Top Ten Greenest Cities

Yahoo is featuring the Top Ten Greenest Cities on their homepage this morning. Here's the list:

Portland, Oregon

Austin, Texas

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Boulder, Colorado

Burlington, Vermont

Madison, Wisconsin

New York, New York

San Francisco, California

Santa Monica, California

Chicago, Illinois

I'm happy and proud to see New York on the list. I live in NJ but NY is our closest big city and we try to visit there whenever we can, though not enough. So what is NYC doing to be so green? Topping the list of reasons is New York's excellent public transportation system and water quality.

You can read more about New York and the other cities on the green list by linking to the article here. If your city is not on the list, do whatever you can to help them get there.

A Visit to Tom's of Maine

While in Maine, Patrick and I couldn't resist making a stop to visit Tom's of Maine. Tom's sells all natural products which have been made locally. The best part is the products work....and well. Among other things, we bought some toothpaste to try out when we got home. Well, we're home and we've tried the toothpaste and it's amazing. I couldn't believe the difference in the way it made my teeth and mouth feel. I truly believe Tom's did a better job on my teeth than Colgate, Crest, Listerine and Aquafresh have ever done. Once we've used all the "standard" toothpaste we have stocked in our cabinet, we'll be purchasing more Tom's. I highly recommend you give it a try. It tastes good and cleans well and of course, is a better choice for our environment.

Sugar Cane Plates

While watching an archived episode of The Early Show that I taped a few weeks ago, I learned of another biodegradable plate manufacturer. StalkMarket plates are made of sugar cane so they can be composted or thrown away without the guilt of traditional disposable plates.

I've recently written about Chinet being made from recycled materials and being biodegradable. I still believe Chinet is a great choice since their products are readily available in most, or all, grocery stores. I just want to shed light on, and give credit to, other manufacturers who are doing their part to save our earth.

Arm and Hammer is Getting Better

Arm and Hammer Laundry detergent and fabric softener now comes in dye-free and fragrance-free forms. They also use biodegradable plant-based soaps and is more concentrated, which makes for an ecological and economically smart choice for your laundry room.

I would like to mention, however, that I don't know if Arm and Hammer's packaging is recyclable or biodegradable but Method's is so I still prefer Method products.

Can't Get Enough of Maine

I've told you how much Patrick and I love Maine for many reasons, including their eco-savvy ways. While browsing one of my favorite blogs, Treehugger.com, I came across this article about Hannaford grocery stores. Not only are they green, they also care about the nutritional value of the food on their shelves. I vaguely remember seeing something about this system when we stopped at a Hannaford for some food.

Once again, Kudos to Maine!

Another Green Party

Patrick and I had a huge celebration over the weekend. We had all our family and friends over on Saturday for a combined birthday (Patrick turned 30 on 8/23 and I'm turning 30 this Friday) and engagement party. Although we have a lot of reusable dishes, we didn't have enough for the close to 100 guests we had this time. I did a little research and found out that Chinet paper plates are made from recycled material AND are 100% biodegradable. So, folks, if you must use paper plates, give Chinet a try. They are sturdy and you can feel good about using them. To go one step further, as we did, you can also have your guests recycle all bottles, cans, plastic cups and plastic utensils.

Home Sweet Home

Patrick and I are home from Maine (sigh). It's so beautiful up there I found myself repeating over and over, "we should move here". Every town we stopped in had an encouraging aspiration to be green. From organic and local food to soy wax candles and extensive recycling programs, Maine is awesome in my book!