Look Good While Saving the Planet: Shop for Gluten-Free Goodies with the Envirosax Bag April 26, 2010

Did you celebrate Earth Day on the 22nd?

I love that “going green” has gained so much momentum and that saving our beautiful Earth is becoming an important priority to most people. It worries me when what seems like every day there’s another natural disaster, another animal that’s almost extinct, and hearing more and more about a rapidly disappearing ozone layer above our little world.  I definitely want to be a part of the ‘go green’ movement, preserve mother nature, and keep this lovely planet that we call home intact for myself, for my kids, and for their kids too…

So, what do I do to ‘green’ my life? Well, for starters, I recycle. To me, it’s the easiest way to do good for the Earth without even exerting a lot of effort; just put the recyclable plastic, glass, or paper into the blue bin instead of the black bin.

I also try to make an effort to buy recycled products. When I can, I do try to choose products that’s made from recycled materials over ones that are not. Most the time, I can’t even notice the difference between recycled materials and regular, so if I can choose the one that’s doing good for our planet, why wouldn’t I go with the kinder-version of what I want?

I use energy-efficient light bulbs and I choose organic, all-natural meats, produce, and food that supports farmers and farming practices that want to treat our land, our animals, and our bodies with respect.

But I’m certainly not perfect. I don’t drive a hybrid car and I have definitely have had my fair share of long, hot, wasteful showers. There’s so much more that I could be doing for our precious Earth. I have a long way to go, but I am proud of the fact that I do care and do try to make a conscious effort to get better and continue to find more ways to go green.

A little voice inside of me has been nagging me for some time because of the fact that I’d still use plastic bags at the grocery store. I’d see the unattractive, straw-like “green” grocery bags just hanging on racks at the checkout stand, but could never follow through and give them a try. It’s not like I was ignorant either. I hated the fact that I knew how wasteful all those plastic bags were, and how much they pollute the Earth, yet would continue to go to the store and come home with bag after plastic bag…

I wonder how many wasteful plastic bags just sitting somewhere in a landfill belong to me… 

So, when I found the Envirosax La Boheme Bag on the Nubius Organics website, I knew I had found my solution!

The Envirosax bag has officially made it glamorous to go green when it comes to grocery shopping. No more frumpy, ugly ‘green’ bags! Hey, why not look good while saving the planet?

The Envirosax bag comes in a bunch of different colors and patterns (florals, solids, and abstract designs), and it also comes in different materials (polyester, hemp, and linen), but my favorite is the Envirosax La Boheme Bag 1.

Envirosax ®, La Boheme has been inspired by a fusion of the romanticism of Bohemia and the ideals of the Art Nouveau movement. This new range is a celebration of Envirosax pushing conventional boundaries, breathing new life into eco-friendly products with a focus on beautiful design.

Each bag is printed with an exciting graphics print using sublimation. This preferable print method ensures the print is indefinite and these striking bags will not fade. 19.5″ x 16.5″.

 

The Envirosax Bag is such an attractive alternative to those ugly, unflattering bags they sell at the grocery store. With black, French-like floral designs on an off-white background, it’s so adorable, you may find yourself toting around this eco-friendly tote bag to places besides the grocery store! Whether you’re off to the gym or out to a casual lunch with friends, this planet-friendly bag works well in lots of life situations. Not to mention, the Envirosax La Boheme Bag 1 is strong, durable, and even made of water-resistant polyester that works well with cold items with condensation while running errands (yes, the perfect carrier for cold champagne!).

And it only costs $7.95! What a great, affordable investment for something so cute that does so much good!

If you’re still collecting planet-polluting plastic grocery bags, give the Envirosax bag a try and make an effort to make a small change to ‘green’ your life! The next time you need to pick up a few gluten-free goodies at the market, slip on your strappy black heels, dark jeans, & red lipstick, and use your eco-friendly Envirosax bag to show the world how good-looking “’green’ really is. 🙂

Join me and take another small step to live a greener, healthier, and happier life… all without compromising your glamorous style!

Gluten-Free Grocery Tip: Another amazing product stocked by Nubius Organics? The Blue Lotus 100% Organic Cotton Bags! Use these to fill up on fresh, organic produce and just stick them inside your Envirosax tote as you shop at your local grocery store or farmers market! Again, another way to skip the plastic, go green, and use adorable, eco-friendly products with real functionality!

You can buy the Envirosax bag online from Nubius Organics; a fabulous one-stop-shop for all things organic, green, and glamorous! From reusable shopping bags and bottles, green gifts, and eco-friendly kids products, this website is really like an online mall for everything that you could ever want that’s planet-friendly, organic, and brilliant! Make sure that you add Nubius Organics to your website link favorites and browse their site for fantastic personal, home, wedding, baby, & other gift items. …Remember, Mother’s Day is right around the corner!

In fact, Nubius Organics is offering YOU, Glamour & Green Gluten-Free Readers, and exclusive 10% OFF discount at the Nubius Organics website! Just enter the discount code: SPRING10 at the Nubius Organics check-out for your special discount! And this discount applies towards the Envirosax bag or any other item on their website, for that matter!! 🙂

Go Green… Glamorously!

-Glamour & Green Gluten-Free

Organic Eating: It’s Not Just a Fad March 19, 2010

I read an article online from Eating Well today about eating organic today (see the Eating Well article here) and it just reminded me about why it’s so important to go the organic-route.

The article says, “…Pesticides can be absorbed into fruits and vegetables, leaving trace residues… Long-term exposure to them has been associated with cancer, infertility and neurologic conditions, such as Parkinson’s.”

 

Yikes. That’s scary stuff. Then, add the risks of eating gluten on top of it- it’s been linked to developing Multiple Sclerosis, Diabetes, Infertility, Autism, Thyroid Disease, Cancer… the list goes on.

We don’t eat gluten, right? Why would we eat pesticides and toxic chemicals that can put our bodies in just as much harm? I often wonder if all these diseases we Americans end up getting, or the incredibly sad situations of women who are not able to have children and desperately want them, could have been prevented by avoiding these poisons that lie in our every day foods!

It’s easy to think that the organic-hype is all bogus. Why would anyone let us eat tomatoes and lettuce and carrots if they were filled with dangerous chemicals right? I think the answer is simple: Because we buy them.

Have you ever noticed that the genetically-made, toxin-filled, non-organic produce rarely have bumps, flaws, or imperfections? The apples have thick coat of shiny wax that we now seem to think is normal. But it’s not normal. Organic produce might not always be the prettiest- they may have a few bumps, they won’t have a shiny wax coat, and they may have a little dirt on them, but they’re REAL! Organic produce is rich in the nutrients we need and jam-packed with true and natural flavors. 

I believe we need to support local farmers, support organic farmers, and choose quality over quantity in the name of our health!

 

I realized how real this situation is a year ago. TRUE STORY: At the time, we would eat organic half the time. When my husband was buying, everything was non-organic and cost-efficient. But one random trip to the grocery store, my husband and I bought some regular (non-organic) tomatoes and left them in our fruit bowl on our kitchen counter for a week. We realized a week later that we still hadn’t ate them and that they probably were bad. But when we inspected them to see if they were edible, they were in perfect condition… except for the little green veins that seemed to be growing inside the tomato!

I was really weirded out. That’s not what a tomato should look like. And where was the mold? We bought these tomatoes when they were ripe and ready to eat. A week later is usually way too long for these sensitive fruits.

Anyway, my husband was so intrigued by the green varicose-vein-looking-things- inside the red tomatoes that he refused to let me throw them away.

Another week later, the green veins inside the tomato begin to poke and grow out of the tomatoe’s skin! It was growing tomato vines right out of itself!!! There were tons of branch-like vines just growing out it’s own body… it looked like a Chia-Pet! 

I called my mom and asked her if she had ever seen a tomato grow new vines right out of itself… Nope! I was so scared of it, that despite my husband’s obsession with this freak-like science project, I demanded that we throw it away. And we did.

Before we got rid of it, I took a photo of this tomato with my camera-phone and sent it to my mom as proof. TO THIS DAY, I kick myself that I didn’t take photos with my regular camera (what the HECK was I thinking?!) because I broke my phone several months later and the pictures couldn’t be salvaged. My mom deleted the tomato photo too (I think it scared her too), so all my evidence is gone. 😦 …What a bummer!

Anyway, I hope you’ll believe me and take this organic-thing seriously. It’s not a fad! Refuse to buy non-organic, genetically modified produce, and support the farmers and companies that want you to live a long, healthy, and vibrant life!

Whew. That’s my rant for the day! 🙂

-Glamour & Green Gluten-Free

Glamorous, Organic, and Ethical Clothing March 8, 2010

Glamour and Green Gluten-Free found a fabulous website for ultra-cool clothes that are definitely green. And although clothing is not something us gluten-free gals typically worry about, we found a brand that looked so amazing, we seriously considered nibbling on some on some of their stuff (hey, it’s organic, right?!! 🙂 ): Fashion-Conscience.com

Here is their background and why you should invest in a shirt (or two.. or three…):

FASHION-CONSCIENCE.COM Ltd is a UK-based registered company formed in 2007 with the sole intention of sourcing ethical clothing for stylish women with a conscience, a site which is genuinely fashion forward.

The result of some sleepless nights on a break in Southern India worrying about climate change and workers rights, and a desire to find seriously stylish, seriously ethical clothes for herself, the founder of FASHION-CONSCIENCE.COM, a former fashion and celebrity journalist for the UK’s high end women’s glossies, decided to hunt down the hippest and most style-led ethical fashion to create a one-stop designer eco-fashion internet shop so all you eco-fashionistas could easily get your green mitts on it too.

We wanted to set up an online store as ethical fashion should be truly egalitarian. Just because you don’t live in the UK or a major city, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have access to it.

Initially it took some searching but we have sourced some truly brilliant clothes and unearthed some amazing new design talent from countries such as USA, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Brazil and of course across the UK. We were overwhelmed with the directional fashion status and proven ethical background of much of what we discovered. We’re hugely excited about this season and future collections which will be growing to embrace the number of designers who are now, finally, cottoning on (sorry) to the fact that ethical fashion can be just as high-end and must-have as your favourite labels.

We also feel passionately about tackling the issues of textile landfill in the UK. With 1 million tonnes of textiles ending up in landfill every year, it is hugely important to reduce this waste in our own country, so we launched our collaboration with charity TRAID, TRAIDremade Boutique, to create unique and style-led pieces that utilise the donated textiles that are given to the TRAID stores, and rescued ends of rolls from manufacturers. Keep your eyes on this collection in particular, as we add in new styles every month to reflect the seasons, trends, and gorgeous fabrics as they become available. By recycling in the UK, we are closing a clothing loop, and keeping carbon footprint to a minimum.

We strongly believe that while ethical fashion should never be throwaway, it can be just as brilliantly designed, made and fashion forward as other lines. FASHION-CONSCIENCE.COM is officially the most stylish way to save the planet and ensure rights for workers.

Here are a few of our favorite finds:

1. Neu Aura- Grey Slip On Heeled Vegan Shoe. Grey slip on heels with subtle heart stitching detail over the shoe. Heel is about 2in high. Run true to size.

Really cute but totally wearable grey slip on heels with subtle heart stitching. Will look great with skinny black or grey jeans now and black opaques for later in the year. Great work and weekend shoe.

This item is proudly eco. Neu Aura shoes are all 100% vegan and made in a factory which complies to eco standards in recycling and non-use of toxic chemicals.

2. Serfontaine Dark Blue Paris ‘Bum Life” Skinny Organic Jeans. A jean with rock and roll pretensions with it’s dark indigo wash and stitching but also everyday as not too skinny or low waist. Looks very Parisien chic with ballet style flats and while the sahe works really well with brown accessories.

Great skinny jean with ‘bum-lift’ pockets. Medium-rise (7in), dark blue, almost indigo wash with contrast orange stitching. Double front and back pockets, and zip fly. A 28inch waist is a UK10, US6, EUR38. Fits true to size.

This item is proudly eco. Serfontaine are a high end premiun denim range who try to produce all designs from low eco impact organic cotton.

3. Eco-Boudoir Pink & Cream Satin Tie Knickers. Stunning knickers in pink and cream satin swirl pattern with silky tie detail. Luxurious and tasteful, they’re a must-have for ethical fashionistas and a lovely gift. Matches the camisole.

This item is proudly eco. Eco-Boudoir use organic and sustainable materials in their pieces. This is made from peace silk.

(Again, thanks to Digital Scrapbooks and More for creating the fabulous photo for this blog)

Go Glam!

-Glamour & Green Gluten-Free