Check out our new bungee wrap video. Enjoy!
January 13th, 2012
Econo-Maxing Your Ride
As hybrid cars get cooler looking and more efficient, there is little reason to drive gas guzzlers these days. However, no matter what your car is running on, the basic facts of fuel efficient driving still remain.
Here are some great tips:
Drive the speed limit. “Every five miles per hour above 55 is like paying 14 cents a gallon more for gas,” Fons says.
Play it cool. You use more fuel when you accelerate hard and slam on the brakes.
Inflate your tires to their maximum rated pressure. Fully inflated tires create less friction with the surface of the road, reducing the amount of work the engine has to do.
Get the junk out of the trunk. Carrying extra weight makes the engine work harder, and that can add up to a lot of wasted gas.
Tune your engine and clean your air filter. Good maintenance means better burning.
Get more tips at:
milwaukeehybridgroup.com
October 24th, 2011
Finally–Mix and Match EveryDay Wraps!
For the first time ever, our EveryDay Wraps are available to purchase online a la carte. Previously distributed as singles through our retail partners only, our best selling Everyday Wraps are now available to mix and match online. Bungees are optional!
Check out all the happy colors and easy tutorials!
October 14th, 2011
The Magical Healing Power of Food
Let thy food be thy medicine. -Hippocrates
Hippocrates believed that the human body has the innate ability to heal itself of disease. This is also the basis of Eastern medicine but the exact opposite of the modern pharmaceutical industry’s claims that there is a pill for every ill.
2 Must watch documentaries that will immediately motivate you to eat better and thus feel better are Food Matters and The Future of Food.
Dr. Linus Pauling, winner of 2 Nobel Peace Prizes, said that “Optimum nutrition is the medicine of tomorrow.” Not pills, not advanced surgery, but food. Bon appetit!
Food Matters and The Future of Food available on Netflix.
August 13th, 2011
The original reusable travel cup…
June 13th, 2011
Computer All Nighter Myth
Do you leave your computer on all night, maybe turning your screen off as you head off to bed? Many rumors abound as to why it makes sense to do so including the famous, “It takes more energy to boot it back up in the morning”. Well it simply isn’t true.
Here are the facts:
A typical computer uses 300 Watts of energy, the equivalent of 3 very bright lamps!
Turning off your computer when not using could save you up to $219 a year. Even if you are using energy saving down mode, you would still save over $100 if you actually turned it off.
Read more about how energy computers and other electronic devices use at How Stuff Works.
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May 22nd, 2011
Get on the BAN Wagon!
Plastic bags are the largest source of ocean litter. Second is cigarettes. We’ve come so far in this country to reduce smoking –it’s time to do the same with plastic bags.
A medium sized wrapping scarf in your bag will take care of all your small everyday purchases. Bring your own bags to the grocery store and make a quiet but strong statement every time you check out. Go Earth!
Graphic by ReuseThisBag.com
December 5th, 2010
Holiday Gifts, Exclusively at BOBOwrap.com
New gift items have arrived and we are so excited to give you a first look.
1. Ladies Who Lunch, Insulated Lunch Tote with Bamboo Handles
A lunch tote elegant enough to use as a purse!
2. Almond Delight, Chocolate and Almond Dipped Cookie Sticks
A favorite snack in Korea, these crispy delights from Lotte Confectionery are simply heavenly.
3. My Own Lunch Bag, Cotton Reusable Lunch Bag that You Decorate Yourself
Colorful Fabric Markers are included to make lunchtime an eco-fun activity.
4. Sushi Snacker, Sheets of Roasted Savory Seaweed
Everyone who loves sushi knows that seaweed is an amazingly delicious and nutritious food. Now enjoy the crispy savory goodness anytime with these roasted seaweed sheets. Just cut with scissors and enjoy alone or with steaming hot rice. Yum!
Business, Family, Food, Green, Health, Holiday, Korea, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
October 31st, 2010
Great Scotts! Never rake again??
Raking leaves in the fall is such a huge part of our American suburban culture that most of us don’t think twice about getting rid of all those fallen leaves littering our lawns each year. Last week when I saw a Scott’s commercial advocating mowing the leaves versus raking and chucking, I was intrigued. Could this be a viable alternative or is this just another big corporate attempt at greenwashing?
Here’s the commercial:
Public service or Greenwashing?
Can this be true?
Apparently, research conducted at Cornell, Purdue, Rutgers, Michigan State and other universities since the early 1990’s supports this opinion. Here’s an example of the research:
“Between 1995 and 1998 researchers at Michigan State set mower decks to cut at three inches, then mowed up to 450 pounds of leaves per 1,000 square feet of lawn each autumn (that’s equivalent to about eighteen inches of leaves).
At such a high rate, very little grass could be seen at the end of the mowing season. However, once growth resumed the following spring the remaining leaf litter quickly decomposed. In this study not only was the excessive volume of leaves not harmful, the shredded leaves actually improved lawn quality over time as organic matter and nutrients in the decomposing leaves was returned to the soil.”
Yard waste is the second worst polluter in America’s landfills today (#1 is paper). If leaves can truly be mowed and left on lawns instead of raked, collected and thrown away, this could have a significantly positive impact on our environment.
Great job Scotts! I’m impressed and look forward to experimenting on my own lawn this year.
May 22nd, 2010
A Great Model for Eco-Friendly Modern Cities
Amazing! The modern city of Utrecht, Holland, is full of bikes instead of dirty and dangerous cars. So interesting also how none of the people are wearing helmets which is probably a testament to how safe it is to bike the streets without cars whizzing by.
Regardless of its level of green however, no city can escape the occasional cheat. Check out the guy cutting the line at 1:02. Guess he had an emergency! ^^
via Good.is
May 12th, 2010
Eco-Fabulous at the JDRF Promise Ball
We are so proud to have been a supporter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Promise Ball last week. For this year’s “Cirque du Cure” theme, the Ball chairs were looking for a super fabulous way to wrap special gift boxes that were being auctioned off to raise money for the charity and fell in love with our Earth friendly BOBO Wraps. Look at this amazing presentation!
There currently is no cure for Type 1 diabetes, although there is a lot of promising research. The JDRF is constantly striving to find new, less intrusive treatments and ways to monitor blood sugar levels. They offer assistance, training and funding to hospitals, clinics and other organizations that are working hard to find a cure, or better treatments for this disorder. This, as with most medical research, involves a great deal of time and money and events like the Promise Ball are essential to this effort.
Bravo to all the volunteers, staff members, patrons, and guests for making the JDRF Promise Ball a huge success. If you would like to make a donation, you can do so directly to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. No amount is too small, or too large, to help in the race to find a cure.
April 23rd, 2010
The 4th R: REFUSE, 4 Main Polluters that We Can Refuse Today
I’m sure by now you’ve heard of the huge patches of garbage floating about in our oceans. The massive one in the Pacific is estimated to be between the size of Texas and the size of the entire continental US.
Scientists say that in these garbage patches are 4 main polluters.
1. Plastic bags
2. Styrofoam cups
3. Styrofoam containers
4. Soda bottle lids
Albatross chicks fed plastic. Photo essay by Chris Jordan.
Photographer Chris Jordan traveled to the Midway Islands near the center of the Pacific garbage patch and captured images of decomposed bodies of albatross chicks that were fed plastic by their confused parents. Photos of the chicks document the actual stomach contents of birds and Jordan says that he did not touch a single piece of plastic in taking the photos.
Yesterday I heard David de Rothschild, who is sailing across the Pacific in a boat made from 12500 plastic bottles, say that in addition to the 3 Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), there indeed is a very important 4th R: Refuse.
How many of the above 4 things can you refuse to use today. This week? How about this year.
Let’s take it one day at a time and see just how much we can refuse together before it’s too late.
April 22nd, 2010
This Earth Day Join the Wrapping Scarf Revolution!
Going green can seem more than a little intimidating sometimes. Solar panels sound wonderful and as I look out at my laundry drying in the sun, I dream of the day I can harness that same great energy to power up my home. But for now, I 
reach for the lower hanging fruit on the tree of eco-living. Wrapping with fabric to reduce senseless garbage? That’s like fruit on the ground!
Giving gifts is one of the great pleasures in life and the suspense and mystery in unwrapping a gift is the icing on the cake. But did you know that during the holidays alone, Americans create 5 million additional tons of garbage and that 80% of this garbage is just wrapping paper and gift bags? These are crazy numbers and there’s a lot we can do about it without eliminating the joys of beautifully wrapped gifts.
The ancient Korean people really hated waste and considered it bad luck. They created the concept of the wrapping scarf or wrapping cloth called bojagi (boh-jah-kee), which they used to wrap and carry everything from gifts to bundles of merchandise for the market. The great thing about wrapping with bojagi is that it adapts to the shape being wrapped for a custom fit and then can be reused countless times. This was my inspiration in creating my own line of reusable wraps called BOBO.
BOBO wrapping is a lot like origami in that a square shape works best. Try the bow tie wrap technique for wrapping up your next gift with a square scarf or hankie. If you like the contrasting reverse effect, try using 2 scarves put together with a bit of light spray adhesive.
If you are crafty and have fabric lying around your home from old projects, you can make your own BOBOs by taking a square piece of fabric and finishing off the edges. Just make sure the fabric’s not too thick by grabbing a corner of material and tying in a knot. If it doesn’t knot easily, it’s probably too thick.
Stanford University Recycling Center says ”If every American family wrapped just 3 presents in re-used materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields.” Now 3 presents a year is a number we can all commit to.
I wrote The Wrapping Scarf Revolution to teach a new generation of Earth citizens a great old way to be kinder to the planet. Join the 
Wrapping Scarf Revolution and take the pledge to wrap at least 3 gifts in reusables this year. Send me a picture of your fabric wrapped gift and you may receive a nice a little gift certificate from yours truly. Happy Earth Day everyone. Let’s hear it for the low hanging fruit!
For more information and video demonstrations on how to wrap with fabric, visit the How-To Page at BOBOwrap.com. To enter a great book and wrap giveaway, check out the original site of this post at galtime.com. Write a comment there by tomorrow and be entered.
For a nice 15% off discount to try our products, use this great coupon by the Eco Diva. Code: DIVA410 Expiration: 4/30/2010.
April 19th, 2010
It’s National Hangout Day! (But you can hang in too :-)
Is there anything more wonderful than clean crisp laundry that’s been dried in the sun? It’s amazing that we all have the power of the sun right at our fingertips yet most of us don’t consider this option in our busy lives.
A peaceful protest for my right to dry.
Unbelievably, outdoor clotheslines are illegal in many homeowners’ associations around the country including all 35,000 in the sunny state of California. In our state of Connecticut, a bill proposed to give all Nutmeggers the right to dry has yet to be passed.
Which makes me sort of a criminal for line drying my laundry.
Considering that automatic dryers are second only to the refrigerator in amount of energy consumed in homes, it’s time to rethink the issue. Not only is it green, it saves a lot of money too. Winters and rainy spells, we may need to use our dryers, but on a beautiful sunny New England day, it seems like a crime NOT to line dry!
The power of the sun also disinfects clothes and helps keep whites their whitest. Even if it’s just a few pieces, join the movement and hang something out to dry. Take a picture and send it to us this week for a $10 coupon to shop at our eco-friendly online store. BOBO Wrapping Scarves are all hand washable and best air dried.
Hanging out is awesome, but so is hanging in. Call me a prude but I think underwear is still best left indoors if possible.
Do one thing green today and try line drying some laundry using “solar power”. Remember that one green thing will most certainly lead to another.
If you believe it is the inalienable right of every man, woman, and child to line dry, check out right2dry.org and sign the petition. Here are some great ideas and pics from the National Hanging Out Day post on TreeHugger.com
Hanging "in" is great too!
Artful hanging out.
April 12th, 2010
Free Coffee in Your Reusable Mug
Yes I am an addict. A coffee addict to be exact. I start my morning everyday with a steaming hot mug of strong coffee fresh from the percolator and wouldn’t want it any other way. When someone has an addiction to something like alcohol or food that I don’t fully understand, I compare it to my coffee addiction and then I understand.
If you are a hopeless coffee drinker like me, bring your reusable mug to Starbucks on Thursday, April 15, and get a free fill up of coffee. It might make tax day a little less painful!
Whether you like coffee or tea, carrying around a reusable travel mug in your bag or car is great for avoiding using disposable cups. Do you have a favorite reusable travel mug? If not, here are some reviews on the best ones out there.
Go one step further and take the pledge to stop using disposable cups altogether. Starbucks will take 10 cents off your cup o joe every time you byo mug.
I feel so guilty whenever I forget my travel mug and “have” to use a disposable cup. I usually rinse it out and use it one more time the next morning and only once did it start leaking on me. I do the same thing with ziplock bags and brown bags. If I have to use them, I’ll try to reuse them at least a few times before throwing them out. I figure if everyone did that, we’d have half the amount of that particular kind of garbage. Sometimes baby steps are better than no steps.
Please don’t try to tell me coffee is bad for me cuz I’ll barrage you with research that shows the health benefits of drinking coffee. Others have tried and they’ve regretted. Now let me get back to my coffee before it gets cold!
March 31st, 2010
DC and Westport Lead Battle Against Plastic Bags
I knew I loved DC! What great news to hear that our nation’s capitol has started charging a 5 cent tax on disposable plastic bags. The new law which went into effect on January 1st, not only dramatically reduced the amount of plastic bags being used, it generated $150,000 in one month to help clean up the Anacostia River. This is great news!
The Hobo Bag, from "The Wrapping Scarf Revolution"
Back in 2002, Ireland placed a 15 cent tax on their plastic bags and dropped their usage by 90%. When I was living in Korea in the late 90s, we purchased pricey mandatory garbage bags, forcing us to be careful what we threw away. These garbage bags were also translucent and if you happened to throw out some recyclables in your regular garbage, forget about it. People in your apartment building would give you nasty looks for weeks. Seinfeld style.
It’s taking the US a long time to get the message, but this taxing thing works! Especially when so many people are already on the verge of giving up plastic bags. Now the whole nation just needs to follow suit. At a time when most cities and states are experiencing budget crisis, THIS is the time!
Very important to remember is how resistant people can be to change. Many District residents were furiously up in arms when they first faced the tax in January. This Washington Informer article from January makes it very clear how angry many people were at the time.
I so admire our neighboring town of Westport, CT, for banning plastic bags in March of last year, becoming the first town in Connecticut to do so. In the year that has passed, not a single additional town in CT has followed suit although Westport reports no problems with the ban and a reduction of about a million bags so far. Wilton is said to be considering a similar law.
Wendy Carlson for The New York Times
The New York Times reported that the ordinance had passed 26 to 5 despite opposition by representatives from the chemical industry and the supermarket chains. “Westport is well known for being progressive, and in the forefront of social issues,” said Gordon Joseloff, a first selectman, noting that it was one of the first communities to pass a resolution opposing the Vietnam War. (NYT)
In Korea, groceries were carried in wrapping scarves for centuries. Check out how to make big hobo bags (first pic) in the The Wrapping Scarf Revolution. Bravo DC and Westport! What a great display of leadership.
March 30th, 2010
BOBO Live in DC
We were a few days too early to see any real cherry blossom action but what a night we had in DC last week. So many wonderful people came out to the Korus House of the Korean Embassy to hear my little Bojagi to BOBO presentation. Even the overflow room was full to capacity and it ended up being standing room only.
It was one of those lucky nights when things just seemed to click. DC/MD/VA traffic can be murderous but it was smooth sailing all the way from the highways to the triangular mazes that lead to Embassy Row. The audience was also amazing and we were so on the same green colored wavelength. Heavenly!
Main Presentation room at the Korus House of the Korean Embassy in Washington DC
Speaking to a room full of DC intellectuals was daunting but the guests were very warm and engaged in the topic of the night. A 25 minute presentation with slides was followed by a demonstration time.
Then we had a very lively Q & A with many great questions and comments by the audience. Wish we had more time to hear from everyone. Here’s a sampling of what was asked:
Q: What is the Korean etiquette with using a bojagi (wrapping scarf)? Is it rude to take the wrap back when giving a gift?
A: There are many correct ways to use a bojagi. Many people choose to give the bojagi to someone as part of a gift. Others use the wrap as a personal accessory much like a bag and use it to transport a gift of wine or food. They unwrap the gift, hand it to the recipient and put their wrapping scarf away.
Q: What are the best fabrics to use as a wrapping scarf? I have a lot of cotton fabrics at home and would like to try the techniques.
A: The beauty of wrapping scarves is that you can use so many different fabrics and materials depending on what you may have available. My book, The Wrapping Scarf Revolution, goes into more detail as to what fabrics and sizes to use for specific projects but one easy test to see if your fabric will work is to hold a corner of the fabric and tie a knot. If you can’t tie a knot easily, the material is probably too thick.
Some of our lucky raffle winners.
We gave 7 lucky winners a BOBO wrapped and signed copy of The Wrapping Scarf Revolution.
I loved seeing my friend and eco-warrior Reena Kazmann. Thanks for coming Reena!
Reena Kazmann of ecoartware.com
A mini exhibit of BOBO lovelies.
Before and after the presentation, everyone had a chance to check out the small exhibition of BOBO wrapped goodies. Here’s some of the great feedback we got from the guests:
“Intelligent, poignant, impressive!” -Soojung K.
“Excellent: very informative and comprehensive also greatly appreciated the historical research.” -Peggie D.
“Excellent presentation. Clear and concise, your vision is ecologically appropriate.” -Beth C.
“Absolutely wonderful! I know what I’ll be playing with next week!” -Peg H.
“Well presented, well organized. Enjoyed every moment and learned a lot.” -Regina C.
Many thanks to the Korean Embassy and to all the people who came out for a fun and memorable evening. Cheers!
BOBO Wrap, Green, Korea, Luck | 1 Comment »
March 23rd, 2010
Red Hot Eco Mom!
A fun article on how I started my business in the April 2010 issue of Redbook. Many many thanks to Reena Kazmann of ecoartware.com for nominating me! Check it out at your local grocery store or newsstand!
BOBO Wrap, Business, Family, Green, Korea, Media | 1 Comment »
February 22nd, 2010
Go Green or Bust
This past week, my family and I went on a ski trip to Stratton Mountain, Vermont, and noticed a lot more green going on since our trip last year. Not only were they now offsetting 100% of their energy output and greengrading many of the ginormous appliances that go into snow making, I noticed extensive use of plastics made from corn rather than petroleum and recycling bins all over the resort including the hotel rooms.
Stratton is a charming ski resort that feels like a mini Beaver Creek. No history or deep roots behind the town like Aspen or Park City, but everything feels clean and efficient with a little touch of luxury. Though it has a long way to go before challenging Grand Targhee Resort of Wyoming to the top slot of greenest ski resort, Stratton has won distinction by the Clif Bar Golden Eagle Awards for Excellence in Energy Conservation/Clean Energy. Not too shabby.
The weather conditions this year were sadly about the worst I’ve experienced with puddles all over the place and a wicked wind that thankfully died down on the third day. East coast skiing never could compare to skiing out West but the worse than usual conditions made me think that if anyone has a vested interest in stopping global warming, it would be the ski resort industry! Climate change could prove disastrous to an industry already hurting from a weak economy. In fact, the Washington Post reported that slopes on the East Coast last year closed months ahead of time due to warmer weather, some losing as much as a third of their season.
The Citizen's Climate Lobby imagines a grim future for ski lovers!
In addition to the eco-conscious changes that I noticed at the resort, I would have loved to see even more exciting initiatives like perhaps refillable shampoo and soap fixtures in the hotels vs disposable bottles made from corn. Or how about installing more hooks and towel bars to encourage people to reuse towels instead of having them washed and replaced after a single use.
In any case, we all had a blast and the kids didn’t even seem to mind the wind and ice. Swamped with work this year, I was tempted to skip our winter vacation this year, but I’m glad we didn’t. I remembered a line from one of my favorite books on raising kids by H. Jackson Browne called Life’s Little Instruction Book: “Take family vacations whether you can afford them or not. The memories will be priceless.” He’s right.
