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:
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?
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.
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
[...]
Lovely Lokta is naturally died paper made from the Daphne or Lokta bushes that grow in the Himalayan mountains. And it IS lovely . . . but it also is made quite sustainably - no trees were harmed in the production of this paper!
Here’s what makes it so groovy and green:
Lokta paper is handmade and sun dried, so there are no machines or chemicals involved;
The bush grows quickly and actually needs agressive pruning or it would die, but the bush also helps stabalize the soil and protect rural Nepalese villages from mudslides during the monsoon season;
As a former publisher of a regional sustainable living magazine and as a perennial editor, writer and content producer, I get a lot of products to review. This is definitely one of my favorite parts of what I do. Not that they are all winners, but honestly most of what I’ve gotten has been truly interesting and largely useful.One of the cleverest new products to hit my doorstep lately is a new concept called ReProduct from a company called C2C, a cradle-to-cradle design company.
Re-Usable greeting cards?
When I first heard about the idea, I mistakenly thought it involved erasable ink and a new envelope. Wrong. I’m not as stupid as I sound, but this was not an easy concept to grasp initially, but now that I’ve seen the cards and read a little more about the process (if you’re anything like me, reading directions isn’t always the first thing I do), I’m pretty excited about the whole thing.
The cards in the pic here were designed by singer/songwriter John Mayer for ReProduct! So, not only is he hot, he’s talented in more ways than just the tunes AND he clearly cares about creating a more sustainable way of being.
Back to the cards and how it works . . . it’s a little like Netflix, and if you love movies and haven’t tried it yet - DO IT!!! The idea of mailing movies back and forth seems cumbersome and awkward or something, but they make it so easy, that once you try it, you are sold.
ReProduct has taken the idea of making re-mailing very simple and easy and applied it to the all-American custom of sending greeting cards. By the way, the cards are beautiful. First of all, the cards are made from healthy, non-toxic materials that minimize chemical waste in the manufacturing process and if folks follow this new concept, they don’t end up in landfills - or at least not for a VERY long time.
Here’s how it works:
For years I’ve loved supporting organizations helping endangered species, not only as an art activist, but also by trying these delicious chocolate bars for a cause. Now they have these adorable peanutbutter chocolate giraffe gift totes and they are so cute plus good for the environment.
The chocolate bar company lives by the phrase Reverence for Life, believing all life on earth is important and worthy of our respect, care and love. This Reverence for Life ethic is at the heart of all their business [...]
Tune in. Turn on. Drop off! starts this week as the GREEN on Sundance Channel helps promote a series of t-shirt recycling events by joining forces with Barneys New York and Loomstate.
The catch is for participants to drop off old t-shirts at all Barneys’ locations nationwide and Loomstate will then re-style the tops for a limited edition collection for Barneys Holiday 2008. Clearly the retailer is gearing up early for their smashing green holiday guide.
Starting today, those interested in donating will receive a 20% discount on Loomstate for Barneys Green , and the promotion will go on for the next two weeks. Project proceeds go to 1% for the planet.
Since my wedding is coming up in two weeks, I’ve been doing some exploring into all the trendy “green wedding” options. It’s amazing how awareness has grown in the past few years! Unfortunately, having a completely green wedding can often double the already expensive costs. But if every couple made even two or three decisions based solely on environmental concerns, the planet would be as happy the newlyweds.
When planning your own wedding, consider integrating even one or two of these ideas:
Skip the disposable cameras, and ask friends to bring digital cameras. Before the wedding, set up an account on sites such as Photobucket.com or Snapfish.com, and email the login and password to your friends. After the wedding, everyone can upload the photos they took to the account, and you’ll have an instant album of candids that everyone can enjoy. And if you want to have prints, you’ll be able to print only those pictures you really want.
Besides wearing a pre-owned gown (remember, a good tailor can make an poofy 80’s gown into a stylin’ 21st century dazzler), think about using heirloom jewelry for the engagement ring and wedding bands. If you must have new, matching bands, be sure to ask the jeweler about reclaimed, recycled, ecologically responsible gold.
Previously, on FGS we talked about the possible choices for ladies to buy organic intimates. Which who knows? May just move you to a luxe-lingerie dance party tonight. Right now Grist has a great article out on greening the underwear drawer and it includes briefs for men. As a resource they feature Red Dog eco sport. Looks like a good choice for the guys! The styles are simple and all organic, and they have a solid mission:
Red Dog products are made in Turkey from SKAL certified organic cotton (exclusive of trim). Low impact, eco-friendly dyes were used to achieve product color. RDS encourages organic farming and eco-friendly, sustainable living. By providing farmers with tools to improve their skills, and thus the quality of their cotton, we hope to increase their opportunities for self-sufficiency and sustainability. We only work with manufacturers that believe in our principles. All workers must be paid a living wage and no unfair labor practices or unsafe working conditions can exist. Your support enables us to educate consumers on the benefits of recycling and renewing the earth’s natural resources.
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