About Sprig
Sprig.com's mission is to motivate, inspire and inform 95% of the consumer population toward becoming 5% more green, as we believe this approach will have a great positive impact on the environment. Not to mention on you! Green is good for you—for your health, your looks, your bank, and your personal and home style. Today, green is a choice; tomorrow, green is a lifestyle.Sprig.com is about the glamour in green: It doesn't have to mean wearing brown, living beige or being crunchy. Sprig.com presents a full, rich menu of little touches, easy strategies and small changes in becoming green. At Sprig, we believe that no matter what you need, or what your heart desires, there's an eco-friendly alternative, and we're here to find it for you. Think of the Sprig staff as your personal shoppers, curating the best and the most beautiful in the world of green. (Please note that we choose products solely based on what we think is fabulous and amazing; we do not profit from our choices.) So while we don't believe that consumption choices alone will save the planet, we do believe that if you gotta shop, might as well shop green—and browse Sprig! Here's who's pulling for you:
Jeanie Pyun, Editor
Sprig is a Cuisinart of ingredients for Jeanie, the website's editor. Her love of fashion comes from her mom, whom she describes as "the woman you see raking leaves off the front path in high-heel maribou mules." Her love of the planet she gets from her dad. "He was a hippie writer-professor of Western philosophy with an organic garden and a thing for alternative health — there were phases when white bread, rice and sugar were verboten. This was weird for Long Island then," Jeanie says. That explains why she spent her entire professional career working at glossies like Vanity Fair, Details, Mademoiselle, and In Style Home; she's written for Vogue, The New York Times Book Review and Salon. She also was the editor of Organic Style. And Sprig.com, one could surmise, is the perfect place for Jeanie, as it blends her love for shopping (home! fashion! beauty!) with her eco-awareness.
How did Sprig take root? "After Organic Style magazine folded, we took all that gorgeous and green, environmental, sustainable, organic, local, artisanal, recycled, biodegradable, biodynamic information and knowledge and put it into an online green shopping resource that's driven by style. One thing my job has convinced me of is that anything anyone could ever want or need can be Sprigged, i.e., found in a green version. Shopping is a serious professional hazard around here."
Her eco-sin? "I go bananas over 1stdibs.com and eBay, so if I fall in love with something, shipping emissions tend to be shelved in the "Do Not Think About It" mental folder. I had two zebra-patterned Louis armchairs shipped from California to New York because I had to have them. I should probably offset that."
Suzanne Murray, Beauty and Lifestyle Editor
Suzanne's style varies depending on ... her haircut. "If it's short, I tend to go for more classic things," says Suzanne. "When it's long, I'm more downtown, bohemian, or even rocker chick." It's fitting that Suzanne's hairstyle dictates her fashion since she is our staff beauty expert, having covered it for Organic Style, Fitness, and Sephora, where she generated creative concepts and editorial content for the website, catalog, and store (that's a lot of beauty). But beauty isn't all she's about (she actually uses fewer products than the rest of us as she's more into science and ingredients). She's written, edited, copyedited and otherwise slaved away at various publications including Cosmopolitan, Bride's, The Boston Review, SmartMoney, and The New York Observer, and she's even dabbled in the law (labor issues are her passion). She also loves to travel — and write about it. "Cambodia and Uganda are my favorite places," she says. "Oh, and I once called in sick to work from Transylvania."
Has her take on green changed since joining Sprig? "It's not that my view on green has changed, it's that green has changed. Since leaving Organic Style, so much has happened in the eco world: I can't believe all the great stuff, especially in fashion, that wasn't available before."
Green habit that stands out: "I can't pick a flower — I don't think they're ours for the picking and they should be left for other animals, insects, and people to enjoy. While I do eat meat on occasion (farm-raised and grass-fed), I don't eat cute meat — no lambs, bunnies, ducks."
Her eco-sin? "Books. I have tons, and when we moved to the country in Garrison, NY, the movers asked my husband if I was a librarian. So much paper is used to manufacture books, I know that I should use my library card. But I'm greedy when it comes to my books, and I don't want to share."
Jennifer Prediger, Senior Video Producer
Vegetarian since nine years old, Jennifer later attended the most environmental college in the country: College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine. "There's only one major—human ecology —but everybody takes it in different directions," she says. "We all wore moccasins." Jennifer was also a producer in broadcast media and technology at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where she was the voice of the new USDA food pyramid. But don't let all that give you the wrong idea about Jennifer: Previously a comedy writer for Nerve.com and TheOnion.com, she's been called "one of the top five funniest women in New York City." ("But he might have been drunk when he said that," she confesses.)
Her favorite moment at Sprig? Meeting Tom Hanks while shooting the celebrity Sundance video: "It was really, really amazing: He was so present and had this kind of charisma—like Bill Clinton minus the sex appeal. Also, taking one for the team by eating quail for a cooking video, and blowing bubbles and throwing feathers behind the camera while models are jumping on the bed like whirling dervishes. I thought, 'I'm getting paid for this kind of moment!'"
How has her take on green changed since working with Sprig? Jennifer likes to joke that Sprig has been a kind of eco-lifestyle finishing school: "It's made me a better woman! I've learned about different foods, fashions and design; there's so much that's delicious and beautiful and exciting in green. One video at a time, my life is turning into an aspirational lifestyle magazine." Apparently, Jennifer's style obsession has been foreseen: "There's this town near Daytona in Florida, Cassedega, which is full of psychics. One told me that I loved beautiful things. So Sprig is a good fit."
Her eco-sin? "I have 15 magazine subscriptions. Psychology Today, The Economist, Lucky, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, New York, GQ….it's a little out of control."
Youngna Park, Photo Editor and Staff Photographer
Our number-one favorite fact about Youngna is that she was a pastry-chef intern at Chez Panisse, Alice Water's ground-breaking local and seasonal restaurant in Berkeley, California. How did she land such a cool internship? "Through a series of accidents, I ended up decorating cakes as a high-school job in upstate New York. At Cornell, I missed it so much that I started writing a recipe column in the paper, cooking in my dorm room like a huge dork. To see if I should go to culinary school, I wrote to Chez Panisse with no notion of how famous they were. They invited me to work there for four months, so I flew out and found a place to live. I was 19, and tasting ice-cream batter at 6:30 a.m., pitting cherries, torching crème brûlée, and learning what a good peach fresh off the tree should taste like. It was one of the most memorable times of my life." Another life-changing experience was living on a homestead in Cochabamba, Bolivia ("also known as The Valley of Eternal Springtime") for three months and working at an orphanage and traveling around the country taking photos on a Creative Artists Agency grant. "I learned that I'm not really a travel photographer, but some of that experience has seeped into how I take pictures today: People I'm photographing tell me that they barely even know that I'm there, which I take as a compliment because I want them to be comfortable."
How has her take on green changed since working with Sprig? "I learned that there are far more options for many more aspects of my life for choosing green things than I was aware of. I'm super-conscious now about skin products, and I cringe when I see other people using Vaseline. I will pay the price to switch brands because now I know what ingredients to look for more and which to avoid."
Her eco-sin: "I still buy coffee every day in a paper cup. I think it tastes better."
Brit Liggett, Associate Video Producer
Brit got bit by the video bug when she was 11: "That was when I saw Pop-up Video on VH-1 for the first time. I told my mom that I had to do it." When it came time to choose a college, her subsequent rock-n-roll-journalist fantasies took back seat to her original passion, and she chose a southern California school renown for its film and television program, Chapman University. "Video editing is a lot about rhythm. Women are better editors than men because they have more distinct internal rhythms—girls are generally better dancers than guys," she says. The classic, funky Brit (who sometimes reminds us of a 30s-style ingénue) has got both rhythm and music: Her original guitar composition accompanies Sprig's "Find the Freshest, Most Flavorful Egg" video.
Her favorite moment at Sprig? "I'd only been in New York for a month, right out of school, when I got this job at Sprig, and on my first day, I shot a video with Mena Suvari. Within weeks, I was on set for the Jack Johnson video. I had listened to his music for so long and then to hear him play for five people was awesome. This job is like getting under a huge wave, but you're okay because you have a surfboard."
How has her take on green changed since working with Sprig? "I've always wanted to tell people that green was stylish, but didn’t know where to direct them, and now I do. I can go shoe shopping and be environmental, like at United Nude, where all the shoes are vegetable-dyed. You can be as conscious and hands-on as you want to, but still be aesthetic pleasing. This job is tempting—I've already bought a pink pair of Terra Plana flats, and was tempted to get the Myth & Ritual black coat with gold threads, which I wore in the 'Put on a Fresh Coat!' video. "
Coryn Brown, Database Editor
She started out as an intern at Seventeen.com, went on to be a freelancer for Popular Science magazine, as well as a writer for Vibe.com. So it goes without saying that Sprig.com's newest staffer Coryn knows her teen, female, tech, science and music subcultures. (Her favorite interview? John Legend.) What is less obvious is her love of crafts—she sews her own bright and patterned linings into every one of her coats, be they new or vintage. An aspiring novelist, Coryn might have been "a dancer in another life" and she still attends samba, West African, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Cuban, and Congelese classes at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, although "not all at once." Three things we love about Coryn: her fun and folky style that's wont to mix spring dresses with cowboy boots—"I'm a cross between being an Anthropologie girl, a Betsey Johnson girl and a L.A.M.B. girl"—and her incredibly fast writing, editing and publishing skills: "At a prom site I was working on, we had ten days till launch and for reasons beyond our control, nothing had been entered into the dress database. I had over 1500 entries and images to put up. It was crunch time, but we made it." Finally, she digs birdhouses, in particular a recycled one that's "so beautiful, it looks like something out of a classic black-and-white film. I would just love to have a patio to put it in." Working at Sprig, she's already started wishlisting all the best eco-friendly materials to build one with!
Her eco-awakening: "I love fashion and dressing up. While shopping on the web before coming to work at Sprig, I discovered Cocosshope.com and fell for a high-waisted jumper with suspenders, made of bamboo and organic cotton. That's when I realized you can find some really cute things made out of sustainable fabrics in eco-fashion. Then started using tote bags, and it's been a process. I'm a newbie!"
Her eco-sin: "I'm a good member of the Border Books Club: I buy tons and tons of books, both fiction and nonfiction, by authors like Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Junot Diaz, and magazines. I know it's a lot of paper, but I can't live without my books."
Elizabeth McMullen, Contributing Editor
Elizabeth, a connoisseur of '40s fashion and home décor, has been known to come into the office to manage Sprig's exploding database in killer stilettos and a vintage suit that would look at home on a film-noir set. While she herself is modest, there are few who rival Elizabeth in breadth of talents: painting, writing, designing clothes, interior decorating, graphic design, photography, research, editing, tech trouble-shooting.... Elizabeth started her media career at Visionaire magazine, and has worked at Vogue, Mademoiselle and an academic publisher in Santa Barbara, CA. She attributes her eco-awakening to childhood travels: "I've had the great honor of visiting a number of our national parks growing up. Experiencing these magnificent preserves helped make me aware of our role in the stewardship of this earth."
How has her take on green changed since working with Sprig? "Having worked on this database, I've come across hundreds of products and businesses that have made me rethink a number of the items in my own home," says Elizabeth. "Out goes my old dish soap — why would I choose chemicals over natural ingredients? Maybe I'll try that milk protein paint on my walls. And surprise my friend on her birthday by buying something uniquely handmade by artisans on etsy.com."
Any eco-wishes? "I wish that more of my artist materials were less toxic, sustainable, or recycled. You can find eco-friendly drawing paper, but it would be great to see a wider variety — and of a finer quality. I'd love to see a major manufacturer experiment with greener paint or pastels."
Her eco-sin? "Well...um...I like junk food. If you're ever in NY, you gotta have Train Wreck cheese fries at Virgil's BBQ in Times Square!"
Susie Quick, Contributing Food Editor
Sprig's food editor is also the founder of Midway, Kentucky's Honest Farm, a nonprofit sustainable demonstration farm, which only means that she shares with people the glories of local and organic food (just like their grandparents ate!) by growing, selling and giving recipes for it. Before becoming a full-time farmer, Susie was a food writer and editor for such magazines as Glamour, Real Simple, Health and Organic Style. "I didn't always wear jeans and t-shirts to work every day," she says. "I actually used to show up at an office in cute outfits!" She has cooked and discussed organic food on the Today show, Good Morning America, the Food Network and CNN.
Has her take on green changed since Sprig? Susie has been a proponent of organics for years and now advocates eating local whenever you can. "It's fresher because it hasn't traveled as far, and it supports your local farmers. But of course I would say that!"
Recent green habits: "I think it's important not to get too crazy about it or be too hard on yourself. I just try not to make too much garbage, and even though I am partial to some conventional cleaning products, I just use the littlest I need to get things clean. I think you should just do your best. And then try a little harder."
Her eco-sin? "Good & Plenty is my number-one dirty little non-green secret."
Miriam Mack, Sprig Intern
A Columbia sophomore majoring in history, Miriam is happy to be working at a place where she isn't putting addresses on envelopes for 12 hours a day. "At my last internship, I was only allowed to wear black and white. It's so exciting to be part of a small—and yes, stylish!—team and know I'm needed," she says. And how: Miriam writes about products (she is particularly into vintage) and will have a big fashion hand in an upcoming spring dresses story. Her own style is "retro—a lot of it I get from my grandmother and mom and great aunt; I don't buy a lot of my own clothes, it's a very vintage-y affair." She wore her grandmother's gold locket and her mom's old Coach bag to her interview.
Has her take on green changed since Sprig? Miriam recently stopped buying bottles of water, got herself a refillable container and now saves $30 a week. "I think about the environment a little differently now," she says. "I took environmental science and it was all about checking for phosphorus levels in a pond and shooting a video about the nitrogen cycle of soil. Now I feel like I can incorporate environmental values into my own life and relate it to my own style."
Her eco-sin? "I sleep with a fan, which is a waste of energy, but I need the noise of a fan to sleep. I don't eat beef or pork and rarely eat chicken, but I love leather, and if I could bathe in it, I would. It's really weird. I feel like I need therapy or something."
