The Design District
Get Green Starter Kits
In an effort to spread some green love, I gave reusable tote bags for Christmas gifts this year. It was between those and Sigg water bottles, but my mom one-upped me there, giving everyone in the family their very own Siggs (thanks Mom!).
If only I’d know about Portland-based Green Lemonaide sooner. They have great eco-friendly starter kits that come with everything anyone would need to just get that little kick-start to go green. (These are great for those friends and relatives who just doesn’t know where to start, thinks it’s too hard/expensive to be friendlier to the earth, or that just don’t realize being green is so easy.)
For $60, you can get Toolkit #1, but I’d suggest you spend a bit more to get Toolkit #2. For $100, you get:
- One reusable tote
- A “smart” power strip that will keep your electronics from sucking energy even when they’re “off” (you know they’re never truly off)
- Tire pressure gauge to keep extra CO2 out of the atmosphere (deflated tires equal bad gas mileage)
- Two faucet aerators to instantly make your bathroom sinks low-flow
- Two CFL bulbs
- A shower timer (this is my downfall; I love long showers. I need one of these.)
- Biodegradable doggie bags
- Four cloth napkins (another thing I’m guilty of: using paper napkins)
- And finally, Mrs. Meyers non-toxic home cleaner
If you want more of a “feel-good” kit, rather than something so utilitarian, another great gift option is the Starter Kit for Change.
For $40, you can give:
- A seedling from The Arbor Day Foundation
- An envelope addressed and stamped to four-star charity (usually hunger based), which you can stuff with money and send in.
- Three gratitude cards
- A CFL Bulb
- Sudoku booklet, to help stimulate your brain and halt memory decline (I guess you can’t save the world if your brain is blah)
- Handmade, treeless journal and recycled pencil
- Fair trade hot chocolate from Equal Exchange
- One-of-a-kind reusable tote bag, which are as pretty as they are useful
By Sadie on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at 03:31PM PDT
“One-of-a-kind reusable tote bags! I LOVE them! Can I get just the bag? (I like the first kit you feature too.) And if you haven’t tried Mrs. Meyer’s Lavendar dish soap – it is a must have! (And I actually met Mrs. Meyer – at the Whole Foods in the Pearl. That kind of thing totally sells me.)
Great work!
By Rachel DeSchepper on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at 10:43PM PDT
Hey there, Sadie—you’re in luck: you can get just the bags. They’re $20. Soon, they’ll be carrying a larger version for $40. Find them here (you have to click on the main picture to get to the shopping page).