An exclusive handmade EcoSalon mug. 

Hearts represent a lot of things: love, friendship, caring… all things we at EcoSalon believe in strongly. So to celebrate the month of February, we’re partnering with one of our favorite independent artists, Laura Cooke, to bring you an exclusive EcoSalon heart mug.

Based in Portland, Oregon, Cooke loves clean and simple design and intends her pottery for everyday use. This functional piece is just as usable as it is beautiful. Use it for your morning coffee, your midday chai latte and your evening tea. You …

Really.

With population growth, industrialization and limited resources, access to freshwater has become a crisis. 1.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water – that’s more than one out of six people. Every 20 seconds a child dies from a water-related illness. Water is such an issue that it is a key component in achieving the United Nation’s Millenium Development Goals.

ColumnWhy cardamom is your new best friend.

High end ramen, breakfast for dinner, sparkling water: We spend a lot of time discovering and discussing food trends on Foodie Underground. It’s a dichotomous pursuit. There are the evenings spent complaining to friends about how fed up with the foodie world I am (bone luging, really? yet another cupcake store, must we?). Naturally, in the next sentence, I’m going on about my sea salt and olive oil polenta cake in the oven.

EcoSalon’s weekly playlist pick from 8tracks.

I was in need of some MC Solaar – because sometimes you just need a little French hip hop to get your afternoon going – and came across the Best Served Chilled playlist. Beyond MC Solaar, it has some Pretty Lights, Bonobo and Thom Yorke thrown in there. The perfect eclectic mix for a productive Monday.

Remembering the power of nature. 

Nature is powerful, and sometimes you get caught in a serendipitous moment that makes you appreciate it in a whole new way.

A quick peak at EcoSalon’s celebration of Future:Standard’s 1st birthday.

We were thrilled to partner up with Future:Standard recently to celebrate the online eco boutique’s one-year anniversary. A clothing swap, photo booth and night of celebrating eco fashion is our kind of fun.

“I’m so honored to have celebrated my 1st birthday party with EcoSalon! It’s been such an exciting year for Future:Standard and there couldn’t have been a better representation of what we are trying to accomplish, than with EcoSalon. I’m looking forward to a fabulous year with more amazing …

VideoHave you really thought about what happens in those factories?

Who makes your clothes? This EcoSalon exclusive video by Ace Salisbury and designer Eliza Starbuck takes a look at that very question, and with the help of animated character Buttons the Cat, makes it clear that sometimes humor makes it easier to put things into perspective.

ColumnWhen simple just doesn’t suffice.

“Why is bone luging a thing?”

It was 3:30 on a Monday afternoon and this had to be the oddest text of the day.

“I did not know if this was a new foodie thing to do,” my friend followed up by way of explanation.

When you write a column on food, your friends and colleagues often take it upon themselves to one-up you on knowing what the latest and hippest thing in the food world is. And they’re often pretty successful.