Organic Needle

If You Use Some of My Garbage…I’ll Use Some of Yours

Posted by organicneedle in csa, plastic, recycling

A few weeks back I inquired within my CSA as to whether or not “our” farm would take back the containers that they use for berries and little tomatoes. Didn’t hear back from them or the farm so I assumed they could not for some sanitation reasons. Most of the containers were that green paper material which I could recycle in the paper bin but some were the plastic kind that can’t be recycled here in the city…so I was a little bummed. Fast forward a few weeks and guess what I saw at the CSA distribution? A little reuse rainbow…a sign saying the farmer will indeed take back the containers AND the farm that distributes eggs will take ANY egg cartons. How cool is that? I had been recycling the new paper Trader Joe egg cartons, but a reuse trumps a recycle, no?

This also inspired me to think about “garbage” I could reuse from other people. Like bread bags. I have run out of my old stash and was contemplating buying a box of zippies but realized that there must be a world of bread bags hitting the trash right in my very building. Most of my friends do not make their own bread. (Yes…they can still be my friends even though they don’t bake bread. Hard as it is…I find ways to love them anyway.)


What can you pick from your friend’s trash? (And no…that is not a euphemism. Get your mind out of the gutter and into the dumpster people!)

Meet My Diva’s Backup Band:Taming the Sewing Jabba Part I

Posted by organicneedle in blogtastic, plastic, projects, sewing

Now this one is a big feat for me. A few months back when Crunchy started calling for pads I made a sincere attempt to create my own pattern and produce something cycle worthy. What I produced resembled a strap on dog bed. (At least I know I have a backup career as a designer for lazy pets should the need arise.) So…the project got tossed into the Jabba-like heap known as the sewing basket.

Fast forward a few months. Now I have ventured into the land of the Diva and am overall quite happy. There are days, however, when the Diva …well…acts like a Diva and I need a little reinforcement…a backup band if you will. It seemed silly to have to buy disposables to back up the thing that was supposed to replace the disposables…so I got off my lazy needle and took a good look at a sample pad Burban kindly sent me. Rummaged through my repurposable bag of stuff, more on that later this week, and found exactly what I needed: one crib wee wee pad, 100% cotton baby blanket, & pack of sew-on-snaps. I traced the outline of the pad onto the wee wee pad and the back of the cotton blanket. Sewed the two together. I then cut and hemmed a rectangle long enough to reach around the ol’ underoos from the same blanket material. Sewed that baby onto the back. Sewed on the snaps and walaaaaaaaaa.

Now these are suitable for Diva backup performances or a ditty kind of day. For the big show, I would adjust this by adding a layer or two of toweling.

I still am a turd and haven’t sent any actual pads to Crunchy because I am assuming I need to use all new materials for strangers who-diddly-whos. (I, of course, have tons of cotton fabric but no brand new wee wee pads to offer.) Now that I have cracked the diabolical pad code…I will be sure to buy one next time I am in the baby aisle and stop being such a wiener. This is an easy one. Add booking a backup band to your project list. The earth and your who-diddly-who will thank you. Although I have come to realize, with a just a touch of bitterness, that neither are particularly great at sending Thank You notes. Ingrates.

Detox for the Dishwasher: Seventh Generation Free & Clear Automatic Dishwashing Detergent

Posted by organicneedle in plastic, product review

It has taken me awhile to get around to this one because I was given a ton of dishwashing tablets when I first got my machine. I liked them…Electrasol. Then about a year ago BJs had a sale and I bought a years worth…without really taking note of the phosphate level…which is apparently reeeeeeeeeeaaaallly high. It is seriously higher than even our government allows…not sure how they managed that one. Now that I’ve run out of the stuff I decided to give a more earth friendly brand a try.

Price…5.49 for 45 ozs. Which is 2x the price of Electrasol powder. I was using the tabs, which are about 2x the 7th generation price. So…for a powder it is expensive…but I’m still saving money.

Packaging…Made from 100% recycled paper and is completely recyclable. Since it is a powder there are no little plastic wrappers like the Electrasol tabs.

Performance…Mixed reviews. It definately leaves some residue, especially in the sippy cups…which means extra water to rinse those clean. It was better when I switched my machine from light cycle to regular cycle…but again that is more water and more energy. But…no chlorine and no phosphates. I think the detox method even with its increased demand for water, electricity and effort wins. I am going to stick with it. Now that I know about the evil in my ol’ Electrasol I can’t go back…even though it made my dishes really sparkely. Doesn’t knowledge suck sometimes.

Organicizing My Makeup: Physicians Formula Organic Wear Concealers

Posted by organicneedle in blogtastic, organics, plastic, product review, recycling

Even the Needle needs a wee bit of help looking breathtaking each day. So why not try to add a little organicizing to the ol’ makeup bag? So…I picked up Physicians Formula Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Concealers in Fair & Green. (No I am not the swamp thing. Green covers red which I tend to get around my nose during the colder weather…when I hear Santa needs help with his sleigh.)

Packaging…Let’s start with the positive. The outer packaging is just paper. With the rather clever construction they completely eliminated the need for the clam shell type covering most makeup uses. Sweet. Hopefully that alone will inspire redesigns for all makeup…organic or not. The inner packaging is better…but the makeup is still essentially in a plastic tube with paper covering. I guess they could use glass…but maybe that would be a safety issue since you are cramming it onto your face.

Price…6.95 each. That seems to be on par with other concealers.

Now for the not so nicey nice.

Smell…yes it is important since I wear the green on my snout. Rancid olive oil. I now know why they add so much fragrance to makeup. Holy skunk butt. If this were the only issue I would just plug my nose and soldier on…but…keep reading.

Ingredients…better…but wait. Sounds really good at first: organic olive oil, organic soybean oil, beeswax, avocado oil….and then a big list of flowers. I’m feeling girly just looking at the list. But right at the end they slip in some other familiar names that don’t sound so tasty: talc, titanium dioxide, iron oxide, which is rust, no? Do these qualify as natural? I guess they do occur naturally. So does snail slime…doesn’t mean I want some on my face.

Performance…Now for the big So What…does it work? Depends what you mean by work. First the makeup was so thick and sticky you couldn’t apply it like a stick…which is kind of the point of a concealer STICK. Both of them broke when I tried. I was able to use a lipstick brush to apply it and it managed to conceal. Amazing!

So…although I give Physicians Formula big props for reinventing the makeup packaging…they have a lot of work to do in the actual makeup department. Bottom line: Swampy no recommend.

Ditching the Daily Zip

Posted by organicneedle in plastic

Isn’t it funny how when you start weeding something out of your life you begin to realize what a far reaching grip that thing had/has? Let’s talk about plastic bags. First we decided to switch to reusable grocery bags…..no big whoop. No big plan involved…just noticed they were piling up and it seemed wasteful. Got rid of the plastic bags, right?

Uhhhh…not so much. We then began to notice all the produce bags that were going in the trash. Well that’s silly we said. Fixed that problem with my Organic Cotton Produce Bags. And yet…there still seemed to be tons of bags floating about that we never even noticed. 3 bread bags a week. Fixed that by making my own bread. Now that I made my own bread and other baked goods the tortilla bags had a purpose and were saved from the landfill. The cereal liners made great sandwich bags. The pretzel bags made great bags for sliding over the occasional raw chicken. (I buy Bell & Evans which comes wrapped in plastic but sometimes they “pee” chicken juice out so it needs a plastic bag.) For individual bags of dry snacks for the roving gang of toddlers that live with me my 4 year old suggested/demanded putting the snacks in his party bags from school. (My kids get on average about 6 party bags a month. That is 72 bags a year. Insanity that they all just get tossed in the trash.) Potential bags seemed to be coming from all directions. It just took that small initial shift in perspective to notice them.

So…my point? I joyfully realized the other day as I was scanning my son’s school list which includes a box of Ziplocks, that I haven’t bought the sacred ungiveupable bags in about 6 months. I no longer require a daily zip up! I used to believe that life couldn’t be kept fresh and organized without the little wonders. Their clearly visible contents. Their firm dependable grip. Ziplocks were my I-Could-Never-Give-That-Up. And yet…by slowly, step by step, reevaluating the plastic coming into the house and into the garbage I have gone from about a box of littles and a box of bigs a month to maybe a box of freezer biggies a year, if even that, without any real stress or trauma involved.

It may seem small to the serious greenies, but it has been a tiny milestone for us in our quest to decrease unnecessary household consumption. It gives me real hope for all those other areas that still seem just a little too hard to tackle in one giant leap. The little steps really count too.

Besides, isn’t life just a little better when you can eat bunny crackers out of Darth Vader’s Head?

Why Yes…I am Peppermint Scented from Head to Toe: Burt’s Peppermint Shower Soap Review

Posted by organicneedle in green cleaning, plastic, product review

But….why are you sniffing my toes Strange Man on subway? A few months back we discovered the very cool Burt’s Bees Rosemary Mint Shampoo Bar . Well…it has completely replaced the big ol’ plastic shampoo bottle in our house with surprisingly no complaints from the family, unlike my recent dental care swaps. (Yes, my husband actually took the time to go out and buy his own tube of Colgate. Some husbands cheat, gamble, dress up like Cher. Mine squirrels away conventional toiletries. Such a bad ass, no?) Yes, yes, there is an actual review coming. Loooove it. I smell minty. And it has little gritty bits to buff… everything. At $4.89 a bar it is not the cheapest…but not insane. Packaging couldn’t be better: paper box with NO plastic wrapper inside or out. The only real problem is that it is exactly the same color as my shampoo bar. After a few washes the carved letters indicating which is which go bye bye. I’m sure I will be able to think of some complicated system for keeping them straight- like two separate soap dishes. Certainly don’t want to be washing my head with my hiney soap. Although…now they are equally as minty.

19 Uses for a Yogurt Tub or 19 Ways I Can Justify NOT Making My Own

Posted by organicneedle in plastic, recycling

***I totally planned on debuting my new reusable organic cotton teabag designs today but had a weeeeee bit of trouble uploading the photos. Designer…yes. Techie…not so much. I promise to have it up and the give-away over the 3-day weekend.***

Now, without further ado, my lame replacement post:

No…I do not make my own yogurt…and probably won’t until I gain some space. Which should be in a mere decade or so. Yes…I know it is soooooooo easy…..and suuuuuuuuuuuuch a waste saver….but I suuuuuuuck and won’t be doing it. (Have you picked up on the theme of the week?) Instead…I’ve comprised a list [rationalization] of all the things we have used the big yogurt tubbies for. (See I’m not totally evil; I don’t buy the individual yogurts.) (And yes…I totally stole the idea for this post from Cheap Like Me. I mean I was inspired by her bloggy goodness.)

1: Compost scrap holder ( The lids totally keep the flies and their evilness out….evil, evil flies)

2: Dead battery holder (We use mostly rechargeables…but there are always a few of the reg. kicking around.)

3: Dead CFL container

4: Lego sorter (For about 15.6 seconds)

5: Laundry soap toter

6: Tubby toy (AKA Brother Scream Makers…just fill and dump over unsuspecting bath mate and let the good times roll.)

7: Slip bucket (pottery thing)

8: Glaze bucket (Again, pottery thing)

9: Nut storage (Keep it clean people!)

10:Tanagram storage (I have a very nerdy household.)

11: Screw sorter (See # 9)

12: Oil bottle bottom (Keeps a ring from forming on the wood in the cabinet. MIL idea.)

13: Paintbrush holder for munchkins (Kids, not the donuts)

14: Temporary bug house (Don’t worry; we let them out if they have amused us properly.)

15: Vinegar death trap for evil fruit flies (1 part vinegar+ 1 part soap= Every Part Fly DOOOOOOOMMMM)

16: Instant pudding shaker (No explanation needed…I hope.)

17: Salad dressing shaker (Hell…I guess you could shake anything that will fit in there.)

18: Dirt scooper for potting plants

19: Large wine cup for a really clumsy guest (You know who you are.)

So yes…buying yogurt means buying evil #5 containers which are not even recycled here in NY. But…in all honesty…I can’t tell you I’ve ever thrown one out before many reuses. And this is just a list of how WE have actually used them…and we’re not that smart…I’m sure there are a kajillion more. And if all of you yogurt makers out there try to get me… I’ll just build a yogurt tubby fortress and send my guards after you, who will all be wearing yogurt tubby armor…of course. Okay…there may be a few design flaws to work out.

Oh…and the Week of Shame Continues… for Me and for Coke

Posted by organicneedle in plastic, random rants, recycling

For the most part Ol’ Needly here tries to live a healthy life. I eat my veggies & my spawn provide me adequate exercise by method of chaos. But I have a very unhealthy secret habit. (No…not the wine…that I have convinced myself is good.) The dirty secret: Diet Coke. There I have said it people. I LOVE DIET COKE. Anything nutritional about it? Nope. Is it even in the neutral zone? Nope. Most likely carcinogenic joy in a can. Can I put an environmental spin on it? Well…I do buy it in recyclable cans in a recyclable box? But yes…it is trucked from Satan’s factory who knows how many miles and weighs a butt-load. Not to mention that Coke, the company, is, well…kind of evil. Melissa at Better Living reminded us of their whole India debacle as a prime example. Not to mention the whole bottled water brainwash thing . And I’m sure Beth could add some terrific fun facts to that end of the discussion. So plenty O’ reasons to kick its can.

So…I’m doing it. I’m kicking the evil little monkey off my back and switching to home brewed ice tea. (Now I’m sure someone will write soon about what my tea consumption is doing to the world…and I’m sure there is some evil involved as there is with anything tasty.) Local…no…not so much. Organic…not as of yet but the company I order my loose tea from, Tealuxe, does offer a few varieties. Fair labor…again I’m researching for future purchases. Patience people!

**Coming soon to a blog near you…well…this blog….I will reveal my new tea bag designs and there will be a little give-away …with the usual guinea pig clause attached of course. You gotta work for it if you want to get your hands on a little of the Needle’s goods.**

Now that I have successfully weened myself from one giant conglomerate, the Gap , I guess life would be far too easy without taking on another mega-giant. Now…trying to track down everything Coke owns may prove to be a bit more of a challenge. The list reads like a phone book…literally hundreds of names. All variations of Coke, of course, Dasani, Minute-Maid, VitaminWater, Fanta, Sprite, Nestea, & Barq’s are just the US biggies.  And Bacardi Mixers?!?! The playground is going to be just a tad duller this summer with just tea in Mama’s “happy” sippy cup.

Trader Joe’s is a Good Egg Afterall!

Posted by organicneedle in plastic, random rants

About 2 months ago I ranted about how Trader Joe’s, despite having one of the best bag policies around, has really awful packaging practices. I even shared my little correspondence with them about their plastic egg cartons among other things. Yesterday I took my monthly trip to Ol’ Joe’s…with the usual list and expectations. When lo and behold, what did my tired eyes see, besides my 4yr old squeezing the crap out of a melon I had no intention of buying, but paper, yes paper egg cartons. Not only that…instead of being trucked from CA like the previous eggs…they were from MA, not exactly the backyard of NYC…but we’re on the right coast now. Trader Joe’s actually listened. To me. I run Trader Joe’s! What should I tell them to do next? Nude cashiers? Bowling with frozen organic turkeys? Ohhhhh…the possibilities are endless.

What the Hell Is Wrong with Me?

Posted by organicneedle in plastic

I thought I had tamed the beast. I guess not. So what have we learned?

A. Baby carrots are evil and hold a secret and powerful force over me and my good reuse intentions. Eat with extreme caution.

B. That I am an oath turd and my word means nothing.

(Yes…that IS a giant hole clawed through the bag.)