Category — Uncategorized

It’s always good to get out of the marketing bubble that is NYC and see what people in the rest of the country are doing. Out in Denver this fall I came across a POP display for a partnership Kashi and Bear Naked (A Kashi Company brand) launched with this great organization TerraCycle encouraging customers to send in their empty boxes and packaging. TerraCycle upcycles and recycles discarded products to help reduce the volume we are sending to landfills as well as saving the raw materials needed to create packaging and products.

They have “brigades” all over the world collecting trash and sending it in for points and cash donations ($.02/ unit!) to charities as well as collection programs at major retailers and venues. Some of their products are a little kitschy – Lays gym bag anyone? – but their thinking is so innovative in its simplicity and impressive in their scope of action. I love the eco-friendly fire log for my friend’s fire place (you know who you are), the bike rack for my imaginary back yard and the seed starter set who says it’s just for kids!

No one needs to tell me twice that in the dead of winter the right clothing can make the difference between a glorious, soul lifting run and a torturous, exhausting experience. Whether you’re a city dweller or a country mouse, if you enjoy being in the outdoors winter is the season where gear matters most. This winter on the east coast has been snowy and cold but sunny  – the woods, parks, hills and even sidewalks beckoning you out to go exploring. Each time I bundle up, no matter what the outdoor activity, I find myself reaching over and over again for the same key pieces. Here, 4 brands that are staples in my winter wardrobe and provide gear that will last and keep you comfortable no matter what the elements.

UNDER ARMOUR: This running brand is great for core pieces. Their ColdGear line keeps you toasty with deceptively light weight materials. Their running tights are great with the mock neck tee or convertible tee under whatever good wind-stop fleece or running jacket you have at home. The top will keep your core warm and dry. For really cold days layer a summer-weight tee over the winter gear and if you’ll be in the snow use the running tights like long underwear under your ski pants or just wear with gators. They also make good basic accessories – hats, gloves, underwear and bras.

ATHLETA: Women only – this brand is great for rounding out your winter outdoor wardrobe with a little color or splash of femininity. Their wind-stop mid-weight jackets are super comfortable and last forever – when they say wind-stop they mean it! They’re online only but my Aunt Alice introduced me to this brand 4 years ago and I’ve yet to be disappointed with anything I’ve ordered there.

SMART WOOL: Without question the most comfortable, stylish and warm wool socks out there. They are not cheap but they are worth it – I wear these all winter long for everything from snow shoeing to under riding boots at meetings or events. They’re great over regular tights to keep you nice and warm with skirts or a jumper or they even make full length tights.

NAU: Sometimes when a brand is so well marketed, the skeptic in me worries if the products stand up to the hype but Nau does not disappoint. This is a brand I love everything about. Their base layers are beyond this world effective at keeping you warm and dry and are styled well enough to take you from Sunday morning coffee to yoga to business meeting to cross country skiing and back again. If you can’t tell I literally live in their tops. Their jackets are equally functional and versatile. I picked up their Asylum shell this winter and was doubtful it would be warm enough to take me through the season but so far I’ve been happily proved wrong. There have been many moments outdoors wearing this jacket with just a tee and a light fleece underneath where I’ve been watching people around me freezing and actually been thinking I was a bit too warm and could have done without the fleece. Their tights and pants are great too, and their scarves, and their hoodies, and …. you get the picture.

The Tribeca Film Festival premiered some great documentaries this year. My top picks all cracked my perspective of the world open a bit further, offering a deep glimpse into unique subcultures or communities in a way that was super respectful of the subjects.

The first, SONS OF PERDITION, profiling three young men as they carve a path of their own and deal with the pain and loss of leaving behind their family and community in the core FLDS settlement in Utah.

Two were part of The Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival – a great collaboration bringing sports themed narrative and non-narrative films to NYC. [Read more →]

NPR stations employ a corporate sponsorship and user support revenue model to fund their programs and keep the news coming our way. WNYC is in winter pledge drive mode and they need your support. Not only for the funds, but the more user support they have, the better pitches they can make to corporate sponsors. So get online and make a pledge to do your part to keep some of the best radio programming in the country on the air.