responsible-living
Eco-Chic & Fair Trade Guilt-Free Shopping
Artisan products, eco-sensitive home decor, sustainable fashion & more
These companies and products are true stars in my book. Eco-minded entrepreneurs and retailers who show that caring for the earth is good business. From specially carved home accessories and beautiful candles to hand-woven silk ties and artisan-crafted jewelry, it's easy to get hooked on these eco-friendly finds.
Viva Terra
We all love shopping to spiff up our homes, but the online retailer Viva Terra brings a whole new meaning to the activity, reminding us that home extends beyond the house. Home, when you get down to it, is Earth. The Colorado-based company’s Website makes shopping for “home” in every sense of the word easy and engaging. Everything they sell is made from sustainable or eco-minded materials. Much is made by artisans and supplied by companies that practice fair trade. Browse by room—you’ll find a natural maple wood cutting board and bamboo salad bowls and serving spoons in the Dining and Kitchen section, bowls carved from Chinese fir tree roots in the Eco Accents section and bath mats constructed from stones polished by river currents on the Bed, Bath and Spa page. For the great outdoors, there are sturdy yet stylish teak ladders and eye-catching chairs designed with wood staves from wine barrels. Who said it wasn't easy being green?
Viva Terra
Pueblo, CO
United States
+1 800 233 6011
customerservice@vivaterra.com
Pristine Planet
A clearinghouse of retailers rather than a retailer itself, this online network of sustainably-minded merchants makes hunting down the most eco-friendly items a breeze. Combining user reviews like those that are oh-so helpful on Amazon, merchant blogs that help you feel a small-town familiarity with the retailers and report cards that rate the green level of the various companies, Pristine Planet is part market watchdog, part guardian of the green integrity and entirely easy to navigate. Shop for everything from adorable baby threads and toys to elegant stationery to outdoor furnishings to gourmet goodies. Need a gift for a special occasion? Browse the site’s extensive gift guides; divvied up by occasions and recipients, each is a virtual directory of eco-sensitive ideas. Giving feels even better when you’re giving back.
Pristine Planet
CA
United States
+1 619 602 0427
help@pristineplanet.com
Global Exchange
For a product to carry the Fair Trade label, its importers have to adhere to rigid criteria that spell out ethical practices. The end result is economic fairness, respect for workers and increased support for a more sustainable system of trade and consumerism. For everything you’ve ever wanted to know about Fair Trade but weren’t sure how to ask, visit Global Exchange’s web site, where you can familiarize yourself with the finer points of Fair Trade and learn how the practices help disadvantaged artisans in 40 countries earn money and get on the road to a better life. You’ll also find a well-stocked online store with clothes, jewelry, bags, candles, body products, home accessories and many more items, all of which are handmade in South America, Asia, the Middle East and beyond. Check out the Indonesian silver jewelry, messenger bags of old feed sacs made by disabled women in Cambodia and silk ties handcrafted by members of a silk weaving co-op in Laos. Shop for gifts here—or at one of their bricks and mortar stores (in San Francisco and Berkeley)—and you’ll be giving back when you give.
Global Exchange
4018 24th Street
San Francisco, CA 94114
United States
+1 415 648 8068
A.R.E. Naturals
Buy green in every color—and countless materials and clever designs—at arenaturals.com. This Website is a veritable bazaar of offerings that merge Martha Stewart’s signature practicality, Jonathan Adler’s vibrancy, Fair Trade’s global sensibility and all-around good conscience. Give your bedroom, bathroom, garden and kitchen accents with all sorts of accessories, ornaments and accoutrements that are low in impact and high in style. Goblet-like wine glasses are made from recycled glass; pillows, duvets and bedding are woven with jacquard, twill, reed, cotton and larch; and you can upgrade your washroom with hemp shower curtains and an aromatic array of organic soaps. All the items they feature are handmade, recycled, fairly traded, sustainable, or all of the above. Are Natural's commitment, however, goes well beyond the way their producers source their materials. Whenever they receive an order for $50 or more, they plant a tree through the American Forests’ planting project.
A.R.E. Naturals
+1 888 245 8342
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