Hot Stuff

Date: April 30, 2008 | Category: Fashion, Women

As temperatures hit the 80s here in the San Francisco Bay Area, we can’t help but start thinking about what summer will have in store for us. Kate D’Arcy for Toggery has procured a line of fun, flirty clothes that scream summer. With bright colors like red, teal and fuscia, Toggery is a testament that eco-friendly dyes need not be dull and lifeless. These organics flow and don’t hug the body too tight for those especially hot days. Plus they’re versatile; they can be dressed up or down and can be worn morning, noon and night (you might want to change at some point, but that is just a suggestion, because I don’t always heed that advice). Made entirely from organic cotton and bamboo in a domestic, “certified socially responsible ” manufacturing company, these pieces will not only prove to be long-lasting essentials in your wardrobe, but make an essential statement about everyday wear for the eco-fashionista.

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Smells Like Clean Spirit

Date: April 30, 2008 | Category: Beauty, Fragrance

Patyka is an Ecofabulous favorite, but only recently did we sniff out their alluring perfumes. The company grows and extracts all of its own materials, which are certified organic by Ecocert, an independent review board accredited by the European Union and the US Ministry of Agriculture. The scents are free of toxins like silicone, petroleum, PEG, sulfates, parabens, phenoxyethanol and other synthetic materials. Intoxicating ingredients include extracts from flowers, citrus fruits, leaves, spices, cereals and resin. For a refined scent, dab a little Chypre on your pulse points. The combination of geranium and ylang ylang is deliciously sophisticated. And with Patyka’s fair trade policy, everyone is sure to “Love” it!

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Everybody Loves Confetti at a Party

Date: April 30, 2008 | Category: Food & Drink, Kitchen, Lifestyle

My Montessori children (okay, only one is actually Montessori taught) have always eaten off of china when we eat in the house (not the good stuff!), but when they eat outside, I have learned the hard way, we need something a little more durable. Zac Designs offers up a solution to this eco-stumper with the Confetti Group. Though made from plastic it’s 100% recycled melamine (which is EXTRA durable) - making it vastly more eco-friendly than its virgin petroleum counterpart. Plus, it’s better than anything disposable and is supposedly dishwasher safe (I’m a purist, so I just abstain from putting any plastic into the dishwasher and opt for hand scrubbing). Confetti may not showcase your youngsters favorite Disney character, but my kids love the vivid colors and fun shapes. Just in time to brighten up your BBQ.

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A Picture is Worth Two Tons of CO2

Date: April 29, 2008 | Category: Holiday & Gift, Lifestyle, Tech

Ok, we all know that digital photography is certainly better for the environment than traditional film photography, but is there anything better? Well if you are thinking about a new digital camera for Mother’s Day (or Earth Day, or whatever), check out this “ECO-Green” special edition of the new Nikon COOLPIX S52, available exclusively from Ritz Camera. This cool camera is more than just green in color…

Ritz has partnered with Carbonfund.org to offset 1.91 tons of carbon dioxide for each ECO-Green COOLPIX purchased. That number corresponds to the average American’s monthly carbon footprint according to Carbonfund.org research. They’ve focused their offsets on reforestation with the goal of reducing nearly 40,000 tons of CO2 from the environment. We hope other merchants follow suit and link product promotions to environmental awareness.

The special edition ECO-Green COOLPIX will be available exclusively at Ritz Camera stores nationwide starting May 1, 2008 for an MSRP of $249.95. You can pre-order online with no tax and free shipping. Smile!

I got this scoop because my husband is a huge digital photo junkie and is on the board of Ritz Interactive.

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LIVE for Today

Date: April 29, 2008 | Category: Events, Food & Drink, Lifestyle

LIVE for today…and tomorrow! Far from your typical energy drink, LIVE is a socially conscious, all-natural and organic beverage that donates 50% of its profits to charity. Each of their four flavors takes on a serious issue: Green Tea for Global Warming, Acai Berry for AIDS and HIV, Original for Youth Programs and Sugar-Free for Breast Cancer. Your flavor equals your cause. We are serious green tea drinkers over here - coincidence, I think not! But don’t worry, all of the flavors rock, so maybe a little rotation is called for - spread the love. Don’t despair if you’ve yet to see LIVE gracing your grocer’s fridge; it’s slated to be distributed in over 6,800 major retailers nationwide in the coming months. Oh, and, don’t forget to recycle those cans (aluminum retains most of its embodied energy).

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Sweet Shirt Alabama

Date: April 29, 2008 | Category: Accessories, Fashion, Jewelry, Women

Natalie Chanin, founder of Alabama Chanin, is known for her cottage industry approach to fashion: she employs local artisans to create her gorgeous and unique garments, home items, jewelry, and fabrics by hand. She strives to make her business part of a sustainable, viable community in small town Alabama. A popular mainstay at Barney’s, she’s now greening her operations even more: adding a new Organic Series with 100% Certified Organic cotton fabrics in soft and creamy shades, staining materials with tea and discarded coffee grinds, and even offering a DIY version of one of her hip t-shirts for ambitious eco-fashionistas. The DIY package features a 100% certified organic cotton tee as well as all the materials (other than scissors, needles, and pins) to make your own custom Stars and Skull creation, so that those of us with more sewing talent than spending power can share a piece of Chanin’s sustainable, hand-crafted, and glamorous vision.

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May Pregnancy Be Perfect

Date: April 28, 2008 | Category: Events, Lifestyle, Media

April has been all about the earth (as every day should be). Now we’re launching into the inaugural Pregnancy Awareness Month. Join founder and ecofabulista herself, Anna Getty, for the kick-off event in Los Angeles. On May 1st “Motherhood Begins Now” will be joined by an amazing line-up of individuals including Dr. Alan Greene, author of Raising Baby Green, Josie Maran (of her aptly named cosmetics line & mother to Rumi Joon) and Christopher Gavigan, CEO of Healthy Child Healthy World (who will receive a portion of the event’s proceeds). Parents and parents-to-be, come get coached in all that is pre and post natal, enjoy a delicious organic lunch and take home a gift bag for baby. All in the name of bringing healthy, happy babies into the world (one that supports them).

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What’s the Repurpose of it all?

Date: April 28, 2008 | Category: Home Furnishings, The Home

Had he not already had a side table, I would have gotten this for my son’s nautically inspired room. It would also be chic in my tasting room…if I had a tasting room. I feel like writing about the reuse of wine barrels could be a little cliche, but if you like slightly rustic wood, this could be just the table you are searching for. After a couple years doing its job of imparting complexities unto fermenting grapes, these barrels generally find themselves tossed in landfills. This side table, handmade in Georgia, is a great example of finding a creative way to get the most out of something valuable - oak. What results is a well-crafted, salvage piece that honors the curvature of its predecessor.

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Brush With Greatness

Date: April 28, 2008 | Category: Beauty, Makeup

Now that you’ve made the switch to eco-friendly makeup (if you still need suggestions, check our beauty category), replace your makeup brushes with ecoTOOLS. Featuring bamboo handles, taklon bristles (a synthetic filament), and ferrule constructed from recycled aluminum cans, the brushes are fantastically cheap. The powder brush is only $7.99, while the eye shadow brush will only set you back $3.99. The line has also joined forces with 1% For the Planet so that one percent of ecoTOOLS’ annual sales will be donated toward eco-initiatives. These are available at many drug stores like Walgreens, Duane Reade, or Ulta, so even if you aren’t a regular Whole Foods shopper, you can get tools that are as good for the planet as they are for your skin. They come in recyclable/reusable packaging printed with plant-based ink.

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In the Company of Compai

Date: April 25, 2008 | Category: Events, Home Furnishings, Lifestyle, The Home

Because we’d love to meet more of our savvy Ecofabulous readers, we’d like to cordially invite you to this exclusive Los Angeles event. Compai is a crafty design team of sisters working out of their Brooklyn studio, and dedicated to creative projects that employ recycled materials. They’ve teamed up with Josie Maran Cosmetics to celebrate “style with a conscience” through the debut of their latest fashion collection. Organic cocktails and much more (complimentary eco-makeover anyone?) will take place at Steve Glenn’s LivingHome in Santa Monica, the first residence in America to receive LEED platinum certification. To get on the list please RSVP to [email protected].

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