Becoming the Bag Lady

I'm a huge fan of classics, and that tendency pays off when going green: classics never go out of style, so you can use them forever without adding to the waste piling up in our city dumps.

As far as reusable bags go, the Chico bag is a classic. I have the original design in a cheery bright green:



I also scored a free, limited edition bag for Sophie Uliano's Gorgeously Green:



But if you want to go really green with your Chico bag, I highly recommend purchasing the CHICOBAG ORIGINAL REPETE, which uses 99 percent recycled content.



It comes in a range of gorgeous, earthy colors that remind me of autumn in Pennsylvania where I attended college. The best part is that, like its sister, the Original CHICOBAG, it folds up into itself so you can stuff it into your purse and never be without your reusable bag. It also sports a carabiner that you can use to clip it onto your key ring. No excuse to forget your Chicobag now!



My goal is to claim 4 or 5 of these beauties so I'll always have enough bags for my weekly trip to the Claremont Village Artisans and Farmers Market!

You Have to Start Somewhere

It began sometime after the wedding. Yes, my wedding. If you had asked me four years ago whether I would marry my longtime sweetheart and philosophy nerd extraordinaire when I was only 22, I would have said, "No, no, never that young." But love does funny things with your head, and next thing I knew, I was flying from Bologna, Italy where I studied for nine months to meet him in Ireland. He proposed romantically; I gave a doe-eyed yes, and here we are.



What can I say? I never wanted to be rich. Just happy. But the side effects of young marriage are that we share a car and live in a small apartment without Direct TV. It makes you reconsider what's important in life and makes you realize what you can and can't live without.

And somewhere in all of that reconsidering, I read a book--not the only book of its kind, but a good introduction to living with an awareness of your impact on the environment and others. Sophie Uliano's Gorgeously Green: 8 Simple Steps to an Earth-Friendly Life made this newlywed product junkie who'd let her eating and exercise habits decline in recent years realize that there was so much more I could do. (Buy your copy at Amazon)

As I kept flipping through my new lifestyle Bible, I became more resolved than ever to change my ways. I could no longer ignore that being lazy and skipping recycling, taking long showers, and using plastic bags was causing harm. My narcissistic side could no longer pretend that my bad habits weren't harming me. What's worse, my far from eco-conscious living was costing me money.

In an effort to make eco-conscious, inspired living easier for the rest of the shopaholic, product junkies out there, I'm taking on the task of finding the best-of-the-best out there. From organic clothing to upcycled clutches to diy cleansing grains, you'll follow me as I explore and shop, seeking inspiration for a truly divine, organically beautiful life.