Green as a Thistle

I’ve never liked hemp necklaces and the only time I’ll indulge in friendship bracelets is if I’m at a cottage and my friend Meghan is making them for me. But recently, I stumbled upon a neato company — founded by Reena Kazmann in 1999 — which sells remarkably tasteful eco-friendly jewellery.

Eco-Artware has cufflinks made from typewriter keys, earrings made from UPC codes and plenty more. Anyone celebrating a green birthday soon?

… all reasons to make sure you keep checking out the News, Green Thumbs Up and Green Thumbs Down pages! I try to update them at least every day or two so the content is as fresh as the organic produce at Whole Foods. And be sure to give some love to the folks on my Blogroll — from the green sites, like It’s the Environment, Stupid and Treehugger, to my friends’ sites about everything from African music to the wonders of ground flaxseed.

Now, I know there’s been all this talk about certain polycarbonate plastic water bottles leaking estrogen-esque hormones and serving as breeding grounds for nasty bacteria, and yes, stainless steel and glass containers are probably better, but for whatever reason, I’ve always had a soft spot for Nalgene.

Maybe it’s because I fancy myself an outdoorsy type at heart, and have fond summer memories of whipping my hair into perfectly symmetrical braids, paddling a dilapidated canoe out on Big Hawk Lake and working on my Teva tan as I sipped from a classic 16 oz Loop Top. Or maybe it’s because when I was a lifeguard, my co-worker — who I had a bit of a girl-crush on — insisted that Nalgene was the be all and end all of water bottles (whatever that means).

Either way, in terms of being eco-friendly, it’s better to tote around one of these all day instead of buying those flimsy wee bottles of spring water at the local convenience store and then tossing them out. Not only does it save waste, it also lowers the demand for water that’s shipped via polluting air and truck all the way to Canada from the Alps.

Taste-wise, Toronto’s finest isn’t always so palatable, but I find that a Brita filter, or even just a stint in the refrigerator, does the trick. So from now on, I’m not buying any bottled water — I’m bottling my own. At restaurants, I’m asking for tap. And for those who want to follow suit but are already having nightmares about whacked-out hormonal rages and polycarbonate babies, try Nalgene’s HDPE bottle (or any stainless steel thermos).