To eat or not to eat?

Got a new schampoo,  conditioner and deep condioner from John Masters Organics. Needed to try something new after years of using ABBA. My scalp was getting dry again.

The schampoo is with zinc and sage and has the most delicious smell of hot fudge. Made me want to eat it instead of use it in my hair. Have only been using it for a few days so I don't know exactly how I feel about it yet, but my hair feels very clean. The conditioner is with citrus and neroli and that's also a lovely smell.

I read about the deep-conditioner in several fashion magazines and they were right! It left my hair feeling all silky and smooth.

As usual I got it from eleven.se. If you live in the U.S you can order directly from the website, and they have distributors all over the world.

Most of their products are vegan, and none of them are tested on animals. They have a lot of information about their ingredients and their eco-certification on the website if you want to find out more.

Fun fact: They even make schampoo and conditioner four your furry friends...

It is a bit pricey, but I've tried going back to cheaper, (organic and non organic) shampoos and skincare, and they made my skin itch and I had a breakout in my face. So Ill stick to the good stuff.

Seriouslyorganic

Just discovered this chocolate from Seriouslyorganic, and it's sooo good. 72% cocoa, organic, vegan and Fairtrade. And there are many more flavours to try.....

I keep telling myself that because it's dark chocolate and that's healthy I can eat a whole bar at once (yes, by myself, what kind of a question is that?).

My precioussssssss........

Espresso - this is something else

For those of us that loves the cute and smart pods and the cool design of the Nespresso-machines, here are some good news. In an earlier note I wrote that Nespresso don't have any organic coffee and about the problems to recycle the pods.

Ethical Coffee Company  has a solution to this. Their pods fits perfectly in the Nespresso-machines and they are filled with organic and Fair Trade coffee (the Lungo and Inca Soave capsules). The pods are biodegradable and can be thrown in the trash or put on your compost. Great news for all coffee-lovers out there. Great christmasgift for my husband who has been longing for one. Stores can be found in lots of European countries and in the U.S.

So you can sip an organic expresso after a nice dinner or enjoy a cappuccino mixed with organic milk and cinnamon before work. Isn't it great with new innovations that find even better ways to improve new cool things. I love it!

Since the CEO of Ethical Coffee Company used to be the CEO of Nespresso I' m sure he knows what he's doing and provides top notch products. Maybe it's time for me to start drinking coffee...

Eat!

Eat! Ekostore is a fantastic little store in the centre of Stockholm that has everything you need, just as your regular supermarket. You can find milk, meat, juice, vegetables and grains. They have a selection of schampoos, detergents, baby-products and sunscreens as well as chocolate, candies, nuts and much much more. So there is nothing you can't find in here. It feels good to know that you don't have to check for the organic labels, instead you just buy what you need and you'll know it's not harmful in any way. They are open 7 days a week with really generous opening hours, so there's no reason to shop anywhere else. It's also nice to support the local community and to make sure we keep wonderful places like this one open.

If you're a company they're able to deliver fruit to the office; a nice and easy way to care about your employees. They will even bring coffee, milk or other products if you want to. Of course your shopping will be delivered in a car that runs on biogas.

As an ECOmmunity member you'll get special deals and invitations to events, and if you're on Twitter or Facebook you'll get all the latest news and offers. Also, check out their website were you can read their blog and find some delicious dinner inspiration in the recipes section.

Diamonds are forever

If you want to make sure that your gold and diamonds come from a sustainable source there are a few things to consider.

The Kimberley Process is a social initiative that started in May 2000 to stop diamonds from conflict areas, so called Blood Diamonds. Many countries and companies in the diamond trade participate in this important task and they have reached great results in just over ten years. You can read a lot of interesting information about the process in the webpage. Since the KP certification is not legally binding for the participants every consumer plays an important role. The Kimberly Process really emphasis the importance we all play as consumers and what we need to ask for when shopping jewellery.

You can also look at Fair Trade Gems for more information and finding retailers.

Coalition for Green Gold is an interesting initiative on sustainable mining. Working against rainforest deforestation and mercury, cyanide and arsenic contamination this is extremely important. For example; mercury is used when extracting gold, and it's poisoning the water, the animals and the people living close to the mines. You can also find information about this work on Fairtrade and on Alliance for Responsible Mining.

If you want to shop some gorgeous jewellery, check out these websites;

Noën is a german company making beautiful jewellery in organic gold and diamonds. They don't want to compromise between beauty and social responsibility, and they really manage to mix those two together. The gold is extracted without chemicals and their diamonds are certified through the Kimberley Process. On their homepage you can even watch a video from one of the sites where they extract gold.

Ekoguld is Sweden's first Fairtrade certified goldsmith. Their gold are Fairmined certified and their gems are from sustainable and fairtrade sources. They even offer their customers to use recycled gold if they want to.

Dandelion is spelled with three E:s

Dandelion Sportswear is a Swedish company based in Stockholm. The three E:s stands for Ecologic, Ethic and Esthetic and is the foundation of the entire company.

Dandelion encourage their customers to consume less and recycle more and they adjust their collections according to this principle. The clothes are beautiful and functional and once they are worn out you can return it to them for recycling.

All clothes are 100% organic and they make sure that everybody in the supply chain gets a decent pay for their work and that no producers use child labour. No toxic dyes are being used which not only is beneficial to the environment but for the employees as well. The design and function is not compromised with and comfort is the main goal.

Nicole, the designer and founder, has a genuine design background from some of the most prestigous schools in the industry. She is also the founder of Strömmingsloppet (The Herring race). It's carried out each year in the city of Vaxholm in the archipelago outside Stocholm. The race has recieved the eco-label Håll Sverige Rent (Keep Sweden Clean)and 100SEK of each participants fee is donated to WaterAid.

Neutral

Neutral is a Swedish brand approved by the Swedish Asthma and Allergy foundation. They have a lot of different products from skincare to laundry detergent. There are also special products for children and infants.

All products are free from perfume, synthetic dyes and unnecessary additives and some products are marked with Svanen ecolabel (the Swan).

On their web-page you can find good tips on how to prevent allergies.

You can find Neutral in your regular supermarket.

Kung Markatta

Kung Markatta is a Swedish brand that has been working with organic food since 1983.
They sell about about 2000 different articles and 150 of them are produced under their own name Kung Markatta. The articles range from olive oil to bread to tofu to sweets and everything in between.

On their homepage you can read the fun story about how the company started with the driving spirit of Lennart that did it all in his own apartment in the beginning. There is a full list of their products and also recipes where you can choose if you want products without for example gluten or milk.

Apart from providing us with healthy food they are active in their own industry trying to influence their competitors and cooperation partners to do more. They are affiliated to several different eco-labels and they compensate for all their emissions during transportation.

Kung Markattas products can be found in most of the supermarkets in Sweden and also in health food stores of course. It always feels good to support a local brand and being able to be healthy while doing so is even better.

Books

I love books! I've been reading a lot since I was a kid, and I continue to read and discover new authors all the time. Right now I'm not allowing myself to buy any new books until I've finished the ones I have. I've also been thinking about all the paper and transport needed to produce these books.

I've been buying all my books for years from Adlibris. It's such a fantastic website, and you really can find everything there. They have books in a lot of different languages, they get delivered quickly (you can choose to have them delivered in a carbon neutral way) and my favourite thing - they have a great wish list. My wish-list is over a hundred books long at the moment (see why I need to stop myself?). This wish list is also available on their App (of course I've got it) and you can email it to your family for tips on birthday- or christmas gifts.

So how do I get more books and being nice to the enivironment at the same time? I've  never been one to throw away books so my bookshelves keeps filling up. I love to give books as gifts as well so friends and families bookshelves are also getting full.

This is what I've decided;
Give away the books that I've read and no longer need. I save my favourite ones and those from my favourite authors, but the rest has to go. It's time to get a library card and get books from there instead. Saves money as well as paper. The broken ones goes to the recycle bin. For beeing such a nerd for gadgets, it's really a shame that I haven't tried downloading books yet. I promise I'll start after I get myself an Ipad. There are also some books marked FSC, and it feels better to choose these when possible.

Today I read an article about book-exchange in Sweden. For the fourth year in a row there will be a possibility to exchange your used books towards other ones. This event takes place on the 25th of may in a lot of different places in Sweden. Read more and find the place closest to you at Storabokbytardagen.

Origins Skincare

Origins is a fantastic skincare brand. Not only do they have a lot to choose from, they also care very much about our environment. Some of their products are certified organic ones, but all of them are produced with a lot of respect towards the environment and the people meant to use it. They are mixing science and nature together beautifully with their organic ingredients and natural essential oils. Plants from all over the world are being used and their labs research each and every ingredient and mix them toghether. Some of the ingredients used are white tea, ginger, mimosa, mint, basil and vitamin C.

None of the products contains phtalates, dyes, mineral oils, PABA (chemical sunscreen), parabens, synthetic fragrances or petrolatum and the end result is tested on volunteer human panels. 

In North America (and more countries to come) they have a program that encourages their consumers to bring their used cosmetic bottles and jars (Origins brand or any other brand) to their nerest Origins store to be recycled and reused to help reduce the landfill.

I recently bought a brightening serum that Origins produced together with Dr Andrew Weil. They have made a comlete range of skincare-products together with carefully selected ingredients. Knowing that Dr Weil is a fantastic botanist this is really something to try.

The Origins homepage is a treasure-chest where you can spend a long time trying to decide what to try next. You can read all about the products and their commitment to purity. It is also a great that you can place comments about their products and to read what everybody else thinks.

Well worth a visit and a trial. Unfortunately you can not shop on their homepage outside of the US or Canada. In Sweden you can find them at some of the bigger department stores, or go wild when you travel.

Weleda

Weleda was started in 1921 by the founders of anthroposophical medicine, Rudolf Steiner and Ita Wegman, and has been producing organic skincare ever since. Anthroposophical medicine is about improving a persons ability to heal herself and they believe in a close connection between human beings and nature. This philosophy is still at the very core of Weleda.

Weleda products are free from parabens and synthetic dyes and of course not tested on animals. A lot of their products are also certified through Na True.

My favourites are their Citrus Creamy Body Wash that smells great and their Birch Body Scrub that really works wonders softening your skin.

You can find their products in many drugstores, health food stores or supermarkets and you can also find them in their webshop.

Nordic Light Hotel

I spent last night at the Nordic Light Hotel in Stockholm. It's a beutifully designed hotel. The lobby is trendy, and yet very welcoming.

The hotel is marked with Svanen (the swan) which is a Swedish eco-label also used for laundry-detergents, paper etc. In the bathroom you can find products from the Swedish organic brand Luxsit. Luxsit is developed in Sweden and uses primarily Scandinavian plant extracts their products.

Nordic Light is also the first hotel in the world to introduce Meat Free Monday. On Mondays they don't serve any red meat in their restaurants. This is made as an inspiration to reduce the meat-consumption in the world.

Read more and book your own stay at; Nordic Light Hotel
Find out more about Luxsit and about Meat Free Mondays.

Coffee

Coffee has the second largest turnover among merchandise in the entire world (oil being the largest). As such it can really make a difference what we choose when we buy coffee.

Poisonous pesticides are used on 70% of all coffee plantations. Two of the most common pesticides are paraquat and lindane. Paraquat is acutely toxic and is considered extremely unhealthy. Exposure to even small doses can cause damage to your liver, lungs and kidneys. Exposure to lindane causes damage to the nervous system and may cause cancer. Those chemicals are forbidden in Sweden and the EU, but they are still used in countries producing the Swedish national drink coffee. For example, one of the largest health hazards in Brasil are illnesses caused by pesticedes. An estimated 200 000 persons are afflicted in this country alone.

There is an organisation working for better environmental policies and a fair treatment of workers in the trade. You can check out the 4c-coffeeassociation website.

Luckily, finding organic coffe is quite easy, at least in Sweden. Many brands have a choice of different organic beans and blends and lots of times it's fair trade as well. So it should be easy to find an organic version that you like.

There is a fantastic website where you can find out everything you need to know about coffe; Kaffeinformation. They don't get into the problems with farming but are more of a general information site.

Single Malt

My husband loves whisky, and I got him a bottle of Benromach Organic for his birthday. This whisky is from a small distillery in north-east Scotland. This Single Malt was the world's first to be certified through UK Soil Association and they take great care in every step to make this truly organic, from the oak cask all the way to the bottling. And it apparently tastes very good too. Read more;  Benromach

In Sweden there is only one more organic whisky so far. That's the Bruichladdich. A limited edition was made in 2003 and was followed up by another one in 2010. That one's going to be tried next.