Let's GO GREEN!

Today is the start of the Etsy Twitter Team's Go Green event! For complete details about this event please visit our blog at: http://etsytwitter.blogspot.com/

But in the mean time, I just wanted to share a few tidbits! Search Twitter for #GGETT to find out about some of the sales, tips, and products our team is offering! There are some great recycled, upcycled, green items in handmade! Some shops are offering a sale, some are offering free shipping, etc.

We are offering a special Scavenger Hunt with prizes! Please click the link above to our blog to see how you can win prizes as you GO GREEN WITH THE ETSY TWITTER TEAM!

For me, I've always recycled as much as possible, all of our returnable bottles I've always returned~usually when I have about $50.00 worth~that's a lot of cans & bottles! We also have recycling bins on the deck for plastic, metal, & glass, the paper & cardboard stays in the house! The paer & cardboard are usually used to start fires~our family has fires indoors & out all year round. There's nothing like chilling out by a campfire roasting marshmallows & chatting with the teens~yes, they still hang out with us :) Or sitting by the fireplace on a frigid winter night to warm your toes! A lot of the cardboard is also used for shipping packages, making templates, etc.

I have a compost pile where shredded paper, grass clippings, leaves, kitchen waste (fruit & vegetable peels, leftover or over-ripe fruits & veggies, coffee grinds, etc.) go into and eventually gives me wonderful compost for my veggie garden! Our family of 5 usually has 1 bag of "trash" per week because we recycle so much!

I also try to give away as many items as possible that our family has outgrown (everything from clothes & toys to books or kitchenwares) Freecycle is a wonderful way to keep items out of the landfills! Search for a local Freecycle in your area! You can give away items you no longer need or want as well as get items from others that they no longer want! Recently I received literally thousands of dollars of darkroom equipment from Freecycle! I got everything from enlargers (yes plural) to tanks, timers, books, vintage cameras as well as vintage lenses! I'm very excited to get to build a darkroom & start developing my own black & white film! That was how I first found my passion for Photography, when I saw my Grandpa's own developed works as a child. I've been hooked ever since :)

Also, my son goes to our local recycling center with his uncle and they have found everything from bikes, tablesaws, tools & lawnmowers to computers! All of these items were "being recycled" but they only needed a little work to make them "new" again! I can't tell you how much they have "rescued" but it has been a LOT!

These are a just a few ways my family tries to be "Green". How about you?

For my part during the Go Green With The Etsy Twitter Team, I have added a new "EARTH Friendly" line in my shop! A few of my "Green" items are also listed in my Christmas in July section, with more items being added soon (I'm working as fast as I can!) And I'm offering FREE shipping for the rest of July!

So go click on our team blog link above to see the wonderful shops participating and see how you can win cool prizes from the Scavenger Hunt!