Eco-friendly goodies

I don't know what it is exactly -- maybe the economy, my increasingly guilty conscience, Swap-O-Rama-Rama, or something else entirely. All I know is that I've been eager to live a more environmentally conscious life lately. I'm a pretty moral shopper. I avoid sweatshop-reliant companies and buy local and handmade when possible. However, I don't recycle, compost, or use too many reusable products. I have (and love!) a Klean Kanteen, clean with baking soda and cider vinegar when possible, and keep a bowl and silverware at work. Otherwise, though, I have Ziplocs, chemical-laden cleaners, and rolls of paper towels in my pantry, and I'm ready to make a change.

As soon as I again have money in my checking account (where does it go?), I want to purchase one of these great lunch kits from Glue and Glitter, an awesome seller out of Atlanta.

It comes with a handmade lunchbag, an aluminum kit, reusable utensils, and cloth napkins.

I also want to switch to reusable snack bags and banish the zipper-top plastic ones forever. Etsy has tons of them. I think this one by BRAIESHA BAGS is too much fun.

Evelyn Fields also makes some adorable ones. Check out the Paris-themed cuties.

My toiletries, well, are still a work in progress. I recently switched to Deva Care Low-Poo Cleanser and Desert Essence Thoroughly Clean Face Wash, but I know I can do better. On Green Upgrader, Becky of Glue and Glitter did a post on making your own dry shampoo. I have pretty oily hair, so this is something I've been a little scared to try. However, I think I'll give it a go this weekend. We'll see how I do!

My other big project forthcoming is container gardening. I've done herbs once before, but I'm branching out this year into veggies as well. The plan for the moment is a few pots with combinations of basil, thyme, parsley, two kinds of tomatoes (cherries and something larger), carrots, radishes, leaf lettuce, and possibly squash, strawberries and/or green beans. It will partly depend on what's available (and affordable) at Herb Day on Brookside. I can't wait to get started!