Mable's Unique Shopping Blog » fair-trade

Eco Fashion Annual Summer Sale at GreenLoop

Lauren — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 03:49:06 +0000

SALE ENDS SUNDAY JULY 20th!

GreenLoop doesn’t fool around during their Summer Sale. It isn’t one of those sad “summer sales” where all the winter wear goes 10% off. They have discounted pretty much everything on their site at 20-70% off. If you’ve ever visited their store – or any green retailer for that matter – you’ve probably coveted lots of the sustainable, organic, recycled, Fair Trade eco fashion and accessories, but loathed the price tags. Honestly, they can be pretty ridiculous sometimes. But when they’re discounted up to 70% off, it’s a really smart time to pick up a few organic wardrobe cornerstones. Here are a few of my favorite picks;

New items will be added all week long so check back every few days for fresh eco friendly fashion and accessories. And if you sign up for their newsletter, you will get a coupon for an additional 10% off. Shipping is always just $5 flat rate and it’s carbon neutral!

SALE ENDS SUNDAY JULY 20th!

Earth Day and Beyond

Sean — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:25:22 +0000

Today most people will examine their personal “footprint” on Earth, looking for ways to become more sustainable. But why limit our efforts to just one day? This planet is ours to enjoy, but we’re responsible for protecting it as well. That’s why we love the green slogan Earth Day is Everyday: it reminds us to cultivate concern for “the environment” (you know, that things we’re all living in) every single day.

Mable’s has green gifts all year in our Eco-Friendly Gifts category. We are consistently looking for new green gifts to add to these categories as all of our products are hand picked.

Mable’s looks for gifts that use sustainable materials, recycled materials, organically grown materials, were fairly traded, reusable, and hopefully come from a factory that uses sustainable energy.

We also just added some BioDiesel Kits to easily convert your diesel engine to run off a more sustainable and cleaner burning fuel, vegetable oil. I’d be all over this kit, but I haven’t found a diesel powered scooter… yet. I guess my 80 MPG gas scooter will do until then.

Eco Friendly Fashion from Nimli and ecoSkin

Lauren — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:37:43 +0000

Lucky Magazine just put together a feature called Eco-Friendly Fashion Sourcebook, which introduced me to some new stores and designers. Two of my finds I just have to share. First is Nimli, an online boutique that is “devoted to providing natural, organic, and sustainable lifestyle products while embracing style and aesthetic“. While the fusion of beauty and environmental care is finally becoming the norm in green fashion, Nimli is the first site I’ve seen that does so seamlessly and without making “green” a novelty. The first time I saw the site, it looked so similar to other designer fashion sites that I thought I had clicked the wrong link! Everything looks polished and stylish, but the ubiquitous color green and images of nature are notably absent from their design and graphics. The message seems clear: Nimli does fashion, and being green is just their default. I look forward to the day when environmentally-friendly “options” are presented as the norm and not just a gimmick. Another aspect that helps them stand out among eco-minded retailers is their practice of having each item shipped directly from designer to customer, greatly reducing their carbon footprint, in addition to already buying carbon offset credits.

One of the lines carried at Nimli was also mentioned in the Lucky feature, and they offer classy, simple, contemporary women’s styles. ecoSkin is Los Angeles-based, and Spring 2008 marks their debut line. The designer says “I wanted to give women a hip, sophisticated collection, as well as a sustainable product that would not leave a footprint on the environment. My vision is to continually raise women’s awareness of their options. We can combine eco-friendly fabrics with a high design aesthetic.”

$106-$190

RELATED: For more lovely eco-friendly fashion, be sure to check out our Organic Clothes section.

Free Chocolate with Organic Easter Bouquets

Sean — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 01:55:57 +0000

Free Chocolate! Free Chocolate!
Do I have your attention yet? Shop any day at Organic Style and you are supporting a sustainable and environmentally friendly company. Shop between now and March 23rd ‘08 and each Easter Bouquet purchased will come with a beautiful gift box that includes three pieces of our gourmet Swiss truffles made with organic ingredients. This makes a great green gift for that special person or family you send to this Easter season.

Although there are a few Easter bouquets to choose from, Mable’s recommends the Stargazer Lilies because of their sheer beauty and delicious fragrance that fills the room.

$39.95 – $59.95

Save up to 50% on Eco-friendly Handbags

Sean — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 00:08:48 +0000

Start the year off right and buy products that are eco-friendly and useful. Right now the Ecoist Winter Sale is going on and there are plenty of handbags, clutches, and coin bags made from recycled and repurposed materials at 50% their normal price. Most of the bags on sale were handmade in Mexico or Peru with recycled goods and fair trade in mind. As an added bonus from being made from recycled newspapers or candy wrappers, these bags are very sturdy, and most are water resistant.

Want to save even more?
Take an additional 10% off by using coupon code wintersale08 during checkout. Coupon is valid now through 1/25/08.

Want more variety in your recycled bags? Check out the vast collection of handmade recycled bags on Etsy.

La Chamba Ware

Lauren — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 23:32:06 +0000

Are there any fellow foodies out there? As a lover of baking, I’ve done some experimenting with and researching of the available cookware materials: aluminum, glass, silicone, stone, steel, cast iron, and clay. Each has it’s own specialties and downsides, including possible health risks. Non-stick Teflon coatings, silicone, and lead containing glazes are a few of the materials that raise the biggest concerns about bakeware safety. So what options does that leave us with? So glad you asked!

I was recently introduced to La Chamba Ware, which seems to be ideal in just about every way. The pottery is handmade under Fair Trade standards in Columbia. Created from only mica clay, it is not glazed and contains no toxins. Instead, the clay is polished with river rocks; how cool is that? The pieces are then finished in wood kilns that turn them a lustrous and striking black. These stylish dishes are also very versatile and can be used on a gas stove (and electric stovetop using a heat diffuser) cleaned in the dishwasher, and even used in a microwave if that’s your thing. The only downside is that they don’t tolerate drastic changes in temperature, and thus need to pre-heat along with the oven. No biggie. Along with Viva Terra, you can often find discount La Chamba cookware on eBay. Happy (and safe) cooking!

$48-69

Found via Road Less Traveled
Also: Creative Clay Cooking Blog

Eco-friendly Gift Guide

Sean — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 05:20:14 +0000

Earth day is just around the corner (April 22nd) and we wanted to share our Earth friendly gift findings from our hand picked Green Gift Guide.

From the usual plant-a-tree and organic fruit baskets to the educational alternative energy house kit we’ve got more than a handful of Earth friendly and economical gift ideas. Remember, it doesn’t have to be Earth Day to give a gift the whole world will benefit from. Let’s create the habit of buying eco-friendly and sustainable gifts all year round.

Find gifts by tags: Solar, Recycled, Organic, Health, Fair-trade… view all tags.

Have any green gifts you’d like to be featured on our Green Gift Guide? Suggest them in the comments and let everyone know about them.

Pillows from Recycled Soda Labels

Alison — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 04:29:54 +0000

Buying Fair Trade, recycled goods is so easy nowadays. Consumers are starting to demand it, and artisans are happily complying. These colorful recycled pillows from Uncommon Goods are an excellent example. Handmade from recycled plastic soda bottle labels by South African artisans, these recycled art pieces have an amazing, soft texture and will liven up any room. When guests in your home inquire about the fun feel of the pillows, how fun will it be to answer, “Oh, those come from recycled soda labels, and were handmade in South Africa!”? Answer: probably very fun.

$45-75

Organic Jeans

Alison — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 16:45:03 +0000

It can be hard finding organic cotton clothing. Mainstream designer jean companies usually don’t bother to make any of their products organic, and the companies that do are few and far between. That’s why I was so excited to find Greenloop: they’re a company with a conscience. As their website says, “all of the goods at Greenloop are made by conscientious companies who are committed to environmental stewardship and social responsibility”. If you want your “dollar votes” to support Fair Trade practices and organic farming, Greenloop should be one of your first stops. Conventional cotton farming requires as much as 1/3 a pound of chemicals to grow enough cotton fiber to make a single t-shirt. Being the treehugger that I am, organic denim (as well as any item of organic clothing) is a must have. Right now Greenloop is having a killer sale on most of their organic denim, so you can save up to 50% off. Cute, organic jeans for under $100 are a rare find so scoop them up at this price while you can. These jeans would make a fantastic organic gift for the conscientious shopper in your life, or a “just for me” treat.

$80-$190

Fair Trade Valentine’s Chocolate

Lauren — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 23:37:04 +0000

In gift giving many people say “it’s the thought that counts”. Do you suppose that sentiment extends into thinking of others, too? I’d like to think so, and based on the Fair Trade offerings at Global Exchange, I’m not the only one. There is a variety of decadent, organic chocolates available on their site, all of which are produced and sold under Fair Trade practices. Your Valentine’s gift will be that much sweeter when it enables small cocoa farmers to earn a living wage and supports organic agriculture.

Whether your sweetheart is a true chocolate connoisseur or just one if its many fans, he or she will adore the rich selection at Global Exchange. There are lots of velvety dark chocolates with high cocoa content (my fave), as well as the standard milk chocolates and assorted caramels, bonbons, and other confections. One of their best sellers, the Valentine’s Day Action Kit, includes enough individually wrapped chocolates, retro styled Valentine cards and other goodies to satiate an entire classroom or office. There are also gift baskets and other sweet non-candy gifts available in their Valentine’s Day gift guide.

$3.99+