Eco Voyage

the propensity to rescue dates back as far as my mind can reach. and not just defenseless animals. dusty, old books? i want them; i'll read them all. antique furniture left in the alley next to my flat? guess who's coming home with me tonight? clothes that no one else wants? i'll dust them off + wear them or reconstruct them. i see value in almost everything.

there's a little online eco boutique called bead + reel that you may already know about {i wrote about it previously here on finny + dill, singing high praises for this woman-founded + woman-run retail shop: that's right, it's entirely run by one fierce woman}, but did you know that owner sica schmitz has created an online resale shop that sells only vegan + ethically made wares? sica also won the sustainable business council's small business award this year. here's what the animal activist, shrewd eco entrepreneur + one of my fave everyday heroes had to say about acknowledging women's accomplishments + why size doesn't matter:

before we hear words of wisdom from sica, a woman with a powerful will, i wanted to take a moment to introduce you to her fantastic new online second-hand shop that she has incorporated on bead + reel, her fab retail website. this is no ordinary collection of pre-loved clothes. the rescued collection is made up of eco, ethical + vegan wares only. which means you can purchase gently used + like new apparel, footwear + accessories from some of the best sustainable fashion labels for a fraction of the original price.

“the average american throws out 70 pounds of textiles each year, according to the council for textile recycling.”

and it's so very easy. just drop the free shipping label into your cart, press send; within 24 hours you'll receive the ups label which you can print from home, then ta da! send your package via post, then receive a payment via paypal or keep the credit to purchase a shiny new bauble or that new set of strappy heels you've been eyeing. trust me, this is a great way to save money on eco items you'd like to invest in or to save your garments from the belly of the whale: and my that i mean the landfill.

and now sica speaketh the truth. sica talks size, and why it doesn't matter: it was very intimidating to enter this competition as a one-person, $100,000 business competing in the same category as $1 million companies with teams of employees. there is a vast difference in resources and capabilities, and i am well aware of that. but for a small sole proprietorship to win means that any individual has the power to build their own business and to start creating their own unique impacts. don't wait until you're "big enough" to change the world; you, yourself, are capable of it right now.

as a woman whose company honors the earth by stocking only products that are made with respect to our natural resources, to people + to animals, i loved what she had to say about the importance of trees:

one of my friends asked how much money came with this award, and i had to laugh. this award offers only recognition, and a tree. a beautiful "giving tree" - a ming aralia, and it was probably the most meaningful award i could have received. my father used to give away thousands of trees every year to my hometown community - little douglas fir seedlings, free to anyone who would love them. his friends and clients and strangers would plant their jace trees - named in his honor - on their properties, and some people had decades worth of jace trees growing at their homes. he died 5 years ago, so he never got to see bead + reel or the tree that i won this week. however, his jace trees live on, a beautiful and constant reminder that our impact on the world doesn't end when we leave this earth. so give trees, and plant trees, and live the kind of life that continues to grow, even after you are gone.

and finally, sica reminds us why female leadership matters:

bead + reel is an entirely woman-founded, women-owned, woman-run business, and it is only in acknowledging more women's accomplishments that we can start to shift towards a reality where there are as many large companies run by men as by women.

thank you to sica for her work as a pioneering entrepreneur + a rockin' role model.

{don't forget the tip} when i first learned that people across the world dispose of used clothing, i was completely discombobulated. the average american throws out 70 pounds of textiles each year, according to the council for textile recycling. that just won't do. there are many options for recycling your gently-worn apparel + footwear. don't send those gently used items to the landfills, instead give them new life by donating them or selling them. now get ready to shop small. want to know what other options exist for redirecting the destiny of those perfectly wearable clothes in your closet? check out this post at litterless.

{eco apparel: wearing organic cotton top by groceries apparel + fair trade jeans by monkee genes; find your own fair trade treasures at bead + reel}

until next time, stay green dear hearts!

it's that time of year, when fall descends upon us with its chilly morns + brisk nights. i have friends that love this season; my friend christy lauds the many merits of crisp weather: she loves the changing colors of the leaves, she loves bundling in warm flannels + snuggling up under cozy blankets in the evening.

me, i'm a warm-weather gal; i like it downright tropical. the hotter, the better i say, and my wardrobe reflects this. each year i poke my head into my wee closet and reappear with the same conclusion: i have a dearth of fall apparel. i've long struggled with what to wear during the autumn months, when it's not quite hot + not quite cold.

confused by the weather's seeming lack of focus, i tarried when it came to clothing purchases, but finding the right options, lightweight + fluid sweaters as well as relaxed organic cotton tops is what this gal has been waiting for. let me introduce you to your new fall essentials, for a casual + nonchalant cool fall wardrobe:

from our friends at bon label:

bon was born of designer linda smyth’s love of parisian style and her obsession with finding the perfect white tee.

blending the two, the brand exists to provide women with luxury everyday pieces which are casual, effortless and elegant - drawing inspiration from muses garance dore, emmanuelle alt + caroline de maigret.

colours are white, black and grey, complimented with bespoke seasonal prints and (on rare occasions) a splash of colour.

garments are thoughtfully designed with utility and chic in mind, and lovingly brought to life in the most ethical way.

bon uses only gots certified organic cotton and garments are made ethically in australia. bon is french for good. good for the planet. good for womankind.

if you're wondering, why choose organic? linda has compiled some great stats + info for curious hearts. read on!

cotton production covers 2.5% of the world’s cultivated land but uses 16% of the world’s insecticides. cotton production uses more chemicals per unit area than any other crop in the world.

chemicals used in the growing and processing of non-organic cotton cause long-term pollution of soil + water – decreasing biodiversity and shifting the equilibrium of the ecosystems it is grown in.

the human cost is also high. because cotton is still hand picked in many countries, pickers are exposed to extreme amounts of toxic chemicals.

this toxicity is often passed on to wearers of non-organic cotton garments. residual chemicals left on the end product not surprisingly irritate the skin {that’s why so many baby clothes are organic cotton}.

certified organic cotton is farmed & processed without the use of pesticides, genetically modified seed or synthetic fertilizer.

methods used to grow organic cotton actually support biodiversity & healthy eco-systems, improving the quality of the soil it’s grown in + often using less water. this is the case in australia where the processes used to grow organic cotton build the soil up over the years to retain moisture and be ‘fungus enabling’, meaning cotton can prosper on a dry land (non-irrigated) farm.

these methods are not only safe and beneficial socially and environmentally, but also produce a much smoother, softer, better quality cotton product.

the organic cotton used in our organic tees is also ring spun. ring spinning is the highest quality spinning process, producing a superior and permanently smooth finished product.

this cotton yarn is then dyed using sustainable + colour fast oeko-tex 100 certified eco dyes and knitted into single jersey fabric in melbourne. the entire production process is aco certified.

the result is a fabric which creates the perfect, luxury cotton jersey basic – not too heavy or too see-through, doesn't pill, and holds its shape wear after wear, wash after wash. and importantly, is good for the environment, and good for people. très bon! check this fab eco label out here.

until next time, stay green dear hearts!

{images via bon label}