Yesterday I opened a box to pull out a new Blackberry of my very own. On the outside, not a very green thing to do. But you see, my phone is different.

I’m the newest member of the Credo nation, a phone service that donates to various green and progressive causes. They plant trees, use soy based ink, and helps offset Carbon usage. They also sent me a sweet Solio solar powered charger for my phone. Yep, my phone is solar powered and that makes me happy.

Finding companies that support the things I support can be difficult. There is so much green washing that goes on, false promises and half hearted claims. Soda companies and bleach manufacturers have all claimed to be “green” when they hope it will bring in additional revenue. It has gotten to the point where you cannot trust any company that claims to be earth friendly without doing a mountain of research first.

Combining the use of a phone like a Blackberry with my goals to be simpler have been tricky, I will admit. Because I do 99% of my work online I wanted a way to stay on top of work. Yet, there is decidedly something not simple about being tethered to work and the internet 24/7. And yet, being able to glance at my email or my to-do list at a moment’s notice so far makes me feel less stressed. There’s no suddenly realizing I forgot something important or putting off going to the store while waiting for a necessary email back. Being tied in makes me feel a little more free.

Right now Credo is offering 2 Blackberry Curve phones for only $50, which is a freakishly awesome deal. And, if you tell them that I sent you their way I’ll get a little bonus. (You have to enter my phone number to list me as a referral)

photo credit: mlinksva

The end of this week we begin moving into our new home, and I’m pretty excited.

This new house marks a beginning of things for me. The fenced in yard gives me more courage to start a real garden, that and the fact that I won’t be pregnant and ready to birth when next spring rolls in. There is also a perfect little corner where I can stick a compost bin. Hopefully keeping it out of the way will keep complaints from neighbors at bay.

Not that I know what my neighbors think, but in case they think composting attracts animals or smells bad I want to be prepared.

The new house puts us walking distance to the park, the library, and one of the local used clothing shops. It is also in the town where we do most of our shopping. Driving is going to be cut down to a bare minimum without interfering with our day to day living.

The only downfall is that this new house means no chickens, something I have wanted for a year now. Unfortunately the city has an ordinance that chickens must be kept at least 200 feet from the neighbor’s property. There’s no where I could put them that would be far enough away from either neighbor. Luckily I found the local farmer with fresh eggs.

I can’t wait to change my living space for something better. I can’t wait to get my garden planned out, to have the space to set up my sewing machine, to have a real kitchen I can cook in. A new house for our new life.