Posted By: emmaspirit on

Sunday, June 1st, 2008, 3:10 pm

Bamboo made some new best friends this weekend. Yesterday, my niece, the new mother-to-be, unwrapped a living room full of baby gifts: little pink dresses, tiny dollies, a baby bathtub, diapers, a car seat and virtually all the other things a new mother and her first baby girl “needs”. For those of you who have attended a baby shower before, you know the prerequisite “oohs” and “ahs” that accompany every newly unwrapped gift. Well, yesterday, we took “ooh” and “ah” to a new level.

Hands down, the hit of the party was the smallest gift of the bunch. Inside a beautifully wrapped, small 8 ½ x 11 box lived the softest, the tiniest, the most elegant, the most pesticide-free, most sustainable, most organic and most bamboo baby clothes and woven baby blanket from Dreamsacks. Within seconds of opening the box, women were standing and squealing as hands reached across the room to touch the silky soft, natural fabric.

The baby outfit and gift set included a knit blanket, hat, socks, bib, long sleeve tee & pants. I explained that the baby clothes and blanket were made from bamboo, a sustainable natural product and that bamboo grows in the wild, free from pesticides and it is anti-microbial so it can help the baby stay odor free. (The moms loved that!) The fabric is breathable, dries quickly and feels so very soft. Plus, the light pink blush-like color further drove the moms in the room nuts because it didn’t scream PINK!

I knew our little green gifts were a hit when my niece held them all up for viewing and announced that this is what her baby will come home in from the hospital. What a nice thought to have the first clothes a baby wears on this planet be eco-friendly and natural.

Then the room virtually erupted when I explained that Dreamsacks also made super soft bamboo clothes for men and women as well as fabulous silky soft bamboo nightgowns and sheets. Women around the room quickly passed me their fondant cake napkins to write down the website address (www.dreamsack.com)!

I’m further impressed by Dreamsacks’ mission statement: “To provide wonderfully nurturing natural products while consciously caring for people and our environment.” I enjoy supporting green companies who believe in nurturing others as well as the environment. And they should be applauded for their conservation efforts as they live their mission thru “paperless billing, reusing and recycling paper products and working under solar harnessed lighting” as well as walking/biking to work and driving hybrid cars.

Small green companies like Dreamsacks face tough competition, cannot afford mass marketing campaigns and can only survive with our support. With something for everyone, I recommend that you try their products…they feel great against your skin and will make your soul feel good about going green.

Tags: gifts, natural, baby, bamboo

Posted By: emmaspirit on

Sunday, June 1st, 2008, 3:07 pm

Bamboo made some new best friends this weekend. Yesterday, my niece, the new mother-to-be, unwrapped a living room full of baby gifts: little pink dresses, tiny dollies, a baby bathtub, diapers, a car seat and virtually all the other things a new mother and her first baby girl “need”. For those of you who have attended a baby shower before, you know the prerequisite “oohs” and “ahs” that accompany every newly unwrapped gift. Well, yesterday, we took “ooh” and “ah” to a new level.

Hands down, the hit of the party was the smallest gift of the bunch. Inside a beautifully wrapped, small 8 ½ x 11 box lived the softest, the tiniest, the most elegant, the most pesticide-free, most sustainable and most bamboo baby clothes and woven baby blanket from Dreamsacks. Within seconds of opening the box, women were standing and squealing as hands reached across the room to touch the silky soft, natural fabric.

The baby outfit and gift set included a knit blanket, hat, socks, bib, long sleeve tee & pants. I explained that the baby clothes and blanket were made from bamboo, a sustainable natural product and that bamboo grows in the wild, free from pesticides and it is anti-microbial so it can help the baby stay odor free. (The moms loved that!) The fabric is breathable, dries quickly and feels so very soft. Plus, the light pink blush-like color further drove the moms in the room nuts because it didn’t scream PINK!

Tags: gifts, natural, baby, bamboo

Posted By: emmaspirit on

Sunday, January 6th, 2008, 2:20 pm

What if you had a place where you could donate your gently used books, furniture, clothes, luggage, jewelry, dishes, lamps, TVs and virtually anything else you think someone else, somewhere might want? What if that place housed a constant turnover of high-quality products and sold them for so little money that you just couldn’t resist shopping there on a regular basis? And then what if all the proceeds went to local charities where you could see the impact right in your own backyard?

Welcome to Noah’s Ark, a second-hand store run by St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church on Sanibel Island in Florida.  My retired school-teacher mom currently manages this beloved hub of recycled treasures, called affectionately “The Ark” by all.  I had the opportunity to witness this Green wonderstore first hand while visiting my parents over the holidays.

-The first thing you must know about The Ark is that the shopkeepers, all volunteers, are quite discerning about their merchandise. This isn’t a dumping ground for worn or misused items. Everything for sale must be in good working order. My Dad and a few other men fix the TVs, radios, broken table legs, coffeemakers, computers and phones before displaying them for sale. All clothing is clean and often ironed before it goes on racks displayed by type (i.e.: shorts, shirts, dresses, designer goods, hats, etc...) making shopping a breeze.

-This Florida West Coast island beach community has a fair amount of wealthy second home owners who buy and sell their homes fully furnished. Quite often this means that the contents of entire homes are donated to The Ark whose staff quite conveniently arrange for pick-ups so donating and recycling one’s belongings couldn’t be easier. Thus The Ark has become a first stop of many looking for a new bedroom set, table and chairs, bookcases, dishes and glassware.

-And then there are the displays…the staff of creative, retired volunteers lovingly dress the mannequins with fancy silk sweaters, arrange books in the “Barnes & Noah” section and set round tables with beautiful china. Then they frown when everything is sold within minutes of the store opening for the regulars know that the best stuff is displayed prominently and they gobble it up.

-With the prices so low ($ 1 for a hardcover book, $3 for a sweater and $25 for a bike) and the donations so frequent, there is a constant influx of shoppers looking for a bargain. It isn’t unusual to see 50-60 people standing patiently in line at the beginning of each day The Ark is open. Some people come everyday and never leave empty handed. I must admit that I picked up a few gems this trip: a “like new” lavender silk sweater, a hand-stitched tablecloth with matching napkins and an antique china teapot to go with my discontinued tea set.

- I cannot think of a better way to live Green than to donate to and shop at The Ark.  For instance, my parents drink coffee yet my husband and I drink tea so rather then buy a new tea kettle for the 8 days we were visiting, we simply bought one for $1 at The Ark and then donated it back at the end of our trip. In an age of rampant consumerism, it feels good to discover that someone else’s discarded goods can meet your simple needs.  My mom tells me that many people who come down to Sanibel on vacation buy bikes or golf clubs at The Ark for their stay and then return to recycle them; they shop the clothes racks for a forgotten bathing suit or swing by for a wide brimmed straw hat on the way to the beach.

- Last week The Ark was brimming with un-wanted Christmas presents – a lovely Lenox China vase, unopened sheet sets, new shrink-wrapped DVDs and lots of new clothes with the tags still on them. Someone even donated a completely wrapped present with a Christmas tag on it from their mother-in-law…as if to say that they just knew without opening it that they wouldn’t want it!

The Ark is a special place where misfit items can find loving homes, even if only temporarily. A place where people can easily go Green by reusing, reducing and recycling. A place where you can spend very little but do a lot to help support your own community. A place that strives to profit by helping others not by counting the cash.  I wonder if this model could work in other communities. Could it work in big cities? Could it work in your hometown? Wouldn’t it be interesting to find out?

Tags: christmas, gifts, charity, recycling

Posted By: emmaspirit on

Sunday, January 6th, 2008, 2:16 pm

What if you had a place where you could donate your gently used books, furniture, clothes, luggage, jewelry, dishes, lamps, TVs and virtually anything else you think someone else, somewhere might want? What if that place housed a constant turnover of high-quality products and sold them for so little money that you just couldn’t resist shopping there on a regular basis? And then what if all the proceeds went to local charities where you could see the impact right in your own backyard? 

Welcome to Noah’s Ark, a second-hand store run by St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church on Sanibel Island in Florida.  My retired school-teacher mom currently manages this beloved hub of recycled treasures, called affectionately “The Ark” by all.  I had the opportunity to witness this Green wonderstore first hand while visiting my parents over the holidays.  

The first thing you must know about The Ark is that the shopkeepers, all volunteers, are quite discerning about their merchandise. This isn’t a dumping ground for worn or misused items. Everything for sale must be in good working order. My Dad and a few other men fix the TVs, radios, broken table legs, coffeemakers, computers and phones before displaying them for sale. All clothing is clean and often ironed before it goes on racks displayed by type (i.e.: shorts, shirts, dresses, designer goods, hats, etc...) making shopping a breeze.  

This Florida West Coast island beach community has a fair amount of wealthy second home owners who buy and sell their homes fully furnished. Quite often this means that the contents of entire homes are donated to The Ark whose staff quite conveniently arrange for pick-ups so donating and recycling one’s belongings couldn’t be easier. Thus The Ark has become a first stop of many looking for a new bedroom set, table and chairs, bookcases, dishes and glassware. 

And then there are the displays…the staff of creative, retired volunteers lovingly dress the mannequins with fancy silk sweaters, arrange books in the “Barnes & Noah” section and set round tables with beautiful china. Then they frown when everything is sold within minutes of the store opening for the regulars know that the best stuff is displayed prominently and they gobble it up.  

With the prices so low ($1 for a hardcoverbook, $3 for a sweater and $25 for a bike) and the donations so frequent, there is a constant influx of shoppers looking for a bargain. It isn’t unusual to see 50-60 people standing patiently in line at the beginning of each day The Ark is open. Some people come everyday and never leave empty handed. I must admit that I picked up a few gems this trip: a “like new” lavender silk sweater, a hand-stitched tablecloth with matching napkins and an antique china teapot to go with my discontinued tea set.  

I cannot think of a better way to live Green than to donate to and shop at The Ark.  For instance, my parentss drink coffee yet my husband and I drink tea so rather then buy a new tea kettle for the 8 days we were visiting, we simply bought one for $1 at The Ark and then donated it back at the end of our trip. In an age of rampant consumerism, it feels good to discover that someone else’s discarded goods can meet your simple needs.  My mom tells me that many people who come down to Sanibel on vacation buy bikes or golf clubs at The Ark for their stay and then return to recycle them; they shop the clothes racks for a forgotten bathing suit or swing by for a wide brimmed straw hat on the way to the beach.  

Last week The Ark was brimming with un-wanted Christmas presents – a lovely Lenox China vase, unopened sheet sets, new shrink-wrapped DVDs and lots of new clothes with the tags still on them. Someone even donated a completely wrapped present with a Christmas tag on it from their mother-in-law…as if to say that they just knew without opening it that they wouldn’t want it! 

The Ark is a special place where misfit items can find loving homes, even if only temporarily. A place where people can easily go Green by reusing, reducing and recycling. A place where you can spend very little but do a lot to help support your own community. A place that strives to profit by helping others not by counting the cash.  I wonder if this model could work in other communities. Could it work in big cities? Could it work in your hometown? Wouldn’t it be interesting to find out?

Tags: gifts, christmas, charity, recycling

Posted By: emmaspirit on

Monday, December 31st, 2007, 12:29 pm

Call me ungrateful but I’m a bit disappointed at some of the “Green” Christmas gifts I received this year. My feelings aren’t aimed at the gift givers – in fact – I’m deeply touched that so many people who bought me a gift this year recognized that I would prefer an eco-friendly product. I am upset however how easily well-intentioned “very light Greeners” can unknowingly buy something much less Green then they had expected.

-          Harry and David’s online catalog seductively describes the Triple Treat Collection as “Super-premium fruit – selected by America's fruit authorities. You won't find fruit this wholesome and extraordinary at the supermarket.” The box included fresh oranges, fresh pears and fresh apples but then printed in small letters on the packing box: “coated with a food grade vegetable, petroleum, beeswax, and/or shellac based wax or resin to maintain freshness.” I kid you not. I could see my pupils in the shellac on the apples. I called Harry and David to inquire as to what exactly was in the shellac and neither Terry, the customer service rep, nor her manager knew but said that it was “simply there to make the fruit shiny and pretty and can easily be washed off”. She then kindly offered to research it and get back to me within a few days (by which time the fruit will likely have spoiled). Now Harry and David make no claims that their fruit is organic, and I realize they must be using approved shellacs, but I’m confident that my brother-in-law had no idea that his gift of fresh fruit would be covered in shiny chemicals.

-          EcoExpress.com promotes their eco-website with this tagline “Uncommon Gifts for the Common Good”. Admittedly, some of their gift basket items are organic and some support rain forest conservation. But many of their products are simply fancy Gourmet goodies such as sun-dried tomatoes, Italian breadsticks, stuffed olives and dried portabella mushrooms. An avid label reader, I searched for what made these products eco-friendly or perhaps organic but to no avail. Yet I’m sure that my well-meaning brother thought that he was sending us a Green gift from this self-labeled “eco-minded” website.

-          Barielle’s 10 piece natural nail care system:  Knowing that I blog about natural beauty products, a close friend sent me this “natural” nail care system. Surprise! Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep score is a high 7 (on a 1-10 scale) with 92% of other nail care systems having lower environmental toxicity concerns.  Nothing very eco or natural about that and then I realized that their “natural” means as opposed to “artificial” nails.  How confusing…

As pleased as I am that companies are now making an eco-friendly lifestyle more accessible to mainstream consumers, I’m concerned about how easily people with the best Green motivations can purchase gifts not knowing the full picture. Caveat emptor (which we all learned from The Brady Bunch is Latin for “let the buyer beware”) is more necessary than ever in a market where products labeled “natural” may not be and “wholesome” might mean covered with chemicals. And don’t even get me started on how many genuinely Green presents arrived packed in Styrofoam peanuts…

What were your Green gifts experiences this season? Did they thrill or disappoint? Please share your own stories as we walk this perilous Green path together.

Tags: eco friendly, gifts