The Andean Collection - socially conscious jewelery

Being a real Brazil lover, I absolutely adore the 'Tigela de Açaí com granola e banana'. Every day I wake up in Rio, I walk down the road to the typical juice bars and have a super healthy fruit ice-shake with banana & grains for breakfast (yes, I know it has a LOT of sugar, but isn't it impossible to resist...?).

Today I found out about another side of the Açaí fruit, incorporated in the US based brand The Andean Collection. I was very much surprised that the cascades of the açaí fruit could be used for jewelery, like beautiful necklace & bracelet sets! The cascades of açaí seeds are hand dyed with vibrant colors and make a gorgeous statement. Perfect for day or evening wear.

Fair Trade & sustainable harvest at rain forest:
All seeds are sustainably harvested from the rainforests and lowlands of South America (Ecuador). The commercialization of these seeds helps to ensure the survival of the world’s rain forests by providing an alternative income for its inhabitants rather than logging or selling their land to destructive industries. Through a very manual process, seeds are transformed into beads with gorgeous natural irregularities, both in color and form, which truly makes each piece one of a kind.

Hapiness comes from Experiences!

Here I am again, today I'm in my spread the word-mood...
Just read the info about a recently published study and you will know why!

Psychologists at Cornell University found out that 'experiences', such as vacations or a nice cup of coffee at a sunny terrace, are more rewarding than 'things'. The research showed that people tend to evaluate their happiness by comparing themselves with others. Comparing a product is easily done, fact is that your newly bought jeans instantly seems less interesting when you see an more beautiful jeans worn by a friend or colleague. But the experience of a sunny terrace is nearly incomparable.
Also good to know: with the quest for this happiness experiences, you do not need to make any waste!

Thomas Gilovich, one of study authors explains at The Guru: "If you go on a hiking trip, and the weather is terrible, you might not view it as a pleasurable experience in the here and now. Instead, you may view it as a challenge, and over time remember the positive aspects of the experience more than the negative aspects. With material things you can't do this, because they are what they are."

Owh yes!
Off I go to my yoga class to invest in my Monday Evening Happiness...

Charming Fair Trade Fashion - Bíbico

Every time I find a beautiful fair trade fashion brand I find it another relieve. It is as if a ray of sunlight touches your face and makes you smile instantly. Yes, there are are a lot of fair trade fashion treasures out there, you just have to encounter them...

That is why I want to start this day spreading the word about Bíbico, a UK based, design-led fair trade clothing company that loves beautiful, simple, charming clothes. I picked out the Brittania Blouse, with anglaise panel & pop-up buttons. It is hand stitched and absolutely fair trade made in India. Perfect for the spring that finally decided to enter Europe. Enjoy!

New sustainable shoe-box by Puma Vision

Puma has recently released an agenda to incorporate long-term sustainability. Developing a shoebox replacement with the 'clever little bag' was the first step taken. This sustainable packaging was designed by Yves Behar of Fuseproject. He and the Puma team spent 21 months coming up with a shoebox replacement. The new bag is going to save save 8500 tons of paper and 1 million liters of water.

Puma is also sponsoring a new exhibition at the Design Museum in London called Sustainable Future-Can Design Make a Difference? The exhibition explores cool things like the world's first carbon neutral city and a refrigerator that doubles as an aquarium.

Ascension Ethical Fashion Web Store

One of the best selected Eco Fashion Stores for me so far is certainly ASCENSION.
A UK based Online Fashion Store, dedicated to find the worlds best ECO CHIQ.

The philosophy of Ascension is to bring the most inspiring selection of fashion and lifestyle products made beautifully, made fairly and wherever possible made from organic materials.

Find all your fashionable heart desires: from tops, trousers, skirts, shoes, accessories (men, women and kids!), jewelry, body creams and oils and stationary... They even produce their own Eco Chic Label. Some of my favorite labels at Ascension: Edun, Veja, Kuyichi, Karen Cole, Article 23, Komodo, Verde Rocks...

Have a look yourself: Ascension Web Store

Beyond Skin - Beyond simple high heels...

As the offers of green fashion is getting increasingly bigger and more varied, I have always been wondering when the shoe and high heel business would come up with some fancy & sustainable creations. I have to say, I found my first favorite!
Beyond Skin offers a wise collection of 'flatties' (soles), high heels (with some very nice 60 stylish versions) and even a bridal collection. The company is based in UK, London.

Back again...

Hello out there...
I have been offline for a while. Well not exactly offline, but working my b... off. Well even not that although that would have been nice... well anyway...

I am back in shape, back in writing inspiration and back in search of new green and remarkable brands and ideas. Hope you will still enjoy my writings...

Take care and green-up your day!

Plakkies - the sustainable slipper hype from South Africa

Be aware: Plakkies, the South African word for slippers are meant to become the new flip flop trend this summer!

Students of the Technical University of Delft (the Netherlands) together with the KidsRights organization started a sustainable fabric of fashionable slippers in the slums of Durban, South Africa.

The slippers are made of 40% rubber and 60% old recycled tires. Plakkies mainly uses local commodities; the leather and rubber are both from South Africa. Only the cork is being imported from Portugal, as Plakkies hasn't found a similar local quality, which guarantees the comfort of the product.

All profits gained from the sales are refunded into KidsRights organisation, which helps orphan children. These children have actively helped developing the product by designing the arts of the slipper.

Awearness Fair Fahion Event 2009

Another interesting fair fashion event will be happening soon; this time in the Dutch fashion City Arnhem, during the Arnhem Fashion Biennale.

The Arnhem Fashion Biennale 2009 is internationally known for showing the latest trends
and in modern fashion. It is now the first time that the Biennale takes ‘sustainable fashion' as an important theme.

The Awearness Fair Fashion Show is the first fully sustainable catwalk show organized in the Netherlands. Put together by Joke Bom from fair fashion web shop watMooi, the show will be marked by prêt-a-porter, couture and arty designer clothes.
Brands shown on catwalk: Alchemist, Merunisha Moonilal, Studio Jux, Van Markoviec, Rianne de Witte, Marlon Borgschot and Hedwig Homoet.

You want to know how fashion made of soy, lyocell, bamboo, corn, pulp or even nettle looks like? This is the place to be.

When: June 28th
Where: the Eusebius church in Arnhem, the Netherlands
You can buy your tickets (10 Euro) here.
More info about the Awearness Fair Fashion Event you find here.

But that's not it...

Catwalk takshow and guerrillastore
After the fashion show, a catwalk talk show will be organized where a lively discussion is expected between key figures from the sustainable fashion industry and fashion retailers, fair fashion experts, politicians and other policy makers.

From June 29 June until July 4, the Awearness Fair Guerrillastore (Turfstraat 1a in Arnhem)
will be open to buy fair clothing, unique bags and accessories from recycled material. Young designers will turn old pieces of clothing into new, original pieces. Workshops will be given by writers club Loesje and the StoereVrouwen will be present to give sustainable shopping tips.

Well, I would say go there, enjoy and get inspired. Hope to meet you there.

A watch working liquid energy

Have you ever seen a watch that does not work with the use of batteries, adapters or wining up- systems? I had not either! But here it is: The water watch!
Without additional energy it works on the power of liquids, not necessarily water.
How? I have no clue, it might be a scientific simple solution. But hey, that's why I chose to write and spread the word! For sure it is a way to ban the apparently unhealthy electric devices out of your house.

Weight: 250 grams, size: 10 cm, 3,5 cm x 16 cm.
Until now I only found it at the Dutch Greenpeace webstore.