Green News
We tend to associate new year's resolutions with personal growth and development, but why not forgo the usual slimming and money-saving this year and aim to make the world a better place with some pledges for greener living?
I've come up with a quick set of resolutions that I would do well to put into practice in 2008, but I'm sure you can come up with your own. If not, feel free to nab hippyshopper's resolutions for a greener year, and let me know how you get on with them!
1. I will make sure I carry and actually use my bags for life. No getting lazy when the nice checkout lady offers to pack for me.
2. I will support local shopping and find new places to use my wedge card by checking their site regularly.
3. I will grow my own tomatoes - a really easy crop to grow (even in a window box) and one that uses up a heck of a lot of energy when grown comercially, organic or no.
4. I will up my fitness level by walking wherever possible, and will continue to benefit from using the cheaper bus fares in London.
5. I will reduce my calorie intake along with the world's greenhouse gas output by cutting down on dairy, particularly *sob* cheese...
Follow the jump for 5 more eco resolutions - if you think you can take any more!
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Green News
What's the easiest way to piss off a vegetarian A-lister at Christmas? Celebrity skin care doctor, Neetu Nirdosh found out the answer pretty quickly this festive season, when he sent staunch veggie Victoria Beckham a load of skincare products -- presented in the carcass of a turkey.
It seems pretty unlikely that VB will be applying any of the products, which had presumably got quite intimate with giblets prior to the big day. Dr Nirdosh clearly did not do much in the way of reasearch, as while she doesn't make a big deal of the fact, it is well known Victoria is a strict veggie and -- unlike many of her fellow fashionistas -- refuses to wear fur.
[Via Ecorazzi]
Health & beauty
If Christmas has left you feeling more fraught than festive, I've got a few suggestions for how you can spend that tenner your nan slipped you. I'm a selfless kinda girl... so I've been putting myself through the genuinely hideous ordeal of trying out some of Lush's latest goodies for you. I hope you appreciate it.
First up was the You've Been Mangoed bath melt. This had a really nice, invigorating smell - citrusy, sharp, almost like citronella, with a fainter Mango scent underneath it. For my evening bath, I gave the Pop in the Bath Bubble Bar a go. Top marks for aesthetic appeal go to this beautiful little flower-shaped sparkly thing - problem was, it took me a good ten minutes of holding it above the bath before I could bring myself to crumble it in! It smelt a bit like a comforting combination of dried flowers and sherbet (happy childhood memories usually go well with a relaxing bath!).
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Fashion & accessories
Christmas may be done and dusted, but there's plenty more of winter to endure yet with most of the freezing weather yet to come. I've not yet bought a proper winter coat, and am hoping to get something special, so I've been having a good browse on The Hempest, where you'll find stylish outerwear for men and women made from sustainable materials.
This coat, the 'ladies long hoodlamb' coat is particularly desirable and as the site says, has 'all the bells and whistles' you'll need to get you through to spring! Its outer shell is made from a hemp-and-cotton combo loaded with pockets, and lined with patented cruelty free hemp satifur. If $329 seems like a bit of a tall order, why not check out the 70% off sale at Adili, which runs until the end of the month?
Fashion & accessories
It's terribly fashionable to wear scaled-down everyday objects round your neck, and eco-designer Linda Loudermilk has taken the trend into the ethical arena with this frankly adorable tap-shaped charm whose profits go towards clean water campaigns.
Priced at a reasonable $65 and available online from Uncommon Goods, the 'Water is a Human Right' charm necklace is made from reclaimed silver. A generous donation is made to the YEW Foundation with each purchase, to support organisations with clean water initiatives.
[via Inhabitat]
Fashion & accessories
Hollywood babe Natalie Portman is stepping elegantly into the vegan shoe market as she collaborates with chic New York label Te Casan.
The predictably-named Natalie Portman Collection for 2008 will arrive in the label's NYC boutique in February, and is available to pre-order on the website from 15th January. The only glimpse I've had so far is this sultry pic of Nat wearing patent red Mary-Janes, suggesting that the range will be right on the spot for current trends. Rumour has it that Nat is not, in fact, a vegan herself, but it's good to see she's doing her bit in style...
As well as being made without animal ingredientsl 15. 5% of all Natalie Portman shoe profits will be going to charity. At $200 they're not what you'd call cheap, but as Just Jared points out, they're still a heck of a lot cheaper than Stella McCartney's vegan heels!
Green gadgets
Walking the streets at night could soon be a less intimidating experience for many, as a crop of solar-powered 'tree' lights by Brit designer Ross Lovegrove are set to blossom all over Europe.
The tree-shaped lights and other eye-catching objects were installed in the city of Vienna during Vienna Design Week in October, and are attractive and fun alternative to the less energy efficient street lamps we're used to (street lighting consumes as much as 10% of all the energy consumed in Europe). Reports from the show were very good, and the panels held their charge for the entire week, with 'minimal sunshine'! This bodes well for a new technology that could save millions in lighting cost and see the carbon footprint of our towns plummet as costly lighting is replaced.
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