Wordless Wednesday

(Ok, like I could resist a few words).

Nobody needs a made-in-China jumpsuit. A grey, ribbed, made-in-China jumpsuit. To be fair, nobody needs a made-in-an-American-Apparel-factory jumpsuit, either, but that’s another story for another post.

Thanks to my fabulous cousin Sayer for modeling this Fashion & Eco Don’t. WTF, Top Shop?

BlogHerFood ’09 & A New Outlook

I had an absolute blast at BlogHerFood ’09 yesterday. I met so many interesting people and left eager to refresh and revamp my blog with a new design and a more streamlined focus. I’ll still be talking about the same kind of stuff, but really want to get back to my original focus of making Pretty Green Girl a place to come to for easy, fun ways to be and go green. My conversation with Darya of Summer Tomato particularly inspired me to really put the time in and make this blog what I want it to be.

Hangin’ with Laura. We had SO much fun! Love her!

Got to see Tina again – yay! Hope to see her again at Foodbuzz.

Elizabeth Faulkner put me in a sugar coma.

What would you like to see on Pretty Green Girl? What’s your current go-to site for green content?

A(live) from BlogHerFood!

Hi everyone!

I’m alive! Got back from my whirlwind Boston/NY/London trip Thursday night, just in time for today’s BlogHerFood conference! I’m here now and about to head down to a Scharffen Berger demo. Yay, local chocolate! I’m having a blast hanging with my friend Laura, learning a lot aboout blogging in general, and meeting up with loads of interesting food bloggers. I even got to catch up with Tina who I met when I was in Boston last week!

I’m very lucky that the conference happens to be in my city, because after all the traveling I’ve done lately, I’m doing my best to avoid flying for the rest of the year. Quickly (so I can get down to the aforementioned chocolate demo), here’s how I’m “greening” BlogHerFood ’09 for myself:

*Taking the bus to and from the conference
*Going paperless – taking notes on my computer (though we all know I have a ton of scratch paper!)
*Bringing my own silverware wrapped in a dish towel, which I’ll use instead of a paper napkin
*Bringing my own reusable bags and Sigg water bottle
*Wearing my favorite thrift store Citizen jeans and Made in the USA wrap (ok, maybe those don’t really count! ;))

There have been a few non-green things that have bugged me a little bit (tuna and shrimp at lunch, extra-thick paper napkins in the bathrooms, etc) but overall I’m having a great experience.

Are you here? If not, is there anything you’d like to know about the conference?

Green LOLz

How cute is my family’s new kitten, Jump? PS: He recycles, too.

I haven’t mentioned it yet, but I’m off for 2 weeks – to Boston, NY and London! I’m super excited, feeling guilty about my carbon footprint (am I a hippiecrit?) and hoping to find organic fruit and vegetables along the way! I hope to be able to post a lot (more than I have been lately!) along the way!

But I’m going to miss this face!

Put a Cork in It

It being your compost bin.

I moved a few weeks ago, and as I was cleaning out my drawers, I found a ton of corks. Not sure what I was saving them for, but after a little research, I realized they are totally compostable! Since cork is made of tree bark, it’s perfectly ok to throw it in your green bin (if you have one – man, I love San Francisco!) or compost pile. Pretty cool, right?

While you’re at it, check out this list 11 Unusual Things You Can Compost. While recycling is much better than throwing things in the garbage, most of what we recycle gets sent overseas. Composting your paper towels, egg cartons and cotton swabs is a great solution. If you don’t want to start your own compost pile (totally understandable!), check with your city to see if they have a municipal composting program, or contact your local officials and say you want one!

I heart wine.

Do you compost? Would you like to if you could? Do you have any questions about composting for my sister, a gardening/composting expert?

Pretty Greenscopes

Sad news in Pretty Green Girl land. Unfortunately, last week I was laid off from my full-time job. It wasn’t a shock (in this economy and at a start-up!), but I’m still really bummed out. I have absolutely no hard feelings, and only good – fabulous, in fact – things to say about the people and the company. I’ll really miss my great coworkers and fun work, but know I’ll stay in touch, and I’m excited about the opportunities out there for me (stay tuned!). Plus, I won’t have to commute anymore, and think I may actually be able to go car-less. I’m looking on the bright (green) side! Anyway, if anyone’s seeking a writer, freelance or otherwise, I’d love to hear about it. My specialties are pop culture (celebrity gossip and music, etc), Horoscopes (see below) and, obviously, green and “light green” content.

As I mentioned, of the coolest things I got to do at my old job was write Horoscopes. The ones I wrote were published through a Facebook application and on mobile phones, and I got a ton of great and hilarious feedback from the users. Things like, “OMG, this is soooOO my life, I feel like there stalking my Facebook page” (sic) and “this is so true my cuzn was totally late and i was so psd but in the end its okay cause we still got their on time and saw the boy i like and it wuz awesome.” (say what?)

Anyway. Since I’ll really miss that aspect of my job, I’ve decided to start writing the occasional Pretty Greenscopes here on PGG. I hope you like them! Please pass along the link if you do. 🙂 Ok, time to look into my (green!) crystal ball…

Pretty Greenscopes

Aries: Though the grass always seems greener on someone else’s (low-water!) lawn, to others, your grass looks pretty darn green. Focusing on what others have distracts you from the amazing things you have going on in your own life. Take a look from the outside at how good you have it.

Taurus: A friend’s toxic attitude will completely shock you this week. How can something you care about so dearly be of so little importance to someone else? Spend a little time explaining where you’re coming from (without being preachy!), and they just might start to come around.

Gemini: Feeling guilty for what you’re not doing will get you nowhere. Dwelling on the negative will only drag you down, and distract you from all the amazing things you have accomplished. Focus on the positive changes you have made, and the good that has come from them.

Cancer: You’ve been feeling a bit low-energy lately, but chemicals and sugar won’t solve your problem. Fresh air and a good talk with a friend (ok, and maybe a little organic, fair-trade caffeine) are just the pick-me-up you need to snap back into it.

Leo: Something you never thought you’d like – or even try! – has become such an important part of your life. Going without for even a few days seems completely foreign. Don’t deprive yourself. It’s time to restock.

Libra: You are so sick of someone questioning your values and the choices you’ve made for yourself. You don’t judge others for their lifestyles, so it would be nice if people would return the favor. Luckily, your articulate defense of your own choices should shut them up this week, though you know it won’t last!

Virgo: If you want a fresh start, strike now! You keep saying you’re going to start a new habit, or end an old bad one, but you haven’t done it yet. So quit dawdling. If you’re gonna do it anytime, it’s now.

Scorpio: Think small this week. You don’t have to make big, monumental changes to make a difference. Acting now and making small changes as they occur to you is better in the long run than waiting for the perfect moment to do something big.

Sagittarius: Sometimes, even when you’re right, you just have to let it go. Acting like a know-it-all won’t win you any friends, and it may turn people against your cause. You’re better off preaching to the choir than to those who refuse to sing.

Capricorn: A change you recently made is having a much larger impact than you anticipated. It’s set off a chain reaction among your friends, family and colleagues, and you couldn’t be more proud to be spreading the word.

Aquarius: You’re green with envy about a friend’s recent purchase, but deep down, you know it wasn’t a smart decision in this economy or environment. Keeping that in mind will keep your envy at bay.

Pisces: The whole truth is far more complicated than you thought. Something you always believed in will be tested this week, and it’s up to you to do your research and separate fact from science fiction.

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I am assuming your comments will be more coherent than the ones on Facebook.