It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy when corporations actually do things that show us they care about more than making money. (Let’s not get into a discussion about whether or not “greening” is becoming an industry unto itself, because I know it is, but for right now let’s just pretend there’s some awesome, eco-savvy execs out there.)

Everyone in my family owns a reusable water bottle, and we take them lots of places. I almost never buy bottled water, because 1) we have our bottles to use and 2) I’m fine with drinking tap water. But. But. Occasionally we don’t have our bottles. Occasionally we need to purchase water in a bottle, like when we’re at an airport. Then what?

Here comes the warm fuzzy part: Two companies are helping to assuage my guilt.

First, Pepsi is redesigning their Aquafina bottles to be the lightest on the market (50% less plastic than before). The new bottles will be arriving on shelves any day now. I’ve seen one in person and I wouldn’t have noticed they’re any lighter, but they’re half as much plastic waste as the old version. Awesome.

Second, check out Plant It Water—not only is the container made from paper, rather than plastic, but they plant a tree for every carton sold. I love it! (I also can’t find it anywhere near me, yet, but hopefully that’ll change.)

I love that these sorts of changes are becoming more prevalent. Iddy biddy steps, people. Iddy biddy steps.

I have another confession to make. I am… not very good with directions. And by “not very good with directions” I of course mean “I regularly drove past the turn-off to my own house until I’d lived there for over a year.” It’s embarrassing; I’m a competent mother and businesswoman, yet there appears to be a circuit missing in my brain when it comes to maps.

Before GPS units were affordable, I used to just get lost a lot. And I regularly backtracked to avoid confusion; rather than going from A to B to C, I would go from A to B, then back to A to get my bearings before heading to C. I know. I’m pretty sure this qualifies as a disability, so you can just keep your snickering to yourself.

Needless to say, my GPS has changed my life. I never get lost anymore! But when gas prices went sky-high I realized that actually, I wasn’t just saving myself from wrong turns. I was enabling myself to live that whole “do all your errands on a single trip” thing—whereas before I’d never decide to head to unknown territory for that last errand (for fear of getting lost) while I was out, now I’m always able not just to combine trips, but to do so in the most direct, gas-saving way possible.

Let’s just consider it my iddy biddy step towards reducing automobile emissions. (The fact that it also saves me from frustration and embarrassment is just a handy fringe benefit.)

We’ve been busy ’round here, lately, and I almost forgot to let you know about something really exciting. Idbids has teamed up with The Weather Channel Kids to help bring you a great contest for kids, just in time for Earth Day.

The Care and Share Contest is a fabulous way to get your kids excited about taking some iddy biddy steps towards taking care of the earth this year!

You’ll want to read the entry guidelines and official rules before you get started, but the idea is to submit an innovative and impactful Earth Day celebration plan. There are two grand prizes (one for a family, and one for a class) which include an actual visit from the Idbids. (Plus, you know, money and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. I guess that stuff is good, too.) There are also weekly prize drawings, so get your kids thinking and planning for a chance to win.

Entries are being accepted through April 20th, 2009. I hope your child’s iddy biddy steps can win them a biggie big prize!

I have a new blog crush. I hope that my other blogs don’t mind—there’s certainly enough blog-love to go around.

When it comes to iddy biddy everyday steps towards being greener, sometimes it takes a big of creative thinking. And Cara, the voice behind repurposeful, is so creative with this stuff, I don’t know whether to kiss her or just be jealous that she’s so good at it. I think I’ll settle for directing you all to her blog.

My favorite thing about repurposeful is that it is—as its blurb so succinctly states—”A little bit green, a little bit frugal, 100% useful.” Oftentimes it feels like going green is necessarily more expensive, and that’s not always the case. Cara has tons of ideas that are not only eco-friendly, but super-cheap because they involve using things you were probably just going to throw out, anyway.

Here’s just one example: I’ve already told you about my efforts to green up our packed lunches, but the sandwich wraps I purchased—although great!—are kind of pricey. But thanks to Cara’s blog, now I know how to turn old placemats into sandwich wraps, so I have a much cheaper option, now.

I’ve got her bookmarked. Check out repurposeful; I think you’ll soon be sharing my crush.

I know I’ve been talking about my garden, a lot, recently. It’s not that I’m fixated, it’s that I’m… hungry. Wait. Let’s just say that I’m a little fixated.

Ahem.

Anyway, I’ve been very focused on what I’ll be planting outdoors, for food, and somehow in my Internet researching I came across this post at TreeHugger about the best air-filtering plants to keep indoors. It caused me to stop and think; despite my grand garden plans, I don’t keep many plants indoors.

But then I got to thinking, some more, and realized that this is a golden opportunity to both take another iddy biddy step and to have one of those responsibility encouragers we parents so love.

It’s so simple! I’m going to let my kids peruse NASA’s list of air-filtering plants, and then I’m going to take them to nursery to each pick out a plant for which they will bear responsibility. Although my children have been known to lose track of everything from socks to entire backpacks, I think they will enjoy (and take seriously) the responsibility of watering and otherwise caring for their very own plants.

It’s a practical lesson for them, and cleaner air in the house for our whole family. I can’t wait.

So remember my winter lament about tasteless tomatoes? It was over 80 degrees outside, yesterday, and I’m getting ready to plant.

The garden is on, people. I can’t wait.

Of course, this year I’m committed to making a few small steps towards being even more eco-friendly in my planting. Last year, my husband built us a rain barrel (it’s not nearly as hard as you might think; there are great online instructions and it’s a lot cheaper than buying one ready-made). Given that my area is pretty consistently drought-ridden, the rain barrel was a great step for us. This year I may add a second one.

Last year I considered buying some fairly expensive planting systems that were deemed “fool-proof,” but in the end the cost is what kept me from doing so. Now I’ve come across some DIY instructions for building them, complete with information about which materials are safest to use in terms of chemicals leaching into the soil. I wouldn’t do an entire garden this way, but it’s a great, water-saving method for tight spaces or specific plants.

And last—but not least—I love this BlogHer post about making your own seed pots. I’ve never been very good at origami, but my kids are wizzes at it; I bet they’d love to help me get some starter pots going that don’t involve bringing more plastic into our lives. Score!

We don’t like to brag, you know. But when other folks notice us, well, you’ll excuse us if we indulge in a moment of gleeful, “They like us! They really, really like us!”

And so it is with the 2009 MAX Awards. In which the Idbids Starter Kit is the Grand Winner. We’re flattered, and delighted, and maybe even a bit giddy.

About the MAX Awards:

Each year, the Georgia State University Robinson College of Business Department of Marketing and Atlanta Business Chronicle recognize outstanding marketing innovations introduced in Georgia in the previous year with the Marketing Award for Excellence–the MAX Awards. Entries are judged by members of the Georgia State University Marketing RoundTable in terms of the degree of innovation, great marketing and success.

And from the judge’s comments:

Idbids demonstrates how a very small company can create a whole new category and compete with industry giants through innovation. The eco-friendly toys the company developed were created to foster a love for the environment and to help kids understand the steps they can take to protect the environment and make a difference. They did this without sacrificing fun. Unlike some “green marketers,” the company used environmentally friendly and organic materials and recycled or recyclable packaging.

(They like us! They really, really like us!)

I came across something really neat yesterday that I wanted to share with you. I am all about the ways ordinary people can get inspired to go greener in small but meaningful ways, and it turns out that Greg Horn of Just Do One is the same way. Check this out:

This sort of “what can I do?” philosophy is inspiring in and of itself, I think, but now you might win $5,000 for sharing your idea. I love this contest; what a great challenge for your kids or for your family altogether, to find a great idea and make a quick movie about it.

You can submit as many as you like, and have until April 1st, so get thinking, greening and filming!

If you think you’re living with a pretty green footprint—as I did, up until yesterday—I am here to tell you that one good snow storm is all it will take to humble you to your core. (G’head. Ask me how I know this.)

I’m writing this missive from a yuppie consumer establishment where I can both get an overpriced coffee and borrow some internet. I have availed myself of both of these options, and my children are sitting here with me, bagel crumbs still clinging to the corners of their mouths, while one plays a hand-held video game and the other reads a book.

All of this is because northeast Georgia had a whopper of a snow storm yesterday (snow was not in my contract when I agreed to move south), and we lost power at our house. It was out for a couple of hours, came back on, and I quickly cooked dinner and we had a nice meal. And then the power went out again. And stayed out all night. And this morning. And now I’ve decided to live here, at this restaurant, because they have heat. And lattes.

I thought we were living pretty greenly. With our hot water, and our heat, and our refrigerator and stove and oven and coffeemaker. Heh. Guess not, huh? The power went out and we lit some candles and then we died of hunger and boredom.

Not really. But I think I have some thinking to do about how green we really are. As soon as I finish my latte.