Feelgood Style

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Now (on top of my yoga meditations) I’ve been reading another little guidebook on simple self meditations to instantly remind me of the beauty in our everyday surroundings, and let me share they work like magic.

“Don’t self-medicate—self-meditate” is one motto for this book (both online and off) on self-meditation which encourages us to reap the evergrowing array of benefits related to the practice of meditating.

Creatively drawn from spiritual practices from Zen, to yoga, Sufism, and insight meditation, this book touches meditation basics, mantras and koans, tips, and ideas. A pocket guide style book, it reminds us to practice our inner breath, that recharges us with energy and vitality. Often people believe the only way to enlightenment is in long drawn out meditation retreats, and while those are amazing, it really only takes time out to meditate a few minutes a day for the same health benefits.

From Amazon’s description

…hundreds and hundreds of meditation practices that can be done during the course of our daily lives. You don’t need to go to a mountain retreat, renounce meat, or walk through coals on the soles of your feet—here’s a meditation to have with a cup of tea…. Read the rest of this entry »

When a talented friend and associate, Marcia Yerman, who happens to be an advocate for women’s issues insisted we consider featuring Jody Weiss, founder of PeaceKeepers Cause-Metics in Relevant Times last year, I paid attention. There are so many reasons to be amazed by Ms. Weiss and the wonderful ’cause-metics’ she has produced - great, natural AND benefiting women and the world in many ways . . .

Then, when we got some samples to play with, and I was really impressed!  Read the rest of this entry »

You can’t beat hemp for practicality, and this number, simply and logically titled 100% Hemp Dress White, is that and more. Pictured is offered from The Hemptest in Boston, whose been in biz since 1995.

Owner Mitch Rosenfield also has Massachusetts stores in Cambridge and Northampton. Add neighboring Burlington, Vermont for a total of four stores. His impressive web store appeases those beyond the northeast communities. Gee, that makes five stores. I think he’s on to something good.

Mich says he’s committed to ethically and ecologically manufactured apparel. First glance of the inventory proves sourcing and production expertise, with an artful eye to combine a broad variety of styles. What really stands out is that there are no hippie, sloppy, burlap sack-type fashions. Even long-time diehard supporters can gain a new and refreshing perspective of hemp clothing at The Hempest.

Now back to this great sun dress, know that there are three convenient and functional pockets. How does a woman treasure the gift of multiple pockets and flatter her figure at the same time? The answer is bias cut.

A bias cut requires more fabric and typically cost more, but this is reasonable at $98. I love the fact that it can be a throw-on casual or dancing dress, — and probably everything in between.

This wouldn’t be true if it weren’t for quality detail. The side zipper is hidden, for example. That minor stylemark supports the elegant mode. Then the tie-off shoulder straps can be adjusted for another look. Oh, and 100% Hemp Dress Black is an option too.

What Mitch doesn’t say is that he’s literally changing the public fashion image of earth’s most versatile and beneficial Cannabis Hemp plant. He deserves your blessing!

Here’s an image of my youngest daughter Mary sporting one of my all-time favorite T-shirts that I fell in love with last summer, when I had the wonderful privelege of being a media sponsor to the Farm Aid concert. I’ve been backstage at other shows, but this one was particularly special for many reasons - the organic, locally produced food, organic beer, biodegradable plates and utensils, and oh did I mention the extremely cool people!?!?

While lurking around the food tent, I found myself engaged in a friendly conversation about just how wonderful the whole event was with a dude in this exact same shirt. I raved about the shirt and he told me where he got it, but I don’t write it down, so . . .

Later when Dave Matthews came on stage, there came my buddy with the great T-shirt with the powerful message ‘Stop Wars’ - it was Tim Reynolds! First, I felt stupid for not recognizing him, then I was glad because while I try not to be star struck, I’m a huge fan of Mr. Reynolds (obviously knowing his music better than his face!) and who knows what idiotic thing I might have come up with.

Other than their amazing musical talent, I admire most of the musicians that day for their effort to help raise awareness about the realities and challenges facing small and family farmers. Using great music to activate a crowd is a beautiful thing.

So, it goes along these same lines that using wonderfully designed rags to shout important progressive messages is another great form of creative activism.

Clothing Of The American Mind (COTAM) is a brilliant organization who brought that Farm Aid moment together for me so beautifully.

Read the rest of this entry »

Well if I was to honor a rubber tube design award, the winner would be the Pieces Goddess, Christa De Leeuw Van Weenen for Zuss Fashion Design in The Netherlands. This freaky, fashionable, wearable art is not only cool, it’s fashionable recycling at it’s best!

Sorry, this Strapless Adventure sun dress is SOLD. But you get the idea. Check out the site. All items could be appropriately displayed in an art gallery or museum, and in the ranks of haute couture, stage costume, and for the young at heart. The materials are used rubber tubes from bicycles and mopeds, sometimes decorated with beads and stuff.

Everything is handcrafted, including every hole, every lace, every knot. There are no machines involved. Just hands, scissors, a pincer, and imagination. To wear a Zuss is not only a fashion statement, it’s a physical delight. You see the wearer is very conscious of it, especially if worn skin-tight. That’s because it feels cool when it first hits your flesh, but becomes warm by your body heat and then becomes soft; — termed the Zuss Sensation, which is wearable in all climates.

Actually, from 1997 until autumn 2007, Zuss was two sisters turning old inner tubes into eye-catching hot couture for those intent on making a BOLD fashion statement. Since elder Virgo Goddess Krijnie, retired, Christa is taking Zuss to the future with established global fans, — solo style.

Yet neither of the two sisters ever went to art or design school. Christa’s inspiration started in 1997 at a symposium about art and rubber. She made a top and skirt. Then Krijnie got creative with hats. That same year the sisters had their first fashion show. Hence, they traveled the road to fame and appreciation. They drew the attention of American TV and domestic press, BIG-time!

“Beautiful artwork from wasteland,” says Christa. “It feels more like sculpturing than sewing. Recycling is our tribute, and the way mother earth teaches us about evolving. Every piece of art is made with love and is original and unique. Even when we tried to make a copy, the tubes wouldn’t allow it because every piece of waste is different. New materials may be consistent, but every tube-life follows different ways. And just as our life, isn’t it?”

Oh how I get my kicks discovering unique designers with eco style! Just in time for the Summer Solstice, I share admiration for Enamore, founded by designer Jenny Ambrose 20004 in the seaside city of Brighton, UK.

This striking empire-line Jeanie Halter Dress is made from a blend of hemp and Tencel®. It has delicate strawberry shaped organic cotton lace detail and ruby-red satin bow detail.

Know that Tencel® is a cellulosic fiber made from wood pulp and is the brand name for Lyocell by Lenzing Fibers. Designers love the desirable properties, such as drape.

Jenny’s Enamore UK fashion label consists of a variation of garments made from the finest organic and sustainable fabrics. Additional examples are bamboo, soya, and silk sourced from accredited suppliers. The brand is a diverse collection of dresses, separates, and an exciting range of organic lingerie with a new twist on modern Pinups.

The Jeanie Halter Dress is made to order, so step on it for the summer heat! If interested in seeing more Enamore collections, restricted travelers and American homebodies have no fear. Ready-made designs can be found in worldwide cities such as London, Milan, Paris, Munich, Washington DC, and of course on the web.

Jenny moved her biz to the picturesque city of Bath, where the brand continues to grow and flourish. She works with fashion and textile students and graduates from all over the UK, offering unique opportunities for work experience with a creative young business.
Love you Jenny!

When we go to a yoga class, we work to re-oxygenate our bodies with heart opening breathing exercises, inhale deeply, and breath in clean refreshing pure air. Unfortunately, many yoga mats are made of toxic materials that seep into the air. Worse yet, is hot yoga classes are often not ventilated. The best way to purify a yoga studio is to switch to eco riendly mats, educating each yogi that signs up for a class about the benefits of green mats and only carrying them in house. As I’ve said many times before, yoga is one of the most rejuvenating, restoring, enlivening and uplifting kinds of exercise out there. What many are unaware of is just how toxic many yoga supplies may be.  Articles like this one from the Green Yoga Association help clear the air as to what is good for our healing studios.

There are a good many options out there, and I’ll share my long time favorite the Harmony mat (some say they slip more on this rubber mat but personally I like the ability to grip and stretch the mat as I ease into form) which most yoga places carry. From the Jade Harmony Mat site~

Harmony is Green
Harmony is constructed of natural rubber a renewable resource tapped from rubber trees - containing no PVC or ozone depleting substances - perfect for the yogi concerned about the environment.

To be more complete, here is a long list of some green options out there for yoga mats: Read the rest of this entry »

Sustainable bag reporting continues from Part I. There are so many great choices!

Muumuu Heaven is a shop located on the windward side of Oahu, Hawaii. The family-run business got so busy producing eco-conscious and original women’s apparel from recycled Hawaiian garments, they decided to collaborate with another designer for bags to stock.

Kauai is a neighbor island, same state of Hawaii, where Denise Tjarks structures new life also from old muumuu, aloha shirts and fabric remnants. Word is spreading so fast, it’s impossible to share an exclusive not sold. But you get the idea from these two illustrations. Above is Maia, the pretty green plant print. Below that is the reverse side, an orange small floral print. Both reversible option sides are made from vintage mu’umu’us circa 1970.
Read the rest of this entry »

In recent posts we’ve covered feel good travel from sexy eco hideaways to green goddess retreats, which all in all, really got me curious about finding more ways to travel responsibly. Looking over the research I found Responsible Travel is the best bet for ecotourism:

We’ve hand-picked inspiring holidays from over 270 tour operators (and 100s of places to stay) to save you time. All the companies are specialists in their chosen fields, the best at what they do, and run by passionate people who care about your holiday and about the environment and local people.

Responsible Travel has also partnered with Climate Care to help offset the trips taken. CarbonFund, Terra Pass, and Fly Neutral are all worth considering seeing that the average flight pollutes roughly seventeen hundred pounds of CO2 per person into the stratosphere. This scientific fact is frightening, and with this new knowledge comes responsibility.

So if you are living for an escape to the #1 eco-retreat located within the Fiji Islands (and created by Jean-Michel Cousteau), but worried about dumping over four thousand pounds of CO2 per passenger to get to Figi, please consider some of the awesome offsetting options we’ve listed above.

Image by Jose Manuel licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 License.

Editor’s note: Deodorant may not be a prime topic for polite conversation, but we all use it. Our friends at Life Goggles tried out Bionsen’s product, which features Japanese spa minerals as materials (and we’re not sure what that means, either). Looks like this is a product mainly for European readers… any US-based users? This post was originally published on Wednesday, June 4, 2008. (and please note: Bionsen’s web presence is a bit funky… there is a site here, but it doesn’t seem to include this product).

Bionsen kindly sent me a bottle of its deodorant for me to test. Usually I’m a spray deodorant kind of guy but not being able to send aerosols through the post, I opted for the pump spray. At £2.49 it’s not unreasonable, although I tend to choose my spray by being on special offer so is probably a little more than I would pay normally.

I was also reticent about the pump spray and the fact it would be wetter on my underarms, but I’ll try anything so I plowed on. Bionsen is a hypoallergenic range containing Japanese spa minerals (whatever they are) and is aluminum and paraben free. There’s some science behind the deodorant, as instead of it blocking the sweat glands like anti-perspirants, Bionsen (and other deodorants) tackle the odor instead. The “antiseptic agents and germ-killing ingredients target and kill the bacteria that causes body odor on contact. Fragrances also work to combat body odor but the natural, finely-tuned balance of the body is not affected”.

Read the rest of this entry »