Some Good News for Mother Earth today from one sweet and healthy hippie here in Burlington, VT.  Entrepreneur Taraleigh Silberberg, behind the Healthy Hippie Magazine, has taken her talents is a new and tactile direction- fashion!

Scribbles is proud to feature Green Couture Vermont!

Taraleigh is known around Burlington and in the industry for her fabulous dreads, day-brightening smile, and the ability to reuse, and refurbish thrift store finds into striking new ensembles.   Her new line is called Green Couture Vermont, each piece is hand chosen and recreated by Taraleigh into original, stylish fun.

My favorites might be the Green Couture Vermont headbands, made out of t-shirt material, braided and beaded.  I am a maiden, a goddess, a Native American- I love it!  I couldn’t take mine off!  Now you don’t have to either!

Whether it’s spring, summer, winter or fall in Vermont- a pair of leg warmers is the perfect accessory!  Taraleigh transforms sweater sleeves into one of a kind-leg warmers using accent patches from other pieces.  Dressing up or staying in, there’s a pair waiting for you!  Leg warmers come in kiddie sizes too!  Perfect gift for the little girl you love, who looks up to you.

How about HOPE? LOVE?  PEACE?!  Spread the cause with a signature hoodie, cardigan, or skirt.  Taraleigh is famous for her hippie living ideals and of late for their appearance in Green Couture VT.   Look at my scarf in this picture!  Enough to make someone smile and a smile can change the world.

As all of these pieces are truly unique, we can not guarantee an exact color.  However, if your preference is strong or a photo shown in our e-shop truly wins your heart, we’ll ask the Healthy Hippie to do her best in recreating the original garment.

May you be healthy, happy, and dressed well in Green Couture Vermont!

SHOP FOR GREEN COUTURE VERMONT HERE!

For more information about the Healthy Hippie, check out her website: http://greencouturevermont.com/

Are you familiar with Hope for Women?

Hope for Women is a Burlington based fair-trade card company that hires women in India (and now El Salvador) at liveable wages to tend gardens and produce eco-friendly greeting with botanicals native to these areas. These women would otherwise be out of work or forced into manual labor for pennies.

I sat down for lunch with Evan Goldsmith, who owns and runs Hope for Women with his father David, to find out some insider information. Running a fair-trade company can be challenging when it comes to creating consistent work for the women. For example, when the monsoon strikes in India, women can’t create final product due to mold concerns but this obstacle and others does not hold Hope for Women back, in fact- this motivates Evan and his team to think creatively to keep the women healthy employed.

He explains, “Our ultimate reason for being has truly changed peoples lives.” When Evan establishes working situations he personally meets the women to ensure that their working environment is clean, safe, and flexible. The women enjoy their work for HFW and benefit well from their efforts. To read stories about the craftspeople now employed by HFW click here.

Another challenge HFW faces is maintaining a small carbon footprint when goods are produced overseas. To the greatest extent possible however, HFW has identified sources near the women to print the packaging on tree-free cardstock, wrap in compostable plastic, and use natural inks. The flowers are organic and sustainably harvested.

Now that the India line and Himalayan cards are steadily selling, HFW has shifted focus to a new region of the world: South America.

Evan cosmically stumbled upon Piel Acida; an artist collaborative in El Salvador sponsored by the international organization Aid to Artisans. Piel Acida, which means “dried orange peel,” helps El Salvadorian artists turn viable raw materials into art and then sell them. As fruit and juice are such a focal export of the region, art is often made with orange peels, coffee beans, and flowers. Before ATA sent consultants to Piel Acida in El Slavador, the women were creating cards that were quaint but not necessarily marketable to a more global market. Now, with ATA’s design support, resources, and infrastructure Piel Acida is producing stunning, chic designs with local botanics. Once Evan discovered this fresh exciting look, which aligns perfectly with the Himalaya cards, he knew HFW had found their next card line. After visiting El Salvador to personally meet the women and investigate the working condition, Evan sent one years worth of card material to the women to produce! HFW means business for these women’s lives and we’ll all benefit from these remarkable cards!

What’s next for HFW? HFW is in Colombia this week to solidify relationships with women’s groups to develop products made from sustainably harvested rainforest plants and determine how the company will continue to grow, benefiting an increasing number of women across our globe. Now it’s up to you to support this cause and keep the movement alive!

HFW is also expanding into the custom printing world and can handle large personalized print runs. Think responsibly for your next mailing and enjoy a vibrant world!

The Himalaya line is currently selling out at Scribbles and the El Salvador line will arrive any day- stay tuned!

Buy Hope For Women cards now!

Some tips to green your wedding:

• Use tree free or recycled paper for your wedding stationery
• Donate your unused food to a local shelter or charity
• Choose a caterer and a florist who use local and organic goods
• Pass along your flowers to a seniors home or local hospital
• Compost unused foods and Recycle everything you can
• Use outdoor space for natural light
• Request digital photo proofs
• Buy dresses, shoes, and glassware people will reuse after the ceremony or consign with a thrift store
• Offer a carpooling service/shuttle to transport guests from place to place
• Enjoy one of many luxurious eco-friendly resorts on your honeymoon

Whether or not you believe in global warming, the fact remains that over consumption damages the planet and we have limited resources.

Accrue good karma at your wedding by observing these simple principles: reduce, reuse, recycle!  It makes wedding planning creative, fun, and sustainable.

Consciously greening your wedding will will lighten your impact the planet, at lease for one day, and influence others to act the same way.  With enough deliberate action, through truly minor changes, we can replenish the earth.