Do you have something you want to swap?  Do you have something you need?

XX…….XX…….XX

Got to Swapmamas.com.  This is an online community dedicated to swapping goods.  How it works is:  You post what you have in one of the various channels, and you look for what you want.  You can only swap or gift on this site – no $$$ no paypals and all shipping coordination takes place offline.  Rules have it that the giver pays the shipping deal.  Easy-peasy, green & fun!

What I love about this is that it goes with the GTB philosophies of not buying new when you can get something used in perfect condition, plus, you create a sense of harmony by the people you meet through your transactions, and it make the old cliches true: What goes around comes around; One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

a

You may remember this spring as I hoped to educate readers about Crohn’s & Colitis with the walk we did to help raise money to find a cure.  Well, Denise is at it again, with a much greater goal this time.  In addition to raising funds to help find a cure for Crohn’s & Colitis she is doing it by challenging herself to complete a half marathon.  For someone with her medical history, this is a major feat.  But, you have to hand it to her, she is fully involved in her cause – and I am so proud to call her my friend & get to root for her.  

I am hoping that by reading her message (below), you will feel inspired to support her through this exciting challenge.  Denise is also Team Orlando’s honoree for the challenge this year. 

One way you can support Denise is by purchasing a “Shop For a Cure” pass at Macy’s.  This pass is $5 and is valid on Oct 16^th ONLY (Shop For a Cure Day).  The pass includes an all day 10% and 20% coupon and coupon for 25% off one item. The passes can be used at any Macy’s as well as online (I will be happy to mail it to you).  I have passes available for purchase for anyone interested, please send me an email at greenthinkinggtb@gmail.com.

Otherwise, you can always visit Denise’s site directly to donate.

Here is her story for your dose of inspiration, thank you Denise for sharing & being brave enough to take on this combat!  Remember, one of our mantra’s at GTB is to pay it forward, it will come back to you & our Earth!

a

Free water Friday or any day!

1. Want to test your geography skills?
2. Want to donate water to countries who are in need of it?
3. Wanna do it all from the comfort of your own computer?

Visit Free Poverty and all of your wishes will come true – that is if all your wishes are #1-3.  Play an interactive geography game and for every answer you get right, 10 cups of water are donated someplace around the world.  I only played for about 3 seconds & donated 34 cups of water.

a

Are you feeling a little wild?

Let out your ROAR with an Eco-Safari! Florida EcoSafaris at Forever Florida offer zipline tours through hundred year old cypress trees, horseback riding tours if you prefer to see the sites on the ground, and coach safaris if you prefer to ride it out.

Imagine floating through the skies to observe from above the lush landscape below and all that real Florida has to offer – exotic birds, alligators, plants.  It is a great way to remember exactly why us Green-Thinkers do what we do.

Forever Florida also offers team builidng activities for your next company retreat.  These trips can include anything from an actual meeting room, to working together to round up a team of cattle, and even an overnight safari campout on the grounds!

This is an excellent example of eco-tourism, 30% of revenues from the safaris are donated back directly to assist in the conservation of these lands.  I can’t wait to make this into a date-day!

a

Ever consider banking with the environment? That is right! There is a Recycle Bank.

You could get totally rich just by doing things you already do, such as  reducing, reusing and recycling.

Seriously, do you recycle at home, recycle or electronics, or belong to the eBAy Green Club?  If so, you can easily earn points to add to your Recycle Bank.  Then you get to turn those points in to get discounts at a thousand or so retailers!

Do you like shopping for ecofriendly products, do you like going out to eat, what about music on your iPod?  If you join Recycle Bank, these are just some of the things you could redeem with your points!

Already, users have helped save over 9 million trees and almost 630 million gallons of water!

Consider this, Recycle Bank could be a really easy program for you to take advantage of – but it could also be a great incentive to get that person you know who needs a little encouragement in the eco-friendly department to jump on board…I can just feel the points rolling in!

http://www.recyclebank.com/

a

Our friends over at Cool People Care are featuring animals all week.  Well, we love animals here at GTB and felt inspired to join in the fun a little bit.

Are you looking for a new furbaby? Or another little love bug to add to your family?  Look no further than Petsmart’s National Adoption Weekend.  Petsmart sponsor a national adoption weekend every quarter, this coming season, it will take place on September 10-12. 

Visit a Petsmart near you to find a forever friend!  Remember, if you aren’t in a position to adopt today, you can always donate.  Most rescues are in dire need of food, beds, and volunteers.  If you can’t give a forever home to a new pet, consider giving a weekend every month to show your support.

a

Today I went to the eye doctor & I needed new glasses for a couple of reasons.

1.  My prescription was outdated, short story: I couldn’t see out of them anymore.

2.  My glasses were WAY out of fashion.  I haven’t gotten glasses for several years, so they were looking pre – tty dated.

So what do I do with my old glasses? In my lifetime I have had a total of 10 pairs of glasses (I think, math isn’t my strong suit, but I generally got a new pair of glasses every other year since 2nd grade).  I even had a pair of glasses like Sally Jesse Raphael, big round red ones. 

Lucky for me, my mom always recycled my old glasses, which is exactly what I will do with my most recent pairs.  But where?  More than 80% of the world’s population requires some sort of corrective vision tool, glasses or contacts, so you can imagine how many of those end up in the garbage, aka landfills.

Give the Gift of Sight is an organization that collects old glasses and adds new lenses to deliver to end product to those in need in developing countries.  They will even repair old glasses, so if they are broken, bring them anyway! Drop off sites can be determined here, but most LensCrafters,  Pearle Vision, Sears Optical, Target Optical or Lion’s Club collect your glasses.

Lion’s Club is an organization dedicated to helping communities.  From building playgrounds to environmental issues, this group does a lot!  Most people (including me) have heard about the Lions because of their dedication to collecting used glasses to provide sight to those who are in need.  The group offers 17 recycling centers worldwide to collect glasses.  Check out the journey of donated glasses here.

Of course, another option is to get new lenses put in your old glasses.  This will prevent any additional frames from going anywhere.  I chose not to go this route right now because Sally Jesse is totally eighties, but some people may like that look.

a

Most mornings I am rushing out the door – either I want to sleep in just 5 more minutes or Rigby (the pup) won’t go potty, or snuggling is just too irresistable.  So, most mornings I am rushing out the door.

With that in mind, I have just enough time to grab a granola bar on my way out and hope that I have enough almond milk left in the fridge at work for my cup o’ joe.  Imgaine the pleasure I had yesterday when I realized my Nature Valley granola bar (Peanut Butter most days) has a wrapper that reads: National Park Projects. 

I couldn’t wait to see what this was all about! Turns out that Nature Valley is sponsoring three different preservation projects in three different national parks: Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and Biscayne.  All we have to do is get the specially marked boxes of granola bars, eat their deliciousness, and then mail the empty wrapper in to

National Parks Project
PO Box 450328
El Paso, TX 88545-0328

Each wrapper is worth ten cents to go toward the preservation of these park  AND they will recycle every wrapper sent back. Small thing for us to do to help keep these national monuments around for years and years! 

a

In one week a few of my closest friends and I will embark on a journey to a music fest of all times: Bonnaroo 2010.

The Bonnaroo Music and Art festival is a four day event on 700 acres of land in Manchester, TN.  It brings together music of all genres from hip-hop to contemporary, jazz and everything in between.

So, why I am writing about it on a blog about green thinking?

Think about this:  700 acres and thousands of people could be potential for ruining an otherwise open field.  How do they keep things the way they were before the fun times?  By being green of course!

Bonnaroo has an entire philosophy dedicated to “Greening & Activism”. 

• When you purchase your ticket to attend this epic event, you can opt in to donate additional funds for sustainable improvements in the host city. 
• The Bonnaroo Victory Garden sponsors workshops for aspiring and accomplished gardeners.  So much more than a music fest.
• Bonnaroo pledges a sustainable statement and goals for each festival – including the encouragement of vendors to utilize locally grown food, compost creation, and recycling centers throughout the grounds
• Planet Roo, the area with the 700 acres dedicated to sustainability of the event, features a solar powered stage and yoga classes every morning of the event.
• Attendees are encouraged to bring an old cell phone to recycle, canned goods to donate to Feed America First, and divert waste from the landfills.  Check out their impressive numbers from last year’s festival here!

Needless to say, I am totally stoked to have the opportunity to attend.  Be sure to check back next week for first hand experiences through video, pictures and attendee interviews. 

Woooo Hooo BONNAROO!!!!

a

To all those mom’s out there:  Thank you for everything you do.

It is with your dedication to us that we are able to create good habits to protect the mother that nurtures us all, Mother Earth.

Today, think about giving your Mom something for her to know how important she is to you:

1. The gift of organic seasoning:  Consider taking the time to get your mom a little herb garden with several herbs from your local farmer’s market.  Be sure to get some mint, Mom is probably prone to drinking Mojitos after raising you!  
2. Clean out her garage:  If your mom is like my mom, she could always use an extra hand.  Moms are always busy taking care of everyone else and trying to maintain consistency amongst chaos, why not lend your hand to helping her complete a project she hasn’t had a chance to get to yet?
3. Is your mom one of those who has everything?  In that case, consider a donation in her name to her favorite charity! Charity Navigator and JustGive.org are two online sources you can locate this charity and make a donation online.  If you don’t know her favorite charity, consider finding one in a category that suites her taste – from animals to environment to kids, huh, there are so many to choose from!

a