2 Easy D.I.Y's with Rice Bags

Next time you run out of rice, instead of throwing the bag away, keep it, and use it for one of these three super easy D.I.Y's.

D.I.Y Number One: reusable rice bag

This project is really easy.

1. Remove the current straps off of your bag of rice
2. Cut two long pieces from the side of the rice bags (this will be for your straps)
3. Close the side of the bag that you cut by sewing it
4. Fold both pieces of your straps in half than sew it closed
5. Sew the new straps on the bag

From a more detailed version of how to make a bag strap click here

D.I.Y Number Two: makeup bag/pencil case

This project is another easy one.

1. Cut the rice bag in half
2. Sew the bottom or the cut part closed (this may be a little hard because rice bags are made of very thick material)

Once your down these 2 easy steps you will have two makeup bags/ pencil cases. If you used a rice bag with a zipper one makeup bag/ pencil case will have a zipper the other one will not.You can put a button or some velcro to close your other bag. You can also decorate it.

Non-Toxic Nail Polish

I don't know about you, but I love painting my nails. The only thing I hate is the awful toxic scent. If you are you looking for a way to get rid of that smell, try a non-toxic nail polish. Not only do they not have harmful chemicals that are bad for the environment and are bodies, but the cost about the same as a regular bottle of O.P.I nail polish.

Piggy Paint

• Non-toxic
• Low odor 
• Water-based
• Cruelty-free
• Fun colours
• Free of formaldehyde, toluene, phthalates, Bisphenol A, ethyl acetate, and acetone.
•  Each nail polish around $8.99 
• They also sell non-toxic nail polish remover

acquarella polish

• Water-based
• Non-toxic
• No Odor
• No formaldehyde, phtalates, and petrochemical solvents
• good colour range
• Fast dry
• Also sells nail remover, conditioner, and moisturizer

Nubar

• Cruelty free 
• Vegan
• Around $7.49
• Formaldehyde free, free Phthalate (DBP) free

For more about non-toxic nail polishes check out care2.com
*I got some of the information with the help of
www.care2.com/greenliving/non-toxic-nail-polish.html#
www.piggypaint.com
www.acquarellapolish.com
www.bynubar.com

Green Pledge

 

I will ...

• Use recycling bins properly
• Write on scarp papers first
• Turn off the lights when I leave a room
• Unplug unused appliances
• Properly dispose of batteries by giving them to battery recycling centers
• Stop using plastic water bottles and invest in a reusable water bottle
• Take shorter showers
• Replace your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs
• print double sided
• walk more often
• pack litter less lunches
• Reuse, Reduce, Recycle
• cancel junk mail
• Invest in a water filter so you can stop buying bottled water
• Teach others about the importance of going green
• Have fun

DisneyNature African Cats

African Cats is the newest Disneynature film that is in Theaters today, Friday April 22. It's a true story about wild casts in African. (read more about the plot) Like most of the Disneynature movies donations will be made to help the Savanna for everyone who watches the movie opening opening week. (read more).

Watch the trailer here 
Learn more about the film here

Tip Tuesdays: Don`t Ask for ATM receipts

Don't ask for ATM receipts
Most people who ask for ATM receipts, spend 2 seconds looking at it, and just throw it on the ground. If all of us stopped asking for these receipts it would save tons and tons of paper. However if you do happen to click the yes botton when the machine ask if you want a receipt, remember to recycle it.

Earth Day Party Ideas

I got the idea of posting an article on Eco-Friendly Earth Day Party Ideas from my sister. A couple years ago she went to an Earth Hour Concert. Thinking about it now I realize how ironic that idea was. How can you have a concert on Earth Hour? Concerts use so much electricity. The amount of power used for lighting, instruments, sound is probably enough to run power to all homes in Quebec for a year. (These numbers are not ac, but you get the point) After thinking about it, I decided that you should be able to have parties, yet help the environment at the same time.

Spa Party 

Spa parties are a great way to relax and spent time with your close friends, while not doing anything. It's also an easy way to have fun and be eco-friendly.

• Have an at home-spa
• Make your own spa products like face masks, scrubs, and lotions at home using eco-friendly materials. (article on that coming soon)
• Fill containers with a small amount of  cold water and reuse that water whenever possible
• Use the smallest amount of towels possible what way you wanted have to use a ton of water washing them
• When washing the towels use cold water and air dry
• Enjoy organic foods
• Use non-toxic nail polish: like Piggy Paint, Honeybee Gardens watercolour non-peel off polish, or Spa Ritual (all of these polish cost around that same price as OPI)
• Recycle and properly dispose of all products used

Dance Party

Dance parties are so much fun yet so energy consuming.

• Turn off most of the lights and the ones that remain on use compact fluorescent light bulbs or use LED (low-energy lights) Christmas lights
• If you are using your laptop to play the music unplug it once in a while when it is fully charged
• Serve water 
• Serve organic snacks

Brunch

Brunch parties are delicious and very gossip girl. It can be very easy to have a green brunch.

• Turn off the lights and use natural lighting
• sit outside and enjoy the scenery, don't forget to pick up your garage.
• Don't make to much food, you don't what to waste it
• Use organic foods
• Have vegetarian and vegan options.

Earth Day 2011

Earth Day is celebrated every April 22 worldwide. It started off in the 1970's to raise awareness, and to teach people about the importance of taking care of our planet. Since then it has become an international movement. Every Earth Day people participate in eco-friendly activities like planting tress, cooking vegetarian meals, or simply teaching people about the importance of being green. The main idea of Earth Day is to show people that it is important to care for the Earth everyday, not just on one day of the year.

Things to do on Earth Day

• Plant a tree
• cook vegetarian meals
• use organic foods
• do crafts using recycled products
• start a garden
• pick up the trash on the ground
• learn more about the environment
• start a recycling center
• go on a hike or bike ride
• wear green 
• find an eco-friendly activity in your area
• follow my blog

17 Super Easy Tips to Go Green

In today's society everybody is too bust, too tried, and too lazy to bother being "green". These easy tips will help even the laziness people be a little more environmentally friendly.

1. Turn of the taps when brushing your teeth: This will help reduce the amount of water you use
2. Unplug all things when not in use: This will decrease the amount of energy you use
3. Don't ask for ATM receipts: This will help decrease paper
4. Throw your litter in the trash: This will help get rid of the trash that ends up in our water
5. Put your recycling in the right place
6. Try buying a complete of organic fruits and vegetables
7. Wash clothes in cold or warm water: Hot water uses more energy
8. Stop delivery of junk mail: To cut down on paper
9. Close the curtains or blinds in your home to keep it warm in winter and cool in summer
10. Recycle or return  old MP3's or iPods to manufacturers: They will probably dispose of it, and they may even reuse some parts
11. Get your car washed at a car wash: Car washes tend to reuse their rinse water, and they will properly dispose of the water so the soapy water doesn't get into rivers and lakes. They also tend to use less water.
12. Cover your pool when not in use: This will help stop the water from evaporating so you don't have to keep refilling your pool.
13. Take shorter showers
14. Use reusable bottles
15. Use reusable bags
16. Turn off the lights when you leave a room
17. Enjoy your time going green: If you never enjoy it you will never appreciate it, and you will probably resort back to your old habits.
    

Vegetarian Meals:Oatmeal and Fruits

 

Oatmeal is a great breakfast idea. It has tons of protein, fibre, and iron, making it the perfect meal for vegetarians. Adding fruits to your oatmeal makes it not only eat better, but also healthier. 

Oatmeal:

• When you are buying your oatmeal try to buy the ones that are packaged in one big bag instead of the ones that are individually wrapped. It will help cut down on waste.
• When it comes to making the oatmeal just follow the package instructions. It's really easy to follow and it doesn't take long to make.

Fruits:

• Try to buy organic fruits to put into your oatmeal. If you want you can given put in some nuts to increase the protein
• When you are done making the oatmeal add the fruits and/or nuts 

For more recipes with oatmeal check out www.quakeroats.com

Bon Appetit 

Community Clean Up

Today at around 10:00am  I volunteered for a community clean-up. The weather was horrible. Rain and heavy winds, but I still went. I was out for a little less than an hour picking up garbage around the community. They was so much trash outside that it made me happy to help clean it up. Most of the trash would have ended up in oceans, lakes and landfills, hurting our planet even more. After spending a some time cleaning up we had a BBQ, even with all the bad weather. A local news crew even came and interviewed some people about the clean-up. It was which an easy and fun task that it made me realize that if we all went out and picked up some garbage for a couple of minutes, we can all make a big difference.

Have an Elegant, Eco-Friendly Wedding

With all the talk about the Royal Wedding and wedding season is upon us it's the perfect time to give back to the environment, and have an Eco-friendly wedding. When most people think of "green" weddings, they usually picture it looking tacky, but I am going to show we simple ways to have an elegant, green, budget-friendly, wedding.

Invitations 

Invitations can be a money-sucking, paper ball of waste. Thankfully there are plenty of choices when it comes to invites.

1. E-cards: Sending your guests a card by e-mail, definitely, eliminates the use of paper and the drops the pieces by 100% because it is free. Unfortunately it can take away the class, of your wedding, and you risk having some people not know about your wedding, because you can't guaranteed everyone checks their e-mails.
2.  Recycled Paper: You also have the option of having regular invites, but printing them on recycled paper. You can also do this professionally at local print shops or online at websites like baroncards.com.  

Other Stationary
Too save money and be eco-friendly remove unimportant wedding stationers like save the dates, reception cards bookmarks, programs, and menus. If you want to keep them all you can also print on recycled paper or cut down the size.

Venues 

 When Choosing a venue you have a few options to help cut back your impact on the planet. 

1. Choose a venue close to the majority of your guests.This including having your wedding in the same country as most of your guest live in.
   
2. Hold your reception and ceremony at the same place.
3. Have a smaller guest list. This will not only cut down on cost, but on food, transportation, and venue size.
4. Have an outdoor wedding. Enjoy the natural scenery. Which also cuts down on the price of decor.
5. Check out green venues. This is help cut down on your weddings carbon footprint.   

Appeal

1. Try a vintage dress: You can use your mom's your grandma's dress (I am sure they will love it). If you don't like a couple things about the dress you can recreate a new dress using the fabric from the old one.
2. Buy a dress made locally: This will insure that your dress didn't have to travel a long distance creating more air pollution.
3. Have a wedding dress made of natural fabrics: try a dress made of 100% cotton or even bamboo. 
4. Have your groomsmen and/or bridesmaids rent your outfits: or once they finish wearing there outfits have them donate it or send it to a thrift store. 

 Food

1.  Find a "green" catering
2. Have vegetarian options
3. Have organic foods
4. use foods grew locally

Rings

1.  Use a vintage ring 
2. Have your old jewellery melted down into your wedding bands
3. Get conflict-free diamonds: This will make sure your diamonds were not mined in war zones (blood diamonds) or get your diamonds mined in peaceful countries.
4. Get lab-created diamonds

* I used some tips on green wedding rings from sierraclub.typepad.com

Decorations 

1. Use tablecloths made from natural fibres and fabric
2. Use fabric napkins instead of paper
3. Use metal utensils instead of plastic ones
4. Use eco-friendly candles
5. If you decide to use overhead lighting use eco-friendly light bulbs

Flowers

When it comes to flowers you have two choices real or fake. Personally I think real flowers are a bit more eco-friendly than fake ones, but there are pros and cons for both.

Real flowers

Pros

• not made from plastics
• look real
• biodegradable
• smell good

Cons

• may have been sprayed with pesticides
• do not last long
•  cost more

Fake Flowers
Pros

• last longer
• vary of more colours
• less expensive

Cons

• made from plastic
• may have travelled long distances
• do not look real

Wedding Favours 

1. Planting Kit
2. Bamboo box filled with organic candy
3. Monogrammed reusable water bottles
4. Organic soaps
5. Tote bags made from natural fabrics
6. Bamboo picture frame
7. Bamboo plant
8.  Eco-friendly candles

Check out www.green-wedding.net/ for more eco-wedding favours

After the Wedding

1.  Recycle or donate your wedding decorations
2. Compost the rest of your wedding food (may sure the foods you are compacting can be composted
3. Clean up using eco-friendly cleaning products
4. Donate your dress or save it for your future daughter's wedding

Honeymoon

You don't have to sacrifice going to the honeymoon of your dreams to help the environment with these tips.

1. Do your research
2. Stay at a green hotel
3. Eat at green restaurants that serve organic foods
4. Enjoy the natural beauty of the place that your staying
5. Participate in green activities, like tree planting
6. Continue with your daily green activities like turning off the lights, or unplugging electronics when not in use.

PrettyLittlePlanet's First Birthday!

I am super excited to announce that today PrettyLittlePlanet is one years old. I can not believe it has been a whole year since my first post. This blog has grown so much in the past year and will continue to grow in the years to come. Thank you to everyone who has supported me, read my posts and gave me feedback. PrettyLittlePlanet would be nothing without you.