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...

Follow Us On Twitter@GreeningHollywd

The Green Blog Network

Green Blog Network * Greening Hollywood

Greening Vancouver

 

Greening Beauty

 

Facebook/GreenBlogNetwork

Posted via email from Greening Beauty

Green Card

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. Follow Us On Twitter@GreeningHollywd The Green Blog Network Green Blog Network * Greening Hollywood Greening Vancouver Greening Beauty Facebook/GreenBlogNetwork

Recycle, Reuse, Rejoice!

Posted via email from The Green Blog Network

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

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.

Follow Us On Twitter@GreeningHollywd

The Green Blog Network

Green Blog Network * Greening Hollywood

Greening Vancouver

Greening Beauty * Greening Paris

Facebook/GreenBlogNetwork

Posted via email from Greening Beauty

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

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

Follow Us On Twitter@GreeningHollywd

The Green Blog Network

Green Blog Network * Greening Hollywood

Greening Vancouver

Greening Beauty

Facebook/GreenBlogNetwork

Posted via email from Greening Beauty

Leonor Greyl Salon and Produits Naturelle

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!]

Follow Us On Twitter@GreeningHollywd

The Green Blog Network

Green Blog Network * Greening Hollywood

Greening Vancouver

Greening Beauty

Facebook/GreenBlogNetwork

Posted via email from Greening Beauty

Cocobohème = craftiness, whim, aesthetics

The Detox Market pops up in Abbot Kinney, Venice, CA

The Detox Market is a collaborative pop-up store of hard-to-find, best-in-breed eco-friendly brands. Traveling from city to city the Detox Market introduces carefully screened green brands in Beauty, Fashion and Food to the consumer who wants to detoxify their body and living environment. Some of these brands are available for the first time in the US.

Did you know that state laws recommend that you dispose of nail polish in your city's hazardous-waste collection department? You will find patented, water-based, truly safe, nontoxic nail polish at the Detox Market.

After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004, Valérie Grandury realized it was time to completely detoxify her environment. This journey led her to becoming a health and wellness coach and creating Odacité, a skin care line offering freshly made organic formulations. “In my years of coaching clients through detox, I tested and searched for the best non-toxic products.

The choices were overwhelming, sometimes deceptive... I searched all over the world and in the end, I found only a handful of products that I felt confident using and recommending. I selected the best of their kind and I’m proud to showcase them at the Detox Market,” states Grandury.

Behind each brand stands a passionate green entrepreneur, whose life has been touched by personal challenges, creating a desire to craft products that promote health and wellness. Real people moving in a new direction based on zero toxins and minimal impact on our environment.

Acquarella A refreshing toxin-free evolution of nail polish has arrived.

Honoré des Prés, organic French perfumes, for the first time on the west coast, a real “coup de Coeur.”

Kide, Eco-luxury cosmetics from Finland. Available for the first time in the US. Pure natural based mineral foundations containing vitamins and antioxidants including green and white tea and diamonds for reflectivity and light. Packed in birch-wood boxes and wrapped in parchment.

Kusmi Detox tea, born in Russia, raised in Paris, the perfect blend of tea and herbs for slimming and detoxifying diets.

MatchaSource ancient Japanese premium matcha tea delivering a mega-dose of cancer-fighting EGCg in every serving.

Pure Provence, long-lasting, triple-milled, pure vegetable organic soaps crafted in the South of France using only the purest ingredients.

Rahua transformative hair care collection that marries an exclusive beauty extract found in the Amazon with luxurious organic ingredients. The collection is paraben, silicone and sulfate free and is 100% vegan.

Taza Chocolate the only producer of 100% stone ground, artisan organic chocolate in the US and seriously delicious. Minimal processing using only the best ingredients while compensating growers fairly for their work.

Odacité innovative organic skin care line, introducing the undeniable necessity of freshness to create effective products without the need of preservative or synthetic chemicals. Did you know that with time natural ingredients lose their antioxidants and vitamins, and thus their effectiveness?

“For small start-up brands like mine,” says Alissa White, Owner of Matcha Source a Detox Market participant, “This is an incredible opportunity to showcase my product in an affordable and urban setting alongside other likeminded companies. Being part of this group of distinguished brands brought together by Valerie is a rave endorsement.”

The first edition of the Detox Market opens November 1st through December 31st, on 1524 Abbot Kinney Blvd Venice, CA, 90291. “We want to welcome you and your families to a unique space and experience. Just come curious to discover our products and I am confident you will leave convinced,” says Grandury.

Follow Us On Twitter@GreeningHollywd

The Green Blog Network

Green Blog Network * Greening Hollywood

Greening Vancouver

Greening Beauty

Facebook/GreenBlogNetwork

 

 

 

Posted via email from Greening Beauty

The Detox Market pops up in Abbot Kinney, Venice, CA