Christmas Ideas #3: ConservingNow -Greener, Smarter, & Useful Gifts (Review & Giveaway)

CLOSED

I told you there would be something for everybody... This next group is absolutely superb and the founders are sweethearts working towards a great and worthy cause. What's ConservingNow, you ask?

ConservingNow.com was created by a mother and daughter who are very passionate about the environment. As more people began to think about carrying their own reusable bags, it became clear that people needed a little help to change the habit of using convenient plastic bags to reusable bags. The idea was conceived after watching shopper after shopper when asked at the checkstand, "Paper or Plastic?" exclaim that they had forgotten their bags AGAIN. 

So, ConservingNow was born. They offer FREE Car window static cling stickers that help to remind you to bring your reusable bags with you when you leave the car but that's not all they have. They feature a wide assortment of reusable and durable bags, stylish reusable bags for people of all ages through their new line of Envirosax bags, Classroom education kits and even eco starter kits for those of you just starting out. Why reusable bags, you ask? Well, plastic bags that we use everyday harm the environment and can take hundreds of years to break down. Moreover, the toxins they have in their composition, can leak into the soil and water and inadvertently harm animals and inadvertently our future generations and us. Sure sure, skeptics will say plastic bags can be recycled. However, if I asked you, how many do you really recycle? I know there are some of us who do recycle earnestly and I try to when I'm home but here, in my apartment, I sort my garbage into the bins down in the basement and from there on, I'm not sure where it goes or what happens to it.

  

I know I'm going off on a tangent, but I truly admire how ConservingNow is not only trying to address the problem but at the same time, they are trying to teach future generations through Classroom education kits that are available for purchase if you have a classroom in mind. Or you can sponsor a classroom and start educating children early on the benefits of using reusable bags. Any amount is acceptable and don't worry, every single penny sponsored goes towards creating these kits for classrooms; not a penny wasted or used towards any other purpose. Or maybe, a classroom kit is too much for you, there's even Envirosax designs for kids! OMG, I found the designs to be too cute and personally I wanted one myself too but I opted to go for the adult bags because they were slightly larger. 

I was sent the Bring Your Own Kit Family Starter Eco Kit and the Envirosax Bag 3 to review. I was so happy to see these Sunday morning. I couldn't wait to unpack it and check things out. Everything was so beautifully wrapped up, it was simple but nice at the same time. When I first took everything out, I could not believe how compact everything was. They all expand to their respective sizes, but the fact that each and every item could be folded down and made compact meant that they could fit in my purse or anything else without taking up much space! If you take a look at the picture later on, I put a pencil in the picture to show the perspective!

This killed the monster
under the sink!! :P

So, the Bring Your Own Kit Family Starter Eco Kit came with 3 Static Cling reminders for my car, 2 Oversized Cotton Totes, 1 Market Bags (set of 3) with Cinch bag for easy storage, 1 Bag Recycler and 2 Door Hangers. These bags are made of ultra sturdy, double stitched cotton and designed to last. You'd be surprised at how much you can fit inside one of these. They're essentially multi-function bags. I can use them for groceries, running errands, moving...basically anything! Then there was the Market Bags. They are so cute, they come with a leafy design and how appropriate is that for a eco-friendly bag? There are 3 of them and they're all the same size with these long straps so you can go shopping for groceries in them. The best part is that they come with this little cinch bag that you can fit all of them into when they're not in use. And with my new static cling reminders and door hangers, I better not forget any of them. Ohh, but definitely, I'm in love with my bag recycler for such a retarded and dorky reason!! Not only does it organize all of my bags and compress a massive mess into one organized bundle, it also freed up my storage space! So now, I actually have room for stuff other than plastic bags. Believe me, it was getting kinda ugly down there and I hated opening that cupboard door because of all the bags falling out. This kit was absolutely convenient and I would definitely recommend it to people planning to start using reusable bags. If a kit doesn't suit you, everything in the kit is sold separately as well so really, anything is possible. I would definitely consider this or any other kit as Christmas presents for myself, friends, and family because one, I hate having 5 million plastic bags under my sink; two, I like to fit everything into as little bags I can so I have less to carry; three, I don't have to worry about a plastic bag ripping and dropping all my stuff out because I have a crazy strong bag; four, don't forget, I get to help the environment for a better future. I could go on forever, but then that'd be no fun. :) Onto the Envirosax!

Okay, I picked the Envirosax Candy Bag 3 because I absolutely loved the design and the fact that it was bigger than the kids Envirosax bags. There are 46 different Envirosax designs and I had a hard time choosing! Unbelievably, considering how small they are when wrapped up, just look at the picture with the pencil (its the tiny roll beside the pencil), they can hold up to 44lbs of stuff!! You mean I can just shove this tiny thing in my purse and then whip it out when I need an extra bag to hold stuff?! Yes! That's exactly it and that's why I love it! There's no excuse to not use reusable bags now...haha...if you were one of those people who said, but reusable bags are ugly and they don't suit me, you now have no excuse because Envirosax bags have great designs! To me, they feel like superman bags, lol, because when expanded, they look cute but kinda flimsy but in reality, they can hold up to 44lbs! Geeky Clark Kent to Superman! What a transformation, and this one, you can whip out of your back pocket, or well, a purse in my case. Oh, speaking of transformations, Envirosax bags make for an awesome Christmas present because not only can they be a present or stocking stuffer, but you can also use them to wrap presents. No more spending money on Christmas wrap, use a wrap that can be reused! Less waste, less hassel, and less to clean up! Check out the video ConservingNow has online to see how to use your Envirosax bag as a gift wrap.

In short, ConservingNow has a great variety of reusable bags and Eco Kits suitable for people of all ages. They're all compact, durable, and would make for a great greener, smarter and useful gifts whether as a whole kit, stocking stuffer, or even as fancy gift wrap! 


Don't forget to get your FREE static cling window sticker to remind yourself to bring your reusable bags with you here.

Buy It: Conserving Now currently has a 20% off code, good through 12/31/10. Enter Holiday20 at their site. 


Sponsor: Those of you interested in sponsoring can go here.


Win It: One very lucky reader is going to win an Envirosax Bag of their choice from ConservingNow!

To Enter (MANDATORY): Like ConservingNow on facebook. This must be entered before the bonus entries count! I will check. PLEASE Leave a contact email in your entries if it is not found in your profile, if I can't contact you, you can't win. :) 

Bonus Entries -Please make sure you put 1 comment for each entry. e.g. If it says 2 entries, put 2 comments.

• Follow Whirlwind of Surprises on Google Friends Connect -1 entry
• Like Whirlwind of Surprises on facebook. Please leave your first name and last initial-1 entry
• Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post. Please leave your link. -2 entries.
• Grab my button and tell me where its at -2 entries
• Enter any of my other giveaways -1 entry
• Follow Whirlwind of Surprises on Networked Blogs -1 entry
• Follow ConservingNow on Twitter
• Follow Whirlwind of Surprises on Twitter and ReTweet this: RT @cinnybbs @ConservingNow #Win a ConservingNow Envirosax Bag of your choice #Giveaway http://bit.ly/eLdJou  US/CAN. Ends 12/31. #WOS 
• (can be Tweeted up to 3x daily for extra 2 entries each time. Each tweet must be 2 hours apart. Leave your tweet link)
• Subscribe to Whirlwind of Surprises via email. -2 entries

Giveaway ends 11:59 pm EST on December 31, 2010. Open to US and Canada. Winner will be drawn by a random number generator, posted on this blog and emailed. Winner must respond within 48 hours or a new winner will be drawn.


Disclaimer: The product/s mentioned above have been provided free of charge from the manufacturer or PR firm for the purposes of this review. Opinions expressed belong to Whirlwind of Surprises and are NOT influenced in any way. Please view my full disclosure.

Until next time,

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