Abandoned lots are the memories of what was once good. They are the reminders of a prosperous time that's now (seemingly) far gone. Once were warehouses bustling with economic success and here they lie, decaying and rotting reminders of a failed economic and the struggles within it. They haunt the community. They scare off potential visitors. They are the ghosts of the past that desperately require a team of Ghost Busters to zap tranquility back into the lives of others. But what are the ways in doing so for this decrepit lots?  

​In urban areas, it can be difficult finding resources such as fresh fruits and vegetables sold at local farmers markets. When communities cannot acquire fresh food, there can be  devastating effects on the population. To begin, fresh produce is often priced higher than products that are filled with high trans fats and preservatives. Because of this, levels of obesity are higher in urban areas. Obesity comes with lifelong issues such as heart disease, diabetes, and even death. Connected to that, it’s been proven that children who have unhealthy diets often test lowers than children who eat healthier diets. It’s systematic, it’s toxic, and it nearly seems like a war tactic on keeping people of lower economic status in place. How can people who cannot afford healthy food provide healthy food for their family? How can we solve the issue of unsightly decaying buildings?

​The answer isn’t simple but there are ideas on how to solve this growing issue. One being community gardens. Community gardens can be seen in urban areas all over the country. Even in my own backyard, there are urban gardens by the homes near Fenway and Backbay in Boston.

Community gardens allow groups of people to get together for a greater purpose; growing and tending to produce to help their family, and other families alike. It’s a beautiful and tranquil act; purchasing seeds, tending to them, and being able to receive nutrients and benefits from the plant that was raised.  Seeds can cost less than a dollar while feeding a large family can cost nearly $100 a week.

Although fruits and vegetables cannot diminish an entire weekly grocery bill, it can remove a few expenses (which is better than nothing at all). The act of tending to a garden brings people together. Families that bounce from jobs to school can all connect and move towards one shared goal, assuring the garden is taken cared for. When plants sprout, entire families and groups alike can share in the pride of bringing life into the world through gardening. In addition, important lifelong skills such as patience and appreciation can be gained through gardening.

If urban areas have abandoned lots with decomposing ruins of the factories that once represented hope and progress; why not reinvent the mournful plot into something which brings community together? If the area isn’t being tended to and is remaining as an eyesore, why not make it into something that’ll better everyone? Repurposing the dreadful decaying buildings into places of community forum not only makes the residents feel joy and a newfound respect, it also makes visitors feel the same. This in turn can help the economy and real estate.

​Rather than supporting the rotting of buildings, why not support the building of communities through produce? 

I'm always looking for new skincare products to help better my skin. Summer is here and that means TONS of oily sunscreen which can wreak havoc on my face (hello acne, hello a lack of confidence).

I was approached to check out a skincare product I've never heard about prior. CellULogic. "Cell-U-Logic?", I asked myself. I was excited to try this product and I'm ready to report back my thoughts.

Cell-U-Logic is a line of skincare products that promote anti-aging through nutrient rich ingredients (green coffee, argan oil, guarana, cocoa and shea butters). There are other botanical oils and extracts which make up the products along with vitamins and minerals for toning, sculpting, and smoothing. It's very natural and composed of natural ingredients. 

For me, I don't like using products loaded with chemicals or unnatural ingredients. Therefore, I was excited to check out CelluLogic

CellULogic also proudly defines itself as being GREEN. The products are eco-friendly, sustainable, and chemical-free. What's good for Mother Earth is what's good for me!

I love scrubs. Let's start there. They always make me feel fresh and clean and like I'm stripping all the dead skin from myself (too honest?).

​The Cellulogic Scrub focuses on exfoliating and detoxing the skin. It removes dead cells and promotes cell turnover and circulation. It combats rough patches and eliminates toxins.

For photography sake, I used the product outside and without water but the scrub is meant to be used in the bath. I loved the smell of the scrub, it reminded me of a lime hard-candy.  It's a really peaceful scent and product.

I know what you're thinking; why is this 20 year old using Anti-Aging cream? Preventative measures make a difference!

I tried the cream and I cannot guarantee it'll make you look younger but I can say it'll give you a glow. Like the scrub, it smells really nice - like a calming spa. The cream comes out a little quick (watch out!). When I tried it, I noticed it hydrated my skin. 

The recommended use is to massage the cream twice a day for 30-60 seconds in order to improve skin elasticity, enhance circulation and reduce inflammation. 

This gel is unlike anything I've heard of before. On the package, it states to apply twice daily (and generously) throughout areas that require treatment. The gel says it'll make your skin firmer, restore elasticity to dimpled ares, as well as moisten the skin. 

As I'm writing this post, I've only used the product for about a week so I cannot say from experience that it is improving my dimpled skin but I will report back after longer use!

I liked these products! My skin has been overworked through the overly sunny days and long hours in the sun. I felt a peaceful sensation using them (the aroma will bring you to your happy place).

They're refreshing and the scent is comforting. It smells great and it's natural as well. I plan to use these products regularly when I'm having personal spa days as well as share these products with my mother and aunts.

For me, I don't need the anti-aging products due to my own age but I'm glad to share these products with you or anyone who may be interested in preventative anti-aging measures or using anti-aging products! I'm excited to continue spreading the word of Cellulogic and using the products myself, mostly during these dry summer days!

Use promo code for new customers to save 20% off any order. Use THANKYOU20.

​This promo ends June 30, 2017.

​What can we trust anymore?  Well, a lot of brands we trusted, we can’t anymore and we shouldn’t. I can’t even begin to count how many times I had a Happy Meal in my life. What we buy is a reflection our personality and our values. If we buy from a brand that supports an anti-homosexual agenda, deforestation, or the mistreatment of workers; what does that say about ourselves? 

​I once worked at a coffee chain when I was in high school. I’ll never forget when my manager made my coworker lay under the shelves and bleach them. His face turned red, he was faint, and he was nearly throwing up. Our cleaning products must be safe and often times, they aren’t or they have a negative effect on the environment or negative outcomes during the production.

I had the opportunity to try ECOS, a dish soup that puts so much goodness in your life, you will be wishing you heard of it sooner!

Ecos is a brand of dish soap created after "nearly 50 years of scientific passion and plant derived goodness".

​ ​So what’s so good about Ecos?

Well, A LOT. Let me break it down.

During this past Thanksgiving, my mom and I put Ecos to the test! You can only imagine how full of dirty dishes our sink and counter tops were after dinner and dessert!  While using Ecos, we found it was easier to put the soap on a sponge rather than filling the sink. Bubbles formed and stuck-on-food came off easily. After cleaning, hands were left smooth rather than some products that dry out your hands after use. 

My mom raved about how the dishes "...truly felt squeaky clean". 

Ecos is a great replacement to your current dish soap. Why use a product that cannot guarantee a positive economic impact? Ecos stands for bettering the planet and the company's mission and production has led me to being a supporter and consumer! 

Check out Ecos here by visiting 

Picture Day. The day that makes or breaks your elementary school career. What you wear on that day says a lot about who you are and visually tells people about your personality, interests, and style. Your outfit reflects who you are.

When I was a child, I always liked clothing a little... too much. Dress up was a PAGEANT, a full-fledged event. I liked sticking out and being unique with my outfits. And, if someone had the same outfit on as me, I would lose my mind.

You can only imagine how appalled I was as a child when, on Picture Day, I had the same outfit on as many other girls

What's wrong with this picture?

So, here I am, a girl since day one that can’t get enough of clothes. Mixing strange pants and printed coats, playing with psychedelic patterns, defining my style each time I run to the mall. Essentially pouring my work tips out on the counter and saying, “Take. My. MONEY.”.

But what’s wrong with this? Can you guess? Some would say it’s my draining of my bank account. But I would say it’s something more.

Read it and weep (seriously... the tears are real)

According to Green Peace, 

• “One of the major sources of pollution is the fashion industry – with 68% of industrial facilities on the Upper Citarum producing textiles”
• “The printing and dyeing processes are particularly chemical intensive, and have contributed to the Citarum developing a reputation as one of the dirtiest rivers on earth.”
• “Greenpeace collected samples of wastewater…. and found the presence of a number of hazardous chemicals, including nonylphenol, antimony and tributylphosphate.”
• “wastewater discharged from one of the two smaller outfalls was highly alkaline
  (pH 14), which is highly caustic, will burn human skin coming into direct contact with the stream”

I had spent my days mindlessly shopping, making brainless decisions, picking purses and pumps, while NEVER taking in consideration on where the products come from and how they are made.

The Three R's Meet My Wardrobe

You heard it through school, you read it on your blue bins, do you take it in consideration? The Three R's: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

When the reality of what is happening to the planet just so I can buy socks sunk in, I HAD to make a change. How could I make sustainable and eco-friendly decisions while clothes shopping? I can't sew my own clothes. I can't go clean up pollution in outsourced countries. But I can do my part to not pour my money on the counter for a company that will damage Mother Earth. 

Problem Solving: Sustainability and Style at Savers and Salvation Army

I found a solution to my problems; shop at the places that recycle and create a style that cannot be duplicated. Some walk by Salvation Army and Saver's with their nose up, while I sprint towards them with several shopping carts.

Shopping at these places is a way for clothing to get a second chance
​
We reuse and recycle the clothing instead of giving our money to companies that will outsource, mistreat workers, and destroy the environment and ecosystems. Simply not shopping at those places has an impact on our environment. Just like recycling plastic bottles and them being re-purposed into other items, shopping at these stores does a similar thing but for clothes. 

Shopping at these places stops me from pouring my change on the table
​
Have you ever been shopping at a second hand store? $20 gets you far, let alone $50 or $100. You feel like absolute royalty prancing around the stores, with carts full of clothes, and hearing the cashier say "Your total is $45.72".

Pro Tip: Check out the websites of both places for deals like half-off Monday's. Also, donating clothes at Savers gets you a discount off your entire purchase. 

Create and Reinvent Yourself, Over and Over Again

If you're like me, you create your own unique look through your clothes. Shopping at Savers and Salvation Army allow you to do so and have clothing that not everyone is going to have. Shopping at traditional retail, you'll see your outfit on everyone and feel like just one of many copies. With the money you'll be saving, you'll be able to reinvent your style over and over again.


It's The Little Things

To wrap it up, making little changes makes a big difference. Yes, I still shop at traditional stores, but I do my best to make other shopping decisions. Whether it's an online yard sale site or a secondhand store, your shopping decisions can make a difference!
​
Do Good, Feel Good, KEEP IT GREEN. 

Sweater: Savers
Doc Martens: Facebook Yard Sale site
Pants: My sister's
BCBG Purse: Hand-me-down 

Cardigan: Savers
Heels: Facebook Yard Sale site
Shirt and Pants: Kohls

Savers and Salvation Army haul

Pants: Savers
Blouse: Hand-me-down

Shirt: Marshall's
Pants: Hand-me-down
Dress: Target (2013)
Shoes: Dr Marten's

Dress: Rue 21
​Shors: Savers

Shorts: Rue 21
Shirt: Savers

Halt:
Have you ever seen the three-minute and twenty-two second video called “The Scarecrow”? With over 16 million views, I wouldn’t be surprised if you have. But, if you haven’t, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUtnas5ScSE
 
A Brief Synopsis
 
The short film stars a scarecrow who lives in a bleak, unhopeful industrial society.  The scarecrow works at a disturbing factory, painted with a farm on the outside. The scarecrow witnesses the unnaturalness of the food service industry, the mistreatment of cows and chickens, and the unknowingness of the consumer. As a haunting and eerie remake of the song “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory plays, the scarecrow continues his day in a polluted world. Then, he returns to his home (which is the only location with grass and outside of the city). The music shifts to a hopeful tone as he begins to gather fresh vegetables and cooks naturally. He returns to the city with his fresh, non-GMO, organic food and begins to sell alongside the factories. Once trapped in the system of controlled by the unnatural and harmful factories, the scarecrow takes the first step in breaking the cycle and moving towards change. This short film personifies what happens in OUR world.
 
Chipotle? No sir…
 
Yes! Yes! Yes! This beautiful, emotional, authentic film was an online only Chipotle commercial. This video was one of the initial changes in Chipotle’s rebranding circa 2013. Chipotle boldly stated, ‘WE are the scarecrow and WE are going to change how you see and experience food. WE are going to change the system and go back to natural agriculture and farming. WE won’t be fooled into eating ‘Beef-ish’ food and being blind to where our food comes from’. Chipotle was going to break the system of GMO’s, fast-food, and animal abuse within factories.  
 
But what happened?
 
Chipotle was supposed to be the force to revolutionize the food industry. Chipotle was supposed to bring us back to natural eating, not fast food junk. But E-Coli happened, the scandal, the lack of trust and support with consumers. Chipotle, in my opinion, handled the situation with courage and respect through never denying the facts and facing it head on in such a professional manner. But after such a scandal, the name Chipotle is tainted with the thought of E-Coli and the scarecrow message had faded.
 
We are the scarecrow
 
As the world becomes littered with factory fast food, GMO’s, and unnatural junk, we must think to ourselves. What do we want? Do we want to be blindsided and force-fed GMO’s and other unnatural lab junk? Do we want to continue being lab rats? We can stop the cycle; we can be the scarecrow. Chipotle is the only company that will admit the food industry is a disturbing, unnatural, and harmful industry we blindly take part in. Chipotle should have started the movement to a healthier, natural, REAL chain of restaurants. But E-Coli stopped the scarecrow and hindered the Chipotle name. But…We can be the scarecrow; we can stop the madness. Whether you eat at Chipotle or not, we must stay inspired by the scarecrow and begin a movement.
 
WE ARE THE SCARECROW.

Good evening, visitors!
I am a member of the Green Navigators; a group of students at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth who educate the community on how to be more sustainable. 
Some of you may be asking, “what is sustainability” and “why should we care”?
Let me break it down for you!

 
Sustainability Basics
 
As defined by Dictionary.com, Sustainability is “Environmental Science. the quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supporting long-term ecological balance”.
 
So what does that mean?
Essentially, we’re living on a finite planet with finite resources. We’re consuming our resources at a deadly rate. We are growing too quickly in population and our resources cannot keep up. Therefore, we need to make our resources last.
 
So, how do you be more sustainable?
Most people think being sustainable is an enormous lifestyle change, but small steps can lead to a bigger, better impact and YOU being more sustainable! Here are some helpful and fun tips directly from the Green Navigators to help you make better and greener choices. 
 
Slash the Trash
Plastic water bottles aren't the only thing you can recycle! Paper, plastic, cardboard, Aluminum and even glass can be recycled. Find the recycling bins among your community and choose to reduce, reuse, and recycle. An example of this is the company Thread. Thread takes plastic bottles and repurposes them into fabric which can be used as sustainable fashion.
Why is recycling important?
 
Do you know of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? In the ocean, there is a GIANT patch of plastic and chemical waste floating. Debris combined with the currents formed this wasteland. Marine life is found dead with plastic and waste in their bellies due to consumption of said plastic, whether from the patch or from coastal pollution. Recycling can help limit the pollution and reuse materials such as plastic for good, rather than harm.
 
 
Limit Your Minutes
Clean water is a finite resource. Showering and washing your hands can lead to gallons of water wasted. When brushing your teeth, don’t let the water run in between. Shut it off and use when necessary. When showering, play music on your phone or radio or sing to time your shower length in order to not waste water. 
 
You heard it here, singing in the shower can help you be more sustainable! So sing at the top of your lungs, you shower superstar.
 
 
Be Bold, Go Cold
Washing your clothes can be a waste of energy and water. Using the "Brights" setting washes your clothes in cold water which uses less energy than washing in another setting. Hot water takes more energy and resources when washing and the bright setting is a more sustainable choice.
Don’t forget; choose to wash full loads in order to be more sustainable! And, it’s better for your pocket; mostly if you’re a college kid who pays for laundry! 
 
 
Reduce the Juice
Reduce your energy use! Often times, we leave phone chargers in the wall when we leave, DVD players on even though we haven’t put a DVD in for months, and lights on when the sun is shining.
Turn off or unplug electronics and devices you're not using. When you leave your home, unplug and shut off electronics, too. This simple task helps us to not waste energy!
 
The Wrap Up
As previously stated, we live on a finite planet. WE won’t live forever, but, we will have ancestors that will be forced to face the devastating effects of a planet with a lack of resources if we don’t put in effort now.
 
I hope this blog post has sparked your interest in sustainability and has educated you on the quick and easy ways to make your life more sustainability.
 
Keep it Green!
 
Samantha Gottlich