Non Toxic Vision

Preserve products

Founded in 1996 in Massachusetts manufactures Preserve products (one of those is my favorite toothbrush design), everyday household products that offer style and performance at reasonable prices - and are green at the core. Big resellers, such as Target, TraderJoe's, WholeFoods, Wal-Mart are carrying the Preserve Toothbrush. However throughout the country about 7,000 retailers are carrying their products. Just go online to find the one closest to you. So what makes them so great? Well, the products are made from 100 % recycled plastic, they are completely recyclable, dishwasher safe, Made in the USA (which lessens the carbon footprint), and not tested on animals. preserveproducts.com

Garden stuff

Sometimes living in NYC has it's downfall, e.g. very few people have a garden. Even tough I live in a neighborhood where there are plenty of it - still I don't have one. So I really don't know why I was sent the ARBICO organics 2008 catalog, but it made me think about my childhood in Austria. Flipping through the catalog just shows you the amazing things you can do with nature. Order ladybugs to get rid of aphids on your plants, or how abut praying mantas to get rid of pest insects etc. Honestly the catalog itself is so incredibly educational. So what I'll do I'll bring the catalog up to my mother-in-law: www.arbico-organics.com

GAP Adventures

a responsible travel company that offers an authentic experience, with a plan to become impact neutral by minimizing negative environmental and cultural impacts. I found this company at the GoGreenExpo in NYC a few weeks ago and was quite surprised at their reasonable prices. They also offer volonteer vacations among others. If you are planning a trip - check out www.gapadventures.com

airport boom

This is just absolutely crazy .....

Dubai: will build another airport in Jebel Ali, a port town 20 miles away from the current airport, that will be able to handle 120 million passengers once it is opened in 2017.

China: is planning to add 87 airports by 2020 to the already existing 142 to handle more 390 million visitors.

At the same time fossil fuel prices are going up up up... Who will be able to afford the ridiculously high prices of airfare? Will travel become a luxury again?

 

A personal note

Last weekend we decided to paint our apartment (after 5 years it was really necessary). Since we live in NYC our apartment is really not so big - but it still took about 3 days to paint. We went to Home Depot to try out their eco-friendly paint: Freshair is Home Depots answer and I have to admit it was pretty amazing. The color selection is quite impressive (well - no hot pink or lime green, but very nice soothing colors). But what surprised me most was the fact that the paint is absolutely odorless and mind you: last weekends' summer heat was quite oppressive with about 95 degrees Fahrenheit and up. We had no headaches at the end of the day!!! HURRAY...

Green Walls

Belge fashion designer Ann Demeulemeester used green walls in her new store in Seoul, Korea which are as ecologically sound as green roofs. They cool the building naturally and absorb rainwater runoff. However she is not the only one: W Hotel also embraced this new trend in it's Midtown Atlanta location as well as a new restaurant in New York City: Broadway East on 171 East Broadway where a green wall is featured inside. Check out www.g-sky.com to find out about more green walled spaces or if you are considering greening your house.