Posted by Fetch
Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:42:00 GMT
There is one thing that becomes very evident when you meet me. I love Bruce Springsteen. Love him! I’ve seen him many many times in concert, own all his albums, know all his lyrics, and have cried and danced to his music. So when I heard that he was playing his entire album – The River – and that I was going to be in attendance, I just about had a melt down!
How does this confession fit in to my challenge? I mean who is more American than Bruce Springsteen? Well….I bought a t-shirt. We all knew that the show was a rare treat, but when Bruce said he wouldn’t be performing the album live again, I knew this was a once in a lifetime experience. It was amazing and I wanted to wrap myself up in a t-shirt to remember it. A very special t-shirt that listed the date of the show and all the tracks on The River. So, I bought the shirt, and didn’t even once think if it was made domestically. It’s true – I confess! I wanted the shirt and there was only one to choose from. It’s not like I could rule out one in favor of a Made in the USA cousin. So I just took out my money and didn’t look back.
Later when I was home – days later, I flipped over the label and it said MADE IN HAITI.
And how do I feel about it now? Kind of guilty I guess – I did commit to this challenge. But how do we react if we really want something and there is no other choice? Should I have not purchased the shirt because it wasn’t made here? I guess in honor of this challenge I should probably say an emphatic NO!- However, I can say with confidence that if in the same situation, I would probably buy the shirt again.
I mark Day 8 a very accepted failure
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Posted by Fetch
Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:50:00 GMT
Confessions of a Water Addict
Picture it: it’s a lovely Saturday, there’s nothing during the day that you HAVE to do. You sleep in. You have a great cup of coffee. You open the mail and you’ve discovered that you’ve ACTUALLY won Publisher’s Clearinghouse! Best Saturday EVER!
Too bad that was NOT my Saturday.
I woke up after a virtually sleepless night in which my dog wandered around my apartment aimlessly – her nails clicking on the wood floor and her right eye filled with gunk (I believe that’s it technical term). So, leaving myself no time to sleep in, I will myself out of bed so that I can get to the vet to have her checked out. I walk the dog for her morning excursion and to see if the vet has a free moment to check my dog out. Dyna (my dog) is strutting around the park like she’s had the best night of her life and I’m red-eyed and hoping that I can ride her back home. Through the park and to the vet we go, only to be told to come back later… Oh well… It was a long shot anyway.
I then go home to clean my apartment because, although it’s winter, both my dog and cat seem to be shedding their entire coat of hair. I become one with my vacuum.
A little while later, I head back to the vet to have the gunk-issue looked at. In the waiting room, my dog is shaking and looking at me with her ‘what did I ever do to you to deserve this’ face and my sleepless night is starting to take affect on my eyelids.
Thankfully her eye situation is not serious and is resolved with some medication. Upon exiting the vet’s office, Dyna takes hold of her strut again and we make our way back home – both feeling a wave of relief.
Finally, I’m home and it’s time for me to shower (had I mentioned I didn’t have time to do this before?).
So, after a sleepless night, a blurry-eyed dog and a vacuum full of pet hair, I step into the shower. As promised, I turn the dial to 6 minutes. Then something happened and I rebelled. Six minutes came and went. Then there was 7, 8, 9… Okay people I took a 15 minute shower. I kept saying to myself… ‘Get out! Get out of this shower!’ And yet, my body wouldn’t move. Then I began the bargaining… ‘Tomorrow I’ll cut my 6 minute shower to 3 minutes’… Or… ‘I’ll just pour a bucket of cold water over my head for a week and call it even!’ ‘Don’t I get a cheat day?’
Pathetic, I know. Yet, what I found so illuminating was that, while I may not have had the Saturday of my dreams – it was certainly nothing to complain about, so why was I so quickly willing to convince myself it was worth cheating my water conservation goals for? I’m going to ponder this in the time I now no longer have to spend in the shower and see what I figure out.
Oh, and, I’m happy to say that yesterday and today I was under 5 minutes! Yahoo! I’m barely clean!
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Posted by Fetch
Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:10:00 GMT
My quest for the What You Can Do challenge is to shop “greener” by using reusable shopping bags instead of carrying home groceries in new plastic bags. I feel somewhat justified taking plastic bags occasionally to pick up after my dog, but certainly don’t need the 50 bags currently sitting in my pantry. And even though I have plenty of reusable shopping bags, they spend most of their time collecting dust in the closet. I read somewhere that it takes three weeks to start a new habit, which means I’ve got a long way to go towards smarter shopping. In the past, I haven’t even been able to remember my reusable bags on back-to-back shopping trips.
On Day One of the challenge, I grabbed four reusable bags from the depths of my closet and placed them securely in my car’s trunk. After a quick workout at the gym, I headed to the grocery store and completely forgot to bring in the bags with me. As I was swiping my credit card at the check out, I realized that hiding bags in my trunk was not the way to accomplish my goal of environmentally savvy shopping.
Since then, my success rate of bringing bags to the store is about 50%. I also discovered other opportunities to reduce waste by carrying my own bags to the mall (not sure its going to happen) and drugstore. My goal for this week is to clean out my cluttered pantry by taking plastic/paper bags to the recycling center at my grocery store. And so I can successfully create a new environmentally friendly habit in the next three weeks, my reusable bags will be riding shotgun.
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Posted by Fetch
Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:54:00 GMT
Below is an email inquiry to Seventh Generation…
Hi. I’ve been a loyal customer of your products for years. In fact, I’ve turned other people on to your eco-friendly New England based company. Recently, I’ve started this experiment to see if I can purchase things that are only made in the USA. I was excited that I could continue purchasing Seventh Generation, and you became my go-to company! However, as I was restocking my toilet paper, I noticed that it now says Made in Canada. I checked my dish detergent, my garbage bags, my cleaning supplies and my paper towels – all say Made in the USA. I’m wondering what caused you to move the production of the TP to Canada? Thank you for your time. Alicia Arinella
So – that was not a nice way to start my day. I will let you know what Seventh Generation says in response, but I’m left with the question – what am I going to do about Toilet Paper?
On their roll it even says – You are Making a Difference.
If every household in the U.S. replaced just one roll of 500 sheet virgin fiber, bathroom tissue with 100% recycled ones, we could save:
-423,900 trees
-1.0 million cubic feet of landfill space, equal to 1,600 full garbage trucks
-153 million gallons of water, a year’s supply for 1,200 families of four
And I’m torn – is it better to support our economy and perhaps hurt the environment? Years ago, I had made the decision to shop Green. Purchasing products that are better for the environment. Honestly,it took me a while – Seventh Generation isn’t as soft as Charmin that’s for sure, but my Mom stocked our house at an early age, and I got used to it. We’ve all heard the statistics, and I’m trying to be more conscious about my waste and run off, so I want to be more eco-friendly. But with this new challenge, what do I do? Luckily – I still have a few rolls left over before I really need to answer that question for myself. By then, hopefully, Seventh Generation will have replied or I will have been able to find another suitable replacement.
I mark Day 4 enlightening but troubling.
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Posted by Fetch
Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:02:00 GMT
So this week began the On the Leesh challenge. Working on What You Can Do has already made me much more conscious of my impact on the environment. Since its inception I have begun to monitor and curtail my consumption and waste habits. And I have been much better. By simply turning my attention to my daily habits it has been easy to make simple changes to reduce my carbon footprint. For instance, I try to always bring canvas bags to the grocery store. I make sure to run the dishwasher only when its full, and I have been donating many things around the house that I no longer use. But with the official kick off yesterday – I was forced to confront the skeleton in my closet-my global warming nemesis- the big bad of my environmental wear and tear: the paper towel.
Oh how I love a paper towel. I love its absorbent goodness, and its multifaceted purpose in my house.
Spill anything? Paper towel. Need to quickly wipe Scout’s paws? Paper Towel. Not sure what that weird thing is on the floor of the kitchen? 3 paper towels! And so on November 1 I was forced to finally have a paper towel intervention.The only way through this was to remove the temptation from easy grasp. So I went downstairs to our storage unit and locked my stash away for the remainder of the month. I instantly regretted it. I was cooking that day and I have never been able to make an apple pie without a massive artillery of paper towel back up. I considered cheating- ‘oh gosh! I had no idea today was November 1st!’. I considered bargaining – ‘well since we turned the clocks back I have an extra hour of paper towel usage!’ And I considered outright lying. ‘Oh God, paper towels? Never use them.’
But instead I buckled down and got to it. And it was challenging. When the flour went everywhere as it always does the clean up consisted of a dustpan and broom. When I managed to spread sugar and apple over every available service- I turned to a dishrag. All in all, I was successful but it made me realize the full force of my paper towel habit. Hopefully as the month goes on it will get easier. But for now I better hide the key to that storage unit.
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Posted by Fetch
Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:47:00 GMT
Day 1:
Armed with my shopping list and an uber amount of confidence, I head
to the drug store. Perhaps I was filled with a cocky sense of pride.
This is America, I can find things that are made here. No Sweat! Our
forefathers joined to build a more perfect nation and all that jazz.
What’s the big deal? I even decided to go easy on myself, opting to
shop at the Mega drugstore vs my small hole in the wall terribly
stocked chain that never has anything.
I look at the list and two items stared back – Small Garbage Bags &
Glass Cleaner. Piece. Of. Cake.
I walk into the sprawling metropolis, a rarity in Manhattan and
swagger my way straight for the cleaning supplies. I usually shop
Seventh Generation. They’re made in America (What’s up New England!)
and good for the environment. Win win! However, this store doesn’t
stock Seventh Generation – news to me – so I must begin my OK Corral
face-off with the garbage bags.
I start with name brands, pick up box one. ABORT - Made in China.
Bummer. Then I go with the store-brand’s eco-friendly line. Again,
Made in China. I start to sweat. My black hat-wearing opponent is
gaining the upper hand as Sergio Leone’s music starts to play in my
head.
Another box looks out at me, and I wrestle with the possibility that
only Seventh Generation garbage bags are made domestically. Can be
possible? This box will have the answer – I turn it over, and
apparently it’s made no place. Not a good sign. I have decided unless
it says Made in the USA - it will not be traveling home with me.
Moving on – I will not be swayed in my quest for Glass Cleaner. Mark
my words! Product one….FAIL! Ugh – on to Clorox. Everyone has
heard of Clorox, and after my garbage bag debacle, I fear this means
defeat. I hear foreign music and voice overs in documentaries about
cutting costs by outsourcing production overseas. I flip over the
Green Works bottle, and… Surprise, Surprise this piece of plastic
bares the four most precious words to me this month- MADE IN THE USA.
WOOHOO! Happy dance begins, drop it in my basket and head to the check
out…
but wait…
the candy is calling my name. Must. Resist. Urge. But all the
Halloween candy is on sale. Must have the Reese’s Pumpkin – second
only to the Reese’s Egg. LOVE IT!!!
I pick up the nice chocolatey goodness, flip it over and – WHAT?!
Hershey’s, the quintessential America company is now making Chocolate
in Mexico? How can this be? It’s true – here’s the link to the article
I found. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/528711/hershey_outsources_jobs_to_mexico.html
I drop the candy back in it’s SALE bin, and head to the register
disappointed.
Still in pursuit of garbage bags, I head to another drugstore which
apparently doesn’t sell Seventh Generation either. The sweating
continues. (I mentally decide to pick up a deodorant) The Good the
Bad and the Ugly theme starts again – I unholster my hand from my
pocket, reach out for box one – box two – everything is made in
China. UGH! One more option. The discount bag. Braced with
trepidation – since the whole M.O. of these companies for outsourcing
is to cut costs – I flip over the box. and. It’s MADE IN THE good ol’
USA. Go figure.
I happy dance over to the counter and take out my good old American
Cash.
At the end of Day 1, I have learned a lot about where products are
made – but more importantly a normal one minute shopping trip took a
half hour. Isn’t this what I wanted? To slow down and become more
conscious about my purchases. Overall I mark day one a success.
Diary of an American Shopper -
Day 3:
Back from a successful shoot for a client, I am in need of coffee.
This time of year, I love the Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks. I love
it so much, I send Julie photos of it when it comes back to the store.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! The warm smell, the cinnamon freshness.
DELICIOUSNESS abounds. As a treat, I head to Starbucks to get my
Latte, and as I hand over my cash, I am gripped with a horrific
realization. Starbucks is an American Company. The barista across from
me will be making my coffee in America. But where do these beans come
from? Where is the cinnamon imported from? The HORROR!!! And the
question is asked- how extreme do I want to go for this challenge?
For my home and office brews, the month of November is all about Kona
coffee and Sugar in the Raw. Both made on lovely island of Maui,
their tasty goodness doesn’t let me down. I can feel the tropical
breezes and warm rays of the sun as the gentle aroma wafts up from my
coffee cup (made from a Pennsylvanian artist no less). At home and in
the office I’m on it, but on the road – what do I do?
And what do I do about products that can’t even be Made in America –
Cinnamon isn’t grown here, so what do I do? Eliminate it from my diet
completely or just opt for Fair Trade? Since Thanksgiving is in the
month of November, I opt for fair trade on this one.
But where was I. Oh yeah, In Starbucks.
My latte has been ordered; it’s been paid for; it’s been made. As my
name is called – I drop my head, take the coffee and sadly partake in
my imported defeat.
Overall I mark Day 3 a failure.
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Posted by Fetch
Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:41:00 GMT
Every morning since November 1st, I am living in my own episode of 24... albeit without Keifer’s charged whispering or the threat of dying from something other than the aroma of my citrus shower gel… but I am absolutely living a countdown. A six minute countdown to be specific. Somewhere in my brain I formed the magic water conservation shower number of six minutes. Don’t ask me where it came from but that was my starting goal. The six-minute shower. I believe somewhere I remember Jennifer Aniston saying that that was what she did so maybe it’s just another way my brain is trying to emulate America’s Sweetheart, but there you have it – Six. Seis. Sechs. Sei.
It seems like a long time in theory, yet, in reality, when you’re bleary-eyed and just waking up, it flies by! I don’t know if it’s the same for you people, but for me, my morning shower is when I actually start the creaky wheels of my brain turning. I think about my day and about all the things I need to get done. I think about how nice the hot water feels on my back. I think about how freaking cold it’s going to be once I step out of the shower and into my poorly heated apartment. And suddenly I’m 4 and a half minutes in and I haven’t done squat to get myself clean.
So now, to keep me honest, I’ve put my little red kitchen timer on the counter in my bathroom and turn it to six before I begin running the water. And it won’t stop there. Next week, the clock goes to five.
Oy.
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Posted by Fetch
Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:04:00 GMT
Okay, so here we are on the 2nd day of November; which means, we are in the second day of our On the Leesh: What You Can Do Challenge! As promised, below is the breakdown of what each of us here is doing…
Alicia (Executive Producer, Director, Editor WYCD): Made in America! Alicia is focusing on purchasing only American made products. Is this even possible when pumpkin pie requires the importation of cinnamon?
Jessica (Creator, Co-Head Writer, Producer WYCD): Waste not, want not. The Queen of the paper towels is cutting back on the amount of disposable products she uses. Apparently cleaning her kitchen yesterday really called her commitment to the earth into question…
Julie (Co-Head Writer, Producer WYCD): Water Conservation. The brains behind this Challenge-operation had a guilt epiphany while enjoying a nice long hot shower one day. The self-proclaimed Vice President (her sister is the President – let’s face it, she’s older), of her own personal Water Park is turning off the faucets!
Melissa (Associate Producer WYCD): Reduce, Reuse, RECYCLE. It seems Melissa’s building isn’t the greatest about recycling so she’s going to make her own individual concerted effort to recycle at all times. Some people bring their laptops to work, others bring their plastic bottles and take-out containers.
Ashley (Public Relations): Paper or PLASTIC? Can anyone say canvas tote bag? It seems that when shopping, Ashley can remember the milk, but not her reusable tote bag. This month, she’s going to make a conscious effort not to bring any more of these imperishable baggies into her home.
Can Alicia, who loves a nice Italian shoe really only buy American made? Can Jessica break up with her paper towels? How fast can Julie condition her hairt? Can Melissa really carry all that stuff around? Will Ashley need to resort to a tattoo to remind her to tote her tote around with her?
Only time will tell. Stay tuned.
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Posted by Fetch
Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:18:00 GMT
So, I was standing under my hot shower a couple of weeks ago, enjoying the sensation of the water cascading down my back while going over a mental ‘to do’ list for work. Much of my work time has been taken up with “What You Can Do” and so, many of things I was going over in my head pertained to that project. Which meant that, as I stood there in my hot shower thinking about the project that informs people of what they can do to help the world in only a minute of time, I was in fact, hurting the world by wasting water. There I was, luxuriating in the copious amounts of water when a sudden rock of guilt developed in my stomach. And if that rock of guilt could talk it would be saying (well, yelling actually) HIPPOCRIT!
Needless to say, I got out of the shower that morning with the realization that some things needed to change. I, for one, needed to practice at least some of what I preach and thus the idea of the ON THE LEESH What You Can Do CHALLENGE was born.
I got into work that day pretty amped at the idea of spending the month of November making a change that made me a more responsible inhabitant of the planet. When Jessica, Alicia and Melissa heard the idea of doing an office challenge, they were all immediately on board and began thinking of a specific thing they wanted to address in their life.
Stay tuned for our individual list of which issue(s) we’re taking on in November!
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Posted by Fetch
Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:45:00 GMT
I have been looking far and wide and I have found some more products that Support the Fight Against Breast Cancer.
Need to get some shopping done? Visit Bloomingdales for a variety of ways to contribute to the fight against Breast Cancer. For every new email address they receive, Bloomingdales will donate $1 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. And 10% of the purchase price of Bloomingdale’s Little Pink Card plus 10% of any additional money the recipient spends goes to the Breast Cancer Reserach Foundation. Just in time for all that holiday shopping! Why not give back a little bit too? Click Here to Shop Bloomingdales
White + Warren is donating 50% of the proceeds from their Pink Cashmere Collection to Women at Risk, an organization enhancing the lives of women with and at risk for Breast Cancer. Just in time for this colder weather – get your gloves and scarves Here.
Maybe you need to get your chocolate on? Well Seattle Chocolates is donating 100% of their profits of their Extreme Dark Truffle Bar to the fight against Breast Cancer. Click Here to Shop Yummy!.
And after you’ve indulged on this chocolate, maybe you’ll want to get in shape? Why not buy let New Balance be your guide. They have workout clothes, shoes, and workout videos. Visit New Balance to find out more. Perhaps Rebook fits you better? If you shop their pink ribbon footware and clothes, all of their proceeds benefit Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. Click Here to Shop
Perhaps Yoga is your thing? Need a new mat? How about This one? MatsMatsMats.com will donate 10% of the purchase price from the sale of every one of these mats to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF).
And after a good work out, you need a good shower right? Well think about buying the Cancer Vixen products from C.O. Bigelow. Proceeds from this line will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. In addition, C.O. Bigelow is donating $250,000 to the BCRF. Shop the Line Here. Or you could use Philosophy Shower for the Cure. Philosophy’s net proceeds from the sale of Shower for the Cure will be donate to the women’s Cancer Research Fund. Click here to Shop Philosophy.
Looking for new Nail Polish? Well Jessica Cosmetics is donating 45% of proceeds from the “Powerful” Pink color and High-Impact “Brilliance” top Coat Duo will be donated to the American Institute for Cancer Research, which is part of the World Cancer Research Fund to support breast cancer research. Paint your nails and spread the word about the importance of Breast Cancer Research. Shop Pink Power Here. Not the right shade? Try Essie Cosmetics Yes We Can Pink! A portion of sales will be donated to Living Beyond Breast Cancer whose whose mission is to empower all women affected by breast cancer to have the best quality of life. Buy Yes We Can Nail Polish Here. Or What about OPI? They’re featuring a limited edition Color that benefits Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Rethink Breast Cancer. In support of Breast Cancer Awareness Mont, in 2009 OPI will make a donatoin of $25,000 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. OPI will also make a $5,000 donation to Rethink Breast Cancer in Canada. Click Here to Shop.
Looking for office supplies for your home or office? Staples is featuring a variety of products (most are online only) that give proceeds to research. Shop pens, sharpies, folders, calendars, envelopes and more right -wow--090927BCA> Here.
Maybe you need a little power in the office? Well Cables Unlimited is featuring a line of pink products available at Amazon. Not only will this add color to your office, but 10% of all profits will be donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Looking for a new bag or luggage? How about a gift for someone? Back in January Vera Bradley launched a new color – The Hope Garden Collection. If you purchase any product within this collection, 10% of the net proceeds will benefit Breast Cancer Research. Shop the collection Here . Looking for something else? Ebags.com donates 10% of all retail sales from any pink product purchased year round to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Shop Pick Pink Here.
Maybe you need something to start a DIY project? How about trying out Tomboy Tools. Tomboy Tools is dedicated to empowering women, both in their pursuit of hands-on education as do-it-yourselfers and for those seeking to grow their incomes through a successful home-based business. During the next 12 months, Tomboy Tools will be donating proceeds from specific pink products to The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. The money they raise will help women and men get the screening, support and treatment they need regardless of their ability to pay. And leading research teams can take powerful steps forward in their quest for a cure. . Click Here to find out more..
Need a snack? Most people already know about the yoplait lid campaign, but did you know that Yoplait gaurentees at least a $500,000 donation? 10 cents for every lid may not be that much, but imagine if we all sent them in? How many that could really add up to? Visit Yoplait for more information and together we can make a difference.
And then there’s always Pink Ribbon Products at The Breast Cancer Site Store. Show your support by wearing Pink!
Check back soon for more products. Come on let’s show them What You Can Do!
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There is one thing that becomes very evident when you meet me. I love Bruce Springsteen. Love him! I’ve seen him many many times in concert, own all his albums, know all his lyrics, and have cried and danced to his music. So when I heard that he was playing his entire album – The River – and that I was going to be in attendance, I just about had a melt down!
