shak-shuka

Will You Be My Valentine?

So we've talked a lot about how the mamas, papas and lovers can spend Valentine's Day in a special eco-friendly way. But what about the kids? Yesterday we were supposed to (and will! I promise! we've been an infirmary over here as the kiddie is ill) write a post about making special sweets for Valentine's Day, but today is strictly for the youngins!

When I was young, Valentine's Day meant a few things: chocolate boxed heart candies, carnation flowers from someone who liked you, and Valentine cards for all of your friends (and a yank of the hair of someone you really liked). I think that the last time I gave out Valentine's Day cards, they had Goofy or Pluto on them. Oy. But times have changed, and the lovely Botantical Paperworks has done it again by celebrating this love(ly) holiday in an eco-friendly way. No dumping your lovely card in the trash once the holiday is over and gone (or the romance), instead you simply plant them in the garden to enjoy some wildflowers! With a beautiful, simple message - LOVE - this Valentine is as stunning as it is earth-friendly, and sure to your eco sweetie smile! So grab a bunch of wildflower-making Valentine's, and share the eco love!

Steel Me A Stapleless Stapler!

If you've known me for long, you've been around for my pre-Shak-Shuka days. Before being an eco mama, I was an eco chef, mixing up veggie buffets for the masses. I also produced a monthly newsletter filled with recipes and eco tips, a mere smidgen of what we do here! One of my favorite items that I did write about in those mini-newsletters, was the Stapleless Stapler. I know, it sounds like an oxymoron, but it really works! And best of all, its eco factor is impressive - statistics say that if every UK office worker used one less staple a day it could 120 tons of steel a year. That's some major metal!

Instead of using steel for staples like a traditional stapler, this Stapeless Stapler makes a slight hole and ingeniously slips slivers of the other papers through the hole so that they stick together. I'm probably not techy enough to explain this properly, but believe me when I say it works and it's fabulous! It's handy, lightweight, inexpensive, and you never have to worry about replacing those pesky staples that leave your hand in the mouth of the stapler just waiting to get snapped down by the stapler jaws. I highly suggest you don't hesitate in going stapleless!

And for those of you who want something a bit more "cutesy" I just discovered (thanks to the folks at Treehugger) these super cute animal stapleless staplers: now you have no excuse! Get one for you and for the kids!