Eco-friendly Summer Essentials

As a self proclaimed "hippie," there are certain ways of learning how to live and what to use on a daily basis.  Summer is one of the greatest seasons for one who enjoys being in the great outdoors, but also requires some extra thinking about what products to use to protect your skin from the sun, keep cool and bring those flimsy flip-flop purchases down to a minimum.

One of the most important things for summer is keeping those darn feet from getting overheated.  Another problem is the amount of money and resources get used up by endless pairs of flip flops or other sandals.  Plus, when you're like me and you're out hiking or windsurfing during the summer months, you need something that will hold up and get good traction without looking ridiculous.  Chacos are great for that.  These ones were give to me as a birthday present from Erik, and they come in all sorts of colors.  The thin straps look a little more "girly" than your basic Chaco, adding a nice touch.  They also last a long time.  You can get them re-soled, re-strapped, re-anything so when something wears out, you only replace what's broken, not the entire shoe.  Initially they do cost a chunk of change, but if you think about how many pairs of other sandals you've purchased and worn out... it's definitely worth it in the long run.



Another important thing to cover is your body... in lots of sunscreen.  With over 1,000,000 new cases a year, skin cancer has been steadily rising as the use of things such as tanning beds increase.  I'm just as vain as the next person (I've used those tanning beds several times), but it becomes awfully dangerous to sacrifice your life for your looks.  The Environmental Working Group has done a study on thousands of sunscreens, checking for everything from protection against harmful sun rays to toxic chemicals found in the creams, causing their own problems.  They found the top 5 best and worst sunscreens, with Soleo Organics Sunscreen Chemical Free SPF 30 being number 1.  To see the report, check out this link: Eco-Friendly Sunscreen




I really don't care for shorts that much.  From a family that seems to be one of the most fertile, my hips are made for having babies.  So I prefer to wear things like skirts and dresses to keep cool.  Patagonia carries a variety of skirts and dresses for summertime.  One of my favorites (that I actually own) is the Morning Glory skirt.  It works with just about anything and the material breathes beautifully.  Not to mention its durability is hard to beat, especially when it comes to a skirt.  And with Patagonia's dedication to creating products that cause the smallest amount of harm to the environment, you know you're getting a quality product using ethical means.  Click to find out more about Patagonia's mission statement: Patagonia