And that's why the Prius gets made fun of...

I've always tried to avoid being, "that eco-girl". You know the one I'm talking about; the one who makes everyone feel like idiots because they don't recycling. Instead, I've always just thought of it as my decision to live a certain way. I suppose that stemmed from being a vegetarian. No one else understood my decision, but even though I knew the benefits I didn't ever want to make anyone feel bad for their choice to eat meat. Everyone has the right to choose, right? Wrong. At least when it comes to taking care of the planet, they don't. Living here is a privilege, not a right. Still, I've prided myself in not being too pontifical when I talk about living a sustainable lifestyle, and I've been reassured of that many times at work. Not until a coworker asks me how I spent my weekend do I tell them that I picked up other peoples' litter. I do notice guilt in their faces, which makes me then feel guilty, but they also usually express gratitude; they thank me for not being that "annoying" person: the preachy little do-gooder. I think that there are too many people out there who brag and preach about how their lifestyle is better. Obviously, this leaves a very bitter taste in the mouths of others. In turn, when other, genuinely caring people try to talk about the benefits of being green, people don't want to listen.

And that's why the Prius gets made fun of so often.

Eco-friendly people often come off as a self-righteous, egotistical folk. They think they are superior to others and feel the need to lecture everyone. I have found that more people have caught on to the eco-friendly things I do just by observing them. My coworkers have now begun to recycle, and bring their own lunches, among other small steps. You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, right? That's why, when my boss (who, unlike my coworkers, has his own smug outlook on life: feeling he has the right to trash the planet) asks me how I spent my weekend I respond by smiling, knowing he has never made even the slightest effort to help the planet, and I tell him the truth. I may be bragging here on this blog, but it's to no one specific. It's because I am proud of myself. And if I am being preachy, it's to the people who have the right idea- they're doing right by the Earth- but have poor execution when trying to gain followers. I still spend my time humbled among others, acknowledging that my actions alone mean nothing without their help as well. No one person can save the planet on their own, but we're not going to build an army by insulting and belittling our adversaries.

Affordable and Realistic Sustainable Shopping

When you're transition to a sustainable lifestyle, you realize a lot of products and things you buy no longer work out for you. Unfortunately, the eco-friendly and sustainable products are rarely made accessible, and often can't be purchased on a normal day of errands. So what do you do when you want to find a manual clothes washer and the WalMart put everyone else in town out of business doesn't sell it? Okay, first off, I hope anyone trying to be sustainable has boycotted WalMart long ago. Still, that hand washer that would make doing laundry by hand much easier probably couldn't even be found at the local home store. That's where the internet comes into play. It uses electricity, takes time away from being outdoors, even has cause for certain health concerns, but the internet is still a terrific green resource. It links people to green information, products, and communities better than any other resource could.

Let me begin by emphasizing the significance of the scenario above. The only reason we turned to the internet in the first place was because we needed something that couldn't be found locally. You should never buy online something that could be bought in town. That being said, a lot of sustainable tools can ONLY be found online. When you're trying to find a gadget that makes living a sustainable life easier, the internet is a treasure trove! Here, I shall provide a process I find most useful in researching, finding, and buying sustainable items.

First, ask yourself: do I really need this item? Rethink the purchase if you're buying the hottest eco-friendly item on the market just to replace the same perfectly good-but not "green"- item you already own. Carl Elefante once said, "the greenest building is the one already built." This can be applied to everything.

Next, does the wringer I want for drying out my hand-washed clothes need to be brand new? No. Eco-friendly products are hard to find in general, so searching for them used will be harder still, but it's well worth the search. The following websites will help you in your search for pre-owned goods:
Freecycle.org
Craigslist.com
eBay.com

If you can't find it used, you'll have to next begin the search to find it new. Do your research and comparison shop using a website like Pristine Planet.

Here is a list of a few merchants that might lead you in the right direction!
A Greener Kitchen
A.R.E. Naturals
Abe's Market
Bambeco
Bona Fide Green Goods
Bright Green Ideas
Buy Green
Celery Street
Compostable Goods
E3 Living
Earth Lover
EcoFriendly Green Things
Ethical Ocean (a great site!)
GetN' Green
Go Green Items
Goods for the Garden
Green Ostrich
Greenfeet
Green Rainbow Shop
Lehman's(a favorite!)
Maku Eco Shop
Moss Envy
Practical Organic
The Pristine Home
The Ultimate Green Store
Yes It's Organic

When shopping, don't forget about savings! Websites like Ecobunga, GreenDeals (through Green America), GenGreenLife, SustainLane are good places to find great deals!

Waste-free and Eco-chic!

It has been for years that I have been on my slow journey to preparing waste-free lunches. It all started back in elementary school. Back then, I had little more say in my lunches than my choice in lunchbox, but that was all that mattered. It was for materialistic purposes, though, as my mom was the one who sought after a reusable box and I had no concept of the havoc trash wreaks on our planet. As I grew up and entered high school, however, something very sad happened. I ceased to use a reusable lunchbox for a few years as lunchboxes always looked nerdy and uncool. Fortunately, that's not the case today. You can find myriad lunchboxes today, often referred to as lunchbags as they sometimes look like purses. I adore mine, it's my second Koko lunchbag (The first one is still usable, mind you-when I upgraded I gave it to a co-worker who was trying to be more eco-friendly). I have the Michelle Lunchbag in Neon Garden- so cute and it looks like me.

Well, in the last few years, I have been paying extra attention to all that other stuff inside the bag. What about all that waste? The plastic sandwich baggies, the napkins, the yogurt cups, the candy wrappers and chip bags, the soda bottles...the list goes on and on. When you think about it, about half of what we pack for lunch becomes trash (And that's IF you pack. Buying lunch is worse and in so many other ways as well). So I've been trying to pack waste-free lunches.


First off, until I start making my own yogurt, bread, peanut butter, jam, etc. I will never be truly waste-free. But what I definitely have addressed is the temporary container issue. Two years ago, I ditched the plastic baggies. I bought reusable sandwich and snack bags, called Lunchskins (pictured above). I started out with just one or two, and immediately went back to buy 6 total: 3 sandwich size and 3 snack size. I've had them for 2 years now and haven't replaced them. I found them pretty inexpensive at MOM's Organic Market, recently, and so I bought 2 more. But when I got home, I realized I didn't actually need them, my others were still perfectly fine! So as to not contribute further to the waste issue, and not to succumb to my materialistic tendencies, I returned them. I've also stopped using disposable flatware, and I've replaced paper napkins with linen cocktail napkins. And of course, I always have my reusable water bottle with me.

One of the more difficult steps has been to cut out individually wrapped food products. They made packing lunch a breeze. In turn, however, I've become more conscious about the food I eat and thus healthier. Above is my yogurt in a reusable tupperware container. The yogurt is still store-bought and comes in it's own recyclable container, but buying in bulk is great and until I make my own yogurt-this is the greenest solution.

So what does an eco-chic, waste-free lunch look like?
Complete with Solio solar charger for my cell phone, iPod, and PSP. And a cute picnic blanket that I got for free from IKEA in exchange for a donation of childrens' books.