Every year I make myself wait until after Thanksgiving to start thinking about Christmas. No Christmas decorations, no holiday music, no gift shopping until I have properly stuffed my face with turkey. And every year I find myself in a mad rush to find last minute gifts. This year I’ve decided to take a new approach. In respect for Thanksgiving, I will still keep the holiday tunes and décor to a minimum, but I am going to start thinking about gifts a little earlier to spare myself any last minute stress.
I thought I would help my readers out too by creating my first gift guide of the year. Last year my first seasonal gift guide revolved around a company called Orange Harp. For those of you who have never heard of Orange Harp, Orange Harp is a mobile app that serves as a marketplace for high-quality, ethically crafted, socially conscious products. They partner with brands that make things the right way. The thing I love most about Orange Harp is that they believe you don’t have to sacrifice quality or style to lead a conscious life.
Since my original gift guide, Orange Harp has grown in many ways. They currently have partnered with 45 brands and sell over 4,000 products. Orange Harp has also updated their app with filter options for easier navigation. In my opinion, the coolest new addition is their Orange Harp Heroes program. They encourage users to send in their socially conscious tips and stories so Orange Harp can share them with the world. You can email you tips to life@orangeharp.com for a chance to win a $10 gift card.
All the products below are available on the Orange Harp app which you can download from the app store. You can click the links to learn more about each product and why they’re considered socially conscious. This is your lucky day because you can also save some money by using the code GREATERGOODS at checkout to get 15% off your entire purchase (valid through November 30, 2015). Happy shopping!
Like many holidays, Halloween is not the best for the environment. Many of the things we buy prior to Halloween end up as waste once they serve their purpose for a night. Below I have curated some ways you can incorporate sustainability into your Halloween celebration.
Candy
Candy is the star of the Halloween show (or at least in my eyes it is). This year be conscious of your candy choice. But whatever you do, don’t give out raisins. No one wants raisins. Here are a few lists to help you pick out the perfect treat for your tick or treaters:
Not into candy? Not a problem. Give out little treasures like festive pencils and erasers.
Trick or Treat Bag
Unfortunately at my age it isn’t socially acceptable to go trick or treating, but back in the day I was all about using a pillowcase for my trick or treating bag. While I didn’t do it for the sake of sustainability (I used it because it held a stupid amount of candy), without realizing it I was doing the environment a small favor by not using a plastic bag. But rather than using your mom’s nice, floral cases without her permission, make it into a fun DIY project. Get a blank, white pillow case and some decorations at your local craft store or use some supplies you already have at your house and go wild to create a fun, unique bag that you can use for years to come.
Costume
Remember that awesome costume your friend wore last year? Ask to borrow it! It will save money and the environment. Don’t like that awesome costume your friend wore last year? Make your own! Making your own costume is so fun and rewarding. Try using things you already have or going to a vintage store to find unique pieces. But the most important thing is to have fun with it. And when all else fails, just slap a pair of animal ears on.
If you have a bunch of old costumes in need of a new home, you can donate them to WEEN DREAM which is a nonprofit that gives free Halloween costumes to children in need. I hope these tips will help you have a happy Halloween. Leave your Halloween tips and tricks in the comments below!
I’m switching things up today. You might remember back in September I had Karrie from Karrie Oasis write a guest post for my blog and I wrote one for her. Well we’re at it again!
Every Tuesday Karrie writes a Tea Time Talk post where she reviews all sorts of teas. If you’re a tea lover, you have to check them out. I wanted to get in on the fun and thought she’d write a great tea post for my blog. Karrie discovered a really cool brand called Numi and here is her complete review. You can also head over to her blog to see my post about a photographer who’s made it her mission to spread awareness and inspiration through art.
I was so excited when Annie asked me to do another guest blog post, and even more excited when she wanted me to write about tea! She asked me if I knew of any conscious-type tea brands. To be honest I hadn’t really thought too much about it before she asked, and I was surprised I hadn’t. When I was in Target one day, I decided to check out the tea isle to see what they offered. I was not expecting much, but to my great, and wonderful, surprise, I did find something–Numi. It is exactly what I was looking for–a brand that was conscious about their packaging, their tea, as well as the people that are apart of every step of the process.
Numi’s vision is found on their front page: Numi inspires well-being of mind, body and spirit through the simple art of tea. Our company is rooted in the principle of creating a healthful product that nurtures people and honors the planet. In all of our company initiatives, we strive to foster a healthy, thriving global community while bringing you the purest, best-tasting organic tea.
Packaging:
The packaging of Numi’s tea is eco-friendly. They use recyclable cardboard, which is printed with soy-based inks, and natural biodegradable filter tea bags. Most items can be recycled or composted. They have even won a bunch of eco awards because of these actions.
Tea and People:
Their tea is organic, and what that means is that they don’t use chemicals. They use 100% real ingredients, and no artificial flavors. From the very beginning, in the gardens that these teas are grown in, they are nurtured and are made with love. Since there are no harmful chemicals, it means that not only is it good for the consumer and the environment, but it is also good for the workers. Numi values the people who work for them. They do this by having Fair Trade Certified and Fair Labor Practices. All the teas have different certifications and stamps on their boxes because many come from different gardens around the world, including in India, China, and Egypt. Every worker in each garden community can vote democratically on how they use their Fair Trade funds, usually for things like education, health programs and sanitation. Even if a garden may not be certified, Numi makes sure they get Fair Labor by direct sourcing, which ensures quality of the products and the fair treatment of the workers. Numi even allows their own employees to have 4 paid hours a month to volunteer-how awesome is that?
One cool initiative that Numi is also a part of is called H2OPE. This is a charity in which they are trying to help people who are in need of safe and clean drinking water. They explain how important water is to people all over the world especially in 3rd world countries and what they go through to obtain water, which is usually not safe to drink. I think this is such a great idea, especially for this brand. Because what does it take to make a cup of tea? That’s right…water. You can donate money on their website, and you can even host tea parties to raise money as well. If you want to learn more, watch this video.
Now, on to the teas. I bought the Rooibos tea and the Chocolate Pu-erh tea. Both are delicious. The Rooibos comes from South Africa and is a type of herb that calms and has a vanilla-y type flavor, but, of course, no artificial flavors here-it’s all natural. Rooibos is also caffeine free which is great when you want a nice cup of tea before bedtime. The Chocolate Pu-erh is really good as well. Very velvety and yummy. It has a combination of pu-erh tea, organic cocoa, vanilla beans, orange peel, nutmeg and cinnamon. It’s a great combination of flavors. And hey, skip that bowl of ice cream and drink a cup of this for dessert instead-you won’t have any regrets!
I love that you can find this brand at Target. It is easily accessible to most, which is really great. Although they don’t sell all their products here, including they’re flowering teas (they look so cool), and loose leaf teas, they do have a generous selection and I definitely want to try more. Can’t find them at your Target? Use their store locator to see if they sell it somewhere in your area. You can also order other products from their website, and the prices are truly reasonable.
I am so glad Annie asked me to do this post. I will now be more conscious about learning where my tea comes from and it truly is exciting to see what companies like Numi are doing to help the people and the planet we call home!
Winter came early this year. Up in Maine we got snow on Thanksgiving when usually the white stuff holds out until the end of December.
This was not good for my dry and sensitive (aka angry and high maintenance in the winter) skin. Everyone experiences some degree of skin dryness unless you’re lucky enough to live in the rain forest.
But for those of you that are stuck else where like me, Ive got you covered from head to toe. You no longer have to waste your whole winter lotioning and oiling because everyone gets to a point where you can’t take it any more…
So you don’t get to that point, I have come up with four products for your body, hands, face, and lips that will keep your skin satisfied all winter long with minimal applications. All of these products are natural, cruelty free, and really do work!
For your body: Coconut Oil
Remember how in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Windex was considered a cure all? Coconut oil is kind of the same idea, but less chemically. There are soooooo many health benefits of coconut oil and ways to use it. Coconut oil can kill bacteria, it’s great nutritionally, you can use it in your hair, or what I like to do, use it on your skin. The fatty acid in coconut oil makes it easy for your skin to absorb. And there are obviously no artificial scents, which can irritate skin, yet the oil smells amazing. It’s like a tropical getaway.
You can find coconut oil at most grocery stores. When you’re buying the oil I would recommend getting unrefined because some refining processes use chemical distillation that use harsh solvents. I also like to make sure it is USDA Organic Certified. And as a personal preference, I like the pressed oil, which is come is a more solid form. I find its easier to put on, but again, personal preference. Bonus tip: don’t try to put spandex on right after you apply it. It will feel gross. Coconut oil usually need a minute or two to dry on your skin.
Even though I have been searching for the ultimate hand lotion since November, I’ve only recently come across Fig & Honey. I was looking for something natural and with few ingredients and let me tell you, it wasn’t easy. So after searching and trying lotions for a month or so, I finally stumbled upon Fig & Honey’s website and ordered this lotion out of what was most likely desperation. When I got it in the mail, I was beyond exited to find out it worked.
This lotion is made from olive oil, aloe, and neem oil with essences of yarrow, rose, chamomile, and vanilla. Because it has an olive oil base, it does take a second to dry and soak in, but after that you don’t have to worry about greasy residue. I love that it keeps my hands moist for a long period of time so I don’t have to worry about constantly reapplying. The smell is definitely on the earthy side, but I like it. I also like the fact that the smell isn’t overwhelming. I can apply a heaping amount and don’t have to worry about killing my coworkers with the overpowering perfumes most hand lotions have.
Ingredients are very important to Josie Maran. With her cosmetic line she hopes to prove that make up doesn’t need to be bad for you and that luxury and conscience can come together in the cosmetic industry. What I love most about this moisturizer it that it is made out of one ingredient. It was easy to assure myself that I wasn’t slathering on something full of chemicals that weren’t safe. The oil is sustainably harvested, uses fair trade practices, and uses eco-friendly packaging. And on top of that it serves as a primer for your foundation.
I have tried tons of lip balm and chap sticks and in all my years and I don’t believe any come close to Burt’s Bees. I love the peppermint scent and how it tingles and soothes chapped lips. You can find it at most pharmacies and grocery stores, which is super convenient.
Ingredients are very important to the people at Burt’s Bee’s. They are committed to using ingredients that work with your body naturally. It is probably no surprise that this chap stick is made mostly of beeswax. I also love Burt’s Bees commitment to sustainability. In order to reduce their carbon footprint, Burt’s Bees use energy-efficient lighting, resource management software, and efficient production equipment.
Last week, after discovering the Orange Harp app, I created a gift guide/wish list for the ladies, but I couldn’t leave the fellas out of the fun. So here is a conscious gift guide for all the lucky gents in your life. All of these products can be bought on the Orange Harp app. Enjoy!
In the links below you can learn more about how each of these products gives back.
I will start off by saying I am a Christmas fiend. I love everything about it. I’ll even tolerate snow for a day. And although I usually wait until I pay my Thanksgiving respects before indulging in Christmas thoughts, I just couldn’t help myself this year. It also doesn’t help that I discovered Orange Harp, which is a great place for some conscious holiday shopping.
Orange Harp is a mobile app that sells high-quality, socially conscious products. The app is all about using your purchasing power for good, whether that’s buying products that are made of organic cotton or donate to charity or are made out of recycled materials.
The thing I love most about Orange Harp is that they believe you don’t have to sacrifice quality or style to lead a conscious lifestyle. I totally agree!
And on top of all that, Orange Harp donates 1% of their revenue to Not For Sale, which is a cause aimed at ending slavery.
So after downloading the Orange Harp app (available in the App Store) and going though every single product, I have a put together a gift guide for the lucky ladies in your life. Enjoy!
About a month ago I found a deal on Ruelala that offered a 3 month Conscious Box subscription for 40% off and I couldn’t say no! A Conscious Box is like any other subscription box where it sends you a bunch of product samples once a month. The only difference is all the products are conscious/organic/natural/good for you. So it is only fitting that the conscious blogger tries and reviews the Conscious Box.
Last Wednesday I got my first box and I must say I wasn’t disappointed. I got about 15 samples in my box, which I thought was a lot! So rather that go through every single product, I’m just going to touch on 4:
Runa Energy Drink– I will admit I was skeptical about this one at first because energy drinks can be really bad for you. And their “clean energy” slogan and the fact that there are no carbs, sugar, fat, calories, anything… seemed too good to be true. But alas. I did some research and it seems to be legit. The drink is made with a leaf from Ecuador called guayusa and it is brewed in the same way tea is and from what I’ve read it is as safe as drinking tea. In fact, it tastes pretty much like tea, but with some added carbonation. Since even the smallest amount of caffeine can make me the most obnoxious, jittery person in the world, I can’t really comment on the caffeine level. Let’s just say there is definitely caffeine in this.
Dr. Jacobs Naturals Soap– This stuff smells so fresh and crisp and pure and natural! This soap (I keep wanted to type soup, I think I need some soup) is made with olive oil so it locks in moisture and doesn’t dry your hands out. It is also very versatile. The packaging claims you can use it as: shampoo, body/face wash, toothpaste, dish soap, and laundry detergent. And it comes in so many lovely smells like lavender, peppermint, and eucalyptus.
Wipe’n Clear Biodegradable Lens Wipe– I tried these on my glasses and they work exactly how they should. It cleaned them up real good and didn’t leave any streaks. The only difference between these and other lens wipes is the biodegradable cloth, which is an extra thumbs up in my book. Usually to clean my classes, I’ll just wear them while I shower… So you could say these wipes are definitely a step up.
Recycled Paper Greetings Card– The company behind these cards has 2 missions: 1) help save the environment 2) save the world from boring greeting cards. Can I get a hallelujah? When I look for cards, I feel like the good ones are few and far between, but these cards are actually funny and clever and edgy and good. This is actually one of the best cards I’ve found in a while.
A few of the other things I got in my box were: an iron supplement, dog treats (which I can guarantee are doggy approved), a chocolate nutritional drink, moisturizer, and soooo many coupons. Can’t wait to get my next one!
I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I’m kind of a chocolate expert (toot toot). My credentials don’t go beyond the fact that I eat A LOT of chocolate, but believe me; I know what I’m talking about.
I’ve seen these Endangered Species Chocolate bars every time I go to the grocery store and I thought it was about time I tried some. Yes, not just one, some.You can probably tell by the brand name that Endangered Species Chocolate has something to do with endangered species. 10% of net profits go to species conservation, habitat preservation, and humanitarian efforts. Currently the donations go to the African Wildlife Foundation and the Xerces Society. But that is not the only great thing this company is doing.
They are Rainforest Alliance certified (ethical business standards), USDA Organic certified, and 30% of the packaging is made from recycled materials. Endangered Species Chocolate also tackles a problem I wasn’t aware of: palm oil. Below you will see the impact conventional palm oil production has on the world.
Endangered Species Chocolate uses Agropalma, which is a certified sustainable palm oil committed to zero deforestation.
So after hearing all of these great things, the real question here is, is the chocolate good? And the answer is yes.
Here is my ranking of a few (six!) that I tried from my most to least favorite:
Dark Chocolate with Espresso Beans: I was a little surprised by how much I liked this one because I’m not usually drawn to coffee flavors. The sweetness of the chocolate and bitterness of the coffee compliment one another very nicely.
Dark Chocolate with Forest Mint: This one was a close second. The mint flavor is subtle, but adds another dimension to the smooth, rich dark chocolate. I really like that the mint flavor is natural and doesn’t taste overly sweet or artificial.
Dark Chocolate with Raspberries: I will admit the raspberry flavoring isn’t very predominant, but the pieces of raspberry do add extra sweetness. I think this bar would be great for someone who normally indulges in sweet milk chocolates, but likes to mix it up with dark chocolate once in a while.
Dark Chocolate with Hazelnut Toffee: This one has so much potential! The sad part is that the toffee bits are few and far between, but when you get a piece with a good amount of toffee in it, it’s goooooood.
Dark Chocolate with Blueberries- I may be a little biased on this one. Being from Maine (the leading U.S producer of wild blueberries) I have high blueberry expectations. Chocolate covered blueberries are sold by the carton up here and I was a little disappointed in the low blueberry to chocolate ratio.
Dark Chocolate with Cranberries and Almonds: This is the only one I was actually disappointed with. The almond pieces are very, very tiny. Normally when I crave chocolate with almonds I’m looking for that extra crunch. You don’t really get that with these little shreds of almond. The cranberries add a little bit of flavor, but like the almonds, are very small in size.
There are a lot of other flavors available, but I had to limit myself to six. You can check them all out at the Endangered Species Chocolate website. If you try a flavor I didn’t get a chance to review, I would love to hear what you think!
For Earth Day I took my own advice and went vegan for the day. During the week I try to refrain from eating meat until dinner, so I thought it would be a walk in the park, but it most certainly was not. I basically ate fruits, veggies, and pasta all day because I wasn’t entirely sure what foods had hidden animal products in them. Also, no milk chocolate. That’s a deal breaker. So I definitely have a new appreciation for you vegan folks. But this trial also got me thinking about vegan makeup, which got me thinking of cruelty free makeup, which I figured could lead to an interesting tidbit on my blog. But oh man did I open a massive can of worms. There are worms like everywhere.
My research basically started and ended at PETA’s website. I knew they had a search engine for cruelty free products, so I started there. Then I came across an article that listed out cruelty free brands, which I figured would help. So I looked through it and at the verrrrrry end the wonderful author threw in a fairly graphic picture of a bunny that I assume had endured product testing. And that was it for me. Touché PETA. You won me over, but I cannot applaud your method. Don’t worry, I will not be posting any graphic images.
Finding cruelty free companies has actually been a lot harder than I though it would be, but I did find one company that I can confidently recommend. It’s called W3ll People.
All of their products are free of harmful chemicals and they do not test anything on animals. They offer a variety of face powders and a few eye and lip products. So I looked into buying a few of their products, but finding a foundation that matches your skin online is not an easy task. Luckily the kind folks at W3ll People offer samples of their products for $1.50. And so I practically ordered one of everything. The samples are a good size, definitely at least a weeks worth of use. After trying them all I decided I liked the bronzer the best. I also need it the most because it is SUPPOSED to be spring and the weather is SUPPOSED to be getting warmer. BUT IT’S NOT! At least not up here in Maine. So I am in need of some color.
Anyway, visually you can see some shimmeryness in the powder, which made me nervous at first because I’m usually more of a matte finish kind of gal. But by golly, there must be some witchcraft going on here because when I applied it there was no visible sparkles at all, just a very pleasant glow. Its magic. I will warn you though; a little bit goes a long way! I walked around with an orange face for 2 days before I got used to the intense pigmentation.
You can look at all the products online here. I will note that their recent popularity has left a decent amount of products temporarily out of stock. But have no fear! Birchbox also offers a few products that you can check out here. Birchbox has a great selection of natural products and is actually where I first learned about W3ll People. So definitely check them out.
So for those looking to join me in this journey of animal friendliness makeup, one general rule of thumb you can follow is if it is sold in China, it has been tested on an animal. China requires all makeup that hasn’t been manufactured in China to be tested on animals. That doesn’t mean it is definitely cruelty free if it isn’t sold in China, but it’s a basic rule of thumb to start with. Throughout my research I found many companies try to dance around the subject and say they don’t believe in animal testing blah blah blah…but never state that they don’t actually do it. Very suspicious. Or they claim not to test their finished products, but leave out the fact they test all the individual ingredients on animals. So unfortunately finding actual answers requires a lot of googling.
My next step is to find a new BB cream and mascara. I have had a three-year run with Garnier BB Cream and Dior mascara (which both use animals testing). But it is time we both moved on. It’s not you, it’s me. Well actually it kinda is you…
Those are going to be hard for me to replace. But luckily I found out a decent amount of my other makeup is already cruelty free. So I will definitely share some of my favorite cruelty products/brands in a later post! I would also love to hear any recommendations!
PS- check out my new Contact page! Whether you have ideas for posts or just want to say hi, feel free to shoot me an email! I love making friends.
You can probably tell by the brand name that Endangered Species Chocolate has something to do with endangered species. 10% of net profits go to species conservation, habitat preservation, and humanitarian efforts. Currently the donations go to the 
For the Greater Goods 