Palm Trees, Bumpin’ Music & Good Times.

This past weekend my girl Jen hired me to help with the New Era gifting suite in Palm Desert, CA. Hmm.. gifting hats to artists, sitting poolside with friends, and drinking in the desert heat while listening to dj’s spin? It was a no-brainer and another ‘best time ever” to add to the books. The big bonus was being able to rent any car of my choice. Apparently the Prius is a hot commodity because I had to call at least 8 different rental services before tracking one down.

We stayed at the Mod Resort, which was rented out by FADER/Boosted for their daytime pool parties. I got to take a peek at Boosted’s eco-friendly, leather free line, consisting of dope accessory bags and colorful headphones. Holla for the hook up on my new fanny packs from the Mad Steez & Claw Money collabos.

I wasn’t planning on making it to the actual festival but Raymond Roker from URB magazine hooked us up with last minute tickets- THANKS RAY! Not only did we carpool to the festival, but we lessened our carbon footprint (not by choice) thanks to our cabbie, who dropped us off at the wrong entrance, forcing us to walk for at least 2 miles to get to the fairgrounds. I would’ve loved to have seen the Global Inheritance set up, but unfortunately I missed it because they had already shut down for the night. Catching the end of Portishead and half of Princes’ set was AMAZING! We about lost it when Sheila E. came on and performed every girls favorite 80′s song, “The Glamorous Life.” Already looking forward to next year.

Posted by thuy

Chico And The Bag

The average American uses between 300 and 700 plastic bags per year. Plastic bags NEVER biodegrade, but rather they break down into small toxic bits that contaminate soil and waterways. The use of a Chico Bag is a step in the right direction in trying to solve this dilemma.

Out of all the reusable bags that are piled up in the back of my car, this one is my favorite and gets the most use. “Why?” you might ask… Well the Chico Bag actually fits conveniently inside a purse, pocket, backpack etc. They are lightweight and ultra compact, so you’ll never have an excuse to take a single-use plastic bag ever again.

Posted by jen

Tested On Kate, Not On Animals

Actress, Kate Hudson, has teamed with hairdresser to the stars, David Babaii to create a line of hair products (David Babaii for WildAid) that are free of sulfates, parabens, petrochemicals and animal products. Ten percent of profits will be donated to WildAid, the global wildlife conservation organization, to help protect endangered species throughout the world. Great for your hair and great for the planet!

Posted by jen

LA Green Drinks

LA Green Drinks is an informal get together over drinks for anyone interested in environmental issues (or drinking, for that matter) at select establishments throughout Los Angeles. These meetings occur every Thursday of the month alternating between the Valley, Westside, South Bay and the Los Feliz/Silverlake area. Attendees are encourged to bring literature to promote their green issues (there is an area set up for promotional materials such as brochures, business cards etc).

The next installment of LA Green Drinks is May 1, 2008 from 7-11pm at Living Green in Culver City (1000 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232). Guest speakers are from Heal the Bay and Santa Monica Bay Keepers.

A $5 donation is suggested. Get your green drink on!!

Posted by jen

These Swimsuits Are Stupid Sexy… Try Saying That 5 times Fast

Our gurl, and former model turned actress, Natalie Golonka had the innovative, not to mention eco-friendly idea of reworking vintage fabrics into one-of-a-kind bikinis. Her line is called Jungle Gurl. Take your pick from her collection of 70′s-inspired retro prints and customize your own suit. (Sexy bikini-ready bodies shown above are not included). Go to www.junglegurl.com.

Posted by jen

It’s Going To Be A Scorcher!

If you’re heading out past the windmills to Coachella this weekend to bake in the sun and party like its 1999, be sure to keep your eye out for the 45 ft. tall wind powered clock stationed at the main entrance. Global Inheritance will be present once again with cell phone charging bikes, a solar powered DJ booth, and eco-friendly screen printing on bamboo and organic cotton to spread the word on sustainable fashion. They will also do a live conversion of vegetable oil into biodiesel, and demonstrate the pros and cons of producing and using biodiesel to fuel cars and other fossil fuel-guzzling items.

I was late on learning about this but Coachella teamed up with Amtrak for the Coachella Express. It leaves today from the Union Station in downtown L.A and will make its way to Indio, where they’ve created a temporary platform for the festival-goers to be picked up and shuttled to the campgrounds. It leaves again on Monday for the return trip. Damn, door to door service and it’s FREE! Can’t beat that with a bat.

Don’t forget to wear your (organic/paraben-free/not tested on animals) sunblock and stay hydrated. You’ll be glad you did once it gets dark and you’re trying to have enough stamina to catch MIA, Jack Johnson, Prince or any of the other 129 performances. Also, keep your eyes open for the stands that will be exchanging a new bottle of water for every 10 empty ones turned in. Go one step further to reduce, instead of recycle, and bring a Kleen Kanteen.

Posted by thuy

Do You Want To “Be Like Ed” (Begley Jr.)?

Although many of you grew up wanting to “Be Like Mike“, this is the year 2008 and there’s a new sheriff in town . These days I’m trying to “Be Like Ed (Begley Jr.)” Although Ed may not have the flash and flair of Michael Jordan, his guide to living green will definitely make you feel like a superstar. For all of you out there looking to make some eco-friendly changes, a good place to start is with Ed Begley Jr.’s book Living Like Ed: A Guide to the Eco-Friendly Life.

A long time veteran actor, Ed, has been an environmental activist for over 30 years and lives by the motto that he “lives simply so others may simply live.” This book is an easy read filled with tips from Ed’s own firsthand experience. He breaks down what works and what doesn’t, as well as shows the reader ways to be green and save money at the same time. This book shows you that you don’t have to compromise comfort or aesthetic in an effort to go green. His wife Rachelle, a co-author to the book, believes in “style with a conscience,” and gives her tips on how to keep the chic in eco-chic… it’s a match made in green heaven!!

Posted by jen

Beware of Barracudas and Cobrasnakes!

In a continued celebration of Earth Day festivities, we decided to hit up the Barracuda store (on Melrose Avenue in L.A) for a launch party in honor of legendary graffiti artist, Claw Money’s, latest project. She has teamed up with the good people over at Boosted Mobile’s Artist Series and created a line of low toxicity, vegan approved, artificial leather mobile carrying cases. The collection includes fanny packs, laptop cases and backpacks which come equipped with nifty pockets for your blackberry, ipod, iphone etc.

We shopped around, had a cocktail, and bumped into man about town, not to mention photographer to the famous (and to the not so famous), Mark Hunter (aka The Cobrasnake). We were stoked to find out that he doesn’t own a car, he bikes to photography gigs, and created a line of recyclable totes. Yay Cobrasnake!!!

Posted by jen

Walkin’ In L.A….. Nobody Walks In L.A.

Not much has changed since that Missing Persons song dropped in the 80′s. But today in honor of car free day, Jen and I took the bus from the Fairfax District to the Earth Day Festival on Wilshire Blvd. One of our “bus mates” was none other than Andy Lipkis, founder and president of TreePeople. If you don’t know about this guy, time to get schooled. TreePeople is a non profit organization that has been serving the Los Angeles area for over three decades, whose vision is “to inspire the people of Los Angeles to take personal responsibility for the urban forest.” Their staff and volunteers have gone on to plant more than two million trees in Los Angeles and have developed one of the nation’s largest environmental education programs. We’re looking forward to planting our first tree with Andy in the near future.

The rest of the day consisted of meeting up with friends, visiting various booths and enjoying a beautiful day in the sun.

Posted by thuy

Word To Yo’ Mother (Earth)

Tomorrow is the big day we’ve been waiting for. We’ll be traveling to the Wilshire Center for the Earth Day-Car Free Day festivities. I’m excited to hop on the Metro with friends, it’ll be a fun and new experience. If you happen to have the day off tomorrow, hop on your bike, skateboard, take the bus or use those things God gave us called feet from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The streets will be closed on Wilshire Boulevard between Western and Harvard to all vehicle traffic so plan your route accordingly. There will be lots to learn, see and do, including a performance from Michael Franti from Spearhead- all for the loving price of 0 dollars and 0 cents- hope to see you there. HAPPY EARTH DAY!

Posted by thuy

It’s Everywhere You Look

I visit these two sites several times a day on a daily basis. Who better than Google and Yahoo to change their themes to coordinate with the big day..for millions of viewers to see all across the world. Holler!

Posted by thuy

Paper or Plastic? NEITHER!

C’mon, you can do it. It’s one of the first changes I made. You roll your cart of groceries up to the register and the bagger asks you the infamous question, “paper or plastic?” and you proudly say “NEITHER- I’ve got my own.” You can begin to do your part starting Monday and Tuesday (April 21 and April 22), in observance of Earth Day, many area grocery stores will be giving out free reusable shopping bags. Click here to find a participating store near you.

Posted by thuy

Fly The Friendly Skies

If you travel frequently, air travel, unfortunately contributes a disproportionate amount of greenhouse gases to your personal climate change footprint. But, if you happen to be flying on Virgin America between April 19 through the 22nd, you can let go of some of that green guilt thanks to Virgin and Method cleaning products.

The two San Francisco-based companies are pledging $3 for every guest flying on Virgin America on Earth Day, April 22. Each guest will have a pledge made on their behalf to support environmental restoration projects through the California State Parks Foundation. Along with the pledge, every flier on every Virgin America flight on April 22 will receive Method’s chic reusable “Plastic Bag Rehab” tote with the company’s new compostable cleaning surface wipes made from 100 percent bamboo. Damnit, why couldn’t my trip to San Francisco be this weekend instead of next? You can find out more about Virgin’s and Method’s Earth Day activities here.

Whenever you travel be sure to offset your carbon emissions from air travel. It’s easy, cheap and can be done online faster than it will take you to brew your fair trade, organic cup of coffee…here are a few sites.

• Terrapass
• Native Energy
• Carbon Fund

Earth Day Happenings

Although 04/22 is the official Earth Day, there are plenty of other things to do throughout the month of April. Here are a few links to find out where/when in case you’re interested.

• Earth Day Net
• Envirolink
• Green Apple Festival
• LADPW

Posted by thuy

The Little Seed That Could

My mid-80′s style icon Soleil Moon Frye (aka Punky Brewster) still has one foot in the fashion game, but this time we’re talking baby fashion. Along with good friends Beth Birkett and Paige Tolmach, Soleil has opened an eco-friendly baby store in Los Angeles, called The Little Seed.

Frustrated with the lack of non-toxic, organic baby toys, she took matters into her own hands and created an environmentally conscious baby emporium. I’m sure she’ll have plenty of business with Hollywood’s latest baby boom. New mommies Jessica Alba and Halle Berry have apparently decked out their nurseries using sustainable furniture and non-toxic products.

Posted by jen

Is Cru For You??

After numerous glowing reviews of Cru restaurant in Silverlake, CA, I decided to grab a girlfriend and make my way over there for a post-workout bite to eat.. The first thing that struck me about Cru, was the cozy intimate vibe of the place. Cru is a vegetarian, raw food restaurant that offers a wide style of cuisine and translates these diverse elements into flavorful gourmet offerings.

I started my meal with an appetizer of flaxseed crackers served with cashew cheese and fig paste. It was palatable but nothing revolutionary. My main course was the garden salad with a chili lime vinaigrette. As basic as this sounds, it was extremely flavorful and chock full of delicious organic vegetables. My dining partner started with the treviso bruschetta, which was essentially a lettuce wrap filled with kale and pinenuts, and had the caesar salad as an entree… both were excellent. I highly recommend this restaurant, not only for the health conscious food, but also for the beautiful ambiance and friendly service…

1521 Griffith Park Blvd, Silverlake, 90026

Posted by jen

Waste Not, Want Not.

I visited Freecycle to see if there was any of my junk that someone could take home as their treasure. Although I was thinking more along the lines of donating my Carmen Electra striptease dvd set, (don’t laugh, I received it as a xmas gift- and yes, I did try it and yes, it was hella corny) or stacks of dated glossy fashion magazines.

I was pretty damn happy when I saw a posting of someone looking for raw or frozen meat for their dog. Being that I have recently opted for a vegetarian lifestyle, I was faced with the issue of what to do with my freezer full of meats and poultry. Although I couldn’t stand the thought of a butchered cow inches away from my beloved Amy’s organic vegan pizza in the icebox, I couldn’t get myself to toss it all out and let it go to waste.I replied to the post and within an hour received a call from a girl. She came over later that evening and I had a (reusable fabric) bag waiting for her, filled to the rim, not with Brim, but with meat. It was easy as that. Freecycle is recycle heaven.

Posted by thuy