By Green Diva Meg

The first in our series on earth-friendly and vegan shoes. Seriously - we wouldn't be green divas if we didn't love shoes! We recently hooked up with PlanetShoes.com and to our amazement, there is a plentiful variety of not only eco-friendly shoes made from recycled materials, but vegan shoes? Ok, I'm not a vegan virgin, but really vegan shoes? Does this mean I can eat them?

Of course, I jest, but one usually thinks of the term vegan in relationship to food. But, there are folks who are THRILLED to be able to wear shoes that don't look like bricks or little burlap sandals on their feet - shoes that are congruent with their values as vegans. I interpret that to mean that there are no animal products used in the production of the shoe - cruelty-free shoes.

LEARN HOW TO RECYCLE AND RE-PURPOSE YOUR OLD SNEAKERS
THE NAKED TRUTH ABOUT RUNNING SHOES

I recently got an AWESOME pair of new rain shoes (much needed this past week here in the northeast!)Read More »from Vegan Shoes? Happy Eco-Friendly and Cruelty Free Feet

by Green Diva Meg


You're probably aware that there are a lot of new electric cars coming out. Thanks to California zero-emissions regulations, which have been adopted by several states in the northeast as well as the northwest, many car manufacturers have incentive to create new zero-emission electric cars. Good right?

Well . . . If you listen to this interview, which is the first of our 2-part series with our favorite green car dude, John Voelcker, editor of GreenCarReports.com, you begin to separate the real from the marketing hype.

Here's Part 1: What is a Compliance Car?

Read More »from Electric Cars: Real Vs. Compliance Cars

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By Sarah Irani

Is the economy beating you up? It's time to get creative. Next time you have an ache or pain, forget about a costly trip to the drugstore and test drive some of your grandmother's remedies instead. It'll save money and be gentler on your body and the environment. Recessionistas (and Gents), welcome to the DIY medicine cabinet.

Indigestion and Heartburn

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It almost goes without saying - but consider why you're getting heartburn in the first place. Did you overeat? Too much grease or spicy food? Eating late at night? Scout out the cause and try to stop this before it happens. Then, put down the antacids. The belching, bloat and heartburn caused by indigestion come about because you don't have enough stomach acid to do the job right. A spoonful or two of apple cider vinegar will help break down the excess food that is causing you trouble and bring your stomach back to balance.

Sore Throat

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Sore, scratchy throats are usually a sign of a cold or flu coming on, so you Read More »from The Best Natural Remedies for the 15 Most Common Aches, Pains and Health Complaints

Composting isn't just for food, silly! You'll be surprised at all the strange, random junk you can toss in the compost bucket. Don't draw the line at peach pits and coffee grounds - start chucking the following items into that bucket and watch your garbage bill go down while you create top-drawer dirt (and help the planet, of course).

1. Bills - because somehow it's a lot more satisfying shoving bills in with melon rinds and egg shells than the recycle bin. Trust me.

2. Latex condoms - both latex and sheepskin condoms are biodegradable; note that sheepskin does not protect against STDs.

3. Junk mail - if you're like me not even the Do Not Mail list has managed to alleviate the jubilant deforestation companies are undertaking on your personal behalf.

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4. Catalogs and magazines - just shred them first.

5. Old fish food and stale catnip

6. Abandoned hide/bone dog chews

7. Worn out rope and used masking tape

8. Any old leather - shoes, gloves, wallets, belts, "sexy" Halloween cat

Read More »from 30 Unexpected and Unusual Things You Can Compost

"The Diva Digs Up the Dirt" by Krista Davis
Reviewed by David Marshall James

Does she ever-- literally and figuratively.

Plus, she has a reality TV crew encamped in her backyard, but all's well that ends well with that subplot.

The title Diva, Sophie Winston, writes a domestic-advice column, sort of "Dear Abby" meets "Hints from Heloise." She also works as an events planner in and around Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia, an historic area with plenty of historically oriented and metro-DC happenings to keep her on the run.

Indeed, the plethora of local gatherings can easily support another Domestic Diva, Natasha, Sophie's childhood bete noire. Not that much has changed in their relationship. Natasha's competitively manic proclivities have intensified, up to her latching onto Sophie's ex-husband, Mars.

Sophie has been tolerant of her neighbor and rival Diva, which hasn't gone unnoticed by Mars, who-- in a manner of speaking-- may have traded up for the shinier, flashier model when the

Read More »from Dig that Diva, Digging Up the Dirt

You probably have a bunch of stuff lying around your house that isn't quite in good enough shape to donate or use, but is still decent enough that you feel weird throwing it out.

You can go all Ma Ingalls, mending tears in clothes and darning socks, or you can go all hip and Etsy-crafter and upcycle.

More from The Stir: 6 Fabulous Home Designs Inspired by Your Favorite Games

What is upcycling? This edition of MomEd: Green Living has all the details, but it's basically taking an old piece of clothing or knickknack, like a worn-out shirt or broken crayons, and turning it into something new and cool.

The best part is, you don't need Martha Stewart-level crafting skills. In this episode, you learn how to turn a piece of fabric from that tattered shirt into a reusable sandwich bag, how to re-create old wool sweaters and turn them into soft toys, and how to make cool new crayons from old ones.

Want more? Here are 10 projects to get you started:

Old men's shirts

Read More »from What is Upcycling? 10 Easy Ways to Make it Happen (VIDEO)

By Stephanie Rogers

Honking cars emit foul black clouds, skyscrapers blot out the sun, litter lines the gutters and healthy green space can be hard to come by. But in many of America's biggest cities, these negative traits are being eclipsed by clean, efficient public transit, bike-friendly infrastructure, multiplying trees, reliance on renewable energy and a fierce pride in locally-produced products. Slashing greenhouse gas emissions and coming close to zero waste is no easy feat for a metropolis with a population of at least 250,000, but these 10 cities - from Boston to San Francisco - prove that sustainability is possible on the largest of scales, in good economic times and bad.

10. Boston, Massachusetts



Representing the entire East Coast in impressive renewable energy stats, Boston boosted its solar power with the Solar Boston program and counts wind among its top three sources of electricity, with a turbine on city hall and more slated for several public schools. Other big

Read More »from 10 Greenest U.S. Cities

Because figuring out what kind of fish to eat is practically rocket scienceSeafood lovers concerned about sustainability may already be familiar with the popular Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch's pocket and mobile guides, which divide up fish caught in the United States into easy-to-follow "Best Choices," "Good Alternatives," and "Avoid" lists based on the management of the fisheries for each species, population data, and fishing methods. While helpful, these lists leave out a component also worth considering when making seafood choices: toxin levels and omega-3 levels.

Click here to see The 10 Best Fish to Eat PLUS Recipes

But now there's a new list, dubbed "The Super Green List," which attempts to take all of these factors into account and boil them down to a "top 10" list. The fish that make this list have fewer than 216 parts per billion mercury and 11 parts per billion PCBs (a toxic byproduct of industrial activities), and yield at least 250 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids per day based on a weekly consumption of eight ounces of fish per week. To

Read More »from The Best Fish to Eat