Winter is approaching which means we will be spending a lot more time indoors, and most likely, a toxic indoors. Indoor pollution levels generally exceed outdoor levels due to all of the toxic off-gassing of carpet, furniture, paints, plastics and more. One of the best ways to fight this is the natural way- plants! I’ve been reading a lot lately …
Healthy Morning Blender Breakfast
Just wanted to share with you my favorite new breakfast treat from the blender. If you are a smoothie fan, give this one a blend, if not, you will be after tasting this! Roasted Blueberry Banana Breakfast Smoothie Yeah, sounds a bit funky, but it’s the best way I could explain it. The roasted flax seeds give it a great …
Stylish Sustainable Furniture in Tel Aviv – Ubico Design Studio
With so much trash and waste in the world, it’s great to see individuals like Ori Ben-Zvi turning into something beautiful and useful. With stylish and thought provoking designs, Ubico Design Studio has been converting reclaimed materials into works of functional art since February of 2008. Materials are collected from dumpsters, renovations works and the streets of Tel Aviv, Israel …
Design Within Reach Eco Design Water Filter
I do despise bottled water, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to drink artesian spring water. Lucky I came across this beautiful and elegant water pitcher by Design Within Reach (DWR). I do own a Pur water filter pitcher, but I have never liked all that plastic (and large disposable plastic water filters). DWR fills this need beautifully with …
Shoes that Biodegrade, even in a Landfill?
I was shocked, just as you might be after my last article on how long things take to biodegrade. It seems to be biodegrade month here on The Chic Ecologist, so I am very happy to be reporting on a company that has developed a way to allow their product to biodegrade in a non-compost environment – particularly a landfill. …
Fine and Raw Chocolates
Having been converted into a chocolate lover late in life, I was excited to explore new and exotic chocolate flavors. I can say I have eaten the fruit of a freshly picked cacao pod, chewed a raw bean, and grated freshly roasted coco beans into milk to make hot chocolate- so I like to really explore foods right down to …
Verterra Sustainable Disposable Dinnerware Plates
I know it sounds like a complete oxymoron, but these picnic plates are both disposable and truly sustainable. Best when composted (as things don’t biodegrade in a landfill) to be truly sustainable cradle to cradle compliant, these sturdy plates are as much at home on your fancy dining room table as they are in the backyard. They feel as if …
How Long Does it Take to Biodegrade?
I talk a lot about biodegradable items, biodegradable soaps, and even biodegradable diaper services, but what does ‘biodegrade’ even mean? In our effort to keep from burying ourselves in trash and waste since we are still very much a ‘disposable’ society, how can we reduce our impacts (other than the obvious re-use of materials?) By making everything biodegradable! Bio-degradation happens …
Eco-Friendly Slot Cars for Older Kids
Adults shouldn’t have the only eco-friendly fun. Green toys and eco-friendly stuffed animals are quite common for babies and little kids, but what about the older kids? Race in a Case portable slot cars of course! Slot cars have always been one of my favorites, and while I doubt they use that much energy to begin with, these don’t use …
Eco Friendly Laundry Detergent – Vaska
I have been interested in the different eco friendly laundry detergents out there for awhile now, mostly- what separates them? Are some better than other for the environment, are some better at cleaning? I set out to find out. I have been using Second Generation and Method laundry detergent for some time now, and from time to time I will …