Green Daily

I'm on my way to Chicago for BlogHer '09 this week, so the combination of cute shoes, vegan and made in Chicago caught my eye when I saw a post about Mohop shoes on the Green Lashes and Fashion blog.

Mohop shoes, which have handcrafted soles made from maple, cherry and (my total favorite) walnut wood, come in three different heights -- low, medium and high. All of the heels are purported to be comfortable, like clogs, because they conform to the natural shape of your foot.

The best part is that the "top" part of the shoe can be changed around and customized to suit your mood. The ribbon or fabric straps -- you can even order straps made of fabric remnants, so very "reuse-chic!" -- can be laced several different ways through unique elastic loops on the side of the soles.

Annie Mohaupt, the designer, makes the shoes in her studio in Chicago. I'm hoping to have enough free time to get out and see a few sites while I'm there, and I'll definitely keep my eyes open for real life sightings -- and maybe even trying on -- of these groovy, green shoes!

You're a conscientious shopper, and you pay attention to the green and ethical practices behind the businesses that get your money -- good for you! Now, apparently, you should be getting your booty over to Kohl's, which just came in as the number one purchaser of green power among retailers, and third overall.

EPA Green Power Partners that have completed voluntary green power purchases were ranked. Green power is defined by the EPA as "electricity generated from environmentally preferable resources like wind and solar."

Kohl's more than doubled their green power purchase for 2009, but still came in behind Intel Corporation, which came in at first place for the second year in a row, and PepsiCo. The full list includes a few names that just might surprise you, such as Wal-Mart stores and several states and cities.

There are plenty of other businesses making the list, and all together, EPA Green Power Partners are buying over 16 billion kWh of green power each year.

Not too long ago I wrote about a great invention that would enable you to retrofit your existing toilet into a dual flush wonder for only $30. Well, the kind folks over at SelectAFlush have sent me FOUR Dual Flush Conversion Kits to give away to our readers.

SelectAFlush allows you to choose just how big a flush you need every time you visit the loo. It's American made and a cinch to install. This little device will save your household thousands of gallons of water over the course of a year without investing in pricey dual flush toilet.

All you need to do to have one of these sent to your home is to leave me a comment below and a little bit of luck.

• To enter, leave a confirmed comment below.
• The comment must be left before 5pm EST on Friday, March 20th.
• You may enter only once.
• Four winners will be selected in a random drawing.
• Each of the four winners will receive one Dual Flush Conversion Kit (valued at $30.00).
• Open to legal residents of the 50 United States (including the District of Columbia) who are 18 and older.

Click here for Official Rules.

GOOD LUCK!

Are you looking for some sustainable beer choices for this, the greenest holiday? Look no further. Below is a gallery of tasty brews to enhance your celebrations wherever they may be. Of course, if you want to be especially kind to the environment you can always brew your own.

Don't forget that just how green your beverage ends up being has a lot to do with you. There's the obvious, like making an attempt to recycle your cans and bottles but people often overlook the fact that their compost piles would benefit from any excess beer lying around before or after its been filtered through their kidneys. Give the neighbors a show this St. Patty's Day they will not soon get over.

Ready to stop leveling forests just to wipe you butt? Great. Want to take sustainability a step further than recycled TP? Perfect. A growing number of hard-assed tree huggers are making the switch from conventional toilet paper to cloth for their green bathrooming needs. I guess you could call it a trend, or a movement. While I doubt the cloth wipe is the next Snuggie, Wallypop is offering a whole lineup of these reusable toilet wipes that are specifically engineered for your bum.

Constructed from eco-frinedly soft flannel, knit terry, velour, and hemp wires, these wipes are available in all sorts of cutesy, stain-masking patterns. Wallypop even has a cloth toilet wipe how-to -- covering use, storage, and washing, to help you make the swith. If the whole concept seems totally asinine, just think: if every American household used one less roll of virgin tp, it would save 423,900 trees.

While they actually do sound pretty soft and fluffy, I think I'm more likely to stick with recycled TP. It just seems like a more sanitary and pleasant process overall.

If you have been reading this blog for a while, you are undoubtedly aware with my love affair with a lawn mower. I love my Neuton Battery-Powered Lawn Mower. My husband loves it just as much because I no longer nag him to cut the the grass. Because of my history with the company, I was thrilled to see that they had received the Editors' Choice Award from Organic Gardening magazine.

The Neuton mower was one of eight winners of the prestigious award this month. Organic Gardening loved its quiet operation as well as its ability to mow over anything they threw its way. They also remarked on the benefits of being able to order additional batteries for longer run time and the mower's power display right on the handle.

Neuton is offering a number of sales right now including $100 off a reconditioned 6.2 mower with a free trimmer thrown in!

Jill Fehrenbacher founded the Green Gadgets Conference which will be taking place in Manhatten this year on February 27th. Last year Green Daily covered the convention complete with interviews and product information. The conference is an opportunity for tech companies and greenies to assemble and discuss energy consumption and recycling issues that are associated with the gadgets that we have come to rely on from day to day.

The New York Times recently met with Fehrenbacher to find out what her favorite Green Gadgets are. It turns out that she not only has her sites set on sustainability but also an eye for design as well. Check out our gallery for a few of her favorites.

Choosing dinnerware for my kids has become a chore. Without fail all of the cutest and least expensive designs are made from some sort of plastic. I am hesitant to give my kids ceramic and glass because they will inevitably get broken. This is why I was so happy to find Thinkbaby's new BPA Free Fedding Set.

This complete set includes a cup, two bowls, a bento box and utensils for only $39.99. Dishes come with lids and the interiors are made of stainless steel. The exteriors are covered with polypropylene which helps to keep the heat or cold from the food from bothering tiny hands. The set is made without BPA, phthalates, PVC, lead and melamine.

The Green Depot welcomed its first customers last week in Manhattan. The 3500 square foot store offers guests one-stop-shopping for their environmentally friendly home supplies.

There are several items in the Green Depot that you would expect to see like bamboo flooring and recycled glass counter tops. But how about a Solatube Solar Star Attic Fan or a set of glasses made from reclaimed wine bottles? The store carries its own line of cleaners and even has a baby department with eco-friendly clothes, toys, furniture and bedding.

Each of Green Depot's products is accompanied by an icon depicting whether it is a locally produced material, made by a socially responsible company, conserves energy or benefits air quality. This allows the shopper to make informed decisions quickly.

The Manhattan location is only one of many stores set to open. There are three more stores being built in New York as well as Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Illinois.

[via: Sustainability Ninja]

The beauty of a dual flush toilet is that you can decide just how big of a flush you need. Once only available as pricey imports, you can now get them at Home Depot. Though the price has dropped significantly they are still around $300. When a commenter (hi David!) notified me about SelectAFlush I had to pass the information along.

SelectAFlush offers a conversion kit that will turn just about any toilet into a dual flush system for only $29.95. This is a perfect solution for homeowners and even renters who don't need to replace their existing toilet but would like to conserve water. This option uses less water than placing a brick or object in the toilet tank as you will never need to do a double flush.

All you need to do is replace the parts within the tank with the Dual Flush Toilet Valve and Dual Action Flush Lever. When it's time to flush, pushing the lever to the left will give you a rinse and pushing it to the right will give a full flush. This is a result of two toilet valves at different heights to monitor the amount of water used.

This is a great invention and pays for itself in a year or two depending on how big your family is. According to the website, a family of four will save 13 gallons a day with the SelectAFlush. Another feature is it's made in the United States. At the price I could afford to do this for both bathrooms and for those of you with three or four commodes, it'd save you hundreds of dollars over outfitting all of your bathrooms with dual flush toilets. I'm pretty impressed.

As you walk through the malls and shop-o-plexes this week, you may not feel like you have a lot of environmentally sound options when it comes to Valentine's Day gifts. Well, before you throw in the towel and buy your loved one a houseplant, name a star after them, or something eco-friendly but boring like that -- you might want to consider giving it one more try.

Lucky for us last-minute types, you can find a cornucopia of eco-friendly V-day jewelry, sweets, etc. online. After an exhausting -- but far from exhaustive -- search of what's around, I've put together a list of a few of the more attractive, kitschy, and affordable green Valentine's gifts. Check them out in the gallery below:

I admit to harboring curmudgeonly tendencies a little too often, but I think most anyone would get a chuckle out of this year's Washington Auto Show theme: "Driven by the Environment."

Really? To be fair, organizers have set up a Green Car Pavilion where visitors can view "30 of the world's cleanest and most advanced vehicles ever displayed."

But down at the bottom of the ad, there's this little photo of the BMW Z4 Roadster. According to Popular Mechanics, this pretty little thing "can be ordered with two powerplants, both of which offer significantly more brawn than the 215- and 255-hp mills found in the '08 model" and has the ability to "shoot to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds when equipped with a manual transmission." My guess is that most of those in attendance who can afford $40K-plus for a car would probably get pretty excited about that last fact. The notion that the Roadster "delivers better fuel economy" than the older model is most certainly secondary. And what exactly is that mpg number, you ask? Um, 18.

And how about all those auto makers who may have had a hand in killing the electric car years ago that are now boasting their latest efforts at fuel economy? Don't get me wrong. It's about time. And I'm happy about it. But, driven by the environment? Really?

Any excuse I can find to peruse the incredible handmade creations on Etsy is always welcome and I figured with cupid's holiday just around the corner I needed to share my favorite love-inspired Etsy finds with you! This is just a sampling but they have a whole Valentines Day Showcase to get your started. In case you're a newbie to Etsy, the website serves as common ground for those who want to sell their unique handmade crafts and those of us who are looking to purchase something special that wasn't commercially produced. If you like one-of-a-kinds you'll love Etsy. Enjoy checking out the gallery of lover-ly things below.

If you've ever been to an IKEA store you know how easy it is to leave with a moving truck full of items. One time I came home with a bed, chair, desk, and bookshelf not to mention some smaller organizational items. I remember thinking, "wow -- they use a LOT of wood products" and wondering how many trees it took to furnish my room. So when I came upon this recent article about their green practices and eco-stewardship efforts I was relieved! IKEA has been actively cutting back its carbon footprint through manufacturing, suppliers, transportation, and materials. View the specifics in the galley below and you may consider this big box store a decently green choice.

The pitiful holiday shopping season has left may retailers desperate to turn over some of their stock. It's not just your local mall that is offering sales but "green" e-tailers as well. Here are a few that I came across today.

• A favorite site of mine, Reusable Bags is offering free shipping today through Sunday, January 18th on orders over $75 with use of the code FRSHIP75. Orders over $50 ship for only $4.95.
• Land of Nod, a baby store with lovely items much too expensive for my wallet has lowered the prices on many of their organic bedding and eco-friendly children's items by as much as 65%. [via: nature moms blog]
• Organic Style is offering 50% - 75% off selected items on their website. From organic dog treats to attractive bamboo cutting boards, there is likely to be something that strikes your fancy. [via: Ecobunga]