Going Green Gets Personal

Living in the 21st Century means living conscientiously especially when it comes to the environment. My awareness has come full circle in this regard.  When I was in elementary school in a Los Angeles suburb in the late 1960's, my recess time was interrupted time and time again by smog alerts. It was a common occurrence to not be able to see the foothills near my house thanks to all the huge cars and businesses spewing out smokey exhaust toxins. And in those days, trash was trash. You never thought twice about throwing stuff away. 

When I was raising my kids in the 1980's and 1990's, being a friend of the environment was new and expected. As my children were taught to Reduce- Reuse-Recycle, they showed me how to separate our garbage and be more careful with how I treated the world around me.  Today, I feel most honorable and responsible because I am purposely purchasing items that feature the recycling logo.    

My recycling habits hit a new level this summer when I was introduced to eBayGreen at evo12.  eBayGreen is a division of eBay whose purpose is "Inspiring the world to buy, sell,and think green everyday."  Talk about being environmentally aware. The eBayGreen folks sponsored a suite at the conference which was entirely made up of items that were eco-friendly, eco-inspired, and eco-useful. Furniture, clothes, business products -- you name it and they had the environmentally correct version. 

What really blew me away were all the personal products on display in the suite that were green choices. I was particularly enthralled with the 100% recycled toothbrush, made from yogurt cups. And to avoid further waste, the manufacturer of the toothbrush, Preserve. included a return envelope to their headquarters for the toothbrush so that it could continue on its recycled path. Remarkable.

I've used the toothbrush the past three months as directed. Why three months? Because that is how long dentists recommend you use a toothbrush before replacing it. Today, I put my toothbrush in the postage paid envelope and in return, I will be receiving another recycled version as a replacement. All I had to do was go on to the Preserve website, register my address and note my toothbrush preferences (color, softness, etc.) and pay a nominal fee. What a marketing concept. Being a conscientious green consumer doesn't get any easier.    

Have you tried any unusual green products lately? 
Are you giving any green products as gifts this holiday season?