This past Monday was my first, official, voyage into the ocean of possible wedding planning. Although we have not yet figured out a wedding date, I received an invitation to this event and decided to go and see what I might find.



Copper-Willow is what they call an Eco-Luxe Letterpress studio. They specialize in special occasion invitations, most notably weddings. They use eco-friendly papers, all of which are a minimum of 30% recycled content up to 100% recycled content and are FSC or Green Seal approved. Copper-Willow also offers tree-free papers and inks are soy based.

 

Copper-Willow started out by the wives, (Leora and Jill) of two best friends coming together to create a business they felt good about which would also allow them to raise a family. Now on board is one of the ladies mother, Susan, offering a creative alternative to fresh flowers for events. Susan can make flowers out of eco-friendly papers, such as papers made from mulberry. The paper flowers hold up better on cakes (don't wilt). If they get squashed, they can be re-fluffed. And they have a MUCH longer life span than traditional flowers so brides can keep their bouquets and pass them down. Although there is a chemical process you can do to preserve fresh bouquets, chemicals are not a green girl move and by Susan's own personal experience, they don't preserve color (possibly turning the flowers brown in the process) whereas the color is preserved with the paper bouquets.

One of Susan's selling points to the possible brides that night was that she can re-create bouquets from pictures, so if a bride went with a fresh bouquet, she could then have it re-created (and therefore preserved for memories) after the wedding, and paper bouquets make probably the best kind of bouquet for the toss. She can of course make table decorations, hair pieces for the bridal party, and boutineers for the groomsmen and groom. She also has a special flower she can make by recycling save the date cards!

You can reach Susan through Copper-Willow Eco-Luxe Studio.

You can follow me on Twitter @GreenGeisha

Learn more about Janine at Green Wave

Treespace Studio is the living manifestation of Amy Tan and her work. She claims The Treespace Studio spawned from "a burning passion to marry a lifetime of disparate interests and experiences".


"Keep" Box and hand crafted Treespace studio ring

I met Amy at a non-profit convention. She offered to help my organization, Green Wave, with design services to help unify our image. On my end, it's a work in progress however, on Amy's end I am amazed at the diverse offerings she not only offers to clients but to the world. Amy and I share a passion for inspiration -not just to be inspired ourselves, but to share the experience of being inspired to others. One of her favorite publications is called Dumbo Feather, true journalism about uplifting stories produced by an artsy group in Australia.

Amy has a background in architecture but she has had a life-long love for art, fashion and crafts which have instilled in her a deep appreciation for the tactile quality of materials, both natural and man-made.

What I really appreciate in Amy is not only her eco-awareness but her dedication to bringing that into her arts and services for people. She specializes in both handmade and other tree free papers for cards, such as her "Dream Big" series, and invitations. She made mention of this when she found out I was engaged since I would obviously be looking for eco-friendly options. Regarding some of my current business needs, Amy also consulted me on eco-friendly binding options. I had never appreciated paper as art until I met Amy.

She is also working on what she calls a "Keep" box which is art packaging for products. Her idea is a great example of sustainability and mindful intention in that she prints on natural and organic fibers and makes boxes that she hopes people will consider art and worthy of keeping, basically a keepsake, so as to avoid waste. I appreciate her idea not just for what it is but what the idea represents, perpetuates, and also dispels; it's her small way of fighting the system of disposability -make it precious...

Amazingly, she also makes beautiful, hand crafted jewelry. You can learn more about Amy and Treespace Studio by visiting her website and blog: www.treespacestudio.com

You can follow me on Twitter @InspiringWaves or @GreenGeisha

Learn more about Janine at Green Wave
 

I have been some form of blonde since I was a baby girl. I love blonde, I can't lie. I had actually been lighting my hair in some form, be it lemons, SunIn, or good ol' fashion salon bleach since I was at least in 7th grade. I was addicted to blonde and getting blonder. Marilyn Monroe after all was my idol. And then ... it all changed for me.

I found myself in Vegas in my mid-twenties, admittedly running from the monster of a life I had created. I was lost and I needed time to unravel so I could find out in what form I would choose to wrap myself up again in. I went on a serious soul search and I came out finding yoga/ movement studies, surfing, and sustainable living as top priorities in what I would make my new life revolve around. The glamour ideal I had previously aspired to faded away as I realized that glamour in the morning after a long night is not so pretty on anyone. 

 

New Year's Eve 2008

A few months later I would visit Costa Rica for the first time. I was struck by the natural beauty of the girls around town. They were all tan, natural hair, no make-up. Make-up melts in the tropics and doesn't fare well while surfing. I realized beauty could be something different, something I had never personally considered. Epiphany! My next step in the evolution of my current being. I still saw blondes, but they were typically more of a sandy blonde. I felt for the first time I could go back to being me. I could be beautiful maybe just the way I was and I would aspire to move toward that direction when I got home.

However blonde was deeply personal to me. I had grown accustomed to perceiving myself as beautiful with lighter hair. The transition would be tough. I remember trying to make it before and always going back. When I first moved in with my new fiance, I showed him pictures of me at a show of his from many years before as a platinum blonde. He wanted to see me as such and so just last year I went platinum again though just for New Years, and with the intention of starting to transition back immediately. However it took a full year for me to make the move and finally tell my hairdresser to die my hair closer to my natural color so I would not have to lighten or color my hair at all anymore. So right before the Grammy's, I went back to me.

I will be honest, I still like myself platinum. The truth is though, I don't know if my feelings are authentic because I also have a feeling that I don't like dying my hair at the expense of the world. It's toxic. Even low-grade bleach is still toxic. Why should this be celebrated? Should we not evolve out of selfish behaviors? I am newly engaged, my fiance loves me whatever shade I am. Is that not enough? Why should being lighter make me feel better? Have I been subconsciously reinforced in my past to make me feel that the blonder the better? I would say to that, absolutely. Many famous singers and actresses get famous and go blonde or seem to get famous just being blonde.

 

Grammy Day 2010

For the time being I am happy with my decision. I want to know at least for a few years what it's like with my own hair. I want to own my beauty with my own hair. If I am unhappy and want to lighten it again ... perhaps I will find the perfect natural way through lemons or some other natural means. I would also go back to this. Everything we do counts. I can't expect people to give up certain behaviors if I cannot give them up myself first. How we present ourselves to the world sends a message and we should at very least be conscious of our messaging. What is glamorous can change. We can change it. It's up to us.   Learn more about Janine at Green Wave

I don't know where the picture is that started the debate but I do know what it was ... I was wearing an old favorite that looks much like the white jacket you will see below. I posed the question on Twitter, "Hey, what do you think? Should I ditch the fur or not, even if it's not real?" The replies were equal: "if it's fake it doesn't matter to it's still promoting fur." I asked because I was starting to feel that it was time to say Goodbye to Fur.




It really sank in when my mother gave me a full length faux fur jacket. She gave it to me because she found herself never wearing it. I was reluctant to take it from her but it was kind of pushed on me and I decided I would "house it". Basically just to please her, I decided to wear it once this past year in what I considered an ingenious last minute, day before Halloween costume. Some people have referred to Obama as a socialist ... Ken had an Obama t-shirt which he had received from Covenant Green during the elections and had not much time to sport. I took it a step further and playing on that theme I decided we would be "Commies" :) ... he would wear the Obama t-shirt and I would wear that jacket. We just happened to have the perfect hats. So we lived it out, we have pictures ... it's time to move on.


Sure it's all fake ... but what does this still say?

The mixture of jackets you will see below in the first picture are mainly fake fur. The only real fur items I have are vintage, passed down items from my great grandmother or her sister. I did buy some real fur items even into my young 20's although mostly I bought faux fur. I was addicted to the look of fur and what fur represented. To me, fur meant. Fur was to me and still is to many, a status symbol because unfortunately the real thing is considered a luxury item. I honestly did not know quite the extent of the horrors of these poor animals PETA has gone to lengths to capture footage of to provide them a voice till just the last few years. I had an inkling, but I had never subjected myself to the full investigation. When I decided to start Green Wave, it was a personal commitment to look at what all the people I had once though of as white noise were actually saying. The more I delved into green world the more I wanted, and still want, to do in order to align my everyday life with my new values.


The world will not change unless we decide to be the change first. Our everyday actions affect the world. How can I expect the fur trade to end if I am still wearing what looks like fur? We are responsible for the way the world is. I, in what I choose to represent on my body sends a message even if it's subconsciously to everyone I know, and we all have people that look up to us, or envy us. That being said, our messaging should be responsible. We need to be strong and take measures to mitigate the suffering of this world. I cannot go around supporting PETA and then sport faux fur because there is a disconnect in the messaging, especially since some faux fur looks real. The people I don't know might not know it's fake and instead I perpetuate a trend I no longer believe in.


We must make something else the new status symbol. Ask yourself, what can you get rid of that serves as a disconnect with your new ideals? Be bold green girls! There are so many amazing looks we can herald that are eco-friendly. Check out EcoStilleto, Ecouterre, or Greenloop for hot new sustainable fashions. Be the change. We need YOU to be the new trendsetter!
 

Learn more about Janine at Green Wave

No ... not as in my computer , and not as in my long favorite make-up line I gave up not so long ago... No, Mac is the name I gave our old cow hide rug before I handed him over to a new Craigslist found owner today. The guy that picked it up asked if we had named it; I said no initially but then said "sure, it's name is Mac". Think fast food.

Sometimes you just have to say goodbye if you are going to be true to your values. More than that, change starts with each and every one of us, if we want to see change in the world, we first must be that change.

As my new fiance and I move closer to everyday veganism, we have found what used to be a sleek design rug to be more of a personal embarrassment at parties and a disconnect with our values. It was time to say goodbye.

Out with the old allows in for the new. We are looking forward to a new, sustainably produced rug made of some sort of eccentric or natural eco-material or a "new" vintage 70's shag rug -yeah baby!

I would challenge you to ask yourself what it is you free yourself of to live more true to what you believe. This is just a small gesture. We have some more to make, and some perhaps we will never be able to ( I'm not sure how to rid our lives of all the plastic, for instance). However, everything counts. So please, look around you; what is it that you can do today to live the life you believe in?

Learn more about Janine at Green Wave