Displaying items by tag: home
These Greeting Cards Make A Global Impact
Disclosure: this post was sponsored by Arbor Day Foundation
"We inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees."
This is the mission statement of the Arbor Day Foundation, a wonderful organization that is the largest nonprofit dedicated to planting trees. I ordered some of their holiday items to give to loved ones and was very impressed by the quality, design and environmental benefit.
Giveaway: Beautiful Eco Home Goods from DSC
Win a pretty glass water bottle and a cool DIY kit for your home!
I'm thrilled to share this giveaway, brought to you by my friends at Digital Shopping Channel (aka DSC). We shot a few videos together, including recipes, mindful living tips and products reviews, which are rolling out on their website and YouTube channel.
DSC will be sending one lucky person two natural home products featured in the videos: a water bottle from Aquasana (featured in this juicing video) and a DIY air plant terrarium from Makers Kit (featured in this meditation video).
Learn more about DSC in the following video and then enter to win the products below!
Here's how to enter the giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveawayGiveaway ends on Monday, August 8th at 6pm PST. One winner will be chosen to receive both products, through a random drawing using the Rafflecopter widget above. Best of luck to you!!
5 Simple Ways to Cut Your Organic, Vegan Food Costs
Have you been wanting to eat more organic, plant-based foods but feel convinced that it's too expensive? The good news is that you've been fooled - healthy, eco-vegan meals do not need to break the bank! I've been eating well on a budget for years and have spent the past year absorbing tons of tips and tricks to share with you. I'll be releasing an ebook entitled "Healthy, Organic Vegan on A Budget" and to give you a taste of what you'll learn from it I've launched a month-long video series.
CLOSED Giveaway: 2 Bamboo Toothbrushes
Congrats to Goldie, Stephany, Miranda, Savannah and Alyssa!
Cutting back on plastic is one of the best ways to be eco-friendly, yet it's hard for people to do since so many of the products in our lives are made from it. Fortunately there are some companies making it easier on us, like Brush With Bamboo. The friendly team behind this brand makes fantastic toothbrushes with biodegradable bamboo handles and BPA-free soft bristles, which are sold in compostable packaging. Since these are always a big hit when I mention them on Facebook I thought a giveaway was in order!
CLOSED Giveaway: Music Amplifier and Phone Stand Made from Bamboo!
Music is one of the finer things in life - it is rare that I make it through a day without listening to a few songs at home. I love using my iPhone and iPad for this, as they're portable and faster to navigate than my computer. One downside of mobile devices is the low audio levels, which leave a lot to be desired and ruin the mood when you want to bump up the jams. This is why I was thrilled to be introduced to the Bamboo Amplifier from Loudbasstard - this neat looking contraption boosts the sound of any mobile device without electricity or batteries! Sound like something you'd like to play around with? Enter to win one below, along with a chance at a stand for your mobile device! Congrats to the winners of this contest!
Vegan Cuts Snack Box: Co-Curated by Eco-Vegan Gal
Few things are as exciting as getting a preview of something before it comes out, am I wrong? Assuming I'm not, you'll be excited today because I'm giving you a sneak peak at Vegan Cuts' April Snack Box! Why? Because I co-curated it!! Since you're part of the EvG community you are the first to find out what's inside...well, I can't tell you everything or else I'd ruin the full surprise! But here's what I can tell you:
Viewer of the Month: Lauren Stewart
Lauren has been doing a stand-up job in the EvG Apprentice Program and thus I was eager to learn more about who she is and how she became part of the community. She has a touching story that many can relate to, no matter where they are on their journey to healthy, compassionate living.
My name is Lauren. I am 23 years old and currently live in Austin, TX, with my adorable bulldog/corgi mix, Lilly. I became vegan about 2 1/2 years ago for a few different reasons. Let me tell you a little about my journey:
I have always been interested in health and nutrition and doing the best thing for my body, and therefore have always enjoyed reading up on the most recent nutrition information. However, I also struggled with body image and bouts of binge eating for many years, so I was never completely satisfied with my health. I had played around with vegetarianism/veganism in the past, but I used to think animal products were a necessary part of our diet and vegans were just "too extreme".
Then, one day, I started reading Skinny Bitch out of pure curiosity. All of the information was so eye-opening! I specifically remember one part of the book with quotes from factory farm workers in which they mentioned how some of the pigs would come up and nuzzle the workers like puppies right before they had to slaughter them. As someone who loves her own puppy like a child, that really upset me, and I didn't want to have any part in promoting any practice that was so cruel.After that, I went through a myriad of books on veganism and nutrition, from Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Life to Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman and Engine 2 Diet by Rip Esselstyn (all of which I highly recommend to anyone), further realizing how important compassion and veganism is to our world. Plus, an added perk: I lost 20 pounds while fully enjoying my food and NOT dieting, and I was finally happy with my body, my health, and -- most importantly -- myself. And I have never looked back! I also spent last summer as a Communications Intern with Farm Sanctuary in upstate New York, and it was one of the best experiences of my life.
During my free time, you'll find me reading, writing/posting recipes on my blog Don't Forget the Sugar, walking my dog, going to the gym or doing yoga, and cooking and baking up a delicious storm of healthy vegan goodies. I love finding and coming up with healthy versions of normally un-healthy dishes and desserts, and my dream is to some day have my own food business.
Lauren's favorite Eco-Vegan Gal video: I've been a fan of Eco-Vegan Gal since I first went vegan, and I think Whitney is fantastic! I know I have used several of her recipes and health tips along my health journey, and I love how positive and fun she makes being eco-vegan look. The information on having a vegan dog was also very helpful for me. My favorite Eco-Vegan Gal video is the one where she makes her Easy, Eco Organic Peppermint Holiday Hot Chocolate. What a healthy spin to such a decadent holiday treat!:
Viewer of the Month: Kylie Bennett
I met Kylie when she applied to the EvG Apprenticeship Program - I was instantly impressed with her online presence and can-do attitude, but her sweet personality really touched my heart. She is incredibly passionate about veganism and I love her story about making the transition, as well as her husband's journey to plant-based living. Bonus: the photo of her with Buttercup from Gentle Barn is just so darn cute!
My name is Kylie. I am 34 years old living in Los Angeles with my husband and two rescue dogs, Henry & Willow. I started my vegan transformation just over two years ago. I had a couple of extremely inspiring friends who were vegan and I admired them immensely for a couple years before I realized it was silly to just look up to them when I could join them! I gave myself a challenge: go completely vegan for one week and see how it went. By day 3 I felt noticeably better, lighter in body and mind. At this point the term vegan to me was strictly dietary. I didn't think about all the animal by-products that were in the beauty products I was using and the clothing I was wearing. In that first week I also started reading and researching. I read The Kind Diet and that was a great starting point to open my eyes into what it truly means to be vegan. As I sat there with tears pouring down my face, soaking the pages of the book I knew that I could never go back to the way I was living. I could no longer ignore what was really going on in the world.
Being vegan is a constantly evolving journey. Everyday I learn something new and try my best to make ethical and eco conscious decisions. Luckily, there is a huge vegan community in Los Angeles and online. I have met so many amazing people who share my way of thinking and I get excited when my omnivorous friends tell me they are going vegan. It took my husband a full year of me being vegan before he made the switch (and I didn't even have to beg him, he did it all on his own!). Now the two of us love discovering new vegan places to eat around L.A. and it's great to have a partner in crime ;-)
In my spare time I like to blog about my experiences as a vegan and make things for my online shop Fabulously Fierce. I love unique home decor,
so my main focus is on that, but I do make some embroidered clothing as well. Having a creative outlet keeps me sane (most days)!
Kelly's favorite Eco-Vegan Gal video: Eco-Vegan Gal has been such a great source of information for me as well. Her positivity and knowledge are so inspiring. Whenever I have a question about certain products or what I can do to make smart choices for the environment or just need a little mental boost, I know I can find it in one of her videos! Since I'm not the best at taking care of myself and tend to lose motivation to exercise, I especially love her video "How to Reach Exercise Goals and Make Them a Priority Every Day":
Kylie online:
Green Cleaning Products
If you're reading this chances are you pay close attention to your lifestyle, especially when it comes to food. You're likely passionate about buying and preparing healthy and cruelty-free meals because it makes you feel good inside and out. You're being extra selective about what goes into your kitchen cabinets, but what about what's underneath and on your sink and in the laundry room? The products you use to wash your dishes, clean your clothes, and scrub your household surfaces have a big impact on your health. Their ingredients can get on your skin and into your lungs through the air, thus it's very important to use all natural, non-toxic brands. Plus, as an eco-vegan you'll want to make sure the products are plant-friendly and cruelty-free, right?
Clean House: Are There Sneaky Toxins Lurking in Your Home?
A few months ago VegNews magazine approached me about writing an article about spring greening cleaning the home with tips on how to avoid and kick out nasty toxins. I was thrilled to contribute to their environemtal issue (entitled "Are We Screwed?") and learned a ton from researching the piece (I can reassure you, we are not screwed). This 'zine hit mailboxes a few days ago and should be in newstands now or quite soon so be sure to grab a copy! Here are a few of the simple ways to detox your home for better health (read the full lowdown in the article!):