Buying 2nd hand goods

I'm trying to buy only what I need. I'm now inspired by the "Wardrobe Refashion"; reworking your old clothes to make them new! If you have a sewing machine or are good at sewing, you can make anything out of your old clothes. What's more, you can get 2nd hand clothes and rework them to fit you, or use the fabric, buttons, zips to refashion your clothes. This helps the reduce, reuse and recycle!

Here are a few sites where I get my inspiration:
Wardrobe Refashion
Miss Twiss

Mailing list

This newsletter called Ideal Bite gives short bits of info on certain green issues, together with links to more information and product websites. I've found it quite useful but the problem is that most of the sources refer to US sites and organisations and most discussions are more relevant to those staying in the States.

Plastic, Paper & Alternatives

I wrote about the tote bag craze and the use of plastic bags in Tot² here and recently came across a blog post on an US ecoblog (for want of a better word) called Planetsave. In it, it mentioned Singapore as one of the countries who were banning on on its way to banning plastic bags. That was news to me. Is there any indication?

Speaking of which, reuseable bags have been proliferating at an astonishing rate, and I'm sure you've already got one (or two, or three...) and if you have a good sturdy one that lasts to recommend us, please do!

In the meantime, a link to some reviews on notcot...not sure if they are available here as haven't done shopping for a while...;p

Suggest links?

As you can see our links and blogs links are quite barren right now. Please suggest and I'll review and put them up accordingly. A review would be nice. :) Thanks!

New Word - Greenwashing

Greenwashing, according to its wikipedia entry, is: "a term that is used to describe the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service" Also used is greensheen.

According to this Wall Street Journal article, "With companies eager to tout their "green" credentials to consumers, advertising watchdogs in a number of countries are stepping up efforts to rein in marketers that make false or exaggerated claims".

Follow the wikipedia links for more for the time being and I'll come back to this soon!

Wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council

This is the first item I've noticed with the FSC seal here. This seal means that the wood is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, which gives you assurance that the wood is from managed sources. Have you noticed others? Please put in comments!

Organic Chocolate

There's been a relatively recent finding from a major study that organic food has its benefits and so we've heard has dark chocolate (tho it seems that's still being debated) so what's not to like about organic chocolate? :)

I've tried three types of organic chocolate available here:

1. Green and Blacks: This is a UK company, parent being Cadbury Chocolates. My favorite is the 70% dark which is just the right combination of richness, bitterness and sweetness. Wonderful.
Price & Availibility: Typically over $6 and available at Cold Storage and Jason's Stores.
Made in: EU

2. Marks and Spencer Organic: Coincidentally also a UK company, and also fairtrade. My favorite is the exotic and differently flavored cinnamon, coriander milk chocolate which I find tastes like Chai Latte! If only it came in dark chocolate...:)
Price & Availibility: $4.90 and should be available at all M and Ss.
Made in: Switzerland

3. Carrefour Brand: I tried this some time ago so don't have so much of an impression but remember the nut version as being quite rich and yummy!
Price & Availibility: Around $5, available at Carrefour Stores

I'm sure there are a lot more brands, and if you have one to recommend, please tell us about it!

Simple Steps website

Simple Steps - A general concise site of tips for if you have a minute, hour or month to work on.

Reuse and Pets

Dunno what to do with your old luggage? Here's an idea...cute kitty with cute luggage transformed into a bed.

via Planet Green