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

Delight.com: Eco-Fabulous Gifts Galore!

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by Stephanie Rogers · 09/15/08

Ever since I discovered Delight.com one day last year, I’ve been hooked.  Aside from handmade goods market Etsy.com, it’s my absolute favorite place on the web to shop for gifts for all occasions.  Need an eco-friendly housewarming gift, hostess gift, birthday gift, wedding gift or just something cool for yourself? Delight.com has more chic, stylish, and extremely practical earth-friendly gift ideas than you can shake a stick at.

Delight.com is essentially a carefully edited, ever-changing showcase of fabulous products.  Every day at noon, Delight.com staff debut a new product with an extra ‘gift’, be it free shipping, discounted price or some kind of extra.  It’s a blend of social shopping, product reviews, special offers and hand-selected merchandise.

I stumbled across Delight.com while searching for reusable bags, and ended up purchasing the Envirosax Delightfully Pretty Reusable Grocery Bags (which I’m totally thrilled with, by the way – I bring them nearly everywhere I go!).  And, speaking of reusable bags, check out these beauties: the RueMe Fall in New York set.  The patterns are lovely, modern and perfect for the season.

Among the other gorgeous, high quality earth-friendly gifts you’ll find on Delight.com are handmade recycled hurricane glass vases, recycled and reclaimed jewelry, non-toxic cleaning product kits and lots of recycled paper goodies.  The Delight.com editors really have an eye for great looking stuff that make perfect gifts.
You can also sign up to receive email alerts daily that notify you of the new product of the day and give you the inside info on the special deals available.

Green Gifts, Shopping

Prairie Underground: Refined Sweatshirt Dressing for Fall

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by Starre Vartan · 08/27/08

Starre Vartan and Arina Vikdorchik model matching Prairie Underground sweatshirt/dresses at Kaight. We BOTH ended up buying these organic cotton lovelies.

I’m very excited by Prairie Underground‘s Fall collection, which is absolutely packed with pieces you’ll definitely wear as soon as the temperature dips.

Organic cotton rules the line, with some hemp thrown in here and there. Details like extra-long cuffs (to pull over frigid fingers), zippers that go both ways, and ultraflattering lines make me happy. The sweatshirt/dress I bought above will work over a knee-length dress, jeans, or with thick tights and boots.

The line is designed by the lovely duo of sculptor Devora and merchandiser/designer Camilla who live in Seattle. Will be keeping my eye on this one!

clothes, design, ecofashion, organic cotton, Shopping

Sandmaiden Eco-Friendly Handmade Loungewear, Sleepwear and Lingerie

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by Stephanie Rogers · 08/25/08

Pictured above: Bamboo and Organic Cotton Jersey Camisole and Pant- $90; Bamboo/Organic Cotton Knit Flutter Bed Jacket or Wrap – $72

Fall is right around the corner – I’m already fantasizing about colorful leaves, cool breezes, pumpkins and cinnamon. It’s my favorite time of year, and especially at this tail-end of summer when I’m still sweating most of the day, it can’t come fast enough. So, I’m already thinking about curling up with a book and a mug of hot cocoa wearing some cozy organic cotton and bamboo pajamas.

One company I’ve got my eye on is Sandmaiden, an Etsy.com seller who creates beautiful hand-dyed sleepwear, loungewear and fine lingerie that’s as beautiful as it is comfortable. They’ve also got some stylish basics like cowl-neck tops and great little dresses. Check out some of the gorgeous designs!

From left: Bamboo Lycra racerback tank – $42 + Gathered Tap Pant – $24; Bamboo and Organic Cotton A-Line Chemise with Belt – $66

From left: Soy and Organic Cotton Jersey Belted V-Dress – $66; Soy and Organic Cotton Jersey Maternity Tie Top – $48

If you haven’t already checked out Etsy.com, take a look around – never have I had such a happy online revelation as when I found this market where sellers offer handmade and vintage goods. It’s amazing what you can find there – and it’s the perfect place to do some eco-friendly holiday shopping! There’s truly something for everyone.

ecofashion, Shopping

Deplasticize Your Life!

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by Starre Vartan · 08/18/08

This movie from the 1950′s shows Disney’s “House of the Future” which is totally kitted out in plastic EVERYthing. Ironic that here I am from 2008 writing about how to get plastic out of my life!

I haven’t picked up a plastic bag in weeks now*, and I’m looking for a new eco-challenge. I think a wholesale elimination of ALL plastic from my life could be a worthwhile next step towards the continuing greenification of my life.** Why plastic? Yes, it CAN be great (plastic medical devices save lives and plastic helps reduce the weight of cars so they’re more fuel-efficient), but mostly, it’s evil.

Reason 1: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an area TWICE the size of the continental U.S. that’s filled with floating plastic debris. The smaller the plastic gets, the higher in the water column it floats, with marine life choking on the stuff. The source of the debris? North America and Asia (that’s you and me).

Reason 2: Plastic is made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource that we’re spending millions of dollars and the lives and well-being of our fellow humans to obtain. Eight percent of oil worldwide goes to make plastics. My use increases demand.

Reason 3: Many plastics (we’re not even totally sure which ones yet) leach toxic chemicals into our environment (and us, especially fetuses) when they’re created, and into our bodies when we use them for food and beverage storage. Life is toxic enough without adding to it.

Instead of plastic storage containers, try: Glass ones. There are all kinds, from traditional round-shaped ones from Pyrex, but I like these square versions with frosted tops even better.

Instead of plastic produce bags try: Cloth or reusable ‘green’ bags (or none at all). Naturally-protected produce like bananas, oranges, apples, limes and avocados don’t need a bag- I never use them and my veggies aren’t suffering. Only leafy stuff and small fruits and veggies (cherries, brussels sprouts) really need to be bagged. I use the Evert-Fresh bags (but several companies make these now) because they keep produce fresh in the fridge way longer than supermarket produce babs. You can bring these to the market for those items that demand a carrier, and you can just rinse and reuse these. (I’ve had mine for four years now.) A friend of mine likes different-sized cloth bags which she throws in the laundry every now and again, so that’s another option.

Instead of plastic wrap try: A dish! (My father who lives in Australia actually taught me this one-thanks Dad!) Instead of putting plastic over a plate of leftovers, just use another dish of the same size or smaller. Want to be able to see what’s under there? Use a clear glass plate. For bowls, use teacup saucers (you can find these a goodwill for pennies. Food will stay moist and protected sans plastic, and the plates are reusable forever.

Instead of plastic baggies try: Wax paper bags or a cloth napkin.
This is a toughie. Sometimes there’s nothing like a sealable plastic bag- for something mushy or potentially messy- if I have to, I use mine over and over until they die so I don’t buy more than a box of these every couple years, if that. But for drier items (sandwiches, fruit, cut veggies) a wax paper bag will keep moisture in and it will eventually biodegrade (unlike plastic). I use a cloth napkin for short-term transport of homemade burritos, sandwiches and veggies which won’t leak much but need a bit of protection. I can use it as a napkin while eating; plastic, not so much.

Instead of plastic silverware, try: Bringing your own.
I carry my own utensils- or I should say utensil- with me: the Aussie splayde is perfect, but a spork works too, so I never need to use plastic. You could also try a set of collapsible chopsticks (I find a need a spoon more often than a fork, but think about what you eat and what works for you).

*The key to avoiding plastic bags is to carry an oversized bag so you always have a place for small items, keeping a fold-up reusable bag like Envirosax in your bigger bag, and leaving your canvas bags for grocery shopping in the car so you’re always prepared.

** So far I’ve switched to 75% organic food in my home, I drive only on the weekends, I’ve gotten a super-efficient furnace, use only low-VOC paints, compost food scraps, grow my own veggies and herbs, buy from my local farmer’s market from April-October, adopted all my animals, buy more than half my clothes and shoes from sustainable companies (see my blog, Eco Chick for a listing), take the train instead of flying, switched from a desktop to a laptop (they use 90% less power), bought a water and energy efficient new washer, and line-dry my clothes whenever possible. I’ve been vegetarian for 15 years, so that’s not recent, but it still counts!

Amazon, Animals, Australia, bags, BPA, car, cars, clothes, eating, Eco-Chick, Energy, epa, farm, farmer's market, Food, fruit, fur, garbage, Home, homemade, local, News, oil, Organic, organic food, paper, plastic, plastic bags, plastics, plates, produce, reduce, reuse, shoes, Shopping, sport, sustainable, Tea, vegetarian, water

Beautorium: (Really) Natural & Organic Beauty Products

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by Stephanie Rogers · 07/21/08

As more women are becoming aware of the toxicity of conventional beauty products and making the switch to more natural options, ‘green’ products are becoming easier to find. Not many online eco beauty stores actually bother to do the homework for you, though – which is all the more reason why Beautorium.com rocks.

At Beautorium, you won’t find questionable brands that claim to be natural or organic but can’t back it up. They’ve hand-chosen the brands they offer to make sure you get the highest quality without worry of greenwashing. Better yet, the cute little icons on each product page break it down for you: brand buzz, certified, effective ingredients, good works and no animal testing are just a few. It’s all explained on the site’s “Good to Know” page.

Shop for your hair care, skin care, cosmetics, fragrance, aromatherapy and more from brands like Juice Beauty, Dr. Haushka, Pangea Organics, Farfalla and Martina Gebhart. They’re also the exclusive U.S. vendor of luxurious European eco-brand Saaf. A pretty sweet green bonus is the offer of a natural Beautorium burlap tote on all orders over $75, which would make a great addition to your stock of reusable shopping bags (I’ve got two, and I love them!). Your order will arrive in a pretty recycled box.

FOR ECO CHICK READERS ONLY! Get an exclusive discount of 20% off any Beautorium order. Just type in the code ‘eco-chick2008’ at checkout. The offer is good until Monday, August 3rd. It’s a great opportunity to try out some lovely new eco beauty products, as if you needed an excuse!

cosmetics, Eco Beauty, Shopping