Store Adore Featured Green Store: All Shades of Green

No matter if your preference is emerald, teal, lime or forest, green has become the color du jour for socially conscious individuals concerned about the state of the environment. From recycled glass jewelry and bamboo bowls to toxin-free car wash solution and cleaning products, All Shades of Green stocks everything necessary to see the world through green-colored glasses. Organic cotton clothing from Two Owls, beauty products from 100% Pure and John Masters Organics, shoes from Simple and Camper and even a corner devoted to catalogs and books on green home construction ensure that All Shades of Green is a one-stop shop for anything and everything a green queen (or king!) could want. For those new to the green lifestyle, the boutique proudly hosts green workshops (with experts in the field), such as “Green Goals,” which offers tips on obtaining and maintaining a fully green lifestyle. Those who have already embraced the lifestyle will also notice something green in their pockets, as the boutique gives a 5 percent discount on all goods to anyone who rides their bicycle to the store.

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John and Jen may be done (the fact that no one could combine their names à la Brangelina should have been a hint), but Jen’s not sitting anything out. There are already reports that she’s been out with a Mystery Man, and smooching him, too! Please, for our sake, use organic lipsticks that don’t contain cow brains or carcinogenic coal tar dyes. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found that 61 percent of brand-name lipsticks have traceable amounts of lead, which would not only would get into MM’s mouth, but Jen’s, too. Organic lipsticks like Burt’s Bees are made from natural products and colors and come in recycled/-able aluminum and plastic containers.

IK

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Store Adore Featured Green Store: Envi

If you haven’t noticed, green is the new black. While politicians, stars and socialites tout the benefits of preserving our world but steadfastly refuse to give up their Learjets, you wonder how you can jump on the bandwagon in earnest. Stop by Envi, Boston’s first eco-fashion boutique. Casually stylish designs made from organic fabrics and renewable resources are showcased in a decor best described as antique country with a spa sensibility. We love the green ceiling hung with a twig-branch chandelier, the hand-painted damask-patterned wallpaper, the bamboo flooring and the fireplace lined with smooth river stones. As for the clothes, the shop showcases an array of cute looks, from ruched tops and drawstring skirts to slim tees and soft and sexy denim from brands like Grace & Cello, Edun and Panda Snack. This stuff is to-dye-for, naturally. And if the only thing eco-friendly to hit your town is the local food co-op, you’re in luck—Envi sells online, too.

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Veganism is often misunderstood as claiming that the circle of life does not, in the words of Elton John, move us all. Besides animal rights, vegans like hip-hop legend Russell Simmons care about the earth, too, linking factory animal agriculture to pollution and land destruction. This means we can get on board with groups like Vegetarian Shoes & Bags and Alternative Outfitters that make it easier to buy completely vegan products—no leather, animal glue or fur—by finding them for you. Some of the profits are donated to different animal charities, which are hopefully getting just as much as Madonna’s Raising Malawi charity got from A-Rod ($500,000), who, of course, is just a very good friend to the injured pop queen.

IK

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Isabella Rossellini recently directed and starred in the hilarious and educational “Green Porno”, a series of shorts about the mating habits of bugs. Rossellini dons elaborate insect costumes ranging from the pesky fly to the psycho praying mantis, and even does a gender switcheroo on viewers! See, Mrs. Lohan? Your daughter can do porn and still be a classy lady.

“Green Porno” was produced for the Sundance Channel, whose “The Green” is tv’s first regularly-scheduled green programming. Their shows include “Eco Biz”, a series that follows business owners and executives on the quest to turn their organizations green, from financial behemoth Citi to a small interior design/cleaning business. Check out “The Green” for a guide to greener living, as well as eco documentaries and other downloads.

Of course, for your more primal viewing urges, you can check out Fuck for Forest, a porn site that donates 80% of its revenue to environmental causes! FFF (um, def NSFW) was formed in Norway and netted over $100,000 its first year through paid memberships to the site. However, some organizations like the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) refused to accept donations because of the methods through which the money was raised, so FFF is working directly with communities in Costa Rica and Brazil to help rescue rainforests. Strange as it may be, green porn is nature helping nature!

Jen

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If LC’s really super concerned about the whole paparazzi following her thing, she could always try changing up her look to throw them off with Morrocco Method hair dye. This completely natural dye made out of henna means no chemicals for your hair or for the environment, which means fewer damaged ends and ecosystems. Lauren’s “love for dogs” (or her publicist’s) would also be pleased with Morrocco’s refusal to test on animals. And of course, the 100% recyclable bottles (because of course she should order shampoo and conditioner at the same time so less gas would be used) would arrive in a recycled box filled with recycled styrofoam on LC’s doorstep—though if the ‘razzis see the package, they might anticipate the makeover.

IK

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T. Boone Pickens may be new to the windy scene, but Burgerville, a Northwest-based fast food chain, sure isn’t. Every branch of this chewable chain is wind-powered, making sure that 17.4 million pounds of CO₂ don’t wind up in the atmosphere each year. And you can keep breathing easily with the knowledge that all of Burgerville’s food is from local ingredients and antibiotic-free. While that means you can’t get a blackberry milkshake year-round, it does mean that even your burger is green meat (the good kind, not the questionable kind), especially because the cooking oil used to make it is even recycled into biodiesel. And we get a recyclable sticker set with that? Sweet.

IK

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We don’t normally write about people on Beanstockd if they could have legally bought us beer when we were in middle school, and this guy, T. Boone Pickens, could have bought our dads beer when they were in middle school. Pickens is 80. He’s worth $4 Billion. He made his fortune in the oil business.

And he wants us to shift to wind power. Big. He says we’re running out of oil and we’re all screwed if we don’t cut the crap with the black stuff. Repeat: this is an oil man.

This guy is no long-haired hippy freak. He played basketball at Texas A&M before there even were hippies! He says that alternative energy isn’t going to come along soon enough to completely eliminate fossil fuels. So, he wants us to buy time by building more windfarms up and down the Midwest to run homes and businesses and use the natural gas we save to run our cars and trucks. Could it work?

Well, did you know the USA has more wind than almost anyone else? Check it out. Pickens has made a retro video about his plan. He just uses a white board rather than a Power Point, like Al Gore, ‘cuz, y’know… he’s an old guy. They’re bad with computers.

BradyDale

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Since industrial hemp is still banned in the US, it’s fallen to our friends across the pond to use it to change the world. Brit-based Lotus Cars presented the Eco Elise at the British International Motor Show, a sports car mostly made out of hemp. Lotus is attacking the environmentally-damaging manufacturing process of cars, instead of just fuel emissions, with wool and sisal carpets, water-based paints, and local materials. But the dashboard will also tell you how to maximize your fuel economy and minimize your carbon emissions. These dashboard confessionals might even be better than Chris Carrabba’s new album in the fall.

IK

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The 2008 Summer Olympics are only 2 weeks away and the forecast is: smoggy skies and algae-covered seas. Beijing has begun a widespread shutdown of factories, construction sites, power stations, traffic lanes; taking drastic measures to clean the carbon heavy skies before the games begin. And the whole world will be watching. . .

Zoom in on the Bird Cage (Bird’s Nest)—the (ultra cool/ postmodern creepy) National Stadium that will hold all Olympic track and field events, and the opening and closing ceremonies. Next stop, the National Theater—an alien looking dome with an underground entrance, probably the most controversial building in new Beijing. “A modern building in an existing place is disturbing. That is a fact,” reported the project’s French architect, Paul Andreu, to NPR.

All the construction of said megastructures in an already congested city makes for a whole lotta pollution. And what happens when polluted run-off water reaches the sea? A big mess of green algae to clean-up before the sailing events start.

The modern paradox of progress leading to pollution; we’re curious to see how it will be played on tv screens and in the blogosphere (Bloggers be warned: Google’s a little different over there. In certain spots you are guaranteed to encounter the Great Firewall of China)

What of the sustainability of these innovative advancements in modern China? Most of the construction is still fueled by oil or coal; meanwhile there is a mess of biomass just floating around, waiting to be converted into biofuel. Will the national government continue to finance projects that pollute but look pretty, or turn to productive cleantech opportunities? The future (and the sky) is still hazy.

Sharona

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