Blogger Opp: Cuddle Up Outdoors Giveaway Sign-Ups Open

<a href="http://www.aluckyladybug.com/2013/05/cuddle-up-outdoors-w-teton-sports.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Teton Sports Mammoth Sleeping Bag Giveaway" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgapALACb6prQlTMafxNYh9LkYj5_3o5I6pHSymyRuW3PU1G7EFYZmpu25BOJVS52RZ5r4FhBYUZX2lLZZYkzOeNrN6BxEO3PUuipcsfcQ2jscf_hVS8uQ2Bb1t0Z2cEpjq36sh21KWeA2e/s1600/L+mammoth.jpg"></a>

Prize:

Teton Sports Mammoth Sleeping Bag

ARV $199

Hosted by:

A Ladybug on the Go

Sign-ups close 5/24

**The blogger with the most referrals will receive the additional links at no cost

Click HERE to sign up and for more html info.

M.O.O.N. has now added several perks/discounts for frequent participation in our events but you must be a member of our Facebook group to be eligible.  Please visit the M.O.O.N. group if you are a blogger and would like more information regarding these perks and other group events.
**If you are a company and would like to see your brand advertised in a M.O.O.N. event similar to this please contact ldybug1682@gmail.com

Global Warming Is Not A Priority For the US Government

freedigitalphotos.net

Many nations around the world have made significant changes and have drawn up specific guidelines to limit their impact on global warming. The United States is not one of them. Known for many years as a world leader, the U.S. cannot seem to grasp the urgency of climate change. This is happening now! And for those that would shrug your shoulders and say "not in my lifetime so I'm not worried about it," that has now changed according to a disturbing article published by the New York Times over the weekend. 

In the meantime, don't wait on the government to tell you how to limit carbon emissions. Get to work on this issue yourself. Many small actions add up to a significant difference and that's what is needed to really make an impact on the rate of global warming. 

• Open the blinds and turn off the electric lights during the day. 
• Use cold water instead of hot whenever possible. 
• Buy products with less packaging. 
• Drive or bike when you are going a short distance, and carpool when possible if you need to go further. 
• Consider living closer to work or school.
• Be sure televisions and other electronics are turned off and unplugged when not in use.
• Plant a tree or some shrubbery...anything with leaves.
• Plant a vegetable garden or buy locally grown produce only.

These are just a few suggestions and all are easy. Don't think you can't make a difference because you can. Set an example for those around you. Explain to them your reasoning when they ask why you do it. 

Click here to read the New York Times article about global warming. I'd love to hear your reaction in the comments section below. Have some simple suggestions for limiting carbon emissions at home? Post those below also. I want to know!

Y is for Yellow

I hope the saying is true..."Better late than never." I am very late writing the last few posts for the A to Z Challenge. I got caught up getting several giveaways ready to launch for May 1. But excuses, excuses. How about a nice, light, mood-boosting post for the letter Y? I love the color yellow because it instantly brightens my mood. Yellow reminds me of sunshine and summer and other happy things. Here are some pictures to prove my point:

Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

Don't you just love yellow and blue together? I decorated most of my last house in variations of those two colors! 

  And you gotta admit that a big yellow smiley face is a happy thing!

Wouldn't you rather have this on your desk than the traditional black tape dispenser? So much cheerier!

photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade, right? 

And nothing says happy summer days like homemade lemonade! 

And what better pick-me-up than a new pair of shoes?! Especially if it's springtime and the shoes are YELLOW! I found these super cute Jessica Simpson wedges at Belk.com (in case you are now considering a pair for yourself).

What else can you think of that is yellow and happy?

Click here for a full list of my posts and a list of participating blogs in the 2013 A to Z Challenge!

Sponsor Spotlight & Review: EthicalConsumer.org

Recently, I was pleased to be given the opportunity to review the website for a leading magazine on ethical shopping. Ethical Consumer Magazine has been helping consumers make wise shopping choices since it was first published in 1989. A non-profit that relies much on volunteers, the magazine keeps readers up to date on boycotts, provides product guides and recent news about ethical products, and includes reader submissions, features, and more. 

Ethical Consumer's website, www.ethcialconsumer.org, features pdf versions of current and back issues for paid subscribers. The website also contains in-depth product guides for a wide variety of categories and an amazingly long list of individual product ratings. This is an amazing feature, my favorite part of the site! Ratings are based on five main categories:

• Environment
• Animals
• People
• Politics
• Product Sustainability

Each of these categories can be expanded to see more specific categories, too. Readers are able to use a sliding scale to show how important each category is to your shopping decision. Then EC will customize the product ratings according to those choices! When I rated environment higher and politics lower I got one list, but when I changed my preferences the highest rated companies changed! They were being rated according to what's important to me! Love it! 

And subscribers have access to ethical ratings of over 10,000 companies, as well. Nike, for example, scored 6.5/20. Not so great. I typed in a few more company names: Pepsi scored a 4.5/20 and Proctor and Gamble scored only 0.5/20!

There is also an Ethical Shopping Directory, ethical shopping tips, and information on boycotts and campaigns, as well as articles and guest posts that are only available online. This website really has more features than I can list! Many, however, are only available to paid subscribers. 

At first I found EthicalConsumer.org a little difficult to navigate. After browsing for a while, I figured it out. There is just so much to see and so much information on this site that it is somewhat mind-boggling at first! I see myself coming back to this website often, not only to stay current, but to use the product guides and check company ratings. Head on over to check it out and look around a while. You'll be glad you did!

During the Green Moms Giveaway Hop, May 1-8, 2013, you can win a one year subscription to EthicalConsumer.org and get full access to this amazing website! Just click here to go to the giveaway and enter to win a subscription for your mom or yourself for Mother's Day.

Sponsor Spotlight and Review: GAC Sports Bottle Water Filters

I recently discovered an amazing new type of water filter that has me so excited!

GAC Filters are little teabag sized carbon filters that drop right into your water bottle. GAC stands for granular activated carbon, in this case coconut carbon. The carbon is encased in a mesh bag made from plant starch so the entire filter is biodegradable! That's right - NO TRASH! 

According to their website, the GAC Filter removes chlorine, chloramine, organic contaminants, taste, and odor. 

I love that I can finish the water and leave the filter to use again next time filI up my bottle - one filter is good for up to 50 liters of water because the mesh bag has mildew-proof properties. I have been using the same filter for several weeks now and it's doing a great job and holding up without any problems. 

You'll never need another filtered water bottle with little plastic pieces that need to be replaced periodically. And I despise the pitchers that filter water because the lid always falls when I'm pouring. Besides, it's a plastic product with expensive plastic filters that have to be replaced often. Just drop a GAC filter in any water bottle and fill it with tap water! 

 

If you aren't currently using a water bottle, but purchase bottled water....you'll never need to buy bottled water again either! Americans buy millions of bottles of water each year and most end up in landfills. Switch to a water bottle with a GAC filter for a much more eco-friendly choice! 

I love being able to grab my empty water bottle when I'm running out the door to go to work or to the gym, knowing that I can fill it anywhere because my little GAC filter is sitting in the bottom! 

For a limited time, you can try a free sample by clicking here! Even the shipping is free! 

And that isn't all! GAC Filters has generously sponsored a giveaway here at Mama Making Changes! Click here to enter to win a $25 gift certificate to GACfilters.com!

Green Your Mom Giveaway Hop

It's time for the 2nd Annual Green Your Mom Giveaway Hop, hosted by Happy Mothering and Green Moms Network! I'm so happy to be a member of GMN and be able to bring this to you! 

Many blogs are participating and all have prizes valued at $25+ to help you "Green Your Mom" (or yourself) this Mother's Day!

Mama Making Changes has partnered with two sponsors for Green Your Mom for a total of approximately $75 in prizes!

Ethical Consumer Magazine is available in print and online. For full access to their website, including pdf versions of current and past issues of the print magazine and other wonderful features, you must be a paid subscriber at www.ethicalconsumer.org. However, for the Green Your Mom Giveaway Hop, Ethical Consumer is giving one lucky winner a one year subscription for FREE! Read my full review of ethicalconsumer.org by clicking here.

GAC Filters are reusable filters for water bottles. Each carbon filter is about the size of a tea bag and is reusable for up to 50 liters of water. When it's time for a new one, the old one is compostable! GAC Filters is giving our lucky giveaway winner a $25 gift certificate to www.gacfilters.com! Click here to read my full review of the GAC Filter.

Use the Rafflecopter below to enter to win both of these prizes for your mom or for yourself this Mother's Day! 

After entering my giveaway, be sure to visit the other blogs listed under the Rafflecopter form form for your chance to win more green mom giveaways.

a Rafflecopter giveaway