I love when people make me laugh. Tracy Metro, who has hosted a variety of shows such as Green Gadgets for Discovery did just that during our entire interview. Check out our chat on how this green vintage fashion guru keeps it green.
Naturally Savvy Guide (Andrea Donsky): Would you consider yourself to be ‘green’ minded?
Tracy Metro: Absolutely, I’m a greenie! When I was a teenager, I began cutting things out of my life starting with aerosol and paper napkins. Now that I am older, I strive to wipe with only one small square of TP (toilet paper) when I pee. I'm just kidding, of course. I believe people come to living a more natural lifestyle when they’re ready to come to it. You can’t force them to do it…just like a diet!
Naturally Savvy Guide (Andrea Donsky): What is your ‘green’ mantra?
Tracy Metro: Definitely the 3 R’s: Reduce, Re-USE and Recycle. People have forgotten the middle of that paradigm and tend to focus on recycling, which is great; however, reUSE before you recycle! And I really focus on reuse, so much so that my husband and I stared a reuse company called UsedCardboardBoxes.com where people can buy USED boxes rather than new ones. Saving trees and money… what could be better than that? When it comes down to it, I think we should all go by my 90/10 rule- be good 90% of the time and bad only 10%. Hey I got Botox, there’s my 10% right there!
Naturally Savvy Guide (Andrea Donsky): What is your true passion?
Tracy Metro: My passion is green fashion – more specifically, vintage clothing. There is this great store called Buffalo Exchange where you can sell your old clothing to the store and then they sell it to somebody else Your cast-offs live on after your bored with them. I bought a pair of Cynthia Vincent shoes – I paid $30 for them and they normally cost $250. I am re-using and saving money too! Win, win and Mr Mastercard is happy, too!
Naturally Savvy Guide (Andrea Donsky): Can you share your top 3 tips for buying vintage clothing?
Tracy Metro: sure!
- Shop at a vintage clothing or second hand store in an area where the rich people live! High society people get rid of high society clothing.
- Negotiate, negotiate, negotiate. Everything is negotiable. If you don’t ask you don’t get.
- Go often – the great thing about used clothing stores – every time you walk in it’s a new place.
Naturally Savvy Guide (Andrea Donsky): What would you say is your life mantra?
Tracy Metro: It’s actually in my email signature as a good motto to live by: Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive & well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, martini in one hand, donut in the other, body thoroughly used up & worn out, screaming, "WOO-HOO — what a ride!!!"
Naturally Savvy Guide (Andrea Donsky): How would you describe yourself?
Tracy Metro: You ask the tough questions, Andrea! I’m a total modern woman and yet when I take the mask off, I become a 50’s housewife. In my house, I’m the one with the power tools. I represented ‘Skill Power Tools’ and hosted a show for them. I’m a total DIYer (Do it Yourself), a Jane of all trades. I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty. But here’s the dichotomy, I also like to sew and mend things and I LOVE to throw old fashioned, sit-down dinner parties with homemade everything! Go figure. Whatever I do, I dive in with both feet.
Naturally Savvy Guide (Andrea Donsky): How do you maintain balance in your life?
Tracy Metro: Therapy! Having a good shrink and drinking wine (laughs). To be honest, maintaining balance is hard for all of us. So, for me – being organized is the key. My whole professional life is crazy. So being organized is the key to my sanity. When I’m stressed out, I clean and organize! Bizarre, I know, but it works for me AND I get a tidy house!!! Also, I’m lucky that I love what I do for work. I make my living hosting TV shows, which keeps me balanced, I suppose. Or at least happy while being entirely UNbalanced! Thanks for taking an interest in me, Naturally Savvy!
