After reading Chris Brogan’s post My Site – Now an iPhone App I thought it would be a fun little project and at the cost of FREE… why not? So, I now present to you the Eco-Office Gals App for iPhone. The app gives readers access to all of Eco-Office Gals posts and Twitter feed at the touch of a button. Cool, huh?

The folks at MotherApp were great and my contribution was minimal.  I just had to provide them with a few images for the icons and the loading screen and my blog description. That’s it, they did the rest!

So, love Eco-Office Gals? There’s an App for that! Want your own free app? Grab one up at MotherApp! Let Eco-Office Gals know what you think!

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Eco-Office Gals On Your iPhone!

Probably around a year ago I “met” Arie Moyal on Twitter a fun and resourceful guy that always seems to be moving from one spot on the map to another. Well, as he packs up and relocates once again, this time to the UK, he is making one last swing around the US via rails.

I’ll be traveling around the USA by train starting in New York on December 27, 2009 and ending in Boston on January 10th , 2010.

I figured since I’m doing this anyway why not add a social change/charity aspect to it and make it fun?
I also thought that since the holidays can be tough on people some cheer could be useful and what better way than to spread it with hugs?

And that’s how I came up with the HugTrain!

8 stops in 15 days including Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Atlanta and Washington D.C. spreading holiday cheer and raising money and awareness about mental health!

I loved that one person could be so inspired to lift people up that I had to see how I could help get this off the ground. Still in the baby stages, HugTrainUSA has a home at HugTrain.org, Twitter & Facebook. All of these platforms will be growing fast since there are only 16 days until departure! There is still a lot to do and so much help needed from each and everyone of us! How can you get on board the HugTrain? Here are a few things we need help with.  If nothing on this list fits into your skill set, maybe you can do a blog post? Tweet about #HugTrainUSA? Show your support by becoming a FB Fan? Are you on the route? Meet Arie at a stop near you and donate a few dollars or just share a HUG and take a picture to share on the site! Bring all of your friends with you, too! Pending confirmation, all donations will go to Mental Heath America.

There is something we can all do to keep HugTrainUSA on track, no effort is too big or too small, so please show your support this holiday season.

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Are You On Board #HugTrainUSA

We’re twisting things up a bit this week. Flaunt It! Monday is not gone, by far. We have some awesome products in the line up. This is my first Summer working at home, and the kids, life, work and not much play have made me a crazy gal! It will slowly settle down with school starting back soon, but for now Flaunt It! has been a struggle to keep up with. Stay tuned though it will happen. Moving on…

It’s Summer time! It’s hot, humid sometimes down right nasty!  Super Waterman to the rescue! Yes, my new found friend and client, Leslie Gabriel, owner of WaterCheck.biz is charging into the online scene with his infectious love for all things water! With over 250 of the best H2O products for water lovers everywhere, an H2O radio, WaterBlog, and more this man knows the “elixir of life”!

Leslie wants to make sure you can always have clean, fresh water by your side at all times and is giving my readers a chance to win a beautiful Klean Kanteen set! An 18 OZ Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Water Bottle SS Loop Cap & 12 OZ Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Water Bottle Sports Cap.

These 2 bottles are valued at $35.00 and their benefits are extensive! A little bit of general information about Klean Kanteen Bottles:

• Follow Super Waterman – leave your twitter name in a comment
• Retweet this giveaway and link to it – link to the update in a comment
• Go to Watercheck.biz and find a product you would love to try – Tweet a link to the to the product page, link to the update in a comment.
• Watercheck.biz is chock full of water facts and fun, share one on twitter – past update link in a comment

Just not into Twitter, yet? You can still get an entry in by doing one of the options below:

• Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post.
• Stumble, Digg, post to Facebook or other Social Networking sites about this giveaway.
• Register with the Watercheck.biz site for Coupons, Newsletters & Exclusive Deals!
• Buy anything from WaterCheck.biz and comment 5 times that you did! (I will confirm)

You get the idea on this one, spread some twitter love about our Water Ambassador as many times as you like. Or, pick one of the other options for a chance to win these great bottles. Have fun! This Giveaway will end Sunday, August 9th. Good Luck!

Please note: Email is required to contact the winner – We will not share your email with anyone.

Here are your random numbers:

11

Timestamp: 2009-08-15 15:18:25 UTC

Congrats! @hminnesota!

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Twitter Giveaway: Watercheck.biz

Eco-Office Gals is now offering branded Twitter backgrounds. If you are using Twitter for your business it is extremely beneficial to have your Twitter Background brand to your website. Branding is recognition, across the board. Whether it be your website, blogsite, business card, or Twitter page it’s important for people to recognize you and your company.

Some of the branded backgrounds Eco-Office Gals has completed to date are: @greenmom, @ecostoreusa & @ecoofficegals.

If Eco-Office Gals can help you brand your Twitter page to match your business please contact us for more information.

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Eco-Office Gals Now Offers Twitter Backgrounds

Flaunt It! Monday is back!  If you’re still in holiday mode and miss out then us working folks can’t give you anymore sympathy!

Today’s review is this great reusable shopping bag from The Green Apple. I had the opportunity to use this bag Saturday for my big monthly shopping.  I have about half a dozen or more of the $1 bags you can pick up from various grocery stores and this one got added to the bunch.  The fact that I remembered them is amazing in itself! My bagger at checkout showed no mercy on these bags either, so it was really put to the test.  More on my thoughts in a bit.

First let me tell give you some background on the Green Apple Bag (from the site):

The Green Apple Bag is a high quality bag utilizing Woven RPET, a durable eco-friendly material made of post consumer recycled plastic bottles. Instead of ending up in landfills, these bottles can be used for a sturdy material which will be able to be used for years to come by you and your family.

Woven RPET material is one of the highest quality fabrics found on the market today. This material gives a unique quality and caliber over many bags sold worldwide. We are proud to be able to provide a healthy, yet classy, solution for the environment. We think you will agree.

I do agree! I was amazed how soft the material is!  This was the first product upcycled from plastic I have had the opportunity to use and I was impressed.  When I first got the bag I had my friends and family check the bag out and guess what it was made with.  Since they know how I am always reviewing all these green products they gave a shot with answers like hemp or organic cotton.  Their eyes popped when I told them soda bottles!

As I mentioned, I had a bagger this weekend that showed no mercy.  He stuffed the bags overfull.  Since this bag is much taller (17” tall x  13” wide x  6.5” deep & 25” long handles) then the others, it took the worst of his abuse.  The bags were insanely heavy, and I did hold a few of my dollar bags on the bottom for fear of busting them.  However, I carried the Green Apple Bag on my shoulder and it passed the test.  The material is great and the quality is top notch, with an embroidered logo and front pouch for shopping list, keys or any other small items you may want to use it for.

I want to get the word out about Green Apple bag and it’s top notch quality!  Lesa will be awarding one lucky winner a Green Apple Bag.  For entries do any of the following:

• follow The Green Apple Bag or Eco-Office Gals on Twitter
• Tweet about this giveaway
• Stumble or blog The Green Apple Bag or this giveaway
• Join the Green Apple Bag Fan Page on Facebook
• Use the share button on this button for any of the other social bookmarking options.
• Email 3 friends about this giveaway using the new Eco-Safe buttons on the bottom of this post.  Copy jsmith at eco-officegals dot com in the email.
• comment about your tip or trick for remembering your reusable bag
• Subscribe to the Eco-Office Gals feed so you don’t miss out on all the great green info, reviews and giveaways!

Leave a separate comment for each one you do! Each comment is an entry. US residents only please. Winner will be announced Wednesday 1/14/09 … Good Luck!

As info I subtracted myself from the entry count.

Here are your random numbers:

25

Timestamp: 2009-01-15 01:41:25 UTC

Misty VanEpps Says:
January 12th, 2009 at 8:36 pm

Subscribed.

Jen

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Flaunt It! Monday: The Green Apple Bag

What does Eco-Office Gals recommend for your paperless/green office in 2009?  Here’s a little list to help you grow your business green and more efficient in the New Year!

Echosign – a paperless contract program, you’ll love it and so will your clients!
HostGator -  wind powered hosting with GREAT customer service!
BlogSites – get your Word Press blogsite up and running in 2009.  Leave your static site in the dust!
Twitter – meet new clients on this great social media platform!
The Green Office – shop green for your business!
Google Docs – I will be trying out Google Docs in the New Year as a free alternative to MS Office.  It’s great for file sharing!
FireFox – everyone NEEDS to make this switch! Microsoft does not own you!

These are a few on my list, what’s on yours?  Share with us by leaving a comment below! All the Best in 2009!

Jen

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Your Paperless & Green Office for 2009

Greenwashing as defined by Wikipedia -  the perception of consumers that they are being misled by a company regarding the environmental practices of the company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.

I often find myself weary of buying “green” products at Big Box stores, since chances are a brand name company is trying to get me to buy their brand by throwing “green” on the label. Meanwhile, they’re not actually living up to the standards of consumers that are honestly trying to become green.  I had this conversation with Dave at The Good Human one day on Twitter.  I had to laugh when Dave had me sitting at my kitchen table with all my cleaners looking for ingredients and tweeting away.  Wouldn’t you know that most of my “green” products did not disclose their ingredients? How is a consumer supposed to make an educated purchase?

So, Dave had this great post “The Six Sins of Greenwashing” that I asked permission to share with you:

1. Sin of the Hidden Trade-Off: Suggesting a product is green based on a single attribute, such as the recycled content of paper for example, without attention to other issues such as energy, global warming, water and forestry impacts of paper.

2. Sin of No Proof: Failing to substantiate a claim by easily accessible supporting information or by a reliable third-party certification, such as a claim that a light bulb is energy efficient, but the product lacks certification.

3. Sin of Vagueness: Making a claim that is so poorly defined or broad that its real meaning is likely to be misunderstood, such as the terms ‘green’ and ‘environmentally friendly,’ which are meaningless without elaboration.

4. Sin of Lesser of Two Evils: Claiming that a product, such as cigarettes made with organic tobacco, is green, and obscuring the fact that smoking is damaging.

5. Sin of Irrelevance: Making a claim that may be truthful, but is unimportant and not helpful for those seeking environmentally referable products. For example, stating that a product is free of chlorofluorocarbons, which deplete the ozone layer. Since CFCs have been banned for 30 years, no products are manufactured with it.

6. Sin of Fibbing: Making a false claim, for example, that a product is certified when it’s not.

Read some of Dave’s other great greenwashing posts on big name companies!

In the New Year look for companies truly passionate about bringing green products to your home!  Look for companies that disclose their ingredients upfront or are at least happy to respond if you ask.  If they don’t, chances are they have something to hide and you’re being greenwashed!

My Flaunt It! Monday series does some of the work for you.  I research the companies I bring to you, to the best of my ability. I try to make sure you are being introduced  to companies that are proud to bring you safe and environmentally friendly products.  As a disclaimer, I cannot guarantee anything I review or giveaway and if I miss something always feel free to contact me!

Grow Green!
Jen

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

A Little Less Greenwashing In Your New Year

So, today I bring you my thoughts about  Twitter… you’ve heard me speak of it countless time.  I’ve found several great green businesses, clients and so much more on Twitter.  My relaunch was almost completely brought together by Twitter followers! My Flaunt It! Monday series continues to be sponsored by people I have found or have found me on Twitter.  An estimated 50% of my growing traffic comes from Twitter.

So, What can Twitter do for your business? It can make or break you, it can put your business on the hot seat in an instant … No, I’m not kidding! Heard of the Motrin Moms? Or the Chris Brogan and the Kmart/Izea uproar?

On a smaller scale I had some issues with Direct TV about 2 weeks ago, I called, I complained, I got no where.  Meanwhile, as I complained on the phone I was complaining on Twitter… it was 6am and they were saying I owed $260 for 6 days of service and had cut me off, I was not a happy camper.  So, a few hour later Direct TV was following me and within 24 hours and several tweets back and forth my account went from $260 to -$4.22… now THAT is customer service! Thank you!!

So, what can you do today to grow your business green?  Get a Twitter account! Find great green businesses and tweeple & learn from them.  Say no to paper fliers, say no to business cards, forget newspaper ads and articles! Grow your business online through social media! How? Start by reading 50 Ideas On Using Twitter For Business.

After that… Follow me!

Grow Green,

Jen

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Tweetin’ Twitter

Monday morning once again! Last week was a crazy week of monsoon rains. The rest of the country had some freak weather, too and I hope this post finds all of you safe and warm.

Another week of pampering your winter skin.  This time by Nurture My Body. Their products are 100% biodegradable, cruelty-free, and do not contain harmful synthetic fragrance oils, preservatives, petroleum products, FD&C colorants and dyes, parabens, phthalates, or other toxic chemicals.  Additionally, they come to us with an endless list of credentials to make sure you are using a safe and eco-friendly product!

This company is run by a husband and wife team Patty & Rich.  I met Rich on Twitter and he has become a fun Twitterbud on my follower list!!

All my products came in a very timely manner.  Since I had such an issue deciding from all the great products I left it in Rich’s hands.  The following are the site descriptions of the products that were sent to me (feel free to click the links for the full description):

Herbal Body Wash

Organic Herbal Body Wash blend contains essential oils of red mandarin for its ability to balance your skin, its natural antioxidants that help protect your skin, cedar atlas for its grounding and soothing effect on irritated skin, and rosemary verbenone to improve your circulation.

Citrus Hand and Body Lotion

Our Organic Citrus Hand and Body Lotion blend contains essential oils of bergamot for its relaxing quality and ability to care for oily skin, white grapefruit for its ability to help tone the skin tissue, and lavender for its quality to penetrate quickly while rejuvenating the skin and relaxing the mind.

Lavender Toner

Our Organic Lavender Toner contains Certified Organic lavender for its anti-inflammatory properties that instantly remove redness and irritation. It is ideal for sensitive skin and skin prone to dryness; it also enhances the regeneration of your skin cells.

I will immediately start with a slight repeat from last week.  There is really something to be said for natural fragrance.  It is such a HUGE difference from the many companies out there that throw a bunch of junk together to try to make something smell like the real thing!

The Citrus lotion is wonderful! Smells like I rubbed down with raw fruit, seriously!!  It’s not a thick lotion, but it covers well and my skin feels very soft this morning.

The Herbal wash is very sudzy. I have mentioned in a past posts my issue with natural cleaners and soaps. I would find that any products that I don’t want to soap up do and those I do… don’t.  But this past my test, a little bit want a long way! Thumbs up!

The lavender toner, I had to read up on this one since I had never used toner before.  Just spray on before applying your face creme.  So, I did and applied last week’s face creme on top.  It was the flowery scent with the lavender again, not my favorite, but since I am continuing to see great results from last week I am willing to add this to my regimen to battle the crease.

Once again some really great products and I LOVE the blue bottles that can be reused once you empty the original contents.

Rich and Patty are offering one  of my readers a wonderful Gift Box valued at over $50.00. Check out Nurture My Body and look around their products, come back here and tell me what you’d pamper yourself with for an entry.  Tweet or stumble this post for an extra entry.  If you haven’t subscribed to my feed be sure to do so for another entry.  Make sure to put each thing you do in a separate comment for a separate entry! A winner will be picked Wednesday Dec. 17.  Good Luck!

Here are your random numbers:

18

Timestamp: 2008-12-18 02:09:15 UTC

1. Danielle E Says:
   December 16th, 2008 at 7:03 pm I’d try the Citrus Body Wash. It sounds wonderful.

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Flaunt It Monday! Nurture My Body

As I was getting my daily dose of Twittering this evening, I saw a tweet addressed to me… I’ve been tagged.  I had seen this before on Twitter, but never thought twice about what it was, so i clicked the link to check it out.

So, here it is.. the rules to the game of ‘social networking’ tag.

1. Link your original tagger(s), and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself in the post – some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs and/or Twitter

So, I was tagged by Gina Loree at Grace In Gravity

7 things about me…

1. I lived in Abu Dhabi, UAE for 9 years of my life, step father worked there.
2. I dropped out of school in 10th grade, but went to day, night & summer school to make it up and graduated with honors.
3. Most things I excel in are things I am self-taught in.
4. I love Anne Rice books, when I have time to read.
5. I was playmates with Sean Lennon, John Lennon’s son, when we were toddlers.
6. I spent my first night in the first home I ever owned last night.
7. I lost my BFF to cancer last year and I miss her so much.

Okay, and now to show some link love.

1. Dianna http://www.mamainpajamas.com/ Twitter: @mamainpajamas
2. Angie http://www.5vinezmonkeys.com/ Twitter: @angievinez
3. Rae Lynn http://www.kidzcomfort.com/blog Twitter: @kidzcomfort
4. Julie http://writingroads.com/blog/ Twitter: @writingroads
5. Michelle: http://sarvasoap.wordpress.com/ Twitter: @sarvasoap
6. Ashley Sue http://www.greengrounded.com/ Twitter: @AshleySue
   
7. Lisa http://cactusandivy.blogspot.com/ Twitter: @cactusandivy

Ok there you go, 7 blogs and tweet people you may or may not know, but I hope you’ll check them out and meet someone new!  If I tagged ya, hope you’ll go with the flow and show some link love!

Tag… you’re it! Have a great night!

Jen

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

I’ve Been Tagged