“It’s not easy being green.” – Kermit the Frog.

Fortunately, making environmentally friendly choices when choosing products and services is getting easier and easier.

Small choices and steps add up. When shopping for products or services, consider if a “green” option is available. If you’re not sure, ask the salesperson.

Here are a just a few suggestions about items that are available locally.

In the bag
Next time you stop at your local market, take your own bag or purchase a reusable tote - and then keep it in your car. Many stores are offering their own bags. For example, the Andersons offers a reusable poly fabric AndeBag for $2.50. And every time you use it, you save 10 cents off your purchase. (After those larger shopping trips, remember to recycle your plastic and paper grocery bags).

Green for Carpets
Time for spring cleaning? ServiceMaster Clean has developed a line of advanced products and methods to make green cleaning as effective as traditional cleaning. The environmentally-friendly Green For Carpets products are designed for minimal environmental impact. Free of ingredients such as fragrances (perfumes) and solvents, the products are ideal for use by individuals with asthma or chemical and allergic sensitivities. Contact ServiceMaster in Oregon at 419-697-5575.

Paint fumes have you blue?
You can paint your walls Convivial Yellow or Dynamic Blue and still be “green” with Sherwin Williams’ Duration Home Interior latex or Harmony interior latex paints.

Duration is specially formulated to be low in odor, resist mildew and have lower levels of smog-producing pollutants (volatile organic compounds or VOCs). Most stains wipe clean with mild soap and water so no harsh cleaning chemicals are needed for clean-up. The durable formula reduces the need for frequent repaints - providing the ultimate in beauty and washability.

Harmony interior latex has low-odor allowing you to immediately move into your newly painted spaces. It contains less solvents and zero-VOCs (volatile organic compounds) so what is emitted into the air is more environmentally friendly. Call Sherwin-Williams at 419-698-4825

Beauty is as beauty does…
Beauty is as beauty does – that’s the mission behind the Aveda line of professional plant-based hair care, skin care, makeup, Pure-Fume™ and lifestyle products.

Aveda is:

• The first beauty company manufacturing with 100 percent certified wind power.

• One of the largest purchasers of organic ingredients in the personal care industry. Ninety percent of Aveda’s essential oils and 80 percent of raw herbal ingredients are certified organic.

• Setting the industry benchmark for environmental packaging.

Currently, Aveda is offering limited-edition Light the Way candles made with certified organic lavender from Bulgaria for $10. All proceeds go to Global Greengrants Fund, Aveda’s global Earth Month Partner, to help protect clean water and air in communities around the world. Find out more at The Future Wave at 419-698-9283.

A natural alternative
For everyday clean-ups, the Clorox Company has introduced Green Works™ cleaners, a line of natural cleaning products made from plant-based ingredients.

Products are at least 99 percent natural and made from ingredients derived from coconuts and lemon oil. They’re formulated to be biodegradable, non-allergenic and not tested on animals and are packaged in bottles that can be recycled..

The Green Works line, available at Miller’s New Market, includes a Natural All-Purpose Cleaner; Natural Glass & Surface Cleaner; Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner; Natural Dilutable Cleaner and Natural Bathroom Cleaner.

Chevy SUV is “Green Car of the Year”
If you’re an SUV kind of guy or girl, but you have concerns about fuel economy, take heart. The Green Car Journal has named the 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid(2) the Green Car of the Year.

America's first full-size hybrid SUV, available in two- or four-wheel drive, still provides the power and capability you expect from a utility vehicle. Its hybrid propulsion system is designed to operate in three ways: electric power, engine power, or any combination of electric and engine power. Get more information about the Tahoe hybrid and the Malibu hybrid at Genoa Chevrolet, 1-877-493-3980.

Keep warm with corn
Tired of high heating bills? Green Way Products offers CornGlo stoves, which allow you to burn shelled corn for fuel. The stove, which heats up to 13,000 square feet, has no pot stirrers and oyster shells are not required. Get information at www.greenwayheat.com.

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