Eco-Friendly Jewellery: Odette New York

If you remember, over the summer I posted about my new found obsession with Alkemie, an eco-friendly jewellery brand. And this week, I discovered a very similar brand (and equally as amazing) based in New York called Odette. Odette is a Brooklyn-based jewellery line, which was founded in 2006 by artist Jennifer Sarkilahti, is made using hand fabrication and ancient and modern wax carving techniques. The designs behind the pieces are inspired by 'organic and industrial shapes, natural specimens, uncommon artifacts and primitive forms'. Now here's the exciting part, Odette's jewellery is cast in recycled sterling silver, brass, bronze, diamonds and 14k!

Lovely, right? Well the good news is that you can find Odette stocked in the UK in Anthropologie and also in Couverture & The Garbstore in London. Click here for all other international stockists.

Make sure you check out the wesbite here to browse all the collections, and be sure to also like their Facebook page & tweet them while you're at it! :)

Anoud x


Images: odetteny.com

Christmas Gift for Her: Stella McCartney Biodegradable Heels

Stella McCartney has always shown her dedication to sustainability and environmentally friendly fashion by proving to the industry that you do not need to slay a crocodile to create luxurious items. With Christmas right around the corner, I thought it would be a good idea to talk about her biodegradable shoes for Fall/Winter 2012, as they may be something some of you would consider gifting the special fashion-savvy girlfriend/friend/wife/sister etc,..

Stella's cruelty-free kicks were first spotted on the runway of Paris Fashion Week back in february, and they are made of pleather and faux-croc with soles made from Aspinat, which is a biodegradable thermoplastic made from natural and renewable raw materials. The shoes are unconventionally beautiful with a strong contrast between the chunky white sole and the dark upper  sole.

Shop the collection here!

Happy guilt-free Christmas shopping!

Anoud x




Images: stellamccartney.com, ecouterre.com

Eco-Friendly Jewellery: Alkemie

If you know me personally then you surely know that I am a self-confessed jewellery addict. I love unique, intricate and daring pieces and I think that jewellery in general is a great way to express yourself. Early this morning I was browsing through shopbob's jewellery section (I love that you can sort items by "Earth Friendly"), and I came across the brand Alkemie. Alkemie is an eco-friendly jewellery line created by husband and wife Dara Gerson & Ashley Lowengrub. The entire Alkemie collection is handmade in Los Angeles and is forged from 100% reclaimed metals. Also, the leather used is sourced from sustainable cattle farmers and is dyed with eco-friendly dye. I have to say, browsing through their collection online, I felt like a kid in a candy store. The pieces are simply beautiful, and the fact that they are made carefully with sustainability in mind makes them that much more amazing!

Here's a little about the brand's philosophy, as stated in their website:

Dara Gerson & Ashley Lowengrub found their way to creating jewelry that is both beautiful & socially responsible because of their love of mother nature and the amazing planet we live on. Drawing inspiration and motivation from their daily lives, their love for culture and the planet as well as their strong beliefs todo no harm, Dara and Ashley Lowengrub are true pioneers.

Prior to starting Alkemie, each had successful jewelry lines working with traditional metals. Years of experience in the jewelry industry had made Dara and Ashley weary of the toxic working conditions and environmental impacts of the gem and fine metal industries- until one day they decided it was something they could no longer continue to support. After learning more about the harmful social and environmental effects of mining, they sought out local eco-friendly materials.

Thus Alkemie Jewelry was born- a brand that would immediately pioneer and change the jewelry industry with its social and environmentally responsible practices. Alkemie Jewelry has earned a devoted international following based not only on the originality of their designs, but their leadership as a socially and environmentally progressive company. All designs are made of 100% reclaimed metal & manufactured by hand in downtown Los Angeles, California. 

Alkemie promotes fair trade, local living wage and eco-sustainable business practices to combat the existing harmful effects and conditions of the metal and gemstone industry; including social issues such as children working in dangerous conditions to mine and mount stones, as well as environmental issues, like toxic chemicals from mines seeping into the surrounding land and severely damaging precious watersheds.

Dara and Ashley’s motivation to live environmentally and socially conscious really comes from exemplifying responsibility to their daughters. One of the major motivations of Alkemie Jewelry is to present an example for future generations.

It's impossible to choose one particular favourite item, but Alkemie's bangles are definitely my favourite, so are their rings, cuffs, earrings and pretty much everything!

Alkemie's bangles. Amazing, huh?

This still gets better... Alkemie, as a sustainable company, believes in the importance of supporting practices and causes they believe in through chairy. And so, by pruchasing a piece of their jewellery, you will contribute to their charitable acts, as each month a portion of the company's online sales are donated to a charity they support. This month, Alkemie is donating 5% to the Seva Foundation: a non-profit organisation that "provides financial resources and technical expertise to help communities build sustainable solution to poverty and disease".

How amazing? Just perfect! Unique and beautifully crafted jewellery pieces that are eco-friendly and support charities that aim to create a more sustainable world for all. Literally guilt-free shopping!

Here are a few places where you can get your hands on some of Alkemie's unique pieces:
Alkemie's website
Shopbob
ShopStyle


P.S. check out their men's collection here and be sure to check them out on Facebook here!


Anoud x

Green Eve in Partnership with CSN Stores Giveaway!

I am so excited to announce that CSN Stores UK have offered to sponsor a giveaway to all the lovely Green Eve readers :) 

CSN Stores has amazing online stores where you can find anything from great cookware to beautiful bedroom furniture to chic & modern office fittings! So remember when we said that shopping online is actually an eco-friendly way to shop? Well the giveaway will be a £30 pound gift voucher to use on any of CSN's 6 UK online stores!

CSN's Online Stores:

http://www.csnstores.co.uk
http://www.allmodern.co.uk/
http://www.cookwarebycsn.co.uk/
http://www.furniturebycsn.co.uk/
http://www.lightingbycsn.co.uk/
http://www.tvstands.co.uk/

To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is:

If you've got Twitter then tweet the following:

'Enter @AnoudAlFawwaz 's #CSN giveaway! http://tinyurl.com/24sca34 RT & follow to #win!'

Then comment below and enter in the following form:
Your email address
The twitter account you tweeted from @(your user name here)
A link to your tweet 

If you do not have twitter then answer the following:

Which of the following items should NOT be put into a glass recycling bin?
a) A piece of clear window glass
b) A brown bottle
c) A blue bottle

Enter your answer in the comment box below with your email address so that I can email you if you win!

P.S. Your details and comments will only be visible to me.

A winner will be chosen at random using random.org and then contacted through email with the voucher :)

Competition will end next week, Wednesday January 12, 2011

Good luck,

Anoud xx


Images from csnstores.co.uk

Green Tip of the Day

Shop online!!!

Although this may seem very out of topic, shopping online can actually help the environment! I personally find this to be very interesting because during holiday seasons, like christmas which is coming up very soon, the stores are completely packed with people. This causes heavy congestion in the stores and on the roads, and it also generates a lot of rubbish. 

Therefore, by shopping online, not only are you saving yourself time, but you're also saving fuel from travelling to different stores in your car. This tip is especially useful if you'd be driving to stores located in different areas.

Shopping online has never been easier or more popular with amazing online stores like Asos (http://www.asos.com/). It is the UK's biggest online-only store for beauty and fashion. The website shows many of the latest trends in fashion for both men and women, from clothes to accessories, allowing you to discover fashion online. What I also love about the website is that for example, if I find a dress that I like, but I'm not sure how it would look when it is actually worn, they have a photo of a model wearing it, and sometimes a video of the dress being modeled on the catwalk! This makes it even more fun to shop online! And they don't only do this for clothes, but for some accessories such as sunglasses and jewellery, too.



What a great excuse for you to shop online! ;)

Think GREEN, Think GREAT ☮

Love,

Jazi♥

Image from: hippyshopper.com