environmentally friendly
300 Green Living Posts!
We are celebrating Earth Day weekend with our 300th Post!
Here are some of our most popular and favorite posts over the last few years since The Chic Ecologist began, everything from green fashion, green services to green perspectives. Enjoy!
Container Gardening
Cut down on Global Warming and eat fresh. No matter your space, containers make it possible to grow a garden just about anywhere, and you will be amazed at how it can impact the environment and your health.
How Long to Biodegrade?
Common trash items and how long they stick around. From composting to landfills, you may be surprised at how long trash sticks around before turning into dirt.
Green Burials and Funeral Services
Staring to gain a foothold, green burials and funerals are increasingly becoming more popular leaving the chemicals out and impacts low. Leave a legacy on the earth with your death, not an impact.
Green Attitude
Re-thinking green ideals. What kind of ideals do we want to instill in our children and how do we (the green community) want to be perceived?
Green Feminine Products
Tampons plot to destroy the world! What kind of impact does feminine hygiene have on the environment? Hint: A lot!
Wood Rings
Jewelry that is naturally beautiful and eco-friendly. Transforming existing wooden treasures into beautiful sentimental jewelry pieces.
Recycled Glass Countertops
Beautiful and better than glass recycling. Exceptional performing and beautiful counters which incorporate an energy efficient re-use of glasswares.
› Continue reading
Sustainability Focused Careers Workshop
Image: Tim Patterson via Flickr
Peter was quick to make the point that the idea of a “sustainability job” is more complex than one might first think. There are plenty of sustainability focused jobs and career paths, but sustainability is rarely tangible enough to be a product in and of itself. Rather, sustainability is an issue of systemics. As such, it’s important to recognize that job seekers are likely to be looking at the market from a much wider scope when looking to break into a sustainability based career path. So many jobs can fall into the description of “sustainability related”, everything from green-living businesses, tech, green finance and investing, events, higher education, government, and food just to name a few. The point is that sustainability is something that threads through just about all career paths in one way or another. Instead of looking for a job in outright sustainability, or even a “green-collar job”, people should instead be looking for a sustainability related career, one that supports a variety of values and puts your strongest skills to good use. › Continue reading
Eco-Chic Expo Seattle
Now for a local, small business and community centric alternative to the Seattle 2010 Go Green Conference. Seattle’s Eco-Chic Expo is being held on Saturday, May 1st, at the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center located in Northeast Seattle. A self described “interactive green lifestyle event”, the event is put together to provide the general public with an interactive day of tips, tricks and products to help people live greener, yet fashionable, lives. The Expo is free to the public and features a number of local companies dedicated to sustainable lifestyles. › Continue reading
Take a Peek at Emeril Green
As a long-time fan of The Food Network, I was really excited to hear about Emeril Green. Featured on the Planet Green Network. Chef Emeril Lagasse explores the world of eco-friendly, delicious cooking and shares every tip he can find with his audience.
Shopping at Whole Foods Market, Emeril is asked about real life culinary challenges by real people. In each episode, Emeril creates easy recipes in order to find healthy, organic solutions to the challenges presented to him. He answers questions such as what foods to eat if you have digestion issues, which fruits and vegetables are known for their cancer fighting capability, and how to have an eco-friendly fiesta. This is a great show to watch if you enjoy educating yourself about shopping and cooking green as well as gaining everyday tips to enhance your lifestyle and well being.
Keep Your Agenda Green
The Equology Series of recycled paper planners from Quo Vadis
As you organize your homes during Spring cleaning make sure to think of organizing your everyday events as well. A personal planner is the perfect way to decrease the quantities of sticky notes around your desk, and manage information about your upcoming commitments in one vital place. Choosing the right planner, however, can be daunting. While trying to search for the perfect one for myself, I ran across planners made by Quo Vadis. They are extremely useful and chic, while also being environmentally friendly.
Quo Vadis works with the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) which is the largest forest certification program in the world. More than 6,000 companies have obtained forest certification through PEFC standards, and they also offer tens of thousands of PEFC-certified products globally. Forests certified by PEFC are bio-diverse, socially beneficial, and based on the sustainability of present and future generations. To learn more about how PEFC is teaching forest owners, companies and consumers how to manage, produce and buy responsibly, visit the the PEFC website.
Eco Friendly Laundry Detergent – Vaska
I have been interested in the different eco friendly laundry detergents out there for awhile now, mostly what seperates 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 buy Ecos, all of which I have been very happy with.
Enter Vaska, fairly new to the scene – they were nice enough to provide me with bottle to try out, so I gave it a shot. The Vaska came just in time to soak a fish oil stain out of a brand new pair of my boardshorts, and it worked flawlessly. I liked the unscented formula although it had a very mild lavender scent due to the botanical solutions being derived from real lavender.
In a washoff against leading brands certified by the major laundry industry group, Association of Linen Management, VASKA outperformed all the brands tested: Seventh Generation, Mrs. Meyers, Ecover, Ecos, Tide and Arm & Hammer. VASKA removed eight common household stains—ketchup, mustard, red wine, grass, dirt, lipstick, coffee and olive oil-more effectively than all of its competitors.
Not only does it clean great, it is also clean when it comes to the environment. Recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Design for the Environment (DfE) program, both laundry detergent formulas are screened for toxins in their ingredients. It is also biodegradable and not tested on animals with only the following ingredients:
* Plant-based surfactants
* Vegetable conditioner
* Water-soluble degreasing agent
* Lavender extract
* Lavender scent (Light Lavender only)
* Filtered water
Top 5 Best Walks in Seattle
Seattle is such a walkable city, scenic parks, paths and trails are abound. I love to go for short runs and walks in and around the city, so I decided to compile a list – the top 5 best walks in and around Seattle, Washington. Whether you are a resident or visiting, they are definitely worth a stroll.
1. Discovery Park
View Larger Map
One of my all time favorite walks, this 2.8 mile long main trail loops you through sweeping ocean vistas and beautiful lush forest. Its pretty amazing to think that you are only minutes from Seattle’s downtown on this walk as it really is quite a contrast from the hustle and bustle of the city. The main path is a narrow dirt trail winding through forest and ocean bluffs with a few historical coast guard quarters scattered about. There is a great little side hike down to the light house point along the beach, which can be even more exciting during those extra low tides.
Invest Green – Environmentally Responsible Stocks and Mutual Funds
Now may not be the best time for this post, or is it? Market wisdom dictates to buy low, sell high. Well guess what, the market is pretty low right now and some technologies seem to have a rosy future. The Obama administration has made it clear that they will be investing heavily in alternative green energy sources, breaking our dependency on oil and dirty power generation. This opens up a great opportunity to possibly make some money, and support green initiatives that are important to you as well. › Continue reading
