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).

3)  Skip the streamers and confetti. Seriously, who decorates their party with streamers past the age of 6 anyway?  If your party is not complete without the midnight confetti toss and next day incessant vacuuming, then be my guest.  But please, please, please don’t waste your money and our precious resources at an overpriced party goods store.  All you have to do is look in your recycle bin, dig out that old newspaper and start ripping it to shreds.

4)  Ditch the Fritos and get your a** in the kitchen! By whipping something up on your own, your food will be yummier, cheaper, and healthier for you than those nasty processed foods.  Plus, there’s really no way to know exactly how much the Earth died (tiny overstatement) just to get you your frozen spinach dip.  If you’re ready to get your hands dirty but you don’t know how, just follow the recipe of your favorite party foods and then substitute the ingredients for organic, fresher, and less processed alternatives.  Eat up!

5)  Spend your money on booze. And not on your NYE party dress.  Get real, you know you’re only going to wear it once anyways!  Be resourceful and utilize all your resources before heading to the mall.  Borrow clothes from your friends and match them with those shoes that you haven’t worn in a year.  (I promise, nobody will notice.)  If absolutely cannot live without a new party ‘fit, hit your local thrift and consignment stores today!  Not only will you spare the earth’s resources, but you also have a higher chance of buying a designer label that’s actually within your price range.

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.

Potential Resolution #2: “I’m no longer going to put up with junk mail.”
Now you really don’t have an excuse not to pick this one up, considering that nobody actually enjoys getting junk mail.  The first step is to go paperless with as much as you can – bills, bank statements, etc.  Then check out Precycle.  For a minimal fee, Precycle will stop most of your junk mail and send you a reusable shopping bag with 2 CFL light bulbs.  It’s pretty much the same thing as adopting “getting cool free stuff” as your NY Resolution.

Potential Resolution #3: “I’m going to put a water bottle in my toilet’s water tank.”
Ummmm….WTF?
I promise there is sound evidence behind this one.  According to The Daily Green, filling up a water bottle with water and a little sand and placing it in the water tank will make your toilet use less water when flushing.  How, you ask?  By displacing the water in the tank so that it can’t fill up all the way and thus, uses less water per flush.  Some other great ways to reduce your water bill include turning off the tap when you’re brushing your teeth, timing your showers so that they don’t exceed 10 minutes, and keeping a cold pitcher of water in the fridge so you don’t have to keep the faucet running to get to the right temp. And how easy are all of those!?

Potential Resolution #4: “I’m going to save on gas.”
And guess what?  It doesn’t even include driving less!  Just driving the speed limit, especially on the freeway, can increase the efficiency of your car and save on gas.  Also, if you have the choice, take the route that has the least stop and go.  For example, opt for the freeway over going through town, unless there is tons of traffic on the freeway.  Also, try to plan your errands out in advance so you can avoid the rush hour and get all of them done in one fell swoop.  Lastly, keep your car in tip top shape and it will use less energy.  Pay special attention to your tires – flat tires are less efficient and cause your car to use more gas to go the same distance.

So which one will it be?  Let me know what you resolve to do this New Year’s and how you’re gonna stick to it!

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.

Keep the travel to a minimum:
While it’s great to spend time with loved ones during the holiday season, it can become a little exhausting for the family and for the planet.  Spare your fam the holiday traffic, fights over the radio station, and tons of air pollution and keep it small.  Instead of driving from family member to family member, invite them all to one place for a holiday dinner or small party.  Not only will it reduce the stress of the holidays, it will also take a load off of the planet.  If you just have to go see Aunt Edna this year, consider renting a hybrid car (Zip Car, the greatest business ever, has plenty for rental, either for a few hours or an entire day!) for the journey to save on gas and increased mileage on the family minivan.

Get off your butts!:
For some reason, “family time” during the holidays now tends to include TV, going to movies, or playing Wii tennis (thanks, Walmart commercials).  My advice? GO OUTSIDE.  For those of you lucky enough to have snow during the holidays, go build a snowman or have a kids vs. parents snowball fight like old times.

If a food coma’s got you feelin’ a little sloth-y, go on a leisurely walk around the neighborhood to check out the over-the-top decorations or stay in and play Apples to Apples.  Not only will you save electricity and energy, but you’ll actually get to spend time with your fam that doesn’t involve your Mom’s awkward comments during Nights of Rodanthe about how Richard Gere is “such a hunk.”

Reuse your wrapping paper:
As much as I would like to think that I could convince you all to wrap your gifts in recycled newspaper, I know that’s just too tacky, even for us poor college students.  The next best thing?  Save wrapping paper, tissue paper, bows, and gift tags for next year.  This will cut down on holiday waste and save you a butt-load of money next year.  Another great tip that I picked up from my Mom is to re-use all those holiday cards as gift tags for the next year.  Just carefully cut around the writing to get some free, unique, and recycled gift tags for next year’s gifts.

What do you to green up your holiday?
Don’t be a Grinch – share your tips with the rest of us!

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!

I know it can be a bit overwhelming (lord knows you can’t pile everything on top of a cotton tee like I pile on every. single. topping at Yogurtland), so let me help. As an example I took one simple gray conservative-ish looking dress and broke it down into 3 totally different, totally awesome Budget Stylista ensembles.

Look #1: Rocker Chic
Throw some lace, patterned or colored tights into the mix with a leather jacket. Add some rocker chain earrings and a pair of sky high platform pumps and this dress just laughed in the face of Hilary Clinton’s conservative pantsuits.

Dress: American Apparel
Lace tights: Apostrophe by Sears
Black leather jacket: Urban Outfitters
Black heels: Forever 21
Chain Earrings: Stella & Dot

Look #2: Casual With a Twist
Take that gray dress and work it for daytime with a pair of leggings and some adorable flat booties. Add a little touch of sparkle with a fun headband and make it more Fall-appropriate with a cozy scarf. If you wanna add more layers, slip on a long cardigan and you’ll be comfy and put-together.

American Apparel Dress
Black leggings: Forever 21
Headband: Forever 21
Flat booties: Yup, you guessed it, Forever 21
Scarf: Urban Outfitters

Look #3: Day or Night Glam
I love the option of this over the knee boot because you can rock it high or fold it down! Hide the tie that comes with the dress under this sequined belt (or put the belt on over the sweater in place of the cardigan tie), throw on black opaque tights and the beret and you are good to go! You can wear this for day (especially those days when your hair is dirty but you don’t want anyone to know) or trade the cardigan for a vodka soda and hit the town at night.

American Apparel Dress
Detailed Belt: Urban Outfitters
Chunky Cardigan: Old Navy
Black Tights: Hue (the best tights in the business, fo sho)
Over the Knee Boot: Forever 21 (these bad boys are a steal compared to the hundreds you’d pay elsewhere!)
Black beret/beanie: Forever 21

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.

We pull all nighters to finish those last minute term papers. But don’t make the environment suffer alongside you!  Use your paper wisely – double side it (you can change the feature on your printer) for drafts and even for your final paper.  Most professors don’t really care whether your paper is one or double sided.  You can save even more paper, ink, and moolah by simply reading over your paper carefully before you print it out.  I’m sorry, but printing out a paper 50 times just because you keep forgetting to use spell-check is just ridic.

We fund America’s red cup industry. I will bet that 9 out of every 10 parties you attend you can be found with a red cup in your hand.  However, using a different red cup with every drink can be pretty wasteful.  What’s more, you never really know where those cups have been before they reach your lips.  I don’t know about you, but I’m not really down to catch the Swine.  Solve all these problems before they start by bringing your own cup.  Think about it – you can decorate it your own way (helloooo, Pimp Cup!), you don’ t have to share it with any creepy randos, and you’ll look far less suspicious when your grandma decides to check out your drunken facebook pics.

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.

Invites:

Make it a Facebook event!  Not printing out paper fliers will save trees.   Bonus of having a Facebook event?  You can organize carpooling/transportation to your event to cut down on wasted gas.  If people are planning on driving, see if they can pick up other people along the way. Also, encourage your friends to walk, bike or take the bus if they’re not close by. Just be sure that all those earth-friendly carpoolers choose a DD or find an alternate way home.

Food & Beverages:

Don’t use disposable dishes.  Not only are they a waste of money, but they also generate a lot of waste.  If you are worried about having enough glasses, you can either ask people to bring one with them, or go pick some up from a thrift store.  If you’re in the market for some new dishes totally earth-friendly dishes (you tree hugger, you), invest in some Preserve dishes.

If you want to serve food, make it yourself.  Pre-packaged things usually have a lot of wasteful packaging.  And buy local. It’s cheap and good for the environment!  Check your area to see if there are any farmer markets nearby.  And if you have lots of leftover food (because people were focused more on the drinks) send it home with friends in reusable containers.

If it’s B.Y.O.B, encourage your friends to buy local or organic alcohol!  If you’re wine drinkers, wine produced near you won’t break the bank, and it’s more environmentally friendly! If that’s not an option, buy in bulk. No cans, no small bottles. Kegs produce very little waste (and lots of fun) and larger bottles of alcohol (like the trusty “handle”) will cut down on many wasteful empties.

Activities:

If it’s a low-key event, screen an eco-awareness film. An Inconvenient Truth, The 11th Hour (hello, Leo DiCaprio!) or Who Killed the Electric Car are all good options. Have a computer available so your friends can calculate their carbon footprint.

If this is more of a “college” party, send your friends on a Get-Trashed treasure hunt. Whoever brings back the most trash from the street in a certain amount of time gets a prize (shots?). Those who come back with nothing…well, they have to take more shots. You can clean up your town and have a grand ole’ time.

Or why not make it a swap party?  It’s near the end of the year and if you’re moving, chances are you’ve got junk to get rid of.  Ideas include clothing swaps, or beauty product swaps.  Or, if you have nothing to wear, having a quick pre-party swap.

Clean-Up:

When you’re cleaning up go green.  Use eco-friendly products (I LOVE METHOD!) or the cleaning tips you learned from Mom using products you probably have on hand.

And, as always, don’t forget to RECYCLE!

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.

4. Buy used books. Not only is buying new books bad for the environment (because it supplies a demand for deforestation), but it’s also way more expensive than buying used books. Plus, used books may already have tons of helpful notes scribbled in the margins, which will help a ton come finals.

5. Take notes on your computer. Bring your laptop to class and take notes on it instead of in a notebook. Not only will you save on paper (again, good for your wallet and the environment), but if you’re anything like me, you’ll have much more organized notes.

6. Bring your own cup. It’s really easy yet so many people don’t do this. Have a mug in your bag for coffee when you make a stop before class. Just because you need to stop at Starbucks doesn’t mean that you have to use one (or two) of their paper cups with the logo on it. And if you do need to wear the logo, buy one of their mugs and use that each time. (You can also carry your own container for water from the fountain, sodas, or whatever else you drink.)

7. Avoid the bottled beer. When you’re out at the bar buy anything but the bottled beer. Beer on tap, for example, gets put into big pint glasses. The bar washes them and reuses them. Your Corona Light, however, ends up in the garbage and who knows whether or not your local college bar recycles. (Editor’s Note: It most likely does not.)

8. Read your school newspaper online. In fact, read all your entertainment online. You can get newspapers, magazines, entertainment, and even books online these days. There’s hardly an excuse to buy print media, especially considering the fact that it drains our resources from the planet.

9. Ask your teacher about email. When I was in college, it was totally acceptable to email my professors my homework assignments and papers. Many teachers prefer grading things online and not having to deal with shuffling papers from classroom to classroom. Don’t print out anything you don’t need to (class syllabus, assignments and review sheets included).

10. Buy used. This applies to more than just your books. It applies to your clothes, your furnishings, your bike, your car…everything. A lot of people think that they can’t have a leather coat and also be Green, but that is not true! Used things have already been made; it’s worse to let them go to waste than to not use them at all. Keep that in mind before you buy anything brand new again.

It can be hard to have a positive influence on those around you in college, but believe me it’s much better to try to do the right thing and hope people follow than to just follow. Lead by example and show everyone else how easy going Green can be.

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!

Change Your Sheets

And not just every week. (Or, more realistically, every two months.)

Regular cotton sheets and pillowcases are full of pesticides that you get to drape all over yourself every night while you sleep. Sweet dreams.

Get yourself a set of organic cotton linens. They’re soft and cozy and way better for the environment.

Get a Mattress Topper

A lot of mattresses are treated with toxic chemicals to keep stains from showing. This is so bad for you I don’t even want to think about it.

Get a nice mattress topper to put some space between you and the toxins. Ah, much better.

Donate Your Clothes

No, not all of them. Just the ones you never, ever, ever wear.

Recycling clothes is a great way to help the environment. No waste is good waste.

How do you keep your space green?

[Photo courtesy of Pricop Alexandru Mihai]

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.

Other Green clothing designers like Linda Loudermilk are making an easy change by using more earth friendly materials. For example, adopting organic cotton instead of the regular stuff. Why? Maybe because over 25% of the world’s pesticides are used in cotton. Ew! Not only is that bad for the environment, but who knows what it is doing to us?

Organic cotton doesn’t use pesticides. Sure, it is more expensive, but that is because more needs to be grown to get as much as its non organic counterpart. The good news is that the more people buy it the more the price will come down. And that will do wonders for the earth and our health.

Other materials making their way into the fashion world: hemp satin, bamboo denim, milk, seacell cotton and many more. The clothes look exactly the same, but work with the planet instead of against it.

Finally, we never think about it, but fashion is always changing. Like Heidi Klum says, one day it is in and the next it is out. And what do we do? Throw our old stuff away…65 pounds of it a year! That is a whole lotta trash. One way to keep our clothes out of the dumpster is a brilliant new trend sweeping the nation: the Swap O’ Rama Rama. People bring in old and unfashionable clothes and designers/seamstresses make it into something awesome. Skirts into drapes. Drapes into dresses. You are literally taking your own trash and making it into a new treasure: something new, something different, and something that you can feel totally good about.

This new fashion movement is yet more evidence that it is possible (and so easy!) to live a more green lifestyle. Bring on the milk pants!