Green is not just a color anymore...

I was at my internship doing work that involved looking at blogs related to sustainable living and green lifestyles. I'm not talking about, "Hey, let's paint ourselves green and walk down the street thinking we're a bunch of jolly green giants" kind of green living. I'm talking about how green is now not just a bright, earthy color. It's a lifestyle.


And I don't like how some eco-friendly, social do-gooders get a bad wrap for loving the planet they live on. Some people believe green people are hippies who eat nothing but wheatgrass and vegetables and hug trees all day (which I wouldn't mind doing, because like all things, trees need hugs too).


In fact, when I typed in "go green" into Urbandictionary.com, I got a few of these funny definitions:
1) To adopt an environmentally friendly lifestyle by recycling, buying local, reusing, minimizing driving, etc. 
Also, designing a development or construction project to meet high environmental standards.


2) To smoke weed


3) When you recycle a past girlfriend, lover, jumpoff or sexual partner into your current rotation.


4) to succumb to violent rage. Similar to hulk our go aggro.


But yeah, you get the gist. But I'd like to take a look at some of the sustainable/green/earthy trends...

• TOMS: Started by Blake Mycoskie in 2006 when he went to Argentina and noticed the children didn't have shoes to wear :( TOMS has a One for One program - buy a pair of TOMS and they'll send send a pair to a child in need. So it's like you're getting two pairs for the price of one and doing a good deed for a shoes-less child. They're cooler than jail slippers and really comfy! They come a variety of different styles to suit everyone's needs. I have a blue pair that goes with almost any outfit :)  
• Wheatgrass: No explanation needed. It's essentially grass that's really good for you. It can come in a concentrated powder, a tablet or can be grown in one's home. People usually add it to smoothies or juices (like at juice bars), or can just take shots of it. It has an acquired taste but is packed with lots of great healthful things and is usually used to detoxify the body. Yum!
• Your Daily Thread: a really cool website about green living and a sustainable lifestyle. From events to beauty tips, this site has it all. Check it out: http://yourdailythread.com/
• Living off the grid: According to Wikipedia, it means "living in a self-sufficient manner without reliance on one or more public utilities." In other words, rely on the woods and nature and anything that has nothing to do with running water, natural gas, electricity, and the Internet. To get a better sense of what this style of living, MTV's True Life followed two people who lived off the grid in the Midwest. Did they survive without living in actual houses with municipal power and the use of electrical grid utilities? Here's the link to the preview of the episode, that I highly suggest you watch if it's still available on MTV's website: True Life: I'm Living Off the Grid Preview

There's my schpele. Oh, and if none of these topics feed your fancy, then at least try recycling. GO GREEN!