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Archive for the ‘Apparel’ Category

Organic Cotton T-Shirts for Spring!!

Monday, February 1st, 2010

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Last week I got a shirt from the new Michelle Feis collection.

All of her shirts are  made with organic cotton and are inspired by the notion that “finding that one outstanding T-shirt that you can dress up or dress down is a fashion miracle.”  I’d have to agree!!

Each shirt is designed with a hand painted graphic and original line of poetry and can be easily paired with designer jeans, beach shorts or under a cashmere coat.

I chose the “sea maiden” tee and have literally been living in it!  (I ordered a size up so it would fit over my pregnant belly.)

Check out her beautiful collection today!

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A Lot To Say!

Friday, January 15th, 2010

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Today I’m wearing my brand new scarf and undies (yes, undies…but that’s not my tush in the picture) from A Lot To Say. They’re a radical new clothing company whose manifesto goes like this:

If you think something, say it.

If you believe something, say it.

If you want something, say it.

Because saying it creates new awareness.

Awareness sparks new behavior.

And new behavior inspires us all to be better.

If we speak out, others will act out.

To vote. Recycle. Save.

To think a little more.

To try a little harder.

To live more honestly.

Thoughtfully. Joyfully.

You have a lot to say.

So never be afraid to say it.

Or wear it.

Everyday.

They claim that their tees (and scarves and undies and totes and more, but especially their tees) are more progressive, more green, more environmentally respectful than any other t-shirt out there.

How?

Every A Lot To Say t-shirt is make entirely of recycled bottles, thus removing non-biodegradable material from our landfills, and conserving other raw resources.  They claim that the t-shirts reduce energy consumption by 80%, and eliminate the use of PVC (plastic) products by 100%.

Plus, their tees are dyed with a new process called AirDye. While the traditional way to dye a t-shirt uses, on average, 15-25 gallons of water per t-shirt, AirDye uses no water in the printing process.  And it contains no PVC or toxins in the ink. These recycled polyester t-shirts last up to five times longer than a classic cotton tee and they’re all 100% US made.

Pretty cool.  And they look cool, too, sporting slogans like CHANGE is not only good, it’s essential and BREATHE in wellness, breathe in harmony, breathe in rejuvenation.

They have a yoga line, a celebrity-designed line (coming), and edgier line and even a full line for the dudes.

Check ‘em out at shop.alottosay.com

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GREENER WAYS FOR THE HOLIDAYS: Melissa Joy Manning for beautiful eco bling

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

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One of my absolutely favorite jewelry companies is Melissa Joy Manning.

Her work is stunningly gorgeous.  And just adding fuel to the fire is the fact that her work is all environmentally and socially minded.

Here’s what her site says about that:

Melissa Joy Manning is committed to operating in a manner that promotes socially responsible sourcing and manufacturing and minimizes environmental impact.

Melissa Joy Manning works exclusively with US-based vendors; because the US is a participant country in the Kimberley Certification Process, diamonds are not allowed to be imported into the country unless they are documented to be Kimberley Certified Conflict Free Diamonds. However, this does not mean that all diamonds sold in the US are guaranteed to be conflict-free. Just as we encourage our customers to challenge our practices, we actively challenge our suppliers to provide documentation verifying the sources of our stones. We have received Kimberley Process documentation from some of our key diamond suppliers, and continue to seek documentation from all gemstone vendors with whom we work.

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In addition to diamond sourcing, we want to ensure social responsibility throughout the entire jewelry making process, from mining and refining to jewelry manufacturing. We draw upon nature both for design inspiration and for the materials that we use to create our jewelry; therefore it is our responsibility and desire to be sensitive to our environmental impact. The jewelry industry relies heavily upon mining companies to generate raw materials for their products; unfortunately the mining process creates significant waste and contaminants, causing harm to the land and its inhabitants. Because of the negative impacts of metal mining, we purchase 100% recycled metal. The refining processes employed by our metal supplier also create up to 75% fewer waste products than standard refining techniques.

All of this, and the fact that I love wearing my Melissa Joy Manning pieces so much, make her jewelry my GREENER WAYS FOR THE HOLIDAYS gift idea of the day.

Shop her beautiful collections online or in stores.

Also on SaraSnow.com


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GREENER WAYS FOR THE HOLIDAYS: Beautiful, Sustainable Gift Wrap

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

Goodbye paper. Hello holidays!

LivingEthos introduces eco-friendly holiday gift wrap in 15 stylish prints perfect for Christmas, Hanukkah, and other festive occasions

holidayLivingEthos has released 15 new holiday designs to add to its collection of stylish and sustainable gift wrap.  The new designs range from delicious Peppermint Stripe White to Winter Sky whose shades of blue were chosen with Hanukkah in mind.  Kids prints include Frosty’s Fun and Winter Wonderland. Targeted at teens and tweens, All Aglow, features unexpected dark pinks and aqua.

Company Founder Josie Gaillard says, “Every bag has to be attractive and tasteful.  We want to do whatever we can do to convince people to switch from paper to something reusable like cloth.”

Experts estimate that Americans alone generate 4 million tons of extra waste at the holidays, most of which is shopping bags and wrapping paper.

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The LivingEthos brand was launched this summer by Josie Gaillard to help people make eco-friendly choices in their everyday lives.  The bags come in four sizes – mini, small, medium and large – to fit everything from small items like jewelry and books, to larger items like wine, clothing or toys.

LivingEthos gift wrap is available at www.livingethos.com for $28/set of four bags (one of each size).

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Additional features of LivingEthos gift bags:

  • The bags are 100% cotton, and can be re-gifted and reused countless times; plus, they make great storage bags
  • Each gift bag comes with a grosgrain ribbon of 100% recycled polyester made from plastic soda bottles
  • The bags are sewn locally in San Francisco, California near company headquarters, which cuts down on energy used to transport the product
  • Even the shipping envelope in which the product is sent is reusable!  The company has introduced a Tyvek shipping envelopes with a Velcro closure that customers can easily return, free of charge.

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GREENER WAYS FOR THE HOLIDAYS; Reusable Bags by BlueAvocado

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

Just in time for the holidays, BlueAvocado has created new kits from a new kind of material to help satisfy all of the greenies on your list.  (see the coupon code at the bottom of this post!)

BlueAvocado is a mission-driven lifestyle products company that makes it easy to do good while getting it done.

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The BlueAvocado gro-pak system is designed to replace environmentally

harmful plastic and paper grocery bags, features five separate component bags made of recycled materials.  The system replaces 15 plastic bags per shopping trip.  Durable, compact and stylish, the gro-pak system meets all your shopping needs – ventilation (for fruits and veggies), insulation (for hot/cold), and collapsibility (for easy sto-n-go).

The BlueAvocado gro-pak system features two “Veg” bags – lightweight, ventilated produce bags; a “Pod” – a collapsible, ultra-light, all-purpose grocery bag; a “Gro” – a sturdy bag with an adjustable strap for shoulder or hand carrying; a “Chil” – an insulated bag that keeps groceries hot or cold for up to three hours; and a “Pak” – a cute carry-all tote that holds and folds the entire system neatly together. All together, the gro-pak system holds up to 100 pounds of groceries. Each BlueAvocado gro-pak component bag also features the world’s first audited “Carbon Impact Label” detailing the carbon emission reduction associated with each trip to the grocery store and plastic bags avoided which can total up to 1000 plastic bags annually.

And as of just recently, these gro-pak kits are now made from a certifiable recycled REPREVE fabric. Meaning, the gro-pak – collapsible, reusable shopping system – just got greener!

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Out for the holidays, BlueAvocado has created 8 kits perfect for gift giving.

They have the holiday cruiser kit, which includes a Pak, an insulated Chil bag and two Veg produce bags ($49.99); the stocking stuffer kit, made up of two Pod stuff ‘n go bags (these are THE PERFECT bag!) and a Veg produce bag ($19.99);  and six others.

The Pod stuff ‘n go is the bag I never leave home without.  And I’m not the only one.  Hollywood A-listers like Jenna Elfman, Kate Winslet and Tina Fey are joining the ranks of BlueAvocado fans.

And I’m excited to announce that BlueAvocado is offering a special 20% discount to my family of friends and readers. Simply enter the promotion code goodgift20 at checkout to enjoy 20% off your entire order! You can now be the ultimate gift-giver this holiday season. Whether you are looking for gifts under $19.99, teachers gifts, or even to treat yourself – check out BlueAvocado: http://www.blueavocado.com and don’t forget your promotion code at checkout: goodgift20!

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GREENER WAYS FOR THE HOLIDAYS; A Sublime Gift Idea

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

Know a tailgater or camper…..or a “I take my lunch with me” student or worker?

Here’s a great eco gift idea for that “on the go” person on your list.

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Sublime products inspires your adventure-filled lifestyle by combining the latest in environmentally friendly products with leading design and innovation.

With fabric made from 100% post-consumer recycled PET (from plastic water bottles), Sublime’s eco-coolers keep their cool while being kind to the planet, whether you are on the beach or on the job.

Features:

• Fabrics made from next generation post-consumer recycled high density recycled PET polyester fabric – tough and durable yet kind to the planet!

• Superior cooling closed cell foam keeps contents cold

• Interior seamless liner is environmentally friendly PVC free, lead free and toxic free

• Dual side pockets with expandable micro-mesh and integrated shoulder straps make for easy carrying

• Lightweight molded bottoms for long lasting durability

41VquRrUYeL._SL160_AA115_Each individual-sized lunch box is made from 9 recycled plastic water bottles.  Each duffle cooler uses 29 recycled bottles!

The coolers range from $19.99-69.99 and are available on eBags, Amazon and other retailers.

Also on SaraSnow.com

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Men’s Eco Boutique Now Open!

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

Men, too often, feel slighted when it comes to eco fashion.  Us ladies get to enjoy closets-full of organic cotton tees and yoga clothes, cozy bamboo bathrobes, delicious recycled cashmere sweaters, luxurious eco-fiber dresses, and so much more.

Connect imageWell, men.  Suffer no more!   Forward-thinking, Chicago-based sustainable retailer, Connect, has launched its first ever e-commerce site C by Connect; the first and only online men’s store with an environmentally and socially responsible focus.

Log on to C by Connect and you’ll find eco brands Nau, Holden Outerwear, Topo Ranch, Coal, Icebreaker, LiViTy, Patagonia Footwear, The Stronghold, and others.  Connect’s private label, SideCar, which uses reclaimed and surplus fabrics and organic cotton, is also available, making the popular Chicago line available for the first time worldwide.  In addition to the men’s fashions, C by Connect includes a “gifts for her” section, as well as sustainable home furnishings.  It’s a one-stop-shop for the forward-thinking individual.

Jonathan Shaun, a Connect Co-Founder and friend of mine, says, “We realized men didn’t have an authentic and conscious online experience to shop.  It’s our honor to finally offer men a place to go where they can find functional and design-driven brands that are progressive and socially responsible,”

Every brand that Connect and their partners work with goes through a rigorous selection process to ensure that it aligns with their values and vision. The Connect manifesto is based on a “not-just-for-profit” method honoring the triple bottom line: planet, people, profit. C by Connect donates 3% of all profits to its Community Investment Portfolio that consists of local, national, and international NGOs.

Sustainable Features of C by Connect:

  • Carbon ZERO bicycle messenger delivery within Chicago city limits
  • Carbon neutral shipping (national and international)
  • All brands are environmental, fair trade, and ethically produced and sold
  • Connect is dedicated to marketing ethical start-up brands made in the U.S.A.
  • Renewable energy-based web hosting


Save 10% on your first order!  Enter conscious at checkout for a 10% off savings on your first order.

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Terra Plana shoes to bring an ethical spring to your step

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

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I first discovered Terra Plana a few years ago while filming my show in NYC.  Someone ran by their showroom to pick up some shoes for me to wear and I ended up purchasing two of the pairs they brought back because I couldn’t live without them.  About a month prior I had happened upon their SoHo shop and fell in love with the brand (and a handbag that, to this day, I get multiple compliments on every time I carry it).

What’s to love?  Everything.

The company offers fashionable shoes with an ethical twist.

The Terra Plana products themselves support theories and actions of sustainability: lightness, anatomic design, disassembly and durability.  They constantly strive to minimize waste, toxins (vegetable tanning their leather instead of using chemicals), and glues (using stitched construction instead), while using eco-friendly and innovative materials to create light, flexible, durable, and earth friendly shoes.  They say that “the totally sustainable shoe is still a long way off but with each collection we get that little bit closer.”

There are recycled elements in every Terra Plana shoe: recycled PET bottles for mesh, recycled rice husks for soling materials, recycled leather and recycled foam for footbeds, etc..

Their VivoBarefoot line goes one step further.  The construction of the show actually works to strengthen the muscles in your feet, realigning your posture, and stimulating sensory perception.  They give you the protection of a shoe with the health benefits of going barefoot.

But here’s what I really love about Terra Plana.  Their shoes and boots are not only ethical, they’re BEAUTIFUL!

1022_greyvegtannedJust the other day I slipped my foot into my newest pair of Terra Planas; a Grey (the hot color of the season) Juniper pump.  They hugged my feet in all the right places, felt so soft on the sole of my foot, and carried me on a bed of feel-good all day long.

Check out Terra Plana shoes out for your holiday parties, winter boots, or a special gift for someone you love.

Enter discount code TerraPlana20 for 20% off everything on the site!

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Calling all road warriors – new shoes that travel as well as we do!

Monday, August 24th, 2009

I’d like to introduce you to my newest traveling buddies.  They’re small and clean, they don’t stink or nag, and they’re, well…. hot!

shoesMeet my Kigos!

From the lightweight shoe materials to the packaging they come in, Kigos are made from eco-friendly materials (see more below).  And because of a unique fold-close design, Kigo shoes stow easily in their portable pouch, making it a cinch to toss them in your purse, your gym bag, or your already overly-stuffed suitcase.  Now there’s no reason to skip your workout on the road.

The Shel Kigos make the perfect walking, touring and active shoe because they’re dry, cushioned and slip-free.  And the Star Kigos are designed for women who value style as much as comfort.  Slip these on in place of heels for long jaunts across town or for a quick ride on the stationary bike.

Check them out today!

If you’re anything like me you want to hear more about the unique eco-friendly materials.  Here you go:

The uppers, cements, insole and even stain resistance treatment represent significant advances in eco materials that make the shoes cushy, sleek, lightweight, and planet friendly.

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Footwear Element Composition Eco-Friendly
1
 Lining Eco-friendly Polyester – Post-consumer recycled fabric textile Eco-Friendly
2
 Upper CYCLEPET – post-consumer recycled fabric textile Eco-Friendly
3
 Outsole molded rubber
4
 Insole EVA Eco-Friendly
5
 Adhesives Water Based Eco-Friendly
6
 Water/Stain Resistant Treatment Unidyne™ TG-521 developed by Daikin, Dow; EPA Appoved Eco-Friendly
7
 Webbing Nylon
8
 Thumb Tab Rubber

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High performance sports gear….made from trash?!

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009

Looking for the latest in high performance fitness apparel?  How about a shirt that’s healthy, earth friendly, with a social message attached as well?

After running a race during which his red sports shirt bled dyes that ran down his leg and colored his shorts, socks and shoes, Atayne founder, Jeremy Litchfield, got a little worried about the chemicals he was exposing his body to and set out to create a better line of sports performance apparel.  And he’s done it!  Using trash, essentially, Atayne now makes clothing out of recycled polyester (from recycled plastic bottles) and the activated carbon from coconut shells.

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"The idea is to blend the promotion of an active lifestyle with an environmental and social message."

The current version of the shirts feature two designs: reduce. reuse. recycle. run., and another that reads run hard tread lightly. At Atayne, they call this “performance with a point of view.”  Later this summer they’ll be launching more than a dozen new logo designs featuring a variety of activities  from running to yoga to climbing to paddling.  They say, “The idea is to blend the promotion of an active lifestyle with an environmental and social message.”

And because 80% of a garment’s environmental impact happens during the washing and drying of the garment, Atayne’s tops are outfitted with a “loop” on the back neck to encourage people to simply rinse and hang their shirt in the shower, and forget about taking it to the laundry room all together.

Not enough reasons to check out this cool company?  Here’s one more.  They’ve put together a team of “trash runners” who race their way through marathons with a retro-fitted baby jogger, picking up trash along the way.  Right now the trash runners are hitting the streets in Chicago but you can expect to see, and hopefully join, them in other cities throughout the summer.

Though I’m not much of a runner, I love to slip on my long-sleeve POV top after a particularly sweaty yoga class.  The shirts run true to size, can be purchased on-line and in select retailers, and start at $38.

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