This is one of the the prettiest card I’ve ever seen.

This gorgeous handcrafted card from Hope for Women is really not just a disposable piece of mail, but a keepsake piece of art. I’m tempted to frame it and hang it on the wall, and I’m guessing some recipients of this card will do just that.

While the beautiful color, texture, and design are what you’ll first notice, this card’s also got eco-ethical appeal. It’s part of the Portraits of El Salvador collection — all pretty cards handcrafted with wildflowers by women in El Salvador whose homes were destroyed in an earthquake. These women are paid a fair wage as part of a collective called Arte Comasagua, an artisan organization that crafts with native flowers and plants.

Hope for Women‘s a member of the Fair Trade Federation, and specifically works with women in disadvantaged communities. In addition to Arte Comasagua’s cards, Hope for Women offers handcrafted cards made in India, also using wildflowers and leaves pressed on to tree-free paper, and colorful jewelry made of sustainably harvested Tagua nuts by women artisans in Colombia.

Each Portraits of El Salvador card costs $5.50, while the cards from India cost $3.99 each. Get one to send on a special occasion — or to display on your own wall.

Earlier:
>> Green Stationery: Girly chic cards gone green
>> Green Field’s new extra-chunky 100% Junk Mail greeting cards
>> Deborah Lindquist’s recycled cashmere cards
>> Copper Willow: Gorgeous green letterpress holiday cards from Culver City
>> Novica: Prettily wrapped fair trade, eco-friendly presents

Top photo by Siel; bottom photos via Hope for Women

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Need jewelry to go with that recycled rubber English Retreads purse? Look no further than My Sister’s Art, home of handmade upcycled rubber jewelry.

Crafted by Gulf Coast resident Kathleen Nowak Tucci, these eco-friendly rubbery accessories are perfect for green business networking and eco-fetish fests alike! Pieces range from simple black decorative flowers to twirly feather duster earrings to to elaborate, chandelier-like necklaces.

Browse the dramatic designs on My Sister’s Art’s website — then find a retailer near you to buy a rubber jewelry of your own. I actually discovered My Sister’s Art at Santa Monica Museum of Art‘s store GRACIE, which carries a surprisingly large variety of Kathleen’s pieces.

Stop by to try on the simply whimsical Katharine Earrings ($40) — or the could-double-as-a-rubber-whip Genevieve Tassle Puff Necklace ($225). Gracie’s online store also offers a few My Sister’s Art pieces for those who can’t stop by Bergamot Station.

Top two photos by Margaret Nowak Dobos/My Sister’s Art; bottom photo by Siel

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Fair trade fashions are getting a sunny boost from Eat, Pray, Love this summer. In the film, Julia Roberts’ character not only totes around a fair trade Hobo Bag, but also wears a Fair Trade Winds belt — a wool hand-embroidered cincher crafted by artisans in Peru.

Some of my friends could pull off that intricate accessory — available for $70 at World of Good — though that belt is a bit too colorful (fugly?) for my own minimalist tastes. I do, however love a different fair trade accessory getting popularized by Anthropologie stores this summer: The Perfect Skippers Necklace.

These pretty necklaces are the pride of The Andean Collection, a fair trade company that works with indigenous artisans from Equador to create pretty jewelry out of sustainably harvested tagua nuts from the rainforest.

You can try on the necklace in red, lavender, turquoise or gray before parting with your $68 at an Anthropologie store near you — or buy it online at Anthropologie’s website. The Andean Collection claims The Perfect Skippers Necklace was made especially for Anthropologie, but the fair trade company actually sells the exact same necklace on its own site — except it’s called the Tagua Bib Necklace, available in more colors, and $10 more expensive.

Don’t have $70 or so to drop on accessories, fair trade or not? Then make your own necklace — out of an unwanted T-shirt. My friend Tracy Hepler of green website Your Daily Thread walks you through this easy crafting process in this 2-minute video.

Photos via World of Good and The Andean Collection

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Tired of trying to motivate others to live greener lives? Four contests rely on good old-fashioned self-interest to get you proselytizing eco-behavior.

>> Make bike safety look cool — and win €2,000. Fiat and Italian Vogue wants to put your graphic design on bike helmets. Come up with a design that represents sustainable style to win the cash and to see your handiwork on a series of limited-edition bike helmets, the sales of which will benefit Milan’s Adopt-a-Tree initiative. For bikerly inspiration, check out other new eco-travel gadgets, like a fancy and expensive bike bottle opener and the geek-friendly solar-powered bike bag. Then submit your design by Aug. 23.

>> Assuage the eco-guilt of peripatetic environmentalists — and win a free 8-day trip to Machu Picchu. Love to travel — but hate the carbon emissions involved in wandering around the world? Just create a 1-minute video or 100-word blog post with your thoughts on why traveling makes the world a better place. Submit that eco-rationalization — AND subscribe to both Your Daily Thread and Intrepid Travel’s emails — by Sep. 10 for a chance to win.

>> Promote fair trade — win $2,000 worth of eco-goodies. The I Love Fair Trade! contest wants you to use words, images, video, music — or really, any kind of media — to explore and express why you love fair trade. The winner gets eco-fashion and accessories, chocolate, and other fair trade goods and yummies. Share your love by Sep. 26!

>> Design a green downtown Los Angeles — and win more than $11,000. Here’s your chance to dream up an innovatively green Los Angeles’ CleanTech Corridor — a development zone on the eastern edge of downtown L.A. established by the Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles and the Office of the Mayor. Launched by the Southern California Institute of Architecture and The Architect’s Newspaper, the Los Angeles Clean Tech Corridor and Green District Competition wants to see “an integrated economic, residential, clean energy, and cultural engine for the city through architectural and urban strategies.” Get designing; the first deadline for the FAQ is on Aug. 20. (via GOOD)

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I start my mornings with delicious organic fair trade coffee from Equal Exchange — and sometimes end it with decadent organic fair trade dark chocolate or spicy cocoa from Equal Exchange. So as you can imagine, I’m both happy and honored that Equal Exchange is sponsoring my trip to BlogHer ’10 in New York City next week!

Equal Exchange is best known among eco-foodies for its pure, organic caffeinated treats — and best recognized among environmental and social justice advocates as a leader in the fair trade movement. Equal Exchange’s Cafe Nica — partly in response to the 1985 embargo imposed by Reagan against Nicaragua. — was the first fair trade product in the U.S.!

And for those raising money for a good cause, Equal Exchange’s innovative fundraising program can help. If school fundraisers that sell cheap, unhealthy, chemical-laden junk food from less-than-ethical multinational corporations make you cringe — or at least fill you with ambivalence and anxiety — you’ll be glad to know Equal Exchange lets you raise money for a good cause without compromising your ethics. PTAs and student groups can raise funds selling Equal Exchanges eco-ethical drinks and nibbles — as well as pretty fair trade handicrafts like silk scarves from Nepal and batik greeting cards from Thailand — all at a competitive, 40 percent margin.

Haven’t had a chance to taste Equal Exchange‘s delicious treats yet? During BlogHer ’10, I’ll be giving out Equal Exchange chocolate minis to anyone who asks. In addition to the official BlogHer ’10 panels, workshops, and socials, you’ll be able to find me at the Ellis Island Excursion event, The People’s Party, Green Blogger Soiree, BlogHer 5K, A Green Affair, among other events. I’ll regularly tweet where I am @greenlagirl, so come find me whenever you have a sudden chocolate craving.

But if you won’t be at BlogHer ’10, Equal Exchange has a treat for you too! Simply visit equalexchange.coop/blogher and use the code LoveEqEx to get a 15% discount on your entire purchase PLUS free shipping.*

Hope to see you at BlogHer!

* Minimum $25 order. Free shipping offer applies to 48 contiguous U.S. states. If ordering chocolate in summer months, a $3 fee will be added for a cooling gel pack that’ll keep the treats from melting. Offer ends Dec. 31, 2010.

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Even simple and plain, one-color organic cotton T-shirts can cost you more than $50 if you pick from high-end green fashion designers, but if you’re willing to spend that much on everyday wear, I suggest going for a T-shirt that’s not only green and fairly made but also handcrafted in limited editions too — so you get a unique look for your big-spending ways.

And one place to get very cute T-shirts is GeboMana, a new company based in Australia that combines modern urban flair with traditional tribal designs. Each limited-edition shirt is made from certified organic cotton grown in India — then stitched, printed, painted, embroidered, and appliqued using a traditional Indonesian woven fabric called Ikat by craftspeople in Bali.

Plus, GeboMana has a philanthropic goal. (more…)

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Organic strawberries from the farmers market are delicious just by themselves, but chocoholics seeking a sweeter version of the fresh local bounty can now turn to Coco-Zen. This organic, fair trade chocolatier in Northern California — whose vegan chocolate truffles I wrote about earlier — is out with a new summer concoction: Berries and Chocolate Truffles.

These are vegan truffles that combine local, seasonal fruit with fair trade ethics. Joyce Kushner of Coco-Zen picks out organic raspberries and strawberries at her local farmers market — then slow roasts, purees and blends them with organic coconut cream and fair trade dark chocolate to create an intensely fruity and richly flavorful ganache.

The concoction then gets coated in dark chocolate and topped with a slice of dried berry — before getting delivered to your door. I shared a sample of these with Sharon Dale and Lucie Hill while on LA Talk Radio‘s Hill & Dale Show — and all three of us loved the fresh rich goodness.

I love decadent chocolate truffles that combine buying and eating local with fairer international trade. A 12-piece Truffles-to-Share sampler costs $27. Or go for the Truffles-to-Give packs in tiered tiffin tins — that you can reuse to tote your lunch or snacks once the chocolates are all gone. Those start at $34 for a two-tier tin. Coco-Zen will only offer these fruity truffles while berries are still available at the local farmers market — so get them now to eat truffles in season!

Earlier:
>> nicobella vegan organic chocolate truffles: Decadence with antioxidants
>> Equal Exchange’s new bars: Dark pleasures for eco-ethical chocoholics
>> Sweet Earth Chocolates: Desserts with an eco-ethical center
>> TCHO: Pure dark chocolate made decadently flavorful

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Despite recommendations from friends, I have yet to read Eat, Pray Love — so I don’t know if Elizabeth Gilbert’s book addresses any eco-ethical concerns. However, I do know that in Eat, Pray, Love the movie — starring Julia Roberts and out in theaters this August — the star of Pretty Woman carries an eco-fashionable fair trade purse.

That purse is a Hobo Bag, made from repurposed Kantha quilts and lined with vintage saris by fair trade artisans in India. The roomy tote’s available at fair trade store Seven Hopes United for $140.

I don’t know of any other fair trade purses that have made it on the big screen, but another upcycled eco-ethical tote’s a favorite of a TV heroine — Ugly Betty. For a good part of a season, Betty Suarez hauled around Rebagz’ Large Tie Tote, made of reclaimed juice packs by fair trade workers in the Philippines. The Betty look can be yours for $90 at Rebagz, a local fair trade company I wrote about here.

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Lazy tea drinkers with refined palates love tea pyramids: All the pure delicious taste of loose leaf teas, conveniently bagged in a biodegradable satchel that can be thrown into the composter. And for those who seek high quality herbal teas that not only smell and taste amazing but look beautiful too, Choice Organic Teas has an eco-luxe line of tea pyramids that don’t compromise on eco-ethics.

Called Whole Leaf Organics, this line of eight high-quality teas make up Choice’s choicest cups. My favorite: The Sweet Licorice Mint. This herbal tea combines peppermint and spearmint with sweet licorice to create a rich tea that’s both cool and calming. A sprinkle of cornflowers gives the tea pretty blue flecks too!

The Chamomile Citrus is also gorgeous to look at. Orange peel, lemon myrtle, and citrus flavor give this chamomile tea a light fruity kick — though I wish that kick were a tad stronger.

While the pure black and green teas like the English Breakfast and Jade Green make nice, crisp, and clean caffeinated brews, it’s the more flavorful teas that got my attention. The Jasmin Green tea’s a fragrant bouquet, the Lychee White a guilt-free rich fruit dessert.

All teas are organic and fair trade certified — including the herbal teas. Wondering how teas with no actual tea leaves could be certified fair trade? Choice gets its chamomile, spearmint, and hibiscus from fair trade farms too!

Introduced last year, these Whole Leaf Organic teas still seem to be getting some production kinks worked out. About a third of the tea pyramids I used were missing strings and tags. Obviously, this didn’t affect the delicious taste of the teas, but until these quality control issues are fixed, be sure to keep a spoon around to fish out your tea bag with.

Find Choice’s Whole Leaf Organics teas at a natural foods store near you, or shop Choice’s online store. A box of 15 individually-wrapped tea pyramids costs $6.49. Want to try all 8? Get a Whole Leaf Organics Sampler that includes one pyramid of each of the eight flavors for $4.75.

Earlier:
>> Yogi teas: Herbal bedtime teas to get you sleepy
>> Tasty teas — that are fair trade and organic too

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Drink a Rockstar, and you’ll guzzle down the sugar-equivalent of six Krispy Kreme donuts, I wrote last month. For those looking for healthier options than those so-called energy drinks, here are a few newish thirst quenchers I’ve tried and loved:

Olade Lemon Ginger. Brad Wilk of Rage Against the Machine fame’s the man behind these stevia-sweetened Olade drinks — though I didn’t know that when I picked one up at my local co-op last week, partly because the drinks were right at the front of the store when I walked in thirsty, and partly because they were on sale for under a buck each.

I’m usually not a fan of stevia, which sometimes tastes bitter — but Olade’s definitely found a way to make the natural sweetener work. How? The kick of ginger in this upgraded lemonade packs a powerful punch, overpowering any bitterness in the stevia.

Olade drinks also come in cranberry, pomegranate, lemon, strawberry, and tropical flavors — all made with 98 percent organic ingredients, plus SweetLeaf stevia and an electrolyte blend. An eight-ounce plastic bottle contains just 10 calories and no sugar. Find Olade at Whole Foods and other natural food stores.

Adina Holistics Coconut Guava with Lychee. I have childhood memories of climbing guava trees and eating the fruit super-fresh — a memory that often makes me wonder why some of my favorite fruits are simply not sold in stores (loquats are another one). If you, like me, have no access to fresh guavas but long to taste the pulpy delicacy, indulge your nostalgia with Adina Holistics new Coconut Guava flavor.

As with all Adina Holistics drinks, the Coconut Guava elixir is organic and fair trade certified. Anti-plastic advocates will be happy to know the drinks come in glass bottles, while holistic health seekers will rejoice over the “adaptogenic herbal extracts” in the drinks that are supposed to “exert a normalizing influence on the body.”

Did I feel more normal after guzzling the delicious coconut, guava, and lychee elixir? A little, but it may have been a placebo effect. The brand new flavor isn’t even on Adina’s website yet, but is available at Whole Foods nationwide, many grocers, and convenience stores. A 14-ounce bottle has 110 calories and 26 grams of sugar (or 60 calories and 15 grams of sugar per 8-ounce serving) and retails for $1.79.

Honest Tea Half & Half. Need a little caffeine boost in your organic thirst quencher? Honest Tea’s Half & Half offers a refreshing mix of lemonade and iced tea.

Like Olade, Honest Tea bottles its tea in PET plastic bottles — but has revamped its bottles to make them thinner and 22% lighter. You can spot these slightly greener bottles by checking out the bottom to see if has a pacifier-like shape.

While the company’s now owned by Coca-Cola [Correction: Coca-Cola has a 40% minority investment in Honest Tea] Honest Tea’s retained its commitment to organic and fair trade certification — as well as its “Just a tad sweet” tagline for its drinks. An 8-ounce bottle has 96 calories and 24 grams of sugar (compared to 140 calories and 39 grams of sugar for 8 ounces of Coke).
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Got other organic, fair trade drinks to recommend for quenching summer thirst? Share your favorites in the comments.

Earlier: 3 eco-ethical drinks to keep you cool — organic, fair trade style

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