In an effort to swallow the astounding number of reviews and orders, we are offering you as much as 20% if you postpone and bank your store credit between 6 months and 1 year.

Simply login to Franklin Goose and click on the links to bank your credit on the account page!

The more you bank, the more you help us. Besides perhaps you can get new products as they become available in the future.

We are so impressed with the positive response from all you both in your reviews and comments. We have received over 50,000 reviews! As consumers ourselves we are very pleased with the quality of reviews and thoroughness. It is great that everyone is so personal and specific!

However, because so many people are responding we are a bit overwhelmed and this causes delays in our site, how fast we process orders, our suppliers, and how fast we can approve reviews. We hope we can address these issues here.

We and our suppliers are days behind in completing orders. The good news is that we will ship your orders and we will process your reviews. We are giving priority to credit card customers.

Second, your store credit will last **at least** two years, so take your time using it and wait for the site load to cool down. We’re not going anywhere and our product selection and reviews keep improving every day.

If your review is not processed immediately, please be patient. It is currently taking about 2-3 days to process reviews. As long as you post your review before the deadline of March 31st, we will count it even if the credit does not show up on your account immediately. We are a bit backlogged. We hope you can forgive us.

Also we happy to see how many experts are out there that really know your products! We love this!  We are glad we are not alone in our passion for the organic and natural! For you experts who want a little extra cash we would like help and we are offering part time jobs  to people who are passionate as we are and want to share your
knowledge.  If you are interested please email us at help@franklingoose.com and describe your biggest strengths, product knowledge, and where you might help.

Thank you for your wonderful kind remarks, support, and spreading the  word!

The Team at Franklin Goose

by Sheri Doyle.

Congratulations to Tracy for winning the Brooke & Adelyn lop eared organic t-shirt!

If you haven’t seen this yet check it out here.

Also, make sure you look at Brooke & Adelyn’s complete line here, including her new spring organic shirts & onesies here.

by Sheri Doyle

We were contacted by a company called Earthship last week. The name of the company intrigued me so I had to see what they sold. When I saw their website I was completely surprised. I don’t know what I was expecting but a house made from recycled materials was not it. I have to admit that I am not crazy about the name, and if I lived in one I would probably not call it an Earthship. BUT, I love the concept, and honestly, I think it looks pretty cool.

The Earthship home is not only made from recycled materials but it is completely sustainable. The electricity comes from solar panels and wind modules, water is collected on the roof from rain and melting snow, the sewage is treated on site in interior & exterior botanical planters, and food can be grown inside and outside of the house. VERY cool!

The house cost about 200.00 per square foot to build. Which isn’t bad compared to real estate prices in some areas. Then when you factor in the savings from making your own electricity and utilizing natural water sources and sewage treatment, the house becomes quite affordable.

The headquarters are in Taos, New Mexico  where you are invited to come spend the night in an Earthship to check it out, rates start at 110.00 per night. They are fully furnished, have high speed internet access, digital satellite and more. You can also bring your pet for an extra 25.00. I personally think this would be a pretty neat thing to do and I think Maya the bulldog would be pretty happy spending the night there too.

The company has built homes all over the world in its 40 years of existence so they have experience working in any climate.  They are available to build homes anywhere and ask for an initial 2500.00 retainer to get started on planning your home.

It looks so beautiful to me in its uniqueness and its dedication to our planet. I think we are quite lucky to have companies who are dedicated to creating sustainable homes, but then to have a company like Earthship who not only builds sustainable homes but they do it with recycled materials, and they do it with style- fantastic!

Do you think you could live in an Earthship? If so, where would you build it? (I think mine would have to be in Belize

All photos were taken from the Earthship website, check it out here.

by Sheri Doyle

I recently did a video review of Grobaby diapers. Check it out, and don’t forget to subscribe to franklingoosetv to see all of our video product reviews!

by Sheri Doyle.

How better to celebrate Easter and spring than with organic cotton clothing made by Brooke & Adelyn.

I fell in love with this  the moment I saw it and thought I should share it with you.

The shirt or onesie is made from organic cotton, and stamped with water based paint, in a design completely unique to Brooke & Adelyn. Brooke designs all of her amazing creations and then makes the stamps herself. To make it even more fun we are giving one away to one of our lucky readers.

The onesie is available in sizes: 6m, 12m or 18m. The tee is available in sizes: 2T, 3T, 4T & 5/6T.

Make sure you check out all of Brooke’s designs here.

Here are the rules to enter:

1. Go to www.franklingoose.com, look around and then come back here and tell us what one of your favorite items is.

2. Join us on facebook (the link is on the left) and come back and let us know you are now a fan.

3. Follow us on twitter (the link is on the left) and then tweet this message & come back and let us know you did.

RT & follow @franklingoose to win an organic bunny shirt or onesie from www.franklingoose.com

4. Subscribe to our blog and leave us a comment telling us you did.

The contest is over at 5:00 est on Wednesday March 17, 2010 so we have time to get this adorable tee or onesie out to our winner before Easter. The winner gets to pick what size they want. We also pay for the shipping. There is no purchase necessary. The winner will chosen using random.org

Today I read an article about how scientists are linking eating organic food to losing weight. Scientists are finding that the chemicals being sprayed on our foods are endochrine disrupters, meaning they mess with the hormones in our bodies. This alters our ability to lose weight, to not gain weight, to get pregnant, to develop diseases, illnesses and many other things. The findings were that if you are eating organic you will find you can be more liberal in what you are eating because it does not affect your weight or your health as much. While that is great news the scary thing is that what we are eating is that bad for us, it messes with our hormones, and helps aid in our obesity problems, and our battle with weight. Wow! Can you imagine the other long term effects that haven’t even been uncovered yet. Also, the fact that it disrupts the ability to get pregnant is so frightening.

So here are some quick ways to go organic without breaking the budget, freaking out your family, or completely altering your lifestyle overnight

1. Stop eating & drinking things with high fructose corn syrup. It is everywhere, so read the labels. I know buying organic is more expensive so if you can’t make the switch then find alternatives, for instance, crackers: most of them have high fructose corn syrup, but there are a few brands that don’t and they aren’t as expensive as organic. This is true with almost everything on the market now.

2. Change the meat you eat. Again, organic  is  more expensive than non-organic  so if you can’t afford the organic meat look for the label that says “No Antibiotics, No Hormones”.  If you have a Trader Joe’s close that is a great place to find affordable “chemical free” meat & organic meat. Also, Costco sells organic meat in bulk, making it much more affordable to buy organic meat.

3. Find a list like this one from Planet Green, showing which foods are the most harmful and purchase these organic first. (I didn’t know green beans were so bad, containing over 60 pesticides, and testing over the legal limit for chemicals!) If you only change these items first it is a big start!

4. Evaluate what you are cooking and see where you can stop buying canned foods. Some canned foods do test positive for BPA. This is not good as it leeches into your food. Are there foods you can stop buying canned? Can you hydrate your beans instead of buying canned ones, even if just on the weekends? Look for items that come in glass instead of cans (make sure you recycle your glass).

5. As you replace your condiments and other items you buy less regularly try buying organic instead to replace them. It is a slow way to start building your organic pantry, without breaking the budget. Often times the organic alternative is a dollar more at most, so making one or two changes a week will only set you back a few dollars but make a huge difference in your diet.

6. Shop at Costco or someplace similar that carries organic foods. Our Costco sells organic eggs, milk, yogurt, meat, produce, detergents etc. at much more affordable prices. Plus, they are in larger containers  meaning less waste for the environment, less time spent at the store, and less emissions in the air from driving to the store as often.

7. I would love to say stop eating fast food, but I know for a lot of people that would be too big of a change right off of the bat. So, instead choose where you eat. For instance, at McDonald’s their french fries are perfect, because their potatoes are perfect. Their potatoes are perfect because they demand them to be. When was the last time you saw a potato grown normally that was perfect? It is rare, so McDonald’s solution, spray the potatoes with a chemical to make them perfect. Problem, the chemical is neurologically damaging. How bad? Well, after farmers spray the chemical they refuse to go into the fields, no matter what, for 5 days to lessen the risk of damage to their bodies. (Seriously, do you need to eat a perfect fry badly enough to eat the neurological chemical too?) There are other places that don’t practice this so eat there instead.

8. Shop at your farmer’s market. Talk to the farmers. A lot of them may not be certified organic but they practice organic farming so buy from them, and then freeze the fresh produce in pvc free freezer bags or BPA free containers.

9.  Don’t buy processed foods unless absolutely necessary. It is funny how habitual it is to buy processed foods. You can get into a rut and forget that really it doesn’t take very long to cook some of the things you are buying pre-made or processed. For instance, making a cake or muffins from scratch is not that much more difficult than the mixes.  You can find very simple recipes online and cook your food fresh. If you can’t do it everyday then try doing it one more day a week than you are now.When that gets comfortable and easy add another day. You will eliminate so many chemicals & calories from your diet. You will also have the chance to teach your children a new skill, and a new way of life. I have a great tomato soup recipe for instance that may take 10 more minutes than canned soup but aside from the organic canned tomatoes there are no other ingredients I don’t control. I use organic onions & garlic, sea salt, pepper, and organic milk. It tastes a million times better than canned soup, is almost as easy, and does not contain any preservatives, high fructose corn syrup etc.

10.  Watch what you are storing your food in & reheating it in. You can buy great glass containers now that are perfect for storing your leftovers, and for reheating them. This will cut down on the chemicals leeching into your food. Also, buy BPA free to go cups, or stainless steel and take your own water places instead of buying it in plastic bottles.  You will save so much money doing this you can afford to buy another organic item or two at the grocery store, plus, no more chemicals in your water or food from the container.

How are you incorporating more organic food into your diet? Have you seen a difference in how you feel or what you weigh by switching? Leave us a comment and tell us what you think!

-Sheri

I hate malls. I am sorry but I do, I always have. So when I announced I wanted to go to Cleveland to visit a galleria, you would have thought I was suggesting we sell our house and move to outer Mongolia. As crazy as it sounds I do want to go to Cleveland to go to this Galleria at Erieview, and I want to have lunch with Vicky Poole. Why? Because she is a genius, and because the Galleria is remarkable.

The Galleria’s occupancy had started to decline and Vicky knew she had to do something to increase traffic to the mall. So she started offering the atrium in the Galleria as a banquet hall. This was good, but then she was inspired by something she had seen in New York and she decided to really make a difference in the Galleria.

She set up the sun filled  Galleria as a hydroponic garden. Hanging from the ceilings and the stair banisters are tomatoes, lettuces, and herbs.  Vicky is using the space to showcase organic gardening, creative gardening solutions and even better, great ways to utilize urban spaces.

Recently Vicky was approached about experimenting with airoponic growing, she agreed to the experiment and is working with the student who suggested it to implement it at the Galleria. The project has recently been awarded a 30,000.00 grant from the Civic Innovation Lab and they are working on a composting solution for the food court scraps and will be selling their produce to the food courts.

What I love about Vicky is that she took something that could have been bad, slowing of traffic at the galleria, and turned it into something amazing! She really used her background as a farmers granddaughter, taking what she knows, and turned it into a learning, growing and experimental environment. From a marketing standpoint it is phenomenal. From a business standpoint it is a great save, and from an environmental standpoint it is a great example to other companies who own these large glass buildings to think outside of the box and start using their spaces to improve our environment.

You want to go visit the Galleria at Erieview in Cleveland now too don’t you?

Gardens Under Glass, as it is now called, is welcoming any suggestions or ideas for their endeavor. You can email them at gardensunderglass@yahoo.com.

(the garden photo is from blog.cleveland.com, who ran the original story)

-Sheri

Boy do we have the news around Franklin Goose!!

First, Congrats to Jennifer C. for winning the iPod touch! & Thank you to everyone who participated. Keep following us for great giveaways!

Second, checkout the great giveaway we are doing with Inhabitots for a Prince Lionheart balance bike!

Third, We are in Mothering Magazine this month! They featured our great hangers from Tatty Bumpkin. These hangers are organic & bendy so you can mold them from small size clothing to kids clothing, never having to buy another hanger. They are super eco, super cute and super fun!

I am going on vacation soon (woohoo!). The resort we chose is a sustainable resort. I am pretty excited about this. As I count down the days I started thinking about everyone else who is planning vacations for the late spring & summer. Why not go green or sustainable? Here are some places I found (which are now on my list for future traveling):

1. Casa Viva Troncones in Troncones, Guerrero Mexico.

This place looks amazing!!! It has 3 palm thatched roof bungalows. They use solar panels for heating & lighting, they have grey & black water recycling, they compost, have an organic garden on premise, low flow toilets & showers, they recycle, biodegradable laundry detergents, bikes, and beach toys; and this is only the beginning!They also have a private cook & caretaker.

On Trip Advisor they get 5 star ratings. The rates are 129.00-260.00 per night, and look how beautiful! (I think Franklin Goose needs to take a trip and check it out, don’t you?) You can see them here.

2. Finca Rosa Coffee Plantation Inn- Santa Barbara, Costa Rica

This Inn goes above and beyond, literally. First, they are perched over the coffee plantations & forests. They use solar panels to heat, they use a copper/silver ionization system to clean the pool, recycle their coffee pulp for fertiziler, they compost, grow an organic vegetable & flower garden, donate money to the local schools, and donate part of the money they make at the bar & restaurant to the local  school, childrens food bank, & to build 2 new recycling centers.

They get a 4 3/4 star rating on Trip Advisor. What a great place to take your family to teach them about being green, giving back, farming & forest life! Check them out here.

3. Hotel Mocking Bird Hill-Port Antonio, Jamaica

Hotel Mocking Bird is nestled within 6.5 tropical acres the hotel’s hilltop location offers superb Blue Mountain and Caribbean Sea vistas whilst overlooking the Antillean town of Port Antonio and her beautiful natural double harbour, spectacular by day and romantic by night.Hotel Mocking Bird Hill uses natural air conditioning, a pool running on renewable energy, anaerobic waste water treatment, practice waste avoidance, use local produce whenever possible, plus they educate their staff and the community about environmentally friendly living. They offer an adult literacy program for their employees along with classes on making sell-able art from recycled paper.

Hotel Mocking Bird Hill gets a 4 1/2 star rating on Trip Advisor.  It looks like a place dedicated to make your trip and our world a great place to be. You can find them here.

4. Wild Spring Guest Habitat-Port Orford, Oregon

If you can’t leave the country, why not visit Wild Spring Guest Habitat? It is a retreat made up of 5 cabins, built like homes set in the forests of Oregon.  They offer hiking, meditation, Tai Chi, and massages.

They have set the habitat up to have a zero carbon footprint, they use organic food & flowers whenever possible. They recycle, and donate their unused food to local shelters. They are also working on windpower options and composting options.

Trip Advisor gives them a 4 3/4 star rating. You can find them here.

5.  Feather Down Farms-across the U.S.

Feather Down Farms are run by farmers. There are three to choose from, 2 in NY and 1 in IL. Each farm offers a specialty whether it it beef farming, vegetable farming, or dairy farming. Each family stays in a tent, unlike any tent you have seen, see the picture below. You live off of the land like farmers before have done (although they do offer flushing toilets). They are run by families and offer bike rentals, you pick your own eggs every morning, and you and the kids can learn about the farm animals, farm life, agriculture and relaxing on the farm. What a great way to teach your kids about food, agriculture, animals and where our food comes from!

You can find them here.

1. Canopy Bed    2. Cooking Stove   3. Master bedroom  4. Bunk Bedroom  5. Flushing Toilet

Happy Travels! If you know of other great eco vacations please let us know! We would love to feature them, and add them to our dream list.

-Sheri