It’s February and here’s your chance to stock up on essentials, like cloth diapers, soap, organic bedding and Mythic Paint. We’re spreading out the savings starting Jan. 31-Feb.1. Just visit the store on the dates listed below and save 20 percent on select in-stock, regularly-priced merchandise while supplies last. All sales are final. No coupon necessary. Enjoy.

• Jan. 31-Feb. 1: Baby and kid items, excluding bumGenius and ERGO Baby Carrier
• Feb. 7-8: Personal care items, such as shampoo, soap and lotion
• Feb. 14-15: Organic linens, including bed, bath and tabletop
• Feb. 21-22: Cleaning supplies, floor stains and paint (Mythic Paint orders placed on these dates must be picked up Feb. 23 or later)

Our beloved city is the subject of the new exhibition Forgotten Cincinnati opening 6 to 9 p.m. Jan. 30 here at Park + Vine, 1109 Vine Street. From abandoned amusement parks and crumbling breweries to forgotten neighborhoods and other derelict structures and locales, Sherman Cahal and Ronny Salerno present photographs of a deserted Queen City. Forgotten Cincinnati runs through Feb. 26 and possibly beyond.

There is a population, albeit small, that rides year-round here in Cincinnati. The threat of temperatures dipping below 40 degrees usually means that most bikes end up in a basement or garage until springtime. How sad.

Myths about riding during the winter months abound, but the truth is that it is pleasant, not too cold, and not dangerous. With a little encouragement and the realization that other people get by just fine in less-than-balmy conditions, it can be done.

So here’s your chance to stay green when everything else has turned gray at a free class on riding your bike during the winter months. It starts at 11 a.m. Jan. 31 here at Park + Vine. Kerry Nordstrom of Campus Cyclery is sharing tips–and lots of encouragement–on how to make it through the perennial arctic blast. Locally-roasted coffee provided.

RSVP 513-721-7275 or info[at]parkandvine[dot]com before Jan. 30

There are some things that just make sense for any household aiming for a greener and more affordable way of life, and two of them are canning jars and composters. We’ve just introduced Ball’s popular canning jars and expanded our composting offerings. Two more reasons to shop local instead of online.

Ball brand glass jars are a staple in any “green” kitchen for canning, food storage, and home fermenting. They’re reasonably priced and oh-so useful, whether you plan on freezing baby-food, piling away some local fresh fruit, or making kraut or kefir.

The locavore (persons who eat food grown or produced locally) can go nuts buying stuff during peak harvest season and preserve fruits and veggies in these jars. Every home chef needs plenty of sizes and styles lining their shelves, according to Park + Vine in-house jar hoarder, Elizabeth Whitton, who won’t reveal how many she has.

Gallon Ball® Jar with Spigot ($19)

Once you’re done with the cooking and have generated plenty of kitchen scraps, it’s time to compost. In addition to the compost pails and backyard bins that we already offer, we just added three more options for successful and easy home composting:

1. The Gusanito Worm Bin Farm 3 Tray Garden Composter is a vermicomposter’s dream. This specially designed home for earthworms allows them to efficiently turn kitchen waste into superior garden fertilizer. Plan to try it out, but not sure where to get your worms? Let us place the order for you, and they’ll arrive at your door.

Gusanito Worm Bin Farm 3 Tray Garden Composter ($79)

2. The Happy Farmer Kitchen Composter is a small in-home counter-top system, which utilizes the action of friendly microorganisms to quickly break down kitchen waste through fermentation.

Happy Farmer Kitchen Composter ($66)

3. If you’re looking for a nice big outdoor bin that works in smaller spaces, the Urban Compost Tumbler fits the bill. It requires less effort than other outdoor systems, takes up minimal space and boasts results in weeks, not months.

Urban Compost Tumbler ($295)

Northside resident Anne Delano Steinert loves her neighborhood (and Cincinnati) and she loves to recycle. And clearly she loves to get her neighbors together for a little camaraderie. She’s created a little event called Up for Grabs Day, which encourages people to bring at least two reusable items to one spot in exchange for other things. The fun starts at noon Jan. 24 at North Presbyterian Church, 4222 Hamilton Ave.

Up For Grabs Day
It’s time to start cleaning out those closets, basements and attics at get ready for Northside’s third annual community recycling extravaganza. Up for Grabs Day is a great way to get rid of unwanted clutter, outgrown clothes, holiday gifts that missed the mark, books that no longer fit on the shelf, toys your kids don’t play with and other reusable household or personal items. It is also a great way to beat the recession and acquire new items for free. Each Up for Grabs participant needs to bring at least two reusable items to donate to the event and may take home any items that they are able to use. When you arrive at Up for Grabs Day, you will distribute your items throughout the room by category, then you’re your have sorted your own contributions, you are free to “grab” anything (and20everything) you can use. Items acquired at Up for Grabs Day are not for resale or personal profit. Northside neighbors sponsor this even as a way to redistribute useful items throughout our neighborhood and among our broad community of friends. Any items not taken at Up for Grabs Day will be donated to charity.

Date, time, location:
Saturday, Jan. 24
Noon to 4 p.m.
North Presbyterian Church, 4222 Hamilton Ave.

If you would like to volunteer to help with Up for Grabs Day, call or e-mail Anne at 513-591-2663 or annedelano@aol.com

* One past participant has said that she keeps a little pile going for Up for Grabs Day all year long and anything that she comes across that she doesn’t need goes right in the pile. Start your pile today

* Think about grandma’s basement or attic. Give her a few hours of cleaning as a holiday gift and then donate the items you find to Up for Grabs Day

* Ask your boss about that scary closet at work. Win brownie points by cleaning it out and then bring the cast offs to Up for Grabs Day

* Call your friends and remind them about the big day (you can meet up with them for breakfast ahead of time!)

* Look through the garage for all the lawn and garden goods you never use

* Admit that it’s time to pass on that half-finished craft project

* Have each member of your family fill a bag of things they want to donate

* Take photos of that couch, dresser, bike or wheelbarrow that you’d like to pass on. You can hang these photos on our oversize board

Categories:
Women’s Clothes, Men’s Clothes, Children’s Clothes, Baby Items, Shoes, Books, Music & Video, Crafts, Holiday Items, Pet Items, Appliances, Electronics, Household Items, Office, Hardware, Lawn & Garden, Toys, Games, Furniture and Oversized (if an item is too big to bring into the event, bring in a photo to post on our oversize board)

We just wrapped up a great year here at Park + Vine and look forward to continuing the tradition as we approach our second anniversary June 1. Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, we’d like to get feedback on the store. Take our customer survey and help us improve customer service, product offerings, and more.

Thank you for your continued support of our locally-grown business here in Cincinnati.

Our in-store bookshelf just grew by three new titles:

American Earth: Environmental Writing Since Thoreau
Bill McKibben – Editor, Al Gore – Foreword
$40 (hardcover)
As America and the world grapple with the consequences of global environmental change, writer and activist Bill McKibben offers this timely anthology, gathering the best and most significant American environmental writing from the last two centuries

Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home
Christopher Gavigan – Author
$25.95
Leading medical experts and scientists team up with celebrity activists to help parents detoxify and green their households

Big Green Purse: Use Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World
Diane McEachern – Author
$17.95
Diane MacEachern argues the best way to fight the industries that pollute the planet, thereby changing the marketplace forever, is to mobilize the most powerful consumer force in the world: women

‘Tis the season for sinus congestion and the Neti Pot is one way to keep your nose happy. The Neti Pot naturally cleanses and protects the nasal passages. It’s as easy as pouring salt water into a nostril. Maybe this is too much for some people, but practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine have used this method for thousands of years to alleviate sinus problems. Yogis and many others swear by it.

Now there’s a new eco-friendly version of the Neti Pot. The Eco Neti Pot from Himalayan Institute is the first nonbreakable version made from renewal resources: corn. This petroleum-free and nontoxic material uses 65 percent less energy to produce than traditional plastics.

Eco Neti Pot ($14)