New Otterbottle Insulated Awesomeness - and a Giveaway!

Updated: The giveaway will be going to

Urban Girl who said...

thanks so much for the chance at the giveaway! I really like the OM thermos. I love that you could have something leakproof to carry liquids to work. yeah!

It's tough, staying hydrated and caffeinated in an eco-unfriendly world. Too easy it is to grab a plastic disposable water bottle or a takeaway coffee cup and paper sleeve. Awesome Canadian company OtterBottle has been trying to change that, one green consumer at a time. They originally introduced a snazzy line of reusable water bottles in fantastic, funky designs. Now they've gone a step further: They're eco-fying your coffee cup and lunch break by introducing a gorgeous new line of insulated food and drink containers, with stylish insulated lunch totes to carry it all in.

All of the new pieces are available in a range of colours and patterns to suit your most fussy whims. OtterBottle was kind enough to let me try out all three pieces, and they are super nice and very practical.

The 350 ml container is perfect for a hot lunch of soup or chili, with a wide lid that screws on and off easily and securely.

The lunch bag is roomy, stylish, easy to carry and secure with a zipper across the top to keep your yummies safe inside.

ecochick's favourite, though, is the 500 ml insulated drink container, which has become the new Caffe Latte mug of choice at casa ecochick - perfectly sized for a grande latte and with a screw-off cap to reveal the drink nozzle, it's perfect to use too. There's even an elasticized clip to keep the cap attached to the bottle while you're drinking - smart! My coffee stays toasty warm for literally hours - this would keep you going all morning, no problem. For a busy mom whose coffee is usually refrigerator-cold by the time I get to drink it, this is nirvana.

Oh, you say! How I'd like to try one of those out! Well, you're in luck. I have a 500 ml Insulated Drink bottle to give away to one of you lucky folk. Just head on over to OtterBottle and check out the site and tell me what your favourite OtterBottle product is in the comments before Wednesday, November 3. Make sure you leave me your email address - you can't get the bottle if I can't contact you. Good luck!

Untangled Living

As a new(ish) mom, it's really hard to know what you're going to actually need for your kid. And when. And once you figure out that you need something, there's usually about 15 different versions of that thing, and you don't know what's really good until you get the chance to try it out, and then you end up with a bunch of said item that you don't like and one you do, so the one gets used and the rest get piled somewhere. (Much to the chagrin of my husband.)

So, I'm here to tell you, that here's one item you will love.

Untangled Living creates stainless steel children's dishware. They very kindly sent me a set to test way too long ago, ha. But at the time I received it, my kid wasn't interested in using cups or bowls or plates or utensils; only now at 13 months is she starting to show some indication that she gets the concept that things like food go inside other things like bowls as opposed to just flinging it across the room. Now that she can be trusted within some level of reasonableness to not just tip her cheerios out of the bowl the second I give it to her, we're able to use it. Hooray!

The set comes with a kid-sized square plate, little bowl, little cup and a knife and fork.  They're very simply decorated with either a little gecko or a little butterfly (score big points for tasteful kids' stuff!) and are perfectly sized for little hands. The plate I particularly love, because it isn't just a flat plate: it has a nice wide lip all around the edge to keep things from falling off (at least, not falling off *easily*). They're lightweight, dishwasher safe, totally non-breakable (hear that, glass?) and almost 100% perfect. The only downside: when they do hit the floor they're kind of loud. But my daughter sees that as an upside, actually, so.

The set retails for $44 CDN. You can order the butterfly or the gecko set (or both!) from their online store, or from one of their fantastic retailers.

But you know what? I have one to give you. Aww. Just go to the Untangled Living website and come back here and tell me in the comments what your favourite part of Untangled Living is by Wednesday, August 25. Make sure you leave me an email address (if you put it in the format name AT domain DOT com it can't be scraped by a spammer) or another way to contact you. Good luck!

Earth Week Giveaway Roundup

Well, that was quite a week, wasn't it? The aim for doing a blast of giveaways during the week surrounding Earth Day was twofold: One, to raise awareness of environmentally friendly products, services and initiatives, and Two, to get some very cool stuff in to the hands of my readers. In case you missed anything last week, here's the list of giveaways:

Gorgeous T-Bag and Company Reusable Bags - comment by Tuesday, April 27.

Green Works Cleaning Products - Comment by Tuesday, April 27.

Brita Limited Edition Green Water Filter Pitchers - Comment by Wednesday, April 28.

OtterBottle reusable water bottle - comment by Wednesday, April 28.

SIGG reusable water bottle - comment by Friday, April 30.

Abby Sprouts Organic Onesie and discount code - comment by Thursday, April 29.

Verve Cards one year membership - comment by Thursday, April 29.

The Green Blue Book - comment by Friday, April 30.

Organic Manifesto book - comment by Friday, April 30.

Comment on one, or comment on all - sky's the limit and good luck!

Organic Manifesto: Why should you go organic? And - Book giveaway!

Congratulations to SimplySolar who said...
As a fitness buff, I can definitely attest to the fact that organic eating will definitely increase performance.

I`ve been sold for awhile!

You're getting a copy of the Organic Manifesto from Rodale Publishing!


I've been thinking: Organic food's been getting a bad rap lately.  Since a 2009 study pronounced that organic food was no more "healthy" than non-organic food, many people have wondered why they'd spend the extra money.  I had a big problem with that study, because it totally missed the point of why people buy organic in the first place. If you're wondering why we do, then there's a great new book for you to read:  Organic Manifesto: How Organic Farming Can Heal Our Planet, Feed the World, and Keep Us Safe

Written by Maria Rodale, founder of Rodale Publishing, the book is described as eye-opening, spectacular, and passionate.  Organic Manifesto explains in detail exactly what organic food means for us and for the planet. From the website:

Rodale was founded on the belief that organic gardening is the key to better health both for us and for the planet, and never has this message been more urgent. Now Maria Rodale, CEO and Chairman of Rodale Inc., sheds new light on the state of 21st-century farming. She examines the unholy alliances that have formed between the chemical companies that produce fertilizer and genetically altered seeds, the agricultural educational system that is virtually subsidized by those same companies, and the government agencies in thrall to powerful lobbyists, all of which perpetuate dangerous farming practices and deliberate misconceptions about organic farming and foods. Interviews with government officials, doctors, scientists, and farmers from coast to coast bolster her position that chemical-free farming may be the single most effective tool we have to protect our environment and, even more important, our health.

If you're considering going organic - or perhaps more importantly, if you're not - this book is a must-read.  Organic Manifesto: How Organic Farming Can Heal Our Planet, Feed the World, and Keep Us Safe is available at Amazon, Chapters and other retailers.

And - I have a copy to give away compliments of Rodale! Simply comment on this post detailing what your reasons are for learning more about going Organic by Friday, April 30th. Make sure you leave me a way to contact you. I'll draw a name at random and contact you directly. Good luck!

The Green Blue Book: Book Giveaway!

Congratulations to Ash who said..." Pick just one scary fact eh?
1581 gallons for 1 pound of beef - sure helps reaffirm sticking with the vegetarian lifestyle!" You're getting a copy of The Green Blue Book!


It's kinda turning into water week here on ecochick, what with bottles and filters and all kinds of great tools to help you use water in your home more wisely. But there's another way to think about water consumption, and that is how much water went in to the production of the things we eat and use before we actually have them in front of us - what's called "imbedded water". And it's the majority of water use on the planet. Did you know, for example, that that cup of coffee you're sipping while you're reading ecochick actually consumed 37 gallons of water before it got to you? Or how much water that cow needed to get that steak on to your plate? Or even, how much water it takes to make the paper cup at your water cooler (answer: 6 gallons!) It's time for us to realize exactly what the true water impact is in the things that we consume, and what the actual cradle-to-grave impact is of anything that we use. Enter The Green Blue Book: The Simple Water-Savings Guide to Everything in Your Life. From the website:

In The Green Blue Book, you’ll find hundreds of simple tips for water savings in the home, garden, office, and when on the go that will help you make a difference without making big changes in your life. 

Thomas Kostigen shows how to save water not just by turning off the tap, but through discovering “virtual water,” or the water embedded in the products we use every day. By making better decisions about which food, clothes, and household necessities to use, each of us can save thousands of gallons of water—and help avert the water crisis unfolding around the globe.

Water will be the next crisis if we don't act now. So let's start acting, and use the tips in this book as a great starting point.

You can buy The Green Blue Book: The Simple Water-Savings Guide to Everything in Your Life Amazon, Chapters or other book retailers - or - you can head over to http://www.thegreenbluebook.com/ and watch the very enlightening video, then come back and tell me which fact about water scares you the most. Ha. Leave me your comment and a way to contact you by Friday, April 30, and I'll tell a random commenter that they'll be receiving a copy of the book compliments of Rodale Publishing. Good luck!

VerveCards - Snazzy, easy and paper-free!

Congratulations to Kim who  said...
"I'm a little partial to the Halloween one "In Costume, Anything Goes". Hee!" You've got the VerveCards membership!

We all know there's a thousand and ten e-card sites out there. So what makes VerveCards noteworthy? Very simply, it's the delivery. To send a VerveCard, you simply log on to your portal and select from the long, long list of card designs - birthday, anniversary, loads of holidays, even Earth Day! The cards are uniquely designed with bright colours, great sentiments and funky shapes. But the best part: VerveCards doesn't just send you a link to someone's website. The card gets delivered - paper-free - straight to your friend's/mother's/husband's/whoever's inbox, so they can see the card and message from you right then and there. Simple and brilliant.

You can send your cards immediately or schedule for later (get everyone's birthday done at once!) and send cards to multiple recipients. And at $14.95 for a 1 year membership, it's the cost of buying and mailing about two snail mail cards - how cost effective!

Think you could put VerveCards to good use? I have a one-year membership to give away to a lucky reader. Just head on over to the website and tell me what your favourite card is in the comments. Make sure you leave me a way to contact you, and comment by Thursday, April 29.  I'll notify the randomly selected giveaway recipient directly. Good luck!

Abby Sprouts: eco-friendly family shopping - discount code and giveaway!

Congratulations to  Food According To Karen who said...
"There are so many things on the website it's hard to pick. However, the Classic Dump Truck By Sprig is adorable. My grandson is at the 'vrrmvrrm' stage and would love the dump truck."  You're getting an organic onesie!


One of these days, I will write a long, boring-to-most post about cloth diapers, slings, sleep sacks and all the other stuff that you get in to when you're trying to be an eco-friendly modern mama. Until then, my short summary on those items is:

1. Cloth diapering is awesome and better (functionally) than disposables. And trust me, I'm as squeamish as you are.
2. The sling saved my life for the first six months.
3. The sleep sack saved my life for the next three months (and counting).

And it's always nice to find a one-stop shop where you can pick up all of these great baby needs and more all under one (virtual) roof. Abby Sprouts is based in Victoria, BC and is your one-stop shop for green, personally-tested baby and mama goods. From their website:

After being frustrated with searching for safe products throughout my pregnancy and for my baby I decided the green family needed a place where the leg work was done for them. I select every product Abby Sprouts sells based on earth friendliness, play factor, enjoyment, quality, and functionality. If it's junk we don't sell it. I'm a true believer in buying less but buying good quality.

From toys to clothes to an excellent selection of cloth diapers (including the favourite around here, Fuzzi Bunz), Abby Sprouts strives to provide a great and easy shopping experience, all while adhering to their own green policies. Check out their website or follow them on Twitter. And once you're ready, use the code "EcoChick" for a 10% discount off everything on the site, including sale items. And shipping is free if you spend over $99. Nice!

And because Steph at Abby Sprouts is awesome, she gave us an adorable Love Peace Organic Cotton Onesie to give away (hooray!) So just scoot on over to Abby Sprouts and tell me what your favourite product is in the comments by Thursday, April 29. Don't forget to leave me a way to contact you (email, blogger profile, whatever works). Giveaway recipient will be selected at random and notified. Good luck and happy green!

SIGG: Making your water look good. And a giveaway!

Congratulations to cyndi who  said...Love,love love the butterfly jewel design. 
You're getting a SIGG bottle!

Did I mention that I think disposable plastic water bottles will be the downfall of our society? Have I mentioned that? Hmm. Well, if I didn't before, I did now. And truly, why would anyone want to use horrible petroleum-based plastic water bottles when you could carry your own water - costing you pennies from your own tap - in such style as these gorgeous design bottles from SIGG?  This 102-year old Swiss company started manufacturing their single-colour coated drinking bottles in 1980, and get this - the trendy, multi-colour coated bottle was admitted to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York in 1993. Now that's style!

Seriously - just fill your bottle (from the tap or your brita filter) and go. So easy! SIGG bottles are lightweight, fully recyclable, and are dishwasher safe although SIGG does recommend hand washing. They come in a variety of sizes and styles, and dozens upon dozens of designs.

And, guess what? Yeah, you guessed. I have one to give away. Wheee! Just head on over to SIGG and figure out your favourite bottle design (it'll take a while. there's lots.) then come back over here and tell me which one it is in the comments by Friday, April 30. (Note: the design of the bottle given away may or may not have any relationship to the bottle you like best, heh.) Make sure you leave me a way to contact you! I'll select a name at random and notify the recipient. Good luck!

Carry your own water: OtterBottle giveaway!

Congratulations to Alyjane who  said..."I love that some money goes to teh David Suzuki foundation and they that they look great, but I have to say, the fact that they are dishwasher safe is my favorite feature!!" You're getting an OtterBottle!

And while we're talking about water... remember OtterBottle?  Those awesome, uber-useful bottles from a Canadian company that come in most excellent, gorgeous designs? The ones with two lids - a screw cap and a sports top? The BPA-free ones, that are dishwasher safe?  The ones ranging in size from 500 ml to 1 l? The ones where a contribution will be made to the David Suzuki Foundation with every bottle sold? Yeah, I thought you remembered them. Well, I have a brand new OtterBottle right here to give away to a lucky reader.

Just head on over to the OtterBottle website and take a peek around. Then come back here and tell me your favourite thing about OtterBottles in the comments by Wednesday, April 28. The bottle will be given away by random draw and the recipient will be contacted via e-mail, so ensure you leave me a way to contact you. And, good luck!

Filter for Good: A Campaign To Reduce Water Bottle Waste. And a giveaway!

Congratulations to Anonymous who said

"We're going to get stainless water bottles for each family member...no more plastic!

 And to Sarah who said

"Sarah said...I have also been using a Brita forever, in fact, it might be time to replace it :-) I always drink tap water and I like how the Brita seems to minimize the chlorinated taste of Ottawa water."

You're each getting Brita pitchers!

It has been estimated that it takes three litres of water to produce one litre of bottled water.

Worldwide, it takes an estimated 2.4 million metric tonnes of plastic to bottle water each year.

The price we pay per litre of bottled water is comparable to the price of gasoline. 

All this, when if we merely turn on our taps, we have abundant, clean water available for pennies. 

It's time to change our  habits. The popularity of bottled water is, to be blunt, the biggest crock in the world, the most amazing snake oil ever sold, the most enormous triumph of marketing over common sense. There are so many reasons not to use bottled water - the price, the environmental impact, the sheer lunacy.  But many people persist, because of the convenience or perhaps the belief that bottled water "tastes" better (despite the fact that some common bottled water brands are nothing more than municipal tap water).

Learn more about the issue at Filter For Good. Realize that our bottled water habit is killing us. And consider changing your ways - by, for example, bringing your own water.  Don't like the taste straight from the tap? Easy. Just go pick up a Brita filter, which will filter over 900 litres of water a year - the equivalent of 1,800+ 500 ml plastic bottles. Learn about their filter recycling program.  And, if you're in Toronto, you can go down to Yonge-Dundas Square on April 22nd from 11am - 7:30 pm to hang out, play games, hydrate, watch David Usher, and take home a free Brita pitcher from Filter For Good while supplies last. Nice!

Not in Toronto? Pity. Then you'll just have to sign up for the giveaway here on ecochick. I have two of Brita's Limited Edition Green Pitchers to give away to you, dear readers.   Just head on over to the Filter for Good website and tell me how you plan to change the way you drink water. Leave a comment by Wednesday, April 28 and don't forget to leave me your email addy as the recipients will be notified by e-mail. Canadian addresses only please. Good luck!

Green Works cleaning products: Giveaway!

Congratulations Lara who said"

"Lara said... the wipes sound great. I love cleaning wipes but feel guilty about using them too much! "

You're getting the wipes!

So, I'll be honest here. ecochick is very eco-friendly when it comes to cleaning. VERY eco-friendly. Because basically, I don't do any. They are considering naming the underside of my sofa a preserved habitat for dust bunnies. Ha. So when I received some Clorox Green Works cleaners in the mail - specifically the Natural Biodegradable Cleaning Wipes and the All Purpose Cleaner, I kind of went, great! I'll try those out! Sometime. Sure. Then time passed. A lot of time, frankly. But the moment eventually came when I had to make the place look presentable. Something about "children" and "crawling" and "floors" and "gah". So I broke these cleaners out to give them a spin.

I'll be honest: I'm naturally skeptical about a lot of "natural" cleaning products. There's so much greenwashing out there, and many product claims are vague. What does "natural" even mean?  So the first thing I did was check out the label. These products did have some questionable contents - they said they contained things like "preservative" (which preservative?) and "silicon antifoaming agent" (oh dear.)  But, a couple of significant things jumped out at me.

First, the Natural Biodegradable Cleaning Wipes are just that: biodegradable. They are made from 100% wood based fibers, and can be chucked in the composter instead of the landfill. Right there, these wipes have a huge advantage over many others that are made from polyester or other petroleum based products and cannot be composted. So while a throwaway wipe is not the best choice, for those times when it's necessary, a compostable one is the best option.

Another bonus is the container for the wipes is made from at least 25% post-consumer recycled plastic, which is a really excellent start.

Meanwhile, the All-Purpose Cleaner carries a really significant badge:  The United States Environmental Protection Agency Design For The Environment badge, recognized for Safer Chemistry.  From the website:

When you see the DfE logo on a product it means that the DfE scientific review team has screened each ingredient for potential human health and environmental effects and that—based on currently available information, EPA predictive models, and expert judgment—the product contains only those ingredients that pose the least concern among chemicals in their class.

There's another upside to these products: the smell. Many "regular" cleaning products basically leave me with a headache, with their hectically overscented smells. These don't. They smell real, natural and light.

And in my experience, they work. They work well. Surprisingly well, especially around this place which generally needs a fair amount of effort to get it cleaned up.

Interested in trying them out?  Well, you're in luck. First, if you go to the Green Works website, you can get a coupon for $1 off the compostable cleaning wipes by signing up for their newsletter (not sure how long that promotion's going to be on). Or, if you care to try your luck, ecochick's giving away a containter of natural biodegradable cleaning wipes and a bottle of all-purpose cleaner, whoop!  Just leave me a comment stating which of the cleaners you'd like to try out by Tuesday, April 27. Don't forget to leave me a way to contact you! Giveaway will be done at random and recipients of the giveaway will be contacted by email. Canadian addresses only please. Good luck!

T Bag & Company - Gorgeous Bag Giveaway

And the recipient of the bags is stsammy who said..

Ooooo.... Shiraz. It would coordinate so nicely with my stroller as I'm out on my mat leave shopping excursions!


Thanks all!

Have you been to a grocery store lately?  Let's assume "yes". Did you notice how prevalent reusable bags have become? I would say that on average, less than half of the people in the checkout line are still using plastic (and for the dirt on plastic bags - and why we shouldn't use them - check out my earlier post.) And every day, I notice the neat, practical, and innovative bags people are using.  Like these gorgeous bags.  They're from T Bag and Company.  They're handmade in Canada from 100% cotton, out of gorgeous fabrics.  They're stylish. Chic. Uber-useful. They're smart, with a flat bottom and an interior elastic band to hold bottles upright (brilliant!) Just imagine how delicious your food would taste after you take it home in these bags.  Well, maybe that's a stretch - but you sure will feel good about using them, because they're just so pretty. You can buy all sorts of products from T Bag and Company at Eco-Handbags.ca.

WANT IT? I have two bags from T Bag and Company to give away - a market tote and a lunch sized bag, both in gorgeous black and white patterns. Just leave a note in the comments telling me your favourite pattern from the T Bag & Company website - and make sure you leave me a way to contact you - by Tuesday, April 27. Giveaway recipients will be selected at random and notified by e-mail. Good luck!

Flip and Tumble is having a giveaway!

You may remember Flip and Tumble, the creators of fantastic reusable bags. Out of all the bags I own, these are my favourites, because of the easy way they stuff in to the little bag to get tossed back in to my purse - meaning these are the bags that get used the most around here because they're the ones I'm least likely to forget. In a rainbow of colours and even some gorgeous prints like the one at left, these bags are sturdy, stylish and super fun to use.  They're also reasonably priced and have good shipping rates to Canada. Nice!

But it's always better to get things in a giveaway, and so to that end you should check out their earth day giveaway. All you need to do is drop them a quick email along with your address information to contest@flipandtumble.com before April 22nd. The winners will be notified on Earth Day - and I did confirm that Canadians are eligible. So get emailing and good luck!

Green Living Show - Tickets giveaway!

It's baaaack!

The Green Living Show is on again from April 23-25 at Direct Energy Centre in Toronto. This show is fantastic. It's Canada's largest green consumer show, with 400+ exhibits, a wonderful sustainable food court, excellent new vendors, green seminars and more. Last year I found an amazing number of new eco-products that have made it into rotation for everyday use around here. If you're in the GTA or can make it there that weekend, this is an excellent, informative and entertaining way to spend an afternoon - and you'll also get fabulous deals on some of your favourite eco-brands.  In addition, the Green Toronto Awards are taking place on Friday.  The City of Toronto's environmental awards of excellence honour and celebrate the individuals, organizations and companies leading the way to a cleaner, greener and more liveable Toronto.

And hey, guess what? As part of the Green Living Network, I've scored some tickets to give away - whooohoooo!  Just reply in the comments and let me know which of the attractions you'll be looking forward to the most. Leave your comment - and a way for me to contact you - by Wednesday April 14 to ensure I can get the tickets to you on time.

But even if you don't get a ticket here, don't worry. Just bring some electronic waste for recycling, and Samsung will pick up your admission ticket. Not a bad deal.

See you at the show!

Ottawa Folk: Oleander for Home Caldrea Giveaway!

ecochick has a special giveaway for only Ottawa folk!

Oleander for Home, Ottawa's premier Bed and Bath Boutique, is owned and operated by the lovely Kristin, a friend of ecochick's. And when Kristin was sent a gorgeous Signature Bucket from Caldrea, she emailed and said, I wanna give it away! And I said, I know a great blog...

First, a little about Oleander for Home. Located in Ottawa's Byward Market, the store's aim appears to be to basically pamper you to death. From gorgeous, luxurious bed linens including organic brands like Coyuchi and Damai Organics, to towels hand loomed in Turkey of certified organic Bergama Cotton by Forza & Home, to cozy sleepwear like Take Comfort Organics, this store is by far the most wonderful sensory experience this side of the Ottawa river. Just walking in and looking at the luxuriously fluffy beds... well, just be aware that getting in to them and falling asleep is discouraged. Found that out the hard way. You can either buy to your heart's desire off their bounteous shelves, or custom order to create your most perfect surroundings.

One of the excellent earth friendly lines carried at Oleander for Home is Caldrea - which ecochick's been using for several months now. Caldrea creates earth-friendly home cleaning products using essential oils and plant-derived cleaning surfactants.While, as ecochick's rapidly learning, no product is perfect, I do like Caldrea's whole-being approach to environmental friendliness and their commitment to ensuring they provide a high-quality product while being as ecofriendly as possible.

Caldrea makes several lines of products in their signature scents including Household Products, Cleaning Tools, Laundry Care, Hand Care and Gifts and Baby.  We've been using Lavender Pine laundry detergent for a while now (when we're not using Nellie's - each has its purpose around here), and there's a bottle of Sea Salt Neroli hand soap in the bathroom. The scents are original and delicate, and the products - well, they just work.

So, the best part: Oleander for Home has a beautiful Ginger Pomelo Classic Set in a signature Caldrea Bucket to give away!  Due to the size of the bucket, it's not available to be shipped, so this giveaway would be "pickup only" in the local Ottawa area. In this gorgeous bucket, you will find full size bottles of Countertop Cleanser, All Purpose Cleanser, Dish Soap Liquid, Hand Soap Liquid, and Hand Lotion, all in lovely Ginger Pomelo scent.

So how do you enter this giveaway? Just go sign up for Oleander for Home's Mailing list (don't worry, the list is never spammed or re-sold) by April 9. All members of the mailing list are eligible for the giveaway - just remember, this is pick-up only so you'll have to make it to downtown Ottawa to pick up the bucket and the goodies.  Good luck!

ECO Canada: Give them your best shot!

Are you a photographer? Do you take wonderful photos (or at least you think so?) And do you take them of the gorgeous beauty of Canada? Then submit them to the ECO Canada photo contest, and you might win a $400 Best Buy gift card (whooo hoo!) From their website:

ECO Canada invites you to participate in its inaugural photo contest to celebrate the natural beauty of Canada’s environmental landscape and the dynamic people in the environmental workforce.

All contest entries must be submitted by February 12th, 2010. It doesn't need to be a new photo - dig through your piles of digital images and pull up that gorgeous shot you took last winter, or during that perfect summer on the lake. But if you want to go shoot Canada in Winter - that's awesome too. Prizes will be awarded in four categories - Working in the Environment, Environmental Industry/Sites, Abstract Nature and Landscapes.

So get shooting - and good luck!

WWF Canada Adoption Kits - Do some good and warm a heart.

ecochick almost dropped the ball on this one. Blame the non-sleeping ecobaby. She's lucky she's so cute.
You know the World Wildlife Fund. They are the dedicated conservation organization whose noble goals are To stop the degradation of the planet's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by:

* conserving the world's biological diversity,
* ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable,
* promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

During these days of Copenhagen and climate change discussion, the role of the WWF in raising awareness and promoting great ecological programs are more important than ever. One of the many ways in which the WWF promotes their programs is to sell items in their store that bring their customers closer to nature themselves - such as their awesome (and adorable) Adoption Kits. I just love these. From their press release:

The WWF-Canada Adoption Program offers the chance to symbolically adopt a threatened species and support critical work to protect nature at the same time. More Canadian animals are available for adoption than ever before, including the caribou, polar bear, grizzly bear, Arctic fox, monarch butterfly, Atlantic cod (I had to laugh at this - adopt a cuddly Cod for Christmas!), northern leopard frog, common loon, meerkat, blue shark and the black-footed ferret. Alternatively, you can select from popular international species such as the emperor penguin, Asian elephant, giant panda, orangutan, tiger and snow leopard.

Each adoption package costs $40 and contains a 12.5 cm stuffed animal of your choice, a personalized adoption certificate, a letter identifying you as the gift giver, a brochure about the species you are protecting and the work you will be supporting, as well as a $30 tax receipt – all wrapped up in a great reusable WWFCanada tote bag. Gift givers looking to make a greater contribution to wildlife can also adopt a family of polar bears, orangutans, Arctic fox or pandas.

What an awesome initiative, and what a great gift idea for the animal- or planet-lover in your life. But here is the caveat. If you want to give a kit for Christmas you need to order it by midnight December 17. Missed the holiday delivery deadlines? NEW this year: Email an adoption certificate right away to tell your loved ones their adoption kit is on its way. The link is here, and orders from the WWF store that include adoptions qualify for free shipping - just enter Special Offer Code: shopwwf during checkout. (This offer ended December 17th, 2009 at 11:59pm EST). So if you think there's someone in your life who'll love one of these under the tree - go check it out right now. They also have plenty of other great gifts for the ecologically-minded giver, so make sure you browse around.

And. AND. The lovely Sara at WWF Canada has given me three WWF Adoption Kits to give away to you, my amazing, wonderful readers. We have a Polar Bear, Penguin and a Caribou kit ready to go. Here's all you need to do to enter the giveaway: Go to the WWF Store and tell me which animal you're ready to adopt. It doesn't have to be one of the ones we're giving away, pick your favourite (I'm partial to the Leopard Frog myself!) Put your animal in the comments by 5 pm Monday, December 21 (This means the animals will not reach you by Christmas, but will be a great way to start the New Year!) Please ensure you leave a way for me to contact you in your comment.

Until then, happy ecoshopping!

Aveda Stylists Must-Have Offers: Free samples!

Interested in trying out new Aveda products? Today only, you can moisturize and strengthen hair with two free treatment samples: Dry Remedy and Damage Remedy Treatment, plus Free Shipping with all orders over $25. Simply enter offer code REMEDY9 at checkout.

Why Aveda? Many of their lines contain organic and naturally derived ingredients. Packaging is recycled and recyclable. And several of their products have been granted the coveted Cradle to Cradle sustainability endorsement (including some Dry Remedy products!):

Cradle to Cradle product certifications... recognize Aveda's recent extraordinary efforts to develop products and processes that conform to the world's most advanced standards for intelligent design, sustainable stewardship and reuse of materials.

And free samples don't hurt.

Ecojot: Ecojotter Flickr Contest!

Remember ecojot, the makers of cool, Canadian made, post-consumer recycled paper products? Well, they're running a cool contest - check it out!

Simply go to the ecojotter blog for details - the short version is take a picture of your favourite ecojot product in the wild and upload it to the Ecojot Flickr Group. First prize winner picked by the Ecojot Team wins $75 for him/herself PLUS $75 for the Green Cause of his/her choice. The second prize winner, determined by who receives the most votes via comments and faves, will receive a special Ecojot prize pack valued at over $50. (is it wrong that I want second prize and not first? Hah!)

So get snapping, ecochicks, and good luck!

Organic Surge goodies: Earth Week Giveaway #5

And the lucky recipient of the Organic Surge goodies is Christie who said...

Ooh, you had me at Bergamot - I love bergamot - so the tropical bergamot shower gel!

email me at talk at ecochick dot ca, Christie! Good luck next time, ecochicks!

Hey ecochicks!

Our final giveaway for this week is a set of gorgeous goodies from the United Kingdom's Organic Surge. These wonderful combinations of products are made with 99% naturally derived ingredients with certified organic essential oils. They leave out parabens, SLS, sulfates, synthetic perfume and plenty of other nasties, leaving in plant extracts and all kinds of other goodness. And I have a gift pack for you to try out! The pack includes:

Citrus mint shampoo. There are lots of minty shampoos on the market - they're wonderful because they have such a nice fresh feeling on the scalp! This one is less minty than some, so it's lighter and very, very nice.

Next, Tropical Bergamot shower gel is a fresh, pretty gel that leaves your skin clean and soft.

But my clear favourite out of the gift pack is the Lavender and Geranium hand lotion. I never would have thought to put lavender and geranium together as a scent combination - and it really, really works. The two scents compliment each other gorgeously, resulting in a wholly natural, lovely fragrance. And the cream is very nice too!

You want the gift pack? Just head on over to Organic Surge (it's the UK site but they have all of the products listed there) and tell me what new products sound good to you! Post back here by Friday, May 1 and make sure you leave me a way to contact you, and random.org may just say this gift pack is yours.

Organic Surge products are available in Canada at Shoppers Drug Mart.

It's been an awesome week here at ecochick, with all kinds of great giveaways and awesome visitors to the site. Welcome back all of you who've been here for a while, and welcome to everyone who just discovered the site this week - I hope you stick around! Don't forget to subscribe to the ecochick feed, and if you have any feedback for me you can comment or email me at talk at ecochick dot ca. Happy eco-living!