Freebie Alert!!!

I love a good glass of Riesling. And now, I love it even more. Why? Because Pacific Rim, an eco-friendly wine company, is all about sustainability and has a super cool campaign to reduce the wasting of plastic bags. Cool by me. Read on to find out what they're doing, and how to get your "freebie".

Pacific Rim is giving away reusable shopping bags with the tag line: Save Water. Drink Riesling. Woot! I love it! I already put in for my super nifty bag (see pic). I hope you'll do the same! Click here for details.

Yep, I'm Bringing It Up

So, a while back, TGGG received an interesting email regarding a very vocal Christian advocate for the environment. At the time, Gawky and I chose not to do something with it, because of the nature of the email – it was just a bit weird.
But, it got me thinking.

I’m fairly right-wing in my political leanings (no, I’m not apologizing for that, by the way), and my Christian faith is one thing which I hold to dearly (again, not apologizing for that either). So, right off the bat, I’m not even close to your stereotypical environmentalist. Considering these two factors, what is it that drives my eco-conscious nature? Well, read on, and dig a little deeper into what I found out – about myself.

Let’s start off with the whole Republican thing. If we look at the history of the Republican Party, its nature was to be conservative. Rather than promoting expensive, social programs, they encouraged hard work and having as minimal governmental oversight as possible. Over the past decades, it has become clear that our party’s “conservative” nature has not weighed as heavily in regards to our environment. Many of our leaders just brushed it off as mythical or unimportant, etc. Recently, that view has shifted to the better. In fact, during the 2008 presidential election, Senator and Republican nominee John McCain took a very strong stance – and he had a history of doing so. Did you know that in 2003 McCain co-sponsored the first bill in the senate calling for mandatory reductions of greenhouse gas emissions? (Joe Lieberman was the other sponsor.) He’s also a supporter of nuclear power and clean coal facilities. While McCain didn’t win, he certainly served to remind the country that not all Republicans think environmentalists are wack-o.

When it came to religion and the environment, it took a little longer to figure things out. What do the two have to do with each other? Well, from my perspective, as a Christian, I have no choice but to be as environmentally friendly as possible. How so? Well, look at the very beginning of the Bible (literally): Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” And in verse 26: - “God said , ‘Let us make man in our own image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’” Hmmm… Let’s see, my God took the time to create this beautiful planet…. all the oceans, all the plants, all the animals… and he placed the human race in charge of it. Pretty sure I should do my best to show Him honor and respect by conserving, protecting and taking care of His creation.

So that’s me in a nutshell. What about you, friends? What is it that drives you in your eco-path? Let us know!

Gingerly

How does organic makeup compare to my hodgepodge hot mess of toiletries?

With the exuberant amount of samples we've been getting (no, that's not a complaint), we've decided to share the wealth with some of our closest friends. Back for some TGGG action is avid reader Marina. Check out Marina's review of Lavera makeup products below the photo. The photo is of Marina and Gawky Green frolicking through the alley ways of Michigan:
I'll be the first to admit- I have a hot mess of a toiletries case. If you took a peek inside you'd find a hodgepodge of products- underneath 4 tubes of different mascaras and a few eyeliner pencils you'd find my assorted face care products: Neutrogena's Invigorating Daily Scrub, Aveda's Dual Nature SPF 15 moisturizer, and Estée Lauder foundation.

So, as you can imagine, when co-author of TGGG Gawky Green asked me if I'd be interested in reviewing a complete line of Lavera's all-organic and all-natural facial products, I jumped on the opportunity. What I was really interested in finding out is whether an organic line of facial products could compare with my comparatively industrial strength set of random facial products. Without further ado, here's my review!

Overall, I can confidently say that I'm a fan of Lavera's "Faces" line of products. The Organic Mint Cleansing Gel genuinely felt good on my skin and didn't leave it feeling dry and tight as my current exfoliant does. The next product in line was the Organic Wild Rose Toner. Unlike my current industrial strength toner, this one was way gentle on my skin and didn't leave that piercing/tingling sensation. Instead, it left a really sweet rose smell on my face.

Next up was the Organic Aloe Vera Protection Creme (moisturizer). Out of all the products I tested, this was probably my favorite because it didn't leave my skin feeling oily like other moisturizers often do. This, too, had a sweet rose/aloe smell to it.

Lastly, there was the Soft Bronze Anti-Aging Energy Tint (a tinted moisturizer). This was my least favorite product, mostly because I'm not a fan of applying thick foundation all over my face, and that's what this felt like. Also, it turns out that "Soft Bronze" is the darker version of this tinted moisturizer and my fair-skinned face would have been better suited with the "Cool Beige." My roommates (who have no regard for subtlety) replied with "Did you just, like, lather bronzer all over your face?"

At the end of the day, my feelings on Lavera boil down to this: I love the fact that these products are made of all-natural products- it makes me feel like I can't possibly go wrong using them. I like the fact that this face care line was especially made for sensitive skin and can honestly say I felt like my skin reacted to these products in a calmer way than they would with my everyday face care products. However, (and there's always a however) I can't say that I would trash all of my current products and replace them with Lavera. What I would do (and am currently doing) is keep my current exfoliant (I know those scrubbing beads can't be good for my face but I feel like they're too effective to get rid of), and replace my toner and before-bed moisturizer with Lavera's.

Gawky Green- thanks for letting me test out these products, it was way fun and a learning experience. All in all, I walk away from the experience with a new appreciation for all-natural facial products, but with a stubbornness and loyalty to my trusty "industrial" (and significantly less-expensive) products.