Going green is not just better for you and the planet, but despite what we instinctively think, it can save a lot of ‘green’ going out of your pocket.
Treehugger is listing 6 tips of saving $1,000 in the next year, which considering the current economy trend, you should start doing it sooner than later. Here are the 6 tips that can help you start saving money today:
1. Hang your clothes to dry. After the refrigerator, the dryer uses the most energy in your household. You can save$70 per year, plus extend the life of your clothing, therefore become more sustainable.
2. Eat more veggies. From an average $71 cents per pound for vegetables, to a minimum $ 2.93 per pound for meat, you can save $ 100 per person a year, if you eliminate one beef meal a week. Not to mention your health benefits!
3. Use your programmable thermostat wisely, by programming it from day to night and from summer to winter with the right temperatures. It can save you $180 a year.
4. Convince your boss to work longer hours and only 4 days a week. It can save you 2 of whatever you were spending, from commuting to lunch and coffee. That can add up to $500 a year.
5. Walk or bike one trip a week for 2 miles round trip. Since 40 of urban travel is average 2 miles per trip, you can save $56.26 a year by doing it. Not a lot, but you help the planet too. If you live in the suburbs you can still save, if you become more creative( car pooling, batch more errands in one trip, change your staple stores with other closer to your home, etc)
6. Make your own all purpose cleaners! The magic of baking soda! You can save money (and your heath) by making your own. How much? Give or take, average $50 a year.
Here you have it .Let’s talk about your success so far and your ideas.
Next time: recipes.

Anette

Hi ladies!

As a sustainable, slow fashion entrepreneur, imagine the joy of finding out that I have been featured on TreeHugger, an amazing  up-to-date media outlet dedicated to driving sustainability mainstream.
Here I am, with my line on the fashion-beauty section.
Wish me luck!
Zoica

The San Francisco based Outlaw Consulting that researches Gen Y culture, recently surveyed its trendsetter base on its favorite green brands. Generation Y wants to buy with their values, supporting companies that are green either by the way they run their business or by the products they sell. The top 12 favored by them are:
1.Whole Foods Market, a 28 year old company that has 270 stores and has a list of 80 ingredients that refuses to sell in store for ethical and health reasons.
2.Trader Joe’s with their green initiatives which include an in-house label that contains no artificial flavors, colors and preservatives, no MSG or added trans fats. They also feature vegan and gluten- free products.
3.Toyota, listed their Prius fuel-efficient model as their third-best selling auto.
4.Honda ranked second, with their Honda Civic Hybrid and more current and future greener business practices.
5.Google with their 2007 announcement to become carbon neutral, adopted a lot of green practices at their headquarters and has the largest corporate solar panel installation in the US.
6.Aveda. The 30 year old company has a lot of green initiatives, from cutting on plastic waste to recycling it and using green ingredients.
7.Zipcar, a newcomer that provides rental cars. The company claims that it has helped to remove 25,000 cars from the road, increased use of public transportation with 47 percent, and helped customers sell their cars.
8.American Apparel made it to the top 10 because of their relevancy to this age group. They recycle 30,000 pounds of cutting and fiber scrap a week and have the ultimate goal not to use conventional cotton at all.
9.Ikea. The Swedish furniture and accessories retailer has a lot of green practices, from renewable energy sources, greenhouse emissions and its plan to reduce its plastic bag usage by 50 percent by charging 5 cents for every “throwaway” plastic bag used.
10.Seventh Generation, founded in 1988 sells 100 percent recycled paper towels, tissues and napkins, offers natural cleaning products and sells garbage bags made with roughly 50 percent recycled plastic.
11.Apple with their sleek, minimalist design approach helped eliminate more than 2 pounds of lead, reduced the energy consumption to 80 percent in sleep mode, and helped recycle more than 21 million pounds of equipment since 1994.
12.The Body Shop has a no animal testing on its products, and committed to become a carbon-neutral company by 2010.
Here you have it! The list is a short one I think, in regard to green companies green values and supported companies.

Every time I found myself in front of a food product and read the label, I feel that I need to take chemistry again… Coming from Europe, chemistry was mandatory in middle school and high school, and a lot of terms sound familiar. They are so many that still linger in my mind, floating, mystifying me in regard to buying the item.  All the labels should have a “translation” for all of us not chemists… so we have clarity in regard to what we are about to eat.
The idea of having labels that explain the “content” on an apparel product is congratulatory, I think. With all the green claims around us lately, the consumer finds herself (himself) in wonder because cannot understand the real meaning for them or for the Planet… It is hard to fill in that much information on a small label though..
My solution?  My apparel line has a content label, but since all the information cannot be placed on the care label, I added a blog on the site, so all your questions can be answered there.
Please visit and place your comments there!