It happens every year. School ends, your lease runs its course and its time to pack up all your sh*t and move out. In doing so, you discover things you haven’t seen since the day you moved in: that old camera (filed with embarrassing photos from that frat party during welcome week), the cell phone you dropped in the toilet and all those empty printer cartridges from finals first semester.

You consider selling everything on Craigslist… or you could just toss that crap in a hefty bag and leave it for the management company to tow away to the nearest landfill. You’d choose number two, didn’t you? Well, Al Gore would be quite upset with you, Captain Contaminator.

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Spring has almost well and truly sprung (although judging by the volume of welly-wearers and inverted brollies here in the UK, you’d never know it!). With the sunshine and cute baby lambs come the impending boom of car-boot sales (that’s yard sales to most of you), a tradition which is to me like soil is to the newly blooming flowers. Sort of.

Whilst the mass population flock to high-street retailers in a desperate bid to exchange plastic for summerwear, I on the other hand will be relaxing in the fresh spring air (global warming pending). My bargains will come from charity shops and markets, rather than the Reduced To Clear section of my local River Island.

Not only do you gain the positives of air and exercise whilst indulging in some cheaply priced Mills and Boon titles (not that, y’know, I’d know from personal experience or anything..) but you gain the sheer satisfaction of knowing you’re recycling, and in some cases helping a charity or two along the way.

Second-hand shopping is a shopping experience like no other; the feeling of knowing you are helping others can bring a perpetual glow to your cheeks. And if that’s not a true bargain, then I don’t know what is.

Got any favorite Yard Sale or Bargin Shopping areas? Let us know!

Thanks to one Mr. Al Gore, I have been somewhat of a greenie (a friend of the planet, not the dog treat) for awhile now.

I have been spreading the word for months (like here) in hopes that I can get other people on board with me. Not because it is trendy or “in” right now, but because we don’t want our children to have to deal with such a mess of a planet later….or burst into flames because the earth has gotten so hot.

And I have met a lot of apprehension along the way:

“But I really love my Hummer.”
“It’s so hard to be earth friendly!”
“GO HUG A TREE!”
“Ew. Reuse someone else’s PAPER?!”

Ah; ignorance. How I loathe thee.

If people just sat down and listened for a few minutes they would realize just how simple it is to be earth friendly. I am not asking people to reuse their Ziploc bags (which I get made fun of for all the time) or stop using toilet paper. I am asking people to make teensy tiny changes to their daily routines that make virtually no difference to the user and a huge difference to the planet.

Since I last wrote about green items such as compact fluorescent bulbs and reusable grocery bags, a whole slew of new earth friendly products have surfaced. These hot new items are innovative, made from recycled products (to cut down on excess waste!) and yet another few easy ways for you to get a bit more green-ified. The best part, obviously, is that they don’t look like crunchy “Save the Planet” items; these are things you actually need and want. Read More »

If I had to choose two things that I am totally obsessed with right now they would be handbags and recycling. The former is a given. And, lately, as our earth begins to head down an ugly and hot path, the latter has become a huge part of me. Come visit me at my house and you will find me either 1) shopping for bags online or 2) separating my paper and plastics.

When I was sitting home tonight doing some online bag shopping (after taking my empty Diet Coke bottles out to the recycling center, of course), I came across a designer who takes my two favorite things in life and blends them together beautifully. May I present to you my new fashion idol:

Ashley Watson

A Fine Arts student from Canada, Watson has added an element of conservation to her line of innovative and unique bags. Unlike her fellow designers, Ashley takes old leather jackets to craft her line of handbags, wallets and beautiful accessories. Each bag is designed by Ashley, handmade and completely unique; no two Ashley Watson bags look the same. Read More »

Lately, it seems everywhere you turn people are turning green. Not nausea induced green (though that may be true if you are enjoying a nice long Welcome Week and hangovers abound), but earth-friendly green.

Whether it be celebrities like Leo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt or the aisles upon aisles of green products at stores around the country, saving the planet isn’t just for tree-huggers anymore.

And as you hear about all the celebs buying Hybrid cars and cities banning bottled water due to the excessive amounts of waste they create, you have to stop and wonder what your impact on the planet is.

Most likely: it isn’t good. Read More »

Between studying for finals and watching episodes of Entourage this weekend, I took a little trip outside to catch some rays and noticed that the world was finally turning green! But the trees and the flowers aren’t the only things going green these days. It seems that people are getting a little greener too.

And they should be; after all, Sunday was Earth Day. To you, it may have seemed like nothing more than one day closer to the doom that is final exam week, but for many people (like Al Gore…and me), Sunday was another great excuse to talk about the current state of our planet and everything that lives on it.

Since my friends are really sick of me listing off reasons and ways to conserve energy and save the planet, I will share my list with you. And you will listen. Why? Because if you don’t, the future will hold extreme damage from hurricanes, many uber hot days, and the end of many adorable species of animals (like these cuties).

Saving the world isn’t even hard. Even the littlest changes can have a huge impact. Simply start with these 5 easy steps and we will be well on our way to a cleaner and happier planet:

1. Rent “An Inconvenient Truth”: Forget what you know about boring documentaries and Al Gore and put this bad boy on your Netflix queue. The film is packed full of years of research on global warming and really forces you to put your impact on the world in perspective. It also happens to be extremely interesting.

2. Switch your lightbulbs: Yes, those 60 watt bulbs from Home Depot are super cheap and really do the trick, but they also waste a ton of energy. Oh, and they don’t last too long. These new guys use 2/3 less energy and last 10 times longer! (Bonus: These bulbs are more natural, so they are perfect for makeup application!) Read More »