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With more people opting to use Eco friendly shopping bags, Seattle mandates it.
We can all learn a lot from the City of Seattle Washington about being guffly. Starting in January of 2009, shoppers that do not bring a reusable shopping bag will be charged a fee of 20 cents per bag. Seattle is the first city to ban disposable bags; however it shouldn’t be the last.
I live in the Detroit area; and the furthest thing from our city officials’ minds is environmental shopping bags. Recently we’ve been living in a time where the hot topics of discussion here are the mayor and his alleged criminal behavior, our suffering real estate market, and the troubles of attracting residents and businesses to the city. However, I feel that paying more attention to being guffly will help Detroit financially and socially in the long run.
We need money. Detroit’s infrastructure can sustain twice the amount of residents and businesses as it currently does. However this extra infrastructure doesn’t exist without a cost. The residents and business owners in Detroit must pay to maintain it; which is very costly. Unfortunately the only way the city can pay for it is to tax it’s residents and businesses.
Which brings me back to Seattle and their idea about charging for disposable bags. Seattle is allowing businesses that gross more than $1 million dollars per year to keep 5 cents for every bag sale. The remaining 15 cents will go to the city to fund other “green” initiatives. Businesses that gross under $1 million dollars can keep the entire 20 cents from each sale. To me that sounds like a great incentive to open a Seattle based retail business; and an even better opportunity for Seattle to generate some extra revenue.
Detroit desperately needs a program like this. Most of the new initiatives taking place in Detroit are structured to lure new businesses and residents to the city, in order to earn more revenue. To me it seems like we have a great opportunity to do just that by creating an initiative similar to that of Seattle’s disposable shopping bag tax. It will attract the businesses that we need; potentially relieve relieve residents and business owners of some of the tax burden of maintaining our infrastructure; and send the message that Detroit is taking positive steps to do its part to help our environment. And if we’re lucky, one day we might be talking about Detroit being one of the greenest cities in the United States. And that sounds pretty guffly to me.
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I just transformed a spare bedroom into my office in my house. I painted the walls and replaced the carpet; and for my first remodeling project, I did pretty well. Then I brought in a sofa and my computer desk, and placed my favorite pictures on the walls. However as I’m sitting here looking around, I realize that the only clock I have in this room is the one on the laptop I’m typing on now.
So I went to Green Feet to find a guffly solution; and I found the Hybrid Wall Clock. These unusual wall clocks are made from a combination of a recycled bicycle chain sprocket and a computer hard drive. I can throw in some rechargeable batteries and I’ll have new sweet looking and guffly clock for my office.
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If you use a lap top computer be safe and use a computer lap top tray.
Occasionally, I like to work on the couch–with my laptop on my abdomen–while watching the Detroit Tigers. However I heard that placing your laptop on your abdomen can cause cancer. I saw a You Tube video with some random lady saying it; but her words were enough to make me want to stop. That is until I found this guffly product that will allow me to work in this manner, and keep my mind at ease.
It’s a bamboo
computer lap tray from Vivavi. It has an innovative design which allows for space to rest a glass, silverware or writing utensils, and newspapers. Best of all, it’s made from bamboo so it’s sustainable. You can
purchase this guffly overlap tray for $149 + $5 shipping at Vivavi.
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Organic Cotton T-shirts Worth Checking Out on Etsy
Hello, lovely people. Here is a great Guffly find on Etsy that I want to pass along. This Cypress Tree tee, made by member JPHarris, is hand printed in brown ink on an American Apparel brand 100% organic cotton t-shirt. It’s only $10. It comes in men’s and women’s sizes S-XL.
I think I need one.
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Have a Happy Bday with Eco-Friendly Birthday Parties
Today is my 25th birthday. No, I don’t feel older, but I do feel wiser because I’ve found some green birthday party tips that are worth sharing. Here’s tips from an article from eHow on “
How To Throw a Green Birthday Party.”
- Send out electronic invitations. Paper invitations create unnecessary waste and cost more money. Use a Web site such as Evite (see Resources below) to notify people about the birthday party instead. Find an electronic invitation that fits your party’s theme and send it out free of charge.
- Minimize disposable decorations. Avoid using balloons and paper decorations at the birthday party. Instead, decorate with greenery and colorful house plants. Eliminate unnecessary use of plastic and put the focus on all things natural.
- Serve organic food. Foods that are not organic have potentially harmful effects on the environment during their production. Stick with fresh, whole, locally grown foods. Shop at a local farmers market if possible and purchase only organic products. Buy your cake from a bakery that uses only organic ingredients, or make the cake yourself using organic ingredients.
- Use real plates and silverware. Stay away from disposable paper plates and utensils. If you must use disposable plates, buy plates that are completely tree-free, soak-proof and biodegradable. Some disposable plates are composed completely of corn, potato and sugar-cane pulp and can be composted after they are used.
- Choose an alternative to gifts. Ask your friends to make a donation to a charity of choice instead of bringing gifts. If the birthday party is for a child, ask them to bring a gently used toy that their child has outgrown. Make specific requests for no wrapping paper.
These steps are easy enough, but sometimes going all out green isn’t always this simple. For example, when using real plates and silverware isn’t an option you can still opt for eco friendly party decor. Check out Green Party Goods, this e-commerce store sells all the green party essentials. They have everything from vibrant place settings made of corn, to biodegradable crepe streamers, and flatware made of recycled sheet metal.
Once you have these things done, you can get working on that cake… good luck.
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Nvohk Has a New Take on the Organic Cotton T-shirt Business
I found this company called
Nvohk awhile ago but recently came across it again. It’s kinda weird, kinda cool, and kinda
Guffly. What is it? Nvohk is an eco-clothing company that is managed by the people who buy and wear its products. Here’s the deal:
- You activate your membership for $50 per year
- You and the other 39,999 members will develop and manage Nvohk – together you’ll make decisions on the logo, shirt designs, product designs, and advertising
- When the company makes money, the 40,000 members split 35% of net profits via reward points
- You can use these reward points to buy Nvohk products at a 1 to 1 dollar to point ratio
- You’ll get other benefits like the opportunity to win money for logo and product designs, a member t-shirt and sticker, and 25% discount on all products
- Another 10% of Nvohk’s net profits will go directly to environmental charities
I think Nvohk is a really interesting concept with huge potential. Your $50 could go pretty far (that is, as long as they have decent net profits). But, I’m holding off on my membership until I hear back about the materials used that make their products eco-friendly. I’ll post an update when I hear back…
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Do you love Margaritas? Whether you like your drink salted or not, try using green drinking glasses to enjoy it.
These are sweet! They’re drinking glasses that are made from recycled Sol bottles; which hold the popular Mexican beer Sol. The glasses or “Tumblers” (as the Green Glass Company calls them) are great for the environment; and are so attractive your friends will surely want a set after they see yours. Get yours first. You can purchase a set of these different style drinking glasses at for $32.50 at the Green Glass Company.
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Get your dog guffly by getting him a hemp toy.
I missed my dog Bamboo’s birthday on June 28th. Yes I know, I should be ashamed of myself. I realized it on the 29th and I felt terrible about it. So I figured I should get him a new toy to make myself feel better. I went to The Good Dog Company to find him something guffly.
I found The Hemp Biscuit and it’s made of natural fabrics. It’s made of 55% hemp and 45% certified organic cotton. The biscuit is good for 
dogs that like to play fetch and catch; or just like to carry around comfort toys. Bamboo loves all of that so I really think he’s going to dig it.
The Hemp Biscuit can be purchased from The Good Dog Company for $11.99. Be sure to check out the hemp dog collars too.
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Water Filter + Reusable Water Bottles = Guffliness
I’m lucky to live in a place with great water. That’s why I’ve never had any qualms about drinking from the tap. Despite this, I was definitely a plastic water bottle junkie for way too long. But because of the great tap water we have, it’s been easy for me to ween myself off. I know that not everyone has this pleasure, so when I came across this water filter comparison chart I wanted to pass it along. It compares ten filters on price, replacement cost, total cost based on capacity, and on which different chemicals it removes from the water.
With a SIGG (or any other reusable, BPA free bottle) and a filtered water system, you can be greener in their hydration no matter where you live.
