The EcoChic

To Spray or Not To Spray – That is the Question!

For 15 months we chose not to use a diaper sprayer out of pure frugality – I didn’t see the need to spend any money when our ‘system’ for dealing with poop was still working.  Then one fine day a Knickernappies Diaper Sprayer (thanks Diapers, Etc) showed up in my mailbox and I HAD to give it a try.  I immediately assumed my gender neutral position and decided that I could install this simple piece of plumbing equipment, right?  Neither hubs or I are incredibly handy but the diaper sprayer came with all of the pieces and simple, easy to follow instructions to install. 

I stepped into the bathroom and conducted a test – I turned off the water supply from behind the toilet and flushed to see if the tank emptied as the directions said it would.  Then I flushed again, and again – HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM!  We’ve feared for months now that we may have had a slight leak in the toilet (house was built in the 80′s and the bathrooms are ANCIENT!) – this confirmed my fear.  We’ve talked for months about completely over hauling both bathrooms to make them a little more modern (and a little less Florida Grandma style) but we are stingy with our money and keep putting it off (OK – we’re lazy)! 

So for weeks this beautiful diaper sprayer sat in a basket above the toilet waiting for the day I would fix our leak.  Oddly enough about a month later we experienced another leaky situation – our kitchen sink sprung a leak that needed to be repaired immediately!  When talking with the repairman (who happens to be a family friend) I asked about the other leaks in the house and how difficult it would be to fix those while we’re at it.  So one fine summer day we finally got all of our leaks repaired – and a new kitchen sink to boot!  He was even kind enough to install my lovely diaper sprayer for me – which according to him “took him seconds to install.” 

The Aftermath:

Now I have a diaper sprayer that still sits peacefully in the bathroom waiting to be used.  It’s installed but it rarely get’s used – at least to the capacity I would have anticipated it being used.  There are two issues that arise really:

1. My daughter RARELY poops at home!  She is at a babysitters house all day and LOVES to poop at her house.  She will honestly hold in her poop all weekend when she is home with us so she can poop at the sitters.  It’s actually not a bad problem to have – afterall no one really enjoys poop do they?

2. FORCE!  The force behind the diaper sprayer is actually incredibly strong.  It seems like everytime I use it I struggle to keep the water IN the toilet – leaving me with a wet messy bathroom to clean up.  This is actually a ”Like” and a “Dislike” – the extra force really helps remove that sticky nasty in-between solid poop. 

I guess I’m a “No Spray” girl - we normally use flushable liners in our diapers, especially if she’s been holding it in for a while.  That way most of the poop can be removed with a simple plop into the toilet.  Then whatever is left gets rinsed off in the sink (and yes, I’ll sanitize the sink when I’m done) before I put the diaper in the dirty pail.  Maybe if we had started with the sprayer in the early days of easy, breastfeeding poop it may have come in handy.

Diapers, Etc:  I realized after doing some homework on Diapers, Etc that they are actually a local company – they are located in Lutz, FL.  They sell a variety of cloth diapers, diapering accessories and an assortment of organic and eco-friendly baby products.   

BUY IT:  Want to buy your own diaper sprayer and judge for yourself, visit Diapers, Etc.  The Knickernappies Diaper Sprayer sells for $43.99 – add a few new cloth diapers to your order to be eligible for free shipping on orders over $75.

WIN IT:  Want to win your very own Knickernappies Diaper Sprayer – compliments of Diapers, Etc.?  To be entered to win you MUST leave me a comment below telling me how you handle the poop in your house – do you spray, dunk, swish, etc?  Be sure to tell me WHY you want to win a diaper sprayer in your comment and leave your email address so I can contact you if you win. 

BONUS POINTS:  Earn one extra bonus point for each of the following – leave a comment for EACH bonus step you complete. 
1. Twitter Love to @TheEcoChic, @DiapersEtc, and @EcoChicParties
2. Check us out of Facebook – and if you ‘Like’ what you see then ‘Like Us’
3. Tweet about this giveaway including a link back to this post. 

RULES:  Winner must be over the age of 18 and a resident of the continental United States.  Giveaway will close on September 15th, 2010.  Winner will be contacted using the email address they register with and must confirm their winnings within 48 hrs of notification.  Prize is provided by Diapers, Etc. 

Disclosure: In case you didn’t realize it already – Diapers, Etc. provided me with a Knickernappies Diaper Sprayer for review.  Your results may vary and you may fall madly in love with your diaper sprayer.  Either way - show a little love to Diapers, Etc because they are nice people. 

I remember about a year ago when I first joined the Twitter community seeing the numerous tweets about how excited everyone was to be going to BlogHer 9.  Each year 1000-2000 women (and yes some men) come out from behind their computers and meet one another.  As a newbie to all the madness I just watched from behind my screen as the events of the weekend were revealed.  There were parties (and a ton of them), there were giveaways, there was swag, there was controversy, and there were friendships formed – all while networking and learning the tricks of the trade.  

As the year went along I kept seeing announcements about BlogHer 10 hitting New York City in August.  I would read them and keep going to the next blog without giving it much thought.  As I continued to grow my blogging empire (ok – my online persona) and with the introduction of Eco Chic Parties I continued to yearn for more knowledge.  None of my friends are bloggers so I don’t have anyone to reach out to locally when questions arise - I just kinda learn things as I go.  In January of this year I obtained an invitation to the Disney Moms Social Media Conference which sound like fun – especially since it was only an hour away.  The price kept me thinking about it during the day wondering if I should attend.  By the time I sat down with my husband to discuss the opportunity the event was SOLD OUT!  In a matter of just a few short hours the extra tickets were gone.  I watched the events of that weekend unfold from behind my computer screen as well.

Now I was officially excited about trying to attend a blogging conference and I continued to watch the tweets about BlogHer 10 and the early bird specials.  By registering early you save a ton of money and the deadline was fast approaching.  In mid February I had to make a decision that will change my life as a blogger.  I kept seeing other bloggers looking for sponsors – and thought why can’t I do that?  So I reached out to those companies I had recently worked with on blog reviews and asked for help.  I was happily surprised when several of the companies said YES!  I had raised enough money in two days that I went out and purchased my very first BlogHer ticket!

It was official – on February 24th, 2010 I was committed to my blog and going to a conference.  Now what?  I’ve spent the last few months trying to figure it all out.  I haven’t even gone to the conference yet and I have a list of lessons learned a mile long.  But why am I nervous?

Maybe because I have to step out from behind my computer and let others see the real me.  As a blogger you can choose what you reveal to your audience.  In real life your flaws can been seen.  Nonetheless, I’m excited about the opportunity to meet some of my favorite bloggers, some of the companies I’ve blogged about, and some of my own readers.  I’m excited to meet new bloggers that I don’t currently read and companies I have never had the pleasure of working with.

If you are staying home with your families this weekend please don’t delete me as your friend on Twitter because you are sick of hearing about BlogHer – it’s only one weekend out of the year.  Watch the Twitter streams if you want and you may get some free lessons without having to leave your family.  There will be live blogging, tweeting, and video streams from myself and other attendees to share all the information we are learning.  

I will also have a few surprises from my sponsors (Bamboo Bums and Franklin Goose) just for my readers who are snuggled up at home.  I hope you stay tuned to see what they have to offer.  And while I’m away the mice will play…my daughter is at Camp Grandma/Grandpa while the hubby & son are in the air on their Roman holiday!  The boys will be joining me in NYC later in the weekend so they get the best of both worlds.  Is it OK that I’m a tad jealous of their adventure?

And a special thank you to my sponsors who helped me get to BlogHer this year.  Franklin Goose, Bamboo Bums, and Teething Bling/Smart Mom Jewelry all sponsored me financially.  Lillunia LLC and Rockin Green Soap both purchased ad space that I used to help with my trip.  Eco Chic Parties accepts payment for some parties – and that money has been used for trip expenses as well.  Mommy Doodles is my one and only graphic designer and technical expert.  Melanie is AWESOME and always willing to help me (sometimes I even pay her) with my blog(s).  She even designed my awesome business cards for me!

Giveaway alert! Details on how to win your very own Yum Yum Soy Candle & Room Spray at the end of this post.  Contest ended!  ECO-ngratulations Jen D!

Did you know that traditional paraffin wax candles are bad for your health and the environment?

Why paraffin is bad?

1.  Made from petroleum – thus increasing our demand for crude oil!

2. Paraffin contains up to 11 carcinogens that we shouldn’t inhale.

3.  Paraffin is not sustainable.

4.  Paraffin is not biodegradable.

5.  Burning paraffin can irritate your allergies and asthma.

Yum Yum Candle is a NJ based soy candle company who is helping reduce the impacts caused by our candle obsession.  We all love the way a room smells with the faint scent of your favorite candle.  Their candles are all made with soy or other natural vegetable sources and packaged in recycleable tin containers.  As I’m typing this I’m enjoying the fresh scents of a Peach Tea Smoothie - the perfect scent for a hot summer day.

Did you know?

- Soy burns cooler than paraffin?  This is a great benefit if you want to use the candles in the summer time – it will save on your AC bill because it will limit the temperature increase of your home.

-Soy is biodegradable.  When you are done with your candle any residue will biodegrade unlike petroleum based candles.

-Soy is a sustainable crop and if it were to leak into the Gulf it would NOT cause the disaster that we have today thanks to BP.

-If you spill a soy candle it was be cleaned up with soap and water – try that with paraffin!

Currently Yum Yum Candle sells a full line of soy candles (both in tin and glass jars), massage candles, room and linen sprays, reed diffusers, and coming soon – Yum E’Scentials – a full line of body care products.

Yum Yum Candle ONLINE:
Website/Store: http://www.yumyumcandle.com/
Facebook Fan Page:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Yum-Yum-Candle/65066981593
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/yumyumcandle

GIVEAWAY: Win a 7.5oz Yum Yum Candle in tin container plus one room & linen spray – scent of your choice.  To enter – visit Yum Yum Candle and tell me your favorite scent in the comments section.

Extra entries: Earn up to 5 extra entries each day.  Leave a comment below for each activity completed.
-Follow @YumYumCandle, @TheEcoChic and @EcoChicParties on Twitter – 1 entry for following all three combined.
-Like Yum Yum Candle, The Eco Chic, and Eco Chic Parties on Facebook – 1 entry for liking all three combined.
-Tweet about this giveaway using the following message – “Learn why you should use soy candles with @YumYumCandles & @TheEcoChic – Win your own candle set! Ends 9/15  http://bit.ly/duNYyj” up to 5 entries daily.

Rules: Giveaway open to all US residents over the age of 18.  A maximum of 5 entries per day will be accepted.  Giveaway will close at midnight (ET) on August 15th, 2010.  Winner will be selected randomly by The Eco Chic and prize will be shipped by Yum Yum Candle at the close of the giveaway period.  Winner will be contacted by email (so please ensure you leave your email somewhere in the entry form) at the close of the giveaway period.  Subject to change.

Disclosure: Thank you Yum Yum Candle for sending me a sample of your products for this review.

I’m a little excited – last night I finally did it – I opened my very own Etsy shop!  Right now there is one lonely little dress waiting for the perfect home – but more items will be added soon.  I have 6 more dresses on the sewing machine right now waiting for me to get sewing!

You may have seen the dress before – my little one has been spotted in this open backed, reversable, a-line dress before on here.  The peak-a-boo back is perfect for showing off that cute cloth diaper!  The patterns vary and I try to coordinate the colors to match the popular cloth diaper colors.

Here are pictures of my first listing on Etsy – available in newborn (0-3 month) size.  I know you may not all have newborns so don’t worry – more sizes are coming soon!  AND – I take custom orders too!  Just send me a conversation on Etsy and we’ll find the perfect pattern and size for your little darling.  This dress is available from newborn all the way to 24 months – and I’m working on a larger pattern too!  The last images are our prototypes that Lil’ B is enjoying.

Want to own your very own cloth diaper dress? I’m going to giveaway ONE dress when I get to 100 ‘hearts’ on my Etsy shop!  So go take a look at the shop and tell me what you think.  Come back here and leave a comment if you ‘hearted’ my shop (along with your Etsy username) and you’ll automatically be entered to win!  Once I get to 100 ‘hearts’ on the shop I’ll randomly select one of the comments and you’ll be among the first to receive this unique cloth diaper dress!  (*Available up to 24 months at this time)

My Etsy Shop:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheEcoChic?ref=top_trail

This guy knows how to have fun! Join us Thursday night at Eco Chic Parties for a Rump-a-Rooz Twitter Party where the winners of the YouTube video contest will be revealed.  Have you sent in your video yet?

 It feels like so long ago that I began my cloth diapering journey and I am know considered quite an ‘expert’ in all things fluff.  I have a good girlfriend who is currently expecting (in 2 weeks actually) and has come to me for advice.  She’s totally new to cloth diapering but this will be her third child – so there is some fear of the unknown. 

To read more about my recommendations for cloth diapering a newborn please hop on over to The Crafty Nest where Vanessa is hosting a whole week dedicated to cloth diapers!  I was her guest blogger yesterday and wrote about how to find the perfect cloth diaper for your newborn. 

Reading back over it now – the only other suggestion I would offer is pre-folds & covers.  While they may seem pretty old-school to most and a little more challenging if you are new to cloth, most parents who use pre-folds consider them perfect for newborns.  One benefit is that they are incredibly reasonable (ok they are cheap!!!) for the amount of time you will use the smaller size. 

Enjoy the read and be sure to visit The Crafty Nest all week as Vanessa has some amazing features and giveaways all focused on cloth diapering.

Giveaway alert!  One lucky reader will win a sample pack of products from Marcal Small Steps for making small changes to green your life.  Giveaway closed – ECO-ngratulations Stephanie R.

When companies send me products to review I don’t always write them up immediately – I’ve had my Marcal Starter Kit (disclosure) since April and I’m finally inspired to tell you how I feel about their product.  It’s usually better if I hold off and really review the products because I can give you a full and honest description of the products. 

The only thing remaining from our starter kit is a partial pack of napkins.  We don’t use disposable napkins often – we either use reusable cloth napkins or paper towels.  We normally shop at Publix grocery store and buy their own line of green recycled paper products – the only place locally that sells Marcal is SweetBay and we don’t (normally) shop there.  On occasion we will buy our paper products at Wal-Mart or Target but I’ve never seen Marcal there either.  

Compared to the Publix Greenwise products the Marcal products are fairly similar.  Here is my comparison and comments by product: 

Paper Towels - I couldn’t really tell much difference between the paper towels.  They picked up the wet messes just fine.  I’ve never been a picky person over absorbency with paper towels – I don’t normally have large spills to clean up. 

Tissues -I normally avoid the recycled nose tissues because we all know that they are rougher than those soft luxurious Puffs.  I have to say I wasn’t too impressed with the Marcal Small Steps tissues - they were not soft at all and if I had been sick or used them regularly I’m sure my nose would have been raw.  For the everyday tissue – they would probably be fine if you didn’t care too much about the softness.

Toilet Paper -I tried two different TPs; one was a single ply and the other was double ply.  Compared to the Greenwise the double ply was about the same.  The single ply was very thin and the roll emptied pretty quick. 

Napkins - Like I said I don’t normally buy napkins but I don’t really see a difference from brands that I’ve used in the past.  They are great to have around at dinner time if I’m not using the cloth napkins. 

All of the Marcal Small Steps are made of 100% recycled paper.  They don’t use chlorine bleach or dyes to make the paper ‘pretty’ and white.   Their products are all fragrance free too. 

Would I buy Marcal Small Steps? I would buy the paper towels and 2-ply TP ’if’ it were sold where I normally shop and if the price was comparable to what I already buy.  I won’t go out of my way to find a place to purchase it because it’s not really that much different from the brand I already use. 

If you don’t already purchase recycled paper products I would recommend taking ‘Small Steps’ to change your buying habits.  The easiest products to start with are the paper towels and napkins – followed by the TP.  Environmentally speaking – there is absolutely NO reason NOT to purchase recycled products if they are available.  I honestly have no idea why paper companies still manufacture them from virgin materials – i.e. Trees!  At Marcal they manufacture more than a MILE of paper every minute - that’s a LOT of paper – thankfully they are using our waste paper and not trees.    

Does your local store carry Marcal Small Steps?  Have you tried any of the Small Steps products?  What were your thoughts?  To find a store nearest you enter your zip code on their website. 

Want to win a starter kit of Marcal Small Steps products?  Leave a comment below after you visit their website and tell me one thing you learned – this can be about your local store, a specific product, or an interesting environmental fact – it’s up to you. 

Extra chances can be earned by following Marcal on Facebook and Twitter (1 entry each by leaving a separate comment below).   

Contest Rules:Must be over the age of 18 and the contest is open to anyone living in the USA.  Marcal will ship directly to the winner.  Giveaway will close on June 30, 2010 and I will randomly choose one winner.  Winner will have 48 hrs to claim their prize (I will email the winner) before a back up winner is selected.  Good Luck!

Giveaway closed – ECO-ngratulations Stephanie R.

Giveaway alert – One lucky reader will win a Yoreganics sample pack, complete with soap nuts, stain remover, brightens & whitens, and lip balm.  Details on how to enter at bottom of the post.  ECO-ngratulations @Helenlamby!

Regular readers may recall my previous review of soap nuts (EcoNuts) and my new found love of the soapberry tree.  These nuts (actually they are the shells of the berry from the soapberry tree) can be added to your laundry and used in place of traditional detergents.  YES – they really get your clothes clean.  I’ve been using them for months now and I love them.  I like that I don’t have to add nasty chemicals to get my clothes clean and I really love that I can use them on my cloth diapers!

What makes Yoreganics different?  Yoreganics sells more than just the soap nuts (which are also USDA certified organic).  They sell a USDA certified organic stain remover (made from saponified oils of coconut, jojoba and olive oils) and an eco-friendly alternative to bleach – the brightens & whitens.  Yoreganics also sells a USDA certified organic lip balm that is FABULOUS, foaming soap, and a facial cleansing bar.  Since Kimberly at Yoreganics was kind enough to send me some samples I’ve thrown them in my travel bag and use them wherever we go.  My lip balm is the only lip balm that I keep in my purse now – I love the spearmint tingle it leaves on my lips.

You can find Yoreganics online at the following places:
Store: http://www.yoreganics.com/index.htm
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Yoreganics/316394366308
Twitter: http://twitter.com/yoreganics
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/yoreganics

Here is a sweet video about Yoreganics that explains it all – and I love the music so turn up the speakers and sing along!

Win It- Want to win a sample pack from Yoreganics?  Visit their store and tell me something you learned about the products.  Leave your comment below to be entered to win. 

Bonus Entries – Leave a seperate comment for each entry.
1. Follow @TheEcoChic, @EcoChicParties and @Yoreganics on Twitter – 1 entry for all 3 follows
2. Like The Eco Chic, Eco Chic Parties, and Yoreganics on Facebook – 1 entry for all 3 likes
3. Subscribe to Eco Chic Parties newsletter – 2 entry points!
4. Make a purchase at Yoreganics – BONUS 5 entries!
5. Share this giveaway on Twitter (include link at @TheEcoChic & @Yoreganics in your tweet) – Max 5 entries per day

Giveaway ends on June 30th, 2010 at midnight (ET).  Winner will be chosen using Random.org from the list of valid comments. 

Giveaway closed – ECO-ngratulations @Helenlamby

Disclosure:Yep – Yoreganics sent me a sample of their wonderful product for review.  If you want to know if I really like it – look in my purse and you’ll still see my lip balm, look in my travel bag and you’ll still see my face soap, and look in my laundry and you’ll see my little while bag of soap nuts! 

Sponsored by Wee Willie Winks – an Orlando based cloth diapering retailer.

Thirsties Duo Diaper Review:

We’ve had our Thirsties Duo diaper now for a few months and I’m excited every time I pull it out of the drawer.  I love the orchid color – it’s a perfect match to a few of Lil’ B’s outfits.  Since it has a Velcro closure I know that daddy will use it and I can throw it in the diaper bag for our sitter too. 

The Duo is a two part diapering system.  While most pocket diapers are one-sized and start at 8-10lbs the Duo comes in two different sizes (Size 1 or 2).  The Size 1 is for newborns up to about 9 months (6-18lbs).  The Size 2 (the one I reviewed) is for 18-40lbs and should fit through potty training.  At 16mo and 21lbs Lil B fits nicely into the Size 2 – she was right at 18lbs when we received it and have never had any problems with the fit. 

The Duo is a pocket or sleeve diaper – instead of the traditional pocket with one opening for the insert – the Duo has openings in the front and back of the diaper.  This is why some call it a sleeve diaper.  The sleeve actually allows you to stuff (or unstuff) the diaper more easily. 

Another unique feature of the Duo is the double inserts.  The inserts snap together so they don’t bunch or twist when stuffing.  One insert is a microfiber terry and the second insert is hemp/cotton - together they form an amazingly absorbent team that will keep your heave wetter dry at night.  The microfiber is quick to absorb the pee (place closest to the baby) while the hemp is much more absorbent and locks the pee in for longer periods of time.  Added together with the leg gussets (unique from most pocket diapers) nothing will escape this diaper!

Thirsties Fab Wipes:

When I first spoke with Carissa the owner of Wee Willie Winks she asked what type of wipes I was using.  At the time we hadn’t made the break from disposable wipes full time and had only been using baby washcloths on occasion.  Carissa sent me some Fab Wipes with the promise that I would fall in love – and I did.  They are made from a 2-ply cotton velour and are noticeably softer than any washcloth I’ve ever seen.  The Fab Wipes come in a set of 6 bright colors and measure 8″ X 8″ each.  Now that we have our wipes warmer I simple wet the wipes (usually with baby shampoo and a drop of Tea Tree Oil), roll them neatly like a burrito, and place them in the warmer.

The wipes wash up nicely – I just throw them in the same load as my diapers and wash away.  Just be careful not to add bleach if you are washing your wipes and diapers together – I accidentally did this and now have tie-dyed wipes!  *Laughing*

Wee Willie Winks:

With very few local choices I was excited to find Carissa with Wee Willie Winks.  She is located in Orlando, FL (not exactly in my town – but only about an hour away) and I promise that one day I will meet up with her in real life.  We travel to Orlando frequently so it’s not impossible.  I really do wish she were here in Tampa though – she is very personable and offers monthly classes (more like playgroups with fluff) for local residents.  She’s even created a Yahoo Group for residents to keep in touch.  Carissa is very involved with the local community and hosts presentations at local baby and environmental events – most recently held an Earth Day event.  If you happen to be in Orlando be sure to look them up – while they don’t have a brick and mortar store you can arrange for local pick ups.  Maybe I’ll need something over Memorial Day when we go back that way!!

You can follow Wee Willie Winks on both Twitter http://twitter.com/weewilliewinks) and Facebook for special offers and sales.   

Promo Offer:

Shop at Wee Willie Winks and save 15% off any Thirsties products with coupon code ECOCHICREVIEW.

Giveaway alert! See bottom of post to enter to win a Go Green Trio from Litter Free Lunch. Giveaway ended. ECO-ngratulations mphin278.

If I was a series type of blogger I would start a new series on ‘How can I recycle…?’  But as you all know my regular columns don’t EVER happen regularly!  LOL! 

The question today is “How can I recycle sandwich bags and old plastic storage containers?”

Kids across America have 2 choices at school these days.  1) Eat the cafeteria food (which my son actually enjoys), or 2) pack their lunch.  For kids (or parents) who opt to pack their lunches they can create about 67lbs of garbage each school yearfrom their lunchboxes alone!  Think about all those pre-packaged lunch kits, baggies, juice pouches, napkins, and plastic cutlery that they trash every day!  While some of these items might be recycleable most schools (at least where we are in FL) don’t have established recycling programs in the cafeterias. 

How many fundraisers does your kids school have?  Some days it may feel like millions…and a lot of them are junk you don’t need!  In our house we are trying to be more eco-friendly and trying to eat healthy so we don’t need wrapping paper and cookie dough.  Unfortunately the schools depend on this money to help with the programs that they offer to our kids.  WHAT IF…instead of selling you more junk you don’t need they actually made money off the junk they throw away every day?

Enters TerraCycle…yes, another raving post about my friends at TerraCycle!  What have they come up with now?

Ziploc Home Storage Brigade!

This brigade (or fundraiser/collection event) is only open to schools.  For every baggie or storage container that your school sends to TerraCycle - TerraCycle will pay you $0.02(for every 0.1lb of containers).  Even better is that they will take any brand of baggie and any brand of storage container AND they don’t even have to be clean!  No worrying about who’s going to clean the leftover peanut butter out of the bottom of the baggies…just package them up and ship them to TerraCycle.  TerraCycle will even pay the postage! 

Recap – 67lbs of garbage each year from one kids lunchbox = $1.34.  I know that doesn’t sound like a lot but now multiply that by the number of kids who pack their lunch at your school.  Let’s say that 200 kids pack their lunches.  200 X 1.34 = $268!  That’s free money from your trash!  I wish someone would hand me a check for $268 on trash day!  Think larger…tell the kids to collect their containers and baggies from home….tell them they can bring them to school and RECYCLE them…and it’s a fundraiser!  We already keep box tops – why not keep trash!  TRASH = MONEY FOR YOUR SCHOOL!

Now…let’s see how effective my proposal is to the rest of the PTA Board when I present this to them at the next meeting.  Oh yeah – did I tell you?   Next school year I am CO-PRESIDENT of the PTA!  Watch out school…you are about to be GREEN!  With the help of TerraCycle they are about to find new avenues for fundraising where we don’t have to sell anything.

WANT MORE SOLUTIONS?  Did you know that companies are now selling reusable cloth baggies and napkins for kids lunches? 

I know my son probably has the greenest lunch box in the cafeteria but he rarely has any disposable items.  We now use the Go Green Trio from Litter Free Lunch.  The Go Green Trio includes a reusable snack bag, a reusable sandwich bag, and a cloth napkin.  They are all made with 100% cotton twill and are machine washable.  Each bag comes with a Velcro closure so your kids lunch will stay inside the bag.  We already love their napkins and I’m happy to see Litter Free Lunch now making coordinating bags.  They are easy to throw in my purse or diaper bag when we go out so Lil’ B always has an emergency snack attack! 

WIN A GO GREEN TRIO!  Yes you can win your very own Go Green Trio from Litter Free Lunch.  Visit their website and tell me what your favorite product and color is.  Leave your comment below to be entered.
EXTRA ENTRIES:
1.  Become Twitter Followers of @LitterFreeLunch, @TerraCycle, and myself @TheEcoChic (1 pt for following everyone – leave your comment below with @Username)
2.  Visit our Facebook Fan pages and LIKE us all…if you do indeed like us!  Litter Free Lunch, TerraCycle, and The Eco Chic (1 pt for Liking everyone – leave your comment below)
3.  Visit my newest blog – Eco Chic Partiesand sign up for my Newsletter.  Eco Chic Parties is home to great eco-friendly Twitter Parties on Thursday nights at 9pm ET.  (1 pt for subscribing – must confirm subscription.  Leave a comment)
4.  Tweet about this giveaway and post; be sure to include @TheEcoChic and a link back here!  (1 pt for tweeting per day)

Contest open to residents of the US over the age of 18.  Contest period closes at midnight ET on May 26th, 2010.  GOOD LUCK!

CONTEST CLOSED! ECO-ngratulations Mphin278!

Disclosure: I was provided a Go Green Trio from Litter Free Lunch to review for this post.  That’s all!