“I challenge you to make your life a masterpiece. I challenge you to join the ranks of those people who live what they teach, who walk their talk” -Tony Robbins

Ciao Tutti!

             So ‘tis the season to celebrate the holidays, appreciate what we have & feel blessed to be surrounded by loved ones. I hope everyone had a great holiday and Santa was good to you all J But now that Christmas is over, it’s officially the season for New Years resolutions. A few years ago, my life slowly began to change when I decided to apply all the literature I was reading and documentaries I’d been watching to my real life through my resolutions. First, I gave up drinking bottled water (I hope you remember the post!), then I gave up using plastic shopping bags (another post!!), and last year I gave up shopping at the horrific shopping conglomerate many of us know as “Wal*Mart.” But this year, I had to think. I’ve found out it’s extremely important to take one step at a time when attempting to change one’s life, but what can I do this year that can better the world? I mean, I’d love to take a service trip to Haiti like my beautiful fried Meghan Daniel (if you’re interested in this, check out the “Be Like Brit” website: www.belikebrit.org), but let’s face it, I’m an impoverished senior in college who just blew her last pennies on a trip to the Bahamas for spring break (I have to have some fun for myself, right?).

            So I started to look back on some of my previous readings and the personal goals I’ve set for myself. Last Christmas, I decided that every gift I bought would either be locally made or handmade and purchased directly from the artist.  I was so excited about it and with just a little hustle I managed to find some awesome gifts. For my mom, I bought this gorgeous, deep chocolate colored, ceramic water pitcher and cups all handmade from a local Providence artist that I stumbled upon during a crafts fair.

For my sisters and all the other special women in my life, I bought jewelry from the Bead for Life organization (www.beadforlife.org). This non-profit organization supplies women in Uganda with recyclable paper that they craft beautiful jewelry from. So not only do you get fashionize your family members but you can support impoverished African women in a creative way.

Colorful & bold paper beads!

This year, I definitely stumbled. I was so stressed with finals and interviews that I didn’t have the strength or energy to find fun, unique gifts that my family members would love. I managed to buy my sisters silk scarves and jewelry boxes from a local Tibetan shop, but everything else was sadly mass-produced. I felt extremely disappointed in myself since I was so good last year, so my New Years resolution practically formed itself: for every gift I purchase in 2012 it will either be to benefit a nonprofit or purchased from a local store. Love your local! I hope this post inspires all of you to reconsider the junky, mass produced, plastic crap we all buy for each other even though we don’t need it and start thinking outside of the box. Supporting local shops is insanely important and everyone loves the gifts that have meaning attached to them. LOVE IT, YOUR LOCAL IS AMAZING. And it desperately needs your help to stay that way.

I know it’s after the holidays but, if you still need some gift ideas, check out these awesome gift organizations I found, they may not be local but they have the potential to better this world:

-                                      http://www.buyherbagnotherbody.com/

-                                      http://www.store-vday.org/

-                                      www.tenthousandvillages.com/ (there’s also a Ten Thousand Villages store in New Haven!)

-                                      http://www.serrv.org/

-                                      http://inspiredgifts.unicefusa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ig_homepage

-        

"Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. for, indeed, that's all that ever have." - margaret mead

Ciao belle! Sorry for that extra day added to this weeklong delay- initially I wanted to post every Monday but as usual time got away from me. But don’t fret, I’m back!

This week’s topic was inspired by a few of my beautiful roommates: reusable and eco-friendly cups and water bottles. So I’ll just take a second to thank all of you for motivating me!

When I was growing up, my family has always been into refilling and refrigerating plastic bottles with tap water for monetary reasons (buying bottled water is INSANELY expensive), so I guess this wasn’t a hard Eco-Lovely transition for me. Definitely not as hard as my slow transition to Lilly. Although, I have to admit, as a freshman in college, with no water fountains in my dorm (come on, PC!), I splurged on a few 24-packs of Poland Springs and didn’t even try to reuse them (I did put them in the recycle bins in the Ray trash room though!!). But then, sophomore year, one of my fabulous roommates, Angela, put on a showing of the movie “Tapped” on campus. “Tapped” is a documentary that successfully exposes the pitfalls and wrongdoings of the bottled water industry. It really asks one of the most glaring and pertinent questions in our global society: “Is access to clean drinking water a basic human right or a commodity that can be bought and sold?” I really encourage all of you to take a second to watch the trailer here:Tapped Trailer

Or check out the website: http://tappedthemovie.com. 

Now, go rent the movie!

Okay so after I saw this expose, I stopped buying bottled water all together. I bought a few canteens from TJMaxx and Marshalls (I mean ten or so dollars each compared to a weekly Poland Spring tab? Those bills go towards my expensive shoe and purse collection instead!). So not only did I get my fashion on with cute patterns and colorful designs, but you will never believe how cold a canteen can keep a beverage!

Then this summer, I reverted back to my childhood ways and remembered how fun it is to drink from straws (thank you, Margie!). So I found a $4 reusable iced coffee cup, with a lid and straw that I quickly became addicted to! If it’s recommended that we drink eight cups of water a day (I know this is an ever-changing statistic, but who can really keep track these days?), I think the straw made me drink twice that. It’s actually fun drinking from it! And what’s more fun than saving dolla bills while also saving the environment?

who could ask for better?

To top this all off, I walked into my favorite local bakery in Providence (get it, La Salle bakery!), to see that they had monogrammed their very own reusable iced coffee cups. Of course, I had JUST purchased mine from TJMaxx, so I withheld from buying another since I had just simultaneously splurged on some JSimpson heels. But I later found out, from my coffee-loving roommate, Annie, that if you purchase one of these cups from La Salle (only $9.99 each), not only do you get a FREE coffee that day but every time you bring the reusable cup back in, you get a discounted coffee. Again, saving money and your environment WHILE supporting and enjoying your favorite local bakery. Who could ask for more goodness in one cup? On top of that, The Environmental Working Group has recently ranked Providence, RI as having the second best tap water in the country, followed closely by Boston as fifth. (Guilford, step up your game!) So once you suck down a nice icy, you can rinse it out and fill it up with some refreshing water to keep you hydrated and healthy.

starbucks has one too!
but i encourage buying one from your local bakery!

So who needs that expensive, unnecessary and stolen bottled water anyway? Get creative! You can find some cute canteens here: http://www.rei.com/category/40006310

Or if you’re looking for a good party/event goody-bag treat, check out this site to personalize your own: http://www.epromos.com/logo-aluminum-water-bottles/_/N-14273

Also make sure to follow “Think Outside the Bottle” on facebook (http://www.facebook.com/thinkoutsidethebottle?sk=info), to keep you updated on the corporate accountability and news revolving the bottled water industry!

Emergency Fashion: Alex & Ani

Ciao everyone! I have an emergency post! Today, while I was sitting at my always-exciting job at Concannon, I decided to do some online shopping for my sister’s birthday. She had mentioned she wanted an “Alex & Ani” bracelet, so I went to their website (http://alexandani.com) and was pleasantly surprised. Not only do Alex & Ani make adorable (and affordable) jewelry pieces, but all of their products are made from recycled materials and are 100% eco-friendly! They are also inspired by “charity by design,” meaning the designers “works closely with organizations in creating a unique design that embodies the message and reflects the beauty of each charitable organization.” 

So, needless to say, while buying my sister one bracelet- I bought myself three. My favorite being the “Cornelian Expandable Wire Bangle for Haiti Relief” which not only symbolizes protection and peace but motivates its wearer to take action. Also, at only $18, 100% of the profits are donated to Project USA (for this bracelet, that means Alex & Ani will donate all the profits to Doctors Without Borders in Haiti).

red beads for haiti relief

If you’re looking for a great gift idea or just wanna treat yourself for all your hard work and eco-friendly initiatives- check out Alex & Ani. Or if you’re in the Providence area, go to their store in Newport (all other locations can be found here: http://www.alexandani.com/retailers.html). 

If you’re in CT, Alex & Ani are having an event at Ciao Bella in Madison on Thursday the 18^th from 5:30-8:30! Check it out on their blog!

vanessa hudgens rocking the stacked alex & ani bracelets

"the journey of a thousand miles begins with a simple step" -lao tzu

Once plastic is created, it can never, ever be destroyed. Each and every year Americans contribute over 300,000 tons of plastic waste to our ever-expanding landfill without even thinking about it. By attempting to make our (frequent and consistent) shopping sprees more convenient, Americans use and dispose of approximately one BILLION plastic shopping bags each year. That alone, creates 300,000 tons of unrecyclable waste. 300,000 tons?! That’s more than 75,000 elephants worth of unnecessary pollution.

my faithful lilly

So, I figured my first entry would introduce one of the most basic and easiest ways to jumpstart your new Eco-Lovely lifestyle- switch to reusable bags. For my 2010 New Years resolution, I decided to give up plastic bags entirely. Now being a shopaholic (of all things unnecessary), I knew this was going to be a challenge. We've all seen those heinous Stop and Shop/Wal-Mart reusable canvases... But who wants to be caught toting one of those monstrosities into their favorite Banana Republic outlet? Not me.

So I did some serious searching and attempted to put my shopping on hold until I found a cute reusable. Luckily, I didn't have to wait too long. I found an adorable Lilly Pulitzer tote for $15 at Sachem Card and Party (I was working there at the time, so I made sure we were fully stocked for all you savvy savers) in Guilford. Step one was complete: I had purchased the cutest, brightest and girliest reusable that I would be proud to walk around any store with!

Step two was a little trickier- remembering that Lilly needed to accompany me on all my shopping ventures (which are frequent and abundant, let me tell you). It was okay for the first week or so, but then I would forget her in my room after unloading from a Forever shopping spree and I'd find myself standing at CVS shamefully asking for a bag to carry my hair products out. How could I remind myself to always bring Lilly with me? I decided it would be smart to leave her in my car, and then I decided that every time I forgot her, I would have to refuse a bag from the store I was at, regardless of the store, the quality or the quantity of my purchases. Reminders through embarrassment. And guess what? It totally worked. There's nothing to whip your brain into remembering shape than trying to carry $70 of groceries in your bare hands across the BigY parking lot.

(the cute new one i would totally choose today)

I'm proud to say that after living a year of plastic-bagless lifestyle, I'm still sticking to it (even the occasional walk of shopping shame)! I'm happy to see dozens of stores and designers jump on the reusable bag bandwagon, which just makes it easier for stylish shoppers, like yourself, to find your Lilly and start becoming a better citizen of our environment. If not, an easy simple step would be to start using only paper bags at the grocery store. Although they will still clog up your trashcan or sit in a closet for years, they are most definitely the lesser of two evils.

Feel like this is a useless cause or that you couldn’t possibly make a difference? Check out www.litterfreelb.org and read about how multiple towns in California have begun banning plastic bags at large retail stores. Their initiatives include reducing litter, the amount of waste transported to landfills and minimizing the hazards to wildlife. Throughout their research, they’ve determined that “a high-quality reusable tote (like my right hand Lilly) can replace SIX HUNDRED plastic carryout bags over its lifetime.”

You can make a difference. 

All Lilly Pulitzer Totes can be purchased online at www.lillypulitzer.com (but I do encourage you to shop around your local stores!). If you're interested in something a little more personal or want to order a great gift, check out www.envirosax.com!

"be the change you wish to see in the world" - gandhi

Hey everyone! Thanks for visiting my blog. I hope my spectacular blogging skills rope you in and inspire you to change some of your (less eco-friendly) ways and embrace fun alternatives that not only help preserve our beautiful world but allow you to save your hard-earned $$$!

I guess the reason I’m starting this blog is… well, honestly, there are a few. To start- I love to write. I kept a blog of my travels when I was abroad in Italy last semester and became addicted to updating it. I thought this would be a fun way to keep up my writing and my learning! Also, like everyone else- I love to save money. I’ve often found that many eco-friendly initiatives require creativity and maybe a little elbow-grease, but ultimately they’ve allowed me to save some money (which is always a plus for us poor college students). Finally, I really do love learning about fashion & implementing small initiatives in my daily life that could potentially have a positive effect in our world or local communities.

If I had to pinpoint a specific moment when I decided to start living my philosophy, I think it started when I took my first Globalization and Social Justice class a few years back. The class, not to mention my fabulously radical professor really opened my eyes- not only to how fortunate I am to live the life I live- but how damaging that fortunate lifestyle actually is. I decided there were definitely small changes I could make in my life (giving up bottled water or using plastic bags) that could potentially trickle down and help our global community. Of course, I tried my best to become eco-friendly with style and to my surprise actually started getting a lot of compliments! So, I started spreading my self-proclaimed wisdom along and it made me so excited to watch my friends and my mother take the same initiatives (only because of me, of course). It struck me that I could actually get into peoples’ heads and maybe make a small, yet eye-catchingly fashionable, difference.

So, if you want to learn a little bit, save some money or just find some fun new ways to keep up with the “green” trends, follow my blog and I’ll try my best not to disappoint! I’m also open to any ideas or suggestions, so feel free to contribute.

xxo