eco-friendly Archives

Introducing The Zero-Waste Pet (and a freebie Pet-Safe Cleaning Guide)

03•20•18

Several years ago, I spent time defining my mission, my vision, and my values–for life and for this space. One of my top goals in every category is to live an environmentally-responsible life. I’m certainly not perfect, and I don’t think perfection is ever a realistic goal. That’s why I aim for eco-consciousness: making decisions purposefully with my impact on the environment in mind.

All this includes the pets, too, of course.

As I started researching the zero-waste movement, I quickly realized a couple big things: First, there are a lot of incredible people out there teaching incredible lessons on how to live a more environmentally-responsible life, and I’ve gleaned so much information from YouTube and Instagram zero-waste pros. Second, it’s sort of a judgmental community. Not everyone, of course, but in many places around the web, as you research zero-waste, there’s this feeling like if you can’t do it all, be perfect, keep all your waste for a year in a mason jar, go vegan, upcycle everything, etc. etc. than you’re just not good enough.

I absolutely do not agree with that.

I truly believe every little bit counts. As I researched, I implemented lots of easy changes: I stopped asking for a straw at restaurants, I purchased coconut oil in glass jars instead of plastic, I figured out how to DIY my own cleaning products (for way cheaper, btw, than store-bought… see the end of the post on how to get your hands on some recipes and cleaning hacks…), and so on.

Every little bit counts.

But, as I started to implement small changes for me and the herd, I realized there was a big gap in available info for pet people who are interested in more sustainable pet care. So, I started taking notes and then I realized… I have enough notes for a whole lot of blog posts! And not only that… I have enough notes for a whole ebook!

Earlier this year I teased a project I was working on and, well, it’s here!

I’ve created an ebook called The Zero-Waste Pet, and it’s full of useful, practical info along with a lot of nonjudgmental advice on how to cut down your pet’s “carbon pawprint.”

It’s in the editing stages now, and I plan to launch it officially on Earth Day, April 22.

Leading up to the launch, I’m going to host a 7-day email challenge with one actionable tip per day, culminating with the book launch (and a discount code, obvs, for everyone who’s completed the challenge)!

I’m also creating a ton of freebies to go with the book, like a checklist with daily reminders, DIYs, and a corresponding resource page that’ll have everything you’ve ever wanted to know about eco-friendly pet products, along with my preferred resources.

This project has been a long time in the making, and I seriously can’t wait to release it!

Between now and then–it’s about a month away–I’m wondering a few things from you guys:

What would be most helpful to you to learn about zero waste and pets?
Are there any upcycles, DIYs, or recipes you’ve been looking for but just can’t find?
Do you have any tips or tricks on how you’ve made your pet care more sustainable?

I’d love to learn from you and be able to answer your questions in the comments!

If you’re interested, sign up here to secure your spot in the 7-day challenge and to be the first to know when the book is officially up for sale! Freebie Alert: For signing up, you’ll also get a 9-page ebooklet of pet-safe cleaning tips, tricks, and recipes in your inbox!

How Emmett Being a #WellnessPet Helps Protect the Planet

12•19•16

We’ve gotten to know each other a bit over the years, but one thing I haven’t been blatant about… until now… is that I’m a fanatical recycler.

If someone in my visual range is about to throw something away, something that I suspect can maybe be recycled in some way, I always ask, “Hey, can’t that be recycled?” Or, “Couldn’t that go in the compost bin?” (Apparently in addition to my fanaticism, I’m also passive aggressive in my recycling efforts…)

Anyway, years ago, I was beyond thrilled to discover that this one particular boxed wine that was actually pretty good had a partnership with upcycle and recycle leader TerraCycle®. So, when we finished a box of wine, we could print a free shipping label and mail it off to be recycled AND to earn points for nonprofits, like schools.

OK. So, what does this have to do with dog food?

This post is sponsored by Wellness® and the BlogPaws™ Pet Influencer Network™. I am being compensated to help share the availability of Wellness Products at PetSmart, but we only share information we feel is relevant to our readers. Neither Wellness nor PetSmart is responsible for the content of this article.

Our good friends at Wellness recently partnered with TerraCycle to recycle dog food bags! And there was much rejoicing!

{{May I digress for a moment? For a Twitter chat about Wellness last week, I wondered how long it’s been since we’ve been feeding Wellness. Lightbulb! I could search the blog! I found the oldest mention of Wellness in 2009 when, after exhaustive research, I had decided to make the switch. How fun is that?! And holy moly… how young do Emmett and Lucas look?!}}

Seriously, though, we have tossed so many of those bags over the years, and even though we’d use them first as trash bags to get a longer life out of them, I always wondered why the heck they couldn’t be made of a recyclable material.

Here’s the deal:

Wellness is dedicated to long-term sustainability by embracing and supporting recycling efforts.

TerraCycle enables that by collecting and recycling the material, while allowing you–the recycler–to earn points for donations to your favorite nonprofit. (If your org isn’t listed, they can sign up on the TerraCycle website.)

Learn more about how the recycling program works and how to mail in (for free) your Wellness dog food bags to earn donations! One note: There are drop-off locations around the country, so that’s an option, too, though there isn’t one near us.

Totally the best possible reason to buy Emmett more Wellness from PetSmart, right? Well, maybe not the best… that’s the health and nutrition inherent in their formulas, which you can read about here… but among the best reasons!

My bottom line: Emmett is my best friend. I am committed to feeding him the best, which is why we choose Wellness. The fact that we can now recycle the packaging? That’s the cherry on the dog-food-sundae!

I can take the best possible care care of him while being a good steward to the environment. How can you beat that?

Visit PetSmart® to check out the extensive Wellness lineup in order to pick the right food for your dog. We switch between CORE (as you saw in our last post) and Complete Health (pictured below), which is what Em’s eating today!

Then, give back to the greater community by signing up with TerraCycle and recycling your Wellness packaging!

What do you guys think? Pretty awesome, right? It’s one of my personal missions to support companies that work to make the world a better place. Join me?

And please say hi to our sponsor on social! You can find Wellness on Facebook and Instagram.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Wellness. The opinions and text are all mine.

Pet-Safe Cleaning Products from PL360: Review and giveaway!

06•08•15

Cleaning is kind of my jam.

Everyone has a de-stressing activity, and mine happens to be cleaning stuff. I turn on my iPod and sing along while I scrub. It keeps my mind and hands busy when things are stressful. So, clearly, I’m excited when I get asked to try pet-friendly cleaning products!

We had the opportunity to work with PawGanics, which is now PL360, on grooming products. We loved those–they tick all our preferred boxes, like eco-friendly, affordable, safe, and allergy-friendly. I was excited to try the cleaning products, which ticked all those same boxes! Here’s what we received to test:

Carpet Powder
Multi Surface Cleaning Wipes
Multi Surface Cleaner
Stain & Odor Remover

You can check them all out on PL360’s website.

So, here’s why I love this brand: No ammonia, bleach, phosphates, phthalates, or sulfates. The products are allergy-friendly (Cooper says thank goodness), and the packaging is super cute.

The only thing I haven’t tried yet is the carpet powder (long story short, we are still rearranging and purchasing rugs and runners to accommodate Lucas), but I plan on trying it soon. The first one I got to test was the stain and odor remover. Thankfully (?) for testing products anyway, there’s a lot of barfing that goes on around here. This worked like a charm. Funny story: Shortly after the box arrived, John yelled upstairs, “Hey, Lucas is barfing. Should I clean it, or you need to test those products, right?” Yep. A life of glamour.

The others I tried all worked wonderfully, too. In fact, I’m keeping the cleaning wipes on my desk because it gets super dirty with dust and fur and treat crumbles, and Newt insists on sitting in front of my monitor immediately after she uses her box, getting her “litterbox feet” all over my work space. The wipes are perfect for a quick cleaning swipe.

No chemical residues! On my desk, the counters, the carpet… where my furballs sleep, of course, but they also lick every surface in the house (please tell me your animals do that, too? or my guys are just weirdos?) so it’s really important to me to use safe alternatives to traditional cleaning products without sacrificing the clean.

I’m happy to report that these fit the bill!

And, thanks to the generosity of the folks at PL360, one of you lucky ducks gets the chance to win the cleaners to try for yourself (though I really think you’ll love ’em)! This is a Rafflecopter giveaway. Sometimes the widget takes a minute to load, or if you’re reading this via email or in a feed, you might have to click the link below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you, PL360, for sending us these cleaners to try out, and thanks for offering a set to one lucky reader. We truly love the plant-based, eco-friendly, pet-safe products and are so happy to have had this opportunity!

If you won, what’s the first thing you’d clean with your new cleansers?

The best eco-friendly pet products

11•19•14

Welcome to day 3 of 7 of the 2014 OMD! Holiday Gift Guide! Over the past few months, we’ve tried just about every pet product you can think of – and for this whole week, I’m sharing our faves AND giving them all away! Today’s gift guide is all about the best eco-friendly pet products for the holidays.

We strive to make eco-friendly decisions and purchases as often as possible. Of course, we’re nowhere near perfect, but I always feel like with each step we take, we’re lessening our impact on the planet a little more. When we do have to buy something new – versus something used or repairing something broken – we look for recycled or natural/sustainable materials. This year, we found five awesome pet products that help us lessen our pets’ impact on the planet!

Worldwise Petlinks: Eco-Rest dog bed Canine Cocoon

All dogs are different, and that includes their preferred sleeping arrangements. Emmett prefers a flat surface over anything too squishy or with sides. The other three? Well, let’s just say that this cocoon bed has turned into a whoever-gets-there-first-gets-it situation! What we love best about this bed is that it’s filled with EcoRest, which is a fiber blend of recycled post-consumer plastic spun-processed into a fluffy, high loft fill. According to the brand, the fiberfill is made from about 110 plastic bottles. How awesome is that? Oh, and it’s SUPER comfy. The 28 x 24-inch bed they sent is probably sized most appropriately for Cooper. But that hasn’t stopped Lucas. Or Newt. Overall, this has been a big hit in our house! To buy: $52.22 for the Canine Cocoon Premium Bolstered Pet Bed*

Whip-It cleaning assortment

One of the realities of pet care is stains. Or, at least, messes. Our weirdo dogs spend a good amount of time licking things like the floor, so it’s crucial to me to use non-toxic cleaners. We do well with vinegar and baking soda, generally, but for things like barf, I like to use something designed specifically for handling those messes. We tried three products from Whip-it: the 32-ounce concentrated multipurpose cleaner, the 32-ounce multipurpose cleaner in a spray bottle, and the Lil’ Bully stain erasers. The products are non-toxic and biodegradable and contain no acid, alcohol, ammonia, bleach, petrochemicals, or phosphates. Perfect! It works on clothing, glass, laundry, vinyl, leather, carpet, wood floors, and even rust – definitely a multi-purpose cleaner. The spray bottle is certainly convenient, but the concentrate gets your money’s worth! To buy: $30 for the set of three, available exclusively at Bed, Bath & Beyond

Linentails Harness

It has come to our attention that our gift guides exclude the little ones! This year, we’re rectifying that with a couple perfect-for-small-dogs recommendations. This is one of my favorites! From Linentails’ mission: “Linentails is a group of people who love pets, and believe that they deserve the same quality products as humans do.We also believe that it is our responsibility both as owners and as humans to keep our planet healthy and learn to use earth resources in an ecologically and ethically responsible manner.” They make darling products for pets and for the home (I’m seriously swooning over the Tabletop Tabbies), and they sent us the cutest harness in their Faerie Puppies style. Our friend Greta tested this one out for us. Seriously adorable! We love the natural materials and earthen aesthetic. This is definitely a unique and sustainable gift for our tiny buddies! To buy: $99 for the medium harness

Green Garmento

I’ll be honest: When this first arrived, I didn’t see a pet-related use for it immediately. But then… Oh, dear. OK, so this bag is HUGE. It was designed, with other products in the line, to reduce our dependence on plastic bags. You can use this sucker for anything. It’s water resistant and can be folded a bunch of different ways to go from the small box size to a larger bag. The recycled-content handles are an alternative to shoulder straps, which it also has. This thing could have a million uses! I mean, other than for storing your dog. (Cooper photoed in the bag to give it scale!)

This is PERFECT for dog toys, though. I can take it with me as I’m picking up the house to gather up all the toys – are these guys the only ones who spread them far and wide? – then, I leave it out to serve as their toy box. This would be a great gift for anyone but perfect for pet owners who travel – think how much beach gear you could fit in here – or camp or who just prefer to keep all the toys off the floor! We have the one, but I think we need another for the car… To buy: $12.99 for the Gargantote

Petlinks Purr Highness Catnip Scratcher

This scratcher, made from recycled paper pulp, comes with organic catnip to sprinkle into the nubs to encourage scratching. With raised edges and a dip in the middle, it gives cats the option to lounge or scritch away! Created by vets and experts, it hits the sweet spot for cats. Newt took to it IMMEDIATELY! She alternated between scratching:

And lounging:

Plus, it comes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. To buy: $33.13 Purr Highness Wood Cat Scratcher*

We LOVE all of these eco-friendly pet products, and now YOU have a chance to win some for your pups! This is a Rafflecopter giveaway. The widget should load below in a few seconds, or if you’re reading via email or feed, you may have to click the link. Winners will be drawn and notified on Friday, November 28. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Come back tomorrow for our next day and a whole new theme for recommendations and giveaways! And if you missed yesterday’s EAT theme, go check out those giveaways. And if you missed Monday’s PLAY, don’t forget to head over and enter to win those giveaways, too!

Disclaimer: We didn’t receive any compensation for this guide, though some of these brands sent products for our consideration. Not all made the cut! The ones here are ones we really, truly love. Any link followed by an asterisk (*) means it’s an affiliate link – you won’t pay a single extra penny if you purchase through those links, but OMD! will receive a tiny bit of commission, which we use to offset the costs of producing this guide! Questions? Send me an email: info {at} ohmydogblog {dot} com.

Etsy for dog lovers

05•20•13

I heart Etsy.

You search for a baby shower gift, for example, and suddenly it’s two hours later and you’re looking at vertical gardens of succulents. It’s like Pinterest with a shopping cart.

Anyway, with traveling back and forth to Florida for my brother’s wedding, being dogless for a few days, and dealing with all the move-related stuff, I should have spent every spare minute (ok. hour.) cleaning and organizing.

Instead I curated a Treasury: Etsy for dog lovers! Here’s a sneak peak:

That was the best possible use of my time, right?

Right! 🙂

Anyway, head on over and take a look. If you know of any fabulous dog-friendly Etsy shops, please share in the comments! I love Etsy because it feels like shopping local/supporting small businesses!

Disclaimer: This isn’t affiliated with Etsy or any of these shops. I just did this for fun. In fact, this project inspired me to do more thematic ones, so… you know, another great use of my time!