Top 5 Silliest Eco-Inventions According to InHabitat

Happy Friday Everyone! It is absolutely gorgeous outside here in Toronto which is perfect for an upcoming long weekend! Not sure if it's a long weekend for you where you're at... But this Monday is a Civic Holiday here in Ontario. While I freelance full-time and therefore it's not quite a holiday for me... I may not be blogging again till Tuesday.

So here are five laughs for you courtesy of InHabitat... The Top 5 Silliest Eco-Inventions. Let me know which is your fave. I think the two solar-powered products the bra and fan hat are mine...

5. PETaPOTTY for Dogs "Just because it contains grass doesn't make it green."

4. Solar Powered Bra "that comes equipped with two-cup holders, an electronic billboard, and can charge my cell." LOL... Completely unnecessary and hilarious!

3. The Hybrid SUV "Tracing along the lines of oxy-morons like jumbo shrimp, free love or working holidays, the hybrid SUV gets worse gas mileage than most sedans and requires tremendous amounts of virgin resources to produce. This “green” vehicle certainly falls short of ever really being eco."

2. Eco Button "Plug this earth-emblazoned eco button into your computer and then press it to automatically send your computer into sleep mode. I have heard that one could achieve a similar effect by either closing their laptop or using the ever-so-complicated drop down menu."

1. Solar Powered Fan Hat "Sure to brighten your day or the planet - if only because you will be laughing and pointing at the person wearing it. It does absolutely nothing to help the environment, and one could probably produce the same amount of cooling air by waving a magazine in front of their face."

That's it for now... Have yourselves a wonderful weekend! Thanks for checking in to my site. I love to see that I am slowly growing a following. Just a final friendly reminder that the final day of my Flickr Photo Contest is this Monday ;) So get those photos in ;D

xo,

ej

Love Happens... Starring Aaron Eckhart, Jennifer Aniston and... Ecojot!

That's right there's a movie called Love Happens, yes a romantic comedy is starring yours truly, no not me, the journals!

A little over a year ago a production company contacted Ecojot for some product for a movie filming in Vancouver (although set in Seattle). I tried to get a still showing our products but the best I can do now is the trailer... But unfortunately I can't embed it so just click here or on the poster image above to view :)

I'll be sure to post pics if NBC-Universal Studios sends me any ;D

It looks cute... I am a sucker for a good chick flick, so I suspect I'll enjoy it!

Am off to Ecojot Headquarters since I didn't make it yesterday due to the monsoon-like weather!

Happy Thursday!

xo,

ecojotter

"It all comes back to you"

This is a funny ad by WWF reminding us to recycle...

It has been 36 days and the Toronto City-Wide Garbage Strike has finally come to an end. And I must admit, while it has smelled like garbage, I am happy to see that people haven't been littering that I've see anyway.

Now if only summer would arrive! July has been particularly rainy here in southern Ontario :,(

Happy Wednesday! Here's hoping the weather is nice and sunny wherever you are!

xo,

ej

Do you remember the Blackout in 2003? A special sweepstakes...

World's biggest blackout in 2003 NY & Toronto
Originally uploaded by bright star

Well in ecoCollaboration with BlackOutDay.ca and Organically Gifted, Ecojot is co-hosting a special sweepstakes similiar to my rolling Earth Day Giveaway... For the next three weeks, once a day, you can visit: here and share how you intend to be green and save your eco-smarts!

Each week, until Friday, August 14th, 2009, in celebration of the 6th year anniversary of the unexpected Northeastern Blackout that effected Toronto down to New York City... A special sweepstakes that gives you a chance to win prizes from Ecojot and Organically Gifted. So check it out and share your eco-tips.

Please note, unfortunately only Canadian residents over the age of 18 may participate...

BlackoutDay.ca is a great cause that approached me less than a month ago, and we're thrilled to be sponsoring such an awesome ecoEvent... Good luck!

xo,

ej

Being green and saving green when you're traveling...

Please excuse my absence on Friday... The day just ran away from me with lots to do... Then I woke up this morning admittingly unsure what to blog about. A bit of writer's block I suppose ;) Not to mention that I don't like blogging unless I have something exciting and relevant to say...


Well at it happens, as many of you know I absolutely love to travel. Especially on a budget! Last year in particular was my year of travel, I made it all across France, bits of Italy, Beglium and Netherlands, Bangalore and Mysore, India, the Philippines... Not just Manila to surprise my family, but a small town called Donsol with my older brother G and his friend Jack to swim with whale sharks, plus an unexpected trip to the Bahamas! (We spotted one whale shark, and got a chance to swim above it... Unfortunately no photos of the biggest fish).

All travel was on a super tight budget, needless to say I was thrilled when the Frugal Traveler Matt Gross of the New York Times featured my favourite notebooks on his blog!


So speaking of traveling turns out InHabitat did a great piece of the Top 5 Incredible Eco-Hotels and Hostels of the World... While they are not super affordable they are very environmentally friendly... I am particularly fond of the idea of turning an old plane that would have otherwise ended up in a landfill in to a hostel. Although it would likely be the most expensive hostel I've ever stayed at if that were the case!

The other worthwhile mention is the Shipping Container Travelodge in the UK... That's right a shipping containers... Check out this great little video of how it works here... Very affordable especially for expensive UK prices!

I was discussing the article with my Uncle M who happens to run a travel agency with his wife my Auntie A in Connecticut when they told me about a series of cottages in Litchfield, CT that just opened... However I was disappointed to see that there is no mention of the Winvian accommodations being the least bit green... Although they do apparently have a cottage with a helicopter in it.

While I am fond of luxurious from time to time... After all, I don't know anyone who isn't. I am convinced there are ways to enjoy the luxurious things in life and still be kind to the environment. That's why I am a strong advocate of the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System developed by the U.S. Green Building Council which is quickly becoming a standard in architecture around the world.

I once worked in the architectural industry a few years back, and it was great to see so many architects take the rigorous steps to become LEED accredited. In fact, many institutions demand that architects have LEED qualifications to be considered to be their lead architects... no pun intended ;) Kudos to such institutions such as numerous universities, a selection of Green Buildings in Canada featured by the Canada Green Building Council available for viewing here.

That's it for now folks... It rained all weekend, as in ALL weekend long here in Toronto so with the sun shining I must spend the evening outdoors!

xo,

ej

Random Thursday YouTube and Ecojot Giveaway Smiles

So like must people I am on Facebook as frequently as I am logged on to my email... There is something about longing to know about the latest about my friends, their posts, etc. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised to find this new YouTube fave from my Friend Sarah in Nova Scotia...

With over 133,000 views, it's no surprise it's a cute video:

I also just wanted to promote DesignerJots's July Giveaway for a special Back To School Prize Pack of her newest Ecojot Designs! Simply click on the image below to go directly to the contest and comment as to what of her designs are your favourite :) You can check 'em out on the Ecojot website... So Good Luck! Contest ends July 31st.

That's it for now... Have yourselves a fabulous Thursday! I am meeting up with some friends I haven't seen in a really long time so I'm super excited :D

xo,

ej

Feature Finds Wednesday

So I am wrapping up at Ecojot Headquarters... And I am super excited to let you know about two features that I discovered today!

The first on Rachel McAdams, Megan and Didi's very ecofriendly website: www.greenissexy.org

It turns out Ecojot is their green sexy "July Product of the Month!" Megan kindly emailed me back when I thanked her for the mention, and as it turns out all three lovely ecoFabulous ladies discovered they all use Ecojot products and decided that meant they should feature us :)

The second find was thanks to someone who sent me an anonymous note via Ecojot's feedback page.... NYTimes Frugal Traveler Blogger Matt Gross featured Ecojot 3x4" notebooks as a Top 10 of this Travel Gadgets under $50! In fact we were number 10!

I love the quote, that jibed Moleskine a bit (which I'd like to mention is not the least bit green)...

"Some gadgets are newfangled and exciting, others time-tested and true — which is why, wherever I go, I carry a notepad and a pen. Moleskine is the ultra-popular choice, but I prefer Ecojot’s 3-by-4-inch recycled-paper notepads (about $5), which are smaller and more flexible, but with enough backing to provide a stable writing surface."

I am still trying to find out how Matt discovered us. Either way, it's a super great plug that's currently appearing on the first page of my favourite paper and online newspaper!

Well that's it for now... I've been receiving kind notes that my Ecojot Flair Winners have been receiving their buttons in the mail... YAY! Please remember to send me your pics. I have received a couple already... Much appreciated!