Emily Wildenhaus

The holiday season reminds us all that there are great businesses all around us and giving back to the community. Shop locally, it makes for unique and thoughtful gifts. Showing your support to small, local businesses can be done in many ways. Writing an online review, engaging with their social media, and of course, purchasing their products or services are all great ways to do so. So you’re on board to shop locally this year, but you don’t know where to start. Here are some tips to find great presents that support your community at the same time. Talk it Out A great place to start is asking the people in your life if they have a favorite go-to spot in town. We put a great deal of trust into what our friends recommend and let’s be honest, we do this because they usually have great taste! One great experience leads to many new opportunities for a business so if you find out about a place, go ahead and pass it along as well. Take a Drive We know going into physical stores might not be your cup of tea this year, but a good way to explore what your town has to offer is making a tour inside your car. Of course, if you’ve loved going downtown and already know the best spots, we always encourage you to window shop locally as well. Most small businesses are offering curbside pickup options and your GreenEarth dry cleaner might even offer pickup and delivery so you can safely receive products and services from your local shops without stepping inside. Head Online Looking at your local newspaper or publications for recommendations is also a great starting point. Most articles you can find will actually list gift ideas for you: the best gift card deals, the best gifts for Mom, etcetera. What could be easier than that? Think Outside the Box Give the gift of no more laundry this year! Taking care of a loved one’s garments is what your GreenEarth cleaner is here for. Get in touch with your local dry cleaner and see if they are offering gift cards or schedule a pickup for a family member. These gestures mean a lot to the people in your life and, you guessed it, that small dry cleaner appreciates it a whole lot too. Find a GreenEarth cleaner near you.

The anticipation of Halloween includes trick-or-treating, black and orange decorations, and lots and lots of candy. Getting together with friends and loved ones might be expected for Halloween celebrations but there are other ways you can celebrate this year as you stay at home for a green Halloween. October 31st is only a few days away and if you’re a sustainability enthusiast who loves all things spooky, these fun activities are just for you! Carving Pumpkins Put the green into carving your pumpkins. Buy your pumpkin locally. Save the insides and repurpose them in different recipes. Stay away from using bleach to make your pumpkin last longer. After the season is over and you’re ready to get rid of it, critters will use it for food. A natural way to extend the life of your creation is to use vinegar. (1 part vinegar to 10 parts water)   Costume Contest You can still show off your costume with a virtual contest. How do you make your costume eco-friendly? Reuse common household items that would otherwise go to waste. This is where you get creative – use cardboard boxes to become a robot or turn toilet paper rolls into a pirate’s telescope. Take advantage of what’s in your closet. You probably already have a costume in there! Last year’s costume can get an upgrade with some added fake blood and zero new garment purchases.   Homemade Candy If you’re saying no to trick or treating but still want candy at home, make your own! This will cut down on all that wrapper waste and let’s be honest, quarantine has made us all bakers. Here are some ideas: Caramel apples. Everyone can decorate exactly how their sweet tooth desires. Sugared pecans. Anything chocolate-dipped. Pretzels, strawberries, marshmallows, etc.     Halloween Movie Night Putting on a marathon of the family’s favorites is a sure way to get in the Halloween spirit. The eco-friendly spin on this one is pretty simple: Keep the lights off! Enjoy your Halloween!  

Don’t put your dry cleaner in a box! They can help you clean a lot more than just those “dry clean only” items. Give your everyday wear the same love that you do your work attire with wash and fold services. Think about how often you change what you’re wearing – your working from home attire might look different from your running errands outfit versus your loungewear when the day’s over. And kids change their clothes often too, especially with back-to-school routines starting up again. Rest assured, the weight of laundry doesn’t need to fall on your already busy shoulders. Cue the perfect solution to save you time and effort. Wash and fold services make it easy for you to take care of the laundry. Sorting your clothes, washing, and folding can all be taken care of by a GreenEarth Affiliate. They’ll sanitize and disinfect your garments so they are safe and soft on your skin and ready to be worn again. And for those garments that need dry cleaned, GreenEarth is a non-toxic cleaning system without harsh chemicals or odor. So it’s ideal for sensitive skin and comfortable for kids and adults alike. When you’ve got a lot going on, trust a GreenEarth Affiliate to cross laundry off that to-do list with wash and fold. Find an affiliate near you here.

If you’re like me, you have a curiosity toward food trends – and I’m not talking about whether pineapple on pizza is acceptable (that’s for another day). I’m talking about food trends when it comes to green living, sustainable seafood in particular. If you’re a follower of GreenEarth Cleaning, most likely you’re aware that there are many changes we can make in our own lives to better the environment. Saving energy, finding ways to re-use our resources, reducing waste – the list goes on and on. We can also make changes in the way we eat and doing so is actually pretty simple. Organic Isn’t the Only Label You Should Pay Attention To Yeah, adding the word “organic” before your carton of strawberries seems like the smart thing to do. While it’s definitely a good sign that your food was grown without growth hormones or possibly toxic substances, you need to focus equally on choosing locally grown organic foods. An item might be grown naturally but depending on where it shipped from, it could be coming to you from thousands of miles away. This is something known as food miles: the distance your food has traveled from the farm to the store. According to ATTRA, the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service, a typical meal travels 1,300 miles on average to get to our table. Transporting fruits and vegetables this way contributes heavily to pollution.  What Can You Do? So, where can you find an abundance of local, organic foods? The farmer’s market. You’ll be supporting farmers in your community, know exactly where your food came from thus reducing food miles, and most of the time the produce is cheaper because you cut out transportation costs. Local is always better! How Stuff Works busts some of the myths for us. The Need to Eat Sustainable Seafood “Sustainable Seafood” seems like a buzzword phrase lately, but what does it actually mean, and is it really that important? According to Seafood Watch, approximately one-third of fish populations are overfished. Species like halibut and yellowtail flounder populations are at an all-time low with bluefin tuna at 4% of its original size. Illegal fishing practices are also depleting fish stocks and account for one-fifth of the world’s catch. To add more, fishing gear that drags across the seafloor, to trap large amounts of seafood, can severely damage the habitat for fish and other species. So, that’s a lot of negatives. And, yes if we have any say as to where our seafood comes from, we need to reward ocean-friendly practices. What Can You Do? Seafood Watch has a downloadable guide to find good sustainable seafood options (and what to avoid) wherever you’re at. Look up your state and keep the guide in mind when you’re traveling too! When out at a restaurant, a simple “do you know where this comes from?” can let you know if the fish you’re about to eat is wild or farmed. Lastly, at the grocery store, look for eco-certification labels on the seafood. Here’s a list of tips to keep in mind.

It’s no secret that, unfortunately, graduations look different this year. Class of 2020, we applaud the dedication and effort it takes to graduate. While we can’t celebrate in the typical sense, we can still find ways to cheer on the high school and college graduates who have worked so hard to finish school. This time has us connecting to people more than ever, even when we’re not physically close. There are many ways you can still celebrate this milestone and schools and businesses around the US are planning creative ways to do so. Although your high school or college might have their version of a commencement ceremony, there are also things you can do to have a party at home. Here are some ideas to make your celebration one to remember – and of course one that’s also good for the earth. Confetti When decorating, an organic alternative to plastic is making confetti out of plants. This no-waste, non-pollutant confetti offers a fun way to get outside with family as well! Balloon Alternatives Balloons are not biodegradable and often result in excessive littering. A good substitute are pinwheels. Because they are stuck in the ground, there is no chance of them floating away and up in the air. You’ll still get the same colorful atmosphere with them, too! Bonus points if you used biodegradable or recycled paper. Decorate Like it’s the Real Deal Decorate your home if you’re planning a virtual celebration. Video calling close friends and family to have a party apart is a great way to commemorate your grad in the family. Keep the lively atmosphere and dress up your living room or backyard with pinwheels, banners and all the works. Keep it Local As with any good party, have lots of snacks and desserts to enjoy. A custom cake from a local bakery is a great way to support small businesses at the same time. No Need for Paper/Plastic Plates Most party stores have paper or plastic plates and cutlery, but these are non-biodegradable and pretty harmful to our environment. Because your gathering is small anyway, there isn’t that need to stock up on lots and lots of dinnerware. Use the dishes that you already own and let your food and decor stand out in its place.