It was such fun stumbling upon the Compost Collection at Union Sq. Green Market in NYC. What a fantastic idea – to basically encourage apartment dwellers to recycle their kitchen scraps into “Brown Gold”. Four days a week you can schlep either your kitchen scraps, which they suggest you stash in old milk/juice cartons or plastic bags, and bring them down to Aurelia. She’ll then feed them to her red wiggler worms and that’s that! You can also do your own composting if you have a patio/balcony, or small yard and then bring the compost down to Aurelia, who’ll be sure to make very good use of it. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m going to make a monumental effort to further reduce the amount of plastic I bring into the home, and as I write this my husband is rolling his eyes, muttering “I told you soooooo” – which makes me furious because I think I’ve made great progress already – but given the Dirt Devil incident on our first date, it’s no wonder! On that ever so romantic date, when reaching into the back of car for my purse, I was confronted with a huge almost vintage looking Dirt Devil vacuum cleaner taking up the entire back seat. This super-cool, guitar-playing, ravishing dude explained that he was taking it in to get it fixed the following day. It turned out he’d had it for years – it had followed him from Atlanta to Florida and finally to Los Angeles and just needed a new motor or screw. Read the rest of this entry »

I am so happy to find these If You Care household gloves as I’ve been on the look-out for eco-friendly rubber gloves for years! They are made from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified latex, and they are fair trade – good for people and good for the planet.

They are packaged in a 100% recycled, non-bleached box and the gloves are naturally biodegradable.

They’re also cute – bright Kelly green (much more Kelly than the photo suggests) – so protect your mitts by snapping up a pair when you’re next in Wholefoods, or find out where else you can get them by visiting their site.

It makes perfect sense to make your bedroom, the place where you spend at least half your life, as sweet-smelling and non-toxic as possible. I can never get over the fact that the air quality inside of most homes in America is 7-10 times worse that outside air quality, and this is especially scary when it comes to the one room, which should be a cozy sanctuary. So how can you do it Gorgeously in your bedroom? There’s a couple of items that I strongly suggest you invest in. It’s all about prioritizing and dealing with the worst culprits first. So let’s get started: Read the rest of this entry »

My heart was racing as I watched the CNN Special Investigation into toxic chemicals, anchored by Dr Sanjay Gupta. What a right old mess we’ve all got ourselves into. In such an incredibly short time – literally 60 years is a very short time, a blip in history – we’re now living in a world where most of us don’t have access to clean air, food or water! When I started researching this issue almost ten years ago, the deeper I delved, the more appalled I became. The average woman is exposed to 200+ potentially toxic chemicals before she’s even left the house in the morning.  I was particularly concerned when I was newly pregnant and wanted to make sure that my unborn baby was as safe as could be. Awareness about toxic products was not what it is today, and Read the rest of this entry »

Sitting here sipping my organic green tea, having just scrubbed my entire kitchen with my homemade non-toxic (and exquisite smelling), cleaning products, I can easily feel immune to the toxic chemicals that are very likely sequestered in my body fat, ratcheting up my chemical “Body Burden”. Like it or not, we are all exposed to these unfortunate chemicals on a daily basis, so I was thrilled to find out that CNN is doing a special 6/2 & 6/3, entitled “Toxic America”, where this scary issue is given the public awareness that is deserves. One of my main reasons for becoming rather obsessively green Read the rest of this entry »

I have just finished re-caulking my bath tub with non-toxic grout, and I couldn’t be more proud of myself! I saved a wad of cash, which will go towards a pair of vegan shoes I’ve got my eye on, and having mastered that simple task, I now feel a few more summer projects coming on. The past few weeks have been a blast, as I’ve spring-cleaned my entire home with products from my new book, Do It Gorgeously – How to Make Less Toxic, Less Expensive, and More Beautiful Products .
Read the rest of this entry »

Yard Sales can be thrilling or a total downer. If you’re in a hurry, which I always am, it’s important to know what to look for. There are 5 items that I always keep a beady eye out for- items that are perfectly good, if not better second hand. #1: Lamps: The beauty of lamps is that you get the base and can then buy a very inexpensive lampshade. I found one for my daughter’s room, which was just plain wood. She wasn’t thrilled – until we got to customizing it. We found an inexpensive little shade and she Read the rest of this entry »

It never ceases to amaze me how much money I can save when I’m trying to be a bit greener. A few basic household products have ended up saving me wads of cash. So without further ado – here are my favorite kitchen cash savers. 1.A set of Preserve recycled cups and flatware. I purchased a couple of sets 3 years ago and they’re still going strong. They’ve seen me through dozens of kid’s parties and have saved me buying disposable cups/plates etc Read the rest of this entry »

The Garden Gourmet is the compost bin that I took onto Oprah and demonstrated with Julia Roberts. It really is a good, sturdy bin, which works well across the board. The most useful feature is the hatch door on the front, which you lift up in order to harvest the compost at the bottom of the bin. Keep in mind that the compost at the bottom of this 70-gallon bin will be ready way before the middle and top section.

If you are anywhere near Los Angeles this week, I will be demonstrating how to compost at 12 noon, Wednesday March 31st at 12 noon. I would love to see you!

The Grove
189 The Grove Drive.Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 900-8080