Green-In-A-Box: Eco Starter Kits
By Jenn | February 19, 2008
With a little planning and helpful input from you, our fabulous readers, I’ve been finding it pretty easy to implement green changes into my life. For example, it’s been easy to stop using disposable paper napkins and towels and start using fabric napkins and rags, but it did take a little thinking to figure out what to do with the dirty rags before they go into the wash– living in NYC where kitchen pests can be a problem, I can’t just toss the food-dirtied cloths into my laundry bin to wait until wash day, as that might attract the buggies there. So I hang the cloths to dry on the stove handle, then put them into a covered plastic shoebox in a kitchen cabinet where they’re safe until washing.
This might seem like more “work” than just tossing a used paper napkin/towel into the trash but in the end it’s just a slightly different kind of “work”– now, I never run out of napkins or kitchen rags at inopportune times and I never have to spend money on buying more and I never have to schlep the plastic-packaged goods home or worry about their recycled content. The small addition of extra washing doesn’t cause me to do any more loads than I used to– the napkins and rags fit in fine around the rest of the wash. So really, many of these kinds of changes are just shifts in thinking.
But, many people might not find these shifts in thinking easy at all, and might also feel overwhelmed with not knowing where or how to start being “greener.” For these folks, whether they are ourselves or our loved ones or the grumpy old man down the street, the concept of “green starter kits” is a blessing. These kits compile the very basics for us, making it easy to know where to start– just open the box and begin. They make great “new home” gifts, too! And it’d be super easy to make these yourself as well– just hit a natural market and start shopping, and/or mix up some homemade cleaning supplies yourself.
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Starter Kit for Change:
Starter kit: $40
Recycled material tote bag: $20
Fair-trade organic hot chocolate: $5
“A super cool, eco-friendly, gift that keeps on giving. Packed full of green goodies that includes a recycled, reusable tote bag, an arbor day tree seedling, fair trade hot chocolate, a treeless journal, sudoku booklet,compact fluorescent light bulb, gratitude cards, and an envelope to help end hunger…
The box, pencil, tote bag, and all paper products were made from recycled materials. The journal is handmade using shavings from the lokta bush requiring no trees to be cut down. The tags are made from lokta paper embedded with flower seeds. Plant them in 1/2 inch of dirt, water, and watch them grow. The string, ribbon, and cellophane bag are biodegradable.“
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Green Sender:
$39 - $49
“Included in this box are a few useful items that will help anyone get started or continue incorporating green practices into their daily lives. These things take “going green” out of theory and discussion and make it real. It’s no longer just something to think about. With a Greensender box, it’s in your hands.
• An eco-friendly aluminum SIGG water bottle.
• A reusable grocery bag.
• An energy-efficient cfl light bulb.
• An organic cotton t-shirt.”
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And now that I’m writing/researching this topic, it turns out that Planet Green has already covered it pretty well– so head over there for three more green starter kit options.
[Image by rickaboo via Creative Commons]
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i have always used cloth napkins, and love hearing that i am being green as well! it is great to learn new ways to be less abusive of the planet. i just need a sign at every store door to remind me to bring in my reusable bags that i have left in the car!!
My store just got in the Eco-Me kits today:
http://www.eco-me.com/echoclkit.html
I really like the idea because they don’t just sell you something once, they tell and show you how to make the items for yourself with vinegar, water and baking soda (and scent). Why pay to have cleaner (aka water and some other stuff) sent to you?
[…] example, it??s been easy to stop using disposable paper napkins and towels and start using fabric nahttp://tinychoices.com/2008/02/19/green-in-a-box-eco-starter-kits/Everyday ThinkingSewGreen of Ithaca is providing over 1000 hand made reusable bags made ….. 21 […]
foreclosures…
Simply put, no. It is our position that such circumstances represent what could more accurately be referred to as a coincidence of interest. It is entirely possible that a contributor to a campaign has given money to their candidate of choice because t…
The best Eco Starter Kit I’ve seen on the market is made by Eco-Me.
It’s a tool kit to get started making your own natural chemical-free cleaning products.
Very cool, very easy, cost effective and actually works.
Yeah!
www.eco-me.com
What are lovely this green started kits site is very nice.
Check out Eco Hatchery’s Starter Kit. It helps cut energy bills by about $260/yr. and CO2 emissions by 2.5 tons. That’s equivalent to replacing a mid-size car with a Prius hybrid. The kit includes a “cookbook” describing the economic and environmental benefit of all the eco products, and the time needed for each activity. You can also create your own online roadmap with personalized recommendations for ongoing energy savings.