A Few Green Men!

I usually have the G-Boy or G-Girl of the week, but I decided to feature three very distinguished green gentlemen who are working hard to make the world a greener place. Plus I wanted to use the phrase A Few Green Men!

Al Gore: Climate Change Activist, Oscar winner and Nobel Peace Prize winner for his work on An Inconvenient Truth. There is no limit to his achievements, his work has drawn the worlds attention to the danger of global warming.

Prince Charles: He has made a pledge for a "greener" royal lifestyle. He is switching his residences in Highgrove and Gloucstershire to green electricity and will replace private jets and helicopters with regular flights and trains. Passionate about organic farming Prince Charles co-authored with Charles Clover: An Experiment on Organic Gardening and Farming.

David Suzuki: I remember when I was younger, David Suzuki's "The Nature of Things would come on TV and I would yawn and beg my mom to change the channel. Now I sit up and Listen! A world renowned geneticist, academic and tireless broadcaster. His indefatigable effort through the David Suzuki foundation, has influenced many in the movement toward a greener lifestyle.

Baby Step Monday's Rocket Man!

I know every mother has experienced this.....you get this amazing toy for your child, open it up assemble it and all they want to do is play with the box it came in. Well now you don't have to worry http://www.paperpods.co.uk/ is an ingenious website, that offers play houses, rockets and dollhouses out of recycled cardboard. They come as a blank canvas so your child's imagination can run wild! Too Cute!

2-4-1 Special!.....Pretty in Green!

Greeny Todd the Demon Seamstress of fleet street, has struck again! I have turned another disaster into a surprising 241 miracle. My best friend gave me this dress as she was cleaning out here closet (love her!) but of course once again I cut it too short. Apparently I'm lethal with scissors! No need to fear, I put on my thinking cap and turned my dress into a top and the part I chopped off into a skirt for my daughter. Voila! Two for the price of one.....well actually none due to the kindness of my friend. I think you get the picture though.

Might as Well Face it....Your Addicted to Green!

Green Leaves Sunday..... Tea Time!

I sure as hell am! (addicted to green that is) That is why I am proud to present Ecoholic a book written by a Canadian for Canadians, the book is full of resources to help you lighten your footprint, greenify you home down to your pet, yucky toxins lurking in your home, incentives and rebates you can get for greening your home and where to recycle old electronics. It's a Great house warming gift, birthday gift or valentines gift for that special green person in your life.

Hot Child in the City.....Runnin Wild and Lookin Pretty!

It's Green and Gorgeous Saturdays! Yippe! Flipping through my Domino Magazine they have a section "my green life" it profiles green girls and boys and their daily routine. This month it was Jen Boulden from http://www.idealbite.com/ ( of course I get their daily bites sent to me everyday!) she had some interesting green offerings like natural mascara! I have not worn mascara in months and now I have finally found one..... goodbye small shrivelled lashes hello smokey sultry lashes. You can find it at http://www.honeybeegardens.com/.

Fresh Green Crop!

As you all know by now, I am a magazine whore (there like my kryptonite!) I have reached my quota for the month and Lucky made the cut. Toward the back in their shopping report...new, green, and great caught my eye. It was a list of new green boutiques: Setchi in Washington, Eco Citizen in San Francisco's Russian Hill, Pivot in Chicago, Arcadia Boutique in Philadelphia and Gominyc in New York ( I found this store in Domino)they have a great myspace page. You know what they say "green is the new black!"

Love Love Love!

Went to Hazelton Lanes today to shop at Whole Foods (I was in there for two hours!) Ahhh! such a wonderful shopping experience. I love their 365 products their organic and affordable which a single green girl loves. While I was strolling through the mall I went to the TNT store that carries children's clothes. They had the cutest zip up sweater from Preloved Me Me line for children, you remember Preloved the store which I love love love and mentioned several Friday's ago. The sweater is made from recycled sweaters it's ingenious. Pair it with Levis eco jeans and Veja Bebe running shoes (their organic and fair trade) Now your mini greenie can be stylin and profilin just like you!

Just a little green note: Preloved recycled 60,000 sweaters to create their fall collection.

Tweenie Greenie!

My daughter and I always enjoy going to the bookstore on the weekend or the Eaton Center, where she begs me to go into Claires so that she can pick up one of the many trinkets they have in their store. So you can imagine how the small sized plastic bags pile up! We decided to do something to solve that problem and spend some mother daughter time together. Awwww! We made a tote bag to carry when we go shopping.....holla! so no more plastic bags.

That's what I'm talkin bout people tiny steps for a greener planet!

This Little Piggy Went to Market!

Yes! I went to Kensington Market today.

On a day that is not fit for neither man nor beast (It's bloody cold!). I went with my friend it was her last day before flying back to London. Our first stop was this cute little Fish and Chip shop-Somethin's Fishy. The food was great but what I loved even more was the fact that all finished drinks went into the recycling bin and all the waste went into the compost bin. I was completely tickled green! Our second stop was an Organic Market that carried yummy bars of natural soap and the special shampoo my friend needed for her luxurious locks ( she really does have the best hair!) Our third stop was the Vintage Shops. I don't usually visit Kensington during the winter and now I remember why. With stores like Courage my Love....which you'll need since some of the shops don't have any heat in them! or Flashback reminding me how much fun it is to shop there in the summer. Kensington is a feast for the senses, but I think I will wait til the spring for my next visit!

Fashion Friday's..... Shop til you Drop!

Kaight is an eco-boutique in New York on the Lower East side that is dedicated to advancing the image of green fashion. They carry organic jeans and clothes from American and British eco-designers. My favorite is Ciel the dresses are ultra cute, made from hemp silk while the sweaters are cosy and made from 100% baby alpaca certified by skaal. Kate Blanchet and Sienna Miller are huge fans. Yippe! more green girls.

Nothing Comes Between Me and my Calvins......

Well except some beams drywall and paint! Our adorable G-Boy of the week did just that. He built his eco-friendly home in the BK ( Brooklyn people!) and used recycled denim as insulation. Love it! But there is more to his green do gooding, he gets down and dirty in Brooklyn soup kitchens, hosted a star studded charity ball; Water a foundation that is dedicated to providing safe drinking water to people in need all over the world. He has even taken Paris Hilton under his wing (God Bless his green soul!) to help her minimize her "Bigfoot" sized carbon footprint. Hmmm.....I wonder what it would take to get between Adrian and his eco-friendly jeans! I kid! I kid!

Movin to the Country.....I'm Gonna Eat alot of Peaches!

Organic peaches that is! Here it is people the "Top 10 Fruits and Veggies" to buy organic. According to http://www.thegreenguide.com/ conventionally grown fruit and veggies can contain the residue of as many as 51 different pesticides. By Jove that's alot! Next time your grocery shopping remember to buy organic.

Fruits

Peaches

Apples

Strawberries

Nectarines

Pears

Veggies

Spinach

Bell Peppers

Celery

Potatoes

Hot Peppers

Turn off the Lights......and Light a Candle!

That Teddy Pendergrass certainly knew what he was talkin about back in da day! But not only should you turn off the lights (and if you do light a candle soy or bee's wax please!) you should green your lighting, Try compact florescent bulbs and ditch the energy wasting incandescent light bulb. A fluorescent bulb can outlast up to 13 incandescent or halogen bulbs while 90% of the energy consumed by an incandescent bulb is wasted heat. Least we forget, florescent bulbs also allows you to save money on electricity costs. Hallelujah! A Single Green Female is always down for some green savings.

Baby Steps Monday! I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts!

I love magazines they are my extreme weakness. I love flipping through my old magazines and finding something that I did not notice before. Cookie magazine is my favorite parent magazine, they are fashionable and have great ideas from travel to clothes for yourself and your children. Today I was looking in the October edition and I came across this cute website http://www.katequinnorganics.com/ they carry adorable organic clothes for children and the buttons are made from coconuts how clever!

I'm Melting! I'm Melting!

See what happens when you use regular makeup! Just Kidding! But I have here a little list of dirty things that can be found in your personal care products. According to an article on

http://www.thegreenguide.com/. The average adult uses nine personal care product a day with roughly 120 chemicals spread among them, many of which are incompletely tested for toxicity. Egad! That is some serious crap. OK ladies and gentlemen here is the long awaited list.

• Antibacterials
• Coal Tar found in anti-itch cream (I know where your minds are going) dandruff shampoo and coal based dyes can be found in toothpaste and mouth wash.
• Diethanolamine


• Dioxane an animal carcinogen that can appear as a contaminant in products.


• Formaldehyde (didn't we use this stuff in science lab in high school) found in baby bath soap nail polish hair dyes and eyelash adhesive.


• Fragrance


• Lead or Mercury


• Nanoparticles


• Parabens (I have mentioned this dirty word before!)


• Petroleum Distillates-beware of the words petroleum or liquid paraffin on labels.


• P-Phenylenediamine can cause damage to the nervous system-mostly found in hair dyes.


• Hydroquinone found in skin lighteners (all you sisters out there bleachin your skin take heed!) and facial moisturizers.

So now that I have cast a shadow of doom and gloom on all personal care products, beware and check the labels for these unhealthy products. If you want to find out the companies who have signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics visit www.safecosmetics.org/companies.

Out Damn'd Spot! Out I Say!

Are you ever plagued by guilt like Lady MacBeth....well not in the blood on your hands kinda sense but over your cleaning products that are riddled with chemicals. Well have I got just the book for you, Green Clean Book by Linda Manson and Mikki Halpin. It offers a step by step guide to a clean and chemical free home. They have recipes for cleansers that are made from common household ingredients and a special solution for removing that stubborn stain!

Happy Green Reading!

RIP!

Do you know hard it is for a sister to let this go, it was my savior during harsh winter months, kept my skin smooth and supple and warded off the ashy ash quite successfully for years. A tear or two have been shed, but a green girl must persevere. I will not succumb to the wicked wicked PETROLEUM JELLY! Bring on the Coca Butter baby!

Pretty Woman Walkin Down the Street!

Green and Gorgeous! I know I know it is usually on Saturday's but I was extremely busy.....I hope you didn't miss me to much.

It's time to put one green foot in front of the other and mosey on down to Sephora than to good ole Wally Mart! Why you may ask.....well they both carry something essential to our makeup bags. Have you heard of a lil somethin somethin called Bare Mineral makeup It's made with no additives or irritants while leaving skin feeling weightless and looking luminous. So ditch that heavy foundation head on over to Sephora and get some bare mineral makeup.

It's greentastic! Walmart is going green......finally some affordable green goods cause this green lifestyle ain't cheap! Take a little stroll down their beauty aisle they have this great lip balm, Honest to Goodness Peppermint lip balm it's au natural!

A little Green Note.....Wha Cha Gon Do?

Opps! I almost forgot about my green note. Here's the sitch, if you have clothes that you no longer wear and they are taking up precious room in your home, check out http://www.freecycle.org/ . They are in 75 countries( yes even here in Canadialand) and they keep over 300 tons of unwanted clothing and household goods out of landfills. The amount is equivalent to 4x's the height of Mt Everest! Lord love a duck! that is alot. So wha cha gon do? Join the movement and turn your trash into treasure!

Happy Feet!
Here is another non-profit charity that is great http://www.soles4souls.org/ they receive shoes from all over North America and ships shoes to people in need from Honduras to Swaziland. When the Tsunami struck in Indonesia and Hurricane Katrina swept people off their feet. Soul4Soul was there to lend a hand. There mission is "to impact as many lives as possible with the gift of shoes."

Tweenie Greenie.....Hey don't Forget about Me!

New parents today are switching to more green cleansers in the home to protect their babies from the horrible toxins regular products contain. This is all quite wonderful but let's not forget about children in their tweens. They are starting to earn their keep (parent's still give their children chores I hope!) by doing household chores. This puts them in direct contact with these vile products, so make sure your home is equipped with green cleansers. I like Seventh Generation, Ecover, Method, Mrs Meyers or basic stuff around the house. My daughter uses vinegar and water with newspaper to clean the mirrors and they sparkle like the roof of the Chrysler building!

Happy Green Cleaning!

Fashion Friday's.....What's Old is New!

Preloved J'taime! I love love love this store so much that I had to say it in two languages. Founded by a former model Julia Grieve. Preloved redesigns vintage clothes and turns them into flirty and unique designs. If you care about your carbon footprint (guilt trip guilt trip guilt trip!) than you will bundle up and hop on you bike the bus, subway or streetcar and head to 613 Queen St West.

Green Girl Golightly!

Green Guzzler of the Month! Square One Vodka

Do you remeber the scene in Breakfast at Tiffany's when Holly Golightly has that smashing cocktail party with drinks galore. I have always wanted to throw an exciting party like that....I can just picture it, me in the starring role as "Green Girl Golightly" the New York Ecolite flitting around the room, topping off every drink with Square One Organic Vodka.

This smooth clean vodka was created by Allison Evanow her sister Debbie and friend Kimberly Charles. It is the worlds first certified organic Rye Vodka and it's green from the inside out! let me break it down how green they are:

• the distillery is partially wind powered from local generated power
• the label is made from tree free face stock labels made from bamboo, bagasse (sugar cane) and cotton
• the rye by product from the vodka-making process is sold as feed to an organic dairy farm
• they use carbon-off sets for air travel
• it is shipped in chlorine-free partially recycled paper cartons printed with only soy based inks.

You can't get any greener than that. Bottoms up!

G-Girl of the Week!

Remember back in da day! when they had B-Boys and B-Girls. Well I'm startin' G-Boy and G-Girl of the week! and my first G-Girl is Laurie David.

When I first began my green endeavor, I signed up for the virtual march on http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/, an informative website founded by Laurie David with Senator John McCain and Robert F Kennedy. This was my first step toward green living and I have never looked back!

Climate-change activist, eco-crusader, eco-warrior are some of the words used to describe Laurie David. She was a producer on the Oscar winning film An Inconvenient Truth, author of the best selling book Stop Global Warming: The Solution is You! The down to Earth Guide to Global Warming co-authored with Cambria Gordon, executive produced and HBO documentary Too Hot not to Handle, in the spring of last year launched the Stop Global Warming College tour with Sheryl Crow and was also a guest editor of Elle magazine's "The Green Issue" which was the highest selling issue in 14 years. Dayam Girl! Looks like everything she touches turns to "Green!" (I'm so cheesy I know!)

We all Know Where the Rainbows Go!

Canada apparently.....this morning after dropping my daughter off at school I went for a walk and saw the most beautiful sight. The sun was glistening on Lake Ontario, swans and ducks were gliding by and there was a rainbow. I can't tell you the last time I saw a rainbow.

You probably know what's coming next.....Have a heart do your part!

I heart a Green Apple!

"I'm so excited and I just can't hide it......ok! ok! let me just catch my breath after my Pointer Sister dance and tell you what I am so excited about. Well according to http://www.ecorazzi.com/ (a blog which I j'adore!) At the beginning of February Apple will release MackBook Air, a super thin computer that is rockin some green qualities. A Mercury-free display, fully recyclable aluminum case, the glass on the screen is arsenic-fee and all the circuit boards are BFR-free and PVC free, there will also be 56% less packaging! Yipee!

Guilty as Charged!

Green Footprint of the Month: Unplug your Cellphone Charger!

Did you know that only 5% of the power drawn by cell phone chargers are actually used to
charge your phone. The other 95% is wasted when you leave it plugged into the wall. This adds to the pollution created by burning fossil fuels. Oh snap! I need to start unplugging my charger.

Food for Thought Tuesday...It's a Crying Shame!

Yesterday I went to my friends house and we made Organic French Onion Soup....oh la la! It was a definate tear jerker (imagine cutting twelve onions) but ummm ummm good!

Organic French Onion Soup

6 Red Onions, peeled and thinly sliced

1tbsp Olive Oil (we used Organic canola oil cuz it has omega 3)

2 cloves garlic minced

8 cups of beef stock

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 bay leaf

sprig of thyme

salt and pepper to taste

8 slices of toast french bread.

1 1/2 cups Swiss or Gruyere cheese grated

1. In a large sauce pan saute the onions in the olive oil on medium high heat until well browned but not burned-layer onions in the pan and let sweat down. Sprinkle with sugar.

2. Add garlic and saute for 1min, add stock wine bay leaf and thyme, cover partially and simmer for 30min. Season with salt and pepper. Discard bay leaf and thyme.

3. put in individual oven proof dishes cover with toasted baguette and sprinkle with cheese. Place in oven and broil for 10min. Remove from oven and enjoy it's ooey gooey goodness!

Bon Appetit!

Baby Steps Monday!

I absolutely luv this adorable little crown. I came across it while surfing eco-friendly sites. I found it on Cool Mom picks, a blog that showcases everything that is eco-friendly for your child.

I remember when my daughter was younger she loved to dress like a princess with a beautiful dress and a crown, which unfortunately was one of those toys r us hard plastic crowns.Well now your little princess can enjoy wearing this knitted crown that is sweet for her and sweet for the environment!

You can purchase the crown at http://www.quitehourstoys/ a wonderful website that fosters a child's imagination.

Cracks me up!

Just finished watching HGTV green shows and that Ed Beagly Jr cracks me up he's certainly got some green gumption. I love it!

She could be Crafty at times!!

I did it I finally did! As I said before I'm and avid vintage shopper, I am also in the habit of giving my dresses a little nip here and a tuck there. This time I went a little to far and butchered this particular dress, if you notice in the before picture of the dress I am not wearing it because it was absolutely scandalous! Then I had a light bulb moment ( thank goodness cause I really liked this dress) I would use the excess fabric to make a ruffle which would make the dress long enough to go out in public. Phew!

The moral of the story is when you buy vintage, your outfit is original and it's great for the environment!

Green Leaves Sunday!

Ahhh Sundays.....a day to snuggle up with a good book and a cup of tea. May I suggest a little green reading, such as 1001 Ways to Save the Earth! This book shows you that simple ideas can have major environmental impact. It has easy tips for every budget and everyday. From taking canvas shopping bags to the grocery store to purchasing green energy "off sets" to make up for unavoidable carbon dioxide emissions hmm...I have to purchase some "off sets" soon! What is even better is the book is printed with vegetable-based inks on paper from sustainably managed forests.

Couldn't get much greener than that!

A little green note: check out http://www.adoptalibrary.org/ they are great cause they keep old books out of landfills and donate them to American Indian Reservations, Correctional Facilities, Books for Africa and many more organizations.

Kiss my Green *$%# !

Dirty Word of the Month!

PARABENS!! are synthetic antimicrobial preservatives used in shampoos, cosmetics and sunscreens. There is evidence that they accumulate in breast tissue and that they spark breast-cancer cell division in vitro. Wow! not cool not cool at all.

I feel Pretty...Oh so Pretty!

Gorgeous and Green Saturday's!

If you are thinking of greening your beauty products here are some suggestion for that deep green clean!

Body

Aveeno Body Lotion....cause it's Paraben Free!

Shea Terra Organics, they make all natural Shea Butter products, Angelina Jolie uses it on herself and kids and the best part is fifty cents goes to the Nubian Goat Project which purchases goats for needy families in Ethiopia. The Shea Terra Nubian Honey Shower Cream at $9 and Shea Butter Body Lotion at $12 sounds yummy and affordable also!

http://www.sheaterraorganics.com/

Hair

Nature Girl Girl Daily Conditioner

Nature Rinse is great cause it doesn't weigh hair down, leaves it super duper clean and cause it's all natural! Yikees!! it's $48 dollars though. Check their website cause they have a great body care line also.

http://www.nature-girl.com/

Tweenie Greenie: We are the World....We are the Children!!

Educating your children about about global warming and what they can do to help is very important and now just a click away. Adventure Ecology is an interactive website for kids 9-12 with amazing visuals, fun games.....trust me I've tried Stay Afloat and drowned poor Sarah every time! and test your eco iq. My daughter and I have got into mini arguments on what to do next. It can be quite a nail bitter at times!

Get your kids involved.....and remember Children are the Future!

One Potato Two Potatoes Three Potatoes Four!

Frito-Lay is jumping on the green bandwagon and is planning an environmentally neutral potato chip! According to the International Herald Tribune their goal is to take the Casa Grande Plant off the power grid and run it on renewable fuels and recycled water. They plan to install high-technology filters that would recycle most of the water used to rinse the potatoes, then burn the leftover sludge to create methane gas to run the plants boiler. They will also plant 20-50 hectares of solar concentrators for solar power. This is scheduled to be completed by 2010 and will reduce electricity and water consumption by 90% and the use of natural gas by 80%, which will chop greenhouse gas emissions by 50% to 75%.

This sounds like a fantabulous idea but I hope they are thinking of using organic potatoes!

Clever, Witty...Just Bloody Brilliant!

Over the Christmas holiday I decide that I would not waste paper and send ecards to all my friends from Hallmark.com, they have these really cute ones from Hoops and Yoya plus they're free. Today I was on the phone with my friend and were discussing the christmas ecards I had sent over the holiday's when she told me about this friggin hilarious site http://www.someecards.com/. My sides were splitting! They have cards for everything you could possibly think of and I mean everything and the most wonderful thing is they're free! So if you want to do your part and save some trees please visit this website it's bloody brilliant!

I know there are so many posted but they were just to funny.