Eco-Chick · The modern girl's guide to living green & fabulous.

Because Mother Earth is a Woman

Ok, ok, I’ll admit it. Mother’s Day was born from the corporate strategists at Hallmark, but who wants to be a grinch . . . especially when it comes to your mother, the woman who gave you life and . . . well . . . pretty much most of hers? I say, honor thy mother by honoring nature.

Instead of pesticide-infused flowers or a toxic mani-pedi , pamper her with planet-friendly presents. The options are endless. Here’s a list of my five fave eco-chick Mother’s Day gifts.

1. Radley’s Recycled Plastic Umbrella .

2. A pesticide-free bouquet from Organic Bouquet.

3. Under the Canopy’s 100 Percent Organic Cotton Robe . . . or why not indulge her with some of their exceptional 100 percent organic cotton bedding .

4. Priti Polish for non-toxic tootsies.

5. A Sigg water bottle . . . in a pretty print of course.

Happy Mother’s Day . . . remember it’s coming up soon, May 11th for you slackers.

SIGG for the Fashionably Parched

Need another reason to ditch the disposable plastic water bottle? How about fourteen reasons?

SIGG (you know the hardwearing yet elegant water bottle Co.), Elle Magazine and Laurie David’s Stop Global Warming have joined forces to up the anti-plastic rationale. The iconic dream team has commissioned fourteen leading names in fashion (yes, were talking Zac Posen, Diane Von Furstenberg and Stella McCartney) to create one-of-a-kind limited edition designer water bottles. Here’s a sampling. Click here to preview all fourteen.

Photo courtesy Elle.com.
Diane, how girly and flirtatious. I like it!

Photo courtesy Elle.com.
Very cool Anna.

Photo courtesy Elle.com.
Come on Tommy . . . just a signature? That’s weak.

Hmmmmm . . . there’s something funny about the idea of “designer water bottles” . . . then again, disposable plastic water bottles have long been a must-have accessory for the stylish and parched. Hopefully, these leading designers will convince fashion followers, world wide, to forgo the Evian and get hip with a SIGG.

In addition to launching a major fashion trend, SIGG and Elle will be auctioning the inimitable bottles to raise money for StopGlobalWarming.org. The bidding starts at 7pm tonight!

To learn more about the SIGG Auction visit Elle.com.

For a Fun Night Call….360 Vodka!

As those who know and love me are aware, I love vodka. And though I:

-eat organic, local food (except for my unfortunate pineapple habit, which I’m twelve-stepping my way through….did you know to get 1 lb. of pineapple to our plates, it takes 40 lbs of CO2! Serious bummer.)

-don’t drink bottled water unless there’s an emergency (I love my Sigg bottle!)

-never, ever throw my cigarette butts in the street (I know, smoking’s a disgusting habit, but I only smoke 4-5 a week)

-keep my house at near-freezing levels in the winter to conserve energy

So even though I do all these things, and more, I’ve been slow to buy organic spirits. But once I tried 360 vodka, I vowed to change my ways. Not only is it excellent both chilled straight up, but it make a fabulous mixer. And it wears it’s eco-friendliness on its sleeve, literally:

(Click here to see a blown up version of the label)

I brought my bottle over to my good friend (and vegan chef extraordinaire) Pauline’s house and we made gingery cocktails (see recipe below) from the 360, and enjoyed an awesome meal of hummous and fresh bread, arugula, pear and almond salad, summer zucchini risotto with fresh tomato tapenade, with a hand-picked blueberry turnover for dessert. Talk about enjoying the harvest!

Pauline’s Ginger Limey

1.5 shots vodka
1/4 cup organic limeade
1/3 bottle ginger beer
Fresh lime wedge

Pour ingredients in glass with plenty of ice, mix with finger, garnish with lime wedge.

For more cocktail ideas, check this page out.

Yes, our glasses are very empty in this picture…

Many thanks to my friend Pauline Dean, dedicated vegan animal LOVER, Willie Nelson devotee, and polka-dot popularizer.

Ewwww…..This is Why You Need a Water Filter!

On the left is the filter that was replaced, on the right is the new filter.

Bottled water sucks, we all know that (if you don’t know why, read this article and you’ll know everything): Here are my top 5 reasons for eschewing the bottle….

–It wastes fossil fuels during transportation (especially when it comes from ridiculous locales like Fiji!)

–Bottled water isn’t any cleaner and may actually have all sorts of bad stuff in it because bottled water isn’t regulated by any outside testing agency, whereas all municipal water is tested every day for contaminants and chemicals.

–All those plastic bottles leach toxins into the water (especially if left in the sun or subject to temperature fluctuations)

–Only about 20% of all plastic bottles are recycled; that goes for water receptacles too

–It’s a scam; why spend money on something that should be free? When you do, you’re only supporting the privatization of our natural resources, which should be available to all. Just because you can afford bottled water doesn’t mean that everyone can. By expecting, as citizens, to have access to clean water, we force our government to invest in and maintain water supplies.

At the same time, I know, I know, our municipal water isn’t as good as it could be (some areas have great water, some not so much). I live in a very populous area next to Long Island Sound, so our water is pretty low-quality and it’s chlorinated, which is not something I want to be drinking tons of or showering in. Instead of spending hundreds a year and contributing to massive amounts of plastic waste, I bought a this whole-house water filtration system from Gaiam. They have other types here. I bought a whole- house filter because I wanted to make sure I was showering and watering my garden with non-chemicalized water too.

Also, I carry my cool Sigg water bottle with me wherever I go, and fill up in bathrooms and water fountains when I’m on the go. Even though that water isn’t filtered, most of my agua is, so I think it’s worth reducing waste and energy use to subject myself to unfiltered water a small percentage of the time.

Make sure you dispose of your filters properly, though! They don’t belong in the regular garbage as they are now mini toxic-waste holders. By shipping them off to the landfill you’re taking all the now concentrated wastes you’ve removed with the filter and adding them right back into the environment. Drop those old filters off at your municipal toxic waste collection area.

Bottle Upgrade

Ok, so I admit that before we made the switch, my boyfriend and I collectively owned about 8 plastic Nalgenes — both of us unrationally phobic there would be some situation we’d be caught in without water. But that was before we realized that plastic containers might not be the best solution for holding our drinking water.

After reports that number 3, 6, and 7 plastics can leach into your water (especially over time and after washing), we decided to ditch the plastic and upgrade to metal water bottles and haven’t looked back since. My personal favorite is the stainless steel Klean Kanteen — I have both the sport bottle and the larger container. A bunch of my friends own the very stylish and design-friendly, Sigg bottles which are also non-leaching. Nalgene has recently released a new line of bottles which are made of a safer plastic, but i’m already sold on the alternatives.