The Things I Own Do Not Own Me

The Story Of Stuff. I feel kind of sheepish posting this on a shopping blog. And I feel a little more than kind of disgusted with the state of things.

The Power Is Yours

For all other alt/eco brides in Toronto, this weekend is Canada's first Eco-Wedding and Lifestyle Show. It's being held at The Design Exchange, and you'll be able to learn about vendors, companies and green options that will help you have a beautiful wedding while reducing your impact on the environment.

Propelled By Human Oarsmen

Summer, come quickly. If not to put some sun and colour into my life, then to allow me to wear some of Passenger Pigeon's Spring/Summer '08 collection without freezing my buns off.

SO cute.

Maybe I Was Too Intense

Huggies commercials aren't the only ones that make me cry these days.

TOO MUCH STUFF!

I was looking all day for something red or pink to post in honour of Valentine's Day, and couldn't find anything I liked. That is, until I came across the Red Dot Campaign, and it seems just perfect. The Earth is one of my great loves, and this will be my Valentine's Day gift to it.

Gumdrop Green

Sometimes I get a little sick of my one track mind, how about you?

Regardless, yet another great print from the artists over at Keep Calm.

I've Found A New Addiction

I think everyone needs to go and grab a copy of Adria Vasil's Ecoholic {when you're addicted to the planet}.

Do I really need to explain why? Really?

Vasil's NOW Magazine articles were always insightful, but now it's all in a giant book!

I'm trying so hard to plough through it before my non-renewable library copy is due back tomorrow, and I can't put it down! It's really comprehensive and easy to absorb, and full of ways that we can actually, like, be responsible for what we buy and what we do.

I Think I'm Turning Veganese

This year I have two priorities: my hair, and the environment. And whaddya know, I just discovered Veganese Conditioner from LUSH which is good for both!

I've been doing a major overhaul in my routine all for the sake of my hair (drinking more water, taking Biotin, eating more greens) so I can't be entirely sure that this conditioner is the sole cause of my amazingly soft and shiny hair, but I've only been using it for four days now and the condition of my hair has improved tenfold. Seriously, miracle conditioner, guys.

And of course, LUSH is so eco-conscious that it makes me feel all warm and gooey when I use it.

See The Difference You Can Make

"Created to take a stand against the greatest threat our planet has ever faced, Earth Hour uses the simple action of turning off the lights for one hour to deliver a powerful message about the need for action on global warming.

This simple act has captured the hearts and minds of people all over the world. As a result, at 8pm on the 29 March, 2008 millions of people in some of the world’s major capital cities, including Copenhagen, Toronto, Chicago, Melbourne, Brisbane, Tel Aviv and Manila will unite and switch off for Earth Hour."

I hope that you are one of those millions of people.

Stewards Of The Land

Did you make a New Year's resolution to eat healthier? Me too. Did you make a New Year's resolution to do your part in saving our beautiful planet? Me too! Since we are kindred spirits, I'll let you in on how I'm doing both at the same time.

I've signed up to receive weekly winter shares from plan b Organic Farm. They have huge shares, a great selection of fruit/vegetables/herbs, and it's organic and locally grown. You can't really get much better than that. Wait, I lied. They'll also send recipes and how to prepare/care for the food you got in your weekly shipment, just in case you have no idea what to do with all those parsnips and leeks.

The price is right, there are tons of pickup locations (or you could opt for home delivery even!), and you're doing a service to yourself, the local economy and our environment. What an easy way to strike some resolutions off your list.

Gonna Take Pollution Down To Zero

Laura, while you're buying shoes for me, and befriending Stella McCartney for Lydia, can you also pick up a couple of rolls of Graham & Brown's new environmentally friendly wallpaper in their Eco Collection to send home? You're a doll.

(P.S. - It should be close to your heart, it was co-designed by your fellow schoolmates at Central Saint Martins!)

Gift Economy

You don't even understand how into the "no more plastic bags!" mentality I've gotten. I've been refusing bags left, right and center. Which is why when I saw this Reusuable Gift Bag from Keep Calm Gallery, I literally squealed in delight at the thought of another type of bag that I could cut out the equation. What a fantastic idea!!!

Omiimii

I don't have a laptop (yet!), but if I were to have one, I would most definitely carry it around in this super cute and eco-friendly Laptop Bag from Canadian designers Passenger Pigeon.

Bamboo Banger

Today I had to do some grocery shopping, and I was so proud of myself because I actually bought some reusable bags at the checkout instead of being lazy and getting plastic bags AGAIN. They're nothing too fancy. They're actually pretty hideous. But it's ok, I'm saving the planet.

Except, when I got home and saw that Envirosax had sent us an email letting us know that their new and gorgeous Bamboo Totes were now available, I was a little mad at myself for having to be so eco-conscious that very second. I'm so impatient sometimes.

PSA: What We Need More Of, Is Science!

You know what I love? Space. In both the 'dark side of the moon' and square footage. Usually, on Loveitalot, we give lots of props to filling up the space in our apartments, but less attention to the kind that contains rocket ships.

So here is your opportunity to help scientists find out about space. Specifically how do we make a star/what makes stars/big bang or whatever. And wouldn't that be cool: to make your own star? You could name is and build a condo there.*

Which is why I heart Stardust@home. Basically scientists sent a probe out into the stars to collect star dust. These tiny particles they've collected are from the furthest samples scientists have ever collected. Problem is, they are tiny and stuck in sticky-star gel. There are thousands of gel samples to go through and to find the few tiny specs captured would take years... but if you add the internet...

So science is asking you (yes you!) to use the internet and help find/tag stardust samples! Any dust you find, you can name and everything.

Oooooh dust you may think. Hold on there, sparky! You may find the particle that proves the existence of aliens! Deliver information on how the Universe will END! You could change the course of human history. And mankind may MISS OUT on this discovery without your pair of peepers. Just head over to Stardust@home website, take the tutorial, train and then start examining images of the samples collected! All this without a B.Sc degree!

As you can see I am not a scientist but I can still help science!**

* there being on a rock near the star with a preferable orbit, atmosphere etc.
** Actually, no, no I cannot help science as I failed their spotting test (what can I say, science is hard).† This is serious biz, but you may have the touch. So try out and give a little msn/facebook/perez hilton time over to the greater good.
† Science is hard but worthwhile. Girls, get into science!

Ornamental Shrubs

Not only is this Currant Necklace from Rare Device absolutely stunning, but it is also made from recycled materials. So hold your head up high! You can so be stylish and eco-conscious at the same time.

My Bathroom Smells Like Ikea

Ok, so I know this isn't the classiest thing that I've ever posted here, but it may be one of the more useful ones. We have a lot of cat-owning friends and readers and I feel guilty keeping this information all to myself. PINE CAT LITTER IS THE BEST LITTER I'VE EVER USED. There, I said it. My two cats poop an awful lot (especially since I switched their food to Orijen Cat Food which is a really great natural food, by the way) and I can't smell the litter box AT ALL when I walk into the bathroom. Plus, it's much healthier for your cat as there is no clay dust to clog their sinuses. And it's biodegradable - you can flush it down the toilet! I don't think I've ever cleaned the litter box this much in my life. It's just that good.

The brand of litter that I linked is not the litter that I currently use, but I couldn't find mine on the internet anywhere. Blasphemy, I know.

Envirosaxamaphone

These Envirosax Delightfully Pretty Reusable Grocery Bags at Delight.com are exactly what I need to clear my guilty conscious from all the hundreds of plastic bags that I dispose of in a year. And they're like, totally cute.

You can find more great colours and patterns at Envirosax to help you clear your guilty conscious and go green!