Emblazoned just below Alaffia’s name on the Fair Trade skincare product’s website, are three familiar, yet powerful, words: equality, empowerment, and beauty. And although the product line does aim to make its users feel good, the man and woman behind the business have committed their lives to improving those of others. Upon speaking with Alaffia owner, Olowo-n’djo Tchala, after his recent trip to Togo, Africa, it became evident that their organization’s cause goes much further than just skin deep.

Alaffia founders Olowo-n’djo Tchala and his business partner and wife, Prairie Rose Hyde, both came from modest beginnings. Tchala was one of eight children raised in his hometown Kaboli, a small village in Togo, a country that has long struggled with overwhelming poverty (about 80 percent of the people living in Togo live under the poverty line) . He grew up watching his mother help people in their community even with their limited resources. Because his family couldn’t afford tuition, he was forced to drop out of school in the sixth grade and he worked alongside his mother on her farm.

Prairie Rose, on the other hand, was born in the States, but could still very much relate to the struggles of growing up poor. Her family needed welfare to survive, and she eventually sought a better life by joining the Peace Corp. It was on Hyde’s mission trip to Kaboli 19 years ago that the two first met and fell in love.

After her service ended, they both moved back to the U.S. and attended the University of California Davis together. After graduating, and with a shared vision for their lives, Tchala said that they were moved by “the injustice that exists in the human life and both had the urgency to do something about it.” So, in 2003, with limited knowledge of actual product formulation and a lot of heart, the Alaffia skincare line was born. With high hopes of giving back to the West African community the two traveled between Togo and America frequently.

The couple wanted to create a product for women by women that would fulfill a need on both ends of the spectrum – sustainable, Fair Trade skincare for the public that simultaneously improves the lives of women in West Africa. From this mutual desire, lotions, soaps, haircare, and other natural beauty products utilizing native ingredients were developed. And although they learned the trade as time went on, Tchala and Hyde never sacrificed their core beliefs for the sake of business.

Alaffia was and is still committed to full transparency and traceability, and consistently reinvests its profits back into the company and into the community. Fortunately, the products are easily accessible through online ordering on Alaffia’s website, and for purchase in your local Whole Foods Market and other brick and mortar stores.

With a personal promise to never abandon the people of Togo, especially the women, whom he believes have it much worse in West Africa than men, Tchala and his wife started making major changes in the lives of others. They wanted to focus on teaching women self-sufficiency and independence. Solid living wages, although important, became a byproduct of the desperately needed sense of empowerment and self-worth that came as a result of learning a trade.

According to the Alaffia website, “women in West Africa have long been excluded from the formal education sector, which means they cannot read or write.” The female Shea Butter Cooperative established in Togo allows women to capitalize on their strengths, such as their “unique skills, traditions, and knowledge.” And whether it’s basket weaving, or making shea butter, these women can all feel confident in themselves and their ability to contribute to their families.

While women are a centralized aspect of Alaffia’s philanthropy, it’s the company’s belief to also spread empowerment at the community level. After evaluating the issues hindering the village, it is believed that “exclusion from education, maternal deaths, and environmental degradation” all heavily contributed to the discord. In an effort to solve these problems, Alaffia has committed to the following projects:

• Bicycles for Education – Since 2006, Alaffia has collected and sent over 6,300 used bicycles to disadvantaged Togo students to utilize as transportation to and from school.
• Maternal Health – Since 2004, Alaffia has provided pre and post natal care for 3,237 women in central Togo to help reduce high maternal death rates in West Africa.
• School Supplies & Repairs – Alaffia donates metal roofs, seats and school supplies to schools in rural Togo to help communities educate their youth.
• Restoration & Environment – To combat effects of climate change and deforestation, Alaffia plants trees and builds home biogas units.

And, as if that wasn’t enough, Alaffia is also certified as a Fair Trade skincare business that takes environmental impact seriously. Shea butter is one of Africa’s natural resources and is the focus of Alaffia’s cooperative, but all of the products are actually handcrafted and comprised of ingredients indigenous to the region.

Sustainability is a crucial aspect of the business. In fact, sustainability is the “soul of our organization,” says Tchala, “because I look at culture for sustainability first.” In other words, the commitment to long-term preservation is a holistic process, from population to product.

The one-on-one sustainability is evident through Alaffia’s community efforts, but that has also been extended to the product production aspect. Headquartered in Washington, 80 percent of all packaging is sourced from either Utah or California in an effort to reduce the carbon footprint as much as possible. Many of the bottles used to package products are made from 100 percent post-consumer waste, with the remaining containers having a 50 percent minimum threshold.

Tchala believes that economic sustainability equates to morality – that Fair Trade isn’t enough to be an upstanding business and that the certification shouldn’t simply be used as a marketing ploy, but is a notion that should be lived and upheld through strong morals and ethics.

Alaffia’s unprecedented standards, along with the commitment to consciousness, truly places this skincare company into a category all its own. Not only that, but Tchala can promise his customers peace of mind by knowing that when purchasing this product, they are “not contributing to slavery, destruction of humanity, or making one person richer – your money is being spread around, and not just in Togo, but in the state of Washington, too.”

With a bright future and strong moral compass, Alaffia is a deserving business with a worthy cause. And if you still need a friendly nudge in the right direction on your next trip down the skincare aisle, Tchala said it best: “From lotions to body washes, we can create everlasting impact and contribute to all humans in a very truly positive way. The traditional methods of making things can yield women and their families a benefit while uplifting all humans around the world.” From the inside, from the goodness of our hearts, that’s what real beauty looks like.

What’s your take on this sustainable, Fair Trade skincare business? Are you as excited as we are? Let us know on the EcoSalon Facebook page! For more information, or to order online, please visit www.alaffia.com and be sure to show them some love on social media, too.

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All images via Alaffia

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Levi Strauss & Co. CEO Chip Bergh says you don’t need to wash your Levi’s jeans. How’s that for sustainability?

Designed to be durable—jeans were never created to be fashionable; they were always meant for hard labor—it’s not a huge surprise that Bergh told attendees at Fortune’s Brainstorm Green conference earlier today that the pair of Levi’s jeans he was wearing had “yet to see a washing machine.” He’s apparently had the pair for a year.

“We are the ultimate in sustainable apparel,” Bergh told the audience. “If you buy [our jeans] they will last a lot longer than most people’s waistlines will,” Mashable reports.

Levi’s jeans have begun to take sustainability as seriously as the company takes button flies. The brand’s Waterless jeans use a considerably low amount of water in production and the recently launched Wellthread Dockers products also require less water and energy. And, reports Mashable, “Bergh’s comments regarding laundry are nothing new.” Levi’s has apparently promoted the “no wash” method for years, “sparking a fad of freezing jeans (yes, like in the freezer) to cut down on bacteria growth.”

That recommendation is not exactly sound science though. “While some of your jeans’ germs might not survive the freezer, some will, because they’re hardy like that,” reports Gizmodo. “They mostly come from you, and thrive at body temperature.” The germs can apparently repopulate once your body warms up your frozen jeans.

Still, what kind of germs are we really talking about here anyway? Even if you’re not going the year-plus like Bergh himself, you can at least forego the wear once and wash rule. Not only do jeans (and most other clothes) not require immediate washing after wearing (barring any serious stains), but they also look better a little broken in. They feel better too. And the color is going to last a lot longer the less often you wash your jeans.

But now I’m really curious. How long can I go without washing the pair of jeans I’m wearing? They’re now on day two of no washing, and I’ll let you know when (if!) I throw them into the washing machine again. Here’s to a greener planet that feels as cozy as a pair of broken-in jeans.

Find Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

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Image: glassghost

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These days, you can get a degree in just about anything – environmental sustainability included!

With the pressures mounting to protect the environment and eat healthier, how we treat the earth and our bodies is beginning to parlay itself into more niche areas, such as the business room. Companies are under pressure to perform sustainability and embrace the so-called “triple bottom line” while fashion designers are getting flack for tailing only the oil and gas industry as the biggest contributor of waste to the already burdened world. Here are some of the best environmental sustainability programs in their respective fields for four unique concentrations.

1. Green Business

Program: Wharton

Degree: MBA and M.A. Environmental Studies

What you learn: Lasting just under three years, the MES/MBA dual degree offers students the opportunity to hone their business administration skills whilst deepening their knowledge of environmental issues, learning technical environmental evaluation techniques and gaining practical field experience. The green MBA‘s tuition is no walk in the park, but the dual degree program expands upon business skills and integrates them with environmental management knowledge to give you that extra edge in the business environment.

Tuition: $68,210 (2014-15)

2. Conscious Traveling

Program: Leeds Metropolitan University (UK)

Degree: M.A. Responsible Tourism Management

What you Learn: A pioneer in this course of study, Leeds has been offering students course study in responsible tourism management since 2007. Professor Harold Goodwin brought the course to Leeds five years after founding the International Centre for Responsible Tourism. The program shows students how to make tourism a platform for sustainable development. Students often work and live around the world while taking classes in responsible tourism theory, local economic development and poverty alleviation.

Tuition: £8,750 (2012-13)

3. Sustainable Clothing

Program: London College of Fashion (UK)

Degree: M.A. Fashion and the Environment

What you Learn: Since 2008, the Centre for Sustainable Fashion has been operating at the London College of Fashion. It is an international leader in eco-friendly clothing, teaching about the environmental, cultural and social impacts associated with clothing’s life cycle. The program inspires innovative and proactive ways to approach sustainable fashion solutions.

Tuition: £9,000  (2012)

4. Green Food Chefs

Program: Natural Gourmet Institute for Health & Culinary Arts

Degree: Chef’s Training Program; The Natural Gourmet Institute for Health & Culinary Arts is licensed by the New York State Department of Education. It is accredited by ACCET.

What you learn: Founded in 1977, The Natural Gourmet is the leader in healthy, plant-based cooking. The program is mostly vegetarian and combines cooking classes with lectures that span the range of nutrition approaches, such as Western nutrition, Chinese medicine, macrobiotics, raw foods, fermentation, medicinal cooking and more.

Tuition: $26,000 (2014)

Aylin Erman is founder of GlowKitchen. There she shares step-by-step picture recipes of her plant-based creations. Aylin lives and works in Istanbul as a writer and editor at the country’s first-ever green-living and sustainability platform, Yesilist. Like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter to keep up with food news and recipes.

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Photo Credit: Carlos Reusser Monsalves

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The AIGA (Re)Design awards celebrate the best in sustainable design.

On Thursday night, the winners of the AIGA (Re)Design Awards, a competition celebrating the best in sustainable design, were presented at the (Re)Design Extravaganza at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles. Underneath a handsome Stegosaurus specimen in the museum’s new Dinosaur Hall, guests could admire the winning work up close.

The (Re)Design Awards were started by the Colorado chapter of the AIGA in 2009, and was from the beginning, designed to be a traveling competition. This year, the L.A. chapter got their chance to represent. Stan Evenson, who co-chaired the competition with his wife Tricia, told me how far he thinks we have come: “As long as 15 years ago or so I remember speaking to our clients about sustainability practices and feeling I was considered slightly left of Communism when I would bring the subject up. Today, it’s very different since designers are more conscious than ever, understanding that our planet is headed on a collision course with nature if we continue wearing ‘design blinders.’ There is no room in our landfills to handle this oversight. It’s a great opportunity to encourage sustainability and social responsibility in our design solutions.”

The competition had two main categories: Environmental Sustainability and Social Responsibility. Within those two, each had subcategories for Individual/Agency, Student, For Profit Corporation and Non Profit Corporation.

Interestingly, two firms sweeped their categories, Method in Environmental Responsibility, For Profit, and SoftFirm Studios in Social Responsibility, For Profit. A handful of the winning entries were clients with “living” in their name (Living Principles, Living Cities, Living Buildings and Living Light), perhaps this is the new buzz word in the environmental field?

Environmental Sustainability: Individual/Agency: 1st Place: University of Hawaii, School of Architecture, Identity System by Design Workshop, University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Environmental Sustainability: Individual/Agency: 2nd Place: PUMA Clever Little Bag by fuseproject.

Environmental Sustainability: Individual/Agency: 3rd Place: Living Principles Community Website by Tomorrow Partners.

Environmental Sustainability: Student: 1st Place: Chinese Character Practice Book—No Print Book by Li Xu.

Environmental Sustainability: Student: 2nd Place: Sustainability Guide by Erin Harp.

Environmental Sustainability: Student: 3rd Place: Balanza Verde: Educational Waste Management Unit for Elementary Schools by Alëna Konyk.

Environmental Sustainability: For Profit: 1st Place: Method Refills by Method Products Inc.—In-House Creative.

Environmental Sustainability: For Profit: 2nd Place: Method Greenskeeping Tool Kit by Method Products Inc.—In-House Creative.

Environmental Sustainability: For Profit: 3rd Place: Method Laundry Detergent by Method Products Inc.—In-House Creative.

Environmental Sustainability: Non Profit: 1st Place: Living Light by The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Team Living Light.

Environmental Sustainability: Non Profit: 2nd Place: A Zero Carbon, Handmade Stationery by Luce Beaulieu.

Environmental Sustainability: Non Profit: 3rd Place: GreenBlue Brand Identity by GreenBlue In-House Creative.

The range of entries was extremely diverse, from design students to seasoned designers and agencies. Entries included everything from the design of an undersea monitoring unit that studies decaying coral reefs, to a non-printed book with die-cutting and embossing that teaches the blind Chinese characters, to underwear products and packaging that gives 10% of profit back to charities, uses 100% organic, locally farmed cotton and sources packaging entirely within a 100 mile radius. Other projects that were entered included detergent packaging, a portable and reusable homeless shelter, an identity system for the University of Hawaii School of Architecture and a website for the creative community to share and showcase best practices, tools, stories and ideas for sustainability thinking. There was a fine line dividing sustainability and social responsibility and many times it just truly blended perfectly which made the judging challenging.

“I was impressed by the range of sustainable and socially innovative strategies shown by many of the entries,” says Naomi Pearson, one of five judges faced with the task of selecting winners from a strong set of submissions. “Especially impressive were entries that tackled both environmental (and human) health and social responsibility, given that these two issues are so closely linked.”

As an active practitioner in the field of graphic design, it is indeed nice to see that designers are starting to look beyond recycled paper and water-based inks, and instead looking carefully at the bigger picture. Sometimes sustainable design can be about coming up with smarter solutions and producing less stuff for the same amount of impact. And you don’t have to work for big-name clients like Method to do great, sustainable design.

Social Responsibility: Individual/Agency: 1st Place: PACT underwear by fuseproject.

Social Responsibility: Individual/Agency: 2nd Place: HERproject Toolbuilder by Tomorrow Partners.

Social Responsibility: Individual/Agency: 3rd Place: Verbien “See Better to Learn Better” by fuseproject.

Social Responsibility: Student: 1st Place: Fresh Fest New Orleans Poster by Azu Romá.

Social Responsibility: Student: 2nd Place: Helping Hands Guides by Karen Villalba and Kelsey Anderson.

Social Responsibility: Student: 3rd Place: Cupcaked by Derek Maxfield.

Social Responsibility: For Profit: 1st Place: Living City Design Competition by SoftFirm Studios.

Social Responsibility: For Profit: 2nd Place: Cascadia Programming Guide by SoftFirm Studios.

Social Responsibility: For Profit: 3rd Place: International Living Building Institute Identity by SoftFirm Studios.

Social Responsibility: Non Profit: 1st Place: cause/affect: Make Your Mark poster by Kristen Bouvier and Arvi Raquel-Santos.

Social Responsibility: Non Profit: 2nd Place: Cardborigami, Inc. by Tina Hovsepian (who I got to assist putting up her clever cardboard shelter).

Social Responsibility: Non Profit: 3rd Place: Inner-City Arts Website by Kim Baer.

“The (Re)design Awards competition encourages inclusivity for every level of designer, from student to professional, and from non-profit organizations to for-profit corporations in all disciplines of design including Graphic and Product Design, Multi-Media, Urban Planning, Interior Design, and Architecture, and we believe our mission was successful,” says Stan Evenson. “Bringing this competition from national to worldwide, we were thrilled to have entries from 14 different countries and throughout the U.S., that featured great design thinking with purpose and substance in the categories of environmental sustainability and social responsibility.”

“I decided I wanted to do something to help the homeless,” says Tina Hovsepian about her school project Cardborigami. “It boiled down to the basic human necessity of shelter. I played with materials, ended up with cardboard, played with origami and picked this form that became the shell.” Hovsepian’s school project has since evolved to a non-profit, in the stages of funding. “I really believe that design can do a lot,” she says. “Everything we learn through our rigorous training can be used for good. Green design is definitely the way to go.”

“Thursday’s gala event was all about celebrating sustainability and social responsibility,” says Evenson. “We need to have the wiliness and conviction to make a difference on this planet by doing well, by doing good. And while doing that… take time to celebrate great design thinking for these two critical issues of our lifetime.”

Maybe design can’t save the world, but it can facilitate a great deal of important change, and that power should never be underestimated.

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