Treat Your Dog With A Guffly Gift

I missed my dog Bamboo's birthday on June 28th. Yes I know, I should be ashamed of myself. I realized it on the 29th and I felt terrible about it. So I figured I should get him a new toy to make myself feel better. I went to The Good Dog Company to find him something guffly.

I found The Hemp Biscuit and it's made of natural fabrics. It's made of 55% hemp and 45% certified organic cotton. The biscuit is good for dogs that like to play fetch and catch; or just like to carry around comfort toys. Bamboo loves all of that so I really think he's going to dig it.

The Hemp Biscuit can be purchased from The Good Dog Company for $11.99.

Wrap it Up, Yo

I'm proud of myself. I've been consistently going to the gym for a whole two months now. Sure, this is barely an accomplishment for some, but after about a year of excuses this is big. Now that I'm finally in the habit of going, I've realized how bad I need a holder for my iPod. It's starting to get scratched on the back and its really bothering me. Plus, I might sell my current iPod to my sister so that I can get an iPhone. And if I do get one, there is no way I am letting that precious little piece of electronic goodness get scratched or dented or even fingerprinted. In my hunt for something Guffly for my iPod to chill in, I found the Mediapocket. This little guy is made in San Francisco by designer Josh Jakus from reclaimed, factory excess wool. It fits most smart phones and iPods, except the really chubby BlackBerry and Palms. The Mediapocket is only $19 and can be found on the Josh Jakus website.

Gufflify your Kid with Xeko

Today Jordan and I went to the River Days Festival in Detroit to represent a game called Xeko (pronounced zee-ko). I don't know why I haven't written about this before (well maybe because I am not an 10 year old kid) but this game based on sustainability and biodiversity is definitely Guffly. Xeko is a 2-player trading card game that is played similar to Pokemon. A player gets a starter deck and builds upon it in order to get the best "Xeko-system." The point is to build a deck that balances resources and species.

The game is designed for kids 8 years old and above. It's competitive and fun, but it also teaches them the value of this fantastic Earth of ours and the little critters that live on it. The cards and packaging are made of recycled or recyclable materials, and they use soy-based inks. Likewise, the company donates 4% of game net sales to Conservation International. The starter sets range from $20-32, while booster packs range from $4-10. The game prices range between editions or "missions", which include Costa Rica, Madagascar, and Indonesia.

If you know a kid who would love this, you can visit Xeko for information on where to find a retailer near you. You can also purchase this game online at Xeko Shop where they offer free shipping in the US.

Solio: A Portable Gadget Charger

The other day Chanell and I were working at a coffee shop near our homes. It was a beautiful day so we worked outside. After about an hour the batteries of both of our laptops were almost dead. We really wanted to stay outside and enjoy the day, but there weren't any power outlets on the outside of the building. Saddened by the inevitable truth, we packed up our stuff and pouted back into the cafe.


I didn't want this situation to happen again; so I vowed to bring an extension cord next time. Then I remembered, "there's a much more guffly way to handle this". I read about Solio, a wireless solar powered all-purpose charger. If I get one the cafe problem would never happen again.

The charger is small, lightweight, and unique; and it builds up power by sitting in the sun. One hour of sun gets you fifteen minutes of cell phone talk time, or forty minutes of MP3 usage. The best feature of Solio is that is reduces energy waste; since it can be powered by solar energy. Here's a complete list of Solio's features.

One Solio costs $99.95. I think that's a small price to pay for emergency power at your finger tips. I'm going to get one.

Drink and be Merry...and Guffly, too

I've been thinking about having a fiesta for 4th of July this year and of course I want it to be a Guffly experience for all. In addition to tasty organic food and drinks, I've been thinking about other little green touches to make it that much better. I found these bamboo drinking straws, and they might just be in my purchasing future. These straws are Guffly because they are reusable and keep regular plastic disposable straws out of landfills. Plus, in the event you do throw it away, they are made of a natural material that is biodegradable.

The straws pictured here can be found at Global Exchange. They come in a set of twelve and are produced by a company named Kopnoi, a fair trade business located in Laos. The set is $16.95 plus another $5.95 for shipping costs.

After you use the straws, you should cover them in water with vinegar, boil them for 20 minutes then lay them out to dry. Sure, this isn't as simple as throwing away a plastic straw, but I think it's a small price to pay for having your party guests impressed by your fancy drink serving skills.

Guffly Summertime Flip Flops

With summer right around the corner, I've begun searching for some guffly flip flops to keep my feet cool. I found a great pair at Simple Shoes.

Toe Foo flip flops are stylish and sustainable. They are made from crepe, which is a natural rubber that is tapped from the Havea tree. The website says that the material makes a squishy sole. The flip flops are also made from bamboo and hemp; and they are all bound together by water-based glue.

The Toe Foo flip flops are available in black, tan, and olive colors; and they cost $45 dollars. I'm going to get the black ones for my summertime chillaxing.

Get Local with GenGreen

A few weeks ago at the Green Festival I signed up for GenGreen, and thought you might want to as well. GenGreen is a website that lists information on green related resources by state and city. So, they make it easy to find information that is relevant to you. GenGreen has listings for green events, businesses, organizations, cooperatives, transportation, jobs, recycling centers, as well as other individuals. Though the listings for the Detroit area are sparse, using GenGreen I found out about the 8th Annual Ann Arbor Green Festival that I'll definitely hit up on June 13th.

GenGreen will also be launching a Green Marketplace later on this year. From what I read it seems like it will be like Greenzer or Evo, but with an emphasis on local options.

Keyboard Cufflinks

I don't really dig the suit look, but occasionally work or an event calls for me to wear one. Since I have to wear one anyway, I figure that I might as well be guffly at the same time. Here's one element I can add to my formal wear that will allow me to do just that:

They're Keyboard Cufflinks and I think the name describes them well enough. The cufflinks are made from--you guessed it--old keyboards! You can buy any letters you choose, and get them in black, grey, or MAC keys . I think I'll get my initials in MAC grey.

The great part about these cufflinks is the fact that they only cost $14.95. They're inexpensive, look good, are unique, and have a more positive than negative impact to the environment. That sounds pretty guffly.

Better Brushing

The thought of a dirty toothbrush makes my stomach hurt. I guess that is why like to buy a new one every two months, instead of three as the dentist recommends. Though this is a good idea hygienically, this isn't so guffly of me. So, I was pretty excited when I heard of Recycline at the Green Festival in Chicago. Recycline makes eco-friendly choices for the home, included the Preserve Toothbrush which is made from recycled plastic containers, like yogurt cups. The company also makes a Preserve Triple Razor as well as tableware and kitchen products. Each item is made in the US with 100% recycled materials, and the toothbrush and razor handles are completely recyclable. You can even send these items back to them when you are done, and the company will recycle them for you. In addition to their greenness, Preserve is guffly because they make things simple. For $13.00 you can sign up for a four toothbrush prescription on their website and select how often you want your brushes sent. Now, you won't even have to think about changing your brush, let alone actually remembering to pick one up the next time you're at the store. Just wait for it to come to you. And if your not down with online toothbrush ordering, you can find their products in Whole Foods and Target.

Watch this cool video on how these brushes are made:

Wallets From Recycled Ties

I need a new wallet. The one I have now is busting apart at the seams. It only has four slots for credit cards and identification; however I've managed to cram ten cards in it. It's getting pretty ridiculous. I need more slots.

While shopping for a guffly wallet online, I found a company called Narwhal Co.. They sell wallets that are made from recycled ties, and they look pretty sweet. They are unique. You can buy one and be pretty confident that you wont see any one else with the same one. The wallet that you purchase is the only one of it's pattern in stock; and unless the company receives another tie of the same design yours will not be duplicated. That's great for those who pride themselves on being different. Narwhal also sells wrist wear from recycled ties; and cases for your iPhone and iPod.

I Want a P.E.T. Messenger Bag

I want to buy a new laptop bag. The one I have now is nice, but it isn't very guffly. It's time for an upgrade. So I searched and found this cool company that sells bags made from our kind of materials.

The company is called Green Guru Gear and they sell great products. Some of their products are: wallets made from billboard signs and repurposed bicycle inner tubes and tires; and tank tops and t-shirts made from bamboo. However, the product that I really want is the recycled P.E.T. Large Deluxe Messenger Bag.

This bag is made from old soda and water bottles; which assists in reducing the amount of plastic bottles in our landfills (something our landfills desperately need). It sells for $109.95 and can be purchased directly from the Green Guru site.

Recycled Beer Glasses are Guffly

What's your favorite beer? Mine is Hacker Pschorr Weisse; and now I can enjoy it and be guffly at the same time. I was searching through a great website called Uncommon Goods and found this product that got me pretty excited. It was a set of 2 beer glasses that are made from recycled automobile windshields. As the picture shows, the glasses have a blue tint to them because of the dye that was added to the original windshield to block the sun. I think they look sweet.

Two 15 oz. beer glasses retail for $20 at Uncommon Goods. If you love beer you should definitely check them out. Much guffly love:)

Trashy.

Last night I talked with one of my most favorite people, my Aunt Kelley. Other than being totally awesome in general, she has been eating organic food, using organic products, and been an all-around guffly individual for some time now. She asked me if I knew anything about eco-friendly trash bags. This got me thinking. A lot of green people are using reusable bags for groceries and shopping, are recycling what they can, but are still throwing out their trash in icky, regular old plastic trash bags. I'm not sure why I hadn't thought about this before. Turns out there are some pretty simple options. Check 'em out:


1. BioBags - 100% Biodegradable and Compostable. "BioBags are GMO free, certified for use in organic agriculture and certified for restricted use of metals in our vegetable-based inks and dyes. Their products meet the ASTM D6400-99 requirements, which is the gold standard for compostable plastic. BioBags are shelf stable, just like paper towels, yet biodegrade quickly when exposed to nature's elements and micro-organisms, leaving no harmful residues behind." These bags can be found at Drugstore.com, $6.19 for 12 count 13-gallon bags.


2. Nature Value Eco Safe Bags - biodegrade in 12 to 14 months. They are made from 10-20% post consumer recycled materials, are certified Kosher, and the box they come is also made from recycled materials. You can find their various products on Lets Go Green where they are very reasonably priced in comparison; only $2.99 for 15 count 13-gallon bags.

Good Stuff for Bamboo

I'm a softy for animals. I regularly find myself feeling depressed after seeing a sad story on TV about an animal suffering. The only good part about this is that my dog Bamboo brings me more joy than I could ever express. That's why I only buy him good stuff.

Last weekend I visited the Green Street Fair in Plymouth Michigan. At the event, I found a woman named Pam selling sustainable pet products. Her company Purrfect Play sells collars, leashes, chew toys, catnip toys, and pet bedding to name a few. However the one product that Purrfect Play sells, that really got me excited--for Bamboo--was a wool ball.

Bamboo's favorite thing in the world is a ball. He loves it so much that he's completely submissive to the very sound of the word. In fact, whenever I really want him to listen, the only thing I have to do is yell "Ball"; his ears perk up and he's at my feet waiting for a command (a trick that I try to use sparingly). He's so addicted to his balls that he'll stay up all night playing with them, if I were to let him. Bamboo has lots of balls, however he doesn't have a wool ball. So I listened to Pam as she explained why I should by one.

She told me that her balls are handmade from sustainably produced dye-free wool; which has only been processed with gentle non-toxic soaps. The wool is sustainable because it can be shorn from sheep annually, with no harm to the animal. It's biodegradable and has less negative impact to the environment--and ourselves--than oil-based synthetics.

So I bought a ball and brought it home to Bamboo. He loved it! He's been annoying me for the last few days with it, because he can't put it down. Here's a picture of him loving on it.

Guffly Designs

Did you know that nearly half of the world's original forest cover is gone? Also, there is only 5% of the United State's natural forest cover remaining today. This tells me two things: 1.) the growing demand for paper is negatively affecting our Eco-system; and 2.) we need to be more responsible about using wood pulp for products. Cardboard Design understands this too. The company is truly innovative and responsible when it comes to making their wood pulp based products.


All of the products that Cardboard Designs makes are made from recycled post-consumer materials. Materials like old cardboard boxes, newspaper, kraft paper, and even straw. These products were once used by consumers and thrown away. Cardboard Designs collects these materials and make responsible and innovative products.

Cardboard Designs' products can be classified into four categories:

1.) Kids Products: These products consist of doll houses,playhouses, chairs, and forts for kids to hide out and play in.

2.) Furniture: You can buy tables, desks, space dividers, and shelving.

3.) Vases and Placemats

4.) Liquid Cardboard: This product is truly innovative. A single piece of liquid cardboard can move freely--flowing easily from one shape to another. Each item can transform into many different shapes from vases, bowls, platters, candle holders, a stress toy, or even stylish table-top decoration.


For every one ton of scrap paper that Cardboard Designs recycles they save: 17 trees, 4200 kilowatt hours of electricity, 7000 gallons of water, and 3 cubic yards of landfill space. Not one tree is cut down to make any of the products. The glue that is used to adhere the products is vegetable based; and does not contain any harsh chemicals or animal products. Finally, not one person or country is exploited when making Cardboard Designs' products. In fact, everything the company makes is manufactured in the United States.

And that is truly guffly.

Greenzer Goes Live

Last week, Greenzer's public beta site went live. Greenzer, like Evo, lists thousands of green products from several retailers and puts them in one place. After finding the product you want, you can click to be linked to the retailers website, where you can make a purchase. The site seems to have a limited amount of retailers so far, but they seem committed to making the shopping experience richer over time. What is great about both sites is the rating systems they use to score each product. These allow for simple understanding of how guffly the products are. Pretty cool.

Why You Should Love Peace Love Earth

My usual random internet searching led me to find this great green jewelery company called Peace Love Earth. If you like letting the world know about your values or if you don't want to be like everyone else who has the same silver Tiffany's heart necklace, then these necklaces and bracelets are for you. The designer, Anna Mkhitarian, who also designs clothing and accessories, fuses her love of fashion with her passion for peacefulness, positive change, and her care for the environment.

The sterling silver designs are made with recycled, pure .925 sterling silver. The super cute pendant shown here is hand-polished, and other items in the store are hand-made in Los Angeles. I'm digging this pendant, but they also have more subtle designs, if that suits your fancy. The prices range from $60-275, which varies based upon how many charms go into each piece.

Peace Love Earth = adorable, sustainable jewelery with a great message.

Jewelery that Turns You Green

No, not cheapo jewelery that turns your skin green after wearing it. I'm talking about fine jewelery with an eco-conscious and people-friendly purpose.

There's been a lot of engagements and weddings going on around me lately. So, as with most things I don't feel like thinking about, there's been this constant stream of wedding and engagement info going on around me that I otherwise wouldn't have noticed. It always happens that way, right? I've seen TV segments on how to be a "green bride" and how to have a "green wedding," and lately I've even found some guffly engagement and wedding rings.

I found a store called greenKarat, an ecommerce jeweler of jewelery made in more ecologically responsible manner. The company has a strong philosophy and also goes deep on the issues surrounding gold and gems, like conflict diamonds and the impact of mechanized mining processes. Additionally, they go beyond taking issue with conventional practices and actually deliver alternatives. Each piece of jewelery they sell is evaluated on 8 characteristics:

1. Eco Metal: is it made of ecologically mined gold or platinum?
2. Eco Alloy: is the alloy a recycled metal?
3. Eco Findings: are the small parts of the jewelery comprised of recycled gold or platinum?
4. Eco Gems: are the gems ecologically mined?
5. Eco Other: are the other components of ecological origin?
6. Non-Eco: are there items used that are not ecologically responsible?
7. Eco Refinery: did the precious metal on the piece come from an ecologically certified refinery?
8. Eco Bench: did the jewelery maker use eco-friendly procedures in the workplace?

Using these guidelines, greenKarat gives each of its pieces a rating called a Green Assay Record. This allows the customer to view the characteristics of his or her jewelery, and understand how green it is. While they understand that each piece isn't ecologically perfect, because the system isn't yet perfect, greenKarat does pledge to be open and honest with customers about what goes into each piece of jewelery. Plus, the primary metal is every greenKarat design is recycled from another piece of jewelery.

greenKarat also has a section on their site called myKarat that allows customers to recycle their gold for store credit, to reuse their gold to make rings, or to donate their gold to benefit the environment. And with gold at premium value lately, now is the perfect time to start exchanging.

Look At That Package

I found a really helpful blog article over at "Moving at the Speed of Life" about eco-friendly packaging that I thought you might like. It's probably no surprise to you that the extra packaging that comes along with the goods we consume is taking an unnecessary toll. In fact, the EPA estimates that 1/3 of landfill waste comes from product packaging. If that doesn't scream "opportunity for improvement," I don't know what does. Though the amount of packaging that comes with the stuff we buy is not really in our direct control, we do have a great amount of control over how we recycle and reuse these things. The article goes deep on some packaging reduction initiatives being done by Dial and Deer Park bottled water. Other companies, like Method, are also known for their minimalism. Likewise, brands like Ecoist take reusing to a new (and quite fashionable) level. Know of any other brands that have cut down on the packaging they use, or have found an alternative use for excess packaging? Please let us know!

Decor Freak

The thought of my big move, though still a few months in the distance, is one of the reasons why I haven't gone completely crazy lately. There's just something about starting fresh - especially when starting fresh means new, organic and natural decor for your new place.

I found some beautiful bedding at Amenity. This duvet cover is made of organically grown and processed cotton, and is printed with non-toxic, water-based dyes. Likewise, its printed and sewn in the US. The queen size duvet is $330. This isn't bad by comparison. If you look for duvets of the same size at Macy's or other department stores, you'll find that their prices range from $100-400, depending on the brand and quality. The store also offers free shipping on orders over $100, and allows returns if you contact them within 14 days of receiving your item.