Napa Soap Company

I love finding places that are green!! Besides having super cute and yummy smelling products a really cool thing they do is take packaging material donations which I think is pretty cool. Everybody should do this. It just makes sense especially now a days when people do so much online shopping and are swimming in boxes, peanuts or those plastic pillows. Simple ideas like these make for a greener world that is better for all of us. Another awesome bonus to Napa Soap Company is they make their soaps in the USA! To read more about Napa Soap Company and what they do Click right here!

I am not sure if you have ever heard of Gifts With Humanity but I personally shop here whenever I can especially if it is for a gift for someone. I feel like spreading the word about this Gifts With Humanity is important. Many people won’t know and possibly won’t care but it is important that your money goes to the proper places. Gifts With Humanity is an excellent way to spend your dollars and support good causes globally! Gifts With Humanity supports artisans from the Americas, Asia and Africa. The holidays are here and if you have to purchase a gift won’t you feel better about the seasons of giving and being thankful if your money goes to people who are giving us great crafts and even more thankful for the support.

This year give gifts that give a more. Our gifts are 100% fair trade, recycled and you get 10% of your entire order with coupon code XMAS. Valis until Dec 24th 2009.

About: Gifts With Humanity is the retail division of Global Fair Trade Crafts Inc DBA Global Crafts.
Global Crafts was founded in 2002 by Kevin Ward and Renice Jones, who met as volunteer computing teachers in Kenya realized the capacity of the web to help individual artisans. After three years in Kenya they came to the USA and setup Global Crafts, initially as a small Fair Trade retail store. It soon became apparent that to sell in volume and change the lives of the artisans, the wholesale business would have to grow.
Starting in a garage at home Global Crafts has become a $1 million a year outlet for Fair Trade artisan handicrafts. We look forward to continued growth in the next few years and hope we are making a small difference.

About Equal Exchange:

Equal Exchange has created Big Change for over 20 years. It all started with an idea: what if food could be traded in a way that is honest and fair, a way that empowers both farmers and consumers? What if trade supported family farms that use organic methods, rather than industrialized agribusinesses that rely on harmful chemicals?

Our founders Rink Dickinson, Jonathan Rosenthal and Michael Rozyne asked these questions as they envisioned a trade model that values the farmers, consumers and the earth. So they took a big risk and plunged full-force into changing a broken food system. In 1986, they started with fairly traded coffee from Nicaragua and didn’t look back. Read more about our story.

Today, Equal Exchange continues to find new and powerful ways to build a better food system. Our products now include fairly traded and organic coffee, tea, chocolate and snacks from farmers all over the world, including here in the United States.

Our worker-owned co-op is based in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Because Equal Exchange was founded with democratic principles in mind, we strongly believe in a one-person, one-vote workplace without a corporate hierarchy. We partner with co-operatives of small-scale farmers who make their own decisions on business and community matters.

From the farmers co-ops to our co-op, we’re providing the best-tasting foods – while also making Big Changes to the way food ends up on your table. We’ll keep the ideas coming.

Lotus Jayne

Lotus Jayne has some beautiful pieces on their store but more importantly I really just love the personal story that Lotus Jayne‘s creator has been kind enough to share about her family and her adopted daughter Jayne. Jill Kimball and her husband traveled to Cambodia to pick up their new addition and during this process wanted to give back to the country that gave them their precious gift. I think that is probably one of the most amazing love story I think I have heard ever. It is also a beautiful reason to have a store that wants to give back. Support Lotus Jayne and support fair trade!
About Lotus Jayne:Lotus Jayne began one sticky August afternoon in the year 2000 in Cambodia. A tiny little girl, my new daughter, sat on my lap staring numbly through the rain-splattered windshield as we pulled away from the AOA orphanage and all she knew. Ahead, over the muddy and rutted road, lay the Phnom Penh airport and her new life in the USA. It was one of those moments in life that one remembers forever. Here were my husband and I bringing a precious gift out of this devastated country. I realized then that we had an obligation to give back to Cambodia; her people had suffered so much, and so recently. At that time I had no idea what form giving back would take, but I did know that Jayne, like millions of children all over the world in war-torn countries, was orphaned through no fault of her own.One year later, Jayne’s Cambodian Classical dance teacher Somaly Hay and her husband Khan, refugees from the Pol Pot regime living in Connecticut, exposed me to the wonders of hand-loomed Cambodian silk scarves. As Khan turned an iridescent scarf this way and that, smiling as the fibers reflected light like liquid silver, I was a goner. Why had I never seen these textiles before in the U.S.? Realizing that affordable 100% hand-loomed Cambodian silk scarves were virtually unknown here, my friend and then-partner Katie Mahoney and I decided that the principles of fair trade would guide us in bringing these items to a receptive audience in our home community.

Today, as sole proprietor of Lotus Jayne, LLC, I source textiles and other fine handicrafts from Cambodia and also many other countries across the world. I work solely with suppliers whose efforts bring disadvantaged communities into the global marketplace, thus shortening the supply chain and eliminating the bites of profit taken out along the way. It is such a gift to see whole communities get a fair price for their handcrafted items and then go on to build schools for their children and so much more. Mothers no longer are under pressure to sell their daughters to sex traffickers, rural people don’t need to leave their villages to beg in cities for survival. Yes, there is still much to be done, but, truly, the work of fair trade is rescuing whole communities and their revered handicraft traditions from extinction.
I am so honored to continue offering you fair trade handicrafts from Cambodia and the world. Come back often and please send friends our link. We all have much to do to help isolated peoples compete in the global marketplace, your support makes this world a better place.
My cherished team consists of my intrepid assistant Melanie Kennedy, who brings a steady devotion and an open heart to all the work of this fair trade business. Mr. Thon Soem remains Lotus Jayne‘s Cambodian Representative, her tireless man-on-the-ground if you will, sorting through the many tangled skeins of cultural differences to source a particular scarf or piece of jewelry.
Really and truly, it is the artisans and their champions, like Kieng Sabay of Rajana and the talented women artisans of all sorts, who are the true heart of this fair trade enterprise. They deserve all the thanks we have and then some.

TheGreenOffice.com – Green Products, Great Prices!

TheGreenOffice.com Story:
We were established in 2005 by founder and CEO Alex Szabo, a former sustainability consultant and educator who had experienced first-hand the need for a single source of environmentally and socially responsible office products and services. Mr. Szabo’s vision was of a workplace run exclusively on green products and driven by sustainable practice. Every day, we empower consumers to align values with action by providing easy and affordable access to office greeing essentials. In every sphere of operation we strive to model sustainable business by maximizing the social, ecological, and financial performance of our company – what is known as the triple-bottom-line.

A History of Firsts:
Our goal is to challenge industry and workplaces alike to do it greener. In our relatively short history we have taken leadership positions on a variety of workplace sustainability matters, including:

•The first company to offer a full selection of dark green, green, and conventional products under one virtual roof
•The first company to label and rank a 34,000+ product catalog by greenness
•The first one-stop-solution to remove all items containing PVC / vinyl
•The first company to develop a comprehensive Office Footprint Calculator™
•A member of the first cohort of certified San Francisco Bay Area Green Businesses
•One of the first (if not the first) California corporation to amend its articles of incorporation to include sustainability principles
•A Founding member of B Corporation

I always love featuring green businesses to bring their name out there and in hopes that people choose to do business with a company that has our global ideals in mind. Many times these companies are small and home bases but if we as a global green community choose to only do business with small sustainable companies we can hopefully push out the big “green fakers” out. Earth Divas is one of these smaller companies that keeps sustainability and recycled materials in their sights. Earth Divasoffers a variety of items that are handmade by women and fairly traded for women. I am loving the concept that more and more businesses are helping women around the world gain their independence. Support Earth Divasby purchasing one of their adorable bags or hats! Don’t forget to peruse their jewelry too!!

A little about Earth Divas:

What the Future Holds
Our product name is changing from Hemp Sisters to Earth Divas. This transition should be complete sometime next year. Some product will still have Hemp Sister name on it until the transition is complete. We’re changing our name so only items with the Earth Divas name will be handmade, natural fiber, fair trade items. We currently have some items with the Hemp Sisters name that are made in the US and elsewhere and are not fair trade.

Earth Divas products are handmade, natural fiber, fair trade accessories made by women for women from around the world. We currently have items from Nepal and are adding jewelry from Columbia and hemp bags from Thailand. We hope that by next year we can offer products from several other countries.

Our natural fiber, handmade accessories from Kathmandu, Nepal are made by working women’s co-ops and small woman-owned cottage industry producers. We work directly with the people that make these items. We help them source supplies like zippers, rings and buckles, and provide feedback on designs and offer suggestions to improve quality. We work directly with and pay the people that make the items, we don’t work through a middleman, which is fairly common. My wife is from India, and each year for the last four years she and I have spent about a month in India, and I have spent a couple of weeks in Nepal working on new designs and trying to figure out better ways to make the core items that we will always have, like wallets, backpacks, hats and coin purses.

In Nepal, the hemp fabric that we use is from the remote Western Region of Nepal. It grows wild in the lower Himalayan Mountain regions. It is not cultivated or farmed as in all other countries. The villagers in this remote area cut the hemp down by hand and soften the hemp in water. Other larger processing countries use chemicals and softeners to get a consistent, smooth, refined finish. Nepali hemp is a bit rougher and uneven and has some color variations. The stalk of the hemp plant is then brushed into a wool like material and then spun by hand into a strand of twine. The twine is then woven by hand on a pit loom into a piece of fabric that is 1 meter by 3 meters long. The fabric is carted down the mountains on foot and to the nearest road where it is brought into Kathmandu. In Kathmandu, the craftswomen buy the fabric and make the unique and beautiful creations that we offer.

Our recycled silk items are of the highest possible quality because they are 100% silk. The silk is from the waste cuttings in India where silk sari’s are made. Most other recycled silk items contain other man-made fibers like nylon, which is soft, but not natural. Like the recycled silk items, the felted wool items are made by a working women’s co-op. The ladies we work with create the designs and make the items for us. The wool is imported from New Zealand

Green Toys Inc.

I have written a few posts about Green Toys Inc. products like Green Toys Recycling Truck, Green Toys Tool Set, Green Toys Indoor Gardening Kit, Green Toys BPA-Free Feeding Spoon, & Green Toys Cookware and Dining Setto list a few. I love the packaging and design of these products. They are fun and colorful but more importantly environmentally conscious and made here in the USA! Green Toys Inc. makes sure to minimize packaging where ever they can. As per their site “All Green Toys products are packaged in recycled corrugated boxes with no plastics, cellophane or twist-ties, and are 100% recyclable.” As a consumer this is so important to me. I can’t tell you how many times I buy something and when I open it there is more trash than product. That is just wasteful and makes me rethink purchasing from there again. Green Toys Inc. has their products tested by nationally recognized third-party labs here in the USA to make sure they are fit and up to par with regulations and container no external coatings so lead poisoning is a non-issue.

Toys may always be necessary but they don’t have to be harmful.  Children are a precious resource and it is our responsibility as adults to teach them at a young age how important it is to be responsible to our environment.  We can do this by making conscious purchases.  Companies like Green Toys Inc. takes their responsibilities seriously and so should we.

About Green Toys Inc:
Made in California, USA Less Transportation, Less Energy
All Green Toys products are 100% made in the USA. To be more specific, they are produced in California, a state known for strict toy safety and environmental laws. It’s cool to buy USA, but also think about this: transportation is one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gasses. We all know driving less is good for mother nature, but did you ever think about how many miles a toy logs before it ends up in your local store?
Our toys are truly local creations. Every step in the process, from milk container recycling to toy production to final assembly, occurs in California. Our raw materials and toys aren’t shipped from overseas, which saves a lot of energy and reduces greenhouse gasses. It also guarantees your toys won’t get seasick before they get to your home!

CLICK HERE to Start Receiving Credit for Used Cartridges!

If you are fortunate enough to work in a place where your co-workers and bosses appreciate your attempts at eco-efficiency TonerGreen LLC  is a company worth looking into. Toners are a very expensive part of office expenses so why not try to decrease the costs by purchasing remanufactured toners. TonerGreen LLC alone has helped redirect more than 300 tons of waste from landfills.
TonerGreen LLCcarries the major printer, copier and fax machine brands of toner & ink cartridges to purchase your remanufactured toners while offering a rebate discount system to return your empty cartridges to them. TonerGreen LLCeven offers eco-friendly ink brands to do your printing! Your purchases come with 2 year warranties if you are disatisfied with their products.

A little more info about TonerGreen LLC (from their website):

Company Snapshot
TonerGreen LLCaims to be the internet leader in providing environmentally responsible recycling solutions.  TonerGreen LLCwas founded in April 2009 under the name TonerforEarth.com. Propelled by the founders’ vision to provide a variety of value-added eco-friendly products under one location, the internet store TonerGreen LLCwas created. Since its inception, TonerGreen.com has been envisioned to be a major source of specialty products that contribute to energy conservation, sustainability, and environmental responsibility.

Presently, TonerGreen’sprimary product line includes U.S.-made premium remanufactured toner cartridges and remanufactured inkjet cartridges. We take pride in the superior performance of our products compared to the average compatible or remanufactured cartridges found on the internet. Our products are not just ordinary recycled toner or recycled cartridges. Recycling is but just a small part of the extensive remanufacturing process that our product undergoes at our in-house facility. Quality is strictly imposed every step of the remanufacturing process until our products are either picked up by customers or shipped to their address.

Core Values
Value-added products and services.
TonerGreen LLCintends to help you make eco friendly choices for your home or office with the confidence that you are making a smart and responsible decision: a) Cost reduction opportunities – our goal is to sell the best products at fair prices, b) Waste elimination opportunities – return your used ink and toner cartridges for recycling credit, c) Reliability and compliance – our ink and toner cartridges are built without violating technical and trademark patents from registered owners. We are proud to say that our remanufactured cartridges are Made in the US. We have in-house technical experts to assist you in obtaining optimum output from your remanufactured ink and toner cartridge.

Relentless commitment to quality
We prioritize quality and customer satisfaction over low-cost and cutbacks. At TonerGreen LLC, excellence dictates every movement in our organization – from our streamlined logistics and distribution processes for efficient fulfillment, to world-class online and offline customer service. We delight in happy, satisfied, and loyal clients. Moreover, we stand by our products – we provide a 2 year warranty on all our remanufactured ink and toner cartridges.

Social responsibility
TonerGreen LLCgives back to the planet by supporting non-profit organizations that are dedicated to eco-friendly causes. When you buy your ink and toners from TonerGreen LLC, 1% of your purchase is donated to EarthShare, an organization dedicated to connecting people to environmental nonprofits through workplace giving, volunteer opportunities, and environmental education.

TerraCycle

I have heard of Terracycle before and even written about some of their products. What I didn’t know is how absolutely cool this company is. I was at work and someone brought in Rainbow Chip Cookies and immediately I noticed the Terracycle logo.  Terracycle has a Brigade network which allows you to recycle everything from food wrappers to computers to health and beauty packaging! The best incentive for you less than green individuals is the proceeds are donated to a charity or school of your choice.
TerraCycle was started by a 20 year old Princeton freshman who decided to start reusing empty bottles to ship his organic fertilizer and is now a major up & recycling business that collects from different countries around the world. Anyone of us could be the next Tom Szaky!

About TerraCycle:
TerraCycle’s purpose is to eliminate the idea of waste. We do this by creating national recycling systems for the previously non-recyclable. The process starts by offering collection programs (many of them free) to collect your waste and then convert the collected waste into a wide range of products and materials. With over 14 million people collecting waste in 11 countries together we have diverted billions of pieces of waste that are either upcycled or recycled into over 1,500 various products available at major retailers ranging from Walmart to Whole Foods Market. Our hope is to eliminate the idea of waste by creating collection and solution systems for anything that today ends up in our trash.
Founded in 2001 by Tom Szaky, then a 20-year-old Princeton University freshman, TerraCycle began by producing organic fertilizer, packaging liquid worm poop in used soda bottles. Since then TerraCycle has grown into one of the fastest growing green companies in the world.

You can start your own Brigade and start earning money towards your charity right here:
http://www.terracycle.net/how-terracycle-works