I first got wind of Earth Day vacationing in the US in the early 90s. We were at a Department Store, I think Macy's, and there was a stall giving out Earth Day stickers. Of course when you're of tween age stickers are always fun to go with your stationery diba? Didn't think much of what Earth Day was. These days, it's THE movement in anything and everything. Banks, manufacturing companies, retailers, advertising, products, newspapers are all on the go green bandwagon. Sustainability, eco-friendly, organic, green etc are now everyday words on all media platforms. These are five mini ways I'm in on the bandwagon:
- BYOB - and by B I mean bag and bottle. I keep 2-3 huge canvas bags in the trunk of my car for when I do the grocery shopping but kind of worry about the proliferation of these reusable bags though. As a commuter, my bag is my house and of course keeping it light is a must. It's much more convenient to buy water and throw it out as soon as you drink up. It's tough lugging around a heavy bag. Lately, I've felt guilty so I started using my neglected Starbucks coffee mug/tumbler to bring water along and just go to the school water fountain for refills. When I go shopping and my bag is big enough, I just shove my purchase into it. I don't need another H&M plastic bag or Club Monaco paper bag.
- Go Paperless - the amount of mailers, catalogs, credit card offers, coupons etc.. that you get in the post in the US is ridiculous. I was signed up for Anthropologie, Free People, Urban Outfitters, J.Crew, Victoria's Secret, Barneys among many, many retailers. I have started calling the help line for most of them and have asked to be taken off their mailing lists. Why not just sign up for online updates? I recently signed up for paperless banking statements too. I use a lot of paper being in school. If I can access notes online, I don't bother printing them out and use hand outs as scratch paper. I appreciate professors who prefer emailing your homework to them. Although we have free online access to WWD, I get the daily paper in the mail for bus/subway ride entertainment. I make sure I put it out for recycling though.
- Lights Out - This one's self explanatory. When something's not in use or you're out of the room, switch it off or unplug it. I also use Blackle as my search engine.
- Mapping My Route - I plan my way when I have errands to run and places to go to. Don't really like driving aimlesly unless I want to disappear. I only drive on weekends now and kind of miss it but hey, commuting is one way of helping the environment right? I fear the day when gas prices sky rocket again. Summer gas prices are just around the corner. I believe the mini gets around 32 MPG which is pretty good.
- Eco Products Awareness - I think this one is a little tricky because it's the IN thing now. As there is no standard seal or logo for eco friendly merchandise how can you be sure that what the label is saying is accurate??? Any manufacturer can just slap on a tag/label with the words green, organic, sustainable, earth friendly. The government should come up with a standard seal, kind of like the energy star logo. Eco fashions wise, Barneys has been carrying, supporting Loomstate and just recently eco lines from Stella McCartney and Phillip Lim. The Barneys that just opened in Chicago is LEED Certified. I'm also liking that eco fashions are hitting mainstream. Banana Republic just rolled out their second eco line. When you browse through the BR's site, look for the green elephant! I recently went to a Sustainability Conference at FIT where I learned about the growing number of green companies like Terracyle who "upcycles" and Design Green Now. I want a green roof!!! Clothes and accessories made out of recycled material were also on display. Anyways, as eco merchandise gain popularity, I hope a watchdog will be put up to educate and protect consumers. For now, I bug my textiles professor with questions on organic fabrics and such.
P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!!!!
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See you again soon okay? =)