I'm here in Minneapolis for a long vacation, and I've been getting around by light rail (to be honest, I've also been mooching rides off friends -- mostly to the light rail station, except for today when I walked there - 45 minutes, brisk pace). The trains are clean and airy and so fun! Another bonus--in friendly MN, when I talk to strangers on the train -- they talk back. We have conversations. We interact. One cool thing about the train stops are these little boxes that look sort of official. There's a button in the middle that's begging to be pushed. So I read the inscription on one today-- "Thanks a Million. Small kindnesses, weather permitting. #28."  When I pressed the button, the box played a funny little song about MN. I was so excited, and kept trying to flag down strangers to listen with me, but it was rush hour and all the natives were plugged into iPods.

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Sorry I haven't posted anything in 2 months. I've been busy. And I've been out of town for a month. I'm here in sunny, green, friendly MN, the land of milk and honey. I'm staying with my friends Tom and Sophie, and they are killer recyclers. In the old fashioned way -- they reuse everything that can't be recycled by their city recycling program.

1/They use a dehumidifier in the basement, and when it's full of water, they pour the water in the washing machine or use it for watering plants.

2/They realized that their radiators didn't need to be heating the walls, so they placed reflective insulation behind all of their radiators.  Now, the heat gets sent back into the room.. SO SMART.  

3/They reuse and reuse and reuse every plastic container they get. For snacks, for leftovers, for packed lunches. Same with plastic bags - they wash and reuse tons of times.  

Same with jam jars--which become drinking glasses!! 

4/They compost every food item -- starting in the kitchen unit, which gets emptied into a huge compost container in their backyard.

So, lesson here: what's better than recycling -- reusing until you can't find any more use.  Then recycle.

Naturally, I had to get them a house present for hosting me for a month. I found this funky vase at a consignment shop that fits perfectly in their red and orange-themed living room. 

Who knows how many times it was re-gifted before it landed in the shop. 

Who knows if my friends will re-gift it once I'm gone? Check out a close up of the funky detailing.

Bye, Bye........

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So there I was, shopping at my local "fair trade" gift shop, when my friend and I bumped into a half naked mannequin (womanequin?). Appalling!

How about some pants with that organic cotton tee?

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Happy Earth Day!!!

Well, to be honest, Earth Day just snuck up on me. I've been so busy following up with all the companies I met at Greenfest in March that I didn't get anything special planned for today. Sorry. All I have is updates for you....

Still, I've been working all day, I haven't used my car, I haven't turned on any lights, and I just washed some clothes in my eco front loader washer with Attitude's planet-safe laundry detergent (reviews on our site now) I also posted a new review to Fancy Green today (well, at 2 am last night, which is really today): Loomstate men's v-neck t-shirt. Check it out.

I also figured out how to add a "become a fan on facebook" button to my site.

Finally, we've joined the Edun affiliate program, so now you can purchase fair trade, organic fashion directly from our site.

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Fashion is a funny thing. Sometimes you know it when you see it, and it's fantastic. Sometimes you see it, and don't like it, but you can accept it. Sometimes you want to grab a person, shake them by the shoulders, and scream, "NO, no, no!"

I don't care if fashion is a personal thing - some things you just don't do. Like wear a Utilikilt. Unless you have a 32" waist, incredible legs, some seriously hardass motorcycle boots, and you're in the coolest band in NYC, wearing a kilt is always a mistake. Here in Seattle, I see them everywhere, always on men who simply don't have the type of figure a kilt might flatter. This photo isn't near the worst I've seen.

Now footwear -- you have a lot more leeway. Sometimes you need to wear funky shoes to match an outfit. Sometimes you just have to wear funky shoes. I give people a lot of credit for wearing funky shoes - especially since most funky shoes don't fit my Fred Flintstone feet. Also because I have one rule about shoes: I have to be able to run for my life in them. So, here's a funky shoe I found on the foot of a hotel receptionist and had to ask her if I could take a snap with my cell phone camera.

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Wow. Went to Seattle GreenFest, along with thousands of other eco-curious people. Got to meet some of the people behind the gear we've reviewed, like George from Green Label Organic Tees. Met some other nice people, too, like Suzanne and Cynthia at Lucky Sprout. They sell the cutest organic children's tees that are emblazoned with adorable images and kind messages we all should heed.
Another bonus of the day: discovering Divine chocolate. Made out of fair trade cocoa from a farming cooperative in Ghana. I ate about 2000 calories of it that night. Yum. Also met the owner of Fair Trade Sports, who gave me a very cool eco basketball to review. Can't wait to fill it with air and hit the courts. More soon.

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I like to keep it simple. And elegant. I'd rather use my fun gadgets for fun, and keep my days planned on paper. There's something about penning in a tea date with friend that's just more intimate than keeping track of my appointments with a little electronic device. I like the option of ticking off each meeting, doctor's appointment, and errand. I like writing down important deadlines with my red pen. I like not wasting resources by using a day planner with refillable pages. I love crossing out events I decided not to attend because I chose to take care of me and spend an evening relaxing. I like that if I drop my Filofax it doesn't break and I'm not out $300.

If you haven't heard of Filofax, it's because you're just not very fancy. That's ok. There's time to learn. Filofax is a British company that makes cool leather day planners of all styles and sizes. I'm a big fan of the classic Slimline collection, having used my first one (black, of course) for nearly 15 years before replacing it (I still use it as a notebook). I also have an orange mini - for travel. Men use them. Women use them. They come in black, red, pink, purple, and even flower print.

You can organize your planner however you choose. I'm a "week to a page" gal; keeps my Filofax slim enough to toss into whatever bag or pack I'm carrying. In the back, I have alphabet divider pages, in between which I keep a short-list address book. One of my favorite Filofax products - the computer printable pages. I don't have to hand write long lists (such as my contact info for the colleagues, friends, doctors, massage therapists, and other important people in my life) just to keep in touch. I can print them out on special Filofax paper that even has the holes punched in it. Makes updating a snap.


Naturally, I also keep a supply of Filofax note paper, which also comes in a variety of colors, for "notes to self," driving directions, and "to do" lists.

So maybe I'm stretching to label Filofax products as eco items, but there are these facts: I don't have to charge my Filofax (energy saving), I can recycle the pages at the end of each year, and I burn a few calories writing by hand.

Be Fancy, Get a Filofax.

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Winter's not over yet! Are you keeping your feet warm? We've been testing some eco-conscious footwear (and a few "regular" pairs of shoes and boots) for you, such as Simple's Toematillo Hemp Boot and Patagonia's Lugano Boot, both women's styles (but both companies make similar styles in men's sizes, too.)
We also love Patagonia's Drifter shoe (not pictured here), an eco-friendly rugged hiker with a seriously treaded sole. Read a review of this shoe at our sister site, www.fitnesstravelgear.com. subscribe to our feed

If you've been following the Fancy Green site, you might have noticed that it's time for an update. I know, I know. I have a good excuse --- I've been sick, sick, sick.

Still, the people need their eco fashion and green gear. Coming soon: reviews of wool arm warmers by Foat, rechargeable batteries (and battery chargers) by Duracell, bamboo socks by Injinji, stainless steel water bottles by Sigg, RocknSocks knee-high socks, Beckons organic yoga pants, and more......

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Hey, we just added news feeds to our site! Check it out and read the latest eco articles from Grist, Treehugger, Worldchanging, and Plenty. Feel free to email us and recommend more feeds.

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Here's the deal. If we're going to turn over a new green leaf, we also need to practice lovingkindness - toward each other and toward the planet. What better way to encourage people to be fancy and green than make them happy. Dancing is free, dancing is green, dancing creates good will. Watch this awesome YOU Tube video, and fall in love with people. And then go out and spread the word that we all have to live simply and take much better care of our planet.




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Read this article about a company making tugboats that use less energy.....(we're only allowed to excerpt the first sentence)

Seattle's Foss Maritime develops "hybrid" tugboats
By Ronald D. White
Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES —For all of its 21st-century advancements, the shipping industry drags a lot of old technology around.Click to read entire article.

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