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It’s easy to get caught up in the idea that to live a greener, healthier life, you have to completely reinvent your ways. But more often than not, lasting change comes by making things simpler, not harder. Instead of thinking about all you should do, try a gentler approach - one that goes back to basics. Reusable shopping bags. Manual can openers. A walk to the corner store. Handmade gifts. A sustainable future doesn’t grow out of a to-do list, but from a desire for the kind of lifestyle that brings us back to ourselves. - Terri Trespicio
Here-here to that, sister! Though it is tough to get away from cleaning the bathroom and doing laundry, most “modern” inventions and products end up making our lives more cluttered and complicated instead of relieving us of senseless stress. Keeping things simple (or at least progressing them towards that end of the spectrum) is the overall theme of Body+Soul Magazine’s April 2008 issue - right in time for Earth Day, of course.
Learning how to kick back and take things in stride is the theme of this issue’s Reader to Reader column (page 20) . In celebration of the premiere of Sundance Channel The Green’s second season on April 1st, Body+Soul is giving away a luxury goody bag (worth over $2,500!) to one lucky reader.
As green design becomes mainstream, it faces the challenge of having to appeal to an ever wider audience. To do so, it must adopt a diverse vocabulary, and not remain limited to — or associated with — a subculture. It is invaluable, then, when designers who are working to reinvent green are showcased in traditional publications that reach a broad readership.
In April, Metropolitan Home is introducing its first entirely green issue. One of the feature stories, “Sustainable in Seattle,” details Greg Smith’s remodel of a downtown penthouse. According to the article, project architects Kyle Gaffney and Shannon Rankin “tried to avoid the burlap-and-Birkenstock earnestness that can afflict green projects.” And Smith, a developer himself, said, “The goal was for visitors to walk in and not recognize that it was a sustainable, green space.” To this end, attention was lavished on the selection of interior materials, with an emphasis on stylish as well as sustainable design.
By Kelly Rand •
February 25, 2008
New online knitting mag MetaPostModernKnitting arrived on the internet last week with the fashion forward in mind. Complete with great patterns, blog and articles, MPMK is a welcome edition to the online world.
In their first issue, The Knitting Bully contemplates recycling as a fashion trend. The article questions the use of new clothing repurposed right out of the box, and marketed as “recycled,” and rightly so (take a look at that sweater/skirt.) Other outlays in the article are also easy to get behind; ensuring proper use of reclaimed materials and creating an end product that will be worn. But the larger question that isn’t as easy to get behind, is the premise that recycling is detrimental to style.
The Knitting Bully asks “…have we thought about what [recycling] is doing to our style?”
The answer is a million times, yes!
By Victoria Everman •
October 13, 2007
I’ve been putting off this review for almost two weeks now. Why? Worry … worrying about the job I will do. So far, my reviews of Body+Soul magazine have been quite detailed and, in my eyes, seem like more of a "re-hash" of each issue’s contents instead of more personal opinion pieces. With my plans to change things up firmly in place, all I had to do was start
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By Amy Stodghill •
September 5, 2007
Magazines are a great source of current information on specific topics. There’s an increasing number of green and environmental magazines hitting the newsstands from general lifestyle information to energy and conservation. Subscribing gets you full access to the print edition online, and it’s usually cheaper than buying each issue off the rack.
Plenty Magazine and E: The Environmental Magazine cover general green issues of the day and include special
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By Victoria Everman •
September 1, 2007
Another month, another issue of Body+Soul Magazine that is well worth reading cover to cover. Before launching into the editorial commentary, it is worth mentioning the full-page letter from Martha Stewart inserted in to each of the latest issues of her magazines (I read Everyday Food and Blueprint this month - both very good as well).
Her statement details the establishment of the Martha Stewart Center for Living at
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Organic Bouquet was formed in January 2001 with the goal to establish the national market for organic flowers. They have accomplished this by encouraging both small and large flower growers to initiate organic production while creating widespread trade and consumer awareness of the need for organic flowers. Their ultimate goal is to protect the environment and improve farm worker safety by eliminating millions of pounds of toxic pesticides from agricultural usage. Organic
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With summer soon coming to a close, the busiest wedding season of the year will be ending as well. Great food, funny dancing, beautiful decorations … and some questionable fashion choices are standard for most these events. Once the DJ goes home, the cake is eaten, and the happily wedded couple are off on their honeymoon, what do you do with that bridesmaid dress that you don’t ever see needing (or wanting) to [...]
Even after the flood of publications covering green issues and eco-living around April, recycling is still newsworthy. Adorn, the "crafty girl’s guide to embellishing life," is the newest title from NYC’s Soho Publishing, which also publishes the ever-popular Vogue Knitting Magazine. Released quarterly, Adorn’s Fall 2007 issue proudly exclaims "We Love Recycling! Thrift Your Way to New Fashion." With second-hand shops by the dozens here in San Francisco, it’s easy to
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By Amy Stodghill •
July 17, 2007
Are those magazines piling up? Gaylene of Conroe, TX has a tip for extending the use of magazines before you recycle them.
Glossy magazines and mailers from stores can first be "reused" before being recycled. Consider encouraging your child (age appropriate of course) to cut out pictures from ads to make their own collage or a picture of their "new room". Once they’re done with the cut outs, recycle everything. You get
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It's that time again already - a new issue of Body+Soul magazine is on sale and it's time for me to give you the rundown of what's good. If you happened to miss the first B+S review, or want to know more about the background of this publication, check out my June 16th review. For the July/August issue, Body+Soul's official website offers up the following blurb:
Energize your life!
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