Posts filed under ‘guilty displeasures’
Bad, Bad Bar.
The other night I went to a bar called Rosemary’s Greenpoint Tavern on trendy Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn, expecting a good time becuase I heard they had the best Halloween decorations around. The bar gave me a good fright, indeed, but it wasn’t because of the skeletons and witches hanging from the ceiling. It was because of this: (more…)
Soft, Green Skin
I recently had to buy new facial moisturizer (it’s getting cold out now and it makes my skin dry), and I had a hell of a time trying to find something that wasn’t laden with carcinogens and other chemicals that are too hard to pronounce. In the end, I actually kind of failed and settled for a Body Shop moisturizer that has parabens in it (parabens are a nasty preservative and I’ve currently got them all over my face).
So you don’t fail like I did, I recommend using the Green Guide’s “Dirty Dozen” to learn about cosmetics ingredients you should avoid. The New York Times ran a good article about the green beauty industry today that you should check out, too. And here’s a list of brands that I like for their natural ingredients and high-quality products:
Dr. Bronner’s – best soaps ever – especially lavender and peppermint
Desert Essence - I like their shampoos, toothpaste (tea tree) and lotions
Burt’s Bees - good lip balms, lipsticks, body lotions
Tom’s of Maine - they’ve got great toothpaste and deodorant
Dr. Hauschka - pricey but really nice skin care (good for sensitive skin, too)
Ew.
Yesterday, in a moment of weakness and hunger I did something kind of reprehensible.
I was at Washington DC’s Union Station, on my way back north after spending the afternoon at the Solar Decathlon (which was AWESOME – more about that later), and I missed my train and had to wait an hour for the next one and I was hungry and frustrated with myself for missing the train and basicly ended up sinking to my ultimate low – the #7 crispy chicken sandwich with a coke and a medium fries.
It was delicious.
But that’s beside the point. I probably could have walked to the other end of the train station and found some more wholesome – and ideally more sustainably-produced – food. But I didn’t, and now I have my conscience to pay for it. I would also like to issue a formal apology to my degestive system, which didn’t deserve this.
Friends Don’t Let Friends Pollute
There’s a fine line between being a good, green friend, and being an annoying eco-freak. Lately I’ve been trying my best not to cross it, and in usually it’s not that hard to stay in the safe zone because my friends are generally sympathetic to environmental issues. But not entirely.
The other night, for example, I was having beers with a friend and at one point I emptied my bottle and looked around for a recycling bin to toss it into. I soon noticed the absence of a recycling bin, so I crept up to the trash can much like one approaches a gallows. I peered inside, and unfortunately I don’t have a photo of it, but it basically looked like this: (more…)
Beauty Hurts (my soul)
You know that feeling when you realize you’ve done something selfish and wrong, and you shake your head and sigh in self-judgement? That’s how I’ve felt for the last two days, as I’ve looked down at my keyboard and seen this:
