Cloth napkins I recently made

Envelope I made from a paper grocery bag

Over the past year, I have done a pretty good job reducing the use of plastic in my day-to-day life. There are a few areas I need to work on, like the use of plastic produce bags at the grocery stores and farmers markets, but overall, I’ve done better than I have in years past.

For 2010, I decided to make an effort to cut back on the amount of paper I use .  I am usually mindful of my paper usage when it comes to eliminating unnecessary magazine and catalog subscriptions, junk mail, grocery stores bags, and reducing office and shipping paper. My use of miscellaneous paper products like napkins and facial tissue can be excessive at times, though I only buy 100% recycled paper products.  In an effort to reduce the amount of paper I use, I started using cloth napkins at the dinner table and handkerchiefs instead of facial tissue. I normally only use cloth napkins when I have guests, but whats stopping me from using them everyday?  Thankfully, I haven’t purchased a roll of paper towels in months, so that’s also a good start!

Have you made an effort to reduce the amount of paper and/or plastic in your life? Do you have any other ideas aside from what I mentioned?

I am happy to introduce a new promotion at Green and Chic:

Get $5.00 off purchases of $30.00 or more (before shipping and tax) with Google Checkout.*

Though this only applies to purchases using Google Checkout, this is good for any and every product I carry at Green and Chic, including the new Cherry Berry vegan handbag line (which I will soon blog about).  No codes required, just click “Google Checkout” in your shopping cart and the discount will be automatically applied.

*Limit 1 per person. No resale. Offer available until Monday, May 31, 2010 1:00:00 PM PDT

This is my first “link love” post of 2010 and I admit, I haven’t been doing many of these posts over the past…six months.  I recently found a few ‘must read and save’ links to start the new year off on the right foot.

Blogging (what else?)

If you have a blog, what are your blogging goals for 2010? Barbara Swafford with Blogging Without a Blog poses the question in her post: Looking Forward

If you have an eCommerce business, do you really need to blog?  This article: Do I Really Need a Blog For an eCommerce Business by Nate Moller of Thou Shall Blog gives you the answer you’re looking for.

Are you having a hard time just getting started with writing/blogging? Joanna with Confident Writing gave us a list of resources to help us get started (or continue) in 10 Posts to Help with Getting Started.

Fashion, crafts and green living

Though I try to avoid buying anything, if possible, I still love browsing online stores and boutiques. Top 10 Online Eco-Boutiques by Ecosalon kept me occupied for a while.

I’m currently on a sewing binge and Fab Fabrics: 2009 Retrospective by Crafting a Green World gave me additional ideas and inspiration for 2010.

Just Say No to Plastic - We all know just how toxic and destructive plastic is.  The problem its everywhere and its sometimes easy to forget that we should avoid it.  Lisa Sharp asks, “what are you doing to reduce plastic this year?” and offers a few suggestions.

Happy Hump Day!

Green and Chic on Facebook

Green and Chic has had a pretty hit or miss presence on Facebook over the past year. It seems like a small, insignificant  thing, but I am now committed to keeping my page updated.

I will post Green and Chic product updates, sales and Facebook only coupon codes.  Join us today!

When it comes to buying environmentally friendly products, we generally think of cleaning supplies, other household items, organic clothing, and more.  But what about what we use to write with?  Though I personally prefer pens, I still use pencils from time to time, and I’m sure if you have children, they probably go though a lot of them in the course of a school year.

Though pencils are a way of life for many people, we rarely think about the environmental impact of conventional pencils.   According to Forest Ethics, there are still manufactures that clear cut forests in California and Sierra Nevada to get wood for pencils.  In addition to that, 14 billion of these pencils are made in polluting factories every year.  What is the alternative?

Earthzone is proud to launch the world’s first environmentally friendly pencil. Earthzone pencils are non toxic and made from 100% recycled newspapers. The erasers are even latex free. I was sent a few packs of pencils and sharpeners to try out, and I must say, I am very impressed!  I was skeptical at first. I was expecting them not to be sturdy since they are made from…paper, but they act and feel just like a regular pencil.  The pencils sharpen easily, and do not break.  They actually feel and write better than traditional wood based pencils. In terms of how they look, the recycled newspaper is incorporated in the design, which looks pretty cool!

Earthzone offers a variety of pencils, including, HB, colored pencils and a pack of “artist series” pencils.

Do you buy pencils for yourself and/or your children? I guess I assumed most pencils were made from “recycled wood”, but I was wrong!  Have you thought about where your pencils come from?