Don’t dilute your summer cocktail with icy cold toxins — instead, keep your ice pristine with the brand-new-to-the-market tray made of non-leaching stainless steel; no plastic or aluminum. These stainless steel trays were first released in 1933, but RGG is bringing them back.

What other eco-friendly treats will you find at Real Green Goods?

Klean Kanteen Wide Water Bottle
Real Green Goods is the first store in New England to carry Klean Kanteen’s new “Wide Mouth” stainless steel, BPA-free water bottle in all sizes. The bottle’s opening is over 2 inches wide, similar to the Nalgene bottle, and comes with a new extra large 64 ounces. And because it’s stainless steel, there’s no need for a lining.

Certified Fair Trade and Organic, Cold-Pressed Extra Virgin Premium Estate Olive Oil
The world’s first Certified Fair Trade olive oil by Canaan is a super-premium oil, cold-pressed within hours of picking, never heated, and bottled in dark glass. Featuring olives that are picked from ancient, naturally organic groves in Palestine, its rich flavor is in a category unto itself.

Certified Fair Trade and Certified Organic Palm Oil-Free Olive Oil Bar Soap
Created from cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, this soap is smooth and silky and comes in a rustic bar for hand-cutting. Finding a palm oil-free high quality soap was important to Real Green Goods, as it lessens the demand for palm oil — this results in less destruction of the rain forest. This low chemical profile soap amazingly has only 5 ingredients, one of which is water.

Real Green Goods’ new eco-living products will be unveiled just in time for the green retailer’s 2nd anniversary party on Saturday, July 11, 2009, from 11:00am – 3:00pm at their Concord, NH store, as well as all day on their website, located at http://www.RealGreenGoods.com.

For those who can’t make it to the store, Real Green Goods is offering free soap from Vermont Soapworks and free shipping for orders over $50.

For more information on Real Green Goods or the company’s 2nd anniversary party, contact Debby de Moulpied at (603) 224-9700.

Learn the Lingo – Plenty of eco-alternatives exist, from textiles and fabrics to wood substitutes and hemp, and it is important to know your options.  For example, Staples offers paper supplies made from sugar cane waste. The final product, available in notebooks, memo pads and filler paper, feels just like regular paper.

Love the Labels – When purchasing computers and office equipment, look for the ENERGY STAR(r) label, which identifies products that are more energy efficient than comparable products. These items can reduce the cost to power your office space or home office by up to 80 percent. For paper and wood items, check for the Recycled and Forest Stewardship Council logos. And for cleaning products, look for Green Seal(r) and AP nontoxic certifications.

Use a “Green” Screen – For a better, clearer computer picture, use an LCD monitor. Older monitors contain lead and other toxic heavy metals and can be hard on the eyes. And don’t forget to set your power management settings to put your monitor and/or computer to sleep after 10-15 minutes of inactivity. You’ll help save money by reducing electricity use.

Make a Sticky Statement – Addicted to sticky notes? No worries. Use sticky notes made from recycled paper and enjoy the same great quality. Also look to “right size” your sticky notes to save paper and money.

Write with “Green” ink – Many pens and highlighters are available with refillable barrels and non-toxic ink, and some pens also contain recycled content.  These eco-preferable essentials make brainstorming a more eco-friendly activity.

Print Smart – While many businesses now include a “Please consider the environment before printing” disclaimer in their emails, printing documents is sometimes unavoidable. When printing cannot be avoided, look to double side print and copy, only print or copy the pages you need, and use eco-preferable papers. Opt for 30 to 100 percent post-consumer recycled printing paper, available in individual reams, as well as in bulk volume for offices.

Trend set with “Green Décor” – New eco-friendly bulletin boards are now available, which are made from 100 percent recycled rubber and are much more durable than traditional cork. Also look for natural and fast growing sisal, bamboo, and other plant fibers for rugs and other desk accessories.

Recycle Old Office Technology – Companies often upgrade technology for their employees without considering what to do with the old ones. Staples offers everyday, in-store recycling for a wide range of technology products through its EcoEasy recycling program. There are also trade-in events at Staples stores throughout the year, where customers can upgrade and recycle old technology.

Ultimately, green business is good business for all parties involved. By adopting these simple practices for your workplace, both small and large offices can reduce their environmental impacts.

- Courtesy of Family Features

“It is part our core belief system that art doesn’t have to be elite. Being willing to find a way for customers on a tight budget to use Twisted Limb paper in their celebrations has always been important to us,” founding artist Sheryl Woodhouse-Keese says. “We just made our DIY kits more prominent and appealing. In the process, we’ve more than doubled the number of photos available at the website, giving customers lots of ideas on what their handmade recycled invitations can look like.”

To encourage use of the do-it-yourself kits, Twisted Limb is holding a contest for DIY customers who send in photos of their completed invitations. Entries will be posted on the company’s blog and Facebook page. Staff members will pick their favorite from every ten DIY kits to receive $100 worth of handmade 100% recycled paper.

The do-it-yourself kits include Twisted Limb’s handmade 100% recycled paper cut to size, earth-friendly vellum, envelopes and cardstock, computer templates for easily formatting invitation text, and directions. Assembly kits, which include an 1/8 inch hole punch, ribbon, raffia, or hemp, and thread if stitching is needed, are also available.

The company’s colorful paper is created from used colored office paper, grocery bags, grass clippings from their field, ferns collected from their woods, and water recycled from the studio’s air conditioner and dehumidifier. The business’s entire operations are carbon neutral and 22% of annual profits are donated to environmental and community groups.

It is company policy to offer stationery, envelopes and cardstock to pair with their handmade 100% recycled paper that have the highest level of environmental integrity currently available on the market. Except for the 30% PCW recycled vellum, all papers are 100% PCW recycled. All papers are also Processed Chlorine Free and most are manufactured carbon neutral.

While Twisted Limb Paperworks sits out of the way on a quiet country road in South Central Indiana, the company’s designs are ordered by couples nationwide and have been sent around the world. Customers can peruse styles, do-it-yourself kits, green wedding tips, and request a catalog and free sample at http://www.twistedlimbpaper.com.