I read about these cute eco watches by Sprout on GirlieGirlArmy.com a while back and wanted to share!

Sprout's mission is to make the most eco-friendly watch they possibly can - which I love. All of their watches are 80%-86% eco-friendly... Which isn't ideal, but its getting there!  All Sprout watches are lead and pthalate free, and instead of synthetic plastic they use corn resin to make their watches. Corn resin is 99% environmentally biodegradable, and since its made from corn its a renewable resource.  These watches are also made with organic cotton, bamboo, mineral crystal (which is a type of glass made from sand), recycled fibers, and all of the batteries they use are mercury free.  You can read more about what makes Sprout watches an eco friendly choice here: http://www.sproutwatches.com/eco_facts.asp
 
These watches are also totally reasonable - around $30 is pretty good for a watch!

Another reason that Sprout is a cool company is because of their green attitude in general.  Here is what they have to say about themselves on their website:
 
"We do not claim to be the greenest company around, but we are environmentally aware and we are always seeking ways to be kinder to the earth.  We do little things like recycling all of our used paper, turning lights and equipment off when not in use, and choosing mass transit or car pooling to save natural resources. As a company, we are also making bigger changes, like converting to recyclable and recycled materials for packaging, reducing the size and amount of packing cartons and using more efficient transportation methods for moving our goods... We know everyone has a choice and we want to make sure that we make the eco-friendly choice as often as we can."
 
It's great when a company continues to work toward being as eco friendly as possible.
 
What are your favorite eco watches?

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I recently came across these amazing looking rollerblades on www.ecouterre.com. I rollerblade about once every couple years... So I don’t need a new pair right now...but I'm so glad a product like this exists for you rollerbladers out there!  

Not only are they super cool looking, but the laces, webbing and lining are all made from recycled plastic bottles! And instead of aluminum or steel chassis, K2 developed a frame constructed purely out of bamboo. Yay, K2!  

These skates retail for $189.99 which isn't cheap, but if you're a skater and in the market for some new blades, then this is the skate for you.  

And for those of you who have old skates lying around your garage, check out these suggestions from Ecouterre on what you can do with them:

• Use your old wheels on your luggage.
• Remove all metal parts. All metals can be recycled normally.
• Uppers can be taken to the local Nike store for shredding.
• Plastic bases and cuffs need to be delivered to a recycling facility.
• Donate your skates to a local boys and girls club or after school program.

Let me know if you find anything else that looks cool on www.ecouterre.com!

I wanted to let all of you know about Olsen Haus, which is a New York based shoe brand that is completely, 100% vegan!  Not only is every style totally vegan, but their shoes are also really cute and fashionable.

I recently read an interview with Elizabeth Olsen, who is the head designer for Olsen Haus. Here is what she had to say about their new collection: “Our Fall 2010 collection is made with recycled upper of material that originated as TV factory waste. We are also experimenting with a recycled tire sole on a few styles, along with sustainable cork and wood detailing. A recycled heel is also in the works. Otherwise, we utilize organic cotton canvas, nylon, linen, and velvets – all breathable, high-quality products that surpass leather in all respects. The glue used for making the shoes is animal product free as well”

I love this! It’s great that there are people out there making beautiful, high quality shoes, that are also vegan, recycled, AND eco friendly!

They’re not exactly inexpensive – but if you’re in the market to spend on a new pair of cute shoes, these are a good way to go!  

Let me know what your favorite vegan shoe brand is!

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I recently learned about Ava Anderson Non-Toxic, a cosmetics and skin care company that has accomplished the seemingly impossible: every single one of their products has a zero hazard score on the Cosmetics Database. Not only that, but each ingredient in each of its products has a zero hazard score!

And to top it all off, the company was founded by a then-14 year old girl, Ava Anderson! Now 16, Ava is a huge inspiration to those of us who try every day to keep toxins out of our lives. She started her crusade for non-toxic cosmetics and skin care products when she saw a report about the amount of hazardous chemicals that can be found in everyday products and realized that even if products have an "organic" or "natural" label, they can still contain toxic ingredients. She took action and created her own line, which has some wonderful products!

I've tried all of the Ava Anderson Non-Toxic products, and the one I absolutely must recommend is the Eye Makeup Remover. I just shot a movie in Shreveport, Louisiana, where I had to wear makeup every day, and every night I used the makeup remover pads and they are my new favorite - they smell great, they feel good, they work really well... and of course, they are non-toxic. Because they rate so well on the Cosmetics Database, they've replaced my old favorite, Aveda, which doesn't score as well. I also like Ava's Moisturizer too – it’s very nice.

I commend Ava for all of her hard work and for having so much gumption to do something so creative and amazing when she saw something wrong. Plus, I love that her Mom works with her and answers the company phone when Ava is in school!

You can find all of Ava's products HERE.

STYLE section kindly sponsored by Susan Nichole Handbags

Recently I had to get some covers for my patio furniture because my chaises and chairs were getting all yucky. I found these great eco-friendly covers from Empire Patio Covers. They are PVC and vinyl-free. Also, all of their coatings are dioxin free. 

Their products are very reasonably priced as well.

I also found this awesome company, the Billboard Tarp Warehouse. I got one for 62 bucks...not too bad! And we cut it and made several tarps. These tarps are super cool because they are recycled billboards! Since starting the company, they have saved millions of pounds of waste from going into landfills. They call this "Up-Cycling”, which is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value. These tarps have so many uses too – check out their site to see everything you can do with the tarps.
 
I love that I am able to reuse something – and to fill a need with something that already exists by giving it a second life.
 
I didn’t end up buying any of the Empire tarps, but they seem like a good, more eco-friendly way to go than buying regular patio furniture covers.
 
Check them out!

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The average American uses seven trees a year in paper, wood, and other products made from trees. This amounts to about 2,000,000,000 trees per year! People, that is waaay too many trees to be cutting down!

Now, I will admit, I'm still old-school in the fact that I appreciate the hand-written note and keeping a journal.  But I always use products that are made from recycled paper!  Like these notebooks and journals from Paperwink that are made from 100% recycled paper.  They are just so pretty!

Did you know that each ton (2000 pounds) of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, three cubic yards of landfill space, 4000 kilowatts of energy, and 7000 gallons of water. This represents a 64% energy savings, a 58% water savings, and 60 pounds less of air pollution!

Are there any cards, journals or notebooks that you like that are made from recycled paper?

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I recently came across a very cool furniture company, Hudson Furniture Inc., that makes all of their furniture out of salvaged trees or wind/storm damaged trees. I think it's so great to use reclaimed wood rather than cut down trees growing in forests. When I buy furniture, if I don’t buy something used, I only buy new things that are made out of reclaimed wood. I also love the rustic, earthy look so I did some research to see what other companies are out there that also use reclaimed wood and here are a few that I found. But if anyone knows of any cool reclaimed wood companies I'd love to hear about those as well!

Los Angeles

Antico Furniture

Cliff Spencer

Stranger Furniture

New York

Domestic Aesthetic (smaller housewares)

John Houshmand

Varian Designs

San Francisco/Berkeley

The Wooden Duck

Urban Hardwoods

Seattle

Meyer Wells

Urban Hardwoods

There are so many awesome things you can make with reclaimed wood. I just found some great reclaimed wood picture frames on Etsy. I also remember going into a very cool vintage clothing store in the Valley a couple years ago and their clothing racks were made out of reclaimed tree trunks!  It was such a fun way to present the clothes.

In my home I also have a dining room table made out of an old bowling alley lane!  

I also have some reclaimed shelves in the living room, and recently bought a wine rack made of reclaimed wood. It’s so pretty! I need to find a home for it though, because I don’t have space for it right now.  

What have you made with reclaimed wood?

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I came across this great article recently on The Discerning Brute about eco luggage.

So, if you’re on the hunt for some new baggage here are some great tips:

 
-Used or vintage luggage: Check out Ebay, Craigslist, thrift stores, or yard sales.  This is usually the most affordable way to get luggage... And vintage luggage can be super cute!

-Heys USA Eco Case: this luggage is made from 100% recycled plastic, is lightweight, high quality, and has a 7 year warranty.

-Eco Traveler 2 Piece Expandable Carry-on Luggage: This bag set is made out of hemp, and the cotton webbing and interior lining on the inside of the bags are biodegradable.

-Patagonia Freewheeler and MLC Lines: These bags are made from 100% recycled fabrics.

Take a look at the article, and let me know what you think!

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I just finished shooting a film with Olivia Wilde (who also happens to be vegan) and she just sent me a link to these floor rugs that are pretty cool.

This design studio in Atlanta takes all kinds of carpet scraps and pieces them together to make these amazing Raw Rugs.

The goal is to keep carpet out of landfills, where it can sit for 50,000 plus years. Good job Raw Rugs!  

Check them out and let me know what you think.

STYLE section kindly sponsored by Susan Nichole Handbags