Do Bloggers Mislead?

OK, call me naive. I thought bloggers came up with original material. Or at least ADMITTED when they were promoting a product because someone had sent them samples.

A recent google search on crates pulled up 3 bloggers who were interviewed on TV extolling the virtues of THE EXACT SAME FIVE PRODUCTS that they came up with (one item was my competitors' inferior crates). Coincidence? Or "paid for praise"?

The first interview I saw was in Indianapolis, then Boston, then Kansas City. The blogger ladies were saying to the TV hosts that they found these 5 IDENTICAL items ESSENTIAL to tailgating. One lady barely knew how to open and shut the crate and she'd even left the sticker on it!

At least when Sofia Vergara talks about Covergirl you know she's getting paid. What's up with these blogger ladies??? Do they jump in bed with anyone with deep pockets who's willing to send them a promo kit of the same 5 products and then ACT like they came up with these "5 unique items for tailgating" all on their own?"

And what about the TV stations? Do they have any idea they're being duped or are they in on it? When a couple local hosts here were going on and on about a story on how dirty reusable bags get and possible e coli and what could they do about it? Emails and phone calls by me and others telling about CRESBI crates as the answer did not a story make! Or perhaps we weren't PAYING enough?

I did have a couple blogger ladies review my products that I sent to them for free or paid a small fee for their time to review it (they didn't have to talk about it unless they liked it). Read them at: https://www.cresbicrate.com/news.  They clearly stated this in their blog.  Another time I tried to contact a blogger she referred me to a "mommy blogger agent" who - for a fee - could get my info out there to all the mom bloggers instantly.  

Deceptive? Misleading?  Or the new "business as usual".

Just be careful what you read and believe!

And BTW - CRESBI crates are the BEST crates for tailgating or anything else!

How to Avoid Germs at the Grocery

Most bags are not fabric but plastic.

Ebola in the US. From one guy infected in Dallas, Texas to a possible 100 in a just a few days.

It's scary to think how quickly germs spread and how quickly something like the ebola virus could alter our lives here in America forever.

I've never been a germaphobe but I started thinking about it a couple years ago when a middle-aged grocery checker sneezed INTO HIS HAND in the middle of grabbing each of my items to run across his scanner. At that point I thought there had to be a better way, especially at the grocery where such a large cross section of humanity congregates with various levels of hygiene who subsequently touch all the dang stuff. And those sanitary wipes at the entrance?  Well, they're only effective if you let the surface totally dry before putting your hands on whatever you just cleaned and even then they may be encouraging the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria superbugs. Super bugs?! Do you want super bugs?!? Or America do you want a better way?

Then I noticed the produce guys.

Instead of paper, plastic or cheap imported reusable bags, why didn't we shop with collapsible bins like the produce guys use?  We could bring our own bins into the store!  We could set them in our carts so they stack neatly - and keep our stuff OFF the floor of the cart where some kid with their dirty shoes was just jumping around! We could wipe them down with hot water and bleach so they're free from any disease-causing E. coli bacteria! We could then collapse them when we're done! Perfect!

But how to get more than one collapsible crate into the store?  And if they don't nest like the store's basket with solid handles, what do you do about the cheap plastic handles most of them come with? And then, in less time than it took to say BAN PLASTIC BAGS (which would include reusable ones since that's what they are - yep, a nonwoven polypropylene is still POLYPROPYLENE), my solution was born: CRESBI Crates!  Yeah, its a weird name. But catchy, huh?  And CRESBI crate systems are S-W-E-E-T and hard to resist once you try one, like Krispy Kreme Donuts but without the calories.

And CRESBI, unlike SPANX, actually stands for something: the Collapsible Reusable Environmentally-friendly Stackable Box Idea. So there. Instead of flimsy plastic handles, you get a strong, made-in-America strap that can be attached on the sides or on top for hands-free action. Instead of a wad of dirty, unequally-sized reusable bags stuffed in a master dirty bag (face it - when was the last time you washed yours?) you bring in your choice of systems containing the number of collapsible crates that match your shopping patterns. And instead of handling all of your items twenty million times, you place them in your open crates once as you shop, barcodes up and have the checker scan it all right in the crates!

Since most foods are mass-produced and packaged, now its only me and the stock boy who are placing our mitts on that can of tuna fish.  Like abstinence prevents pregnancy, not touching a source of germs prevents getting those particular germs every time its tried. Stay healthy, America! Get a CRESBI Crate system!

Just sayin'.

NO STRAW Saturday

Originally published Jan 11, 2014

Get your green on this new year - even if you start small. Starting this Saturday (Saturdays are one of the biggest nights of the week that people go out) when the waiter brings your drink politely refuse straw. Call it "No Straw Saturday". Or if you know it's a restaurant that gives outstraws tell the waitstaff before hand not to bring you one when she asks for your drink order. Yes I said straw. Tell her you're trying to live a less single-use and more plastic-free lifestyle.  There are 500 million of plastic straws manufactured each year. Have you seen any straw recycling centers? No. What do you think happens to them after the miniscule amount of time you spent sucking your beverage through them? They Go To The Landfill To Die A Slow Death. Not only are the effects of the straw devastating to the earth over time, so are the effects of the straw on your face over time. Sucking through a straw is like smoking a cigarette, have you ever noticed the lines above the lips of a cigarette smoker? Do you want to look like that? Of course not! Stop hurting the face of the earth by filling it with so many throwaway things and stop hurting your own face by not using a straw. It's the right thing to do - most of us only have one Earth and one face. Make the most of it.  

Reuse and save!

Then make every Saturday a "No Straw Saturday" to spread the word and work out from there.  If business owners asked first they'd be saving a penny a piece at least!

I'm not the only one to think of this, although I had the though on my own a nine year old beat me to organizing the word about it: Milo Cress If you do NEED a straw, get a reusable one or save and reuse the ones you get when you go out.  Weave yourself a nice placemat out of them. Seriously, they're made of polypropylene so they're like mini tubular CRESBI crates, why throw that kind of strength away?

Enjoy!

Dry Cleaning Bags Don't Have to Leave the Environment High & Dry

Originally published Nov 27, 2013

What's a Wannabee Tree-Hugger to do with all those nice big dry cleaning bags?  Few ideas:

 

First. Ask your Dry Cleaners to give you your clothes back "naked" without bags and then reuse your current stash to keep them clean when you're transporting - if you have a clean car you may not even need it (I have pets and kids and I don't have much of a chance anywhere in my car or house!).

 

Second, get a reusable garment/drycleaning bag like this: http://thegreengarmento.com/.  Even though most places in the USA are not hotbeds of environmentalism, businesses will work with you.  I take my reusable to go box into the grocery to get salad.  I have the deli weigh the box (because it's heavy .44 pounds but dishwasher and microwave safe!), get the salad and then have them weigh it again and put a price on it for the checker: http://www.sunsugarfarms.com/products/reusable-to-go-box  You may want to try one too if you don't already - virtually no place will take the clear polystyrene.

 

Third, dry cleaning bags are great to put your clothes in to travel, they will keep them wrinkle free in the suitcase. Or reuse them in low traffic area trash cans.  For fun keep one in the garage and throw any of your fast food containers into it.  If you like the convenience of fast food or takeout you will be saddened by how fast your bag fills up.  One third of what we throw away are merely containers.  I now take my reusable to go cup everywhere with mehttp://www.sunsugarfarms.com/products/cresbi-tumbler - you can actually get discounts on drinks this way and I also use my to go box for leftovers at restaurants of for carry out. 

 

Fourth, you should be able to turn your bags in with the Kroger-type plastic bags in their recycling bins.  Most dry cleaning bags are #4 low density polyethylene type and most plastic grocery bags are that or high density polyethylene (#2): http://ir.kroger.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=106409&p=irol-newsArticle_Print&ID=1129819&highlight=

 

Hope this helps you all live guilt-free lives when it comes to dry cleaning bags!  And if you do buy groceries consider thinking outside the box by thinking OF a box - check out my patent-pending CRESBI crate systems: www.CRESBI.com!  - a finalist for the Cincinnati Chamber's New Product of the Year award and loved by consumers in over 30 states, Canada and Australia!

We'll Give You Credit!

Originally published Jun 01, 2013

We give you credit for trying to be "green" by purchasing a reusable bag.  Unfortunately the one you bought is probably nonwoven polypropylene and no recycling centers will take it when it falls apart and IT WILL fall apart.  (Read more here:http://www.sunsugarfarms.com/pages/recycle-reusable-bags or watch the video below!).  So now we'll give you credit to help keep nonwoven polypropylene bags out of landfills where they will be a bigger problem than plastic bags, Sun Sugar Farms is offering a credit program!  Give us your bags to weave into rugs or other useful items and we give you a discount of $0.05/bag credit towards your purchase of any CRESBI crate system!

•  Drop off or send us your clean nonwoven polypropylene bags of any size:

   Sun Sugar Farms
   1258 Maddox Lane
   Verona, KY 41092

•  Get $0.05 credit PER BAG towards the purchase of any CRESBI crate system.  

•  Include your name, phone and email address when you drop off

•  We’ll email you a code for the amount of bags you turn in.  

A Good GREEN Investment

Originally published May 11, 2013

Just sayin'...

If you saw us on WCPO's "Try it out Tuesday" (http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/money/try-it-out-tuesday-cresbi-crates) they forgot a few things.  The $29.50 mentioned includes two collapsible, dishwasher-safe crates, PLUS a cooler insert, and an adjustable strap to carry one or both crates. CRESBI Crates will never wear out like reusable bags will, your food arrives home safe and upright, and you stay healthy since less people are handling your items! Plus you can't put your products in your bags as you shop --  with a CRESBI crate you can! This is the iphone of grocery containment!  Of course it's going to be a little pricier!  And with the Cooler 5 Pack or Colossal 6 Pack you most definitely can go FULL ON grocery shopping!  In fact, a customer in Texas got through a Walmart checkout with over $300 worth of groceries in under 3 minutes!

Plus the challenge to compare CRESBI crates to the reusable bags was originally given to WCPO's John Matarese as a topic for his "Don't Waste Your Money" segment.  Think about your next GREEN investment of your "green":

PLASTIC BAGS
Rumor has it Kroger may be starting to charge for plastic bags.  Stores in California already charge $0.05 to $0.10/plastic bag if someone forgets their own form of bag.  The average family of four uses around 15 bags a week.  Even if they reuse those bags a couple times, the bags ultimately end up in landfills taking thousands of years to degrade which is bad for the environment, in addition to your wallet.  $1.50/week x 52 weeks = $78/year. Side note: These bags cost stores between $0.01 - $0.02 to  purchase. 

CHEAP NONWOVEN POLYPROPYLENE RUSABLE BAGS
The cheap bags that sell for $0.50 (Walmart) to $1.00 (Meijers, Kroger) are actually a green farce (otherwise known as "Greenwashing").  The bags probably cost less than $0.10 for them to buy, given their large economies of scale.  Because they are so cheaply made (and can't be anything other than hand-washed) they quickly fall apart or become an excellent source of bacteria.  Average number of uses by a family of four could be between 5-10 times depending on level of care before the bags start falling apart.  They can hold more than plastic ones but at 10 bags every 3 months that could cost $40 minimum every year once companies stop giving them away as promotional items.  But the worst part is that there are only a handful of #5 recycling centers in the US so most of these grocery store and promotional corporate bags end up in landfills.  Here they take longer to breakdown than the plain old plastic bags they were meant to replace in the first place. 

CLOTH REUSABLE BAGCan hold as much as polypropylene ones but can be machine washed.  Usually $7- $10 per bag.  Expense isn’t bad as long as they are washed. Family of four would spend $70-$100/year initially.

CRATESCollapsible crates can be purchased at Lowe’s, Home Depot, etc but most are usually too big and get too heavy to fit more than one into a grocery cart. CRESBI crates are collapsible, too, but they also fit into every cart in existence and can be stacked to ensure your food doesn’t get crushed.   Plus they’re dishwasher safe and feature an extra hook for your grocery cart to keep them out of the way while you shop.  Or you can save time while you shop by opening the crates when you start and then placing your items barcode up in them.  Then the checker scans the items and never removes your products from the crate.  All but the crates themselves are made in America.  Single one time investment for a family of four: CRESBI 5 Pack& Cooler ($86) or CRESBI Colossal ($89).

But I use the bags for my pet's...

Originally published Feb 24, 2013

You have a dog.  It goes to the bathroom.  You pick up the poop with the free plastic bag that you get when you buy groceries.  I get that.  But even though you reuse those bags once they still end up in a landfill, buried in the dark, taking a long time to decompose around the perfectly decomposable dog and cat stuff.  A few thoughts to rock your dog (or cat or hamster) world:

Reuse all the other bags you get instead. Bread, bagels, donuts, vegetables, frozen foods, used ziploc bags...have you NOTICED what you throw away?  Get one of these handy bag holders, put it on your cabinet drawer and start collecting. Or if you're handy, sew a holder yourself. And what about the big dog or cat food bag itself?  Put that in a small trash can in the garage or outside and scoop all things smelly into there with a plastic cat crap scooper. Then you're just using ONE big old bag you already have anyway that you'll be throwing away. 

Another thought: BUY some compostable dog bags.  Yes, buy.  Because as California goes, so goes the nation - just slowly and kicking its feet - so you might as well get used to it.  In many cities in California you have to BUY a plastic bag at a hefty price if you forget your reusable. Google this company's products and you'll find a plethora of places selling them: biobag 

And finally: the very cheapest thing to do: start a secret compost hole and then use pet waste for flower gardens and your lawn (not your vegetable garden because of possible bacteria).  Even if your subdivision bans anything that makes sense like gardens and compost piles, you can still dig a hole behind a bush, dump all the crap there, and keep it covered with a green or brown trash lid inverted with mulch on it.  And the cat litter?  It's just clay or silica or other BETTER tremendously earth-friendly stuff.  Put it in the hole to return it to the earth it came from.  Here's a great article on an even better way to create one:"Can I compost pet waste?" from Colleen Vanderlinden in About.com.

So, forget the bags at the grocery store and get some CRESBI crates for your groceries, there are plenty of other excellent alternatives for all the crap in your life that your little buddies deal out.