Feelgood Style

TransFair Develops Fair Trade Certification for Apparel

Susanna Schick — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:55:02 +0000

This week I met with Tierra Forte of TransFair USA, to discuss the new apparel certification pilot program they’re developing to extend fair trade benefits and protections beyond just the farm, but also for factory workers. I am very excited about this, as one of the main reasons I chose to pursue an MBA in Sustainability was to find a way to help improve labor conditions for apparel industry workers. Having worked in the US apparel industry for over a decade, I’ve witnessed the shift from domestic to foreign to predominantly Chinese manufacturing, and all of the benefits and difficulties that encompassed.

67% of American Consumers Don’t Know Fair Trade

The United States represents 30% of the fair trade market, even though only 33% of American consumers know what “fair trade” means. Have you explained it to your friends and family yet? I didn’t even know how environmentally rigorous the certification is until I dug into TransFair’s website. TransFair teaches and empowers producers to become stewards of their environment, so that Fair Trade Certified products are also environmentally responsible. For example, with apparel, they only approve factories which already meet the legal environmental standards. This is a big deal in countries where many textile mills dump toxic waste into the water supply as part of the dyeing and finishing processes. 58% of TransFair’s commodity products are also certified organic, and this is increasing.

The Organic Pharmacy :: Coming Up Roses.

Emma Pezzack — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:15:53 +0000

I used to think the smell of roses was something my grandmother might like but certainly wouldn’t pass the test of my modern girl olfactory senses. How wrong could I be! If you’ve ever plunged your nose into a fresh, powdery rose bloom on a warm day, you’ll know what I’m talking about. The new Double Rose Rejuvenating Cream from The Organic Pharmacy uses over 95% organic ingredients (most of which are cold-pressed), one of which is pure Persian Damask Rose. The smell is sheer bliss. A unique extract grown at 2,000 feet in the central region of Iran, the harvesting involves the entire village, who come together in May during the Rose harvest to pick the delicate flowers at dawn when moisture content is at its peak.

Skin MD Natural Face, Hand and Body Shielding Lotion

Wenona Napolitano — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:51:38 +0000

If you’ve read any of my posts about skin care products before you probably know I have issues with overly sensitive skin. Minor use of one tiny bit of the wrong thing makes me break out in all kinds of badness which could be anything from acne to hives.

Skin MD Natural may be just what the doctor ordered to solve my skin issues and give me radiant, healthy, break out free skin.

What’s an Eco Designer to Do about Bamboo?

Susanna Schick — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:00:26 +0000

Having read a lot of recent coverage of the FTC’s August 2009 ruling about bamboo, I wonder what will become of brands whose staple fabric is “bamboo”? The problem is, most of these designers and the textile sales reps they buy from, were sold rayon fabric labeled as bamboo. Rayon is a semi-synthetic fiber based on wood pulp. Sure, some of that wood pulp could be bamboo, but try getting a Chinese textile mill to tell you what they’re actually putting into the mix, as opposed to what they know you want them to tell you is in there.

While Viscose Rayon (known simply as Rayon in the US) is a wonderfully breathable fiber with great texture, strength, and drape-ability, it does require a lot of nasty chemicals to turn that wood pulp, bamboo or otherwise, into soft textile products. In Delia Montgomery’s recent article on the subject, one of the comments mentions the impact of cotton, complaining that cotton has a more negative net impact than bamboo.

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Groove into Happiness ~ Dance is a Good Antidepressant!

Lucille Chi — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 20:09:22 +0000

Dance is a good antidepressant! Studies show dance boosts happiness and benefits overall health by:

stimulating the hippocampus, the brain area that regulates moods.

sparking new nerve growth in the brain with body coordination.

building repeated mental patterns and creating new pathways with each new move learned.

relieving and preventing depression with endorphins and releasing several other happy hormones.

increasing neural transmission especially when combined with singing and music, in fact, new scientific studies show that any live drumming builds neuroreceptors for folks with ADHD. Wow.

doubling the brain’s blood and oxygen levels when done aerobically, circulating neurotransmitters.

building muscles and helping to prevent heart disease.

offering hope in the battle of Alzheimer’s since dance helps increase the temporal and prefrontal activity to improve communication skills, memory, and attention.

helping kids of all ages work and think faster, and form new interconnections in their minds.

The intangible aspects of dance, the magic we feel inside when dancing, help us realize the non-physical benefits of this ancient healing art.
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Get Your Green Beauty Samples

Liz Thompson — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:52:20 +0000

Most people, when starting out with green beauty products, have no idea where to begin. Which products should I purchase first? Which will my skin like? And which are truly safe products, for that matter?

There are several online retailers who help with these decisions and get your new green beauty regimen off to a great start. Simply, easily, and without spening a lot of money. These are also worth a look if you already have a green beauty routine in place and would like to try a few different products. It is always fun to sample new stuff!
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Recycled Military Jackets from Burning Torch

Susanna Schick — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:00:53 +0000

A fresh new take on the military look is having a very strong moment, as seen on the runways of Paris, Milan, and New York this season. However, Burning Torch has been doing gorgeous recycled military surplus for years now. The white jacket above is made from surplus “snow camo.” It’s from their Spring 2010 collection in stores soon. I think it would look fabulous with the Killspencer bags we featured last month.

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Frigidaire vs. Method et al in the Epic Battle for Clean Dishes

Susanna Schick — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 06:45:44 +0000

The Culprit:

Frigidaire Ultra-Quiet (but louder than my old Bosch) III

The Contenders:

A selection of readily-available eco dishwasher detergents

Having just moved into a lovely apartment with a brand new high-efficiency, low-water use dishwasher built in, I was really looking forward to just loading it up and letting it sit for 3 days until full, like I always do. This dishwasher is being compared against three others. One is a very cheap baseline model, another is over 10 years old, and the third is a brand new Bosch I used for a few years before moving.

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Ecogear Praises Recycled and Nixes Bamboo

Delia Montgomery — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 03:08:59 +0000

Ecogear apparels are made from 100% recycled material. The company was founded early 2008 by Robert Hii, who is a 25-year fashion veteran with a passion to create clothing with only slight impacts on our planet.

Robert says it took more than a year to complete their ecowear collections as the most eco-friendly clothing in existence. His team went through lots of different materials and processes to conclude one without a cesspool of chemicals to produce and dispose. Besides the usual organic cotton and hemp, they investigated bamboo.
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Dear Keys Island Rx Healing Foam Wash- I Love You.

Emily Konkler — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:36:44 +0000

I always keep my eyes open for an incredible face wash. About a year ago, I started using the face wash by Organoderm and simply fell in love with it. A week ago, the kind “Product Cupid” shot me again. On the other end of that arrow? Keys Island Rx Healing Foam Wash: one incredible face wash.
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