Hey Kermit - it's easy being green

You may dig your heels in on this, but I promise - once you get started, you'll find yourself cringing when you have to throw away a can or buy an "unfriendly" product. (I've been known to carry trash home to recycle it & this is no easy task for us. We have to drive ours 10 miles to a center). I was bitten by the green bug in 2nd grade when I saw a show on PBS about the trash we bury seeping harmful chemicals into our water & killing wildlife. I promptly wrote an editorial to the local paper imploring people to do their part. The passion has grown since then & I've tried to reduce my footprint with things like collecting the office paper at my last job, to using cloth diapers & natural cleaning products in our home.

So, what does any of this have to do with all things bean? Well, I've found the most fun way of being environmental yet. The green bean line. In addition to the things we do as a company (see http://www.allthingsbean.com/index2.php#/info1/2/), now it's part of fashion! While on vacation last week in beautiful Silverton CO, I happened upon a wonderful antique store, Adelaide's. There I nabbed the latest piece for the Fall green bean line - a vintage floral feed sack, circa 1930. (Look for it soon on the website & on facebook when the season launches). This & other finds will be re-purposed in appliques.

Finally - my challenge to you. Choose one aspect of your life & modify it to be a little more green. Here are some quick ideas:

• Switch out your disposable water bottles for a re-usable one. (I personally like the camelbaks with a flip spout & I tend to drink more water this way).
• Wash clothes in cold water - unless you use cloth diapers & then, please, wash those in hot!
• Keep the windows open & fans going all nite & then close up the house in the morning. You'll prolong the amount of time before you need to turn on the a/c.
• Recycle! This is easy - most items can be mixed together now & it's free to drop things at many locations. Google recycling drop off in your area.
• Try switching just a couple of your "normal" cleaning products to greener options - Seventh Generation, Method & Clorox Green Works are all pretty good options & they work.

Feel free to add your suggestions too. In the meantime, I'll be looking for a compost system for my deck & more vintage & re-purposed fabrics for the green bean line.

Take care!
all things bean