Green.Sexy

Product Review: Wind Song Acres Soap (Spring Lilac)

Sanssouci February 2, 2015September 11, 2015 Featured, Reviews, Syracuse, NY No Comments

I bought a bar of Wind Song Acres soap in Spring Lilac scent. I don’t usually use bar soap. And I definitely don’t usually spend $5 on a bar of soap. But it smelled so good, and it was my birthday, and they’re a green company, so I decided to splurge and try it.

The good:

The smell. THE SMELL. It’s good, and it’s strong. I keep it in my bathroom cabinet when I’m not using it, and I get a big whiff of it every time I open the cabinet. Sometimes I even get a little whiff of it before I open the cabinet. Sometimes I just hold it up to my nose and breathe it in for a few minutes.

It also has a nice lather and lasts a long time (I’ve been using it as a shampoo, face wash, and body wash, and I’ve only just started to notice that the bar is getting smaller).

They have A TON of other scents too (I also bought Summer Cottage scent, but I haven’t tried it yet).

And their castile bar is vegan (I haven’t tried that one yet though).

The ok:

The price scared me at first. $5 a bar is a little much for me. But after seeing how long the bar is lasting combined with how good it smells and how green the company is (they use just a few natural ingredients in their homemade and handmade soap, and they grow their own herbs and have their own beehives), I think it’s worth it.

These soaps might be a little hard to find. You can find them at some festivals and fairs and a few stores throughout New York state (you can see their schedule of fairs and festivals here) or you can order online here. The shipping prices are a little scary if you don’t plan on getting much, but shipping is free if you spend more than $50.

The bad:

Most of the soaps contain beeswax, so they’re not vegan (they are considering making more vegan soaps in addition to the vegan castile though, so visit their facebook page and let them know if that’s something you’d be interested in!)

Also, the smell doesn’t stick to me after I shower with it. But really, that’s a pretty minor complaint. That’s basically me looking for something negative to say.

My verdict:

I really like this soap. A lot. I wish they had more vegan options and hope they will soon. In the meantime, check out the castile soap if you’re vegan or any of the others if you’re not. If it’s not sold anywhere near you, buy it on their website. Go ahead and buy $50 worth. Because there’s no way that you’re not going to like it, so you might as well get the free shipping! If you don’t know what scent you want to try or aren’t picky about scents, you can also save a bit of money by getting the bag of soap.

Green News: Superbowl 2015 Using LED Lighting Means 75% Energy Reduction

Sanssouci February 1, 2015August 21, 2015 News No Comments

This year the Superbowl will be using a new high performance lighting system with Ephesus fixtures powered by Cree® LEDs. The new system uses 310,000 watts of energy. The old system used 1.24 million watts. That makes for a 75% reduction in lighting energy consumption.

The lights can also be turned off and on immediately, whereas the old lights needed to warm up for 20 minutes. That means that, if the power goes out, it can be turned right back on.

And the lights are brighter and more uniform. That means fewer shadows and a better picture on your tv, especially if you’ll be watching in HD.

Source: http://ephesuslighting.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/1-20-15-Ephesus-Super-Bowl-Release-Bwire-FINAL5.pdf

Product Review: Gardein Chipotle Black Bean Sliders and Crispy Chick’n Sliders

Sanssouci February 1, 2015August 21, 2015 Reviews No Comments

I recently tried Gardein’s chipotle black bean sliders and crispy chick’n sliders.

The good:

I love the fact that they’re vegan, that they’re in a lot of stores, and that they’re quick and easy to prepare (I made mine in the microwave, which takes about a minute and a half total, but the recommended cooking method for the chick’n sliders is an oven or toaster oven and takes about 15 minutes). The chick’n sliders also smelled amazing, even to my omni SO.

The ok:

I thought the taste was just ok. I thought the chick’n sliders were tastier. They were pretty bland, but that could easily be fixed by adding some toppings.

The bad:

The sliders have a lot of sodium for something so small. 17% per black bean burger and 14% per chick’n burger. And I don’t know what other stores sell them for, but I paid almost $5 per box, with 4 sliders per box.

My verdict:

These aren’t bad, but they’re not the tastiest vegan burgers that I’ve ever had. And the price doesn’t really seem worth it to me. For that price I can get a box of my favorite full sized vegan burgers and a bag of buns and have some buns left over. It’s not like it’s that difficult to stick a patty on a bun, so these sliders aren’t even a convenience food (especially since you have to take the sliders apart to cook the patties without the bun for roughly the first half of the cooking time). So they left me wondering what the point is. I’m giving them three stars for basically being just ok.