Tag, You're It!

Meg at Pink to Green has tagged me with this cute little questionnaire.

The rules:
1. Respond and rework. Answer the questions on your blog, replace one question you dislike with a question of your own invention; add a question of your own.
2. Tag eight other un-tagged people.

• What is your current obsession? Getting fit and healthy for the summer.
• Do you use canvas or plastic bags when you go shopping? Canvas
• Do you nap a lot? Not nearly as much as I'd like to.
• Who was the last person you hugged? A friend I hadn't seen in a while.
• What’s for dinner? An avacado, lettuce and tomato sandwich on whole wheat bread and a gala apple.
• What was the last thing you bought? Groceries
• What are you listening to right now? Ingram Hill
• What is your favorite weather? Warm spring weather (sunny and not too hot)
• What’s on your bedside table? A stack of magazines and 2 books (Ultramarathon Man by Dean Karnazes and The Bouviers by John Davis)
• Say something to the person/s who tagged you. Meg, you're blog is fantastic and a great place to find all things green!
• If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you want it to be? Hmmmm, good question. Probably either New Orleans or Charleston.
• Favorite vacation spot? Anywhere with a minimally crowded beach
• Name the things you can’t live without. Family, friends and exercise.
• Who is your biggest fashion influence? Probably Audrey Hepburn.
• What is your favorite tea flavor? Sweet tea or peach tea...it's a tie.
• What is your favorite book? I have a few: To Kill a Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye, and The Ultimate Gift.
• If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? Charleston.
• What did you want to become as a child? A rockstar.
• What do you like better, e-mail or telephone calls? E-mail.
• What is your favorite sport to play? Squash or cycling (even though you don't really play cycling)
• What was your favorite concert you attended? James Taylor
• What is your favorite flower? Pansies.

I'll tag others when I return this evening. Until then, I wish you all the best.

Addendum to Eco-Exercise

I am, admittedly, behind the curve in the online world. In the last few hours, FitSugar has become one of my favorite websites. I was surprised to find that their article about the 7 Things you should have in your gym bag contained a number of eco-friendly suggestions. From a reusable BPA-free water bottle to an organic laundry bag to natural facial towelettes, FitSugar hits the mark with their suggestions. To add a cherry on top, there's even a preppy nod by way of a Vera Bradley mention. Hey, if you're going to store your gym ID somewhere, you might as well store it somewhere cute!

Check out the whole slideshow here.

Eco-Exercise

Spring is here and it's time to get back outside and get some exercise. Running or walking outdoors is a great eco-friendly way to get your workout mojo going. If outdoor exercise isn't your thing or if there simply aren't enough hours in the day for you to fit in an outdoor workout, consider an eco-friendly indoor workout.

One of my favorite indoor workout tools was originally intended to be a winter substitute, but I've liked it so much that it's taken up permanent residence in the Eco-Prep house. If you're a cyclist, consider an indoor trainer that requires no additional energy other than what is produced by pedaling.

Because I come from a place where temperatures below 40 are highly unusual, I have a difficult time adjusting to winter up here in the north. Cycling or running outdoors during the chilly winters is pretty much out of the question. My indoor trainer has been a saving grace and has kept me on track with my cycling program.

Other great options include rowing machines or self-powered treadmills and elliptical machines.
For more eco-exercise tips, check out these links for GreenYour.com and Dummies.com.

Preppy Icon of the Day

Today's preppy icon of the day is Tea Leoni. She's got classic style and is never afraid to go with what's tried and true. Check out the anchor necklace below!
This funny girl can hold her own against the A-list of the boys' comedy club and still look super cute doing it!
Tea's classic style even scored her a page in A Privileged Life. So today, we celebrate Tea Leoni as the Preppy Icon of the Day.

Cole Haan Goes Eco

Since I started writing this blog, my friends have been like birddogs searching for green products. Rarely a day goes by without two or three emails or calls from friends who have found green goodies. Today, my super stylish friend ML found this fabulous Cole Haan tote made of sustainable materials.

The eco-friendly tote is made from natural recycled fabric with vegetable tanned leather and chrome-free leather trim. The tote is created from bionic yarn containing 30-60% fibers made from recycled plastic beverage bottles. Each tote reuses ten bottles worth of recycled plastic bottles. Get it here. Thanks, ML!!!

What Color is Your Ribbon?

Not too long ago, a good friend of mine wrote and recorded a song called "Colors Say" about how the meaning of various colors changes throughout our lives. As children, pink, green and yellow mean innocent youthful things but as adults, those same colors represent fighting disease, global change and loved ones away at war. The song calls to mind the ribbons of assorted colors representing the gamut of worthy causes. I've worn ribbons in pink, yellow, red, purple and blue but I've recently added a teal ribbon in memory of a friend.

Wearing a colored ribbon isn't just about wearing the ribbon. It's about doing your part to create awareness for causes. If it's a medical cause you're passionate about, please encourage those you know and love to get regular checkups. My grandmother always prescribed an ounce of prevention. You have no idea how far it goes!

For the readers who run and live in the Philadelphia area, the Sandy Sprint (formerly the Teal Ribbon Run) is a great 5K. I will be running it this year and I would love to run with some fellow bloggers!

Channel Your Inner Martha

EcoSalon has a great article on 10 clever ways to use leftover fabric.
I always have random pieces here and there that are too small to be put to regular use, but now I've got some great ideas on how to employ the scraps! See all ten ideas here.

Organic Madras

I get really excited when I find old favorites created in eco-friendly fabrics. I just discovered these madras pieces and wanted to pass them along.
The Raquel Skirt:

The Puerto Shorts:

Both pieces are made from 100% organic cotton. The most comfortable fabric just got even more comfy!

Making a Case for Greener Luggage

Heys Travel Goods has just come out with a new hard side suitcase. Ordinarily, I don't jump for joy over a new piece of luggage entering the market, but this one's a bit different. This hard side suitcase is made of 100% eco-friendly materials!


Heys has this to say about their product:
Why is the Eco Case a good choice?
* The shell is made of 100% recycled material and is 100% recyclable!
* A new blend of ABS gives the ECO CASE an elasticity effect similar to a rubber-band, the
shell won’t crack… ever!
* Heys ‘Better Life’ Warranty - 7 Year Worldwide Warranty
* It is the world’s first Eco-friendly Hard Side Case!

The case comes in 3 sizes and enough colors (including pink!) to make everyone happy. Find out where to get them here.

Sometimes New is Better (Off Ted)

I don't usually like newness in television. I eschew most new tv shows, primarily on the grounds that every new tv show I like gets canceled. Tonight, I lifted my ban on watching television premieres for Better Off Ted. I've been excited about the show since I started hearing mumbles about it a few months and I think it might just be my new favorite sitcom!

Jay Harrington is great as morally conscious Ted and Portia de Rossi's Veronica is a fantastic combination of Lindsay Bluth and Nell Porter. If you are a fan of dry humor from shows like Arrested Development, you'll probably enjoy Better Off Ted too. After all, sometimes new really is better!

Tender Loving Care(n)

Have you ever thought that it would be so great to be able to get all of your organic products in one spot? Now you can. In searching for evanhealy moisturizer, I recently discovered Caren. Caren is a great source for all sorts of natural and organic products (skin, hair, etc.) for both guys and gals. In addition to all of the evanhealy products I use, I also picked up some products from the Skin line which is fantastic. It's light and easy on the skin. Even the most sensitive of skin (mine included) will love the products you can get from Caren. They're also really nice too! And, as you know, good customer service goes quite far with me.

Free Shipping from Three Chickadees

When I travel, there are a few things I always take along. Without fail, my travel bag will contain Evan Healy moisturizer, the most recent issue of Real Simple (unless I've already read it too many times) and my Three Chickadees belt in Fantastical Paisley print. The belt is so versatile, it matches just about everything. If you've not yet seen the Three Chickadees site, head over now and give it a look!

Three Chickadees is offering free shipping through Saturday, March 21. Sign up for their mailing list and you'll get all the promotional codes sent right to your inbox!

What I Love About...

Today, I'm starting a new set of posts called "What I Love About..." Whenever I discover something I love so much that I simply have to share, I'll post it in a "What I Love About..." post. The inaugural WILA post is What I Love About... Hilton Suites Brentwood. Mom and I met up for the weekend in Nashville and stayed at this fantastic hotel. It's tiny by city standards, standing only 4 floors high but still, its charm and quaintness outweigh its small size. The beds are super comfortable and mom and I agreed that we slept better in those beds than we had in a long time in our own beds. (Perhaps I should order the bedding from Hilton!) The staff is so kind and helpful and I highly recommend this hotel if you're in the area.

The hotel is making strides towards being green. Their initiatives include the option of reusing towels and changing bed linens every other day.

Eco Alma Mater

The coupon from my last post is also accepted at A-List Furniture and Decor and Accents in the Garden.

They have some great eco-friendly college needlepoint pillows that are 100% handmade and dyed with 100% vegetable dye. Sadly, they don't have some schools (including my beloved LSU), but if you cut your tailgating teeth at Alabama, UGA, Tennessee or Auburn, you're in luck!

More Sales on Sails

The good things in life are always better when they're shared, so I decided I'd share with you the coupon I found in my inbox this morning. Newport Nautical Decor is having a 15% off sale. That's right, 15% off of EVERYTHING in the store. Use coupon code "marchsale" when checking out. The coupon is valid until March 15, 2009. They've got some cute items like this anchor pillow.

Sale on Sailcloth

VivaTerra just put their sailcloth bags (in messenger and tote styles) on sale! And let's be real, who doesn't love a sale????

Changes are Afoot

With the changing of the seasons comes other changes as well. I'm beginning to transition my wardrobe from cold-weather clothing to warmer-weather clothing (though family and friends farther south did this weeks ago), I'm starting to run outside again (I refuse to run in the cold because the sinus effects just aren't worth it), I'm getting back on a healthier eating plan, and I'm changing up the blog a bit. Nothing major, just some tweaks here and there. You may have noticed the new background. I think it's much spunkier than the solid background that came before it. I'm also working on a new header which should be up in a week or so. So, in summation, I plan to celebrate the warmth with these changes and perhaps even a little dance!

Branch-ing Out

Though the organic cotton bar towels I love are no longer available from Branch Handmade, there are some other great things in the fun little Etsy store.

The nautical prints are available on an assortment of clothing and textile items, like this tshirt:

Branch Handmade also has great hand-printed pillowcases in nautical and equestrian designs:


What a great way to add some handmade character to your home or your closet!

Welcome Back Gant!

I have a love-hate relationship with my mailbox. First of all, it is far too small. Nothing larger than 4 inches wide will fit in the box. Secondly, it is far too deep. Things get lost in the bottom of the box (which opens from the top) causing an assortment of problems. In spite of the trials and tribulations of mail retrieval in my building, I do love getting the mail every day. Today, I successfully pulled all of the mail out of the tiny box without my arm getting stuck. The challenge was certainly worth the reward when I realized that Gant Magazine arrived today! Part catalog, part magazine, Gant Magazine is aesthetically pleasing from beginning to end. Get your own today at the Gant website! If you're the type that looks once and throws magazines and catalogs out, the site offers two planet-friendly options. You can download the magazine to your computer or you can look at it on the website.

Gant, the all-American clothing company (based out of Sweden, oddly enough), was on hiatus for a while, but the classic brand is back and in a big way!

The Spring/Summer collection has plenty of old favorites and some new additions. To boot, Gant is debuting a line of organic bedding! Three cheers for old favorites!!!

Images of Home

When I got back to the city from my all-too-short trip to visit my family, my neighbor and I had a long discussion about what we missed most about our respective homes. He said he missed the hustle and bustle of New York City and the ability to be just about anywhere in the city in a jiffy via the subway system. Our subway system only runs in two straight lines, so I completely understand his frustration with it. He also said that he missed pizza at 2 am and he even went so far as to suggest that he may even miss his long-gone dorm days at Columbia.

He is enamored with all things southern and has called me his Scarlett O'Hara since we met shortly after I moved here three years ago. As I started my list, I noticed him taking some notes. When I asked what he was doing, he laughed and said he wanted to sample southern culture so he planned to order some of the things I had suggested. Together, we compiled a list of easily accessible Louisiana goodies and I thought I should share some of it with y'all! Click on the links to go directly to the websites.

Perlis crawfish polo:
Note: I wear a small to medium in women's clothing but I can fit into an XL in the youth polo. Save yourself a few bucks!


Zapp's potato chips:
All of the flavors are tasty, but the Voodoo Gumbo is simply to die for!


Pat O'Brien's hurricanes:
You'll have to mix them yourself, but they're still just as tasty!


Anything by Henry Gray:
The solo works of Henry Gray are not to be missed. He's also been playing piano on recordings since 1953 with legends such as Junior Wells, Bo Diddley and Howlin' Wolf. Mr. Gray is as sweet and humble as he is talented. He still plays regularly around Baton Rouge and if you ask nicely, he'll play your favorite song.


Gambino's King Cake:
Every year, Gambino's ships their legendary Mardi Gras king cakes all over the world. I recommend you get one next year!


And the things you can't buy online, but you should definitely experience if you visit Louisiana: Acme Oyster House, Saturday night in Tiger Stadium, Louisiana Art and Science Museum (I worked there in graduate school and it is a great place to visit), Red Stick Farmers Market and Main Street Market, The Chimes, and Circa 1957, just to name a few.

If you happen to be headed to (or through) Baton Rouge, here's 225 Magazine's list of 225 things to do in Baton Rouge. Check it out!

Bamboo Luxury...on Paper

It seems as though everyone I know is in the process of planning a wedding or getting ready to have a baby. I am elated at the fact that several of my friends have expressed interest in adding eco-friendly touches to their weddings/baby arrivals. Last night as I was searching for eco-friendly wedding and baby announcements, I came across Smock's fabulous bamboo collection.

From their website:

We're proud to be the first print shop in the U.S. to offer printing on a luxury bamboo paper.

What is our bamboo paper like? It's extremely soft, luxuriously thick, and elegantly textured. It's also perfect for letterpress. Essentially, imagine the highest quality cotton paper. Now imagine something even prettier and without the pesticides used in cotton production.

They also have a social stationery collection which is equally as fantastic. If you are in the market for new stationery, Smock is definitely worth a look!

Greener Golf

Have you ever wondered if landfills possess potential beyond just being collection zones for waste? Landfills can be sources of energy when the methane gas let off by decomposing garbage is captured and used it to generate energy. They can also be reused once the garbage has decomposed. Perhaps the best (and most aesthetically pleasant) use of landfills is the transformation of these blights into golf courses.

Mountain Gate CC, Los Angeles

From Brownfield Golf:

Completed in 1975, the Mountain Gate Country Club is recognized as one of the most successful landfill golf courses in the United States. What was once a Los Angeles County solid waste landfill is now an upscale, private country club surrounded by million dollar homes with exquisite views of golf holes meandering through the canyons below.

The 27-hole golf course was constructed over solid waste deposited in 8 canyons to depths in excess of 200 feet. Over the years, waste has decomposed resulting in settlement of the land surface. Mountain Gate maintenance personnel report settlement has exceeded 70 feet in some areas, necessitating the repair of irrigation and drainage systems and the re-grading of golf course features. Although a nuisance, some club members appreciate the continuous changes of golf course features as an added challenge to their game.

Preppy Icon of the Day

After having a bit of a movie marathon last night (I returned home completely exhausted from my trip and was fairly incapable of doing anything else), I realized I had yet to use perennial preppy favorite Rob Lowe as a Preppy Icon of the Day. So I now present to you, Rob Lowe as Preppy Icon of the Day.

Rob has done tv and movies, funny and serious, wacky and straightlaced, but ever true to his preppy roots, he always ends up back in a polo.

From his days as a prep school prettyboy in Class and Oxford Blues, to his most recent adventures in politics in The West Wing and Brothers and Sisters, Rob Lowe has certainly inspired his share of viewers to toss on a tie and oxford.

So here's to Rob Lowe, today's Preppy Icon of the Day.