Reduce Your Carbon Footprint! Shop Local!

Another fantastic event to gather up all your gifts last minute is the Last Minute Market at the Screw Factory in Lakewood, Ohio. Stop by to see tons of arts and goods provided by local artists. This is a must see event!! Go GREEN! Shop LOCAL!!

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint This Holiday Season! Shop Local!

Lakewood is laden with some wonderful shoppes where you can find something for everyone on your holiday shopping list. There are many local stores which offer unique vintage finds, recycled goods, and environmentally correct gifts.

Walking into Cosmic Collectibles is like walking into a store like no other. There are so many unique finds in this wonderfully cozy shoppe, some vintage, some new, but all totally to be desired! Stop in at 14532 Detroit Avenue in Lakewood, Ohio. Call for up to date store days and hours (216)221.1085.

Another great gift for the person on your list who has everything material? How about supporting the local arts scene and giving that person a subscription to The Beck Center? The Beck Center is a landmark of Lakdwood and puts on a variety of amazing productions, with something for everyone to choose from. As a subscriber, you get all sorts of perks such as:

• 30% off tickets and NO SERVICE FEES!



• first choice of best seats



• free parking



• and many other perks!!

For more information about subscriptions, please contact The Beck Center at (216) 521.2540 X 10.

Eco-Friendly Christmas Trees

Looking for an alternative to a live Christmas tree but don't feel like doing the faux Christmas tree? The folks over at Re-Nest have a great idea for a String Christmas tree.

Happy GREEN Holidays!!
All you need are nails or pushpins at the end of each branch. Add ornaments across each string and VOILA! Happy Holidays!

Brrrrrrrrrrr!!!

The weather is changing and it has been getting really chilly of late. Bummer! But when is cold not necessaily a bad thing? When doing your laundry! According to the U.S. Department of Energy, cold water uses approximately 90 percent LESS energy than hot water. That is a huge difference and a very effortless change you can make. If every household in the U.S. washed four out of five loads in cold water instead of hot, approximately 50 MILLION TONS of carbon emissions per year would be prevented. That's like having the same impact as removing 10 MILLION cars off the road.

Go clean! Go cold! Go green!

Environmentally Correct Cupcakery?

I recently stopped into La Bella Cupcakes, the recently opened cupcake shoppe in Lakewood, Ohio, located at 15208 Madison Avenue and was not only thrilled and tantalized by their scrumptious cupcakes (Wedding Whisper! Molten Chocolate! Strawberry Margarita! and more...) but was also very happy to learn that they are utilizing green iniatives. Not only do they have THE most adorable cupcake wrappers but also? They are totally printed on recycled paper using soy ink. See, going green can be cute! And to up the greeness of their business, they have also installed energy efficient equipment.

Go green! Go local! Go to La Bella Cupcakes!

http://www.labellacupcakes.com/

My Total OMG Moment

So, you know how you go to the grocery store? Or Marc's? Or the drugstore? And they put like, 3 lightweight items per bag, sometimes maybe just 1 item in a bag? And sometimes they will double plastic bag say, oh, just a lightweight box of Kleenex and an apple? And sometimes your thoughts are kinda in the distance, not really focusing on the mad baggery that is going on? Well, *I* haven't focused. Until I got home to unpack my groceries and I end up with 6 items on my pantry shelves but 93249083 bags. Ok, maybe not THAT many bags. Just yet. But I totally had an Oh. Mah. GAWD! moment when I cleaned out the drawer I mindlessly shove these plastic grocery bags into. And the images above is what I pulled out; mounds and piles and piles and mounds of these nasty little bags.

Hello, this isn't 1983 where maybe we all didn't know about the huge impact these grody to the max plastic bags were having on the environment. It is 2010. We all know better. So get yourself a recyclable bag! Almost all stores carry them, for a nominal price. Not only are the good for the environment and drastically cut down on plastic bag waste, but they also make carrying your groceries easier AND more stylish. Case in point? The fabulously stylish Envirosax and they can be purchased right in Lakewood, and the uber cool GreenSmart Gifts (www.greensmartgifts.com), located at 14354 Detroit Avenue (right across from Lakewood Hospital and right next to the nomtastic Aladdin's.)

Go stylish! Go Green!

Blog Launch!

This is just a little blog to help show you how to make a difference in your community. Although I am focusing on my awesome little community of Lakewood, Ohio, you can take many of the tips and hints from here and apply them to your own life, in your own little part of the world. The greening of any community is easy and starts with one person, one step at a time. Challenge yourself! Make the world a better place for yourself and others: GO GREEN!!