I never knew such a thing existed - The Miss Earth beauty pageant! It’s criminal that I didn’t know of this before, and it’s in its 8th year!

Then I immediately thought the women involved aren’t interested in the environment!? As soon as I saw the image of 30 women out in bikinis smiling I thought it was some kind of joke, ridiculing the rest of us that actually do things each day to help the planet.

BUT instead of it literally being a show to parade ‘green’ cuties around the world for a few hours I read more into it and the winning lady (Miss Earth) actually dedicates herself to a year of promoting environmental projects and addressing other concerning issues. Last year’s winner Jessica Trisko, has a Ph. D in Political Science and worked with the Miss Earth Foundation to lead various eco-tours and environmental orientations throughout the year.

Even the runners up also keep themselves busy and are given the names of other natural elements (to keep them content with losing out I guess) Miss Fire (equivalent to third runner-up), Miss Water (second runner-up), and Miss Air (first runner-up).

Who said being green and caring about the environment was boring stuff hey? I’m right behind them and their skimpy bikinis even if it means temperatures going up elsewhere…

 

In an unusual development, The Canadian Press reports a sharp rise in organized environmental crime. What is environmental crime? Well, for example, many criminals take loads of e-waste and sell them at higher prices to black (or green) market recyclers overseas. Afterwards, they’re mined for parts needed by people in poorer countries. While we’re all for the crime syndicate going green, we’d prefer they did it legally. But hey, if crooks are becoming more mindful of the environment, then what’s stopping everyone else?

Once you have a garden that grows fresh produce, the next logical step is to prepare and cook your crops. While there are solar-powered grills and stoves on the market—and ones that are affordable—there are always methods to make the process cheaper, more portable, and environmentally friendly.

On Ecofriend, one reader of the site sent in an image of a solar cooker that he designed himself . Similar to a tanning mirror that people take to the beach, it’s foldable and modular, so that you can place it in relation to the sun’s position. The coolest part is that it’s made by you, which means that everything, from the cooking to the cooker, is your creation.

In conjunction a post from the other day about green celebrities that aren't actually green, here's a clip--courtesy of Treehugger--about a celebrity who was green thirty years ago! In a clip from the CBC, Jack Nicholson drives a hydrogen car for the purpose of letting people witness firsthand the possibility of alternative fuel. The only question left is whether or not the car arrives with a pair of Jack's sunglasses.

Summer's still in full swing, but only about a month left and it's back to school time for some people. An even smaller group will be deciding on which colleges and universities should they attend--and in some cases, the school's carbon footprint and environmental education programs may be a deciding factor. Dorm Scout has a list of the top 20 greenest venues for higher education in the world, including EARTH University, which may set off green lights for people who make the environment their number one concern. It probably won't be their only one, though, considering that the school is in Costa Rica. Location might have something to do with wanting to go there, don't you think?

We’ve discussed recyclable shoes before; but at the same time, a worn pair of sneakers does not necessarily mean that they’re stylish.

Many men and women are looking for more refined, elegant (or dress) shoes that don’t use leather products and can pass as a classy article. It’s difficult to do that and be the real thing, but now there may be solutions to that stylistic faux pas.

The shoe company Georgette makes higher-end shoes that look like they’re made from real leather. In many cases, the shoes have very nice designs and more importantly, supposedly feel like real leather as well. While these are only sold for females, it at least indicates that it’s not too far off for viable dress shoes to be out on the market that are imitation leather. And soon enough, “imitation” won’t have to mean “tacky.” 

As this article in Green Daily points out, many beauty products currently on the market contain harmful chemicals that can be damaging to both your skin and to the environment. At the same time, spending lots of money on organic products will make you wish you went back to standard shampoo.

So what’s the best way to solve this problem? By going super-organic--that means creating your own beauty products from scratch. Our favorite suggestion here is one for a face mask made out of bananas. Way more tropical and fragrant than cucumbers and lotion, isn’t it?