Gratefully Green

My husband has always had a huge influence on me. He's smart. He knows a lot of stuff I don't. I'm grateful to have him as a husband and our children are blessed to learn from him on a daily basis.

He started me on my journey to living greener. I was stubborn and hard-headed. I didn't want to change the way I did things. I didn't want to be bothered and couldn't see much point in my individual effort. I know better now. Thankfully he didn't give up on me (he's more stubborn and hard-headed than I am).

I see how my actions are noticed by friends and family. Even if they don't follow my lead, they notice. The most important thing I've learned from him is we all have the ability to make choices. And our choices, whether good or bad, have an affect on others and our environment.

There are a lot of great eco-friendly things out there that make living green easier, but I think the thing I'm most grateful for is my husband's ability to open my mind. He's helped me realize I can choose to live differently. We don't always get it right, but we're learning.

This post is my submission for The Green Mom's Carnival hosted in November by Best of Mother Earth.

A Greener Lunch Box

Yesterday over at Blissfully Domestic I wrote about packing a waste-free lunch for your kids. I bet if you looked around your house you'd find all the elements needed to create a lunch with little to no waste. Just in case you don't have what you need, I wanted to show you some of my favorite finds.

Hero Lunch Bags - All Star Organic Cotton Lunch Bag

• 100% USDA-NOP Certified Organic 10oz Cotton Canvas
• Cotton is chemical and pesticide free
• Manufactured in the USA
• Machine washable, (designed to shrink a bit) line dry

Laptop Lunches/Bento-Ware

Cool modular design featuring five reusable microwave safe food containers Creative and economical system for helping parents pack wholesome, low-waste meals Designed for kids - incorporates fun colors and a puzzle piece design A fashionable, sustainable alternative to wasteful, single-use containers that saves you money

Wrap - N- Mats

Replaces wasteful plastic sandwich and snack bags Made with Fair Labor/Fair Wages Food safe, PEVA liner that wipes clean Eco-Print design printed with vegetable based dyes

Sigg Water Bottles

Smart, stylish, safe alternative to polycarbonate plastic sippy cups Tested to ensure 0% leaching of any substance - no trace of BPA, BPB or any phthalates Taste neutral, resistant to fruit juices & energy drinks with no scent transfer Lightweight, unbreakable bottle Swiss-engineered from a single piece of aluminum

Fabkins Cloth Napkins

Adds a personal touch to a waste-free lunch Makes mealtime more fun and special Helps teach good table manners Gets kids involved in saving the environment

Going Green in Preschool

Davis and Meg started preschool last week. They don't take a lunch to preschool. Instead the teacher assigns a week when the kids are responsible for bringing in a snack. A snack should consist of something to eat and drink. Believe it or not, both my kids had snack the first week of school.

I did my due diligence and read through the parent handbook because I assumed there would be "snack rules". Sure enough, there was a whole page dedicated to snacks. The second paragraph begins, "ALL SNACKS MUST BE IN UNOPENED, COMMERCIAL CONTAINERS".

I understand and respect the health department's need to keep "home-baked" goods at home. Believe me, I don't want the kids' preschool to be closed down. I also understand the dangers of bringing peanut products to school.

I'm guilty of buying commercial "non-organic" snacks on occasion. Sometimes a girl wants a handful of Goldfish, but I guess I wanted to set a good "green" example to start off the school year. I was determined to find a commercial, organic snack that didn't contain peanut butter or wasn't manufactured in the same facility as a peanut product.

It wasn't all that easy to find and it certainly wasn't cheap, but it made me feel good. I was also encouraged by the fact the teachers don't want juice boxes to be brought to school. Their reasons may be different than mine, but it's a little less waste filling up their trash cans. They also send home a canvas bag for the kid's to bring their snack in for the day.

Birthday celebrations will also be different for the kids this year. The administration has asked parents not to bring in sugary treats. Instead the birthday boy or girl can donate a copy of their favorite book in honor of their special day. I really like this idea and applaud the staff for trying something new and different.

Now I just need to work up the courage to implement a recycling program. How are you handling snacks and recycling for your kids?

This is my September submission for the Green Moms Carnival hosted this month by Surely You Nest.

Blissfully Domestic Relaunch

Blissfully Domestic is relaunching today with a great new online magazine. It'll be your one stop shop for all things blissful and domestic!

There are 12 channels ranging from the latest buzz in Hollywood to living a healthier life. You can also find great recipes and stylish ideas for feathering your nest.

One of my favorite bloggers, Simple Mom, is the editor for Digital Bliss, a great resource for all you bloggers out there.

I'll be contributing to the Healthy Bliss channel with articles on green living. Come check out Blissfully Domestic anytime during the day for fresh and fun information.

Eco-friendly Decorating: The Paint Selection

Preparing to move into our new house has my decorating juices flowing. I love the possibilities that come along with creating new spaces. I'm excited about the challenge of making this house a home that's suited for the way our family lives life.

With possibility comes responsibility.

The me of 5 years ago, would anxiously await the newest edition of Pottery Barn and "want" for everything on each glossy page. Because it's easy . . . and pretty . . . and easy. Don't get me wrong - I still love when a new Pottery Barn comes (they're one of the few catalogues immune to our attempt to stop our junk mail), but now I look at it for ideas.

I want to make different choices with this house. I'd like to find second-hand furniture and repurpose it, purchase items made from sustainable products, and use products that promote a healthy, safe environment for our family.

One of the first jobs to tackle in the new house is painting. There's border. Lots of border.

I've decided to use YOLO Colorhouse paints. I love their natural color palette of 40 hues. YOLO Colorhouse is formulated without VOCs (volatile organic compounds). These compounds are the solvents contained in most paints that evaporate and contribute to the depletion of the ozone. VOCs are also a part of the stinky odor in paint that is offensive and continues to off-gas which contributes to poor indoor air quality. YOLO is certified with the Green Seal® which means it's an environmentally responsible product.

Check back in to see the colors I chose for the kids' rooms from the little YOLO line.

Rescue, Resell & Recycle

I wasn't far along in the packing process, when I realized it was going to be impossible to pack up our whole house with boxes from the liquor store. Liquor boxes are great for smaller items and books, but how in the world were all the kids' toys going to fit in such small boxes? They have a lot of toys. Let's just say I had a small addiction to Fisher Price Little People toys a few years ago.

I'm also not fast enough to benefit from any of the free packing materials posted on Freecycle. We did discover Trader Joe's has some great sturdy boxes for smaller things, but the dilemma of packing all the larger stuff still existed.

I caved.

I hung my head in shame and went into a Home Depot. I bought boxes . . . . and bubble wrap . . . and foamy things for packing dishes. A few days later, I learned about a company that rescues truckloads of quality used boxes from large companies.


UsedCardboardBoxes.com inspects and sorts the rescued boxes by size and shape. They create "kits" and resell boxes through their website. They offer free shipping and guarantee delivery in 1-2 business days.

Pretty cool. I need more boxes, but I'm not going to buy any. I'm going to get creative and work with what I have. You better believe I'll be easing my "green guilt" by putting everything up on Freecycle when we're unpacked!

Three R Thursday - 13 Of My Favorite Green Bloggers

There are lots of great green blogs out in the blogosphere. The following are some of my favorites and daily reads. I'm always finding inspiration from these women and look forward to reading about their latest challenges, finds or rants.

I'd love to add to my list. If you know of any green blogs I didn't mention (including your own), please let me know.

1. Green Bean Dreams
Green Bean is a smart lady. I enjoy reading her posts, and I walk away a little smarter each time. She wrote a great post about letting go that helped me gain a little perspective.

2. OrganicMania
OrganicMania is your guide to making sense of healthy green living. She has done most of the leg work for you. I faithfully read all her posts pertaining to saving on organic food.

3. Mindful Momma
A thoughtfully written blog exploring what happens when we are more mindful of the things we do.

4. Crunchy Domestic Goddess
She had me at the title of her blog. Amy is passionate about natural childbirth, breastfeeding, cloth diapering, gentle discipline, recycling, green living, organic foods, informed health care decisions and other things considered crunchy/granola/earthy.

5. GreenStyleMom
GreenStyleMom is down to earth and proves that eco-friendly living can be fun and stylish. Read about her co-housing experiences and check out what she does in her spare time.

6. Crunchy Chicken
Crunchy is such a dedicated green blogger. It's hard to pin point a couple of things to highlight from her blog so I suggest you go over and read EVERYTHING. Okay, if everything is not realistic make sure you check out some of her challenges, book clubs and her Goods 4 Girls program.

7. Eco 'Burban
A witty blogger who is making practical steps towards going green in the suburbs one plastic bag at a time. Read about her local summer challenge.

8. Chile Chews
I'm new to Chile's blog and have been lurking for awhile. She has a great Quit Now Challenge going on now and recently held a Cut the Crap challenge to help motivate people to declutter their lives.

9. Surely You Nest
MamaBird had mastered the combination of humor and green living. Read about the green party she planned for her daughter's fifth birthday.

10. Simple - Green - Frugal
I have learned a lot from SGF's blog. She is extremely practical and has great ideas for living a more simple, beautiful life. Be sure to read about her "No Graze Days of Summer".

11. EnviroMom
EnviroMom is a great resource for green living. Even though it caters to locals in Portland, OR, I've found it very helpful and informative. Be sure to read about their One Can a Month Challenge.

12. Fake Plastic Fish
Read the inspiring list of plastic-free changes Beth has made. She is also leading the campaign for Clorox to take back and recycle Brita water filters.

13. Allie's Answers
Allie's blog proves going green doesn’t have to be complicated. Her tips can help you simplify your life and save you money.

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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I'm Over at Blissfully Domestic Today

Come visit and read about "greening" your workout. Take a look around, there are some great women contributing to this site.

I've Got Nothing

I'd love to write something witty and clever, but all I have going on in my brain right now is finding a house. The situation was starting to look a little bleak, but we finally saw a contender yesterday. A house I feel sure I can make a home.

We're taking our moms for a second showing and plan on putting in an offer today. It's a little out of our price range so I'm praying they will consider it. Hopefully, I will have some news by the end of the week.

On a totally different note, I'm now a contributing writer over at Blissfully Domestic. If you know me it's okay to chuckle about the "domestic" part . . . . Bob certainly did!

I'm writing for their Green Living category - go visit and read my first two articles on picnics and eating organically. If you have any suggestions for topic ideas, please let me know.

5 Eco-friendly Ways to Cure Summer Boredom

A couple of weeks ago Shannon hosted a "Mom I'm Bored" themed edition. I didn't have it together then, so I thought I'd post these ideas today.

I've searched the web and found some great ideas for fun, eco-friendly things to do with your kids for the days when nothing else seems to entertain them.

1. GreenStyle Mom is recycling plastic to make Shrinky Dink Necklaces.

2. There's a drawer in the laundry room where I stash all of the misplaced little toys and trinkets that make their way into our house. Thanks to Kiwi Magazine, I now have a great way to reuse these things to make an adorable frame.

3. Green Mom Finds has an easy no-cook playdough recipe you can make with items from your pantry.

4. Recycle pages from magazines, coloring books, hand-drawn pictures or photos to make these wonderful wooden block puzzles. Check out other crafts and activities from Scribbit. She has a wonderful way of turning ordinary, everyday things into something fun and spectacular.

5. Plant something with your kids. Jennifer Lance has a great post of 10 Tips for Organic Gardening.

Three R Thursday - Vinegar

Plan White Vinegar is a multi-purpose cleaner that's cheap and non-toxic. It can help you in the kitchen, the bathroom, the laundry and even your flower beds.

It's a great idea to create two vinegar spray bottles. One filled with pure vinegar and the other with a vinegar/water mixture.

You may recognize some of these and some might be new to you (as they were to me). I would love to hear how you use vinegar to help perform everyday tasks.

1. Moisten those annoying stickers used on frames and mirrors with vinegar. Let sit for at least ten minutes, then remove.

2. Place a bowl of vinegar in a stinky room overnight to remove persistent odors.

3. Clean your windows with a half vinegar/water spray. Wipe with newspapers or microfiber cloth to decrease lint.

4. Soak your shower head in vinegar overnight to remove corrosion or chemical build-up.

5. Remove stains from your toilet bowl by spraying with vinegar and scrubbing. Sprinkling in a little baking soda will help with any odor.

6. Keep ants away by spraying vinegar along doorways, windowsills and counter tops. Clean any ant trails with vinegar.

7. Remove odors from the sink or garbage disposal by pouring in a cup of vinegar. Give it at least an hour before rinsing.

8. Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to your water before boiling eggs. It keeps them from cracking.

9. Keep colors from running by soaking in vinegar before washing.

10. Freshen your cut flowers by adding 2 tablespoons of vinegar and 1 teaspoon of sugar for each quart of water.

11. Spray vinegar full strength on weeds. The vinegar "starves" the weed and it will die. Works best on a sunny day. You can also spray the grass on walks and driveways.

12. Tenderize meat by soaking it in vinegar overnight.

13. Clean and disinfect your wood cutting boards by wiping with full strength vinegar.

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Off My Game

Over the last week I've found myself repeating this phrase, "Just because it's cheap and easy doesn't mean it's better".

Preparing for our open house has affected my decision-making process. I've been doing things I don't agree with all for the sake of convenience. It's so easy to fall back into old habits. I come here to confess my sins against the environment.

My offenses as of late:

• I bought fruit in plastic bags instead of using these.
• The fruit wasn't organic.
• I've used a few cleaning products that aren't exactly eco-friendly.
  
• I threw away a few glass bottles while cleaning out the fridge.
• I agreed to let the landscaper use Preen in the flower beds. I came to my senses over the weekend and I'm calling him today to cancel it.
• I called a hauler to haul away things from the garage that could've been Freecycled.
• I bought cut flowers from the "regular" grocery store that weren't certified VeriFlora.

Three R Thursday - Challenges

Well, Crunchy Chicken's Buy Nothing Challenge ended yesterday. I started off the month strong - then we had our first 80 degree day. I panicked because my children were running around in their winter clothes - sweating - with shoes that were too small.

Funny how buying clothes for them created a domino effect - buying clothes for them, turned into buying clothes for me, turned into buying a few things for the house.

It wouldn't be hard for me to justify all of my purchases, but I've learned something about myself. I'm a weak consumer who gets a high from purchasing things - I'm aware of my problem and Crunchy's challenge was an eye opening experience for me. It made me aware of all the mindless spending I was doing before - I'm going to keep this challenge in mind for a long time.

I'm excited about May's challenge. Green Bean Dreams is challenging us to read one "green" book. A couple of months ago Bob bought me "Farewell, My Subaru: An Epic Adventure in Local Living" by Doug Fine. You can check out Doug's blog here.

I look forward to reading Farewell, My Subaru and learning more about Doug. I'll bring you a summary at the end of the month.

13 Creative Uses for Plastic Bags

We've been working hard to reduce our use of plastic bags. We take our reusable bags to the grocery store and other retail stores. On occasion we walk out of the house without our reusable bags, so we end up with a nice little collection at home.

Here are 13 creative things you can do with your plastic bags:

1. Use bags in your suitcases for dirty underclothes or for wet clothes from a day at the swimming pool.

2. Use bags to wrap your gifts.

3. Use a bag as you would a rubber glove when you don't have rubber gloves
handy.

4. Use bags as packing material instead of the dreaded white foam peanuts.

5. When your credit card won't swipe, put it inside the bag and try again.

6. Use bags as rubber boots to keep your feet dry.

7. Use a bag as a backpack for your kids by putting their arms through the handles.

8. Put bags on your wiper blades and mirrors in the winter to keep them free from snow and ice.

9. Store your shoes in plastic bags when you have them inside your suitcase to keep clothes from getting dirty and smelly.

10. For easy cleanup, place a bag inside a bucket or pot next to your sink when you peel fruits or vegetables. You can quickly dispose of the bag or place peelings in a compost pile.

11. Take your bags to the grocery store to reuse instead of getting new ones each time.

12. Donate bags to food pantries, used book stores, libraries, thrift shops, or other organizations. For ease of use, flatten the bags, fold them in half, and place in another plastic bag before donating.

13. Cut head and arm holes and use a bag as a smock for your child's craft project.

If all else fails - drop off your bags in the recycling bin at your grocery store.

Tell me how you are using your plastic bags, I would love to add to this list!

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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It's Earth Day and I've Got Nothing

I wanted to write a clever post for Earth Day. A post to make you think I've got my act together. I wanted to impart great "green" wisdom that would influence you to make some changes, but I'm fried and I've got nothing!

I'm leaning on some of my inspirational "green" bloggy reads to provide you with a wonderful Eath Day experience. Because quite frankly, at this moment, they've got their acts together and are doing a great job.

• Surely You Nest helps you calculate your carbon footprint.

• Green Mom Finds brings you a few easy precycling tips for putting a little more “green” into your life.

• OrganicMania helps you plan your Earth Day festivities.

• Going Crunchy is blogging outloud.

• Crunchy Domestic Goddess is celebrating family style. She also has a great Earth-Mother's Day Giveaway.

• The Little Green Blog prepares for Earth Day and Real Nappy Week.

• Diane's Big Green Purse has a great wish list for Mother Nature.
  

• Nature Mom Blog is having a Gorgeously Green Earth Week Giveaway

• As usual, Crunchy Chicken is challenging us and questioning the recent flock to jump on the environmental bandwagon.

Free Recycling Through The Mail

The U.S. Postal Service has launched a pilot program providing customers with an eco-friendly way to dispose of outdated items.

Postage-free envelopes are available at the test offices for you to send in old cell phones, personal data assistants, MP3 players, ink jet cartridges and other small electronic items.

The tests are under way in California, Chicago, Washington, D.C., northern Virginia and Baltimore. The USPS hopes to take this program nation-wide in the fall.

Clover Technologies Group pays the postage and then remanufactures and remarkets the items. If the item cannot be refurbished and resold, its component parts are reused to refurbish other items, or the parts are broken down further and the materials are recycled.

Buy Nothing Challenge

No, this isn't an April Fool's Joke.

I've been spending too much money. I'd already decided to cut back in April, but the inspiring Crunchy Chicken declared April a "Buy Nothing Challenge" month. The challenge is to only spend money on essentials.

Basically, this means none of the following:

• No new clothes
  
• No new gadgets
  
• No new furniture or housewares
  
• No salon services
  
• No makeup
  
• No tools

Wish me luck. If you decide you want to give it a try, click on over and visit the Crunchy Chicken.

PC Magazine's Green Facts

PC Magazine compiled a list of 48 green, clean-tech tips and facts for you. Below is just a few I found particularly interesting. Click here to read them all!

• The "phantom load"—electricity consumed by "switched-off" appliances like TVs, radios, microwaves—can add $200 a year to your bill. (Cornell University, via TheDailyGreen.com)

• If you listen to your CD player 2 hours a day, you can save $200 a year by switching to rechargeable batteries. (Earth 911 )

• The average office drone uses 10,000 sheets of paper—about a whole tree's worth of wood pulp—per year. (GreenIQ )

• 2.05 million tons of electronics were put out as garbage in the U.S. in 2005. Only about 18 percent of that was recycled. (Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition )

• The U.S scraps about 400 million pieces of consumer electronics equipment—e-waste—per year. It's the fastest-growing waste stream. (Electronics TakeBack Coalition) If you buy a new system, Apple and Dell will recycle your old computer, regardless of manufacturer. (Dell Recycling)

• The energy saved by recycling one plastic bottle will power a computer for 25 minutes. (Think Green)

• Shopping for a new HDTV? Plasma TVs consume far more energy than LCDs, and they waste it as heat energy. (The Wall Street Journal)

• If all commuters worked from home just one day a week, we could save 5.85 billion gallons of oil each year. (Environmental Defense Fund )

Seven Power-Saving Tips
Recycle Your PC the Right Way

Saving, Sharing & Simplifying

A few months ago I wrote about Zwaggle. Zwaggle's an online community of socially responsible parents who want to do their share to give back to other parents, their kids and the environment.

This month The Parent Bloggers Network is teaming up with Zwaggle to highlight ideas on saving, sharing and simplifying. If you've been following my Three R Thursday posts, you know this is a topic near and dear to my heart.

I thought this would be a great opportunity to list some of the practical things our family is doing to save, share and simplify.

1. Carrying reusable bags.
2. Using recycled toilet paper.
3. Eliminating paper towels.
4. Using phosphate-free laundry and dish washing detergent.
5. Switching our light bulbs.
6. Using biodegradable trash bags made from corn starch.
7. Eliminating our junk mail.
8. Listing items we don't use on Freecycle and Paperback Swap.
9. Using eco-friendly toothbrushes.
10. Eliminating sandwich bags.
11. Choosing safer eco-friendly products for our children.
12. Turning off our car engines.
13. Using socks as Swiffers.
14. "Greening" up our family holidays here, here and here.
15. Purchasing organic food whenever possible.

It's not been difficult to make these simple changes. I am proud of the progress we've made and look forward to watching this list grow. I know we can do a lot more. I'm always interested in how other people are saving, sharing, and simplifying. Please feel free to share your ideas here, or you can write a post for The Parent Bloggers Network (of course there are prizes available).

Three R Thursday - 13 Top Green Picks for Baby

1. A SwaddleMe from Kiddopotamus' certified organic collection. Pediatricians recommend swaddling to comfort and soothe newborns. SwaddleMe wings have Velcro tabs, to wrap up your newborn and stay comfortably in place. As baby grows, wings readjust for a perfect fit. SwaddleMe wings are easily opened to prevent overheating, and the leg pouch can be popped down for a quick diaper checking or changing. SwaddleMe can also be used in the car seat, simply insert car seat harnesses through the access slits!

2. Born Free BPA-free bottles. Bisphenol-A is a hormone-disrupting chemical considered to be potentially harmful to human health and the environment. It has been known that scratched and worn polycarbonate feeding bottles will leach this chemical into liquids. The BornFree™ products are made of PES (Polymer), Polypropylene, glass and Silicone. If you would like to read more about the dangers of Bisphenol-A visit this portal.


3. Gerber Nuk Orthodontic Pacifier Simple Button for Newborn. These pacifiers are also BPA-free. Here is a guide for How to Find Safer Pacifiers.




4. George organic clothing. I won this lot of clothing on eBay for less than $25. They are in great shape and so soft.






5. California Baby Hair & Body Wash Shampoo. California Baby products contain organic and sustainably grown ingredients. No Sodium lauryl sulfate, DEA, or numbing agents. California Baby is also a very eco-friendly company, they use minimal packaging and recycled paper and soy inks for product info tags and literature.



6. American Baby Company organic bedding collection. I was able to order a crib and cradle sheet through Amazon.



7. Kate Quinn Organics. I couldn't resist getting at least one outfit from Kate Quinn. Her clothing is certified organic and produced using fair trade practices. I reviewed several clothing sites here. I got the Tahitian/Chocolate outfit - this little boy may never come out of it!



8. Bumkins Starter Bib. These bibs are waterproof, stain and odor resistant. Most importantly, they are PVC, Phthalate & Vinyl Free. Made in the USA.



9. Sassy Earth Brights Wooden Dove Teether. This teething toy is BPA-free. Here is a guide for How to Find Safer Teethers.



10. Seventh Generation Baby Wipes. Seventh Generation uses renewable, non-toxic, phosphate-free, and biodegradable ingredients as often as possible, and are never tested on animals. Seventh Generation Baby Wipes are moistened with natural aloe vera, vitamin E, and water to cleanse and moisturize gently and naturally. Wipes are fragrance free, not bleached with chlorine and do not contain alcohol or synthetic ingredients that can irritate baby's skin.



11. gDiapers consist of a washable, cotton outer pant and a plastic free flushable refill. They are made of breathable material just like sports clothing. So, babies stay dry and happy and are far less likely to get diaper rash. Can't flush? It's ok to toss flushable refills because they're plastic-free. Or garden compost the wet ones. They'll break down in 50-150 days.

The next 2 products I bought for baby's Big Sister and Big Brother, but they deserve a mention.

12. Sigg Baby Water Bottle. Amazingly rugged, crack-resistant, recyclable and reusable, and topped off with a ground-breaking interior lining that is 100% effective against leaching and combats residue build-up. Sigg is a proud participant in the 1% program, where 1% of all profits are returned to environmental causes.

13. Boon Snack Ball. This fun, sphere-shaped snack container is BPA-free. Its rigid form protects snacks from crushing making it great for travel. The two halves unscrew for easy cleaning.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants