Green Reading

While visiting my alma mater for homecoming last weekend, I was thrilled to find a green reading section in the book store! I was definitely flipping pages and making notes of titles for quite a while. I hope this is a trend at many schools. See anything you recognize or have any green book suggestions?

Fair Trade Accessories for the Gold Gala

This weekend I'm heading down to NYC to attend the Gold Gala, a fundraiser for St. Jude's Children's Hospital, hosted by some of my Tri-Delta sisters from SLU. I am excited for the event, but I am even more excited that the goal of the event is to raise at least $35,000 for St. Jude. I have my dress and such all picked out, but I needed some accessories, and what better place to get fair trade and environmentally responsible jewelry than Ten Thousand Villages.

I bought these beautiful mother of pearl bangles made by the Metalworkers of Noah's Ark in Moradabad, India:

I highly suggest checking out the Ten Thousand Villages location in Downtown Boston to satisfy any jewelry craving!

Green Alma Mater

This past weekend I had a fabulous time at Homecoming Weekend at St. Lawrence University. It was great to see old friends and reminisce, but it was also wonderful to see that SLU is keeping the green dream alive. In between tailgating, party hopping, bookstore shopping, and gossiping, I was able to document a few green observations:

The no-mow zone began while I was a student, and while the initiative was fairly unpopular among students (who thought it would make our campus look unkempt), I was happy to see that the no-mow initiative was going strong. It also gives campus a nature-preserve type vibe, with the birdhouses and sounds of crickets!

 I was thrilled to see signs in the Pub reminding students to buy locally!

And students will have an easier time buying locally anyway because there are lots of new local options such as these locally grown potato chips.

Thrift Store Score

Thrift stores are the most classic way to RRR. You never know what you might find, but if you look hard enough, there's always something good. So to inspire you to give thrift stores a try, I am sharing with you my FAVORITE item I've ever gotten from a thrift store:

I love this necklace. I wear it all the time. It adds a high-end and fun edge to every outfit. I found it about six months ago at a dusty thrift store in Potsdam, New York while visiting my alma mater. The store, North Country Neighbors was my favorite place to find hidden gems in college. 

Rainfest 2011

So remember Friday afternoon when that incredible thunderstorm/hailstorm rolled through Boston at around 3:30pm? Welp, it pretty much demolished the rest of the outdoor events for Friday night at GreenFest. I was looking forward to the eco-fashion show hosted by Nancy's Gone Green, but apparently they were worried about clothes getting wet and cancelled the show. It was extra-unfortunate because the weather cleared up and it ended up being a beautiful night. Oh well, we'll just hope for better weather next year. 

I missed the events on Saturday because I was off to the Seaport district to see my idol, Grace Potter, live in concert! If you are a fan of classic rock with a modern twist, you will LOVE Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. (plus she and the drummer, Matt, met at SLU!) I highly suggest checking them out next time they are in Boston! 

My Interview on Sustainable Living at SLU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RJe9YL8l44

Taj Tribute

The single best class I took at SLU was an art history class focusing on the Taj Mahal. It is the most beautiful building in the world with quite an interesting history.
Anyway, today I am inspired by these photos of powerful women posing at the Taj.

Blog Roll

So a few of my fellow SLU grads also have cute blogs. Some of them are actually pretty entertaining, so I've decided to share them:

Black & Navy

Just Slightly Neurotic

Mermaid in Madras

Sparkles of Life

Zooz-Zah

How to Spot a SLU Girl in Boston

     The wintertime always makes me a little nostalgic for my college days up at SLU. SLU is 5 miles from the Canadian border and can get insanely cold, which is why SLU somehow breeds a unique culture - a culture where warmth & comfort reign supreme. I was pretty much unaware how different SLU culture was from maintstream America until I realized how easily I could spot SLU alums. So here are my top 10 ways to spot a SLU girl in Boston:

10. She is frequently rockin' brown leather boots -usually Frye brand- instead of heels. Once the temp dips below 30, she trades in her stilettos for boots and laughs at the city girls who get their feet all cold and wet in the snow.

9. She likes whiskey and beer. While she has no problem with vodka or tequila, nothing keeps you warm in the winter like Jim or Jack!

8. She enjoys country music. (On Saturdays at Johnny's you are sure to find some SLU alumni. Its country night!)

7. She skips the coat check and hides her jacket somewhere in the bar.

6. She wears patagonia.

5. She travels with a flask or with a beer or two in her purse. After living in Canton where your average bill for the whole weekend was about $10, she tries to cut costs by bringing her own drinks. Sometimes this does not end well.

4. She rolls deep. SLU kids always travel in packs...or at least meet up in packs at the bars. Even kids that weren't really friends up at school all hang out together in the city.

3. She frequents dive bars. SLU girls are not usually the "clubbing" type. Instead, they like sports bars with cheap beer and a small dancefloor. Examples: Coogans, An Tains, The Point, Stats, Southie Beer Garden, etc. When she is up for a more intense evening she will hit sports bars with a bigger dance floor like The Harp, Johnny's, or The Grand Canal.

2. She doesn't use umbrellas. I'm not sure why, but no one carried an umbrella at SLU. I think it is because it was just too windy for it up there. Instead she has a serious raincoat.

1. Cardigans. SLU girls always wear cardigans. Layer, layer, layer!

Websites I Read Everyday

So besides Merida Home and Examiner ....and of course Facebook, there are 5 or 6 other websites that I check every day so that I know what is going on in the world (or to get inspired, or just to have a few laughs).

1. Ecouterre - As you've probably already noticed if you read this blog, I love Ecouterre. It is the perfect balance of fashion and environmental sustainability. It makes me excited about eco-fashion and gives me great ideas for my writing.

2. Global Post - I'm kind of a news geek. I like to know whats going on. I listen to NPR and I watch Fox News so that I have a reasonably well-rounded view, but I also like to check Global Post everyday because they have wonderful international stories that you might not hear about otherwise.

3. Habitually Chic - I love this blog because its very photo-heavy (aka: easy to read) and helps my continuing effort to learn about interior design so that I can become a better and more informed writer for Merida.

4. Treehugger - Like many environmentalists, I check Treehugger quite a bit. While many of their articles are a bit politically oriented for my taste, I do like their design & architecture articles and they have some great how-to and DIY pages.

5. BroBible - Yep, I may be a girly girl, but everyone (especially if you went to small liberal arts college in the north east like I did) has a little Lax bro in them. There is always something on this website that will make me laugh, even if I don't like to admit it. Oh, and if you are a fan of BroBible, you should check out Nervous Circle which is another hilarious lax bro blog that is written by a SLU alum. I miss St. Lawrence so much, haha, I think that is the main reason I read BroBible...just to get a taste of that SLU culture that I know and love.

What is Art?

An intriguing question. We often discussed our opinions of art's definition in my Fine Arts classes at St. Lawrence. Specifically in the History of Modern Art and European Art of the 20th Century. My opinion is that anything ---- ANYTHING--- can be art given the right context.

Here is a slashed canvas. Its still beautiful though isn't it?

Princess Bed

This post is a dedication to two of my dear friends: Cuyler Bell and Glennie Clement. In the fall of 2008 we spent hours and hours and hours cozily cooped up in the back room of a small sorority house in upstate New York. There we invented "the princess bed". A place for friends to escape cold winter snow storms and watch trashy TV like The Bachelor, Grey's Anatomy, and The Hills. Sadly, our princess bed was a crumby fold-out couch handed down through the generations of Tri-Deltas at St. Lawrence. Now that we've all graduated, have jobs, and have escaped the frigid climate of Canton, we now have the freedom to pick our own princess beds. Here are some of the ones I love.

Remember Step It Up '07?

In the spring of 2007, America was finally getting excited to make a difference and go green. This attitude culminated in the April, 2007 Step It Up rally which happened at hundreds of locations accross the country.


At St. Lawrence University's rally I spoke in front of hundreds of people about how students could change little things in their every day lives in order to become more sustainable.





I also helped organize a group of students to plant over 50 trees on campus!



Sadly, it seems like since 2007, the green movement has become a little over-exposed and people are getting sick of it. We just have to think back to the days when we were really inspired to make a difference, and remember that we still can!

Keep stepping it up in 2010!