News Picks:
Maybe it’s Practically Green’s Boston roots, but I just couldn’t bring myself to write today’s post without featuring some sort of St. Patty’s Day article. Ten Ways To Go Green On St. Patrick’s Day from Ingrid Ostby of Ecorazzi will inspire you to have a truly green holiday. From thrift store accessories to using eco-friendly and natural food coloring, these tips are good all year round!
Harvesting the Power of the Mom Blogger: I guess we’re not the only ones that know the POWER of mom bloggers! This article by Pradnya Joshi of The New York Times displays the amazing depth and influence of the network of mom bloggers on the web. We certainly knew all about the amazing support system of strong and intelligent women, but this article is a good reminder!
Nutrition Keys: Will They Really Help Us Make Better Food Choices?
This is a great piece from Lori Alper of Modern Hippie Mag, and definitely something to think about. As Alper points out, nutrition keys aren’t providing any new information, but they may just change the way we shop. I am definitely a label-reader, but when I’m in a rush, I grab whatever is in front of me, and usually regret it. I’m a big believer that something is better than nothing, and if this system encourages a mother of three to buy the cereal with less sugar, then I’m all for it. What do you think?
My Little Seed: A Story of Eczema and Betrayal: This blog post from Healthy Child Healthy World by Paige Goldberg Tolmach is eye-opening to say the least. Doctors told Paige that her infant son’s eczema was genetic, but the diagnosis simply didn’t make sense. Refusing to accept their word, Paige did a lot of research and discovered that it was her own home that was making her son sick. From his crib mattress to his teething toys, Paige’s son was being poisoned. This article will force you to look into the chemicals your family might be ingesting.
Paige Goldberg Tolmach and her son, HCHW
Multi-Media Pick:
The Urban Farming Guys is the video blog sector of the nonprofit organization Rock Solid Urban Impact.
The Urban Farming Guys is composed of 20 families that uprooted from the suburbs and relocated to inner city Kansas City. Their objective? To teach the youth, and “cultivate the life of the innercity.” With community engagement and sustainable farming practices as their bread and butter, The Urban Farming Guys and Rock Solid Urban Impact are an experiment to keep your eye on. They are revolutionaries living their lives to improve others. Watch their videos and learn what YOU can do.
New and Cool Pick:
USBCELL AA Rechargeable Batteries:
I have a drawer in my house that has the sole purpose of collecting used AA batteries. I’m embarrassed to say I have NO idea how many are in there or how many actually work. I know I should recycle the old batteries, but I just can’t let go! I have finally found something to help. These batteries from Moixa Energy have a built in usb to make recharging easier than ever.
This week's PG Picks by Sam Roach
One of our favorite green mom bloggers is Lynn from SmilingGreenMom. Lynn is a great mom of two from Indiana who manages to combine a practical and serious passion for her family’s health, looking closely at diseases caused by toxins in household materials. Lynn’s positive attitude and fantastic wit has us hooked!
She recently shared 8 Ways to Green Your Spring with her readers and we are thrilled to share some of them with you too. We’ve also matched them with the relevant Practically Green actions so you can learn from Lynn and earn your points and badges from us!
Lynn’s Tip:
Hang your clothes outside: Your dryer is one of the biggest energy-suckers in your home! So now that the weather is getting nicer, save some money and the planet by hanging your clothes outside to dry! Let nature help you out on this one – it has so many benefits. If you do need/want to use your electric dryer, make sure to clean the lint trap regularly as this will really help with efficiency! According to the California Energy Commission, A dryer is typically the second-biggest electricity-using appliance after the refrigerator, costing about $85 to operate annually.
ylcf.org
Related PG Actions:
Lynn’s Tip:
Clean Green: Dirty little dust bunnies have been seeking shelter in your home over the cold winter months as well – time to spruce things up and clean out! There are many “everyday” products being sold to us that can contain harmful chemicals – read labels, do your homework and stay informed. One of the best online resources to check for toxins in products and to get the inside scoop on safety is the EWG’s (Environmental Working Group) Cosmetics Safety Database. Know your products. I personally use and love Dr Bronner’s, EcoStoreUSA, Celadon Road and a few others but I also love it when I can make my own! Here’s my recipe for laundry soaplemons! and you can always use such natural ingredients as vinegar and
greenissexy.org
Related PG Actions:
Make your own cleaners, including laundry detergent
Switch to all-natural all-purpose cleaner
Lynn’s Tip:
Paint Low-Voc: Who doesn’t love a nice coat of paint to freshen things up? Just remember that many of the products we use are the source for a substantial portion of indoor air pollution, including our paints. “Though conventional paints have gotten less toxic over the years, many still release some level of volatile organic compounds, or “VOCs,” into the air in the form of a breathable gas. According to the American Lung Association, VOCs can cause a number of physical problems, such as eye and skin irritation, as well as lung and kidney damage. The best practice is to use paint that is low in, or does not contain, VOCs and low- or no-VOC paint is a quality, cost-effective painting option that is safe for the environment and the homeowner” (HGTVpro).
Mythic Paint
Related PG Actions:
Lynn’s Tip:
Open Windows: According to the Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air is three times more polluted than outdoor air. Let the good in air and the bad stuff out! Easy enough 
Related PG Action:
Take shoes off at the door regularly
Lynn’s Tip:
Garage Sale/Donate: One of my most favoritest things about spring is the cleaning up and clearing out! Spring time to many reminds us of simplifying and sorting…starting fresh and new! It’s a great time to go through your belongings and decide what you love, like and dislike. You might think of this as three piles – but you will only be making two. Keep what you love and out the door with all the rest. Have a garage sale, donate or give as hand-me-downs to someone in need! It’s a great way to clear the clutter while doing something nice too.
Related PG Actions:
Lynn’s Tip:
Rain Barrel: Capture one of our greatest gifts from nature – pure lovely rainwater! Rain barrels are a great way to conserve resources while reducing the amount of well or municipal water we use. “Luckily, rainwater harvesting has gone mainstream, and it’s easy for homeowners to take advantage of recapturing “lost” water with a rain barrel. Your roof collects rainwater and funnels it through gutters or downspouts, where it can be collected. But be sure to leave room to provide easy access the spigot. When your plants need a drink, just use the water from the barrel instead of turning on the hose”(Earth911).
sustainstl.org
Related PG Action:
Install rain barrels and use for lawn and garden
Install a rainwater harvesting system
For Lynn’s full post and more like it visit: www.smilinggreenmom.com!
There are millions of products out there marketed towards parents and families, but certainly not millions of good ones. So, how do you know when a product is good? Everyone knows that the best advice comes from the people you can trust, hence, the incredible value of diapers.com’s 2011 Cribsie Awards! Created to recognize the “best brands, products, services, and websites for babies and tots,” the Cribsies are a great resource for every family! The best part? Every product was chosen by people like you (who have actually used the products, might I add)!
Here at Practically Green we’ve taken it a step further and combed through the great nominees to find our personal favorites, meaning of course, some of the greenest options!
Photo Credit: Happy Solez Organics
Nursery:
California Baby (Skincare)
Halo (Organic fabrics)
Aden + Anais (Organic cotton muslin wrap)
Seventh Generation (Diapers)
Nature Babycare (Diapers)
Under The Nile (Security blankets)
MiYim (Security blankets and toys)
Best Way To Recycle Used Baby Stuff (GREEN GREEN GREEN Category!)
Most Comfy Way To Wear Your Baby: Ergo; Baby K’Tan; Moby Wraps; BobaPine; Sleepy Wrap (All have an organic version, which is the greenest way to go.)
Fashion:
Photo Credit: Hank & Jojo
Play:
BabyBjorn Babysitter Balance (Organic cotton version)
Mealtime:
Happy Baby, Earth’s Best, Tasty Baby, Sprout, Ella’s Kitchen, and Nurturme (All organic!)
The Think Baby (Stainless steel)
Green Sprouts (Glass cubes)
Annie’s, Plum, Little Duck Organics (Choose the organic options which are much healthier and don’t contain the yucky stuff)
Born Free, Dr. Brown’s, Green To Grow (These companies make glass bottles which are safer than and therefore preferable to plastic)
Remember: The more legitimate certifications, the better, and always read the product information.
We look forward to hearing the winners announced on March 25th!
News Picks:
Photo Credit: Leah Nash for The New York Times
In New Food Culture, a Young Generation of Farmers Emerges: I love love love this article from Isolde Raftery of The New York Times! Featuring Tyler Jones, 30, and his wife Alicia, 27, of Corvallis, Oregon, this article examines a new generation who has chosen farming as their livelihood. With better agricultural practices driving their passion, the Joneses represent a much larger demographic. Read this article and learn more about the driving force behind a profession rising so quickly in popularity.
30 of the Best Garden Designs: Looking for a little motivation to get your garden going? Believe it or not, it’s not to early to start planning, raking, and hoeing. These absolutely beautiful gardens featured by iVillage will have you dying to get started. Pictured to the right is my personal favorite, #9. Check ‘em out and get started on those PG Points!
Apple Unveils Thinner, Lighter iPad 2 – But is it Greener?
This is a great article from Diane Pham and Mike Chino of Inhabitat, and as you might imagine, very timely. It seems as though everyone I know, whether they own one or not, is talking about the iPad and iPad2. But are they green? Pham and Chino break it down nicely. Check it out!
Multi-Media Pick:
‘How to recycle rain water for use at home’ by SmartPlanetCBS is a great video, featuring a husband/wife team that changed their lifestyle to save water. With commentary from their own rainwater expert, and great footage of their home, the type of rainwater harvesting system this couple used might be exactly what you and your family were looking for! Remember: this one can get you 150 PG Points. Wahoo!
New and Cool Pick:
If you’re like me, you’re always looking for a sweet new bag, and have I got a good one for you! Boston based Couture Planet makes their handbags out of old newspapers, that way your handbag is always one of a kind! They have tons of different styles and you can actually tell them if you prefer The New York Times, or The Boston Globe as well as your favorite section! Personally, I’d go for the Clutch in The New York Times Travel section, how about you?
This week's PG Picks created by Sam Roach
We love when this happens: a Practically Green registered user submits a question, and we think it’s so good that not only do we answer it, we produce a new Action for the database of recommendations.
In this case, the subject is dogs. Actually, the subject is dog poop:
How do I take acre of my dog’s, um, waste, in an eco-friendly way?
Here’s the answer!
Want tips on HOW to execute?
And how many POINTS do you get?
Go for it! And remember, we’ll try to answer ALL your questions about healthy green improvements, promptly and accurately. So you can relax, like gorgeously green Emily here:
News Picks:
Photo Credit Bart Nagel
The (not so) New Agtivist: Organic movement leader Bob Scowcroft looks back: This interview from Samuel Fromartz of Grist gives some great insight into the world of organic farming and food. Bob Scowcroft, founder of the Organic Farming Research Foundation, tells us a lot about where we’ve come from with organics, and where we should go next. Reading this interview reminded me of the importance of eating organic, and getting PG points while I’m at it!
Photo: The Daily Green
12 Natural Ways to Prevent and Cure the Cold and Other Seasonal illnesses: It seems like everyone I know is sick this week! So, I had to include this article by Dan Shapley. Hopefully it’s not too late for some of you! There are some great tips here, including carrots for headaches (who knew?) and some of the old stand by’s (oranges to prevent colds).
City Is Looking at Sewage Treatment as a Source of Energy: Check out this great article from Mireya Navarro of The New York Times; looks like we’re finally thinking outside the box! New York City is beginning to look at their sewage treatment system as a potential resource for renewable energy. This is definitely a topic to keep your eye on!
Photo Credit Raymond McCree Jones/The New York Times
Multi-Media Pick
I recently watched a very cool video on TED, that is a must-see! Architect Kate Orff explains her dream of “oyster-tecture,” a method of oyster farming that filters water to create the urban landscape with endless environmental benefits. I haven’t heard an idea this cool and innovative in a long time! Check it out!
New and Cool Pick:
Photo: Proof
Sustainable Wood Sunglasses Support Eyesight Surgery in India: I bet we will be seeing this awesome product, (featured in this article by Emma Grady of Treehugger), everywhere! You can buy Proof’s awesome do-good/sustainable eye wear here!
This week's PG Picks created by Sam Roach
News Picks:
Dan Shapley, our friend from The Daily Green, wrote a great piece this week: The Most Fuel-Efficient Cars of 2
011. The only thing more straightforward than the title is the article itself. In true Daily Green fashion, Shapley’s article is smart, helpful, and consumer-friendly. I suggest you give it read, it is truly astonishing how far we’ve come with fuel efficiency. And remember to get PG points while you’re at it!
The New Contraband: 8 Doomed Items in the New Green World: This slide show from Fast Company is a little frightening, but definitely worth a read. From common examples like Styrofoam and plastic bags, to surprising mentions like Happy Meals and pets, Fast Company opens our eyes to some pretty interesting environmental and health concerns.
You must check out the Green Wine Guide from TreeHugger! Instead of simply mentioning the formalities of the green wines (which is wonderful in and of itself), they feature a delicious recipe that perfectly complements each wine! When I read this I was dying to host a dinner party, I bet you will be too!
Photo credit Jaymi Heimbuch
When I was a kid, I was obsessed with the movie “Clueless” (it was the early 90’s, give me a break), and hence in
love with Alicia Silverstone. So you can imagine how absolutely ecstatic I was when I found out that instead of making appearances on Law&Order or starring in infomercials, she’s making a living as a green superhero! Check out her website The Kind Life, or read her book, The Kind Diet (vegan awesomeness).
Multi-Media Pick:
With the Superbowl rapidly approaching, I couldn’t help but feature this hilarious commercial from 2010. It continues to be one of my favorites of all time. Bravo Audi, we love green!
New and Cool Pick:
Top 5 Green Gadgets that Juice Your Phone: I can’t stand it when my phone loses battery, but I feel guilty charging it all day. This article from Inhabitat gives a few great green options for keeping your phone fully charged with no more guilt! Don’t forget to earn those PG points, too!
This week's PG Picks created by Samantha Roach
News Picks:
Latest Lead and Cadmium Toy Recalls: Ceramic Piggy
Banks: This article by Dan Shapley from The Daily Green gives great new information on some of the most recent toy recalls. From piggy banks and bracelets to lacrosse gloves and mood rings, Shapley covers some really unexpected material. This article is definitely worth the read, proving that some of the most dangerous materials are found in some really unexpected places. Remember to earn PG points by getting rid of lead in your home today!
The 2011 Green Jobs Conference is coming up February 8-10 in Washington, D.C. and it might just be the perfect time to look into a new career! From topics like recycling and agriculture, to community gardening and transportation, the conference provides some incredibly helpful information for greening your lifestyle. Check out the scheduled workshops here!
Indoor composting and gardening. mathiasbaert, Flickr Creative Commons Attribution License
No Yard? Here’s How You Can Still Make and Use Compost: This article by Colleen Vanderlinden of planetgreen.com is helpful for people with and without yards. Vanderlinden suggests worm bins and Bokashi, two methods I had never heard of. Read this article and be inspired to compost, no matter how you do it!
Multi-Media Pick:
Still having trouble cutting back on plastic? Van Jones’ talk on TED, The economic injustice of plastic, serves as a great motivator. His sincerity and humor make this talk easy and valuable to listen to. It’s a good reminder to utilize reusable bags and bottles whenever possible.
New and Cool Pick:
Looking for a wa
y to save energy, but still want fully-charged electronics? Check out this Belkin Conserve Valet Energy Saving USB Charging Station featured on Green Shopaholic. Only $40, it draws zero power when it’s not in use and can charge up to 4 devices at the same time. I need this!
18 Incredible Small Green Homes That Live Large: This awesome p
iece by Brian Clark Howard of The Daily Green is the most fun article I’ve read in a long time! With a picture, description, and location for each house, it not only makes you want to travel, but to build green as well! It’s a great reminder that thinking big comes in small packages!
This week's PG Picks created by Samantha Roach
One of the most popular actions on Practically Green is Use reusable shopping bags regularly. 10 easy points, right?
But I have to admit it took me about a year to remember to bring reusable bags into a store, and I know I’m not alone. One friend, a perfectly competent smart woman, makes herself walk back out of the store to get the bags from her car where she left them. She calls this “the walk of shame” – though I doubt anyone else notices her doing it. In my own case, I cringe to confess that I sometimes/often wind up buying the bags they have on sale at the cash register – and now I have so many I’m giving them away. Ugh.
Good news! You can avoid all of that madness! Get yourself one of these free car window static clings!
The Clings: two shapes to choose from!
The clings come from a company called Conserving Now, a company co-founded by a mother-daughter team in Reno, Nevada. Their site includes information for teachers and parents,community ideas, a shop (which includes lots of reusable bags!), and lots more.
Gayle and Meghan
Gayle and Meghan told us more about the clings and the vision behind them:
We get rave reviews on our cling. Our community members have told us that they no longer forget their bags. We have worked with many cities and organizations and the number one concern that they all have is that it is very difficult for people to change their behavior and actually remember their reusable bags. We are thrilled to be able to provide that little extra help. We have also partnered with many small and large corporations and organizations. One example of such a partnership was our work with Grant Thorton, a large accounting firm where we provided educational content and car window static clings for each of their 5500 employees. They also provided additional sponsorship dollars for classroom kits to be distributed for earth day. This is just one example of organizations stepping up to demonstrate their real commitment to their green initiatives.
We are also very focused on educating our youth.As a former teacher and a young mother, we both know how important it is to instill good environmental habits in our young people. We have shipped our classroom kits all over the country and are actively looking for sponsors to help us do even more. We have a very close strategic partnership with Envirosax. They include our car window static clings in their shipments and actively promote our site in addition to working with us closely to sponsor a significant number of classroom kits in 2011. In fact, we also partnered with a large federal credit union up in your neck of the woods to provide co-branded classroom kits to the community schools on their behalf. Many of our corporate partners are looking to support local green initiatives and report that our family interactive kits are the perfect vehicle to do just that. Our goal in creating the curriculum was to involve and educate not only each child but to include the family, teachers and school in all the activities.
We do sell product on our site, including our ultra sturdy cotton tote bags as well as the Envirosax line of bags. 100% of our profits go toward providing classroom kits and/or funding car window static clings for individuals.
Find them on Facebook and on Twitter @conservingnow. And put an end to forgetting to bring your bags when you go shopping!
I swear I am not becoming one of those people who rummages around in the garbage. But when I saw what was in my very own trash bin this morning, I experienced a startle. Wouldn’t you?
Look what hubby discarded! One perfectly good shirt and another fantastic piece of wrapping paper and ribbon. “You’re usually so … conscientious!” I said to him. “What were you thinking!” He explained that the shirt had already been mended twice and was beyond repair. He mumbled something about the World Series or maybe it was John Boehner to explain the yellow tissue paper.
Luckily I knew just what to do. I wrapped presents in them!
A little background: I grew up thinking that recycled gift-paper was normal; my mother was the queen of saving paper from one year to the next (and to the next). I blogged about that earlier. My stepdaughter Heather has a marvelous practice of wrapping holiday gifts in a nice fresh dishtowel. Love it. But using a frayed-beyond-repair shirt to wrap a present?
That idea came from Lynn Colwell, who with her daughter Corey Colwell-Lipson created CelebrateGreen and launched the GreenHalloween project that involved thousands of appreciative parents and kids coast-to-coast this year. “I’m never buying wrapping paper ever again,” Lynn told me. “Why not use fabric! Have a look at bobowrap.com. It’s elegant!” Here’s a video of Lynn showing a local Seattle TV host how to wrap ingeniously:
Gift-wrap is all around us, as it turns out! I love using magazines and even newspapers, especially the blush pink Financial Times.
Want to rack up FIVE Practically Green points for being inventive with your gift-wrapping? Read more here!
This may look like an average kind of guy, but we assure you he is not. Derek McCarty is young man on a new mission to help people understand that being environmentally responsible is actually pretty easy, as easy as three little steps. His Facebook page explains the simple idea:
THREElittleSTEPS is a commitment to action. Everyday its contributors pick up three pieces of trash they come across in their daily travels. It’s that simple.
How brilliant is this? Who doesn’t see three pieces of rubbish every day that we could pick up and dispose of properly?
The Facebook page is umbilically connected to the web site ThreeLittleSteps.org, where there’s more persuasive info:
What happens if we stop looking at litter around us as a problem and start to think about it as an opportunity? An opportunity to act. An opportunity to make the world around us cleaner. An opportunity to inspire others around us. An opportunity to pause and think about our own waste habits and how we can change them. We invite everyone to pick up THREE pieces of litter each day and when possible post it to our Facebook page. You’ll find out when litter becomes an opportunity it’s a lot harder to ignore a chance to act.
“I feel like there needs to be more creative solutions to solving problems,” Derek told us. “A lot of people start by focusing on the problem at hand. I like to focus on human behavior.”
He wrote us a reflection on why he launched ThreeLittleSteps, and we think you’ll enjoy it. It’s illustrated with a few of the curiously moving images that ThreeLittleSteps has collected during the first few months of existence. (Captions included.)
THREElittleSTEPS to Change
We are bombarded with stories about our sick planet – a dangerously high carbon count, a gaping wound in the ozone layer, plastic islands in the oceans, the list goes on and on. It feels impossible to fix. And with the big issues getting all the attention, it’s easy to lose sight of the small things at the heart of the matter: little things like our own waste streams, our love of driving everywhere, and our energy use at home. It was this insight that led to the creation of THREElittleSTEPS, an organization founded on the simple idea that before the big issues can be solved we need to focus on the small ones. And when we say small, we mean small. THREElittleSTEPS’ purpose couldn’t be simpler; everyday its members commit to picking up three pieces of litter they encounter in their travels. How easy is that?
THREElittleSTEPS two containers n a watchamacallit
If we talk about our world as being sick, then litter is a symptom. For those who litter it’s a sign of their disregard for the planet and disrespect for their community. For those of us who walk by it everyday, it’s a sign of our complacency. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but each and every day we are given an opportunity to act, and while we can’t feasibly stop at every piece of litter we encounter, we can promise not to ignore it and pick it up when we can.
Nighttime THREElittleSTEPS!
Picking up litter will not solve the environmental crisis, but THREElittleSTEPS has seen some interesting benefits. Participants have reported becoming more conscious of their own waste habits. The theory is that each time you touch a piece of litter, you become more aware of the waste you create. Your mind develops a relationship between the litter on the ground and the coffee cups, cigarette packages, etc. you use on a daily basis. Thus, the next time you go for coffee you are more likely to bring a reusable cup. It’s all about raising awareness.
THREElittleSTEPS by the water!
What started out as a pet project is showing signs of becoming a movement. Using social media vehicles like Facebook and Tumblr, THREElittleSTEPS posts a picture of litter picked up each day. The picture, or “step” as we call it, appears as a status update in the feed of followers. The goal is to “insert” the movement in to the conversation of its followers. It provides a subtle reminder for members to take their “steps” each day and that there are other folks out there picking up litter too.
Does all this trashy talk make you want to recycle something? Start here! Click on any one of these 34 recommended recycling actions. You’ll love the process of cleaning up your own waste stream — but remember Derek’s advice is to take little steps.
credit: cafecree.uk
This is not the way I usually have breakfast: in Long Beach, California, at Crème de la Crepe, a chic café, downing cappuccino and boiled eggs in tiny china cups, having a fascinating conversation with women who really are changing the world, who are here for the Women’s Conference hosted by Maria Shriver. What a way to start the week: noshing with a small group of hard-working visionaries in high morning spirits, from the Breast Cancer Fund, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, Seventh Generation, and its organic fem-care project, LetsTalkPeriod.com.
I was doing my best to keep up, and enjoying every little lick of cinnamon-sprinkled froth, teensy spoonfuls of gooey egg, and a smidge of Gratin dauphinois that couldn’t be left on the plate. At the end of the meal, I grabbed whatever chapstick was handiest from my voluminous black bag and prepared to moisten my yolkish lips.
All of a sudden the lively conversation halted: syllables were left dangling over the table. From the right of me: “You can’t put that on your lips!” To the left: “Don’t you know it has petroleum!” Across the table: “Omigod we’ll get you a replacement.”
I looked at the poison in my hand and there it was: ChapStik.
I should know better. By now I know that not all chapstick and lipgloss are good for you. I realize that there are healthy products and not-so healthy products. I have paid a great deal of attention to my cosmetics and skin-care larder in recent months (more on that in an upcoming post), reading labels for ingredients that I can pronounce and recognize – and shunning the methyls, the ethyls, and the parabens — but I have not performed the same discipline on my arsenal of lipsticks, lip glosses, and chapsticks.
Now I will begin.
But first, what to do with the old chapstick? Leave it on the table for the waiter to figure out? I turned to Jeanne, who is after all the President and CEO of the Breast Cancer Fund and a senior advisor on the President’s Cancer Panel Report released in May. Coincidentally, the report is entitled, “Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk: What We Can Do Now.”
“What should I do with this thing?” I asked her.
Without missing a beat, she replied, “I don’t know yet. Deep-six it in your bag until we figure that out.”
And that is exactly where it will be until further notice.
Can you find the errant chapstick?
Later, during a break I searched Practically Green and found actions for switching to all-natural lipstick and switching to all-natural lipgloss, where I was reminded of the urban myth that “women eat 4-6 pounds of lipstick in their lifetime” and learned about numerous unpronounceable ingredients that are commonly used in lipstick manufacture. Lipgloss is a similar deal, only here you might be ingesting the sweetener saccharin, which is known to cause bladder cancer.
Nice.
It’s pretty easy for me to click the “Commit” button on the lipgloss action and then, with another click, share with my Facebook friends. You can do this too, on the Practically Green actions that you decide to take.
Thank you, breakfast ladies!
Of all the dreary, sad chores in life, one of the dreariest and saddest must be going through the closets of a loved one who has passed away. We’ve all heard of bereaved children, parents, and spouses who can’t bear to do it. But when it came time for me to clean my parents’ closets, I had no choice: we were selling the house.
And as I realized that there were items here that my kids and I might enjoy wearing, the chore became a bit more fun. I could imagine that Mom and Dad would like the idea of their stuff going out to dinner again, or snuggling in for a rainy-Sunday read.
Mom's Pucci shirt
This was one of the prizes from my mother’s closet: a Pucci blouse of tender cotton. Beautiful colors, right? — and Pucci! I stuffed myself into it, ignoring the fact that my mother was a size four, that my shoulders have deltoids and hers were exquisitely tiny, of an era when women didn’t lift weights.
What to do?
First I consulted my dictionary, which gives three definitions for vintage [vin-tij], adjective: 1) high quality of a past time, 2) being the best of its kind, and 3) old-fashioned or obsolete.
Needing more, I consulted my friends. And this way, over the past few days I’ve collected a treasure trove of advice and stories from some of the most chic women I know, and I want to share it with you. I hope it’s helpful, and I hope to hear yours!
SIZE:
When buying Vintage, make sure it really fits. Some shops will try to sell you that dress that is just a 1/2 size too small. Too small is too small, and alterations are going to show. In Vintage, there will only BE one size, so it’s sad if it is not yours, but be honest.
Don’t think too much about the size on the label. If you like it, try it on.
Don’t count on being able to let a garment out or the hem down, but the opposite direction usually works.
Don’t keep it if you will NEVER be that size again. I don’t mean just shoes. That’s just being mean to yourself. If it’s really great, and you can’t bear to give it away, EBay it.
Or, lend it to someone who is the right size:
I hit the mother lode a few summers back after unearthing a practically perfect Chanel Sailor’s Midi Jacket at a local tag sale for The Boys & Girls Club…. The jacket had aged gracefully, unlike its previous owner, and although a tad tight on me, it looked unbelievably chic on my daughters, who have fought to wear it with jeans or minuscule dresses. It’s back in my closet, with a bit more history attached, hanging next to other vintage favorites destined to land in the next dress-up box for my daughters’ future children…or for me to wear, once I fit into my old favorite jeans. Which ever comes first!
Julie's Tag-Sale Chanel Jacket
CLEANING, TAILORING, AND BAD VIBES:
Clean it, mend it, and wear it like it was new. Vintage doesn’t work as Style if it looks dirty and unloved.
I don’t normally go way back in time, style-wise, but I did just buy a wool jacket from the 1950s at a Buffalo Exchange in San Francisco; changed the buttons and added some decorative ribbon to the lining & now I have a sort of Mad-Men-looking item.
I do worry about buying /inheriting a piece with bad vibes, bad tragic history–at least get it tailored and dry cleaned. Then put it out in the fresh air for the day! This: a memory about how to handle an afghan burka brought to me by my daughter, from Kabul. These historic pieces do come bearing an energy of their own. Vintage is good- but figuring out what’s in it besides fabric and shape, is good too.
BEST BETS: PURSES, JEWELRY, ACCESSORIES:
Had to share this great leopardskin clutch originally belonging to my husband’s grandmother, Emma Sala, who was the Lodi, CA grape harvest queen of 1918 and who is famously depicted on the raisin box in her queenly garb. My sister-in-law, a multi-media artist, gave it to me recently and the gift meant a lot because she has used it in a lot of her noir-ish photographic still lifes posted on-line at her website: CeceliaChapman.com.
Barbara's Leopard Clutch
I gave the clutch a loving restoration and plan to carry it everywhere. The next picture shows the restored red leather lining. I should note that the clutch has a matching leopard skin belt which has not survived into the 21st Century as far as I know. Maybe it is out there somewhere.
Restored lining
If you’re shopping eBay for accessories, put “authentic” into your search term and don’t look for crazy bargains. If you see an Hermes (“Hermes”) bag for $300, that is too good to be true. And, keep a tape measure in your drawer. You can’t tell scale from those teeny photos. Friend of mine bought a gorgeous Tods bronze lizard bag, only to find that it was actually 5″ x 7″, the size of a large index card.
Jewelry can last forever, so it is one of the best items for Vintage wear. If you are lucky enough to inherit jewelry, find ways to wear it! I am honored to have a pin that my husband’s Grandfather gave to my Mother-in-Law. When it was first given to me, I didn’t really wear pins. Were they out of style? Or was I too young? But I DID use the pin as a clasp for twice wrapped pearls. BIG success! Now I also wear it as a pin. I know people who have been left fabulous pieces that they never wore, and who have been brave enough to go to good jewelers to have the pieces redesigned, stones reset… The point of having things is to use them, wear them, so don’t lock it away.
WEDDING DRESSES:
What happened to wearing your mother’s wedding dress? Rosie has expressed zero interest in mine. She has watched a show called “Say Yes to the Dress” and had me watch a bit of an episode as she thought this Kleinfeld’s — some wedding dress store in NYC — might be worth visiting. It’s a wedding dress factory! Pushy women pushing to make the sale and move on to the next victim, in my humble opinion! Wasn’t that a wonderful tradition when we were growing up? I always wanted to wear my mother’s dress — I probably couldn’t have fit into it although I never got the chance. …. In these times when money is tight and a wedding dress you wear for a 6-hour stint costs anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000 or more, wouldn’t it make sense to wear your mother’s dress for practical as well as sentimental reasons?
OTHER GOWNS & EVENING WEAR:
Evening coats, wraps, great silk shirts, sweaters have great vintage potential. 1) They were/are expensive. 2) They mix and match wonderfully with the latest style of skirt/trousers/shoes. 3) They are unique now. I have a Pucci blouse, bought in the post Christmas sale at Saks in 1976. It looks fab. People go crazy when I wear it. I feel like a movie star…. I have one inherited gown, brown chiffon layers, Empire waisted, with two wonderful sort of trailing scarves hemmed with Marabou feathers. These can be draped over either arm like a skinny wrap, or allowed to drift along the floor in my wake, rather like tiny dogs. My Mom may actually have worn this gown to an Inaugural Ball! They don’t make them like this anymore.
VALUE & EXPECTATIONS:
If you are buying and not inheriting, don’t buy just because the price is low. Mentally add a zero; would you still buy it? Do you know what you’ll wear it with? Will you need new shoes, a new weird undergarment with straps going in strange directions? That would be a sign to leave the garment there.
You will not find the staple items of your wardrobe 2d hand. For black pants, that crisp white shirt, the everyday cotton turtleneck, you’ll probably have to pay full price, and new.
MANTRAS:
As you skim a rack of clothes, focus on the fabric. If you come upon a fabric you could contemplate wearing, then and only then tweak the item from the rack.
Vintage is good, but I think even better is, to own less, buy less, keep it longer.
Found treasures are rare, few and far between.
When my father died, he left behind three v-necked cashmere sweaters in his bureau. A few moth holes, yes, ineptly mended, but all from Trimingham’s and all utterly reminiscent of him. My daughters and I each keep one now. Dad was a prolific writer and thinker, and his size, men’s medium, works just fine for us. Now, when I need to write and think, I pull on that sweater. I guess we wear our “Papa” sweaters for comfort, to feel close to him once more. Who cares if this is a sentimental illusion: it works. Some stuff isn’t merely stuff: it’s vintage. And by that I mean, the best of its kind.
P.S. As for Mom’s blouse, I think I’ll keep it hanging up on that hook for a while, where I can look at it whenever I want to.
Third-generation cashmere: Louisa in Dad's sweater
Please note!!
This blog post is part of the must-read monthly Green Moms’ Blog Carnival feature about Clothing: What’s Eco, and What’s Not, hosted by our friends at Big Green Purse @biggreenpurse.
For next steps on donating clothes to a charity or adding to your wardrobe with vintage, visit us at Practically Green!
Smart shoppers know that some of the best deals happen on group-buying sites such as GroupOn and the Daily Candy. But all this can get confusing. On Sunday the NYTimes.com Bucks blog wrote about the proliferation of new “aggregation sites,” such as 8coupons.com, created to help you cut through the noise. If you’ve visited 8coupons,com, though, you know that it’s a din of fast-food and business-visitor attractions.
What if there were an easy, friendly, local coupon giveaway that focused exclusively on eco-friendly businesses? Michelle Yorn and Lynn Roulo started GreenBoxTop to fill the niche. The San Francisco pair launched GreenBoxTop.com in late August, and they already have plans to expand throughout California and into Colorado.
Michelle Yorn
Lynn Roulo
We look for businesses that are interested in leaving a lighter footprint on the planet-whether through buying organic, recycling and composting, using alternative energy, preventative health measures, or sustainable business practices. We want to support companies that have a commitment to healthier people and a healthier planet. We take a broad interpretation of green-we include sustainable, wellness focused, and eco-friendly businesses. You’ll find holistic healthcare as well as environmentally conscious deals on our site.
How is the first month going? “It’s been challenging, but in probably the most positive way,” Michelle says, indefatigably entrepreneurial. In their (haha) spare time she and Lynn sat down to create a list of non-profit recommendations. These organizations receive a donation from GreenBoxTop’s profits every month. Launch fave is Environmental Defense Fund (scroll the home page to see why EDF is their choice.)
In our business model, everybody wins—and this is especially true because we are focused on green and sustainable. In other business models, stuff can creep in that’s negative. A prospect might say to me, how do I know the client is going to stick around? How do I now this will mean repeat business for me? I say, I can’t promise you, but the way it works at Green Box Top, people who sign up for our service are people who have committed to a lifestyle. They want to connect to businesses that support their ideals, to companies that are sustainable. We’re thinking together, how do we move forward: not deplete our resources, reuse, lessen our imprint, use less electricity, less consumerism, shop locally, know our own community.
Hanuman Center
GreenBoxTop’s launch deal was 50% off the San Francisco Green Zebra Guide. Subsequent deals include Yoga, Meditation, and Qi Gong: 10 classes for $30 at the Hanuman Center; and a feng shui consultation: “$150 for $75,” says Michelle: “our feng shui expert comes in and feng shuis your house, helps you redesign what you have already.” Another deal: “We offered the services of a professional chef who has a catering business called Three Potato Four. She prepares four organic vegetarian meals for two people, and delivers them to your door: a $90 value for $45.” At this writing, the Green Deal is 44% off 1.5 pounds of fresh Heirloom Organic cooking greens. “It’s a beautiful farm here in Northern California that grows Heirloom variety, Organic, and bio-dynamically grown greens. The deal entices the purchaser to visit the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market, on the Embarcadero in downtown San Francisco. This is where the coupon can be redeemed. Again, I think this is new due to the fact that no other site has run a deal like this… not one.”
Ferry Plaza Farms' Market, the Embarcadero
Each deal comes with a comprehensive “Green Story” (this week’s includes “six reasons to purchase and eat produce from your local farmers’ market”), details, and descriptions; transactions are processed via PayPal. It costs nothing to run as a GreenBoxTop feature, but the local business must meet Michelle and Lynn’s standards for green:
We take a broad interpretation of “green” and include the following: certified green businesses, restaurants emphasizing organic or vegetarian meals, wellness and holistic health businesses (yoga, dance, acupuncture, etc.), community-minded businesses, environmentally focused businesses, and companies with environmentally sustainable business practices.
Green Box Top takes a percentage of the sale and writes a check to the featured company: “We also work to put together the Green Story angle for the business, helping people understand how it is green to buy the featured deal…. The company receives a new customer list and a quick infusion of cash from the sales!”
It seems pretty fitting that Michelle scored Impressively Green on the Practically Green quiz. Or maybe we should call it Inspiringly Green.
Yeah! I LOVED that when I was done, it told me the next step I should take to do more. I love your website because it tells you what to do! Otherwise it’s easy to become overwhelmed. For the personal greening of my life, after spending time on Practically Green, I have made an additional commitment to buying as few plastic containers as possible. I will be visiting my local bulk store, Green11 and refill EVERYTHING, from dish detergent, soap, cleaning supplies, shampoo and conditioner, so I rarely, if ever, throw away another empty dish-soap container. I don’t care if they say it is recyclable. I want to contribute to the purchase of plastics as little as I can, it’s just not good to buy, make, have or throw away! Thank you Practically Green!!
Follow GreenBoxTop on twitter @greenboxtop and join them on Facebook.
News Picks:
Got a hybrid? Zoom to the brand-new Hybrid Scorecard, which rates all hybrids on U.S. roads today on their environmental impact, technological value, and consumer affordability. From the Union of Concerned Scientists. Enter the UCS contest by July 4 to win a 2010 green auto!
From tap water to back-yard playsets: Be safe at home. The Environmental Working Group has created a list of simple ways you and your family can reduce your exposure to potentially cancer-causing chemicals.
Need a green handyman? Peruse the info-rich Green Home Guide of the U.S. Green Building Council. This week: “Are solar windows best for reducing summer heat gain? I live in New Jersey.” “I’m re-doing my bathroom. What’s the greenest choice for showers, tiles?” “What size AC unit do I need for a 1,986 sq. foot house in Texas?”
Multimedia Pick:
Michael Pollan’s Food Rules: We have always liked Michael Pollan but we liked him even more after watching this video. Busy green moms need fast, easy ways to remember what (and what not) to eat!
New and Cool Pick:
Brabantia Wallfix: Who said line-drying laundry is an objectionable eyesore? Not with this sleek drying system. It even collapses against the wall when not in use!
Photo Credit: http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/cleaning/laundry-drying-racks-7-small-space-solutions-119748
We’re fans of Alexandra Zissu at Practically Green and thrilled she’s letting us reprint the following post with her permission. Zissu lives in New York City with her family. She is a writer, editor, speaker, and self-described green-proofer. Zissu has published The Conscious Kitchen and The Complete Organic Pregnancy. She’s expecting “twins” in 2011: two books are due out – one with the co-founder of Seventh Generation, the other with her grass-fed and organic butcher. Her “Ask an Organic Mom” column is featured on TheDailyGreen.com, and you can check her Ten “Conscious Commandments” here.
In The Conscious Kitchen and in The Complete Organic Pregnancy I urge people about a zillion times to “ask questions” when shopping. Being a conscious consumer is a sure fire way to get conscious goods. But most people don’t entirely know how to put this into practice. Or what to do with the answers.
A woman I know who runs a local mother’s group near me in New York has been going through her own green transformation lately. It has been really fun for me to watch and hear about it as she goes greener every day. She has a great methodical approach and is both skeptical and outraged. She’s doing her own research. And she has made a lot of excellent changes that will affect her family and the earth. She has come a long way since I first met her. Her transformation is her own but I’m proud and honored to have influenced her in any way. She emails me from time to time with questions or just to let me know that she’s made big strides. I love these emails.
Last week she wrote me very disappointed. While shopping at her local Whole Foods, she asked what kind of plastic wrap they used in their cheese department. She wrote down their answer and researched it once home — an excellent thing to do with an answer!! — only to find out it is PVC containing the plasticizer DEHA. She wanted to know if I knew about this. PVC is a highly toxic material, from manufacture to disposal, and not something that should be around our food. I do mention in The Conscious Kitchen that some plastic wraps can be PVC while the majority of the ones on store shelves these days are plastic #4 (safer). I don’t use plastic wrap at home, but it can be hard to avoid taking it home from a store when shopping, especially with something like cheese.
The point of avoiding plastic at home is to minimize exposure to potentially hazardous chemicals. It’s also to avoid involvement with the environmental impact associated with its manufacture and disposal. Instead of throwing up her hands and giving up, this mom contacted the powers that be at her Whole Foods, made them aware of her dismay, circulated the information to other local moms, and even got a petition up online asking Whole Foods to stop using the PVC wrap. There is power in (pissed off parent) numbers and I suspect she will get the store to change what they’re doing. I hope so. And I hope anyone reading this will ask their supermarket what they use around their cheese, meat, and other plastic-wrapped items, and demand similar action if it, too, is PVC.
Now the question is how to get this stuff off all cheese everywhere. That’s harder and involves legislation. But concerned consumers can also influence their elected officials. I suspect we’ll get there sooner rather than later, especially with moms like this educating themselves and pushing us in that direction.
Thank you, Alexandra. Yes to being a conscious shopper! Follow Alexandra on Twitter @alexandrazissu and Fan her on Facebook!
Would you like to switch from shower gel to bar soap? Buy organic juice this week? For answers, visit Practically Green. We’ve got dozens of smart, easy ways to make positive and healthy conscious decisions in your daily life.
What’s your first reaction to the words: prefab house?
Cheezy?
Ugly?
Sheri Koones’s latest book, Prefabulous and Sustainable: Building and Customizing an Affordable, Energy-Efficient Home, provides a new vocabulary for prefab construction: beautiful, green, and available in a range of price points.
Completed shingle-style modular house (see assembly below)
“I wish I had more knowledge about building sustainably when I was building my own house,” Sheri says. “Since then I’ve learned a great deal both doing research for my books and attending the Boston Architectural College. I’ve found so many ways to cut down on energy and create a healthy home environment.
“I now try to incorporate sustainability into my life — by driving a hybrid car, growing vegetables, limiting energy use by closing rooms that aren’t being used, and recycling as much as possible. When my preteen son outgrew his cute little ‘cowboy’ designed bedroom, he was also becoming concerned with environmental issues. He requested that when we redo his room, it be healthy and kind to the environment. Because he has asthma, we decided to rip out the carpeting, which can trap dust, and replace it with bamboo flooring, a rapidly renewable resource. We repainted his badly stained walls with no-VOC [volatile organic compound] paints, reused as much of the furniture as possible and replaced all incandescent light bulbs with CFLs [compact fluorescents].”
A house module is hoisted into place in the dead of winter
“For years I’d heard about global warming without a clear understanding of its significance. It appeared to be such a huge problem that nothing one person could do would ever possibly matter. Now, however, it’s clear to me. Whether it’s driving less, making do with what we have, repairing something rather than replacing it, or even changing out old light bulbs — the impact of our decisions and actions grows.
“Nothing in our lives costs more than our houses. So when we build, we build, we need to ask: what kind of roofing, siding, flooring, paint, construction method, foundation, insulation, windows and doors, cabinets, systems, and fixtures should we use?” Koones argues that prefab construction saves time, reduces waste, and eliminates unnecessary transportation costs. Modular construction can be built under ideal conditions “protected from the elements, sparing of material, conscious of efficiency and waste.” And, these homes are “healthier homes,” Koones says, “without the VOCs, mold, and countless other biological and chemical pollutants.”
“The common misconception is that green is too expensive and only for the wealthy,” Koones writes in her book. “This argument is beginning to lose traction. While a home built with the latest green techniques and technologies may cost somewhat more upfront, the added cost is negligible compared to the investment.” She adds, “many green construction options cost very little, or sometimes nothing. A properly oriented house with properly placed windows will make maximum use of the sun’s energy,” for example.
Inside the modular prefab house
Check out the Practically Green if you’re interested in switching to high-efficiency bulbs or using low-VOC paint. You’ll find many other actions you can take to go green at your house – from changing your toothpaste to using the AC a bit less.
Sheri Koones lives in Connecticut with her family. Visit her website: www.sherikoones.com for more info on Prefabulous & Sustainable and her other books. Follow Sheri on http://Twitter.com/sherikoones
OK, ok: there are worse addictions than cream, right? I’m not even talking ICE cream, or WHIPPED cream. I mean cream for your skin. I mean cream for your legs, arms, face, scalp, lips, and every other bit of myself. I have never once made it through the first floor of Saks without succumbing; I drift toward the Whole Body area at Whole Foods like a moth to wool socks. For me a product must be effective. It must smell nice. It must feel great.
The more I look into this, the more I value pure healthy ingredients. I love Dr. Hauschka. I love Weleda (Skin Food, especially: the name says it all). I love Aubrey. I love Jurlique (even though they changed their packaging and apparently got rid of the divine oatmeal cleanser scrub in a tube, grrr). And now you know it isn’t only cream. I fall for pretty much anything that Origins puts in a tub, especially now that they have Dr. Weil on board with his magic mushrooms. Sometimes I get so carried away that I try something that isn’t 100% all-natural and organic, like Skinceuticals, but there really is no reason to do that.
Which brings me to Leyla Bringas and Lunaroma.
Lunaroma is a tiny shop on an unassuming corner in Burlington, Vermont that can turn your entire life around. Leyla Bringas, owner and holistic aromatherapist healer, is an unflappable expert with a solution for almost any complaint, and she delivers with the customer’s scent preferences in mind. Think orange, jasmine, rose, peppermint, lemon verbena.
Dry skin? Oily skin? Acne? Insomnia? Cramps? New job? Saggy chin? Portfolio crashing? Baby coming?
“Let’s say you have a high-level of stress,” she explains. “Maybe you tell me you have trouble sleeping, you’re working fifteen-hour days, your muscles are tight, you have to drive an hour each way to work, and you’re so revved up it’s hard for you to unwind. So I might come up with a combination of ingredients and products designed to be calming, pain relievers, good for headaches, for skin problems, for boosting immune system. Something to help you sleep. All natural.”
The headache blend works like magic on me. What’s in it? “It’s made up of analgesics and anti-inflammatories,” Leyla says. “The blend contains a combination of Lavender, Chamomile, Peppermint and other essential oils containing those qualities. It is a favorite amongst people afflicted with headaches and sinus headaches the like.”
Why are Lunaroma products are so powerful?
“The trouble with synthetic products is that they’re made to be always the same. The problem is they’re predictable. Well, the bacteria and viruses are made to be resilient as well. With essential oils, plant materials are never exactly the same. You know, during the time of the bubonic plague, the only people who were not affected were the perfumers. They were the ones who were exposed to the pure essential oils on a regular basis.
“I founded Lunaroma to make healthy products. The world of aromatherapy is all about concentrated herbal and aromatic compounds. These pure ingredients are beautiful, precious, luxurious – and they’re also practical. After all, it’s what plants use for their own health, their own immune systems.”
New Lunaroma store in Maui
Anything else?
“You can clean your house with essential oils, too. The only cleaning product I use that I don’t make is Clorox. Sometimes I like to use 100% Clorox diluted for making sure the bathroom tile is really clean. I use baking soda, vinegar. A while back the Swifter came out. Remember it? It was a wet mop. It had some liquid in it. Dogs were dying. Most of these cleaning agents are making your environment more dangerous, not less.”
In closing?
“When I take a shower, I don’t want to have to feel bad about what’s going down the drain. I love working with these ingredients. I am convinced that just being around them makes you healthier.”
Leyla and her daughter
For more information, go to www.lunaroma.com, email Leyla at info@Lunaroma.com, or call the shop at (802) 951-9714.
Next week: Lauren’s product review
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