oneEarth Needs You.

It's that time again.

Time to laugh.

Time to cry.

Time to vote for your favorite oneEarth logo design!!! 

I don't know if you recall, but many moons ago I did a post on my upcoming t-shirt line with my good friend Megan. I promised to you that this line would be made of eco-friendly and fairly traded materials, and that it is. 

After much time spent planning, doodling, graphic designing (thanks to my genius friend Kevin Greene) and lounging (which is what a serious company owner does) we almost have our final product. 

HOWEVER!

Megan and I can't decide on a logo. 

So we need the public to choose for us.

Let's call this, "Survivor: Logo Island". 

We are humbly requesting you to choose:

Logo #1- Top Left; Black&White "One"

Logo #2- Top Right; Planet Earth 

Logo #3- Bottom Center; Green&White oneEarth

You can comment on my page, my facebook, my twitter, what have you. It really doesn't matter as long as we get your vote.

We are very grateful for all the support, time, and future money you will put into this project, so that hopefully we can make some great changes one day.

Cheeeckkk oooooutttt: Kevin Greene Visual Artist

(otherwise known as Kevin Greene Visual Genius;])

Peace, Love, and Sustainable Logos. xo

Cote d'Azur Couture

Bienvenue readers! 

Sorry again for my long neglect of the blog, I've been eating, drinking, and swimming studying in Nice, France for the summer, but luckily I've got plenty to share with you. So sleep easy tonight knowing that I'll still be here in cyber-spirit tomorrow when you wake up. So, vas-y!

Once upon a time, 

in the picturesque perched village of Southern France's St. Paul de Vence there were a myriad of tiny shops burrowed into the rocky walls of the ancient town...

A young and wide-eyed American girl (me) searched around for an eco-friendly shop to share with all her friends back in the states, and as the story goes...

She came, She shopped, She conquered.  

And not once did she panic. 

fin.

As wild and unbelievable as that story is, I swear it's true. 

That really did happen to me. 

I really did find Cannepailles stuck into the side of the mountain, 

and I really didn't panic...a lot.

Cannepailles is a store that sells products made of mostly hemp and all natural materials.   

 Here is my friend Max graciously modeling one of Cannepailles' chic hemp hats for your pleasure, readers.

  

 

 

 

If you are unfamiliar with the benefits of hemp as an ecological fiber, let me explain.

Hemp is a plant, just like cotton. However, it grows quickly and densely in the same way bamboo does, escaping the deadly grips of pests thus eliminating the need for harmful chemicals like herbicides and pesticides. 

Since it grows so fast, it needs no fertilizers and needs only rainwater to replenish it. It also has long, strong fibers that are perfect for processing to create a comfortable and durable garment. (read about it here.)

 Leaving you to ponder the phrase above, I invite you all to consider choosing hemp as a practical and affordable alternative to cotton and other highly processed fibers. 

It's wonderful to find environmental awareness all over the globe. It makes me optimistic and hopeful that a conscious consumer mind really isn't that hard to obtain.

Until next time,

Peace, Love, and French hemp.xo

Happy Summer Everyone!

I hope you're all having as great a time as I am; it's especially great because of all the awesome stuff I have to show you.

...like totally awesome stuff.

Being a conscious consumer I am a huge (HUGE) fan of small businesses because of the low carbon footprint (a.k.a. a leaner, more tightly-run business that doesn't leave as much of a mess behind as bigger companies do). Therefore, my newly acquired items pack a double punch because they are eco-friendly and fairly traded.

 YAHTZEE!

There is a store in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, where my lake house is, called Stay Tuned. My family and I always referred to it as "the hippie store" because of it's eclectic mix of products. It's a funky little place with tons of old records, jewelry, clothing, and other items that easily fall under the term "earthy-crunchy". 

Now if there's one unnecessary and misguiding phrase I'm trying to get rid of it's that. However, sometimes backpacks made of recycled rice sacks by Nepalese women don't allow one to easily escape such a title...but that's okay, I'm over it.

And, what kind of eco-activist would I be if I didn't have the quintessential "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" button pinned proudly on my hemp bag? 

A REALLY, REALLY BAD ONE. 

But anyway, like I said, this socially/environmentally conscious store pleasantly surprised me when I learned the owner goes to Indonesia and Nepal, where he buys his products from the women, twice a year to collect them as well as visit them. This inspiring man has done a world of good in Southeast Asia by starting humanitarian organizations, such as this fair trade agreement, on top of schools and other projects that benefit the struggling citizens.

After he told me about the bags, he conveniently mentioned the baskets full of these headbands, made by the women in Bali, by using scraps of fabric, so that there is...get this... 

NO WASTE. 

I don't know if anyone else finds that as exciting as I do, but I almost passed out. 

 So, the moral of the story, is that although many sustainable products can be found right around the corner, I personally believe that some of the best are the ones lying just off the beaten path, and are well worth looking for. 

Peace, Love, and Sustainable Rice Bags! <3

 

Check It!

When I talk to people about being eco-friendly and wearing materials that are environmentally safe, I am almost always asked: "So, how do I know if it's eco-friendly?".

That is a great question.

To be honest, I have no idea...

...kiiiiddddinnngg.

Okay, I do have an idea. A very simple one. 

It's called a "Clothing Label" (weird, I know, who would call it that?) and looks a little something like that picture above.

Reading the label before you buy something will not only help you discern whether or not it's an eco-friendly garment, it will also make you look really neurotic and weird  cool and sophisticated by being so intelligent as to interpret those mind-boggling labels with lot's of numbers and funny shapes.

Soon you'll be well-versed in textiles and fabrics:

"Polyester?! Mais, non!"

"Modal! Oh la la, c'est chic est tres comfortable"

....except, you most likely won't be speaking french, unless you can speak it, then by all means...

When you're on a hunt for eco-friendly labels while shopping, scouring the store with wild, crazy eyes, foaming at the mouth, panting like a dog--or is that just me? yah? okay-- reading countless labels seems tedious, but all you have to do is keep an eye out for two simple things:

1) Material

2) Where it was made; as in, "Made in..." 

Check out this little number above. Just by looking at the top you can tell that it's eco-friendly. Tags that say "Made in U.S.A." (if that is where you are located) can signify that there was less of a carbon footprint made because the garment wasn't transported miles across the globe. Also, it helps the economy by supplying jobs for those working within it, making the country less dependent on outside sources for production and labor!

Now did I say simple, or did I say simple?

...I really did say it though.

Most of the time, if a company is advocating environmental awareness they will promote this by notifying the buyer that their garment is "Eco-friendly" or "Organic" (maybe even "Recycled" if you're getting crafty) by printing it on their tags.

If not, it is your job to check yo tagz! 

It's good to keep an eye out for these Clothing Certification Labels, which are labels for eco-friendly certified clothing. They may be associated with these reliable and legitimate organizations:

                        

             -One Percent For the Planet 

This amazing company created an alliance of businesses who come together through One Percent to build up a legion of enterprises who are committed to bettering the planet.

 

-Made-By

This Dutch organization was founded as a way to promote total transparency in the supply chain in the fashion industry. They are committed to making sustainability and social awareness in the industry a "common practice". 

 

Have fun!

Peace, Love, and Sustainable Tagz<3

There is nothing satirical about these Simple Shoes.

Hey..er..uhmm..hi readers.

Been a while you say? Yes, I know. 'Bout a month almost. But let's bypass this awkward conversation and skip to the good stuff! 

SHOOOEEESSS!!!!!

Simple Shoes, to be exact. 

I can't begin to tell you how excited I am that I finally get to share these fly hunnies with you. They are probably the most comfortable, functional, coolest, and SUSTAINABLE pair I own. And that's saying something since the aforementioned adjectives accurately describe the majority of my wardrobe.

 

These are the Satire Flat Elastic Sneakers  in greystone (or purple, whatever you want to call it).

 

Like I said before (in the title of this post, for those of you who missed it) there is nothing satirical about these Simple Shoes. They are all business.

 They are made out of recycled post-consumer materials, organic cotton, and recycled car tires. 

They are muy eco-friendly.

Simple Shoes don't mess around when it comes to respecting the environment and human rights.

Clean production, ethical treatment of workers in the supply chain, and high quality organic/recycled materials are the cornerstones of this business.

I stumbled across these in Nordstrom some time ago. 

After 60+ minutes of wandering back and forth between different displays of sneakers, I narrowed it down to these and a pair of Onitsuka Tiger sneakers. 

I bought both of them, rationalizing the purchase with the immense amount of feet-time both these sneaks would see. 

Funnily enough, I found the Simple Shoes to be my favorite. The Tigers are in a dark, back corner of my closet, all shriveled up and dusty (if anyone wants them...).

 

  

I highly recommend them.

I'm going to take this golden opportunity to educate you once again, on the importance of buying products such as Simple Shoes.

It's not Simple Shoes that use recycled materials, there are other brands working to be eco-friendly as well. 

It's good to take a peek at the materials used to create a product that you buy. Why not? If this is something you're going to be wearing on a daily basis wouldn't you want safe, healthy, and helpful materials on your body? Uhh, chyah..

 

As the good people at Simple Shoes would say, 

"HOW we make our shoes is just as important as WHY we make them."

(I really like quoting companies' mission statements, in case you haven't noticed lately) 

So, keep that in mind next time you're perusing around the neighborhood shoe store. It's easy to find eco-friendly products if you know what to look for: recycled and/or organic is a great indicator of such.

 

It's really quite Simple. 

Oh, and shout out to my brother Kevin

for trekking out in the drizzling rain so I could sit under a tree for twenty minutes and take pictures of dirty shoes. You da best.

Peace, Love, and Simple Shoes!<3

Super-Post!

Happy Belated Easter/Earth Day to All!

I'm bummed I didn't get to post anything on Earth Day, but I'm making it up for it now with a super-post by combining two phenomenal holidays: Easter and Earth Day.

As you all know, Earth Day is a 24-hour event; but it's a huge argument among many environmentalists that Earth Day shouldn't just be ONE day out of the year...it should be all 365 days that we are aware of our carbon-footprint. 

An article wirtten by Brian Merchant on Treehugger.com , pleaded with readers to take a stand like the first Earth Day, 41 years ago (1969):

"Call for action. Help build awareness; help build a movement. And don't bother with the organic cotton designer clothes." 

Ha-ha-ha...hey...wait.

Yes, I did just post that. That really just happened. Confusing? Mhm. Contradictory? You betcha. 

BUT! 

If we really stop and think about it, the message being sent is one of activism--not necessarily consumerism. And if you are still befuddled as to why I'm saying any of this, here is something to confuse you even more:

High-end fashion designer Vivienne Westwood: Queen of Contradictions.

What Westwood, Merchant, and many others are trying to say is that a change doesn't always begin with opening your wallet, but opening your mouth. Advocacy is key; and being content with what you have is a huge part of that. 


Which is why for the second part of my post I'd like to advocate once again the wearing of second-hand clothes as an environmentally conscious action.

Part II:

Second-hand clothing doesn't have to be something bought from a consignment store.

In fact, it doesn't have to be recently purchased at all. 

This encompasses everything you already have. 

At the risk of sounding like a big, huge nerd, I can't tell you how pleasantly surprising it is piecing together new combinations of clothing I already have. It's actually quite satisfying. 

This is me. In my peasant outfit on Easter Sunday, strutting around in the back yard.  

 

I donned a 100% cotton dress that was given to me by my Mother's friend a while back which she bought from a thrift store.

This dress is the epitome of second-hand items. At this point, it's like, third-hand.  

 

We had the family over for Easter Dinner, and composted all our food waste, because even the Easter Bunny composts his eggs.

There is the beautiful compost pile in our backyard which will someday turn into organic topsoil for gardening.

 

And here's my little pup Ellie. (This picture is completely irrelevant to the topic, but she's cute, eh?).

Now that I have completely deflated the subject of second-hand clothing, I am excited to move along to some new posts in the near future!

Hope you all had wonderful holidays!

Peace, Love, and Sustainable Second-Hand Clothes!<3

FREE STUFF!

Before I begin,  

I'd like to make it known that this is a transgendered post.

I'm aware that I'm using the term very loosely, and no, there will be no mention of 

Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber, so don't get your hopes up. 

Oh, and it's not about cross dressers either. I know, I know...lame. Bear with me.  

 PSYCH! There they are.

It's a post for GUYS AND GIRLS! 

Moving right along... here we have one of the coolest and most innovative (in my opinion) eco-friendly business ideas out there right now.

The best part? IT'S FREE. 

These three websites: 

Swapstyle.com

Rehashclothes.com 

and

Dignswap.com 

Are global exchange businesses designed for free trading of goods between users.

Nifty, no?!

It's like ebay (You should check out Ebay's World of Good, since we're on the topic) but instead of buying the products you trade something of your own. Capeesh?

Click on this link to read a first-hand account of each site's pros and cons.

Make that nifty AND thrifty! (Don't tell me that joke went over your head).

All three sites are fantastic eco-friendly sources for trade, however I'd like to focus on Rehash simply because they make a point to spread awareness and go the extra mile by supplying green living tips for their users! 

And also because I've noticed there's an eco-friendly theme establishing itself in my blog, so I think I'll just go with that, right? Yeah. 

I am partial to Rehash because they endorse hippies and Napoleon Dynamite doppelgangers. Two of the things that I like most. Plus, they are a bonafide eco-friendly business, so there's no need to stay up late worrying that Rehash is an apocryphal (I just learned that word today; see definition here) website trying to rip you off! 

If that paragraph didn't otherwise convince you, I hope that this one, taken from their site, will:

"So, I ask of you to join us here at Rehash and do our part in saving Mama Earth by avoiding unnecessary waste to accumulate in landfills. As someone’s great-great-great-grandmother said, “one man’s garbage is another one’s treasure.” So, with that sentiment in mind, and the newly acquired responsibility to our planet, I encourage you to recycle clothing and accessories like it’s no one’s business."

Besides the fact that that statement is all too true, it's also witty and clever. So why not humor me and Rehash and click around? 

Swap somethin', save somethin', do somethin' green. Nbd.

Peace, Love, and Sustainable Swapping <3