Archive for Eco Friendly
Manolo Blahnik Going Green with Eco-Friendly Shoes in Spring 2012
Posted by: | CommentsGreen fashion alert: famed shoe designer Manolo Blahnik is coming out with an eco-friendly line for Spring 2012. Blahnik became a household name thanks to Sex and the City fashionista Carrie Bradshaw and her portrayer Sarah Jessica Parker. The rewound shoe designer is teaming up with Marcia Patmos, the former designer for Lutz & Patmos who now runs her own earth-friendly line, M. Patmos. The two will collaborate on a capsule collection of sustainable shoes according to Women’s Wear Daily.
eco-friendly shoes from the Marcia Patmos for Manolo Blahnik collection (Image Credit: Courtesy Photo)
The collection will be available for sale this spring. What makes the line eco-friendly is that is will be made entirely from discarded tilapia skins, raffia and cork.
This collection is Blahnik’s first foray into environmentally friendly luxury apparel. He and Patmos have created two styles for their mini collection one is a “double strap, open-toe flat and [the other is a] strappy, high-heeled sandal in color combinations of electric blue, black, nude and yellow.” Both styles will be available at Blahnik’s retail stores for $895.
Patmos said to Women’s Wear Daily “I am always researching sustainable materials and developments. I love the idea of tilapia skin because it is a by-product of the food industry that would otherwise be discarded, but it’s actually a beautiful material perfect for small leather goods.”
Creating an eco-friendly and sustainable product line, even if it is only a capsule collection, demonstrates the direction that luxury brands are heading in. Consumers are becoming more concerned with sustainability and are using the power of their pocketbooks to get the products they desire. That is why this line is so important, it is indicative of the larger trends happening in retail today.
Blahnik’s shoes are most definitely a luxury item; however, you can feel better about the shoe splurge if the product is made from sustainable materials. Recently, Blahnik’s line has been eclipsed by the famous red soled Christian Louboutin shoes, perhaps this forward thinking line will be what puts him back on top. So, now you can be an eco-chic fashionista come spring 2012.
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Planet Forward is an online retailer of ethically-made, earth-friendly products designed for everyday use with a distinctly urban feel. Products include reusable stainless steel bottles, stainless steel thermal travel mugs, waste-free lunch bags, reusable shopping bags, Make-it-Yourself toxin-free Green Cleaning kits, organic fashions and other accessories. SALE 50% OFF ALL PRODUCTS – SHOP NOW !
Juice Carton Desk Organizer Eco-Friendly Craft for Kids
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s the New Year and everyone is on a wellness kick and that includes being organized. Here is a fun and easy eco-friendly craft for kids that will help keep your children’s art supplies tidy. Today, we are making a juice carton desk organizer from inhabitots.com. This is a great craft you can do with the kids on a cold, snowy winter day and it provides a dual incentive to help the kids stay more organized. Now let’s get crafting.
Image Credit: inhabitots.com
Supplies:
• empty juice carton (substitute with milk cartons)
• craft knife (X-Acto knife)
• recycled twine
• hole punch
• your child’s art supplies
Directions:
1. Thoroughly wash and dry the inside and outside of the orange juice container. Use your craft knife to cut a large flap on the front of the carton. Then, repeat on the opposite side. Fold the edge of the flaps so they easily open and close.
2. Use your hole punch to punch several holes down the middle of the carton (in between the flaps). You can make as many rows and holes to accommodate the number of colored pencils that you have.
3. Punch a hole in the center of each of the flaps that you created in step 1. Tie a small twine loop for opening and closing the flaps.
4. At the top of the organizer (opposite the spout), cut a large hole to hold a glue stick. You could also put crayons in the hole or another small art supply.
5. Have your child add the colored pencils to the holes in the center of the organizer. We pointed our pencils down to prevent anyone from accidentally getting poked with the pencils.
6. Fill the two side compartments with an assortment of art supplies. We stacked large chunky crayons in one side and lined up large and small markers on the other side.
You can view a step by step image gallery for this eco-friendly craft at inhabitots.com.
One of the best aspects of this art supply desk organizer is that you can make it with everything you have in the house. If you have enough art supplies you could even make one for each child. Another fun step to get the kids involved with this eco-friendly craft is letting them decorate it before you put anything in it. Just think how lovely it would look painted their favorite colour, covered in stickers, or a collage of favorite things that they cut out of magazines. If you do not have an orange juice carton you could substitute it with a milk carton of the same size.
Perhaps after completing this eco-friendly craft, your kids will have renewed interest in keeping organized. Remember that when making any craft, children should always be supervised. So try this creative, green craft and help make your New Year a little bit more organized.
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Planet Forward is an online retailer of ethically-made, earth-friendly products designed for everyday use with a distinctly urban feel. Products include reusable stainless steel bottles, stainless steel thermal travel mugs, waste-free lunch bags, reusable shopping bags, Make-it-Yourself toxin-free Green Cleaning kits, organic fashions and other accessories. SALE 50% OFF ALL PRODUCTS – SHOP NOW !
Welcome back to the Planet Forward blog for another edition of our weekly green news highlights. This week: the EPA maps out the worst greenhouse gas emitters; 15 resolutions for a greener New Year; and 8 steps to a healthy home: the key for a healthy body and planet. Just click on the links to learn more.
EPA Greenhouse Gas Emissions Image Credit: epa.gov
The EPA maps the worst greenhouse gas offenders in the US. The EPA has developed an interactive map to help you understand who the major greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters are in the USA. “EPA’s online data publication tool allows users to review information quickly and easily by filtering GHG data in a variety of ways including by facility, industry, location, or gas. The tool displays data in two distinct sections: “Direct emitters” are facilities that combust fuels or otherwise put GHGs into the atmosphere directly from their facility. This data is the default view for the tool. “Suppliers” are those entities that supply certain fossil fuels or fluorinated gases into the economy which, when combusted, released or oxidized emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This data may be found by accessing the suppliers section of the publication tool.”
15 Resolutions for a Greener New Year. There are lots of zero cost green resolutions on the list from the Daily Green created by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Green basics like recycling, using reusable bags over plastic, and banning bottled water in favour of reusable bottles and good old fashion tap water make for excellent resolutions that are also easy to implement. One resolution that I immediately followed up on for my own household was to stop receiving those unwanted catalogues, which I seem to unintentionally stockpile and then eventually recycle. 19 billion catalogues are mailed in the US annually which requires 53 million trees to produce, not to mention the carbon footprint to deliver it to your mailbox. It’s time to get off those mailing lists sending you catalogues you aren’t even looking at. Besides, what’s in the catalogue is also available online which is a much greener way to shop anyway.
8 Steps to a Healthy Home: The Key for a Healthy Body and Planet. This article from the Huffington Post is a nice compliment to the green resolutions from the NRDC. Again, simple green tips for a healthy planet and healthier you. In fact, some of the steps suggested are also on the green resolution list like avoiding toxic chemicals and green cleaning with vinegar and baking soda instead; or eliminating bottled water with tap water and reusable bottles; or simply buying local and organic.
Got any green resolutions of your own? Sound off in the comments. Stay tuned for more green news.
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Planet Forward is an online retailer of ethically-made, earth-friendly products designed for everyday use with a distinctly urban feel. Products include reusable stainless steel bottles, stainless steel thermal travel mugs, waste-free lunch bags, reusable shopping bags, Make-it-Yourself toxin-free Green Cleaning kits, organic fashions and other accessories. SALE 50% OFF ALL PRODUCTS – SHOP NOW !
