I was so surprised at some of the gifts we received. Many family members know how “green” I try to keep our house and family! So, I was very excited to receive some heart felt gifts! One of our favorite gifts we received from family in Chicago were Bird-E Towels, Reusable, Washable Eco Friendly paper towel replacements! I don’t use paper towels, I normally just use old prefold diapers or knitted towels my husband’s grandmother made for us. But it was really nice to receive some great reusable towels! They are a great towel for cleaning up and I am throughly enjoying them! And not only does she make some great reusable towels, but she also has some rockin’ Tie Dye clothing items!!!
Here is some information about Bird-E Towels™:
Bird-E Towels are reusable towels made by hand in Florida. As the name suggests, these are paper towel replacements. Whatever you might use a paper towel for, you can use these cloths. Dry your hands, wipe up spills, clean the dining room table, dinner napkins, etc, etc. Even better then paper towels, you can actually clean glass and mirrors without leaving linty bits like paper towels and other cloths can do.
What’s the problem with paper towels?? The main problem is that the paper towels that most people use are made from virgin tree pulp. That means that trees are cut down and harvested for something that you are going to use ONE time. And then it gets thrown away…adding to the landfill problem. Oh and to make it even worse for the environment, they bleach the pulp releasing toxic chemicals into our environment. (For something that is used one time?!?) I use unbleached cotton to avoid that aspect of manufacturing. Whenever you get a chance, choose unbleached for a healthier earth. So, cloth is better in so many ways. You can expect years of use from these cloths. And considering that you can toss these small cloths in with laundry that you already have to do…it doesn’t really have much environmental impact once you get them home.
Another great eco-gift we received was from family in Wisconsin! They searched their local markets for some “local” handmade items! One of our favorite gifts was from Dragonfly Soaps out of Spooner, WI! We received a number of different soaps, one of our favorites is the Gardener’s Friend Soap: Lemon juice, sand and pumice make this bar an excellent cleanser for people who work with their hands (only for use on hands). We also received some dog shampoo, which I am excited to give that a try for our dog!
I couldn’t find information on them online, but I do have a contact address! I do have some information on homemade hand milled soaps! This information was included in the gift: “Most of the soaps and shampoos we buy in stores are not soap, but detergents made from petroleum distillates. Soaps are made with animal and/or vegetable fats, lye and water in a process known as saponification. We use beef tallow, olive oil, cocoa butter, ly and water as main ingredients for our basic soap. Hand milled soaps are cured basic soap which has been grated, remelted with a variety of skin friendly additives and molded. Though they take longer to make, they are harder and last longer. This process also protects the additives as the soap is no longer caustic when milled.”
I hope everyone of you had a wonderful, peaceful Christmas! Thank so much for your support in 2009 and looking forward to the opportunities 2010 holds!
