viva verde

yesterday, we dressed up a simple IKEA tack board to display some of our new jewelry items.  we simply put a coat of clay paint (a $5 sample pot is more than enough).   then we hot glue-gunned pennies ( which i always seem to have more of that anything else in the store) to the tacks and fin!

the board looks weird because i couldn’t wait for the  paint to dry to mount …not suggested.  you can use buttons, bottle caps, or tiny pieces of wood instead of pennies for the tacks. i just liked how the copper looked against the green board.

1. STYROFOAM: toxic in creation, use and it takes years to go away…this is one of the worst inventions in my opinion!

2.PAPER TOWELS: you can do the same job with cloth napkins…if you have to get them, go recycled/non-bleached

3.BLEACHED COFFEE FILTERS: OK, bleach-soaked filter straining your coffee, need i say more. there are non-bleach ones out now.

4.OVERPACKAGED FOODS & PRODUCTS: don’t support wasteful packaging, what are we going to do with it later!

5.TEAK & MAHOGANY: these are tropical woods. the rainforest creates fresh air for us, medicine and food (and other pluses)…is it really worth it for some furniture?

6.CHEMICAL PESTICIDES & HERBICIDES: these things are another one of the worst things that could have happened to humans. they may kill weeds & insects but they are killing us too.

7.HIGHER OCTANE GAS (than what you need): only 1 car in 10 needs this type of gas that releases more toxins.

8.TOYS MADE WITH PVC PLASTIC: the #3 plastic is known to leach toxins & off-gas, many of the paints & finishes are toxic too. Look for organic cotton, safe paints and natural/untreated wood.

9.PLASTIC UTENSILS: again, most are made with harmful plastics, and we are putting them in our mouths and using them to cook our food!

10.FARM RAISED SALMON: environmental toxins have been found in higher quantities with farmed fish.

11.RAYON: made in developing countries usually, fabric requires heavy amounts of chemicals & dry cleaning.

12.BEAUTY/BODY ITEMS W/ PARABENS & PHTHALATE: not enough research has been done on these chemical (which are in a number of products) and have been linked to birth defects & cancer.
13.CLING WRAP: many are made with PV, a plastic known to leach toxins if heated…one of the worst of the plastics.
14.CONVENTIONAL HOUSEHOLD CLEANERS: many are straight up toxic. look for biodegradable, veggie-based ingredients, no colorings or fragrances & smell them before you buy!
15.HIGH VOC PAINTS & FINISHES: Volatile Organic Compounds that can cause a number of health problems…there are safe options now!

to find out more about this list, Co-op America.