Eco-Chick · The modern girl's guide to living green & fabulous.

Stephanie Rogers is a freelance writer and graphic designer living in the eco-mecca of the South, Asheville, North Carolina.

http://stephanie-rogers.com

This author has contributed 97 posts.

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Food Tastes Better When It’s Fair Trade Certified

4 Comments

10/26/10

You know how every now and then, you take a bite of something and it’s so insanely good, your eyes involuntarily roll back into your head? Moments like those are few and far between for most of us, especially because food that divine is often outrageously decadent or made with rare, expensive ingredients. But sometimes what makes that food so delicious – even beyond brilliant flavor combinations and expert preparation – is the knowledge that every single aspect of its production was handled with the utmost care and responsibility.

Call me crazy, but for me, that’s why Fair Trade Certified foods taste even better than food made with the same exact ingredients but produced in a way that screws over the environment, workers and community that created it. Would you treat a bar of Hershey’s chocolate the same way that you’d treat a bar that is not only organic, but sourced directly from well-paid Mayan farmers? Nope. While you might scarf down a cheap candy bar without a thought, this chocolate is special.

For Fair Trade Month, I got to try a few certified food products including a bar of Green & Black’s dark chocolate, some La Yapa quinoa and a tin of Rishi Wild Berry loose tea. All of these products are certified by Fair Trade USA, an organization that ensures that products labeled ‘Fair Trade Certified’ meet strict criteria including fair price, fair labor conditions, direct trade without unnecessary middlemen, democratic dealings between the producers, community development and environmental sustainability.
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Fair Trade, Fair-Trade Chocolate, Food & Drink, Product Reviews

3 Amazing Fall Vegetarian Soups That Will Rock Your World

2 Comments

10/21/10

That’s right, I said these three soup recipes are amazing. And they’re vegetarian, no less. Maybe it’s not often that such a strong adjective is used in connection with light brothy concoctions that generally serve as an unremarkable precursor to a more satisfying meal. But have you ever had butternut squash soup with ravioli, quinoa soup with red chili pepper, or cream of roasted red pepper soup with basil-spinach puree? Okay then.

And while you’re at it, check out last year’s 3 super-satisfying soup recipes, which include garlic, chickpea and spinach soup, fat-free vegan red lentil curry soup and ginger gold apple and squash soup.

Butternut Squash Soup with Ravioli
(image above and recipe via: foodie bride)

Foodie Bride calls this recipe, adapted from Better Homes and Gardens, an “impulse soup”. I call it the most delicious squash-related meal I’ve ever had. Roasted butternut squash is surprisingly rich and creamy, and when paired with cheese ravioli, it’s filling as well. Not a fan of butternut squash? Try making some classic carrot soup with ginger and orange and adding some ravioli for a spicy variation.

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fall, recipes, vegetarian

Breast Cancer Awareness: Go Green to Really Go Pink

3 Comments

10/19/10

We’re surrounded by endocrine-disrupting compounds at every turn, not to mention countless pesticides and other environmental toxins. Could all this chemical crap have ties to rising rates of breast cancer in women around the world? In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Breast Cancer Fund is highlighting its 2010 State of the Evidence report on how the disease is linked to all kinds of toxic substances, and you can’t afford not to read it.

A long string of recent studies cited in the report have linked breast cancer to everything from seemingly omnipresent BPA to air pollution. “Recent data demonstrate that early exposure to BPA leads to abnormalities in mammary tissue development that are observable even during gestation and are maintained into adulthood,” reads one sobering paragraph.

It’s easy to get lost in doom and gloom when the evidence is so overwhelming. For me, as someone who has struggled with hormone-related health problems associated with higher risk of cancer, the data can be downright frightening: who knew that sunscreen is often estrogenic?

Read the report. Get angry. Pass this information on to every woman you know. Then, take action. Don’t just go pink for a single month – go green for life. Your life. Ditch products packed with unpronounceable ingredients and go for natural alternatives. Stop consuming hormonally modified foods.

If you’re a regular Eco Chick reader, chances are you’re already doing a lot of positive things – in particular, reducing your exposure to toxic substances in personal care products and household products from cosmetics to cleaners. It can seem like an insurmountable challenge when you’re first starting out, but it gets easier – stick with it.

And there are plenty of other things you can do to lower your risk of developing breast cancer, even if you have a family history of the disease. The American Cancer Society recommends regular exercise, a healthy body weight and low consumption of alcoholic beverages as important ways to be proactive.

Want more tips? Check out the Breast Cancer Fund’s Twitter feed, which offers up simple ways to beat breast cancer in 140 characters or less.

Photo by Anthony Cain
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BPA, breast cancer, Cancer, Pollution, Toxins

Eco Chick Giveaway: Win an Everyday Minerals Smokey Eye Set!

40 Comments

06/02/10

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Everyday Minerals. What’s not to love? A dazzling array of colors to complement all skin tones, impressively natural organic & vegan ingredients, no animal testing and great prices make Everyday Minerals the kind of brand you’ll blab on to other women about whenever you get a chance. And that I do – so I’m really excited to give you all a chance to try some of this stuff for free!

Learn more and enter the giveaway More »

Eco Beauty, giveaway, makeup, Natural Beauty

Pine & Calendula: Two Magical Herbal Oils for Beauty & Health

3 Comments

05/19/10

I’m no Drew Barrymore – I don’t use the word ‘magical’ very often. But sometimes it applies, and I’m not talking about supernatural phenomena here. I mean magic of an earthly sort, those moments of amazing interaction between us and the natural world where everything seems to fit together – well – magically.

To me, a prime example is the way certain plants can ease our ills and make us feel beautiful without any kind of laboratory manipulation. Two of my absolute favorites – pine and calendula – might be growing in your area right now, just waiting to be plucked and infused and allowed to work their particular magic on your body. Making infused herbal oils is so easy, they smell fantastic and it’s comforting to know that what you’re putting on your skin is as pure as can be.
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Beauty, Herbal Remedies, herbs/homeopathics, Homemade Beauty, Plants