We love you, New York.

EcoSalon is here for New York Fashion Week (NYFW), covering the latest looks from eco fashion designers. See our coverage so far on beloved independents like Gretchen Jones and John Patrick, and check back daily as we’re discovering new lines while we’re at it.

With NYFW in full swing, the streets are packed with style, and we’ll be bringing you exclusive news and pictures all weekend. To stay up to date on both the latest runway looks and street style, follow the tag NYFW here at EcoSalon. Tonight we’ll be checking out Ivana Helsinki’s show, then heading to the Yield Exhibit at the Textile Arts Center in Brooklyn. Stay tuned, and hope to see you there!

Sundresses we love. Shorts: the same cannot always be said. The right pair of shorts on the right frame can be cute, chic and fashion forward. But then there are the pairs best left in the dark. (That’s not the only thing we’re seeing all over the place: what’s with everyone in New York smoking again? We even found ciggy butt litter at our event room last night!) In other words: Please, Anything But Shorts. There, we said it.

This weekend marks an event we will never forget: 9/11, a decade ago. In honor of one of the world’s greatest cities and the dynamic and resilient spirit of its people, we look back on one 9/11 survivor’s touching tale of healing from the trauma of that day.

Sailed Manhattan lately? It is an island, after all. Our volcano-hunting travel writer and NYC dweller Shira Levine does just that, and finds a new appreciation for her home, New York City.

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A weekly roundup of EcoSalon’s top stories.

It’s hard to compete with Chevrolet and those sexy new ads for the $32,780 Volt voiced by George Clooney, but Ford argues the game plan isn’t really about competition, but rather cooperation when it comes to its soon-to-be released Focus and other electric vehicles. In Ford Revamps Fleet For The Plug-In Revolution, we take a look at what Ford and other auto giants are up to.

We love our moms but sometimes we have to scratch our heads and ask “What the hell did she just say?” In Word To Your Mother, we celebrate all the weird things moms say that we love them for regardless.

Urban homesteading is more doable than you think. With more people vying to be self-sufficient and sustainable while living in cities, there are a number of ways to cultivate ones own food, and even keep chickens while not angering the neighbors. In Making Homesteading Approachable, writer K. Emily Bond shows us some ways to do just that.

Covetable, high end labels like Missoni, Burberry and Margiela have maybe never been within financial reach for you, but there are ways around that. Design loving bloggers and their latest low impact, low price projects are enabling more and more D.I.Y’ers to achieve exclusive runway looks. Writer Rowena Ritchie provides you with the information how-to in her article D.I.Y. Your Own Missoni, Burberry and Margiela.

Mother’s Day is this Sunday and you might be sending mom some flowers right? Think twice, the U.S. Labor Education in the Americas Project reports that in Colombia and Ecuador, the two largest cut flower exporters to the U.S., workers earn poverty-level wages. What’s more, 55% of women workers in Ecuador have been victims of sexual harassment, and 66% of all workers suffer from work-related health problems due to handling dangerous pesticides. Your floral purchase ensures they get more of the same treatment. Folding in from public pressure, flower giants FTD and 1-800-flowers, are offering at least five arrangements and three fair trade gift baskets for those of you that care. In This Mother’s Day, Say It Without Sweat Shops, writer Andrea Newell provides us with links to shop for mom consciously.

Image: Oakley Originals

The post The Friday Five, Vol. 10 appeared first on EcoSalon.

A weekly roundup of EcoSalon’s top stories.

Take five. Here’s an at-a-glance chance to reconnect with or catch top stories you might have missed this week at EcoSalon:

Like shopping online? This week we published a comprehensive guide to where you should be shopping. Our Top 15 Online Eco-Boutiques is a thorough resource for sustainable fashion. Get your shopping engines revving.

Whether you choose to have a child or not is a very personal choice. Editor Andrea Newell explores the topic in Childfree: The Way To Be?

Newell writes: “The family landscape is changing, and the point is choice. The number of women not having children is rising whether society chooses to accept it or not. We can let this issue drive a wedge between parents and non-parents, or we can see it as a way to improve our society’s health.”

Natural flavors are often anything but. Like Nature Intended deals with some troubling information, such as one common ingredient often used to enhance raspberry and vanilla flavors, known as castoreum. Castoreum is made from the anal secretions of beavers. Natural, my…

In Men And The Women Who Make Them Irrelevant, we take a critical look at whether women’s increasingly visible role in society is to blame for the alleged demise of men.

This week, we also launched an exclusive promotion! The Box is filled with products from top green companies including Loomstate, A Perfume Organic and PeopleTowels. An unbelievably low $99 gets you $500 worth of products to keep or gift to mom this Mother’s Day! We’re almost sold out, so hurry and get yours today.

Image: stopherjones

The post The Friday Five, Vol. 9 appeared first on EcoSalon.

A weekly roundup of EcoSalon’s top stories.

For some women, skirts inspire feelings of love mixed with hate. EcoSalon West Coast fashion correspondent Rowena Ritchie writes in Skirting The Issues, “Hemlines are the litmus test of fashion history as a cultural study.” Do you agree?

If you’re like most people, you have a mountain of reusable bags that we hope you’re using and not just stockpiling to show how green you are. EcoSalon Editor-in-Chief, Sara Ost pens in her column The Insider’s Guide To Life: the Revolution Will Not Be Bagged, “Most of the time, I’m just amused by how relentless the bag pushers are. Rather than sigh in irritation during my moments of canvas bag forgetfulness, I’ve actually taken to forgetting my reusable bags on purpose just to see if I can be allowed out of the store without a bag for my chives or new d’Orsays. No one has called me crazy to my face. But their eyes say it all.”

We women have all had bad bosses, but your ex-heavy isn’t anything compared to these featured in senior editor Andrea Newell’s article, The Five Worst Companies For Women To Work At. Newell features “Five organizations that have recently been on the wrong end of allegations and legal action by women for gender discrimination and other unfair practices aimed primarily at female employees.”

People walk into your house and say, “You have the most original house of anyone I know.” After they say this, you scan your room overflowing with tropical plants, vintage lamps, a worn-in couch with Danish Mid-Century side tables and think to yourself “Huh?” Christiane Lemieux, founder and creative director of DwellStudio and author of Undecorate, would call your eclecticism a “Love of imperfection and penchant for surprise and unusual juxtapositions.” In Color Outside The Lines, Shelter Editor Leigha Oakes shows us how to break the rules.

Are there vegetables you always see at your farmer’s market or grocery store that you want to try out but are afraid of? In Vanessa Barrington’s Green Plate column, 5 Spring Vegetables To Love Right Now, five of those veggies are tackled with ease.

Image: cogdogblog

The post Friday Five, Vol. 8 appeared first on EcoSalon.

A weekly round-up of EcoSalon’s top five stories.

In When You Feel Good, You Look Good, West Coast fashion correspondent Rowena Ritchie considers conscious consumption and muses, “Buying fashion for a good cause seems like a lovely idea, doesn’t it? You could say it’s like lifting two spirits with one swipe of your credit card. You buy an item and the designer donates some money to a good cause. That is until, like me, you’ve got enough charity printed tees to hold a small rally in your closet benefiting workouttopsforever.com.”

In VC’s, Angels and Investing In Women: What Are They Not Thinking?, senior editor Scott Adelson looks at the cold, hard facts: Women make up a minute fraction of the venture capital and angel investment community, and women entrepreneurs receive a tiny percentage of that community’s investment dollars. This is the first in a series of articles by Adelson, examining “Equity investment’s relationship with businesses that have traditionally been out of its mainstream, including women-owned, green and long-term-growth-oriented.”

Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert, is at the center of a heated controversy about reverse sexism. In Scott Adams: #Winning Or Not?, EcoSalon news editor Andrea Newell asks: “Some of his readers have pointed out, he seems to be taking lessons from Charlie Sheen on public relations. The question is, is he #winning or is his reputation going down in flames?”

Virgin America’s New Eco Luxe Terminal At SFO was unveiled this past week as the first green airport terminal in the country. The terminal is using a host of technologies to boost its green credibility – though we’re not so sure about the spaceship part.

The Foodie Underground column is turning one! In Foodie Underground: A Year In Review, columnist Anna Brones curates a round up of her favorite articles from the past year and invites you to send her your foodie favorites: “Maybe it’s a hand-me-down recipe that you can’t go to a dinner party without, maybe it’s your favorite local food truck that serves up a mean plate of organic tacos, maybe it’s a photo of your home brewed liqueurs, maybe it’s a painting rendition of a classic recipe, or maybe it’s your weekly indulgence for taking food porn shots. Whatever it is, we want to see it!” The winner of the contest wins a a set of Festival Sol Mini Bowls, made with recycled glass, from VivaTerra. Submissions are piling up, so be sure to get yours in soon.

Image: Wagner T. Cassimiro “Aranha”

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A weekly roundup of EcoSalon’s top stories.

Before we all have a big love fest for bamboo, let’s get to know it a little bit more. Kelly Drennan, in her article Bamboo, We Hardly Knew Ye, writes: “Bamboo seemed like a miracle fiber – and in a sense, it is. It’s turning it into fabric that’s the more complicated issue.” It’s important to be able to make an informed decision about environmental impact before ruling any fabric out – read up to learn more.

In our weekly Insider’s Guide To Life: Bite Me, Sara Ost dishes out tips on how to deal with female bullies at any age. Ost writes: “If the thought of never seeing your bully again gives you more joy than the thought of a bathtub full of calorie-free sea-salt and caramel chocolate truffles dipped in lottery tickets, fame, a flat stomach and true love, it’s time to walk away.” Enough said.

Unless you’re living on the moon or ride a bike, you’re probably painfully aware of gas prices rising. If you don’t live in a city and have access to public transportation you might even be feeling doomed, damned or find yourself prone to yelling at the sky with a clenched fist. News editor Andrea Newell’s 11 Ways To Save At The Pump gives city and country dwellers the opportunity to become environmentally empowered (and financially enhanced) by being just a bit more conscious.

Has your sustainable path led you to veganism? You’re not alone, but there are also many ex-vegans like EcoSalon writer Abigail Wick who, in The Conscious Case Against Veganism, writes: “Conscientious consumption means eating and living ethically, not religiously. As Slate’s Christopher Cox says, ‘Eating ethically is not a purity pissing contest, and the more vegans or vegetarians pretend that it is, the more their diets start to resemble mere fashion – and thus risk being dismissed as such.'”

As you can imagine, vegans near and far were interested in this topic so we also published a rebuttal from Laura Hooper Beck, a vegan writer, the founding editor of Vegansaurus, Editor-at-Large for VegNews Magazine, and the community manager of VegWeb, to speak on behalf of the vegan community.

While we continue to hear bad news from Japan, how its people are managing in the face of this crisis is deeply inspirational. In Heroism And Hope: 7 Heartwarming Tsunami Stories, Newell finds, “…heroism is not dead, love is a powerful motivator, hope is still alive, and people can be compassionate toward strangers.”

Image: kimubert

The post Friday Five, Vol. 6 appeared first on EcoSalon.

A weekly round-up of EcoSalon’s top stories.

Take five. Here’s an at-a-glance chance to reconnect with or catch top stories you might have missed this week at EcoSalon:

Are you getting tired of hearing the same old runway stories during fashion week? Writer Abigail Doan writes about new trends gaining momentum during the recent Fall 2011 in her piece, Moving Beyond The Runway At Fashion Weeks Globally. Sustainable fashion shows are re-thinking runway for “Editors, retailers, and fashion lovers who want to fully inspect and comprehend new concepts in the pipeline.”

Sweet Jane? As the Gentlemen Prefer Blondes co-star to Marilyn Monroe, actress Jane Russell was the epitome of alpha female for many, empowering women and making a mantra for our writer, Libby Lowe, when Russell said: “Nobody chaperones the chaperone. That’s why I’m so right for this job.” A self-proclaimed “Teetotal, mean-spirited, right-wing, narrow-minded, conservative Christian bigot,” later in life, Russell was also against a woman’s right to choose. Lowe looks at our relationships with celebrity figures.

Noise is one of the biggest pollutants we have to deal with and it doesn’t matter where you are. Shelter editor Leigha Oaks offers a fun new way to combat it at home, enabling us to block out the upstairs neighbor’s stilettos and little Jack’s incessant tuba practice by putting A Hex On All Your Noises. Made from hexagon shaped wood wool, the pieces add geometric glamor to your home.

Bills are serious. Heart attacks are serious. But food? In Foodie Underground: Why So Serious? columnist Anna Brones asks us to save some humor for the table and realize food should be enjoyed, not dissected.

In The Goldberg Variations: Recycling For Baby Boomers, columnist Susan Goldberg pokes fun of the small numbers on recycling and why “The Boomers” who invented ecology and even Earth Day didn’t think ahead to when the generation would be older and blinder. Goldberg says: “It’s bad enough that people my age can’t wear skinny jeans or two-piece bathing suits anymore – at least let us recycle our Activia containers.”

Image: Dricker94

The post The Friday Five, Vol. 3 appeared first on EcoSalon.

Take five. Here’s an at-a-glance chance to reconnect with or catch top stories you might have missed this week at EcoSalon:

1. Mixed and very strong reactions to new writer Libby Lowe’s article, Jesus, Enough With The Chicken, highlighting the new Chick-fil-A location in Chicago. Should there be a separation of chicken and state? Are human rights involved when it comes to a simple chicken patty? Read and weigh in on this “heavy sandwich.”

2. Abigail Doan on trashion: Condoms and Candy Wrappers: And We Wonder Why Anna Wintour Won’t Green Vogue has us all asking whether creative reuse is fraying the lines of sustainable design and glorifying “less than marketable fashion.”

3. Fears over child bullying, kidnapping and standard-issue psychopaths preying on our children are challenged with senior editor Luanne Bradley’s piece, Are The Kids Alright In 2011? Not If You Buy Into The Hype. Bradley writes: “Was it really safer back then? If you buy into recent statistics, kids are actually as safe or safer now.”

4. Can you green me now? Have you ever thought about how sustainable your phone network is? Stephanie Rogers investigates in her Digg-topping article, Verizon Vs. AT&T: Who’s Greener (We Know Who Works Better). Want to know who wins? Click and see.

5. Sea sluts and plastic patches. Foreign correspondent Stiv Wilson is a self-proclaimed two-timer, but not for what you’re thinking. Reflections from a Two-Timer, a thoughtful conclusion to the exclusive 14-week series chronicling his sailing journey in the South Atlantic Gyre may be over, but you can catch the entire series here.

Above image helloturkeytoe

The post The Friday Five, Vol. 1 appeared first on EcoSalon.

In just a few short weeks, the kids will head back to school, leaves will begin to change colors, and summer will fade to a blissful memory. Embrace a new season with a little scene change inspired by fall’s most iconic image.

1. Log Bowls from Loyal Loot (pictured above, price not listed)
The juxtaposition of reclaimed wood and bold shades of acrylic paint appeals to our artsy side. An assortment of these in differing sizes and colors arranged on a counter or side table would make an instantly fab focal point.

2. Birch Accent Pillow from Loop Organic ($100)
Available in green or chocolate, this pillow features the beautiful image of a birch branch silhouetted against white organic hemp. The effect is simple, yet supremely stylish.

3. Timber Doormat from Chia’sso ($48)
Made up of sustainable wooden “coins,” this timber doormat creates a Little House on the Prairie meets modern loft vibe. We love how the earthy colors and unpredictable pattern goes with almost any décor.

4. Small Disc Chimes S/4 from PigeonToeCeramics ($28)
Dress up your favorite tree with a set of porcelain windchimes and watch as they gently dance in the breeze. These are available with your choice of cord, but our personal fave is the natural jute twine.

5. Teak Trunks from VivaTerra ($139-275)
Whether you use these teak trunks as stools, end tables, or something else is entirely up to you. However you incorporate these versatile pieces into your space,  they’re sure to add a certain rustic charm.

Any of these pieces speak to you? Which one(s) are on your wish list?

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