Eco-Monday: Treat your dog to a....spa day?

Let’s admit it, despite their cute smiles and floppy ears, a smelly dog can be kinda embarrassing for any pet owner. Luckily there is Happytails, a canine spa line that is not only healthy for your dog but also healthy for the environment. Their entire line of products is made from all natural ingredients, such as colloidal oatmeal for your itchy dog, ordenone (all natural water soluble ingredient) for a smelly dog, and parsley extract for bad breath. 

          

The company ensures high quality ingredients and excellent customer service so that you can get any product you need for a happy and healthy dog. The bottles they use are made from post-consumer resin and the stickers are from FiberStone, a paperless product which avoids the use of trees. This company really covers the gamut of products any dog could need to treat themselves to a day at the spa.  The site showcases various testimonies, including “What can we say but WOW. We love your products.” 

Eco-Monday: Give the Gift of Sustainability

As you start to make lists for what to get your grandparents or your Uncle Bob this year, stop and take a look at Branch. 

Starting in a small one-bedroom warehouse in 2005, Branch now operates out of a warehouse in San Francisco. What drew us in was their great business philosophy:

-They care about sustainability, design, and people

-They curate their inventory based on the things they would want to have in their own homes 

-With a small team feel, Branch has great relationships with the manufacturers, designers, 

  and customers

-They want to make sure every customer is treated with the best and friendly service

In looking over their inventory, Branch offers an entire line of compostable plates, flatware, and cups for your holiday party needs. Even though you are spreading the holiday cheer, you won't be spreading the waste. 

Are your stockings looking tattered? Branch offers a classic Christmas stocking with an updated concern for the environment that combines a reclaimed boat sail and a classic red organic cotton trim. 

Need a good stocking stuffer for your hubby who is always on the run? Branch has a great line of reusable coffee mugs sure to make anyone happy. 

Happy Shopping!

Eco-Monday: Paint the Halls

An easy way to add an eco-friendly element to your house is through paint. When it's time to add a new coat to the kitchen or transform that upstairs bathroom, consider using eco-friendly paint. Average paints contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which are often emitted as gases. These chemicals are not healthy for the environment of your house or the environment as a whole. Instead, purchase paints that are approved by the Green Seal Standards. This nonprofit organization is dedicated to improving the environmental standards for many common products. Milk paint is a great alternative because it does not emit VOCs and works well as an interior paint for your house. Any eco-friendly paint uses water as a base instead of a petrochemical base and come in cans composed of 100% recyclable metals. 

Three paints to consider buying are:

1. Benjamin Moore Aura - specifically the GreenGuard

2. Olympic Premium - the Green Seal 

3. Sherwin-Williams Harmony

                               

Eco-Monday: A Green Wedding

As a local to the Annapolis area, I had visited the Phillip Merrill Environmental Center many times on field trips and for several research projects. However, it was not until recently that I discovered they also hosted gorgeous water front weddings and boasted the title of "one of the world's most energy-efficient buildings." 

Opening in 2001, this building hosts the headquarters for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF). This foundation is dedicated to protecting and restoring the Chesapeake Bay as well as educating people of all ages about their role in Bay conservation. The unique location of this building, situated right between Black Walnut Creek and the Bay, really emphasized the need for an eco-friendly establishment. First, the CBF created several unique structures on the premises that have aided in waterlife restoration. Man made wetlands allow storm water to pass through a natural treatment center before running off into the Bay. They have also planted many native plants, such as underwater grasses and trees in order to restore habitats for animals that may have been misplaced by housing developments.  

As far as the building goes, almost all of the materials used are recycled and renewable. Cork is the largest used material throughout the building as it makes up the wall panels and flooring. Bamboo was used for all the stairs as well as the main lobby flooring. Huge cisterns placed on the roof capture rain water and redistribute it throughout the building for everyday water needs. The toilets don't use water and instead boast a composting system that eliminates the amount of sewage being processed which in turn cuts down on nutrient pollution. 

Now, the icing on the cake, they do weddings! With their dedication to saving the Bay, the venue is surrounded by "acres of unspoiled beauty." Seeing as the venue is placed right on the beachfront, the amount of natural lighting and breathtaking bay views are unbeatable. For your guests, the venue is just minutes from historic downtown Annapolis, and yet has a great secluded feel that makes your wedding intimate and unique. With a list of great preferred vendors, such as Main Ingredient for catering, Ego Media for photography, and The Gateway Florist for flowers, your event will have everything it needs to be successful! 

Eco-Monday: Combining Social Media and Energy Efficiency

During the Sweetlife Festival last year we were given the pleasure of working with OPower. 

This Arlington based company is dedicated to improving the relationships individuals have with their appliances and ultimately aims to decrease the amount of energy and money spent on bills. Recently, I came across a press release that featured OPower's newest development which will combine the use of Facebook and has gained the support of the Natural Resources Defense Council. 

This new app, due to launch at the beginning of next year, is designed so that consumers can keep track of their own power consumption. The inclusion of Facebook allows consumers to compare their energy use online with their friends as well as compete virtually with others to maintain the lowest energy costs. The Natural Resources Defense Council feels confident that by using social-media, people will be less likely to keep their energy use information private and thereby they would become more aware of exactly how they are using their energy. 


The users of this app will be able to compare their energy usage with users from around the nation as well as share tips and ideas about how to cut energy costs and be more eco-friendly. The idea stems from OPower's love for grassroots movements whereby the consumers have the power to influence and change the world around them. Quoted from an article on Earth Easy, "When we feel powerless as individuals to effect any significant change in the face of global threats such as climate change, it's understandable that we ignore or find ways to dismiss the threat. With this new energy-saving application, users can see how their efforts count."

Eco-Monday: DC Central Kitchen

Today we are taking a look at a unique type of recycling that has a huge pay back: food recycling. As a student from the University of Maryland it it often discouraging to me the amount of food that is thrown away on a daily basis from our school cafeteria or restaurant. Recently, I have learned about an amazing non-profit organization called DC Central Kitchen which combines food reclamation and production to turn recovered food into hearty meals for 26 communities throughout America. And if this wasn't sweet enough, the entire production runs on "Student Power". By partnering with high schools, colleges, and universities, DC Central Kitchen is able to use their kitchen space and employ the helping hands of thousands of youth volunteers. 

According to their website: "The best part is that students run the whole show. They plan the menus, get the food, run the cooking shifts, organize the drivers, and teach culinary skills to unemployed adults. Then, they keep track of all of the paperwork (so we know everything’s being done safely), organize fundraisers, develop curriculum, and recruit new students to get involved. They accomplish an incredible amount of work every day."  

The Campus Kitchen Project is only one branch of the total outreach effort DC Central Kitchen has taken on in their mission to use food as a means to combat the interconnected problems of poverty, hunger, and homelessness. To read more about their programs, volunteer, or get involved visit their website here. 

Eco-Monday: Putting the Glam in Recyclables

From this... 

     

to That.



Hello again from the intern! As any normal child, my desire to recycle came from a need to save the animals after I watched the movie “Happy Feet”. Just out of pure interest I “googled” 'facts about aluminum drink cans' today and stumbled across the Can Manufacturers Institute. The fact that made me realize just how important throwing my coke can in the recycling bin stated, “For each pound of aluminum recovered, Americans save the energy resources needed to generate about 7.5 kilowatt-hours of electricity" If you are unfamiliar with kilowatt-hours (as I was), this equates to the amount of light Pittsburgh uses....over a 6 year period!!! So now that we all know just how important recycling these small cans is, I present a crafty solution. 

As a college student I am always on a tight budget and yet I'm constantly searching for a piece of jewelry that will spice up my outfit. I tried my hand once as designing my own necklaces but that never seemed to turn out well. My solution to this dilemma later came when a friend of mine discovered Etsy while preparing for her wedding last November. I discovered so many great vendors that re-use everyday products to create gorgeous one-of-a-kind pieces. The vendor I'm currently hooked on is JMP Designs. This vendor re-uses the drink cans her family consumes in order to create adorable and trendy pieces of jewelry.  In reading her bio I was happy to discover that her goal was to “make the world a little greener with style,” a statement that any green goddess can relate to.

So as the season moves on and the bright fun colors of spring make it back into your wardrobe, I suggest checking out this vendor and realizing the amazing impact that buying an adorable new necklace can make. 

Enjoy the week!

Eco-Monday: Sweetlife Festival 2011

Here at Green with Envy Events, we are all about making our events sustainable and making sure we are aware of the impact our choices make. With this in mind, I wanted to mention the Sweetlife Festival, and event we are working on at Merriweather Post Pavilion on April 30, 2011.

The Sweetlife Festival is an annual celebration of flavorful music, wholesome food, and thoughtful living. A festival with soul, the day will not only feature top national talent, The Strokes, but will incorporate dining and entertainment options that embody sweetgreen and additional festival partners ethos towards healthy, sustainable living.

The Sweetlife Festival is presented by sweetgreen, a Washington D.C. based restaurant group that leads the national charge in sourcing delicious local and organic ingredients, with an underlying commitment to the environment and community.
The festival will raise money for Jamie Oliver’s Food Foundation, an organization dedicated to improving America’s health by changing the way we eat and DC Farm to School, which sets out to improve child health, reconnects students with where their food comes from, and connects local farmers with schools in an effort to get more healthy, local foods into school cafeterias.


The festival will also have a minimal carbon footprint and feature delicious local and organic foods. This is a celebration with a purpose and we are expecting over 10,000+ attendees throughout the day.

It's important we all support events and organizations that make an effort to minimize the carbon footprint. We hope to see you all there. Visit http://www.sweetlifefestival.com/ for more info. and to preregister for access to pre-sale tickets. Live it with us!

Happy Monday, Laura

Eco-Monday: Recycled cashmere for your little one

Although I'm on the West Coast at the moment enjoying the beautiful sunshine, I'm well aware that I won't be so lucky upon my return to the East Coast this coming Saturday. I'm prepared to pull out the jeans and cashmere once again, and rock my staple wool dress with legging and boots. With this cold weather in mind, I wanted to give a shout-out to a company that does recycled, cold-weather style for my little one seem effortless and oh, so chic.

Luvette is a small eco-responsible, mother owned design studio in Berkeley. She does up-cycling at it's best, taking repurposed felt cashmere and old wool sweaters and creating beautifully designed, handcrafted baby and toddler clothes. These cast-offs are chosen for color, quality and softness of material, and are reincarnated into special little things for your bunny. The line includes simple cashmere dresses, felted wool bibs, soft wool and cashmere pants (called longies and shorties), skirts, overalls and baby blankets.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Bibs too cute to mess up!

Bloomies to die for! I want a pair.

A chicken is the new Fido, at least in my house.

The attention to details is amazing, and every piece is a unique work of art, sewn with a lot of love, one by one. She also does custom pieces, so if  you have a sweater that's of sentimental value that you  just can't part with, she can make it into something magical and long lasting for your little one. Check out the rest of her stuff, here.

Happy Monday! xoxo, Laura

Eco-Mondays ~ Show some LOVE @ Earth-List.com & GoGreenPress.net

Happy Eco-Monday everyone, and Happy Valentines Day!  Today we'd like to show some Eco-love to our favorite online green resource - Earth-list.com.  Earth-list.com was founded in 2008 by our good friend Mike D'Ascanio, and it has quickly become the world's premier informational resource for all things GREEN!  They are on a mission to unite the Green Movement by providing the most centralized resource on the practices of sustainability and going green. Their goal is to make Going Green easy for the average person by providing the most comprehensive list of late breaking Eco news, media, products, services, and information.  And that's exactly what they've done. Anything and Everything you could possibly need to live green can be found at Earth-List.com.      

And as if running one website wasn't enough, they've recently launched the newest member of the Earth-List family - GoGreenPress.net.  GoGreen Press  is the perfect media solution to help your Green business get publicity. They specialize in breaking the news on Green businesses, offering specialized press writing and distribution services that will get your Green business highly effective and targeted publicity.  And we can personally testify to the quality of their services...GoGreen Press just did a press release for Green with Envy Events about our upcoming event, Where the Wild Things Are, a Food & Wine Celebration benefiting the Chula Vista Nature Center.  Check it out here.

And you may have seen these guys out and about in the community.  Our favorite Eco-Celebrities - Green Man and Blue Man.  Leveraging their universal appeal for good, Green Man and Blue Man are being put to work as the headlining mascots for Earth-List.com to raise awareness of sustainability, recycling, environmental responsibility, and everything related to Going Green.  Green Man has become so popular, that Earth-list has recently launched the Green Man Shop where you can shop for hundreds of your favorite Eco-Products.  I encourage everyone to stop in and check out their amazing selection - think of it as your very own Eco-Amazon.com. 

For all of you out there who are just beginning your journey of going green or who are already living it - Earth-List.com is one of the best resources on the web to guide you to Green enlightenment.  Green with Envy Events is proud to work with the Earth-List family!  We thank you for all your hard work and for helping us stay green!

Happy Valentines Day everyone!

Save energy, water and reduce laundry time!

Our Eco-Monday Tip of the Week:

Have you ever had that morning where you  are in a hurry, you look in your closet and realize a) you didn't pick-up your dry cleaning and b) you forgot to do laundry so you literally  have nothing to wear? If you are a busy mom like me (or even better, have a very full social calendar with tons of commitments), you've had many such mornings. But don't fret, there's a very simple solution, one that can be found in your liquor cabinet.

Using a spritz or two of vodka to freshen up clothes in between laundry loads is a must try!  Vodka kills odor-causing bacteria, but doesn't leave a scent when dry.  Not only is it an easy solution to that hectic morning, but you can reduce the amount of laundry you end up doing, saving time, energy, water and cleaning chemicals (make sure you do a spot-test first to be safe)!

So instead of wearing that hideous sweater you swore you'd  never wear again or doing a rush half load of laundry in the morning, spritz your duds with a little bit of vodka, then hang to dry in a well-ventilated area.

You may even be tempted to start your day with a vodka infused concoction.  If that is your thing, at least make sure it's organic vodka.  Here's a list to get you started!

Happy Monday! xoxo, Laura

Eco-Mondays ~ go au naturale at Babies By The Sea

On our very first Eco-Monday, I'm very excited to share with you the most adorable (and Eco-friendly) baby store that I just discovered.  Babies by the Sea boutique is located in Cardiff-by-the-Sea in San Diego. With so many friends and family members having babies these days, I've been doing my fair share of baby shopping. But up until now, it's been rather ordinary. When you walk into Babies by the Sea, it feels as if you're walking into an earthly fairytale. Every organic detail has been meticulously perfected to offer the most enjoyable shopping experience for babies, toddlers and their parents.  

The concept of the Babies by the Sea Boutique was conceived by San Diego Obstetrician and Gynecologist, Dr. Robert Biter who has been a proponent of natural women's and babies’ health care for years, and  Laura Ann Fairchild, an entrepreneur, retail fashion consultant, and the creator of the successful L.A. Fairchild Boutique and L.A. Fairchild Denim Bar concepts. They realized that with Dr. Biter's medical expertise and passion for health, and with Laura Fairchild's cutting-edge eye for retail fashion, buying ability, business knowledge, and familiarity with corporate start-up operations, a partnership between the two of them was a match made in baby boutique heaven! In addition, Laura's sister and business partner, Julie Fairchild, enthusiastically decided to join the team to handle marketing, events, and human resources for the store.  And I must say, this collaboration is perfect!

Their Mission Statement says it all: Our mission is to empower healthy beginnings and support sustainable families by offering cutting-edge natural-living resources and products, in-depth educational opportunities, and fashion-forward organic and boutique apparel; and to create a nurturing, open-minded, non-judgmental, accepting of difference, multi-cultural social network to meet the evolving physical, developmental, intellectual, and emotional needs of all mothers, babies, and toddlers.

 

And check out how they designed the boutique: The store build-out was thoughtfully designed based upon a sustainable and environmentally-friendly "green" premise. Materials and themes incorporated into the build-out include the use of bamboo for shelving, recycled pallets for display tables, burlap coffee sacks for wall covering, reclaimed and salvaged urban wood for display tables and beams, recycled glass for the counter tops, no VOC paint, energy-efficient lighting, and other non-toxic materials wherever possible. The store incorporates the use of earth-friendly office supplies, bags/packaging, water for customers, and other daily use items. The boutique also encourages customers to re-use bags and to participate in environmentally friendly family events, in order to raise awareness with respect to sustainable living in the community.

I know what you're thinking...amazing!  This is definitely my kind of store!

Along with their amazing selection of organic and designer baby goods, Babies by the Sea also offers classes for soon-to-be and new moms.  I'm not pregnant yet, but when I am...I would love to live close to this store. If you're looking for a gift for a young one in your life, or if you're expecting your own bundle of love...and of course those of you with little darlings already - you MUST check out Babies by the Sea. To experience it for yourself, visit the boutique at 2007 San Elijo Avenue, Cardiff by the Sea, CA 92007 or visit their website to learn more. 

A New Year's Resolution - by Blog with Envy

Good morning Blog with Envy readers.  I hope this posting finds all of you happy, healthy, and off to a great start in 2011.  Here at Green with Envy Events, we've made our own New Year's Resolution to blog more and blog less in 2011.  Sound confusing?  Well don't worry, we are going to be making some positive changes around here.  And today I'm excited to tell you about our new weekly format. In efforts to give you MORE exciting tidbits, we will be blogging 3 times every week.  And...we'll be keeping it a lot shorter and a whole lot sweeter.  Here's the plan:

Eco-Mondays - Every Monday we will post a fun piece of Eco-Goodness for you to enjoy.  And there are no restrictions here...it could be anything.  From cool products to exciting Eco-Events, to important Green News...or maybe just a useful tip.  Whatever it is, it will keep you informed and help you expand your inner green goddess (or god?).  



 

Wedding Wednesdays - If you couldn't tell, we love weddings around here.  And there are so many amazing wedding ideas, companies, blogs, products....etc.  So every Wednesday we will give you some inspiring wedding delight!  But weddings aren't our only specialty...we plan all sorts of events at Green with Envy.  So if it's alright with you, we might slip in some tidbits about the other events we're working on too.

Fun Fridays - We are party planners after-all...so obviously we love to have fun!  And what's not fun about Friday?  So every Friday we'll send you into your weekend with a little amusement and joy.  Something that will make you smile.  Life is short, and it's our belief that we should have as much fun as we can while we're here.  You only live once, so make the most of it.  And we'll do our best to help you do just that.