[Green Thursdays] "Upcycled" Style, the BP Oil Spill, & Earth Day

Yeah, so the three subjects are totally unrelated, but interesting nonetheless.

1. First off, fashion. SFGirlbytheBay posted about poketo, a brand specializing in upcycled goods. Essentially, the company takes remnants of fashion items and creates gorgeous accessories in an eco-friendly and sustainable away. The purses, wallets and even passport cases are phenomenal (which by the way is like my word of the week.) Plus, the goods are affordable; a wallet is a reasonable $32.

2. Catch up on the news of the BP oil spill - it's been a year since the spill and some progress has been made.
BP Sues Rig Partners in Gulf for $40B (Time)
Obama Marks Anniversary of BP Disaster (NY Times)

3. Earth Day is tomorrow! Read about it here and think about making your own pledge.

Mine is to start using a thermos/water bottle when I buy my coffee in the morning and to phase meat out of my diet :-)

[Get Involved Tuesdays] Celebrate Earth Day in Style

There are all kinds of fun ways to celebrate the earth this year! You can find tons of eco-friendly and earth-conscious deals and programs that will let you love the earth without being a total hippy (not that there's anything wrong with that either).

1. Visit a National Park this week. All 394 are free until April 24! 
My California recommendation: Sequoia National Park. Giant sequoia trees; absolutely mesmerizing.

Photo via CC

2. Get a free Starbucks coffee when you bring in a travel mug on Earth Day, April 22. Sure, it's Starbuck's and Starbuck's kinda sucks, but it's also free, and I am not one to judge free shit.

3. Read about the 100 Mile Challenge, in which you pledge not to eat any foods that have been shipped over 100 miles to get to your plate. It's a fascinating challenge, one that Barbara Kingsolver took on in her book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Or ease yourself into seasonal, sustainable living by checking out the Planet Green website. 

4. Donate your phone to the Verizon HopeLine project, which donates the money to people who are victims of domestic abuse. I mean, you're not using that Nokia anyway, and throwing it in the garbage makes the planet super angry. 

5. Buy some stuff from Etsy vendors who are part of the EcoEtsy network. I mean, you wanted to buy some cute jewelry anyway. It might as well be eco-friendly.

Bike Ring from uncorked