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You all are going to be really excited about this one! To celebrate Earth Month, Walmart & it’s suppliers let the Elevenmoms test a bunch of green products. And the best part is, they’re giving each of us another set of products to give away on our blogs! So if you’re just starting to go green, this is the giveaway for you!
What’s included in the big green prize package? Well, let me tell you, there’s some good stuff! I’ll start with the smallest item and work my way up!
White Cloud Green Earth Paper Towels and Toilet Paper
White Cloud Green Earth paper products are made from 100% recycled fiber and are larger than traditional sized rolls of toilet paper and paper towels, so they use less packaging. Also, the perforations on the paper towels are close together, so you can pull off as much (or as little) as you need.
The greenest option, of course, would be to not use paper towels, but if you can’t live without them, White Cloud Green Earth paper towels are a good choice.
And the toilet paper? I was skeptical, but it’s pretty soft. I’ve been using White Cloud regular toilet paper for years, and I can’t tell the difference.
Tide Coldwater Laundry Detergent
Tide has come out with a laundry detergent that is formulated to work well in cold water. Which means that you no longer have to wash your sheets and towels in hot water, saving you electricity.
I’ll admit that I don’t normally buy laundry detergent, and I probably will continue making my own laundry detergent. That said, I tested the Tide, and it works really well! I like the way it smells, too!
Clorox Greenworks
Again, I don’t normally buy cleaning products, but I took the Clorox Greenworks products for a test spin. I really liked the dishwashing detergent and the all purpose cleaner. They work well and don’t have that overpowering chemical smell you find with most commercial cleaners.
I wasn’t quite as impressed with the cleaning wipes. They weren’t very strong, and I’m not fond of products that I throw away after every use, even if they are biodegradeable. That said, I realize some people love the convenience of a disposable cleaning wipe, and Clorox Greenworks does the job, as long as there’s no tough scrubbing involved. They’re great for a quick swipe around the sink, a la Flylady.
Brita Water Pitcher
I’m a huge fan of water filter pitchers. Up until we moved last year, we were on city water that had that yucky chlorine taste. I used a competitor brand water pitcher to take care of that problem. So I was really excited when Brita sent me their pitcher to test. It’s easy to fill, holds more water than my old pitcher, and the water tastes great! Though the well water in our house already tastes great, so I don’t really need the pitcher. It’s nice to have cold water on hand though. And it’s definitely better than throwing away plastic water bottles.
My biggest problem with the Brita Water Pitcher? The cats love it! Seriously. Every time it’s out, I have to watch them, or they tip over the pitcher, so they can drink the water. They prefer it to the well water I give them from the tap I guess. Picky cats.
Bissell Little Green Machine
I love this handy machine! It’s great for spot cleaning carpets and upholstery! I had the opportunity to talk with the Bissell representatives at South by Southwest, and I was really impressed with the way this machine is manufactured. They used post-consumer recycled plastic and it’s PVC free. And the trial sized cleaner that comes with the Little Green Machine works well on stains, though when I run out I’m going to do what Jenn does and use hot water and vinegar.
The total value of this giveaway is around $130! To enter, leave a comment telling me your best green tip. I’m closing this contest on Friday, April 25 at noon PST and will draw a winner using a random number generator. I’ll contact the winner by email, and the winner will have a week to get me their mailing address, or I will draw another winner.
Prize will be shipped directly from Walmart, so I will need to pass along the winner’s contact information, so they can get their prize.
That takes care of all the technical stuff. Can’t wait to hear your green tips!
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April 20th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
My NEW GREEN tip, that I started doing is NOT buying bottled water! YUP, I got a cute REFILLABLE camelback water bottle that I REFILL myself! I drink at least 2L of water a DAY, OMG, can you imagine how many Plastic Bottles I am responsible for in those landfills?? I feel so ashamed of myself!
I am so loving the Brita Water Pitcher in this Fantastic Giveaway! It would help me with my NEW GREEN Resolution!
I’m a vegetarian for the past 20 years and LOVE the EARTH I cannot believe how BLIND I have been to this ONE simple thing! SHAME SHAME SHAME! I recycle and Buy eco friendly cleaners, even use Vinegar and water to wash windows and mirrors drying with newspapers. Oy, I have been clueless!
Leslie
April 20th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Within the last year, we have started recycling everything our recycling center accepts. It is a frugal practice as well because I end up buying fewer trash bags. I have also stopped buying bottled water, for economic reasons as well as enviornmental. I have switched from individual soda bottles to big 2 liter bottles, and one of these days I am going to kick the soda addiction completely (but that’s another story. . . ) I have stopped buying as many commercial cleaners and use more vinegar, baking soda, and rubbing alcohol. I have LOVED using baking soda and vinegar to open slow drains, and the kids think it’s fun to watch it bubble up. I am planting a garden for the second year in a row, and I freeze a lot of my produce for the winter. We are slowly changing all our light bulbs to CFLs as the old ones burn out. In truth I am amazed at how easy it has been to “green” so many areas of my life, and many of the “green” practices also help my budget!
April 20th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
Use apple cider vinegar for sunburns – takes the sting right away and keeps the skin from peeling.
Use egg cartons to make fire starters – fill with sawdust, seal with wax, just 2 or 3 eggs cups make for a great fire starter
April 21st, 2009 at 6:39 am
Now that it’s spring and raining lots, I set out buckets to catch the rain and store the water in rinsed-out milk jugs. Then I use this to water my indoor plants (that will eventually go on the porch when it’s consistently warm enough at night). It saves a bit on my water bill and reuses the milk jugs, which are then recycled come winter. I also think it’s better for the plants than tap water. Thanks for being able to offer a great giveaway. I look forward to reading all the other comments.
April 21st, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Wash most of our Clothes in Cold Water.
I use only 1/4 cup of deterget whether it is liquid or powder for all of our clothes washing.
We always wash a full load if I do not have a full load I do not wash clothes.
We drink water we let it sit out for 24 hours and then we use this water to cook with and to drink.
I clean stains on our carpet with Vinegar and Water Solution and I use Vinegar and Water to clean our Glass, Mirrows, and Sinks.
I use lemon juice and Olive oil to use as Furniture Polish.
I also use Baking Soda in Washing the Clothes to help take out stains.
I use Baking Soda also in Washing Dishes to help get out the Stuck on Grimes of Food.
Well I hope the Green Tips help.
God Bless,
Mrs.Garcia
April 21st, 2009 at 9:14 pm
I’ve seen lots of families have shelves and entertainment centers lined with hundreds of DVDs and audio story CDs for their children. We’ve chosen to go a different route, that doesn’t take up space in our home, nor does it mean we have so much plastic and “junk” sitting around all over the place. We get free weekly downloads of “ol’ timey” radio shows and stories, (some of them being word for word unabridged stories and literature), and we save them on our computer and then transfer them to MP3 players with attached speakers so we can listen to these great stories and literature while folding clothes as a family, or eating a meal together (we don’t listen to stories each day while sitting down to eat together, but once a week has been fun). We can listen to them in the car, or from the computer if doing a project in our study.
While downloading music regularly is very common for families, this is a very frugal type of entertainment for families, although for some children it may take some getting used to for older stories, etc.
It’s also “green” because we are not taking up room in our houses with rows and rows of CDs, buying all these entertainment toys/systems for our children, etc. Just less stuff in the landfills, eventually.
http://www.homeschoolradioshows.com/ is a great resource for these free weekly downloads!
Julieanne
http://www.homeschoolblogger.c.....eschooling
April 22nd, 2009 at 5:57 am
MY tip is using my old clothes line to hang out my laundry on nice days,we have saved so much money an energy doing this an I get a little more exercise too,I was amazed how much energy that dryer used
April 23rd, 2009 at 4:37 pm
My best green tip is recycle. I put my children in charge of the recycle bins and believe me they never throw anything in the garbage can anymore without checking to see if it can be recycled. Since we started doing this they have become more conscience of everything.
tamben7996(at)aol(dot)com
April 24th, 2009 at 8:35 am
My green tip is stopping unwanted junk mail. I use a site called Mailstopper.
http://mailstopper.tonic.com/
April 24th, 2009 at 9:54 am
1. Use a programmable thermstat.
2. Recycle when possible.
April 26th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
I have always been a recycler and a pack rat. I love the ideas I get from your newsletters and act on them if I can. I just put out buckets for rain water for my house plants. I save water from my shower and the water really adds up. I’m getting ready for my garden which will all be planted in those deli buckets. My seeds were planted in egg cartons and they are responding well in those. I have some planted in washed out meat packing bottoms and started out some of my herbs in washed out yogert containers after filling with soil I poke little holes in the bottom. My watering cans did’nt make the winter too well and split on the bottom so as soon as I can find my caulking. I have the gun though lol Then I will repair the leaks at the bottom. So I got a washed out 1/2 gallon milk jug for I have bad wrists and elbows and poked holes at the top and presto,a makeshift watering jug thats not too heavy.
I use that trick of the baking soda and vinager to keep my drains clear and I was quite impressed with that tip.
I put up a wooden birdhouse and used the wooden frame as a stake.Spray painted it and it looks pretty nice.
I reuse foil and old holely socks are for dusting.
I save all my bags that have a ziplock; rinse them out; plop on top of a plant and when dry add it to the others.
I have homemade “greenhouses” made from deli plastic containers with lids and I’m going to make a few more with 2 liter soda bottles.
Also I mop my kitchen floor useing baking soda and vinager for its supposed to discourage insects and we shall see.
Thats all I can think of right now and remember..RECYCLE RECYCLE RECYLE!!!