Elisa's Green Scene

Restyling your closet

Found several posts lately that show ways you can take something old and tired from your closet and spruce it up. I'm not exactly the handy type, but if you are, check these out:

Sunshyne is responsible for the adorable garden clogs pictured here. In fact she provides the exact formula required to make these clogs, which I herein repeat:
$6.00 garden clogs from Big Lots + Mr. X-ACTO = TOTALLY CUTE SHOES!

She made several pairs of adorable clogs, so check 'em all out.

If you can crochet than you will rush to give MaryKate's creations a try. Punch a few holes around the top border of your no-longer-chic pumps or flats and add a little built in sock! I should note: if you're trying to do this to recycle and re-use then I recommend you practice and do this with old shoes you already own but never wear (as opposed to buying cheap new shoes to practice on, or new shoes to make-over.)

Kathreen at Treehugger features the above two options, plus  other creative ideas for making over shoes in this post. She's a Betty provides a list of links to 12 such ideas here.

So, rather than throwing your old, tired shoes away or leaving them cluttering up your closet while you go buy new, fun shoes to wear, why not make the old, tired shoes your new, fun shoes?

Thanks to Fabulously Green for the inspiration.

Word of the week: Freegan

So I've been hearing the word "freegan" lately without really understanding what it means. As a vegan I felt certain it would be something in which I was interested, after all.

Thanks to a post at HippyShopper I now know more about it.

HippyShopper tells us that the dictionary definition is "a person who consumes food that has been thrown away, especially someone who wants to protect the environment by reducing waste.", which, let's face it, does not sound appetizing at all.

But HippyShopper goes on to explain that there is way, way more to it than that!! First of all, the freegan ethos isn't just about food, but about consumption in general. Freeganism encourages treading lightly by opting out of the world of consumerism most of us are an inherent part of.

A quick look at Freegan.info reveals a lifestyle choice that most of us would not follow, but some of the elements of freeganism are certainly achievable and worthy ways to green your life. Some of the more palatable first freegan steps would include:

- Free Markets – where people bring all manner of items that they might otherwise throw away and give them away to others.

- Freecycle – an internet swapping community where you can exchange, get free items or announce unwanted items for free that others can utilise.

- Guerilla and Community Gardens – “growing community gardens in abandoned lots of land, turning them into food bases that help to renew communities.”

The least palatable:

-Urban Foraging / Dumpster Diving – Recovering useable discarded items from dumpsters whether food or otherwise.

I have known folks, particularly when I lived in NYC, who would troll the sidewalks early on weekend mornings for those pieces of furniture and other paraphernalia being discarded, usually by folks who were moving or taking delivery on new items that weekend. That I could handle.

But dumpster diving for food? Um, no.

Why not just go beg at the backdoor of your favorite restaurant near closing time? I'm totally serious. Wouldn't that be just as freegan but not nearly as disgusting as diving in their dumpster post-closing?

So, 'fess up...do you have any freegan habits you're willing to share?

Happy Earth Day, let's start an eco-meme!

Over at my Veggie Goes Vegan blog I just listed The Top 5 Things I Do for the Earth, in honor of Earth Day.

And I thought: now, that's a worthy meme for Earth Day!

Here are mine:

1. Follow a vegan diet inside and outside my body
2. Buy organic produce, grocery products and even clothing
3. Recycle consistently
4. Try to combine errands and trips and meetings to reduce driving time/distance
5. Have recently started taking BART for the last leg into San Francisco. (I wish BART came further South, because I'd take it the whole way if I could.)

What are yours?

Sunday is Earth Day...what will you do to commemorate it?

Sunday April 22nd is Earth Day.

If you look at my last couple of posts here they've been focused on linking to lists of pretty simple things we can all do to reduce our impact on the Earth. The problem is that most of us consume way more resources than our fair share of what the planet has. And when we're all doing that...well, you do the math.

Eriq from www.freerangestudios.com in Berkeley sent me to a link...doing their part to promote the importance of living a One Planet Life.

As Eriq says:

The message is quick, simple and direct: We’ve only got one planet but we’re living like we have five. So it’s time to reduce consumption and live within our resources. We’ve got to live a one planet life.

Watch the movie, learn more and sign a pledge to start living a one planet life on Care2.org. We’re really excited about this short film (it may be our shortest film ever) and it’s critical Earth Day message.

Bonus Earth Day link: Bill Maher musing on The Birds, the Bees, and Earth Day

More simple things you can do

Thanks to The Frugalist for creating this list of 57 simple things you can do that will help you go green and save green.

The tips are organized in categories, including Transportation, Reduce Reuse Recycle, Food and Food Waste, Water, Energy, Electricity, Appliances, Cleaning and Electronics.

A few of my favorite tips:

Tip #2: Telecommute. Telecommuting twice a week can save you 40 percent of your gas costs according to the Telework Coalition. Savings: $624 per year. (Well, of course I like this one, since I work from home.)

Tip #14: Cut back on meat consumption. If you cut back on meat you can help to prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer. This act alone can save you a boatload of money in future medical costs. (Heh, of course I like this one!)

Tip #21: Wash clothes only when you have a full load. Two socks or a full load require the same amount of energy to wash. You’ll save money on your water bill when you wash clothes less often. (I'm always bugging the S.O. because he runs the dishwasher half-empty...bugs me to no end.)

Tip #57: Think about investment possibilities. Finally, you might think about what you’re going to do with all the money that you save when you go green. But, since this is a risky proposition, learn as much as you can about Socially Responsible Investments (SRI) first. Then type "SRI" into a search engine to learn more before you invest. (I like this because I'm a strong believer in exercising your economic vote!)

Which are you favorites?

Ten Things You Should Never Buy Again

Hat tip to One/Change for pointing me to this list of Ten Things You Should Never Buy Again from Co-op America.

Let's see how I score. (You can give me your score in the comments if oyu feel like playing along:

1. Styrofoam cups-I'm good on this one.

2. Paper towels-I'm a paper towel user, although I often do buy them at Trader Joes or Whole Foods and get the "green" kind, but still I'm very wasteful with the paper towel. BUt you try dealing with a cat who pukes every other day!

3. Bleached coffee filters-I'm good here, my coffee maker has a metal mesh filter.

4. Overpackaged foods and other products-Hmm. I'm probably not so good on this. I don't do CostCo or other bulk buying. I don't use those silly bags when I buy veggies at the store, though, does that count? I mean you're just going to wash the damn things anyway, so what are you protecting them from? I just toss them in the cart as is.

5. Teak and mahogany-I'm good here.

6. Chemical pesticides and herbicides-Yup, I'm good here. Mostly because I totally neglect my garden in all ways, organic or chemical.

7. Conventional household cleaners-I'm probably not good here at all, for two reasons. First, because most real cleaning is done by a housekeeper who comes in every other week and brings her own stuff. I'm not sure what she uses, but in all likelihood it's not green. Then the light maintenance cleaning we do in between her visits (and we're talking very light) is done with pretty much traditional dishwasher soap. I will say that our laundry detergent is Planet Earth brand, and we use cruelty free personal hygiene products (hand soap, lotion, shampoo etc.)

8. Higher octane gas than you need-Oh, I by the lowest octane gas they offer.

9. Toys made with PVC plastic-Hmm again. I don't really buy many toys, but I can't say I really think about this when I do by toys.

10. Plastic forks and spoons-I'm good here.

So:

Good on 6
Only so-so on 3
Really pretty bad on 1

how about you?

(Oh, and do click over to the One/Change post, because she has lots of helpful links on how to do better in each of the ten areas above.)

hip & zen in People magazine!!!

Smell us! hip & zen was identified as among the "Best Eco-Friendly Sites" in the April 2007 issue of People magazine. The particular product that was highlighted was one the organic buckwheat pillows designed by Mette Vangso that we carry. I have two of these, actually, one by my desk and one by my bed.

I guess green is the new black if a mainstream magazine like People is touting eco-friendly sites. I'm pretty stoked that hip & zen is a part of it!

We carry bags. We carry the brand. So...

OK, hip & zen carries many adorable handbags. And we carry lots of items from the cool Stewart & Brown clothing line.

But what I really want is the handbag pictured at left. I have oh, so many purses. But I find I can't stop buying more. and if hip & zen carried this one? It would be mine in a heart beat! hint. hint.

A green mall?

Treehugger has the story of a proposed mall in Chicago that is going to follow green standards.

The Mall, called Green Exchange, aims to be green by doing the following:

-First of all the shops and vendors inside the mall will be green-focused...including an organic restaurant and café, a sustainable furniture store, a green building supply company, an eco-friendly printer, architects and designers focused on sustainability, an environmentally-friendly clothing company, a car-sharing service, a bike shop, and more.

-A 9,000 square foot courtyard garden and a "green roof." (OK, but does anyone know eactly what that means? Solar panels? What?)

-Parking spots with outlets for plug-in hybrids, and "priority" parking for hybrids to the mall. (Treehugger's commenters also confirm that the mall will be pretty close to public transpo-, so that's even better.)

-High-efficiency HVAC, water and energy systems, Energy efficient windows and doors and Building paint and stains all eco-friendly for clean air quality.

-The building, a former lamp factory, is being renovated with goals of LEED-Silver under the USGBC's Core and Shell program, designed for adapting buildings for reuse.

You can keep your eye on the tenants who sign up here.

I'm only sad that it won't open until after BlogHer Conference (this July) has already been and gone.

I hope it's a big success, because I'd love to see a similar project happen here in the hippy-dippy, blue-state Bay Area!

Find of the week: Certaintees

I have a new hip & zen source for Karen check out...and it came from a cold email. how often does that happen? Anyway, Lee from Certaintees emailed me teling me:

I am an artist with a new message tee shirt company: Wearable Wisdom! My art and messages are printed on bamboo tees --- super earth and human friendly tees, in series of human values, that support those changing our world! Carbon neutral shipping too! Enjoy.

I checked out the site, and you know what/ I did enjoy.

Not only do I enjoy their shirts, their eco-friendly fabrics, their positive messages, their donations to non-profits related to each set of shirts' messages and their carbon-neutral shipping...I enjoy their web site, which makes it pretty easy to skim along and see the various styles available.

Nice job, nice site, nice (if only slightly pricy) tees. Check them out.

Side note: they're in Chicago...they should come to BlogHer this summer!!