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/