Sheryl Crow, Green Rocker Mama Extraordinaire!

With a new album on the way, rockstar Sheryl Crow is the epitome of a green celebrity living the true sustainable life (for a rockstar).  Not only is the green mother of two committed to mother earth, but also is committed to rocking our socks off year after year. In honor of a music legend releasing yet another (now here 7th) album, 100 Miles From Memphis, this is a little something recognizing her efforts.

●     From flights to ground transportation, the entirety of the carbon footprint of her tour is neutralized with the support of renewable energy source.

●     All food provided is organic, locally sourced and packaged in biodegradable/compostable containers.

●     Ms. Crow is a founding member of the Green Music Group, a group committed to rallying the music community to take environmental action.

●     Water stations with reusable water bottles have replaced plastic bottles,  for crew members and band.

●     Non-toxic supplies clean Crow’s tour buses and bathrooms are furnished with post-consumer recycled bathroom tissue.

●     The carbon footprint of Crow’s touring vehicles are nearly non-existent–they all use B20 biodiesel.

●     All of Sheryl’s concerts feature a Reverb Eco-Village offering attendees the opportunity to meet with local non-profit groups and access an on-line carpooling service.

●     A comprehensive recycling/waste reduction system has been implemented backstage and on her touring vehicles.

●     Concert programs printed on, Forest Stewardship Council paper — an eco-friendly, responsible resource that uses soy inks.

Thank you to Sheryl Crow for showing all of them out there in the music land how living responsibly and kindly to the environment is done! Check out her video to learn more about her efforts.

Salt Lamps: Light Your Way to a Healthier Life

It may just look like a pretty light, but buy welcoming your home to a new salt lamp, you are doing so much more for your body, your health and your environment. There is a multitude of benefits to including one of these beautiful naturally occurring pieces in your home.

Crystalline salt helps to increase negative ions. Negative ions purify the air we breathe and balance out the number of positive ions that are around us. Don’t be fooled at the word ‘positive’. Positive ions represent pollutants and harmful agents. Turning on your salt lamp will increase the number of these negative ions in your living space to balance the amount of positive.

Another benefit of salt lamps is their absorptive nature of water. If you live in a damp area and suffer from a moldy home or just a humid-overdose, having a salt lamp will absorb the water in your living space again keeping it pure and clean.

We have all experienced the benefit of negative ions. The feeling generated by negative ions is one that you find at the ocean, or what you might feel in a big storm or waterfall. Places that are more open and without pollution have a higher negative ion count, while places like New York and LA have a very low negative ion count. Crystalline salt is a natural air ionizer that boosts these ions in the air. Lit lamps have been shown in tests to attract these positive ions, or pollution and to neutralize them, then releasing them back into the environment.

Natural salt lamps are made from salt mined from deep within the Earth and it naturally occurs in white to coral colors. Many salt lamps are from crystals mined in the Himalayas.

Mother Earth… Would You Be Mine?

Love… whether it’s exciting, fresh, eternal or simply just nonexistent, love deserves a day of recognition. This year, show your love of each other and your love for the earth by mixing red with green. Here are a few ways you can enjoy a relaxing, eco-fabulous Valentine’s Day:

If you’re going to love your honey like you love the planet, show it with flowers, make sure they are organic. Flowers grown organically are best for the environment because of the reduced toxic chemical usage, which creates a safer environment for the farmers and for our earth. Not to mention organic farms promote long term sustainability on farm lands which support the health of our planet. Be picky about where you buy your flowers because many flowers found at the supermarkets and other floral departments come from other countries. By doing this they are generating a larger carbon footprint since they have to import them by plane using large amounts of fuel and energy. Make sure to invest in socially responsible flower companies by buying organic or fair trade flowers. Sierra Eco is a fair trade flower company, which vows to change the world… one flower at a time. There are also ways to extend the life of your freshly cut flowers without the use of chemicals, here’s how.

Buy fair trade organic chocolate and pair it with your favorite organic fruits. Play your part in a more equitable trading partnership by purchase fair trade chocolate from companies like Divine. Look for chocolate that has a certification logo for Organic, Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, or some other indication on their packaging that assures the item to be produced both sustainably and ethically. Chocolate itself is considered and aphrodisiac and causes your brain to release serotonin which makes you feel like your falling in love, which means it’s clearly needed for Valentine’s day.

Finally, send love letters…online of course! Sending the ones you love e-greetings is a great way to reduce the need for paper consumption but still let people know that you are thinking about them. We like Evite or Punchbowl because of the variety of cool designs. Reducing the amount of cards you send drastically reduces your carbon footprint. This year, we challenge you to think outside the card stock and be considerate as to how your card sending impacts the environment as well as other traditional Valentine’s Day practices. This is the only earth we have, so let’s love it as much as we can. Happy Valentine’s Day