Last week, Renee told us which organic products can keep our skin looking and feeling good in the harsh winter weather. Kids and babies have a special set of needs when it comes to their skin. Kids need good sun protection (especially if they’re old enough to go skiing or snowboarding), and plenty of hydration (especially if they’re spending lots of time indoors in a heated house). Babies need healing ointment to protect little butts from diaper rash, especially if those little butts are wrapped in layers of winter clothes – while cozy thermals trap heat, they can also trap moisture, making rashes more likely. And every little one needs bug protection. Wait, what? Bugs? In the winter? Yup – don’t forget that, for half of our planet, it’s actually summer right now: Australia and South Africa, for example, are just hitting their peak annual temperatures. Natural insect repellent is perfect for keeping babies bite-free safely. Keep reading →

So, you have decided to kick that nasty bottled water habit? Good for you! I’m sure you already know about the huge environmental impact of the bottled water industry, like the more than 1.5 million barrels of oil that are used to make bottled water each year. Or maybe that 90% of plastic water bottles end up in landfills, instead of being recycled. But, have you also heard some of the many benefits of drinking tap water? Most tap water in the U.S. is as safe or safer than bottled water, which makes sense considering that 40% of all bottled water is just filtered tap water! Haven’t you ever wondered what the “Municipal Source” or “Community Water System” labels mean on your bottled water? Yup, filtered tap water. So what if I told you that you could make this same bottled water, at your home or on the go, save money, and drastically decrease your environmental footprint? Here are some of my favorites that use high-end carbon water filters to clean tap water of chlorine, iodine and other bad tasting chemicals while you drink! Keep reading →

While snowboarding may not be the most eco-friendly sport out there – especially the lift-served, made-snow variety – there are some snowboard companies going all out to make a difference. Companies are raising awareness of the threat that climate change is posing to our winter wonderlands, helping riders find the resorts that are putting some green towards being green, and working to make their products as sustainable as possible.  After all, it’s in their interest to keep the snow falling!

In 2007, professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones, formed Protect our Winters (POW); an organization aimed at bringing the winter sports community together to focus on initiatives that will have a direct impact on the climate change that has become such a threat to our mountains and glaciers. In other words, to prevent the official rise of grassboarding as a sport. Our options are becoming more limited, as smaller resorts that rely on only natural snow are being forced to close. Beyond the future of the sport, in many places snow pack is a natural storage system for water used to irrigate agricultural lands, come snow melt in spring. As glaciers recede, and snow accumulations lessen, many people who depend on them for food and water are threatened. Keep reading →

One of the best things about buying t shirts is how fun it is. Here are a few of our favourite eco-tees on the site. Clockwise we have: California Rising’s Mind Over Matter, Topo Ranch’s W’s Spray and Saddle Up tees, Andira’s Rainforest Tee and PartyBot’s Little Timmy Tee.

T-shirts haven’t always been the pinnacle of fashion that they are today. They were first made ‘cool’ back in the 1950’s when actors such as Marlon Brando and James Dean started wearing them as regular clothes, a layer or two above their traditional position as underwear. Suddenly, they became a symbol of sex, irreverence and rebellion. Ever since, tees have been a popular means of conveying a personal message, whether political, humorous or downright cool. Keep reading →

First Up, The Lowdown:

The word ‘pajama’ (or ‘pyjama’) was imported from the Hindustani language and comes from the word Payjama, which literally translates as ‘leg garment’. Pajamas first became popular in the West during the British colonial era in the 19^th Century. Although men started wearing pajamas as nightwear, it wasn’t long before more elegant examples- made from silk and richly coloured cotton, were worn as general loungewear.

It took until about 1920 for the trend to catch on with women. Coco Chanel’s lounging pajamas transformed popular opinion and the fashion took off in a big way. These days, pajamas are used to describe just about anything from full length jacket and trouser nightwear through to clothes for relaxing. Keep reading →

You know the drill: You go to a kid’s birthday party, you leave with a swag bag. Often, though, the party favors inside aren’t particularly eco-friendly. You might get a couple of dodgy plastic bath toys, a board book, and some candy, which your child will probably shove in his or her mouth quicker than you can say “High fructose corn syrup!” Here are some ideas for greener party favors – and they’re all under $10, so you can buy one for each of the little guests at your kid’s next get-together.

Bud takes the traditional rubber duckie bath toy and puts a fun twist on it. Give kids a Space Duck, complete with a clear plastic space helmet and orange NASA jumpsuit. Darling Duck is turquoise with cute white polka dots; Rock Duck is black with red skull-and-crossbone logos; Love Duck has hot pink hearts on a bright pink background; and, for little ghouls, Horror Duck has gory red blood splatters on his smiling face. All Bud bath ducks are made of phthalate-free plastic. Keep reading →

Looking for top rated eco friendly skin care and cosmetics?  Trying to find the organic makeup line that’s right for you, your budget and your skin?  There are a lot of choices out there, and with new brands jumping into the green beauty business every day, it’s hard to figure which products are rated the best by the experts and consumers alike.

In your quest to find the best eco friendly skin care or cosmetics brands, you can’t go wrong with the old adage:  ‘If you wouldn’t want to eat it, don’t put it on your skin.’ After all it’s estimated 60% of what we put on our skin is absorbed into our body.  Yikes!  And with so many options to buy green, organic, or natural, and with many brands claiming to be pure blessings, I’ll bet you quickly decided there was too much out there to trek through alone.

To help make your organic beautification just a little easier, here’s a starter list of some great eco-sensitive and organic beauty brands you’re sure to find irresistible. Keep reading →

Although the availability of green products for the home is expanding, many of the companies that carry these items are still falling under the radar because they just aren’t part of the mainstream yet. This means that without digging deeper, prospective green consumers just don’t know where to look in order to find affordable, eco-friendly items to decorate their homes with. It’s really nice to see some of the big name companies coming on board with green alternatives, because it increases everyone’s exposure to products that are sustainable, eco-friendly and affordable. Keep reading →

Yoga is about getting in touch with your body and improving your overall health and well-being, but it also helps you to connect with the environment and your natural surroundings when you let go of those everyday worries that can come with modern living, and get an out of body experience that puts you in touch with the world.  Little equipment is needed for yoga; all you need is some comfortable clothing and a yoga mat. Connecting with nature on a more spiritual level is one thing, but come on, what good does that do if your product choices don’t reflect the same mentality? Keep reading →

Cork isn’t just for topping wine bottles anymore; it’s becoming one of the trendiest materials in sustainable home furnishings because it’s a material with minimal environmental impact, it can withstand the tests of time, and it looks pretty cool too. After your next dinner party, or the next time you have one of your own secret drinking binges; save up your corks, you might just be inspired to create your own sustainable piece of furniture like the latest design by Iannone Design.

The Cork Media Console is a modern, minimalist design ready to house your flat screen TV and the rest of your home entertainment center. Made of cork which delivers the unique texture and look of the furniture, as well as bamboo plywood, you can focus on your green furniture and stare at it for hours on end while you fall into zombiedom in front of the TV every evening.

While some may hold the misconception that cork is a precious commodity that is on its way to extinction, it’s in fact one of the most sustainable materials that comes directly from nature. Cork can be extracted without killing the entire tree that it comes from, so within a 9 to 10 year period the tree is still trucking with a whole new outer layer grown back. Cork will also last longer than most other materials, so it needs little enhancement beyond the low-VOC water-based topcoat applied by Iannone to outlast your design tastes. Cork is watertight, easily recycled, as well as shock and fire resistant; it’s properties are so sustainable that it might hang around so long that you might just be finding ways to get rid of it!

Get your hands on the Cork Media Console, but now that you know all about the sustainability of cork, take a moment to appreciate all it has to offer next time you uncork your favorite bottle of wine.

Via: Nature Repurposed