Lounging on these is like escaping on your own personal lily pad.

These pillows, designed by Jenny Lee-Katz, are consciously printed with environmentally friendly pigment inks, hand cut and sewn in Pennsylvania, and available in linen, organic denim or a combination of hemp and organic cotton.

Lee-Katz says on her site: “My fascination with textiles, my love for color and cloth and the enjoyment and satisfaction I experience through working with it, has always been a big part of my life.”

These pillows will bring her love for design into your home.

Prices range from $140 on up, depending on the fabric.

The post Lustables: Turtle Pillows appeared first on EcoSalon.

You’ve got a closet full of vintage frocks from the thrift store, a house full of energy-efficient appliances, organic sheets on your bed and a Prius in your driveway. It’s not exactly “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,” but these choices aren’t about status – or are they? A new study on the evolutionary psychology of status and environmentalism finds that many people go green for appearances, not real altruism.

After all, the image-conscious needn’t tote teacup Chihuahuas in Chanel purses and drive gas-guzzling sports cars to be like celebrities when hip stars like Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz are cruising around in hybrids and carrying reusable bags.

In the recently published paper, “Going Green to Be Seen: Status, Reputation, and Conspicuous Conservation,” (PDF) University of Minnesota professor Vladas Griskevicius asserts that people will give up luxury in favor of sustainability – but only when other people are watching.

“Many green purchases are rooted in the evolutionary idea of competitive altruism, the notion that people compete for status by trying to appear more altruistic,” notes Griskevicius.

Griskevicius and his colleagues performed three experiments in which participants were asked to choose between luxury items and greener options when shopping for a car, household cleaner and a dishwasher.

Some of the subjects were told to imagine that they were about to start a new high-powered job where they’d need to impress their boss and co-workers in order to move up. These people – with status in mind – chose the green products.

Of course, this study doesn’t mean we’re all strutting around like organic peacocks hoping our neighbors will notice our sustainable superiority. But thinking about this from another point of view, what is wrong with environmentally friendly choices being the cool thing to do? In a perfect world, motivation would extend beyond the surface for everyone. Some of our fellow environmentalists will disagree, but whatever compels status-conscious consumers to make green choices is worth applauding – for a perfect world it’s not.

Image: Notions Capital

The post Sustainable Status: Are You Going Green to Be Seen? appeared first on EcoSalon.

Everyone’s talking pops. Maybe it’s because the holiday season and its consequent consumption mania is upon us, but pop up shops are hot.

Gauging the type of brands that are taking part in this pop-up shop phenomenon, however, reveals plenty of great intentions. In fact, vacant storefronts everywhere are being tweaked into creative spaces with a good cause in tow.

Here’s the skinny: a pop-up shop is a vacant space used for a temporary retail setting, a trend EcoSalon has followed in New York where artists are making good temporary use of empty commercial spaces awaiting new tenants. The gimmick is an excellent way to give a high energy consumer shot to jolt this tired economy, but there are also several eco reasons pop-ups rock:

1. Pop-ups allow organizations to spread their message.

At the Environmental Justice Foundation’s pop up shop in London, where the term “pop-up” was coined, EJF is selling preview samples of their organic and fairly traded cotton tee shirts from the 2010 line. The t-shirts make a social statement, and are all designed around the theme of “childhood, lost innocence and hope” in order to represent the million-plus children around the globe who are forced to labor in cotton production.

2. Pop-ups give small eco-conscious brands much-needed exposure.

Portland-based company Looptworks is taking part in the pop-up trend. The brand, which launched in September, makes all of its garments with 100% upcycled garment scraps and is one of the featured lines in downtown Portland’s hip and trendy pop-up shop Flurry.

“Most eco-fashion is an attempt to do less harm in the production of clothing,” says Scott Hamlin, co-founder of Looptworks. “Many of the companies in that arena are small and trying to get exposure and sales. Pop up stores help them achieve that.”

Hamlin points out that there’s also an environmental benefit to pop-up shops, thanks to the “reduction of shoppers’ carbon footprint via utilizing empty space in a heavy traffic area.”

3. Pop-ups help spread the word about sustainability.

For beloved eco-clothier NAU, the concept of a pop-up shop is helping the brand spread a general message of sustainability, using the retail front as a vehicle for change. As Mark Galbraith, General Manager of NAU, says, “Our intention is to integrate into each specific community using repurposed and recycled pieces and parts, work with artists, musicians, not-for profits and organizations that allow us to be part of the dialogue for positive change.”

Photo credits: Anna Brones, Anna Brones, NAU

The post Pop Up Shops Are an Eco Hit This Holiday Season appeared first on EcoSalon.

Despite a general consumer slump, the eco marketplace is sizzling as stylish shoppers continue seeking earth friendly products. In fact, when it comes to green, demand is up.

That’s why stylish home eco retailer, VivaTerra, has announced a fresh new website design, complete with the latest social-media friendly tools and helpful shopping features. The new site design is bigger for easy reading and selecting, and better, with more ways to view and share products via the most accessible and popular social-media channels. Click to view an attractive, user-friendly flash interface updated frequently with new products and specials.

A noticeable enhancement is also in the ways you can browse and shop: by category, product, style (modern, zen, colorful, rustic) or materials (stone, silk, reclaimed wood, bamboo). Also in the shop for section: the newest items, seasonal featured products and great specials.

The re-design also gives us shoppers access to VivaTerra’s Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as links to email and bookmarks – making it easier than ever to share favorites or wishlists. It’s a clever and creative update that only enhances VivaTerra’s continued focus on eco living with style. Check it out!

Note: VivaTerra is a corporate sponsor.

The post A Redesign to Check Out Now appeared first on EcoSalon.

There are some of us who have cut waaaaay back, but just can’t quit cold turkey. And I don’t mean smoking, although I did quit recently. (Yay for me!)

The can’t quit I’m referring to here is shopping. I can admit my faults and this is certainly one of them. I love to shop for clothes. But before you throw your arms up and start spouting off at my wasteful ways”¦I always, definitely, without a doubt, no excuses or exceptions – shop green.

Right now I’ve got my eye on this adorable Reversible Hobo Bag from VivaTerra. Made with simple and stylish vintage fabrics, it’s switchable from festive floral to sophisticated black velvet flocking. Besides, two bags in one means more for the money!

Not too big and bulky but roomy enough for the usual suspects at 18″ W x 13″ H. The Hobo Bag also comes with a small clip-on pouch for all the stuff that gets lost floating around the bottom of your bag.

And what’s more eco than an item made well enough for a lifetime of wearing? This gorgeous lambswool Ready, Set, Go Poncho (top image) has a turtleneck and ribbed design that ruffles softly at the edges. It comes in a creamy, earthy off-white and is one of those wear today and everyday (at least in fall and winter) type of cover-ups.

Find both pieces at VivaTerra for $229 and $219, respectively.

The post Smart Shopping Is Always Green appeared first on EcoSalon.

I was overjoyed when the farmers’ markets where I live decided to go one step further than doing away with plastic bags and go zero waste entirely.

Plastic bags are made of crude oil and other petrochemical derivatives, using up an estimated 12 million barrels of oil a year for America’s plastic bag habit (that’s about 330 per person per year). Add to that the hazard of plastic bag waste for animals and you have the makings of a huge environmental problem.

Bags may be a bane, but they are also a boon for food storage. Since I can only reuse the ones that still exist for so long, I thought I better figure out not only how to get my lettuce home from the market but keep it fresh once it’s there.

Lest you think this is an “only in Berkeley” sort of thing, I’m sharing my findings because a bag ban is likely coming your way soon.

The Boulder, Co. farmers’ market is already zero waste, and both the Monterey and Irvine, Calif. farmers’ markets have phased out plastic bags. The San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market just announced it is going bag-free and in Europe, you have to pay for a bag if you want one. Cities are saying goodbye to plastic bags everywhere you look (see: Paris, Toronto, San Francisco, Los Angeles).

They don’t just hand them out like Halloween candy these days. And why should it be easy to blithely use something made from oil that harms animal and marine life and doesn’t break down in landfill?

I spoke with Food Policy Media Consultant Naomi Starkman about the bag problem. She has worked with Berkeley’s Ecology Center to communicate the zero waste program to the public.

“It’s been made easy for us to get cheap fast food based on cheap oil for years. All of the packaging it comes in is also largely made of plastic/oil,” says Naomi. “The whole system has lulled us into a sense of ease and complacency. It’s up to us to reject this paradigm and take responsibility for our food system as a whole: from seed to feed.”

Talking with Naomi has made me think hard about kicking my personal bag habit. If you truly care how your food was grown, produced, and transported to you, and if you’re committed to supporting sustainable agriculture, caring about how your food is packaged and stored is the next step to closing the circle.

Together, Naomi and I came up with a few tips for solving the bag dilemma:

First off, make sure you remember to bring your large canvas bags or shopping baskets to the market.

Realize that most things you buy don’t really require a separate bag to carry them home. For instance, potatoes, bunches of sturdy greens, artichokes and asparagus can be carried in your big bag all jumbled up together.

Purchase a few cotton or linen bags to bring to the market with you to carry loose salad greens, sugar snap peas, green beans and other items that really require a bag.

If you’re crafty you can easily make bags out of old t-shirts, pillowcases, or dish towels. If you search Etsy you’ll find lots of great ideas and many items you can buy.

Once you get the produce home, here are some tips for keeping it fresh:

Line the drawers of your refrigerator with wet dish towels or paper towels, lay the items down loose, and cover them with more moist towels.

Store your greens in cloth bags, but with a wet paper towel to keep things fresh.

Herbs keep best outside of the refrigerator in a glass of water. Better yet, grow your own and only snip off what you need.

If you have a lettuce spinner, simply wash your greens when you get them home and then keep them in the salad spinner. They’ll stay fresh and crisp.

Here’s a great solution for berries.

Recognize that food waste is a huge problem and think of the bag dilemma as an opportunity to only buy what you need and to eat all you buy.

And here’s a final great tip from Naomi:

When shopping in the grocery store, buy as much as you can in bulk and carry it home in your storage containers. Simply bring your containers to the store and weigh them before you shop so the checker knows how much to charge you. This saves you the additional step of transferring the food from bag to jar when you get home.

Image: haydnseek

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