Season of Giving Day 30: From Trash To Treasure

Wow, can you believe this is the last day of November, it’s going to be a mad dash from now on as we approach Christmas. Don’t forget that you can give during this time too. You can donate time, toys money, it’s an endless list of what you can give in this Season of Giving. I hope you find someone to do something extra special for.

By Summer

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Recycle Your JunkReduceReuseRecycle

This is my last post in November about giving. Next month I’ll be posting about going green. So today I’m combining the two months to discuss donating your unwanted treasures … or “recycling” them. This is more the philosophy: One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

Just because you’re done with a clothing item, toy, gadget, or other “junk” doesn’t mean it’s not valuable to someone. Clean out your house before Christmas and consider dividing your goods to benefit local charities, which is a win-win-win. Win, you can get a tax deduction (be sure to record what you give); win, other people get new-to-them treasures; win, your stuff isn’t sitting in a landfill.

Be sure you don’t really give places JUNK! No one wants JUNK!

About Summer:

Summer is very active in our Local MOMS Club chapter, she is the mother of two adorable active boys, and is always thinking of ways to help others. She is a friend, a wife, and always busy as all mommies are. She is very active on Facebook, addicted to Geocaching and very interested in organic and green living while cooking up a storm

Live Clean Baby Collection Exclusively at Walgreens

 

I never really considered Walgreens to be the place to go for an eco conscience product, but low and behold they have exclusivity with Live Clean Baby.

Live Clean is a Canadian brand with eco-friendly personal care products with quite a positive reputation there and now is making it’s way to the US with the launch of Live Clean Baby. This simple, environmentally aware collection of products is specially formulated with both mother’s concerns and baby’s sensitivities in mind. 

With most eco friendly products the price tag is a little bit higher than you would normally consider for a Tearless Shampoo and Wash that gently cleanses baby’s hair and scalp without drying; a Moisturizing Baby Bath that gently cleanses and moisturizes baby’s delicate skin, a Moisturizing Baby Lotion that leaves baby’s skin soft and smooth with a non-greasy feel; a Non-Petroleum Jelly and a Diaper Ointment that soothes baby’s tender skin and forms a protective barrier against wetness; and a Moisturizing Bar Soap that is enriched with Shea butter to gently moisturize baby’s skin. The price is $7.99

If you’re looking for vegan products then Live Clean Baby is for you. Using only natural, non-irritating, supremely gentle plant based ingredients, Live Clean Baby performs efficiently and gently to keep baby looking, feeling – and smelling – their very best. “The criteria we’ve developed for the Live Clean brand begins with an ecologically responsible point of view,” says Executive Vice President, Michelle Sparrock, referring to the common, eco-damaging ingredients you won’t find in Live Clean. “As resilient as babies are, we know that their developing systems are also extremely sensitive. We wanted to create baby products with nothing extraneous, nothing unnecessary. Everything from the natural surfactants to the fragrance is both minimal and mild.” They use no animal ingredients in the formulations. The collection is also cruelty-free meaning none of the products or their ingredients have been tested on animals. In its sensitivity to the environment, Live Clean is also free of phosphates, known contributors to water pollution. Plus their packaging has been carefully created to be as earth-friendly as possible. The Live Clean containers are recyclable; they are made from “virgin” materials, making them far easier to recycle than many plastics. Shipping cartons are made from recycled materials and even the inks used on shipping cartons are safe for the environment. Local vendors are used to the maximum which cuts down on gas consumption and emissions thus reducing their overall carbon footprint.

It is available exclusively at Walgreens, the nation’s largest drugstore chain with more than 8,000 stores across the country as well as online at Walgreens.com.

 

We received Samples for this post.

Recyclebank Challenge 2 Green Up The First Day Of School Tips

Miles and Zoe have their first day of School on Wednesday. Miles, it’s his official first day and I just don’t know what to do. Am I supposed to be happy about it, or sad. I’m both! I’m quite sad about him leaving, as he describes it, I won’t have anyone to play with, read to, sing with, or watch TV with. But I’ll have time to work uninterrupted which I hear is SO VALUABLE. Now thinking about it from a green point of view. What can I do to green the first day of school. I have a few days to prepare and I do still need to find back to school clothes.

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Recyclebank is here to help us figure out ways to green our school year. One way is to chose products with fabrics that are green. As part of the Green Your School Year Challenge going on they are offering tips in the form of a game where you can earn entry points to win really fun prizes. The first step was to download a guide that provided lots of information on choosing green fabrics. I found it so interested I wanted to share a few of the tips.

Choose Organic fabrics in clothing and backpacks:

Compared to conventional backpacks, fewer toxic chemicals are released into the environment when they’re being made
Eco-friendly backpacks aren’t made with petroleum, like vinyl backpacks
Backpacks made from recycled plastic bottles reduce landfill waste

Good Fabrics to Look Out For

Organic Cotton
Hemp
Recycled plastic bottles

Bad Materials to pass on

Vinyl
Conventional cotton

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The rest of the challenge for this week is more like the first challenge. You can take quizzes and find out how knowledgeable you are on being green. What are different ways throughout the day that you can become more green. Do you car pool? Do you use reusable packaging for sandwiches? We need to switch from plastic baggies to those cute reusable washable sandwich bags that my friend makes. She makes them in such cute patterns. Basically, you sandwich bag can be any material you can find in the store.

What are your tips to Green Up The First Day of School.

 

 

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Reduced Environmental Footprint with iQ Cleaning Solution

I’d call myself a brand loyalist. I have select brands I love to use in my life, and I use them religiously. For my cleaning I use a store bought concentration. I fill the bottles myself and am sometimes too lazy to use a funnel so I lose valuable product and it really is money down the drain depending on that day’s aim. I have recently been converted to a REFill® (Reduced Environmental Footprint) cartridge technology by the iQ cleaning line which involves reusable bottles and no mess, perfectly measured concentrated cleaning solution for my entire house.

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EASY! In the first picture, is the reusable bottle and cartridge (so you know what you’re looking for). The middle picture is the reusable bottle filled with water to the premeasured line. The cartridge has been placed and rests on top of the bottle; a hole in the middle of the cartridge is just the perfect size for the straw of the spray nozzle. The last picture is me attaching the spray nozzle to the bottle at which time the cartridge released the cleaning concentrate. Brilliant, no? Any the best part … wait for it … no, don’t … YOUR CHILDREN can do it! Get your children to help you clean and making it fun as they can watch the mixture form. “The mix” is made from plant based and ecologically sustainable ingredients.

The iQ cleaning line, brought to us by Planet People, reduces plastic waste by 80% by having purchasers switch to 3½-inch REFIlls eliminating the need to product millions of fill-sized plastic containers. iQ also helps save the environment by not shipping “water” across the continent. Erin Green, president of Plant People, “It takes an astonishing gallon of crude oil to make just 29 bottles of household cleaner and even more to transport it across the country or continent. For a product that is 95% water, the costs to the environment – and to the consumer – just don’t add up.”

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The iQ Starter Kit, which includes your refillable bottler and one REFill cartridge, will run you about $5. Then a REFill replacement cartridge will only dig into your pocket for approximately $2 each.

I love iQ. It cleans perfectly, smells great (you know the clean smell – they have it nailed with hints of green tea, bamboo berry, nectarine and plum), and is easy to use! Highly, highly, highly recommended from me; as I stated, I’ve converted to iQ.

You can purchase Plant People products, including iQ and REFill cartridges on Drugstore.com, Alice.com, or a local retailer near you. Locate the Planet People on their website, and also find iQ cleaning products on their site. Find out more about iQ cleaner by Liking iQ Cleaner on Facebook. Track the Planet People and their products on Twitter @PlanetPeopleCo.

Disclosure – A product was provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the writing of this review; however, opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation.

About Summer:

Summer is very active in our Local MOMS Club chapter, she is the mother of two adorable active boys, and is always thinking of ways to help others. She is a friend, a wife, and always busy as all mommies are. She is very active on Facebook, addicted to Geocaching and very interested in organic and green living while cooking up a storm.

Bag the Box Environmentally Saving on Packaging

You know we’re trying to be more green and earth friendly around here on MomStart. I’m learning as I go, and it’s been quite a process on some things and quite easier on others. I’ve recently learned that I might even have to make some changes in products that I buy. Would you go out of your way and buy different products to make your carbon footprint smaller?

blueberry-mini-spooners logoOne way is to pay attention to the packaging the product comes in. You can make environmentally friendly switches with your morning bowl of cereal.  Earth Day may have passed but we can continue to make good choices, choose to “Bag-the-Box” and create less waste with Malt-O-Meal cereals! We received a sample of the Malt-O-Meal Blueberry Spooners and while the kids are enjoying them, the packaging was just a simple bag, instead of a box with a cereal bag in it, thus saving the box. And my husband disposed of the packaging before I was able to take a picture of it.

Malt-O-Meal is leading the charge in the way that people think about breakfast cereal by creating innovative products and processes that use fewer natural resources and create less waste.  One simple way they are doing this is by producing cereal in a bag and urging consumers to “Bag-the-Box” to reduce waste and lessen the impact on the environment. Just how wasteful is it to package cereal in a box?

Check it out:

• By packaging their cereal in a bag and eliminating the unnecessary use of a box, Malt-O-Meal has reduced the amount of packaging that consumers have to dispose of by 75 percent.
• Each year the United States produces 2.3 billion cereal boxes.  That’s enough paperboard to build not one, but almost three great pyramids!
•    It takes 345 million pounds of paperboard to make a one year’s supply of cereal boxes. That’s the weight of 734,747 jumbo jets.
•    By skipping the box and producing their cereal in a bag, Malt-O-Meal has saved 156 million pounds of paperboard since 2001. If those boxes were laid end-to-end they would reach three quarters of the way to the moon or go around the moon 26 times! 
•    It takes 2.4 trillion BTU’s of energy to power the plants that make the boxes. That is enough to power 26,000 homes.  Additionally, the plants that make the boxes generate waste as well:

  • As much particle air emissions as 31,000 city buses
  • As much greenhouse gas as 50,000 cars
  • Enough solid waste to fill 4,677 garbage trucks
  • Enough wastewater to fill 506 Olympic swimming pools

But Malt-O-Meal doesn’t stop there, they do much much more for the environment. 100 percent of the electricity used in the production of Malt-O-Meal cereals is offset by the purchase of wind credits and the company also participates in “upcycling” programs without adversely impacting the cost of its products.

We received samples to facilitate this review.

Jenerations Baby Collection: Organic Shampoo, Lotion, Gel, and Conditioner

Founded by hairstylist and salon owner, Jennifer Reilly, jenerations baby enables mothers to feel comfortable in developing healthy hair and body care regimens for their children at a young age while bringing sensitive and organic products to the children’s market. The jenerations baby collection includes shampoo, conditioner, hair gel, body lotion, body wash and soap with prices ranging from $7.00 – $15.00. 

jenerations baby

I received four samples from jenerations baby and I loved the smell of each of the products.

Jenerations baby Shampoo Bodywash

The shampoo and bodywash is lightly scented completley natural and organic made with extra sensitive mild ingredients. Including extracts of comfrey, chamomile and rosemary giving it that wonderful scent. Plus, NO lavender or tea tree oils, which may cause unhealthy increases in hormone levels. Hypoallergenic and physician tested. It’s the ultimate in luxury for your little one!

Jenerations baby Head to Toe Lotion

The baby lotion keeps your child’s skin smooth and silky with a light creamy fresh smell. The lotion has the moisturizing shea butter and sweet almond oil in it giving you a non greasy easy absorbing feel. There is NO lavender or tea tree oils, which may cause unhealthy increases in hormone levels. 100% sulfate and paraben free, completely natural and organic, hypoallergenic, and physician tested.

Jenerations baby Hair Gel

The baby hair gel is a great consistency to work with. And yes, I use gel on my kids and even used it on Miles at a very young age. I loved his curls and would do anything to keep them in. This safe children’s hair gel is completely natural and organic, and 100% sulfate and paraben free. Define curls, tame flyaways, or simply create a fun style of your own! Contains NO lavender or tea tree oils, which may cause unhealthy increases in hormone levels. Hypoallergenic and physician tested.

Jenerations baby Conditioner No Tangles

Zoe loves to have her hair braided but the tangles kill us both. Or at least they kill our mood. I have to use either a detangler or conditioner. With sunflower oil, wheat germ oil, and panthenol, this conditioner adds moisture and shine like none other. 100% sulfate and paraben free, completely natural and organic, hypoallergenic, physican tested, and with NO lavender or tea tree oils, which may cause unhealthy increases in hormone levels.

 

Disclosure – A product was provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the writing of this review; however, opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation

The Ecological Solution to Moisture & Odor Zeelytes Review

I live in the Pacific Northwest and you’re known for our moisture … well maybe more for our precipitation, but it does tend to stay moist in my pantry, bathrooms, laundry area and closets. If you have the same problem then I can recommend Zeelytes to you!

Zeelytes will help you with your PLEDGE TO STAY GREEN and $ave green.

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You’re save energy costs of running fans; According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, “Dessicant dehumidification could reduce total electricity demand by as much as 25% in humid regions.” You’ll ask save by extending the shelf life of your food by reducing moisture, the spread of bacteria, and cross contamination. I’ve had mine in my pantry for about a month now and I’ve VERY impressed; the can tell the difference in my pantry were I store my potatoes, garlic, and onions. They aren’t stinking up my pantry and they are lasting longer than their normal shelf life in my pantry.

Zeelytes also works in air conditioners and makes them more efficient as it pulls the moisture out the air which reduced the amount of energy your AC needs as it will work less to process the air it’s pumping into your house.

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Zeelytes is an environmentally friendly green product that is 100% biodegradable and non-toxic. Zeelytes is made from Zeolite which is a naturally occurring porous mineral. Zeelytes obtains their Zeolite from mines in the United States. Zeolites are also listed by the FDA to be GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe), which designates a substance safe by experts. Plainly, Zeelytes is safe to be in your pantry and refrigerator or other areas of food storage.

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To get your own Zeelytes shop their site. EWize Zeelytes can also be found on Facebook.

Disclosure – A product was provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the writing of this review; however, opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation.

About Summer:

Summer is the President of our Local MOMS Club chapter, she is the mother of two adorable active boys, and is always thinking of ways to help others. She is a friend, a wife, and always busy as all mommies are. She is very active on Facebook, addicted to Geocaching and very interested in organic and green living.

Every Day is Earth Day Nature’s Path Cereal Giveaway

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clip_image004At Nature’s Path every day is Earth Day! What’s so earthy about Nature’s Path?

Nature’s Path offers only organic products. It’s in their logo!

When you get Nature’s Path you get No GMOs. Nature’s Path products have passed a rigorous, independent verification process and have the Non-GMO Project Verified Seal. (GMOs are genetically modified organisms.)

Nature’s Path is in the community by helping put organic gardens across the US by partnering with Organic Gardening magazine on the “Gardens for Good Grants” contest. The Grant is an effort to “plant it forward” in which deserving communities are selected to receive $25,000. In addition, Nature’s Path donations products to help fill the panties of local food banks. Last year Vallejo People’s Garden in Vallejo, CA and Damayan Garden Project in Tallahassee, FL were awarded the “Gardens for Good Grants”. If you’re in a place that could benefit from this year’s grant stay posted to the Nature’s Path site.

Nature’s Path box and bags are sustainable packaging –Eco-Pacs and EnviroBoxes. Both the boxes and bags are recyclable. Eco-Pacs, which is a number four recyclable plastic, use 66% less packaging than traditional cereal brands and use no cardboard. EnviroBoxes which reduces the packaging by 10% by sizing wrappings better to the product.

Nature’s Path is having a contact about what people do to make everyday Earth Day. Join in and win. Starting to eat organic can be your new thing … And it’s as easy as winning the Nature’s Path Organics prize pack (featured above) — a box of each the Crunchy Maple Sunrise, Love Crunch and Pumpkin-n-Spice Granola Bars — here on Mom Start.

Enter to Win:

Crunchy Maple Sunrise delivers an organic blend of corn, rice, flax, quinoa, buckwheat and amaranth. It is a sweet and nutritious option for those avoiding gluten, but don’t worry, with yummy maple flavor, there’s plenty of great taste for everyone at the breakfast table!

Nature’s Path Love Crunch is the perfect marriage between the whole grain goodness of flax granola; the sweetness of strawberries and the tartness of raspberries; and the decadence of coconut and dark chocolate chunks. Inspired by a true-life love story and philanthropic endeavor, Love Crunch was created by Arjan Stephens, son of Nature’s Path’s founder, and his wife, Rimjhim as a wedding favor for those who helped celebrate their marriage. In lieu of wedding gifts, the two asked guests volunteer in their communities. Now a limited edition cereal sold at Whole Foods, for every box of Love Crunch sold, Nature’s Path will donate $1 – up to $25,000 – to the Whole Planet Foundation to help empower poor women around the world to lift themselves and their families out of poverty.

Pumpkin-n-Spice Granola Bars are a flavorful organic snack option sure to satisfy any craving with mineral-rich roasted pumpkin seeds, Omega-3 rich flaxseeds and a dash of cinnamon. Proving good things really do come in small packages; the new bars are packaged in a more sustainable box with 36% less cardboard, saving 472,000 gallons of water and 46 tons of waste yearly.

To win:

Like the Nature’s Path Organic Foods company, tell us how you plan to celebrate Earth Day all year long in the comments section?

Extra Entries:

Enter the Nature’s Path Contest on THEIR website for a year’s worth of cereal

Like Nature’s Path on Facebook

Follow Nature’s Path on Twitter @NaturesPath

Tweet or RT this post and include the link to the post

Every Day is Earth Day with @NaturesPath & @momstart Win a Nature’s Path Cereal/Snack Package #Giveaway http://bit.ly/mztGkk

Subscribe to MomStart
Comment on any non-giveaway post
List this giveaway on any giveaway site, dig, stumble, like or share on Facebook (or use any of the share options listed below)
Blog About this Giveaway (10 extra entries, linking to the giveaway)
Follow me on twitter tell me your twitter ID
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This giveaway ends May 16th. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

 

 

Disclosure – Nature’s Path is continuing to fight hunger in my community. For the writing of this article Nature’s Path has graciously given my MOMS Club of Woodinville, WA chapter boxes of cereal for our “Box Out Hunger” cereal drive to end hunger for school kids not receiving school’s free or reduced meals during the summer months. The Nature’s Path donated boxes of cereal, boxes collected for the MOMS Club of Woodinville members and any boxes of cereal provided by the community will be donated to the Maltby Food Bank. However, any opinions expressed above are my own and are NOT influenced by compensation.

About Summer:

Summer is the President of our Local MOMS Club chapter, she is the mother of two adorable active boys, and is always thinking of ways to help others. She is a friend, a wife, and always busy as all mommies are. She is very active on Facebook, addicted to Geocaching and very interested in organic and green living.

Unique Ways to Use Scotch Magic Eco-Friendly Tape

A Unique Scotch Magic Eco-Friendly Tape from 3M Review By Rachel.

Tape is a very handy tool. I think that goes without saying. It’s kind of an emergency around here when we run out of tape. Especially Scotch tape! Ever wrapped a present using blue painter’s tape? Well, I have. More than once. It’s kind of embarrassing. I also have a very creative, crafty daughter who comes up with more ways to use up our stash of Scotch tape than I ever thought imaginable. I generally buy it in bulk at Costco.

clip_image002Out here in the great Pacific Northwest, we like to ‘be green’. You know, recycle and compost and grow organic wheat grass and stuff like that. We have a bit of a reputation for being ‘tree huggers’ and hippies and wearing wool socks with our Birkenstocks… I admit it, the shoe fits! I have been known to hug trees while wearing Birkenstocks (wearing a flannel shirt and a down vest, in the rain, no less!), and when possible, I try to make environmentally conscious decisions about the products we use. But honestly, it never occurred to me to be concerned about the type of tape I used. Other than using a refillable dispenser, I didn’t know there was an option, other than your run-of-the-mill, Scotch tape.

Not so! Scotch has come out with new Magic Eco-Friendly Tape! Just like normal Scotch tape, but eco-friendly! So I tried it out. We used it just like we would use regular tape… Meaning, I left it on the desk, and my kids found all sorts of uses for it: Taping papers together to make books; Making huge signs and taping them in the front windows of my house (We’re classy like that.); Repairing torn pages in library books; Taping toy trucks to our feet to make roller skates…

clip_image004No, seriously. My daughter did this, just today! And it’s not the first time she’s done it either.I figured that was pretty good timing, since I was reviewing the product! This tape worked just as well for all of the above uses as regular Scotch tape. And it takes some pretty good tape to hold these suckers on your feet while skating around the living room!(You’ll have to excuse the dirt on my carpet and the dog hair on my daughter’s socks… Maybe somebody will send me a really good vacuum cleaner to review???) as you can see, this looks just like the regular Scotch tape that we all know and love. The dispenser is the same, the logo is the same. The tape looks, feels, and sticks the same! The only thing I can say about it that is NOT the same is the small. You know that Scotch tape smell? I love that smell. I know that’s probably kind of weird, but I like it. This tape really doesn’t smell like much of anything, and honestly, that’s probably a good thing.

Scotch Magic Eco-Friendly Tape, as described by the company:

  • Refillable dispenser (including packaging and tape) is made from more than 75 percent renewable or recycled materials
  • Tape is made with plant-based adhesive and works just like the original Scotch Magic Tape
  • Refill rolls of Scotch Magic Eco-Friendly Tape are also available
  • MSRP: $2-4 for a refillable dispenser and roll of tape; $5-7 for a two-pack of refill rolls
  • Same great adhesive strength and performance of original matte-finish, invisible Scotch Magic Tape
  • Photo-safe
  • Can be written on with pen, pencil or marker

 

Disclosure – A product was provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the writing of this review; however, opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation

About Rachel

Rachel is also a MOMS club member. She is thankful for the blessing of staying home to raise her three crazy, wonderful kids. In addition to scrapbooking, she likes knitting, gardening, reading, blogging and otherwise avoiding the housework she should be doing. You can read about her adventures and disasters at rachel’s ramblings.

Our Recycling Progress

For the longest time, I’ve been worried about how we had the largest trash can on the block. We don’t have the biggest size you can get but our next door neighbors, a family of six had a smaller trash can than us and we only have four family members. So I set out to lower our trash can size by recycling more. Inside, we had to get some fancy trash cans,which are also known as brabantia bins. Ours are actually just like a brabantia touch bin that you don’t actually have to touch. (You just swipe your hand over them to open them, so no touch).

RecycleSymbolWith a double style fancy trash can, two cans in one bin, we have one side, the right side (r for recycling, r for right) for recycling and one side for trash. So we’re trying really hard to keep our recycling and trash at 50/50 at least, but I would say we’re much closer to 70/30 recycling to trash. Which means we were able to go down in our trash can size saving us about 34.00 on our trash bill. Woo Hoo! We’re saving the environment just a little and putting some green (money) back into our pockets.

Living in The Pacific Northwest recycling is a way of life. We’re fined in some areas if recycling material is found in our trash cans. So I err on the side of it’s recyclable and needs to be recycled rather than it’s trash. Remember, when you’re doing your spring cleaning, think of other uses for what you have. Have a garage sale. Sell your electronics or find an electronics recycle day. Do the same thing for chemical products such as paint and cleaners. There are ways to get rid of most items we use every day in ways that will reduce the amount of trash you have every day. Check out our post on 31 ways to make your life more green.

 

 

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