By Tiana Griego •
July 4, 2008
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Clark’s Honey Farm is committed to help SAVE THE PLANET.
With all the news’s going around about the disappearing of the bees, (about 70% on the East Coast) I became very intrigued to learn more about this honey farm’s passion to help save the planet.
At the current time they have over 2,000 healthy bee colonies. Their goal is to double the colonies in the next few years. Each colony has over 60,000 + bees.
They claim to provide enriching environments for their bees to thrive. “The bees are instrumental in the survival of the planet”.
They also ship their bees across the country to help farmers in need of pollination.
Bees pollinate up to one third of our food plants, and in recent months, bee colonies have been mysteriously collapsing. Up to 70% of bees on the East coast have disappeared, and about 50% in other parts of the country. One recent news account from New Hampshire says this: “The problem, called colony collapse disorder, already has hit beekeepers in 24 states, part of Canada, and several European countries. Many bees seem to disappear, with few to no bodies of dead bees found near the hives. The remaining bees, meanwhile, show mysterious symptoms. ”
I’m not really a big shopper, but there are few things more satisfying than finding beautiful baubles to adorn oneself that are also ethically and sustainably created. Okay, so maybe more than a few things are more satisfying, but it is a great feeling to know that while decorating ourselves or someone we love, we can also be more mindful of where these things come from, who made them, and perhaps even where some of the profits of the purchase may go.
I love jewelry, so this is an easy one for me. In my travels over the last couple of years, I’ve come across some interesting jewelry designers and concepts, some of which are really gorgeous in addition to being a feelgood style. Here are just a few I would recommend:
X-NYC Traffic Light Jewelry!
I met a woman (whose card I’ve lost) last summer at an eco-event @ Lincoln Center who had purchased literally tons of the old glass that used to be used for NYC traffic lights. When they changed to LED-style lights, she heard that all this glass was headed for the landfills. She asked if she could have it, and arranged to have it delivered to her instead! She has a method of breaking them down and tumbling them smooth to make some wonderful jewelry. Visit her web landing page to find out more - SoleArts.com
More Beautiful Eco-Jewelry . . .
By Lucille Chi •
June 25, 2008
Carry Eco bags are an environmentally-friendly alternative to paper and plastic ones, the bags are offered in many pattern and color schemes, and made of 100% recycled bottles as strong as water-repellent canvas. Not only are the Carry Eco bags manufactured using sustainable materials and procedures, they are also ethically audited.
A chic tote that is durable, replaces disposable bags, looks good, and lasts. The carry-all fold-up totes are under thirteen [...]
By Deb Hiett •
June 24, 2008
Eco-Friendly, Biodegradable Tableware from Let’s Go Green
Picnic in green style this summer with eco-friendly biodegradable plates & bowls, and compostable utensils and cups from Let’s Go Green. Made from sugarcane fibers, these bowls and plates are 100% biodegradable, but sturdy enough for your sloppiest Joes. Their 16- and 20-oz. plastic cups are made from corn, and their PSM (plastic starch material), compost-certified utensils will naturally decompose back to organic elements. Let’s Go Green also offers 100% recycled lunch and dinner napkins, recycled without chlorine bleaching.
Save big when you buy their Picnic Sampler, which includes 50 each of knives, forks, spoons, and 9″ plates — all for only $19.99.
Let’s Go Green has dozens of wonderful products for every room in your home. In fact, a great housewarming gift is one of their Green Home Starter Kits….
In honor of the impending wedding season, The Nature Conservancy offers tips to make your special day one Mother Nature will celebrate.
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something… green? It’s really not as out of the ordinary as it sounds—last year, Brides.com estimated that approximately 33% of future brides and grooms in the U.S. are planning an eco-friendly wedding.
Today, The Nature Conservancy is issuing tips for planning a greener wedding or commitment ceremony, with ideas from invitations through
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By Deb Hiett •
June 17, 2008
Cornstarch-Based Resin Never Looked So Hip
EverybodyGreen.com expands their celebrity-favorite “go! Green” line of eco-chic accessories with the addition of the highly anticipated new summer style: the SeedBead Necklace.
The necklaces are each three strands of beads made from cornstarch-based resin, and feature two 41 inch rows and one 36 inch row of 4mm “GreenBeads.” Each necklace sells for $18.00, and comes in a choice of five rich color combinations.
“We trust that our go! Green collection will demonstrate to consumers that it is fun and fashionable to choose green. It is imperative that people start to see every choice as an opportunity to help the environment, by choosing eco-friendly, fair trade, and sustainable,” comments Keith Berman, Director. “We are thankful that our green accessories have been so successful in raising awareness of eco-friendly alternatives and green practices.”
Shopping for baby showers can be a daunting task, especially when you want to be eco-savvy when it comes to your
gift. Enter Essere Organics and their new eco-friendly gift registry that helps you select the perfect, responsible present for the mom to be and her baby.
Committed to supporting healthy arrivals and a toxin-free environment, their site offers some excellent suggestions for gifts. Organic crib mattresses, sheets [...]
The month of June is filled with weddings, birthdays and anniversaries! During this much celebrated time of year you may find yourself generously giving a great deal but do you consider the environmental impacts of the gifts you give? Here are a few ways you can reduce these impacts:
When choosing a gift, consider buying from a fair trade store. While your gift will probably be imported (which is energy intensive) extra money you spend to buy fair trade allows farmers to produce goods that are more sustainable. According to the Labor-Religion Coalition, buying fair trade protects the environment by “reducing or eliminating pesticide use, increasing composting and maintaining biodiversity.”
For those who would like to avoid the buying option I suggest crafting a gift by hand. Not only are handmade gifts a sincere expression of how much you care for the recipient, since you took the time and effort to create the gift, but if done right you can use virtually no energy. Here are two ideas I have used in the past which also encourage re-use:
- Juice pouch bags- I saw Capri Sun bags being sold commercially and thought, “I can totally make that myself,” so I did. I found this pattern online for my own attempt, pictured above.
- Denim jean pockets- When you are sick of a pair of jeans try making something neat out of them. In one of my teen magazines from way back when they suggested you cut out the back pocket and glue magnets to the back so you can use it to hold pens and pencils on your fridge.
With the summer coming on strong, I thought of Wheatware(TM) products, which were one of my ‘editor’s’ picks for the 2007 holiday issue of Relevant Times. I was so impressed, I gave literally EVERYONE I knew one or a combination of these great bio-compostable, non-toxic, non-plastic products.
Wheatware is on a mission to save virgin forests and reduce our dependence on oil through the use of surplus wheat to create many items traditionally made from wood or plastic, such as: disposable flatware, guitar picks, golf tees, chop sticks, hangers among other items. AND, they are bio-compostable and are are designed to biodegrade in 45 to 90 days in microbially-active soil or a commercial compost facility. To bring things even more full-circle, Wheatware bio-compostable products are indeed recyclable and they are developing their own process to reclaim and create second generation products that originated from Wheatware.
The disposable flatware and golf tees particularly appealed to me at this time of year.
Does Wheatware have a negative effect on the wheat-based food supply?
By Kelly Rand •
June 2, 2008
This past week, I had the amazing opportunity to visit and enjoy Yellowstone, our nations first national park. I had never been and was completely amazed and overwhelmed by the vast mountains and wondrous landscape. I had the chance to see grizzly bears, wolves, bison, elk, otter, antelope and so much more.
Seeing such amazing wildlife just reinforced why I care so much about this planet and why we need to find a balance between people and wildlife. It solidified in my mind just how precarious that balance is and how precious clean air, water and land really is.
Like a typical tourist, I spent some time perusing gift shops at various points of interest throughout the park. I was taken aback by the amount of well, stuff, to put it politely, that I found in them. Much of the, ahem, stuff, was made from China, too. All I could think of was lead and the recalls. Ick. But I really wanted to bring back something special to the special people in my life.
By Emma Pezzack •
May 19, 2008
It could be that I’ve just returned from a holiday in the tropics but I LOVE these organic & natural Spray Lotion Mists from Ola Hawaii. The sweet, zingy, fresh smell of pineapple + lime is super delish but there are all kinds of scents to choose from if citrus isn’t your thing.
Keep it stashed in your bag during Summer heat to spritz
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