Lifestyle

We received an invite to review Washy Wonder, a tool to "encourage reuse" and be greener. Besides the fact that I keep mixing up the brand name for a place in Chinatown that ends with a "happy ending", this product appalls me. The Washy Wonder is made by polypropylene, or #5 plastics. The point of this "tool" is to wash plastic bags up to 25 to 30 times to save them from the landfill. Let's break this down.

Let's not let Black Friday get all the glory this year. Saturday, November 24th is Small Business Saturday 2012. Celebrate by hitting up local boutiques, vintage shops, independent coffee shops, farmers markets and the like! According to the National Federation of Independent Businesses Small Business Saturday is the most important shopping day for 36% of independent retailers. Using our wallets to show support for local companies will help these businesses grow - in turn fostering the economy. So skip out on Starbucks and Target for a day or two and throw your dollars to the little guys. Philadelphia offers an abundance of options - like Arcadia boutique and One Shot Coffee in Northern Liberties, for example. Readers, any Small Business Saturday 2012 spots you plan on hitting up?

Black Friday is here! Don't feel like dealing with those lines and craziness? Stay cozy on your couch & shop for everyone on your list! Here's 10 of my recommendations that you can purchase online for Black Friday:

Love it or hate it: We're about to be in the chaotic holiday season. The 4th 'R' of achieving green-ness is the one not often discussed: Refuse it. (Find out more, after the jump!)

In the wake of the election there's more to discuss than the presidential race and the party's winners and losers. Though it wasn't on my ballot one thing on my mind this past week has been California's decision to veto Prop 37, the labeling of genetically modified food. These results prompt me to ask the ever articulate question ... huh? Proposition 37, dubbed The California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act would have required food companies, grocers and retailers to label products with genetically modified ingredients as such. This means consumers could pick up any item on their grocer's shelves and make a more informed buying decision.

Do you strip off your clothes before bedtime and throw them straight in the laundry basket? There's a better way to be sustainable with your laundry care. Here's a hint:

You know when you stumble across a new term or concept that seems to come completely out of nowwhere...And then all of a sudden this foreign word keeps popping up? Maybe it's all the new-agey e-newsletters I receive but that's what's happening with me and the term "Earthing." My first thought was wow people love adding "ing" to nouns and creating a new verb; My second was I need to know what this is all about. So what the heck is earthing?

I'm taking a brief intermission from our normal "Friday Quick Tip" column to urge you to donate anything, (even a $5 or $10 spot) to the Red Cross for Hurricane Sandy Victims. Donate to the Red Cross Disaster Efforts Give Blood to the Red Cross (They had to cancel blood drives because of the hurricane.) After all, who hasn't enjoyed the outdoors of the Jersey Shore, NYC skylines or PA nature?

Although I have the beloved nicknames of “hippie”, “recycle nazi” and a few others, I tend to be proud with my green choices. But I still keep a few of my green habits on the DL. Why? Mostly because I try to maintain a low profile and not be the 'angry green' girl. Or the weird girl with the green habits. Ready for my reveal of bizarre habits?