Green Girl Blog

eco-friendly travel

Administrator — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 04:32:52 +0000

Summer is the time when most of us try to get out and travel. Something about that warm sunshine that instinctively provokes a craving to get outside try something other than the mundane clockwork of the typical day or work week. School is out, making it easier for families and college buddies to take trips they have been waiting for all year. Traveling is positive in various ways like stimulating mental well being by trying new things, learning about yourself, other cultures and environments, and so much more. When we travel we are taking away from our everyday reality, this can pose a problem. Traveling is positively correlated with increased consumerism, which is correlated to increased energy use and increased waste. It seems that people forget about the importance of being a conscious consumer while traveling. The effects that the traveling industry has on this planet are not so pleasant, but eco-conscious traveling is possible and not too hard.
Before you leave your house for your vacation make sure that everything is unplugged and your thermostat is modified to safe energy, which will save you money as well. When traveling to and from your destination try to travel with as many people as possible, the less cars on the road the better also better for your wallet as well. If traveling on an airline, go for the e-ticket option, helping to eliminate the waste of paper.
If possible try eco-friendly travel and hotels. Eco-friendly travel encourages activities that revolve around the local culture and environment. This makes a trip so much more genuine. Personally, nothing bothers me more than franchises and mainstream corporations when I am trying to engage in the authenticity of my destination. Eco-travel also helps to boost the economy of that particular destination, rather than fork out money to a rich CEO removed. Eco-friendly hotels are becoming more popular in a wider reach of cities. Check out what your destination has to offer, but if there isn’t an eco-friendly hotel consider a locally owned boutique hotel or bed and breakfast. Where ever you choice to stay be conscious of turning off the appliances and lights whenever you leave the room.
Another option is camping. I love camping. Something about sleeping outside and being closer to nature that makes me feel so alive. Camping is very eco-friendly for obvious reasons, so try it. It is a great way to really come in contact with the natural environment of your destination. While camping try adventurous activities like surfing, hiking, biking, kayaking, whitewater river rafting. Engaging in these activities develops a deeper respect and understanding of nature.

Here are some other tips for your travels:
-If renting a car go for a hybrid
-when taking pictures to capture memories of your trip, use a digital camera, the chemicals used to process the film are high impact
- buy souvenirs from local artist, store owners and manufacturers, help boost the local economy
-bring your own reusable travel containers of any toiletries (one 300 room hotel in Las Vegas goes through 150,000 plastic bottles of shampoo a year)
-travel and volunteer with groups that conduct scientific field research in order to improve the environment and the climate change ( www.earthwatch.org )

Becoming aware of the impacts of your actions in the first step, often times the most important, in creating change. It is possible for traveling to be just as fun as it always has been while embracing the eco-conscious lifestyle. Check out informative websites such as www.gogreentravelgreen.com . Most travel websites are developing a green traveling section, which is refreshing. Just be informed : )

Lots of love,

Natalie McGuire

Plastic Bags…. who needs them?

Administrator — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 04:02:47 +0000

I, like all environmentalists, bring my own reusable canvas bags whenever I go shopping. I actually leave them in the trunk of my car so I never have an excuse. I never accept shopping bags anywhere I go, which used to apply strictly to plastic but now the same goes for paper. Why waste or kill trees just because I have to buy food. The bigger question is why isn’t everyone using reusable bags when they shop?
If everyone stopped using plastic bags it would be an average of six bags per person a week, that’s twenty-four bags a month and two hundred and eighty-eight a year. That is 22,176 plastic bags in an average lifetime. If even only 1 in 5 people in our country did this we would save 1,330,560,000,000 over our lifetime (MSNBC.com). So what’s the hold up? Are we really that attached to those ugly plastic bags? Are people that stuck in their ways that they can’t change? Maybe people just don’t understand that besides taking up space in that cupboard, you can never fit anything else into, that these plastic bags are not only killing our wildlife but taking money out o our pockets.
Plastic bags account for over 10% of the debris that wash up on our coastline. Either animals mistaken them for food and ingest them or they are eventually broken down into microscopic particles and enter the food chain. This has direct affects on humans. There is no way a living thing can break down or digest plastic or the chemicals that make them up. So our genetics are changed forever.
That’s not even mentioning the cost of these bags. It takes $4,000 to recycle and reproduce 1 ton of used plastic bags, which are then sold for $32 (Jared Blumenfeld). I don’t know about you but there doesn’t seem to be any incentive to use these bags any more. There are many countries that are banning free plastic bags; China, Rwanda, Israel, Canada, Taiwan, Singapore, Western India, Kenya, South Africa and Bangladesh have banned plastic bags. Ireland took the lead in Europe in 2002 by taxing plastic bags and has lowered plastic bag consumption by 90% (BBC News). On March 27th, 2007 San Francisco became the first city in the U.S. to ban plastic bags. Now Boston and Oakland are considering it. What could be so hard why aren’t we all doing this?
Plastic bags are made from polyethylene, a thermoplastic that comes from oil (CNN). If we reduce plastic bags it will decrease our dependency on foreign oil, and then there will be less demand for oil and then the prices will begin to lower. Who doesn’t want to see that?
Even if you aren’t an environmentalist, you can still understand why it is a benefit for everyone to ban plastic bags. Not only will pollution be improved upon but also, our oceans, seas, rivers and streams will be cleaner, which can only mean that the wildlife inhabiting these waters will be healthier. We will also lessen our dependency on foreign oil. Besides, you will look way cuter carrying an eco friendly canvas bag knowing that you are doing your part to save the planet.

Love ,

Collette McGuire

Finding Balance in Technology

Administrator — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:29:35 +0000

Everything changes, time moves forward, night turns to day. History changes the future. People change. Thoughts change. Change brings change. This has been shown repeatedly throughout life. Technology changes with the times. Technology is something that is never stagnate and constantly moving forward with the times. Technology is also something that many of us have become very depend on. I spend hours a day on my computer and cell phone for basic necessities of running a business, connecting with family, friends, and colleagues, doing research, and personal enjoyment. I would say that technology is positively assisting me in many areas of my life. But is it all positive? What are the negative impacts of this ever changing industry? Most of the time change can be great, but it is important to be conscious of the negative repercussions.
Being informed is the biggest step in living an eco-conscious life with all the advances of modern day. To break it down in a simplistic way, think about how fast the turnover is on computers. Every year there are advances made in the filed, therefore, many consumers and businesses choose to upgrade there equipment frequently. When all those later edition computers and phones are tossed, they wind up in over-saturated landfills or sometimes in Third World countries where they are deconstructed by hand for valuable, yet toxic heavy metals by people that aren’t protected from these toxins. Not good in either situation.
If this motivates you to change this pattern, here are some tips to become a more aware disposer of electronics. Recycle you old electronics. The parts inside your “a day old” electronic can be reused for a newer, faster, smaller model. Hewlett-Packard (HP) has been receptive to the concern for our environment and in response has started collecting older machines (even coming to your house to pick up) to collect heavy metals and recycle parts. There are other companies like Electronics Recyclers (www.electronicrecyclers.com) that keep you informed with this major issue as well as help you in recycling items such as computer monitors, plasma screens, TV’s, printers, faxes, calculators, keyboards, cell phones, speakers and much more. Another important action to take is encouraging technological companies to advance and change the manufacturing of there electronics making them more recyclable, contain less hazardous waste and more energy efficient.
There is a large amount of money and energy spent in the technology industry, so there needs to be changes and advances in this field for it to stay with the times. For many years people neglected to see the negative impact on the environment that spawned from the industrial revolution. But now that we are more informed of the consequences, we can change that to create more benefits. The environment is something that unites everyone, in every country. It is good to know that we can agree on one thing, we need a healthy functioning environment to have healthy happy people. Can we agree that we need change in order to keep that in balance?

Lots of Love,
Collette and Natalie McGuire
Small Axe Clothing

Green Wash

Administrator — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 18:01:54 +0000

We have been really excited, as of late, at the abundance of green products that are being offered in the most random places. That was until we started taking a closer look, not only at the products themselves, but also more importantly at the labels. As an environmentalist, it is of the utmost importance that we are educated and don’t just take things at face value.
There seems to be a large amount of “Green Wash” going on, at least in Los Angeles. This is a term that describes how everything becomes green/eco friendly because it is what is selling right now. It seems that “An Inconvient Truth” struck a cord with many people and now everyone is trying to make a buck off of people’s emotions. What makes a tee shirt that says “this is a green tee shirt” eco, when it’s made out of 50% polyester 50% cotton? What…. the fact that it is made in the United States? This was really disappointing to us, because the company that made this tee shirt produces organic cotton tee shirts within their line. Not to say that ALL green companies are guilty of this, there are so many amazing, genuine, creative companies that produce not only eco products but live the eco lifestyle. They are built from the ground up with good intention and healthy, well-chosen ingredience. Which isn’t always the easiest or most inexpensive path to go down.
As a people who realizes that this planet doesn’t just belong to our generation or us for that matter, we feel the only way to run a company is with everyone’s best interests in mind. Every choice that is made for Small Axe takes into account the environment, everyone making and wearing our clothes. We believe that the positivity that we put into our products has an affect on the people wearing them. We have built this company from the ground up, knowing that the only way we could do this was if we could stay true to all of the things we started out saying. We can proudly say that we aren’t doing this because it’s trendy or because everyone else is doing this. But because it is our goal to prove you can be a fashionable environmentalist.

Collette & Natalie McGuire

The Positive Green Community

Administrator — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 22:50:33 +0000

We both can agree that the experience of starting Small Axe Clothing has been a very enriching experience. From the start, the morals of the company have been the driving force. Knowing that there is a greater good to be working towards can be a very inspiring on a day to day basis. Our company choices are ones that reflect our green lifestyle. With this said, there is still an ever growing and changing pool of information in which it is vital to stay updated on. Studies and technologies are always evolving, it is important for our company to be informed and update with this current information. In every other money making industry this can pose a threat; competition between companies. On the contrary we have found that the green movement is one that connects people.
Going to tradeshows has been an invaluable experience for Small Axe. It is a great way for us to connect with our customers, but also acts as a highway of information in the green community. We meet people from all over the world, all walks of life, and it is amazing how this one interest can unite us; the eco-friendly lifestyle. The eco-friendly lifestyle is the canopy title for something that embodies so much. There are so many people finding their way to do their part, in so many creative ways. It is the polar opposite of mainstream lifestyle that has everything “cookie cutter” to form one regimented life. Instead, when traveling to different cities, we meet people that are doing their part, using different products, reading different books, educating, being an individual and forming their unique path that they are proud of and has a positive affect on the whole world.. There are so many negative things that are taking place in this world, but instead of feeling trapped in a world of other peoples choices, have that light your inner flame to make change. Like Gandhi said “be the change you want to see in the world.”

Green Guru and Goddess Wear from Colorado have helped start Greaser subculture, and no, it’s not those rock-a-billies with rolled up dark jeans and sweet old rides. Greasers are people that drive cars that have been altered to run on veggie oil. The Green Guru boys have converted an old ambulance to run off of cooking oil. They drive this ambulance from state to state going to tradeshows and festivals to spread the work about their company. Doing their best to lessen their carbon footprint. This is the best part; this community of greasers has contacts in almost every state so you can get refilled on your oil, and most of the time it is for trade.

Mountain of the Moons: Eco-friendly with a fashion sense. They are based out of Illinois. We love these girls. Both our companies believe that you don’t have to miss out on being fierce just because your eco-friendly. They have adorable tunics and shorts, great colors as well.

It’s no coincidence that people say that positivity breed’s positivity. With the “Green” community living a lifestyle of support and encouragement and growing stronger and bigger everyday, it posses a beautiful outlook for the future. So be apart of this exciting community and see how it affects your world and those around you. Hey what do we have to loose?

Why We Care…

Administrator — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:51:56 +0000

People are drawn into the green lifestyle for different reasons. For us, it was a natural progression to become more active in environmental issues. We felt that we could bring something new to the table in an area that we both were inspired by- fashion. We were raised in a family that valued the integration of natural lifestyle. Our mother was an advocate of fresh vegetables every day, no soda, no refined sugars or processed foods. Our free time was spent on day trips to the beaches, parks, streams and mountains. This sparked our imaginations and gave us an unconditional respect for the environment around us. Because of this we were motivated to seek out ways to preserve and possibly make improvements to these places that we held so close to our hearts.
One of our favorite beaches in Kauai is so isolated, most of time you’re the only one on the beach. This beach in its natural beauty has been tainted by people that live thousands of miles away, unaware of their affect. The locals have told us that the currents carry litter in from freights that dump in the middle of the Pacific. The shore has fragmented plastic and garbage clouding the white sand. Even the color of this waste was so florescent and artificial that it was apparent that it did not belong. This weighed heavy on our hearts and we were inspired to make a change, a beach clean-up. The result was personal satisfaction and an environment returned back to its natural beauty. We made a positive impact on that beach and we can only wonder how different the world would be if everyone could do their part. We all live on this planet together and our choices do affect everyone. Our collective ignorance can’t be denied when you step on a thick piece of jagged plastic on a stroll through paradise.
If this is something that aggravates you, instead of fighting negativity with negativity, take positive action and educate the ones around you. An open hand is better received than a closed fist. This is our perspective and we know it’s a lifelong process. We look forward to the challenges that help us progress our mission. No task is too big when you have the help of people around you. So let’s do it! Let’s work together and save this lil ‘ol place we call earth. Peace.

Collette and Natalie McGuire

Welcome to the Green Girl Blog!!

Administrator — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 06:52:27 +0000

Thank you for stopping by. We will update as often as we can. While you are here, check out our collection of green clothing.