Green Goods

September marks the begining of fall, the start of football season and the back-to-school shopping frenzy. Shop smarter this year with these products that will go the distance and last beyond 2016.

Seven-Year Pen

Pens: here one day, in the trash the next. But not all pens are created equal. The seven-year pen has a huge ink cartridge that can make a line five-and-a-half feet long, every day, for — you guessed it — seven years. With 38 different designs, pick carefully; you’ll be holding on to it for a while. $8.95. seltzergoods.com

Stainless Steel Straws

U Konserve, a Sausalito-based company, is trying to make a dent in the 500 million plastic straws Americans use every day with its reusable stainless-steel drinking straws. Dishwasher safe, these straws are equally suited to cold drinks, smoothies and adult cocktails. $7.95. ukonserve.com

Silicone Bags

Available in five different colors and designs, Stasher bags not only store your food, but are also freezer-, microwave- and dishwasher-safe. Made from platinum silicone, this is the world’s first airtight nonplastic bag and will replace hundreds of plastic bags annually. $11.99. stasherbag.com


Kasia Pawlowska

Kasia Pawlowska loves words. A native of Poland, Kasia moved to the States when she was seven. The San Francisco State University creative writing graduate went on to write for publications like the San Francisco Bay Guardian and KQED Arts among others prior to joining the Marin Magazine staff. Topics Kasia has covered include travel, trends, mushroom hunting, an award-winning series on social media addiction and loads of other random things. When she’s not busy blogging or researching and writing articles, she’s either at home writing postcards and reading or going to shows. Recently, Kasia has been trying to branch out and diversify, ie: use different emojis. Her quest for the perfect chip is never-ending.