Thursday, December 30, 2010

Stevia is A Super-Beauty Food


By Paige Donner


30 times sweeter than sugar, Stevia, the herb-derived non-caloric sweetener that has replaced those others recently, is actually a beauty remedy as well!
It comes from a small green plant (stevia rebaudiana) found in Paraguay, the native Guarani Indians have apparently always used it to sweeten their drinks.
It's also good for fruit salads and to sweeten whipped cream!
For your beauty regimen, its ultra-sweet power gives it its super hydrating properties, particularly for your entire body. Its "steviosides" not only moisturize but also soften the skin. Melvita makes an exquisite blend of thym infused honey and stevia called Apicosma that reveals ultra-soft, creamy rich and touchable arms, legs and all-over. You can also try blending some of your own beauty Super Potions using packets of Stevia that you find at your health food store.

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Thursday, December 16, 2010

Happy Eco-Beautiful Holidays!

Greening Beauty & Greening Hollywood's Gift Guide, Holidays 2010

After you've donated to the water/earth/tree/sky/animal/children/developing world/urban community/greenspace et al. charities of your choice this season, here are some feelgood treats for your loved ones...and for you!

Roses et Chocolat

This delightful hand-made, artisanal chocolate is crafted singlehandedly by Rachel, the owner of Vancouver's CocoaNymph.It is one of the only chocolate shops in the world I've been in that invites you to stay and savor a cup of hot chocolate before making off with your carefully culled cocoa concoctions.

Talika Eye Dream

The Expert of Specific Treatments, Talika is a Paris based cosmeceutical company that excels at boosting your attributes. Whether that's bust firming and lifting, or eyelash elongating or, as we recommend for a lovely and illuminating look for the holidays, their Eye Dream product. It comes fashioned in its own applicator so need to dip in fingers, it provides your eye area with exactly the right amount of dosage and a smooth applicator that soothes as it spreads the light cream. Ingredients are: Peptides, Dipeptides, Soybean Protein Extract, Floral Waters of Lime and Orange, Horse Chestnut Extract, Vitamin F.  When you wake up puffiness around the eyes are reduced and eye contour area is thoroughly mousturised and smoothed.

Ojon Hair Products

Ojon Winter Shine & Protect Products

Sustainable harvesting allows Ojonto share the treasures of the rainforest without destruction or depletion of the resource.  The naturally derived ingredients used in their products, such as theWinter Shine & Protect line, are all harvested, sustainably, from the rainforest. Their Shine & Protect glossing mist is fortified with Ojon Oil, Broccoli Seed Oil, Wheat Germ and Sweet Almond Oil. And...it works! Sold exclusively at Sephora. Available in Canada, Australia, U.S., U.K. and Germany.

Four Cow Farm Calendula Remedy
The ONLY Calendula-infused olive oil balm on the market which is made from 80% organic Calendula-infused olive oil. All others are much lighter creams or tinctures (which are steeped in alcohol and can be very drying). It's been formulated to soothe inflamed or irritated skin, or skin prone to dryness or eczema and was our first product, designed for a naughty toddler with eczema. It is the richest, most soothing 100% natural balm currently on the market. It can also soothe baby's dry skin conditions and eczema.
Four Cow Farm  products are made with 100% renewable energy on their green energy farm, and their bottles and jars are made from light, 100% recyclable materials.  Four Cow Farm, Australia
Patyka Huile Absolue
Patyka Huile AbsolueThis face and body serum smells so good you can use it as a perfume; it is so effective that you can use it as a first aid remedy for minor cuts and abrasions. Made from 11 essential oils and plant oils,  it is super anti-oxidizing for the skin. You can use it on the face, on your body and also as a deep-oil conditioning treatment for your hair.
Made in France, Eco Cert and CosmeBio   www.Patyka.com

Ayala Moriel Parfums
Inspired by a poem, Ayala chose to create her Hanami perfume around the themes of subtle and urbane, flowers and dusty dirt. She recreated the dusty, urban landscape of the Metro by using Cabreuva, siamwood and cassie to achieve the metallic scent of wet train tracks.  Vetiver and bakul attar contribute their dusty notes, and then cherry blossoms are represented by an accord of vanilla, tonka bean, pink lotus and magnolia. Perfumes are all natural based and the glass used is French-sourced bottles of recycled and recyclable glass.
Iroisie
Luminosity, Radiance, Instantly Healthy. Iroisie's Instant Beauty Fresh Mask will bestow on your complexion all of these gifts and more. It is formulated with the purest ingredients harvested from the sea and the country in France. A quick Eco Beauty pick-me-up, you will notice your face toned, brightened and glowing with Iroisie products. EcoCert and CosmeBio  www.iroisie.com
For Our Men...

Origins
Express Male by Origins is a nice tidy package of natural and clean personal grooming products that make a chic gift for your metrosexual male.  Skin conditioning Kukui Nut oil and Smoothing Soybean oil will have his razor gliding nearly hands-free across his stubbly square jaw. Fire Fighter® takes the burn out of shaving and is loaded with Chamomile, Cucumber and Winterbloom.  Available at all Origins stores.
VitaZing ™ SPF 15 Energy Boosting Moisturizer

In a recent interview with Live Science®, one of the researchers behind a study noted in theDecember 2009 International Journal of Primatology, Ian Stephen explains, “effectively health1and attractiveness are pretty much the same thing ." In the study, to optimize the healthyappearance of male and female subjects, rosiness, yellowness and brightness were improvedin digital photographs. The study revealed that these changes to the skin “enhance theperceived health of human faces.” In a world where many of us work long days (andsometimes nights), do not get enough water or nutrients, or perhaps, have little ones at home,how is it possible to achieve a rosy, bright, healthy glow, instantly?
Powered by Nature: VitaZing™ SPF 15 Energy-boosting moisturizer with Mangosteen is formulated with aunique skin tone perfecting mineral pigment technology that visibly transforms skin, instantly.VitaZing™ SPF 15 Energy-boosting moisturizer with Mangosteen appears un-tinted whenfirst massaged onto skin, and then it releases a subtle, sheer hint of color to even and enhanceskin tone, providing a flawless, fresh radiance, so skin appears naturally perfected.  www.origins.com
Eco Gift Wrapping

Recycled gift-wrapping tissue from Calligrane at 6, rue du Pont Louis Philippe, Paris. And best to replace those unrecyclable ribbons and bows with...torn strips of old t-shirts strung with cool, found beads and other objets bijoux that you find. Now there's a gift fit for a Queen or a King!

Wishing you Happy Holidays, a Very Merry Christmas and

A Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Greening Beauty, Greening Hollywood and The Whole Green Blog Network!!!

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Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Vote For Buddha Nose!

[Submitted by Amy Galper]

WE MADE THE TOP 10!!! 

BUDDHA NOSE SELECTED AS A TOP 10 FINALIST 
IN THE BRITISH AIRWAYS "FACE OF OPPORTUNITY" CONTEST 

New York based business owner, Amy Galper, is a Top 10 Finalist in the British Airways Face of Opportunity Contest for 2010. Ms. Galper, who is owner of BUDDHA NOSE LTD, created a video pitch highlighting the expanding international distribution of her organic body care brand. 

As one of the Top 10 companies, Amy is eligible to win a travel grant from British Airways, which includes 10 round trip tickets anywhere in the world-- to meet "face to face" with distributors and international customers. 

Please help Buddha Nose make the FINAL 3! 

All you have to do is : 

1. Click here and VOTE! ( watch the video pitch.) 

2. VOTE EVERYDAY! 
3. Tell everyone you know to VOTE EVERYDAY! 

The 3 companies with the most votes by December 17, 2010 will be selected to pitch their business in person to a panel of celebrity entrepreneurs in February 2011. 

If you didn't know already, Buddha Nose has a growing international market...winning this grant could really help the company GO GLOBAL! 

If you have any questions, thoughts, email Amy... 

Many thanks to all! 

BUDDHA NOSE LTD 
WEB:
www.buddhanose.com  

MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE CONTEST: 

As a Top 10 finalist, Amy Galper's video pitch will be part of a final round of voting, which begins on December 10, 2010 and ends December 17, 2010 at midnight to determine the top 3 finalists. Each of the three finalists will have approximately 5 minutes to pitch their global business plan and demonstrate how winning a British Airways Travel Grant will benefit their business and allow them to better meet their business objectives. The panel judges will include: 
- Bill Rancic: entrepreneur, best-selling author and first season winner of The Apprentice 
- Bethenny Frankel: celebrated natural food chef, creator of the Skinnygirl Margarita, and New York Times best-selling author of Naturally Thin and The Skinnygirl Dish 
- Barbara Corcoran: Corcoran group (sold in 2001 for $70M), best-selling author, investor on ABC’s SharkTank and contributor to the Today Show and other media outlets 

Amy Galper was selected in this national competition out of a group of approximately 2400 entries and, as a finalist, has already won an invitation to participate in three days of events in New York and London during February 2, 3, and 4, as well as a round trip ticket to any destination British Airways flies to around the world, to further her business.

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Sunday, December 12, 2010

EMILY DESCHANEL HONORED BY THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES


Emily Deschanel, HSUS Advocate.

(Dec. 8, 2010) – Actress and animal advocate Emily Deschanel, star of the hit Fox TV series Bones, has been honored with The Humane Society of the United States’ Humane Advocate Award. Recognized for her tireless efforts in speaking out on behalf of animal protection issues, Emily was presented with the prestigious award by Beverly Kaskey, senior director of the Hollywood office of The Humane Society of the United States, and Michael Markarian, COO of The HSUS, at a special event recently hosted by the HSUS Hollywood office at Sony Pictures Studios.

A vegan and passionate proponent of cruelty-free living, Emily has lent her name and time to many HSUS campaigns, including those addressing dogfighting and factory farming. She was a vocal advocate for California’s Prop 2, the groundbreaking 2008 measure that will relieve millions of animals raised for food from the worst forms of factory farm confinement, and she serves on the National Council of the Humane Society Legislative Fund, Emily is a frequent presenter at the annual Genesis Awards, The HSUS’ flagship Hollywood event.

Emily Deschanel recognized by the Humane Society for her animal rights activism.
“I’m honored to receive this award, but we can all be effective animal advocates by simply adopting from a shelter or rescue group, refusing to wear fur, or going vegetarian for at least one day week,” says Emily. “When someone tells me they stopped eating chicken because of the Bones factory farming episode we did last year, I consider that a small victory.”
“Emily is a true champion of the animal protection cause, who walks the walk and talks the talk both personally and professionally,” says The HSUS’ Beverly Kaskey. “Not only is she willing to actively speak out about the issues, but she has helped spotlight them in various episodes of Bones, thereby delivering an animal protection message to a huge primetime audience.”

Currently starring alongside David Boreanaz in the sixth season of Bones, Emily Deschanel will soon be seen in the independent dramedy The Perfect Family,opposite Kathleen Turner and Jason Ritter.

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Saturday, December 11, 2010

Environmental Champions Award by EWG

[From Sen.Pavley]

Environmental Champions Award Snowflake
Sen. Pavley’s Chief of Staff, Liz Fenton, with singer/songwriter/activist Bonnie Raitt at EWG awards ceremony. Photo courtesy of Claudine Gossett/Drew Altizer Photography
Sen. Pavley's Chief of Staff, Liz Fenton, with singer/songwriter/activist Bonnie Raitt at EWG awards ceremony. Photo courtesy of Claudine Gossett/Drew Altizer Photography

I was thrilled to be included with a list of dedicated lawmakers and public servants who were honored recently by the nonprofit Environmental Working Group with their 2010 Environmental Champions Award. My Chief of Staff, Liz Fenton, accepted the award for me. Other honorees included Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), Senator Ellen Corbett (D-San Leandro), Assemblywoman Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica), Lt. Governor – elect/outgoing San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Debbie Raphael with the San Francisco Dept. of the Environment.

The following is from EWG:

Senator Fran Pavley While serving in the State Assembly, Pavley authored two landmark laws to combat climate change by limiting greenhouse gas emissions in California. In 2010, Pavley authored legislation that would have banned BPA in baby bottle, sippy cups, and food and formula containers. The bill failed on the Senate Floor in the last hours of the 2-year session after the chemical industry spent nearly $5 million on lobbyists. Also in 2010, Senator Pavley authored a bill which would ban the heavy metal cadmium in children's jewelry. This bill passed both houses and was signed by the Governor.

"While the commitment to public health and the environment may not be on the front burner in Washington these days, tonight's recipients are proof they are in California," said EWG president Ken Cook. "Taking on the chemical companies, bottled water makers and the wireless industry has proven to be a tough fight, but ones these folks aren't afraid to take on in the name of California's families."

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Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Green or Grey Fashion?

Cathy Amouroux is a 22 year old fashion designer and stylist living in Paris. She is a guest blogger for Greening Beauty. More at: at: www.cathyamouroux.fr

[Editor's Note: Use a web-based translator, such as Chrome, to read the article in English]


by: Cathy Amouroux

Mon cœur balance. Il est dur d’assouvir ses envies créatives tout en se demandant en permanence si notre démarche est responsable ou non.

Je me suis déjà intéressée à la mode équitable en travaillant avec Cruselita, jeune marque de bijoux et d’accessoires engagée dans la protection de notre environnement et des conditions de travail de ses fabricants. Cette démarche limite les possibilités créatives à cause du choix plus restreint des matières. Mais la beauté de l’enjeu compense largement cette réduction des moyens: les produits obtenus ont une richesse particulière que les produits classiques n’ont pas.

D’un autre côté je suis, je l’avoue, friande de la « grey fashion ». Lorsque je préparais ma dernière collection, je suis littéralement tombée sous le charme des fournisseurs Schoeller Textiles et American Supply. Loin des classiques sergés de coton, on trouve chez eux des matières exceptionnelles, des tissages et maillages hors du commun, et des couleurs absolument introuvables ailleurs. Je trouve que l’utilisation d’une de ces matières se suffit à elle même pour donner un cachet particulier à toute création.

Malheureusement, il y a de quoi se sentir coupable quand on achète de tels matériaux, car leur mode de fabrication est souvent polluant !

J’ai alors voulu me pencher sur la question suivante : peut-on trouver des textiles funs ET écologiques ?

Récemment encore, pour moi éco textiles évoquaient souvent monotonie et fadeur. Blanc, beige, kaki, marron…à des kilomètres de mon univers.

Je me suis alors dit que non, c’est impossible, les prouesses technologiques ne peuvent pas s’arrêter là. J’ai donc décidé de mener ma propre petite enquête auprès de mes deux favoris cités plus haut.

Après avoir pris rendez-vous avec Schoeller textiles, j’ai été chaleureusement reçue par Mme Emmanuelle Vallée-Beauvais, représentante du fournisseur en France.

Cette dernière m’a fait découvrir la gamme proposée par la société sœur de Schoeller appelée Bluesign, qui garantit le meilleur rapport entre technicité et respect de l’environnement. Et à ma grande surprise, je suis repartie avec une bonne dizaine d’échantillons incroyables sous le bras. En voici un aperçu:

PICTURES

Légende photo 1 : De la couleur et des surfaces surprenantes.

 Quant à mon deuxième favori American Supply, après quelques prises d’informations, j’ai découvert que la marque s’engage de plus en plus dans le respect de notre planète en consignant ses créations dans une charte de responsabilité environnementale.

Le fournisseur utilise en effet des plastiques végétaux recyclés ou recyclables, des colles végétales, ou encore des matériaux composites à base de déchets industriels détournés.

American Supply a également montré récemment son engagement en offrant sa créativité à la dernière campagne de publicité EcoFolio, l’éco-organisme des papiers qui organise, finance et accompagne la collecte, le tri et le recyclage des papiers.

Enquête conclue avec succès: le beau et l’extraordinaire peuvent aller dans le sens du respect et d’un engagement responsable.

Cathy Amouroux is a 22 year old fashion designer and stylist living in Paris. She has already worked alongside such fashion greats as: Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, Maxime Simoens and also Ostwald Helgason in London. At the same time, she has been working on creating her own designs and imprinting her own aesthetics on her fashion collections. You can see more from Cathy at: www.cathyamouroux.fr

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Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Interview With Honoré des Prés Founder Christian David

By Paige Donner


Interview with Christian David, founder of Honoré des Prés natural perfumes from France and Greening Beauty Editor, Paige Donner.
GB: 1. What was your background before launching your natural perfume line?
I worked 9 years ago for DIOR in the cosmetics creation department.  At that time I worked with Hedi Slimane to launch Dior Homme Dermo System. Just before launching Honoré des Prés, I worked with Mr. and Mme. d' Ornano for Sisley and while there discovered their natural and luxury beauty.
GB: 2. Please describe the tradition - metier - of perfume making in France. Is it something you are born into?
Yes, I remember all the launches 25 years ago ... like Angel,  J'adore Dior ... at this time we had to wait many years for a real novelty from the most beautiful houses of perfumes and it was always an event ... We have had a lot of opportunity to preserve all the tradition and the metier of Perfume in France especially in Grasse. I work with Robertet , one of the most beautiful Perfume House in Grasse with such exceptional and natural ingredients ... the transformation of all these beautiful and exquisite flowers is a real dream and secret ..
GB: 3. What inspired you to launch a natural perfume line?
To put this secret in the bottle, to explain to the whole world that it's at this time possible to smell a real flower in your perfume and not just a compilation of chemicals ....
And of course, more than an inspiration but the unique possibility to launch such a special line of perfumes was the day when I met Olivia Giacobetti ... one of the world's top Noses.  For me definitely the best and the first, ... without her, this magical story would never begin...
GB: 4. Describe the moment when you conceived of packaging your perfumes in a coffee cup?
You know, sometimes the story is written ... this day, in New York after a Coffee  & Cupcake at Magnolia bakery in the West Village, the artistic Director of Honoré des Prés, Ms. Dominique,  looked over at me .... and showed me my Coffee Cup in my hand and, like a song in the street, smiled and said, "It will be the packaging for the NY Collection."
I promise you that this night, when I took my flight from JFK to paris with this Paper Cup in my hand, I was so happy and excited because I knew now that this paper cup would be a part of the future. Six months later, we launched the collection at colette paris with a big Carrots Party !!!!
GB: 5. how do you see the state of the natural beauty market in France? the U.S.?
Definitely the Future, the Trend .... and the only solution to have new perfumes that don't look to the others .... We know that so many houses are working on it ....
GB: 6. What does perfume represent to a woman, in your view?
For me , there are two possibilities .... the sensuality  or the intimacy ....the perfume has to be very feminine and sensual to increase the personality of women but it can be very light and intimate to propose a new way of pureness and philosophy .... these 2 opposites are for Honoré des Prés House the sensual Vamp à NY and the purity of Nu Green from the first collection. That is one of my favorites!
GB: 7. It's courageous to launch a company - of any kind - in this economy. What gave you the motivation?
It's like a dream. I absolutely don't have the feeling  like I launched a company. I just know that we write the story of Honoré des Prés and everything that happens is like a new page of the book.  The perfume world is so magical !!! and the natural one will be emotional !
For more INFO or to purchase these natural perfumes, please click HERE.

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Monday, November 29, 2010

Green Card

Post Submitted by How Big Is Your Eco

Christmas is many things, but ecologically sound it most certainly is not. In recent weeks, at least two discount warehouses have appeared in nearby suburbs, essentially giant pop-up shops devoted to every variety of cheap, flashing, disposable plastic crap known to mankind, and then some.

The next few weeks are a retailer’s dream and a planet’s nightmare, so it’s rather nice to see Colonial First State Shopping Centres making a small, but interesting, concession to the environment.

Their national network of 29 shopping centres, including Chatswood Chase (NSW), Chadstone (VIC) and the Myer Centres (QLD, SA), have introduced biodegradable gift cards (below)—they look and feel like any of the other 10 billion plastic cards in the world (34 million kilos worth), but is made of wheat, beetroot and potato… designed to break down in 180 days in industrial compost.

To boot, the company is sending a Christmas gift to the Australian Conservation Foundation in the form of an undisclosed donation. Click hereto find a centre or buy a gift card online. You’ll go in the draw to win a $3,000 voucher for your troubles—we’d recommend spending it atFleur Wood or gorman (both at Chadstone and Chatswood Chase) or even Cue (multiple centres) which is accredited with Ethical Clothing Australia… look for the ECA tag on their Australian made pieces.

Meanwhile, Colonial’s Christmas ambassador, MTV VJ Erin McNaught (above), a keen environmentalist, is teaming with the theme, dishing tips for a green Christmas:

1. GIVE A PLANET- FRIENDLY GIFT For a quick and easy gift idea, choose a gift that loves the planet with a biodegradable gift card.
2. LOW ENERGY CHRISTMAS LIGHTS 
Replace your existing lights with LEDs. They use up to 90% less energy than traditional incandescent Christmas lights.
3. MAKE YOUR OWN CHRISTMAS CARDS
 Get creative and make personalised Christmas gift cards using recycled paper and materials [0r] purchase Christmas cards from organisations that raise funds for charity or a special cause. (ED’S NOTE: Try also eco options at Neo Tokyo and Raven & Lamb)
4. FESTIVE SEASON FROCK Make your selection from Australian retailers who use organic fabric to make beautiful garments. (ED’S NOTE: visit the fashion directory) Over 80,000 tonnes of old clothes will be thrown away this Christmas, so donate your old clothes to a local charity.
5. ECO GIFT WRAPPING
 Use gift bags, boxes or recycled wrapping paper. Bags and boxes last longer and can be reused. Australians waste approx. 4,000 tonnes of paper each year—the equivalent of 25,000 trees.

READ ENTIRE ARTICLE on How Big Is Your Eco...

 

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Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving from Global Green USA & Chance to Win Trip to San Francisco

[Message from Global Green USA]
Dear Friend,


On behalf of everyone at Global Green USA, we'd like to wish you and your families a very Happy Thanksgiving.  We'd also like to take a moment to thank you for your ongoing support to help ensure that we can continue to create green schools, affordable housing and climate friendly cities that are benefitting tens of thousands of families and children in Los Angeles, New Orleans, San Francisco, New York, Youngstown, Ohio and cities throughout the country.  In the coming weeks, we'll be sharing more about some of our 2010 successes and 2011 plans and inviting you to continue to be part of the Global Green extended family.
Right now, we also wanted to say thanks by sharing an exciting opportunity made possible by our board member Zem Joaquin.  Click here and enter for a chance to win an all expense paid VIP trip for two to GGUSA's December 13th Gorgeous and Green Ecofashion Show.


If you are interested in more information or purchasing tickets to our Gorgeous & Green Event, please click HERE.


And there's also still time to get tickets to our December 6th New York 11th Annual Sustainable Design Awards featuring Arianna Huffington, Adrian Grenier, One Tree Hill's Sophia Bush and Good Morning America's Sam Champion. Click HERE for more information.


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Sunday, November 21, 2010

Max Havealaar France and Gossypium U.K. Rockin' The Fair Trade World

By Paige Donner


Gossypium is an example of a company that put the horse before the cart.  Founded by Abigail and Thomas Petit in 2000, Gossypium is a clothing and textile manufacturer based out of the U.K. that is specialized in organic and Fair Trade cotton.
Often, you will find that companies focus on either Fair Trade or Organic when it comes to ethical practices. When the focus is on Fair Trade cotton, the primary concern is for the farmer and that they, and their families, are able to earn a living wage from their daily endeavors. Oftentimes, in these instances, emphasizing that the cotton farmed and sold to industrial manufacturers be organic can actually work against the Fair Trade farmers because they are then priced out of the market.

Gossypium from the U.K. and Max Havelaar France are both Fair Trade cotton Heros.
Abigail and Thomas Petit decided to do it all. They began by spending two years in India back in 1998 where they set up a partnership with Agrocel, an organization that has defined and branded a cotton fiber that is distinctive for its high quality.
Agrocel® Pure & Fair Indian Organic Cotton is cultivated from 12 rural service centers across India and works with a selected group of local farmers.  At each center, there is a team of agronomists who monitors growing to International Organic Standards.
It was only after the Petits set up this chain of Fair Trade supply that they returned to the U.K. where they began their clothing and textile brand, Gossypium, using this high quality, organic and Fair Trade sourced cotton. It has since established itself as one of the U.K.'s leading ethical brands.

Fair Trade cotton pyjamas by Gossypium. High quality textiles, aloe vera finish. Fair Trade ethics.
Abigail Petit attended a Fair Trade cotton conference in November hosted by Max Havelaar in Paris and held at the Mairie de Paris (city hall) which sits just across from Notre Dame.  Max Havelaar is the Fair Trade organization in France, and though it sounds like the name of a Rock Star, in fact it is a non-profit organization that is rockin' the world of ethical and fair trade markets.
Max Havelaar organizers of the event invited key industry attendees to a dinner the evening before the conference so they could hear firsthand what some of the concerns and questions are as the Fair Trade market develops further and enters more widely into mainstream textile markets.
France has quietly but powerfully been moving forward on these fronts: The entire French Post Office Corps., "La Poste," is clothed in uniforms that are manufactured from Fair Trade cotton sourced textiles. The manufacturing company is Amor Lux. Max Havelaar has been a key organization in getting these sorts of strategic partnerships flowing.
From Abigail Petit concerning the Conference at the Mairie de Paris held early in November 2010:
“The secret is out! The cotton farmers are not happy! We are not paying them enough for their cotton. It was great to have the farmers represented at the recent Max Havelaar Conference in Paris, but there is only one solution- LOVE Your COTTON! We do at Gossypium, we respect the amazing fabric that our Indian farmers provide for us and lovingly use it to make our cosy pyjamas here in Lewes, U.K. We are so proud to say that they are Fairtrade, organic, Aloe Vera Finished cotton. Get them on!”
And from their website:
Our vision is that the making and wearing of textiles is indeed a pleasant and beautiful global occupation, not at all at odds with a socially fair or environmentally sustainable world, and we set out to create trade in textiles according to these principles. - Gossypium Founders
Abigail Petit is well-known internationally as a leader in ethical and Fair Trade sourced textiles. Thomas Petit's family has been in textiles in Paris since the French revolution and he brings to Vericott Ltd., the parent company of Gossypium, knowledge of design and branding.

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Sunday, November 14, 2010

Leonor Greyl Salon and Produits Naturelle

By Paige Donner


Leonor Greyl has used natural ingredients to formulate her hair products for more than 40 years.  It's the type of natural beauty salon and hair care product company that is so native to a Parisienne's beauty regime, that it's become cultural.  In that sense, as a visitor or tourist, you wouldn't necessarily know it was there or that it was "naturelle"  until someone deemed you worthy enough to tell you.

Leonor Greyl Centre de Soins, Paris 75008
It's not that the Leonor Greyl salon is hidden.  Not at all! Its location just behind Madeleine in Paris's 8th arrondissement makes it a perfect appointment stop just before partaking of the Crillon High Tea, stopping in at Hédiard for a gift box of "fruit jellies" or finding that perfect silk scarf at Hermès.

Leonor Greyl offers deep penetrating, hydrating treatments for hair, Paris
Its second-floor (first floor, French) locale gives the Leonor Greyl salon that intimate feeling of a ritual to be indulged in, a ritual to be shared only with your inner circle, and a ritual that is all about taking time just for yourself.
It's worth reserving in advance for the Salon Privée or the private treatment room. It's just a small room off the main salon floor but the experience cordons you off from the salon chatter and symphony of hair dryers. It is also here where Leonor Greyl's signature treatments are given.
One of these signature treatments is designed for deep hydration of not just your hair follicles but all the way down to your scalp. This ritual is called "ventouse therapy" and it begins with your hair esthetician, in this case, Nina, a delightful Parisian sporting a gold Bindi, who will apply a honey thick dose of "huile de germe de ble" or wheat germ oil to your whole head of hair.
The wheat germ oil is used as a treatment for hair that tends toward oily. The vegetable oils and vitamins of the wheat germ facilitates the elimination of excess sebum at the roots of your hair.  The result is shinier, more voluminous hair where "health and vitality" glows through from the roots to the tips.

Leonor Greyl, located just behind Madeleine, in Paris 8th arr.
The Ventouse Therapy is what you can request while the wheat germ oil is left on your hair for more thorough penetration. It is a small suction cup that your hair esthetician will place on small sections of your scalp. You will feel a slight vacuum sensation as the oil and the delicate skin of your scalp mingle to achieve a deep hydration and revitilization of hair and skin follicles. This therapy stimulates healthy hair growth, or so swear generations of satisfied Leonor Greyl clients.
After the Ventouse Therapy your hair is wrapped in a warm towel, your esthetician gives you a neck, shoulder and arm massage and then you are left to enjoy your warm herbal tea while you relax in the reclining chair with your head under a cocooning hair dryer for 10-15 minutes. This is where the privacy and quietude of the Salon Privée is most appreciated.
You can be assured that all products used at the Leonor Greyl salon are Paraben and alcohol free, all are "naturelle," though they don't make the claim that the products are "bio," meaning organic.

Ask for the Salon Privee' when you make your Leonor Greyl reservation. It's sooo worth it!
Many French beauty traditions are rooted in natural processes. The more established ones do not trumpet this fact because, well, it's simply what they've always done. For them it would be akin to announcing the sky is blue. Leonor Greyl is one of these ever so Parisienne, ever so French and predominantly naturelle salons.
If you are lucky enough to get Stephan, a sort of charming French hairstylist version of a George Clooney, to give you a blowout, you will walk out of the salon and to your Crillon High Tea feeling - and looking - like a princess.
Leonor Greyl   15, rue Tronchet, 75008  Paris   www.leonorgreyl.com

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Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Cocobohème = craftiness, whim, aesthetics

By Paige Donner





Many proponents of green design put the emphasis on the "design" side of the equation. The thinking goes that IF green is going to be a revolution, it must first seduce the consumer by its design. We will buy something not just because it's good for us, but because we would choose it over another model whether the product were eco or not.

Partners, Catherine Fouchard, art director, and Christian Mégevand, scenographer began their company in 2003. They like to describe their designs as "poetry with a practical side," and they've dosed up on ethics and making a signature out of using sustainable materials.


Their original creations of potato-starch based biopolymer chalkboard stickers and baby bibs were the first of their kind when they brought them onto the market.   They've since launched with brown cardboard constructed stools shaped as pods, light-reflecting stickers that afix to clothing and bicycle helmets...and glow in the dark. They also offer a line of no glue, self-adhesive window stickers that allow in light while providing decorative themes on the windowpanes. 


Cocobohème embodies this philosophy.  It is a "soft mixture of craftiness, whim, aesthetics," and it is 100% French.  Granted there has been an explosion of eco-friendly consumer products in recent years on the market, but it is nonetheless a challenge to find design concepts that are fresh and purely original.







Their dining table ware is equal whimsy with birch-based wooden platters embossed with a white-lace doily and an egg cup that neatly cradles a perfectly hardboiled egg. And their light-weight birch salad bowl with matching salad tossers embossed with a black stencil design is chic, light, and comes with some assembly required!


Unique, chic holiday gifts...Cocobohème. [They make Wonderful Eco Friendly Soaps Too!]

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