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What's New at www.ecoplum.com
July/August 2010 Newsletter
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| Greetings!
Hope you are all having a wonderful summer. Damn it's HOT out there! Don't forget to bring your reusable water bottles filled with ice cold water with you when you go out! We just gave away an EcoPlum stainless steel water bottle to our 1000th Facebook fan! Congrats, Harry Porter! We've also been giving away at least one EcoPlum Chicobag a week on Facebook (see pictures below), so make sure you join our conversation! Don't miss out on the fun!
While we are on the subject of bottled water, I know some of you are finding it hard to break the habit. I speak about this very struggle in my latest blog post: Busting the Green vs. Clean Mentality. Hope it gives you some inspiration to make the switch!
And speaking of clean - ever wonder which bar soaps are eco-friendly and which ones are the best? Chryso answers our questions in this month's Beauty Buys. Robin is back with some great tips about making your home eco-conscious, and Anne challenges us to pick only five non-local ingredients in the Locavore Challenge 2. I know one of mine would have to be chocolate, so I'm glad Amelia gives us an overview of which companies use fair trade labor practices in her article "A Responsible Sugar Fix."
Finally, and I mean FINALLY, the disastrous Gulf Oil Spill seems to be contained (at least as of this moment). What a tragedy. Dede's Green Scene is all about what celebrities are doing to help us recover from this unprecedented disaster. Gotta love that Kevin Costner!
Here at EcoPlum, we are doing our small part by donating $10 to Matter of Trust's cleanup efforts with every new subscription to Netflix through our site. Already have Netflix? We also have other opportunities for you to help - check out our current cause marketing promotions.
Well that's it for now. We'll be back on our regular monthly schedule in September. Until then, stay cool and enjoy the relaxing days of summer!
Best, Gia Machlin President and CEO |
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 Meet our team. This month...Robin Baron
Robin Baron, a creative,
energetic New York City native, has successfully built her interior design
firm, Robin Baron Design, over the past twenty years. Robin began her career as
a fashion designer and understands that like fashion, home design has a significant
influence on attitudes, energy, and inspiration. Her diverse clientele has
included celebrities, families, and single city-dwellers. She has completed
projects throughout the country from New York City lofts and condos to New
England Country Homes to West coast beach houses and everything in between. Her
work has taken her through nearly every design aesthetic, as Robin's mission is
to help clients define their taste and create spaces that reflect their
passions and enhance their lifestyles. Robin has appeared as a home
design expert on radio and television shows such as LX TV's "Open House" and
featured in many magazines and newspapers such as New York Magazine, Country
& Town House, and am New York.
Robin is an active and allied member of many professional associations
including: American Society of
Interior Designers (ASID) International Interior
Design Association (IIDA) The International
Furnishings and Design Association (IFDA) Women in the Home
Industries Today (WithIt) Interior Design Society
(IDS) Women President's
Organization (WPO) Sustainable Furnishings
Council We are thrilled to have Robin as a contributor at EcoPlum with her monthly column "Designing Green with Robin Baron." This month she writes about making your home function eco-consciously.
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| Featured EcoInfo
 A Responsible Sugar Fix
Got a
sweet tooth? There's no need to be ashamed. After all, candy isn't just for Halloween. Like other
products, however, there are some manufacturers that are more responsible than others.
Considering where your candy comes from and how it's produced is one
step towards being a more responsible consumer.
Look for the Fair
Trade logo on candy bars or
other chocolate products. Fair trade certification ensures that cocoa growers
receive a fair price for their product and regulates working
conditions on farms. Mars, one of the largest candy producers, pledged
last year to source all chocolate from farms certified by the
Rainforest Alliance. They plan to make the shift complete in 2020.
Cadbury, another major manufacturer, has been using Fair
Trade chocolate in their dairy milk bar since last fall. Read More!
Ecotip
Cleaning Silver the Green Way!
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you're bringing out the silverware for a dinner party or looking to give
your silver jewlery a little spruce, try out these great tips from Smart2BeGreen!
Instead
of using commercial silver polish, which contains a lot of chemicals and
toxins, use baking soda. First, line a glass pan with aluminum foil
with your silver on top. Then, pour boiling water and a cup of baking
soda. Watch the tarnish collect on the aluminum foil.
You can
also make the baking soda into a paste by adding water and rubbing out
the tarnish. Then, rinse with water and dry with a soft cloth.
Clean
your silverware without tarnishing our planet!
Read
more on EHow.com! Read More!
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 Chryso's Beauty Buys - Eco-Friendly Bar Soap
Welcome
to my beauty column! We will devote this space to a different
product category for the month, be it body wash, nail polish, or bath
salts. We'll let you know which brand outshined the rest in the
categories of safety, environmental responsiveness, packaging,
practicality, and results so that you can make informed choices about
what you slather on, dust on, and lather up with. This month we take on
bar soap...
I have to admit, I've never been a connoisseur of bar
soap. Don't get me wrong, I use it! But whether it was made with Shea
Butter or Olive Oil, Milled or ... um...un-milled, didn't matter -- I just
didn't appreciate the difference. I
always chose fragrance-free because I knew (or thought) that it was
healthier for me: the fewer perfumes the better, right? Turns
out, fragrance-free doesn't automatically mean safe. According to
The Good Guide
bar soap containing high amounts of
Benzyl Alcohol, Triclosan, and
Butylated Hydroxytoluene is questionable because these chemicals are
suspected of causing organ toxicity and skin irritations. Read More!
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 Dede's Green Scene - Celebrities' Heroic Roles in the Gulf
Summer is
known for its release of movie blockbusters: big action movies filled
with adventure, a villain and a hero to save the day. This year, there
is a real tragedy happening in our gulf. On April 20, 2010, a Deepwater Horizon drilling rig by British Petroleum
exploded causing an oil gusher to leak oil into the Gulf of Mexico. This oil spill is a heartbreaking tragedy
and even though a cap has been placed on the well, which has
completely shut off the leaking oil as of July 16, 2010, the ocean and
ecosystem won't fully recover for years.
Prior to
that, an estimated 1.5 million gallons of oil a day were being released
into the gulf and covering about 2500 miles. PBS News reported that as of July 12, an estimated
91,005,735 gallons of oil have leaked, making this the largest oil
spill in history. Eco-conscious celebrities are using their fame to
give aid to this tragic disaster. They are acting as heroes off-screen
to not only save the day, but our planet! Read More! |
 Accidental Locavore: Locavore Challenge 2
If you could only pick 5 things to cook with and/or eat
that weren't local, what would they be?
There are way too many things I
like to eat that come from more than 100 miles from NYC -- or even Dutchess County. And
eating local would get pretty tough/boring come January. That's why I
consider myself an accidental locavore. But there's plenty to eat
that's great and local, especially in September: corn, tomatoes,
Brussels sprouts, cabbage, squash,lots of other good foods! So, I'm signing up for the NY Locavore Challenge. You get to
pick whether you'll eat local for a day, week, or the whole month in
September. You also get to choose 5 ingredients that are not local to
have in your pantry. Salt, pepper and spices don't count (phew!) Read More!
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Upcoming Events:
July 22
Green Entrepreneur Summit
8 am - 1pm
Hope Lodge
132 West 32nd St.
Register Here
Use Code EPPC01 to bring a guest for FREE
Aug 28
Gia will be appearing on the Green is Good weekly radio show with Host John Shegerian
Clear Channel Radio and GreenisGood.fm
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From The EcoPlum Blog: Busting the Green vs. Clean Mentality
So I have this dear friend who just won't give up the bottled water
habit. I have told her about the Great
Pacific Garbage Patch, about the fact that it takes 700 years for a
plastic bottle to begin to decompose, and yet, when I was visiting with
her recently, she and her family went through bottle after plastic
bottle of water. Since I was a guest in her house, I felt it was not my
place to question her or lecture her for the millionth time. Also, I
really hope she does not feel singled out or upset by this post (if she
figures out it's her), but I am really disheartened that I have not been
able to get her to change her dirty habit. I know she cares deeply
about the planet's future, so why the disconnect?
Read More!
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Ecoplum Photos
Green Drinks at Solar One
 
Gia with Brian Howard of Gia and David, EcoPlum Education
The Daily Green Strategist
Bag the Bag: Chico Bag Winners!
 
Tracy Richards Beall Robin Pelleck
from Delphi, IN from New York, NY
 
Halle Speregen Deanna Leavitt Boddicker
from East Northport, NY from Huntsville TX
Other Ecoplum Chico Bag Winners Not Pictured
Andrea Jones, Pelham AL
Angelina Matias-Vasquez, Minneapolis MN
Bettie Hillicker, Lansing MI
Cindy Partusch, Bremo Bluff VA
Dawn Scire, Sarasota FL
Diane Whiteowl, Paradise CA
Felicity Tepper, Wellington NZ
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Leona Parker, Graham WA
Lori Sanders, Groveland CA
Melissa Taylor Lawrence, Beaufort NC
Shannon Henderson McClure, Chesterfield VA
Tracy Smith Himes, Harrisburg NC
Tundra Chile, Brewer ME
Wendye McGehee, Boncarbo CO |
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Ecoplum Pie Archives
Now the old Ecoplum Pie newsletters are archived and available to view. Check it out.
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Stock up for all your summer BBQs with this biodegradable and compostable dinnerware made from sugar cane fiber.
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ECOBAGSŪ Classic Market Bag ™ In Earth Tones with a tote handle. | | | |
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Use Code "SUMMER" at Checkout |
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Contact Information
info@ecoplum.com
888-730-9990
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