Thought all you Eco Chick readers might all like to hear me (babble) green on Green Living Ideas radio. You can subscribe to their free podcast on iTunes, or listen on the interview on the Green Living Ideas radio site.

It was a fun interview, and we talked about a host of green topics, including fashion and beauty and the future of green. Enjoy!

Eco-friendly books run the gamut of green - USATODAY.com via kwout

Also got a really nice mention in USA Today’s coverage of the best eco-friendly books. You can read the full article here. Eco Chick Summer Rayne Oakes’ upcoming book, Style, Naturally was also mentioned. Can’t wait to see it!

Inhabitat » Green Home 101 - Meet the Experts via kwout

Also had a great interview over at Inhabitat where I discuss my fave cleaning products, pet peeves and what’s next in my eco-conscious adventures.

When you’re shopping for cosmetics, lotion, cleansers, shampoo and other beauty necessities, it can be hard to keep track of all the nasty ingredients you’re supposed to avoid. After all, companies are getting tricky lately with disguising ingredients like formaldehyde with relatively innocuous-sounding alternative names. That’s why it’s important to have places like Spirit Beauty Lounge, who do all the hard work of sorting the good stuff from the bad for us.

Spirit Beauty Lounge is the only carbon-neutral boutique for luxury green, organic and cruelty-free beauty and lifestyle products. Founded by organic beauty expert Spirit Demerson, Spirit Beauty Lounge carries a great range of organic and sustainable beauty products from companies with clearly defined humane, ethical and environmental policies. They carry recycled and vintage jewelry, hard-to-find European skincare lines and even non-toxic cleaning products.

Spirit Demerson graciously agreed to answer a few of my questions so that you, Eco Chick readers, can get the inside scoop on this brand-new beauty shop.

Can you tell us a bit about your background and what led you to start Spirit Beauty Lounge?

SD: I’ve always been a beauty junkie but for years I was disappointed with the quality and packaging of most safe, natural beauty products.  I obsessively searched for more organic and natural based products that would perform like department store brands.  As I honed in on the best products, I was always trying to get my friends to “convert” but everything was so hard to find that I ended up buying everything for them!  Even since before cosmetology school, I’ve wanted to make the world a more “beautiful” place inside and out!  My haircutting skills weren’t well…”cutting it” in beauty school so I dropped out and later developed the Organic Beauty Lounge concept.  I’ve been hosting Organic Spa Parties for years just to get my friends excited about going green with organic snacks and cocktails, organic mani-pedis, facials and clothing swaps.  Finally, I built the whole concept online:  A place for guilt free shopping, beauty advice and eco awareness in one-stop.

It sounds like you’ve got a really thorough selection process for the products you choose to sell, which is great news for consumers - the hard work is done for us. How difficult has it been to find vendors who can meet such stringent criteria?

SD: Let’s just say I have a whole closet full of products that didn’t make the cut!  I love to work with manufacturers who are constantly improving on their formulas and developing new formulas towards being ultimately 100% organic and chemical-free.  I’ve fallen in love with certain products in testing and then couldn’t bring them on because they couldn’t promise fair labor or protected resources were used.  It can be a little heartbreaking at times but it also helps me appreciate so much more, how hard some of our vendors are working to provide truly green, ethical products.

It’s always been challenging to find truly safe and natural cosmetics like mascara and foundation. Spirit Beauty Lounge already carries NVEY Eco, which is awesome since they’re a really reputable brand with quality products. Do you see any other cosmetics companies meeting your standards any time soon?

SD: Yes! Nvey Eco is fantastic and has some great new products in the works that we’ll introduce soon plus we are bringing on two more cosmetics lines in January.

Do you have a few personal favorite products from your shop that you could share with us?

SD: Skinnyskinny is one of my favorite lines because not only are their products unique, beautiful and high quality but their business is totally carbon-neutral as well.  They just introduced these brand new tub teas that make me want to get up and take a bath every day instead of a shower!  The packaging is 100% recycled, right down to the recycled rubber bow.

Another favorite company is Organic Apoteke. They are probably the “greenest” business we work with which is just an added bonus to how well their skin care works.  I’ve been using Rasayana Rejuvenating Serum which really helps even out my skin tone.

I love the Offhand Designs Tia and Nina bags.  They’re perfect for the season, totally chic and are entirely hand made of recycled and reclaimed materials.

I’ve been slathering myself with Ila Body Balm every night before bed.  The exotic rose scent is so sensuous and the unrefined argan oil keeps me from getting dry and itchy overnight.

Eco Chick readers – make a purchase at Spirit Beauty Lounge and get 15% off with coupon code ECOCHICK. It’s a great opportunity to pick up some winter beauty essentials, or gifts for friends and family!

Zite Fight is a website that lets people like you and me go head-to-head by submitting photos and letting the rest of the world decide which is better.  There have been many zite fight contests, but this week they are launching an ECO FASHION FIGHT!

You can participate in a couple ways.  First, you can visit the site and vote.  Second, you can submit your own photos of yourself in eco fashions for a chance to be crowned the winner!  (And while you’re at it, send me a photo of yourself in eco fashions so I can post it in the Fashion, Evolved Fashion Show).

Go check it out–it’s a great way to waste time when you should be doing something productive!

If you don’t have a cold yet, you probably will by the new year. It’s certainly hard to avoid the dreaded sniffles, sneezes, congestion and headaches that come along with the common cold during the holiday season when you’re constantly in contact with other people, in indoor areas with poor air circulation. But, never fear: if you feel even the slightest indication that you’re headed for a week or more of misery, use these natural remedies and get a head start on feeling like your fabulous self again.

Drink lots of honeysuckle and dandelion tea. Hot fluids help relieve nasal congestion, prevent dehydration and soothe those sore membranes in your nose and throat. When steeped in hot water, honeysuckle flowers produce a liquid that’s antiseptic, antimicrobial and anti-infective. Dandelion – yes, the weed that grows in your yard – is a great immune system builder that increases the production of interferon, a protein that inhibits viral multiplication and activates T-cells. You can get both in the bulk section of your local health store, or just pick up a pack of ‘Detox’ by Yogi Tea, which contains both and is made with organic ingredients.

Take hot, steamy showers. You may not give yourself the luxury of a long hot shower very often since it uses so much energy and water, but treat yourself when you feel like you’re getting sick. The steam will moisturize your irritated nasal passages and help you relax. You could also take a soothing herbal bath and throw in some chamomile, rosemary, lavender or peppermint.

Speaking of relaxation – rest, rest, rest.  Now isn’t the time to push yourself at the gym, work overtime or take on a really stressful task. Your body is working hard to fight off infection, and it needs all the energy it can get. Take a day to get cozy under the covers and read, write letters or watch television. Lay back on a stack of pillows situated to create a gradual slope, which will help with drainage of the nasal passages.

Gargle and use a Neti Pot. A Neti Pot, if you’ve never used one, is used to irrigate the nasal passages, soothing them and rinsing away irritants. You fill the Neti Pot with warm saline solution, insert the spout into one nostril, tilt your head and let the solution flow up your nose and out the other nostril.  It’s a little strange getting used to, but it really works. To calm a sore throat, gargle with salt water or honey dissolved in some warm water with lemon.

I am still in a euphoric state. As the incredible reality of our new President starts to settle in, I am realizing the proper space now exists for a chance for change. In the realm of women’s rights and healthcare, I am anxious to see the next steps that both Barack Obama :), Joe Biden, along with the amazing Michelle Obama and Jill Biden take. It has been evident that this new administration will not let these issues fall though the cracks on their watch.

Now that we finally have someone’s attention, I think that it is important to wave the flag. As much as the topic of healthcare is on the minds and tongues of many, the excessive fiscal waste and inefficiencies evident in our system are not discussed openly.

I am going to start talking about it as much as I can. I truly believe the lack of supported advocacy for women’s health has a direct correlation to the state of our health care system.

There are approximately 6 million pregnancies every year throughout the United States, more than 19 million women are uninsured in this country and up until this point, sex education ( and quite frankly anatomy education) in this country has not been given the attention it deserves. We need to pursue a sustainable healthcare system which connects the dots and get women to speak up.

99% of births occur in hospitals. The average cost for a normal delivery held at a hospital is $6,378 and $10,638 +for a cesarean. Many hospitals are reporting cesarean rates of more than 40%. The estimated cost of a delivery and prenatal care at a birthing center is about $3,000 – $4,000. And unfortunately, insurance coverage for the choice to have one’s birth at a birthing center is not yet as easy to obtain as a hospital birth.

Of course the healthcare industries as yet are not going to fully disclose where that extra $3,000 to $7,000 + cost comes from. Could it be from the HIGHLY common use of pitocin, epidurals and other analgesics, the high cost surgery fees emergency and elective c-sections? I ask you to investigate for yourself if these all to common procedures are sustainable and healthy. Truly looking at the lifecycle of our health care system can reveal mind boggling revelations about the long term effects on our bodies and our children’s bodies and minds, not to mention our wallets.

Transparency needs to be revealed as to why these statistics are what they are and truths need to be shared.

The theory behind the Dr. Alkaitis skin care line is that taking good care of our skin is not just a matter of beauty, but of health and well-being. Alkaitis also believes that whatever we put on our skin, we should be able to ingest, so all of his products are biologically active and free from any synthetic materials.

Alkaitis, a highly regarded research scientist, specializes in the fields of molecular biology, ethnopharmacology (the study of traditional ways of healing with plants), and organics. The company uses 100% pure aloe vera, long revered for its healing properties, as the product base as opposed to water, and all botanicals are ethically wild-crafted. Everything is made in-house, unlike many other brands, and the company is family-owned and operated.

Wedding science and Mother Nature, the line has been praised by many, including men. After two weeks my skin is glowing. I have used many different skin care lines, and have never had people actually comment about my skin and how good it looks as they have after following this regimen. The soothing gel and nourishing oil are both very hydrating during these colder months. The prices are a bit steep, but one only needs to use a very small amount of product and each container lasts up to two months.

Dear Chicky,

Spastic about Plastic

Dear Spastic,

Though the debate is still raging about the safety of chemicals like Bisphenol A and phthalates, you’re definitely better off safe than sorry. Both chemicals have been linked with health issues like endocrine disruption and breast cancer, and those are just the chemicals in plastic we know about – who knows what others lurk in our plastic food containers, baby bottles and other items.

Since you’re not microwaving plastic containers or using them for hot foods, you’re definitely on the right track. BPA leaches out of plastics 55 times faster when exposed to hot liquids than it does under normal conditions. But, even when they’re not heated, they’re risky. Personally, I switched my plastic containers out for glass, porcelain and stainless steel just for peace of mind. (I’m in the process of getting rid of ALL the plastic in my life slowly but surely- ed.)

You may want to avoid polycarbonate and PVC plastic containers altogether – they’re generally marked with a number 3 (may contain phthalates) or 7 (may contain BPA) in a triangle on the bottom. Plastics marked with a 1,2 or 5 are considered safe. Check the lowdown on plastics safety and numbers here.

As for washing the lids of your glass containers, the best thing to do is use lukewarm water, whether hand washing or sticking them in the dishwasher. If you’re using your dishwasher’s energy-efficient settings anyway – turning off the hot air drying phase and setting the water to ‘warm’ – putting the lids in the dishwasher is just fine. Chances are the lids on your glass containers aren’t worrisome, since they’re most likely made of polypropylene, but caution isn’t a bad thing when it comes to your health.

Safely Yours,

Chicky

Have a question for Chicky? Email starre (at) eco (dash) chick (dot) com or leave your question in the comments section below. Cheers to curiosity!!

Eco-Chick gets Eairth-y with some Fabulous Phillipino Eco-Fashion

Fashion, evolved interviews Sara Suemae, the founder and designer of the eco-fabulous line SPUN.

Green Cotton says congrats to the D.C. Green Festivals for a terrific eco-fashion show and impressive recycling for 30,000+

The GreenGirls.tv tells us why knockoffs and fakes are a crime of fashion.

The Alternative Consumer has the scoop on natural wrist warmers:  tre chic and handmade, a yummy accessory for fall, winter and spring.

Green Grechen shares chic handbags for vegans–100% Vegan Handbags (that you’d actually carry)!

What Are You Tired Of? Tell the World and Make It Change!  Victoria Everman has an interview with I’m Tired Of co-founder Dan Hoffman.

Environmentally aware party planner Danielle Venokur hosted the “Sustainable Celebrations” event at the new DWR Tools for Living store in Soho. Venokur’s company dvGreen, is a sustainable event design and production company that utilizes organic food, flowers, and table linens, tree-free paper invitations, and more to create incredible events that you can be proud of forever.

At the event, Venokur incorporated items from the DWR: Tools for Living Assortment into place settings for both the adults’ and kids’ holiday table. I thought that the displays were brilliant and full of many great ideas for the holidays.

Venokur shared the following tips that you can use in your home to create a memorable and sustainable holiday meal:

1) Revamp and reuse scarves that you have around your home or found in a thrift shop; use them as is or accentuate them with organic cotton trim to make them your own; the result, unique vintage chic napkins.

2) If you live upstate or near trees, incorporate fallen branches and foliage to create your own custom center piece

3) Use LED candles instead instead of regular candles, they last longer and retain their appearance for many, many years. <

Tips for creating a special sustainable children’s table:

1) Use bamboo flatware for the table setting such as the collection from bambu.

2) Instead of a linen table cloth, line the table with craft paper. The children can draw stencils and color leaves, snowflakes, and other holiday motifs on the table and make it their own.

3) Using organic cotton balls, you can create little snowmen place settings.

4) Reuse craft paper to make a paper flower center piece together with the children before the dinner begins. Place the flowers in a refurbished vintage container and then the children will have something to celebrate- of their own making! during their meal.

Original Article from Ethical Style

Last Valentine’s Day, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Rayburn office building was the venue for an unusual hearing. Famous designers, fashion executives, and well-styled attorneys talked among themselves while waiting for legislators to return from a vote. Someone described the room as “a strange cocktail party without drinks.”

Capitol Hill isn’t known as a place for fashion-related affairs. Slowly but surely, though, times have changed. Once considered too frivolous a problem for the United States Congress, fashion design theft has finally been brought to the table in the form of the Design Piracy Prohibition Act, or DPPA.

The intellectual property issue has been a pressing one in the fashion industry for many years. However, the lack of legal rights for designers has left them to rely on their own means — and the minimal protection of trademark and patent law — to defend their work against fashion copycats.

Many garment vendors and journalists have credited these loose laws with continued creative innovation and the success of the American mass market. Some have even theorized that the nature of fashion and trends is inconsistent with the notion of a truly “original” clothing design. As one uncompromising San Francisco Chronicle editorial put it, “Is it really realistic to believe that there are really, truly, no designs being invented now that haven’t been created before?”

The answer is a resounding “yes” if you ask ready-to-wear designers Diane Von Furstenberg, Nicole Miller, Zac Posen, and Narciso Rodriguez. They, with a gaggle of other industry supporters, have been pushing hard for the DPPA through the Council of Fashion Designers of American (CFDA), a trade association.

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