Eco Friendly & Fair Trade Jewelry

We are delighted to be the winners of an Envirosax tote from JollyGreenGirl! We received them in the mail the other day and they are gorgeous. I can’t wait to test them out. They seem to hold a lot; 44lb capacity! Anyone who wants to cut out using plastic bags should check out www.envirosax.com. The have lots of really beautiful designs.

We have gathered some great gift ideas for all kinds of occasions. Check it out at Elemental Silver Gift Guide. Whether you need birthday, valentine’s day, or ‘just because’ gifts, you will be sure to find something for that special eco-conscious person in your life.

If you find any great gifts that you think should be added, don’t hesitate to send us suggestions!!

Vending Machine for Bike Parts Introduced by Trek via treehugger.com

How many times have you been out for a long ride without a spare tube, just hoping you don’t get a flat? And then it happens. Bummer. It always happens to me when I actually have to be somewhere.

NOTE: Tom is currently in Thailand until July

In this world of instant communication, no limits travel, fast food, a global economy, and a great abundance of all consumables, at least for those of us who have unfettered access to it in our country, it’s hard to imagine that in a small corner of the world in Thailand, a man is struggling to make ends meet for his new family, to keep his late wife’s dream alive, and to keep his four elephants healthy and content until the end of their natural lives. I had the honor of meeting this man in December 2007 when I visited the Elephants and Friends Rescue Camp near the little village of Nonghoi, Thailand.

We’re excited to be participating in our first in-person event - the Art on Lark Festival in Albany, New York on June 21, 2008. That is where our offices are based out of, with our inventory and shipping coming out of Central Pennsylvania. If you are in the Albany area or nearby, be sure to visit the festival and our booth, it is a really good time (I’ve attended the past 5!).

A machine has been developed that can suck up the equivalent of 1 ton of atmospheric carbon dioxide in 1 day. This is a way to mitigate the effects of global warming, instigated by the use of fossil fuels.

I was searching around for some new casual shoes. I had never been to zappos.com before but I checked it out. I typed in casual sneakers, then I went to Vegetarian. Then I saw them. Macbeth Eliot Vegan. Black/Cement. I had to have them. And at $46, they were affordable.

They come in lots of different colors and Men’s and Women’s sizes

Here they are: zappos

Now I just have to wait for them to be delivered!

Did you know… 

Half the world live on less than two dollars a day.

The top 1% of the world’s richest people earn as much as the poorest 57%

31 of the 49 least developed countries receive less aid today than they did in 1990

Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.

Why is this?

UNFAIR Trade

SustainStyle: Eco Friendly Sun Protection, Eco Fashion, Mothers Day Eco-luxury Gifts+ More

by 1plus1 on 05. 7.08

Fashion & Beauty 

Welcome to SustainStyle, a weekly digest from the writers at 1plus1, a blog dedicated to eco-friendly fashion. SustainStyle runs every Wednesday.

In London and looking to support Fair Trade in Fashion, while not breaking the bank? If so, then you are in luck. A series of sales & events featuring the best in fair trade and ethical clothing labels is debuting with a flagship event May 15 - 18th, 2008 in London.

15th - 18th May 2008
Boilerhouse,
The Old Truman Brewery,
152 Brick Lane,
London, E1 6RU

Here are some really interesting and stark facts about oil consumption in the U.S., along with a great graphic from the New York Times. It is very disheartening to see how the U.S. has done little to try to reduce our dependence on oil and in fact has increased our relience by leaps and bounds compared to other countries.

> The world burns 85 million barrels of petroleum daily.

We are excited to debut our first Youtube video! We felt we weren’t doing the best job about explaining our company’s story and how you are truly helping affect people’s lives in a positive way when buying our jewelry.

Did you know we buy every handmade piece of jewelry direct from the Thai artisans that produce it? We pay them fair for each and are practicing true Fair Trade every time we visit. Did you know that we also donate 10% of all profits to an Elephant Refuge in Thailand?