This is my newly acquired friend plant. It was gifted from my dear friend La Petite Tricoteuse, as she will be leaving the mainland for some foreign exploits. So I will care for her dear plant in memory of her. I think it looks pretty nice on this stand. I still can’t figure out the exact placement of the table in this corner. Here is where it is now, but it’ll surely move. Ethan has been paying it much attention since it has entered the home. I think he wants to gnaw on the leaves. I’m hoping it won’t become a problem.

My mom sent me this card and I like the quote so much that I wanted to frame the card. Here it is all framed and proudly hanging on the wall. I got this awesome frame from Michaels. I love the red outline around the frame; it adds a splash of color. The card reads:

Dance as though no one is watching you,
Love as though you have never been hurt before,
Sing as though no one can hear you,
Live as though heaven is on earth.
~ souza

Check out these awesome cups I have at work. I have a mug and cup (for hot and cold beverages). Everything a girl needs to drink her day away the eco-friendly way. This cuts down on all the temptation to use throw away types of cups at work. Plus I can maintain the sanitary level on them as they are all mine … all mine!

I’ve already crossed this off the eco-wishlist but never blogged about it.

I recently finished reading “It’s Easy Being Green.” In it are a number of recommendations on what you can do to help the environment, a day at a time. So I’ve listed the items I want to focus on here so I can add them to my eco-wishlist.

• Take short showers.
• Turn the faucet off while shaving and brushing your teeth.
• Toss trash in the wastebasket, not the toilet.
• Take care of your vinyl shower curtain. – I now have a fabric shower curtain.
• Use water-based paints.
• Properly dispose of latex paint cans.
• Use rags instead of paper towels.
• Choose hydrogen- or oxygen-based bleaches.
• Buy concentrated products.
• Don’t wash clothes after every wear unless they’re really dirty.
• Buy phosphate-free, earth-friendly detergent.
• Keep my refrigerator full to cut down on energy.
• Keep the fridge at 37º F and the freezer at 3º F.
• Maintain my fridge twice a year.
• Use the toaster oven for smaller portion cooking.
• Switch to CFLs.
• Turn off the lights when not in use.
• Use ceiling fans to better circulate the air.
• Manage radiant solar gain.
• Buy gift wrap made of recycled paper.
• Reuse gift wrapping decorations.
• Get creative with gift wrapping.
• Recycle my Christmas tree.
• Choose energy-saving Christmas lights.
• Make my own gift tags.
• Participate in St. Jude’s Ranch for Children greeting cards program.
• Shop at my local farmer’s market.
• Eat less meat.
• Switch to cloth napkins.
• Decline  silverware, napkins and condiments when ordering out.
• Wash fruit and veggies in a bowl of cold water.
• Turn the faucet using half the volume.
• Buy in bulk instead of single-servings.
• Collect grey water for watering plants.
• Buy quality products.
• Use rechargeable batteries.
• Buy a paper shredder.
• Recycle old athletic shoes with the Nike program.
• Recycle plastic peanuts with loosefillpackaging.com.
• Download software instead of buying the CDs, when possible.
• Buy only plastic bottles labeled with 1 or 2.
• Create notepads out of scrap paper.
• Ride my bike when running errands three miles away.
• Once a week, use public transportation instead of driving.
• Buy eco-friendly antifreeze.
• Decline housekeeping when staying at a hotel.
• Don’t take the complementary bottles.
• Use biodegradable pet bags.

So a number of new items on the list. I’ll indicate that these are from It’s Easy Being Green with an “E” to clarify the source. Here’s to an eco-friendly 2008!

UPDATE: Reviewed Jan. 4, 2009.

I know this topic might be a bit personal and taboo, but here it goes, because let’s face it, it’s eco-friendly. A few months back, a friend of mine told me how she tried out the Diva Cup on a trip to Belgium. She loved it so much that she put her stamp of approval and raved so much over it, that I had to try it too.

Well, here I am raving too. Not only does it meet some personal preferences I have but it also reduces my consumption of feminine hygiene products. Women consume billions of tampons and sanitary pads each year; all finding their way into landfills around the country. The Diva Cup is reusable and safe, compact (fits under any sink!) and a cheaper alternative to buying products each month.

Why didn’t I do this earlier? I bought a reusable mug this week from Starbucks. I thoroughly enjoy my morning mocha treat. I know it’s pricey, but it gets me going in the day, helps me through the morning commute and energizes me on many days where I’m dragging.

Apparently Starbucks gives you 10 cents if you bring your own cup. That’s kind of a nice bonus. I also like this mug because it has a swing top lid that helps limit splatter.

I’ve used it each day. Ironically it matches my new wool dress coat, which is red.

This satisfies #2 on my eco-wishlist.

I finally got around to making some reusable produce bags using Circle of Life’s pattern. I am very excited about using these. I found the pattern makes some small bags so I want to make some larger ones for things such as corn or more than a few apples.

I’ll make the larger ones out of a blue tulle that I bought at JoAnns. I also brought a reusable canvas bag with me for all my shopping today (and this time I didn’t get thwarted.