It is that time of year again when we all want to banish bumps, spots, imperfections and even (gasp!) cellulite. You just get your facial care system down for the warmer weather months and it seems that the skin on our bodies goes into shock. Or at least the first time we have to put on a bathing suit, that is. Let’s face it, it has been all covered up for months now, getting ignored and neglected. It is time for a little pampering.
Growing food in your own backyard is hardly a new concept, nor is utilizing any open space available if you live in the city, but turning your rooftop into a garden? Well that idea has caught on in cities throughout the world, and now is starting to gain a foothold in the United States as well.
Rooftop gardens are by no means new. Forward thinking, environmentally conscious, or penurious city dwellers have been doing it for as long as there have been city dwellers. But recently the rooftop garden movement has started to gain some traction, inspired by the environmental benefit of more green space in a city (it reduces the “heat island” effect), and the appeal of home grown organic veggies just steps away have given the movement some serious traction.
Large metropolises across North America - including New York City, Washington DC, and Chicago have also sweetened the deal by offering tax incentives and subsidies to encourage green rooftops, and Toronto, Canada also has a new law requiring buildings of a certain size to have a green roof. Though the Green Roof Bylaw in Toronto has garnered some criticism (mostly from developers) it has been well received by residents in the city as a means to increase the amount of green space, offset their carbon emissions, and generally to be a greener city.
In 2007, Rowan brand yarns introduced PureLife a wonderful selection of 100% organic cotton. In the following years Rowan has expanded their PureLife line to address other areas of sustainability.
Rowan still offers their organic cotton yarn in DK weight that is naturally dyed using plants. New this season is their 4 ply organic cotton yarn, also dyed with natural plant dyes. The shades of this yarn are soft, subtle and sweet, perfect for summer knitting.
We love to feature fabulous eco friendly fabrics here on Crafting A Green World. We often focus on hand printed fabrics by indie designers, but recently Treehugger reminded us large fabric manufacturers are going green too, and in some pretty high tech ways.
Are you looking for a cute eco bikini to sport this summer? If so, check out the Kelly B Ruffle Bikini. Kelly B was recently honored in Springtime as one of the Best Eco-Creative Swimwear Designers.
This adorable bikini sports:
-an adjustable triangle top that ties at the neck and back.
-bikini bottoms that sit low on the hips with a charming ruffle accent.
-a black with orchid strap and ruffle.
The best aspect of these Kelly B swimsuits is that the fabric is 90% Organic Cotton blended with 10% Spandex.
You’ve likely heard of Skin Deep, the cosmetic safety database which lists the toxicity of ingredients in personal care products. But did you know there is now a similar database for food?
Folktail Fibers is one of those shops that I have simply fallen head over heels for. The skeins are both whimsical but perfectly easy to knit up.
Offering both vegan and animal friendly fibers, Folktail hand spins amazing fiber and color combinations to create lovely yarns.
Achieving a goal of 100 percent energy independence is a little closer for San Jose thanks to a momentous move by the City Council today. The City Council authorized the City Manager to negotiate and execute a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to develop potential lease terms and guidelines for developing an organics-to energy bio-gas facility.
My daughter is blessed with very thick hair. She used to wear her locks very long, but now it is shoulder length. Even with shorter hair, it likes to tangle, and we often use a detangler. We’ve tried California Baby’s hair detangler, which we love, and Kiss My Face’s detangler, which doesn’t work so well. Now, we can add a new line of natural beauty care designed just for girls to our repertoire of hair detanglers: Sparklehearts!
One thing I love about Sparklehearts is they give full disclosure of their ingredients (they have not been evaluated by the Environmental Working Group yet), as well as actual percentages of organic and natural ingredients. The hair detangler, which really works by the way, is 99.6% organic and is paraben, phthalate, and sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate free!
Like many of the companies we feature on Eco Child’s Play, Sparklehearts was started by moms searching for safer products for their children:
Most girls would wince in disgust if you told them their favorite body wash contained a chemical that is produced by boiling bugs (called carmine.) And, most parents would wince in disgust if you told them their daughter’s body lotion contained sulfates, phthalates and dozens of toxins and chemicals. Enter Sparklehearts, a line of natural, safe and fun beauty products that are girl- and parent-approved.
At Janika they believe that nature provides us with the best in life, so of course, their line of pure skin care products is nothing but natural. Janika, a new skin care company out of Australia, uses active botanicals, vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and amino acids in their products to nourish and revitalize the skin.
dvGreen designs sustainable events without sacrificing style. They show clients that they can reduce their ecological footprint while still throwing a beautiful party - one that just happens to be Green. By featuring organic food, flowers, and table linens; tree-free paper invitations; donating or composting leftover food; purchasing carbon offsets, and more, dvGreen creates incredible events that you can be proud of forever.
Danielle, founder and CEO of dvGreen spent several years as Event Director and later General Manager of L’Olivier, one of New York’s premiere floral design houses. The driving force in Danielle’s event work has always been her belief that parties are important. They are essential celebrations of life that allow us to freeze time and honor meaningful milestones. If we don’t mark these moments, then they risk going away forever.
It is this belief, coupled with Danielle’s very parallel feeling about the environment (if we don’t take care of it, the planet as we know it will also go away forever), that led her to launch dvGreen in 2006, a company that combines excellence in event design with the latest in sustainable practices.
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