mipmup.

not your momma's muumuu.

i just ordered a caftan to wear to a wedding from this just-launched store, the caftan company. not only is the service super-personalized (i received email correspondence from owner elsa, a real, live human!), but the quality and pricing is excellent. the site has a "peterman-esque" vibe that is approachable and fun.

a bit about the store from elsa:

in my life, i've had the good fortune to travel the world as a young woman. i have meandered through the night flea market in chaing mai, browsed the souk in morocco, driven past the rice fields of bali and have hopped the train to rajasthan. what struck me as a common thread of these exotic lands is the caftan, a style that is centuries old.

i think i need to order the one pictured next!

image credit: the caftan company.

small lifestyle changes make greener living.

a u.n. report came out last week with some simple tips that can really add up to a cleaner environment. among them? get rid of that electric toothbrush and save 48 grams of co2 emissions a day! here's more ways to save some co2:

• use a wind-up alarm clock rather than an electric one: 48 grams.
• dry clothes on a washing line rather than in a tumble dryer: 2.3 kg each load.
• pack lighter suitcases. it says that world savings would be 2 million tonnes a year if every airline passenger cut the weight of baggage to below 20 kg and bought duty free goods on arrival.
  
• heat bread rolls in a toaster rather than in the oven for 15 minutes: 170 grams of co2 each time.
  
• take a train rather than a car for a daily commute of 8 km: 1.7 kg co2 a day.
  
• avoid "carbon binges": a return flight across the atlantic is equivalent to running a car for a year for each passenger.

links:

reuters article

u.n. press release