Archive for the ‘Being Green’ Category

This is a promotional post for Conscious Box. All opinions are my own. Any misinformation is also mine! I will be receiving a Conscious Box for posting and one will be provided to one reader who will be selected from commenters to this post. The deadline for entering is noon on May 12, 2013. The winner will be announced on May 13, 2013. For complete information about entering, please read through to the bottom of the post. Good luck!

Let’s do a giveaway! Next week is my birthday! Thanks for asking, I’ll be 29! (Again…uh hum!) And it’s Mother’s Day!

I absolutely love sample boxes of products, don’t you? I’ve done several different types (health & beauty and fiber) and it’s such a thrill getting that box in the mail and tearing it open. I love seeing new products and old favorites.

The Conscious Box is especially wonderful because:

While Conscious Box strongly supports organic agriculture, not all products will be organic certified. This is because not all companies and the farms they work with have the resources to secure a certification. Fear not! Conscious Box has always discussed the ins and outs of trade, manufacturing, and production for each product we include. We hold our businesses to the highest standards, and only work with those who show true commitment to a healthy environment and ethical business practices.

Isn’t that wonderful? The Conscious Box brings us goodies from big and little companies. It’s a nice way for the smaller, family-owned conscientious businesses to get some of their products into our hands.

I like the idea of the Conscious Box bringing me natural, wholesome products each month. Like you, I’m constantly looking for things that are the best for myself and my family. I don’t want to fill our lives with unnecessary chemicals and unnecessary ingredients. The Conscious Box will give me a heads up on some of the products that just might work for all of us! There are even vegan and gluten-free options available. This way you won’t get items you can’t use!

How does the Conscious Box work? You can choose your own subscription length: by the month, quarter, half-year, and year. Each month the box is shipped (you’ll be notified and given a tracking number) and when your goodies arrive it will be like your birthday! Or Christmas! Or…well, you get the picture. Each month is $19.95, with discounts given for multi-month subscriptions.

What happens if you find something you really like? You can order it directly from Conscious Box. There’s even an opportunity for you to review products. I love sharing my opinion, how about you?

Please like Conscious Box on Facebook so you can stay in touch with this great company.

This giveaway is open to residents of the United States only. Please comment below to be entered to win until noon, May 12th, 2013, and will be announced on Monday, May 13, 2013. Good luck!

 

I live in an area of disposable architecture. I must be the only one in the suburbs of Chicago who prefers an aging bungalow to a mass produced McMansion. Because all the houses with character are being torn down and being replaced with something with much less character and charm.

I don’t live in a house with charm. It’s one of about three models in our subdivision. It’s a nice house. It gets the job done, but there are no quirky built-ins or decorative wood work. There was no history here when we moved it; any that exists was created by us.

Growing up I knew a house with character. I was fortunate enough to live next door to my neighborhood’s “haunted house.” It was an eerie, hulking structure. No one lived in it when I was a child, but we played there nearly every day.

The giant pine tree was so big that the interior was a perfect play house. I can still remember the smell of pine sap and remember being covered in it as we tried climbing.

The redbud tree had a perfect branch for sitting in while reading. And if that wasn’t comfortable enough, the large, deep front porch provided a great place for lolling in the shade on a hot summer day. Adding to the mystery of the house was an old bathtub, still enclosed in packing materials. Why was it there? Why was it never installed?

The yard was full of mysterious things. Beautiful peonies dotted the yard in the summer. Bridal wreath bushes provided more rooms for secret meetings as well as head dressings for when we played bride.

The back porch was rickety and dangerous, nothing like the front porch. But we braved it occasionally to peek through the glass to see what was within. We knew from the open windows in front that there was still furniture and pictures hanging. From the back porch we could see the dining table. A side window revealed an ancient erector set, built into some contraption.

When I was in high school, someone moved in and I was able to make friends with him. Now I had access to the inner sanctum! The house had an old, dusty smell. It wasn’t unpleasant. It spoke of abandon and despair, but also of people who loved it enough to have someone in to clean even while it was lreft behind.

The kitchen held mysterious appliances (now I knew it was an early dishwasher!) and gorgeous built-ins that still held dishes and glassware. Old bathrooms contained grooming products from the ladies who formerly lived there. I know there were women because their clothes still hung in bedroom closets. Ancient toys sat unused and unappreciated in other bedrooms.

Up in the attic, paintings from an artist associated with the house were stacked ten deep. Abstract canvases abandoned with everything else.

I loved the house.

The last time I was in it, it was in such disrepair, I knew it wasn’t long before it was gone. I could see no hope in the plaster and lath walls that let in sunlight. I imagined the snow and rain gaining access to the interior, slowly rotting it away. Maybe like the dreams of the people who once lived there and who abandoned it and all their belongings?!

But I was wrong. I learned that the house had been sold. My first reaction was that it would be torn down. No! It is being lovingly restored by an instructor at Fort Hays State University. He and his students have plans for the structure and they’ve already made progress! It is being chronicled here at http://west17th.tumblr.com.

I am delighted. No, it will never be my house. But it isn’t going to be destroyed. I hope you have as much fun as I am watching the secrets of the house being revealed (this blog is how I found out the sink contraption was a dishwasher!) and the changes being made. In this day of disposable buildings, it is pleasing to find someone willing to re-capture the beauty of a once grand home.

Check out west17 and let me know what you think. What I could have done with the place…

 

This is a sponsored post written by me for AVEENO®. All opinions are 100% mine.

Rachelle Roper of Feed the Need Garden

AVEENO® just announced the THIRD winner of their Be An Active Natural™ Fund: Rachelle Roper of Belleview, FL. and her organization, Feed The Need Garden, will receive the $10,000 grant as a reward for the incredible work she does! And you have a chance to win a set of gardening tools and seeds to plant some of the Active Naturals ingredients in your own garden! (Details on entering are below.)

AVEENO®, best known for its ACTIVE NATURALS® ingredients, launched the BE AN ACTIVE NATURAL™ Fund to award individuals and organizations that create positive changes in their communities.  Eight $10,000 grants are being awarded throughout 2012 to consumers whose work impacts the lives of others through one of these three categories:

• Inspiring others to see their natural and inner beauty
• Educating about the values of an active and healthy lifestyle
• Preserving, restoring and improving the local environment

Rachelle truly is an Active Natural. After learning all there is to know about gardening and producing her own source of food while growing up, she saw the need to share the insight and knowledge she acquired to others in her community during the economic downturn. From there, Feed the Need Garden was born. This non-profit’s mission is “to end hunger locally by teaching those in need how to grow and preserve their own food.”

Rachelle organizes local seminars where she educates those wanting to learn her craft. In addition, Rachelle has donated a plot of her very own land to create what she calls “the teaching garden,” where she invites locals to learn best practices first hand. This grant will allow the Feed the Need Garden to continue to expand, allowing Rachelle to educate more people allowing her to continue her non-profit’s mission.

I am thrilled for Rachelle, but it doesn’t end there! AVEENO® will be rewarding one philanthropic organization every month until December! The next two Be An Active Natural™ Fund semi-finalists will be up on August 13.

Please visit the AVEENO® Facebook page to like AVEENO® and click the Be An Active Natural tab to vote or enter!

How can you win the garden tools and seeds giveaway? By commenting on this post! Share anything about gardening below and you’re entered. A winner will be drawn on Monday, August 13, 2012 at 5pm CST. The giveaway is open to United States residents only.

 

How would a $10,000 grant help you BE AN ACTIVE NATURAL™ leader in your community? Are you already doing work to make your little piece of the world brighter and better? Would some extra money extend your reach? Spread the word?

AVEENO has the answer! The ACTIVE NATURAL™ program is about the people behind the acts that make our world a better place. These people celebrate Earth Day year-round. They are passionate about their beliefs and want to talk about them constantly. They are the people who are making a difference!

This year, the AVEENO® Brand is launching the BE AN ACTIVE NATURAL™ Fund to award more than $300,000 in grants to individuals and organizations that create positive change in their communities. The program began on April 10, 2012 and the ends on October 31, 2012 at 12:00 pm EST.

You can enter to win one of eight $10,000 grants that will be awarded in 2012 by creating positive change in one of the following ways:

• INSPIRE - Inspiring others to see their natural and inner beauty
• EDUCATE - Educating about the values of an active and healthy lifestyle
• PRESERVE - Preserving, restoring and improving the local environment

Check out the details here and find the link for submitting your story. How are you nurturing beautiful change? Tell us what kind of activities you’re doing to nourish beautiful change within your community, school or family, for example. Each month, through November, two finalists from all the eligible entries will have the opportunity to win a $10,000 grant to further their efforts. And it could be you or someone you know!

Go to the AVEENO® facebook page for full program details to vote for the Active Natural who inspires you.

If you do enter, I’d love to hear about it! I want to share your story with all my readers! Good luck!

 

As an AVEENO Ambassador, I am provided products and information about these products for free. I have access to webinars with the creators of these products. Any reviews of products are my personal thoughts and preferences.

I am being compensated by Aveeno and Recyclebank for my support of this program. Aveeno has provided me with full-sized products for my personal use and to use as giveaways. They have provided the full-sized products to be given away this month. Any errors in communicating Aveeno or Recyclebank’s missions, products, or programs are on my part.

Summer skin protection is a big issue with me. Even before being diagnosed with Sjogren’s Syndrome and developing an incredible sun sensitivity, I was leery of the sun after reading about the rising incidents of skin cancer. After a childhood and early adulthood spent burning and tanning every summer, I knew I was at risk.

I’ve been lax about getting my skin screenings at my dermatologist. But I’m not lax about using sun screen every day. Finding a sun screen that is nice enough to wear daily isn’t always easy though.

Luckily, Aveeno has a sunscreen that works perfectly for me! Aveeno’s Hydrosport Sunblock Lotion is my choice for this summer! I’m excited about the way the lotion goes on. It isn’t sticky or hard to spread. It actually does flow like a body lotion. After it’s applied, it doesn’t immediately have nor does it develop later, that sticky, oily feel so many sunscreens do as the day wears on. I’ve been using it for awhile and even on our recent hot Chicagoland days, I never felt it.

If you, like me, have been lax about getting your annual skin screening, you’re in luck! Aveeno and The Skin Cancer Foundation are teaming up with RiteAid pharmacies to bring the screenings to you! Check out the tour dates here and make a date with yourself (and your Bestie?!) to go get screened!

Oh! Have you been to Aveeno’s Facebook page lately? This month’s pledge is to reduce plastic bottle waste! If you’ve been reading Motherhoot for awhile, you know this one is near and dear to my heart! I’m always trying to be greener! I never buy bottled water. We have a filter on the refrigerator water dispenser. It’s been several years since we’ve given up the bottled water, but we haven’t missed it. If you’re still using plastic water bottles, please consider giving them up. There are adorable water bottles that can be reused again and again.

For this month’s giveaway, I have an assortment of Aveeno sun products. To register, please comment. I will draw a winner on May 19th, after 5pm central standard time. For a bonus entry, tweet about this post, using the #motherhootaveeno hashtag. Good luck!

 

I am being compensated by Aveeno and Recyclebank for my support of this program. Aveeno has provided me with full-sized products for my personal use and to use as giveaways. They have provided the full-sized products to be given away this month. Any errors in communicating Aveeno or Recyclebank’s missions, products, or programs are on my part.

In my quest to be greener, I have been given a great opportunity! I (and other bloggers) are partnering with Aveeno and Recyclebank to bring you news about great Aveeno products and about recycling-encouraging Recyclebank.

Through webinars, I have learned how Aveeno develops their Active Naturals products. Who knew that there are thousands of natural elements out there that have the potential to be in an Aveeno product? The Aveeno labs work to find the best combination of natural and synthetic ingredients to bring the best skin care to us.

Recyclebank encourages us to recycle, by allotting points for the act of recycling! They are actively partnering with some communities recycling programs, so points can be earned by the weight of your recycling bin. I wish this was available in my community, but as of yet, it isn’t. Points can be used to for all kinds of things! The more points you earn the better rewards!

Aveeno and Recyclebank have combined their Earth-friendly goals through the pledge program running on the Aveeno Facebook page. You can be an Active Natural by taking monthly pledges. This month I am taking the pledge to educate people on cleaning the air and buying a houseplant. What are your pledges?!

Aveeno kicked off Earth Month by building a forest in Times Square. According to the press release:

AVEENO Creates an Educational, Green Oasis to Raise Environmental Awareness, Encourages Consumers to Take One Million Steps towards a Healthier, More Beautiful Earth in 2011

What can we do to create a more beautiful and healthier Earth? Again from the press release:

• Planting a tree — In one year, one tree can turn 260 pounds of CO2 into clean oxygen
• Switching out regular light bulbs for energy efficient ones — Energy efficient bulbs use about 75 percent less energy and can save an average household more than $40.00 a year on the electric bill
• Using more sustainable forms of transportation, like carpooling or riding a bike to work; doing this one day a week, can reduce an individual’s annual CO2 emissions by eight percent

To kick this off with you, I am giving away a full-sized bottle of Aveeno’s Shampoo and a full-sized bottle of Conditioner for Color-Treated hair to one lucky winner. This is an easy giveaway. Simply comment below (make sure to include an email address where you can be reached if you win!). For a bonus entry, tweet using the #motherhootaveeno hashtag offering a green tip and linking to this post. I will draw the winner Friday, April 15, 2011, at 7pm CST.

Good luck!