Stubby Pencil Studio Eco Stationery Review

My local Wal-Mart may spell it’s Stationery department “Stationary” (I’ve haven’t been in for a year until last week and it still hasn’t changed - or for that matter, moved), but I’m certain that stationery is the correct word for pens, pencils and paper.

Stubby Pencil Studio provide eco-friendly stationery and art supplies, 100% recycled cards and invitations and unique non-toxic gifts and kits. They sent us lots of great stuff for adults and kids alike.

Smencils (made by Smencil World) are gourmet scented pencils made from 100% recycled newspaper. They come in normal (#2 graphite) pencil versions and colored pencils. As you can see from the picture to the right they come in individual tubes, which does increase packaging (though is recyclable), but on the other hand stops you becoming overcome with fumes from the (environmentally friendly created) smell. The ones we got came with the following smells: chocolate, grape, orange, very berry, bubble gum, cherry, root beer, cotton candy, watermelon and tropical burst. And you know what? The kids love them. I mean LOVE them. The colored Smencils come in their own pencil case too (picture below), the color of the smell relating to the color of the pencil. I think I may be addicted to very berry flavor.

We also tested Prang Fun Pro Soybean Crayons that unlike traditional petroleum-based crayons, are crayons made from all natural pigments and soybean oil (AP certified non-toxic).It’s been a long while since I used a crayon last but apparently they’re great.

To test these products we were also given some fantastic color ‘n kids cards. These are eco-friendly cards for kids to color, trace the letters, and create their own greetings. Printed on heavy, 100% post consumer waste stock, they have cute black and white illustrations on the cards to encourage do-it-yourself card making for young children and grown ups alike. I didn’t feel at all embarrassed writing my age on the back! Interactive, educational, and green! There are ones for all occasions, thank yous, birthday greetings, get well cards, notes to teachers, valentines, Easter…. These were really fun too.

Another way of testing them was to color in a Made By Me™ kit, which is a do-it-yourself wooden toy kit. We had the bug, but they’re also available as a train or race car. The kit includes a 4″ long unfinished, sanded smooth pine shaped body, and 4 natural wheels and axles, all you need is some glue, a hammer, paints, crayons, markers, stickers and imagination (and to be over 3 years old).

Smencils cost $5 for 5, Colored Smencils $14 for 10, color n’ kids cards from $0.80 and sets for $7.95 and Made By Me™ kits only $4 from Stubby Pencil Studio. If you kids love using drawing and you want to do it in a green way, then give them a try. I’m off to try a watermelon smencil….

nvokh - An Eco Clothing Company Run By You

nvohk™ (pronounced ‘invoke’), are a company I signed up a while ago but realised I have never written about. They’re the first community-managed, eco-friendly, surf-inspired clothing company that began recruiting members via www.projectnvohk.com on December 4, 2007 and now have over 2,200 future members.

So what does this mean?! Essentially, you enter your email on their website, and once they hit 5,000 people you will be asked to contribute $50 per year to running a brand new eco-friendly clothing company. You are involved in making the decisions, and choosing designs. You even get a limted edition “founder” t-shirt if you actually become a founder. 10% of net profits go to environmental charities and 35% to members based on how much they have invested.

The full details are:

• members will contribute $50 in annual membership dues (YOU ARE NOT OBLIGATED TO PAY ANYTHING TODAY) to…
• receive regular business updates and provide ongoing feedback via message boards
• help make major business decisions including logo design, product designs, advertising, sponsored athletes and musicians, etc.
• members will be invited via email to login to nvohk.com and read about specific business decisions on the table. members will then vote on their preferred outcome. when members reach a consensus of 60%+ (active votes), the decision will be executed via nvohk’s management.
• earn reward points based on 35% of net profits (1 to 1 ratio of dollars to points!)
• identify and select beneficiaries for corporate charitable donations (10% of net profits!)
• YES, as a member, you really are in charge

Official Green Hotel Scheme Launches In UK

VisitBritain, Britain’s National Tourist Board has launched a new program to help accommodation providers and visitor attractions in England take the first steps toward becoming sustainable businesses.

The Green Start project aims to encourage a “rapid, widespread and significant increase in the adoption of sustainable tourism principles” by offering a validated sustainable accreditation scheme.

Jason Freezer, VisitBritain’s sustainable tourism project manager, said: “VisitBritain is committed to encouraging sustainable businesses. However, nearly two-thirds tell us they need more guidance on developing their business in that way.

“Green Start is an initial step in helping more of our tourism businesses improve their existing practices and signal to visitors that they recognize the increasing importance and value of sustainable good practice.”

Benefits to businesses are listed as including:

• Cost savings, e.g. on utility bills
• Improved quality profile and market edge
• Increased business, e.g. from green conscious consumers
• Improved management efficiency and skills
• A feel-good factor for you and your staff

Using an online self-assessment tool, participants must meet a code of conduct, commit to four fundamental sustainability requirements and, over a period of two years, meet or work towards at least 23 relevant ‘good practices’ from a total menu of 50. These could include insulating buildings and water tanks, using low-energy lighting, collecting rainwater, using locally-sourced produce or promoting eco-friendly travel such as cycling. More details can be found on the Green Start site.

Ecover Floor Soap Eco Product Review

I’d never been one for floor soap before, but I recently rented a flat that hadn’t a single carpet in the place. So, being too lazy to make my own cleaner, I tried Ecover’s floor soap.

You only need to add a capful or two to a whole bucket full of water so a little goes a long way. Although it says it’s not suitable for laminate flooring, I gave it a go over everything – laminate, tiles, varnished wood etc and it seems fine.

Now Ecover products always say what they’re made from (see below for full list of ingredients), but non of the other products I’ve used have quite the lemon smell that this one does. In its raw form it’s overpowering and even when diluted and I’ve cleaned the whole floor of my flat it’s best to go out for a while. Not that it’s a bad smell, just a bit strong and it does say it’s got “fresh perfume from plant based ingredients”.

Leaving it dry, I returned later to find a nice clean home. It did take some harder mopping to get some marks out, but general grime and mud was no problem. Having not used another type of floor cleaner before it’s difficult to compare but I had no problems with it, the smell was reduced after I’d finished so it was quite a pleasant and “clean” smell.

It’s fully biodegradable and not tested on animals. The plastic bottle can be recycled (I’d be happier if it had already been recycled) and like other Ecover products it can be refilled where facilities exist.

The Ecover website gives a complete ingredients list:

The list below displays ingredients in descending order, with those present in highest quantities first.
Linseed oil
Perfume
Limonene
Nitromethylidynetrimethanol
2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol
Citral
Geraniol

It’s now stocked in most supermarkets or you can buy it easily online.

Green People Organic Formula Gentle Cleanse Product Review

Green People make a load of eco-friendly stuff for men and women. We’ve looked at their Itch Away Shampoo before but they kindly sent us some of their Organic Formulas Gentle Cleanse to test. It contains 93% certified organically grown ingredients, is an alcohol-free, moisture-binding cleanser rich in essential fatty acids. While it’s also vegan and not tested on animals. I once again had my friend Claire to try and she gave it a thorough testing.

“I found it very quick and convenient to use, as you don’t have to rinse your face before you apply it, it just goes straight onto your dry skin. And you have the option of either rinsing it off or wiping away with a cotton pad.

“It’s an effective makeup remover, my skin felt clean and refreshed after using it, also quite calming to the skin. I didn’t notice the ‘beautiful scent of fairly traded rose geranium’ but a pleasant scent isn’t what I look for when choosing cleansers. I also didn’t notice any of the anti-ageing benefits, but maybe others did - do I look 22 years old again?

“What I look for in a cleanser is that it gets rid of the impurities and oils in my skin without drying it out too much, and I found that this cleanser did both of those. No excess oiliness or dryness after using this product for a few days. Again, I don’t necessarily go out of my way to buy organic products, I usually go for names that I know and trust, and am often very sceptical of organic products, and they are also more expensive than non-organic brands, but I found this product mild yet effective.”

Green People Organic Formula Gentle Cleanse costs £12.99 for 200ml, £7.99 for 50ml and £3 for a 10ml trial size.

The Times 10 Eco Blogs For Earth Day List

Life Goggles is delighted to be named on the Times 10 eco blogs for Earth Day list. The Times is a major newspaper in the UK, based in London, and listed the following eco blogs:

• No Impact Man
• The Daily Green
• Conscious Consuming
• Inhabitat
• The Alternative Consumer
• Life Goggles - That’s us!
• La Marguerite
• Ecology and Policy
• Globalisation and the Environment
• Climate Progress

Congrats to all the other excellent blogs too!

It Takes 90 Years To Grow A Box Of Kleenex

Greenpeace USA sent us an email to let us know about their new spoof Kleenex site, called Kleercut they have set up. I didn’t realise but the largest stretch of ancient forest in North America is being clearcut for disposable paper products.

For those outside of the USA who might not know how big Kleenex is in the USA, it’s used instead of the word tissue by people I know, as in “Pass me a Kleenex”.

Their website states that “Did you know that it takes 90 years to grow a box of Kleenex? That’s right, every time you use a Kleenex tissue, you are blowing away ancient forests. And every time you use Scott or Cottonelle toilet paper, you’re flushing old growth trees down the toilet. That’s because Kimberly Clark, maker of these products, all but refuses to use recycled paper in its products.”

In 2004 Kimberly-Clark used 3.3 million tons of virgin (tree) fiber. If you want to get involved, check out their website and their Forest-Friendly Schools Toolkit.

[Update: Please check the comments below for some interesting discussion and what virgin tree fiber is]

Next Page »