Reusable Bags News

I’d like to welcome the innovators at Rishi Tea to our eco community. They produce only authentic loose leaf teas straight from tea gardens across Asia using ancient artisanal practices, organic cultivation methods and fair trade practices. It began in 1997 by a man named Joshua Kaiser, a long time traveler and student of asian tea-making techniques and the 1000′s of years of history behind tea-making in the far east. He had a vision to bring this unique taste to North America.

Each year Rishi Tea travels thousands of miles to find the points of origin where the tea leaves are harvested creating personal bonds with the families who have been cultivating the leafs for generations and setting up relationships that benefit the tea farmers and helps them sustain their industry and ancient techniques. Here’s Rishi’s dedication to sustainable organic manufacturing of their teas…

Rishi Tea’s commitment to sustainability is a core company philosophy that stems from the organic tea gardens where our teas are harvested. Our firsthand experience in many tea-growing regions led to our heightened awareness of the dire need for social responsibility. Rishi Tea was among the first to earn organic certification under the USDA’s Natural Organic Program in November of 2002 and at the forefront in the advancement of Fair Trade Certified tea, becoming one of the highest payers of social premiums from the sale of Fair Trade tea. The TransFair USA Fair Trade Certified projects with which Rishi partners directly support a better life for the tea-farming families and their communities through fair prices, fair wages, safe working conditions, environmental sustainability, education and community development.

Visit Rishi Tea and browse all of their different unique flavors and blends. You will notice a distinct difference in flavor and quality when you taste the true origin of loose leaf tea from asian tea gardens.

Thomas and his company HOPS press are working to change people’s relationship with nature for the positive. In our modern day in-door culture, with manicured lawns, miles of city blocks and infrastructure have been drawn farther and farther away from the symbiosis between man and nature. Thomas’ insightful approach to books and video is focused on strengthening that connection once again to develop a much better appreciation for our Planet’s natural environments.

Those of us in the field of environmental education preach a different message, telling people that “all life is interconnected” and “we really are part of nature.” But in the next breath we tell them to stay on the trails and to practice “no-trace” camping. We tell them to look at nature and photograph it, but not to touch it. We tell them our modern way of life is destroying nature, and that we need to stop mucking up the planet. We tell them we are part of nature–the bad part!

Thomas and his team write many good books on primitive living skills, worldviews, enriching the human spirit and natural home design. Here’s a link to his latest catalog of books and DVDs. Check out HOPS press today and start fine tuning your spirit’s connection with nature!

I’m honored to add Solar Richard to our eco community. He is an innovator in the field of solar energy whom is running many projects across the world to implement energies from the sun for building efficient houses to helping third world countries sustain electricity. He has actually stood on the North Pacific Gyre and witnessed first hand the extent of the repercussions on the waste society is creating.

SolarRichard is Tacoma Washington, USA’s own answer to how to make solar energy work in homes and offices, even in the Pacific Northwet, where, “We don’t Tan, we Rust.”  As the name implies, SolaRichard has devoted a good chunk of his adult life (over 30 years) to solar energy.  He has been speaking and teaching on the subject for some time. He was honored at the 50th Annual Solar World Conference in Orlando, Florida, USA at “2005 Solar World Congress” as a Solar Pioneer with more than 25+ years in the solar industry. See his Summer Solstice party.

Most recently, he spoke on Solar Energy and LED Lighting at “Solar Nigeria 2007″ in Abuja, Nigeria, Africa.  He is now working on a plan to electrify rural Nigerian villages with solar energy and bring them LED lighting. He offered to build a solar production plant using materials from Nigeria and allow Nigeria to become a World player in the photovoltaic market.

He is a font of solar ideas.  You can see his idea for using solar LED light to illuminate the Tacoma Narrows Bridge at www.NarrowsBridgeLights.org .  He has been published in Solar Today, REfocus, the Kiplinger Report, Mother Earth News, and interviewed by several TV stations, radio and newspapers.  Locally, he is working with students at Bellarmine High School on solar projects that have won 1st place at the INTEL Science Competition for Solar Engineering these past four years.

He is a font of solar ideas.  You can see his idea for using solar LED light to illuminate the Tacoma Narrows Bridge at www.NarrowsBridgeLights.org .  He has been published in Solar Today, REfocus, the Kiplinger Report, Mother Earth News, and interviewed by several TV stations, radio and newspapers.  Locally, he is working with students at Bellarmine High School on solar projects that have won 1st place at the INTEL Science Competition for Solar Engineering these past four years.

And, as one might expect, he was the first in Tacoma to have a solar tracking grid-tie that allows his electric meter to go backwards.  He uses a photovoltaic solar tracking system so that his solar array is always facing the Sun at the optimal angle for peak efficiency.  He has number of solar demonstration projects, including a 1.8KW remote solar power system in his Chevy Suburban to solar power Al Gore’s movie, “An Inconvenient Truth” at local libraries and schools. He also has a solar electric scooter, solar massage chair, solar attic fan, solar LED security lights, solar Stereo/CD and more.  He will be using his solar know how to power the PA system for the Daffodil Parade and provide solar power for the Jazz & Blues Music Festival later that afternoon.

This is just a small subset of Richard’s breakthroughs in utilizing solar energy on a mass scale. Keep up the good work, you are setting the table for our sustainable future Richard!

I’d like to welcome Sandie and her company Organic Matters who run 4 beautiful websites focusing on equine nutrition, cozy egyptian sheets, organic skin care products and organic cosmetics online. With their dedication to organic made products and environmental consciousness they are ambassadors for the future of our planet and it’s animals! Here is some information on each of their online stores. Visit them today!

Equine Nutrition
We understand and believe that nutrition is the key to performance and health. There are interesting health and performance similarities between human and horse, particularly when either is developing physical perfection and athleticism. When we ask more of our horse we need to give back in the way of nutrients to ensure continued health and stamina. This is vital and we want to be here to supply you with the highest quality products possible. It does not matter whether you are competing at any level or have a beloved pet in your care we know you want the best quality nutrients. We provide the industry’s highest concentration of active ingredients.

Organic Skin Care
Organic Skin Care Online is proud to provide you with organic skin care that is safe and nourishing to your skin and body. Our full line of skin care, baby care, body care and toothpaste provide with everything you need to nourish your skin with products you know are good for you and the planet too! We know how important your health is and so understand why you would want to put only certified organic products on and in your body. You will love the way they make your skin and hair feel too.

Organic Cosmetics
We believe looking great shouldn’t mean you have to put yourself at risk of making your body ill. Nature gives us the plants and fibers we can use to protect our skin, smell great, and have lovely healthy skin too. It is our mission to help you get all the organic products you want while feeling great about what you put on your skin. The rise of various illnesses in women may have a correlation with the toxins in regular products we have been using without realizing how harmful chemicals can be.

Cozy Egyptian Cotton Sheets
Egyptian cotton is noted across the world for its quality, durability, and luxurious comfort. For that reason, we only offer 100% Egyptian cotton. Crafted from cotton grown in the lush Nile River Valley, Egyptian cotton is sturdy, yet its softness is enhanced with each washing. Unlike other sheets, Egyptian cotton sheets just keep getting better with age. Whether you need a king pillow case or the luxury of a goose down pillow, trust us with all your bedding needs.

Susan with Eco Artistic Products is our latest eco friend. Eco Artistic has many pieces of beautiful unique hand crafted jewelry and gifts.  I particularly like their primitive wood crafts. Here is what Susan has to say about Eco Artistic’s vision

Eco Artistic Products wishes to share with you a superb collection of exclusive handmade, eco-friendly, natural and colorful artwork, which stands out in not only in terms of quality and warmth, but uniqueness (no single piece is alike) and utmost beauty in craftsmanship. It is considered nature’s art.

Our “Unique handcrafted Jewelry” is one of the largest, natural wholesale jewelry collection (necklaces, bracelets, earrings) you will ever find in the online retail world, not only in variety, but also in combination of materials, showing their superior colors, grain, carving (soft rectangles, squares, ovals) and sanding styles, all satin smooth finished. The impact of our artisans’ famous art work has resulted in exposing their “wood bowls” in galleries and many private collectors around the world

Each item’s background goes beyond its skillfully assembled artwork, factoring the environment in their work. When searching for this natural art, it is frequently only accessible by driving long hours along beautiful tropical scenery and exotic wood forests. Our artists have embraced the idea of sustainable development to create original exotic wood pieces from only found fallen logs on farms or beaches or from plantation raised trees, as they are saving their heritage and respecting nature and protecting their ecological richness. This leads to promote flourishing communities and a more sustainable environment.

I love Susan’s commitment to natural art coming from of our Planet’s most majestic forests. Visit Eco Artistic Products and browse their beautiful eco handcrafted artwork.

I’d like to welcome Peggy with Everthing Goes Thrift shops in Staten Island. They have 4 wonderful shops specializing in clothing, books, furniture and a gallery. Their first store opened in 1983 and they have expanded from one floor to three and from one building to four! When I browsed their clothing website, I saw some very cool costume ideas for Halloween which is coming up soon! Here’s some more from Peggy about ETG’s vision…

By serving a wide range of customer needs from practical to theatrical, frivolous to formal, retro to contemporary; By reclaiming used clothing, books, furniture, and other household items, restoring their beauty and function. We attempt to reduce our negative impact on the environment, taking into account the earth’s limited resources and the needs of our fellow inhabitants worldwide; By meeting all these needs and desires at the lowest cost possible, with the best service we can offer; By supporting cooperative living and simple living values; and By designing fun places to shop and work – places that inspire us to find new and creative purposes for the reuseable resources around us.

Everyone who works in the stores lives together and shares in the stores’ profits. Because we live and work together, work relationships and conflict resolution are important to us. We seek open and caring ways of relating to one another in which we regard problems as opportunities to work together. And we find that when we do put our minds together to solve problems we make better decisions.  We want to extend this caring of each other to our customers as well. We view our customers as unique, valuable people who add to our lives by sharing theirs.

Visit ETG clothing today and check out all four of their storefront online. Be sure to stop by when you are in the Staten island area and take a peak!

I’d like to welcome Theresa with five ACCESSORIES to our eco community. They have a unique approach that mirrors our own by fully supporting the countries where their bags and other accessories are manufactured. Here’s what Theresa has to say about their approach to sustainable business.

Designer handbags

five ACCESSORIES is a socially conscious company featuring handbags and accessories sourced through fair trade practices in FIVE countries.  Our mission is to help generate income for individuals in developing areas, donate a substantial portion of the revenues to worthy causes in those areas, and to foster the use of sustainable materials in fashion. $5.00 from every handbag sale is given back to the country it originated in.

In addition to our work with artisans in Bali, India, Honduras, and Cambodia, five ACCESSORIES is also partnering with several local organizations.  In April 2009, we launched an accessory line titled ‘Off The Street’, which is sourced and produced by vendors of StreetWise, a Chicago based social enterprise designed to help elevate severely impoverished men and women out of poverty.  By employing individuals that have formerly been homeless and using littered material “off the streets” of Chicago, we are offering a unique eco-friendly accessory line consisting of bracelets, buttons, belts, pins and picture frames constructed and adorned with items such as transit cards, bottle caps, ticket stubs from sporting events and other urban refuse.  As with all of our accessory sales, 15% of gross income will be donated back to the local organization, StreetWise.

“We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” – Native American Proverb.

This is the first thing that caught my eye when I visited Positively Organic and it touched me deeply. I’d like to welcome Peter with Positively Organic to our eco community.  They offer a wide variety of excellent apparel for children and organic baby clothes. Here’s some information on the history of Postively Organic and their eco friendly approach…

Combining luxuriously-soft organic cotton and sweatshop-free manufacturing with bold graphics, bright colors and hip, yet simple designs, Positively Organic’s delightful collection of children’s apparel is not just fun to wear — it’s kinder to the planet and to the people who make them.

Positively Organic was founded by New York city residents Nancy and Peter Possenti, on the simple belief that when it comes to dressing kids, parents shouldn’t have to choose between style and sustainability. With a clear vision, great passion and big dreams — but limited resources — the Possenti’s started their company working late nights and weekends while also holding other jobs.  Tapping into their diverse backgrounds and talents, they designed a website, ordered some inventory and, with a heat press in their living room, started fulfilling orders.

At Positively Organic, we passionately believe in the idea of doing well by doing good.  As our company grows, we’re strongly committed to “putting our money where our heart is”  by taking care of our environment, our communities and, most importantly, our children in a number of ways. Working exclusively with socially responsible companies and making sure that the workers who make our products are paid a living wage and treated with dignity. Supporting causes that are near and dear to our hearts in 4 key areas:  Children’s Health and Welfare, Environmental Sustainability, Economic Justice, Artistic Expression.

I’d like to welcome Karen who owns and operates Vintage Virtuosa  offering fine vintage clothing, jewelry and accessories for the discriminating shopper. I love Karen’s definition of what vintage means….

If I were to define vintage it would be a sip of fine wine from my grandmother’s goblet, the lingering scent of tobacco from my grandfather’s pipe, a favorite family recipe, an old re-run of `I Love Lucy’. If I were to define vintage clothing it would be a dress that dictates trend from a designer or dressmaker who captured a stylistic moment, it would be a signature piece from a retired designer or a unique item that depicts the socioeconomic climate of its era. Vintage can, but does not have to bear a label, it is of a time when getting dressed was an art form and clothes were constructed, not just made, it is a time when we celebrated our bodies and revealed ourselves from the outside in, when women were demure, yet sexy, temperate, yet sensual, coy, yet poised. It is also fun, exciting, playful and outlandish. Vintage is what you make of it and what it makes of you. So come and discover the world of yesterday and see that while it is not brand new it is not yesterday’s news.

I enjoy going out on private appointments and getting to know the women this way and gain some insight as to who they were as individuals in the world and how they celebrated themselves through their personal image and sense of style.  Every item we sell has a history and a story and we feel privileged to be in the business of passing along a little bit of someone’s personal history along with their coveted treasures.

On the green side of things, we recycle shipping paper, ribbons, boxes, you name it, all in the theme of reuse and repurpose.  To wear vintage is to reuse and repurpose so we adopt this philosophy in all aspects of running the business.

We appreciate Karen’s eco friendly approach to operating her business. Check out Vintage Virtuosa to view all of her unique lines of vintage clothing today!

I personally love olive oil, I cook all my food with it and being a Psoriasis sufferer I supplement my diet with a good amount of olive oil to help my skin. I just swallow a spoonful everyday! I’m happy to welcome Steve McCulley with Apollo Olive Oil to our eco community. They are celebrating their 10th anniversary and have been awarded Five Golds, Three Silvers, and a Bronze so far this year along with – Best US Organic Olive Oil – Biol, Italy 2009 and Best of Class at the LA County International Olive Oil Competition 2009. Here’s what Steve has to say about their approach to making delicious organic olive oil…

Our olive oil is 100% raw, first-crush, cold-pressed on the only mill in America designed to maximize polyphenol (anti-oxidant) extraction, resulting in oils with extraordinary intensity of flavor and health benefits. Apollo Olive Oil is one of just a few California olive oils that are certified both organic and extra virgin.

In 2006, Apollo Olive Oil was named one of the Top Ten Olive Oil Producers In The World, by the prestigious Milan judging panel, I Mastri Oleari, the first California oil to be so honored.

Our commitment to craftsmanship extends from grove to bottle. We propagate our own cuttings from superior stock, tend our trees with organic, sustainable methods, harvest by hand at optimum ripeness and closely monitor every phase of the milling process. Our oil is a pure, unadulterated product, certified as Extra Virgin by the California Olive Oil Council, and documented by a top Italian lab for its extremely high polyphenolic content.

Check out his website to learn more about their olive oil selections!