New Beginnings » green

I’m a gardener. Finally.

Rusty — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 22:33:28 +0000

Like most modern (and not so modern) women, I am many things. Mother. Wife. Marketer. Writer. Greenie. Liberal. Buddhist. Recovering Alkie. And now I’m a garderner. Yep. That’s right, bitches (it just sounded cool…I don’t really think you’re a bitch. Really). I finally got beyond the talk and threw down. The weekend before last, Jeff and I got out there and worked for a full day and a half. I prepped the beds and he fixed the existing fence and put up the missing length.

We planted two of the beds with: peppers, tomatoes, garlic, onions, shallots, basil, cilantro, squash, cucumbers, lettuce and kale. I planted a kitchen herb garden in a big garden urn outside my door, too. We also beefed up our already existing compost pile. Now my darling husband is dismantling pallets to use for a 3 bin compost system (3 3×3 bins – 1 for carbon, 1 for nitrogen, 1 for compost).

After a lifetime of killing plants, I feel pretty proud and excited about this new venture. Not only is it good for the environment and good for my family…it’s good for me. I get to participate in that secret club of gardening where peace and stillness is found in the dirt and the green, pretty things that grow from it. I’m pretty stoked.

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Clean Beauty Wallet Card

Rusty — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:02:34 +0000

By popular demand, the file below contains a printable Wallet Card that lists common beauty and cleaning product ingredients to avoid. This card can be a handy reference while shopping, and it can be a fun marketing tool to hand out to current and potential clients.

WalletCard_CleanBeauty_0209

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Meet your new local Eco-Consultant

Rusty — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:23:43 +0000

That’s right, folks. I have started my own practice as a trained Green Irene Eco-Consultant for the Rogue Valley/Southern Oregon area. I can help families and small offices implement proven green solutions and help lead them to a healthier, safer, and more sustainable lifestyle, along with saving them money! Green Irene is not your typical direct sales gig…a lot of the advice we provide is free and we often refer you to products outside our line. This is really about helping you go green.

The main service I offer is a 60-to 90-minute Green Home Makeover. The steps I recommend and the products I offer, as well as referrals to specialists, can help save you energy and water. I can also help improve your indoor air quality, remove toxic chemicals from your home, reduce the waste you generate (which ends up in landfills) and improve the purity of the water your family drinks. By doing an inventory of your wasteful incandescent lighting, I can also show you how to save $1,000s on your electric bill.

After I have finished the consultation, I will show you tips and products to make your home healthier. I can help you replace your wasteful incandescent bulbs, install low-flow shower heads, upgrade your thermostat and show you toxic-free cleaning options. There are many other green options I offer, which you can find in my online product catalog.

I also offer Green Office Makeovers for small businesses to help them adopt and implement green practices. The tools and solutions I can show businesses will not only help them take their first steps to going green, but also show how to successfully reduce costs and waste. I will present a set of recommendations and concrete steps in areas like energy conservation, creating a toxic-free workplace, green purchasing strategies and sustainable travel and transportation.
Along with the Green Home Makeover and Green Office Makeover, you will receive a three-month “Ask Green Irene” Membership. This extensive, green database allows you to research green questions that may arise after the initial Green Home Makeover and Green Office Makeover. It also allows you the ability to email questions to a Green Irene researcher for an answer to any green question not yet covered in the database.

I welcome you to visit my website at www.GreenIrene.com/rustyrogue where you can find more information about my consulting services as well as look at the products I offer in my product catalog (click on the SHOP NOW icon).

I look forward to talking with you soon about steps you can take for a healthier, greener home and office!

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Buying affordable and green bath and beauty products

Rusty — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 22:58:37 +0000

My family has been making a slow, but steady progression away from keeping up with Jones’ and working towards becoming (sometimes kicking and screaming) a happy and well family that believes in loving the planet, keeping things simple, and getting real. I’m still a working parent that makes a living trying to get people to believe they need my product to make their businesses thrive. I still let my kids watch Blu-Ray movies and play video games. I will not stop dyeing my hair (I’m getting a pink streak in honor of my 40th birthday next week…so there). I wear makeup. I still have 2 cars (3, if you count the POS commuter we bought for almost nothing). Sometimes I even forget my reusable bags and have to get paper or plastic at the grocery story. But (big BUT), for the most part, we are trying to do our share to lessen the load and lighten our footsteps on our overworked Mother Earth. And we’re trying to do it without becoming environmental elitists (because, dude, we just don’t have the money for that route) or biting off more than we can chew.

How does a post-consumerist, reformed brand nazi, shoe loving, gadget toting, Mom of the Millennium make amends to our planet, become a frugal rock star and start back on the green and narrow? One little step at a time. I’ve decided to share some of our ups and downs with you here. What’s working for us and what is not. Maybe you can share with me some of the things that are working for you. I do want to share our latest projects which include the two biggest and most life changing: the simplification and organization of our little cottage AND our new organic veggie and cutting garden. This stuff is all new to me and I’m very excited about all of it. But those posts will have to wait.

Since I promised little steps, I thought I’d start with an easy and very necessary step: bath, body and beauty. Using natural bath, body and beauty products does not have to be an expensive luxury reserved for the wealthy or the occasional splurge of normal folk, such as myself. As a woman and a mother I have to clean and beautify not only myself, but my kids (and the hubby, too). So over the last several months I have been slowly replacing our toiletries and other bath/body goodies with more green and gentle versions. In a perfect world, I’d be able to afford only Origins products and be on my merry way. Unfortunately, I’m not that lucky. Fortunately, there are many great and affordable products out there I can use and even buy at my local Fred Meyer. I’ve jotted down just a few things below to help give you an idea of grocery store ready items you can start using to replace some of your every day stuff. In a post next week, I will share with you some of the amazing handcrafted cosmetics and bath/body goods that are available, as well as how to get started making some goodies on your own.

Bath and Body:

Makeup:

Kiss My Face Organics Under Age Ultra Moisturizer (Pack of 3)
Organic Wear Tinted Moisturizer Light to Natural
Organic Wear Natural Loose Powder – Translucent Light
Burt’s Bees – Lip Shimmer – Rhubarb
Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Duo Eye Shadow, Hazel Eyes Organics (Pack of 2) – my eyes are blue, but I like this eyeshadow anyway
Ecco Bella Brown Mascara

Learn more:

Gorgeously Green: 8 Simple Steps to an Earth-Friendly Life

Meet your new local Eco-Consultant That’s right, folks. I have started my own practice as a...
Clean Beauty Wallet Card By popular demand, the file below contains a printable Wallet...

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My Earth Day 2009 Pledge

Rusty — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 18:19:54 +0000

My families’ Earth Day 2009 pledge is to start composting and get our organic veggie garden up and growing. I’d like to keep both projects simple and easy to maintain. I know that all worthwhile endeavors take time and effort, but I would like the kids (and me) to enjoy and look forward to working in our little veggie garden and creating rich soil from scraps and clippings. I’m going to take pictures and share our little journey here. Below are some of the resources I’ve found to get us started on our projects this weekend:

Composting:

Organic veggie garden:

http://organicgardening.about.com/od/startinganorganicgarden/a/newgarden.htm
http://www.gardenguides.com/how-to/tipstechniques/vegetables/veggie.asp
http://www.wikihow.com/Start-an-Organic-Garden
http://www.ehow.com/how_137608_prepare-organic-vegetable.html
http://gardeninglaunchpad.com/kids.html (huge list of links for gardening with kids)
http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s-2-10-1577,00.html (with kids)

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