Green Goodness: a Grounded Look at Being Green

I visited Twig this week, a unique store here in the Triangle (Chapel Hill) that sells sustainability, community and eco-awareness at sustainable prices, and this weekend (May 17) they are partnering with local non-profits, but more on that later.

I loved talking with the staff. The owner shared that everything in the store has a story, and the staff will enthusiastically share the stories with you.

Some items are practical, like the smart strips that reduce phantom power usage in your home, the LED lightbulbs that will one day replace CFLs, the Envirosax for fun and stylish shopping, stainless steel water bottles and Dynamo rechargeable radio and flashlights.

Some items are beautiful, such as the garden tools, the Bambu kitchenware, the Reinbarnation pieces by Roger Dinger, a Chatham County Artist, and the salt rock lamps from the Himalayans that help reduce allergies.

Some items are child friendly, like the cooperative games (lets play together, not against each other), organic and locally-made baby clothing and USA-made wooden toys.

Some of the toys (like the cars in the slideshow below) are for the kid in ALL of us… or the jewelry, which is fun, sustainably made and sophisticated.

Mainly, I walked away KNOWING that Shawn Slome (the owner) and his staff know that sustainability is not a catch phrase du jour. It isn’t about carrying all “organic”, or all “local” goods. It isn’t about novelty. And it certainly isn’t about being a crunchy granola or extravagantly priced. Sustainability is about supporting your local community through a harmony of ideals. That’s pretty amazing.

Check out the invitation to you all from the owner:

Dear Friends and Associates:

I would like to invite you to a Fundraising Festival “Twig” is launching on Saturday, May 17 to benefit local non-profits. For those of you who don’t already know, Twig is the Triangle’s new eco-friendly shop focusing entirely on sustainable, organic and fair trade products.

The Festival is a celebration of our community and particularly of the many organizations that work to protect our environment, nurture our children and make our community a safe place for everyone to thrive.

The event will take place at Twig from 8am to 8pm:
Village Plaza (next to Whole Foods)
99 S. Elliott Rd. • Chapel Hill 27514
(919) 929-8944

Most of our non-profits will be on hand with information tables so you can stop by and say howdy. Twig will donate to our partners 20% of the revenue generated from the event.

We will have live music for most of the day, several door prizes and some tasty snacks provided by Whole Foods.The list of participating non–profits:

Eno River Association NC
Museum of Life and Science
Haw River Assembly
NC Audubon Society
Piedmont Wildlife Center
Triangle Land Conservancy
Toxic Free NC
NC Community Shares
Rainbow Soccer
Bonjour Africa
The Abundance Foundation
American Civil Liberties Union
Orange County Rape Crisis Center
PTA of Chapel Hill
Emerson Waldorf School

I hope you can join us in the fun and make some connections with those that contribute so much to our quality of lives. I would appreciate it if you can help spread the word about this special day.

My advice… check out Twig this weekend. You will LOVE it. Trust me.

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

Planning a wedding can be difficult, but if you want to be a bit more eco-friendly and have a “green” wedding, your headache in finetuning the details may just be starting.

The Green Life has a whole slew of tips for your big day…  Some suggestions are reasonable, and some are a bit too… er… “granola” for me. 

Cheers to choosing locally grown, organic flowers for your day, and everyone can find beautiful vintage jewelry for the day, but I’m not down with lab-created diamonds (though that’s better than conflict diamonds, no doubt), and I think wooden wedding rings are a complete joke (aren’t the rings symbolizing “forever”?).

Hemp wedding dresses or borrowing a friend’s dress is lousy (sorry, just not my thing), and in all honestly, not many guests are going to understand (or bother) to Read the rest of this entry »

I just stumbled (twittered, actually) onto the coolest website called Green Mom Finds.  I had as much fun finding this as when I found Raise A Green Dog!  Just like Raise a Green Dog, Green Mom Finds is a really grounded way to get info on healthy living, fun finds, eco-responsible shopping, and just in general living fun! 

It is not just for families… being human is the only characteristic you need to dig this site.  Actually, even Johann and the other pooches will love the push for pesticide free lawns!

Love it, definitely going on my blogroll… check it out!

Further, Living Green in a Red State is not as in-depth as Green Mom Finds, BUT this one is a one-woman show, chock full of great personal insight as to cleaning products, diapers… or even being “diaper free” (well worth the read for all moms and upcoming moms!).  She’s another on my blogroll who can def tell you about greening the family…

So check out all three (Finds, Dog and State) and get a jump on the Rockstar easy ways to get healthier, for you, your fam and your environment!

From Durham to Raleigh to Pittsboro to Chapel Hill to Clayton to Wake Forest, the entire Triangle is getting down and getting dirty to celebrate Mother Earth this Saturday (April 19th).  Here are some of the Rockstar events going on THIS weekend, as well as which ones you are apt to see me! Read the rest of this entry »

This is Earth Week, Earth Month and (shortly) Earth Day, so without doubt, the Triangle is springing up Earth rallies and events everywhere ~ including Johnston County’s “Our Green Earth” event.

I first heard of the event via a community member post on Clayton’s myNC.com, and after reading the story, checked out their related link .  Knowing how involved JoCo is in the arts, I also checked out Johnston County Arts Council’s blog for details.

“Our Green Earth” is this Saturday, 10 - 4 pm at Clayton Towne Square…  You’ll be able to check out organic lawn care, auctions and vendors selling recycled and environmental art (proceeds going to various charities), workshops and even a show of an actual eagle, which is pretty darn cool. 

If I weren’t set on the Raleigh Earth Day event (my favorite band is performing in Raleighwood, or I would have planned on going to Durham’s Earth events), I’d be pretty tempted to drive out to JoCo… but if you already live there, why not check it out and share your comments and stories and pictures on myNC.com.  I’d love to see how it was!

The Durham Chamber of Commerce “Professional Women’s Network” is giving you Durham gals an opportunity to “recycle” your business clothing and accessories at their Spring Fling this Thursday evening at The Hill House.

So, all the while mingling and networking with Durham business women, you can know that you are helping green the world by reusing your unwanted clothing.  This process also gives local women a hand in dressing for success so that they, too, can make their dreams come true, find financial independence and acquire the business and networking skills that we all too often take for granted.

From my inbox to you:

The Professional Women’s Network, a program of the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce, will sponsor its annual Spring Fling networking reception on Thursday, April 10, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Hill House in

Promoting financial independence, engaging with the community and reusing your great quality professional clothing… waste-free sustainability is such a beautiful thing. 

After having quite a debate in a recent post (see comments) about the importance of third-party testing of products, we can all conclude that companies must be accountable for their products and actions. 

Green Daily (a while back) shared The Six Sins of Greenwashing… and in my opinion, it works two ways.  The comments section is pretty alive with one poster on a more than self-righteous ground, feeling that if you don’t move into use only a bus, stop buying anything at all and make your own food, cleaner and clothing, then you can’t make a difference.  She says some relevant stuff but then follows it by saying that only a select few actually care about the environment. 

That, to me, is greenwashing ~ the type that SCARES off people from making any difference in altering things along the way in their everyday lives; the type that teaches people that no matter what they do, they are irrelevant in the big picture ~ unless they foresake everything they know, as they have known it. 

I, inspired by those that lead in this movement of social and environmental responsibility, believe that positive encouragement leads to great change.  On the flip, gloom and doom motivates very few.

Mark Twain said (and I’m not the only one who LOVES this quote): 

Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you believe that you too can become great.

The sin she (the aforementioned commenter) commits is as bad as driving a 1985 Suburban and throwing your cigarette butts and Mickey D wrappers out of your window ~ she implies ‘You are not good enough and your difference Read the rest of this entry »

Straight from my inbox to you (Love and Sustainably Yours, Ashley Sue!): 

Meet filmmaker Jeff Barrie and see Kilowatt Ours on March 27 at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham!

See the newly edited national edition of this award-winning film and learn about local energy conservation efforts.

Award-winning filmmaker and environmentalist, Jeff Barrie, will present his documentary “Kilowatt Ours: A Plan to Re-Energize America,” on Thursday, March 27 at 7:00 PM at the Museum of Life and Science, Durham. This film spends as much time talking about solutions as it does challenges, and includes practical steps that all of us can implement.

Barrie will be on hand to lead discussions about the film and energy efficiency efforts after the screening. Doors open at 6:00 PM with displays from local energy conservation companies and non-profits. Beer and wine will be available at a cash bar, and you can purchase your own copy of the DVD at the event for $20. Tickets are $5 and are available online now. (Proceeds will go to the Kilowatt Ours Fund). Limited seating is available.

In the film, Barrie traces the wires from our light switches to the power source, revealing how electricity is generated in the United States. This acclaimed documentary provides a hopeful look at how energy conservation and renewable power can help to improve the quality of life in America and provides practical solutions that are accessible to everyone.

I’ve been so in love with all my healthy products ~ my earthy shampoos, moisturizers, cleansers, lotions ~ and though they’ve got some good stuff, they also have some carcinogens.

An independent study just came out, and I’ve been reading the press releases on this all weekend.  Not fun, but a lot of supposedly credible products still aren’t perfect, containing 1,4 Dioxane, a proven carcinogen which is not purposely added to your favorite bath routine but instead is a byproduct of the petrochemical that causes it to get all lathery. 

By the way, this includes children’s bubble baths and products too, including from the leading names in baby care products.

This proves that I have yet to find the “perfect” and proven answers in ”green”.  Instead, it’s another shade of Read the rest of this entry »

Have you been to A Southern Season in Chapel Hill (shameful, for I have not despite three years of hearing raves about how amazing it is)?  Monday, A Southern Season is giving 5% of their total sales for the day to the Triangle Land Conservancy.

Here’s the scoop:

CHAPEL HILL - A Southern Season and the Triangle Land Conservancy are combining efforts on Monday, March 17, 2008 for a day-long fundraiser in which 5% of all retail sales in the store will go directly to the partner organization. 

Celebrating their 25^th anniversary this year, Triangle Land Conservancy’s (www.tlc-nc.org) mission is to Read the rest of this entry »