Happy Earth Day-Green Smart Review & Giveaway!

In an effort to do my part for the earth, I have been trying to go with more eco-friendly choices when I buy anything.  One great place to find all sorts of great Earth Friendly Choices is greensmart.biz!  They have really cool lunch bags, laptop sleeves, backpacks and more! Best of all,their products are actually made from recycled plastic bottles! How cool is that!?!? Plastic bottles are a huge problem affecting our planet, as the average person throws out over 200 bottles a year! That is a really big number when you think about it, so I am all for a company that finds a way to make cute stuff out of someone else's (recyclable) trash!

So I was really excited when GreenSmart® offered me a review of the Javan Lunch Tote!!  This is a super cute lunch tote that is 100% earth friendly! ☺ I really love the colors, they are really pretty and very stylish! This is great for lunch at work, taking with you on your day out or for a day trip! This also is great for concerts, because it is stylish enough to carry around your stuff and still have food at the same time! I love going out to big shows and spending the day at festivals.  Having a bag to keep your food fresh that looks great is a win!

Product Description:
An elastic sleeve inside holds a bottle in place and pockets on the outside for utensils, napkins or mobile phone or keys make this sophisticated look with a full zip around makes this a well featured style. The padded handles make carrying really comfortable, too. GreenSmart® names their products after endangered animals.  This bag is named after the Javan rhino.  The Javan rhino can only be found in two areas of southeast Asia.Weighing up to 4400 pounds, it is completely hairless except for its ears and tail tip.  In their support, GreenSmart® donates 10% of profits to non-profit organizations helping to create a greensmart planet!  I think that is definitely something worth shopping for!


To celebrate Earth Day and as part of our May Giveaway A Day, GreenSmart® is giving away one of the Javan Lunch Totes to one lucky reader!! Here is how to win!!:

MANDATORY ENTRY:
Part1:Tell me how you try to make a difference when it comes to the environment! 
Part 2:Follow me on Google Friend Connect, and leave me  your GFC name, and an email to reach you if you win! 
Leave both parts of the entry in the same comment for your entry to count.  Any entry that is pulled as a winner and does not have the mandatory entry will be disqualified.


Extra Entries:
Follow @BeGreenSmart on Twitter 1 extra entry, leave me your twitter name

Follow @FrugalFamilyFun on Twitter 1 extra entry, leave me your twitter name

Follow @brianswifey05 on Twitter 1 extra entry, leave me your twitter name

Tweet about this giveaway. Include the link to this giveaway @BeGreenSmart and @FrugalFamilyFun, Can be up to 5 times daily, tweets must be at least 1 hour apart for entry. 1 extra entry for each tweet.  Lleave me the link to your tweet in your comment. 


Like Frugal Family Fun on Facebook leave me your FB Name!

Like GreenSmart on Facebook leave me your FB Name!

Subscribe to the GreenSmart YouTube Channel leave me your YouTube name 1 extra entry

Subscribe to our email updates, via google reader, or via RSS feed , 1 extra entry for each

Put our button on your blog, leave me the link to the blog THIS WILL BE CHECKED. 3 extra entries

Blog about this contest, including a link back to this giveaway. worth 5 extra entries.

Contest begins now and ends May 22, 2011 at 11:59 PM PST. Winner will be selected via Random.org and will be notified by email. Winner must respond within 48 hours or forfeits prize. Good luck!  OPEN TO US ONLY! 

I was not compensated for this post. I did receive the above mentioned sample as a giveaway on my blog.  Photos from GreenSmart.biz

Earthlyreward.com Review!

I refuse to pay anything close to retail price for anything.  I love sites and stores where I can get great deals on the things I buy most.  And any kind of reward program, especially those with cash back, I'm all over it.  I recently was introduced to a really cool website!  EarthlyReward.com is a free membership website with links to websites that sell socially responsible and earth and animal friendly products (clothes, baby and beauty products, furniture, pet supplies, and more). Members earn Cash Back for purchases made on these websites, through EarthlyReward.com  I was so excited to check out this great website and see what its all about!


I love how easy it was to navigate the site! EarthlyReward links to all sorts of great sites where I found tons of great deals!  You can earn up to 10% cash back on purchases from tons of sites, for just about anything you can imagine! I think it is also a great way to get the cash back-through a PayPal account. This gives safe transactions and after you added up some earnings they will send it to you!  That's better than getting a credit for the sites-you're getting actual dollars back for the ones you spent! It doesn't get much better than that! 


And of course, my favorite part of all-it's all stuff that is earth and animal friendly! I am all about being good to earth and nature, including it's creatures! I might eat meat, but I still want to protect other animals and so animal friendly and earth friendly is important to me.  I love finding new sites, and Earthlyreward.com is an excellent source of eco friendly sites!  I found super cute eco friendly suits, beautiful organic flowers, and great stuff for a "green" wedding!  I wish I had found a hemp blend gown when I was getting married.  I have now found the place to get my dress when my husband and I do our vow renewal! You never know what kind of stuff you can find, so start hunting now at EarthlyReard.com!


I was compensated for this post.  This review contains my opinions, the compensation did not affect my opinions of the site being reviewed. Please see the disclosure.

Moen Envi Shower Head Review

Taking a shower is so relaxing! It feels great after a long hard day at work or play!  But it takes up so much water! Especially if you have a houseful like I do! Eco-friendly and water efficient products are a great way to save money and the planet at the same time! I love Moen's Envi Showerhead!

Product Features

• chrome/brushed chrome finish
• eco–performance
• three–function combination; full spray; massaging rinse
• meets WaterSense criteria to conserve water without sacrificing performance
• limited lifetime warranty

Product Specifications

• gpm: 1.75 gpm ( 6.65 l/min) max.
• This is an Eco-Performance Product certified to meet WaterSense criteria. Many elements help make our products eco-friendly and efficient. Learn about these in our Moen Eco-Performance section. WaterSense is a program sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promote water efficiency (it is similar in nature to the EPA's Energy Star program). A product with the WaterSense label indicates that it meets water efficiency and performance criteria outlined by the EPA to help you reduce water use in your home.

I love this shower head because it looks fabulous and gives the perfect spray! The spray is key and this head also adjusts, which is also great when you have multiple shower users! It adjusts quickly and easily!  I also really liked the finish, it looks so sleek and really makes the shower look nice!

other details:
DESCRIPTION

• Available finishes identified by suffix

• Nonmetallic spray face and shell

• Brass swivel ball assembly

OPERATION

• 3 functions: massage, full and combined

• Rotate outer ring to select

FLOW

• Designed to deliver 1.75 gpm (6.65 L/min) max at 80 psi

STANDARDS

• Third party certified to WaterSense®, ASME A112.18.1/CSA B125.1

and all requirements referenced therein

WARRANTY

• Lifetime limited warranty against leaks, drips and finish

defects to the original consumer purchaser

• 5 year warranty if used in commercial installations
 
You can click here to learn where to purchase your own showerhead or other products from Moen!

I was given the product to review.  I was not compensated in any other way. Photos from Moen.

Eco Store Review

I have been trying the Green Movement lately like a lot of other people! Something that has been important to me has been having products that are healthy for my family and the environment for cleaning and maintaining my house. I found a great place to buy these kinds of products: Eco Store!

It's important to reduce our exposure to unhealthy chemicals. Many synthetic chemicals are known to be harmful to health and can cause skin irritation or eczema. Eco Store uses plant based surfacants, simple mineral salts and essential plant oils while still giving the same results of harsh chemical cleaners. What's good for our health is also good for the earth. Eco Store's products are highly biodegradable and contain earth safe ingredients from sustainable resources.

 I seriously already used almost the whole bottle of the Citrus Based Spray Cleaner!! I use it without worrying about it harming my family! This great spray is made from things like D-Limonene (zest of citrus peel), and palm and coconut based non-ionic and anionic surfacants. These are plant based ingredients!!! I use the citrus cleaner for cleaning the counters, the stove, the sink, the fridge, even the bathroom!! It cleans and kills the bacteria at the same time!! The spray in naturally antibacterial!


This spray contains: NO NASTY CHEMIALS,NO TOXIC PETROCHEMICALS,NO PHOSPHATES,

NO BENZENE, NO BLEACH, NO NITRATES, NO AMMONIA, NO CHLORINE, NO EDTA, NO SYNTHETIC DYES OR PERFUMES.

Eco Store doesn't test on animals and their products are made in New Zeland. Eco Store even won the 2002 Green Ribbon Award from the New Zeland Ministry for the Environment! The best part is that Eco friendly doesn't have to cost more!!! Eco Store's products are totally affordable and their prices are comparable to those of chemical cleaners.
I also got to try the Eco Pets Soothing Hypoallergenic Shampoo! This is gentle on itchy, sensitive skin!! I tried it on my dog, who has been itching since his fur is changing. He doesn't have fleas, so we tried the shampoo and he didn't itch afterwards!! The smell is refreshing but not unnatural! This leaves your dog (or cat) smelling nice! This can be used on dogs or cats over 6 weeks old. It is expertly designed to penetrate safely into the skin where it is most effective. And its gentle enough to use frequently!! Keep your dog smelling good and you can rest assured that its good for his skin!You're spoiling your pet with a nourishing, rich blend of ingredients and showing them how much you care by reducing their exposure to unhealthy chemicals.



This shampoo contains: NO NASTY CHEMICALS, NO TOXIC PETROCHEMICALS, NO LAURYL OR LAURETH SULFATES, NO PROPYLENE GLYCOL, NO DYES, NO ARTIFICIAL PERFUMES, NO PARABENS, NO COCAMIDE DEA, AND NO COCOMIDOPROPUL BETAINE.


I love the Eco Store's products and can't wait to try out some of their other great stuff!!

Check out Eco Store on Facebook
Also follow @ecostoreusa on twitter!
I was not monetarily compensated for this review. I was given the products mentioned from Eco Store for review. These opinions are not affected by the products received. They are my honest opinions. Photos from Eco Store.

Water Saving Tips

As we all know, water isn’t free. Sometimes we don’t think about just how much water we really are using!! We take for granted that we have clean, freshwater at our dispense! While other countries struggle with little or no water, we literally watch it go down the drain!!  Check out these surprising facts on water waste:

An American taking a five-minute shower uses more water than the typical person living in a developing country slum uses in a whole day (1)

The daily requirement for sanitation, bathing, and cooking needs, as well as for assuring survival, is about 13.2 gallons per person (1)

About 95% of the water entering our homes goes right back down the drain (2)

It is estimated that over half of the water used on yards is wasted due to over watering.  (2) 

Running the tap while you brush your teeth you can waste 4 gallons of water!! (2)

How can we save water???? Here are some fabulous tips from EarthEasy:

1. Check faucets and pipes for leaks
A small drip from a worn faucet washer can waste 20 gallons of water per day. Larger leaks can waste hundreds of gallons.

2. Don't use the toilet as an ashtray or wastebasket
Every time you flush a cigarette butt, facial tissue or other small bit of trash, five to seven gallons of water is wasted.

3. Install water-saving shower heads and low-flow faucet aerators  

Long, hot showers can use five to ten gallons every unneeded minute. Limit your showers to the time it takes to soap up, wash down and rinse off. "Low-flow" means it uses less than 2.5 gallons per minute. 

4. Use your dishwasher and clothes washer for only full loads

Automatic dishwashers and clothes washers should be fully loaded for optimum water conservation. Most makers of dishwashing soap recomend not pre-rinsing dishes which is a big water savings.
With clothes washers, avoid the permanent press cycle, which uses an added 20 liters (5 gallons) for the extra rinse. For partial loads, adjust water levels to match the size of the load. Replace old clothes washers. New Energy Star rated washers use 35 - 50% less water and 50% less energy per load. If you're in the market for a new clothes washer, consider buying a water-saving frontload washer. 

 

5. When washing dishes by hand, don't leave the water running for rinsing
If your have a double-basin, fill one with soapy water and one with rinse water

6. Water your lawn only when it needs it
A good way to see if your lawn needs watering is to step on the grass. If it springs back up when you move, it doesn't need water. If it stays flat, the lawn is ready for watering.Use a conservation hose nozzle.  Another great way to save water in the yard is to collect rain water!

7. Don't run the hose while washing your car 

This simple practice can save as much as 150 gallons when washing a car 

8. Use a broom, not a hose, to clean driveways and sidewalks 

9. Use your water meter to check for hidden water leaks
Read the house water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, there is a leak. 

10. Don't let the faucet run while you clean vegetables.
Just rinse them in a stoppered sink or a pan of clean water

It is also important to teach our kids about conserving water!!  By starting them out early, water conservation will come natural and won't have to be a forced effort! You are your child's teacher, so you have to show them the way!!  Simply reminding them to turn off the water when not using it, or reminding them to be sure it is all the way off can save tons of water!! 

Did you know that in other countries, millions of women and children have to spend their day traveling to collect water from places that are polluted? Because it is the only water they have, they choose to do this to survive.  In 3rd world countries, people live off 3 gallons of water a day-the amount we use in ONE FLUSH.  We all need to take our part and be aware of the amounts of water we are wasting!! Let's take care of our Earth!

Sources

(1) www.water.org

(2) chelseagreen