The company is also introducing a reusable shopping tote. The foldable, metallic brushed linen bag will feature a cityscape design representing every city where a Nordstrom store can be found. The bag comes in a little case that serves as the bottom of the bag when it is unfolded. Big enough to fit two shoe boxes, the bag will retail for  $21.95. Look for it first in the Northwest, Northern California, and Southern California.

Let’s hope Nordstrom’s next step is to sell clothing made from recycled, hemp and organic cotton fibers.

The post Nordstrom Bags It appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Whether you work at home or have a small business, you can have a big environmental impact depending on the paper products and cleaning products you use.

Our sponsor for this post, Dolphin Blue, has pulled together a “Green Office Starter Kit” to make it easier to waste less and create a healthier environment no matter where you work.

What’s included in your Green Office Starter Kit?

• 100% Recycled paper – Producing 1 ton of non-recycled printing and office paper “from scratch” uses 24 trees. Making paper from recycled content saves trees. In fact, says Dolphin Blue, 1 ton (40) cartons of paper made up of 50% postconsumer (already been used) content copier paper saves 12 trees. Plus, it reduces the amount of trash that gets tossed in a landfill. The starter kit includes 1 ream/500 sheets of 100% postconsumer recycled paper.
• Recycled Paper Towels – I generally advocate using reusable sponges rather than paper products to mop up spills. But if you do have to use paper towels, they should be made from postconsumer waste. The 2 rolls of Earth Friendly Products paper towels in the starter kit are made from 100% recycled material, 80% of which is postconsumer (the other 20% may come from paper scraps that were never used, but were incorporated into the paper towels rather than thrown away).
• Facial Tissue – If a cloth hankie won’t do, at least choose facial tissues made from 100% recycled paper, as are the three Seventh Generation boxes included in Dolphin Blue’s kit.
• Trash Bags – The trash bags in the kit are the tall 13-gallon variety, and made from 97% postconsumer recycled material.

Safe Cleaning Products

Many cleaning products contain potent chemicals that leave behind annoying fragrances or residues that can irritate our lungs and eyes and make us cranky and irritable. The best cleaning products do the job without making people sick. The Green Office Starter Kit includes:

• Hand Soap – This Better Life No Regrets Soap is made from purified waters and plant-based ingredients, without sulfates, synthetic fragrances or dyes, parabens, phthalates or triclosan. It has not been tested on animals, either.
• All Purpose Cleaner – The Better Life what-EVER all purpose cleaner works on any washable non-porous surface, including countertops, appliances, sinks, toilets, walls, baseboards, floors, tables, chairs, showers and tubs. You can order it unscented or lightly scented with sage and citrus. 99.99% of the ingredients are derived from plants.

You can see additional green office products, including printer ink and toner, calendars and planners, and filefolders at the Dolphin Blue website.

Sponsor: Dolphin Blue bills itself as “the first and only online ALL-green general store.” It was founded in 1994 on the belief that “we can all be responsible in what we use.” The company’s products contain a minimum of 20% post consumer recycled material whenever possible and are manufactured with a minimal carbon footprint. In addition to eco-friendly production, Dolphin Blue provides a portion of its profits annually to local chapters of environmental non-profit organizations. The company’s mission statement says it all: “To serve as your trusted source of the world’s most environmentally and socially responsible products – to assure your well being and a healthy, sustainable planet.” For more information, call 1-800-932-7715 or contact Dolphin Blue here.

The post The Green Office Starter Kit Will Help You Waste Less, Breathe Better appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Needless to say, given these impacts, I’m not a big fan of paper that’s produced just to be used once and thrown away. What’s in that category? Paper towels. Paper napkins. Paper face tissue. Disposable wipes made from paper. Toilet paper (well, okay, I tolerate toilet paper).

Why not use cloth? In every category except toilet paper, cloth offers a cheaper and more eco-friendly option. Cloth towels and napkins can easily replace their paper counterparts and save consumers hundreds of dollars a year. When they wear out, they can be used as rags and wipe-up cloths. A cloth towel or napkin has a useful life of years, compared to the seconds a paper towel has value.

Why the rant? Because I just received an e-mail from the Marcal paper company extolling the virtues of their “Small Steps Save-a-Tree” Paper Towel Design Contest. The contest is urging “artists and tree lovers of all ages” to submit original drawings that show their love for trees. The winner of the contest will be flown to California to “hug a giant tree.” The winning drawings will be used to promote Marcal products – throwaway paper products.

Now, Marcal is more virtuous than many other paper companies. It makes all of its paper products from recycled paper as opposed to pulp from virgin forests. It does not use chlorine to bleach its paper, and it adds no dyes or fragrances.

The problem is, it still makes paper designed to be used once and thrown away. Which begs the question: apart from toilet paper, should Marcal (or any company, for that matter), be in the throwaway paper business at all?

Campaigns like the Small Steps Save-a-Tree Design Contest make consumers feel good about using throwaway products. That’s wrong. Marcal and other companies would do the planet a world of good if they encouraged consumers to use cloth instead of throwaway paper.

By the way, what do you think the carbon footprint will be of the person they fly to California to hug that tree?

The post Are there any “good” paper towels? appeared first on Big Green Purse.

The non-profit research group evaluated dozens of brands of toilet paper, facial tissue, paper, towels and napkins according to three criteria:

1) How much recycled content they contained – using 100% recycled content helps protect forests because it significantly reduces the demand for trees, especially trees coming from native forests.

2) How much of that was post-consumer waste – to get the top ranking, at least 50% post-consumer waste needed to be used in manufacturing the product.

3) How the paper was bleached – the top-ranked products are not bleached using chlorine, which can create the toxic byproduct dioxin.

According to Greenpeace, Americans could save more than 400,000 trees if each family bought a roll of recycled toilet paper—just once.

The group has produced a pocket guide you can use when you shop to buy the most eco-friendly option.

Brands that ranked high on the Greenpeace list include:

* Green Forest

* 365 Whole Planet (available at Whole Foods)

* CVS Earth Essentials

* Seventh Generation

* Trader Joe’s

* Cascades

Of course, when it comes to napkins and towels, use cloth, and avoid the paper debate altogether.

The post Please don’t squeeze the Charmin – or use it for anything else! appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Invitations : Reduce paper and postage costs by inviting your guests electronically. Apart from being quick and easy, Evite is free; Sendomatic charges a small fee, but there’s no advertising on its website. If you want to print and mail an invitation, recycled paper is available in many colors and designs from most art, stationery, and office supply stores. On-line, Twisted Limb makes invitations and stationery from recycled paper by hand. Use a copy of the book’s cover on your invitation.

Location and Lighting : Weather permitting, discuss your book outside.  A front porch, wrap-around deck, roof top, patio, or even park can create the perfect ambience to discuss a book all about protecting Mother Nature.

If it’s an evening affair, candles can help brighten your setting (and keep the bugs at bay if you do meet outside).

• Way Out Wax offers a variety of candles made from pure vegetable waxes scented with natural essential oils like citronella, rosemary, orange or eucalyptus.
• Elegant beeswax tapers with all-cotton wicks can be found at Candlebee Farm, Abundant Earth, or the Beeswax Candle Company.

Want to be more festive?  String energy-efficient LED lights, which use 80 to 90 percent less energy than incandescent mini-lights, through trees and along walkways. Try the Light string from Inirgee; check Home Depot, Lowe’s, or your local hardware store.

  Refreshments : Serve locally grown fruits and vegetables, fresh hand-pressed ciders, artisan cheeses and homemade breads and pastries, all available from your nearest farmers market.  Whole Foods Markets and some natural foods stores prepare delicious platters of  organic vegetables, fruits, breads, crackers, dips and cheese.

Organic beverages – including fruit juice, sparkling cider, wine, beer and spirits — are available at most natural food stores, Whole Foods Markets, food coops, and an increasing number of standard grocery store chains and liquor stores. Some brands to look for:

R. W. Knudsen’s Organic Juices
Santa Cruz Organic Juices and Nectars
Frey Vineyards’ award-winning organic and biodynamic sulfite-free wines
Samuel Smith Organic Ale & Lager from Tadcaster, England
Wolaver’s Organic Beers from Middlebury, VT
Maison Jomere’s Organic Vodka and Juniper Green  London Dry Gin

If you opt for soda, buy cans or bottles you can recycle. Skip the bottled water in favor of cooled (and filtered, if necessary) tap water or iced tea.

Setting the Table : Use cloth table linens and napkins, and reusable plates and cutlery to reduce trash.

Reusable plate options can include ceramics you can get for a dollar a plate at local dollar stores, or “china” made from recycled plastic. Preserve offers sturdy, dishwasher safe plates in two sizes, a seven-inch that’s perfect for buffets, and a ten-inch that you would serve for a larger meal.

If you must use paper, shop recycled. Marcal makes lunch and dinner napkins with high degrees of recycled content.

Adorn the table with flowers and greenery from your yard, enhanced with fruit, candles, ribbons and other nature-based decorations available at your fingertips.

When the Party’s Over : Recycle. Make it easy by setting up a bin for empty cans and bottles in the kitchen or on the porch.  If you compost, clean plates into the compost bin before washing.  Wrap up left-overs in reusable containers to send home with your guests or save in the freezer or refrigerator for a delicious reminder of the great time that was had by all!

The post EARTHDAY COUNTDOWN – Have a Big Green Book Party appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Says Raz  Godelnik, an Eco-Libris co-founder, the company works with readers, publishers, writers, bookstores, and others in the book industry to balance out the paper used for any book by planting trees. About 20 million trees are cut down annually for virgin paper to be used for the production of books sold in the U.S. alone. Eco-Libris raises awareness about the environmental impacts of using paper for the production of books and provides book lovers with a simple way to do something about it: plant a tree for every book they read. Ten dollars will cover tree planting for ten books.

To date, Eco-Libris has balanced out over 24,000 books, resulting in the planting of more than 31,500 new trees! Kedzie Press is collaborating with Eco-Libris in a “Million Tree-A-Thon” initiative” to plant one million trees for one million books by the end of 2009.

The Eco-Libris program is being offered by some local bookstores; otherwise, it’s easy to participate on-line.

Thumbs up, Eco-Libris.

You can read my interview with Eco-Libris here.

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In addition, the books contain at least 30 percent recycled fiber.  All 100,000 copies of the deluxe edition will be printed on 100 percent recycled paper in a renewable-energy-powered factory.

The best news? Making Harry Potter sustainable spurred the development of 32 new ecological papers, six for The Deathly Hallows specifically. The initiative also encouraged 300 publishers to adopt new environmental policies that, hopefully, will endure beyond Harry’s last battle with Voldemort.

All told, publishing the English-language editions of this last Potter tome on earth-friendly paper have saved 197,685 trees — an area about 2.5 times the size of Central Park — and reduced greenhouse-gas emissions by 7.9 million kilograms, the Canadian environmental group Markets Initiative reports. Here’s how they explain the achievement in pictures:

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