Daily Greenz #99

For those of us who grew up with the Jetsons and fantasized about robots doing everything for us, the RoboMower is almost as good as the Jetsons’ Rosie.  True, it can’t make you breakfast or brush your teeth for you, but it can mow your lawn and mow it good.  When set within a designated area marked off by a wire, it’ll cut the grass within that area, avoiding trees, rocks, and other obstacles that its sensor will detect.  Its Triple-Chamber-Mulching system and 5800-rpm blade speed will do a speedy, yet thorough job, fooling your neighbors into thinking you labored for hours to get your lawn looking so good.  By eliminating the need to collect and remove clippings, its mulching technology saves consumers up to 25% in irrigation and fertilizing costs.

The RoboMower isn’t just the couch potato’s dream come true.  Ecoists can also enjoy the fact that this green machine is more environmentally friendly than the average lawnmower since it doesn’t use any gas or oil, thereby reducing harmful emissions.  Simply recharge it when it’s done.  Free up your weekends and conscience for $1,499.99 at www.friendlyrobotics.com.

Daily Greenz #98

    As an eco-friendly bookworm, you try to off-set your need to read by borrowing from your local library or buying from used bookstores like www.strandbooks.com.  But considering that publishers cut down 20 million trees each year to produce new books, you want to do more.  With the recent partnership of Eco-Libris and BookMooch, you now can.

The two services have joined their philosophies to allow a free exchange of used books (BookMooch) with planting a tree for every dollar donated to the cause (Eco-Libris).  In this case, members can earn a BookMooch point for every $10 they donate to Eco-Libris, allowing them to mooch a book online for free.  Since Eco-Libris’s philosophy is to plant one tree for every book you read since every book you read was once a tree, each dollar you give to the cause is really just another way to ensure that books will last forever.  What bookworm can resist such an eco-friendly guarantee?  So start reading and planting at www.ecolibris.net and www.bookmooch.com.

Daily Greenz #97

We’ve all seen movies in which women will casually slip money into their brassieres, using them as a temporary holding station for small objects.  And we’ve envied them because sometimes, we’re tired of always having to lug a purse around.  Someone at Triumph International must have felt the same way because they took the idea one step further and created a bra for Japanese consumers that actually converts into a shopping bag.  The NO! Reji-Bukuro Bra (literally, NO! Shopping Bag Bra) has padding that folds out into a bag and is hooked together by the underwire.  The padding itself is made from recycled plastic bottles.

The Hong Kong-based Triumph International, who’s known for designing eco-themed bras, created the hybrid bra to reduce plastic bag consumption among Japanese consumers, who use an estimated 30 billion plastic bags a year.  Available in an array of colors, it may find its way to the U.S. if it becomes popular in Japan.  Check out the collection at www.triumph.com/uk.

Daily Greenz # 96

Imagine never having to ride in one of New York City’s ugly yellow cabs again.  Imagine relaxing in a luxury hybrid car that will transport you effortlessly to the airport, all the while giving you access to an Apple iBook, high-speed wireless internet service, and Sirius satellite radio.  Wake up!  It’s a service that already exists, so why not take advantage of OZOcar’s fleet of Toyota and Lexus hybrids the next time you have to order car service?

For the same rate that you would pay a cabdriver or a regular car service, you can employ OZOcar to take you around town or to one of the major airports in the metropolitan area.  At $45 to $60 a trip, you’re buying yourself all-natural amenities and reducing carbon emissions in a city that could use a little help in the air quality department.  Also, every driver is carefully hand-picked for his driving ability, customer service skills, and personality, so you can rest assured that you’re in good hands.  So the next time you travel, you can sit back, listen to some music, and munch on the organic treats that come stocked in every OZOcar.

The likes of Sarah Jessica Parker and Leonardo DiCaprio have been seen zipping around New York in these babies, so make your next trip to the airport an eco-fabulous one by booking an OZOcar at www.ozocar.com.

Daily Greenz #95

If
you’re a mom, you know that one of the perks to being one is to dress your kids
however you darn well please. And if you
feel like dressing them up as cute little bunnies, Entertaining Elephants now
gives you another good reason to indulge your whims. Their alpaca bunny hat, which comes in seven beautiful
colors, is made of the South American mammal’s fine wool. Cousin to the llama, the Alpaca allows the
families inhabiting the freezing Andes to survive on their nutritious milk and
sell their wool for sustainable living. Made of the Alpaca’s long hairs, the wool is both sustainable and
hypo-allergenic for baby skin. Available
for $27.20 at www.entertainingelephants.com.

Daily Greenz # 94

Just
because you’re moving doesn’t mean you have to throw your eco-conscious habits
out the window. While it’s true that a
typical move creates a nightmarish pile of superfluous trash, you can now opt
to move the completely eco-friendly way with Earth Friendly Moving. Based in Costa Mesa, CA with plans to go
national this year, they’re the first company of their kind to offer a do-it-yourself
moving system that creates zero waste from door to door. With 20% of Americans moving every year, it’s
a business that’s bound to create a positive impact on the environment in the
long run.

How
do they do it? First, all of their
packing material is made of recyclable trash from local landfills. They lend you RecoPacks, which are re-usable,
stackable boxes that are made from recycled plastic bottles. When you’re done packing, they move the boxes
to your new home and then pick them back up when you’re done unpacking. This rental system saves movers an average of
37 hours and 50% in packing materials since they don’t need to buy, assemble,
break down, and toss any boxes. Also,
for every 100 RecoPacks that are manufactured, Earth Friendly Moving recycles
over 250 pounds of trash and plants a new tree for every 100^th
rental. It’s their way of keeping the
“R” cycle going.

Second,
what would an eco-friendly moving company be without equally eco-friendly
moving trucks? It goes without saying
that all their vehicles are fueled by bio-diesel and vegetable oil to reduce
carbon emissions, but here’s what’s really cool: their trucks are equipped to
convert the vegetable-powered electrical energy into a bubble-wrap
substitute. Called Geami, this packing
paper is delivered right to your doorstep, along with the RecoPack. Moving
is more than affordable at $1 per RecoPack per week, including a delivery and
pick-up fee that ranges from $29 to $99. We love what Earth Friendly Moving is doing, so look for a branch near
you by visiting www.earthfriendlymoving.com. Coming to you in 2008!

Daily Greenz #93

                              Farmaesthetics
founder Brenda Brock understands the importance of 100% natural skincare
products. Daughter of a 7^th
generation farming family, she grew up creating homemade herbal recipes for her
own skin and immediately sold out when she offered them at an organic farmstand
in Rhode Island in 1999. Now, her full
line of herbal skincare is sold nationally and has proven as effective as
leading dermatological brands, with the advantage of being completely natural
and hypoallergenic.

Her
commitment to Sustainable Beauty means several different things: she only uses
organic herbs and flowers from American family farms in her products, which
allows her to support local farms. Farmaesthetics also uses recyclable, minimal packaging and its
facilities are equipped with passive solar heating and natural lighting to
reduce the company’s footprint on this earth. Last but not least, she donates her products to hospitals’ oncology
programs to help patients with any skin conditions resulting from chemotherapy
and radiation.

Curious
to know more? Try the Sweet Milk Facial
Exfoliate, which is mixed with the Fine Herbal Cleanser to produce a creamy
lather to rejuvenate your skin. The
milk’s natural lactic acid will soften and brighten your complexion every day
or on a weekly basis, depending on how often you need to use it. Available for $21 at www.farmaesthetics.com.

Daily Greenz #92

For
those of you who love sleep, but can’t seem to get enough of it, it may not
just be your hectic schedules and laundry lists that are keeping you awake at
night. If your mattress was treated with
flame-retardant chemicals called polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE), your
body may be reacting to the harmful effects of PBDEs. Health groups have long rallied to have these
chemicals banned from being used on bedding material, which can accumulate in
breast milk and other tissues over a period of time.

While
replacing your mattress might seem like a hefty investment, considering that we
spend one-third of our lives sleeping, it’s an investment that will pay off in
the long
run. Natural latex and organic
cotton mattresses are good alternatives, with latex offering the dual benefit
of protecting you from dust mites, which is the second-leading cause of
allergies after pollen. A good night’s
sleep is just a mattress away at $1,204 and up at www.thecleanbedroom.com

Daily Greenz #92

Sure, some may feel that Valentine’s Day is just another corporate sham to pry money from consumers’ fingers, but for those of you who feel a little more sentimental about the holiday, consider celebrating it with Organic
Flowers. A one-stop online florist shop, Organic Flowers sources their wide array of beautiful gifts from growers who’re committed to organic, eco-friendly, and fair labor practices. In fact, these growers ensure the highest quality of fresh flowers through biodynamics, the oldest, most sustainable system of horticulture.

Give your loved one – whether it’s your girlfriend, mother, or grandmother – one of these lovely arrangements for Cupid’s day. Make sure to let her know that it was grown lovingly and responsibly, and that a portion of the sale proceeds went towards supporting a non-profit organization dedicated to social justice, animal rights, and environmental protection. Arrangements start from $39.95 at www.organicbouquet.com.