Organic · Eco-Chick

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Barefoot Walking and Running: Best of Both Worlds with Vivo Barefoot Sneakers

My Viva Terras. Cute on the trail or off.

Last summer, I was walking up from the beach at Gay’s Head on Martha’s Vineyard. (They’ve renamed the place Aquinnah, but I’m sticking with the original name, thank you very much) and then headed up the steep dunes, and over the top. When I got to where the sand meets the more rocky soil, I stopped to put my Chakos back on, but then decided to go barefoot instead.

As I walked up the path, seagrasses waving in the setting sun all around me, I could feel what was beneath my feet change. It started more sandy, and warmed from the sun, then small pebbles cropped up, and as I went around a bend, I felt the ground cool and dampen and the pebbles recede into the soft, more claylike walkway. As I headed up another rise, warmth again seeped between my toes, and as I reached the road to wait for the bus, the concrete burned my feet and I put my shoes on.

On that ten minute walk, I remembered something I knew as a child, which is that you miss tons of information from the earth when constantly wear shoes. I used to spend entire summers essentially barefoot (I grew up at the end of a dirt road in the Hudson Valley) and when I was 8 I could have told you how long it had been since rain from the viscosity of the mud that pushed between my toes since I spent hours I playing in the wetland next to my house. I don’t know if I could tell you that now, though I’m certain I could learn again.

Men’s Vivo Barefoots at the Terra Plana store.

So when a couple months ago I heard about the barefoot running movement, and the new book, Born to Run, I was intrigued. The premise is that our fancy $200 uberpadded sneakers are actually BAD for our bodies when running, and can actually cause or exacerbate injury. Which makes sense if you think about the fact that we have only been wearing such contraptions for about 20 years (flat, unpadded Converse All Stars were the sneaker of choice for basketball players for years). So I went hiking with a friend in Connecticut and took off my sandals and did a bit of trailrunning with naked feet, which was fun as long as I was careful (and this forces one to focus on each step, which is interesting). And then…

book, car, comedy, decor, eating, farm, farms, health, Home, humor, kids, media, MTV, Organic, shoes, spa, style, summer, Target, Technology, trike, tv

Eco Chic Weekly 8/29/09

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by Amanda Quraishi · 08/29/09

Eco Chic Weekly compiles the best of the best in green fashion and beauty blogging each week. Please feel free to copy and use this post on your blog with a link back to Fashion, Evolved.

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Learn how to make ethical fashion choices and upcycle your existing wardrobe this week on Green Girls Global.
Check out the Eco Fashion World interview with Maroussia Rebecq, founder of the Andrea Crews Collective.
Eco-Chick has rounded up some Eco Fashion News from around the web!
The Eco Diva goes local with Etsy.com!
Learn about Bangladesh Garment Factories Going Fair Trade at Ethical Style!
Check out Curatorial’s Limited Edition Collection featured on Feelgood Style.
Green Grechen discusses the impacts of milk silk.
Want to see some of the best organic fashion on sale today? Green Lashes and Fashion has a round up!
8 Ways to Get the Closest Eco Shave for Men and Women–on Greenopia!
Inhabitat is featuring the very drool-worthy Noon Solar Bags.
Modern Hippie Mag has a question about hair oil in their Ask the Beauty Chick column.
Are You a Green Beauty? Take the Quiz on Planet Green!
Upcycled bags are better the second time around…so says The Alternative Consumer!
Join in the Vintage Jewelry Obsession this Fall at The Green Girls.
The Thrifty Chicks are Standing Naked in a Thrift Store.
Treehugger dishes on the 7 Common Cosmetics Ingredients You Need to Avoid!
Fashion, Evolved interviews Jaszy McAllister creator of ethical, beautiful Jaszy’s Jewelry.

bags, Beauty, clothing, cosmetics, design, designer, Eco Chic Weekly, Eco Diva, Eco Fashion World, Eco-Chick, ecofashion, electronics, ethical, ethical fashion, ethical style, Etsy, Fair Trade, fall, Fashion, Feelgood Style, green beauty, Green Lashes and Fashion, habitat, Hair, Inhabitat, interview, Jewelry, local, Milk, mom, News, oil, Organic, organic fashion, PlanetGreen, silk, spa, style, The Green Girls, treehugger, upcycled, vintage, women

How Sustainable is Your Favorite Wine? Greenopia Rates 25 Wineries

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by Starre Vartan · 07/29/09

kaikoura-vineyard

Greenopia has just rated 25 wineries for their environmental impact. Here’s why:

Any oenophile worth her spitting glass has heard the dire stories about how global warming will affect wineries, altering the very microclimates that make it possible to grow champagne in Champagne, France and enable growers to eke out a Pinot Noir under a very precise set of conditions. Wine production is a multibillion dollar-a-year industry in the United States, and wine-growing regions are set to migrate northward (or shrink- by up to 80%- disappear altogether) as warm days with moderating sea breezes shift with the increased temperatures, and general local and worldwide climate disruption alters the conditions and locales where grapes have been growing for hundreds of years.

So it makes sense that the wine industry (and vino lovers) would take action against climate change and environmental degradation.

business, car, carbon, climate change, Eco-Chick, emissions, Food, Global Warming, health, local, Organic, produce, rape, resources, spa, sport, style, sustainability, sustainable, Target, Tea, transportation, treehugger, water, weather, Wildlife, Wine

Organic and Chic: Delicious, Nutritious (and Pretty Pretty) Baking!

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by Starre Vartan · 07/01/09

I’m LOVING Sarah Magid’s new book, Organic and Chic: Cakes, Cookies, and Other Sweets That Taste as Good as They Look!

It is not only laid out gorgeously (inspiring me to want to bake away a weekend!) with lovely photos of most of the recipes, but it every recipe encourages use of organics, healthy alternatives (like whole grains, healthy sweeteners and natural flavors) and farmer’s market and seasonal ingredients. And the style is pure lovely; cakes don’t look ‘all natural” at all, but totally fab while referencing flowers, leaves and vines and other nature-inspired designs – and yes, there are descriptions of exactly how to reproduce Sarah’s too-pretty cakes yourself.

As any hipster eater knows, old-fashioned treats, like mac ‘n cheese and hot dogs have made a gourmet comeback in recent years, and this goes for desserts too. Sarah awesomely recreates healthier (and tastier!) versions of Ding-dongs and other bad-for-you treats that are sure to work at many a party- for kids or adult kids. I’m def going to try making some of these at my next Summer party to seriously impress my guests.

I had a few questions for Sarah about her connection to organics, her life and book, and her love of baking!

Eco Chick: What led to your interest in organic food? Do you think it tastes better?

Sarah Magid: I grew up in Southern California where we ate mostly organic food as a default living near health food stores and having lots of fruits growing in our backyard. As I grew up, I always maintained a passion for eating, and when I became pregnant with my first son, I really focused on eating organic. Now with two small children, I am conscious about what we eat and where its from since their small bodies are growing so quickly.

I do think eating organic tastes better. Anyone can tell a difference between a farmers market strawberry that is sweet and perfumed, versus one that is slightly green in a plastic box at the grocery store!

EC: What’s your local farmer’s market? Care to give them a shout-out?

SM: McCarren park! The park between Greenpoint and Williamsburg, Brooklyn, every Saturday morning. This year there are some fabulous new booths such as a mushroom stand and a bean stand. Fresh black beans are a revelation when you cook them! Ronnybrook Farms makes creamy yogurt drinks that my kids love, and the woman who runs it remembers my kids when they were babies.

EC: Does your whole family have a sweet tooth?

SM: My husband, son, and I love a good sweet. My daughter prefers cheese and smoked salmon to cake!

EC: Did you gain weight testing all these recipes? Seriously! If not, how?

SM: Well, lets just say that I eat mostly well balanced meals, what happens in the other hours is between me, my refrigerator, and the empty cupcake wrapper.

EC: Do your kids know they are superlucky to have a Mom who cooks such amazing desserts?

SM: My son’s desire for a Hostess Twinkie inspired me to bake organic versions of junk food. So now they think we can make anything, and I love that. I think they will realize in a few years that not every mom sculpts an organic Yoda cake for their birthday.

EC: What are your two fave recipes from the book?

SM: Goldies and Crumbly Shortbread Cookies. They alleviate my sweet tooth.

EC: What’s the easiest recipe? The most complicated (but clearly worth it)?

SM: The ‘Easiest Chocolate Cake’ is truly the most simple recipe since there are no eggs, milk, butter in the batter. Most people have the ingredients on hand, and I find that it is fast, easy, vegan-friendly, and super delicious. As for complicated, I don’t think any one recipe is hard, but some do require more preparation and prep time.

Sarah Magid, author and sweet-tooth extraordinaire!

baking, desserts, Food, Organic

Teich, Ryann, NaturevsFuture & Restore at the Samples for Ecompassion Sale

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by Starre Vartan · 04/02/09

I has so much fun attending the Samples for Ecompassion sale last night. Not only did I do a bit of Spring shopping, but I took a chance to interview several ecofashion designers about the clothes they brought for sale and the materials they use to design.

The sale runs through April 5th (noon to 7pm each day) and is located at 2 Great Jones Street (between Broadway and Lafayette) in Manhattan.

Raina Bleyer from Ryann talks about her line. One of my purchases was that awesome Ahimsa vest Raina holds up. Ideal for this Spring.