Green is the new Black

Yesterday we kicked off Earth Day week by highlighting Loomstate for Target, a collection of designs made with organic cottons. Today, I wanted to include a few tips on how you can be eco-friendly without compromising your fabulosity.

--- recycle. and i'm not just talking about your empty champagne bottles either! bring your empty cosmetics and skincare containers to any Origins store and receive complimentary samples of ANY product in the store. And even better - when you return 6 containers or packages from MAC cosmetics, you'll get a FREE lipstick of your choice.

--- bring your own bags. big purses have always been en vogue. i used to joke that you could carry a small child in Hermes' beautiful Birkin bag. make use of your accessories and actually put things in them, rather than wasting paper and plastic and getting disposable bags at each store you purchase. or, invest in some fun cloth bags. i have 8 great bags i got from the Gap's product red campaign that i keep in the car - perfect for the grocery store, shopping sprees, and even going to the beach. they fold up to about the size of a deck of playing cards, so they don't take up much space either!

--- conserve electricity. whenever i'm in the car, i always charge my iPhone and iPod. charging your essentials in the car causes no harm, is virtually free, and helps cut down the cost of powering your home or office.

--- invest in a water purifying system. there are many alternatives to drinking bottled water. those pesky plastic bottles take forever to decompose, so do your best not to use them at all. you can purchase many inexpensive home systems, pitchers, and filtering systems.

--- choose sustainable fabrics. bamboo is one of the world's most sustainable resources - have you seen how quickly bamboo can grow?! Calvin Klein makes bamboo cotton undergarments, which have naturally anti-bacterial properties as well.

--- choose better cleaning products. i've written multiple times about my love of Preserve and Method Home products. Preserve's innovative designs are all made with recycled plastics from yogurt cups. and Method Home is a collection of fabulous cleaning products that are actually good for the environment, and still get the work done!

--- your neighbours will be green with envy when you start decorating with Branch Home - a fabulous company specializing in eco-friendly, green products for the home. they're the ones who i wrote about a few months ago who have the tote bag made from reclaimed sailboat sails. (which i still haven't purchased, so if someone wants to love me lots and send it to me, i'll be happy to provide my address)

My point is, going green doesn't have to be expensive. It doesn't have to make you look cheap, smell like dirt and granola, or any of the negative connotations you may have. Surprise yourself. Save the environment. Go green.