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Celestial Seasonings is Brewing Teas and Growing Trees

by joi on February 27, 2009

in Conservation, Health

Misty Trees
Misty Trees Art Print

I love this – tea and the environment in one post!

On one of the walls in our kitchen, I have an antique “hanging shelf” which actually includes 4 shelves. It’s filled with different boxes and canisters of tea:

  • Green tea – delicious and filled with antioxidants
  • White tea – also filled with antioxidants, white tea’s a little more subtle than green.  Celestial Seasonings Perfectly Pear White Tea is especially good.
  • Celestial Seasonings Country Peach Passion – as wonderful iced as it is hot.
  • Earl Grey Tea – This is probably my favorite black tea.  It’s the tea Starbucks uses for their addictive drink, London Fog.  When Starbucks is closed, I heat up a little skim milk, whisk it until it’s kind of foamy, and add it to a cup of freshly brewed Earl Grey Tea.  Heaven!
  • Celestial Seasonings Mint Green Tea – Oh man, this makes a perfect cup of tea.
  • Chamomile tea – if you ever have trouble sleeping, one cup of this tea will give you the best night’s sleep you could even imagine.
  • Echinacea tea- My family knows that I keep this tea on hand for the second anyone seems under the weather.   If anyone has a sore throat or cough, I add some honey and lemon juice.  We all swear by it.
  • Mandarin Orange Spice Tea – One of my husband’s favorites. It’s awesome.
  • Red Tea – This is one that I’m starting to fall hard for.  The first time I tried it, I wasn’t sure if I loved it or hated it!  It was intriguing enough to try again and I’ve actually grown very fond of it.
  • Candy Cane Lane – a Holiday Tea from Celestial Seasonings.  I was afraid that it’d disappear after Christmas, so I pretty much loaded up on  it.  It’s a Green Tea, and another way that Celestial Seasonings has made Green Tea great for the masses.  I wish I’d grabbed more of their Sugar Plum Spice Holiday tea.  I’m still kicking myself over that.

There are other teas as well, but these are the ones that come to mind.  One word about tea:  I recently stopped drinking caffeine after 6 pm.  I’m the biggest coffee and tea addict in the world, and caffeine’s a great, close friend.  However, my sleep was beginning to suffer, so I’ve started enjoying the heck out of cups of decaf tea in the evening.

I’m sleeping like an overweight housecat who just got her belly full.  But enough about Alexa.  Last night, I had a huge mug of Celestial Seasonings Mint Green tea and, get this, I blissfully slept right through what (I hear) was a heckuva storm!  We were expecing a storm last night – all the weather reports said to batten down the hatches.  This morning, I asked my daughter Stephany, “Did it not storm last night after all?”  Her eyes got huge and she said, “You slept through it?!?!”

Um, yeah.  Apparently the lights went out (meaning my beloved fan which I can’t sleep without also went out).  My husband even got up during it.  News to me. Wake me when it’s over. No, on second thought – don’t wake me, deep sleep is sweet.

Something else I love to great extremes? Tees! Being from Kentucky, I have an extra strong love affair with trees. We’ve lived in a lot of different states, and while they each had their own beauty – I always missed my beautiful green Kentucky and all of her horses, hills, farms, cardinals, Kentucky wildlife, and trees.

So I’m all kind of jazzed up about this “teas and trees” post!

Celestial Seasonings Gives Us A Cool Way to Make a Difference

Celestial Seasonings is smack in the middle of a tree planting program that I know you’ll want to get involved in. The Celestial Seasonings’ Trees for the Future partnership includes a virtual, sustainability-promoting, tree-planting program. It allows people to give back to an eco-friendly cause without paying a dime OR by simply buying a box of tea. Read what The Environmental Leader had to say about the program.

By simply purchasing tea or clicking on a mouse, Celestial Seasonings tea drinkers can support the planting of trees in developing countries and help promote environmental and economic sustainability around the world. The brand has partnered with non-profit organization Trees for the Future to support the planting of more than one million trees in developing countries. These trees promote economic and environmental sustainability in nations where it is desperately needed.

Tea drinkers can take part in two fun and affordable ways: by purchasing the brand’s all-natural teas between now and March 31, 2009, and by visiting www.celestialseasonings.com/trees, where they are given the opportunity to participate in a free, interactive, Web program that turns “virtual trees” into reality.

The online program was developed to further engage tea drinkers and make the tree planting experience more tangible. This site also gives consumers an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the sustainability efforts of Celestial Seasonings and Trees for the Future. Celestial Seasonings earth-friendly approach to making tea includes a focus on sustainable harvests, ethical trade practices and minimal packaging, which saves more than 3.5 million pounds of waste from entering landfills annually.

The Press Release:
Celestial Seasonings® Asks Tea Drinkers to Make a Difference by Planting “Virtual Trees” Online

The specialty tea leader partners with Trees for the Future to plant more than one million trees in developing countries around the globe.

BOULDER, Colo.— February 3, 2009 —By simply purchasing tea or clicking on a mouse, Celestial Seasonings® tea drinkers can support the planting of trees in developing countries and help promote environmental and economic sustainability around the world.

Celestial Seasonings will sponsor the planting of more than one million trees through a new partnership with the nonprofit organization Trees for the Future. Tea drinkers can join Celestial Seasonings in planting trees in two ways: by purchasing the brand’s all-natural teas between now and March 31, 2009, and by visiting www.celestialseasonings.com/trees, where they are given the opportunity to participate in a free interactive program that turns “virtual trees” into reality.

“Our tree-planting program is a fun, affordable way for Celestial Seasonings tea drinkers to make a difference during trying economic times,” said Peter Burns, General Manager of Celestial Seasonings. “With the help of our valued consumers and the like-minded environmental stewards at Trees for the Future, we will sponsor the planting of more than one million trees and help promote sustainability worldwide.”

Online visitors to www.celestialseasonings.com/trees can plant a tree in a virtual forest generated entirely by fellow users. For each virtual tree planted, Celestial Seasonings will sponsor the planting of one real tree in a developing country by Trees for the Future. The online experience enables visitors to view the growing virtual forest of trees and watch their own tree sprout and grow. Users also discover how trees benefit the environment and economies of emerging nations by improving the quality of their water, air and soil, promoting biodiversity and generating additional income.

Visitors also learn about the brand’s earth-friendly practices, including the growing, harvesting and sourcing of their ingredients and the packaging of their products. Because they have worked with many of the same farmers for more than 30 years, the specialty tea leader has been able to establish sustainable harvests and support ethical trade practices. Additionally, Celestial Seasonings’ use of minimal packaging, including a unique tea bag that requires no strings, tags, staples or individual wrappers, saves more than 3.5 million pounds of waste from entering landfills annually.

Since 1988, Trees for the Future has planted more than 70 million trees in Central America, Africa and Asia – helping thousands of communities improve their livelihoods and their environment. These newly planted trees remove approximately 1.5 million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year.

Having Fun With Treasures Plucked From the Trash

by joi on February 13, 2009

in Animal Protection, Conservation, Helping Children

Below is a tip that was in one of my recent green newsletters:

The next time you want to save trash from landing in the garbage can, think of fun uses for it. Save all those plastic bottle tops in a big jar and transform them into colorful bracelets, charms or pins decorated with glitter, tiny toy trinkets or vintage fabrics. Reuse metal cans and mint tins to display and store your favorite magnets. Save candy wrappers and chip bags for making collages and whimsical jewelry.

Oscar the Grouch knows trash is beautiful.When my girls were really young (back when Sesame Street was “can’t miss” tv, fish sticks were gourmet, and I knew absolutely everything) we made a couple of big “Craft Boxes.” They were actually boxes that a Gateway Computer came in, so they were already cool looking.

Inside the boxes, we put the regular suspects – glue, safe scissors, construction paper, glitter, etc. But the funnest part was finding unexpected things that’d serve a purpose. These were things that we would normally throw out. They even got their grandparents involved and noted that their grandmother, in particular, came up with some fascinating trash.

She was a school nurse and worked in the board of education offices. So, she was able to recycle the trash they’d normally throw out by bringing it to three little artists and their cow boxes.

Even though my girls haven’t seen Sesame Street in ages and I’ve somehow lost my ability to know everything – they still love to make things. So, yes, we still have a craft box in the house. They love the idea of making jewelry and cool things to set around in their rooms. I’ve always thought that the creativity sparked by finding uses for castoffs was great for all of us.

Our cats also benefit from the recycling mindset. Our most playful cat, Alexa, has a couple of toy baskets with play pretties (an adorable phrase my mother in law used for toys) and some of her favorites are actually recycled trash. You know the little containers of icing that come with cinnamon rolls? The little silver discs on top of the plastic bowls send her into a frenzy of delight! She had one all over the kitchen floor this morning. She wore herself out and is sound asleep beside me.

Naturally, you want to always be sure that anything you recycle can’t hurt your baby, whether it has fur or not. One of my babies was (and is!) a “Brittany,” so I always had to be extra, extra careful. You know the routine of asking yourself, “What would a child do with this? How could they conceivably hurt themselves? Could he/she choke?” I’d do this routine for my daughters Emily and Stephany – then I’d have to go through an extra one for Britt: “What would Brittany do with this? What weapon of mass destruction could Brittany create with this? Could Brittany replace one of her eyeballs with this? Would Brittany attempt a surgical procedure on a sibling, pet, or grandparent with these…”

You’ve heard of children who color outside of the lines? Brittany  never saw lines, just opportunities!  I don’t know where she got that from… I just…  What?  Oh yeah.

Anyway, always be very careful – even children who try to stay within the lines are still children and will flirt with the edges.  Nothing small enough to go into the mouth, nothing that could go around a neck, nothing that looks as though it’s begging to go into an outlet, nothing that has lead paint, nothing that could be sawed down and used to demand the contents of another child’s candy dish… don’t judge my child…. nothing that could cause harm, etc.

Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.

Green is the New Black and Yellow and Red and Blue and…

by joi on April 22, 2008

in Animal Protection, Conservation, Helping Children, Self Help

Green-licious KentuckyWith all due respect to my boy Kermit, it is, in fact, very easy to be green.  “Living Green” is simply a matter of choice.  If we CHOOSE to do our part to save the planet, we will CHOOSE to make positive decisions.  Every decision we make, after all, affects the world we live in for the better or for the worse.

Living green is what responsible, caring, and giving people do.  Fortunately, it doesn’t hurt and can, actually be pretty fun.  Below are some ways to add more green to your life and, in turn, add more green to our beautiful earth.

  1. Reduce the number of “Packages” you buy.  When possible, buy bulk (think Sam’s Club).  This also is a sound decision financially – it’ll save you some green while you live green. 
  2. Be informed.  Frequently check out websites such as Conservation International.  CI will keep you informed on the effects your lifestyle has on our environment. 
  3. When we were first married, my husband was in the Air Force and money was about as tight as it could get.  I bought a book (yard sale!) about saving money/spending less.  It had a quote that jumped off the page at me and has stayed with me since.  While I’ve always used it in regards to spending/not spending, it also carries a lot of weight when it comes to living green.  Use it up.  Wear it out.  Make it do.  Or do without. I can’t for the life of me remember the name of the book (we’re talking YEARS ago!), let alone the name of the author, but the little verse is a great one.  One of the most important things we can do is to consume less. 
  4. Choose products (printer paper, canvas totes for groceries, clothes) that are made of recycled material or can be reused or recycled.   Little changes add up.
  5. Give your business to companies that have proven to be eco-conscious.  A few that I know of, off hand are Office Depot, McDonald’s, and Starbucks.  (I’ll add to this list as I find more.)
  6. Another change I’ve personally implemented – Use glass plates, glasses and cloth napkins, even when the temptation for paper or plastic is at an all-time high.  We have a large family, so I know how tempting it is to grab plastic cups, paper towels and plates, but it’s another of those small changes that pile up, and I’d rather pile up small changes than trash our planet has to find something to do with.
  7. Reduce toxicity by reusing your batteries and use batteries with reduced mercury.
  8. Find fun, creative uses for old products before throwing them out.  Be sure to get every possible use from everything you have!  Old table? Dress it with a table cloth and a gorgeous plant and give it a new lease on life. 
  9. Buy furniture, toys, clothes, etc that’ll hold up and stand the test of time.
  10. When planting trees, flowers, herbs, and shrubs in your yard – keep in mind that all living things (from  bees and butterflies to frogs and birds) contribute to a healthy environment.  Each has a role they play and a purpose they serve.
  11. Buy food that in no way harms threatened species or habitats.  Remember: Clearing forest for agriculture is one of the leading causes of global deforestation and habitat destruction. (Conservation International.org) 
  12. Buy your produce as locally as possible.  Not only is it just a great idea to support your own community, when you buy locally, less fuel is used to deliver the produce.
  13. Make living green a topic of conversation.  Discuss it with everyone you know.  After all, the more people who are doing their part, the more of an impact we’ll all have.
  14. Find out if there are any threatened species in your community and see what you can do to help.
  15. Whenever you travel – whether it’s walking at a local park or vacationing someplace a little more exotic, be sure you only TAKE photographs, only MAKE memories, and only LEAVE footprints.  Don’t even take one acorn – that’s something’s lunch!  Make sure children don’t make a mess by leaving wrappers, napkins or other culprits lying around. Things they think nothing of can be disasterous.

* The list above will grow as more information becomes available.

 Click HERE to see how Starbucks is doing their part on Earth Day!  As if I didn’t already love them enough.  Sigh.

Duck Family
 

Photo Credits:

The top picture is from Land Between the Lakes (Kentucky) and is courtesy of a guy I know, Mike.

The bottom picture is used, with permission, from a collection photographed by Petr Kratochvil.