Boho Loves greenshanti!

Offering green products for special occasions from around the world that blend artistic craftsmanship with eco-friendly design, greenshanti is truly an emerald within the sustainably green world! Boho just featured greenshanti within our December Winter edition and is excited about all the eco-savvy wrapping products they offer!

Made from recycled natural fiber, raw materials, and organic dyes, these colorful paper products send a message that resonates. The idea for greenshanti evolved from personal passion for travel and design. greenshanti came across communities of artisans of less than ordinary means creating things of extraordinary beauty.

Visit http://greenshanti.com today to learn more about environmentally friendly gifts, baby clothing & toys, stationary & travel accessories!

For more of our faves featured in this month's Winter edition, make sure to subscribe to Boho Magazine today!

World Changing Chick Challenge

“Be the Change You Wish to See in the World.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Boho magazine has a brand new challenge for all of the eco-friendly fashionistas out there. We challenge you to make a change in the world and become a World Changing Chick. Boho has highlighted World Changing Chicks, big and small, for their efforts to help change their little piece of the world for the better over the past year. Now we want to know what you have been up to. Pick up a copy of the fall issue of Boho to read more about World Changing Chick Challenge. You could be in the next issue as a World Changing Chick! Let us know what you have been up to to make your piece of the world a better place!

Glamping

[Photo (EcoCamp, Patagonia) from Go Glamping]

Going green has never been so good. The newest trend in vacations is glamping- as in glamorous camping. Think sleeping under the stars, but with a nice clean shower tucked behind that grassy knoll and a helpful guide to set up the fire and s'mores. Mark Penn recently wrote about it in his Microtrends colum of the Wall Street Journal, and I've noticed it myself too.

Penn suggests the trend is in its early stages, but I bet a lot of Boho readers are familiar with the concept. After all, going green in style isn't something we started yesterday! Pshaw! It's in our blood!

Nevertheless, because eco-consciousness is on the rise, and because people are looking for local, reasonably-priced vacations, the Great Outdoors are more attractive than ever to America's mainstream population. Consumers benefit from price savings and a chance to get close to nature without the hassle; nature benefits from increased awareness of her value and a growing number of businesses that protect her ecosystems rather than develop and exploit them.

I'm still a fan of roughing it, believe me, but I'm also excited about this growing movement. After all... sometimees we just need pampering, and now it's easier than ever indulge in the most beautiful setting imaginable- nature.

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As a side note, I thought I'd share some cool glamping sites and directories with you- just in case you're craving fresh air and relaxation as much as I do!

Go Glamping - A great luxury camping directory. Yurt, anyone?

Glamping Girl- An informative blog about luxury camping!

Canvas Chic- A beautiful getaway at Mille Etoiles in Southern France. For modern-day Marie Antoinettes.

Costanoa - An eco adventure resort on the California coastline. Spa included.

Clayoquot Wilderness Resort - 30 minutes (by boat from Tofino, Canada) Their tents make my apartment look like a cardboard box.

Textbook Time

[Photo by myuibe on Flickr]

With September looming around the corner, I know that a lot of people are about to go back to school. For one more year, I am proud to include myself among them. Still, as an environmentally (and sadly, budget-conscious) girl, I am utterly flummoxed by the wasteful and expensive world of college textbooks. I detest having to shove out tons of money for costly new editions, and I hate the idea of all the older editions being discarded. It's dreadfully wasteful!

Ah, but it doesn't have to be. Here are some of the websites I used this summer in an attempt to avoid the high cost and regretful waste of underutilized college textbooks:

CourseSmart- allows you to buy your textbook as an e-textbook. It costs less (I saved $143 on one book), doesn't involve printing an enormous book on virgin paper, and is SUPER convenient. They even have a free iPhone app that allows you to read your textbook on the go. Fun fun!

Chegg - allows you to rent your book- either for a quarter or a semester. This is a great alternative to buying a book used and then being stuck with it when nobody wants to buy an older edition.

Campusbooks - allows you to compare prices of textbooks from various sites. For each book, it'll give you a summary of the lowest prices (for international, used, new, and rentals) and also list various other price offerings. How AWESOME is it to have a site that does the comparison shopping FOR you? VERY awesome, thankyouverymuch.

If you're not a student, thank your lucky stars you can read what you choose, and pass these sites on to someone who might benefit. If you are a student, happy hunting! It's nice to have so many options these days, no?

P.S. If you know of an awesome textbook site (for used books, e-books, or rentals) that I didn't mention, leave a link for it in the comments!

Easy to be Green: Organic Cotton & Healthy Skepticism

[image from Twirls and Twigs]

Do you remember when green tea started showing up in everything? And pomegranates? And acai? Sometimes I wonder if our interest in them is more based on popularity rather than quantifiable merit. Back in the day, people feared saturated fat so much that food producers sought to avoid it, which led to thecreation of trans-fats. Did we think these new foods were healthier? Yep. Were they actually? Not so much.
Occasionally, I also question the merit of various organic products. It's not that I'm against everything going organic, but industrial farming is still industrial farming, whether it is organic or not, and sometimes organic produce is shipped so far to come to our plates, we're doing more harm than good to the environment by encouraging long-distance, carbon and pollution-gushing supply chains. For this reason, I prioritize local over organic.
But what about organic cotton? I have never been that well-informed about it. Is it worth it to buy organic cotton? Or, as with organic food, are there hidden caveats that make some types less environmentally friendly than one might imagine? I decided to do a bit of research.
What I found was that organic cotton is pretty much as good as it seems. Actually, the more I read about it, the more I felt that I never wanted to buy conventional cotton again! According to AboutOrganicCotton.org, "conventionally grown cotton consumes approximately 25% of the Insecticides and more than 10% of the pesticides used in the world" and about a third of a pound of pesticides and fertilizers is required to make enough cotton for just one shirt!! Yikes!
I'm glad to know that more cotton farmers are going organic every year (there was a 158% increase from 2007-2008 alone, according to the Organic Trade Association!) and that it has real merit beyond the buzz. Still, I think it's a good idea to be skeptical about products that boast their eco-friendliness. It's all fine and good to be up on the latest trends, but when it comes to sustainability, it's downright square to blindly accept faulty fixes.

Easy to be Green: Meatless Monday

What are you eating today? Over the years, this question has become increasingly loaded as it has become clear what a huge impact our dietary habits have on the planet. Many people have responded by taking an activist approach to their diets by going vegetarian, vegan, all local, or non-GMO. For some, such large (and often difficult) measures can seem a big first step, but making a difference through eating habits is still possible with minimal effort.
Take Meatless Mondays for example. In association with the John Hopkins School of Public Health, Meatless Mondays urges Americans to skip meat one day out of the week in an effort to improve national health. As their video (above) shares, there are several additional reasons to cut back on meat, including ones pertaining to the environment and natural resources. Hoping to make a difference, many people are adopting the Meatless Monday habit, including the influential food writer Michael Pollen.
I'm just glad to see that people are advocating moderate ways of making a difference. Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed by the issues facing the world, I end up not doing anything! Thankfully, little details can make a big difference, and it's all about taking that first step. So before you make yourself dinner tonight, or take out the trash, or shower, just take a second to think. Perhaps you can make a little adjustment that will have a big impact!

[Meatless Monday via TreeHugger ]

Happy Arbor Day!

You've gotta love April. It's just packed with fabulous envirodays!
Do you take part in the Arbor Day tree-planting tradition? It's certainly not a new one. Nebraskan journalist J. Sterling Norton first promoted Arbor Day back in 1872, and before long, its popularity spread like a brilliant green wildfire through the states.
Today, Arbor Day is easier than ever to celebrate. Local governments frequently support residents' tree planting activities. Take MillionTreesNYC for example- in New York City, tree planters are given $20 off tree purchases, and presented with lots of free citywide tree-planting events in an effort to plant one million trees.
There are lots of online resources for our tree-planting needs. Arborday.org , for example, has educational resources , celebration ideas , gift trees , and even nifty e-cards for you to pick from.
I'm getting pretty excited about it all. Tree planting is awesome! Lately, I've been hearing about people giving out trees as gifts and wedding favors. It's the coolest thing! Yeah, trees are great for the environment, but they're also wonderful symbolic gifts. Forget trinkets that people throw away- trees grow, provide shade, and can spruce up any landscape.
I hope you have a really lovely Arbor Day. Try to get out and plant some trees, and whatever you do, have a fantastic weekend!

Easy to be Green: Telecommuting

Remember the days where we actually had to go places to do things? Hahaa, neither do I. Seriously though, thanks to the Internet and various other convenient technologies, it's easier than ever to do everything from home.

Many people are telecommuting these days, but we're not just working remotely- think about leisure time! These days, instead of trekking out to the video store, we can just Netflix movies- or even better, get them streaming online. We can even get our education online, and with cool sites like Academic Earth , we can listen in on fascinating lectures by professors at America's top universities without moving an inch- or even being admitted! Seriously- here's one of their lectures with MIT Professor Walter Lewin discussing measurements of space and time . Nifty!

Telecommuting technology gives us loads of convenience, plus it's great for the environment. Easier remote access means fewer cars out on the road, which is excellent news indeed!

With this in mind, here are my three favorite telecommuting resources. They can save you time and energy, plus lower your carbon footprint!

1. Google Docs - Got lots of group projects and meetings? Google Docs can save a lot of face time. By giving you the ability to create, share, and edit documents with others online. You can even view a presentation together and chat at the same time. Sweet!
2. Academic Earth - This resource was created with the goal of giving everyone on earth access to a world-class education. With lectures by professors at Harvard, Yale, and MIT on all sorts of fascinating subjects, this is one educational (and entertaining) resource you can't ignore!
3. Skype or Google Talk - There is something to be said for face-to-face conversations. Luckily, you can handle that online too.