And the Winner of the Earth Divas Bag Is…

Judi! Hooray!

I only had 6 entries this time around so it was easier to write them out on slips of paper, shuffle ‘em around then pick and lucky number 5 was the winner! (Because there were seven comments but 2 & 3 were both the same person I omitted # 3)

So anyway Judi if you’d like I can certainly let them know to send you this bag that was your favorite…

Or if there is something different you’d like to try in their Fair Trade, hemp fiber bag line by all means let me know.

Congratulations and no need to get me your address, I think I better know where you live by now, mum! ♥love♥

Earth Divas Fair Trade and Natural Fiber Bags

Good morning all! I’ve been a busy little bee lately with work and finishing up my book but now that things have settled down some I can get right back to doing reviews and I couldn’t think of a better place to start than Earth Divas!

I was contacted by these folks directly and sent a super fun, practical, functional and great looking tan bag, hand made by a talented artist in Nepal, from rapidly renewable hemp fiber.

With two very generous outside pockets in chocolate brown and three inside pockets (in addition to the main bag) I will certainly not run out of convenient spaces for my smaller items. With magnetized snaps or zippers the pockets will keep everything safely tucked away. And the bag is sturdy too.

The casual messenger style is great for me because I always have a couple checkbooks and my day planner with me so the roominess is great too.

The company is a wonderful model -- they provide free training and pay their artists direct under fair trade practices. With a 10% donation that goes right back to the artists Earth Divas claims to pay 10-25% higher than the standard labor rate, 30% above the local wage rate. At the end of the year all profits are paid direct to the artists and the owner of the company, Ed Edmundson, doesn’t even draw a salary!

The price is not outrageous for such a well made, socially responsible item either. The bag I was sent retails at $29.99 but their catalog is chock full of items that run under $20 too. The range in price does not diminish the quality or functionality however.

With so many positives -- natural/renewable fiber, social responsibility, training and encouragement of the artists, sustainability, functionality and durability -- and such a wonderful company model overall I am granting Earth Divas a Four and a Half Leaf Rating!

Now for the best part…for those of you who stuck around to read the whole review, Green Leaf Reviewer, in conjunction with Earth Divas, is doing a giveaway of one of these awesome hand made bags! That’s right and you could win it!

Here are the rules:

Get on over to the Earth Divas website.
Find your favorite bag.
Come back to GLR and leave a comment about which bag is your favorite.
Tell me why you think hemp is a smart choice for the planet.

I will be picking the winner on Tuesday July 6 at 6:00PM EST so get your votes in now and you might just find a super cute, well made, socially responsible bag on your front doorstep!

Thanks Earth Divas for helping to make this planet a better place ♥love♥

Eco Fashion Friday Featured Company the Andean Collection

The Andean Collection is a collaborative effort of jewelry designer Amanda Judge and the artisans who utilize sustainable materials from the jungles of South America to create one of a kind items that are simply, out of this world, cool.

This socially conscious company not only fairly compensates its artists for their work, but allows them to take part in a profit sharing program where they become part owners of the organization as well. Right on!

When my Classic Tagua bracelet in the color grape arrived in the mail my jaw literally hit the ground. Created from the harvested tagua nut (a renewable resource growing on the outside of the ivory-nut palm tree, not harvested until after it has fallen), I was immediately impressed with the durability of the beads. Because of the inherent strength of this material it can be carved and polished to achieve a beautiful sheen.

It takes dye remarkably well and comes in 13 colors (three are currently sold out). All dyes used are designed for use on textiles and are non-toxic as well as environmentally safe. In addition to this every last drop of material is utilized either as jewelry, feed for animals, as fertilizer or even as fuel in kiln style ovens.

These bracelets do double duty, not only does their sale provide income to the artists who create them but because they reside within the rainforest, selling these beads is a way to stop further razing of this precious resource as well.

In addition to the tagua, there are five other sustainable materials utilized in the Andean Collection - coconut, Açaí berries, huayruro seeds, jaboncillo seeds and Pambil seeds.

The best part of all? The bulk of the collection is well under $50. The tagua is only $18; well worth the cost! Similar synthetic versions would likely be more expensive and would not come close to the unique appearance of this naturally occurring material.

In addition to the materials, the company as a whole is striving to lower their carbon footprint by recycling, using recycled paper for marketing materials and tags, using energy efficient lighting and they will also continue Fair Trade practices.

With such a strong eye on providing not only a beautiful product, but an environmentally and socially conscious one as well, I am granting Andean Collection a Four Leaf Rating!

It is great to see a local company persevering in such a human friendly way, keep up the trend! ♥love♥

Eco Fashion Friday Featured Company Novica

This review of Novica is being completed on an Eco Fashion Friday because the item I acquired from the company is this beautiful hand stamped, hand made, batik dress called “Travel Dreams” (made in Indonesia by Mayda).

I have worn the dress a couple times and it is super comfortable. I have a short stature (5’-2”) and the dress fell right at my knee; the perfect length to not shorten me further! The cap sleeves and empire waist show off what I want and help hide the rest.

The cost was reasonable as well; at approximately $50 with a shipping cost of only $3 I was impressed by the quality for the cost comparison of a hand made piece.

In addition to the clothing line (men, women & kids!), Novica offers many, many, options of items for purchase from their Artisans such as Home Décor, Jewelry, Handbags, Fine Art paintings, Eco-Friendly Gifts and an entire line specifically dedicated to Corporate Gifts.

The Artisan who designed my dress, Mayda, lives in Bali and designs for Bali and Java, but the company helps to employ a wide range of Artisans in a wide range of geographic locations world wide from the Andes to West Africa. This socially conscious method allows the Artisan to sell directly through Novica, who also claims to be a Fair Trade company; each individual Artisan sets their own prices on their items. Cool!

I was concerned that the Eco-Friendly gifts were not better described as far as what their Earth friendly benefits actually were. There are two categories in this heading: Sustainable & Natural and Recycled & Reclaimed. Some were clearly obvious such as belts made from soda pop tops but others in the Recycled & Reclaimed category such as glass pitchers were not as readily describable.

Due to the overall socially conscious nature of this company, their effort to provide such a wide range of hand made products and their unique approach to doing so through Eco and Corporate Gifts, I am awarding Novica a Three Leaf Rating!

I am looking forward to shopping from your talented artisans again in the future, keep up the fantastic work Novica! ♥love♥

The Feeling is Good Society and the Word Is Denim

Its eco-fashion Friday again, where do the weeks go?! In my quest for eco-fashion this week I inadvertently stumbled across an organization called Good Society and what I discovered about these folks really impressed me. They have a few divisions including: Pathos Water, Deconstruction Reconstruction, Fannypack and the division I will be reviewing today -- Sling and Stones which is all about denim for both men and women.


What sets the company Sling & Stones apart in the world of denim is their use of American grown, handpicked organic cotton to make their Supima denim, as it is a rare but natural fiber. In addition to the organic fiber, the indigo dyes are all natural and ozone friendly washes are utilized to finish each piece. The fiber is hand loomed at a small Japanese mill and the jeans are then constructed back in Seattle. Oh and did I mention that the rivets are created from 24K gold?

This should lead into the cost quite nicely (and it is the only draw back I could find because the company supports charities worldwide), each pair will set you back $260 - $350. The price is steep but if you are a lover of soft, easy to break in, last forever, high end denim, then the price will be well worth it knowing the environmental benefit each pair possesses.

With their efforts to employ workers in Peru, donate to such charities as suicide prevention in Japan and their use of organic and Fair Trade materials, Sling & Stones is on the cutting edge of eco-fashion awesomeness. I am granting the company a Three Leaf Rating simply due to the price point which would be out of reach to so many.

I will be keeping my eye on both Sling & Stones as well as Good Society as trail blazers in the eco-fashion world. Keep up the great work! ♥love♥