Becky Striepe | greenUPGRADER

Exploring Sustainability and Our Food System with OrganicNation

by Becky Striepe on December 30th, 2009

What does organic really mean? How does food really go from farm to table? City girl Dorothee Royal teamed up with photographer Mark Andrew Boyer to answer those questions and document their adventure as they “explore America’s sustainable food landscape.” They’re traveling the U.S. visiting organic farms, community gardens, and restaurants to learn about where [...]

Read the full story

Posted in Food+Drink, Living, video 2 Comments

Craft Recycled: Greeting Cards and Wrapping Paper

by Becky Striepe on December 28th, 2009

The gifts are unwrapped, the out of town guests have made their way home, and you’re probably staring at a mountain of gift wrap and cards feeling a bit of the old green guilt. Don’t you fret! With just a little crafty love, you can keep the spoils of Christmas day out of the bin!

Read the full story

Posted in DIY 3 Comments

Cleaning Green: An Ode to Vinegar

by Becky Striepe on December 22nd, 2009

Plain old vinegar has so many uses beyond being a delicious addition to salad dressing and critical for making pickles! You know you can use vinegar as an all-natural hair rinse. Did you know it’s a great disinfectant, too? Toxic cleaning supplies contribute to poor indoor air quality, not to mention the damage they do [...]

Read the full story

Posted in Home+Decor, Living 7 Comments

Bamboo Flooring and Furniture: Green or Greenwash?

by Becky Striepe on December 21st, 2009

We’ve talked about the pros and cons of bamboo here before, when the FTC decided to crack down on green claims about bamboo fabrics. Now, eyes are turning to products like furniture and flooring made from the fast-growing grass.

Read the full story

Posted in Furniture, Home+Decor 6 Comments

Socially Networked: Building Community with Evolver

by Becky Striepe on December 16th, 2009

If you’re reading this site, chances are the you’re looking to make a change, either in your own life or something on a larger scale. Maybe you belong to an activist group or maybe you’re just doing the best you can on your own. The social networking site Evolver is a fantastic resource [...]

Read the full story

Posted in Living, Media+Internet 0 Comments

Craft Recycled: Brooke and Ben’s DIY Wedding

by Becky Striepe on December 14th, 2009

Weddings in the U.S. produce, on average, 63 tons of CO2 and 400-600 pounds of trash. That’s for one wedding! With over 2.5 million weddings per year in this country, that adds up to a crazy amount of pollution and waste. When Brooke and her fiance Ben got engaged, they knew they wanted no [...]

Read the full story

Posted in DIY, Food+Drink 2 Comments

Javan Eco Lunch Bag from GreenSmart

by Becky Striepe on December 10th, 2009

These lunch bags by GreenSmart are constructed from Neogreene fabric, an ecofriendly alternative to Neoprene. They’re healthier for you and for the planet. Javan is just one of the lunch bag styles from GreenSmart, but I was taken by this style’s elastic band for securing your beverage. It’s pictured above with a plastic juice [...]

Read the full story

Posted in Bags+Briefcases 1 Comment

Holiday Gifts That Give a Hint from LUSH Cosmetics

by Becky Striepe on December 9th, 2009

The holidays are here in full force now, and if you haven't found the perfect gift for that special someone, LUSH might just have the thing for you!

Read the full story

Posted in Health+Beauty, Living 1 Comment

Taking the Egg Out of Eggnog

by Becky Striepe on December 8th, 2009

When it comes to festive drinks, it doesn’t get much more holiday than a hot mug of spiked eggnog! You can make your holiday libations cruelty free and a little more eco-friendly with our version of this classic cocktail!

Read the full story

Posted in Food+Drink, Living 0 Comments

Woman Wears Same Dress for a Year to Put 175 Kids in School

by Becky Striepe on December 6th, 2009

Brooklynite Sheena Matheiken has been wearing the same little black dress since May 2009 to benefit the Akanksha Foundation, a group working to give children in India's slums equal access to education.

Read the full story

Posted in Clothes+Accessories 3 Comments