Let’s talk climate further. That will provide insight for add-ons necessary to achieve year-round comfort.
Yurts appear logical for my tropical climate where elements of nature aren’t so severe. Well, surprise, but no worry. Just know that maintaining yurt warmth can be an easier task than keeping cool. Read the rest of this entry »
Indigenous Designs is a fabulous fair-trade, organic clothing company based in Northern California. Since 1994, the founders have been working directly with international artisans in India, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Peru to bring you uniquely sustainable fashion wear. Committed to delivering fair wages, Indigenous Designs works with non-governmental organizations around the world to ensure that the men and women who craft these beautiful garments are set on the path to self-sustainability.
“With Indigenous Designs, we haven’t created just a charity situation,” says co-founder Matt Reynolds. “It’s about taking responsibility to better our communities.”
This Fourth of July, Indigenous Designs and Feelgood Style are giving you the opportunity to win a gorgeous piece of clothing, constructed from all natural and organic fibers and eco-friendly dyes!
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.
We are seeing lots of new organic cotton prints lately, like the Urbana Collection by Daisy Janie and the upcoming My Happy Garden collection by Cloud 9. Now there are a few more organic cotton prints available from Sukie, a UK-based design company.
I am awe struck by the “Solar Vintage Collection” by Lost Values, which consists of solar charged light inventions transformed creatively into traditional hand crafted fashion accessories.
The Solar Vintage Brooch is charged when worn in the sun, and in the evening it enchantingly becomes a subtle, ambient light.
New York City’s Cooper Hewitt is highlighting their Fashioning Felt exhibit in a big way. My mind is now filled with ideas about the possibilities of felt.
”Fashioning Felt presents an extraordinary range of felt. From two-dimensional carpets to three-dimensional environments, each work reveals the virtuosity of both the material and the designers. The exhibition and book focus on [...]
Summer is upon us. The plants are in full bloom, and the sun feels great on your skin. The longer days give you more energy. There are barbecues, beaches and pool parties with your name written all over them! Since you will be spending all that time soaking up the sun, there a few facts [...]
While the debate rages on as to whether or not you can get the same “performance” from organic and natural makeup as you can from synthetics, the jury has rendered their verdict when it comes to hair care: Long gone are the days when natural shampoos left hair feeling stringy, and their conditioning counterparts produced dry, heavy locks. Top brands are using organic ingredients that nourish and heal the hair, rather than relying on silicones to coat strands and create false shine. In other words, when using the best natural and organic hair care products, your hair not only looks healthier, it actually is healthier.
Our panelists received a long list of natural serums, shampoos, and conditioners to choose from. Most are composed primarily of organic ingredients, and all are absent of harsh detergenets, synthetic fragrance, parabens, silicones, and petrochemicals. Although it was clear many hair care brands have won the hearts of our green beauty experts, a few managed to rise to the top.
Behold, the Emerald Awards for best natural hair treatment, shampoo, and conditioner: Read the rest of this entry »
Urban environments beg for a breather – especially when summer rolls around. This holds true even for urban seascapes such as L.A., our country’s second largest city and known for its metropolitan sprawl. Thanks in part to Guru Energy Drink, a recent sponsor of Greening Hollywood, and Whole Food’s most popular energy drink, I was able to invite a couple of friends to join me day tripping up to a nature estate in Ojai.
Not too long ago, I befriended a fashion designer specialized in sustainable leather goods – one who makes chrome-free leather boots, jewelry and accessories. Her name is Calleen Cordero and she has a following both in L.A. and internationally, in cities like Berlin. Her pieces are [Pictured: Main House at Calliote]
fashionable, infused with quality craftsmanship and it’s only after the fact that one realizes their environmental aspect.
While speaking with her initially, however, we found ourselves on the subject of Ojai and the Ojai Foundation which has been teaching the arts of permaculture and sustainability back when these were “fringe” paths pursued by the hippie-culture. Ojai is the small “art town,” set back in the hills off the 101, between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. These days The Ojai Foundation is focused on “Council” a program they have been taking out to area schools in the local and surrounding counties. What is “Council?” Read the rest of this entry »
Recently, I wrote about Sephora’s questionable marketing practices when it comes to their “Naturally Gorgeous” standard, and gave Cargo’s PlantLove Lipsticks, which were listed as containing parabens even though the product page said they were free of them. I am pleased and actually quite relieved to say that Cargo has contacted me with an updated list of their ingredients, and they are apparently working with Sephora to change that information on the website. So here is the new ingredients list. Now if ALL of the other brands bearing the Naturally Gorgeous seal would reveal that they, too, are free of the nasty chemicals listed in their products, too…..
Anyway, thank you, Cargo, for the clarification!
INGREDIENTS: RICINUS COMMUNIS (CASTOR) SEED OIL*, PRUNUS ARMENIACA (APRICOT) KERNEL OIL*, HELIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER) SEED OIL*, CERA CARNAUBA (COPERNICIA CERIFERA (CARNAUBA) WAX)*, OLEIC/LINOLEIC/LINOLENIC POLYGLYCERIDES, HELIANTHUS ANNUUS SEED CERA (HELIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER) SEED WAX), EUPHORBIA CERIFERA CERA EXTRACT (EUPHORBIA CERIFERA (CANDELILLA) WAX EXTRACT), HYDROGENATED APRICOT KERNEL OIL , HYDROGENATED STEARYL OLIVE ESTERS, HYDROGENATED APRICOT OIL UNSAPONIFIABLES , PRUNUS ARMENIACA (APRICOT) KERNEL OIL UNSAPONIFIABLES, TOCOPHEROL, THEOBROMA CACAO (CACAO) SEED BUTTER*, CAMELINA SATIVA SEED OIL*, OENOTHERA BIENNIS (EVENING PRIMROSE) OIL*
(+/-) CI 77891 (TITANIUM DIOXIDE), BETA VULGARIS (BETA VULGARIS (BEET)), CI 77491 / CI 77492 / CI 77499 (IRON OXIDES), CI 77019 (MICA), CI 75470 (CARMINE).
* ingredients proceeding from organic farming.
Clove, a brand new salon in midtown Atlanta, strives to have more than the best products and service in town. Owner Tomeca Kanu and manager Carla Kootsillas are dedicated to giving back to the community and running the greenest business they possibly can!
Tomeca bought the salon while in the middle of what turned out to be sort of a rough year. A car accident meant she had to be on bed rest just as the business was getting going. She wasn’t able to take care of the day-to-day operations for a while, which is when Carla came on board to help out.
After Tomeca’s recovery, Carla says the two of them, “took a hard look at the business and what [they] could do with it.” They wanted it to be more than your run-of-the-mill salon. They wanted to “do something [they] felt good about.” The result is a beautiful salon with great service, a mellow atmosphere, and, the best part, a conscience.
Read the rest of this entry »
This is a yurt living series that was recently launched with a focus on purpose. My topic is climate now, which is not a hindrance for yurt lovers at all. However, consideration of comfort causes a need to review add-ons and upgrades. Read the rest of this entry »
Before presenting the Emeral Awards for Best Natural Shampoo, Conditioner, and Hair Treatment tomorrow, I would like to deliver a brief public service announcement.
As you may have noticed, few of the products mentioned in the Emerald Awards series have also won best of green awards in the major newsstand magazines. Those products are primarily sold at Sephora and carry this retailer’s own “natural seal.” Go to the website, and they will acknowledge that no universal standard exists, leading them to create their own seal because “we felt we had to take the initiative to define what natural means in terms of our environment. What is natural beauty? We have defined the term as it relates to Sephora, and products must live up to that definition to be considered natural.”
This definition of natural is, at best, a broad one. In fact, it earned Sephora the honor of being named one of the four “biggest ‘green marketing’ scams” by TerraChoice, the group behind sinsofgreenwashing.org. Beyond that, however, I found much greater concerns than their lax standards. Read the rest of this entry »
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