Have you ever heard of a reversible cloth diapering system? No – that’s not a typo – I meant reversible!

The Sprout Change system is a one-size diaper cover that is reversible.  The sweet pea color combination I received to review is a sweet pale pink and pale green.  It comes with a hemp insert that is super absorbent and allows for a trim fitting diaper.  Depending on which side (color) is on the outside you can snap the diaper in side snap fashion or front snap fashion.  There are no rise or waist snap adjustments which helps keep the diaper trim.  Instead it has an inner elastic with easy to adjust buttons that allow you to fit the diaper to your babies exact size.  The Sprout Change system fits most babies from 8lbs to 40lbs.  I personally love that there are no pockets to stuff and no snaps to adjust – a very easy and simple system!

The Willow Store also offers other great products:

• Training pants
• Organic wipes
• Pre-folds
• Nursing pads
• Feminine pads and panty liners
• Burp cloths
• Baby blankets and organic pillows
• Forever cloths (un-paper towels)
• Gift bags and reusable lunch bags
• Wool dryer balls

All of their products are proudly made in the USA.  The Willow Store is also a proud member of both the RDA and RDIAand a truly eco-friendly shop for all your mama and baby products.  Kudos to Catherine (owner) for her great products and love for the environment and our babies!

Buy It: You can find the Sprout Change and all of the other Willow line of products at The Willow Store.

Party with them on Twitter: Tuesday, December 7th – The Willow Store has joined forces with the Real Diaper Association to kick off the RDA Cloth Diaper Calendar sales and Holiday Auction.  They will be giving away a few prizes during the party.  For more information on the RDA Twitter Party please be sure to visit Eco Chic Parties.

Win It: One lucky reader will receive a Sprout Change starter kit in your choice of colors and insert.
Mandatory entry: Visit The Willow Store and tell me which color you would choose if you were the winner.  Leave your comment in the comments section below.

Extra entries: (Leave one comment for each extra entry)

• Follow The Willow Store on Twitter (http://twitter.com/TheWillowStore)
• Like The Willow Store on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Willow-Store/138125926206874)
• Follow The Eco Chic on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/theecochic)
• Like The Eco Chic on Facebook (http://facebook.com/theecochic)
• Follow Eco Chic Parties on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/ecochicparties)
• Like Eco Chic Parties on Facebook (http://facebook.com/ecochicparties)
• Tweet about this giveaway including @TheEcoChic, @TheWillowStore, and link back here) up to 5 times each day.

Rules: Giveaway if open to residents of the USA over the age of 18 yrs.  Giveaway will close on December 15, 2010 at midnight ET.  Winners will be selected at random from the valid comments left on this post and winner will be notified by email.  The Willow Store will be responsible for shipping the starter kit to the winner.

WINNER:  #52 Alexis D @aadunigan!  ECO-ngratulations – watch your email.

Disclosure: I was provided a Sprout Change starter kit for review.

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In a little over a month it will be one of my favorite days of the year – Halloween!  I’ve always enjoyed dressing up and trick-or-treating when I was little.  I remember being so sad when I was in first and second grade because I couldn’t go trick-or-treating – in first grade I had pneumonia and was actually in the hospital.  Then in second grade I was sick again but luckily was not hospitalized that year.  I was the oldest child and my brother was so cute and sweet that he would trick-or-treat for the both of us – being sure he would tell everyone that his big sister was sick at home. 

When we were a little older we spent most of our Halloween nights with our good family friends and used his HUGE neighborhood to stock up on candy for the year!  I remember one of the last years we all went out I even dressed like Madonna (circa 1980′s) – which wasn’t too far away from my normal clothes but it gave me an excuse to cake on the make-up. 

Now as a parent we have our own traditions.  For the last several years our best friends (Mama M’s family – along with a few others) all join us in our neighborhood (the most kid friendly) for some dinner and trick-or-treating.  I usually end up making chilli and some kind of vegan dish for Mama M – and mac-n-cheese for the kids.  We’re very predictable!  Our neighborhood isn’t all that big but it’s perfect size for the wee ones – who aren’t so wee these days.  And depending on what day Halloween falls on – we’re normally watching college or pro football as well.  It’s one of my favorite times of the year and I can’t believe it’s almost here again.  I guess it’s time to pull out my tutu from last year and decide what I’m going to be this year.  Except I think I’m going to pass on the purple hair dye this year! 

For a few years now I’ve seen information about GreenHalloween.org - a non-profit organization trying to create a healthier and more eco-friendly Halloween experience.  We already live a pretty green lifestyle but there is a lot of room for improvement.  We still allow our children to purchase their own costumes if they want – and we still purchase traditional Halloween candy.  Aside from that our Halloween is fairly eco-friendly.  We don’t go over board on decorations and we do reuse those each year if possible.  So where else can you actually green your Halloween?  Remember it’s not just about being eco-friendly - a Green Halloween is one that is good for people (healthy), good for the planet, and good for the community (giving back). 

An easy place to start greening your Halloween is by organizing or participating in National Costume Swap Day – October 9th.  The costume your child wore last year was probably worn for less than one full day – even if you add it to a dress up box.  Our local library collects costumes year round so that they can provide Halloween costumes to families in need.  This would be a great project for a church group, a class or school, boy scout or girl scout troops, or a playgroup.  It’s easy to organize a swap of any size – Green Halloween & KIWI Magazine have some tips to help you out.   

Here are some more simple changes you can make this year – start small and incorporate a few new ideas each year. 

1.  Choose a healthier treat to hand out.  Don’t worry about the kids rejecting your treat – most parents these days don’t allow their kids to eat a bunch of sweets and will probably appreciate the healthier options.  What are some small healthy treats?  Organic juice boxes, organic candies (such as Surf Sweets), fruit pouches (like Mashups), organic or fair-trade chocolates, fruit leather, raisins, or honey sticks.  We don’t have a ton of kids in our neighborhood so it wouldn’t be hard to pick a low cost, healthy treat this year that the kids would actually enjoy. 

2.  Choose a non-food treat to hand out.  Just be sure to be careful in what you select - while the kids may enjoy those cheap plastic toys, they can be loaded with toxins and end up in the trash the next day.  Some better choices include pencils, eco-friendly play dough, activity books, soy or beeswax crayons, etc – the possibilities are endless.  

3.  Make your own costume or buy from a thrift store.  Kids costumes don’t really change much each year.  Being in Florida we have another challenge – October is typically still very warm out.  For the last few years the kids are stripping off the accessories from their costumes before we get to the end of the first road.  Keep the costumes simple and try to use what you already have.  For instance – my daughter loves to play dress up and has a few Cutie PaTutu’s – her red and black tutu can easily be used as a ladybug costume!  Use one of daddy’s dress shirts and the frame from some old glasses to make your child a scientist (lab coat).  Have fun with it – and try not to let commercialism take over your Halloween.

4.  Reverse trick-or-treat!  Your kids can be little advocates for your neighborhood – whether you support fair-trade chocolates or want to encourage your neighbors to recycle – pick a little treat and attach a message to it.  Take your treats with you and hand them out as you trick-or-treat this year.  They will probably bring a smile to a few faces in return.  This is a good project for a youth group or church group to participate in too.

5.  Don’t forget the reusable bags.  Those reusable shopping bags from the grocery store would make great trick-or-treat bags.  If they can hold all your groceries they will be strong enough to carry your child’s loot! 

Want to learn more tips on greening your Halloween?  Join Eco Chic Parties, EcoMom®, and Green Halloween for a #GreenHalloween Twitter Party.
For more information on how to participate and on the great door prizes visit Eco Chic Parties. 

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Yes – that’s right – I’m going to talk about our menstrual cycles and the environment!  Inappropriate – who the hell cares – it’s my time of the month and I’m allowed to talk about anything I want!

(Sipping my glass of wine)

Ahhhh – so much better!  I decided that since it was that time of the month I would take this opportunity to talk about the health and environmental concerns of using disposable feminine products.  I’m really the LAST person to talk to you about this though – because I’m still using disposables!  That’s right – The Eco Chicstill uses PLASTIC TAMPONS and occasionally a few pads!  Don’t be hating, after-all it’s my time of the month and I just may come hunt you down!  And do what?  Probably pour you a glass of wine too because misery loves company.  Anyways – back on the topic at hand.  

The Facts:  Just like disposable diapers, disposable feminine products like pads and tampons are not healthy for us.  Pads contain SAP very similar to what is found in disposable diapers.  We don’t want those chemicals next to our babies then why do we want them next to our most precious part of our body?  And why on (Mother) earth are we stuffing tampons made of BLEACHED wood pump and rayon INSIDE of our bodies?  It’s no wonder that so many women in America are faced with cervical cancer and other conditions.  As if the health concerns aren’t bad enough – Americans trash 20 BILLION of these things EACH YEAR into our landfills.  Have you ever been to a landfill or a waste water treatment facility?  Tampons alone (which claim to be biodegradable and flushable) end up clogged in the screens and filters at the waste water facilities - and surprisingly to most they eventually end up in the landfill anyways.  Finally, think about all the money we’re literally FLUSHING down the toilet each month.

WHY?  Because that’s what our parents told us to do.  Just like disposable diapers – our parents generation were among the first to use these disposable products and they considered them a convenient alternative.  It’s certainly easier to flush your waste away and never worry about it again.  Store shelves are full of different options – junior, regular, heavy flow, SUPER, compact, wings – HOLY MENSES – how did this become so complicated!  We’re now even seeing some without applicators and unbleached to make us feel even better about sticking stuff in our VAJAYJAYs. 

The Alternative:  YES – we have another choice!  Just like cloth diapers – we go old school!  Thanks to companies like Luna Pads and Diva Cups (and many others) we have reusable alternatives for pads and tampons.  I had the pleasure of giving Luna Pads a try (kinda) recently and think I’m ready to buy a few more (mostly for the overflow events that can wreck even your darkest pair of jeans).  Now I only have one at the moment (the pantyliner) but they are available in conventionally grown and organic cotton varieties.  They come in really edgy and fun prints and patterns that can make anyone a little more cheery during those grumpy days.  They even come in a hybrid variety for an even more absorbent option.  Each Luna Pad is held in place by a snap on the wings that wrap around your panties. 

Want to go one step further?  How about the Lunapanties – with built in panels for holding your Luna Pads.  The panties are available in all the hip modern cuts too – even a thong! 

The EXTREME:  If the thought of washing these reusable products grosses you out then maybe the Diva Cup is right for you.  The Diva Cup is made of a soft silicone (all FDA approved, latex-free, BPA-free, and plastic free).  And if inserted properly (yes – it goes IN there just like a tampon – or so they say) should last for up to 12 hours before it needs to be emptied.  I have to admit that this option is the most appealing to me because there are no extra loads of laundry to do. 

So why haven’t I made the switch yet?  Probably because it’s not the norm – not yet at least.  I don’t know anyone who has used them personally.  When talking to my spouse about the options he gets grossed out.  Again our society has made reusable options seem so disgusting that we’re afraid to try them.  And for most of us - you can’t find them filling up the shelves at the local drug store as a viable option.  BUT – that’s about to change!  I pledge to you – my readers – and my friends – to DITCH THE DISPOSABLES!  It’s too late for me to change this month but I’m going to go (right now) and order my very own Diva Cup and Luna Pads for next month.  I’m going to have my arsenal ready to go by this time next month.  MARK YOUR CALENDARS and PLEASE – ASK ME ABOUT IT! 

And please – join me in a glass of wine in hopes that I don’t bite the head off my husband as he sleeps tonight because he doesn’t understand the mood swings that accompany our monthly treat!

How do you manage that time of the month?  What helps you feel better when your hormones are raging?  Leave me a comment – or at least laugh with me!

Disclosure:Luna Pads was a sponsor of the Green Blogger Soiree at BlogHer last month and provided us with samples of their pantyliners.  I am currently on my period and I was extremely tired and cranky when I decided to write this post.  I did bite my husbands head off for no reason and got all stressy and bithcy over nothing!  That’s what happens to me each month – but it’s very mild compared to the side effects that others may experience.  I did laugh over some text messages with my BFF while writing this post and I feel much better (and less cranky) now.  I hope you enjoyed my attempt at cranky humor and honesty!

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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!

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As I continue my cloth diaper journey over this past year I have become associated with many wonderful companies, organizations and people who support the modern cloth diaper revolution.  I’m still trying to decide how I can best serve the cause and bring cloth diapers into more homes.  One way I have began advocating cloth diapers is through the Real Diaper Association (RDA).  I am in the process of becoming an RDA Circle Leader…an advocate for cloth diapers in the community. 

The RDA is a non-profit organization who works with parents all across the US to encourage the use of reusable cloth diapers 100% of the time!  I like to say that I use cloth diapers 99.99% of the time…and I cringe every time I put Lil’ B in a hard, crunchy sposie. 

My commitment to cloth diapers is primarily an environmental commitment.  Research shows that cloth diapers are far better for the environment than disposables.  Even though you will use slightly more water for washing…your babies environmental butt-print (hehe!) will be greatly reduced when using cloth diapers.

How can I help?  By introducing cloth diapers to others in my own community (and online!).  We’ve already worked to educate our babies caregivers, our family, and our friends to the world of cloth diapers.  I have several friends of mine who have recently given birth or are expecting…and I continue to share my own experiences with them.  Disposable diapers are readily available and accepted as the norm…cloth diapers are not.  When I mention to my friends that we use cloth they think I’m some new aged, hippie chick!  I’m just a normal working mom with a normal family.  Yes, we (OK…I) am a little obsessed with eco-issues and my friends have learned to love me for it.  Just like with recycling and CFLs…I believe that cloth diapers will one day be considered the norm as well. 

And I will continue to share my own cloth diaper journey with others…one baby at a time!  What about you? Is your baby in 100% reusable cloth diapers all the time?  Do you want to learn more about cloth diaper or the RDA?

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Giveaway Alert! Win a $20 gift certificate Giveaway ended from myEARTH360! Shop using the holiday coupon code below! Eco-ngratulations Jennifer T! Watch your email. 

You may be wondering if there are stores out there that specialize in items for the eco-junkie in your life…YES!  myEARTH360 has some really unique items mixed with regular items like your reusable bottles.  They have items for adults, kids, babies, and pets!  Yes, they even have stuff for Fido!  Their mission at myEARTH360 is to help other transition to an earth-friendlier lifestyle.

For the total eco-junkie you may want to buy them a set of 4 glass drinking straws by Glass Dharma.  Any guesses on how many drinking straws are trashed each day in America?  On the Glass Dharma website they state that McDonald’s claimed to serve over 52 million meals per day (2008 stats)….that’s just in one day at one restaurant!  I can’t imagine how many straws are actually used each day!  (I’ll be researching this while on vacation this week…because I really want to know!) 

Another item that myEARTH360 sells are coin purses and handbags made from candy and food wrappers.  They are woven into a chain and a zipper added.  What an excellent upcycling of waste!  And as you can imagine…each bag will be as unique as that eco-junkie on your list. 

Buy It!  Shop at myEARTH360 and a portion of all sales will be donated to the National Environmental Education Foundation.  Use coupon code THEECOCHIC and save 15% off your order (one time use only).  Making a purchase from myEARTH360 for the holiday’s is a win-win for everyone involved!

Win It!  One lucky reader will win a $20 gift certificate from myEARTH360.  (Not to be combined with any other offer and expires on June 1, 2010.)  To enter just visit myEARTH360 and tell me something interesting you learned about founder Lynne Hasselberger.  Leave your comment below. 

Extra Entries:
-Enter any of my other Eco-Holiday Gift Guide Giveaways (Leave a comment telling me which one’s you’ve entered.)
-Follow my blog with Google Friend Connect
-Subscribe using Feedburner or other reader (Leave your email addy)
-Add my button to your blog or site (Leave a link to your blog)
-Blog about this giveaway and the Eco-Holiday Gift Guide  (Leave a link to your blog)
-Share this giveaway with your friends (Leave me a comment telling me how!)

Giveaway open to all residents in the US over the age of 18 yrs old.  Must leave a comment for each entry with a maximum of 10 entries total.  Giveaway ends December 7, 2009 at midnight (EST).  Entrants must leave their email to be contacted if they are selected. 

LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS HERE TO ENTER!

Giveaway ended! Eco-ngratulations Jennifer T!

More from the Eco-Holiday Gift Guide.

*This post was sponsored by myEARTH360.

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Giveaway Alert!There will be 2 winners for this giveaway! One winner will receive a Reminder Set by Bagnesia – ECO-ngratulations Cinella!; the second winner will receive a set (4) of produce bags – ECO-ngratulations Lauren! by Bagnesia. 

Bagnesia: a person’s forgetfulness to grab their reusable bags.

Like most people these days I have about 20 reusable bags from various stores around the area.  I’m pretty good about remembering them when we go to the grocery store but I often forget when we go shopping anywhere else.  And there are always those days you just plain forget…even at the grocery store.  Bagnesia has created a product to help you remember your bags!

The Bagnesia Reminder Kit includes one compact reusable bag, one door hanger, one steering wheel wrap, a clip, and a carrying pouch.  Unlike the bags you are use to getting at the grocery store the Bagnesia bag is a washable nylon bag that folds up to about the size of a compact digital camera or a small wallet.  It has an elastic strap sewn into the seem so you can keep it neat inside your purse or glove box.  It’s small enough that I leave it in my purse of diaper bag so I always have at least one bag with me. 

The door hanger is a great reminder for your front door.  And just in case you missed that reminder, the steering wheel wrap is right in front of your face!  I’ve actually gotten in my car and remembered my bags because of the wrap.  If you are like me you probably have a billion things to carry with you.  The small carrying pouch and clip are nice because you can throw your cell phone, wallet and keys inside while you shop…and you don’t have to carry your big purse into the store with you.  Or you can toss it into your diaper bag so you don’t have to go rummaging for it when you get to the register.  The Reminder Kit sells for $14.99 and would be the perfect gift to the eco-junkie or eco-rookie! 

Want to add more?  Why not add a set of 4 produce bags to your purchase!  These washable mesh nylon bags will replace those smaller plastic bags you place your produce in.  They are lightweight and compact with a drawstring closure.  The produce bags sell for $7.99 for the set. 

Website:  www.bagnesia.com or www.grabyourbags.com 
Twitter:  @Bagnesia
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Grab-Your-Bags/

Win It!  Be one of two lucky readers to win in this giveaway!  The first winner will receive a Bagnesia Reminder Set and the second winner will receive a set of 4 produce bags.  To enter, visit Bagnesia and tell me one of the Envirofacts from their site.  Leave your answer below. 

Extra Entries:
-Enter any of my other Eco-Holiday Gift Guide Giveaways (Leave a comment telling me which one’s you’ve entered.)
-Follow my blog with Google Friend Connect
-Subscribe using Feedburner or other reader (Leave your email addy)
-Add my button to your blog or site (Leave a link to your blog)
-Blog about this giveaway and the Eco-Holiday Gift Guide  (Leave a link to your blog)
-Share this giveaway with your friends (Leave me a comment telling me how!)

Giveaway open to all residents in the US over the age of 18 yrs old.  Must leave a comment for each entry with a maximum of 10 entries total.  Giveaway ends December 7, 2009 at midnight (EST).  Entrants must leave their email to be contacted if they are selected. 

LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS HERE TO ENTER!

Giveaway ended! ECO-ngratulations Cinella and Lauren!

More from the Eco-Holiday Gift Guide.

*This post is sponsored by Bagnesia.

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Giveaway Alert! Win a limited edition Holiday set of (2) cloth napkins from Fabkins!    Giveaway ended but be sure to use coupon code CHIC15 for 15% off your purchase!  ECO-ngratulations Khrystina! Watch your email.

It seems like it was just yesterday that school was starting and I was talking about Fabkins awesome cloth napkins designed for kids lunches.  My son has used his sports Fabkins in his lunch for 4 months now and loves them.  They wash well and since his are dark blue they don’t stain either.  We have another brand of cloth napkins that are white and they are already dirty looking (but that’s a boy thing…messy!). 

Well Fabkins has expanded their line to include a cute holiday set.  The one’s we received included a gingerbread man and a Christmas tree. They also a snowman and a stocking.  For a limited time you can purchase these holiday Fabkins for $7.95 for a set of 2. 

At 13″ x 13″ they are perfect size to use as a wrapping paper for your child’s small gifts.  They would be perfect in their stocking or as a teachers gift. 

Buy It:  You can buy your own Fabkins (holiday or any other design) online HERE.  Use coupon code CHIC15to save 15% off your order. 

Win It:  Win a set of 2 Holiday Edition Fabkins by leaving me a comment below telling me what your favorite Fabkins design is. 

Extra Entries:
-Enter any of my other Eco-Holiday Gift Guide Giveaways (Leave a comment telling me which one’s you’ve entered.)
-Follow my blog with Google Friend Connect
-Subscribe using Feedburner or other reader (Leave your email addy)
-Add my button to your blog or site (Leave a link to your blog)
-Blog about this giveaway and the Eco-Holiday Gift Guide  (Leave a link to your blog)
-Share this giveaway with your friends (Leave me a comment telling me how!)

Giveaway open to all residents in the US over the age of 18 yrs old.  Must leave a comment for each entry with a maximum of 10 entries total.  Giveaway ends December 7, 2009 at midnight (EST).  Entrants must leave their email to be contacted if they are selected. 

LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS HERE TO ENTER!

Giveaway ended! ECO-ngratulations Khrystina!

More from the Eco-Holiday Gift Guide.

*This post was sponsored by Fabkins.

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Giveaway Alert!  I have two giveaways with this post and two winners compliments of graze organic and ReUsies!  See details for entry below. ECO-ngratulations Cinella and Tamara! Cinella just won the set of reusable bags from graze organics and Tamara won the set of reusable bags from ReUsies!  Watch your email for more information!

Go look in your kitchen and tell me how many boxes of plastic sandwich and snack bags you have!

(Yes, that was an order…go look now!)

(I’m waiting!)

My pantry has one box of sandwich size bags and I plan on having that box last me the rest of the year!  We are slowly breaking our baggie habit.  It’s much easier to break the habit with my kids and myself but I’m still working on the hubster!  Did you know that the average person uses 3-4 baggies per day?  Multiply that number by the number of members in your family and then multiply that by 365 days of the year and you have a really big number don’t you??  (Ok…I’ll wait as you write that down and do the calculations!  For me that would be 6,840 baggies in just one year!!!)  I’m almost positive you are not like my dear sweet Grandmother who washes her baggies and reuses them, are you?  No, you use them once and throw them into the trash (which in case you are wondering is probably still sitting in a hole in the ground not far from your house.) 

Well I have a solution for you!  Reusable fabric sandwich and snack bags.  I found 2 brands which I was very fond of and want to share these wonderful companies with you. 

The first is graze organic, a small business in California, that makes 100% certified organic cotton bags.  Available in two sizes (sandwich and snack size) these bags have no plastic lining, are printed with water based (non-toxic/PVC-free/no plastisols) ink right here in the USA!  graze organic sells their bags in sets of 3 and in a deluxe set of 5 bags ($24-38/set) perfect for your complete lunch!  My son’s favorite graze bag is the ‘Surprise!’ bag!  Even if something doesn’t require a bag he insists that I put it in one of his bags!  It’s actually quite adorable!  The graze bags seal using hook/loop velcro and is very easy to use.  They aren’t lined so you should use caution if you want to put watermelon or other ‘water’ substances into them!

You may be wondering how easy they are to clean!  I actually (depending on what I put into them) reuse them a few times before I wash them.  Just open and shake clean (empty the crumbs the mice have left behind) and they are ready to use again.  They are machine washable too.  To extend the life of the fabric (and be a little greener) you could always hand wash them in your sink and lay them out to dry!  I tend to just throw them in wash with the kitchen towels at the end of the week.  Very cute and very functional bags!  Our graze organic bags have become a staple in our school lunches and in Lil’ B’s diaper bag (great for puffs and cereal snacks!!).

The second brand of bags is from ReUsies, a small business from Seattle.  The ReUsies bags are 100% cotton (not organic) and lined with a leak resistant nylon.  Don’t worry…the nylon used is BPA-free, Lead-free, and Phthalate-free so they are safe for you and your family!  ReUsies are also machine washable but since they are lined are very easy to wipe clean between washes.  ReUsies also have Velcro closures.  ReUsies currently have over 25 different fabric patterns for girls, boys, and adults!  My son is loving his baseball bag in black!

ReUsies are sold individually at $8.75 for the sandwich size and $6.75 for the snack size.  That’s about the cost of 1-2 boxes of disposable bags and you won’t ever run out!  Just think how much money you will save by not having to keep buying bags to throw away!  Your pocket book will thank you!

Buy It Now!  Don’t waste any more money on those disposable bags!  Invest in a set of reusable bags for each member of your family today.  Whether you like the graze organic bags or the ReUsies I’m sure the Earth will thank you!  

Win It!  Both graze organic and ReUsies are giving away a set of reusable bags.  graze organics is giving away a set of 3 bags (one large, two small) and ReUsies is giving away a set of 2 bags (one large, one small).  I will draw 2 winners, one for each brand.  Contest open to residents in the US. 

MANDATORY ENTRY!  Visit both graze organics and ReUsies and tell me your favorite style/design from each brand.  Leave a comment below with your responses. 

EXTRA ENTRY #1!  Follow us on Twitter!  @TheEcoChic @grazeorganic @ReUsies.  Leave a comment below telling me you follow us all!

EXTRA ENTRY #2!  Tweet about this giveaway!  “Reusable sandwich bags are great for the Earth! Win a set from @grazeorganic @ReUsies from @TheEcoChic www.theecochic.com”  Maximum of 5 extra entries for this contest!  Leave a comment below with a link to your tweet.

EXTRA ENTRY #3!  Subscribe to The Eco Chic via Feedburner to be delivered to your inbox!  That way you will never miss another giveaway!  Leave a comment below with the email address you used to subscribe.

EXTRA ENTRY #4!  Subscribe to The Eco Chic via Google Reader and Share this post with your friends!  Add me to the “People You Follow” and “Share” this post with your friends!  (You can find me at theecochic@gmail.com on Google Reader)  Leave me a comment below.

EXTRA ENTRY #5!  Become a Fan on FaceBook of The Eco Chic!  Feel free to share me with your friends!  Leave me a comment telling me you are a fan!  

Remember to leave a separate comment for each task and the first one is mandatory before the extra entries will be counted! 

Contest ends on Friday, October 16th, 2009 at midnight (EST).

LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS HERE TO ENTER!

ECO-ngratulations! Cinella and Tamara are the winners of this giveaway! Watch your emails for more information!

A set of graze organic reusable bags and a set of ReUsies reusable bags were provided by the companies for this review. 

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Giveaway Alert!  As part of my Blogiversary Celebration this is the third giveaway of the day!  One winner will win a complete everdayjun Waste Free Lunch Kit! 

Yes, I’m a lunchbox whore!  Between my son and I we now have 5 lunchboxes in our collection.  What can I say?  One is pretty, one is cute, and two are regular store bought boxes.  My favorite by far is our newest lunchbox by everdayjun!  It’s really hard to find unique lunchboxes for little boys.  We are sick of the tv show and movie inspired ones. 

everdayjun makes these awesome Waste Free Lunch Kits complete with messenger bag style lunchbox (or bag I guess I should say), an awesome sandwhich & snack cube, a reusable bottle, and a spork.  While all of the contents are plastic they are all BPA-free and lead-free plastics.  I absolutely love the sandwich & snack cube; you can put almost anything in here (unless it’s a liquid…ick!).  The best part of the whole kit is the changeable front panel.  It’s available in 9 different patterns, each made of pvc-free laminated material.  They attach by Velcro so you can change them out as often as you like.  The bag is made of neoprene (like dive hear) and is machine washable. 

When our lunch kit arrived I even got an “awesome bag” out of my husband who said he would take this bag to work!  For those of you who don’t know us personally…he’s a manly man and doesn’t like to carry lunchboxes.  He still uses plastic grocery bags (we have to get a few each time we’re at the store just for him!) to carry his lunch in.  At least I’ve broken him of the baggie addiction. 

The everydayjun lunch kits sell for $42 for the complete kit.  This includes the bag, the cube, the bottle, the spork, and one panel of you choice.  Honestly I hate spending that much money for a lunchbox but it’s well worth the investment!  This bag has been used almost everyday since it arrived.  everdayjun also sells the pieces individually so you can add to your existing lunchbox if you prefer.

Contest period is over!

Win One!  One lucky reader is going to receive their very own Waste Free Lunch Kit from everydayjun!  You even get to choose the panel!  Leave me a comment below (mandatory) telling me which panel you would like if you won!

Extra Entries:
1.  If you read my first post about my Blogiversary you know you can earn an extra entry by leaving me a comment on that post!
2.  Facebook Fans!  If you aren’t one already become one today and leave me a comment on my Fan Wall about why you want to win a Waste Free Lunch Kit.  Leave me a comment below telling me you completed this task.
3.  Twitter Followers!  If you don’t already follow me…follow me and tweet about this contest.  You must include @TheEcoChic and a link back here.  Leave me a comment below telling me you completed this task.
4.  Add my blog button to your website or blog.  You can grab the code on the top in the right sidebar.  Leave me a comment with a link back to your page.

All Blogiversary Giveaways end on Sept. 23rd at midnight (EST).  While you may enter all of the Blogiversary giveaways you may only win one Blogiversary giveaway!  Past winners are welcome to enter and win! 

LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS HERE TO BE ENTERED TO WIN!

Good Luck!

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