Bottles 2 Bags - Bright Green Laptop Bag Made from Recycled Bottles

Green Diva Product Review
Act2 GreenSmart
Bottles 2 Bags
Green Shoulder/Side Laptop Bag

I really do like almost all the products I get samples of, but occasionally I get one that exceeds my expectations. This bag is one of them.

I'm not sure what I expected exactly, but from the image, I thought I would get a stiff, green shoulder/side bag that's greatest quality would be that it is made from recycled plastic bottles (rPET).

As is often the case, a lot happens (at least in my world, no doubt for the rest of the world too) between the initial communications about a review and a sample being sent out and the actual receiving of the sample. That and the fact that my memory is a little shifty sometimes creates a really fun package opening celebration. My family will ask, "Mom, what is it?" And I honestly, usually don't know, although if I look carefully at most labels, I can figure it out, but I restrain myself, because I love the mystery of not knowing as I marvel at some of the great and not-so-great green packaging people are coming up with these days.

Okay, that was a long setup, sorry . . . when this package came in yesterday, I pretended not to know what it was to enhance the thrill a bit, but when I opened up the recycled paper package, my daughter and I both squealed with delight. First of all the green color on this bag is much better in person. When I liberated it from the packaging, I was struck by how surprisingly soft and pliable the fabric was.

The general design of the bag - lines, pockets, magnet snaps, nice looking zipper tags - was quite thoughtful and not as boring as it could be. I mean, it is a computer side bag, how exciting can this be?

The lining is even softer and brighter in color than the exterior fabric.

My computer seems quite happy in there today, all snug in the padded section.

About rPET Fabrics and Why We Might Care
Act2 GreenSmart's website is a fairly good resource for information on the process of recycling plastic bottles into fabrics (and other products for that matter). There is an easy-to-follow section about the process of creating rPET fabric particularly as it relates to the fabric they are using, and they also have an informative glossary of sustainable sourcing/manufacturing terms and useful information.

A couple of things I learned from the Act2 GreenSmart website:

• PET/PETE is Polyethylene terephthalate - recycle symbol #1


• 230 bottles per person go to landfill per year (this adds up folks, according to this site they quantify it by giving us the stat that it is equivalent to filling up the Rose Bowl Stadium in California with crushed plastic bottles every two weeks!)


• These bottles are an environmental disaster - petroleum-based plastic that does NOT decompose


• Same chemical composition as polyester - so, same benefits that polyester offers, but from recycled source


• Each yard of finished fabric uses about 18—16 oz. bottles and saved 10,000 BTUs from manufacturing—enough power to light a 17 watt compact fluorescent light for 15 hours

Act2 GreenSmart's Bottles 2 Bags are made from certified 100% post-consumer PET water and soda bottles.

The Act2 GreenSmart website also has some stats on the homepage regarding the global benefits of their products based:

16 oz. PET Bottles Consumed - 431,211
BTUs Saved - 288 million (equivalent power in laptop hours - 3.3 million)

While the price point is a little high @ $69.99 (as listed on online purchasing page), there are many ways to rationalize and justify the slightly elevated cost of using materials that will help reduce some of the landfill mess and use of new petroleum-based products.

They have a range of other products well worth considering as well.

:)
GD Meg

The Week-Ender: Sustainable Living News Roundup

I'm going to try and do these every week . . . we'll see how it goes . . .

The goal is to offer a cross-section of interesting/unusual 'green' or 'sustainable living' stories that hit the news throughout the week - news from various sources around the globe (hence the sprouting globe icon above).

Please feel free to send ideas to us. We won't post entire stories, but will post headlines, brief description, source and a link.

Hope you like it!

Let There be Life: Games go Organic
Two electronic games that are appealing to the push for 'green'
MSNBC

Kangaroo Farming Would Cut Greenhouse Gases: Study
A pretty radical idea - to consider farming kangaroo for meat rather than sheep and cattle (at least for most Americans)
Reuters

Dutch Town Tests 'Air-Purifying' Concrete
Boy, we could use some of that stuff here in northern New Jersey!
Agence France Press (AFP)

Mel Walsh: A Geezer's Guide to Green Living
Loved the title and the concept, but hopefully I'm not there yet
TheUnion.com

Sustainable Summer Picnic-Ware

Product Review

I’ve posted here about Wheatware, a company that makes biodegradable plastic alternative products, including disposable flatware, but Verterra’s got the disposable plate, bowl and platter thing down!

I brought some samples of Verterra’s thoroughly sustainable and thoughtfully produced plates and bowls to my office to give them a rough test drive. I’m a salad girl and I love to use a lot of dressing and mix up all kinds of mushy stuff with my green mess, so this seemed to be a perfect way to see how these products held up.

These simple, but amazing plates are like a sustainable fantasy product - ethically sourced, fair-trade made, 100% compostable, non-toxic, bleach-free, non-leaching, made from 100% renewable plant materials, microwavable AND dishwasher safe, reusable and made by wonderful green pixies . . . okay, that last one was me getting carried away. But wait! There’s more!

Seriously, after making an effort to abuse these plates and bowls, I have to say, there is absolutely nothing negative I can report. They held up well with moisture - no getting soggy or absorbing stuff you don’t necessarily want to taste next time you use the plate. They are generally attractive, although not necessarily uniform and consistent in color, which I happen to appreciate so that doesn’t count as a negative in my check list, but perhaps in someone els’s. They wash quite easily, although I’ve only washed each piece once so far. Not really sure at what point they begin the biodegrading process, but I’ll keep you posted. I'm told you can actually cook up to 350 degrees for up to 45 minutes! I haven't tried this yet (don't try this at home - kind of thing).

Did I mention these plates are made from leaves? Leaves that have fallen to the ground and would otherwise be burned or disposed of! No trees are harmed in the process of manufacturing these plates. A process of steaming, high-pressure spraying and UV sterilizing (while recapturing at least 80% of the water), makes this happen almost by magic without the use of glues or other toxic binders and chemical varnishes, etc.

Aside from the extremely ethical eco-production, these make stylish sustainable summer sustenance serving stuff. How about that for alliteration!

Eat. Blog. Be Merry!

GD Meg

My Local Farmer's Market

Confession
I'm always writing and talking about supporting my local farmers and farmer's markets, and I believe in the value of creating stronger local economies - farmer's markets are a big albeit seasonal part of that.

My hometown started a little Saturday farmer's market last year. I heard it was dinky and didn't have any organic food, which is okay, but coupled with the fact that it was only open till 2:30 made it very difficult for me to get my butt down there.
I get to the farmer's market in Morristown, NJ, which is a great Sunday outing, but until this past weekend, I hadn't gotten to the Boonton farmer's market. For shame.

While I buy local in many other ways, I neglected my little farmer's market.

When I finally got there, I noted that it was indeed kind of dinky, but it felt good to meet and talk with the two farms represented. The one farm, Race Farm of Blairstown, NJ seemed to have more variety and while neither of them had organic produce, they said they usually do and will again in a couple of weeks. The heatwave had something to do with not having the organic stuff (I was too busy sweating to retain all the details).

I bought two bunches of beets and made some DELICIOUS roasted beets that I've been living on for like 3 days. See my 'for the love of beets' post on eatdrinkbetter.com.

There were a couple of other local vendors who are worth mentioning:

1. A very local healthy snack foods company (based in Boonton) that sells these AMAZING and hysterical snacks, including these 'wing' baked chips that are actually in the shape of little buffalo wings! Many of the chips are gluten free. They distribute through Whole Foods among other grocery chains and he even knew about our food coop (VeggieHeads) and was going to get some of the overstock to us at cost! Learn more about these yummy veggies chips @ Mediterraneansnackfoods.com.

2. Anyone who knows me at all, knows I'm a tea junky. I hit pay dirt, but it happened at the end of the day and I was wilting in the sun - but, I will go next weekend to get some of their wonderful organic teas and accessories! You can order stuff on the web, look for Ducky Life Organic, Loose Leaf Teas, Accessories and Gifts.

3. Paul the pickle guy. Didn't get any takeaway information, but we did takeaway some crispy, crunchy pickles. There were some really creative ones. I got the cranberry horseradish ones myself. My daughters were fighting over which type of olives to get (we got both, of course). It was a pickle tasting smorsgasbord and it made it all seem worthwhile.

4. There were some local crafters represented - mostly jewelry and a couple of silk scarfs.

If you are in Boonton on a Saturday this summer, visit our growing little farmer's market! Now, I'll be there!

Here is a list of other farmer's markets in New Jersey.

:)

GD Meg

Wisdom of the Elders in Action - Sustainable World Peace

It just may be that rock n roll/music will indeed save the planet. In 1999 Peter Gabriel and Richard Branson decided that we as a global village were missing the essential survival ingredient - the wisdom of our elders. So they set about to identify a few of them. It didn’t take long for them to approached Nelson Mandela and Graca Machel, both who have done amazing work beyond what I can even describe here in this brief blog post. If you’ve been under a rock for the past 20 years, you will want to read up on Mr. Mandela, but I would encourage everyone to please see the brief, but inspiring biography I’ve linked you to for Graca Machel.

While it took several years for them to put this group together, they launched these elders as facilitators of powerful global change last July.

“This group derives its strength not from political, economic or military power, but from the independence and integrity of those who are here. They do not have careers to build, elections to win, constituencies to please. They can talk to anyone they please, and are free to follow paths they deem right, even if hugely unpopular.”

Nelson Mandela, The Elders Launch Speech July 18, 2007

See Nelson Mandela’s speech from July 18, 2007

This is a potent list of global leaders who have reached a place in their lives and careers where they can shed imposing restrictions and focus on serious global concerns such as basic human rights, world health issues, climate change as well as share their valuable wisdom.


These leaders are not mere figureheads, but have the resources, seemingly boundless energy and drive to create change and movement on issues that other world and political leaders cannot seem to manage.

Kofi Annan
Ela Bhatt
Lakhdar Brahimi
Gro Harlem Brundtland
Fernando Henrique Cardoso
Jimmy Carter
Graca Machel
Nelson Mandela
Aung San Suu Kyi
Desmond Tutu
Muhammad Yunus

Start with these brief biographies that live on TheElders.org, but I encourage you to read more about each of these extraordinary individuals and let yourself be moved beyond your immediate sphere of influence into the realm of courageous action or very simple (sorry in advance for the cliche) random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty. It all makes a difference.

:)
GD Meg

the Berkshires - home of sustainable living and mostly serene

I used to live in the rolling green hills of western Massachusetts, better known as 'the Berkshires'. When I left there about 10 years ago, the summer tourist trade was brisk and annoying, but valuable to many folks who had tourist-dependent businesses.

It has gentrified significantly in these last 10 years. Great Barrington, my home town for many years is now a bit more like the Village in NY - artsy-funky-chic. It was sort of the last bastion for full-timers that has now gone NY in the summers. Getting from one end of this small town to the other used to take about 5 minutes by car, now it could take up to 45 minutes any given Saturday!

Okay, enough bitching. This is where I got my sustainable living chops. Being part of the wonderful Berkshire CoOp Market, learning and experimenting with so many other green folks over 20 years ago when this was all considered fringe behavior.

We got to be tourists this past weekend. Stayed in a gorgeous cottage across the street from the Stockbridge Bowl lake, with Tanglewood at one end of the road and the Norman Rockwellian Main Street of Stockbridge on the other end.

I actually shopped in Lenox. When I lived there, I only went to Lenox to go to a workshop or a class I had taken that happened to be up there. Nice place, but I'm just not one of those village, vacation-type shoppers. And I most certainly wouldn't have gone near it on a summer Saturday, what with all those crazy New Yorkers and New Jersey folks!

Guess what we did Saturday???? After going to Tanglewood, another experience I rarely enjoyed when I lived here, we went to Lenox and ate Lunch at a very classy restaurant called Zinc and sat two tables away from Hugh Downs, retired veteran TV news and anchorman. By the way, the food was amazing!

Then, I decided to walk around and shop like I was from New Jersey - although I live in New Jersey, I'm not exactly at home there. Found this fantastic little shop called, The Old Country Store. Hands down the coolest country store I've ever been in - complete with a full line of hysterical gifts from local company Blue Q, great organic baby clothing and gifts, and many other sustainable products and locally grown crafts. If you get up there, please visit this shop. Owners Carrie and Bill Wright obviously have a great sense of style AND humor.

Sunday we had brunch at Martin's in Great Barrington. Wow. I sold Martin my old house 20 years ago and I helped clean this restaurant up and get it up and running. Still a great low-stress breakfast joint - if you don't mind standing in the road and waiting for a while. I just went over to my favorite new age shop - Crystal Essence and did some more tourist-style shopping!

;)

GD Meg

Organic v. Local - The Healthiest Choices for Fresh Food: Not Always an Easy One!

Picking your battles when choosing organic over conventional (which often means locally grown).

It is important to be armed with the latest and greatest information so you can make the healthiest choices for you and your family.

I've done stories on this over the years, but some of my information is probably out dated. So, I'm glad folks like the Organic Center, a non-profit in Boulder Colorado is doing this type of research and sharing it with us! The Organic Center, which produces and disseminates peer-reviewed scientific research and information on the health and environmental benefits of organic food and farming, has just published this very handy little pocket guide, Organic Essentials, to help identify the highest risk, pesticide-laden fruits and veggies while we are shopping.

The list is based on a pesticide-risk ranking system they developed, based on their 2008 report, Simplifying the Pesticide Risk Equation: The Organic Option.

I'm always at a loss this time of year, with all the wonderful farmer's markets and locally grown fresh produce. I want to support local, but I also don't want to eat pesticides and a lot of the local farms still haven't gone Organic. However, I did learn last year, that in New Jersey, a great deal of farmers are transitioning, and while they can't say they are organic, they are darned close.

I think it is generally a good idea to meet your local farmers when you can and ask them how they produce their fruits and veggies and if they aren't organic, what types of pesticides do they use and are they transitioning to organic any time soon? If they aren't and enough people pester them with these questions, perhaps they will get the hint and make the move!

Happy fresh food shopping and don't forget to check out our Green Diva's Guide to Delicious Living food-related blog posts on GreenOptions.com's yummy food blog, EatDrinkBetter.com. We have great recipes and other foodie stuff.

Remember,

Eat. Blog. Be Merry!

GD Meg