Those Green Girl Scouts!

A few days before Christmas I got a phone call from a friend who has a small but mighty 7th grade Girl Scout Troop. Seems these young entrepreneurs have been sewing and scraping together re-giftable gift bags hoping to save trees and make some “green” on the side.

They came over and gave me a full presentation showing me the variety of sizes/dimensions and different patterns. I chose the Christmas fabrics and plan to reuse them every year under the tree. Birthday and Hostess fabrics can also be collected from scraps at Goodwill, grandma’s attic, or the remnant section at the fabric store. Such a great idea! You sew up three sides and run a ribbon through the top binding seam. The gift cards attached were hole punched old greeting card fronts.

Great green thinking Caroline, Jenna, and Ally! I know that the spirit of one old tree friend is very proud of you right now.

- e.

Our favorite addictions are becoming fair trade!

I don’t know about you, but right now I am tempted daily by all the chocolate holiday treats and need my latte just to keep up with all this Christmas Spirit!

Starbucks is already the world’s largest purchaser of Fair Trade coffee and now they also switched their European espresso to 100% fair-trade. What started out in UK and Ireland covers all of the Europe. That is an estimated $2,800,000.00 annual payment to small scale coffee farmers around the world. To learn more about Starbucks commitment visit www.starbuck.com/sharedplanet

Now on to Chocolate...

Kraft Foods has come out with a new line of premium dark chocolate called Cote d’ Or which is Rainforest Alliance Certified. Not an easy task. Nestle is also in talks to source and certify the Kit Kat bar as fair-trade. Can you believe that this is the bestselling brand of chocolate bar in Britain? This new bar will initially be rolled out in Ireland and the United Kingdom. Find out more information or to read the press release.

So not only have the scientists proven that coffee and chocolate are actually good for you but now these large companies are making us feel even better about consuming that Mocha Latte!

And just for giggles…check out the award-winning Gamling911.com writer Jenny Woo who was dipped in chocolate at a fundraising event to support the positive benefits of plastic surgery.

She admitted that although Cocoa butter is good for your skin…she had the bugs following her for days after the dip.

- e.

JUST IN: Fabulous New Womens Purses and Totes From Engage Green!

Wow.Wow. And Wow. I absolutely love these new purses and cosmetic totes! I want one of each for myself! Or better yet, I think I'll add these to my holiday wish list.

In order to create the paper fabric, a narrow strip of paper is evenly cut and twisted to create strength. At the same time, yarn is used for weaving the fabric and sometimes organic cotton fibers are added for extra durability. The handles may look and feel like leather, but are made of recycled plastic (PETE). The plastic comes from recycled used soda and water bottles from your curbside recycling programs!

Earth Friendly Woven Purse (pink/brown) - This purse is beautifully lined in a brown cotton lining with a zip pocket and mobile phone holder. Zip closure. The brown with pink highlights is so chic…and the bag is so green!

Earth Friendly Cosmetic Bag (green/brown) - This cute cosmetic bags is made from recycled paper has a zipper closure and green cotton lining. Looks too nice to be recycled paper! It is "green", biodegradable, durable, water resistant, light weight, and the list goes on! Simply wipe it clean with a wet cloth.

Eco Woven Handbag (beige) - This purse is beautifully lined in a brown and beige cotton lining with a zip pocket and mobile phone holder. Zip closure and recycled plastic corners for protection. Not only is thiseco handbag beautiful…you will feel so proud of yourself using it!

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Coming Soon: December Daily Specials!
The Holidays are quickly approaching! But no need to worry because we've got lots of fun new eco friendly products for everyone on your gift list - including fantastic teacher gifts!

Also, keep an eye out for our December daily specials - featured during the first two weeks of the month of December! Follow us on Facebook or Twitter (@celerystreet) to get details and deals as they come!

Celery Street Giveaway on Prissy Green!

We've partnered with Prissy Green to host a giveaway! Visit the blog and find out how to win our Sonoma Spa Pillow and our gorgeous eco-friendly Handmade Embroidered journal

To enter, all you have to do is chose something from our site (like, one of our Eco Friendly Gifts, a hansome Leather Writing Journal or a Unique Eco Tote Bag) that you would love to have given to YOU as GIFT and post it on the Prissy Green blog. Contest winners are chosen by random and the contest ends at 11:59pm EST, on 10/28/09.

Celery is NOT so bad...

As I pulled up my regular AOL account, I was dismayed to read that the AOL Food Editors asked their readers which foods hit their "yuck button"...can you believe that celery was one of the first ones mentioned?! Check out all of America's Least Favorite Foods as reported by the AOL Food Editors...interesting choices, people!

They were mostly overwhelmed by the huge response….over 78,000 people voted in the SplashFood Poll for America's most hated foods. Spam, mayonnaise, blue cheese, sardines, and even peanut butter were all likely suspects. Quotes about celery included, “Nothing is as horrible as celery” and “Celery is disgusting”.

Really? Is celery all that bad? We don't think so...and either do nutritionists, doctors and all you health nuts out there. Celery is high in fiber and is low-cal and low fat. Read about the good in celery in an article posted on Healthmad.com.

Here at Celery Street, we consider celery an icon, if you will. Or, maybe even our mascot? Although we certainly don’t own a celery suit (um, yes, there is actually a suit of celery you can buy!) we do have to admit, we love our celery! We do, however, prefer our celery in chicken salad, with peanut butter (pardon us peanut butter haters), or of course, in our bloody marys.

Eat that celery haters.

- e.

A Green Transition Leads to a Local Sale on Housewares & Home Decor!

We are excited to announce that will soon make the transition to sell primarily green gifts and accessories to our customers. In addition to the many gifts and accessories currently found on our site, we are thrilled to keep expanding our selection of eco womens purses, unique writing journals, eco friendly jewelry, stainless steel water bottles, and more.

We’ve learned that these items are exactly what you - our customer - are looking for when you come shopping on our site, so why not give you an even bigger and better selection of the things you love?

In this transition, we will eventually no longer offer our larger items like house wares, home décor and bath products. That's great news for local shoppers because we're hosting a three-day sale (get 50-70% off!) on several items we'll no longer be available on our web site. More info about the Indianapolis sale is below.

Celery Street Warehouse Sale
September 17th thru 18th, 9:00am - 6:00pm
September 19th, 10:00am - 5:00pm
8575 Zionsville Road, Indianapolis, IN 46268

The warehouse is located at the corner of 86th an Zionsville Road, in Prologis Building 1 directly behind the Speedway Gas Station.

In the end, we are very exited to make this change! This gives us the opportunity to focus on offering you a much larger variety of the products you're looking for! Be sure to keep an eye out for our expanding selection of fun, unique eco-friendly gifts and green-accessories!

The ONE water bottle for the pool, the jungle, the outback and the office…

These new Ech2O water bottles with filters are a fabulous way to become plastic water bottle-free...and faucet water free! You ask me, why would I want to do that?

Does your office water have a metallic after taste from all the chemicals used to CLEAN it? Are you planning a camping trip to the mountains and don’t want to carry a water supply? Is your office or home using well water in an area known for pesticide and insecticide mushroom clouds? Some of you who visited our booth on Earth Day bought this filtered water bottle to take along on third world mission trips.

My husband first tried out this stainless steel bottle on our spring Break in Florida where he scooped chlorinated water out of a turquoise, L-shaped swimming pool. Everyone at the pool that afternoon got a filtered H2O cocktail from the Ech2o and it tasted like plain old water. Although I thought I was getting Vodka.

Last week we had the Ech2o water bottle with filter with us in the Snowy Range of Medicine Bow National Forest in Wyoming. He scooped water out of every stream, lake, and puddle. Again, it tasted like fresh, clean, clear drinking water. It’s proven itself to be a great camping water bottle. The exclusive straw filter removes up to 99.99% of pollutants, and a lot of the biologicals, chemicals and dissolved solids. You can read the nasty list on the description for the Ech2o. We shot a video of our field test actually dipping the water bottle into the lake and drinking it.



Here’s JD photographing the speckled blankets of wildflowers, the nubby trees that have fallen and the babbling brook from which he just filled his Ech2o filtered water bottle! He got some beautiful shots for the website. The Ech2o water bottles along with other great water bottles can be found at Celery Street.

Something good about SUGAR!? Yes, as a matter of fact there is.

Yes, sugar can be good for you! In it's sugarcane pulp form, it's actually green and great for making sugarcane paper.

So instead of downing that double-chocolate chip cookie, triple chocolate chip brownie, and three layer cake (need I go on?), why not try writing about it in one of our O’Bon writing journals made with sugarcane paper. Even if you still eat the cookie, brownie, and the cake while you are writing in that sugar journal, you CAN feel good about not chopping down a large old oak tree to provide the paper.

Sugarcane paper is made of Bagasse or sugarcane pulp…not trees and recycled card stock. Discarded sugarcane produces high quality, low cost paper. These O'Bon spiral bound writing journals use ink which is soy based and non toxic. They are also very reasonably priced.

Writing Journals - Spiral Bound Bird Series by O'Bon

The crimson feather image represents the birds who’s habitats will not be destroyed by using this notebook/writing journal. Now you have saved a tree and a bird! Write another page on how good your second cookie tasted.

Check out our entire selection of unique writing journals - and while your at it, why not use our green animal pencils made from recycled newspapers? The perfect compliment to your eco-friendly writing experience.

- e.

One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Recycled Art

If one picture is worth one thousand words than how many words does it take to describe a picture of something recycled? For you mathematicians out there I ask you…is there such a formula? Seems to me that the second or third life of an object does not preclude its earlier lives…therefore recycled art is worth more words and is worth taking note of.

Above are some examples of furniture made from recycled materials found on the weburbanist blog (check out the grocery cart chair - genius!). Below is a recycled dog made from a sundry of colorful toys, created by contemporary London artist, Robert Bradford.


I want this dog! I think my pooches would enjoy playing with him!

- e.

Green Beauty Products (literally)!

Is beauty only skin deep? The ingredients sometimes aren’t! I’m trying to be more eco-friendly with my hair care, creams, lipstick and that green nail polish. It is not always easy.

Then I found a website - www.cosmeticdatabase.com. I can research all these strange unpronounceable words on the back of my makeup, lotions, and shampoo bottles and determine if they are poisonous or not. The best part is that I can look them up by product brand and type…it's so easy!

Now the next question is…of all these healthy eco-friendly new products, which actually work and are affordable? I’ve got a few favorites like Zoya nail polish that's and 365 Herbal Mint Shampoo found at Whole Foods on their private label.

Would love to hear about your favorites! Let us know what eco-friendly products you love and we'll be sure to give them a test.

- e.

New Chatter About Celery Street!

Exciting news from Celery Street! We found out that we've been featured in two great places!

Nuvo, Indianapolis' #1 alternative newspaper-magazine recently interviewed us and we were featured in their annual Green Guide. We were so thrilled after reading the article, which gives information on how why we began our business, what inspires them us to "go green" and how we research the eco-friendly items on our website. The writer did such a great job telling our story in a fun, yet informative way. Be sure to check out the article and more green news in the latest on Nuvo.com, or if you live in Indy, simply pick up Nuvo's Green Guide at your local coffee shop or grocery store.

In other news, Celery Street was also featured in the Cool Mom Picks Mother's Day Gift Guide. Our beautiful, handmade, unique writing journals were listed as a top pick for Moms this holiday. We're no stranger to Cool Mom Picks, a fun, fabulous, and informative website for moms offering daily reviews and recommendations on cool, hip, and unique products for mom, kids, & baby. We've been lucky to have our products featured twice before! Check out the Cool Mom Pick's Mother's Day Gift Guide for fun ideas on unique gifts for Mom! Plus, get special discount codes for most companies featured (including us!).

Our Fun Feature in Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine!

Hey Moms! Next time you're at the bookstore or local grocery store, be sure pick up the April issue of Pregnancy & Newborn magazine to find our green umbrella featured. You'll also find smart ideas for green living and a number of other great eco-friendly products for mom, baby and the rest of the family.

Green Fundraising!

I could probably wall paper my house in wrapping paper, open up a bakery with all the cookie dough, and gain 50 pounds with my life of Girl Scout Cookie orders…all supporting wonderful causes, but it's time to put a green twist on local and school fundraising.

Do we really need more stuff? Nothing tastes as good as raw cookie dough…and I did not give up Girl Scout Cookies this year…not yet. Our preferred gift wrap is the Sunday Comics, which not only looks fun but supplies some humor after the present is opened.


What are the options? For those of you who are local, contact me at Celery Street and I’ll connect you with Paragon Promotions, a great local school fundraising organization where I can buy energy efficient light bulbs, shopping bags, eco-friendly cleaning products, soy candles, and flower bulbs AND a percent of the proceeds goes back to the school PTO!

Nationally, I recommend www.ecolabelfundraising.com. All green products including coffee, chocolate, stationary, totes, water bottles, and much more. Items can be purchased online or by using their catalog. Between 25 to 40 percent of your proceeds go back to your school or organization.

So, continue to save the planet and support your children’s causes at the same time…use green fundraising!

- e.

It's ALL About Celery!

Trying to come up with a creative website name that screams green was not easy. Every vegetable and fruit is already taken, or a squatter is waiting for the right offer to sell his off! So, we decided to involve all our friends and had phone calls at all hours with “eureka, I’ve got it!” ideas for this eco-friendly business, now known as Celery Street. I like the name.

Of course, some customers contact us looking for groceries…celery in particular. Others laughingly break out in a rendition of the famous Sesame Street theme song. It’s a fun name.

Then I stumbled across http://www.celeryfree.blogspot.com/ and laughed so hard I almost peed in my pants! Check out the February 25th, 2009 blog post. They mention us! The blog spot is written by the League For The Suppression of Celery. They asked “What is it with eco-friendly companies naming themselves after celery? Is celery the only green vegetable that these people can think of when starting their companies?” The answer is, no, it's not, but it's fun and upon reading this "celeryfree" blog our name proved again to be very entertaining!

Did you know that John Kerry apparently hates celery and they want to make him their spokesperson?! Read more and find other delicious facts about celery haters.

- e.

*Eddie's new job image courtesy of Violent Veg

*Celery Picker image courtesy of Flickr.com

I LIKE green eggs and ham in a boat and on a goat and across the ocean…

Many and most tossed books in this country are shredded and reduced to pulp. These are the books that survived the garage sales, the Goodwills, and the used book stores. No one wants them. But, like the Velveteen Rabbit, every book needs to be read and appreciated. In reality, the destructive chemical processes used to destroy the books also release harmful environmental pollutants. Contrary to what you may think, these discarded books are usually in good condition. They are simply weeded out because of publication dates, space constraints, or minor imperfections.

That’s where Hands Across the Water comes in. Around the world, communities often have to ration their few tattered books. Students in schools don’t have their own copies and libraries are afraid to let their inadequate collections circulate. A typical child growing up in the more stable countries of sub-Saharan Africa rarely, if ever, have the chance to borrow a book, even if he can read. Hands Across the Water seeks to correct this imbalance of reading material. They redistribute rescued books to needy schools, libraries, and other community based nonprofit organizations. The Velveteen Rabbit Book finds a second home.

Only a few States are involved at this point. Drop offs are listed on the website. Does your community, school, or church have a sister city or a mission partner overseas that would appreciate used text books, Sunday School/VBS materials, or any literature? Why not start your own “recirculation of books” group?!

Visit surplusbooksforcharity.org to find out more information and pass on your Green Eggs and Ham across the ocean to more people who LIKE them.

- e.

This is a Test…How Blue (or Green) Are You?

If you are having a great day, then don’t try this test. If you want to take another step into the green zone…actually the aqua blue zone, then take this test.

How much water does your household use up on average? You will be so surprised. www.h2oconserve.org has an amazing little calculated quiz with questions that are rather difficult (I had to get out my calculator on a few of them) and it's educational. Educational in that you get to find out what this means: Do the people in your household let it mellow? The answer will have you saying “yuk!"

Did you know that we flush away 3.5 to 6 gallons of water with every toilet stop?

I found out that our household was not as green as I liked to perceive. We are a pathetic shade of metallic lime….

I dare you to try it. Have a clear cool glass of aqua while you are typing out your water sins…a good visual…a healthy reminder of how important our water is.

- e.

Mi Casa es Su Casa at CasaSugar.com!

CasaSugar.com is part of the ever-so-trendy Sugar Family Network and Celery Street was lucky to be featured in a great review of our website and a handful of our eco-friendly products for home!

Offering design ideas (many of them green!) and inspiration, CasaSugar is the "place to indulge all of your home-related hankerings, from decorating trends and gardening tips to strategies for getting organized." Check out CasaSugar's favorites and see the review for yourself!

A few of CasaSugar favorites included our wine glass made from recycled glass, trug tubs made from recycled tires, and our fantastic recycled plastic rugs!

It's Cold Outside for some of us...

For those of us living out our January in the colder portion of this US of A, I have some suggestions. These suggestions are not just about warming you up physically, but, warm you up to being more eco-friendly and thinking “green”!

Did you know that if you set your thermostat one degree lower for heat this winter, you could save $100.00 per year on your utility bill?! If everybody in every house in this country did the same thing, we could save more than $10 billion per year in energy costs. That is enough to provide a year’s worth of gasoline, electricity, and natural gas to every person in Iowa! Not bad, considering our shrinking pocket books and our shrinking planet.

So, now comes the part about staying warm and cozy. Check out Celery Street’s eco-friendly blankets. Our Global Mamas beautiful soft patchwork batik quilt is handcrafted from the leftover 100% cotton fabric scraps used in clothing production. The colorful collection of patchwork squares is backed by recycled 100% cotton flour sacks. Each quilt has a tag telling the Global Mamas story about women in Africa attaining economic independence producing this and other products. These blankets are so soft and such a conversation piece. I just love mine!

If half of the polyester fabric made in the United States each year were produced with recycled materials, it would be enough to cover the entire state of New York. That fact reminds me of the visual impact of the 1,293,300 square foot AIDS memorial quilt that covered the front lawn of the White House. Compare that to the size of the State of New York and realize what a small difference we can all make by reusing fabrics or buying recycled fabrics.



Wrap up and stay warm…and green!

- e.

*The above facts are from one of my favorite resources: the green book by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas M. Kostigen, AIDS quilt picture courtesy of Flickr.com.

Reorganize, reuse, and regive in 2009!

Does one of your new year’s resolutions have something to do with organizing? For some of us, that may mean “I REALLY need to organize my life” or... “I need to organize the kid’s toys” or...“I need to organize my collection of cooking utensils." Whatever your project is, why not make it interesting and green?!

If your life needs a major overhaul, there are professionals available for hire. These people actually get paid to come into your house, take stock in your life, your stuff, and teach you how to be a neat nick! Check your yellow pages for organization professionals.

So while you are rummaging through all those personal belongings, think of those organizations that need donations - abuse shelters, children’s homes, senior centers. Did you know that all those old magazines can live a second life in a nursing home? Those toys get loved all over again at a children’s home or by the children in the shelters. Green people have great hearts!

Below are some eco friendly product ideas from Celery Street to help you get your life organized in 2009!

Above: Our fun, bright, organizational baskets (trug tubs!) to divide and conquer the things you keep!

How about cooking utensils storage...or a silly doggie writing journals to list all those places you're going to donate and recycle your old stuff?

Happy 2009 and we hope to see you soon at Celery Street!

- e