Plant a tree or at least some herbs, play outside and be a vegetarian for the day!

Happy Birthday to my little brother! He is an Earth Day baby, born April 22! Here we are at his birthday dinner the day before.

Trivia question: Which design media personality is also an Earth Day baby? Answer: Danny Seo! Catch his show on LimeTV, “Simply Green,” or check out his fantastic books on design, Conscious Style Home, Simply Green Parties and his latest, Simply Green Giving. Happy Birthday and celebrate Danny, Ty-Ty and the EARTH!

In honor of Earth Day, I’m listing my favorite green Must-Haves each year. These make the grade not only because they’re green for many reasons- low-VOC, no off-gassing, recyclable or not tested on animals- but because they make me happah, happah, happah and they have Style Galore!

Jill’s TOP 10 Heavenly Greens

1. Mrs. Meyers cleaning products. I’ve had migraines as a reaction to abrasive cleaning chemicals in the past and these products smell even better than aromatherapy candles, my favorite being the Lavender (but the Lemongrass & Geranium are pretty good too.) Most cleaners smell like an overly santized and bleached zoo- eck- and Mrs. Meyers smells like a fresh breeze from Provence, chemical free.
2. LaraBars. This fastly progressing company out of Colorado makes the most yummy RAW organic bars I’ve found. They’re available almost everywhere now and come in so many flavors- CocoaMole, Pecan Pie, Banana Nut, Lemon, Pistachio- so you’ll never get bored.
3. Organic Bouquet.com. These organic blooms are consistently beautiful. Unlike other major flower websites I’ve used in the past, you can count on the product matching (and even being more beautiful) than the pictures. Oh, and did I mention that most the time it’s cheaper?!
4. Shirataki noodles. Available at Whole Foods in the refrigerated section, these cute little noods’ are made from soy and have been a long time component to the Japanese diet. I’ve recently discovered and fell in love with them, at 40 cals, o carbs & high fiber- they’re perfect for vegan stirfrys. Check out how to make them at www.fatfreevegan.blogspot
5. C2 Paint. So I’m biased! I honestly couldn’t leave them out. There upcoming green paint is phenomenal I can HARDLY wait to tell you about it. It’s already a favorite in my book- customizable green paint using a high-quality paint foundation? Without breathing toxic chemicals? Yes, please!
6. LuLuLemon. The kind of store where you could blow your entire paycheck without much effort, Lu Lu Lemon (love the name) has the absolute best in men & women’s athletic and lounge wear. Get some LuLu Lemon pants, at the very least. They have cute reversable belts and little pockets for money and keys, available in an assortment of candy colors that remind you of Miami. I’m trying to collect them all! And they put on a great in-store Earth Day celebration yesterday, mind you!
7. MOP-Modern Organic Products. Their “Mixed Greens” shampoo and the Basil Mint products are perfectly refreshing for summer. Invigorating in a steamy shower, you’ll feel like your in the rainforest. (Or something like that!)
8. A juicer. Any juicer. I think everyone living in the year 2007 should own a juicer. You can forget the short-lived rush of coffee… what a bore! Nothing makes you feel more awake and alive in the morning than fresh fruit and vegetable juice. Nothing. Good juicing recipes to come on the site- stay tuned.
9. FLOR carpet tiles. So much fun and part the work of Ray Anderson, grandfather of corporate sustainability models. Business, design and earth-friendly? What a win! My sister-in-law just bought chartruese Fedora tiles, their most eco-friendly tile at a nearly 80% recycled content.
10. My bike. Nothing is more fun than passing traffic along North Avenue. Faster, cheaper, greener.
11. Sprout home store. I couldn’t stop at just ten heavenly products & services. For home accessories and items for the urban gardener, Sprout is a must-visit for Chicagoans or Brooklyn-ites, but their online selection is pretty fantastic too.

In celebration of C2 Color’s luxurious colors & extra large 18″x24″ paint chips- in the April issue of Cottage Living, the staff picks their favorites:

Pavement (C2-490) The pick of Mindy Keyes Black, copy editor, when searching for a perfect bathroom gray. “Pavement has a trace of beige and looks great with the earthy tones in our floor.”

Riff (C2-358) “This is just like chocolate mousse!” said Haskell Harris, the assistant home editor. “Once the paint chip showed how it would look with my furniture, I was a goner!”

Gallery White (C2-398) “I wanted the just-right white for our living room walls- not too yellow, not too gray. The extra-large paint chips were a lifesaver. We chose Gallery White, and it’s perfect.” - Amy Mitchell, production manager

You are cordially invited to a Spring celebration of color!  Join us for complimentary cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, and mingle with the Adler’s Design & Hardware team to learn how they can assist during any design task. Find out why C2 paint can deliver exceptional quality, custom colors and impeccable service for any design project.

Event Details:

What: A “C2 Color 101″ reception followed by an educational seminar given by Harry Adler, owner of Adler’s Hardware
When: Wednesday, May 16; cocktails and hors d’oeuvres from 6-7PM; color seminar from 7-8PM.  Where: Providence Piers, 200 Allens Ave. Providence, RI.   www.providencepiers.com
How: RSVP by 5PM on Tuesday, May 15

Please indicate “RSVP Adler’s” in the subject line email to RSVP@k01Agency.com

Adler’s Hardware and C2 Paint will have FREE Designer Incentive Discount card’s (DIDs) and updated C2 Fan Decks for attending designers.  For C2 Fan Deck “Alumni,” Adler’s will provide a “booster pack” with the 92 new C2 colors!  In addition, three (3) winners will be selected from the RSVP list the night of the event and will go home with a C2 Designer Kit which includes: one (1) of each C2 take home chip, a complete fan deck in a stylish black zipper carrying case…ooo la la!

Aww…(cue music) “memories, like the corner of my mind… misty watercolored memories!” I definitely have post-partum from arriving home from a week-long stay at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson with the lovely owners of C2 paint. Not only are the C2 owners the most passionate people about paint on planet Earth, but they couldn’t be more fun! Goooooo C2! Above pic is C2 owners, Robin Daly and Ron Gilbride, Michelle Quaranta, Kim Lichtenstein, Dean Fabrizio & myself, all relishing a pool-side serinade by a mariachi band that happened to be walking by! How does this happen? The simple answer- Dean Fabrizio and several twenty dollar bills. The long answer- divine intervention!

Our mornings were filled with paint, our afternoons with “Cactus Blossum”cocktails (Malibu-cranberry-pineapple juice & amaretto- so delish) and poolside chats about just exactly how C2 paint is going to ROCK your world in 2007 and beyond ….soon soon soon! And for anyone who would like in on the fun, (plug, plug!) please contact me and I can put you in touch with a C2 paint recruit.