My Interview on Sustainable Living at SLU

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

Modern Fairytale

Latest Articles

Please enjoy my most recent work for Merida and Examiner!

Articles On MeridaHome:
Merida Establishes Sustainability Scholarship
Save That Stuff Provides Green Business Solutions
Alpaca Fiber Becoming More Popular in the U.S.
Eco Conscious Laundry Made Easy with Vaska
Mother's Day Gift Guide
Are Parabens Dangerous?

Articles on Examiner:
Bostonians Get Big Discounts at CVS
Book Review: The Eco Chick Guide to Life
Cafeteria Brings Ethical Eating to Newbury St.
12th Annual Charles River Clean Up
Earth Day Grant Opportunity from Timberland
Excerpt of "Life Rules"
Honest Tea's Bag to Tree Program
Equal Exchange Cafe Serves the Greenest Coffee in Boston
Performers Announced for EarthFest 2011

Eco Designs by Michael Cinco

The episode of America's Next Top Model that aired on April 13, 2011 was a photo shoot in a landfill with eco-friendly gowns by Michael Cinco! While the girls weren't too thrilled about shooting in a landfill, the dresses were stunning and the photos came out beautifully!

This one is my favorite- I love the perspective and the slanted horizon line.

Easter Loot

The Easter bunny knows me all too well and packed my basket with organic goodies! Organic shea butter soap, flower seeds, organic chocolate (with post-consumer recycled wrapper), organic chapstick (in lavender scent...my favorite), vegan granola bar, organic ginger mints, and a Go Toob - which is a travel sized refillable bottle for shampoo, conditioner, lotion, etc.

Earth Day!

Today is Earth Day! Celebrate by bringing your own mug to any starbucks location to get FREE hot or iced coffee, going to see Radio 92.9's free concert on the Rose Kennedy Greenway, and by being extra conscious of your actions on this day in particular!

Hippy Chic Summer Dresses

I was clearing out some old catalogues and was absolutely dying for these hippy-chic dresses by anthropologie, so I had to share my favorites with you before recycling the catalogue!

Shea Souffle by Carol's Daughter

I recently purchased Ecstasy Shea Souffle by Carol's Daughter and I absolutely love it. I originally purchased it because I needed a thick creamy moisturizer (mainly for my hands, elbows, and feet) and the moisturizers by Carol's Daughter contain no parabens, petroleum, mineral oil or artificial dyes. The Shea Souffle is made from 47% natural butters - and its always good to know that I'm not smearing parabens all over my body, and it smells fantastic.
Carol's Daughter is a women's cosmetic company that celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit of women. They also specialize in natural hair care products for African American women. I highly suggest checking out their products at Sephora or Dillard's!

One Year of Examiner

Today is my one year anniversary of writing about Green Living for Examiner.com! I've written almost 100 articles for the site, and I plan to write many more. Click Here to see all of my work for examiner.

Juicy

Juicy Couture just unveiled its new line of eco-friendly sunglasses! The shades are made from plant-based plastics and bamboo!

Now More Eco-Chick Than Ever

If finally finished reading The Eco Chick Guide to Life. Yes, I know I am a slow reader. I thought I'd share what I thought were the most memorable peices of the book:

1. The average woman will ingest about 4 lbs of libstick in her lifetime. Check labels before purchasing lipsticks and balm so that you don't end up eating petroleum, parabens, and synthetic dyes.

2. Do NOT reuse takeout containers in the microwave. These containers are not microwave safe and will leach chmicals into your food.

3. Alpaca wool is the next big eco-fiber.

4. Sun-drying clothes kills bacteria naturally while also whitening whites.

5. On average, eating meat contributes more to a person's carbon footprint than driving.

6. Shaving with a reusable razor is usually the most eco-friendly hair removal option for women.

7. Cat nip deters cockroaches ...weird

8. Herbs and spices pack an insane amount of antioxidants.

Lazy Chef: Stir Fry & Cous Cous

Cous Cous only takes about 5-7 minutes to cook, and while you're waiting its easy to throw together a little veggie stir-fry to complete the meal. Chop up some fresh organic broccoli (or defrost some fozen broccoli if you are super-lazy) and stir fry in organic olive oil with a little bit of garlic. Throw in some of your other favorite veggies and some black beans (for protein). When the cous cous is done cooking...mix it all up...Voila! No recipes to follow... no specific ingredients needed (although its hard to stir fry anything without sommme kind of oil). Vegetarian and vegan!

Timberland's Earth Day Grant

A new Timberland location just opened up on Newbury St. and since Earth Day coincides with the timing of their grand opening, they decided to celebrate the new store and Earth Day by providing a $2,500 grant opportunity for Boston-based environmental non-profits. Representatives from area non-profit organizations are encouraged to visit the new Timberland store to get more information on the grant opportunity.

BUT the application deadline is TOMORROW...so if you are interested, get over to Newbury st. TODAY!
and Good Luck!

Insulated Tumbler

Its supposed to be in the 70s in Boston, so today I used my new reusable insulated tumbler for my iced coffee! I will def be using it all summer.
The only downside is that I can't really chew on the straw! hahaha

Flexitarian

You eat meat. You don't want to admit it, but you do. You try to cut down...maybe you go vegetarian all week, but have a cheeseburger on Saturday, or maybe you don't eat meat for a whole month, but then you're at a Red Sox game and those Fenway franks are calling your name.....you are a FLEXITARIAN.

Sure going vegetarian or vegan is the best way to go, but for a lot of us traditionally raised (meat & potatoes) girls, its hard to go cold turkey on meat (look at that pun...I amaze myself). If you are one of these people that is struggling to go vegetarian, try cutting your meaty-meals in half, or be a weekday vegetarian. Afterall, if all the women in the U.S. ate half as much meat as they do now, it would be like a quarter of the population going completely vegetarian! So, don't give up, compromise with yourself. And maybe someday you'll be ready to take the big step to veggies only! Plus, its almost bikini season, so this is a good way to kickstart your spring diet.

Green Beauty Routine

As I'm using up whats left in my makeup box, I am trying to purchase responsible and healthy alternatives to replace my old makeup. I want to go completely paraben free (parabens are synthetic chemicals that affect hormones and have been linked to breast cancer), and I am reducing my use of petroleum based products. However, it is sometimes difficult to find organic makeup in CVS, so I've been going to Sephora and doing some serious label-reading.

Sephora has a good selection of natural products, and even has a whole portion of their website dedicated to natural and organic make-up brands. The bad thing about Sephora is that their products are quite a bit more expensive than a standard drugstore. This is why I just got my Beauty Insider Card. It is totally free and serves as a discount card and puts you on VIP lists for sample give-aways. Hopefully the card will help me rack up the savings as I begin to green my beauty routine.

RRR: A Dress out of a Fairytale

Literally. This dress was made out of old childrens' books!

Read the full article here.

Better Yourself

After taking a fashion writing course at the Boston Center for Adult Education last night, I am now totally obsessed with the BCAE. The class was great - it was taught by Stuff's editor, Erica Corsano. She has an impressive background in fashion and was able to articulate the ins and outs of the industry very well. She completely inspired me!

Here are some upcoming classes at the BCAE that look good too:
Promoting Your Blog
The Modern Face: Makeup for Today
Choose Color with Confidence: Re-Design Your Home with Paint
Sewing Machines for the Absolute Beginner

and sooooo much more! Hope to see you at some classes!

Iced Coffee Season

It is April. It might still be miserable weather here in Boston for a couple more weeks, but it is officially Spring nonetheless. To get prepared for the summer months, I suggest purchasing a reusable iced coffee cup. Many places give discounts on coffee if you bring your own mug, plus it prevents some serious plastic and paper waste from filling up our landfills. Many people love the reusable plastic starbucks cups, but many places are now selling cute alternatives. I just picked up a cute watermelon patterned one at TJ Maxx and I am excited to start using it. (If only it were warm enough yet).
Also - remember to look for ones that are BPA-free.

Bobbles in Boston

On a sunny stroll down Newbury St. yesterday, I was thrilled to see that American Apparel is selling Bobble Bottles. The BPA-free, travel sized water bottles that filter the water as you drink it.