Eco-Friendly & Green Living Blog

Cannot say enough about the work that Boomerang Paint is doing!

The Quebec-based company takes unused paint and stain (even the hardened stuff!), reformulates it and repackages it, then sells it in a recyled plastic container. In 2008, the company recycled some 4,000,000 litres of paint.

About 1%  new material is added to ensure good quality re lustre levels (which are low across the brand), viscosity and drying time. The finishes are washable and the alkyds can be used on exterior surfaces, including wood.

The Boomerang paint colour palettes are shown below; the selection, not surprisingly, is somewhat limited, but for a lot of people who are racked with indecision when faced with thousand of paint chips, that will be a total bonus!

Price: approx. $15

Availability: For a retailer near you, click here.

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Natura is a zero-VOC interior paint that comes in thousands of hues and flat, eggshell and semi-gloss finishes, and, unlike many paints, its VOC level is unaffected by the addition of colourant. That means you can get it in Benjamin Moore’s entire range of 1,800 colours or colour match it to basically anything and it will still be zero-VOC!

Carl Minchew, Benjamin Moore director of colour technology, says, “Natura is built upon Benjamin Moore’s patented Gennex waterborne colourant system, and it’s the waterborne technology that makes the difference. So, no matter what colour you choose, it will never add to the VOC level. Natura is green without compromise – the greenest paint Benjamin Moore has ever made.”

We like it! For some colour palette options, check out the rooms below.

For availability, visit: www.benjaminmoore.ca.

Price: $60 per gallon

Above: Gossamer Blue 4123-40, walls; Brookside Moss 2145-30, niche; Black Satin 2131-10, fireplace.

Above: Black Satin 2131-40, walls; Gossamer Blue, ceiling.

Above: Chantilly Lace OC-65, fireplace wall; Hazy Skies OC-48, other walls; White Sand OC-10, ceiling.

Above: Pale Avocado 2146-40, kitchen area; Sea Haze 2137-50, wall; Timid White OC-39, ceiling.

Above: Sea Haze 2137-50, headboard wall; Timid White OC-39, picture wall; Pale Avocado 2146-40, ceiling.

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I got my new Essentia latex mattress on Tuesday, and I’m simply loving it so far! It’s natural memory foam and compared to my old spring mattress, it feels like sleeping on thick gel, if you can imagine that. It basically moulds to your shape, in the most comfortable way imaginable. I’d heard that it takes some time to get used to memory foam, but that hasn’t been my experience at all. It’s like a cosy cocoon, in a non-cloying, non-warm way (it is summer after all!).

The mattress is great because:
• it’s made of natural latex, which doesn’t off gas
• it’s glue- and adhesive-free
• it’s entirely biodegradable
• dust mites can’t live in it, so it’s great for anyone with allergies or who suffers from asthma
• if you’re allergic to latex, the processing of the latex destroys the proteins you’re allergic to, so no worries!
• the unbleached organic cotton cover is made with organic dyes and is removable for cleaning
• it’s green – and how happy that makes me!!

How much greener could this all-Canadian company be?
• each mattress is hand made, with the liquid latex poured into a mould and cured, so minimal waste is produced
• Essentia’s website is stored on a windpowered server
• Essentia is a member of 1% for the Planet, an organization that funds green initiatives worldwide
• until Mar. 5, 2010, owners of hybrid and electric vehicles get a 20% discount on all Essentia sleep products. Woohoo!

The mattresses are available online, but if you live near the factory/showroom, which is just outside Montreal, you can try them out in person there, and now there’s also a brand-new store in Toronto, so if you live there, check it out!

Available at: www.myessentia.com; West Laval, Que,
888-764-4116; Toronto, 647-348-0321; Costco (Pure and Classic 8 models)

Price: from $1,299

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Crate & Barrel does houseware basics beautifully, and these bamboo salad bowls are no exception.

Made of pressed natural bamboo grown without fertilizer or pesticides, they’re handmade, foodsafe and waterproof!

Available at: www.crateandbarrel.com

Price: $32.95 US (serving), $9.95 US (individual)

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If you’re fair like me, any little bit of protection from the sun helps, so I was happy to find out about Bethesda’s all-natural Sunscreen Soap.

With an SPF of 10, it’s not enough on its own for me, but I like to use it to wash my hands. After all, even if I apply sunscreen to them, I wash them throughout the day, which means bye, bye sunscreen, so this soap is the perfect way to ensure they’re protected to some degree.

Plus, it’s chockful of vitamins that protect against aging and keep your skin healthy looking, too, plus gylcerin, to keep skin nice and moist!

Available at: www.bethesdaskincare.com

Price: $8 US

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I don’t know about you, but insects just looooooove me!

One night out and I’m covered in bites that turn into angry, itchy, swollen eruptions. Not a pretty sight! But I hate using insect repellent that’s filled with icky chemicals. I’d rather just stay in, thank you very much!

Until this weekend, that is. That’s when I had a chance to used La Fresh’s All Natural Biodegradable Insect Repellent Towelettes. They’re made from all-natural ingredients, natch, including peppermint oil, sesame oil, olive oil, castor oil, wheat germ oil, and vitamin E (also no parabens and the towelettes are biodegradable). I smelled very minty, in a not unappealing way, but not a single bite!!!! Let me tell you, I was practically doing a happy dance around the campfire.

I could only be more thrilled if the repellent came in a recyclable spray bottle…

Available at: www.lafreshgroup.com

Price: from $4.49 US for a six-pack

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I don’t know about you, but when I travel, I like to carry as little as possible! Since I wear contacts, my toiletry bag is already weighted down with my glasses case and contact solution before adding things like shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, blah, blah, blah….You get the picture.

So I was super excited when I got a press release yesterday about worldPRODUCTS created by Brian Phillips of Toronto’s worldSALON and hairstylist to celebrities like Kim Cattrall, Terrence Howard, k.d. lang, James Marsden, Norah Jones and Jessica Stam.

worldCLEAN, worldPROTECT and worldBELIEVE are products that can be used on both hair and skin and so cut down on the things you need to lug around with you when travelling, plus they have no artificial colours or fragrances, sodium lauryl sulphates or parabens and the packaging is recyclable. All of which made me a happy camper even before trying them out. And when I did try them out, I was impressed.

worldCLEAN is a hair and skin cleanser, worldPROTECT a hair and skin moisturizer, and worldBELIEVE a salve you can use anywhere to relieve skin inflammation, chapping, and cuts and scrapes (and it’s gentle enough for babies!). There’s no fragrance, so that might take some getting used to if you’re accustomed to things that smell. But I loved the fact the products are multiuse (take the worldPROTECT: I used it as a conditioner, dabbed it in my hair as a styling product, and also as a cream on my legs!), plus they do a great job. Who could ask for anything more?

Available at: www.world.ca or worldSALON, 132 Adelaide St. E., Toronto

Price: Limited time offer until Aug. 31, 2009 on the worldPRODUCT trio, $75 (worldCLEAN, 360 mL; worldPROTECT, 360mL; worldBELIEVE, 60mL); bottles can be brought back to the salon and refilled for 20% off (not including limited offer price)

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Trying to find an environmentally friendly crib that’s also good-looking? The Sam Collection of kids furniture from Muu is now available in Canada!

With the incredibly versatile interchangeable panels, you can switch up the look of your child’s room in a flash as they grow, and as their tastes or yours change. Plus, the furniture is made from locally sourced hardwood from verified sustainable sources and formaldehyde-free MDF made from certified recycled wood fibres.

Addendum: In August, 2009, it was announced that Muu’s Sam Collection had been selected as a finalist for the 2009 International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA). Congratulations!

Price: from $449

Available at: Princess and the Pea, Edmonton, www.theprincessandthepea.ca; The Mom Store, Calgary, www.themomstore.ca; Inhabit, Vancouver, www.inhabitshop.com; www.muukids.com

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With the warm weather coming, it’s time to whip your skin into shape and that means some serious exfoliation!

Tackle the task with Naturally Upper Canada Body Polish with Buriti Seeds Warm Honey Nectar. It’s paraben- and SLS-free and filled with goodies like honey and shea butter and ground-up buriti and apricot seeds to get rid of dead cells and moisturize your skin beautifully. It smells yummy, too, in a lovely, subtle way that doesn’t overwhelm.

Available at: the Bay, Home Outfitters, Sears.

Price: $15

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If you’re heading down to the Green Living Show in Toronto this weekend, you’re in for a treat. I went down yesterday and I was really impressed with not only the selection of eco-friendly products and information on offer, but also the crowds thronging the Direct Energy Centre, which is where the show is held. Obviously, there’s a lot of interest in green living, and that’s wonderful!

I saw a number of things that I’ll post about in more detail in the coming days and weeks, but here are a few tidbits.

I dropped by the Essentia booth to try out the natural memory foam mattresses. I posted about them a while back (to read the post, click here), and when I tried them out, I was impressed. They felt very comfy and I’m thinking I might have to get one! My present mattress is doing the drastic dip-in-the-middle thing and I’m really starting to feel it. If I do go the Essentia route, you can be sure I’ll be reporting back on it here…

I also checked out the American Standard booth and loved the look of their H2Option siphonic, dual action toilet.

At the Samsung booth, I watched the lastest in LED TVs, with very cool looking, ultrathin screens, that can be flush-mounted on your wall. Sure, they’re expensive now, but the prices of all electronics come down eventually, and LEDs are superefficient when it comes to power usage.

Burt’s Bees was at the show once again and has expanded its line in Canada (which I’m thrilled about – was very frustrating to see all the Burt’s Bees products available on the U.S. website and not be able to find many of them here!).

As well, there were tons of other great exhibitors too numerous to cover here, but I have collected info and will be filling you in, so do come back and check the blog out again!

And one more thing re the show: Be sure to visit the Farm Fresh Fare area at the back and you’ll find the best food at a show ever! Toronto area chefs have teamed with local farmers to serve up sustainable food that is absolutely delicious! Sampling tickets are $2 each. You really can’t beat it!

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