With bioplastics,  Lili Giacobino has designed a successful range of eco-friendly jewelry called BIOBIJOUX® which she sells under her company Lili Design. But that’s not all because she also runs workshops on how to cook up your own jewelry and you can easily purchase your own BioBijoux Formulas from her online store should you want to make your own at home. There are a couple of videos of Ms. Giacobino detailing everything from the materials used to cooking up a batch and creating bioplastic jewelry, so do take a look.
The fact is Lili Design has been around for a while now, but it only caught my eyes recently (yes, sad I know) because they were designing a special piece for Melvita and I my skin swear by Melvita (more on this in another post).

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However, if you’re an avid collector or maybe just an appreciator of fine earthenware then you would know the best are those that are handmade. But take that a step further – handmade by traditional means and you’ll have to look into the Lombok Pottery because they are exactly that.

Earthenware is a time old traditional art of the Indonesian Lombok Island. It has deeply embedded roots in the culture of Lombok with its rich history and fascinating myth to its humble origins, but what is reality is how each piece is crafted patiently and diligently by a master crafter (skills of which are passed down from mother to daughter) and intricately decorated by hand with paint whilst incorporating the use of rather unique(to me anyway) mediums like eggshells.

Now another great thing about supporting the Lombok Pottery trade is how if you do you’ll be supporting a cottage industry and keeping traditions alive. No two earthenware are alike as they are hand made by crafters with the most basic of tools. The clay is dug locally then worked by hand by the crafters. The firing process is fueled by firewood, coconut husk, rice straw and rice husks.
If you are interested in knowing more, do visit the Sasak Pottery website. And if you are concerned that such traditional/primitive ways of manufacture may only meet eye candy standards, rest assured they are perfectly safe for use because “The clay used to produce Sasak pottery pots has been approved for food safety by the appropriate testing authorities in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and is considered food safe by the US FDA. Certificate numbers available upon request.”

So modern day sandpaper is made of a flexible paper or fabric backing, with a film of glue that holds and supports a coating of abrasive grains, which despite being called sandpaper isn’t really made with sand. What is used today is usually aluminum oxide. Corundum is the crystalline form of aluminium oxide and if they sound like gems to you, it’s because they are. Rubies and sapphires are part of the corundum family.

Alternatively silicon carbide which is a compound of silicon and carbon, which can be naturally found in the extremely rare mineral moissanite is used. Moissanite as you ladies may recognize is another name famed in jewelry making as it is an alternative to the prized diamond.  Now obviously we can’t possibly deem the occurrence of moissanite rare if we’re mass producing silicon carbide from it to make sandpaper!  Well that’s true, moissanite is rare so we don’t use natural silicon carbide to make sandpaper. Instead, we use synthetics. Silica sand and carbon can be combined and converted into silica carbide with the right furnace/equipments at the right temperature.  Synthetic silicon carbide is used as an abrasive.

But what did people in the olden days of yore use? Well I suppose there was a few sources that could range from fish skin, plant to well sand! Here are a few naturally abrasive “materials”:
1.    Equisetum hyemale
Otherwise known as the rough horsetail or scouring rush, the Equisetum hyemalehave naturally occurring rough bristles that can scour pots and sandpaper down wood!
2.    Shark skin
This would include a stingray’ skin but you’d have to treat the hide like how you would to get leather before you could use it. A bit more effort but this is something some cultures still use in some parts of the world.
3.    Fine black sand
I’m not an expert about sand but I’ve been to enough beaches to learn that you’ve got so many different kinds. One of the prettiest and abrasive is the fine black ones.
Isn’t it fascinating how gems, plants and fish come together to be used as abrasives?

Spoon rings originated back in 17th century England and were once used as wedding rings. It may seem strange using spoons for wedding rings but servants could not afford to have wedding rings forged out of precious metals so, it made sense to use silverware. Only problem is if you were a servant, you couldn’t afford silverware either, so they were pretty much stolen from the manor houses. And as rich families didn’t just have silverware, they also had them marked with the family crest, which meant you could take a hint which manor servants worked for by looking for that crest on their ring.

Of course those convicted of the crimes ‘Stealing a Silver Spoon’ or ‘Larceny by a servant’ where given the boot to Tasmania in the 1800’s. That’s 7 years for the loving gesture of wanted to give their loved ones a nice ring.

But these days it’s different. Turning old silverware into jewelry allows you to commemorate a memory with it. Maybe it was your grandmother’s heirloom and spoons weren’t your thing, but a ring or a pendant – that’s right up your alley and you can wear it every day.
So look into a jeweler who can help you repurpose your old silverware into something you can wear on yourself instead of the dinner table.

Now today’s post has a lot to do with coffee but truthfully very little to none with how you take it. Some people have become accustomed to starting their day with a George Clooney endorsed Nespresso while others are good to go with Nescafe Instants and others just swear by dropping by Starbucks for that quick pick-me-up. It’s all a matter of personal preference and the only real difference I see between taking an instant coffee from a ready mix sachet and one from the coffee machine not accounting for cost is the coffee grounds.

If it comes from a fancy coffee machine (be it at your own home or at a coffee house) then you have the residue of your drink also known as coffee grounds. And you can feel good about having your coffee because you can repurpose coffee grounds into soil enriching additives for your garden.
And even if you don’t drink coffee you can always go visit your local Starbucks and ask for a complimentary 5 pound bag of coffee ground! It’s completely free, no questions asked. Starbucks has this on-going program called “Grounds for Your Garden” which they started back in 1995 in the US and it’s become a world-wide initiative so chances are your local Starbucks outlet gives them out too. Usually they are already packed and left in bucket where you can just pick them up but if there are none left, you can always just ask the staff who will be more than happy to help you.
If you’re a serious gardener and you know how ground coffee can help your garden grow then just make a daily stop to your nearest Starbucks and pick up a bag. Recycle and reuse! Coffee…it’s not just for you, it’s also for your garden!

Up until today, many outlets are still using toxic plastic straws when they could invest in the other eco-friendly alternatives. So what are the eco-options available? Well here they are:

•    Paper straws
•    We’re not talking about paper being just paper which would turn to mush at the very first contact with water. We’re talking about paper straws that have a wax coating which allows some durability yet stays bio-degradable.

•    Bamboo straws
•    Made from 100% genuine, all-natural bamboo, these might be a little costly for a fast food joint budget but it would do great if you’re having a home party. They look fantastic in cocktails and are reusable!

•    Bioplastic straws
•    Bio-degradable corn plastic straws might be the perfect substitute for the conventional plastic straws used at fast food outlets.

•    Glass straws
•    These are beautiful and I think everyone should have their own glass straw. They make lovely gifts just as you would present someone with a set of chopsticks. Granted these are not meant for fast food joints but maybe a restaurant like environment.

•    Stainless steel straws
•    I’m not a fan of these only because they remind me of the dentist. But they are reusable so great for home and maybe those themed establishments.

I guess it would be how we’re all going to sustain and stay true to our green code.
Let us assess and break down what and how Christmas impacts us

The season for giving
I do believe the true meaning of giving here refers to the act of being selfless but in modern terms that probably translates as buying your loved ones gifts and their “heart’s desire” instead of that pair of shoes you’ve been eyeing all season. But the ‘sacrifice’ of the cash is just one part of it because you’ve got to find a way to balance the ambition with your conscience, ie: find the gift that will be what they want but in green which proves to be not so simple a task and often quite expensive.

The season for forgiving
There are 365 days in a year and only 7 days of it left once Christmas roles along. That’s 358 days worth of opportunity to be offended/hurt/let down/broken up by someone(s) which translates to a lot of pent up frustration, anger, hurt, fear and rage. In the long run the damage these negative emotions have on your core also indirectly affects your green lifestyle as you reach out for emotional comfort in the compensating form of destructive behaviors such as binge eating and retail therapy. You might think that these behaviors just wreck havoc on your weight and finances, but they also dig deep in carbon foot prints with the waste you create.

The season for miracles
Personally I feel that the miracle of Christmas isn’t about winning the lottery ticket or your old car miraculously turning into a brand spanking new Audi Coupe on Christmas morning. No, it’s about finding yourself, finding hope where it was lost. What’s the green bit on this one…I’m not too sure, but maybe it’s the awakening of some people to finally seeing and understanding why we all should care if the sunrises tomorrow, if the rain is acidic or if the animals are homeless.

So there you have it, my take on the Christmas Season and what it stands for to an eco loving woman.

Now I can’t say I follow fashion trends. One I don’t make enough money to do that and two, frankly I don’t think fashion trends suit everyone. But this one fashion trend I was recently introduced to intrigues me. It takes recycling or repurposing to a whole new level…but still not something for everyone, especially the faint hearted.

Today if you have spare change that’s between $150 to $300 and you don’t mind dropping it off at a nail salon, then you can give a new purpose or should I say new life to snake skin – the shedded variety of course.

For a good $300 you can have your nails custom designed to be the texture and look akin to a snake or maybe better said as one of those fancy Italian leather shoes or bags. The process would begin as with any normal manicure. The cleaning and shaping of your nails to the desired shape. Next comes the gel polish application which you’ll need to cure under UV light and after that, the fun bit. The manual labor of fitting the snake skin to your nail by cutting it, shaping it and trimming it to the perfect fit. The snake skin is then applied to your nails like wallpaper and a top coat is lacquered over it to seal it.
The manicure lasts for up to 3 weeks, if you take good care of it.
I think it’s a pretty ingenious idea to use dead skin – again a bit unconventional but the only concern that springs to my mind is if any animals are harmed in the process because as you and I both know – when a trend kicks off, it can cause all kinds of havoc.
So would you fork out $300 this Christmas for a serpentine look?

However…I’ll have to admit that today’s post was in a way inspired by recent events (ashes to ashes, dust to dust…) but with a slight twist you could say…as we’re going to be looking at an interesting gift idea!

Now I don’t know about you but I like my gifts to stand for something. I like them to be special not because I want it to stand out in a crowd, no. I want it to be special because it represents my thoughts and wishes for the recipient.

So what is this special unique gift you ask? Well the next chance I get, some people are going to get “eco-worms” in a box!
I can tell you’re already giving me that look of absolute disgust, but bear with me for a bit more before you throw the idea out the window. Trust me; the worms will be a welcome.

If you look past their wriggly exterior, you’ll see that worms have an uncanny ability to turn waste into living bacteria that posses the power to transform poor quality soil into a rich, living growing medium for plants and crops! Which really makes them the perfect gift for someone who is a keen supporter of keeping an eco friendly home and loves tending to the garden.

A gift of eco-worms will be a welcomed surprise as you learn about how much fun and contributing, having a worm farm in your garden can be to the environment. A worm farm will help you turn vegetable and fruit scraps into great potting soil or soil amendment through worm castings and worm tea – both odorless and priceless for your plants. Of course don’t be mistaken to think that they are made from mushed up worms – they are made by worms, not from them.