Free Reminder to Bring Your Own Bags

I just ordered a free window cling from www.conservingnow.com. You put it in your driver's side car window and it serves as a reminder to bring your own bags. Here's how you can help spread the word:

(From their website)

How You Can Help ConservingNow

Thank you for your support of the very important environmental initiative. By displaying your car window static cling, you will not only remember your bags but you will be letting others know that you are a supporter of the environment.

Individually, we can all have an impact by doing our part but together we can make a HUGE difference! We need everyone's help to spread the word. Below are some ways you can help us do just that:

Tweet to your Twitter followers (Have trouble remembering your reusable bags? Go to www.conservingnow.com to get your FREE car window static cling today).
Go to conservingnow.com page on Facebook and check "Like This" (This used to be called "become a fan") - Post a suggestion on your Facebook page that your friends do the same.
Post a similar message to the #1 suggestion above on your Facebook page. Encourage your friends to get their own static cling at www.conservingnow.com.
Send an email sharing your support of this cause along with the website link to your friends, family and colleagues suggesting that they join you in this important initiative.
If you know a blogger, news outlet, eco organization, school, church, city official, corporate green officer, community organization leader or anyone that has access to a large following or membership, suggest that they take a look at our site and encourage them to get involved by letting their following or membership know about ConservingNow.
Tell the manager of the places you shop that you would like to see them support ConservingNow. We will be happy to provide any grocer and/or retailer with free color posters to hang in their store. These posters give some background about why this is such an important initiative - there is also a photo of the clings and instructions for people to get their own FREE cling.
Contact your local politician to tell them about ConservingNow. They can go to our Community Change section of our site and find out what other cities/states are doing about plastic bags.
Ask your employer to send an email out about ConservingNow. We recently had one organization that gave out clings to their 5500 employees suggesting that they all adopt the reusable bag habit at home.
Tell teachers, schools and parents about our Teaching Our Children section. There are classroom kits along with many free resources for educating our children about the environment.
Hand out ConservingNow free car window static clings at your organization/community and school events or even at the local grocery stores. Help others remember their bags.
Conduct a fundraiser a fundraiser for an organization that you are involved in. Selling ConservingNow’s reusable bags is a great way to make money and do something for the environment.
Become a ConservingNow ambassador. Let us know what you are doing that is working. Do you have some ideas that we have not thought of? Is there someone you want to introduce us to? Email us - we want to hear from you! We will have a monthly drawing for one of our reusable bags which will go to the person who has facilitated the introduction that had the greatest impact that month.

Soles 4 Souls

Souls 4 Souls is a great organization that I've worked with before. They collect gently used shoes and distribute them in the US and around the world to people in need. Some of them have never owned a pair of shoes in their lives. Others have lost their possessions due to natural disasters. They also have a great program where you can travel with them to distribute shoes.

Help Stop Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining in VA

Our mountains are not only beautiful, but serve an important ecological function.  Mountaintop Removal is going on right now but you can go to iLoveMountains.org and sign their letter to the EPA and President Obama.  I've joined the bloggers challenge, so please use the box below and make your voice heard.

For more information on how mountaintop removal coal mining effects people, towns and the environment, visit their site or watch the video below.

The Easy Way to Help Beat Cancer

I just registered with DKMS.  They will be sending me a simple kit where I will take a cheek swab and enter into their national database.  From there, I can be matched with people who have leukemia and potentially save a life.  1 in 200 people are ever called upon to donate marrow, so the odds are it will never happen, but if it does it would make a huge difference in the life of the person I help.  I'm sure it will make a difference in my life too, knowing that I gave that person a second chance.  It's free but it costs $65 to run the swab, so they appreciate donations as well.

Local Harvest or Where to get your local yummy stuff

This blog has been sitting in the back of my mind for awhile, but finally the time has come when my level of frustration has become greater than my level of laziness.  As I am very lazy, that is saying something.

I am originally from Minnesota and Wisconsin, where there are health food stores the size of our regular grocery stores here in Hampton Roads.  Even the farmers markets that I have visited here have returned a disappointing amount of local, organic products (with a few exceptions that I will mention in later posts.)

Enter a site called www.LocalHarvest.org.  If you put in your zip code, it will return area farms, restaurants, farmer's markets or whatever you select.  The farms sound great.  Too bad I found them just in time for winter but they do have some produce listed as available this time of year.

There are two restaurants listed, The Boot in Norfolk and Croc's 19th Street Bistro in Virginia Beach.  Has anyone had the chance to visit either of these?  They both have good reviews.  I'll have to make a point of checking them out.

I'll keep you all posted as I get to sample the goods.  If you know of any good, local places, please share!