Giving · Eco-Chick

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If You Don't Associate Your Poppy Seed Bagel with Opium, then why….

…..is it still against the law to grow industrial hemp in the United States? According the the NYTimes, a bipartisan team in California is working to change that. Liberal Democrat Mark Leno and Republican Charles DeVore are working together to fight the DEA’s ban on industrial hemp.

Hemp grows easily in a variety of conditions, and requires little to no pesticides, making it a much more environmentally-friendly crop than, say, cotton. But now there are so many products made with hemp, that American farmers are missing out on a moneymaker.

Their bipartisan communion underscores a deeper shift in hemp culture that has evolved in recent years, from ragtag hempsters whose love of plants with seven leaves ran mostly to marijuana, to today’s savvy coalition of organic farmers and health-food entrepreneurs working to distance themselves from the drug.
Hundreds of hemp products, including energy bars and cold-pressed hemp oil, are made in California, giving the banned plant a capitalist aura. But manufacturers must import the raw material, mostly from Canada, where hemp cultivation was legalized in 1998.
The new hemp entrepreneurs regard it as a sustainable crop, said John Roulac, 47, a former campaigner against clear-cutting and a backyard composter before founding Nutiva, a growing California hemp-foods company. “They want to lump together all things cannabis,” said David Bronner, 33, whose family’s squeeze-bottle Dr. Bronners Magic Soaps, based in Escondido, Calif., are made with hemp oil. “You don’t associate a poppy seed bagel with opium.”

I love my hemp seed oil and hemp granola, as well as my hemp conditioner. It would be great if the ingredients for some of my favorite products could actually be grown in my own country. For more on hemp’s health benefits, read this transcript from the Organic Consumer’s Association.

coal, cotton, Energy, farm, Food, giving, health, hemp, NYTimes, oil, Organic, Plants, soap, sustainable, Tea

The Good Life, Greenified

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by Starre Vartan · 08/09/06

Danny Seo is usually referred to as the ‘green’ Martha Stewart, but that’s not really true. For one thing, Ms. Stewart is no slouch in the ecologically-conscious department. She always promotes farmer’s markets on her shows and in her magazines, she frequently advocated for organics, is pro-open space, and uses mostly non-toxic cleansers. I’ve watched her show more than once when she’s mentioned an environmentally sensitive garden fertilizer, or she has covered the plight of an endangered animal. But I digress; she’s no Danny Seo, who is 100% about making home and garden, entertaining and dinners ecologically sound and attractive from start to finish. Seo also makes most of his projects pretty easy and accessible, unlike Stewart’s zilllion-step cakes and eleaborate brunches.

You can check them out in his new books: Simply Green Parties and Simply Green Giving. The parties book has been out for a few months now, and it is filled with really fun ideas if you’re into throwing fiestas (I am!) It’s divided up into chapters that focus on various types of parties, like a baby shower, a houswarming, a birthday, and summer and winter dinners. There are so many good ideas here! Bring a stylish but unwanted vase or bowl to a housewarming and swap, make candles out of soy wax and old jewelry, make an eco-pinata, make a quilt out of old scarves, make a basket out of an old shopping bag. Love it!

The Giving book will be out in September and it is broken into 4 sections: cards and tags, boxes and bows, gift wrap, and handmade gifts. The latter features really gorgeous ideas like filling a used chocolates box with vintage jewelry, putting together edible gifts like a cookies and milk crate or a mimosa set, and making a mini-spa kit for people on the go. The ideas are inexpensive and utilize recycled or reused items. The giftwrap chapter is equally amazing and filled with ‘why didn’t I think of that!’ ideas. My favorite is giving a bottle of wine wrapped up in an old scarf as wrapping, or making ribbon out of old vhs tapes. There’s also a section on ‘giving back’, and a portion of the books profits go to the Humane Society.

I’ve already given the parties book as a gift, and the giving one would make a great one too. Seo’s books make me realize how little creativity there is in modern life when everything is made for you. After leafing through these books I’m inspired to create something gorgeous. And it’ll be better for Mother Earth too.

Note: The books are printed on recycled paper and made without dust jackets.

Baby, book, books, candles, car, epa, farm, farmer's market, garden, giving, Handmade, Home, Jewelry, magazine, magazines, Milk, Organic, paper, parties, recycle, recycled, reuse, scarves, Shopping, soy, spa, summer, vintage, Wine

From the Left and the Right: Meeting in the Green

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by Starre Vartan · 05/23/06

I may not agree with Greg on every issue, but I love the fact that his explanation for “Why I’m Green” is just a photo essay of him in beautiful surroundings like the above shot.

The Republican party was not always the go-to group when it came to environmental armageddon (not that the Democrats have given any great show on the issue either). Every day I hear of more and more Republicans and Conservatives decrying our current policies, from the Crunchy Con book to the Green GOP site (their tagline is: “Republicans Love the Environment Too: Reconciling Republican Policies with Environmental Conservation), which is run by Greg (above), a New York City-based Repub.

Greg put the GreenGOP blog together to bring us news and information that proves there’s still a green side to the Right, and I’ve gotta show some love to my fellow Earth Lovers, no matter which side of the aisle they find themselves on. After all, it was Republican President Teddy Roosevelt , who once said:

“A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.”

Roosevelt backed up these words by protecting 150 national forests. In all, Roosevelt protected some 230 million acres of national land. (From Environmental Defense’s site.)

On the other side of the fence is the Truth and Progress blog, which is put together by Lori Ehrlich and her team of bloggers. They cover topics from why liberals shouldn’t patronize Starbucks to little-known information about rabbits to personal stories of making life greener.

Lori is an environmental activist (though she doesn’t like that designation) who got her start when her daughter was playing in soot, and tracked it all over her kitchen floor. It turned out the black stuff came from right in her own backyard from a local power plant, and ever since that day 10 years ago, Lori has worked for a cleaner environment for her and her children.

She helped launch two environmental organizations, and was pivotal in brokering the corporate cleanup of a decades- old, power-plant waste site. She led a grassroots delegation to Capitol Hill last year to protest President Bush’s energy plan, provided environmental policy advice to the fledgling administration of Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, and has been named an “outstanding activist” of the year by a statewide environmental group. (from this article on Lori.)

I’m proud to add both these thoughtful and well-written blogs to our blogroll here at Eco Chick.

Amazon, book, Bush, children, conservation, design, Energy, giving, local, New York City, News, oil, oils, party, spa, Starbucks, Tea, waste

First Rock’n Roll & Now Green

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by Danelle Brown · 04/19/06

There seems to be a new angle to the term “British Invasion”. While although the UK is still giving us amazing music such as Coldplay and Aqualung (Who just so happens to be playing at the Bowery Ballroom on May 1^st), The Brits are just cranking out amazing green product lines and on-line eco-stores. The latest…. Well, let me introduce you to By Nature. While they have been around for a little while, these eco-lifestyle guru’s concerns about the startling statistics for the UK’s landfills have been manifested into what appears to be a unique and modern eco-friendly home accessories collection.
The most interesting is a photo album made of 80% elephant dung and 20% recycled paper. Now you may have a startled look on your face but actually elephant dung has been used by several environmentalists. Take for instance The Rosamond Gifford Zoo located in Syracuse, New York. They will be the first in the nation to be powered by its own animal waste.

If you still can’t get pass the elephant dung, how about these really awesome decorative pillows made from recycled seat belts or modern lamp shade called the “Spiro” lampshade made from 100% recycled cardboard. This company even has 100% recycled wine glasses. You could throw your own little swank green party at home with your new Vino Wine glasses and sustainable Sushi board while wearing an “Eco Woman” Tee made with organic cotton and azo-free dyes.