Maxxinista

The urban dictionary defines a Maxxinista as a person who shops at the discount designer department store TJ Maxx, and one who finds unique and original designer items at discount prices.


Well, I am proud to say I'm a Eco-Maxxinista ;)  Recently I was delighted to find more glassware from the same company that made the recycled pitcher I'd found awhile back http://alacartegreen.blogspot.com/2011/02/recycled-beauty.html.  When I spied the familiar packaging and pretty green hued tumblers at my local TJMaxx/Homegoods, my inner Eco-Maxxinista grinned from ear to ear, and I had to buy them.  I'm attempting to claim them as" Mom only" glassware, but unfortunately the family seems to like them as much as I do.  They are a pale green glass, a nice hefty weight, and my favorite part is the imprint, "Authentic 100% Recycled Glass."

The only drawback to being an Eco-Maxxinista is that typically TJMaxx/Homegoods only has 1 or 2 items, and sadly this was the case with these beautiful glasses.  At least the 1 package that I found contains 4 tumblers.  Of course I needed to know more about the company, and searched the internet with the few clues I could find on the plain, minimalist, eco-friendly corrugated cardboard packaging  ("made in Spain", "San Miguel," 2 recycled symbols, and "Authentic 100% Recycled Glass.").   I was able to find The Recycled Glassware Company http://therecycledglasswarecompany.co.uk/, and found the tumblers too http://therecycledglasswarecompany.co.uk/shopping/pgm-more_information.php?id=313&=SID#MOREINFO.  But you can't beat the Maxxinista prices, so I'll be sure to peek around in the glassware section next time I'm in need of some eco-retail therapy ;)

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Does anyone remember the funny Staples commercial?  It makes me smirk every time, and now  at Christmas when I hear the original tune, I think of the commercial ;)

Well, the "most wonderful time of year" when the kids head back to school and hit the books, is just a few days away.  So why not send them back with a few eco-friendly school supplies?  One of my favorite green pens is the Pilot Bottle 2 Pen or B2P.  It's the "world's first pen made from recycled bottles", writes nice and smooth, and the kids can brag that they are using a pen made from 89% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles.   

It's hard to believe but my youngest is about to begin his last year of elementary school.  A few things almost all elementary school teachers ask children to bring are crayons, colored pencils, and markers to school.  For years my top pick has been Crayola.  Not only do I like Crayola's products, but I'm thrilled with their green initiatives.  Crayola is committed to using renewable energy, reducing waste, and "helping protect the environment, so children have a cleaner, greener planet".   Crayola's initiative to harness the power of the sun, and build a 30,000 panel solar farm on 20-acres of it's land is impressive.  According to Crayola, the panels produce enough power to make 1 billion Crayola crayons and 500 million markers a year.  Not only are their markers made with solar power, but they are manufactured with re-ground plastic scrap from marker production.  Although the entire marker is not recyclable, the #5 plastic caps can be recycled, and if the tip and reservoir are removed, the marker barrels can also be recycled.  Finally, Crayola's colored pencils are never made from endangered or rainforest wood, but are made from reforested wood; for every tree used, another of the same kind is planted. 

When it comes to paper, there are many eco-friendly options as well.  Staples sells Eco-friendly composition books and wirebound notebooks made with 80% sugarcane waste and printed with "eco-conscious vegetable-and-water based inks."  Other options, available at Target are the trendy and cute Greenroom products made with soy inks and recycled paper; recycled paper notebooks, recycled 3-ring binders, tree-free notebooks made from banana paper, recycled file folders, and recycled journals.

Even pencils, a staple for the school-bound, are now more eco-friendly.  For precision pencils, there are Pentel EnerGize-X Mechanical pencils made of 84% recycled plastic and making them more eco-friendly is the fact that they are refillable.  For traditional pencils think "green"...not only are the Paper Mate Earth Write pencils green on the outside, but they are also green on the inside and made with 100% recycled wood.

So send them back with some guilt free eco-friendly products and as they board the bus and you wave good-bye, go ahead and smirk as "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" commercial plays in your head.  

Green Time

I absolutely love the SPROUT watch line that I found, and it will most likely end up on my Christmas Wish List!   Not only are the watches stylish, reasonably priced at $30-$65, available at large retailers such as Kohls, Sears, Kmart, and Nordstrom, but they are also eco-friendly and offer many colorful options to suit your moods. 

One of the things I really like about the line of watches is that the cases and buckles are made of corn resin, which is a renewable resource.  It is also 100% biodegradable in the proper compostable environment, but will not degrade from everyday wear and tear since the corn resin is similar to synthetic plastics.

The watch straps are also made from 100% organic cotton, which means no damaging environmental pesticides used to make the cotton for their straps.  Sprout reports that non-organic cotton, "is one of the
most environmentally damaging crops to grow, as about 84 million pounds of pesticides are sprayed on US cotton crops alone in one year."  Their commitment to detail about the parts of these watches is truly inspiring, and should serve as a terrific example of what companies can provide to their customers.  

The natural bamboo dial is also a plus since bamboo is considered to be eco-friendly.  Bamboo is a quick-growth plant that helps absorb greenhouse gasses, is renewable within a short period of time, and is grown with little or no pesticides and fertilizers.

Finally, Sprout watches have mercury-free batteries, and are packaged with at least 80% post consumer fibers!

I love the philosophy of this company, and I hope Santa will slip one of these eco-friendly watches into my stocking this year!!!   Hint, hint, Santa, I've been a good, eco-conscious, green goddess this year!  Winks and kisses Santa!!!


Source:http://www.sproutwatches.com/eco_facts.asp