Live A Little - Baby Steps to Green with EkoBrew

I'd love to say I was a green and crunchy earth mama but that would be a pretty massive exaggeration. I do try, whenever possible, to recycle and compost and buy local. I think that being mindful of your actions and how they impact the world around us is important but I also know how nice convenience is to busy families. That's why this week's Live a Little post is about starting small.

I love my Keurig coffeemaker but I hate the wastefulness of throwing away a non-recyclable plastic filter pack filled with coffee grounds. I've actually dissected them before to compost the coffee, at least, and assuage my latent inner hippie. It is a major pain in the butt. I've tried some after-market filter doohickeys but they've been a massive hassle to clean and reuse since they have an inner filter and outer cup- you need to take them apart and clean all the pieces. Especially since I like iced coffee in warm weather, which requires a couple of shots of strong brewed coffee. Washing the filter and drying it and refilling it usually ends up with more coffee grounds going down the garbage disposal than into the compost pail.

I was thrilled to learn about a new design by Ekobrew that fits into the Keurig brewer's filter holder without an extra cup unit. It's BPA-free, features an integrated lid so it's just one piece to deal with, it's dishwasher safe and, most impressively, can be rinsed and reused immediately. All the grounds simply tap out into the compost pail, or you can rinse them out. Love that.

If you're even lazier than I am (which is hard to imagine but I won't judge you!), you might want to order a multi-pack so you can enjoy your coffee without waiting to rinse and reuse. There's an Ekobrew 4-pack on Amazon for $30, a good value for being able to use your own favorite fair trade coffee.

What baby steps are you taking towards a greener lifestyle?

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In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and the WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that I received a complimentary sample Ekobrew filter to facilitate this review. No compensation has been received and, as usual, all opinions are my own.

Plant A Tree with Hefty

Hefty Basics are disposable paper plates that are free of inks, dyes and coatings, making them a more environmentally sound choice for your next get-together. They're just as strong as you would expect from their name but have a lovely natural brown color and are biodegradable in home composting.

If you're planning on using disposable tableware for your Superbowl party, you might want to check them out as a greener alternative to foam or regular paper plates.

For every 10 new "likes" of Hefty Basics on Facebook, a tree will be planted to reforest America through the Arbor Day Foundation.

Disclosure: In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that I received samples of Hefty Basics but all opinions are my own.