Author Archives: admin

The Green Scene and (COVID-19).

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Free Delivery

We all are concerned about the Coronavirus. We all have lots of questions. Unfortunately in todays world lots of people get their information from the wrong sources. The C.D.C. has answers for all of your questions.

The State of Michigan announced the first confirmed cases in our state. If you are considering limiting your contact with others, at the Green Scene we have put in place a temporary plan to help ease your fears.

If you live within 10 miles of the store we will offer free delivery on any purchase. All you need to do is call the store at 269 558-8080 or Email us at sales@the-green-scene.com. Delivery will be within 24 hours of your order.

The first line of defense is always wash your hands. As always we have a full line of Dr. Bronner's soaps as well as our Zum products. We know that some retailers are taking advantage of the situation and raising the price of much needed products. At The Green Scene we are doing just the opposite, all hand washing products are currently 10% off the normal retail price.

 

No Human Contact Monday!

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There is an ad that is currently running on the TV that  uses the song, "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love". Somehow this is connected to buying gifts online. Great song and the images in the commercial are cute. We like the original! Or, maybe you like the Blues Brothers version.

If you watch the ad the only interaction you will get from shopping online is from the delivery driver and a box with a smile. When you shop online you won't experience how wonderful the store smells, you won't get to try on your Stormy Kromer to make sure you have the perfect fit, and you won't get a recommendation on where to go for dinner. The Monday after Thanksgiving has come to be called Cyber Monday, we like to think of it as no human Monday. We think you are looking for more.


At The Green Scene you will get far more. You will be greeted by one of our friendly faces who can help you select that perfect gift. If you are really lucky you will get to have Barkley escort you around the store.


Instead of sitting on your computer, get out, take a friend, have lunch, and stop into the Green Scene and say hi. 

Thanksgiving

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One of the things we are most grateful for is the support we receive from our friends and the community. Thank you Barbra Rosene for this and letting us share it.

The other day, I was contemplating why I liked Thanksgiving. One of the reasons I love thanksgiving is because it’s the one day we are supposed to focus on what we have, and not what we want but don’t have, as we usually do.

Not that it always works like this, but still, I like the meaning. We’ll never stop wanting more, but if we don’t learn to be grateful for what we have, we will never be satisfied.
This year I am so thankful for my family and friends because they are always there when I need them. Likewise, I appreciate my health especially as I age and look at the alternatives. I am comfortable with all I have and for that my heart is happy.

A little history on the holiday….Thanksgiving is currently celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November by federal legislation in 1941 and has been an annual tradition in the United States by presidential proclamation since 1863 and by state legislation since the founding fathers of the United States. Historically, Thanksgiving has traditionally been a celebration of the blessings of the year, including the harvest. My fondest memories of Thanksgiving, besides the food and family gatherings, includes getting up and watching The Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade and the Mummers Parade in Philadelphia.

Barb, growing up in Marinette, Wisconsin we guess that you missed our favorite parade, The Hudson’s Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit.

Girls Night Out Refreshment Recipes

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Thank you everyone for visiting us during Girls Night Out event on October 12 2017. We had several folks ask for the recipes of what we served, and this is the easiest way to share with everyone. These recipes are all easily doubled or tripled, depending on the size of party you are hosting.

Spiced Cider Punch
Ingredients
-32 ounces apple cider
-24 ounces ginger ale
-1 cup spiced rum
-Apples
Directions
-Add ice to punch bowl
-Core and slice apples and add on top of ice
-Add in rum, apple cider and ginger ale and stir
Serve and enjoy! You can add more or less rum to taste, or omit it if children will be at the party. To get the same spice that the rum gives, you can add a small amount of apple pie spice.

Pumpkin Pie Fluff Dip
Ingredients
-3 tbsp pumpkin puree
-7 oz jar marshmallow fluff
-1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
-8 oz block cream cheese
-whole graham crackers
Directions
-Allow cream cheese to soften in bowl
-Add everything but graham crackers to bowl
-Mix at medium speed until well blended.
Serve with graham crackers to dip. This recipe is vegetarian, and can be gluten-free if you use GF graham crackers.

 

Hope to see you at the next Girls Night Out on December 14, and don’t forget Santa Claus will be here!

Ditching the Softener

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For most people, soft laundry is a must; I mean who really wants crunchy, static-y clothes? Plus, if you’re like me, that warm, fresh laundry smell is heaven. That is, until you learn that fabric softeners and dryer sheets can have tons of toxic chemicals including ethanol and chloroform. Because fabric softeners work by coating fabrics in a thin layer of chemicals, those chemicals then rest on your clothes and are vented out with dryer exhaust which isn’t good for you or the environment. While some people have little adverse reaction to the chemicals in fabric softeners, many of the chemicals are classified as carcinogens and allergens, and that isn’t including the massive amount of fragrance used in softeners which are enough of an allergy trigger on their own.

 

Luckily avoiding fabric softeners and their possible issues is pretty easy. For many people, just skipping the softener altogether is fine with the added benefit of less waste and less money spent on boxes of dryer sheets. However, if you don’t like the idea of risking crunchy or static-y clothes, there are plenty of alternatives such as:

 

  • Using felt wool balls in the dryer: they’re reusable and easy to make or cheap to buy!
  • Adding baking soda or white vinegar to your wash: they act as natural softeners and won’t leave your clothes smelling like vinegar
  • Finding natural ingredient or reusable dryer sheets
  • Drying your clothes on the low heat setting: it might take longer but it definitely works

 

If you’re still worried about losing out on the scents of fresh laundry, try a few drops of your favorite essential oil on the wool dryer balls. Most people who ditch the softener never look back and even find their clothes are softer than before. With such painless alternatives, consider doing yourself, your wallet, and the environment a favor and ditching the fabric softener.

 

For more information on fabric softener toxins and alternatives, check out:

 

"Don't Get Slimed: Skip the Fabric Softener" by Rebecca Sutton, Enviroblog

 

"Fabric Softener Alternatives and Other Safe Approaches to Laundry" by Robin Konie, Thank Your Body

 

Mallory McClure

Mallory is a part-time writer and Kalamazoo College graduate native to the Pacific Northwest. When not writing blogs and small business articles, she enjoys spending time with her pets, reading Victorian literature, and supporting the Seattle Sounders.

Bees!

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The Bees and the P’s

The honeybees are struggling. Populations have been dying at an alarming rate with Bee Informed Partnership reporting national beekeepers lost 33% of their colonies between 2016 and 2017. Considering pollination from bees is responsible for approximately one in every three bites of food we take, this is a serious issue. But what’s really responsible? And what can we actually do?

The “Four P’s”

A recent Costco Connection article, “Bees in Peril,” explains the downturn in bee populations stems from the “four P’s”: pests, pathogens, pesticides, and poor nutrition. On their own, each of these factors is difficult, but combined, they’re devastating. At the same time that bees are being killed by pests like the Asian Varroa mite, they are battling fewer food sources due to farming practices and development. Almond farmers, for instance, were among the first to notice the problem of declining bee populations and have since realized planting a single crop limits the local bee diet. When it comes to nutrition, bees are like humans in wanting and needing a diverse diet and not just almond trees (or other singular crops). As a result, many almond farmers have begun to plant more bee-friendly plants and flowers among their trees to encourage healthy bee diets.

 

Our Impact

Before we go blaming farmers for killing the bees’ food, however, we need to take a look at our everyday practices. Urban development is killing much of the bees’ habitat, but our habits of weeding and spraying for the perfect garden aren’t doing any favors either. Plants like the clover, for instance, are actually favored sources of food for bees but we rip many of them out in the name of weeding.

 

So, the perennial question in this situation is what can we actually do? For starters, if you’re a gardener, read up on plants and flowers that are bee friendly. Maybe let the clovers grow or plant some new flowers specifically to attract some bees. Second, buy honey products! Beekeepers don’t rely solely on honey profit, as pollination practices make up a significant portion of their income now, but a robust honey market can only help. Revenue from honey products can go to funding research to take care of bee colonies and their future. While we can’t solve all the P’s, we can at least help with reversing poor nutrition and protecting the bees.

 

To learn more about the bees’ struggle and how to help, check out:

 

"Bees in Peril" Costco Connection, July 2017 or The Bee Informed Partnership

 

 

Mallory McClure

Mallory is a part-time writer and Kalamazoo College graduate native to the Pacific Northwest. When not writing blogs and small business articles, she enjoys spending time with her pets, reading Victorian literature, and supporting the Seattle Sounders.

Small Businesses Supercharging Southwest Michigan

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Big businesses dominate the news cycle: Amazon’s buyout of Whole Foods, Apple without Steve Jobs, the perils and pluses of Facebook Live. Because of this, it’s sometimes too easy to forget about the small businesses; yet, they might be more influential than we give them credit for. A recent infographic in 269 Magazine shows that 99.6% of businesses in the state of Michigan are small businesses, and 49.8% of the Michigan workforce is employed by those businesses. I don’t know about you, but I was shocked at how high that number is, almost half of Michigan is tied to small businesses

With those kind of numbers, the amount of money flowing locally must be impressive too. In fact, according to local giant Quicken Loans, for every $100 spent at a small business, $70 stay within the local economy as opposed to $43 with non-local businesses. It’s pretty hard to beat a 70% retention rate, especially when you think about the human component of your local economy. That $70 is going into things like paying friends and family who work locally, maintaining the stores on main street that are unique to your town, and the local artists and artisans who sell to those stores. Plus, it’s been shown that multiple small business bring more local jobs with them than one large chain store. So those businesses are helping build robust local economies and a diverse range of jobs.

Really what this all comes down to is, shopping local is great! You can confidently support the people and town you love when you know that you’re part of what is keeping southwest Michigan so interesting. And for our part, we’re proud to be one of the small businesses employing half of the Calhoun county and Michigan workforce.

If you want to learn more about small businesses in Southwest Michigan check out:

"Small Business in Southwest Michigan" 269 Magazine, Issue 9: May/June 2017

“Small Business Saturday & How it Impacts your Local Economy” Zing by Quicken Loans, 23 November 2016

Mallory McClure

Mallory is a part-time writer and Kalamazoo College graduate native to the Pacific Northwest. When not writing blogs and small business articles, she enjoys spending time with her pets, reading Victorian literature, and supporting the Seattle Sounders.

New Product Line-Cedar Ravine

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These scarves and headbands are thoughtfully designed to evoke the spirit of some of America's most beautiful places, like the misty beaches of rocky coastlines, the unlimited expanse of the desert, and the rich fall hues of dense forests.

Cedar Ravine supports the preservation of wild spaces through partnerships with various environmental groups. With each sale they adopt one square foot of land for protection in the Northern Rockies, the Central Appalachians, and the Northern Sierras in conjunction with Nature Conservancy programs.

The beautiful scarves and headbands showcase original nature photography and low-impact fiber-reactive synthetic dyes that limit waste while creating exceptionally rich colors.

Made exclusively in the USA by small businesses that focus on high-quality specialty crafts.

Featured product photos by Stephanie Parshall Photography with our very own Alix Curnow modeling.

Supporting Local Companies has Consequences!

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From the beginning we have believed that where our merchandize comes from matters. Buying from Michigan companies not only cuts down on shipping distances, but also has impact on our communities. Recently we were delighted to discover that one of our favorite companies is having an impact is one of the most devastated communities in the nation, Flint.

At the Green Scene we have been carrying Stormy Kromer for almost two years. Right from the beginning we have been in love with this company. Based on the way we are treated as retail partners we were not surprised to learn about the relationship that has developed between Stormy Kromer and  St. Luke N.E.W. Life Center.

We now know that every time we sell a Stormy Kromer cap or vest we are having an impact on the lives of some very grateful Flint, Michigan residents.

What’s Hiding in Your Home

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Ok, ok I stole this title from Capital One, sorry, it just worked! While our home is not completely cleared of the items mentioned in the article attached, it doesn’t hurt to know about them so we can all work on removing them. I have been finding that white vinegar can replace many of them.

Here is a list of the chemicals environmentalists call the “dirty dozen“. It will surprise you.