Recycled Camera Strap

Love these camera straps by Photojojo, made from salvaged seat belts of junked cars. They also made guitar straps out of reclaimed belts for Wilco and TV on the Radio.

Posted by thuy

The Secret Life Of Cell Phones

Cell phone companies need to make it easier to recycle the cell phones they manufacture. Many consumers would like to do the right thing, if they only knew how.

Watch this video to learn about the life and death of cell phones.

Remember you can drop off electronics at your local Goodwill for free. They will e-cycle it responsibly or you can try to get some bucks for them from Gazelle.

source ecoscraps

posted by thuy

Let Krylon Light The Way

How dope is this lamp made from actual used Krylon cans? The other cool thing is the cap is the on/off switch.

Choose your color and cop yours on Etsy/BBLock

Source Urban Art Warfare

Posted by thuy

A Family Affair To Remember

All aboard! Decided to head out by means of public transpo. Universal City to downtown hell-a. Final Destination- Standard Rooftop.

Made new friends with a young pack of skater boyz. Don’t call Chris Hansen on our asses.

I don’t know why we found this so amusing. (cough, sigg sippy cup, cough)

Cali Angels and friends.

Thanks to Family Affair for partnering with Surfrider Foundation West LA/Malibu Chapter to support the Rise Above Plastics campaign. The campaign was dedicated to eliminating single-use plastic water bottles and all other single-use plastic such as utensils and bags.

Special thanks to Chris Caparro and of course to Marques Wyatt and all the other DJ’s for getting our booties bumping under the sun. L.O.V.E.

Posted by thuy

Coachella Ella Ella

Posts will be light until the beginning of next week. I’ve decided it’s going to be too difficult to drunk blog while basking under the sun at pool parties and going to see Public Enemy and The Cure. Party time! Excellent!

On a side note, please check out the Coachella website to read about the EnergyFACTory and TRASHed.

In an effort to cut back on plastic bottle waste, there will be 3 stations throughout the grounds offering the following:

• Free drinking fountains – 3 locations throughout the venue, please see map
• Bring your own container – it must be completely empty to enter the festival (from the main entrance or any camping areas). No glass, metal and no camel packs. You can fill up at the free drinking fountains or purchase cold filtered water for $1 per filling. 32oz maximum container allowed in.
• Purchase a $10 plastic 24oz water container and receive free cold filtered water all weekend.

Thanks Leilani!

Posted by thuy

Best Swag Bag Ever

My sister brought this bag in on Monday and said they were on everyone’s doorsteps, all up and down our street. What a nice gift for those of us that did and even those that did not participate in (this is the last time you’ll hear me mention this, until next year) EARTH HOUR! CFL’s what what?

LADWP, you rock and thanks for the mini reusable bag which will now become my traveling lunch bag.

Notice Kobe posing up in the flick. He’s the best Boxer rescue dog in the whole wide world. How could you not love that underbite?

Speaking of Boxer’s.. big ups to Azul for rescuing Ricky off the streets last week and finding him a home. I found out yesterday that he’s moving on up…to a beach house and will be uniting with his new family tomorrow. Azul, you the bomb baby..and this instantly makes you my flavor of the week.

Posted by thuy

Shepard 4 Saks

Shepard Fairey’s tote bags for Saks 5th Avenue have officially hit stores.

The bags bear slogans like “WANT IT!” done in Fairey’s usual mock-propaganda style.

Saks is donating $15 to charity for every $20 bag sold. Click thumbnail for tote image.

Source racked la

Posted by jen

Sunset Trader Joe’s Finally Opens

According to reports, The Trader Joe’s at 8000 Sunset is finally open. Apparently they are handing out free reusable tote bags as well.

Looks like I’ve found my new T.J’s!!

Source and Image racked la

Posted by jen

Go Green: It Makes Your Dick Bigger

Nuff said.

Via Green LA Girl. Thanks for the laugh Siel!

Posted by thuy

Pretty Boy Zac Efron Rocks A Sigg

Work that hair Zachary.

Source Bauer Griffin Online

Posted by thuy

We Heart EnviroVogue Bags

The worldwide annual consumption of disposable plastic bags is somewhere between 500 billion and a trillion – that works out to be around a million bags a minute. The crude oil needed to make 18 plastic bags could drive a car for a mile.

One of the first changes we made when we started our “green” path was eliminating plastic bags from our shopping excursions for clothes, groceries, at Target and so on. We started buying cloth reusable bags but then realized that many of them wear out quickly and were not recycleable. Not to mention, the styles of many reusable bags are drab or straight up ugly.

These bags from EnviroVogue are dope and will save us from “green” guilt.

The material for the bags are made from durable, high-gloss, woven polypropylene, manufacutured from recycled plastics. A portion of the proceeds from every sale is donated to the Massai Association or the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization. This reflects the true spirit behind their tagline, “Look good while doing good.”

Another company doing the damn thang!

Visit Envirovogue now.

Source Green Daily

Posted by thuy

Tsk Tsk Leo!

We’ve known hunky heartthrob Leo DiCaprio as “King of the World” ever since his Titantic days, but for us in the “green” community he has a reputation as the King of Environmental Activism. That’s why I’m gonna have to call him out for rockin’ an un-environmentally friendly paper bag, coming outta Whole Foods with his boo.

Time to start stocking up on the eco-friendly reusable bags Leo!!

Image popsugar

Posted by jen

Chip Chop

Chip Chop is a line of witty reusable slogan bags from Australian designer Hannah Chipkin.

The line features denim and canvas totes emblazoned with witty slogans. They retail for around $65, but this is the gift that keeps on giving… no nasty plastic or paper bags.

Cop ‘em here.

Source refinery 29

Posted by jen

MTA Taps Out On The Paper Pass

Reusable electronic fare cards will replace paper passes for daily use on Metropolitan Transportation Authority buses and rail lines starting March 15, Metro officials said Tuesday.

The Transit Access Pass, or TAP card, was designed to eventually replace bus, subway and train passes across all public transit systems in Los Angeles County.

To promote the use of the new system, Metro will provide complimentary TAP cards to customers who do not already have one when they buy a $5 day pass until April 11, or until supplies run out, according to Metro. After that, the plastic cards will cost $2 each. The rechargeable cards, which have been used in other cities for decades, will be sold at vending machines.

Well amen to getting rid of paper. Of course that still leaves us with the issue of the cards being plastic and non-recyclable but you can’t win them all.

Source LA Times

Posted by thuy

Octuplets + 304,000 Diapers = One Helluva Carbon Footprint

That’s if the mom uses disposable diapers. Considering she’s jobless, living at home with her mom and has 6 other kids to care for, it seems that reusable diapers would be the smart way to go.

I’m convinced that the baby making machine known as Nadya Suleman has crazy on the brains. Even Brad and Angelina are like DAYUM!! And you know it’s bad when you got Kate Gosselin from John & Kate Plus 8 saying she’s shocked and worried that homegirl has 14 kids to take care of on the solo tip. Maybe Nadya is trying to beat out the Duggars but she needs to chill the eff out.

Source Huffpo

Posted by thuy

130 Tons Of Inauguration Litter

Damn! I guess that’s expected for the turnout of the inauguration. Unfortunately most of it ended up on the ground because many trash cans were removed for security reasons.

I can understand the usual suspects..fliers, drink/food containers and trash in general but what’s up with the blankets, sleeping bags, foldout chairs, pillows, coolers, gloves, and personal items that were left behind? Lazy ass mother #@*%*’s. You got the shit there, you couldn’t take it back with you? And this is the meaning of a “throw-away society.” Short-lived and disposable. I’m sure there are a lot of shelters or homeless people that could have used that stuff.

Other litter that was left behind came from vendors hawking Obama souvenirs including chairs, tables and bags full of unsold merchandise.

At least some people listened to what Obama said that day and stayed behind to pick up after others.

Just came across this blog called Litter Free Inauguration. Check them out on CBS News.

Watch CBS Videos Online

Source Washington Post

Posted by thuy

Holiday Party Tips And Eco-Chic Gifts On Cocoecomag.com

This is the last big weekend to get your holiday shopping done. If you’re still stumped on those last minute gifts be sure to check out Anna Griffin’s Eco-Chic Gift Giving Guide from her newly launched online magazine, www.cocoecomag.com.

Congratulations Anna, we love the latest issue!

Also in this issue, our girl, Sarah Shewey of Pink Cloud Events gives pointers on throwing an eco-concious holiday soiree. Thanks for the tips Sarah.

Posted by thuy & jen

Rent-A-Tree Is The Business

How does this sound? You pick a tree, it gets delivered, you pay a rental fee that would cost about the same as buying one, the tree gets picked up after the holiday, replanted and next year, you can 1) pick out a different tree or 2) call dibs on the tree you had the year before.

I need to know who started this genius idea and is he hot? If not, I’ll at least bow down to him. Ok, I just found the video and answered my own question. I bow down.

This system is brilliant! I get sick of seeing trees all up and down the streets months after the holidays are over. What an eye sore! Like I said previously, I’m having a Xmas-free Xmas but when/if I ever do partake in these type of festivities again, I will definitely be renting my tree.

Posted by thuy

Source CNN

Gift Wrapping Eco Steez

My absolute favorite reusable bag company, Baggu, demonstrates an innovative and eco-friendly way to wrap your gifts this holiday season. No need for rolls of wasteful wrapping paper and ribbon.

Source greenlagirl Via LAist

Posted by jen

Lovely Loomstate

Wanna get your grubby paws on some fine Rogan Gregory for Looomstate eco-friendly gear for the bargain basement prices of $14.99- $49.99?? Well grab your reusable shopping tote and head out to Target for some earth-friendly ‘fits.

Loomstate X Target launches on April 19th, 2009, just before Earth Day.

The line will “offer environmentally friendly goods for women and men. That means environmentally sensitive materials like 100 percent certified organic cotton and sustainable fibers like linen and silk.”

Source fabsugar

Posted by jen

Breakin’ It Down: Precycling

Precycling refers to the consideration of the use and disposal of all components of the items you are purchasing, including the packaging. It means buying products that use less of the earth’s resources, create less solid waste, and conserve valuable landfill space.

NOTE- The purchased item in the image above is the tiny Pyrex bowl on the left. WTF??

• REFUSE what you don’t need
• REDUCE what you do need
• REUSE what you can’t reduce
• RECYCLE what you can’t reuse
• REBUY (buy recycled) whenever possible

Johnny Cupcakes Serves Tasty Green Treats

It looks like cult streetwear brand Johnny Cupcakes has a sweet tooth for the environment. Not only can you cop tasty gear at his bakery inspired store, but now you can stuff your treats into reusable totes.

Hopefully there won’t be a lineup around the block for this release.

Whet your appetite here.

Source ctothejl

Posted by jen

Repeat Offenders Program

Although the “Repeat Offenders Program” sounds like some kind of rehabilitation program for recently released prisoners, it’s actually the brainchild of Abbot Kinney boutique, Heist.

They’ve created a brown and cream reusable bag that will get you shopping dollars towards purchases at their store each time you use it.

I’ll shop to that!!

Via racked

Posted by jen

One Million Bottles Of Beer On The Wall

Buddhist monks from Thailand’s Sisaket province collected one million bottles to build the Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew temple. They used a mix of green Heineken and brown local Chang beer bottles.

Aight everyone, start saving up your 40 oz’s of St Ides, Old English and King Cobra. We got some building to do.

source treehugger

Posted by thuy

Teach The Babies

I gotta give props to Alex and Lando for being stand up first time parents and taking the time to learn about healthier alternatives to conventional baby products on the market. Sigg bottles are non-toxic and reusable. Thousands of plastic bottles will be saved from poisoning our oceans and landfills just by this one adorable baby boy, learning at an early age.

I love my Sigg bottles but the mini Siggs really take the cake.

Rock that pimp cup Max and rock it proud! All the bambinas will be swooning at the feet of your stroller in no time. xx

Posted by Auntie Thuy

My Mom Is The Illest

Every time my mom rolls into town from the Bay, it’s mandatory that we head out to Chinatown to spend a day shopping and eating. I was happy to see her sporting the reusable Whole Foods bag I gave her on her last trip out here. Asians love them some plastic bags so I’m proud that she’s at least attempting to take small baby steps and reduce her use of petroleum based bags.

The flicks below were shot around Chinatown.

Red ear slider turtles being sold at a kiosk along side kung fu slippers and bamboo plants.

Ducks and a pig hanging from a restaurant window. It was hella hot outside and even hotter inside. I couldn’t help but to think of all the bacteria that was growing on the flesh of someone’s future dinner.

My favorite was of homeboy rocking his recycling contraption as if he were on a rice paddy in Vietnam. My least favorite pix: see post below.

Posted by thuy

Change, Hope, Yes We Can

Trollback + Company has designed a limited edition series of buttons as an act of support for Senator Obama. 100 of each set will be available on a first-come first-serve basis.

Pin these to your organic cotton reusable tote and rep for Obama and the environment!

Click here for more info.

Via misscrew

Posted by jen

I Am DEFINITELY Not A Plastic Bag

I am loving Goodone‘s ballsy response to Anya Hindmarch’s infamous “I am not a plastic bag“. It seems so obvious… Why didn’t I think of this one?? Check out their website to see more of their eco-friendly clothing and accessories line.

Cop it here.

Via green daily

Posted by jen

Walmart To Reduce Plastic Bags

The last time I was in a Walmart was to pick up a couple copies of the Leonardo Dicaprio narrated DVD, The 11th Hour. Having grown up in Canada, Walmart stores are a dime a dozen, while they are few and far between in Los Angeles.

All that aside, Walmart is looking to eliminate 9 million plastic shopping bags per year by the year 2013. Walmart will team up with the Environmental Defense Fund (EFD) to develop strategies to reduce, reuse and recycle an average of one-third of their plastic bags from 2008 levels. This will result in the elimination of an estimated 290,000 tonnes of carbon emissions and energy consumption equal to 678,000 barrels of oil.

Via green daily

Posted by jen

Celebs 4 Whatever It Takes

My New York eco-friendly shopping saga continues. I stopped in at Urban Outfitters looking for a black pleather skirt that I had seen online. No luck with the skirt but walked out with 2 reusable tote bags (it’s becoming an addiction), designed by various celebrities for WhateverItTakes.org

Kanye West, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney and Gwen Stefani were among the celebs who lent their designs for the cause.

When you purchase a bag ($38) you are helping the 21st Century Leaders Foundation a charitable organization which funds key global development causes, including poverty alleviation, environmental conservation and the protection of children.

Net royalty proceeds generated by the Whatever It Takes Campaign go to the 21st Century Leaders Foundation, to fund selected charitable projects including those nominated by the celebrity artist.

I copped the bags designed by Kanye and Stella to add to my growing collection. Get out and cop yours!

(Stella and McQueen pictured below)

Posted by jen

Natural In New York

So I’ve been on an extended stay in NYC and aside from eating and shopping my way through the Big Apple, I’ve been impressed with all of the vegetarian restaurants, natural food markets and eco-friendly stores. On my way to C.O Bigelow I got sidetracked by Lifethyme Natural Market (healthy organic food downstairs, all-natural beauty emporium upstairs).

I was transfixed with all of the products that not only smelled great but didn’t contain all of the nasty toxic chemicals of traditional beauty products. I left with a kukui body butter, a super moisturizing face balm and citrus body wash and packed it all up in my organic reusable tote.

Posted by jen

Y-3 Makes A Sexy Sleek Sigg

Love the Y-3 Yohji Yammamato collabo with Sigg. The $90 price tag, not so much. I think we’ve found a fashionable enough water bottle for Madge to rock when she’s being shot by the razzi’s.

She should have her gazillion helper’s pour her $10k per month of Kabbalah water into these sigg’s and at least trick us into thinking she’s finally practicing what she’s preaching.

Source Men.Style

Posted by thuy

M.I.S.S Crew Gets A Lil’ Greener

One of the mandatory stops on the way to getting my daily blog roll fix is the the M.I.S.S Crew blog. I can always count on getting a good dose of fashion, beauty and lifestyle tips with a street savvy twist.

The M.I.S.S. Crew girls not only represent female empowerment but I’ve been noticing that they’ve been adding some green tips to their daily posts… just another reason to love them and add them to your list of favorites as well.

They recently posted about a dope reusable bag called the Greenaid by Lovegrove and Repucci, not only is it cute and convenient but it also makes a political statement about war.

Posted by Jen

Farewell To Cardboard Boxes

I loathe moving, but after learning about Recopack, I’m now looking forward to my next move. Ok, not really. How many of us have spent hundreds of dollars on moving boxes that you use for a week or so and then toss into the trash? I’m guilty of it. I know I should have put them up on Craigslist, but back then, my priority wasn’t doing my part for the environment, it was to get the move over and be done with it.

Rent A Green Box offers boxed tubs, made out of recycled household cleaning bottles from landfills. They also offer packaging materials that are made out of cardboard & newspaper sludge, cereal boxes, bottle caps, and they even have pallets that are made out of recycled baby diapers.

They deliver all the supplies to you in trucks powered by waste vegetable oil. Once you’re done with your move, they pick everything back up to be re-used or recycled. Save time, money and the environment by using this zero waste company. Click here for green packing and moving tips.

rentagreenbox.com

* update- I have since exchanged emails with Spencer Brown, the founder of rentagreenbox and asked him if his products are safe from toxins and leaching. This was his answer:

I totally understand your concern about potential toxin issues with our product since it is made from 100% trash.

When we process out the trash from the landfill and make the NANO resin to make the boxes, the process to convert trash to the green box is very extensive.

We have to clean the plastic in a closed looped system to remove all of the chemical residues and contaminants, then we apply the NANO technology to the plastic and when we heat it up to make the green little nurdles, the heat exchange eliminates any toxins, posions, leaching, the list goes on and on.

The plastic is so safe, that the Department of Conservation has asked us to make the same box for agricultural applications for loading and transporting fresh veggies from farm to market instead of using a waxed based cardboard box.

We also are approved by the FDA to use the Recopacks for hospital moves, due to the fact that they do not hold any contaminants on the surface of the plastic.

Posted by thuy

Solar Baggage

Lately I’ve been geeking out on solar technology. Since it doesn’t look like a solar paneled house or a solar rooftop Prius is anywhere in my near future, I guess for now I’ll have to settle for a sun soaking bag. I had yet to find one that I would actually rock until I came across this one from Noon Solar. I ain’t mad at being able to charge my phone or ipod just by keeping my bag in the front seat of my car to collect some rays. This will give a new meaning to sun worshipper (don’t click that) and tanorexic (I warned you.)

The solar power is stored in a lithium-ion battery pack, weighing about 4oz. The bags are made from biodegradable materials so that the bags can skip the landfill and go directly into your backyard without hurting the earth. The bags are safe and non-toxic, and most of the materials will actually nourish the earth if buried. The other materials such as the solar panel and hardware can be removed and recycled or reused. Sold!

Posted by thuy

All The Two Buck Chuck You Can Drink

For all of you out there who thought Two Buck Chuck was the best thing about Trader Joe’s, you’ll be stoked to find out that with their new raffle you could buy a whole grip of the good stuff.

Every time you bag your groceries with a reusable bag, you can enter your name into a raffle to win $10 towards Trader Joe’s purchases as well as a TJ’s reusable bag. The draw is done 4 times per week and you can enter as many times as you use your trusty reusable bag.

I’m not sure if this is a nationwide promotion, but it’s definitely going down at the Trader Joes on Santa Monica Blvd in West Hollywood.

Posted by jen

Method To The Madness

I’m finally coming close to using up the last of my toxic cleaning supplies. I was so excited to go to Target and stock up on the good stuff from Method. Not only is their packaging appealing, it’s also made from recycled materials. Once you’ve come to the end of your supply, you can toss it into the recycle bin because the containers and boxes are biodegradable or recyclable. Now that’s the true meaning of “cradle to cradle.” Extra brownie points for not testing on animals.

The bathroom and kitchen cleaners smell delish. I picked up 2 fabric cloths for cleaning wood and windows- no more using paper towels! And for everyone out there that owns a Swifter, you would be smart to switch over to Method’s, which offers a washable, reusable cleaning cloth, as opposed to those one time use, disposable versions. Thanks to the people against dirty, I can now clean my crib with a clear conscious.

Peep the blue fabric bag under the products in the picture. It’s my reusable bag from Bed Bath & Beyond. It’s gigantic and the perfect size for Target shopping.

Posted by thuy

LA Will Ban Plastic Bags- FINALLY

The City Council voted to ban plastic bags from stores, beginning July 1, 2010. Shoppers will be given the choice of bringing in their own or pay a 25-cent fee for paper or biodegradable bags. It is estimated that LA consumers use 2.3 billion bags every year. Only an estimated 5% of plastic bags are recycled statewide, according to the city’s Bureau of Sanitation.

The ban was proposed by Councilman Ed Reyes, who called plastic bags “the graffiti of the L.A. River,” which passes through his district. The Los Angeles council also voted to end official city purchases of polystyrene containers (styrofoam) for takeaway food, beginning next year.

Might as well start with getting your practice on now. It took us months to get into the habit of bringing the bags out of our trunks and into the stores with us. Once you’ve done your shopping and get to the cashier, the last thing you want to do, whether it be out of laziness or being in a rush, is leave your cart and walk back out to get them. After a while, it will become second nature, going against the phrase, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”

Source: LA Times

Posted by thuy

1plus1

Green is definitely becoming more common place and we are constantly coming across clothing lines that are turning a new leaf and offering clothes made of organic fabrics and companies that have eco-conscious business practices. But along with all that moral excellence, usually comes a high price tag. It’s been a challenge to find dope, edgy, inexpensive green lines, up until I was turned onto 1plus1.

Click here to view the space that showcases stylish, eco-friendly, affordable clothing and products and get your credit card ready, it’s about time to start adding some goodness into your closet.

Posted by thuy

It’s A Family Affair

How rad is the Bonet/Kravitz family? Here is Lisa Bonet of Cosby Show fame, along with her daughter Zoe Kravitz (yep, Lenny is her pops) and her youngest daughter Lola, entering the farmers market in Santa Monica. We gotta give them props for buying local!!

Click the thumbnail to see a backside view of her hottie Hawaiian model/actor boyfriend Jason Momoa putting all of their goods into reusable bags and baskets.

Via crunk and disorderly

Posted by jen

Everybody’s Doing It

So I now officially know from first hand experience that Tobey McGuire and his gal Jennifer Meyer are legit greenies. Thuy and I have lurked on Jennifer and her adorable daughter Ruby, looking over organic fruit and veggies at our local farmers market on Melrose Place on more than one occasion. She had her reusable bags on hand of course, like any new mother who cares about the future of her child would.

She was also recently spotted (see pic above) at my local Whole Foods on the corner of Fairfax and Santa Monica toting her trusty reusable bag. This is the Whole Foods where there inevitably seems to be a cute guy in every aisle. I guess they might even throw a glance in my direction if I wasn’t always coming straight from a workout in sweaty clothes, no makeup, and desperately trying to hide behind oversize sunglasses.

Well enough about the sad state of my personal life. Buy local and organic and don’t forget to stock these great goodies in your fashionable earth friendly tote… Everybody’s doing it!

Posted by Jen

flick: just jared

Bag The Bag

Green Tip: Use Reusable bags. I’ll say it again because it just can’t be said enough. One of the simplest things you can do on your journey to becoming green is to ditch plastic (and paper bags) and hop on the reusable bag bandwagon. There are so many cute, stylish options out there that there’s really no excuse for anyone to still be carrying armloads of non-biodegradable plastic bags. These bags wreak havoc on the environment as they pile up in landfills and seep into marine life.

Check out these super hip re-usable bag from Baggu. They have a dope interactive website that allows you to color customize your bags with everything from bold colors to stripes. Guys, don’t be afraid to rock them either. Girls heart guys who care about the environment!

Posted by jen

Water Anyone?

Whatever happened to the good old days when a glass of water was, well…a glass of water. You’d turn on the tap, place some random cup under it and and filler’ up. I’m starting to think this whole bottled water obsession is a conspiracy theory. I never used to think twice about drinking tap water until fancy pants companies like Fiji, Evian and Voss started selling me their liquid crack. I hate to admit it, but I became an addict. I couldn’t get enough of the stuff. Well, I’m here to tell ya it’s time to kick the habit.

This is an image from Brita’s new campaign to discourage the use of plastic water bottles. According to their site, Americans send approximately 38 BILLION water bottles a year to landfills, where they take thousands of years to biodegrade. The images in the campaign are reflective of the 1.5 million barrels of oil needed to make those bottles.

Brita’s philosophy is that by switching to their refillable water pitchers, we can drastically reduce the amount of plastic bottles being used. They encourage people to take a pledge on their website called Filter For Good in an effort to reduce the use of plastic bottles.

This is a step in the right direction, however, naysayers point out that Brita is owned by Clorox (a company who has made some serious environmental missteps in the past) and that the filters used in the Brita pitchers as well as the pitchers themselves are not recyclable. Check out this website for the other side of the argument Take Back The Filter. Do your research.

Posted by Jen

Yoi-Sho!!!

Is what the audience shouts when the wrestlers kick their leg up and stomp on the ground. Last weekend, my friend Julia invited me to the Grand Sumo Tournament at the sports arena. It was their first time in LA in 27 years and her company, Sakura was one of the sponsors. We arrived a bit early to set up gift bags. I was happy when I saw that they were using cute red, reusable, cloth bags. I couldn’t believe it when I came across the bags from another sponsor- plastic? JANKY!! Not to mention when I walked around to check out the vendors, I noticed another company making gift bags out of plastic bags as well. Asians love them some petroleum based, non-biodegradable bags. I’m gonna have to have a talk with my peoples soon.

Anyway, the fights were amazing to watch and it was cool seeing all the gentle giants chilling in the hallways, some in robes and others in the traditional mawashi. Sumo’s are like royalty in Japan and it was funny to see all the fans back at the hotel going ape-shit over getting pics with them. Thanks to Julia and to Sakura for having me as a guest at this historic event.

Posted by thuy

All Day Every Day

Woody Allen once said, “In Beverly Hills, they don’t throw their garbage away – they make it into television shows.” Well, Planet Green debuted today and I will gladly waste my time watching anything on this channel about garbage, composting, recycling, gadgets, food, drinks, cars, beauty, fashion…I’ll stop here but basically, it covers EVERYTHING under our beloved sun about going green and it’s on 24/7. The one show I really love is Alter Eco, with Adrien Grenier. It’s really informative and covers a lot of ‘green’ spots in L.A. It’s about time. Floss Angeles, RISE UP!

That’s about all I can write for now…need to get my sustainable crack fix and get back to the boob tube. Yea, it’s that serious.

Posted by thuy

The Story Of Stuff

Consumerism. As Americans, we are all guilty of it. Purchasing goods and consuming materials in excess of our basic needs. It seems like objects that we purchase nowadays are made to last a minimal amount of time before we are wanting the newer, better, faster, cooler version. Cell phones, ipods, computers, clothes, etc. Watch “The Story Of Stuff” in its entirety here and hopefully you’ll think twice before buying the latest craze when your current one is still working perfectly fine.

Posted by thuy

B.Y.O.C (Bring Yo’ Own Cup)

Green Tip of the Week: Bring your own cup to your local coffee shop. The amount of unrecyclable waste that piles up from our morning (noon and night) coffee runs is unimaginable.

Although some coffee shops are using using ecotainer biodegradable cups, the perennial morning favorite, Starbucks, is not. The problem with the Starbucks cups is that although the outside is made of paper (10% recycled), the inner lining is made of petroleum based plastic which does not biodegrade.

The solution is to bring your own, mug, thermos, pimp cup (hey, whatever works for you) and say no to the single use unrecyclable one that will only get thrown in the trash and sit in a landfill until the end of time.

FEED Me

Hi, my name is Jen and I’m a bag-aholic. Ever since I abandoned single-use plastic bags, my reusable bag collection has grown bigger and bigger by the day. I’ve never needed an excuse to buy a handbag, but I especially love it when my hard-earned money goes to a good cause.

Lauren Bush, model and honorary spokeswoman for the United Nation’s World Food Program (WFP), has teamed up with Whole Foods Market for the FEED 100 Bag (a multi-purpose, eco-friendly reusable tote). The cost of the FEED bag is $29.99 and is available exclusively at Whole Foods, with the sale of each bag providing 100 school meals to hungry children in Rwanda. It is made of white organic cotton and collapses easily into its rectangular burlap base. Convenient and cute… what more could a girl ask for!

Posted by Jen

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

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