Ecover Fabric Softener Helps Laundry Day Loads Smell Sweeter

Jan 13, 2012 | By Maureen

When it comes to laundry, we all want clean, luxuriously soft and static-free clothes – and a flower-fresh fragrance that won’t overpower. Ecover is all that and more, making laundry day less of a chore in your busy week. The surfactants in our Sunny Day and Morning Fresh fabric softeners have been chosen carefully for their ecological qualities; they get the job done by actually making the textile softer, which reduces drying time – and even makes your clothes easier to iron! They’re suitable for septic tanks, are never tested on animals and have been tested and noted to be safe for sensitive skin .

Many conventional brands in contrast rely on chemicals derived from animal fat that are highly toxic to aquatic life.  You don’t need that! All of Ecover’s products have a minimal impact on aquatic life and of course are quickly biodegradable.

To ensure you get the same great results with every load, our technical specialists at Ecover remind you that because Ecover’s fabric softeners contain only carefully chosen plant-based and mineral ingredients, you should not store it at extreme hot or cold temperatures.

And the quality of Ecover’s Fabric Softeners extends to our PlantPlastic packaging as well! Our 100%PlantPlastic packaging is 100% renewable, reusable and recyclable. And it’s made from sugarcane! It’s ecology and innovation meeting science, and laundry day never smelled so sweet!

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Ecover Says ‘Happy New Year’ with a Sweepstakes Featuring Sheets from The Clean Bedroom!

Jan 11, 2012 | By Maureen

Ecover is celebrating a sustainable new year with a fantastic new sweepstakes! We’re thrilled to feature our friends at The Clean Bedroom, who produce the finest organic mattresses and bedding, and have store locations all across the country. You have until January 16th to enter to win one set of 220-thread count organic cotton percale sheets by Coyuchi, which uses only handpicked certified organically grown cotton, without harmful chemicals, dyes or fabric finishes. Now these are the kind of sheets we like to slip between!

And we love the fact that The Clean Bedroom carries such a wide assortment of hard-to-find organic products, including those for the bath and baby nursery. Also among the offerings are air purification systems and even a line of organic pet beds! Hey, our beloved pets deserve a sustainable place to lay their heads, too!  The one lucky sweepstakes winner gets to choose one of the following:

1 Coyuchi Organic Cotton Percale Sheet Set, Queen: 60 in. × 80 in. × 15 in. (1 flat sheet, 1 fitted sheet and 2 queen pillowcases); color options: ivory or white.
Total value: $232

OR:

1 Coyuchi Organic Cotton Percale Sheet Set, King: 78 in. × 80 in. × 15 in. (1 flat sheet, 1 fitted sheet and 2 king pillowcases); color options: ivory or white.
Total value: $264

To enter, “like” us on Facebook, then click on the sweepstakes tab to the left under our profile picture and follow the instructions. The sweepstakes ends at midnight, January 16th. The winner will be selected at random on January 17^th! Good luck … and as The Clean Bedroom says, “You deserve a healthier night’s sleep!”

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Ecover Meets a Mom Who Knows that Veggies & Kids Belong Together!

Jan 09, 2012 | By Deb

Getting kids to make healthy food choices is not always easy, but it can be accomplished by taking small steps in the right direction.  Sarah Creighton, who writes the Veggie Kids blog, is a mother of three (ages 2, 5 and 7) whose passion is “coming up with plant-based recipes that my kids (and husband) will eat!”

A vegan who eats “lots of raw fruits and vegetables,” Sarah believes that modeling healthy eating for your kids is the number one thing parents can do to encourage healthy food choices. “There are numerous studies and articles written about the amazing effect a parent has when they choose to grab a handful of raw veggies versus a handful of chips,” she told Ecover recently. “Our children watch us more intently than we think. It’s important to strive to become better role models in the eating habits and health of our kids. Getting the entire family involved in a healthier lifestyle is even more beneficial.”

So Sarah recommends teaching children where their food comes from: plant a garden, start composting and buy locally. “I know with my own kids, they are always amazed when they plant a tiny seed and out grows a tall plant bearing food that they can pick and eat!”

Other ways to encourage healthier eating? Sarah suggests cooking meals together and making fun and appetizing foods like these Crispy Veggie Curls! It’s all about taking small steps, she says. “If parents can get their kids to replace one piece of junk food with one piece of raw fruit or veggie, that’s a step in the right direction!”

Sarah was inspired to start blogging on this topic when she had her first child. He loved his veggies, and broccoli in particular. So she wrote a book called The Boy Who Loved Broccoli, which was just published. Bottom line, says Sarah, “instilling good habits in our kids when they’re young will not only give them a better start on life but they will become healthier adults.” Ecover couldn’t agree more!

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Ecover Tantalizes the Palate with a Sustainable Delight from the City of Angels

Jan 06, 2012 | By Heather

Amidst a panorama of palm trees, ocean, skyscrapers and chic shops, Ecover  is thrilled to report that the sustainable food revolution is alive and well in Los Angeles! One of the “green culinary revolutionaries” is none other than Chef Victor Casanova of Culina Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.

The Culina was designed and built with materials such as reclaimed wood, and nature is the driving decorative element throughout the space…and the food is, well, simply sustainable! Here’s a great and tasty example for you to try out yourself –

Panzanella Salad

Ingredients:

Rustic country loaf, exterior removed then cut into 1/2 inch dice
3 heirloom tomatoes cut into ½ inch dice
2 cups fresh ripe watermelon, cut into ½ inch dice
½ red onion, julienne
½ bunch basil, torn into ½ inch pieces
½ cucumber, cut into ½ inch half-moons
4 oz. ricotta salata, coarsely grated
4 vine-ripened tomatoes, passed through a food mill
4 oz. DaVero Champagne Vinegar (can substitute)
3 oz. DaVero Extra Virgin Olive Oil “Dry Creek Estate” (can substitute)
Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.  Toast bread in preheated oven at 375°F, until well-colored but not brown.
2.  Reserve bread.
3.  Take the 4 vine-ripened tomatoes and pass through a food mill, then combine in mixing bowl with vinegar & oil.
4.  Season to taste with salt & pepper.
5.  Reserve vinaigrette.
6.  In a large salad bowl, combine all ingredients;  toss well.
7.  Season to taste.
8.  Divide into 4 small salad bowls.

Yield: Serves 4

Note:  Pair that with passion fruit-infused iced tea or 100% organic Arabica coffee and dark chocolate truffles! 

Photos via Travel.nationalgeographic.com (courtesy of Catherine Karnow) and Yourdailythread.com (courtesy of Culina Restaurant)

Recipe via Culina Restaurant (courtesy of Chef Victor Casanova)

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Ecover Suggests Cooking with the Grandkids!

Jan 04, 2012 | By Deb

Today’s grandparents are more active and involved in childrearing than ever! Ecover knows that seniors are often looking for something fun to do with their grandchildren, and cooking is a perfect activity. Spending time in the kitchen with the little ones is a fabulous way to create memories and to create some tasty food along the way!

A new initiative, Kids Cook Monday, encourages parents and grandparents to cook with their children on Monday nights. Allowing youngsters to cook has many benefits: it encourages them to talk and think about nutrition; it expands their palate; and by taking active part, it gives them confidence. It even fosters learning in science, math, fine motor skills and reading! Plus, “cooking with children when they are young offers an opportunity to communicate with them on a regular basis.”

Here are four great recipes to get you started. We think the whole family will enjoy these simple and healthy treats, such as Pineapple Carrot Muffins. Packed with produce, these are a super breakfast food and a delicious (but good-for-you) snack!

Have fun cooking with the grandkids … and don’t forget to have them help clean up the counters afterwards!

Image 1 via Grandparents.com 
Image 2 by marufish, via Flickr.com

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Ecover Celebrates Carter Oosterhouse and Amy Smart’s Green Love Connection!

Jan 02, 2012 | By Maureen

There’s nothing like a great eco love story to satisfy us hopeless romantics here at Ecover! So we congratulate HGTV’s Carter Oosterhouse and actress Amy Smart on their recent marriage – and for their shared efforts to live more sustainably. According to Us magazine, the two met at an environmental charity event in November 2010 and bonded while working on a project together. Sweet!

Amy tells People that she doesn’t watch much TV and didn’t recognize Oosterhouse, who hosts the home improvement shows Carter Can and Red, Hot and Green on HGTV. By chance they were assigned to work together on an adopt-a-school-garden project for the Environmental Media Awards, and sparks flew. Carter is known for promoting green building practices and conservation on his shows, and she is one of young Hollywood’s eco-up-and-comers. Amy says she adores her hybrid car and that buying eco-friendly cleaning products is a “go-green no-brainer.” Be still our beating hearts!

The couple’s September wedding took place in Carter’s hometown of Traverse City, MI, also the current home of Amy’s parents. Even with more than 200 guests in attendance, Carter and Amy were able to keep waste to a minimum, generating just one bag of garbage! Now that takes some serious green planning!

Cheers to the happy couple … and to sharing a passion for all things green with that special someone in your life. Do you have your own green love story to share? We’d love to hear about it on Facebook or Twitter!

Photo by Byron Purvis via People.com

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Ecover Celebrates a Green New Year!

Dec 30, 2011 | By Maureen

Happy Green New Year! Here’s a toast with organic champagne to all of our Ecover fans who are busy at home, and who work to live more sustainably, from recycling to making sustainable food choices, to using our nontoxic, plant-based products. You are on the front lines doing your part – taking care of your family – as well as the planet! So to kick off 2012, we offer a few favorite ideas (dare we say resolutions!) for helping you out at home.

Ecover is passionate in our pursuit of innovative ways to make our business more sustainable – but these simple, super-practical strategies are just as useful for everyday life:

• Stretch your organic food budget – It’s hard on the food budget to only purchase organic products, but Daily Green’s Dirty Dozen list of foods with the most pesticide residue can help you choose wisely.
• Gas up sustainably – Carpooling, public transportation, biking … all are great ways to reduce gas usage, but let’s face it, driving is still a necessity for most of us. Here are 16 ways – some of them quite surprising – to get the most mileage from each fill-up.
• Decorate with your own stuff – If you’re crafty, you’ll love these ideas. And even if you’re not, you may still be inspired to create a memory quilt out of those precious baby clothes that you can’t bring yourself to give away!
• Pare down on packaging and waste – Lots of people are accustomed to separating trash and recyclables, but it’s also important to reduce the amount of waste left curbside. If you have a garden, consider composting your food scraps, and avoid products with excessive packaging.

Best wishes to all, and here’s to an even more sustainable new year!

Photo by Wandering Brit via Flickr.com

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A Festive Ecover Suggestion: Reuse Your Gift Wrap This Holiday Season

Dec 28, 2011 | By Lindsay

Can you believe that half of the paper consumed in the U.S. every year is used to wrap and decorate consumer products?!  We at Ecover hope you’ll help decrease the amount of paper tossed in the trash this holiday season by putting your gift wrap to good use. Check out these easy-breezy tips!

The Gift that Keeps on Giving

1.   Save your wrapping paper for reuse; if the paper has wrinkles, simply iron it on low heat.
2.   Keep those ribbons, bows, gift bags and tissue. Ribbon can be re-curled using the edge of scissors to remove creases.
3.   Torn paper can be saved and used as filler for the inside of gifts or gift bags.

Other Nifty Ways to Reuse Gift Wrap

1.    Cut wrapping paper into notepad sized pieces and use the back for scratch paper and grocery lists.
2.    Reuse tissue paper to wrap fragile holiday items such as ornaments.
3.    Reuse wrapping paper as the decorative background for scrapbooks or used to create decorative storage boxes.
4.    Turn the wrapping paper inside out to cover your children’s books.

Fun Winter Crafts for the Family

1.   Create a Paper Holiday Wreath that can be used for years to come.
2.   Make unique paper snowflakes.
3.   Use the back of your wrapping as drawing paper for kids and fold the ends in on all sides to create a decorative border.
4.   Make your own unique bookmarks by cutting a rectangle from an old cereal box and glue on the wrap. Punch a hole in the top and add a string or reused ribbon!

We wish you happy, festive and recyclable season!

Image courtesy of  Flickr

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FIRST Magazine Recognizes Ecover And Mick Bremans For Responsible Business Practices!

Dec 26, 2011 | By Deb

What a night! More than 300 prominent business and government leaders were on hand at Marlborough House in London recently, to see Ecover Chairman Michaël (Mick) Bremans receive the 2011 FIRST Award for Responsible Capitalism!

FIRST’s Award honors business leaders who have excelled in achieving both commercial success andsocial responsibility. This has Ecover written all over it! FIRST is an international affairs organization that works to enhance communications worldwide between leaders in industry, finance and government.  Rupert Goodman, Chairman of FIRST said, “We … believe that commercial success can be assessed in terms of standard criteria, but that social responsibility involves a greater sense of the needs of the wider community…the well-being of groups in need, care for the areas in which the business operates, environmental initiatives, and support for the arts and culture.”

When awarding Ecover, the judges looked at our business leadership and our consistent demonstration of social accountability. It’s all about how we interact with the environment and in the communities we operate!  Lord Woolf, Chairman of The FIRST Judging Panel said this: “Bremans has, through sensitive and positive leadership of Ecover International, demonstrated what can be achieved through innovation and research, based on sustainability.” 

When Mick Bremans spoke, he said that he was “deeply honored and grateful” to accept the award on behalf of Ecover. “When Ecover started more than 30 years ago, we would never have imagined being where we are today.  From an artisan activity in the early ‘80s, Ecover has become a producer of sustainable household products and a leader in sustainable practices. Ecover is about our customers: As a company we deeply care about the needs of our customers.  We are passionate about improving people’s lives by offering sustainable and healthy ways of living.”

Thank you to FIRST, for recognizing us and continuing to encourage socially responsible business practices!

Photo: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rt Hon George Osborne MP presented the 2011 FIRST Award for Responsible Capitalism to Mick Bremans, Chairman, and Ecover International BV.  

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Ecover’s Top Tips to Green Your Holiday Wrapping!

Dec 23, 2011 | By Lindsay

Oh, the inevitable but joyful task of wrapping gifts for the holidays! We know that traditional gift wrap can be terribly wasteful — to the tune of 4 million tons of waste during the Holidays – so here at Ecover we want to help this season; making it fun but with alternatives that are inexpensive, inventive, and more sustainable!

1.) Use what you have: Brightly-colored magazines and newspapers, phone book or old calendar pages, brown bags, wallpaper, old maps, your child’s artwork – they all make great wrap. Old t-shirts, towels, and washcloths are perfect for odd-shaped gifts, too. (Secure open ends with a safety pin or knot!) You could even use an old potato-chip bag to wrap gifts! Really!

2.) Box it up better. Your gifts will be stored safely in reusable boxes and jars. Jam and baby food jars are perfect for jewelry, bottles and tins are ideal for edible gifts.

3.) Source trimmings from nature. Elements found in your own backyard or nearby park makes any wrapped gift look unique and organic. Forage for pinecones, red berries, branches, and bright leaves!

4.) Get resourceful with embellishments. Use old ribbon, yarn, colored string and bakers twine to tie-up your gifts. Maybe have the kids draw or paint something special for the recipient on plain brown or white paper! Cut-outs from holiday cards make gifts pop!

5.) Wrap better. Wrap a gift with a gift! Items like scarves, bath towels, hats, bowls and mugs are great paper alternatives. If you do want wrapping paper, get recycled craft paper or try gift wrap from some of these options:

• Sheets of bamboo paper, Smock
• Organic cotton bags, Lucky Crow 
• Fabric wraps from Chewing the Cud made from organic cotton

Happy Wrappingdays!

Image by cuttlefish, via Flickr.com

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