Abby

Today is the last day of the 8^th annual River Cleanup here on the Winooski River, which I’m thinking of calling the 8^th Annual Tire Dig.

It’s been five hot, humid days of hard work to make our river a little better, one tire at a time. We hauled shopping carts, goal posts, cement cylinders, traffic signs, and pieces of metal out of the water all week, and you can bet it wasn’t easy.

It took a little muscle...

A little teamwork...

A little tire frisbee...

...And a lot of laughs.

In honor of the last day, I thought I’d do a roundup of a few of my favorite finds…a river roundup, if you will. You already saw the keg and cell phone in my last post, but here’s a collection of more treasures we pulled out of the Winooski:

An old tobacco sign--Google tells me this variety is circa 1930s.

A glove and baseball in pretty good condition.

Probably my favorite find of the entire week, an "unsightly" pair of women's unmentionables. Up close and personal, they were paisley print. If these underwear could talk...

A "Men Working" construction sign. Pretty sure Champ migrated to the Winooski and took a bite out of this. I shudder to think about what happened to the men who were working.

The remnants of a TV. Look at how great that picture comes in!

In my opinion, this week showed that the dedication, work ethic, and commitment to bettering our planet is pretty unrivaled here at GMCR. So many people jumped at the chance to throw on a life vest, hop in a canoe, and dig up heavy objects for hours at a time, and they did it all with a smile.

Wednesday was a sweltering day on the Winooski River. It began at the same access point we’ve been starting at for the last few days now, which requires driving through a field—how very Vermont!

Volunteers paddled out on the river in teams of two in search of more tires, trash, and debris. After hours of rowing, digging, hauling, and swimming, everyone returned to the same field we started at to unload Wednesday’s afternoon catch. The majority of the haul consisted of tires upon tires, and by the end of the day, we pulled out almost 800 tires total this week, compared to last year’s 812 over all five days.

But it wasn’t all tires.

A few of my favorites:

A cell phone. Insert horrible, “Can you hear me now?” joke here.

A keg. Remnants of parties past, only to sink to the bottom of the Winooski.

And an update to our last Catch of the Day, two more shopping carts! We’re almost ready to open our own grocery store.

Tomorrow is the last day of River Cleanup…any guesses on what we’ll dig up next?

If only looking sleeker was as easy as sitting and drinking your beloved morning cup of coffee, right?

Well…it is! Maybe. Kind of. Intrigued? Our friends at Van Houtte® pointed out this exciting benefit of caffeine’s ability to decrease the appearance of cellulite through a DIY coffee scrub. Since we can definitely get behind incorporating caffeine into our beauty regimen, here are some more of our favorite ways you can use your beloved blend to beautify. At-home spa treatments are an easy, inexpensive way to feel luxurious without dropping crazy cash on overpriced treatments or products; plus, you can even put your old K-Cup® packs to good use. So, get to it!

Caffeine Facial Mask

Caffeine is a bonafide blessing for your face: according to studies, it contains antioxidant, dehydrating, and other properties, which basically equal up to the fact that it makes you look better all around. Between tightening and de-puffing, reducing dark circles, let your favorite morning cup go to work on more than just your energy level.

Ingredients:
2 Tbs. fresh coffee grounds
1 Tbs. honey
1 tsp. brown sugar
3 Tbs. whole milk, heavy cream, or plain yogurt

Directions:
Wisk ingredients together until you achieve the desired, creamy consistency. Apply evenly over your face and let dry for 10-20 minutes. Once hardened, rinse off with warm water and enjoy your freshly-awakened face.
 

Homemade Coffee Hair Treatment

On the quest to aesthetic self-betterment, don’t overlook your hair!  Hair follicles can directly absorb caffeine through the use of a simple coffee rinse, which will promote a glossy shine. While it’s true that this treatment requires fresh coffee rather than used grounds, fret not: suppose you’re not in the mood for more coffee on any given day…why not let your luscious locks reap its benefits instead?

Ingredients:
Fresh cup of extra strong coffee—try using a French or Italian roast

Directions:
Once cooled, simply pour the coffee over clean, dry hair. Let it soak in for 20 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with cool water. Recommended usage: once a week for shiny tresses.

Abby's Super Simple Scrub

This is my favorite of the bunch - so easy and great for exfoliating (or battling cellulite).  The aroma wakes up your senses, and the scrub wakes up your body!

Ingredients
3 parts warm, used coffee grounds
1 part sugar or salt
Essential oil

Directions
1. Experiment with your favorite coffees to find a particularly decadent aroma to feature in your at-home spa concoction. Considering the season, I personally think Island Coconut® coffee would be a great base for a scrub.

2. Continuing with the tropical theme, try adding coconut oil to the mix. If that’s not your cup of tea (sorry, coffee), other options include jojoba oil (about one tablespoon), rosemary essential oil (12 drops or so), or even virgin olive oil (try three tablespoons).

3. The granular crystals in sugar help to exfoliate and smooth out skin by sloughing off the dead stuff. Try sugar in the raw for texture; sea salt is another great option, as it also exfoliates but replaces minerals in the process.

4. Mix all of your chosen ingredients together into a paste and store in your fridge (it should last about a month). Scrub onto problem areas in circular motions for 3 minutes before rinsing off. Do it twice a week, and if you see results…thank us later. 

Today, I’m thrilled to report that Green Mountain Coffee® has been named Coffee Brand of the Year in the 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend study*. The study is conducted to measure which American beverage brands reign supreme among consumers. This year, Green Mountain Coffee led the poll among thirteen well-known coffee brands!

This may be the data geek in me, but the cool thing about the Harris Poll EquiTrend study is that it measures brand value rather than just brand recognition. So while we might not be as widely known as other coffee brands (yet), your loyalty showed that those who do know us really dig us…we’re looking at you, Pumpkin Spice fans!

Here at Green Mountain, we’re honored to have been named the Highest Ranked Brand in our category. We’re so appreciative of everyone involved in the study and anyone who has made our coffee a part of their lives. Thank you!

*Green Mountain Coffee received the highest numerical Equity Score among coffee brands included in the 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend® Study, which is based on opinions of 38,529 U.S. consumers ages 15 and over surveyed online between January 31 and February 20, 2012. Your opinion may differ (but we hope not!). “Highest Ranked” was determined by a pure ranking of a sample of coffee brands.

Here on the PR team, we’re all super excited about a recent…doctor’s visit.

Before you assume I’m about to go seriously TMI and tell you about my last physical, let me assure you that I’m not talking about my general practitioner…or any old doctor. I’m talking about THE doctor: Dr. Gadget. Last Friday, the “Guru of Giveaways” featured Keurig® Platinum Brewer and Brew Over Ice K-Cup® packs on The View’s hottest summertime gadgets segment.

 “What it’s all about is this new system that they’ve got with the K-Cup®!” Dr. Gadget said, demonstrating how to Brew Over Ice with Whoopi Goldberg and Elizabeth Hasselback.

Both Elizabeth and Dr. Gadget noted that the Brew Over Ice K-Cup® packs, ranging in variety from Celestial Seasonings® Perfect Iced Teas to The Original Donut Shop® Sweet & Creamy iced coffee, are specially formulated to retain their flavor when brewed directly over ice.

“You guys know how when you take coffee and put it over ice it gets all watered down?” Dr. Gadget asked the cheering crowd. “Well, not anymore!”

And here in Vermont where the mercury has been regularly rising to a staggering 99°F lately, we are so thankful for that.

The lucky studio audience on set that day got a brewer and K-Cup® packs to take home. No surprise there, as Dr. Gadget gives away more than $200,000 worth of products on average to The View’s audiences, according to his website. He even coined the phrase, “Everybody Gets One!” (Seriously, he did. I thought it was Oprah, too.) Anyway, we’re all thrilled to have the doctor’s approval; he even described Brew Over Ice as “perfectly blended” with a “great formula”!

Want to beat the heat in your area? Get in on this cool (literally) summertime trend ASAP! I’ve been sipping away on my Sweet & Creamy Nutty Hazelnut iced coffee in the office every day, and I think you need some in your life. You can get this tasty summer cool-down in a cup at our website, and check us out on The View in the clip below—we come in at 2:32.

Stay cool!