Green is The New Black

I celebrated Earth Week by hosting the Vivons Vert (which means “Let’s Live Green” in French for all you non-croissant eaters) Eco-Friendly Fashion Show. The night featured go-green designers, Christine Marchuska of cmarchuska, ELSAandME by Maja Svensson and Global Ghetto Organics, at Ultra Lounge at 37 West 26th Street in New York. In true green fashion, a portion of the proceeds from the event was donated to the Charity; The Nature Conservancy, “Protecting nature. Preserving life,” and at the end of the evening we all joined hands and sang Kumbaya together, well, no I just made that last part up.  However, it was a great night overall of eco-friendly fashion, fun, and free Vodka, as SVEDKA generously kicked off the evening with an open-bar.  SoNu water and Omerta Entertainment were some of the other proud sponsors, and I was proud to imbibe everything that they were sponsoring. The night was a success and proved that it IS easy being green afterall.

I explained to designer Maja Svensson that unfortunately I'd be unable to wear her gorgeous high-waisted designs, as they just wouldn't translate as well on a 5'3" athletic build. She understood.

Spending Less Beans on (Coffee) Beans

I’m a self-admitted coffee addict, a java joneser, a cappuccino craver. I’m hooked on trying new flavors, brands, types, and tastes and I pride myself in knowing the best hole-in-the-wall coffee shops…even in midtown Manhattan where a Starbucks bulwarks each corner with a battalion of baristas. I use coffee as an alarm clock, to punctuate every meal, and as an excuse to create social gatherings. 

In times like these when you have less loot for lattes, one must adapt and find another way to feed your fix. The trick is to make coffee at home whenever you can and view buying a coffee at a Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Juan Valdez, etc as a treat or dessert…or in addition to your dessert for all my fellow junk-food junkies.  Because I prefer Dunkin Donuts to Starbucks, I now brew my own Dunkin Donuts coffee in the morning and pour it in a reusable to-go cup, fully embracing my “Go Green” gospel. (For those of you less environmentally conscious, go ahead and buy your own disposable “to go” cups, but then go plant a tree or something).  If you are going to make your own mocha, another cup of joe you need to know is the Archer Farms brand that is carried by Target.  Archer Farms offers unique flavors such as “Coconut Macaroon”, “Chocolate Raspberry”, and “Honey Nut Drizzle” aka heaven in a mug for less.                                                                                    

So during this recession, my advice is to embrace your vice, and turn to DIY coffee.  Do your own brew. As one of my favorite coffee brands, Dunkin’ Donuts, declares, “You ‘Kin Do It”. 

Java Cow in Park City, UT...one of my favorite coffee spots in the country

Archer Farms Coffee by Target