101 post contest: A shout out to the Tree Huggers

Remember me? The accidental tree-hugger with a toddler on her hip?

Yeah, I'm the chick who admits to not bothering to go out and get a recycling bin in the six years we have lived in our home until Buttercup was born. Then all eco-friendly-hell broke loose and I suddenly found myself shunning disposable diapers for cloth, making my own baby food, chasing after my husband in the house to TURN OFF THE LIGHTS when he left a room, and of course, went out and got that recycling bin.

And now, I have one more notch to add to my green belt (right next to that notch for the 100 posts, and all...): The Act2-Green Smart line of laptop jackets, messenger bags, and totes---all ingeniously made from 100 percent recycled pop and water bottles. (I'm a Michigan girl....you may call it "soda" but we call it "pop" here. But I digress...)

I got to take a look at the vertical messenger bag and the tote, and am plenty impressed with both. I review a lot of things, and not all of them make it into my daily repitoire of Things I Actually Use, but both of these bags certainly did.

The messenger, which retails for $74.99, is a (much needed) far cry from the standard black bag I used to use for my laptop, and features padding to protect said laptop, easy access pockets under the flap, a zip pocket in the back, and magnetic flap closures. Both the vertical and horizontal styles are made to hold a 15.4 inch laptop, and feature carrying handles to give your shoulders a break when needed.

And according to Act2, one messenger bag uses 30 bottles, which saves the equivelant of 236 laptop hours of energy!

If that's not enough to make you feel good about buying one of their products, try this one on for size: Since sugust of 2008, Act2 has saved 493,320 plastic PET bottles and 3.8 million hours of equivelant laptop power. And that just flat out rocks.

The Tote has become the surprise favorite because since arriving, it has been delegated for use as "Buttercup's Library Bag." Every time I went prior to getting the tote, I found myself wincing as the librarian handed me a plastic shopping bag with our weekly selection of board books, and I vowed to find something better.

That's where the tote came in. So far, I've shoved it full of 7 board books and 10 CD's at one, and with room to spare.

Another good use would be as a green diaper bag. With plenty of space and an organizational panel and a zippered pocket, this is a perfect choice for taking baby essentials along for a shopping trip. Or use it as a gym bag. Just USE it! And by the way, the 10 bottles it is made from saves the equivelant of 78 laptop hours of energy.

You can check out the rest of the Act2 gear and get a sweet 20 percent off here by using code Fall08. You also can enter to win one of two totes in your choice of color, by visiting the Act2 site and leaving me a berrie (read: comment) telling me which product you'd like to see reviewed next on the blog.

Extra entries are also available if you:
* subscribe to my RSS feed and comment letting me know you did so.
* Blog about the contest and link to the giveaway.
* Non-bloggers can email three of their friends about the contest and CC me on the email. Girl Scout's honor that I will never bother these sweet people. I promise!
* Grab my button and place it on your sidebar, linking to Berrie Sweet Picks. (I'll check!)
* Follow me on Twitter! (nickname: berriesweetest)
Please note all entries MUST include a valid email address to be considered for the drawing! That means that well, all entries must include an email address to be considered valid. Simple enough, right? ;)

I'll pick two names at midnight (EST) on Oct. 5 and post their name to PRIZEYWinners and on my sidebar. The winner has four days from the announcement date to contact me, or an alternate winner will be selected.