The End

Hello everyone!

Unfortunately, this is my last blog. Don't worry though -- green living is something that will be a future topic for The Cat Scan (which a whole new class of students will be tackling). While writing about green beauty and fashion I was overwhelmed with the amount of information and stories that were related to the topic, so this is definitely not the end of the discussion. For my readers, check out The Cat Scan, and stay tuned for next semester's class of students who will have new blogs formulated to enrich our communities minds on eco-friendly living.

To next semesters students:

The Cat Scan will be one of your favorite classes in the Journalism Department guaranteed! This class is as close as it gets to real-world reporting, and although it is demanding, it is a lot of fun! Class participation is where it counts, so do your part and you will be fine.

The topic of green living was great to work with, and I suspect you will enjoy writing about it as much as I did. Whether your into sports or beauty, it is very likely that there is something green related to it. That is why you will be given the assignment to develop personal blogs. Here you can focus on whatever you love and relate it to eco-friendly living. The possibilities are endless.

Finding stories to write about is easy with green living as a topic. There are so many websites that have plenty of information, like treehugger.com and ecomall.com, to help you generate ideas. Furthermore, green issues are happening everyday, so just keep up with your newspaper and talk to organizations about things going on in the community. Our class came up with more ideas than we could actually write about, so you will have no problem coming up with possible stories.

For those of you who are intimidated by the rumors you might have heard about the capstone classes, here is some advice:

1. The Cat Scan was more fun than hard!
2. grades are based on participation, so take a leadership role and you will be fine
3. if you don't do a leadership role, make sure you write a story once a week and you will receive a good grade
4. Come to class!
5. Be prepared to use all sorts of media like video, audio and more. We used everything and had to learn software that none of us had any experience with
6. Do not procrastinate with the projects! start them at least 2 weeks ahead of time. Working in groups is a lot better than working alone.

Overall, The Cat Scan is fun and will give each person the opportunity to publish their work. It is great for resumes, so take it seriously and write as if it were going into a real newspaper or website. Future employers will want to see your published works, so this is your first opportunity to impress people with your writing and videos.

Good luck and have a great year!

Lauren

Juice Beauty

A new green product line called Juice Beauty is becoming the new rave for woman into organic beauty products. The line was developed by two women living in California who caught onto the new trend of living green and then decided to relate it to the beauty industry. That lead to the development of Juice Beauty, a completely organic line that is derived from juices made from all around the world.

Juice Beauty is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Almost all of the products they sell are made out of organic juices found in our natural environment. The brand is also 95 percent organic certified, which is unheard of when it comes to skincare. Although the products are based on natural juices, other ingredients like aloe Vera, honey, botanicals, plant oils, and raw cane sugar from farms that specialize in organic farming are used.

So what made Juice Beauty use juice? The company says that juice derivatives are hugely effective in helping skin appear healthier, and feel better. They promote their products for those needing to help the look and feel of their skin, but also for those who want to do their part for the enviornment.

"Juice Beauty's pure organic ingredients are packed with age-defying potency...powerful antioxidants and polyphenols, essential vitamins, vital phytonutrients and age-defying hydroxy acids. And..for optimum age-defying results, Juice Beauty's antioxidant technology combines alpha-lipoic acid, coenzyme Q10, DMAE, peptides, fat soluble Vitamin C and essential fatty acids for healthy, radiant skin," according to the Juice Beauty website.

Companies like Sephora have seen the potential in organic beauty, and are promoting Juice Beauty as one of their best-selling environmentally safe products. You can browse Juice Beauty's complete line at Sephora.com. Right now, one of the lines best selling products is the Green Apple Antioxidant Moisturizer, $43. The Green Apple line has everything from face serums to body butter. One of my favorite's is the Green Apple starter kit, which is great as a gift or a introduction system to the brand.

If you want to try the line before you by it, go to your local Sephora. There they will have samples you can try and small samples you can take home. Beware though, the intoxicating smell of Green Apple might make you buy it on the spot!

Talk to you soon,

Lauren

Some new "green" designers to look out for

Hi everyone!

Although a lot of your favorite brands have done things to become more "green", you should definitely keep an eye out for new and up and coming brands that have designed their labels on the foundation of eco-friendly fashion from the get go. There are plenty of designers out there needing recognition, and you can give them that by showing support in what they are doing for the enviornment.

Here are a couple:

SANS

Developed by designer Lika Volkova and Alessandro De Vito, SANS has penetrated the "green" market by using eco-friendly materials such as bamboo, tussah silk, and organic cotton and wool. SANS, meaning "without", was named just that for a reason. The brand is "without" pesticides and chemicals that are common to most other fashion lines and textiles. The brand also has a simplistic appeal for "classic" girls who don't want to follow the out-of-ordinary styles that we so often see on the runways.However, SANS has a new age appeal, combining simplistic colors and patterns with unique designs. The brand has received some major recognition from magazines and other designers for its appealing looks and do-good mentality. So where can you find SANS? Barney's New York is a carrier, and if you can get in right now, you might be able to grab one of the companies soy socks, which are on sale.. yes that would be socks made out of soy.

Linda Loudermilk

Linda Loudermilk, who is a "green" designer based out of Los Angeles, uses textiles that include bamboo wool, wood pulp, Ingeo, hemp, organic cotton fur, Sea Cell, reclaimed textiles, silk and Oeko-Tex fabrications. The designer, oddly enough, has also used human hair in her line.

The designer was honored in W magazine as one of the most innovative and smart designers of the year, she was featured on the Sundance channel for her unique approach on fashion, and was names the lifestyle designer for Lexus hybrid's. She has taken over the "green" market and is recognized as the industry's leader in eco-friendly fashion. She started the trend in 2002.

Click here to go to Zoom Zoom where you can watch Linda's runway show.