Water Bottles + Zero Water

Ello thrive Flora Glass Water Bottle 

20 oz.

Target $12.99

Leak proof, BPA free

container material: recycled glass

lid material: bamboo, silicone

dishwasher safe (top rack only)

Rubber maid Refill Reuse 4-pk Clear Chug Bottles

20 oz.

Target $12.19

container material: BPA free, copolyester

lid material: plastic

Eco Vessel Boulder Triple-Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle

(with screw cap)

Amazon $21.21-$39.99

The Grommet $24.95

BPA free

Removable mesh strainer

made of 100% recyclable stainless steel

ZeroWater Filtration Water Cooler

$57.79 Amazon

ZeroWater Dispenser

$35.97 Amazon

I personally use the ZeroWater Filtration system and I swear by it.

xoxo Gwen

Netflix: Tapped

"Filmmakers examine the financial and ecological impact of the bottled water industry, including the toxic byproducts of manufacturing plastic water bottles" (IMDb). 

I've been seriously watching documentaries for the last couple of years.  Yesterday I watched Tapped and had another eye opening experience.  I knew bottled water was an issue and I had a hunch they were trying to pull the wool over the consumers eye, but I had no idea how deep the rabbit hole really went with bottled water.  I encourage everyone to watch this documentary and then do their own research. Then switch to tap water, filter it yourself (it you want to), and carry around your own renewable bottle (glass & BPA free bottles work best).

This stat alone blew my mind!

This is what our beach sand could turn into

If you're determined to still buy and drink bottled water after watching Tapped....I encourage you, I beg you to please recycle your plastic bottles so they don't litter our beaches like the pictures above.

If you do not have Netflix you can watch the documentary for free here.

xoxo Gwen

Happy Earth Day!

I definitely love Mother Earth.  In fact I am featured on the tree huggers website.  Yes, if you Google images of me you will find one of me hugging a tiny tree that was posted back in 2005!  That seems like a lifetime ago.  Nonetheless I love trees, nature, recycling, and doing what I can to buy eco-friendly products.  I have shoes that have recycled tires for the bottoms and hemp for the main fabric and scrap ribbons for the laces.  They're from a brand called Simple, and I don't believe they are around anymore, but I'll never be able to give them up even if they do look a little ratty. They are super comfortable and so me. I also have a Sprout watch.  Their watches can range from hemp, organic cotton, to cork and bamboo. They feature some cute designs and colors too.

Think of ways you can reuse things you're about to throw in the trash.  I often keep cookie tins and egg cartons.  I also keep (and wash) meat trays and oatmeal containers.  Meat trays make great paint palettes.  I cover oatmeal containers and use them to store pens and pencils on my desk.  In fact I have two that I made sitting on my desk right now!

Use Pinterest to find interesting ways to reuse some of the things you have laying around your house. Earth will thank you!

xoxo Gwen

Virginia Zoological Park

On Wednesday I took a break from all the hustle and bustle of school, homework, meetings, and work and went to the zoo.  As a college student (with ID) I get in free and I love animals and the sun was shining so off to the zoo I went.
I think I got more pictures of flowers than anything else.  I was so happy to see flowers actually blooming after that terribly long winter we had.

Peacocks

Other Animals

Guinea Fowl

Turtles

Giraffe & his friend

Bongos

Water Birds

Snake

Overall it was a great day to be in the sunshine enjoying the animals.  There were still quite a few animals not on display. The Barnyard animals got an extended vacation due to renovations.  Hopefully I'll be able to make at least one more trip to the zoo this season and see some of the animals I missed on this visit.

xoxo Gwen

Northwest River Park

I've been so stressed lately with a go, go, go schedule I haven't had time to enjoy the few nice weather days we've had.  This past weekend I made it a point to put school and the bazillion papers I have to write on the back burner, and have a day with my fiance on an adventure.  Saturday we went to Northwest River Park on the very southern side of Chesapeake.  The weather was great, the hiking was fun and we managed to track down one of the many geocaches in the park.  We plan to go back and do more, but Saturday was all about sunshine and enjoying nature.  We're hoping to head back this summer for a camping trip too.  At the very least I want to go back and hike the rest of the trails.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you need a break I definitely recommend nature.  If you take the time and look you'll find the most beautiful things, and have a lot of fun.  I plan to schedule more weekends like this now that the weather has finally warmed up!

If you're interested here is the information on Northwest River Park:
1733 Indian Creek Rd.
Chesapeake VA 23322
phone 757-421-7151
Park is open 9 a.m. until sunset

I also found this YouTube video on the park's website.

xoxo Gwen

Hello Sunshine

Max enjoying the fresh air

Trees blooming

Tall grass

Studying outside

Sunshine & Shadows

79 degrees

With the craziness of last week and the breakdown I had on Monday I needed some sunshine. Soaking it all in!

xoxo Gwen