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December 07, 2008

December 06, 2008

  • Ideal Bite Best In Green Awards


    Josie Maran flanked by Ideal Bite co-founders
    Jen Boulden (rt) and Heather Stephenson (lft)

    Gelya Robb, of OZO cars, reports back from New York City, where Thursday evening Ideal Bite celebrated its Best In Green (B.I.G.) awards presented by MSN Green at the new plosh nightsport greenhouse.

    Gelya writes:

    Filling out NYC’s first green nightclub, greenhouse, on Thursday night were recipients and supporters of Ideal Bite’s first B.I.G. (Best In Green) Awards. Although just a different breed of extreme green, it wasn’t the crowd that made it feel like Werner Herzog’s “Encounters at the End of the World”.

    It was rather, the dramatic swimming-under-a-glacier feel of the club’s main room. Accented with hanging crystal light reflectors and actual leaf adorned walls, the space provided a natural back drop for the evening’s festivities.

    Attendees sipped on Eco friendly cocktails served courtesy of VeeV, a beverage derived from the sustainably harvested acai fruit. In the spirit of light-green living, awards were given in the categories of Home, Health & Beauty, Style, Food, Fun, Everyday/Living and Next in Green.

    All winners received a B.I.G. Award statue, “The Bitey”, handcrafted from recycled metal and MSN Green presented the 2008 Next in Green Award Winner, the beautiful and well spoken Josie Maran, with $10,000 for continued support of her cosmetic line’s green initiatives.


    Celebrity Host Gabrielle Union


    Guests Brian Clark Howard of The Daily Green & Starre Vartan of Greenopia.
    (Mystery guest in the middle, please tell us who you are!)


    (Photos Gelya Robb)

    More photos from IMDb

    - about 1 month
    source: (In The Loop)

December 05, 2008

December 04, 2008

December 03, 2008

  • How to reduce waste and save the earth this holiday season

    Read the full story in the Chicago Tribune. Includes photos of some interesting green products.

    Tips and tricks from the Environmental Protection Agency on what you can do to conserve energy, reduce waste and even lower your carbon footprint this holiday season.

    Also in the spirit of the season, an article from the November 28, 2007 edition of the San Francisco Chronicle, “Real vs. fake: Which tree is greener?”

    - about 1 month
    source: (Environmental News Bits » Green Products)
  • Sexy And Sustainable; Coco de Mer’s Eco Sex Shop

    When you think of fair trade and environmental products, the items in your bedroom may not be what come to mind. Coco de Mer is changing the game with their eco-friendly sex shop, selling all things erotic.

    Read more of this story - about 1 month
    source: (Feelgood Style)

  • Coco Eco Magazine December Issue :: Bigger. Brighter. Better!

    For all you ecoista out there, the new issue of Coco Eco Magazine has upped the ante with a slick new look and loads of content. Hot on the heels of the major glossies such as Elle, Allure, Harpers et al, Coco Eco is set to firmly plant their position in the world of magazines that combine style, with substance. While this is only the second issue, it’s clear the magazine has increasingly modern, forward thinking, savvy & current editorial content. In this latest issue they cover everything from fashion, in ‘Haute Holiday Looks’, to an ‘Eco Chic Gift Giving Guide’ with contributions from Zem Joaquim (of Ecofabulous fame), and Rachel Sarnoff (EcoStiletto Founder). Louise Roe, gorgeous & green journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in the US, is featured on the cover & profiled inside. The beauty section is full of ‘Party Looks’, ‘Winter Face Savers’ & some of the coolest beauty products plus where to buy them.

    Read more of this story - about 1 month
    source: (Feelgood Style)

December 02, 2008

  • Good For You Girls :: New Skincare Targeting Teens.

    With 800 new beauty products launched last year and a market with increasing value in the billions, I’ve been consistently floored at the glaring gap in products targeted toward young girls & teens. The choices for women have become saturated along with products for babies, not a bad thing when you consider how much impact natural & organic beauty brands are having in the market. However, the category aimed at anyone in between is usually the realm of glittery, plastic, petrochemical, artificial color & flavor, toxic makeup POISON. It’s a nightmare to find something not too adult and not too young with cool design and completely natural formulation. Not anymore! New brand on the block, ‘Good For You Girls’ is 100% natural with no toxic chemicals and nothing harmful. Plus the packaging is sooooooo cute. Designed specifically for young skin, the complete starter kit contains everything your daughter or BFF needs to put her best face forward! Good, clean, honest skincare and at only $24.99 for the set that includes Gel Cleanser, Toner & Moisturizer, you know what I’m thinking… just in time for xmas!
    0 Comments

    - about 1 month
    source: (Feelgood Style)
  • Electricity from Waste Heat

    Read the full story in Technology Review.

    Factories, data centers, power plants–even your clothes dryer–throw off waste heat that could be a useful source of energy. But most existing heat-harvesting technologies are efficient only at temperatures above 150 °C, and much waste heat just isn’t that hot. Now Ener-G-Rotors, based in Schenectady, NY, is developing technology that can use heat between 65 and 150 °C.

    The company replaces the turbine in a typical electrical generator with a device called a gerotor, which it claims to have made “near frictionless.” “If this works, it’s so huge,” says Bob Bechtold, president of Harbec Plastics, one of Ener-G-Rotors’ potential customers. “I’ve been dreaming about the concept of using [low-temperature waste heat] ever since I first knew what it was about . . . It’s all about using what we have more completely.”

    - about 1 month
    source: (Environmental News Bits » Green Products)
  • The Amala Beauty Experience :: An Intersection Of Luxury And Purity {+ $152 Giveaway}

    It seems Germany has always been ahead of us in terms of placing value on the natural and the pure. Its not a fad, phase or new concept for them its simply their way of life. So it comes as no surprise that some of the great organic skin care geniuses have come from Germany and I’m genuinely excited to introduce you to yet another.

    Amala (ah-mah-la) translates to “most pure” in Sanskrit, “revered mother” in Tibetan and “love her” in Spanish. This exclusive collection is for those seeking an intersection of luxury and purity. Ute Leube, creator and founder behind this pampering brand knows her ingredients, inside and out, backwards, forwards, up and down and has strong convictions about what is “responsible skin care”. She and business partner, Kurt L. Nübling are some of the world’s experts in the cultivation of organic botanicals and have been for the past 20+ years. Up until now, they’ve been known for their extensive and popular organic essential oil line (and anti-aging skin care), Primavera Life; which can be found throughout Europe in most drugstores and health food markets and scarcely available online in the U.S. This past May, Amala made its world debut in Singapore with great success and is currently only available in America in select upscale spas and online.

    Read more of this story - about 1 month
    source: (Feelgood Style)

  • How Does Your Wardrobe Add Up?

    Ever curious to know just how green your wardrobe is?  Well, here’s a start.  Colour Connections Ltd has an online calculator which allows consumers to take a look at the environmental impact of their clothing purchase, care and disposal decisions.

    The “Household Textile Environmental Impact Calculator” asks the user to answer a series or questions, using drop-down menus, to gather data on the purchase, disposal and care habits of the user. The user is asked to choose from a list of common clothing and household textile items, inputting how many of each item they buy and how they are disposed of in a twelve month period.  Finally, the users are asked how these items are washed, dried and ironed in a typical week. Push the magic button and Badda Bing, your score, or EDU’s (Environmental Damage Units)-a complex, mathematical environmental measure based on water and energy use, the use of non-renewable resources and the resulting pollution-is calculated. The overall EDU’s for each item of clothing depends on each individual consumer’s buying preferences, how they care for their garments and ultimately how they dispose of them.

    The EDU scores range from the aptly named “Fashionably Obese, for those scoring 1500 EDU’s annually, to the less aptly named “Fashionably Unfashionable” (rest assured, its is in fact quite fashionable to have a minimal environmental impact), for those scoring 200 EDU’s or less. While educational, and sort of fun, the calculator is a little under inclusive, focusing on conventional textiles and their care and disposal without including more sustainable textile options.

    For example, it compares cotton, wool, linen and silk items to polyester, nylon, and acrylic.  While linen, wool, silk and certain viscose fibers are often environmentally superior to synthetics, the calculator does offer organic cotton as opposed to conventional cotton, or organic wool as oppsed to conventional wool, as options, nor does it list other sustainable textiles such as hemp, soy, recycled fibers and the like.  Including these latter options would strengthen the tool’s advocacy appeal and educational value by allowing consumers to see how much impact they can have by making a few simple changes in their clothing purchases.

    Despite the lack of sustainable fiber options (yes, there are a few in there, linen for one), the tool is a useful demonstration in how each of our choices can have a positive impact.  “You may be surprised at how much impact your personal or family clothing preferences have on the environment,” said Phil Patterson, managing director of Colour Connections. “Doing one fewer tumble drying cycle per week saves 170 EDU’s, which is enough to make the fabric for 50 pairs of underpants.”  That’s a lot of skivvies!

    Source: Ecotextile News

    - about 1 month
    source: (In The Loop)

December 01, 2008

  • Green Diva’s Guide to Fresh Style: Vintage Vinyl Makes Awesome Bags

    Green Diva Meg and English Retread Bag

    I got this English Retreads bag from one of my favorite green cyber-shopping spots, BuyGreen.com. I love BuyGreen.com because they do a fairly thorough evaluation of their products, reviewing and rating all aspects of a product’s sustainability.  This bag got 49 on its sustainability score (see the details of how this bag was rated).

    This bag is very simple, compact and works for basics - small wallet, some makeup, keys and cell phone. While it doesn’t have all those organizational bells, whistles and zippers on the inside, it pays off in ‘feel good’ points.

    Who would’ve thought to make something so cool from stinky used tires?

    Read more of this story - about 1 month
    source: (Feelgood Style)

  • Global Green USA: Gorgeous And Green Party


    Tomorrow night in San Francisco, Global Green USA is holding their 4th Annual Gorgeous & Green benefit. This celebrity-studded event at the stunning Bently Reserve is co-hosted by Kate Bosworth, along with Jason Lewis, Daphne Zuniga, and Bay Area darling, Michael Franti. Chairing the benefit is Matt Petersen of Global Green, Nadine Weil from Heart of Green, and Zem Joaquin of ecofabulous.com, who has pulled out all the stops to make the event well, ecofabulous.

    There will be spa treatments by International Orange, Jane Iredale, and Juice Beauty, food by O Organics, artisanal wines by Iron Horse and Newton Vineyard, organic spirits by VeeV and Square One, and an eco fashion show featuring sustainable designs by Stewart + Brown, Bahar Shahpar, EDUN, Lara Miller, Del Forte Denim, Eco Citizen Boutique, Loyale, Thomas-Ray Eccles, John Patrick Organic, Linda Loudermilk, Cari Borja, Juleselin, Larsen Grey, Loomstate, Sara Shepherd, shoes by Charmone, Cri de Coeur, Olsen Haus, and jewelry by Amber Marie Bently.

    The three levels of ticketing for the event- Individual, VIP, Patron- will provide various extras for the donor. If you are not able to make the Patron level donation of $5000 in these crazy economic times, don’t feel bad. You will be missing a performance by American Idol runner-up Elliot Yamin, but, depending on your musical taste, this could really be a blessing in disguise. Regardless of the amount of your donation, you can feel absolutely incredible about contributing to an organization that is intelligent, brave and bold with its funds. Global Green USA makes miracles happen, from sustainably rebuilding New Orleans to providing solar energy to low income families, building green high performance public schools, and crafting groundbreaking environmental policy solutions.

    Gorgeous & Green will undoubtedly be a rockin’ party benefiting a brilliant cause. Purchase tickets before they run out at GlobalGreen.org. See you there!

    - about 1 month
    source: (In The Loop)

November 30, 2008

  • Meet one of the Madras behind M641 Clothing: Vegetarian-inspired fashion with an eco-twist.

    Going green isn’t as difficult as it used to be with the array of vegetarian delights and eco-friendly products available on the market today, and environmentally-conscious clothing is becoming as popular as the fashions themselves. But M641 takes it one step further with a philosophical approach to designing clothes that are living, breathing representations of the spirit, passion, and friendship that created them.  For Ina and Subu, earth-minded fashion is about a lifestyle — not a trend — and the result is a stunning experience in heart couture. 

    I had an opportunity to talk with Ina, one of the founders of M641, and learned more about the designs, the philosophy and the friendship that foster feel good fashions and plaid with a pulse.

    Read more of this story - about 1 month
    source: (Feelgood Style)

November 28, 2008

  • Armed Angels Says it All

    Although this write is about men’s fashions, know that Armed Angels is a sustainable street brand for all adult genders. It’s just that in comparison to women’s apparel, it’s not very often one can rave about a men’s collection.

    Another reason for recognition is because the Product Manager, Sanda Nevjestic, is third runner-up as the Best Eco-Creative Men’s Fashion Designer in a recent poll contest conducted by Chíc Eco. Sanda happens to be very modest about this because varied street designers are the actual inspirations for Germany’s Social Fashion Company GmbH.

    Read more of this story - about 1 month
    source: (Feelgood Style)

  • Obama’s 2.5 Million Jobs. What Will It Mean For Fashion?

    On November 22nd, in his weekly YouTube address to the nation, President-elect Obama detailed his plan to create 2.5 million new (green?) jobs. Yet, in the last few months, half a million Americans have lost their job to the finance crunch. Downtown suburbia is looking like a ghost town this holiday season, with retail stores closing left and right. Our new president has his job cut out for him.

    I’ve been away from In The Loop for awhile. I was involved in my local elections, trying to establish a viable Green party alternative to the two party system. Although I share everyone’s enthousiasm at celebrating our country’s first black president, I’m doing so with a healthy dose of skepticism, because the systemic problems he’s inherited from previous administrations are so intrenched, it’s going to take a mighty wind to blow real change in our direction.

    We lost our manufacturing base. We don’t know how to build things with our hands anymore, other than ReadyMade. These jobs Obama is promising are Green Collar Jobs. A big part of Obama’s strategy is Van Jones. It sounds a lot like Bill Clinton’s 1993 campaign promise of a 3 million strong Civil Conservation Corps revival open to all young people. Once elected, Clinton’s plan was gutted down by Congress and dwindled to just a few thousand college educated AmeriCorps volunteers.

    The task of nationalizing the thousands of environmentally focused organizations where Americans give their time also didn’t sit well with the independent spirit of these groups, resisting Clinton’s vision which then died on the vine. 

    There are two major differences between 1993 and 2008. The first is the green consumer culture today is firmly established, whereby back in the early 90’s, there were just a handful of green companies. Green had not entered the vernacular as a lifestyle choice yet. The second is that environmentalism is no longer something you donate your time to anymore, it’s become a source of income for millions who have learned to blend their job with their sense of ethics. Those who want to change the world also want to get paid, testified by this new Harvard Press title Practical Idealists! Welcome the ”grown-up 60’s.”

    Van Jones & Obama’s green job initiatives could succeed by forging deep connections with the online green community. Already, our own Jenny Hwa’s support of the Green Corps blends sustainable fashion with green job training. The growing eco-fashion industry provides great opportunity to bring back jobs to America. Made in the USA wasn’t enough to inspire our sense of purpose, but Made “green ” in the USA suddenly has a real nice ring to it.

    Recently a young group of eco-preneurs in Colorado launched a green Craig’s list at GenGreen, where green job seekers and employers can match up and find each other. Co-Op America has been doing that in print with their National Green Pages for many years. Both are now involved with the Van Jones organization. My own environmental education and action center in Connecticut The Aquarium (slang for think tank in the old Soviet Union) is working on green job creation and a green jobs directory for libraries and institutions.

    Creating environmental jobs is what we’ve all been doing. Because these jobs are anchored in a deep concern for the entire life cycle of the products we design, make, sell and dispose of. Our green economy, compared to fly by night, short term gain operators out there, is a lasting one, bound by human as well as financial relationships carved worldwide. With green ethics should also come, sadly not always, a matching sense of business ethics. This institutionalized caring for one another, our products, our clientele, makes that we will weather the storm.

    In addition to green fashion and cosmetics, the new green job market in the sustainable fashion economy are green fashion blogs and magazines, which in turn fuel a growing need for green fashion photographers, models, graphic and make-up artists, stylists, creating a brave new green fashion world feeding the emerging green collar job market with image branding & trend setting. Solar, wind, electric car companies, hemp products, etc… all need the services of the green fashion industry to promote their products and services. Professional associations like Gaiam, LOHAS and now B-Corporation’s role is to bring together all these factions, very much like the Environmental Media Association, Earth Communications Office and Global Green USA brought Green Hollywood together.

    This new Green Hollywood, expressed through TV channels like Planet Green and blogs like EcoRazzi play a role in Obama’s presidency. Entertainment industry Unions like the Screen Actors’s Guild have great influence on National politics. It’s hard to get hired in tinsel town these days if you’re not considered green. Green isn’t just the new black, it’s the new fascism, the new religion. It’s the logical outcome of the mid-70’s EST training seminars and First Earth Battalion. To quote the Gang Of Four, “love a man in a uniform.”

    If President Obama can truly follow through on his green jobs promise and not buckle under Union leaders desperate to protect their antiquated Detroit and nuclear industry jobs, we might actually stand a chance turning the Titanic around. At the last G20 meeting in Washington DC, the world leaders refused to shake Bush’s hand, putting the blame for the global economic crisis squarely on his administration. The YouTube news clip is disturbing. By electing Obama, the people of this country have made a move towards restoring balance, but America still has to follow through on its promise.

    (top image courtesy zootsuitstore.com)

    - about 1 month
    source: (In The Loop)

November 27, 2008