Here are some simple things that you can do now to start you off in the right direction without too much money out of pocket. Keep in mind, that while you will spend money at first, the payback is well worth it for you and the environment.

One of the first things I did to start my own green movement at home was to buy canvas bags for the grocery store. They were $1.00 each and I bought 10 of them. I always leave them in my car so no matter what store I go to I bring a bag with me. Each time I visit the grocery store I get 5 cents back for each bag that I bring. So each week when I grocery shop I get 50 cents back. Each week that adds up quickly and before you know it, I have made my $10.00 back and am no longer a slave to the plastic bags. U.S. consumers use approximately 100 billion plastic bags annually which require an estimated 12 million barrels to produce! Just think, the majority of these bags are used just once from for less than 30 minutes and then they go into our landfills or end up in our oceans where they are a serious threat to wildlife.

The second green thing I did was change my water bottle habits. I have to admit, this one was hard for me until I did the math and it was at that moment I went to Target to buy a water filter and ordered my CamelBak Better Bottle. The funny thing is that people are so quick to complain about the cost of gas but have you ever complained about the cost of the water bottles at the grocery store? I paid $10.00 for my bottle and $30 for my water filter and I have never once gone back to the store to buy my 12 pack of water for $6.00. And to think, a 12 pack of water bottles was finished in one week or less! I really don’t like when people say they reuse their plastic water bottles…. Do you know the bacteria that are on the bottles and the plastic leaching that occurs? Please do yourself and the environment a favor and buy a BPA Free water bottle today!

How many of us use paper napkins each day for lunch and dinner? Time to save a tree! Even napkins made from recycled materials are not as innocent as they may seem since they too wind up in landfills. A family of 4 can easily go through 84 paper napkins a week and if you think of each paper napkin costing 2 cents – well that adds up quickly over the course of a week, month, and a year. Cloth napkins can be used several times before tossing them into the laundry. With a family of four, laundry is done quite a bit so go ahead and make the switch.

Finally, do you wash all loads of laundry in cold water? Did you know that if you washed all of your clothes in cold water your clothes would last longer? Not only that, but you would save on your electrical bill. Unless you are washing baby diapers or grease stains, cold water is the way to go. 85-90 percent of the energy needed to wash your clothes in a machine is used to warm the water. Only 10-15 percent actually goes into the washer. The next time you need to buy laundry detergent, look for the detergents that are specially made for cold water.

And of course, we all know about the light bulbs and such but these were a couple other reminders of what you can do today to start saving money and you can be proud of yourself for going green! Remember, it is cool to be green!

GBK Productions is owned by Gavin Keilly and he hosted the gift suite at the new SLS Hotel. I was happy to become involved with Gavin and his staff because he is known for putting on the best gifting suites and this year he did not disappoint. GBK Productions donates 20% of its proceeds in the name of the celebrities from the event to four different charities. Each charity will received a gift bag with more than $35,000 goods and services and those charities will be able to auction off the items and raise even more money!

In the end, even though the celebrity walks away with a large gift bag, I believe Earth Kits fared better than the celebrity. There are not many opportunities that we have as vendors to have a celebrity endorsement. Being such a new company I was so please to take part in such an event and what a boost of sales we have received since the event!

Review the pictures and to you can move your mouse over the picture to review the caption! Enjoy J

I am so excited to announce that Earth Kits will be exhibiting for Earth Day 2009. The event will take place April 19^th in Balboa Park from 10am-5pm.

The annual Earth Fair is the largest free annual environment fair in the world.

Each year the fair has drawn large crowds – actually massive crowds…. Up to 70,000 people have attended each year!

Earth Kits will be located in the Children’s area where there will be face painting, storytelling, and all sorts of activities all intended to teach children about the environment. The fair is not all about the kids as there are a lot of other booths to get the adults excited about home improvement, learn about fuel, and to get involved in different organizations promoting environmental awareness.

This earth fair will have about 200 exhibitors so please plan to come out and spend the day in Balboa Park and stop by the Earth Kits booth to check out our new items!

Earth Kits is proud to carry the BPA Free Camelbak Better Bottles.

Many people are talking about BPA Free bottles. While people understand that a BPA free bottle is good; what exactly is BPA and should it matter?

 BPA is the abbreviation for Bispheno-A. BPA is an industrial ingredient used in the chemical compound that lines the inside of plastic materials such as plastic water bottles, food containers, and some canned goods.

The bonds of BPA are prone to leaching into the foods and water that you consume on a daily basis. BPA is often leached into your water through simple wear and tear, expsire to heat, and cleaning agents. Just because you think washing your bottle in the dishwasher will keep it safe, you are wrong unless you have a BPA free bottle. Maybe you think that just reusing your plastic water bottle is safe, wrong again. Not only are you taking in germs, the BPA is leaching into your water with just multiple uses.

A BPA Free “Kids Go Green” Camelbak Bottle is all about re-using the bottles. Granted, recycling a plastic water bottle is good because that bottle will not sit in a landfill for 30 years, however I am urging you to please take an extra step to consider our bottles so you can reuse the bottles and be safe all at the same time.

Remember, while these bottles look like they are plastic they are BPA Free. For more information please visit www.camelbak.com and www.earthkits.com

I think puzzles are very important for children. Doctors have discovered that all children should participate in puzzles often because they are great for helping the young brain develop and grow. With puzzles, the goal is clear to the child and the feedback is immediate. Turning a puzzle piece around until it fits into place is a problem solving skill children need to develop and once the piece fits, they have accomplished their goal.
Overall, it has been said that puzzles give children the following: sense of completion, success, achievement, and they develop social skills as well as literacy skills.

With all the good things that puzzles do for children why not go one step beyond and give them a puzzle that teaches about the environment? The new puzzles we offer will give children and parents a wonderful opportunity to open the communication about going green!

Earth Kits has new books!

Earth Kits has added a few more products! I am excited to announce that I have added some new products! Although there is still more to come, at least we have a few new things you may want to consider for your child or family friend.

Books are always a huge hit and I can’t seem to keep books in stock so I expanded the line to include two new books as well as activity kit that goes along with the books.

“Why shouldn’t I eat junk food?” by Kate Knighton is a formative guide that is clear simple and factual, without being preachy. It is a good way to introduce children to the reasons why healthy eating is so important. Topics, such as food groups, processed food, the importance of exercise, Fairtrade, organic food and genetically modified food are all handled in a conversational style. With easy step-by-step recipes and alternative lunch box suggestions, accompanied by vibrant illustrations, this book is sure to be a hit with parents, teachers and children.

“Why should I bother about the planet?” by Susan Meredith is a great resource to introduce kids to the environmental problems facing our world today, and giving them ideas to help! With clear information and real-world applications featured, as well as explanations and definitions of a lot of terms being used today (i.e. “going green” and “biofuel”), this will get any child or class excited about saving our environment!! Topics are varied and include info on our world’s energy crisis, global warming, green energy, saving energy, air pollution, recycling, water pollution, water usage, food energy, chemical usage, endangered wildlife, and more!! Colorful pictures will keep kids engaged and help them enjoy learning about this SO very important issue facing EVERYBODY in the world today!

Finally, if you really want to have fun I have added the Going Green Paper Making Kit which includes the popular book, “Why should I bother about the planet?” by Susan Meredith. You can make a difference and “going green kit” is a fun way to learn about global warming, pollution, and your own ecological footprint. This kit is a great way to introduce kids to the environmental problems of today and to give them activities to teach them what they can do to help. Have fun with your own kids with this special paper making activity kit and book.

The kit includes:

*          Book: Why should I bother about the planet? By Susan Meredith

*          Frame with screen and plastic tray

*          Paper Confetti

*          Roller

*          White Glue

*          Glitter

*          Felt

*          Detailed construction sheet

Stay tuned for more!

www.earthkits.com

Some of the previous year’s attendees include Leonard DiCaprio, Helen Mirren, Forrest Whitaker, Debra Messing, Charlie Sheen, and many more! We also expect to see a lot of press there as well such as People Magazine, US Weekly, In Touch, E Online, TMZ, and many others. I am so thankful that Earth Kits has such a wonderful opportunity to take part in such a special event and please check back towards the end of the month for pictures!

I had no idea when entering the retail world that there would be so many tradeshows to attend! I really could spend all of my time bouncing around from show to show. All of the shows are just a little different and seem so important to attend. At the California Gift show I decided that having some help attending shows and getting my product out there to more retailers would be a good idea. With that in mind, Earth Kits decided to bring on a sales rep. I met Kathryn and she is so full of positive energy and with her attitude to sell I knew she would bring about positive change for earth kits.

Kathryn attended the Oasis gift show this past weekend in Arizona and although the feedback on the show was less than stellar Kathryn worked her magic and we received orders!

www.earthkits.com  is continuing to grow and if we continue the path we are on 2009 will look great.

Continue to check out www.earthkits.com for new products!