eco-chic design

eco-friendly journals that tell their own story

At NYIGF last week I discovered a sleek alternative to my Muji notebook made of 100% recycled paper. Ecosystem introduced a green yet stylish take on Moleskine books with their eco-friendly planners, journals, and notebooks. The colorful ecosystem products are made of 100% post-consumer recycled paper in the USA. What makes them so cool besides the fun and contemporary design is that you can track where and how your eco-friendly book was made. To my delight I received a sample of the ecosystem ruled journal Author in watermelon with a flexi cover. Each eco-friendly journal has a unique identification number on the back page. It allows you to find out about the origin of the various materials used to make your specific journal. Plus you can register it online in case it gets lost. So last night I registered my journal at ecosystem’s website to view its ecosystem book ingredients. It was made in July 2009 and a chart displayed each step of the manufacturing process with its eco-friendly practices. For example the elastic band is woven with 100% organic cotton fibers and dyed using water soluble low-impact dyes in Rhode Island and Pennsylvania. Or the flexi cover is 100% post-consumer recycled base paper and coated with water-based acrylic technology in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It’s great to see how transparent the company is about their supply chain. It makes you feel like we’re all part of the same ecosystem.

plantable eco calendar for a green New Year

As I’m in the process of researching upcoming dates for green trade shows and conferences this year I remembered Botanical PaperWorks’ plantable eco calendar. I always liked that it helps you plant seeds for the New Year in many ways with its seed embedded calendar pages.

Botanical PaperWorks is a stationary business that creates plantable paper, greeting cards and gift tags handcrafted by local papermakers in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It was founded by mother and daughter team Mary Reimer and Heidi Reimer Epp while they were looking for ways to reuse paper discarded by local schools. I always love when waste is turned into something useful like this fun and eco-friendly calendar for the New Year. Botanical PaperWorks’ plantable desk calendar uses paper made with post consumer waste fibers, cotton remnants and the renewable leaf fiber abaca. The calendar pages with their cute illustrations are nestled in a recyclable tin that’s refillable for years to come. The fun part though is that you can plant the paper embedded with wildflower seeds after each month in a pot of soil. Make sure to add plenty of water and sunshine and you can watch it grow into wildflowers such as Clarkia, Poppy or Catchfly. May the rest of the year be this easy and colorful.

for earth loving gift givers

Wouldn’t it be great to receive a gift that you can actually use instead of hiding it in your attic or throwing it into a recycling bin? The gift certificates and IOUs from printable greeting cards company e.m. papers founded by the two designers Eleanor Reagh and Molly Hart achieve just that. Giving gifts is not only about exchanging presents but also a chance to reconnect with friends, family or coworkers in a meaningful way. e.m.papers takes this philosophy one step further with their downloadable gift certificates and IOUs that give someone a home cooked meal, walk their dog, give them a foot massage, take them out for cocktails or treat them to a coffee and a book.

The whimsical and cool printables are green on so many levels. Not only do they reduce paper and energy consumption since you won’t have to drive or shop for gift cards or presents but you can also reuse the fun designs by regifting them. Make sure to check out Eleanor’s blog since she gives some great advice on how to print and fold her eco-friendly stationery that’s perfect for last minute gift givers. Just purchase the design you like, download the pdf and print it on recycled cardstock or on the backside of paper you have already used. It’s a fun and cool way to reduce, reuse, and reconnect.

eco-chic greetings for mother’s day

At Night Owl Paper Goods everyday is mother earth day thanks to their veneer postcards that are thinly sliced from sustainably harvested wood. Of course e-cards would still be the ultimate form of eco-friendly greetings. But I love that the gorgeous wooden cards are a symbolic reminder to stay connected to mother nature. And the designs are so beautiful that your mom will certainly keep the cards all year long. This year’s mother’s day cards made of eco-friendly sustainably-harvested yellow birch carry a simple design of red flowers or a flowering branch in green and orange. Both cards leave enough space on the back for a handwritten message and come with matching envelopes. Other greetings range from anniversaries, weddings to love notes. Night Owl Paper Goods’ designs are always modern yet quirky inspired by Swedish and American folk artists. Some personal favorites of mine are two squirrels exchanging nuts that say “I’m nuts about your birthday” or the company’s signature owl that says “owl love you forever”. Every pun is fully intended and thanks to the quirky illustrations really fun. The wooden designs are perfect for any eco-chic wedding invitations and make great eco-friendly covers for notebooks and journals with 100% post-consumer recycled pages on the inside.

turn over a new leaf today

There’s no better way to start a new chapter in your life than with the smart and eco-friendly notebooks from Sukie. And there’s probably no better day to write a post about it than inauguration day.

Sukie is based in London and creates a whole range of notebooks, cards and wrapping paper with retro designs. Their collections also include a range of textiles ranging from cushions to hankies. What I love about the turn over a new leaf notebook is the simplicity of the retro font on the cover and then obviously the leaf designs in a variety of shapes and colors on the inside pages. The concept is inspiring with its daily reminder to make a positive change and perfect for journaling or jotting down ideas. It’s made of 100% recycled paper and printed with soy-based ink. You can purchase the notebook through delight.com if you're looking to turn a page this year.

jot it down in eco-style

Inspired by my last entry to keep a scrapbook I’m finally writing my long overdue post about ecojot’s great eco-friendly journals, notepads and sketchbooks.

All products are made from 100 percent post-consumer paper waste and certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council. The mill used to make the paper runs on biogas. Most of the designs are fun and whimsical using biodegradable vegetable-based dyes and inks. I love the workbooks of their “Solids” collection that say “rethink”, “re-use” and “recycle” in poppy colors like sky blue, orange zest and beet pink. Or the smaller sized notepads of their “Organics” collection that has simple designs of pods or peacock flowers. They come in all sorts of sizes to easily fit into any purse or laptop bag, since you never know when an idea might hit you.

for green dinner parties

It’s nice to know that spring is in full bloom on the other side of the globe, since it’s my favorite season. No wonder I’m a huge fan of Australia’s new blossom creations line designed by Erin Corvisy.  

She started her company out of a love for design combined with her passion for the environment. Her products range from notebooks and stationary made out of 100% post consumer recycled paper printed with soy ink to kitchen and table accessories made out of 100% hemp printed with water based solvent-free ink. I especially love her colorful table napkins and placemats with beautifully designed patterns inspired by sprigs, branches or figs. They would make any eco-host or hostess proud. And if you’re feeling really brave to bake your first pie for fall you might want to check out her cool aprons too.

eat your cupcake and have it too

Kee-Ka’s wearable greeting cards are the perfect gift or greeting for new or expecting families. Their children’s apparel line comes in a signature eco-friendly packaging that’s ready-to-mail and made from recycled paper.

The company is based in Brooklyn, New York and offers clothes and accessories for babies and toddlers with cute designs that range from peanut to sweat pea illustrations. I especially love their cupcake organic bodysuits that are fun to look at plus made out of 100% certified organic cotton and low-impact dyes, which means they are great for the environment as well. Who says you can’t eat your cake and have it too? Another favorite of mine is the organic twin bodysuit gift set perfect pair featuring a pear design.

bubbles for any occasion

Seltzer is an eco-friendly company based in Queens that sells fun greeting cards, notebooks and wrapping paper made out of 100% recycled paper printed with soy based inks.

Most of their greeting card designs contain their signature bubble. The bubble designs are as much fun as some of the whimsical greetings. I know it’s odd, but I always wanted a monkey when I was little so that I love the anniversary card entitled “monkey mates” and the baby card “little monkey”. My other two favorite cards with animal motives are the two birthday cards “hamster wheel” with the title “time to get a little crazy” that shows a hamster wearing a helmet on top of a wheel and the “pigeon skateboard” with the title “time to break out your best moves”. Make sure to check out their whimsical gift wrap with skulls, pugs, tumbler monkeys and multi-flavored ice cream patterns. 

note to self: buy green

Thanks to New York Magazine’s Best Bets Daily I discovered SusieJack*’s contemporary paper goods a week ago. What I love about these ringlet jotters is that they fit perfectly into my life-style and purse at the same time. I always carry mini-post-its in case I want to scribble something down and I’m glad to have found a stylish alternative that’s eco-friendly at the same time. They come in bright colors and patterns with fun sounding names like wheelie, dunes or twist and are printed on post consumer 100% recycled cover stock. I really love that they double as a key-chain. 

Equally functional and cute are the designer’s boxed note sets that are also available as single notes. I love that these note cards pretty much prep you for any type of social emergency, since they are blank on the inside. They are perfect for last minute wishes.