GREEN
Breaking the normal routine and starting to think eco-friendly might be difficult to do. In a society where there is constant traveling in cars and planes, the amount of pollution the average individual produces daily is alarming. However, for people that find themselves reducing as much as they can but are still polluting, they can get involved with CarbonFund.org.
CarbonFund is a non-profit organization that aims to tackle global warming by making it affordable for individuals and businesses to reduce and offset their impact on the environment. People can donate to the foundation, whose goals are to increase climate change education and increase carbon offsets and reductions.
Disney researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed new technology that will bring your plants to life. Based on the principle that all living things contain natural electric energy, scientists are using computers to tap into this energy and make it possible for us as humans to go so far as to play music with a rhododendron!
Now don't fear for the plants, these researchers assure us that the process is completely non-invasive. Simply by placing a wire in the plants soil and attaching it to the computer software, we are able to interact with the plant. The software allows the plant to detect our touch location or even estimate our frequency of grasp and contact, thus our being able to play a plant like an instrument.
Wrapping paper and shopping bags alone account for about 4 million tons of trash annually in the U.S. Save some trees and give your friends and family gifts in the bag that keeps on giving with The Give Bag™.
All Give Bags are made from a vegetable fiber called 'jute' which is durable yet fully biodegradable. Bag sizes and designs are created based on the actual textile roll width to ensure minimal fabric waste. There's a cover flap so your recipient can't see what's inside and the bright colored designs are created with vegetable-based dyes.
Sephora by OPI nail line for this season has us "wowed." The collection featured is Sephora's Garden of Good & Evil. The collection is inspired by the fall season, modern women, and day to night colors for every occasion. Check out these awesome chip-resistant colors we fell in love with!
Frankly I Don't Give A-Dam Nail Color: One of the latest and greatest colors has become super popular amongst chic women. An odd but beautiful,smokey color, perfect for the not-so average lady!
There are several benefits to bringing your lunch to work instead of going out to grab a bite.
Save Money.
Buying groceries and cooking yourself is most often more cost-effective than eating marked-up meals at restaurants.
Save The Environment.
Your lunch-to-go probably includes a disposable paper bag, napkins, condiments, utensils, wrappers, containers and more that end up in the trash.
Save Calories.
Large lunch specials and combos, especially fast food, often contain more calories than you'd expect. Keep it healthy with more appropriately portioned meals.
Going organic has become increasingly popular in just these past few years- and, with good reason. There are many benefits of organic food: they contain few or no pesticides/preservatives, they're fresher (and taste better!), and are possibly even more nutrient-rich.
Going organic also benefits our environment! Organic farming practices reduce air, water, and soil pollution, conserve water and soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and use less energy.
Want to participate in the nature's favorite way to recycle? Then start a compost! Most waste found in a home is 1/3 compostable, so by reducing the amount of things you throw out, you will also be turning garbage into great soil.
Firstly, how does composting work? The organic waste you put in compost naturally degrades with the help of fungi, bacteria, and other microorganisms that live off the waste. Water and air are also imperative in helping the compost turn from waste to nutrient rich soil. You'll have great soil in about 6-9 months.
I think we all know how wasteful buying several plastic water bottles in a day can be. And yes-using a nalgene or sigg bottle is a great way to solve this problem.
And yet throughout the day, that water will get warm....or it'll get slurped up, and you'll definitely be lured into buying an ice-cold plastic bottle of H2O.
Well not anymore! BRITA recently came out with its Brita Bottle, a reusable water bottle with a filter inside! Now you can stay hydrated on the go, and refill your bottle at any tap, knowing you'll get another cold, filtered bottle of water in minutes.
How come nobody thought of this earlier? Way to go, Brita!
Bicycle for a Day is an organization dedicated to making the world a little more bike-centric. Last September, famous actor Matthew Modine and Bicycle for a Day had their very first bicycle event in the South Street Seaport, creating a sea of cyclists and boasting well over 14,000 attendees. The group is not just a bunch of bicycle enthusiasts, but people who want to make life safer for those who use bicycles around the nation.
The simple fact of the matter is that bicycle transportation has too many benefits to ignore. Riding a bicycle saves money that would otherwise go toward increasingly hard to afford gasoline. Even short trips to the corner store waste hundreds over time. Breaking out the bicycle now and then doesn’t just save money, but keeps cyclists from contributing to air pollutants, even for a short period every few days. In fact, the United States could potentially save 462 million gallons of gasoline per year by increasing cycling from 1% to just 1.5% of all trips. Three hours of cycling per week reduces the risk of heart attack for riders by almost 50%, a number that can save lives. The average cyclist loses 13 pounds in their first year with a bicycle. It’s exercise in one of its most pleasant and easy to use forms. It accomplishes more than one goal. When using a bicycle to pick up groceries or make a quick trip to a local friend’s house every few days becomes a habit, the task already becomes exercise without feeling like it is.
Modine and his organization feel cycling is a much better alternative to the sterile and dull setting of a gym, which more often than not, bleeds money from its users with membership fees. The very real problems cyclists face, especially in the busy city of New York where Modine resides, are the dangers of roads that cater mostly to cars. Anyone who has taken a trip to Time Square knows that our cars go fast and the streets are not always safe, even for pedestrians. Those that take to busy streets and obey the law on a bicycle are the few and the daring. Thanks to the efforts of groups like Bicycle for a Day, however, New York is seeing an increase in protected bike lanes.
This is just the start. Bicycle for a Day continues the fight not only to fight for the cyclists’ rights, but to educate bicycle owners on how to safely make cycling a part of their daily lives. Like car owners, cyclists must learn to obey the laws of traffic, for their safety and that of those around them. Safe riding also dispels the stereotype of cyclists being a nuisance and hazard for drivers on the road.
To learn more about Bicycle for a Day, their upcoming gathering in the South Street Seaport this September, or how to make cycling a part of your daily routine, check out their site here!
Gucci has gone green. The luxury brand has teamed up with eyewear manufacturer Safilo for a new eco-friendly eyewear line. Set to officially launch this fall, the line features frames made from sustainable materials and castor seeds -which reduces carbon dioxide emissions. (Who knew?) In addition, the packaging will also be environmentally friendly.
Gucci president/CEO, Patrizio di Marco said, “With Safilo we felt it was time to take the initiative on our shared commitment for increased sustainability within the luxury sector. These eyewear models represent an important step forward in finding new and innovative ways to embrace sustainability in our manufacturing processes."
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