Eco-Chick · Fabulously green

Aquaknots! Feral Childe’s Spring/Summer 2012 Collection is Aswim with Exotic Coral and Aquatic Horses

On Trend for Spring: Five Vintage Graphic Looks with Indy Flair

Heroines for the Planet: Livia Firth Fresh From the Oscars

Spring’s Strong Brow, Naturally

Heroines for the Planet: Model and Skincare Chef May Lindstrom

I (Heart) Tom's

2 Comments

by Starre Vartan · 02/15/06

I’ve been a fan of Tom’s of Maine since I was a whippersnapping treehugger in tie-dye with a flower in my hair. They make the best natural toothpastes (who else would have thought of gingermint?), and some damn good deoderants and other personal care stuff. They’ve been doing it for years, too- they’re not just another LOHAS-loving capitalist company.

Now, Tom’s is going 100% wind-power. That means that their 100,000 square foot manufacturing plant will be run with energy from wind turbines in Nebraska. Their press release elucidates:

The change will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1.5 million pounds per year, the equivalent of planting 214 acres of trees or removing 138 cars from the road.

Mmmmm……Tom’s gingermint.

car, carbon, cars, Eco-Chick, emissions, Energy, Hair, reduce, treehugger, trees

EU Eco-Label

1 Comment

by Jennifer Cross · 02/14/06

During my investigations into the greener side of Europe, I have come across an interesting logo. Part flower, part euro and part flag, it symbolizes the EU Eco-label.

It is called the “flower logo,” and it was established in 1992. The Web site Eco-label.com describes the eco-label as a unique certification scheme aimed to help European consumers distinguish greener, more environmentally friendly, products and services (not including food and medicine).

There are 23 product categories, ranging from Textiles to Do-it-Yourself. Within these categories, products range from light bulbs to lubricants.

The good thing about this label is that it is easy to identify and is present throughout the EU. That means environmentally friendly products can easily be identified regardless of what country you find yourself in.

Eco-Chick, Europe, Food

Interactivist Love

1 Comment

by Starre Vartan · 02/07/06

My favorite feature on Grist is their interviews with up-and-coming, intelligent ecopreneurs, community leaders, and activists. Dubbed Interactivist, the latest column features the comely Native American Evan Peters, who knows that ANWR isn’t just an acronym, it’s a huge, gorgeous ecosystem. He knows because the lands in the refuge are the homelands of his people, who have lived there for generations. (So much for the idea that the area is a ‘barren wasteland’ as Senator Ted Stevens (R-Ak) once said.)

After dropping out of school, talking his way into college, graduating, and becoming a chief in his 20′s, Evan went on to found Native Movement. When asked why he became an environmental activist, Evan says, “There was something inside of me that just couldn’t accept the situation I found my people, the earth, and myself facing.”

Evan describes his organization:

Native Movement is a collective of around 15 organizers who work on a myriad of projects focusing on youth leadership development, sustainability, protection of sacred sites, and social, political, economic, and environmental justice. We work mostly with Indigenous peoples in the Southwest and Alaska, although we consciously outreach to the non-Indigenous community as well.

Photo and Quote Credit: Grist

community, Eco-Chick, Home, interview, News, sustainability, waste

OBEN is OPEN (in Barcelona)

2 Comments

by Jennifer Cross · 02/07/06

The 100% recyclable placemat at my table read: “El primer restaurant amb tots els plats 100% ecologics de Barcelona.” For those that don’t speak Catalan, that means: “First 100% organic restaurant in town”

Continuing with my series exposing every organic resource available to eco-chicks passing through Barcelona, today I lunched at OBEN (Organic, Biologic, Environmental, Natural). Based on my placemat, I was expecting an organic meal, though I wasn’t expecting the meal to be in the sleek, modern restaurant that it was. Further – and also surprisingly — the ambiance lacked toes peeking out from Birkenstocks, and instead featured ties peeking out from suits.

During lunch time in Spain, the menú reigns. Lunch is typically a meal consisting of a first and second dish, dessert, a bottle of wine and bread. An average menú in Barcelona is 8EUR. OBEN’s happened to be 9.95EUR — not exactly a price for those traveling on a shoestring.

El menú, however, was extensive, offering five choices for each dish (not all are vegetarian). I opted for the amanida d’ esparrecs (asparagus salad) to start, the spaguettis amb bolets (spaghetti and mushrooms) as my main dish and a very unimpressive crep d’ albercoc (crepe with jellied fruits). The portion sizes were small (to be expected in Spain), but the service was quick and attentive (not to be expected in Spain). The food was tasty and not too filling, making it a menú worth the extra few euros. (There are two locations for OBEN)

Go There: Restaurant OBEN ; Via Laietana, 28 08003 Barcelona
Call: +34 93 295 50 69

Go There: Restaurant OBEN Torrijos, 53 08012 Barcelona
Call: +34 93 237 37 13

Eco-Chick, Food, fruit, fur, lunch, Organic, restaurant, shoes, spa, style, Tea, travel, vegetarian, Wine

The UK: Shedding Light on the Destruction of the Earth

3 Comments

by Jennifer Cross · 02/01/06

Britain’s Prime Minister Tony Blair is on the ball. He is a man with his finger on the pulse. In a forward-for–the-U.K., government-commissioned report released Monday, he made the following statement:

“It is now plain that the emission of greenhouse gases, associated with industrialization and economic growth from a world population that has increased six-fold in 200 years, is causing global warming at a rate that is unsustainable.”

Really? You don’t say!

The report outlined several “day after tomorrow” doomsday predictions that would make any woman reconsider subjecting her unborn offspring to what is projected to come in the next several years as a result of industrialization and modern-day living.

According to an article published on cnn.com today, “in the British report, the head of the British Antarctic Survey, Chris Rapley, warned that the huge west Antarctic ice sheet may be starting to disintegrate, an event that could raise sea levels by 16 feet (five meters).”

Not to mention other things highlighted in the report that one could conceivably look forward to, such as intensified weather patterns, a shift in climate zones and the spread of disease.

At least he’s been somewhat consistent. Blair could be found last year at the G8 summit hugging trees while suggesting to the other seven developed nations that they all step up to the plate and get this whole climate thing under control.

Nevertheless, his efforts were met with a lukewarm response, particularly by (you’ll never guess who) the U.S., who said “nay” to Kyoto, as saving the Earth could effect the U.S. economy.

arctic, Eco-Chick, Europe, gas, Global Warming, spring, style, sustainable, trees, weather