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Meeting like-minded people is always a pleasure. When they are like-minded, entrepreneurial women I am always especially thrilled.
That is how I felt when I met Marni Wasserman.
Marni is a smart, energetic, passionate chef who is a graduate of the Institute of Holistic Nutrition in Toronto, with a certificate as a Certified Nutritional Practitioner. She is also a graduate of The Natural Gourmet Culinary Institution in New York City. Marni is dedicated to educating anyone and everyone on how to make nutritious eating easy and delicious. What is not to love about that?
When I met Marni she made me a fantastic smoothie full of blueberries, mango, spinach, vegan protein powder and all kinds of good for you ingredients. It was fantastic! Ingredients I would never have thought to add (spinach was a new one for me) turned out to be awesome (you couldn’t taste the spinach – and let me be clear I like spinach – just wasn’t sure how it would taste in a fruit smoothie). She was a delightful wealth of information on food, nutrition and how to create recipes that are packed with healthy benefits.
Marni offers cooking classes on a variety of topics. She shared that through requests she is being steered towards more vegetarian and vegan classes. I have always been curious about vegan options but have no idea how to make them (and have doubted if they would taste good but appreciate how good they are for you). I am a total carnivore, but would like to cut back on the amount of meat and dairy I consume. Well, I will be signing up for one of her courses ASAP!
Zesty Mango Collard Wraps.
Beet Salad – yummy.
As I often say, a crappy lipstick – eco or not – is still a crappy lipstick. Marni believes food should be good for you and taste delicious. A terrible tasting meal – good for you or not – still tastes terrible. I am on her team!
I asked if she could create a smoothie that was especially good for your skin. She said yes – hurray!
Marni is also going to Africa with the organization Organics 4 Orphans, a sustainable project designed to educate communities on healthy eating and how to develop and run organic farms. Love that.
Be beautiful. Feel good about it.
Happy Earth Day everyone! I have been pondering what to write about today. It would seem unspeakable for Green Beauty not to have an earth day post, no? Which got me thinking – what is the deal with Earth Day anyway?
Did you know the first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970? 1970! I had no idea. On September 29, 1969, in a long, front-page New York Times article announced the concept, Gladwin Hill wrote:
“Rising concern about the “environmental crisis” is sweeping the nation’s campuses with an intensity that may be on its way to eclipsing student discontent over the war in Vietnam…a national day of observance of environmental problems, analogous to the mass demonstrations on Vietnam, is being planned for next spring, when a nationwide environmental ‘teach-in’…coordinated from the office of Senator Gaylord Nelson is planned….”
On the 20th anniversary in 1990, 200 million people in 141 countries mobilized to lift environmental issues onto the word stage and pump awareness to a higher level. As a result, recycling has evolved from a radical notion to (practically) de rigeur. Composting has achieved mainstream understanding and growing wide-spread practice; and our general understanding has grown regarding the impact of chemicals in our water, water conservation issues in general, oil spills, landfills, ingredients in our everyday products, pesticides on our fruits and vegetables. The list goes on and on.
So do we still need Earth Day? Absolutely.
There is an island the size of Texas in the Pacific Ocean made out of garbage. Seriously! It is called The Great Pacific Garbage Patch or the Pacific Trash Vortex. It is more of a trash soup than a terra firma island. Disgusting.
However, as much as this is a day of awareness – it is also a day to acknowledge the progress we have made. So tonight, raise your glass of tap water and reflect on the things you do to treat our world with respect: recycling, driving your car less, shopping at markets for local, organic fruits and veggies, cleaning your home with environmental products, purchasing hormone-free or organic meat, turning your thermostat down and the lights off, bringing your own bag to go shopping, and not buying bottled water.
I bet you already do a lot.
Now what more can we do.
Be beautiful. Feel good about it.
I know. I know. You have heard it a million, billion times and I am about to tell you again.
Wear sunscreen.
No really. Wear sunscreen. Whether you are motivated by health, vanity or both it is so important. Let me spell it out for you.
If you are health conscious….
Prolonged, unprotected exposure to the sun can lead to skin cancer. Most skin cancers fall into three categories: basal cell carcinomas, squamous cell carcinomas, and melanomas. Basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas are caused by repeated, unprotected sun exposure. While there is some question as to whether melanomas are also caused by sun exposure, there is general agreement within the medical and scientific communities that the other forms of cancer are. With skin cancer fast becoming the most common form of cancer is North America I say wear your sunscreen.
If you are vain…
The most effective way to prevent wrinkles and other signs of aging is to wear sunscreen.
I will say it again, just so we are clear, the most effective way to prevent wrinkles and other signs of aging is to wear sunscreen. In fact, exposure to ultraviolet light, UVA or UVB, accounts for 90% of the symptoms of premature skin aging. Personally, that is all I need to hear.
All this and sunburns suck. They are painful and are a direct line to both points listed about.
Here are some tips to ensure you protect your skin as effectively as possible.
- Choose a broad spectrum sunscreen. You do this by checking out the active ingredients on the label. Zinc oxide is the hero here as it uniformly covers from 290 to 380 nm, thus protecting against UVB and most of the UVA spectrum; in fact it is the only sun filtering agent that delivers such broad spectrum protection. It is also the active ingredient least likely to irritate even the most sensitive skin. UV Naturals is a great choice.
- Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before you go outside otherwise you are not going to get the protection you need. Apply it after your moisturizer as you are getting ready in the morning and you should be good to go!
- Sunscreen should be applied liberally. Do not skimp here. A dollop the size of a quarter is the minimum required just to protect your face.
- Do not forget to protect your hands. They are in the sun as much as our faces and are a prime area for sun damage and the tell-tale signs of aging (i.e. wrinkles and brown spots). Apply sunscreen to your hands as you would hand cream.
Is all this sounding familiar?
Now – I have heard a gazillion excuses for not wearing sunscreen and my friends – they are all lame. Here are just a few examples:
- I don’t burn I tan – EAH! (sound of loud buzzer) Doesn’t matter, you are still susceptible to sun damage.
- I don’t like the feeling of a film on my face – EAH! Seriously? Would you prefer brown spots and wrinkles?
- It goes on so white I look like a ghost – EAH! Well, many brands do this it is true. It is because the active ingredient is titanium dioxide, so choose a brand using zinc oxide and voila, problem solved.
- It is in my makeup – EAH! If you are going to be outside for a decent amount of time you need better protection. You will not apply the same amount of makeup to do the same job as sunscreen
Convinced? All of this is in the name of your feeling and looking your best for as long as possible. Please – wear sunscreen.
Be beautiful. Feel good about it.
This is my ask of eco designers – will someone please make me a classic pencil skirt using sustainable fabric and practices, please? Pretty please? This has always been my big dilemma when it comes to marrying my personal sense of style with my desire to walk my conscientious talk. I lean more towards the classic styling and the eco fashion landscape has tended to be populated by talented designers who employ a more deconstructed aesthetic. Totally cool. Totally valid. Just not my taste.
What is a girl to do?
Well – thanks to the FTA Design Forward Award, I have discovered some amazing Canadian design talent. These designers showcase a scope of style perspectives and all of them leaders in doing so ethically and sustainably. Love that!
Check these out:
I love the sleek, classic approach to Sonja den Elzen’s designs. Her line Thieves is modern yet classically tailored.
How amazing is this look? Vancouver’s Nicole Bridger is contemporary and casual. I would totally wear this.
On trend, ethically made – what is not to like? Loving Vancouver’s Lav & Kush.
Veering from my pencil skirt query admittedly, but does this hot number from Nixxi not rock? Hello! Ethical and sustainable.
We3 (twigg&hottie) is also rocking the casual, stylish “you can be comfy and not in sweatpants” vibe. Love that.
Hello sweet number from flora&fauna!
These are just the designers that spoke to me. The other nominees are also fantastic – check out all of them at www.fashiontakesaction.com. You even get to vote for your favourite thus partaking in the democracy of fashion. How cool is that? Voting ends on April 16 so hop to it!
And the next time you are thinking you need a styling new dress, or an easy summer skirt, or a structured coat, or a playful T-shirt; think of these amazing designers and seek them out before heading to a major retailer. You’ll be glad you did.
Be beautiful. Feel good about it.
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