Going Green

Although we haven't touched very much on the environmental aspect of our "year without shopping", I thought today, being St. Patrick's Day and all, that it would be a great time to talk green. I compost, I recycle, I carry cloth bags, I eat organic whenever possible; these things really have become second nature to me. While excessive shopping may not fall under the green umbrella (but not shopping sure does!), I have, over the past few years, attempted to make better buying decisions when it comes to the sustainability of the earth. I try to consider where the product is from and how it is made.

Eco Safari anyone? My Pangea lipcare, Matt & Nat handbag, and WWF water bottle. The hat? Not organic but it is super cute, and helps keep the sun off of my face!

In celebration of St. Patrick's Day, and all things Irish, I have composed a list of my 10 favorite "green themed goodies" for your reading pleasure:

1. Matt & Nat handbags. Vegan, cute, and Canadian. Yummy.

2. Etsy. Hand made artisan (and very fashionable) goods. No factory pollution. No unnecessary packaging. Supporting the little guy. It warms my heart just thinking about it.

3. Reusable shopping bags that come in their own pouch. The ones from Envirosax are super cute!

4. Pangea Organics. The lipcare and the soap (in Pyrenees Lavender With Cardamom) are my favorite...

and the packaging from the soap can be soaked in water and then planted to reveal your own botanical surprise!

5. Vintage Shopping. In San Francisco I love Goodbyes, and in Toronto, anywhere in Kensington Market is fab!

6. Ebay. Buying what has already been used, what could be greener than that?

7. Stainless steel water bottles. My prettiest pick? The V&A Water Bottle from Aldea Home (I lost mine) which I then replaced by donating to the WWF (World Wildlife Federation) and they sent me two cute bottles as a thank you gift.

8. Blogs! What could be more eco-friendly than reading about the latest fashion online and not on paper? I don't need to tell you who my favorites are...or do I? Maybe I'll save that for another day.

9. Method personal and home care cleaning products. The grapefruit hand soap is my favorite!

10. Affordable eco-fashion. Honorable mentions go to LA Made for their bamboo tops, and to H&M for their just-released sustainable "Garden Collection". Ok, so maybe I haven't actually tried the H&M stuff yet, but I am pretty excited about it!

Love, A