We've Moved!!

Don't fret, Modern Hippie Mag has moved! Find all kinds of "eco" this and that at our new digs, http://www.modernhippiemag.com.

Stop by, give a shout, sign-up for updates and definitely tell a friend...or two!

See you there!

Our little family is growing...

Modern Hippie Mag welcomes Steve McAllister acclaimed author, filmmaker, and musician. Steve will be featuring articles focused on “feel good” principles and how to stay positive and motivated. His endeavors include InkenSoul Press, a publishing company focused on delivering literature and information that promotes commerce, charity, creativity, spirituality, and environmental sustainability. His most recent novel, The McAllister Code is being released via serial email…very innovative and eco-friendly!

Are "Greener" Fireworks Better?

Image via Wikipedia

This weekend thousands of people will gaze up into the skies to watch firework spectacles, but some researchers report that "traditional" fireworks can present health and environmental risks. So what about eco-friendly alternatives? Are they better, and do they achieve the same mouth gaping, awe-inspiring, colorful explosions?

Traditional fireworks are made up of fuel and an oxidizer, (usually perchlorate salt - an oxygen-rich chemical made up of chlorine and oxygen), both of which are toxic compounds. Put it all together, add some serious heat, and the heavy metals in the fireworks produce color. Ooo, ahhh. The entire concoction is fired into the sky using a propellant, generally gunpowder, you know...the stuff in bullets. However exciting this may sound, what goes up must also come down...into the air, nearby water and ultimately into our soil.

Scientists now know perchlorate can interfere with the way the body takes iodide into the thyroid and can disrupt the gland's regulation of metabolism. In developing fetuses and newborns, iodine (the body reduces iodide to iodine) deficiency can cause mental retardation.

Also, some of the heavy metals that make fireworks colorful may also be poisonous when heated. For example, antimony, which is sometimes used to produce the color white, can harm the lungs, heart, stomach and other organs. Barium, which provides a green hue can also be toxic to the heart and "does something really nasty to your insides and gastrointestinal tract," said Michael Hiskey, an explosive chemist and co-founder of DMD Systems, a pyrotechnic research and development company.

DMD Systems currently produces a line of fireworks that are perchlorate-free and contain about one-tenth the amount of barium used by traditional fireworks. Hiskey's formulation uses nitrocellulose as fuel and nitrates as oxidizer, thus avoiding perchlorates altogether. This reaction produces only stable gases like carbon dioxide, water, and nitrogen, cutting down considerably on the metal oxides and potassium chloride that are released from more traditional fireworks as smoke.

Because eco-friendly fireworks produce less smoke they are more visible and the colors more vibrant. Presently many theme parks and concert venues use the eco-friendly fireworks produced by DMD Systems. Whether you can expect to see them explode at a local 4th of July celebration comes down to cost and demand. Voice concerns to your local officials, and perhaps you can make a difference in your town.

Zumbox delivers paperless mail online!

Image via CrunchBase

Approximately 700 million pieces of paper mail are delivered daily in the U.S. – that includes letters, cards, advertisements, and bills.

If all U.S. households received and paid their bills electronically, the country would save 16.5 million trees annually. That’s the amount of lumber needed for 216,054 single-family homes. Wow, that’s a lot!

Introducing Zumbox! Zumbox enables people to go paperless with all their postal mail - bills, statements, catalogs and more - thereby reducing their environmental impact. What used to only be sent as paper mail can now be sent without the paper. With Zumbox, any person or business can send mail electronically to your street address. Zumbox users can even request exclusive paperless delivery, which notifies the individual mail sender of their preference. How’d they do that? They’ve created a nationwide paperless postal system with a Zumbox for every street address in the United States, including yours! Pretty cool, huh? Zumbox users can send mail as well!

The alternative Postal System-no paper, no scanning, no delays. Save trees, help the environment, go paperless with Zumbox!

How can Investing in Green Companies Grow the Green Economy?

Image by artbymags via Flickr

One of the most dynamic ways you can grow the green economy is by investing your savings and retirement assets in green companies, companies that are working to preserve the planet and create a world that works for everyone with no one and nothing left out.

It is obvious how buying directly from a green company makes a big difference in growing the green economy. You are directly supporting that company. Then how does investing in green companies grow the green economy? Since when we buy stock it is usually in the secondary market, which means it does not go directly to the company. However, when more people buy stock from a green company, the share price is pushed up and creates more value for the company.

Another reason to buy from green, progressive and proactive companies, is to avoid profiting from the evils of greed, violating the planet and people, etc. If enough people stop buying stock in companies with “questionable” practices, their stock value will go down. This directly hurts the corporate officers, which usually hold a large amount of the stock. When they are affected in this way, they have a strong incentive to look at their business practices and possibly improve their corporate citizenship.

New!! Finance & Investment News!!

Big welcome to investment advisor Cherie G. DiNoia President of Shelby Financial Group!! Cherie has graciously agreed to share her finance and investment expertise with Modern Hippie Mag.

Cherie specializes in Socially Responsible and Sustainable Investing. She is dedicated to educating individual investors and business owners regarding comprehensive financial management using a platform of socially responsible investments.

Shelby Financial Group is passionate about empowering their clients to use their financial resources to make a profound and lasting difference in the world. Shelby Financial Group is a proud member of Green America as well as the Social Investment Forum.

I’ve personally known Cherie for the past two years and can say that she is one of the warmest, genuine and honest women I know. I am tickled "green" to have her on board! Thanks Cherie!

Be mindful, not wasteful...

Image by kevindooley via Flickr

…occurred to me as I was rushing around this morning wishing I had a nice new laptop bag for my laptop and “stuff”. Lo and behold I opened the hall “abyss”, I mean closet, and found a suitable, functional and stylish bag that most certainly fit the bill. Ah…a nice, calm sense of relief overtook me. That seemingly insignificant find helped me to see that a lot of what I already need is most often right under my nose, albeit hiding in the abyss that I MUST now explore for other treasures! This prompted me to look at other areas of “wants” that I may have that don’t have to cost “money” necessarily. I made a list…

1. I love to eat out, but it shouldn’t be a habit. I’m very fortunate in that I live very close to where I work…ok so I work from home, but the commute from my bedroom to my office/workshop can be brutal, meandering through the obstacle of either dog or the cat maze, but I digress. I’m a good cook, so what’s wrong with leftovers anyway?

2. Needing a pick-me-up, or perhaps an afternoon distraction to keep the juices flowing. More often lately I am just saying “no!” to Starbuck’s Café Mochas and brewing my own fresh ground coffee and using a coffee press. Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical that has been linked to heart disease, reproductive disorders, and other health conditions, is found in many hard plastic water bottles and drip coffee makers! Uh,…yuck!

3. Drink more water. Plastic water bottles are soooo yesterday! Not to mention all that BPA, ick! Besides, all the cool people take their own water with them. Of course you are using your Brita water filtered water right? Brita water filters can now be returned to any participating Preserve Gimme 5 location or select Whole Foods for recycling. And Kleen Kanteen can cure all your portable water ails. Check them out.

4. Being a workaholic. Perhaps I should step away from the computer more. No, I can’t. Yes, you can. It will still be there when you get back…why would I lie? Taking time to just breathe, taking a walk in a nearby park, gazing up at the clouds and filling my heart and mind with gratitude certainly doesn’t cost a thing.

I hope you can find some inspiration in my “list”. I now have to go see if my husband hasn’t fallen and bumped his head after reading all the things he tells me I should do on a daily basis. “Coming dear…”

Shout out in eco fashion world!!!

Jaszy's Jewelry got a mention in eco fashion world's eco-fashion guide!!

eco fashion world's goal is "to keep you green, gorgeous and growing with a comprehensive ecofashion finder of the greatest brands, shops and resources around the globe."

Look to eco fashion world for all the latest ecofashion news and reviews, designer q&a's, store profiles, launch updates, and interviews.

Thank you eco fashion world!

Eco-fashion vs. Economy

So I read a quote from a few years back and wondered if you think it still applies given our current economic situation.

“…of 900 consumers, 74 percent reported that they are more likely to notice a company when its products are tied to a charitable cause.”-October, 2006.

Another study also found that "nine out of 10 shoppers said they would switch brands, regardless of quality or cost, if the new brand were associated with philanthropy.

Moreover, 83 percent of survey participants said they trust a company more if it is considered socially or environmentally responsible."

I'd love to hear from you! Sound off! Let me know what you think.

Inquiring mind...

Amazing Natural Eye Makeup Remover!!

I’m here to tell you that I have searched and searched and…searched for an affordable, natural eye makeup remover for a long time. Just ask my husband Steve, he’d probably respond with, “Enough with the eye makeup remover already!” Anywho, I have found the perfect product that works wonders for me.

The fragrance free Chamomile & Green Tea $8.25 by EarthScience first came to me by way of an article in the March 2009 issue of body + soul magazine, Test Drive Natural Eye-Makeup Removers feature. “We tested paraben-free brands and found… Earth Science Chamomile & Green Tea Eye Makeup Remover. A great option for those with sensitive eyes, this non-greasy gel contains no artificial colors or fragrances. It helps smooth away fine lines with moisturizing vitamin E.”

An extra-gentle herbal formula made with Decyl Polyglucose, a corn derived cleanser, and Vitamin E for wrinkle prevention. Chamomile and green tea provide gentle anti-oxidant, anti-irritant protection.

I was impressed to learn that Earth Science has been in the business of making natural, paraben-free products for +25 years and still remains a family business.

“…always been guided by one principle, to try our hardest to make something special. Earth Science is a business, but it is much more than that to us. This is our creation, our craft, our profession, and we care deeply about what we do. With every product we formulate, we set out to make something that will work better than anything else out there, and then we price it fairly. We never compromise on quality.” (http://www.earthessentials.com)

Finally a beauty product that really works, contains natural ingredients, is affordable and created with integrity. Oh, yeah!

Spotlight on: Fair Trade Tagua Seeds (Ivory-nut Palm)

Image via Wikipedia

Taguanut, also known as corozo nut, is the seed of the Phytelephas macrocarpa, a low South American palm. They are most abundant in the Amazon Basin of Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru. Ivory-nut palms are dioecious, with the female palms bearing clusters of large, brown fruits, the size of grapefruits or melons. Each fruit is studded with numerous woody, pointed horns and contains four or more large seeds.

The ivory palm endosperm or “tagua” have a similar density and color of elephant ivory, and have often been used as a substitute for making netsuke, scrimshaw and inlay work on furniture and boxes, beads, buttons, figurines, jewelry, and can be dyed. More recently, palm ivory has been used in the production of bagpipes.

Vegetable ivory (tagua) furthers important environmental and socioeconomic goals by stimulating the local economies, provides an alternative to cutting down rainforests for farming, and prevents elephants from being killed for the ivory in their tusks. This is a natural rain forest product that can generate five times the artisan income than banana plantations or cattle ranches. In one year a tagua palm produces the same amount of "ivory" as one female elephant. Tagua nuts are harvested by hand after the ripe fruit has detached without harming the tree.

You can find Fair Trade tagua in many Jaszy’s Jewelry designs accented with gemstones, sterling silver and gold metals.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagua
http://waynesword.palomar.edu/pljan99.htm
http://www.3malliance.org/index.php?id=32

For more in-depth information, see blog post http://milenagalapagos.wordpress.com/2007/11/23/ecuadorian-tagua-nuts/

Jaszy's Jewelry on Channel 8 News with Gayle Guyardo!

It's kinda surreal to see yourself on tv and very exciting! I am thrilled that I had this opportunity and so very thankful. Yet, just as surely as the moment came my good friend SR reminded me that the work has just begun. He's right of course, but I'm gonna bask just a bit longer!

Take a gander at my interview with Gayle Guyardo!

Jaszy's Jewelry TV Debut...almost **UPDATE**

**UPDATE**

(Abundance. What can I say? What's the old adage, "When you let go, abundance appears?" Or maybe that is the teacher/master analogy. Anywho, it appears that not long after I wrote this post my tv interview aired in a prime time slot instead of the early bird special slot!!! Yeah, baby!!! So even though I haven't seen it yet, thanks Mom...it's out there. There's a chance it may air again tomorrow in the wee hours of the morning. In any event just as soon as I have access to the link you can bet your bottom nickel I'm gonna share it!)

Today I was scheduled for my television debut, an interview with one of our local news stations...yay! Well, you know show business, things did not go as planned. A little disappointed? Yes, but it's all good in the natural course of things. One of the great things about things not going according to plan is that it affords an opportunity to learn something from the experience. I'm learning humility. I'm learning to let go. My purpose on this great blue and green orb is to share my gifts, and when I can do that with an open heart, clear mind and conscience, well...who needs fame right? It's just gravy. I'm sure in time all things will go as planned, it feels good to keep my eyes on the prize in the meantime.

So, be sure to check out my vibrant new summer designs at http://www.jaszyjewelry.etsy.com.

What is "Fair Trade"?

Let me preface this post by saying that I am not an environmentalist, although I've been known to hug a few trees...What I am is a naturalist with a general focus on humanitarianism...(long word). In short, I love nature and on most days I love people. I also love designing jewelry. What does all that have to do with "Fair Trade"? For me, striving to combine my love for nature, people and jewelry led me to question how I could ensure that my endeavors would make a difference.

Fair trade is a system of exchange that seeks to create greater equity and partnership in international trading system by paying fair wages in local context, supporting participatory workplaces, ensuring environmental sustainability, supplying financial and technical support, offering public accountability, respecting cultural identity, building direct and long-term relationships, and educating consumers.

By approaching development as a whole process (rather than just a fair price), fair trade organizations cultivate partnerships with their suppliers and contribute to the development of communities. Fair trade is not about charity; it uses a fairer system of exchange to empower producers and to create sustainable, positive change, http://www.fairtradefederation.org.

I believe that by seeking out vendors who adhere to Fair Trade standards, purchasing Fair Trade and ethically sourced materials, and contributing to organizations who spearhead and support these efforts I am able to create and share my passion with a clear conscience.

be well, be positive, be present...

Jaszy

Exciting Eco-Fashions

Thanks to ecofabulous.com I am here to tell you about an exciting woman's fashion line EcoSkin! Please, please, please check out their incredibly chic and affordable dresses, blouses and more!

About EcoSkin...
ecoSkin is a privately-held California apparel company offering chic, contemporary designs for the eco-conscious but fashion-savvy woman. Core to its planet-friendly mission, ecoSkin uses only environmentally sustainable luxury fabrics woven, dyed and sewn in the USA.

ecoSkin is the brainchild of industry veteran and founder, Sandy Skinner. Sandy has lived apparel for 17+ years, working in virtually every aspect of the industry from buying to managing operations to being President of a contemporary brand. As a non-profit volunteer and amateur environmentalist, Sandy also has lived with a personal respect for people and planet and a desire to make a positive difference in the world.

http://www.ecoskincollections.com

Celebrate Mom with Eco-Fashion Gift!

What better way to celebrate Mom and honor Mother Earth than with a gift of eco-conscious jewelry!!

All jewelry now 40% Off and if that isn't enough to tempt you...for a limited time enjoy a free gift with your purchase!

Necklaces, earrings and bracelets made with Fair Trade Gems, reclaimed Sterling Silver, Fair Trade Tagua and more!

Visit http://www.jaszyjewelry.etsy.com.

For all she does, Mom deserves a special gift...give her one that gives back! A percentage of all sales benefit The Nature Conservatory.

Rantings of a Workaholic!

Wow, so I had this whole post and then my computer crashed! It might be a sign!

You see, technically I'm supposed to be on "vacation". We can't afford to travel outside of FLA, so we're gonna take some day trips...economically feasible and eco-friendly!

Rather then try and recreate the long drawn out post of 20 minutes ago...the jist being that even though I'm on "vacation" I can't just turn off the whole "eco" thing. I'm constantly thinking "eco" this or "eco" that. It's who I am becoming. So as I lay in my backyard hammock staring at my tremendously cute, eco-friendly Naot sandals I felt the need to share.

You see, Naot (http://www.naot.com) sandals are hand-crafted in Israel, made with 100% natural cork and vegetable dyed leathers. They are extremely supportive and comfortable.

Check them out for yourselves!!

Okay, back to the hammock! :-D

Earthday 2009!!

Earth Day is April 22, 2009. What is Earth Day? Glad you asked...Earth Day -- April 22 -- each year marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970.

This Earth Day will mark the beginning of The Green Generation Campaign which will also be the focus of the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day in 2010. With negotiations for a new global climate agreement coming up in December.

For more info on how to join The Green Generation Campaign and to find an Earth Day event in your area, visit http://www.earthday.net/earthday2009

More than 1 billion people participate in Earth Day activities, making it the largest secular civic event in the world.

Eco-friendly Totes from Keen!

I had the pleasure of speaking with a Keen rep recently and was pleasantly surprised to learn that Keen Footwear offers stylish totes and bags made from 100% reclaimed rice paper...yeah, rice paper!

Brown rice paper is sprinkled with colorful rice bag designs for an eye-popping effect. Transition from the market to Main Street just like that!

Because of their unique nature, each item is one of a kind.

To learn more about these stylish, versatile bags and their other sustainable efforts visit, http://www.keenfootwear.com.

Eco-friendly Fashions at Target!

Yes, I was extremely excited to learn that Target...um, Tar-jay will offer a sustainable fashion line for men and women starting April 19. The Loomstate for Target collection designed by Rogan Gregory and Scott Mackinlay Hahn will feature relaxed, nature-inspired T-shirts, dresses, bikinis, shorts, skirts, and jackets using 100% certified organic cotton. Prices range from $14.99 to $44.99. This collection will be available for a limited time to act fast!

Spring 09 Eco-fashions

Green Spring Fashion 2009 is in full swing! Check out eco-friendly designs from the runways.

Take a peek with Conscious Living TV...http://vimeo.com/2587895

Be sure to visit http://www.consciouslivingtv.com for more!

eco-fashion news blogs

I found some of the webs most interesting and informative sites and blogs that I just must share with you...a couple to check out are

http://www.eco-chick.com
http://www.organicconsumers.org

Additionally I will be posting relevant stories and updates from these and other sites weekly so that you can stay current with what's new and exciting in the eco-fashion world!

be well, be positive, be present...
Jaszy