A Tried and True Green Product Review – sustainably grown and made wines

For the purposes of this product test, we received 3 bottles from The Crossings wine portfolio: Pinot Noir, Unoaked Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. We tasted, tested and here’s what we think: 3 cheers – these are special wines from a special place…

Food and wine go hand in hand. Over the course of the past couple of weeks, the hub and I sipped, supped and imbibed.

We love the zestiness of the Sauvignon Blanc 2011 – a bright blend with lots of zingy citrus flavors, almost bubbly. Accompanied by goat-cheese-sprinkled Greek Salad, some dips and toasted pita bread … we thoroughly enjoyed rounds of this refreshingly zingy Sauvignon Blanc. Eco chic meets citrus in a wine bottle.

Another evening we paired the Unoaked Chardonnay 2009 with Wild Pacific salmon, green beans and a little side of sweet potato fries. Who knew unoaked Chardonnay even existed. This Chardonnay is freaking delicious. Prior to trying, I didn’t realize how oak can influence or mask the true flavor of the grape. I’m a Chardonnay girl, and I’ve fallen for this varietal – it’s cool and crisp … just like the climate.

Last but not least, we threw together a homemade pizza topped with Portabello mushrooms and green peppers to accompany the Pinot Noir 2010. The Pinot was smooth and delicious. Balanced and elegant. With hints of berry, but not too fruity or sweet. Young yet mature. A simple bite was quickly elevated to a more sumptuous repast.

backstory – The Crossings is located in the dramatic Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand. Looks spectacular. A member of Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand a group of growers dedicated to providing a ‘best practice’ model of environmental practices in the vineyard and winery, they guarantee better quality assurance from the vineyard through to the bottle, and address consumer concerns regarding products which are made taking care to respect the environment. This wine tastes as wonderful as its roots.

Look for The Crossings, drink and enjoy.

Available at Publix supermarkets in the US – Check the website for more Store Locations. (SB retails for $13.50, Chardonnay, $13.99 & Pinot Noir, $19.50) – cheers.

UPDATE: We’ve notified our 3 lucky winners (Marguerite, Cynthia and Christal) and await their reply before making it official…stay tuned!

What if I were to tell you there’s a new way to try a great selection of eco-conscious beauty products on a monthly basis, without breaking the bank? Think try before you buy and make room in your life for a little goodebox. Here’s what it is and why we love it:

• It’s a monthly members-only service providing trial-sized healthy, eco-sensitive, innovative and effective beauty & personal care products, as well as natural and organic health & wellness products.
• You’ll receive 6 or 7 trial-sized products that are pre-screened, expertly curated, customized for you and delivered to your door for $16 per month. Plus, receive exclusive discounts and offers every month.
• They feature thoroughly evaluated, mission-based brands committed to using the best, non-toxic ingredients to create innovative, performance based products that respect people, animals and planet.
• Experience some of our favorite brands, including Stark Skincare, Alima Pure, Josie Maran Cosmetics, Nvey, Revolution Organics, Buddha Nose, Tata Harper, Clairvoyant Beauty, Weleda and many more. And receive sustainable, healthy & sexy care from head to toe: shampoo, nail polish, body lotion, moisturizer, sunscreen, foundation and more.

March’s box showered me with a sweet array of trial-sized beauty goodies. I enjoyed cleansing and nourishing my skin with Stark’s Green Tea Detox Clay; Clairvoyant Beauty’s Depuffing Cucumber and Cranberry Eye Gel and Josie Maran’s Bear Naked Wipes. The samples are a decent size, good for several trials. Goodebox is smart, sexy and sustainable. It’s a fun way to try new clean and green products … without experiencing buyer’s remorse.

Want to try before you buy? Jump in for your chance to win a month’s worth of goodies. We’re giving away 3 goodeboxes to 3 lucky winners.

Entering is easy: Visit goodebox.com Then simply leave a comment telling us: If you could swap out one less-than-clean health or beauty product for something greener, what would it be? You can also do one or more of the following, and receive an entry for each comment you leave on this post:

Optional ways to enter:

• Join Goodebox on Twitter @goodebox
• Join AltCon on Twitter @AltCon
• Sign up for our free monthly enewsletter for insider eco tips, news & deals
• Tweet about the giveaway (no more than once per day), be sure to refer to @AltCon and @goodebox
• Like Goodebox on Facebook
• Like Alternative Consumer on Facebook and Subscribe to our RSS feed.

For prize notification be sure to add the following to your email address book: m at AlternativeConsumer.com.

Open to residents in USA and Canada. Contest ends Monday, May 14, 2012 11:59pm PT. Winner will be selected in our Random Drawing, and notified by email on Tuesday, May 15, 2012. Winner has 24 hours to claim their prize, or the offer is null and void. Winner’s first name will be included in this post.

As always, we will not share your email or contact info with anyone. Good luck!

(photo credit goodebox member, Sarah LaMantia)

related: more eco-fashion featured on The Alternative Consumer

It’s not easy to find a good air freshener. One that isn’t created with harsh chemicals and toxins. One that doesn’t mask odors with synthetic perfumes. One that really removes odors safely and effectively, without leaving a trail of residue.

Think about it – with every breath we take… We don’t want to risk exposure to toxins. We just want the bad smell to go away quickly, without killing harming people and planet. When I came across a product line that purported to “eat odor and dirt – and leave nothing behind” I had to give it a try.

Enter Freshana Odor Eliminator … I’ve been spraying this aerosol in different places whenever I catch a whiff of something stale or bad. And guess what, this stuff really works. As directed, I spray each area or surface for 8 to 10 seconds. I’ve tried it in the office, car, shoe closet, living room, dining room, bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen and laundry areas. What I love about it, is that it does exactly what it says – it lifts away bad odors without leaving a lingering scent of any kind. It’s like getting a hit of instant fresh air.

I’ve also been testing Freshana Liquid Spray – their food-grade, (safe for use around kids, pets and the elderly) all-purpose household cleaner. It’s versatile and works well on kitchen counter tops, windows, glass, carpets, laundry and other surfaces without leaving any odor behind. Mirrors and glass really shine. These two products are especially great for anyone with asthma or allergies.

How do they do it? There are NO harsh chemicals, carcinogens, perfumes or toxins in the ingredient mix. It’s derived from organically grown, highly renewable sugar cane, from farms located throughout the USA and its territories. We give Freshana our green thumbs up – it really works. (retails as a 2-pak, $16.99 + s&h) You can pick up some @ scentfreeclean.com

full disclosure: we received 2 products for the purposes of this Tried and True Green Product Review: 1, 14-oz aerosol and 1, 16 oz liquid spray of Freshana.

Full disclosure: the good folks at Move Collective gave us their latest innovative water filtering product, the bobble jug, to test out. Here’s our review:

With Earth Day upon us it’s a great time to cut-down on waste, reduce emissions and save resources. The daily consumption of bottled water by many consumers creates tons of plastic waste and carbon emissions. A great way to save money while doing Mother Earth a solid is to drink tap water — an endeavor that will keep tons of plastic out of local landfills and reduce the millions of gallons of bottled water products (and the resulting emissions) being packaged and shipped around the globe.

To that end, we were recently asked to review a new product created to increase the consumption of tap water — the shapely bobble jug — a stylish new player in the water filter pitcher market. The bobble jug is the latest member of a product line that includes the very popular bobble bottle created by the Move Collective and designer Karim Rashid.

We endeavored to see if the designer pitcher met its marketing claims — to be a fast, easy-to-use, attractive product that makes drinking tap water a viable alternative to buying bottled water.

what we found

shape: as you can see the bobble jug has a sexy, curvacious silhouette, evocative of its older brother the bobble water bottle. Unlike some taller filter pitchers, the ‘jug’ will fit very nicely into even the most cluttered fridge, while holding a generous 64 fl oz of H2O. It can also be used in the dining room as an attractive serving pitcher.

flavor: the bobble jug’s carbon filter did indeed remove the funky chemical flavors from our town’s tap water, making it very drinkable. One tip — remember to soak that filter as the product instructions indicate. We also suggest pouring out the first pitcher or two after installing a new filter to get rid of any residual carbon particles. You are then good to go.

speed: this baby filters water really quickly, no standing around tapping your feet waiting for the filter to do its job, it’s almost instantaneous.

green quotient: bobble jug is BPA-free and fully recyclable.

• details: a single bobble filter cleans up to 40 gallons (or 150 liters) of water. The filter reduces (in our case eliminated) the taste and odor of chlorine and sediments. You can taste when it’s time to replace the carbon filter — or use the unit’s handy calendar ring to monitor when the filter should be replaced.

• the bottom line: if you have typical tap water that has a funky, municipal flavor — the bobble jug is a fine solution — it looks great, performs well and will get your tap water tasting much better. For those with really toxic tap water, remember, the bobble jug doesn’t feature the most sophisticated filtration system on the planet — those with incredibly bad tap water might want to explore installing a more sophisticated under-counter filtration system.

price: an individual jug with one filter is currently selling for a very reasonable $29.99 — filters go for $9.99 each.

special deal: for Earth Day the folks at bobble have a special offer: spend $30 or more on bobbles, filters, and accessories on www.waterbobble.com and they’ll send you a bobble jug, free of charge. The offer is good until April 3oth.

Check out the ‘bobble’ info-graphic below for a detailed look at how the bobble makes a difference.

As a native New Yorker, skepticism is in my DNA. But after trying on the Metamorphose, by Horny Toad, there’s no doubt about it: this adorable little black dress really is easily transformable and can be stylishly worn several different ways. The dress is so comfy and the fabric is so soft you almost don’t want to take it off. It feels like organic cotton but it’s not. Interestingly, it’s a blend of eco-friendly Tencel and linen.

An unfussy frock, I plan to roll it up, pack it into a travel bag, and take it on the road with me for spring-summer outings. For easy-breezy wear, I can see it as on a pre- or post-beach romp, having a few cocktails by the surf  — or dressing it up a little with sparkly jewels and shoes for a fun night out with friends. BTW, the fabric is not exactly jet black but has a very subtle grey thread woven into it, which can place it in the slightly more casual black zone. It runs full-size; if you border on a medium to large size, I’d suggest that you get the medium. Here’s the link to snag one and find more details: hornytoad.com.

Extra eco cred: the dress arrived in a little plastic bag that’s not only partially made of recycled material but also 100% recyclable.

For the purposes of this no-strings-attached Tried and True Green Product Review, I received a complimentary Metamorphose dress (retail value, $85). Thank you, Horny Toad for providing several cool additions to my eco wardrobe with one easy piece.

Spring is in the air and let me guess, spring cleaning is on your gotta-do list. Aside from distilled white vinegar, baking soda and lemon, a cost-effective and trusty solution – if you’d like to try some brands that won’t harm you or hurt the environment, here’s a roundup of a few of my top Tried and True favs:

(above) Mrs Jones’ SoapBox – love the entire line, the Leather and Wood Cleaner is awesome.

(above) Grab Green – California-based, this biodegradable line is great, I especially like the Dishwashing Detergent and Room & Fabric Freshener.

(above) Eco Clean – Made in Denmark, the land of highly eco and energy minded individuals, the non-toxic Eco Clean line is free from parabens, phosphates, bleach, ammonia and petro chemicals. The line’s cleaning power is derived from plant and sugar based surfactants – specifically, fatty acids of sugar beets, (D-Glucopyranose) a sustainable, renewable, readily biodegradable plant. Great stuff.

(above) Better Life – planet-, people- and pet-friendly Better Life cleaning products are 99 percent derived from plants. No parabens, petrochemicals, sulfates, VOCs, ethoxylates, ammonia, bleach, solvents, dyes, toxins or synthetic anything. Simply amazing line. Especially love Simply Floored, I Can See Clearly Wow and 2am Miracle.

(above) Shaklee – don’t let the “big name” scare you – awesome stuff, especially cool is the Scour Off Heavy Duty Paste. A real grime fighter – just a little dab does the trick – smells great and lasts a long time.

(above) Supreme Surface eco-friendly Granite countertop cleaner and conditioner - wow! a 100% organic, non-toxic and food-safe option for those granite surfaces – you can see and feel the difference – not just clean, but conditioned – very cool.

(above) Let’s not forget spiffing up the car: skip the car wash – check out our review of Eco-Touch Waterless Car Wash products – they’re amazing. They leave the car nice and clean; the Quick Wax helps keep things shiny for quite a long time.

Review of Neola wedge from the Twist and Shout Collection: If you’re looking for style and comfort, pull up a chair and try on a pair of these beauties. Go easy on your feet and easy on Mother Earth. I love how the platform wedge gives me a couple of inches of height without my having to squish my tender toes into a pair of heels. The vegetable tanned leather is super soft, rubber lining is nice and comfy and the cork sole is strong, renewable and durable. These babies look great with jeans, sun dresses or tunic & tights. For a casual evening or brunch with friends, they’re a perfect match – day or night. They fit nice and snugly.

UPDATE: Congratulations to our lucky winner, Megan! Thanks to everyone for participating. Stay tuned for our next eco fab giveaway.

Great Green Giveaway: For the well-heeled .. One lucky winner gets to pick their size and favorite color of the Neola style (photos above). Choice of flat sandal or wedge. Prize value: $139.95 + free shipping to anywhere in the USA or Canada. Contest ends Wednesday, March 14. For prize notification be sure to add the following to your email address book: m at AlternativeConsumer.com.

To enter, be sure to take a peek at all the collections at naya.com. Simply let us know your favorite color (red, black or sand) & why you’d like to be the winner. If you’d like to receive more than one entry, do any of the following, leave a comment for each.

• OPTIONAL: follow Naya on Twitter and/or Facebook – leave an additional comment for each to let us know.

More optional ways to receive additional entries:

• Sign up for our free monthly enewsletter for insider tips, news & deals.
• Join us on Twitter – tweet about the giveaway (no more than once per day), be sure to refer to @altCon, and leave a comment on this post.
• Receive additional entries 2 more ways: subscribe to our RSS feed, or like us on FaceBook. As always, we will not share your email info with anyone. Good luck!

Naya means renewal and was created for women who want beautiful, comfortable shoes that leave a softer footprint on our earth. Naya has partnered with national nonprofit Soles4Souls to launch Renew Your Soles, a nationwide shoe donation and recycling initiative designed to encourage people to recycle their shoes to keep them out of the landfill and help people in need. more @ nayashoes.com

Neola is available at Nordstrom’s for $139.95

Details: Vegetable tanned leather upper; rubber lining; cork sole … sandal is lifted by a woven-wrapped wedge.

full disclosure: Naya provided me with a Neola wedge in black for the purposes of this Tried and True Green Product Review and Great Green Giveaway.

Amazing Grass is a company focused on providing certified organic whole food based on grass – real 100% organic, whole leaf wheat grass, one of the most potent leafy greens available. They combine wheat grass with Barley grass and Alfalfa as well as a blend of plant-based proteins, phytonutrients and veggies, digestive enzymes and probiotics – and offer it in either powdered form for you to add to a beverage to energize and start your day. Or you can grab a handy energy bar – packed with a grass base – to stay satiated while on the go.

We had the opportunity to taste a variety of their Green SuperFood Energy Bars, and here’s what we think: we like Berry and Chocolate A LOT! They’re very tasty and satisfying. They’re so satiating that some days I’d have one for lunch. Other days I’d crave something good to eat at about 4pm and reach for only half-a-bar. (They’re easy to split with a pal or save for another time.) Peanut Butter and Plain were not our faves.

The Chocolate Whole Foods Energy Bar is yummy, almost like a dessert. The crazy combo of diverse organic ingredients like dates, agave nectar, spinach, broccoli, acai, dried cranberries, pineapple, pumpkin seeds, cashews, sunflower seeds, acidophilus & more, covered in dark chocolate sounds wacky but is tasty and energizing. Accompanied by either water or a hot brew and I could coast til dinner. Chocolate contains 230 calories, 5 grams of protein and 37 grams of carbs.

More about Amazing Grass Organic Green SuperFood Energy Bars, they’re

• raw
• cold pressed
• alkaline & gluten-free
• dairy-free
• vegan
• non-GMO
• Fair Trade
• made with organic grass grown in Kansas

Learn all about them @ Amazing Grass Green SuperFoods; find in your local Whole Foods Market.

full disclosure: we received 8 Green SuperFood Energy Bars for the purposes of this Tried and True Green Product Review … no strings attached.

HotLips is a hot soda pop brand, family-run and located in Portland, Oregon. They’ve been concocting fruit-based batches of refreshing bubbly since 2005 – sourcing locally grown fruit, refining the processing & manufacturing, rolling out new flavors, expanding distribution, and listening to customer’s requests for “less tiny seeds in the strawberry, please.”

We recently had the opportunity to test their latest handcrafted flavor, Cranberry – it’s a hit in our book. How do they do it? Fresh batches of Stevens and Yellow River varieties of cranberries from Seaview Farms arrive at HOTLIPS bottling plant in Newberg, Oregon. The berries are cooked in kettles, blended with NW grown pear juice for a happy dose of light sweetening (no other sugar is added), then it’s lightly carbonated and pasteurized. The fruit-derived soda is distributed in bottles made from 80% recycled, locally sourced glass. Just twist off the cap and Voila! Instant fruity refreshment.

We’ve drunk it straight and are happy to report that it doesn’t leave one’s mouth feeling dry or parched, like a “whole” cranberry juice can. The tartness of the cranberry is well balanced by the addition of pear juice delivering a dose of sweetness that we seem to desire when drinking soda. The carbonation also adds a nice level of sparkling hydration and refreshment, too.

Vodka lovers that we are, we also added Cranberry Soda to a shot of vodka and added a twist of lime. Very fine.

Not for bargain hunters – this handcrafted soda pop retails for $2.75/each or a 6-pack for $11. (when you buy a 6-pack, you can mix & match flavors) … buy online @ hotlipssoda.com

full disclosure: we received a complimentary 6-pack for the purposes of this trial, no strings attached.

Related: HotLips previously on The Alternative Consumer