Eco-Friendly Valentines!

Need a last minute V-day solution? It’s never too late to show someone you care. But don’t settle for just another card from the convenient store. And keep in mind that the cards we give and receive on Valentine’s Day use up a lot of paper. So why not try the greener approach? Maxim gave it a shot by crafting some cute cards made of recycled items lying around the office and plucked from our recycling bin. Here’s a little tutorial on how we made papier-mâché Valentine’s cards.

Supplies:
-Used Cardboard Box
-Old Newspaper
-Non-Toxic Glue
-Cup
-Paintbrush
-Paint
-Imagination!

First, we shred up some old newspaper to use for the papier-mâché:



Then, we made the papier-mâché adhesive by mixing part Non-Toxic Glue and part water in a cup:




We then drew a basic heart shape on the used cardboard and cut it out.
To begin the papier-mâché process, take a paintbrush, and coat both sides of the newspaper and then press it onto the cardboard. Continue to layer on pieces of newspaper one at a time, and each time cover the layer with a coat of adhesive:



Once the cardboard is covered with newspaper, leave it to dry.

Now that it’s dry just paint, draw, glitter, whatever your wildest imagination wills!

Not only will your sweetheart LOVE a handmade creation, but the environment will LOVE you for it too!

Stay Warm This Season with 3 Eco-Friendly Winter Outfits

It’s your Eco-nista again! I know how difficult shopping for that perfect winter look can be, not to mention when you’re considering the environment. Well look no further, these 3 eco-friendly outfits are full of great separates that can be mixed and matched until the sun comes out (which is hopefully sooner than later).



Great for walking around the city, staying warm and chic.

a. Jacket
b. Scarf
c. Beret
d. Bracelets
e. Boot
f. Sweater Dress
g. Leggings



This is such a great outfit for everyday wear.

a. Top
b. Vest
c. Bag
e. Jeans
f. Booties




Cozy up next to the fire in this comfortable, eco-friendly, lounge outfit and accessories.

a. Cami
b. Pillows
c. Cardigan
e. Stuffed Animal
f. Sweat Pants
g. Slippers

Did you know that every year millions of girls and women in developing countries will miss up to 50 days of school/work because of their periods? Now we’ve all experienced how debilitating our periods can be, now imagine if you had to suffer through this without the proper sanitary tools. Unfortunately, this is actually a reality for the majority of women in developing and underdeveloped areas.

However, I just learned about a great new organization that is involved in aiding this dilemma. SHE (which stands for Sustainable Health Enterprises) has launched an initiative to assist women in these areas create their own businesses to manufacture and distribute affordable, quality, and eco-friendly sanitary pads. Additionally, the products will look to use local raw materials to ensure affordability and accessibility.

SHE is just another example of how women can create positive changes in regards to their menstrual cycle, a concept applauded wholeheartedly by Maxim. To learn more, visit their website here.

Welcoming Summer with 3 Eco-Friendly Beach Outfits

What’s in this season? GREEN, of course. And I don’t just mean Green the color. With all the fun eco-friendly clothing and accessories popping up it’s becoming increasingly EASY to be green. Therefore, I’d like to introduce myself as your new Eco-nista. Going green never looked so good! I’ve scavenged the internet in search of 3 perfect eco-friendly beach outfits. And for your shopping convenience, I’ve made sure to include links to where you can find these great outfits! Enjoy!



a. This striped racerback top is perfect alone or layered. Link

b. This statement necklace is made of natural red seeds from the rainforest. Also, a portion of proceeds go to charity. This is a must have item for any occasion. Link

c. I adooore this purse! The color of this bag will turn your everyday clothes into an outfit! A color this bold needs to be carried confidently so wear it proudly! Link

d. A classic item with a modern twist. These capris are made of 100% organic cotton. Link

e. Organic swimsuits are a must! This simple black suit will flatter almost any figure and the halter strap adds fun fashion flavor. Link

f. These boating shoes are not only adorable but they’re practical too. Check them out! Link



a. This is one of my favorite discoveries. Not only is this bag incredibly unique and super cute, but it’s a fair trade item made of natural palm leaf in Vietnam. Super purchase-worthy!! Link

b. Keep the sun out and the good vibes in. This fair trade hat is a summer sun necessity. Link

c. I am obsessed with these recycled denim lavender peep toe pumps. Link

d. The shape of this muted pink dress is old-school with a contemporary twist. Link

e. Sunglasses have never been so cool! These bamboo glasses are not only super chic, but a portion of their proceeds go to charity. I am in love! Link

f. This frilly bikini is the perfect addition to this already super cute outfit. Link



a. Hand crafted to perfection these sunglasses are epic. Link

b. This retro dress is so cool! I’m addicted to the super cute vintage buttons and peacock stitching details. While checking out this dress available on econsciousmarket.com search the awesome site for some Maxim products! Link

c. Gracefully sit poolside in style with this stunning swimsuit. Link

d. A white bag is the perfect accessory to this outfit, not to mention one that’s really cutely shaped!! Link

e. These gorgeous yellow pumps add such a hip element to this already fantastic outfit. Link

Stay Warm with Heat Saving Tips for Your Earth & Pocket

The Holidays are over, but Winter is in full blast, which means so is your heat. The heat may be warming you up but it may also be contributing to global warming and other avoidable environmental wastes and effects. If you're like me and living in an old small apartment with building controlled thermostats that don't seem to be working and awful insulation then you'll definitely need to read on, along with all other heat blasting earth lovers. For someone who loves to stay warm but not at the cost of waste, here are some pointers for ya....

In addition to watching the great video above created by the Grist team here are some of my tips for staying warm while keeping your impact low:

1. Take a short hot shower right before hitting the sac. This will quickly raise your body temperature which will stay with you for the rest of the night under the protection of your covers. It's also relaxing!

2. Exercise! Even though it's tempting to stay cuddled, get out of bed and move your body. Movement gets the blood circulating in your body, creating a natural heat environment. It's also healthy!

3. Furnish your space. Carpets and heavy drapes will help keep things feeling warmer. Carpets will keep your feet off of cold tiles and drapes will block the cold air from coming through windows. I recommend keeping the drapes open on sunny days as there is nothing more naturally warming than the sun. But make sure to close the drapes at night and windy days.

4. Long Johns. Okay, they may make you look a few pounds heavier or not work well with your fashionable skinny jeans, but leave your fashion trends for the Summer when Long Johns aren't necessary to keep you warm.

5. Clean. Dust acts as an insulator but not the good kind because it builds up on heated surfaces like your furnace that is the source of heat. Make sure to keep your furnace dust free and serviced every year (your gas, oil or electric company can do this for you at a cost that will save you more in the long run).

6. Shut those vents you might have forgotten about. Vents can be found all over your home from the laundry room to the fireplace, acting as an easy avenue for heat to escape. Keep vents closed or the door to the laundry room closed to keep heat from escaping.

7. Electric blankets. Slip one in between your sheets and you'll be heavenly warmed and pleasantly spending less than what it would cost to heat your room.

8. "Think Warm, Be Warm." The power of thought costs nothing and can be stronger than anything else! I'm thinking countdown to Summer....162 days left!!! Woohoo!!!

Warm wishes!

Recession Green Gift Giving Solutions - "Do It Yourself!"

This post will wrap up the last few posts and bring our Recession series posts to an end on a high note with a good chuckle (I'm sure we can all use one)....So most of us are not shopping at Saks this year, even if everything is practically on sale and for free (relative to the Saks standard), but most of us are looking for green gift alternatives. There are enough blogs and articles out there about green gift-giving so I'm going to stay away from that, but just in case you're living under a rock here are a few:

Gaiam's "Green Gift Guide: 30 Ideas for the Style Maven, Gadget Guy, Yoga Lover & More"

Treehugger's "Holiday Gift Guide 2008: Give Green to Save Green"

The Environmental Defense Fund's "Green Gifts for the Holidays"

These articles will give you great product green gift giving solutions, but I have a more green and recession friendly option inspired by my friends over at www.diygiving.com - "do it yourself!"

Remember when you were in kindergarten, before you knew how to count your change and balance a budget? Remember the creative freedom you had in putting together hand made gifts? Most importantly remember the big smile you put on your loved ones' faces when you gave them your hand-crafted gift that got posted on the refrigerator instead of returned to the department store or re-gifted to an enemy?

Well nothing put a bigger smile on my face than the above photograph of a "diy," "Do It Yourself" gift option, posted by an anonymous contributor on the diyGiving website, which features creative, do-it-yourself, economical gifts ideas for the holidays and special occasions. Not only was I smiling but I was on the floor dying of laughter. What's more organic and priceless than a good laugh??

Just make sure you're being eco-friendly and using Maxim Sanitary Pads when putting together your holiday slippers!

Holiday cheers to the creators of diyGiving.com for coming up with such a unique concept in green (in more ways then one) gift giving. Visit the diyGiving website to submit your "diy" Gift Giving idea; Maxim promises to send free Maxim products to whoever can up with more creative "diy" feminine hygiene inspired ideas like the one above. Email us with your address when your idea has been posted and we'll send you some Maxim Organic and Natural Cotton Feminine Hygiene Products so you can come up with more creative "diy" gifts or maybe just use them yourself.

Have fun "doing it yourself!"

W.A.T.C.H. Your Toys

The trend and demand for increased awareness on content labels started with food. It's easy to understand how food is the primary focus in how the content of our everyday products can be affecting our health and standard of living. Everyone loves to eat and eating is so obviously internal, but what about the toys our children play with and toddlers chew and suck on while teething???

What better time of year for us to be more aware about the toys we are purchasing to celebrate the lovely upcoming gift-giving holidays, christmas and chanukah. Thanks to the non-profit organization, World Against Toys Causing Harm, Inc. (W.A.T.C.H.), which is dedicated to educating the general population about the dangers lurking in some toys, we can be more confident in the purchases we make this holiday season.

W.A.T.C.H. published their 2008 top ten nominees for the "10 Worst Toys" based on "examples of packaging and labeling which fail to give the consumer fair warning of dangers that are known, or should be known, by the manufacturer." The "Pucci Puppies" Toy, photographed above, is listed on W.A.T.C.H's top ten because the packaging does not indicate that the small parts that come with the toy could be easily ingestible by a child.



Now if I was browsing the aisles for a toy for my little cousin Ariana, the "Pucci" Pup would stand out as the perfect gift for her because she has a real pup named Pucci; she also has a little baby brother running around under the recommended age for this toy. In seeig this item on the shelf I would probably get so excited by the idea behind the toy I might not think twice about the fact that the bite size accessories might be choking hazards for little baby brother.

In this case maybe a label would make me think twice about purchasing this toy for Ariana and I am thankful for non-profits like W.A.T.C.H. that look out for my sometimes thoughtless shortcomings.

W.A.T.C.H. is fighting for our labeling and safety rights, but manufacturers and consumers also need to take more responsibility in our product purchasing and production habits. If manufacturers take more responsibility in being more conscious about what they're producing and consumers take on the responsibility of accepting their product choices instead of suing companies for accidents that unfortunately do happen and are unforseeable, maybe this list of ten would be more like five.

Happy Responsibile Shopping!

Take advantage of those pollution induced sunsets

....to charge your dying cell phone that is. The sun has always been a clean source of energy...that's why when The Explorer was trekking through Israel she may have found use in Voltaic Systems solar paneled backpack. The solar panels on Voltaic's line of backpacks and messenger bags can produce 4 watts of power, so after an hour in the hot sun you can charge an extra 3 hours of playtime into your ipod. Their new Generator bag produces a whopping 14.5 watts of clean energy, giving you the ability to fully charge a dead laptop.
A built in battery ensures that all that energy you harnessed in the sunlight will be stored and available to you after dark as well. More importantly while you are conserving our environment you also look good! You can customize the color of your solar panels and choose from either orange, green or silver.

They bags may be pricey (ranging from $199-249 & 599 for the high energy output model) but you can't doubt how cool they are. Link below.

Voltaic Systems

I can make Videos too….

In addition to learning how to blog on the job, I produced our first video!!! Of course I couldn’t have done it without TechExplorer. If blogging is as fun as producing a video, I am really going to like this…watch the video as your first educational insight on Maxim Products.

Belkin's answer to saving electricity

This past January at CES 2008, Belkin introduced their remote controlled Conserve Surge Protector. I have been keeping my eyes opened for the product ever since hearing about it but still don't find it on store shelves. I can't help being impatient!...do you know that after your cell phone is fully charged it still draws energy from the outlet! As I suggested in my last post on cutting down electricity consumption, you have the option of unplugging all your appliances and gadgets every time you leave the house. Or you can write Belkin a letter demanding they put this sweet product out on the market already...


The unit has eight outlets, six of which have their electricity immediately cut off after the push of a button via the provided remote. The other 2 outlets have a consistent flow of electricity. This may be useful in the case where you leave your computer running to download a large file, but have no use in powering the little green lights on your printer while gone!

What I like best about the product is that you can mount the remote on your wall by the light switch and form a second nature habit to turn off unneeded appliances whenever you leave the room