I actually bought my ticket for the BlogHer 2012 conference in New York City months ago but I never announced it here. It’s not earth shattering news or anything. Then I figured that maybe I should make a little announcement just in case any readers or other bloggy friends were going so that we could arrange to meet in person. This is all part of my New Year’s Resolution to have more fun. It was a total blast to go visit Detroit earlier this year and meet up with dozens of other bloggers. In New York there will be a pool of thousands of bloggers to meet, chat up, and attend parties with. Plus, it’s the Big Apple. What could be more fun?

Well, actually I am not sure because it will be my first BlogHer but I am pretty sure it will be  blast. I made a deal with myself that I would not do any business trips or blog conferences until my kids were older. That way it wouldn’t be extremely hard on them or anyone that I enlisted to help care for them. It made me sad to pass on opportunities to travel (which I LOVE) and be more sociable with bloggers and brands but the mom part of mom blogger had to come first. Anyway I started blogging when my middle child was a newborn and now my youngest just hit lucky number six last month. It’s time to get out there and have a bit of fun.

If you are going please leave a comment on this post. I would love to know who to look out for! I would also love to hear any tips you have if you have been before.

I am also looking for a sponsor or sponsors… maybe. I say maybe because I am pretty picky about who I work with, what with all the greenwashing that goes on, but I know there has to be a potential fit out there somewhere and I am willing to chat about partnerships.

Hope to see you there!

I mentioned a few days ago that I would be traveling a bit and I actually just got back from Detroit yesterday evening after a whirlwind trip. The last few days were spent in the Motor City enjoying the North American International Auto Show. Ford sponsored the trip so obviously most of what I experienced was viewed through Ford colored glasses. It was a spectacular experience and I learned a lot about subjects that I am woefully uneducated in. For three days I learned about auto manufacturing, sustainability innovations and plans, marketing, and of course Ford’s new pride and joy, the brand new Ford Fusion models coming out in the Fall.

Oh, and don’t tell Ford but the BEST thing about the trip was that they invited several of my friends as well. It was a great experience anyway but great experiences are always maximized when you get to experience them with people you care about right? So I cannot go without sharing those particular highlights first… namely Diane at Big Green Purse, Jenn at The Green Parent, Anna at Green Talk, and Stephanie Moram of Good Girl Gone Green. The first three I have known and spoken with for several years via a green moms group and Stephanie is a fairly new blogger that has become a fast friend.

Below is Stephanie, Mara (a Canadian Blogger), Jenn, and Anna. Love these ladies!!

Okay, so the purpose of the trip. Well, I think it differed for everyone who was invited because we all had very different backgrounds. There were 150 bloggers invited form all over the world. There were bloggers from Turkey, South Africa, France, Spain, and Canada for instance. Few of the bloggers actually write about cars though. There were fitness bloggers, fashion bloggers, design bloggers, daddy bloggers, mommy bloggers, and of course green bloggers. I think everyone had their own interests and take away from the show so I can only speak to my own.

I went into this experience knowing next to nothing about green cars. What I knew about hybrids, electric cars, and other greener car options was not enough to fill a 30 second elevator speech. Mostly this is because they are out of my price range and I have never had to do in depth comparisons as I would if I were buying some other product. I have three vehicles at the moment and the “youngest” is over 12 years old. All were bought used. I believe in buying used and not buying something that will depreciate after I drive it off the lot. I hate car payments with a passion. But for a couple years now I have toyed with the idea of getting a newer, used Ford Focus. Some family members of mine had one and I know they get good gas mileage. Of course after this trip what I REALLY want is a Ford Fusion, which was in many ways the star of the show at the NAIAS. I gravitated towards the sea foam green car as you can see but it’s not just the color that knocks this baby out of the park. This particular Ford Fusion is a plugin hybrid and it gets 100+ MPGe. Being as ‘out of the loop’ as I was, I never even knew such a thing was possible. For the record the Ford Fusion (Eco boost engine) gets 37 mpg, the Hybrid get 47 mpg. All three are great options. If you check out Ford’s web site you can see better photos of them and get more info.

Another interesting tidbit is that the chief engineer working on the Fusion stated that 90% of the car is recyclable and they are working on all the plastic components to eventually bring that to 100%.

I have had to stop and think about the idea that I may lean toward Ford BECAUSE of this experience and honestly I may. Since I knew nada about green cars I have no special place in my heart for a Prius or any other well publicized green car. It is thanks to Ford’s generosity in deciding to educate me that I now have more knowledge about this issue. I think that a used Ford Focus is still the most likely option in my future but other possibilities are now on my radar. I think the cost savings would be worth it to eventually purchase a Fusion hybrid or plugin hybrid. One of the things that helped solidify that in my ever frugal mind was the fact that these cars (hybrids/electric) hold their value, unlike most regular automobiles. This may be hyped a bit but I did hear a Ford exec saying in a conversation that he has seen some used Ford cars coming in with 300,000 miles on the original battery. That is phenomenal if it is true.

Some of the other green bloggers and I spent some time walking the show and comparing the Fusion with other hybrid and electric hybrid offerings. There were really only two that stacked equally or perhaps better in my mind. Most of the other offerings were lacking. One company in particular had a plugin hybrid for a whopping 67K price tag. Ford has yet to announce the pricing structure for these new cars but I am optimistic it will be more reasonable. Folks in my neck of the woods can buy a decent house for that earlier price. It was nice to be there with some green bloggers who knew enough about the subject matter to ask the tough questions and help us all make better comparisons.

This is Diane, firing away with her questions. She is even more amazing in person than I ever knew and I so enjoyed meeting her. She is amazing!

Of course this trip went beyond the unveiling of the new cars. All the bloggers that attended also got to speak one on one with many Ford executives, go to Ford World Headquarters, and the Ford Product Development Center. We saw how they are using digital advances to reduce costs and use fewer resources. When they have gone as far as they can with digital images and design THEN they make scale and full size models out of plasticized clay. They reuse as much of that clay as they possibly can. This is most likely about dollars and cents more than sustainability but I love how intimately connected those two things seem to be at Ford. Another example would be all the money and research spent in designing sustainable materials for the interior of their cars. They are working with coconuts, soy, corn, wood fibers, wheatgrass, and other natural materials to make plant based plastics and other car components like their soy seat cushions. This helps them get an edge in the green market of course but it also helps them reduce the weight of their cars. That translates into better fuel economy and a more attractive car for consumers.

None of the auto makers will likely appreciate this thought but the fact that money can be such a huge motivator to make them go green further proves to me that government legislation is needed. Our government needs to step up and give them incentive and/or deadlines for making gains in greater fuel economy, sustainability in materials and manufacturing, and a greener life cycle all around. But that said I still think Ford is making progress. Much of what we saw at their product development center was stuff they have been working on for many, many years. And a brief Ignite presentation by a Futerist at Ford made me more aware of how they plan for what the world and society will look like years down the road. We may not know they are working on solutions to what may impact us ecologically down the road, but they are. They want to remain profitable no matter what so they plan for every possible future. I am SURE that planning includes rising to overcome tougher Government legislation in auto making.

In addition to an appreciation of their green initiatives I also like the company. Scott Monty, the head of social media for Ford, was a really fun and likeable guy. I also met a man at the dinner on Sunday night who is a 4th generation employee of the company. He insisted that this in no way makes him unique though. I think it says something really powerful when people spend their entire careers at one company and their kids and grandkids do as well. It is also still a family business, despite its size. We saw William Ford at the press conference. This experience definitely made me more aware of Ford as a company but also as a group of really talented and interesting people.

This write-up has gotten really lengthy so I think I will wrap and post about some other aspects of the trip later. Inevitably people wonder if Ford sponsoring such a trip will influence one in their favor. I am not rushing out to buy a new car but the possibility is now on my radar more than ever. This is in large part because I actually know a little something about what is on the market now and not from a magazine article. I have seen these cars, touched them, sat in them, and spoken to people who had a hand in designing them. How can that not influence me? It does. I will still being doing research to find the best car for me if and when I am in a position to actually buy a hybrid or plugin hybrid (probably the former). I will however being comparing them with the amazing cars I saw at Ford this week.

** Ford Motor Company paid for my travel and accommodations at the 2-day Innovation and Design Fantasy Camp event, I was not compensated in any other manner for my time. Opinions posted here are my own.**

This upcoming year will mark my four year anniversary as a stay at home mom. Before I made the decision to stay home I was involved in marketing. One of my favorite projects was planning national conferences. It was soooo much fun. From picking the hotels to choosing colors for the name badges I had a blast. One year I planned a Fiesta themed conference and it was hosted at one of my favorite resorts in the world, La Posada. I remember having maracas imprinted with my company’s logo and giving them to all the attendees as a promo. It took me months to find those darn maracas. :)

Picking promotional products was a big part of my job so I was excited to run across a promotional products firm today that actually offers green promotional products! They have an entire large section dedicated to awareness items and I am telling you…these categories did not exist so readily 4 years ago or I would have jumped all over them. In 4 years a lot has changed in marketing…it has gone green. I know some people think this is a bad thing (aka greenwashing) but as a marketer at heart I can’t help but get excited that green is becoming mainstream now. Perhaps very soon I won’t be referred to as an environmental wacko on some community forums where I hang out (not kidding). :(

So what about you? How do you feel about this evolution?

[tags]greenwashing, green marketing, green promo products[/tags]

I have gotten fed up with my bed. You see I have had my mattress and box spring on nothing but a metal bed frame for a couple years now and I think it time to get an actual bed again with headboard and footboard. That way the mattresses won’t keep sliding up and down and my pillows won’t end up getting stuck between the mattress and the wall and in general I just won’t have to have a wrestling match every night.

So I have been doing a bit of research on the most eco-friendly alternative. Since looking for wood beds made from “organic” trees would be an unfruitful search I decided to look at sustainable beds or eco furniture.

These products are becoming more widely available although the price is usually a bit more grand than I would want to pay a good bed will last.

One place I found that looks very promising is the Green Furniture section at Wholesale Furniture Brokers (WFB). They have a strikingly attractive line of beds and bedroom sets that are very eco friendly and not likely to bankrupt me. Their beds are designed with their mission mind to create a healthier, sustainable environment.

I am a retro person. Remember my powder blue and bubblegum pink bathrooms? Well, WFB has a retro collection that I really fell in love with.

The 4 PC Retro Cappuccino Modern Platform Bedroom Furniture Set by Lifestyle Solutions caught my eye. Other than the fact that this set looks very sixties with a modern edge I love the fact that it is reasonably priced AND healthier for the environment. The main differences that highlight Lifestyle Solutions is the manufacturing process and use of renewable sources. Their manufacturing process has been certified for compliance with International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) guidelines for sustainable management of Natural Tropical Forest. These standards bring you high quality bedroom furniture sets constructed from plantation grown imported hardwood ensuring sources that are constantly renewed.

Of course wouldn’t you know while I was checking out the beds I also happened to see the Aruba Oyster Micro Fiber Convertible Sofa. It is made according to the same guidelines as the bed so it is sustainable as well and it is a gorgeous sofa! I love the casual chic look and also the versatility of being able to use it as a bed or a sofa. This would be perfect for our basement guest room and the price is so reasonable.

Pretty much all I have in my area is Ashley Furniture and if I go there I am sure to pay a fortune and walk away with furniture that is not friendly to the environment. Wholesale Furniture Brokers is kind to the planet and the pocketbook. What a great find!

You don’t have to give up good design, style, or your budget to go green with your home furniture anymore.

Yesterday I posted a video clip on saving water with a cool toilet trick. The same company also has a quick video for reducing water useage via your faucets. Take a look!

VideoJug: The Faucet Fix

[tags]saving water, faucets[/tags]