TRAVEL GETS SOCIAL

Tripwolf caters to the discerning traveler. With the new wave of travel 2.0 sites flooding the web its important to have relevant and updated content to satisfy your hunger for travel advice. Tripwolf boasts over 150,000 destinations and points of interests.

In a recent Yahoo travel survey 67% of users now go online for vacation recommendations. This includes me. When I first started traveling I had to rely on outdated guides and passing travelers for advice on what places to visit off the beaten track. Tripwolf offers you advice from our knowledgeable "trip gurus." So if you are in Costa Rica and want a recommendation about Jungle tours, you can consult Alex our "trip guru" for Costa Rica.

Tripwolf offers a new approach to travel. As the online travel market matures, users are no longer content with searching for the cheapest place to eat, travel or stay. Users are more sophisticated and want to hear stories from their peers and share their travel tips too. Check out the user reviews and personalized recommendations on our site that can help you plan your next trip or daily activities, since you will want to enjoy the best of what a city or country has to offer in a short time.

Word of mouth is king.....The future of travel is user content generated the future is tripwolf!

Om Sweet Om at Bikini Boot Camp

Amansala is the eco chic resort located in Tulum, Mexico. The resort is a combination of fitness activities, spa treatments and eco-friendly surroundings. It has proven particularly popular with female travelers and even attracted some celebrities.
Amansala was created after the 9/11 attacks by two friends Melissa and Erica, both native New Yorkers, as a place to escape the trappings of city life, and be quiet in a beautiful place where you can focus on you, your body, and your purpose in life. The focus here is simple living, healthy eating and Yoga.

"Women come here to gain new perspective on life. The experience is more than the name bikini boot camp implies," co-owner Melissa Perlman says.

A typical day begins with a silent beach walk, Yoga, a body treatment, then a low calorie lunch, exercise, meditation, candle light dinner and ending with creative free writing in your bohemian chic, austere accommodation. Its really designed to get you back to basics with no distractions of television, newspapers and parties.

Reservations are only taken online and is all inclusive except for your flight.

www.amansala.com

GREENLOOP.COM SALE

Greenloop.com is the one stop online store for green style for both women and men. Featuring top eco friendly designers such as; Stewart & Brown, Linda Loudermilk, Loomstate, Edun, Anna Cohen and many more, included in their clearance sale with up to 60% off all brands.....hurry while stocks last. Shop green, Shop friendly.

www.greenloop.com

NAU WAREHOUSE SALE NYC MARCH 6-9

In anticipation of the launch of its first New York City store in 2009, Nau will be offering its eco-friendly outdoor and urban-lifestyle apparel at 40 percent to 75 percent off regular prices. Plus, 5 percent of all sales will go to the micro-financing site Kiva, as part the Portland, Ore.-based company's program Partners for Change. Currently, Nau is distributing $161,000 to local, national, and international community partners, bringing its total largess, to date, to more than $223,000

Nau means 'Welcome to the Maori in New Zealand,' but it also means welcome to a whole new way of designing, manufacturing and selling product—the socially responsible way.

Location: 201 Mulberry Street

Thurs 11am-7pm

Fri & Sat Noon - 8pm

Via TreeHugger

Sun Noon - 6pm

Happy discount eco shopping

GREEN LOVING PIANIST LOOKS JUICY IN RECYCLED DRESS

SOYEON LEE performed at Zankel Hall on Tuesday. She wore a dress made of recycled juice containers for the second half of the recital.

Soyeon Lee was center of attention by wearing a custom made dress from 6,000 soft-pouch containers of recycled grape juice.

To read more www.nytimes.com

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK HIGHLIGHTS

It was refreshing to see New York fashion week embracing eco friendly designs. Lexus Hybrid Living sponsored two runway shows, Future Fashion and Rodarte, which both had generous gift bags full of heavy treats. Both show featured designs made from sustainable material such as, Hemp Silk and organic wool, proving that sustainable can be high fashion and sexy.

MY BAD...

I have been on hiatus for the last 2 weeks, due to NYC fashion week, I have been tired and drained.

But I will give a recap on what went on for those 8 days. There was Future Fashion Show that kicked of fashion week, showcasing some amazing sustainable pieces from top designers, Rodarte, Organic and United bamboo also had shows that displayed sustainable designs.

Check out the next post....

THE GREEN HOUSE THAT SAKS BUILT

The Green revolution is here. Saks recently launched Green House 'The Home of Eco Smart Style,' to their online retail site Saksfifthavenue.com, featuring mens and womens eco chic apparel.

Yet another big luxury retailer has introduced a collective of eco designers, getting hip to the movement. Designers featured are no stranger to the eco-friendy movement, such as Loomstate, Katherine Hamnett, with newcomers Song and Beau Soleil.

Saksfifthavenue.com

BESPOKE FASHION WITH A CONSCIENCE

Former Levi Strauss creative director Gary Harvey, proves that you can be high fashion yet sustainable, with his collection of vintage inspired ball- gowns made entirely from recycled materials. His first collection showcased nine of his stunning dresses at the Estethica exhibition at the London Fashion Week (Feb 07). The collection creates a dramatic display designed to change people’s perception of second-hand clothing and create fashion with a conscience. The collection featured a dress made from financial times newspapers, baseball jackets and used denim. Gary uses material he finds in places like secondhand clothing stores to avoid waste, he says of good quality second hand clothing, people "wear it one or two times then discard it because it's suddenly deemed aesthetically unimportant and out of date when there's years of life left in the garment." His collection "was a comment about thinking about the real cost of the garment that you buy, about that cost being natural resources, exploitation of labor, the biodegradable nature of garments."

To read more Gary Harvey

UNDESIGNED FOR THE ECO SAVVY URBANITE

Former architecture student and Los Angeles native, Carol Young, became intrigued with the needs of urban nomads while living abroad in Asia. She found herself seeking clothes that would allow her to move, keep dry and comfortable, while expressing her individuality. Called to action, started designing her own line in 2005, which explored the use of "undesigned" recycled clothing and active wear materials into new urban nomadic apparel. The result Undesigned by Carol Young, a collection of separates that are reversible, featuring eco-friendly and recycled materials such as bamboo denim, organic cotton and recycled cotton knits.

Her collection is a series on stylish silhouettes, that is functional and elegant for the modern woman, who likes comfort and style.

Further reading: undesigned

CHOOSE YOUR COTTON CAREFULLY

Eco - friendly fashion seems to be everywhere now, with many brands claiming to incorporate organic cotton, do you really know what that means? Eco-friendly includes using, reused or recycled materials, as well as natural or organic fibers. It should also reflect business practices too with an emphasis on reducing manufacturing and operational waste, which in effect limits environmental pollution.

Although cotton is considered a natural fiber, conventional varieties are anything but natural. Ten percent of all agricultural chemicals and 25 percent of insecticides in the U.S. are used to grow cotton. Seven of the 15 pesticides used on cotton are considered to be human carcinogens, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Luckily, organic cotton is becoming easier to find. And although the cotton may be organic, the garment made from it may be full of processing chemicals and metal-laden dyes.

The biggest problem is that, as with organic food, much of the organic cotton we are seeing in North America is from other countries, which have lower labor costs and, in some cases, lower standards. And large quantities of greenhouse gases are required to get the clothing to markets here. However, the market for domestic organic cotton has completely disappeared, because the price of overseas cotton is half as much, says Marcia Gibbs, program director of the Sustainable Cotton Project.

Organic cotton isn't the only natural fiber thats gaining ground. Bamboo, for instance, is a fast-growing plant and not reliant on chemicals. Like many other natural fibers, it is durable, anti-bacterial and breathes. Unfortunately, bamboo plantations can displace native forests, and the harvesting and fiber processing are often polluting and energy-intensive. Hemp fiber is a good bet, since it requires no chemicals because it grows very densely, not allowing room for weeds, and is naturally resistant to most pests. It is also one of the strongest natural fibers, making it great for jeans (the first jeans were actually made from hemp.) Soy and corn fabrics are also being used with good results by some designers.

Via life.ca

Further Reading
Global Organic Textile Standard
Organic Consumer Association

HAPPY SHOPPING WITH THIS ECO-FRIENDLY HANDBAG

British fashion designer Katherine Hamnett has designed a range of eco-friendly handbags that are made of 100% organic cotton and printed with water-based inks that fade with wear. Hamnett has always been passionate about looking after the environment and supporting global causes, ever since her famous slogan t-shirts were worn by Wham in 1983 with ‘Choose Life’ stamped on the front. Her collections of bags consist of three designs and are available to buy now at www.katherinehamnett.co.uk

CHIC VEGAN FOOTWEAR FROM NATALIE PORTMAN

Another celebrity "designer"claims a piece of the fashion world. Yes Natalie Portman is a talented actress, did you know that she is also a vegan? For Natalie, finding chic shoes for the red carpet that are not made from animal skins is such a challenge, that she decided to launch her own collection of vegan shoes, collaborating with, Te Casan, a boutique footwear store in New York City.

The Te Casan webite is launching pre-orders of Portman's own footwear range. A 20 piece collection of vegan looks for both the street and the red carpet. Portman's collaboration with Te Casan marks the actress's entry into the crazed universe of celebrity self-merchandising, and raises the question: Why shoes? "As a vegan, I don't wear leather, fur, or feathers," Portman explains. "Shopping for clothes hasn't proved too difficult, but finding chic footwear has definitely been a challenge." That challenge was no doubt felt acutely by Portman's stylist, Kate Young, who helped set up the Te Casan partnership. "We met with Kate and Natalie to discuss what Natalie was looking to do," recalls Te Casan president Yaniv Shirazi, "and it was immediately clear that this would be a fantastic collaboration. There are so few animal-free collections out there, and Natalie's ideas were really great, in terms of style." An added bonus, for consumers who like to clothe themselves in a clear conscience: Portman is donating 100 percent of her proceeds to The Nature Conservancy.

via Style.com

SUSTAINABLE STYLE WATCH: LOREMO AG

Simple, Clever, Fun and Sustainable. This light-weight vehicle is the Loremo AG, a low resistance car with an ergonomically designed interior. Its a combination of innovative technology and back-to-basics thinking. Its light, weighing less than 1,000 pounds, its designed to be maximally aerodynamic. This fuel-efficient diesel engine claims 157 miles per gallon with top speed of 100 mphm and does 0-60 in 100 seconds.

The German creation is to be shown at the upcoming car show in Geneva, with an anticipated $13,000 price tag. The Loremo is due to come onto the European market in 2009.

Via treehugger

EDUN SPRING 08 COLLECTION

Socially conscious brand EDUN, continues to create sustainable stylish outfits for spring 08.

The company's mission is to create beautiful clothing while fostering sustainable employment in developing areas of the world, particularly Africa.

EDUN is a for-profit business founded on the premise of trade, not aid as a means of building sustainable communities. The company works on a micro-level to help build the skill sets of factories where the clothes are produced. EDUN is currently produced in India, Peru, Tunisia, Kenya, Uganda, Lesotho, Mauritius and Madagascar.

BARNEYS NEW ECO OBSESSION: STELLA MCCARTNEY

Stella McCartney has brought an 18 piece "green" collection exclusively to Barneys New York

The specialty retailer asked the designer, who has famously renounced meat and leather, to create the line. Barneys last February began an initiative to introduce eco-friendly and ethically produced products into its stores with the launch of the Loomstate for Barneys collection in 12 Co-op units.

WWD reports on Barneys continued eco-obsession, and their new exclusive collection by Stella McCartney, along with her organic skin care line, Care.

In addition to Stella, Barneys will also have special items from Rag and Bone, and Henry Cuir, Rogan as well as a collection from Phillip Lim made entirely from organic cotton. Barneys will soon stock bamboo skateboards - is the assessment about Stella's line, from fashion director Julie Gilhart:

"It does not read organic in any way, shape or form."
If Stella's new line looks like her normal clothing, that's good news for shoppers, but some new issues do arise:

Are organic garments as durable as synthetically made ones, or will they self destruct - much like some of Stella's very expensive handbags?

And is eco-fashion really going to fix anything? Or is it too late (and too naive) to think that saving the world can happen with some earnestly sewn jeans?

via WWD

SEARCH ENGINE BRINGS IN GREEN RESULTS

GreenMaven.com is world's first comprehensive Green Search Engine based on Google's Coop Search technology, designed for green mavens like myself. Finally a website that brings the best of the Green Web together, staffed by a team of Green MBA Experts. GreenMaven.com is a research tool to find green resources and keep up to date on the latest trends in the Green Revolution.

Happy green searching.

RePly: SUSTAINALBE FOOTWEAR BY KRIS LOVETT

Who would of thought of recycling skateboards to make stylish and colorful women's shoes?
Kris Lovett that's who.

Former University of Arts student, Kris has successfully combined his love for skateboarding with his love for the ladies, by transforming used skateboards into shoes with his new project titled RePly

Over 100,000 decks are produced per month in the United States alone, that means thousands of used decks get dumped. RePly explores this material waste stream as a resource for women's shoes. By utilizing the overall shape and material properties found within the deck, the women's shoe takes on an interesting aesthetic quality. This project is also a reapplication of waste skateboard decks in an unexpected way. By taking a movement-based leisure product mainly utilized by males, a creative method of reuse is reapplied to a movement-based market for Eco-conscious women.

AN EYE FOR ECO DESIGN

Imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon these cool sunglasses made from recycled wood.
iwood designs are stylishly made from exotic wood. The frames are carved from sustainable-growth woods like zebrawood, bamboo, bubinga, and Makassar ebony, and has already been featured in Vogue and Instyle magazines. Each pair is hand-cut, hand-sanded, and hand-finished. The result, quality, luxury and exclusivity. Since each pair is individually crafted, no two pairs are the same, and they don't exactly come cheap, with prices ranging from $110 - $425.

Another gem to iwood designs, is the reuse of leftover scraps that designer Stephen McMenamin makes jewelery from, including bangles and earrings perfectly crafted from left over wood or gold. Perfect sustainable style.

Check out the website for further info www.iwoodecodesign.com

NYC FASHION WEEK GOES GREEN

The future of fashion in green. Kicking off New York's fashion week this year, some of the world's top designers are going green in support of an eco-fashion initiative from New York based environmental group, Earth Pledge. Taking place on January 31st, EarthPledge's FutureFashion runway show will showcase eco- friendly designs, demonstrating that high-fashion can be sustainable yet stylish and wearable.

Dazzling the runway, this year's designers will include; Marc Jacobs, Jill Sander, Donna Karan, Narciso Rodriquez and Stella McCartney showcasing their one-of- kind pieces made from recycled, reused and earth friendly materials, in an effort to create awareness of sustainable materials within the fashion industry. Proving that style and sustainability can coexist - creating market demand and improving our environment and health.


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ECO-FASHION IS HERE TO STAY

And you thought it was a trend......Eco-green fashion and lifestyle has entered the mainstream consciousness with such force, we are now more aware of our carbon footprint, pesticides in non-organic cotton that we are fast becoming eco-conscious consumers by the day. Many designers like Marc Bouwer, Stella McCartney and Katherine Hamnett have eco-friendly collections to cater to the eco-conscious consumer and enter the growing niche market of green fashion

Even celebrities in the recent years are becoming more eco-conscious, ditching their gas-guzzling SUVs to drive Prius hybrids. Being green is beyond a market trend. Its a movement that has a global call and response.