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The Chic Ecologist: Your New Must Read Resource for all Things Green

Whitney — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:01:50 +0000

A couple of days ago I stumbled across the site The Chic Ecologist and was immediately drawn to the photos of the gorgeous silk wedding dresses. As an afterthought, I noticed the title of the article, “What is eco-silk?”. My sister recently got engaged, so I’ve been on the lookout for the perfect wedding dress for her, but I had never heard of or considered a sustainable alternative for the fabric….until now!

After being drawn in by the eco-silk piece, I continued to poke around the recent articles, which varied from eco friendly shopping advice to solar plane excursions, to detailing how the Gulf oil spill impacts you individually. I even found a story called “All Things Ethically Sourced” which mentions Brilliant Earth – where my sister’s ring also happens to be from – a great place to get conflict-free diamonds.

Bottom line: I ended up getting sucked into The Chic Ecologist for hours because I found all of the articles to be fun, interesting and informative! Plus, there are some great green resources (sustainable shopping sites, green design sites, green blogs, etc.) in the “Green Chic Resources” section. I’m definitely adding this site to my daily “must read” list. Check it out and let me know what you think…http://www.thechicecologist.com

Be Your Own Energy with nPower Peg

Cameron — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:06:12 +0000

Are you all about green renewable energy? Did you know that you can create energy yourself with the nPower Peg? Designed by an avid hiker, the nPower Peg is a small device that is powered by kinetic energy. Just throw the nPower Peg in your purse or backpack and as the peg shakes around and moves in your bag it converts that movement into usable energy! For every minute of movement the peg endures one minute of usable energy is provided for a cell phone, i-pod or thousands of other small electronic gadgets you may have.

This is a great way to turn energy that otherwise would be wasted to power something that you normally would have used an outlet to power. In the United States, a majority of our electricity comes from coal burning power plants which harm the environment and human health. So, by decreasing your dependence on this energy by powering your personal devices with the nPower Peg you are playing a roll in the green energy movement and may even be helping decrease our dependence on foreign oil. According to the New York Times, about 15% of all household energy use goes towards electronic gadgets! This figure includes TVs, I-pods, Cellphones, and game consoles. While the nPowerPeg can’t power your tv or xBox, it can power many of the smaller devices and could potentially put a significant dent into that 15% figure.

The nPower Peg is compatible with devices by Apple, Blackberry, Motorola, LG, Samsung, and HTC. The peg is currently only for sale in the United States and can be purchased at the nPower Peg website for $149.99. The cost includes adapters for the brand of device you plan to use the peg for, so make sure to check out what devices you have so that you can get the appropriate adaptors for each. And whats even better about the peg is that it is created from 90% locally sourced parts which means that the peg has a smaller carbon footprint than other similar devices. While the peg may be a little pricey, it might just be worth it so that you can become your own power source!

Bike Helmet Design Contest Promotes Green Fashion & Travel

Cameron — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 21:20:56 +0000

Fiat and Vogue have teamed up to promote safe, sustainable, and stylish travel with their “Eco-Fashion” Brand Special Contest. The contest asks participants to design bike helmets with a nature or sustainability inspired theme. The contest is running from July 29 through August 23, so there is still time to submit your eco-fashion-forward designs! The winner of the contest will receive 2000 Euros (yes Euros, the contest is based in Italy) and the winning helmet will be produced for limited edition retail around Milan during the much anticipated “Fashion’s Night Out” which will be held on September 9th. Some of these helmets will be signed by eco-fashion loving celebrities and designers. The proceeds of all of the limited edition helmets sold will go directly to the Adopt a Tree program.

There will also be two 2nd Prizes awarded. Each second prize winner will receive 500 Euros and the winning designs will be printed on helmets for Fiat’s future communications, promotions, and campaigns. In order to get started on your graphics for the helmet contest, just download the design kit from the Shicon website.

Fiat is sponsoring the contest as part of its launch of the 500 TwinAir which is the first two-cylinder car. The car will help its drivers reduce carbon emissions by 30% because the car can travel approximately 100 miles per gallon of fuel. Of course driving the TwinAir, like all cars, still releases some carbon dioxide, so Fiat is also promoting carbon-neutral travel by hosting the bicycle helmet design contest.

Good luck!

Blue Avocado Bags

Cameron — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:37:24 +0000

We all know that we should use reusable shopping bags at the grocery store and when out running errands, but sometimes it can be difficult to remember to bring them with us. If you do forget, it is always better to ask for paper than plastic, but I recently found something that will help me remember to bring reusable bags every time I shop: Blue Avocado bags. Reusable grocery bags don’t need to be boring mesh-like bags with the logo of the convenience store or grocery store where they were purchased; Blue Avocado provides a stylish fun alternative. Blue Avocado bags come in all shapes and sizes and can easily be folded down to fit inside any purse for unplanned errands or impulse buys. The bags are cute and come in a variety of colorful designs. In fact the bags have been praised in some major style and living magazines, such as Real Simple, InStyle, and Parade.

Another reason to love Blue Avocado is that all of their shopping bags are made from recycled plastic. Not only do these reusable bags prevent more plastic bags from entering the waste stream, they also take some already-used plastic out of the waste stream. 1,000 plastic bags can be replaced by reusable bags per consumer per year, which empowers every individual to have a huge positive impact.

Blue Avocado also provides other tools to help people make a positive impact. They actually have an entire portion of their website titled “Impact”. There you can find a carbon footprint calculator and links to Green Mountain Energy where you can offset your carbon usage. Blue Avocado also has a partnership with Kiva.org, which provides micro-loans to people that need them the most around the globe. Blue Avocado donates 1% of all proceeds to Kiva. This shows that Blue Avocado is not only environmentally sustainable, but socially and ethically sustainable as well. That is reason enough to remember your reusable shopping bags every single time you hit the stores!

Finding Good Eats with the Green Restaurant Association

Cameron — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:13:43 +0000

In this blog we’ve focused on how to make homes more green, but what about activities outside the home? Take going out to eat for example. It is something nice that we all like to do on occasion, but restaurants can have a huge carbon footprint. Even if you order a vegetarian meal and make eco-conscious decisions inside the restaurant, the restaurant’s practices and policies might be damaging to the environment and public health. By eating at such a restaurant, you are indirectly supporting harmful practices.

Fortunately the Green Restaurant Association helps shed light on which restaurants engage in environmentally-minded practices. The Green Restaurant Association (http://www.dinegreen.com) educates restaurants, consumers, distributors, and manufacturers on how to go green. In the consumer section of the website they provide a tool that allows people to search for certified green restaurants in their area. I was actually surprised at how few restaurants in my neighborhood are making the effort to be recognized by the Green Restaurant Association. Since I really want to support the restaurants that ARE taking the right steps, the list given to me by the DineGreen.com tool is very helpful.

There are three types of certifications given by the Green Restaurant Association: Restaurants, Events, and Sustainabuild. Sustainabuild is for restaurants that are undergoing renovations. The generic Restaurant category includes a wide array of criteria that businesses are judged on, including: Water Efficiency, Waste Reduction & Recycling, Sustainable Furnishings & Building Materials, Sustainable Food, Energy, Disposables, and Chemical & Pollution Reduction. A points system is assigned to each category and in order to be certified, a restaurant must achieve at least 100 points. To get the highest score, or “4 Stars”, a restaurant must achieve at least 300 points.

The Green Restaurant Association also recognizes a business’ year-to-year improvement in a program they call “Continual Change”. The program requires that, to maintain their certification, restaurants must improve and gain more points on their scorecard each year. This means that the longer a venue has been certified, the greener it is. So look for the Green Restaurant Association Certification symbol next time you go out to eat and help support businesses that are striving to continually make positive changes for our environment!

Recycled Leather by Ashley Watson

Cameron — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:11:52 +0000

Do you like the look of leather but feel guilty about its rather large carbon footprint and potential animal cruelty issues? Well, like our new Veledo recycled leather flooring, Ashley Watson products are the perfect compromise! Ashley Watson is a Vancouver-based designer who specializes in recycled leather items. Watson started with a line of un-dyed recycled leather handbags in 2005. The eco-conscious and innovative styles quickly became popular and the company grew to also include lines of wallets, belts, make-up bags and other accessories. Her bags and accessories are sold around the world through various high-end environmentally focused retailers like Vert & Vogue in North Carolina, Glore in Munic, Germany, and The Green Life in Vermont. There are also a few websites where you can order the bags (which is what I will probably do since there isn’t a Ashley Watson store in Massachusetts):

beklina.com
candystorecollective.com
ecomom.com
ecoutrement.com
grasshopper510.com
shopfatal.com

The bags are beautiful and a great way for eco-fashonistas to still get a cute leather bag. I particularly like the Tote Bag with Leather and Fabric because it has a very chic, clean look that is perfect for summer.

And since fall is right around the corner, I might also consider purchasing the Tern Bag because its darker, but still fun, color will look great with autumn browns, yellows, and reds.

Who knew that someone’s old leather jacket could be recycled into something so fun and new?! The insides of the bags are also a highlight of Ashley Watson’s designs because they are lined with some of our favorite eco-fibers like hemp and organic cotton. The bags are a little pricey, but are high quality and will last for a long time. Plus, leather bags are classic and will likely never go out of style. Ashley Watson bags are the perfect way to have your cake and eat it too!

GE’s Augmented Reality Campaign Entertains as it Educates

Whitney — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 21:13:45 +0000

GE recently launched a campaign to promote alternative energy resources, and their creative advertising strategy is just that. I know what you’re thinking – when not associated with the Super Bowl, the word “advertising” can conjure up thoughts of boring informational segments, particularly when associated with environmental causes. Trust me, this is anything but boring — you will have fun with it and you just might learn something too!

Virtual Windmill Scene

Virtual Desert Scene

So, here’s how GE’s special “Augmented Reality” works:

Print out a simple black and white geometric design (provided on the GE site here — see the orange text under “Getting Started” instructions).
Click on one of GE’s two augmented reality scenes (wind turbine or solar energy – the Wind Turbine is my favorite, but they are both fun to try).
When the pop-up window appears, hold the piece of paper in front of your computer’s video camera. After a slightly awkward second of staring at yourself on your computer screen you will see a beautiful animated landscape scene unlock and come to life. Magic!
When the scene is open, have fun twisting the paper around to get different angles of the landscape. Try blowing into your computer’s microphone and see what happens…

We love GE’s augmented reality because it’s so much fun that it prompts you to want to play around and learn more about an important environmental initiative. Check it out GE’s Augmented Reality now >

Also worth checking out on GE’s ecomagination site is their “Smart Meters” section. You can pull on a lever and see a fun animated graphic display what happens as more homes integrate the smart meter. As you will see, when more homes acquire smart meters, fewer cars are on the roads and CO2 emissions are reduced.

Speaking of CO2 emissions, there is also another informative section that helps visualize what will happen to CO2 as the power grid increases in efficiency. As you will see, even a relatively small increase in efficiency can go a long way – a 2% more efficient power grid can result in 12.9 million additional acres of trees.

Bottom line: this creative site is a really fun way to educate oneself about important environmental advancement efforts, so go ahead, check it out and let the fun begin!

Are Your Walls Toxic?

Cameron — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:11:55 +0000

Heavy metals are hidden in our homes and can potentially be harmful to our health. However, these harms can easily be avoided if people know what types of toxins are in their homes and where. One of the most hazardous and abundant toxins is lead. Lead is a heavy metal that, if ingested or inhaled, can cause nervous system damage, auditory problems, and is shown to reduce IQ. These effects are more likely to happen to children than adults, so we need to take extra precaution to protect them. However, many people do not know that they are being exposed to lead until it is too late. Lead exposure is a widespread problem in the United States because until 1978, lead was an additive to interior and exterior house paint. Since 1978, when lead based paint was outlawed, latex has been used as an additive in house paint instead. Modern paint still contains small amounts of lead but is considered safe. However, even if your house has been painted since the late seventies, there could still be traces of lead-based paint in your home. This paint could be crumbling into dust and causing interior air pollution. To prevent exposure to lead, here are the top things everyone needs to know about lead based paint:

a) If your home or apartment was built before 1978 you should assume that there is some amount of lead based paint in your home.

b) Make sure interior and exterior walls are freshly painted and are not chipping.

c) To prevent inhaling lead dust, wipe window sills and other areas where dust accumulates with a wet rag and safely dispose of the rag after use.

d) When renting an apartment make sure you sign the lead paint warning statement and receive the proper literature from your landlord or property manager.

e) Avoid areas of your home that are under renovation and ask contractors about their lead-safe procedures.

f) Wash hands frequently, especially before eating.

g) Don’t let children play in bare soil, especially in close proximity to the home where lead dust could fall.

To read more about being lead-safe and how to prevent children in your community from being exposed to lead, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/tips.htm

Blogs to Inspire

Cameron — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:41:34 +0000

As I continue to research more about interior design and look for upcoming trends, I have found blogs quite helpful. Blogs allow individuals, groups, or companies to freely post articles, photos, ideas and more. Over the past few weeks I have found a few blogs particularly interesting and helpful for different reasons.

Design Sponge, http://www.designspongeonline.com, was rated the number 1 design blog in 2009 by PadStyle.com. While, like many other blogs, Design Sponge is rich with photos and new ideas, it goes much further. What I particularly like about Design Sponge is that they created a city by city design guide. Each city guide shows interesting places to shop or eat that will inspire for sure. I looked up my small Boston neighborhood in Design Sponge’s Boston Design Guide and was pleased to see a thorough list of furniture stores and galleries.

Design Green, http://www.interiordesign.net/blog/Design_Green/index.php, a blog on InteriorDesign.net is another fabulous resource. This blog was suggested to me by others at Merida when I expressed an interest to learn more about the relationship between interior design and sustainability. Design Green is great because it is frequently updated and focuses concretely on sustainably built items and related topics. Plus, the articles are short and to the point, so the blog is great to get a quick and informative dose of sustainable design.

Habitually Chic, http://habituallychic.blogspot.com/, is a photo-heavy, visually stimulating blog that makes readers feel ahead of the curve. Habitually Chic is written by New York City interior designer and fashion enthusiast, Heather Clawson. What I particularly love about Habitually Chic is that Clawson has an international, worldly outlook that is also inspired by cutting edge fashion. She also touches on art and architecture in many of her posts, which helps make the blog more complete.

Finally, Apartment Therapy, http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/, is a popular interior design blog and it is easy to understand why. Apartment Therapy is jam-packed with all kinds of quirky decorating ideas. From ‘5 Ways to Display a Pez Collection’ to ‘Storage Suggestions for Slanted Ceiling Space’, it is easy to find an intriguing idea to apply at your home right away. Apartment Therapy shows readers how to re-think and redisplay what they already have in order to bring new life to a lackluster space.

There are plenty of design blogs out there, but if you’re new to the field and are looking for ideas, inspiration, or even to purchase items online, I highly suggest browsing through these blogs.

Tesla Motors Cleans up our Streets in Style

Whitney — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 18:17:35 +0000

Two years ago I was lying in bed flipping through TV channels when I stumbled across a show profiling Tesla Motors. I’m not a total car fanatic (like my dad and my brother), but the flashy car caught my eye and I heard mention of an electric engine, so I stayed tuned to learn more. Ever since, I have been totally intrigued by everything Tesla.

Tesla motors was founded in 2003 on the principle that people can be environmentally responsible when it comes to cars, without sacrificing performance or style. Based out of Palo Alto, these cars are built with electric engines (no gas needed!) that will help wean us off of gasoline-based transportation.

Tesla Roadster

Tesla is not only committed to producing the best electric cars in the world, they are now making serious strides to drive the luxury car prices down so that they are affordable to the average consumer. The first step in this process is the predicted 2013 release of the “S” series sedan.

Tesla S Model

The S model features room for 7 passengers (traditional five car seating plus two jumpseats in the back), storage in the hood (thanks to the lack of a traditional engine), speeds of up to 120 miles per hour, and acceleration of 0 to 60 mph in just 5.6 seconds. Furthermore, the S series can go 300 miles per charge, aka from Boston to New York City with 75 miles to spare.

The price of the S series sedan is a hefty $49,000 (and that’s for the standard, not the fully-loaded version), but that’s not scaring environmental car enthusiasts away. Although the car is still 3 years out and many of the details unknown, people are lining up to get one of these ground-breaking vehicles. Tesla now has a waiting list of over 2,200 people!

Tesla S Model

While I’m not ready to shell out over forty grand for one of these cars just yet, I do take my hat off to Tesla for their incredible contributions to solving one of our most daunting environmental issues and hope that they continue to dedicate energy and resources to perfecting the electric car and making it mainstream.