Monday, April 20, 2009

Earth Day Giveaway - Win a Reusable Sandwich Bag!

***This contest is now closed, but I still have bags available in my shop!***
Over the past year or so I've seem to become hyper aware of what I'm throwing away. Every time I take out the garbage (or make hubby do it), I think what is in there that I could have saved, reused, or gone another route to avoid throwing it away in the first place.

One big change we made is to completely eliminate paper towels from our house. That was a change, but our dish towels love the use they're getting! We switched over to more eco-friendly cleaning products and detergents (like Crunchy Clean Detergent) and even stopped using dryer sheets (thanks to Fuzzy Wuzzy Dryer Balls!)

I also started to realize I was using LOTS of plastic zip-top baggies. With a 3-year-old in pre-school and a 1-year-old with a big appetite, I am packing lunch and toting snacks on a daily basis. I'd reuse the plastic bags filled with cheerios as much as I could, but I figured there was a better way. So I checked out my studio and realized that the seemingly simple combination of a cute cotton print, a waterproof lining and some velcro would make the perfect reusable sandwich bag!

After a few trial and error bags (those that I could barely get open, lol!), I made the perfect bag, in two sizes too! The bags are completely reusable, waterproof (so put in a handful of grapes, carrots, celery or even a peanut butter and jelly sandwich), AND they're machine washable.

When the bag gets too dirty, just toss it in the washer (and dryer if you need it right away)!

As Earth Day approaches, I know we all start to become more aware of ways to preserve our majestic planet, and I want to hear your ideas! I'd love to know what you currently do or would like to do to be more Earth friendly! Leave a comment with your ideas and you'll be entered in a drawing to win a sandwich bag set (like the bag pictured above!). One lucky winner will get a Sandwich size (6.5" x 6.5") AND a snack size (6.5" x 4") in my new favorite batik print - Recycle.

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How to Enter:
1) Leave a comment on this post between now and April 22nd at 11:59 pm MST. Tell me the ways you have become more Earth friendly, or things you'd like to change. One comment per day/per person please! If you leave an anonymous comment, be sure to leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner!

2) Blog about this contest to win another entry - just leave a comment with the blog link.

3) Mention this giveaway on a message board to win yet another entry! Just let me know which message board in your comment.

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I will randomly select one comment as the winner for the giveaway and post the winner on my blog on April 23rd. Good luck!! :)

114 comments:

HuskerLissa said...

Sweet! Great idea! I have become obsessed with reusable shopping bags. I even gave them away as Christmas gifts!

Unknown said...

What an awesome give away! I am posting on my blog and on Cafe Mom.

Unknown said...

sorry, meant to add, the post is on my crafty blog.

MommyMandi said...

Crafty and crunchy meet! LoL We love going green in our house!

MommyMandi said...

Also put a link on afullcup.com

Unknown said...

I'm also going to be linking on my facebook profile!

Unknown said...

You do such wonderful work!

For the past year we've been using baking soda and vinegar for all our cleaning needs, plus we've recently switched to Crunchy Clean laundry detergent. No yucky chemicals here.

My goal is to teach my children about "living green"...so much so that it becomes just "living" to them. Does that makes sense? I want it to become part of their nature.

Sada said...

I love these! We're always looking for realistic ways to go green. There's no telling how much $$ this would save over time with a 3 & 4 year old in my house.

Sada said...

I just posted this on my blog too: shopmybaby.blogspot.com. Check it out!

Erin said...

I love these!!! I've just realized how fast we fly through a box of plastic zip locks. We started cleaning with vinegar & baking soda. We started using earth friendly dishwasher and laundry soap. We also use reusable grocery bags. We also ry to buy organic when we can afford it. :)

Anonymous said...

I'm moving into a new home and we'll finally have the room to have a composter! WOO HOO!

I'll be posting on the Twin Cities Moms Like Me social network MLMTC.
coralsmom@gmail.com

Two Cents said...

This is a wonderful idea! Once my daughter was born (in 2007), we transitioned to organic personal products, detergents, and cleaners. With the plastics scare we decided, "better safe than sorry!" We now use glass containers and support wooden and toxin-free toy companies.

Heather said...

This is an awesome idea! I love it! A friend and I adopted a street in our city with our 5 kids, and we keep it clean. We love our earth and want to keep it clean! I love having our kids involved.

lar1203 said...

I've been working very hard in the past year since my son was born, to live a greener lifestyle. One thing I need to work harder on is the use of paper towels!
I will be linking to my blog and talking about this giveaway on EFF!

Unknown said...

I've been using reuseable shopping bags - my friend makes gorgeous ones! - and my family has recycled as long as I can remember. Actually, we started the very first recycling center/collection point in our community!
Even though we recycle, reuse and upcycle things, I still wish there was more I could do.
By the way, these bags look awesome and I'd love to win some!!!

Kelly B. said...

I love this idea! I currently reuse my plastic ziplocs over and over again but they eventually wear out and I have to throw them out. We try to do most things as "green" as possible in our house. Lately I am loving our compost pile. It is amazing how fast our bucket of scraps fills up and I love that it will eventually turn into something that will feed my garden which will feed us and then they cycle starts all over. :-)

Amy said...

I've started making my own laundry detergent and using vinegar as fabric softener. I also convinced my husband to put up a clothesline for me, and I LOVE it!
I'm learning to be more conscious of what I use, buy, and throw away, and I try hard to reuse, rework, or recycle what I can.

Shanea said...

I am using reusable shopping bags, recycling more, cloth diapers, conserving energy, buying locally from farmers and buying toys for my son that are handmade. I am trying to do more every day!

Kya said...

I've switched to mostly homemade cleaning materials & the rest are eco friendly, started using reuseable shopping & produce bags, cloth diaper, we compost, and we get by with 1 car. I still need help on trying to use less energy around the house & at work, use less paper at work (a biggie!) and I'd love to start a vegetable garden this year and take more advantage of our farmers market!! (yeah for spring!)

Unknown said...

I cloth diaper, use eco friendly/chem free cleaning products and recycle... next on the list is composting & gardening!

Unknown said...

Just posted about it on the EFF board for another entry!
http://tinyurl.com/cexp82

Amber said...

I love your bags! We have been composting for years now, and some people still think it's strange, but not when they're enjoying all the fruits and vegetables from our garden ;) We've stopped using plastic shopping bags and have switched to reusable bags, so it's only logical that the lunch bags would be next!

erin said...

We've been doing a ton lately to be more eco-friendly!

First, we started eating organic vegetables grown by local farmers and sold at the farmers market. Not only are we taking better care of our bodies we're supporting the local economy which is awesome.

Then we completely rid our house of paper and plastic plates. We have recently changed out all of our appliances (We donated the old ones) and purchased EnergyStar rated ones. Since we now had a dishwasher that wasn't using insane amounts of water and electricity we did away with paper/plastic ware and switched to glass cups, bowls and plates. Super excited about that.

When we became pregnant in November it didn't take us long to figure out that disposable diapers were NOT going to be part of our baby's life. Instead we've done a ton of research, played with a bunch and finally made a decision to purchase some BumGenius 3.0s. We've also sworn off disposable wipes in favor of cloth wipes which I have been making while home of bed rest!

I recently found my way onto the Eco-Friendly board on the Nest and those ladies have "showed me the light" about all the plastic wrap sandwich bags and tin foil we used. Ugh! I am now anxiously awaiting the arrival of my mamamade reusable sandwich and snack bags which I'm hoping will be here tomorrow! We ordered two to "try - for the baby" according to my husband but I have a feeling we'll be needed more for my much larger baby :)

We've also done away with regular detergent and have now switched to CrunchyClean and I am hoping to order some dryer balls here soon.

Another HUGE change is we don't use cleaning products from the store anymore. We've switched to way more eco-friendly vinegar solutions to clean our humble abode from top to bottom!

Things we're still working on: processed and canned foods, driving the car too much (we have bikes - let's use em!) and remembering our canvas grocery bags every. time. we go to the store! Oh, and learning to make our own baby food when our little Bean appears in July.

ACK! Sorry this is so long but I am so excited about being more eco-friendly!

travelingfamilia said...

I love your reusable bags. I've started cloth diapering in the past few months, and I'd like to support local agriculture by joining my CSA (community supported agriculture). I am currently on their waiting list. My email is sunny1intucson (at) gmail dot com. :)

Unknown said...

Fantastic idea! We try to reuse baggies as much as possible but this is so much better! we go through so many snacks a day, this is absolutely an eco-friendly idea.

Mrs_Dudas_catering said...

How cool!!

We've swtiched to all MamaMade bags for our sandwhiches and snacks, We've started using Crunchy Clean Detergent. We only use vinegar, baking soda, dr bonners and, tea treee oil for cleaning. I starting using more EF shampoo, conditioner and body wash. We're working on phasing out paper towels. I'm hoping going all organic with our eating will be next :-D

kd_duda@yahoo.com

Bree said...

We've really tried to cut down on our paper towl use. We use reusable cloths and havn't looked back!

Anonymous said...

Love this giveaway. I am becoming more earth-friendly by composting, using CrunchyClean and vinegar in my laudry and we are planning on cloth diapering once the little one gets here in August!

Urban Cowgirl said...

We've switch detergent to an environmentally friendly brand - Crunchy Clean. We're also planning to cloth diaper our baby (due in early June). We are very serious about our recyling and reducing our daily waste. I am purchasing a composter this year (YEA!). We use a reel lawn mower which is powered soley by us so no pollution (fossil fuel or noise!). We also switched to environmentally friendly cleaning products for household cleaning.

carollai said...

i saw your etsy via zuzugirls blog. i love the meaning behind what you've created... would love to win! well, to become more earth friendly, i'd love to get these snack and sandwich bags so i can stop using all those zip lock bags. i also am thinking of purchasing a few for my friends who have children... and even the ones who don't cuz really, we all eat snacks! :) thank you for being environmentally aware and for trying to help others to do so as well. i'm def going to blog about this on my site as i think the meaning is so important. (it just might show up tonight though since it's time to head to work!)
reach me via carollai.etsy.com
thanks again!

Lisa said...

Great give away!

Ways we're trying to be green - we buy local and organic whenever possible, have switched to more natural cleaners (Crunchy Clean, microfiber cloths, etc.), we use a rain barrel, no chemicals on the yard or garden, we're going to try cloth diapers and reusable wipes for our LO, we try not to overheat or overcool the house, we walk instead of drive as much as possible. Just a few I can think of!

Every year there's a Green Street Fair in my town in May. Last year there was a huge board where people were asked to write down ways they are "going green". Some little girl wrote "Princess Dress". I've always wondered if there was a secret meaning behind that!!!!

Megan said...

We use reusable bags when shopping, walk or bike when possible, grow a veggie garden, turn off lights when not in use and basically live as simple a lifestyle as possible. This is a great giveaway!

Nicole said...

Such cute fabric!!!
i have started taking my own silverware to work for lunch, use my own shopping bags (my husband recently started too!), started using un-paper towels and napkins, and trying to use chemical free cleaners.

Jene said...

Just found this blog, and I love it! We use cloth diapers & wipes, have phased out most of our paper products in our home, and use cloth grocery bags, among other things.

Jene said...

Posted on the Toledo Nest board

Jene said...

Also linked from my blog!

Serendipity said...

Jene who just found your blog just showed me your blog. She is my inspiration to be greener...so I try. I use reusable bags and am plotting to make some fab ones for christmas gifts this year. Going to start composting and recycling more at our new house. I also want am looking to switch detergants and all to earth friendly products to protect our ground. Thanks for the inspiration.

Anna said...

GREAT idea!! We use reusable shopping bags and try to buy products that come in recyclable containers or made from recylced materials. We also recycle everything we possibly can. This has significantly reduced the amount of trash we set out each week.

Kelley said...

We've been trying to make lots of changes around our house, small at first, but hopefully it will get easier over time. While packing my lunch, I hate using plastic baggies, but get tired of washing tupperware containers all the time. These are perfect!

Shannon A. said...

Does Twitter count? I posted a link to your blog from my twitter account! I think your stuff is awesome!

Jen said...

Yay! I've been looking into reusable sandwich bags! I recently eliminated paper towels from my house, got a second recycling bin (mine was getting too full...yay!), and I cloth diaper my daughter. I'm trying to add one new thing a month. Next month: EF cleaners.

My blog: expectingapeanut.blogspot.com

Posting on: thebump

Rachel Hagan said...

What a great giveaway. We definitely need to make this change in our house- we use way too many ziplock baggies. Things we HAVE changed: started cloth diapering, mama cloth, reuseable shopping bags and drink containers, green cleaning products & paying bills online.

Rachel Hagan said...

I will tell other mamas about this giveaway on diaperswappers.com

Alicia Angell said...

Nice give away - these look great & we go through a ton of ziploc baggies! One thing I've done is start making my own green cleaning products.

Anonymous said...

We use cloth diapers.And I tell everyone about cloth diapers!

suzspeaks said...

I love these!!! they're perfect... gotta have them!

Victoria said...

I have reusable shopping bags, use cloth diapers, mama cloth, family cloth, use biodegradable detergent and dishwasher soap, support a local farm with my business for their milk and produce, and use snack bags/sandwich wraps everyday in my lunch!

Love going green :)

KarlaR said...

We're switching to eco friendly cleaning products/making our own, using mama pads, using rechargable batteries, etc. Hopefully using this cute reusable sandwich bag!

Carolina Girl said...

This year has been my year to go green. I started with cloth diapers, and it snowballed from there. I am currently on a mission to get our family of five who used to go through 5 trash bags a week down to one. We are down to 2 - so almost there. We eliminated almost everything disposable. The only thing left are the baggies and the tp. Working on it! :-)

Julie said...

These are so cute! I love the polka dot ones!

MMC said...

I've been using reusable shopping bags, changed all my light bulbs to energy efficient ones and stopped buying bottled water.
(guryshka @ g m a i l.com)

Jen said...

Another day another entry?

Last night I ordered a couple samples of Crunchy Clean! I can't wait to smell it! I also use cloth wipes.

Ashley said...

These are so cute! At our house we have taught all the kids to turn lights off, turn the water off while brushing their teeth etc. Every day we have a "Green Tip" that we discuss at the dinner table!

Julie said...

I, too, am obsessed with reusable shopping bags. I buy them everywhere... most places sell them for less than a dollar. I keep a constant supply in both cars. My husband uses one as a lunch box.

My biggest, newest change is, I have stopped purchasing boxes and packaging material when I ship my designs. I have a few sources around town that GIVE me the boxes that their supplies arrive in, and I cushion my packages with shredded junk mail and catalogs.

All of the light fixtures in our house that will accommodate a CF light bulb have them now. We still have 2 fixtures that we can't find bulbs that fit.

Our soaps are all chemical and dye free.

My husband is currently in the military. He retires next year, and we will be building a house on my family's farm. Our plans for that house currently include rain barrels, a composting bin, and solar panels, and a tankless water heater.

Mueller Family said...

We get organic fruits and veggies from local farms, I make my own babyfood, and we recycle all plastic bags if we use them. I would love to win...what a great idea!!!

Lindsey said...

I love these bags!

We recycle everything we can, use reuseable shopping bags, use baking soda and vinegar for cleaning, use cloth napkins that my son and I made, and buy organic when we can afford it.
Oh, and we also get almost all of our clothes at yard sales. It saves us money and is a great we to reuse!

Unknown said...

I'm a 22 year-old college student, and it seems that when you go to school it's a race to see who is the least environmentally friendly - pizza boxes, beer cans, plastic bags and more just pile up each week.

For the last year I've tried to become more environmentally friendly by recycling and composting, using public transportation and biking instead of driving a car, and shopping locally. I've also been eating vegan for a year, which is easier than it seems.

It can be difficult at school (most people would write me off as a tree-hugging hippie) especially since my school does not facilitate these life choices. But I'm still happy for the changes I've made - I feel like I live a more responsible, fulfilling and economic life.

Thanks for providing such green goodies that everyone can use!

Amina
aminayee@yahoo.com

Sara Neufeld said...

Love them!!

I have been using towels and cloths instead of paper towels and cleaning wipes.

Cheri said...

my friend and i were just talking about this! we were trying to figure out ways to cut back.

we decided to get together and make cloth napkins and reusable sandwich wraps. i had no idea there was something as cool as your bags!

our family has also switched over to melaleuca natural products for a chemical free home.

Traci Chandler said...

Love your little bags! We have been working hard as well on being 'more green.' We compost kitchen scraps, changed all the bulbs to CFL's, use cloth napkins, chemical free cleaners, cloth diapers, cloth wipes, and reuseable mama cloths (which I sell on etsy)!
What a great little blog!
Traci
Crea8tivemama.etsy.com

jes [a mountain bride] said...

this idea is GENIUS and I'm so delighted to have found your site!

over the past year my fiance and I have decided to use only one car between the two of us...and we only drive when we can't walk or use public transportation (this may actually sound rather easy...but we live in Phoenix, where the transit system is JUST starting to take off...it takes a lot of planning and coordination to pull this off!) Our apartment complex doesn't off recycling either...so we have taken to turning our porch into our own recycling center where we sort our stuff and hand deliver it once monthly to the recycling plant. Again, not the most convenient system, but we want to do our part.

Yay Earth Day!

Chris said...

Happy Earth Day to everyone! Thanks for the suggestions about going green.

jes [a mountain bride] said...

I blogged about your give away on my new blog: http://simplyfreckles.blogspot.com

I LOVE this idea! My boyfriend and I are becoming more and more moved to lower our carbon footprint. We do things like take public transportation when we can, we WALK to the grocery store and use reusable bags for that. And we are finding new and better ideas all the time - like these AWESOME snack bags!

love your etsy shop btw.

jrwalco said...

These are awesome!

Currently my husband and I use eco-friendly cleaning supplies. I've been a huge fan of canvas bags for grocery shopping.

While zip-close sandwich bags are convenient, I hate the potential waste. I try to wash them out and reuse if possible. I'm looking forward to these!

Posting a link on facebook, too.

ruby706 said...

I used cloth diapers and nursed my 3 kids. I use green cleaning products, stainless water bottles, glass refrigerator dishes, and cloth shopping bags. I love the idea of reusable sandwich bags and hope to win one! Ruby

Heather said...

I love these bags! I'd love it if you sold bigger ones on your esty store too. Can any of them be tossed in the dishwasher?

I just posted a link to your contest on my blog. Keep up the great work!

http://alittledabble.blogspot.com/2009/04/reusable-baggies.html

Georgine said...

Just found your blog through your Etsy store. Found our store though an Etsy email. Love the reusable bags. I do lots of earth friendly things. Shop local, reusable water bottles, reusable shopping bags, bike or walk my daughter to school when the weather isn't miserable, use rags instead of paper towels, use homemade cleaning products (love vinegar - also use vinegar as a fabric softener) or eco-friendly products, no chemicals in the garden or in the lawn, used cloth diapers and breastfed. What could I do better? I use to much water. I have too much garbage (one reason I would like to win a bag). I recycle what I can, but I need to learn to shop bulk more efficiently. ANd, I am getting better at turning off the lights and TV.

Thanks for the opportunity!

Also, I will mention this on my Blog!

www.lifeonjamesstreet.blogspot.com

Sorry, I don't know how to hyperlink on a comment.

H. said...

What a great idea! I have tried to remember my coffee cup everyday and use tupperware instead of disposable items. I am also starting to use essential oils for cleaning instead of commercial products,

kate said...

these are SO COOL. i immediately went to Etsy to buy one and saw they're sold out....obviously plenty of others thought they were a great idea too!! can't wait to see more up soon! i hope i win your contest

PiperandRowen said...

LOVE these bags you make! I have been using cloth napkins for as long as I can remember, and also send one in my daughter's lunch bag for preschool. In addition, I use "freecycle" and "craigslist" as much as possible before purchasing new items.

Erin said...

My students and I researched and wrote ways for help the Earth on recycled paper and hung them around school. "Don't stand and stare! Know what you want before you open the refridgerator and save energy!

Anonymous said...

We are planting a garden to keep our food more local. I've posted your contest on my blog http://witchyspinner.blogspot.com/
plemp

sarah*spunda said...

Love these! This week is the Week of the Young Child and today is Earth Day so we've set up a "Walking School Bus" for the week. A large group of kids that normally ride the bus are walking, with several of the parents, to and from school each day this week. I wish we could do it every single day but that's not practical where we live.

Em said...

Super Cute! I'm guilty of using disposable plastic zip-locks (though I try to reuse them as much as possible). Your fabric bags are so much cuter than clear! The fun prints would definitely make "grown-up me" look forward to snack time.

Our Blessed Life said...

I Love this idea! I am a preschool teacher, and the parents would LOVE this idea, because they are always sending snacks for their children in sandwich or snack bags! We have started learning new ways to become eco-friendly in our preschool classroom. The students love learning new ways to explore and make things, and they are learning ways to be eco-friendly that will help them in the future! Awesome idea! :)

JoAnn said...

I love your reusable sandwich bags! I cringe everytime I see my daughters use for their lunch, but they are getting better about saving our environment! I can't wait to purchase some bags when you have ready or even better win your contest!!

charliesgrace said...

I'd like to tell you about our newest "green" obsession. I am an extremist, and we are a plastic, chemical free family that recycles almost everything ( one garbage bag a month). We just switched to...composting toilets.
Thank you for making a viable alternative to the plastic baggie. Cheers to everyone who makes an effort for a greener earth!

LindaMeckel said...

So amazing! I've been looking to get rid of my plastic bags!

Justine said...

These are such a great idea and yours are beautiful! Love the batik! I'm tweeting this through Twitter and posting it on Facebook. Rock on, Mamamade!

angie said...

I am thrilled the idea of living green is catching on. Every other commercial I see involves a company switching to a greener formula or donating to a green cause.

My biggest goal right now is remembering to take my reusable grocery bags with me! I've bought a ton but always forget them. I buy enviro. friendly cleaners. We have started composting and grow a small vegetable garden.

My husband and I are big animal lovers, he especially loves birds so we feed them (better then ourselves sometimes) and tried to keep our yard environmentally safe with no chemicals. I think people overlook the impact we have had on birds, insects, and other animals. All of those have roles in keeping our earth healthy and diverse! Reading Silent Spring (which I highly recommend) will make anyone think before they spray dangerous chemicals!

I would also like to see a focus on water conservation and protection-as a geologist I often wonder do people understand how precious and limited water is?

For my crazy idea of the day-I wish we had stores which carried things in bulk like sugar, flour, cearal and what not and we exchanged our reusable containers when we needed new! Sort of like they did with pop bottles and milk in the old days (not so old b/c I remember when pop still regularly could be bought in glass). I always think what a waste when cook and see all the boxes and cans. Even recycling takes energy-it would be better to cut down what we use all togethor!

These are a great and cute idea! I hope I win. I will also post your link on my facebook page and on neonesties.freeforum.org! Happy Earth Day!

Unknown said...

what a good idea! even if i don't win (likely), would you share with us how you made these bags?

i've been trying to nudge my husband into a greener lifestyle. so far we've thrown away (or stored somewhere under a sink) all of our fragrances (air fresheners), cleaning supplies (vinegar and baking soda have replaced windex and harsh bathroom and kitchen cleaners!), and we've started buying local produce and dairy products! i'm still pressing to get rid of paper towels, but the man is stubborn!

landgyrl said...

What a wonderful idea! I just finished cleaning half of our 'dirty' ziplocs for the upteenth time...our attempt to be greener is by reusing them if we must use them at all. We try to use wonderful pyrex with lids...but they are heavy to tote around! But now I will put my creative cap on thanks to your inspiration!

Unknown said...

i also tweeted an announcment! find me on twitter:

http://twitter.com/aylakristen

Melissa said...

I love your sandwich bags! We've been doing the things we can: switching all of our bulbs to the compact fluorescents, looking into programmable thermostats, recycling every spare thing we can, using cloth diapers on our 15-month-old, etc.

FROG PRINCESS said...

LOVE THE BAGS! AT OUR HOUSE WHEN A LIGHT BULB BURNS OUT WE REPLACE IT WITH THE NEW ENERGY EFFECIENT ONES. WE ALSO USE REUSABLE BAGS AT THE STORE. WE HAVE A GARDEN AND DO OUR OWN COMPOSTING! WHEN MY CHILDREN WERE SMALLER WE MADE OUR OWN BABY FOOD. I PLAN ON ELIMINATING BOTTLED WATER NEXT. I AM EITHER PURCHASEING A BRITA PITCHER OR FILTER FOR THE FACET!

Connie said...

I love the bags. Can't wait for you to post more on etsy!! I really love the grean recycle symbole one. Hope there is one there to buy!!

Unknown said...

I love your reusable ziplock bags, I hate using the plastic ones and throwing them out. I try to live green, I always turn off liights and water when not in use, do a full load of laundry rather than many small loads, use the energy-efficient lightbulbs. Oh, and we've always recycled.

Lisa said...

Great idea! We've made a few green changes this year - public transit, no paper towels, recycled toilet paper, nothing we regret. I've bookmarked your etsy shop for future purchases :)

Sarah T. said...

These are such a great idea and I feel that if I don't win some bags then I will probably buy some. I've been trying to cut down my waste and use stainless steel water bottles.

liroi said...

Great idea!:) We use the tupperwares for all our lunch needs. Though I haven't quite found a good drink holder yet!:) But for sandwiches, snacks and such, we use the tupperware. It takes up ALOT of space, so these bags are a FABULOUS idea.

agnes said...

Wonderful idea! I am starting to hang clothes out to dry in the nicer weather and I'm going to look into the dryer balls you mentioned.

Heather said...

This article was great. It really got me thinking about what i do already which made me feel good about what i do and capable of doing more!

So thank you for that.

My list is kind've long, so i've posted what i do already below and then the rest of what i will do next year is on my blog:
http://alittledabble.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-have-you-done-lately.html

So the good things I've done this past year:

1. Take our clothes/textiles to recycle at the farmer's market (Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn)
2. Switch to more energy-efficient light bulbs
3. Recycle at home and work -- and we're more careful to follow city regulations on our recycled goods
4. Take public transportation
5. Use less take-out coffee cups now that i make my own coffee
6. Stop using plastic cups and paper plates at home
7. Became a member of FREECYCLE, traded goods with others
8. Purchased Craigslist furniture to reuse existing pieces instead of buying new
9. Buy local and handmade as possible...
10. Stopped getting real Christmas trees (for a couple of years now).
11. Started pushing for more earth-friendly paper/printing for our marketing at work (and more web in general.) 100% pcw, uncoated stock!
12. BE A VEGETARIAN.

MommyN'Bliss said...

I'm not green.
I want to be green but it's so expensive to "go greeen" plus there is so much information out there I'm not sure where to start.
I'm a naturally conservative person (my great Grandparents lived throught the Great Depression and raised me well) I would everywhere I can and someplaces I can't. =0)
I keep all the lights and AC off until I absolutely need them, turn off all electrical items when not in use and I've to unplug the black box plugs.
I really want to go further with organic items but everyone is doing it right now so it's become an tred and a new selling point for companies which I think defeats the purpose of the message and makes it really hard to sort through who is really organic and who just wants to sell more product!
I wash my plastic baggies when I can but this would be a neat small thing that I could get started with.
There's tons of entries here so I probably wont get picked but I really like this item and I"m going to post it on my Facebook, Twitter and my blog.
http://nateandshalie.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/home.php
Under Shalie Gilson
http://twitter.com/home
Under AvonleesMommy
Love your product can't wait till you make more!
I sew myself and your products look really well made and very sturdy!
Thanks!
Shalie

fourjenna said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jessica said...

What a great and creative idea! We are trying to incorporate changes in our household to be more eco-friendly. It doesn't hurt the budget either!

Melissa Murphy said...

I pay bills online now to save paper. Count me in for the drawing!

Melissa Murphy said...

I'm going to twitter about this too!!


twitter.com/melissasool

Unknown said...

I just saw these on Etsy, and loved em.. I was JUST feeling guilty YESTERDAY for the zipper sandwich bag full of snacks I had packed on a hike yesterday. Always say I'll wash em and give em another go, but never do. Anywho, I just put on panieers on my bike so I can bike to school/work more comfortably this summer, and will hopefully make me want to do it much more often! I live in Boulder, do you have a place in Denver where you sell your goods?

Unknown said...

I want one! They're adorable and we'd love to use less plastic!

coupon1701 at gmail dot com

lar1203 said...

I really want to win, so I wanted to post my blog on here, too. I mentioned the giveaway there!

http://lar1203-alittlebirdy.blogspot.com/

Lissy said...

You are so right - I seem to go through so many zip lock sandwich bags. Boy oh boy I'd love to win a reusable one!! How obvious & sensible. I'm sure our grandparents were more careful as there can't have been much packaging back then!? I'm back to look at more MamaMade things at Etsy...
P.S. My sister told me to try a tea bag & water in a spray bottle to clean my window (cooled) - with newspaper. It's GREAT!!

Lissy said...

I forgot to say I put a link on my blog too...

http://lissybeanbean.blogspot.com/

& I meant to say that I use the tea spray on my WINDOWS not window - single! I have more than one of course.

Love from Sydney Australia!

Kaitie said...

I agree with your comment that you are becoming hyeraware of what you throw out. I have used cloth bags for years, but I want to do more. I am hoping to win, but even if I don't, I will be buying some bags on etsy when they are relisted.
Thanks!

Amy said...

Great idea!! We switched to Fuzzibunz cloth diapers this past year with our little guy. They have been GREAT thus far.

The McAuleys said...

Oh, pick me! I've been wanting to make some for a year and never got to it...these are wonderful!

Iris313 said...

What an utterly brilliant idea! I too have switched from disposable water bottles and paper towels to reusable products. I use sandwich wraps, but they don't work for everything and I've been looking for ages for a reusable bag. I'm so glad I found a supplier. How smart are you! ;-)

lace said...

We've stopped buying water in plastic bottles and now use tap water with stainless steel water bottles. We also bring our own bags to the stores.

Unknown said...

These are real nice, I've started using cloth wipes, instead of toilet paper, cloth menstrual pads, menstrual cup, metal water bottle to me more green. I'm still like to do a compost pile though.

ikkinlala said...

May Canadians enter?

I grew up with the 3 R's and haven't made a lot of changes lately, but one thing I've been working on is reducing the number of trips to town we make (by planning better what we'll need).

marcela said...

I think these bags are great ideas! I'm recycling our old t-shirts (i've made pants/capri for my kids and the rest of the t-shirt, I'm knitting with it!)
I'm learning to sew and this has been really fun. No waste!
Thanks for the chance.... maybe I'm too late.

Ginger said...

Love this idea i use way to many plastic baggies. Going to try make some of these.
Also linking you Sat. More need to see you blog awesome ideas! Enjoyed your blog very much,
hugs ginger

CHINI said...

i like your bag style and shape
PVC cards

Plastic business cards

CHINI said...

I realized how fast it is flying in a box of plastic zip locks.
Clear cards

Unknown said...

great stuff!! thanks for sharing the wonderful idea

Reusable Containers