White Apricot

SO HOT

An ECOnomical Find for Fall 

There’s nothing like a cute, comfy, cozy sweater to take us from the heat of summer into the cool days of fall. Sorry, scratch that — There’s nothing like a cute, comfy, cozy, REALLY INEXPENSIVE sweater find any time! The High Tide Sweater is hand knit organic cotton, made by a fair trade knitting cooperative in Peru. It gets its casual style from the asymmetrical neckline, fun kangaroo pocket and slouchy comfortable fit. The blue on blue tones and varsity stripes are right on trend for fall and will carry you through the season. Wear it over your swimsuit and shorts or over a t-shirt and jeans. It’s a year-round essential for only $34 at www.faeriesdance.com.

Click the apricot to get 10% off your first time order with your White Apricot Exclusive Offer — That makes it $30.60!

BEAUTY TIP

Take Your Bath with a Grain of Salt

Taking a long, hot bath is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Some people take their bath rituals very seriously, lighting candles or pouring a glass of wine. Others take their baths with a grain of salt — several, in fact. Direct from the healing waters of Utah’s Great Salt Lake, which is the largest salt lake in the western hemisphere, Ojaván Aromatherapy Bath Salts are little jars of heaven, lightly scented with essential oils and available in six therapeutic scents to sooth, calm, rejuvenate, balance, protect, uplift and more.

The salt from this lake is said to be over 250 million years old.  Who knew such old salt could have such an impact on healthy skin and revitalizing the mind?! You also get a surprise “party favor,” so to speak. Buried inside each jar is a crystal. The idea is that it works to “stimulate and compliment your Ojaván experience,” once your “take me away” time is over. $16-$26 at www.ojavanproducts.com. Trial sizes are also available for $2.50.

SERIOUSLY?!

SunChips Making a Loud Statement

Proving once again that no good deed goes unpunished, Frito Lay is taking a lot of flack about its new, eco friendly SunChips bags. The bags, which debuted in January of this year, are made from biodegradable plant material that, although it makes a bit more noise when it’s opened, breaks down in approximately 14 weeks. The problem? Customers are complaining that the bags are too loud, making it impossible to “sneak” a bag of chips.   One Air Force pilot was even quoted as saying it was louder than the cockpit of his jet. And, there’s a facebook page on the issue with more than 39,000 fans. SERIOUSLY?!

Come on, people — can’t we just applaud the efforts of a company trying to do the right thing? Do we really have nothing more important to gripe about than the sound a bag of chips makes when it’s opened? Furthermore, if you have to skulk around “sneaking” SunChips, you may have bigger issues to address.  Personally, we think a crunchy bag is small price to pay for a world with less waste. We also think these complainers are making a loud, embarrassing statement about where the environment ranks on their list of important causes. www.sunchips.com.

TRANSITION TO FALL

Ten Fall Trends to Punch Up Your Summer WardrobeRight Now

By Bonny Osterhage

I’M READY FOR FALL!  There, I said it.  It happens to me every summer around this transitional time.  All the magazines are showing fall fashion, but I’m still in shorts and tank tops. It’s the time when the calendar says fall, but the temperature didn’t get the memo and can’t make up its mind. It’s the weeks when I stare longingly at the sweaters in my closet and when knee-high boots are out of the question, but flippy sandals are just plain silly. If you feel the same way, then you’ll appreciate that we’ve found ten eco friendly fall fashion trends and fall clothing staples that you can incorporate into your summer wardrobe now!

Our Top 10 stories now call out which finds are "ECOnomical" (good for the Planet and your wallet) and which are worthwhile "Splurges" (in our humble opinion).