The Hempest
Founded in 1995, The Hempest began as a small clothing boutique in Boston catering to enviros who wanted to wear organically harvested duds. Being on Newbury Street in Boston, surrounded by the big corporate retailers such as Armani, Gap, and Nike, provided Hempest with a challenge that also proved to…
Move Over McMansion
Here’s a home that is built with no non-recyclable residue or plastics, utilizes solar energy (not only to heat the water but to produce energy as well) and looks incredibly fabulous. Sound like a fantasy of the eco-chick’s distant future? Not so – it exists today thanks to Germany’s…
Hail to the Co-Op
Living in Vermont during my formative years provided me with a true education in what it means to be “green.” I had my first experience with a grease car, had my first friends who were eating almost entirely from their garden, and had my first exposure to the term co-op.…
Non-Plastic "Tupperware" — It Actually Exists
Like many people, the idea of non-plastic “Tupperware” was until recently— an urban legend to me (much like inexpensive, attractive and comfy shoes). I’d heard of people who owned the fabled goods, but had never actually seen it myself or knew where to buy it. On a mission to find…
As Green As Green Can Be?
There has been debate here lately about whether we, as “Greenies” should buy anything at all. This is a long-standing issue in the environmental community: Should we shun all consumer products and grow our own food, make our own clothes and educate our own kids (the time that takes tends…
Think Spring!
The time to plant tulip, iris, and hyacinth bulbs is past in much of the country, but spring planting is right around the corner. Gladiolas, tuberoses, and dalias will be ready to add to your garden, and virtually thumbing through garden catalogs online is a great way to beat the…
UnCommon Scents
There is nothing more odious (pardon the impending pun) than that heavy, pungent perfume you can smell from a mile away. And many of us have spent time perusing the shelves of that ubiquitous modern shrine to plasticity called Sephora only to leave with a pounding headache that has that…
Ask Chicky: Vermicomposting
Dear Chicky, I went to a dinner party last week and the host had a tiny composter in her apartment’s kitchen; she said there were bugs inside that eat the food she deposits. It sounds gross, but I feel bad tossing all my leftovers in the garbage—how do these things…