Just as dating is much better with no baggage, shopping is too. So, I was happy to read over at A Greeniac's World (a blog you should indeed check out when you have the chance) that Ikea is creating less plastic bag waste. It turns out that Ikea is going all the way by completely eliminating plastic bags in their stores. Instead, customers can purchase a reusable bag for $0.59 or choose to not use a bag at all. By eliminating the plastic bag option in its US stores, Ikea is saving the world 70 million wasteful plastic bags a year. Check out the entire article here.

As some of you know, Guffly living is all about simplicity. If a product or practice can help us become more responsible people; and doesn't require us to drastically change the way we live, then that's Guffly. I found a service that is just that.

Do you smell organic?

Wait. Actually, I'm not sure if that would be a good thing. Organic-lovers have hard enough time overcoming the hemp-sack wearing, dirty-hippie stereotype. Nonetheless, smelling organic is actually a really good thing - especially if you smell like the organic scents over at Rich Hippie. Unlike your average fragrance, Rich Hippie is free from icky synthetic chemicals. Instead, their products are made only with organic natural ingredients like wine spirits and plant & flower extracts. 


 The company has various perfumes as well as unisex fragrances. A 1/8 ounce roll-on is $45, which is undoubtedly more expensive than your average perfume when you consider the size of the bottle. When ordering directly from Rich Hippie, shipping costs start at $14. However, one retailer who carries the product, Kaia House, sells the fragrances for the same prices and has shipping for only $7.

                                

I was watching Detroit Fox 2 News today, and began watching a segment that was dedicated to "green" products. A woman from Sur La Table demonstrated the products, while Murray Feldman added some color commentary. During that segment, the woman described a product that caught my attention. It was an inductive cooktop, and i was impressed by it. So I did some research and found this great article discussing the pros and cons of inductive cooking.

Inductive cooktops vary in price depending on factors like the number of burners and wattage. You can purchase a basic model at Amazon; or you can get one--with all the bells and whistles-- like this one at Best Buy.

So if I buy an inductive cooktop and some new stainless steel cookware, I can do my part to in preserving precious energy. And just as important; purchasing an inductive cooktop will save me money each month on my electricity bill. That seems simple enough for me...and simplicity is genius.

                                   

Love free stuff? Love free stuff that also happens to be Guffly? Perfect. I have quite the opportunity for you. While browsing the web, as I so often do, I came across a great contest that may just score you some great goodies. Check out The Great Green Giveaway over at Life Goggles. You could win some of the over $3,000 in prizes. There are 5 ways to enter; subscribing to the site's weekly newsletter, leaving comments on articles, blogging about the contest on your own blog, subscribing to the RSS feed, or by answering a short survey. Some of the great prizes include a $50 gift certificate to Simple Shoes, a set of organic male grooming products from Male Organics worth $50, a gift basket full of natural household cleaning products from Green-Kit worth $85, and much more. The contest runs through the rest of this month, so go enter. And, feel free to leave my email address on the entry form...

I admit it, I'm a lipbalmoholic. Sometimes I apply the lip balm, wipe it off, and re-apply for no reason at all. Don't hate...I know some of you do it, too.

                                              

Yesterday I ran into the drugstore and picked up a fresh new tube of Burt's Bees, my usual. Burt's Bees is a very well known line of natural personal care products, and can be found at just about any drugstore - on or offline. My favorite product is their Honey Lip Balm (simplicity is genius, after all). The .15 ounce tube is usually about $3-4, and is 98% all natural.


Although I'm a completely happy customer, I figured I'd check to see if there are any other balms worth trying. That's when I found Eco Lips.

                              

Eco Lips has several scents/flavors(depending on how you choose to enjoy your balm) - grape, kiwi strawberry, and coconut, as well as a color tinted, medicinal, and hemp based balms. Their products are competitively priced. The simple flavors are only $2, and orders over $15 qualify for free shipping. Best of all, the website gives a run down of exactly what's inside those little tubes and your lips will be happy knowing that each balm is made of 87-99% certified organic ingredients (depending on the product).

There is one other balm you must know about, because it is a life or death matter, after all. All the Better to Kiss You With by the Baby Bear Shop is so good I had to steal it from my sister - don't tell. Five bucks is a small price to pay for these creatively flavored, USDA certified organic lip balms that come in recyclable vintage tins. 
                             

                     

Whether you work from home, dwell in the typical cube farm, or have a luxury corner office, there are things you can do to make your work experience a little better for the world. Soon I'll be looking for some new office gear myself, so I've been on the lookout for helpful tips and products that have a positive eco-impact. One thing that I plan on doing for my new office, which isn't so simple necessarily, is buying a used desk. I hope to find a funky old desk from the thift store that I can paint and make my own. It'll be cheaper and have much more character then anything I can find at Ikea.

If you're not in the market for a new work station, but just want to incorporate some simple practices for a better workspace, check out this wiki article, "10 Ways to Be Greener and Happier at Work," on Huddler.com. I like this article because it doesn't ignore the basics, like reducing your energy usage by turning off your computer. Likewse, it has some pretty creative ideas, like creating a carpool calendar for your office.

Growing up, one of the most common phrases to come out of my dad's mouth was, "life's not fair." This was usually after having heard me whine and complain about a rule or situation that I just didn't agree with. Over time, unfortunately, I've realized that my dad was right. However, as someone who cares about the world and the other people in it, I do my best to make things a little bit more fair. That's why I'm on the lookout for fairly traded goodies. And, like many of you, Jordan and I are looking for easily accessible information and products.



We know that we are interested in learning about products and practices that involve more sustainable means of production and benefit the producer equally to the retailer or distributor. I've researched some of the governing bodies of fair trade - including the Fair Trade Resource Network, the International Fair Trade Association, the Fair Trade Federation, and Transfair. These sites are great places to start looking for basic info on fair trade policy and practices. Likewise, if you dive a little deeper, you can find information on the tangible, actionable steps you can take to participate in fair trade.

First, I suggest starting with Transfair's 'Where to Buy' database. From searching within Michigan, this seems to be the most extensive list of retail shops with fair trade products. Second, try Coop America's list of Fair Trade Retailers. This list is organized by product type, so you have to search around a bit to see if anything is in your area. Next try the Fair Trade Federation's membership list. If you input your city and state and check the 'retail business' tab, you'll find any businesses in your area who are affiliated with FTF.


One exciting development in fair trade shopping is eBay's latest, Project Good. Like eBay, the marketplace will feature several different sellers with a wide variety of products. What makes Project Good different that eBay, however, is that the products will not be sold through auctions and will have set prices like a traditional eCommerece store. Not so sure eBay knows too much about fair trade? Well, I wasn't so convinced myself. However, the retail giant is partnering with World of Good on this project and, from what I have seen, it appears to be a genuine and authentic endeavor.
These options should give you a starting place for finding great products that are also fairly traded. If you know of any others, please leave us a comment!

 

Since my last post(Eco-Friendly Clothing 101), I've been searching for companies that sell stylish Eco-friendly clothing. I found a company called Livity, and they're based in Topanga CA.

I'd say that Livity is aimed at capturing the young adult, 18-30 year old market with their products. Livity's online store sells clothing for both men and women; unisex products like backpacks, hats, and laptop bags; and a wide selection of belts. All of Livity's products are made from organic cotton, bamboo, hemp, soy, straw, recycled plastic bottles, and vegetable oil-based synthetics (Read Eco-Friendly Clothing 101 for the benefits of using these products).

Livity's products are stylish, fun, reasonably priced, convenient, and more positive than negative for the environment. And those reasons alone are why I'm writing about the company today. As for the product that I want--I'm eyeballing the white Re-Mix Painter Cap.

I've been hearing a lot about Eco-friendly clothing lately. I'm hearing about clothing made from bamboo, hemp, and even recycled plastic bottles. However, the more that I hear about organic clothing; the more questions I have about . So I did some research and found a great article that answered the majority of my questions. Read "Wear Water Bottles (and look good,too)" by Marisa Belger, a contributor for the MSNBC.com blog.