
* Sodium chloride (salt)
* Vegetable Glycerine
* Tetra Sodium Etidronate and Tetra Sodium EDTA (antioxidants used to preserve the stability of vegetable oils in soap base. Derived from vinegar. Safe for skin)
* Lemongrass oil
* Titanium Dioxide

For me, soap is a huge thing. Because I have extremely sensitive skin. Well let's just throw it out there, I have eczema. It's hard for me to pick out skin products, especially soap. This one has been rather moisturizing, especially during this rough winter month.

The soap is $3.00, which is completely reasonable for a bar of soap, especially one that's good great for you [and the environment].

Ecostore USA also sent me vanilla shampoo and conditioner, which were fabulous as well. The shampoo and conditioner are reasonably priced—$21 for both—and they come highly concentrated, so a little bit goes a long way. I picked out vanilla because I thought I would enjoy its smell (which is nice, very light), but it also happens to be good for chemically treated hair (which I don't have).


EcoStore, which is a New Zealand based (the island I referred to in the beginning of my story) business, just recently launched their branch in the US of A, selling body care, hair care, baby care, pet care and household cleaners. And right now you can get 25% off your order up until December 31st—just type in ecostore08 at checkout. I think this nature-driven/family-owned e-store is going to be extremely successful.

But seriously, try the soap. It's amazing.


*Three entries per person total, AND you must reside in the US of A.

Pretty Pretty Eco-Princess

I'm just going to come out and say it: I love, I mean LOVE, makeup. (And no, that picture of makeup is not mine... I'm not that ridiculous...) Maybe it's some deeply hidden personal insecurity, or maybe I just love being able to alter my appearance ever so slightly and do wild and crazy things. I tend to go with the latter. Suffice it to say, I use a lot of makeup. And that got me thinking: what if I replaced some of my regular makeup with eco-friendly makeup? Perfect. Now to just find a couple eco-friendly makeup companies that would be willing to let me test their products... Enter Alima Pure and Everyday Minerals.

First, a little background on each company, as described on their websites. Alima Pure is created with luxurious pigments that provide subtle reflective properties, sun protection, anti-inflammatory benefits and beautiful, natural color. Alima Pure products carry the BDIH “Certified Natural Cosmetics” seal, are entirely additive- and allergen-free, and are safe for even the most sensitive skin. Everyday Minerals seeks to include the highest quality, all-natural and organic products sourced from sustainable environments across the globe, and to eliminate toxins and engineered material in our products. Sounds good to me. But does the stuff actually work?

Let me break it down: I tried foundation and blush from each brand, and then a couple random prodcuts as well. For both companies, I was extremely pleased with the coverage the mineral foundation provided - my skin didn't get all oily and it looked "fresh" all day. And I loved the look and feel of each company's blush. It looked natural, but still had that sexy makeup look. Good stuff.

But for each company, there was one product that really stood out as a can't-live-without-it eco-friendly product.

Let's start with Alima Pure's first: Pearluster Eye Shadow - Amethyst. This shadow is absolutely luxurious. At first when I put it on, I was not impressed; the color was just not vibrant enough. Then I got this brillent idea to put it on with a dab of water - make it more of a cream. Can we say amazing? I adore this stuff. And, to make things even better, the color stayed on pretty much all day. Nice!

Now, Everyday Minerals wins my heart with its awesome product called Aussie Perk Me Up. It's this uber spiffy undereye concealer. It has pearl essense and virtually eliminated my dark, nasty undereye circles. And, it didn't look heavy or unnatural when blended with a little foundation. Seriously, I will never ever allow my makeup bag to be without this super-sweet product.

I give both of these companies two eco-thumbs way, way up. Check 'em out - I believe each company has options for you to sample shades/products/etc.

Once I find my camera cord, I'll edit the post and put up some before and after piccys... so stop by again soon!!!

What do you think? Have you tried these companies before? Have a personal favorite? Let us know!

And then there were... none?

Imagine for one moment that there is no longer a Ford, General Motors or Chrysler. Try shifting your thought process from "Big Three" to "small-medium several"... Not so easy, is it? It's the top of mind topic that has everyone wondering what the heck is going to happen to our domestic auto industry. The opinions are from one extreme to the other. "Let the buggers fail!" say some. "Save them!" shouts still more. So what should congress do? What really is in the best interest of the American people, the environment and the economy? You just may be surprised.

When I first started really tuning into the whole automotive crisis, my first instict was to say: screw 'em. I mean, really, more tax dollars going to corporations that make poorly planned out business decisions? Doesn't exactly float my boat. Don't people go into business with the knowledge that business can and do fail? Isn't that a risk you willingly take?

Wellllll, yes. And a very, very strong no.(For a bit of background from the manufacturers perspectives, check out these links:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72cHfOKoA1c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS3mSr93sfU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSADVo-PIno

You see, the problem is, at least from my perspective, that the automakers are not even close to being a "business" anymore. They're an industry that supplies jobs to basically one out of every 10 people in the US. That's an awful lot of people. Not all work in the factories building the vehicles every day, some are parts and material suppliers. Some are Ad, Marketing or PR workers. Seeing the trend? So, if we do not provide the loan that these manufacturers need now, things have the potential to turn very, very shady.

Frankly, the thing that really irks me is the bailout that our government provided to the housing and financial industries... without the giant fuss that is taking place now. Because, ironically, what the auto industry is asking for right now ($34 billion, I believe) is absolutely minimal to the money shelled out for them! Personally, I find that to be a double standard... ok, rant done.

So at this point, perhaps rather than thinking about what the government should do for our manufacturers in terms or right and wrong, or black and white, maybe we need to start thinking about what the lesser of two evils is: providing a loan (please note that I specifically stated LOAN, not bailout) to three companies that made some seriously short-sighted planning decisions, or allowing an entire industry to collapse at an unfathomable cost to our economy.

Should a loan be given, the automakers would have much to answer to - mainly that the money was and is going to research and production of fuel efficient vehicles. The Chevy Cruze and Volt, Ford's new EcoBoost options, etc. This past year, our automakers have made some fairly large strides toward admitting past mistakes and making a run for more environmentally friendly vehicles. I don't think we should forget that.

What do you think?

I Bleed Maize N' Blue

VS

DISCLAIMER: This post contains giveaways, so you might wanna keep on reading.

This year, the University of Michigan, my alma mater, had a rough abominable football season. But, everyone has their days, years, whatever. And, thus, I remain a Wolverine fan.

So when Asgard Press sent me one of their eco-friendly vintage U of M calendars, I gleamed with joy.


Asgard Press has been creating these vintage-looking calendars, books and stationery for almost a decade. But just recently, the company has gone green by using 100% recycled paper and soy-based inks in their products. They still look sweet, only they're earth friendly, too.

And since 'tis the season to be jolly, I am going to give away one 2009 University of Michigan Calendar and one 2009 Michigan State University Calendar (see photos above). Perhaps you're a fan, or know of somebody else who would have this on their holiday wish list.

There's a two step process to enter yourself into this one.*

1) You gotta comment on this post (you don't gotta use your real name, but at least leave us a little love)
2) You gotta shoot me an e-mail (GawkyGreen@gmail.com) telling me which calendar drawing you want to be entered into. Do you bleed Maize n' blue, or are you a true Sparty?

I'll be pulling names out of a hat on December 9.

If you see a cool product that Asgard Press has and want to order it ASAP for the holidays, you can get a 10% discount by using our promo code "TWOGIRLSGOGREEN" or by clicking this, which will automatically fill in the appropriate fields when you go to make your purchase. And don't worry, if you are not a U of M fan, but adore another team, they have plenty to choose from...yes, even for you Buckeyes.

Here's a little more info on the vintage football calendars themselves...well first, what I like about this particular company is that the product existed and still exists regardless of the fact that it's green. But it's a quadruple-added bonus that it also happens to be green. The product itself has so much going for it...like the fact that each month's photo is a reproduction of an actual game-day program cover from the 1900-1960s. Since these are officially licensed products, part of the money goes back to the school. AND each page is perforated so that you can rip out the page and do something with it other than put it in your garbage when it turns 2010. I am thinking about making coasters out of mine afterward.

So enter the contest. You know you want one.

GO BLUE :-)

If you're looking for other giveaways, check out http://sweetiessweeps.com/, she lists cool new stuff daily.

*One entry per person...and you must reside in the U.S. to enter.