Green at blogging, but not green at being green.

After my slow start at blogging, here's another post.

North Americans have been slow to adopt alternative small energy. For example, solar and wind generated energy.

On our recent travel to the Dominican Republic, where hydro costs are high and many of the people are less economically advantaged, we spotted many small solar panels and windmills. It was very encouraging to see so much advertising for the use of solar and wind systems.

We saw many black tanks on the roofs of houses and condos. Basically, the water in the tanks is heated by the sun. What an ingenious idea. It's a very simple and primitive idea, yet at the same time it is something we do not practice much of in North America.

I would like to see more of us adopt small energy systems in our own daily lives. If taking the plunge with experimenting with alternative energy is too big a step for you, why not try taking baby steps? For example, try one of these solar backpacks.

Eclipse Solar Gear bags enable you to recharge your batteries with the help of solar energy. You won't have to worry about your batteries dying out on you. Just let the sun work its magic and your ipod, cell phone, digital camera, MP3, PDA, GPS, and whatever other gadget you have will get charged by the sun's energy.
Reviews for these new bags are mixed. According to some, the price is a bit hefty and charging time is long. It's still a great step in the way of using natural energy though!

Stella McCartney and LeSportsac

I've been such a huge fan of the wonderful, fabulous, and innovative Stella McCartney. A few months ago, I heard from news about her new partnership with LeSportsac, since then I've been keeping in touch with the store waiting for the best and truly eco-friendly bag line ever. It wouldn't come out till September 2008 over here in Hong Kong, but it's available through pre-order if you can't wait that long. For the modern traveling or mom on the go, with top priorities on form, function and sustainability, Stella's Sportsac's in the bag.

Stella's got it all figured out. From the cutest cute to the coolest chic. From left to the right, 1. Bunny Rucksack, $120, 2. Bowling Bag Tote with all the zippings ($350), and 3. the hobo bag ($350).

Bag it in style

Hi everyone! Fancy here!

One of the first big green changes I made was to stop using plastic shopping bags. When I was doing spring cleaning almost a year ago, I realized that plastic bags were taking over my home. They were stuffed in every corner of every closet, sand even though I did use them for garbage and kitty litter, I still had a huge overflow. I ended up throwing out t big black bags full of them, as I did not know where to recycle them. I decided then and there that I would never bring another plastic bag into my home and I haven't.

I went to Supermarket that day and picked up a pile of Green grocery bags. I started using them for groceries, the fruit market, the library and the mall. If I forgot them or ran out, I bought more or did not buy what I had planned to. That got me out of the habit of forgetting them really quickly, and I gave away my surplus!

Since then, I have bought different bags for different purposes. I have some tiny foldable ones I can keep in my purse at all times, as well as some bigger totes that are really cute, and look much nicer when I am walking the malls or streets than a grocery bag would. I still use my original grocery bags for groceries though. I always hang them on the front door right after emptying them, and then take them out to my car the next time I leave the house.

I want to devote this post to showing you some stylin' shopping bags that will not only reduce your plastic and help you do good for the environment (and free up some room under the sink!), but also look great on your arm:

The Anya Hindmarch Shopping Tote, these sold out of stores in the UK and North America faster than you could say "I've got my own bag", and for good reason. They are so cute, not to mention huge and sturdy. Some might say the message is smug, but I say who cares? Real ones can go for about $200 on Ebay. I would not spend that, but I did get mine on Ebay for $30. Now, I am not positive it is real, but I can say that I have looked at some guides to identifying fakes, and mine certainly seems to be real, so I guess I just got lucky. Either way, it is a cute and functional bag that I reach for again and again when I hit the mall.

The rest of these aren't bags I actually own, but ones I'd like to, and you could if you click on the pictures!

A perfectly green handbag

Hi everyone! Fancy here!

I am so excited about this new blog with the fabulous C.K.!! I started going green about 2 years ago, when I chose to start using the amazing reusable Diva Cup. I did not make this decision for the environment, but the more research I did, the more connected I got to women that did make this change and others, to reduce waste and protect our precious planet. So, I got caught up in the movement, and have never looked back.

I will only do so much though. I am a city girl through and through and will not sacrifice style, comfort or convenience for the environment, so instead I look for ways to do good for the world, and still stay true to my fashionista self. No crunchy granola mamma here!

Handbags are a big passion of mine, and I recently got tuned into a new handbag line that is both gorgeous and eco-friendly. Sparrow Handbags are made from organic cotton, dyed with environmentally safe dyes, and lined with recycled Tetra boxes! That's right, Sparrow uses Tetra boxes to help their handbags keep their structures shape. No animal products are used, of course.

OK, so they sound kinda crunchy, yes?I mean, Tetra boxes? Really! Well, take a look at these beauties:


Not a crunch in sight! I haven't bought one yet, but they are on my list. They are all around the $100CAD price point and available at Eco-handbags online, or these Canadian retail stores.

Bonus points: You'll be supporting a small, privately owned company!