Saving the Planet and Looking Good Doing it

The world is in a sorry state due to greenhouse gas emissions. You know to recycle, reduce and reuse, but a girl can’t go around looking like a tree-hugging hippie, you gotta look chic at all times. So check out labels like Ecoist, (ecoist.com) which makes really cute purses and accessories out of repurposed paper and donates part of sales to environmental groups.

Ecologically sound clothing isn’t limited to hemp anymore either. A lot of designers are taking an interest in organic cotton, which is grown without harmful chemicals that not only cause health problems for handlers, but also air and water pollution. Other materials are also gaining poplar use, like soy and bamboo as well as luxurious silk for the diva in you. Check out http://www.shopregeneration.com

If your apartment or house is in need of a redecorating, check out furniture that is new to you, rather than fresh off the truck, like at antique stores and thrift shops. If you want to go new, make sure its made of sustainable materials, which minimize the impact of global warming during production. http://www.earthfriendlygoods.com

Beautify your body with Nature Girl products, made from fresh organically grown products on small farms that use alternative pest control methods to prevent harmful chemicals from being released into the air. Nature Girl donates a part of their profits to groups who work to save the planet. http://nature-girl.rich-hippie.com/

It’s hard work to save the planet, but shopping to save the planet is fun!

A Tall Glass of Water

Often I find staying chic exhaustive. This is in part because I am lazy and broke, but also because it seems to have gotten more difficult. I dress to entertain myself, and those around me, but lately it seems like a never-ending uphill struggle, tough on the checkbook, and ethically ambiguous in the age of sweatshops, environmental degredation and outsourced labor. So it’s the easy baby steps I look for—like carrying a stylish water bottle in lieu of a never ending cycle of plastic ones. It takes about 10 million barrels of oil to feed our bottled water habit, and only 23% of them get recycled.

I know, I know, you’re thinking I don’t remember when Nalgenes had a stigma, but I do—back then only hippies and outdoorsy types carried the clunky, plastic types. But after the recent spate of editorials and news articles deriding our dependence on bottled water (because it’s usually just tap water in them anyways!) the market has spoken. Now there are a slew of streamlined versions of water bottles that are anything but your former hippy roommate’s funky-smelling version. SIGG offers a variety of patterns, colors and sizes made out of a single piece of aluminum. They are lightweight and have a utilitarian-gone-chic feel to them, and there are flask versions too! If you’re a stickler for cleaning, you can purchase their custom-made bottle-cleaner. Nalgene has also upgraded, with more colors and a sleeker design. With the money you’ll save from buying all those water bottles (an average of up to $1400 annually) you can dive into an ocean of other shopping possibilities!