Oscar Green Carpet Dress

by Katy Green
shoptobegreen.com


Livia Firth - Photo by Jason Olive

The Oscars are a love for many for multiple reasons - the winners, the speeches, the glam but what is twittered, spoken, viraled and expressed a zillion times the day after? Not who won but which star wore what designer?

Oscar fashion is a big deal so it is great to see that Colin Firth's wife Livia Firth went for a greenista approach and decided to wear a recycled gown composed of 11 reclaimed dresses according to Ecorazzi.com.

Can you believe that all the pieces that were we are used to make the dress are from the same era as The King’s Speech.

This is a wonderful approach to green glamour.

For more information on Livia Firth, check out her blog post on Vogue.com

Eco Friendly Baby Furniture...is it really better?

by Katy Green
shoptobegreen.com




Ubabub - Crib in Australia
http://www.ubabub.com/


The process of picking furniture for your bundle of joy can be laborious at best.

First you worry if the product is safe so you research Consumer Reports and all of the Mom Blogs to be sure. Then you agonize over style and theme and then somewhere in the midst of the baby furniture research craze you wonder should I choose eco-friendly decor for the baby room? Is it really better? Is it worth the expense?

YES to all three questions... because eco-friendly or "green furniture" is safer for your baby for several reasons:

• Most baby furniture is made of the same material as adult furniture - pressed-wood products made with resin and glue often have high levels of VOCs which should be avoided.

In case your wondering what is a VOC? Well, according to the EPA, VOC is Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects. Examples of products with VOC include: paints and lacquers, paint strippers, cleaning supplies, craft materials including glues and much more which can be found on the EPA website.

• Plastic furniture is not the best choice for your babies room either because it takes forever to degrade from five years to 20+ years depending on the amount of resin. the size and type of plastic - so I don't need to tell you how long it takes for plastic furniture to degrade. In addition, plastic is a major contributor to indoor air pollution. Yikes.
• Eco Baby furniture is modern, sleek and natural. Be careful of the eco-baby furniture impostors because many pose as eco-friendly and are not so be sure to do your research.

Top Five Resources for Eco Baby Furniture:

1. Green Buying Guide to the Nursery - US Green Building Council
2. Inhabitots - online resource for all things eco-baby
3. Baby Eco Trends - online store dedicated to Eco Conscious Decor - a bit pricey but good investment.
4. Green Your Decor - check out this fabu site for all thing green and coupons to boot.
5. Baby Earth - very popular site  for your eco-friendly needs including cloth diapers, lotions, shampoos, diaper creams, crib bedding, blankets, clothes, mattresses, toys, cleaning products and furniture.  

Note:shoptobegreen does not benefit from any of these listings. We research and review all eco listings and we make every effort to share the best resources - all things green!

Are you a Greenista?

by Katy Green
shoptobegreen.com

Ever wonder if you are loving the environment enough to spend more on organic clothes? Feeling guilty about your lack of a carbon fashion print? Don't know why you still buy leather or anything mass produced in a factory? You are not alone...take a deep breath it is okay.



'Remade in Switzerland Collection' per EcoFashionWorld.com 

If your consciously thinking of our precious planet and attempting to make a eco-fashion difference daily you are doing better than most.  There are many levels to being
eco-fashion friendly and I thought it might best to help you identify if you are a Greenista?

Don't worry, I am not planning to say if you forget Earth Day you are a loser. Every day should be Earth Day or instead of one month dedicated to Earth it should be 365 days a year. In case you don't know, Earth Day is on April 22nd and Earth Month is ...you guessed it ...every April.

A Greenista is someone that is eco-conscious and wears only organic clothing and never buys any leather products or anything tested on animals. Always recycles clothes and buys vintage whenever feasible and does not create unnecessary waste.

• Newbie Greenista - instead of throwing away your clothes you give them to charity but you wouldn't be caught dead in a vintage store. You would like to buy more organic clothing but not sure if you can afford it. Have no fear, check out EcoFashionWorld.com, this fabu website provides a hefty list of all the designers, brands and stores in eco fashion!
• Moderate Greenista - you buy vintage whenever you can, invest in Stella McCartney and you don't buy anything new unless you plan to wear it for more than one season. If Stella McCartney is too much for your wallet, you can always get great designer pieces via Vintage shopping. For access to all Vintage shops in USA, check out vintagewhere.com, they provide a colorful map with descriptions and links for any store that has a website in the USA.
• Devout Greenista - you buy only eco-friendly or organic clothes, you recycle everything by donating your clothes or precycle or you go to your local tailor to get your old clothes transformed into new fashionable trendy pieces. Well, you can always improve by hosting a clothes exchange with your friends. A clotheswap is not only for teens or tweens but any woman that wants to share her love of clothes with her pals. Yes, there are several sites dedicated to swapping garments, check out http://clothesswap.meetup.com/.

If you are great organizer, it is fun and easy to host a clothes swap:

•  Email or IM or FB, Tweet, Text or do it old skool and call your friends to raid their closets for a clothes swap (include accessories).
• Set a date, time frame and send out e-vites.
• Prior to the event have everyone bring over their clothes, go through them, organize in sizes, styles, etc. A clothes rack would be most ideal for the swap meet.
• On the day of the event, everyone takes turns to pick one item to be fair. This is all for good so no negative competition.
• Donate any items not selected to your local charity.

Valentines Day for the Planet

by Katy Green

shoptobegreen.com

Every Valentines Day we rush to get flowers, bake cookies and book dinner reservations for our loved ones to show how much they mean to us.

Well, what if we could show the same love for the Earth on Valentines Day and then every day after that? Don't wait for Earth Day to make a difference in your surroundings!

There are many ways to make a carbon love print and you can start on February 14th! It is easy and won't take much time. If every person that reads this article sends it to at least five of their loved ones and they participate think of the impact on the planet and the people we love daily.

Ways to be Eco Friendly on Valentines Day:

• Waste -Replace paper cups, Styrofoam cups and plastic bottles with glass, travel mugs and vintage cups.
• Water- Don't run the water while you brush your teeth.
• Electric Conservation - turn off lights when not in use and plug out electric appliances when dormant.
• Pollution - don't buy stuff you don't need and clear the clutter
• Donate - give away clothes, shoes, phones, old computers to recycling centers and to non profit organizations that need it. 
• Recycle - recycle magazine, newspapers and paper of any kind.
• Precycle - don't buy anything that produces more waste

 Waste not want not....

Say No to Plastic Table Mats!

by Green Fashionista
shoptobegreen.com

Linen Placemats

I'm in a plastic panic whenever I see plastic table mats! Why and who created this disaster for landfill waste and poor taste? Most place mats are made of plastic because it is easy to clean and it drys quickly.

Table Mat Fact:The main purpose of a place mat is to provide a thermal and physical between the plate and the table.

Gate Eco-Friendly Placemats

If you have plastic table mats don't throw them away because that does not help the planet. Use them for everyday but for those special occasions or weekend family dinners try to be more earth friendly and use Bamboo Place Mats or Hemp Place Mats or Linen Place Mats or Recycled Place Mats.


There are so many beautiful patterns and styles to choose from you will never go to plastic table mats again.

Bamboo Table Mats

Eco-Friendly Fashion at H&M

by Green Fashionista

shoptobegreen.com

Yes, it's true! H&M will launch an organic cotton, organic linen  and recycled polyester in many shades of white in April.

Ann-Sofie Johansson, H&M head of design, said: “The possibilities for creating a complete fashion statement with eco smarter materials are huge now. By designing recurring Conscious Collections we have the opportunity to show in a variety of ways what’s possible using more sustainable fabrics.”

I think this is great for fashion and I am sure we will see more major retail outlets adding organic fashion lines to their merchandise.

For more: http://www.ecorazzi.com/2011/02/05/hm-launching-new-eco-friendly-line-in-april

Precycle Toiletries - It's good for your body too!

by Katy Green

shoptobegreen.com

Recycling is great but precycling is even better because you are helping to reduce waste. Personal products add so much waste because most are packaged in plastic and plastic does not biodegrade well.

Did you know it takes about 700 years for plastic bottles to decompose in a landfill!

Mouthwash in a Glass Carafe

There are many ways to precycle toiletries by buying in bulk and using recycled containers, take a gander at shoptobegreen top 5 ways to precycle your personal products:

1.  Use a handmade soap bar instead of liquid soap. Liquid soap is packaged in a plastic container which means more waste. There are so many handmade soaps available and the natural ingredients are healthy for your skin. 
2. If you use facial cleanser daily try natural homemade facial cleansers instead, it takes less than 5 minutes of your time. 
3. Try Tom’s of Maine toothpaste instead of your regular brand they strive to make healthy natural products and their packaging is environmentally friendly. I know this not precycling but at least your brushing with natural ingredients.They actually list what is not in their toothpaste.
4. Go to your local beauty supply shop to buy bulk shampoo and conditioner and then use a glass bottle or recycle your soap dispensers to dispense the shampoo.
5. Everyone usually keeps mouthwash in plastic containers instead put your mouthwash in a nice glass carafe and then make your own mouthwash:  

Baking Soda/ Tea Tree Mouthwash Recipe – Add one cup of water to 2 drops of mint oil, 1 drop of tea tree and l teaspoon of baking powder. Fresh, minty and pretty on your sink counter.

 Visit us often for more articles on precycling.

"Victorian Inspired" Organic Wedding Favors

by Katy Green
shoptobegreen.com

Victorian Wedding Dress

Oh, the days of the Victorian era filled with pomp and circumstance, the longest period of peace and fashionable ladies of the day.

What a way to live...well, maybe for one day...I would miss my modern day appliances and the comfort of modern living.

Wedding favors are usually one of the last things on your list and sometimes the gifts you give are not as cherished as your wedding day instead the non degradable gifts gather dust on a shelf adding to the pollutants in the air.

Why such drama for a wedding favor?

Well, think of all the weddings you attended in the past, maybe you remember the day but where is the wedding favor? Or do you remember the wedding favor?

Victorians assigned great importance to the meaning of wedding favors and lavished their guests with luxurious gifts like beaded purses and pillows, ornate picture frames, decorative hand fans, flowers and scented soaps.  

For more wedding favors click on Shoptobegreen Victorian Inspired Organic Wedding Favors page.   

Handmade Victorian Wedding Favor Options:

• Beaded Pillow - it's not only for the ring bearer perfect gift for small weddings (40 or less)
• Natural Handmade Scented Soap - great for natural weddings by the ocean or outdoors (pair with another item and place in pretty basket)
• Flower box - perfect gift that will last for years. (use it as centerpiece and then as gifts for guests)
• Himalayan Bath Salts (excellent for aromatherapy and stress relief)
•  Palm Leaf Hand Fans - perfect for Spring and Summer weddings.

Handcrafted Daily Detox Face Soap

We can create custom handmade Victorian inspired wedding favors like beaded pillows, decorative rice paper fans or organic gift baskets for small wedding parties of 100 or less. Contact Mistie at 623-252-5470 or via email at customerservice@shoptobegreen.com with Subject Line: Wedding Favors