Green Living

Green mobile app developer 3rdWhale will be the first mobile app developer to join 1% For the Planet, a “growing global movement of 1,202 companies that donate 1% of their sales to a network of 1,781 environmental organizations worldwide.” And they want your help deciding where their money will go!

Painting is surely one of the easiest and most budget-friendly decorating tricks to brighten up your home. And if you use paint that’s safe for both for you and the environment, you can’t go wrong (except, of course, when the color looked so different on your wall than it did in the store … ).

There comes a time in any mother’s trajectory when she can clearly look back and see when she lost her mind. My moment of insanity occurred last week. My six-year-old and I were enjoying a lovely morning outside — me poking around in my garden while she, bug bucket in hand, sought out toads or creepy crawlies to examine. I was mentally congratulating myself on my perennials, which (if I do say so myself) are looking quite spectacular.

Admittedly, this post comes a bit later than fashionable, but I was waiting on photos from our friends of the first tweetup hosted by @Gaiam, @LOHASTed and @elephantjournal at the @happynoodle. After all, what good is a post about a tweetup without pics?

All in all, our first tweetup was an absolute success!

Don’t think eco-friendly natural window cleaners really work? Gotten streaks when you’ve tried them in the past? Try these nontoxic cleaning formulas and tips. You’ll never go back to commercial, chemical-based cleaners again.

A few weeks ago, I saw an advertisement in a magazine that read, “Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.” In this recession, I have been doing a lot more thinking about whether my purchases will really enrich my life, how much I really need a thing or experience I pine for, and whether I’m getting the most “bang” for every buck I spend. For instance, will my purchase also be earth-friendly, community-friendly, or serving some cause (such as wildlife preservation)?

Carbon-neutral consumption at its best!

Wood is a renewable resource, especially when it comes from responsibly managed forests. And there’s another way to help the planet when purchasing wood furniture — one that can also help your budget: buying used!

If you think about it, flea markets are green markets, and I can’t help but get that pat-myself-on-the-back feeling of satisfaction when I give a piece of furniture a second chance at life.

I could barely contain my shock and awe when my brother asked me a few months ago which compost bin he should buy from Gaiam. We’re talking about a guy who arguably has the cleanest fingernails on the planet (he’s a heart surgeon) and has never been remotely inclined toward tree-hugging tendencies. His SUV gets 13 miles a gallon. He doesn’t have a single compact fluorescent lightbulb in his entire house. He occasionally bikes to work, but mostly to avoid becoming like one of his patients. But his 13-year-old son came home from Boy Scouts one day and said, “Dad, we have to start composting.”

All it takes is trying on a swimsuit and looking at your winter-white skin in the 3-D mirrors to get you whispering under your breath, “this year I’m losing weight!” And a good 5–6 pound initial weight loss can really motivate you to keep going. But when your losses taper to 1 or 2 — or zero — pounds a week, your interest in eating healthy and exercise begins to wane.

Although green is the new black and the stereotype of environmentalists as the socks-and-sandals crowd is fading, many of us still don’t identify ourselves as environmentalists. We’re not going to abandon our style, and we don’t believe hip equals green for the average Jane.

But if you think about it, being a virtuous consumer can actually make you more beautiful — and not just on the inside.