Don’t you hate to throw stuff away? Every time I throw anything in the regular trash, I cringe because I can’t bear the fact that it’s just going to sit in an overstuffed landfill for years. I’ve become almost phobic about trash in general and never cease to be amazed at the amount of it that I manage to accumulate, on a weekly basis. The two items that make me cringe the most are used paper (soiled paper towels that you can’t recycle) and new plastic trash bags. Both are an unnecessary waste of this planet’s valuable resources. Most paper towels from large chain grocery/big box stores are not made out of 100% post consumer waste, so chances are that you are getting the virgin paper, which requires quite a few trees to be cut down and the pulp to be bleached – a very toxic part of the process. I highly recommend searching far and wide for stores near you that carry the recycled stuff. Trader Joe’s carries 100% recycled kitchen towel and toilet paper at a very reasonable price and the 365 Whole Food’s own brand of paper goods (towels, napkins, toilet paper etc) is pretty reasonable too. Alternatively, take the huge leap to giving up paper towels altogether and cut up old towels and t-shirts for rags instead. I got an email from a member of our wonderful community this week, who said that she and a group of girls have decided to pack a small hand towel in their purse before heading out for the day. This will avoid them having to pull out wads of paper to dry their hands in the office or restaurant bathroom. Genius – let’s all give it a try this week. I’d much prefer my own little soft hand towel than those horrid dry sheets.
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What an incredible day today – to have a new president who will help us all to be stewards of the the environment. Obama says, “We are the one’s we’ve been waiting for.” His message is loud and clear – that it is time for each and everyone of us to step up to the plate, roll up our sleeves and take responsibility. It’s high time to ask ourselves what each and everyone of us can do to help protect our environment and give something back. Go to http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/newenergy to see what the new administration plans for a greener future. I love that everyone I spoke to yesterday was being of service. My daughter and I enjoyed visiting the website: http://www.usaservice.org/page/content/kids where we can take up Obama’s suggestion and make up a care package for our troops overseas. There is no greater thrill than taking actions that make a difference. The sun shined on Washington D.C. today and I have unswerving hope for a better future.

My Big New Year’s resolution is to car pool with a girlfriend to the grocery store once a week. Mass transit isn’t always convenient for many of us, so I figured that I could at least eliminate one extra car trip this week by carpooling. The huge bonus is, that it’s much more fun. I picked up my friend Natasha yesterday we caught up on all the news and gossip (her on the way, me on the way back,) and in the store, we were able to compare prices and exchange recipe/money-saving tips and more. Another idea is to pick up a neighbor’s shopping list and do a shop for them or at least give them a quick call to see if you can save them a trip by picking up some milk or bread. All these small actions make a big difference.

THE 2 R’S: Reduce and Re-use
You may have heard that with the current downturn in the economy, there is a shrinking market for recyclables. Just when we were all getting the hang of which plastic numbers go where, we are now finding out that our virtuous efforts aren’t as effective as we had hoped. The problem is that much of our recyclable waste is shipped to China and with the economic downturn getting worse over there, the prices that the recycling industry is willing to pay for the more lucrative recyclables like mixed paper and aluminum, have dropped considerably. Many of the ware houses and recycling depots are simply stockpiling cardboard in the hope that the prices will rise over the next few months. So what should we be doing at home? Should we still be stuffing our amazon.com cardboard boxes into our recycling bins or should we be stockpiling them in our garages or bedroom closets? We still should recycle whatever we can, however, now is the time to make a massive and concerted effort to reduce the amount of packaging that comes into your home. If we take recycling out of the equation, we are left with only 2 of the 3 big R’s: Re-use, recycle and Reduce.
Re- use whatever you can. If you get a box or a package through the mail, always plan to re-use it. I have a drawer for old padded and manila envelopes and I stash all my old boxes in my garage, as I never know when I might need one.
Reduce the amount of packaging you buy. It’s an interesting experiment to go into a store and examine every which way in which you can go home with less packaging. That’s why I love bulk bins – they eliminate the outer cardboard box for cereals and grains. It’s also why I love my Soda Club Machine www.sodaclubusa.com because by making my own sparkling water at home, I eliminate a couple of large cardboard boxes (and the glass) monthly. How are you reducing your packaging?

Blog comment #9 Corinne is the winning entry for the fabulous Sodashi Gift Basket www.sodashi.com Enjoy your exquisite treat!
Time to start thinking about New Year’s Resolutions. I was talking to my seven-year old daughter about it this morning and we both have so many things that we want to give up/change, that we don’t know where to begin! She’s thinking about totally giving up sucking her thumb (we’ve whittled it down to the occasional night now) and I’m strongly in favor of that particular one! My choices range from giving up hot baths completely (so many guilty gallons of wasted water,) to giving up my car for one day a week. I’m clear that as far as Green goes, it’s a good time to step up to the plate and commit to a couple of actions that require a little compromise. Every time I rise to such a challenge, I feel utterly fantastic. There is no greater thrill than knowing that I am attempting to lighten my footprint and thus make a difference. We’d love to hear about some of your proposed resolutions for 2009?

Happy Holidays to all of the Gorgeously Green community. Our final giveaway for this year in another fabulous Sodashi Gift Basket. www.sodashi.com Sodashi is the most beautiful, pure line of skin care products that you will only find at high-end spas. Megan, the visionary owner of the company would love to gift the winner of this sweepstake with a gift basket, valued at over $500.00. Just leave us a comment on the topic “PEACE” and we will randomly select a winner on Dec 28th. Have a Gorgeously Green Christmas and thanks for helping to make a difference – remember one small change can make a huge difference.

I just wanted to thank all of you who entered the recipe contest. All of your recipes, without exception, are fantastic and I hope that you’ll all take a few moments to try out each other’s recipes and share comments. Just click on “Recipe Contest Winners” on the banner above and watch me cooking the 3 winning entries. They all make for great post-holiday dishes – super healthy and super budget-friendly. How are you Greening your holiday dinner this year?
Look out tomorrow for our last wonderful giveaway of the year!

What to buy for the girl who has everything? Typically, girlfriends are really easy to shop for – who wouldn’t love a new eco-lip gloss or a non-toxic candle? However, I have one friend who just seems to have the latest everything. I’m sure she has a closet full of body lotions and candles and I’ve already gifted her with one of my hand knitted scarfs and a jar of homemade jelly. She’s quite the fashionista and always on a diet, so I don’t think my super-rich banana bread would be appreciated. I know!!!! Okay – this is the perfect last-minute gift for the girlfriend who you adore (and who seems to have it all) – a Calleen Cordero Arm Cuff. If you haven’t heard of Calleen, let me introduce you: She is one of the most innovative shoe and purse designers around and has a cult-like following here in Hollywood. Her pieces are exquisite. Calleen only used 100% vegetable-tanned leather, which is unusual as most shoes and purses use chrome tanning which is very toxic to the environment. She used non-toxic glues and every piece is handmade here in Hollywood. These leather cuffs are seriously cool – seen on the arms of many of the more eco-conscious celebrities, your girlfriend will be thrilled to pieces. Also check out her site to see all the different cuff designs and her other accessories and the belts – oh my, I’m dreaming of a Calleen Cordero Christmas! www.calleencordero.com

Well Done comment #11, you were randomly picked to win the Sodashi Gift Basket – enjoy!

Talking about gifts, I have been shopping around for the perfect Green Girl computer. Many of my friends have been asking me as they want to buy a family member one for the holidays. Having done my research, I’m totally in love with Apple’s new “Green” MacBook. It’s incased in sleek aluminum, which is not only sexy, but is also completely recyclable. Apple have also phased all toxic materials out of production, including PVC and BFR’S (fire retardants). The beautiful LED display is made of mercury and arsenic-free glass. What is most important to me, is that Apple have a highly responsible recycling program for all their e-waste. Nothing is shipped out of North America and all recycled materials are processed domestically. We need to be super-savvy about e-waste, as much of it is shipped to Asia where there are no regulations as far as hazardous components are concerned.

Finally, this powerful little Mac Book is extremely energy-efficient. I love that it’s small and light enough for me to cycle around town with it in my back pack. So you can see that even though I’m looking for gifts for other people- I’ve kind of got my beady eye on one as well.

Today is the last day to enter your comments for this amazing Sodashi Giveaway www.sodashi.com Remember to leave a comment on “PROSPERITY” and we’ll pick the winner at the end of today. Good Luck!