My favorite fashion purchase recently has been my white blazer from H&M. It's perfect for looking professional at work and lightweight enough to wear on hot summer days. Plus, it doesn't wrinkle easily and is machine-washable. And best of all, it's organic!
It's made from Tenecel®, a registered trademark of the soft, lightweight Lyocell fabric. Lyocell is made from cellulose (vegetable matter) or wood pulp. In this case, the Tenecel® branded lyocell is made from eucalyptus trees. This makes it a natural fabric, and is noted for its durability, strength, and eco-friendly manufacturing techniques.
Visit hm.com for more information on the H&M Conscious clothing line and other ways they help make their fashion and company more sustainable.
Since I was 8 years old I've wanted to be a vegetarian. Unfortunately my parents would not allow it when I was younger, mostly because I was too young and already a picky eater. As I got older, I became more adventurous with my food and decided that I didn't want to give up meat just yet. I didn't want to give up my favorites- lobster and crab, fillet, hot dogs and of course BACON (who doesn't love bacon?!). But after some serious research, the reasons I've found for living a vegetarian lifestyle are too numerous to ignore.
My motivation for adopting this lifestyle comes from my love for animals and mother earth. Most animals killed on "factory farms" are neglected, tortured, kept in filthy conditions, and often slaughtered in painful ways - such as having their throats cut while fully conscious. And sea animals caught by the fishing industry are also subject to torture such as being impaled, crushed, suffocated or sliced open and gutted, all while they're fully conscious. I refuse to support such cruelty! And these modern practices of raising/catching animals for food contributes to air and water pollution, land degradation, climate change, and relatedly the clearing of rain forests, resource depletion, and species extinction.
Initially, I turned to products labeled "organic", "natural" and "free range" thinking it would be a more humane option to still consume meat and animal by-products. I was shocked to discover that even farms promoting these products cram thousands of animals together in fifthly enclosures to increase profits. Just like factory farms, the animals often suffer the same mutilations and unethical treatment.
I am now what you might call an ovo-lacto vegetarian: a person who does not eat animal flesh of any kind, but is willing to consume eggs and dairy products. "Willing" is the key word however in deciding to eat eggs and dairy. Preferably I would like to consume these by-products from places that have humane standards and practices, such as local, family operated farms.
So this is my way of trying to making a difference, "being the change I want to see...". With so many ethical and environmental reasons - not to mention the countless health benefits - I can't consider living any other lifestyle.
*This video is something I think everyone should see. Please watch
with caution, it contains extremely disturbing and graphic images.
Feathers are a huge trend right now in the hair industry: I know many stylists that wear and sell feathers, I have put numerous feathers in my clients' hair, and presently I wear two feathers in my own hair. Because of my constant strive to stay eco-friendly in my life, I decided to do a little research about where these feathers come from and whatI found was horrifying.
Many feathers sold for decoration - whether it be for fishing lures, crafts, or hair fashion - are not gathered kindly. They are taken from birds that are kept and slaughtered on large-scale animal farms, either before or after their deaths. It is a very cruel process and is painful for the birds. It also supports the cycle of commercial animal agriculture which goes against my vegetarian, earth-loving nature.
These chickies say NO to mass farming!
Fortunately there is some hope. Many crafters and wholesale feather companies are aware of the issues surrounding the use of feathers and have begun to sell and use feathers that fall off of birds during molting or preening. You can find these "cruelty-free" feathers everywhere from Ebay to Etsy. Check out these awesome websites for products and more info:
One of H&M's new look books for Spring 2011? Sustainable Style. All the fashion is organic cotton and recycled material. I can't tell you how excited I am about this. How cute are these dresses?!
gah, LOVE!
Check out more looks on their facebook page or http://www.hm.com/.
As you all probably know, I strive to use only green, organic products. My problem with that right now is finding the right products to use for my face. I would say my skin is average -I have combination skin with few breakouts -however, my search for the right prduct line has caused my skin to be unpredictable! Sometimes I need to use acne solution products, but then if I use to much my skin gets extremely dry. So then I have to use a heavy moisturizer (which is normally bad for my skin) and then I get more breakouts. It's a vicious cycle! So far I've tried Burts Bees and Boots Botanics Organic, and now I'm about to try ALBA. I used their sunscreen and body lotion at the beach last year and absolutely loved it.
I opted for just the acne solution astringent and both the face wash and moisturizer to be normal, oil-free formulas. So here goes...
Wow, I must be the worst blogger ever - it's been 2 months since I started blogging and this is only my second post! My life is so busy, I feel like I never have time to just sit down and type out a post. And if I do find myself with that kind of time, I'd rather be spending it cuddled on the couch with the bf watching a movie. And I suppose it would be easier to act that way when it comes to living a "greener" lifestyle. Sometimes it's just more convenient not to try.
But then I remind myself why I'm trying so hard. Why I recycle. Why I constantly unplug everything. Why I buy only green products. Because I believe my efforts, no matter how small, make a difference. I recycle so that my consumer waste doesn't sit in a landfill and emit methane and carbon dioxide gases for the next hundred years. It may not be convenient for me to go to the recylcing center with piles of recyclables from my house, my parents house and the salon I work at, but I do it monthly. And perhaps having to plug the microwave or toaster back in first before each use may be a bit tedious, but I do it daily because it saves energy. I use power strips for the bigger electronics, like the TV and it's many components, to make the unplugging easier. And although buying the energy efficient light bulbs or our new energy star/high efficiency washer and dryer (which I am in LOVE with) may be more expensive, they will help save energy and money in the long run.
So here's my conclusion: when I'm feeling lazy and thinking about throwing just one bottle out instead of recycling it, I remind myself it will only take a few seconds more to rinse the bottle out and drop it in a different container. Because what might be "inconvenient" for me at times, will definitely be beneficial for the World.
A few pictures of my monthly cardboard/magazine/newspaper collection from my house, my parents house, and the salon. And then the center where I take it all to be recycled.
