4 Green Gift Ideas that will Tickle Your Sweetheart Pink!
Posted by Sprouts Staff
As Valentine’s Day draws near, one question becomes quite clear, “What do I give to my beloved dear. Candy, jewelry, a new sweater or two - I need something special…something different…something new!”
Here are four gifts that are perfect for you!
1. Valentine’s Day Cards
These are no ordinary cards…when planted they grow flowers!
Sprouts unique Valentine’s Day Cards are printed on eco friendly plantable seed paper. Handmade from 100% recycled paper and embedded with flower seeds, when Sprouts cards are planted they grow flowers!
Visit our website or call 561-840-8089 to order!
2. Valentine Wish Sprouters
Share a message of love, friendship, hope, or joy with Valentine Wish Sprouters. Plantable Wish Sprouters are enjoyed by all.
Each Package contains 5 Wish Sprouters.
Visit our website or call 561-840-8089 to order!
3. Blooming Box Garden Kit
A growing gift for the gardener you love!
Sprouts Blooming Box Garden Kit contains one of our Heart Boxes as well as a coir pot, pieces of our paper to plant and soil pellets. All you add is water!
Visit our website or call 561-840-8089 to order!
4. Blooming Boxes
Deliver your loving sentiment with style! Sprouts elegant & eco- friendly boxes are made from plantable seed paper. They are perfectly sized to hold candy, jewelry, and small favors or gifts. Favor Boxes are sized to hold gift cards or business cards.
When the box is planted in soil, it naturally biodegrades and beautiful flowers grow - providing your loved one with a growing reminder of you!
Visit our website or call 561-840-8089 to order!
What’s so Great about Wheatgrass?
Posted by Sprouts Staff
What’s so great about wheatgrass? Our own Dawn Dodenhoff explores the benefits of wheatgrass in the January edition of 24Seven Digital Magazine - Palm Beach North. In the article she list 15 fascinating facts about wheatgrass and its health benefits.
For example, one of the benefits drinking wheatgrass juice provides is its natural detoxification agent that is superior to carrot juice as well as other fruits. To find out more please read Dawn’s article What’s so Great about Wheatgrass? on pages 24 and 25 in the Going Green section of 24Seven Digital Magazine.
Sprouts has known about the benefits of wheatgrass juice for years and even offers a way to grow your own wheatgrass. Our special Blooming Box Garden Kits containing wheatgrass seeds! The kits have one of our Heart Boxes or Favor Boxes as well as a coir pot, wheatgrass seed to plant and soil pellets. All you add is water!
If you would like to order your own Wheatgrass Garden Kit for $4.95 please email info@sproutem.com
Click on the link to go to 24Seven:
http://epaperflip.com/aglaia/viewer.aspx?docid=1b6ef0bdb09543869c0c2ee4a4386610
The Green Resolution!
Posted by Sprouts Staff
This year many of our friends, family, and colleagues New Year’s resolutions sound something like this: I’m going to exercise more, eat healthier, make more time to volunteer, and be more organized. It’s the standard promises made to make the coming year better for ourselves. Yet, there is one resolution missing in these goals we strive for: the green resolution, the resolution to better our environment and planet.
Some people think going green is going to terribly disrupt what they are used to or that it’s too hard to go green and recycling is enough. For these people, baby steps are the best way to start the green change over. If you are this person, then this coming New Year resolve to change one thing in your life to make your existence a little greener. Maybe you change to more energy efficient light bulbs or use more environmentally friendly household cleaners. Maybe you could carpool to work or replace a broken appliance with ones that are more energy efficient. If everyone does something small in the effort to go green the impact on the planet will be huge.
For those of you who already have incorporated green living in your daily routine, see if you can assist the people in your life with their transition into a greener lifestyle. Sometimes our friends just need that extra push or someone to talk to about greening their lives. See if you can inspire others to become as passionate about the environment and planet as you are.
Let’s make a resolution to not just better ourselves, but better our environment, better our planet and make the green resolution!
Below are more suggestions on how to live a greener life and commit to the green resolution.
1. Recycle: Most cities offer recycling bins and it is one of the easiest ways to live greener.
2. Send plantable greeting cards versus ones that can be thrown away.
3. Buy locally grown produce at farmers markets in your community.
4. Start a garden that will attract honey bees and other pollinators.
5. Create a compost pile to fertilize your yard and garden.
6. Donate unused or reusable goods to local thrift stores or collection agencies.
7. Replace old or broken appliances with energy efficient ones.
8. Invest in low flow toilets and showerheads.
9. Walk or ride a bike to nearby places instead of driving.
10. Keep reusable canvas bags in your car for when you go shopping.
11. Use less water by only doing full loads of laundry, taking shorter showers, and turning off the faucet while you are brushing your teeth
12. Replace you’re A/C air filter once a month.
13. Unplug electronic appliances when not in use or attached them to a power strip and turn the power strip off.
14. Switch to energy efficient lighting by using compact florescent light bulbs or LED light bulbs
15. Use recycled paper products.
16. Buy green non-toxic cleaners for your house, clothes, and car.
17. Plant a tree.
18. Adopt green friendly products as part of your normal purchasing routine.
19. Purchase a reusable water bottle versus buying one time use bottles of water.
20. Learn about local, regional, and national environmental issues and participate through volunteer efforts and raising awareness
Click here to send Sprouts Plantable Greeting Card to remind your family, friends, and colleagues to make a green resolution for the 2010 New Year.
We’re Getting Crafty this Holiday Season!
Posted by Sprouts Staff
The holiday season is upon us and most of us will be decorating our homes in celebration. Yet, for the eco-conscious individual this time of year can pose a bit of a problem. We want to fill our homes with cheery decor for the holidays, but we need to make sure our purchases are environmentally sound. Not all seasonal decorations are made environmentally friendly and then we have the problem of storage. We should be adorning our homes with reusable decorations, but with a lack of storage that isn’t always a feasible solution. The simple answer is having one time use homemade decorations made from recyclable materials. There are many different home holiday craft projects that can be found on the internet, but one of our favorites is creating a Wintery Holiday Wreath.
To create your own Wintery Holiday Wreath you will need:
Many (25 to 45) sticks no more than a 1/2 inch thick and 12 inches long
Twine or String
Scissors
Sprouts Plantable Craft Paper
First you will have to gather up some sticks and twigs. The best place to find good sticks (if you don’t have a lot of trees near your home) is to go to a local park. You want the sticks to have various textures and lengths. Try to find ones that are no bigger than half an inch around and no longer than a foot. Also, inspect them for bugs and other critters so you don’t bring something in your home you don’t want there.
Place the sticks in several small bunches then tie them together. Then take each bunch and tie them end to end bending them slightly to form a circle. Use any left over sticks to slide and wedge in areas that look a little barren.
Now that you have the circle for the wreath, you need to make the leaves to decorate it with. Trace out leaf shapes onto the paper (or you can use our template below to print on the paper). Cutout the leaf shapes (or if you want snowflake shapes) and wedge the cutouts in between the sticks. The amount of cutouts you will need will vary depending on the size of your wreath.
Use the twine/string to create a loop you can use to hang your wreath.
At the end of the holiday season the twigs and sticks can be broken down and used for composting along with the twine. The leaves (constructed from the Sprouts Plantable Craft Paper) can be planted and will turn into wildflowers!
To purchase Sprouts Plantable Paper please click on the link: http://www.sproutem.com/category/Craft-Paper-and-Stock
Good Time Had By All at the Taste of the Palm Beaches
Posted by Sprouts Staff
Over 1,000 people thronged to the 6th Annual Taste of the Palm Beaches in The Gardens’ fashionable PGA Commons shopping district on November 11 as patrons enjoyed delicious samplings from dozens of the area’s top chefs and spirits distributors. The festive event also featured live music, ice carving, bartendering contests and much more. The sumptuous feast’s grand finale was found at Gilded Spa and Salon’s Chocolate Chamber and Bubble Lounge, where an array of mouthwatering desserts and sparkling champagnes awaited discriminating palates.
- Sharon Quercioli, Glenn Swift and Tim Byrd “The Byrdman” with his wife Donna Byrd
Many local supporters turned out for the event including Sprouts owner Sharon Quercioli and 24Seven Digital Media Editor in Chief Glenn Swift, who enjoyed the momentous occasion sampling various international cuisine and fine spirits while sharing the evening with friends. Adding a touch of flair to the event were some local celebrities, including well-known broadcast journalist Tim Byrd “The Byrdman.” Overall, it was a spectacular and most successful evening.
- Olimpia Zuccarelli, Glenn Swift and Sharon Quercioli
Also enjoying the good times was Zuccarelli’s PBG owner, Olimpia Zuccarelli, who recently added a first-class pizzeria to her highly respected family-style restaurant in PGA Commons.
A Great Evening for a Worthy Cause
Besides providing a great time for all, the event’s proceeds went to a noteworthy cause, Big Heart Brigade (www.bigheartbrigade.com), a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide holiday meals and seasonal support to South Floridians in need.
To find out more about Taste of the Palm Beaches, please visit: http://www.tasteofthepalmbeaches.com
For more information on the Big Heart Brigade, please visit: http://www.bigheartbrigade.com
Earth… The Greatest Gift of All
Posted by Sprouts Staff
Remembering the important things this Holiday Season
As the holiday season approaches, it is important to take time to reflect on the blessings bestowed on us and make an effort to give back to all of those who generously gave of themselves through out the year.
Mother Earth is perhaps the most generous giver of gifts. She provides us with the air we breathe, water we drink, and resources necessary for our survival. She created the magnificent mountains which we climb, lush forests through which we hike, and bountiful fields where we plant our crops and asks nothing from us in return.
This holiday season take time from your hectic schedule to reflect on the gifts earth has blessed us with and make a commitment to do something kind for her in return.
In the spirit of giving back to the earth, Sprouts has designed a special new line of Holiday Cards made from its 100% recycled plantable seed paper. Sprouts Green Christmas Collection features six cards with eco-friendly sayings and designs. These cards are a wonderful way to spread holiday cheer to family, friends, and customers while reminding them of the importance of preserving all that mother earth has given us.
Living Green is not a Dream
Posted by Sprouts Staff
The First Annual Living Green Fair was held at John U Lloyd Beach State Park in Dania Beach, FL on November 14th and 15th. The fair went a long way to show the people of South Florida living green is not a dream. Many companies attended the weekend event showcasing everything from consumer products to industrial and commercial industry green alternatives.
Sharon, Steve, and Debbie at the Sprouts Booth
Sprouts, a proud event sponsor, provided eco-friendly Plantable Seed Paper Bookmarks for the goodie bags handed out to fair attendees. Sprouts would like to give a big THANK YOU to everyone who came out to see us. Our Sprouts Team was hopping at the Living Green Fair with attendees flocking around our booth. We definitely created a buzz and had an amazing time talking to the people about our plantable seed paper products including greeting cards, bookmarks, and boxes. We made many friends at the event and look forward to growing new business.
Sprouts donated an event booth to Forgotten Soldiers Outreach, Inc., a non-profit organization that sends “we care” packages and letters of encouragement to our deployed men and women in the armed forces. “The Living Green Fair provided a platform for Forgotten Soldiers to raise funds and awareness for their worthy cause,” said Sharon Quercioli, Sprouts president. Fair attendees generously contribute funds while children took the opportunity to write a letter to encourage our soldiers.
If you would like to help out Forgotten Soldiers Outreach, Inc. you can purchase a box of specially made Forgotten Soldiers note cards. Please click on the link: http://www.sproutem.com/forgottensoldiers
Sharon and Lynelle (Founder of Forgotten Soldiers Outreach, Inc.)
To find out more about Forgotten Soldiers Outreach, Inc. please visit: http://www.forgottensoldiers.org/
Another point of particular interest at the Living Green Fair was the Wyland mural. Wyland, a renowned environmental artist, created an impressive ocean scene mural enlisting the help of many youngsters of all ages. Wyland is the founder of the Wyland Foundation, an organization which strives to teach children and families the importance of preserving the ocean and waterways. The Wyland Foundation teaches these values through public art programs, classroom science education, and live events with a goal of giving children the tools they need to be creative, positive, and solution oriented.
To find out more about the Wyland Foundation please visit: http://www.wylandfoundation.org/
“The Living Green Fair was a great success and a lot of fun for both sponsors and attendees,” said Quercioli. If you didn’t get a chance to come out and visit the Sprouts Team at this event, don’t worry…we will be taking part in many more events through out South Florida. For those of you who did come out to see us, THANK YOU! We can wait to see you all at our next event.
Let Us Give Thanks
Posted by Sprouts Staff
Thanksgiving is upon us and soon we will be gathered around a table with family, friends, and (most importantly) FOOD! Overall we’re enjoying the day in our own fashion; some might watch football, while others enjoy the Thanksgiving Day parades. The kids might play a video game or work on Thanksgiving Day crafts to keep them occupied. Then there are the rest of us who are stressed, watching a dozen pots on the stove in hopes of serving dinner on time.
No matter what the day’s activities hold, at the end everyone retreats to the final calm and sanctuary provided by the dinner table. Behold, the Thanksgiving Day feast is laid out before everyone. Around the table we’ll gorge ourselves on all the classic trimmings the feast has to offer: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and the like. At the end we’ll pause for a brief moment of thanks and then move on to dessert.
Those of us here at Sprouts have a unique Thanksgiving Day tradition we’d like to share. We gather our family and friends together before dinner and hand out plantable Wish Sprouters. Everyone writes down what they are thankful for on the Sprouter. At the end of the meal, we read to each other the things which we are thankful and then we plant our Wish Sprouters in a pot. As they grow into beautiful wild flowers throughout the year, we are reminded of all the things which we gave thanks.
If you would like to participate in this fun holiday tradition, you can order your own Wish Sprouters by clicking on the following link:
http://www.sproutem.com/category/Favors-and-Tags
Forgotten Soldiers Outreach Partners with Sprouts to Raise Funds and Awareness
Posted by Sprouts Staff
Forgotten Soldiers Outreach, Inc., whose goal is to continually encourage the men and women fighting abroad for our great nation by sending monthly “we care” packages and letters of encouragement to deployed soldiers, has partnered with Sprouts to raise funds necessary for operations.
For some of these men and women the packages and letters written are their only contact back to the United States. Being so far from home can be quite lonely for them, missing all the things they love about our great nation. Sending these letters and packages gives them back a little piece of home. It lets our troops know someone out-there cares about them. Sprouts cares about our men and women in the armed forces that’s why we’re partnering with Forgotten Soldiers Outreach, Inc.
Sprouts is working with Forgotten Soldiers to create a line of custom designed note cards featuring the Forgotten Soldiers logo and Supporting Our Troops images and phrases. A portion of the proceeds from each sale will go directly to Forgotten Soldiers, enabling them to encourage and inspire our armed forces serving overseas.
If you would like to help our men and women in the armed forces continue to receive these charitable gifts of love and support, you can purchase a box of our Forgotten Soldiers Note Cards. The proceeds will help with many of the costs needed to keep the Forgotten Soldiers Outreach program going including shipping of the packages to our troops.
The cards can be purchased by clicking on the link:
http://www.sproutem.com/forgottensoldiers
If you would like to learn more about Forgotten Soldiers Outreach, Inc. please visit:
http://www.forgottensoldiers.org
Fall: Too Many Leaves, Too Little Time!
Posted by Sprouts Staff
Fall is a wonderful time of year and perhaps one of the most beautiful seasons. It’s at this time of year the leaves begin to change (if you are living up north). The transition from the lush greens to the deep reds to the rustic browns is one of Mother Nature’s gifts to us. And this is a gift that keeps on giving with the leaves, later on, wreaking havoc all over our yards! Even down here in South Florida, we have leaves to contend with (although not as pretty as the fall leaves of our northern companions).
Leaving them scattered across our yards is not an option. Too many leaves covering a yard can kill off the grass and other plants, not to mention they can be an eyesore. Burning the leaves is never a good option. The burn drums up a lot of smoke and down in the south can become a major disaster during the dry season. Throwing them out in the trash is never a good idea; there is little space left and landfills as it is. Craft projects are a fun way to use up some leaves, but still won’t solve the problem. What is one to do? The best answer is COMPOSTING!
By composting you not only solve the problem of what to do with your leaves, but you create a rich soil for your other plants to thrive! Buying compost at the store can be quite costly. Making your own compost not only saves money, but it keeps recyclable plant material out of over crowded landfills.
Don’t think you have the time to start your own compost pile? Composting is a much easier than you think. Once you have your pile started it takes less than ten minutes a day to maintain.
First, obtain a plastic garbage can with a lid and make a number of holes (a little bigger than a quarter) spread out through the sides of the can.
Next, you add to the pile your leaves, grass clippings, kitchen scraps, and some garden soil. For the best possible mix of materials you should have about two parts dry leaves to one part grass clippings. Add just enough water to make everything moist, but not overly soaked with water. Other materials you can add to the mix are shredded , coffee grounds, other garden clippings, paper towels, and other organic materials. Things you want to avoid mixing in are fats, oils, meats, perennial weeds, diseased plants, as well as pig and pet droppings.
Finally, you want to keep your composting can in the shade with the lid (which also needs holes) closing the top. You can add kitchen scraps and other organics as you accumulate them. Then once every few days you want to mix up the pile with a shovel. This will mix up the ingredients and get the oxygen and nitrogen moving throughout which aids in the composting process.
Do not be alarmed if the pile seems warm in temperature. You are trying to create a hot humid environment to speed up the natural composting process. These composting bins can get quite warm which is just what the pile needs to turn into compost.
In a few months (depending on where you’re living and the time of year), you will have a nice pile of compost to use for potting soil, mulch your garden, and fertilze your yard. When you use the compost make sure to leave a quarter of the material in the bin. The left over material will aid in producing your next pile of compost.
