It’s a stereotype that’s been pounded into our brains since we were old enough to spend our entire weekends watching Disney movies – your Prince Charming is going to be tall, dark, and handsome.  Sounds pretty good, right?  Sure…except for all those guys who don’t fit into that category.  Why not give a short guy a chance?  Here’s some reasons why you should date a short dude:

Clothes Swapping - Quality jeans are hard to come by and if your short dude has a sweet pair, then borrow those suckers!  The boyfriend jean look is totally in and if he wears a tighter, more tailored style then all the better for you!  Shirts, hats, scarves, etc.  You will be an adorable hipster couple with no awkward walk-of-shame incidents (because you can just borrow his clothes and make a fabulous outfit for your early-morning jog home!). Read More »

Did you know that the average college student produces 640 pounds of solid waste each year, including 500 disposable cups and 320 pounds of paper?  Or that North Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour?  I’ve got a choice expletive for those statistics, but will settle with a G-rated “well gosh!”

With summer officially upon us, I’ve been looking for ways to cut down on my carbon footprint while still maximizing my fun.  Truthfully, I was expecting an uphill battle in achieving Green Goddess status, but to my surprise it’s not all that hard to live in peace with Mother Nature.

I’ve set up a bag for my recyclables right next to my trash can, I’ve cut 5 minutes out of my morning showers and I even started reusing Ziploc bags – easy breezy. And this week, I’m tackling something even bigger: the summer BBQ. I’m pretty sure my weekly Sunday Funday BBQs with my friends contribute about 90% of the plastic cups being tossed into dumpsters each year. Not to mention all the plastic bottles, paper plates and – gah! – who knows what’s in those hot dog remnants?

So I’ve made it my goal to to bring the summer BBQ and this fine planet together harmoniously this summer with The “Green” Barbecue. Fear not, loyal readers.  I’ve seen the (CFL) light and I’m here to share the essentials for an enlightened cookout. Read More »

Give to those who need it most. And who are really cute.

With the holidays comin’ round the bend, I’m sure most of us are starting to think of gifts both for ourselves and for others.  And although receiving is arguably the most enjoyable part of the gift giving tradition, we must not forget others that need our help during this time.  Giving money or volunteering with any charity is awesome regardless of its cause, but I am an advocate of environmentally-geared charities.  Here are some of the top causes and their most reliable charities to get you in the giving mood this holiday season.

Forest Preservation: Because what would the holidays be like without trees covered in snow (or twinkle lights, if you hail from California as well)?  Forests form important ecosystems for many species of wildlife and plants.  Plus, trees are a great source of oxygen and an effective method of carbon sequestration which can lower greenhouse gas levels in the air.  Some of the top rated charities in this arena are: American Forests, The Pachamama Alliance, and Trees, Water, and People (TWP).

Ocean Protection:  The ocean is the world’s last frontier.  There are thousands of species that we do not fully understand or even know about yet.  The ocean exemplifies diversity in an ecosystem and is very essential to our life on earth.  Plus, dolphins are just adorable.  Help protect them and their habitat by donating to one of these charities: Oceana, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, The Surfrider Foundation, and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS). Read More »

With Thanksgiving around the corner, there is no doubt that most of us are more than ready for the holidays.  Although you’re taking a mental break from school, be sure to stay mindful when it comes to your environmental impact.

There are some easy ways to stay green over the holidays without having to ruin your traditional Turkey Day.  Take charge of your family’s eco-responsibility and convince your family green up their holiday.  Hey, you may even get Grandma Doris talking about something other than the fact that you “still” don’t have a boyfriend.

Getting home
If you drive: Carpool with friends to save on gas money and minimize pollution.  Be sure you all time your travels so that you don’t hit traffic and waste unnecessary gas in gridlock.  Leave with plenty of time so you or the driver doesn’t have to speed down the freeway.  Reducing your speed from just 70 to 60 MPH can severely reduce the amount of money and gas your trip guzzles.

If you fly:  Pay the extra money for a direct flight, as takeoff and landing require the most fuel of any other part of the flight.  If you have the resources, buy carbon offset credits along with your flight in order to reduce your footprint.  Many companies, such as Continental, allow you to easily purchase carbon offset credits online before your flight.

Eating Dinner
Buying the bird:  If you just can’t bear a tofurky, you can still buy a real turkey that is relatively environmentally friendly.  All you have to do is buy from a local farmer.  Go to this site to find a turkey farmer in your area.  If for some reason local just doesn’t work for you, look for the labels mentioned in my last post such as grass-fed, cage free, or free range to slightly improve your turkey decision. Read More »

You know that really annoying friend of yours who feels the incessant need to point out that they were the first to know about a now really popular band every. single. time. it comes on the radio?

As annoying as they are, there is something exciting about the knowing of a new band, new clothing brand, great sale, awesome book or recipe, and sharing it with the ones you love. And by ones you love, I mean the ones you go back and forth with right here on the CollegeCandy message boards.

So here’s the deal: every week, we will feature things that YOU think other CollegeCandy readers just have to know about. Anything at all. Nothing is off limits.

Guffly.com
We all are trying to be green: wear more green, eat more green, recycle more green, earn more green. But sometimes it’s hard because we don’t know where to look for the best products. And let’s face it – some of those eco-friendly fashions have been hit with the ugly stick one too many times. Not to mention the sometimes way-out-there price tags – I mean I could buy some Jimmy Choo’s for the price of some of these reusable forks, frocks and eco-friendly gym bags! But thankfully, Guffly has come to our rescue. Guffly is a one-product-per-day online store (perfect for those of us who get overwhelmed by too many fabu products at once!). They feature eco-friendly products and fair trade lifestyle goods like home, pet, clothing, office and personal accessories. They have made it their jobs (literally!) to find only the most stylish eco-friendly and fair trade products out there.  Now you can actually do something good for the environment, feel good about yourself AND still look cute. Sign me up.  Read More »

There’s a great many things to do and places to see in this world of ours.  As humans, our lives are pretty short (and if you party like I do, it’s probably going to be even shorter).  So we have to prioritize!  We have brains for a reason and that reason is…reasoning (well, at least some of us use them for that purpose: see comment about partying above).  Let me be your voice of reason as I show you all the things you should be doing right here, right now.

It’s a stereotype that’s been pounded into our brains since we were old enough to spend our entire weekends watching Disney movies – your Prince Charming is going to be tall, dark, and handsome.  Sounds pretty good, right?  Sure…except for all those guys who don’t fit into that category.  Why not give a short guy a chance?  Here’s some reasons why you should date a short dude:

Clothes Swapping - Quality jeans are hard to come by and if your short dude has a sweet pair, then borrow those suckers!  The boyfriend jean look is totally in and if he wears a tighter, more tailored style then all the better for you!  Shirts, hats, scarves, etc.  You will be an adorable hipster couple with no awkward walk-of-shame incidents (because you can just borrow his clothes and make a fabulous outfit for your early-morning jog home!). Read More »

Wanna save the planet? It’s going to take a lot more than recycling old beer bottles (although that’s good too! keep doing that!!).

Let’s start with the place you sleep, study, sex, and–let’s come clean here–eat. Yes, that’s right, we’re going to make your bedroom green.

Don’t panic! It’s totally easy. Ready? Here we go:

Change Your Bulbs

Replace your light bulbs with energy saving ones. Florescent lights are great–did you know they only use 1/3 of the energy your regular bulbs are using?

Stay Cool

Your air conditioner is sucking up a lot of energy (and costing you a fortune).

If you have an air conditioner, or any other large appliances, replace it with an appliance with the Energy Star label.

Or, if you’re really brave, ditch the AC and use fans instead. Or at least try to use fans instead of air conditioning most of the time.

Line Your Windows

You lose a lot of energy right out the cracks around your windows. Line your windows with either caulk or weather-stripping to keep that shiz in! Read More »