Blogs & Ecology

Photo via Natural High Lifestyle Store

For someone who works from random locations, and is lucky to find a decent flat surface upon which to set up a laptop, I was happy to see this product on the radar. ...

Textile hemp plant photo by Eric Martinez @ flickr.

From the UK, comes Hemp Garden , a company known for their use of hemp in their personal hygiene products. ... I don’t have much hair left, as genetics have caught up with me, however, I do have enough to use shampoo. ... Hemp-based shampoos cost more money compared to traditional shampoos, but you, again, get what you pay for.

Summer Rayne Oakes and a purple ballet flat from Zoe & Zac
Image credit: ArtistInterviews.com/ Cohn & Wolfe

Jendarling has found another untapped niche to claim for green - luggage, and more specifically garment bags. While you can just reuse the plastic that you get at the dry cleaners (if you go to them), those bags often don't last very long and don't cover your entire outfit. Plus, you're just holding the chemicals onto your clothes longer, not to mention increasing the amount of plastic floating around in the environment. Instead, why not try a garment bag that is designed to travel with you around town or around the world that is also made from organic and reused materials....

Image source: Irie Star

Blissoma BLENDS just launched three new fall flavors in their perfume oil line. Maybe we should call these "scents" rather than perfumes because perfume has such a bad connotation. These petroleum-free, non-synthetic scents are created to help you smell like the season without many of the toxic additives common to traditional perfumes....

Photo credit: Mountains of the Moon

Designer Melissa Baswell was working with hemp and organic fabrics, and dyeing with low-impact dyes, long before "eco" became as buzzword and back when eco-fashion was saddled with the unsavory rep of being as fashion-forward as burlap.

Loaded with Omega-3 and 6’s, protein and fiber, this cereal is more than just a cereal. ... Add the protein from the yogurt and I just had well over 20 grams for lunch. ... It’s not the pet you have on your kitchen windowsill, but rather a high protein, low calorie, high fiber, gluten-free old school seed that the Aztecs used to eat and use as currency.

NY Fashion Week came and went as fast as the I’m Not a Plastic Bag fad, bringing with it a mixed tote of eco-style preview parties, cause-related events and enlightening exhibits. Descending upon the sustainable scene were runways touting eco-friendly fabrics, socially conscious brands and the latest and greatest in what we can expect to be the next green fashion trends.

However, ‘Huggers have a knack for spotting a splashy fleeting fad from a green mile away. Here are five well-crafted and eco-conscious sustainable favorites we think are here to stay:...

Lauren Bush announces sustainable fashion collection
First Niece Lauren Bush announced Wednesday that she was launching her first ready-to-wear collection, one that will be wholly produced in New York using sustainable and organic fabrics such as hemp silk, bamboo, and organic cotton.

Image source: Brook There

The Fall 2008 collection of Brook There by Brook De Lorme was designed around the theme of tangled and includes twisty fabric detailing around waist and hemlines. Owner and designer Brook De Lorme has been creating pieces for 8 years using recycled and sustainable fabrics and is focusing on the latter for the relaunch of Brook There. Breezy skirts and loose cowlnecks give the clothing a very comfortable feel.

Image source: Tara Lynn Studios

Image source: The White Pebble.

Based on the belief that we carry black or white pebbles with us, depending on the choices we make in our lives (black pebbles represent self-focused, irresponsible decisions; white pebbles represent a life of sound, ethical choices), the White Pebble "was founded to offer an ethical choice for everyday living." Purchasing sustainable clothing is not only beneficial to you, but, White Pebble believes, also benefits people all along the chain, both physically and spiritually....

Image source: KnitGrrl

For the crafty out there in the audience, Shannon Okey, author of more than 10 knitting books, now launches a new book for "alternative" fibers - Alt Fiber: 25 Projects For Knitting Green With Bamboo, Soy, Hemp and More. Not sure when the next time will be that we're lost in the woods and desperately needing to fashion together some semblance of a loincloth together with only a pair of knitting needles and banana fiber, but one can never tell these days.

The Splaff Flip Flops are not comfortable for me because they are way to flat. I love the premise, recycled car tire upper and lower parts, but they do not fit me well.

Splaff’s Flip Flops are way too flat for me, like can’t be in the army flat, but they are eco-chic and cool. I wish I could wear them, but the Simple ones are going to have to be my summer standard until I can find a more comfortable pair.