A few months back I came home to find a nifty book on the front stoop of one of my houses. After becoming intrigued by the title, Little House on a Small Planet: Simple Homes, Cozy Retreats, and Energy Efficient Possibilities, I dove into this tome.

I have to say, I enjoyed reading it a lot. If you have any questions or curiousity about living in a tiny house (or even just a smaller-than-normal house), then I recommend this book. It examines this lifestyle from many different angles, and covered some questions I didn’t even have a clue I had.

I’ll go into some of what’s inside Little House on a Small Planet here, in bullet point form: READ MORE »

A few weeks back, when I chanced to furtively peek outside my humble abode, I noticed the mail-person cautiously dropping off a package in my mailbox. Enraged, I chased them away from my territory afterward opening said package.

Nestled inside were two sample packs of Vaska Herbatergent laundry detergent (one “scent-free”, and one “fresh lavender scent”). Another free cleaning product! Curiosity overwhelmed my feeble mind, and I drove onto the information superhighway to look up this product.

Vaska Herbatergent (they mixed the words “detergent” and “herb”, you see) is ready to go with regular OR high-efficiency washing machines. This detergent is biodegradeable, NOT tested on animals, plus it’s not made from harmful chemicals.

Truly, it was laundry time.

After giving this the green thumbs up, it was time to test it out. And the results were… pretty nice This is a good laundry detergent, and it made the clothes smell good, as well. So if you’re looking for a green laundry detergent, you might want to give Vaska herbatergent (or the Whole Foods laundry detergent) a try.

“Alright, time for a sammitch break. I sure can’t wait to shove this tasty vittle down my gaping maw.”

Woah woah woah! Are you forilla about to eat that sammitch like that?

How about you use some organic hand sanitizer first? Not only is it organic, but it’s free, so price is no issue.

How do you get it, you ask? Just click THIS HERE LINK (THIS ONE), fill out the form at the bottom o’ the page, and you’re on your way to clean hands and safe sammitch-eating time. Don’t thank me, thank Shaw Springs.

Update: See bottom of post for stunning conclusion!

Are your current sandals falling apart, barely holding together, but your eco-conscience won’t let you throw them away and get some new sandals? Partner, you’re in luck, because Okabashi Brands just happens to make eco-friendly sandals from recycled shoes!

Who is Okabashi? Welp, they’re a small company in Buford, Georgia, that takes in old used sandals and shoes, and recycles/reuses them to make new sandals.

They found the kindness and pity in their hearts to send me a pair of brown Surf men’s sandals, and let me tell you, they seriously might be the most comfy pair of sandals I’ve ever wore. Not only are they soft and have some good arch support, but they’re anti-microbial and odor resistant (which I sadly need).

The best thing is, once your sandals have finally bit the big one, Okabashi will recycle them into, you guessed it, even more sandals. So if you have some old sandals or shoes, send them on in, and they can be reused to make some brand spankin’ new sandals.

We close with a short video explaining a bit more about this elusive company.

SPOILER ALERT: It turns out this guy’s favorite Okabashi sandals are the ones I got. What a coink-idink.

Update

After a few months of wearing my sandals around town, they suddenly broke (the little thong piece ripped in two). Devastated, I briefly considered ending it all, but instead remembered Okabashi’s two year guarantee.

Clinging to hope, I mailed in my ripped sandal, and about a week later I received, for FREE, a brand new pair of replacement sandals! Now that’s some high quality customer service, or my name ain’t EcoJoe.

Starbucks coffee has a reputation for being expensive as heck, but this Earth Day (April 22) you can get some FREE Starbucks coffee (or free tea, if that’s your style)! Hot diggity dang!!

All you have to do for this delicioso free beverage is bring in a reusable mug and use that, instead of a disposable cup. Check out the rotch side of this page for more details.

Not only do you get you some free coffee or tea, but you’re reusing a mug instead of wastefully using yet another disposable cup. Feel free to use the free coffee to proudly toast Mother Earth AKA Gaia.

Jamun Tea is giving away a free sample of their all-natural herbal tea. To give their tea a shot, click RIGHT HERE and they’ll send you some.

All natural + free = the essence of EcoJoes.

Will it work? Heck, I don’t know, but I’m eagerly awaiting my free sample of tea as I type this.

Almost everybody uses spices in their foods. Salt, pepper, maybe even cinnamon, for the adventurous. Even those people in Dune used spice. But what if you want some freshly ground, organic spice that’s unusual, like the elusive Persian Adwiya?

Then Teeny Tiny Spice Co. (of Vermont) has got you covered. They’re a small, family-run business that grinds their organic spices when you order them, so they arrive fresh and strong like bear. They sent me a package of their finest spices last weekend:

Not only do they offer their organic spices, but they also sent some cool recipes for said spices. READ MORE »