In between San Diego and L.A., you’ll find San Clemente, California ~ a surfer’s town with no lack of board shorts, flip flops and sun~kissed bods.  Locals take surfing seriously.  For some it’s a ritual, for some it’s a religion and others find it is both; and with that comes a deep reverence for the ocean. 

Based in San Clemente, footwear brand Ocean Minded can be found one block from the Pacific Ocean and wants everyone to be just that…mindful of the ocean.  Most of their staff are avid surfers and they strive to protect the Earth’s most precious resources, the oceans, lakes and streams and they coordinate frequent beach clean~up days.  In fact, just two weeks ago they cleaned up 115 pounds of trash from a local beach. 

They look for ways to reduce their carbon footprint and make more sustainable footwear, including currently working on a completely glue~free shoe.  (FYI…shoe glue can be one of the most toxic elements in your footwear).  They’ve already taken steps in the right direction by using the following eco~friendly materials and/or processes: 

~Metal free leather and/or suede

 ~Hemp

~Water based glue

~Recycled car tire or recycled rubber outsoles

~Organic cotton lining and/or laces

~Made with recycled Croslite Eco material

When you buy a pair of Ocean Minded sandals or shoes, they’ll donate a portion of the purchase price to the Surfrider Foundation, a non~profit grassroots organization that’s dedicated to the protection of the world’s oceans, beaches and waves through conservation, activism, research and education. 

Since 2005, Vancouver based Ashley Watson has been creating gorgeous one-of-a-kind handbags from 100% recycled leather.  Each unique bag is created by hand from reclaimed {disgarded} leather jackets found at charity thrift shops.  The buttery soft + gently slouchy bags, wallets + accessories have been known to grace the arms of celebs and the pages of glossies like Lucky, Marie Claire + Nylon.  You’ll find a variety of shapes, sizes + colors all in Ashley’s original designs.  Apparently bored at her parent’s house, she decided to take one of her dad’s retired leather jackets and get creative.  The result was a cool handbag and the birth of a new business for the studio artist.  According to this article, Ashley says “My bags are all made from old leather jackets and other clothes so on each bag there is, for example, a pocket from the original jacket, sometimes belts loops and a lot of the original seam. I use a pattern and then cut my pieces out of the jackets, trying to keep the good stuff. So, this said I don’t dye my leathers, I just have to find these crazy colours.”  Find one of my favorites, the Ashley Watson Thrush Bag here. 

I have been in love with Simple Toepaz Slip-Ons for a while, but I am especially loving the Forget Me Not blue color scheme right now. With a dainty blue and brown scalloped pattern and a brown “rubbahyde rand”, this sturdy yet feminine slip-on is a great shoe for early Fall. Imagine pairing this with some jeans and a lightweight sweater for those nights when you finally start feeling a little chill in the air - perfect! The great thing about these shoes is that there’s more to love than just their looks - they’ve got soul too.

Simple has been known for their commitment to sustainable practices for some time now. They describe themselves as “your stereotypical, anti-stereotype brand offering good shoes and a big dose of reality.” The Green Toe line of Simple Shoes is light years ahead of most other shoe companies in the area of sustainability - making sure every material in their shoes is earth-friendly. The Toepaz Forget Me Not is made of hemp uppers, bamboo lining inside, a recycled car tire for the outsole and a comfy latex footbed. All of these sustainable, animal product-free materials are held together by water-based cements to ensure that no one is harmed by the making of these shoes.

So if you’re looking for ways to reduce your environmental impact, why not start by looking at your feet? We all need to wear shoes, and if we can start making smart choices when it comes to our footwear, we can not only look cute but we can feel proud of ourselves too. As long as Simple can keep making sustainable look adorable, I will be coveting their shoes.

Until now, there hasn’t been a channel dedicated to all things green & eco-friendly.  In collaberation with TreeHugger.com, Discovery launched Planet Green one month ago on June 4th.  On the air 24/7, you’ll find a wide variety of shows to help inspire you to live more consciously.  Offering a broad range of perspectives and ideas, all backgrounds and ages will be able to find something appealing.  

No matter what shade of green you are, learn how to reduce your carbon footprint on Wa$ted, follow the residents of Greensburg as they rebuild their town that was completely destroyed by a deadly tornado and how they are implementing eco-friendly design into their plans.  If you’re a bit (or a lot) star-struck, check out Hollywood Green as host Maria Menounos reports on how the stars are going green.  On location at Whole Foods Market, watch Emeril Lagasse whip up some healthy meals with local and organic foods on Emeril Green.  Hosted by Tom Bergeon (Dancing with the Stars host), each week Supper Club features a celebrity chef who cooks up a green meal for four green celebrity guests while they discuss latest happenings and controversies in the green movement.  If you’re into home design and renovation, tune into Renovation Nation, Greenovate or World’s Greenest Homes for some great inspiration and ideas. 

 To find out what channel it’s on in your area, click here. 

The first cardinal rule of green flooring is “no carpets.” According to TheDailyGreen.com’s guide to greening your floors, “carpets and the pads beneath them are made with synthetic fibers derived from petroleum and are glued together with urea formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is a suspected carcinogenic substance and it leaks from your carpets and pads into the air.” Then there are all the detergents used to clean a carpet–few natural cleaners are able to penetrate such heavy artificial fibers.

In sticking with carpet-free floors, the best options include bamboo, reclaimed wood,  cork. These hardwood and natural floor coverings are easy to install and usually less expensive than premium carpeting. Best of all, flat floors don’t collect dust and allergens.

If you love the cozy comfort of carpet then consider softening your hard floors with an organic wool or cotton area rug. These smaller and greener rug options are available in a wide range of colors, patterns and sizes.  Plus they’re better for the planet because they’re made of organic materials and don’t include harsh synthetics. Best of all, they’re easier to clean and disinfect than wall-to-wall carpeting.

1. Give Green
Support companies who care about the environment. From stocking stuffers to big-ticket items there are endless green alternatives to all your holiday favorites.

2. Wrap Well
According to Robert Lilienfeld’s book, “Use Less Stuff: Environmental Solutions for Who We Really Are,” Americans throw away 25% more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year’s holiday period than any other time of year. The extra waste amounts to 25 million tons of garbage, or about 1 million extra tons per week.

Trim your trash and bypass the wrapping paper this holiday season. Get creative! Wrap gifts in old maps, magazine tears, unused fabric, and bits and pieces from your junk drawer. If it’s a fun and carefree gift, why not use the Sunday comics? Your recipient will be impressed you took the time to add a personal touch that doesn’t add, but subtracts, from the holiday trash heap.

3. Buy Online
Shopping online is healthier for the environment. E-tailers avoid the necessary cost of heat and electricity to run a storefront and you’ll lower your carbon emissions—when you shop online, you can literally travel the globe without using any fuel.

Shopping online is especially great if you recycle your purchases’ shipping materials—peanuts, wood shavings, shredded newspaper and bubble wrap can be reused. Or, drop extra packing materials at local private mailing centers. Call the Plastic Loosefill Council’s Peanut Hotline at 1-800-828-2214 for the names of a mailing center that collects them in your area.

If you’re really on top of your environmental game, buy gifts online that are easy to ship such as linens or clothing that won’t require excess packaging.

Sources:
Use Less Stuff: Environmental Solutions for Who We Really Are,” by Robert Lilienfeld and Dr. William Rathje, published by Ballantine Books. Copyright 1994 -2000 Robert Lilienfeld.

To make your Thanksgiving celebration as eco-friendly as possible, follow the three Rs of conservation: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

Reduce waste by buying only the needed amount of Thanksgiving supplies. Choose products with little packaging, recycled packaging, or—much better—no packaging at all.

Reuse your best silverware. Don’t buy disposable. They look ugly and a Thanksgiving dinner, tableware is far more refined.

Recycle paper, plastic, glass and aluminum containers. If you don’t already have a compost bin, use your Thanksgiving fruit and vegetable trimmings to start one. The compost will enrich the soil in your garden next spring.

76. Switch to low-wattage or compact fluorescent light bulbs. They last 10 times longer and use only one-fourth of the energy compared to incandescent light bulbs.

77. Eat vegetarian foods as much as possible. Meat makes less efficient use of land, soil, water, and energy - and cows emit/flattulate 300 liters of methane per day.
78. Dry clothes and linens on a clothesline rather than in the dryer. If you have to use a dryer, use an energy star one and clean the lint screen before use.

79. When running your tap to wash dishes, use cold water instead of hot. You’ll save a lot of energy.
80. Run energy efficient dishwashers only when full.
81. Take quick showers instead of baths.
82. Compost kitchen and garden waste, or give it to a friend who can.
83. If your lazy, don’t like to iron, or an environmentalist you can always hang your clothes in the bathroom while showering. They’ll be wrinkle free in 5 minutes of steam.
84. Install low flow showerheads and sink-faucet aerators. Low-flow showerheads can reduce the water flow up to 50 percent.
85. Collect rainwater and gray water for gardening use.
86. Start a garden; plant a garden instead of a lawn. Lawns use a huge amount of water.
87. Use natural fiber clothing, bedding and towels.

88. Insulate your water heater. Turn it down to 121°F.
89. Turn off all lights that don’t need to be on.
90. Try to be a localvore. Locally produced foods are better for the environment because they do not need to be trucked in from great distances.
91. Buy in bulk. Buy products with less packaging or buy in bulk.
92. Explore getting a solar water heater for your home.
93. Urge your local officials to start a convenient and even lucrative curbside recyclables pickup program.
94. Remove unnecessary stuff from your car. Each 100 lbs. of weight decreases fuel efficiency by 1%.
95. Use recycled products, especially paper.
96. Invest your money in environmentally and socially conscious businesses.
97. Bring your own canvas bags to the grocery store.
98. Limit your energy star air conditioner use.
99. Encourage your local auto centers to install CFC recycling equipment for auto air conditioners. Freon is released during servicing to become both a greenhouse gas and an ozone layer destroyer.
100. If you have to use fertilizer use an organic one. Home gardeners use up to 10 times more toxic chemicals per acre than farmers because home gardeners over use chemical fertilizers.
101. Spread the word.

Good luck and Godspeed.

31. Take the live earth pledge.
32. Keep your car tuned.
Keeping your car in good working condition will make it safer and more fuel-efficient.
33. Use glass instead of plastic.
Plastic packaging leaves chemical residues on foods stored or heated in it.
34. Use organic skin care products.
35. Clean up your spills with cloth.
Twenty-seven million trees a year are destroyed to support our paper towel addiction. Clean up your spills with cotton kitchen towels or old clothes.
36. Caulk and weatherstrip doors and windows.
37. Opt for small-oven or stove-top cooking when preparing small meals.
38. Compost kitchen and garden waste, or give it to a friend who can.
39. Clean the lint screen in clothes dryers.
40. Support Organic Cotton
41. Carpool
Most cars on U.S. roads carry only one person.

For a long time I’ve wondered what “reclaimed wood” is and why it is such a popular material for eco-friendly furniture and products. Now that I’m getting older and considering purchasing “real” furniture, I figure there is no better time to investigate this mysterious “reclaimed wood” phenomenon.

After doing some online research and talking to a friend at a sustainable furniture company, it turns out that “reclaimed wood” is exactly what you’d expect . . . “rescued wood.” It is simply discarded lumber, re-constructed and re-fashioned for re-use in new products. “Reclaimed wood” can come from old buildings, scrap furnishings, outdated constructions—even wharves, piers, and old barns. In other words, it is collected anywhere wood is thrown out, slated for demolition, and eventually headed for a landfill. Depending on the quality, condition, size, and form of the abandoned wood, companies will “salvage” pieces and incorporate them into new projects, furniture, and buildings.

Not only is reclaimed wood a pro for the environment, but it also adds a sense of history and heritage to any piece of new furniture. It’s fun to have a table that was once a door of a mill or perhaps the deck of an important 18th century mansion. One of my favorite simple pieces of reclaimed furniture—a great addition to any bedroom, living room, or home office—is VivaTerra’s coffee table made from teak, pine, and ironwood railroad ties. These tables are sleek, thin, and modern and the smaller one can slide under the larger one to save space. I recommend this table because it is so simple and reasonably cheap (for nice furniture). The wood’s natural tones blend well with most color schemes and it’s minimalist design fits seamlessly into a variety of styles and genres.

Lumber connoisseurs also tout reclaimed wood as an excellent financial investment. According to Mountain Lumber Timber, a company specializing in reclaimed wood, “reclaimed heart pine, oak and chestnut create beautifully behaved building material that only gets better with time.” How so? Apparently, the natural color, character and patina are more readily visible in weathered and older wood. Additionally, wood that has already been through seasonal expansion and contraction cycles is more stable than younger wood. Who knew cast-off wood could be valuable, beautiful, and eco-chic? Apparently, “one man’s trash” really is “another man’s treasure.”