Save-Our-Earth Saturday: Green Solutions You can easily adopt into daily living

I am excited to share some really cool information on how to be more Eco-conscious around the house. I found that you can easily adopt some of these Green Solutions and participate in saving our resources!

I have listed some Green Solution I practice below. Feel free to leave us a comment about how YOU are reducing waste of resources around YOUR home:

REDUCE

• For every 10 minutes you shower, you may be using up to 25 gallons of water. If you used a WaterSense-rated showerhead (epa.gov/watersense), 120 million gallons could be saved in just one day — that's 182 Olympic-size pools! — and $88 million a year. 
• Windows and doors can be major causes of heat loss especially in the winter, with faulty windows adding 10 to 25 percent to your heating bill. Open blinds during the day to let sun in. At dusk, close them to trap heat.
• Pay bills online, or set up automatic check paying from your bank account. No envelopes, no postage — and no late fees, if you’re on an automatic plan.

• Choose concentrated or ultra cleaning products, which use 50 to 60 percent less packaging than traditional formulas while cleaning just as thoroughly.

• True or false: The only way to save your computer’s energy during a lunch break is to shut it down. False. Leaving it in “sleep” mode uses very little electricity — with no wait for rebooting when you return. 

Let' be Eco-conscious, after all- It's Ultra fashionable!

~Maryam

Did You know about Moringa?

Belles and Beaus, 

This week I decided to write about a NEW and incredibly nutrient rich natural resource, Moringa.

Moringa is one of the richest sources of essential nutrients often lacking in people's diets. Experts agree that the long-term solution to malnutrition is the use of foods rich in the essential nutrients often lacking in people's diets (treeoflife.org). Modern scientific research is proving that Moringa leaves are one of the richest sources of such nutrients. 

Find Moringa in Yamerra's NEW Rejuvenating Hair and Body Oil

Yamerra has a BRAND NEW product, Yamerra's Rejuvenating Green Tea Hair and Body Oil, exclusive for the holidays too! Have you tried it? It is highly moisturizing and enrichening with fresh nutrients and herbs such as She butter oil, rosemary, green tea, lemongrass and olive oil. It is a little over eight full ounces (8oz) of luxurious Hair and Body Oil for $49.00. It has a shelf life of 2 years, and long lasting enough to use for about 12-15 weeks and comes with a FREE oil dropper to make sure none of it goes to waste in over application or spillage.

See Yamerra's Green Tea Hair and Body Oil circled in Yellow at our Soho location: 684 Broadway, NY 10012 Th-Su 11a-8p.

Please Stop By to Snag a Jar Soon, it makes for such an Eco-friendly treat for self or loved ones:

Yamerra

684 Broadway & Great Jones

NY NY 10012

Th-Su 11a-8p

The ground Moringa leaves in the product are full of essential disease-preventing nutrients:
 

• Vitamin A, which acts as a shield against eye disease, skin disease, heart ailments, diarrhea, and many other diseases.
• Vitamin C, fighting a host of illnesses including colds and flu.
• Calcium, which builds strong bones and teeth, and helps prevent osteoporosis.
• Potassium, essential for the functioning of the brain and nerves.
• Proteins, the basic building blocks of all our body cells.

 Moringa leaves compared to common foods

Values per 100gm. edible portion

Nutrient		Moringa Leaves		Other Foods
Vitamin A		6780 mcg		Carrots: 1890 mcg
Vitamin C		220 mg		Oranges: 30 mg
Calcium		440 mg		Cow's milk: 120 mg
Potassium		259 mg		Bananas: 88 mg
Protein		6.7 gm		Cow's milk: 3.2 gm

from Nutritive Value of Indian Foods,
by C. Gopalan, et al.

Give Sustainable. Gift Sustainable

I was moved to discuss more sustainable, gift-giving ideas when I traded a sustainable item The Yamerra Kanga for a Double sided Silk woven scarf with a friend and designer, juli raja hand built by Juli Raja.

 juli raja hand built was founded is centered on the handwoven, block printed textiles in luxurious, sustainable fabrics (cotton and oh-so-soft silk thread), was started in 2008 and created by her family's company in Kolkata, India.  

Silk Woven Scarf. Image from Juliraja.com

I am absolutely enthralled with my hand woven silk scarf from Juli. Its soft, warm, vibrant in color (you know I love my vivacious colors) and double-sided in all it's gloriousness! 

I'm wearing my vibrant silk woven scarf by Juli Raja. L.O.V.E.!!!

Its a sustainable gift (because manufacturing silk into fabric is sustainable. Silk worms are used to obtain the silk, which is obviously sustainable, as long as silk worms are around.) The double-sided scarves by juli raja (like my own), are made from silk are only produced small batches of fabric, each print a limited edition.

Mackey, Juli Raja and Me all wearing Juli Raja

I encourage you to visit juli raja hand built at:

12 Lions Studio
684 Broadway & Great Jones.  
NY 10012
Th-Su 11a-8p

Cant make it there: Read more about juli raja and purchase a fashionable, well-designed, comforting and comfortable scarf here

Other sustainable gift-giving ideas:

There are many local artists and crafters (in NY) that can help you fill the void. Handmade items from specialty stores and Independent Designer Hubs like 12 Lions Studio offer sustainable, one-of-a-kind gift items. Plus, buying locally contributes to the region’s economy and supports local artists.

Some ideas include:

Give an experience

Take someone to a play or concert (I would recommend FELA on Broadway- it was amazing, but now long gone)! Make gift certificates for a special dinner, pet sitting or house cleaning. Offer your skills at gardening, photography or financial planning. Sign someone up for lessons in music or a foreign language or sport. Better yet, teach someone one of your hobbies – swimming, origami (with reusable paper) or playing the piano, for example. Both the recipient and the landfill will thank you.

Other sustainable gift ideas

• Promote reuse – give antiques or unique retro items.
•  Buy carbon offsets for travel. 
•  Build or buy a compost bin.
•  Give a native plant for the house or garden.

Shop. Fight. Support: Let's Fight against Breast Cancer.

Friends,

In two weeks, Yamerra and Diosa will be collaborating to raise awareness and funds to support the fight against Breast Cancer. Join Us! YAMERRA and DIOSA will host you, Eco-Conscious friends, in the fight against breast cancer at Yamerra's Mini Boutique in Soho.

Home of Yamerra @ 12 Lions Studio

Come out and enjoy hand massages, and check out our Eco-friendly offerings while you are at it!

Find Eco-friendly Diosa Nail Polish at Yamerra Boutique in Soho: 684 Broadway, NY 10012

WHEN: Sunday, Oct. 14th 2012

PAMPER TIME: 4:30-8.00p 

WHERE: Yamerra

                12 Lions Studio 

                684 Broadway, 

                NY 10012

SAVE $4.00 when you Spend $40 to Receive:

A FREE Hand Massage

2 Yamerra Eco-Luxe Minis of your choice

A Manicure with Nail Art  by Kelly B of I_Nailed_it with Toxic Free Eco-Friendly Diosa Nail Poish

 ($20 of your proceeds will go towards supporting the fight for Breast Cancer).

Regular for 2 Eco luxe minis: $24

Regular for Diosa Manicure: $20

FREE HAND MASSAGE by Yamerra: *Priceless*

Come out and support the Fight Against Breast Cancer (Proceeds will go to: TBA Foundation).