Mother Earth Says: No balloons!

As 2009 winds down and 2010 looms ahead, we all begin thinking about the important things in life.  I think most of us can agree that at the top of our list would be one of the most important things of all – throwing an epic NYE bash!

As always, I will be the one to 1) ruin your fun by saying that your party is killing the earth and 2) make it even better by replacing your old faves with your soon-to-be new ones.  Here are some of the most crucial aspects to throwing an eco-friendly, yet equally bitchin’ New Year’s shindig.

1) Choose eco-friendly champagnes.  This article on TreeHugger.com has a great list of organic sparkling wines at all price ranges.   If you’re like me and still too poor to afford a bottle of anything over $7.99 then you can still opt for the favorites as long as they’re grown and bottled as close to you as possible.  For example, if you’re a California girl, such as myself, you have the pleasure of sippin’ on BevMo’s finest.  That’s right, I’m talking about Cook’s and Andre.  You’re welcome.

2)  Use real champagne glasses. I know you are all classy ladies out there, so kick the red cup habit and get something real stylish.  If you can’t afford the cost and the injuries that result from broken glass, opt for acrylic or plastic champagne flutes.  Just be sure to recollect them at the end of the night so you can use them for your party next year (or next week). Read More »

Whether we like it or not, January is quickly approaching.  And we all know what that means.  Yup, that’s right – it’s New Year’s Resolution time.  While self improvement is a noble aspiration, it is also an excellent way to make you feel like ish come February when you haven’t made any strides toward your goal.

This holiday season, I urge you to make a resolution that you will actually keep, and that is to take better care of your environment.  Not just because it’s a good thing to do, but also because it’s a gosh darn easy resolution to stick to.  Having a greener existence is all about baby steps, which translates into easy success without all of the leg work.  Here are some of my favorite tips to get you going to a greener and happier you!

Potential Resolution #1:  “I will get all of my books from the library.”
First of all, this is probably something most of us do on a regular basis anyways.  Second of all, it saves you money and storage space.  Buying books not only wastes a lot of paper and binding materials, but it also takes a lot more energy to package and transport.  If you absolutely need to have a certain book at hand, such as a textbook for a class, see if any of your friends are in the class and ask them to go halfsies on the book.  You’ll save money on those ridiculously expensive textbooks and you always have the option of checking it out at the library if you get in a bind. Read More »

The holiday season is many things, but eco-friendly is not one of them. (Did you know that we could power 600,000 houses for a year with the amount of electricity wasted on holiday lights?!)  When you take into account all of the presents we buy, miles we travel, and food we stuff in our mouths, you can’t help but notice how quickly it all seems to add up. Now, I’m not trying to Scrooge up your holiday season, but I think we should all be aware of the impact that “the happiest time of the year” can have on our environment.

Here are some of the more harmful holiday practices and how we can tweak them to make them more eco-friendly without any less holiday cheeriness.

Gift Giving:
Every year we all spend our precious time and money picking out the perfect gifts for our loved ones.  Unfortunately, what may seem like the “perfect gift” to us may not be so appreciated by the recipient and end up as a throw-away by the time spring cleaning rolls around.  Avoid this potential waste while saving your own time and effort and give them something they will actually use.  Go for gift cards to their favorite stores so they can pick out something they’ll want.

Another idea is to stray away from buying “stuff” and give experiences to your loved ones instead.  A massage at the local spa for your mom, tickets to the big game for your dad, or a backstage pass (slash nosebleed section ticket) to the Jonas Brothers for your little sis should do the trick.  Plus, all of these gifts have the potential for you to include yourself in on the action (minus the J Bros, thanks).  Happy holidays to you!

And if none of those ideas strike your fancy, there are tons of eco-friendly gifts that will make everyone – including Mother Earth – happy. Read More »

We all have that friend who can wear the same dress over and over and over again, but each time it somehow looks new. Or different. Or cooler. “I wish I could do that,” you think as you stare at your dress and think that by wearing different shoes you will somehow achieve a whole new look.

FAIL FAIL FAIL, my friends.

Fact is, in order to make a dress look new and different you must change all components surrounding it. If you wore tights and heels last time, wear leggings and flats this time around. If you rocked red lipstick before, do a smokey eye and a muted lip. Add accessories, switch out the belt that came with it for a new chunky detailed belt, throw on a blazer…

Think about that piece in your wardrobe like your favorite fro yo place with an add-your-own-toppings bar: Oreo makes everything better the options are endless! Read More »

We college students are pretty accurately stereotyped.  We party hard, sleep late, and cram for finals until the wee hours of the morning.  Luckily for us and the environment, a lot of these common habits can be easily “tweaked” in order to save energy and resources.  And as a college student myself, I give you my solemn oath that these steps will not affect your party or study life in any way.

Here are some of the most well-known college kid characteristics and how you can change them to better our earth:

We are constantly glued to our laptops. And no matter whether you’re Facebooking or researching the native crops of Haiti, you’re still using lots of energy.  Now I’m not stupid – I wouldn’t dare suggest that you cut down your Skype time just to save the Earth.  Really all you have to do is cut down your energy usage when you’re not actually on the computer (i.e. sleeping or boozing).  How do you do this?  Unplug your electronics!  Computers practically use as much energy when they’re in standby mode as they do when they’re actually in use.  So if you’re leaving the room for a good amount of time, turn off your computer and unplug all of the plugs in your outlet if possible.

We are messy and we have our clothes to prove it. I don’t know about you, but I can’t seem to eat or drink anything without staining whatever I’m wearing.  This is especially tragic when you happen to be wearing one of those “dry clean only” numbers, which of course, are always the cutest.  But don’t run off and spend last night’s tips on pricey dry cleaning before you try some other easier, cheaper, and more eco-friendly tactics.  Believe it or not, some “dry clean only” garments (such as silk and wool) can actually be hand washed with cold water.   Of course, give it a test run before you wash and potentially ruin your favorite silk dress.  If that doesn’t work, seek out “wet cleaning” or “green dry cleaning” locations by searching at GreenEarth Cleaning’s website. Read More »

It seems pretty counter-intuitive to throw a party in honor of Earth Day (we’ve all seen college lawns the morning after a party), but what better way to bring people’s attention to this important day and issue than by throwing a soiree? You can teach people a few things while having a good time!

And you can do it the Green way!

Fact: Parties generate a lot of waste(d people).
Fact: You can throw a party without the waste. (Though the wasted people might still be there.)
Bonus: You can do it on an end-of-the-year student budget (a.k.a very little moolah).

So let’s celebrate and bring some much needed awareness to Earth Day this year! Here are some tips for throwing an eco-friendly Earth Day Party so you can have fun without hurting Mother Earth. Read More »

Getting ready to throw yourself back into that world of dorming? And do you care about the environment? Well, good luck. Being green, in some dorms, is pretty freakin’ hard. Recycling bins are nowhere to be found, resources are being wasted left and right and most of the kids around you don’t care.

That doesn’t mean you have to throw in the non-recyclable towel. There are so many things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint and give back to Mother Earth. Here are some tips to help the planet and inspire your peers to do the same:

1. Skip the single serving snack-packs. Get a big bag and make your own single-serving portion in a small plastic bag when you’re on the go. Wash the bag out when you’re done and do it again the next time. It’s that easy.

2. Chill out with the AC. Tons of college students keep their AC’s running just because they can. That’s not cool! (Note: yes, the pun was intended.) Don’t act like a monkey when it comes to the environment. Leaving your AC running while you’re out hurts the planet regardless of whether or not you’re paying the bill.

3. Turn off your computer. I know, I know. It’s so tempting to leave your AIM on all day long so your friends can leave you little messages and see which classes you’re in, etc. BUT (there is always a “but”), it’s better for the planet and your computer if you just shut it off when you leave. 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 »

Every day – without even trying, it seems – I see more and more people going green. And it makes me so happy! It seems like everyone’s catching the bug.

NBC did an entire week of prime time programming that incorporated green story lines, green facts, and tips for going green. Even I learned tons of new information and ways to reduce my carbon footprint a little more.

Also on last week was a small part of The Sundance channel’s large series called, Big Ideas for a Small Planet, “a documentary series presenting the forward-thinking designers, products and processes that are on the leading edge of a new green world.” The episode I caught covered clothing and the ways new earth friendly designers are creating products that help – not harm – our planet, while still being totally hot.

One fantastic Green company is Patagonia. Did you know their soft and furry jackets are made from recycled pop bottles? In fact, making Patagonia products actually keeps 2.5 billion pop bottles out of landfills each year! (And my Diet Coke obsession is not helping things…)

Even better, when your Patagonia jackets/shirts/anything get worn out and old, you can bring them back to any Patagonia retailer to be recycled. The material can be broken down and recycled into new products an infinite number of times! Think about all those materials you are saving. Read More »