The Gilded Age Turns Green

Don't blink. The world we live in is an unprecendented state of flux. First off, our planet is in serious trouble. Ice sheets are melting quicker than originally predicted. Stronger than usual weather patterns have caused a disturbing series of damaging storms. Without immediate intervention, the future is unknown.

Next is the U.S. economy, which is crumbling before our very eyes. Thanks to corporate greed and regulation "lite" from our government agencies, Americans are likely to experience a rather unpleasant recession in the coming months and perhaps years. We, the taxpayers are now financing the bailout to the tune of $700 billion dollars. The bright light in this is the fact that we, the people will not lose everything and jump out of windows like in 1929.

Lastly is government. We have all had the great misfortune of living under a joke of leadership aka the Bush Administration, and the upcoming election is a very serious one. Both candidates look vastly different from where I'm sitting. The one that understands the importance of investing heavily in green technology rather than offshore and Alaskan drilling is the one who can solve a host of issues in one simple shot. It is imperative that we ban together and make the right choice.

Yes, the world is changing quickly, and we are headed back to basics. The Gilded Age of corporate greed, excessive lifestyles and lavish spending will slowly but surely come to a crawl. Over the next decade, I believe that we will witness a shift among corporate leaders towards global corporate responsibility. We have seen it already with T. Boone Pickens and he is just one of the first to emerge. With the failure of Lehman, Bear, Fannie, Freddie Mac, AIG and others, executive pay will be more closely scrutinized by shareholders, regulators and the press. At long last, corporate leadership will be held accountable and will earn a fair wage, not the lottery. Wall Street as we knew it last week, won't exist. The jury is still out in terms of what it will look like, but the huge bets, the huge amounts of leverage and the complete lack of regulation will be things of the past.

The current economic climate already negatively impacts families across our great country. Many jobs have been lost and consumer spending continues to decline rapidly. As a result, and purely by default, the main tenants of green living such as saving money, saving energy, reducing, reusing and others will be adopted. Consumers will look to cut corners, and by doing so will embrace green living more than ever. SUV's are being exchanged for smaller more fuel efficient vehicles, travel has been cut back and we (me too!) look to break out last season's fall handbag rather than buy a new one. Simple pleasures are back in style...a rainbow, a sunset, and an afternoon with your family. Count your blessings, not your cash.

Our new goverment leadership should be working for the people and leading us towards energy independence. This road will bring untold riches to our country in terms of jobs for both the white and the blue collars, the savings from being "off" foreign oil, and the ultimate benefit of seriously reducing greenhouse gases. The U.S. can and should be the world leader in green technology, and by doing so, help other nations adopt clean energy and ultimately, protect our planet. Read more!

Mc Mansions are Out and Prefabs are In

There was a time when prefab housing of any type was frowned upon. It was always cheap, sometimes tacky and worst of all, a major faux pas. However, times are a-changing. With surging inflation and the increasing popularity of "green", reducing your carbon footprint and downsizing is becoming positively chic. Whether you are on the market for a little cottage or an entire house, pre-fabs come in all prices, shapes and sizes.

Several home designers and architects are catching onto this and are releasing their own pre-fab designs. One is these new fangled manufacturers is Kithaus. Kithaus has created several designs that are compact and easy to install due to lightweight construction materials. Furthermore, they offer homeowners the option of adding a small backyard office/retreat/playroom without permits and contractors, which is a huge plus. Some of their models are priced from $29,000+ and work for a variety of uses.

If you are interested in something a little more complete, consider this: the ASAP House. ASAP stands for a house "about saving a planet." Architect Laszlo Kiss has developed plans for a contemporary, modular net-zero energy house. It's a complete home with all of the modern conveniences you would expect yet it is truly green. The architect has plans to expand on the ASAP house by introducing additional new design modules - everything from a 700 sq ft studio cottage to a 3100 sq foot home. Visit ASAP to learn more.

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Eco Floors: Natural Cork by Globus Cork

When renovating my "green" house this summer, I chose to do the kitchen floor in a natural cork material. I wanted to use something durable, beautiful and sustainable, and cork was a perfect solution.

I looked to a local New York manufacturer, Globus Cork to provide the product as well as an education in cork flooring. First off, cork is a renewal material - it gets harvested from the bark of cork oak trees every 9 years and it then grows back. Even so, the cork tiles themselves are made from the scraps of the wine cork manufacturing process, so they are truly a recycled product. Folks, you really can't get much greener than that! Once the tiles are formed, depending on the color/style, they get a coat of voc-free stain and sealer. Cork tiles come in either the glue down or the floating variety, and either one provides a beautiful outcome! They are offered in a wide variety of patterns, shapes and colors and the good people at Globus Cork can help you either design your floor or make suggestions based on your ideas.

Cork flooring offers even more benefits. Cork is very soft under foot and is easy on your joints and back. It's also super durable, water and stain resistant (within reason), and maintains its freshly laid appearance over time. One of my green contacts tells me that her cork kitchen floor of 5 years still looks fantastic. And cork flooring is not hugely expensive either, unlike many other "green" products.

The images you see show the cork floor I used in my own kitchen project. Please email me if you need any details...I would be happy to share them with you. For further information about the environmental aspects of cork, the many color/design options, and more, visit Globus Cork. Read more!

World of Good by Ebay

Whenever I travel abroad, I usually like to buy a little something from the region to remind me of the trip when I get home. When I went to Greece, it was these leather sandals ( I called them Jesus sandals) or in St. Johns, it was a small sculpture made by a local artist. Usually it's something a little funky and indigenous to the region, although in Italy, I opt for Furla, Fendi and Ferragamo. Hey, I'm human and I'm female- what can you do.

Anyway, you don't have to travel all over the place to find special treasures from around the globe. Check out Ebay's own, A World of Good. World of Good.com connects the purchasing power of developed nations like ours with local artisans world wide. They offer products in just about every category imaginable and each purchase makes a positive impact to people, places, animals and of course, the Earth.

Looking for a Peruvian hand loomed alpaca shawl, a real Indian pashmina or a sparkly dog leash made of recycled materials? They've got that and then some. And talk about finding unique and unusual gifts too!

Visit A World of Good to find your treasure while helping to do a world of good to others. Read more!

Back to School Basics: Reusable Water Bottles

If you are providing your child with bottled water each day, you are potentially adding 200 water bottles to the landfill annually. Multiply this by 800 kids in my local elementary school and it makes 160,000. Yes, some schools have recycling programs, but is your 6 year old disposing of it properly? You see where I'm going with this. A much better alternative, a reusable water bottle. I recommend Sigg aluminum water bottles.

Of course, Madonna and Cindy Crawford's kids already use them, but who cares about them. The benefits of Sigg bottles are as follows:

1. Reusing is better than recycling and/or creating waste.
2. Aluminum bottles don't leach plastic bottle chems into the water over time.
3. Aluminum bottles actually keep the water cooler.
4. They come in about a million varieties - designs, colors and sizes- so that kids can find the one they love.
5. Your child will be setting a good example to others. Monkey see, monkey do.
6. The spill free design keeps things clean, and kids love to use them.
7. The flip top cap keeps the drinking spout germ free.

The only bad news is that they are next to impossible to find, due to high demand. I lucked out at the local Whole Foods and found one Paddington Bear bottle. It's so cute and my daughter loves using it. The price of the small bottle was $17.99 which was high but reasonable considering how much you could save on bottled water, plus the benefits to Mother Earth.

Visit the Sigg website, or go to Whole Foods, Dick's or other retailers. Try EBay if you are out of luck locally. Read more!

Recycled Bags a la Stella McCartney for LeSportsac

Among the top designers in the world, Stella McCartney is clearly a leader in the green movement. First came her line of Organic Skin Care, and now this: Functional and super chic bags, rucksacks and luggage designed with recycled materials! Finally, my theory that "green" is not just for crunchers anymore is proven once and for all. Oh contrere, eco chic is headed our way like a Category 2 Hurricane.

Case in point: Her new Fall line for LeSportsac, made from 100% recycled nylon and other recycled materials. You go girl! These are the it-bags for the stylishly eco-conscious. There are plenty of varieties such as hobos, totes, travel bags, and even a convertible rucksack ( a personal fav.)Stella's smart designs can be found at top retailers, but for more information and a look at every bag, go to the LeSportsac website.

I'm wondering which celeb will be photographed with one first? Stay tuned. Read more!

Thoughts about the Conventions

I know this is a green blog but I just have to give a shout out to my former fav Presidential candidate, Senator Hillary Clinton. As a woman, I can really appreciate her accomplishments, especially as a champion for the rights of women and children. She has the unique ability to understand the needs of our nation, government and world, all while raising (quite successfully I might add) a lovely daughter. She delivered a kick-butt speech to the Democratic delegates last month and I am sorry to see her off the ticket, as I'm sure many others are as well. I smell a prominent cabinet position, probably related to universal health care, and a campaign debt reduction deal to boot. Thankfully, the party seems fully committed to reducing our dependence on foreign oil and developing green collar jobs and that guy, Barack is not such a bad choice either. He may be a "freshman" but he seems to exercise good judgment when important decisions need to be made. His selection of a running mate certainly helped combat his weaknesses of lack of experience and foreign policy. Anyway, with or without Hillary, he's a heck of a lot better than the crypt keeper and his freshman. Read more!

Eco Beauty: Scrub-a-Dub Dub

Have you ever tried one of those super-rough exfoliating facial scrubs? You know, the kind with some sort of microscopic roughage that feels like you are rubbing #300 sand paper on your face?

For years, I endured those grueling treatments in the hopes of that pure, baby soft porcelain skin of yesteryear. The fact is, using harsh scrubs are unnecessary and the need for them is a misconception amongst many women. "No pain, no gain" should not be the motto for facial cleansing. Luckily, I found a natural, chem-free skin care line complete with a wonderful exfoliator!

It's a skin and hair care line from Noah's Naturals. The company's eco-friendly products were carefully formulated with the help of Aveda creator, Prakash Purohit. One of them is the Exfoliating Face Scrub with Jojoba Beads and it's lovely! While rubbing it on my face, I noticed that the beads were soft to the touch, yet they did their job to gently and effectively exfoliate. The product also left my face feeling fresh, soft and moisturized. And the best part was that it was free from parabens, sodium lauryl sulfates and propoylene gylcol. Furthermore, all Noah's Natural products do not test on animals, are made from the purest ingredients, and use fully recyclable packaging.

It is definitely a product I felt good about using, and it worked really well. Check out some of their other great organic products at Noah's Naturals.

Find Noah's products on their website, or search for a local participating retailer. Read more!