This post was originally published on April 8, 2016 and updated on April 11, 2019
Earth Day is Every Day!
You hear this phrase all the time. In one very important sense, it’s true. We should be considering our impact on our planet home every day, with all of our decisions. But is there any value in actually taking time out to celebrate a single “Earth Day” each year? Yes, I believe there is.
Like any holiday, celebrations remind us of things that are important to us that we may have lost track of in our busy schedules. Celebrations help us rejoice and come together as communities with shared values. So I believe it’s well worth taking note on April 22nd of all the activities that effect our environment and having a little fun together in the process.
So, what should you do for Earth Day?
Visit a National Park The single best thing you can do for the environmental is to get outside. People fight to protect what they love, and they only love what they know. So go introduce yourself to the beautiful places in your area. To facilitate this, the National Park Service offers “Free Entrance” Day to all parks countrywide on April 20.
You can also check your state for a state park near you.
Bryce Canyon National Park
Volunteer There are so many beach, trail and forest clean-up efforts centered around Earth Day. This is a great time to chip in a few hours, get outside, and meet up with other caring folks. While there’s no single website or link that covers every area, a quick web search should point you in the right direction for a local event.
If you’re feeling ambitious, Earth Day might just be the time to schedule your next vacation. What about something adventurous with a side of helping the planet? EarthWatch Institute has some absolutely amazing volunteer vacations. Many of them are unique opportunities you might otherwise never get a chance to do, like their newest one counting wildlife and checking reforestation efforts in Brazil.
You can take action in other ways as well. Sign a pledge, plant a tree or find out how to reduce your footprint.
Donate Chip in a few hard-earned bucks to an environmental charity. There are so many great organizations, you can definitely find one that resonates with your values. Choose one of the environmental charities that we support, or find one that resonates with you and your priorities. Charity Navigator rates charities based on how they use funds that are collected. It’s a great way to ensure the charity you give to is using your money wisely. The Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Guide also helps donors make more informed giving decisions.
Watch and Learn Stay informed on environmental issues. There are a lot of ways to learn that are fun as well as informative. For example, Portland holds an Eco Film Festival as does the University of Miami. Even if you don’t live in Oregon or Florida, you can check out any of these environmental documentaries to learn more about our planet.
Vote for the Environment The League of Conservation Voters is a non-partisan, political action group that “works to turn environmental values into national, state and local priorities.” Check them out to find out how your elected representatives are voting when it comes to the environment.
Attend a Fair or Festival Many conscious businesses, artists and organizations spend a lot of time and effort to set up earth day festivals. So if you’re lucky enough to have one in your area, go check it out. Learn, mingle and just enjoy all of the effort.
The best way to find a local event is to do a web search using your city name, check with your local paper or contact your city hall.
Whatever you decide to do, just taking a moment out of our busy schedules to notice all of the ways our every day decisions effect the long-term health of our planet will be amazing. Please tell me what your plans are in the comments or other ideas you’d like to share.
Free stuff is good. Ethically produced, eco-fashionable free stuff is even better! FaeriesDance.com is offering another sustainable fashion giveaway. This time one lucky winner will receive The Mood PJ Set in their choice of size Small (Misses 4-6), Medium (Misses 8-10) or Large (Misses 12-14).
But The Mood isn’t just to sleep in. This beautiful, aubergine colored set is also the perfect loungewear, make-a-coffee-run wear, or pick-up-some-groceries wear. Silky soft bamboo viscose is paired with just a touch of spandex for a luxurious drape and all-day comfort. The set is OEKO-TEX® 100 certified, so you can be confident that it’s safe and non-toxic.
This Mood is designed by San Francisco-Paris collaboration brand, Les Lunes. With shapes and style designed to flatter, Les Lunes mindfully curates a collection of everyday basics to live in, and ethically produces each piece at their own facility in Shanghai.
Let’s start at the top. The Mood has a wide, boxy top and has a very relaxed fit through the torso. It’s a crewneck pullover with thumb holes to keep your sleeves in place on wild nights. The top is slightly cropped falling just to the top of the hip, and can easily be worn out and about with your favorite jeans when you just want some comfort with your style.
The Mood lounge pants are ready for sleeping, have you covered on the couch, and are perfectly appropriate when a late night dash to the corner store is required. The pants have a covered elastic waistband, and are extra long so that you can trim them to the perfect length for your height. Soft and fluid with a beautiful drape, no one will blame you for wanting to wear them all weekend long.
How to Enter
Now that you know how crave-worthy The Mood PJ Set is, how do you get yours? Well it’s easy, peasy, just like lounging around in these pajamas on Sunday morning.
First, leave a comment on this post telling us what stands out about this set to you. Then fill out the form below. You can get extra entries by visiting our social media pages and sharing this contest.
New to Faerie’s Dance?
Since 2005 Faerie’s Dance has been a force for good in the fashion world. We support small, sustainable businesses, many of them are women-owned or family-owned. All of our products are ethically produced, providing living wages to the workers that make them both here in the USA and abroad. No sweatshops or child labor are ever involved in the making of our goods. We currently offer more than 1200 sustainable items in our store including organic, natural fiber and recycled clothing, accessories and jewelry. Find out more about our philosophy and our funny name as well as our generous charity policy.
Marilyn Monroe Poses with her Dog in a High-Waisted Bikini
Imagine if you will, a lacy, sexy, panty, ethically made from sustainable materials, that actually sits high on the waist, covering your belly and making you feel retro gorgeous like Marilyn Monroe. It’s not a fantasy! These elusive high-waisted, organic cotton panties actually exist!
When jeans went low-rise more than a decade ago, so did panties. As a middle-aged woman, wearing undies that accentuated my pooch belly did not make for a happy time for me. But over the last few years, high-rise panties have returned with a vengeance, and gone green! Performers like Ariana Grande (left) and Beyoncé (bottom) have shown off their figures in high rise panties, pushing this retro revival forward.
Beyoncé Sports a High-Rise Bikini.
The eco-friendly version of this movement is primarily being spearheaded in Europe, with companies like Swegmark of Sweden, and Peau-Ethique in France showcasing high-waisted panties made from organic cotton and certified Fair Trade. Peau-Ethique even went one step further, making a retro high-waisted panty with an attached garter belt for extra sass. At the start of this trend, we got a humorous, thoughtful write-up from Girly Girl Army about our high-waisted Infinite Support Brief.
Three High Waisted Panty Options all made from Organically Grown Cotton
The Anything But Basic Bamboo High Waisted Brief
More recently, San Francisco-Paris collaboration brand, Les Lunes, released the simple, but ultra-flattering, Anything But Basic High-waisted panty made from a luxurious bamboo fabric. It has less “support” and tummy control than the Swegmark panties and a bit less pizzazz than the Peau-Ethique options. Instead, it comes in at a lower price and has a silky texture surpassing the other options in comfort and barely-know-its-there wearability.
With so many luxury, ethical, sustainable options available, even the most dedicated low-rise fan might want to grab a retro high-waisted panty for under their favorite skirt or dress. What would you choose: flirty lace, tummy-controlling support, barely-there bamboo or a simple organic cotton basic made right here in Oregon? Whatever you decide, we think the retro indulgence of high-waisted panties is back to stay.
Hey Folks, it’s long past time for a giveaway from your favorite eco-fashion boutique! This month we’re giving away an intimates set from our own in-house brand, Green Tree Organic Clothing. Up for grabs is the organic cotton Trista Cami with Bra (shown left) in your choice of black or white PLUS any one of Green Tree’s organic cotton women’s underwear. We’ve got 7 panty styles to choose from in sizes ranging from XXS – 3XL.
Here’s a little TWIST: the more people that enter, the more sets we’ll give away! We know you’re sometimes reluctant to share a giveaway because it lowers your chances of winning. But we’re setting the chance of winning at 1 in 50 people or less, guaranteed. So if we get more than 50 individual people entering, we’ll give away 2 sets, more than 100 people, 3 sets, etc. So share away!
We need your help to keep bringing in the finest organic bras and lingerie from around the world. So please spread the word about sustainable clothing and lingerie, and tell your friends and family about FaeriesDance.com.
About the Prize(s)
Organic Hi Cut Brief in Black
Each winner will receive 1 Trista Cami with Bra and 1 Green Tree Organic brand panty in the color and size of their choice. Options include:
The prizes are shipped at our expense. The winners will have the option of adding on any other products they would like to purchase from us at no shipping charge. After the contest ends, each person entering will receive a special discount code by e-mail for any Green Tree Organic brand products. This discount is exclusive to contest participants.
Hearts A’flutter Panty
All of Green Tree Organic’s products are made locally in Oregon. We design and pattern in Portland. All cutting and sewing is done in Stayton. We get our internal tags from a company in Portland. The printed panties, Eat Organic and Hearts A’flutter, are printed using water-based inks by a woman-owned printer in Portland.
Our fabric is a 95% Organic Cotton, 5% Spandex blend and Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified. All of the panties listed above, as well as the Trista Cami, are made from this certified organic cotton fabric. We source the fabric from a small, family-owned company in India. It’s knit and dyed local to where the cotton is grown.
About Faerie’s Dance
Organic Hipster Brief in Sweet Pink
Since 2005 Faerie’s Dance has been a force for good in the fashion world. We support small, sustainable businesses, many of them are women-owned or family-owned. All of our products are ethically produced providing living wages to the workers that make them both here in the USA and abroad. No sweatshops or child labor are ever involved in the making of our goods. We currently offer more than 1200 sustainable items in our store including organic, natural fiber and recycled clothing, accessories and jewelry. Find out more about our philosophy and our funny name as well as our generous charity policy.
How to Enter
Enter the contest using the form below. You can get extra entries by visiting our social media pages and sharing this contest.
Halloween is my favorite holiday. Confession. It’s not just for the trick-or-treating, October 31st also happens to be my birthday. So my childhood was filled with costumes and candy AND cake and presents. Seriously, it was better than Christmas. Like most things, though, Halloween has a dark side (pun intended). With the majority of cocoa harvested by children and single-use costumes ending up in landfills, it’s time to Green your Halloween. We can all still experience the unbridled excitement of my childhood Halloween while making just a few changes towards a much more sustainable holiday.
1. Buy Fair Trade Candy
Sjaaks Halloween Bites
Avoid the child labor and sweatshop conditions and buy Fair Trade candy. Yes, it will cost more. Honestly, that’s the point. The candy we’re buying from companies like Nestle and Hershey is cheap specifically because the producers are not provided a living wage. A luxury like chocolate shouldn’t be the driving cause of poverty in remote African villages. By paying a little more for your chocolate, you can ensure that the cocoa growers earn a living wage and have the opportunity to send their children to school. Here are some great companies making fair trade chocolates and candies.
Sjaak’s Chocolates – Not only does Sjaak’s make fair trade, organic chocolate bars, but they also have Halloween tubs and chocolate bars inexpensive enough to give to trick-or-treaters. They also happen to be vegan and seriously delicious.
Equal Exchange – Try their minis for giving out to trick-or-treaters and be sure to stock some full-sized bars for yourself.
Lärabar– For a sweet treat that’s a little healthier, but still well-priced, try Lärabar’s bites or kids versions. All versions are fair-trade.
Alter-Eco – A bit pricier, but well worth it. They sell only full-sized bars rather than minis. You can buy these organic, fair trade bars by the 12-pack to save a few bucks, and they’re having an autumn special. Use code Autumn20 for 20% off with free shipping on orders over $65.
Ocho Candy – If you want more traditional “candy bars” rather than straight chocolate bars, Ocho makes fair trade, organic “fakes” of your favorite brands. They also have Halloween bulk minis for the trick-or-treaters.
Go Max Go Jokerz Bar
Go Max Go – Another fair trade, non-GMO “candy bar” company. They don’t do minis, but bonus, all of their “fakes” are vegan (and delicious – I’ve tried them all!). You can purchase 12-bar boxes for 10% off.
Madécasse – If you really want to take the next step in sustainable chocolates, Madécasse is the way to go. They don’t just source their cocoa from Africa under fair trade conditions, they make the entire chocolate there. It creates jobs and provides better living for whole communities. At $4.50 per bar, you may not want to give them to the trick-or-treaters, but definitely treat yourself.
Lagusta’s Luscious – If money isn’t a worry, check out this luxury chocolate brand. Yes, their prices are high, but it’s oh so worth it for a little indulgence. They use locally sourced ingredients from small businesses and only fair trade certified chocolate. Unique truffle combinations really make this brand stand out.
Lagusta’s Luscious Autumn Truffle Box
Organic Fruit Snacks – Don’t want to give chocolate at all? Give the kiddies organic fruit snacks. There are numerous varieties that have no palm oil or high-fructose corn syrup out there. Many companies also offer multi-pack sizes like Annie’s or Yum Earth.
2. Find a Creative Re-Use For Your Costume
You’ve probably read time and again that it is more sustainable to buy a used costume from Goodwill or ebay. Both have huge Halloween sections, and that will also save you some money. While that’s a great tip, I would also suggest that you consider ways to re-wear your custom after Halloween. Turn your one-time outfit into something you can wear over and over again.
The Wedding Dress – The year after I got married, I couldn’t figure out what one is supposed to do with this expensive wedding dress, so I wore mine for Halloween! (I won the award for “most authentic”.) If you’re divorced or your wedding dress no longer fits properly and you’re not saving it for a child, cut out bits to make it fit, cut out some strips along the arms and bottom, dirty it up a bit and go as the Corpse Bride!
While this might be too extreme for most women (and maybe it’s better to donate it, anyway), how about trying one of these other tips?
Pirate Costume – Go as a pirate and make plans to visit your local pirate festival in spring or summer. Pirate festivals invade both coasts every year.
My friend, Grisel and I reuse our Faery Halloween Costumes for the Southern California Renaissance Faire, circa 2001. She creatively re-purposed a bridesmaids dress.
Renaissance Costume – There are a surprising number of times a Renaissance costume comes in handy. Get a good one and dazzle everyone at your local Renaissance Faire. They happen all over the country. (I was once invited to a Renaissance-themed wedding.) Go as a wench, and you can wear the costume earlier in the month for Octoberfest, or get a traditional Irish Renaissance dress and wear it to your local Irish Festival.
Faery Costume – You and your children can dress up as matching Faeries and save the costumes for your local Faery Festival. Faeries have also been spotted at Pirate and Renaissance Festivals as well as at the Oregon Country Fair.
Disney-inspired Costume – Be a Princess on your next trip to Disneyland. If you’re a runner, join in on any of Disney’s character-themed runs where costumes are encouraged.
Comic Characters – My nephew got an anime costume for Halloween, and then wore it to his local Comic Con. Yes, the San Diego one is the biggest, but they happen all over the country. This is a great idea for super hero costumes as well.
Cross-over Holiday Costumes – Dress up as Santa or the Easter Bunny and then play that character for the kids on the holiday. If you’re family likes a twist, dress up as the Christmas version of Jack Skellington.
Dressing up for Fairs and Festivals really enhances the enjoyment, and if you’re re-using an otherwise single-wear costume, all the better.
Of course, once you are done with a costume, be sure to donate it, sell it or trade it at a future Halloween Costume Swap.
3. Avoid the “Fast Fashion” Trap
Witchy Night Shirt
Every year big box retailers break out the holiday-themed version of Fast Fashion. Rows of Halloween-themed apparel line store shelves. I admit that in my younger days, I had to have a new Halloween-themed shirt every year. Of course, now, I’m much more environmentally aware and I avoid those types of cheap and unsustainable garments. That’s why this year, I was so thrilled to find cute fashions that were wearable any time of year, but had just enough of a Halloween tie-in that I could get my holiday fashion fix on.
Faerie’s Dance has a new brand that makes 100% certified organic cotton womens printed tops and tunics along with matching accessories from recycled cotton scraps, all knit, cut and sewn in the USA. The screen printing uses only water-based inks, and the fabric dyes are low-impact. We’ve already placed multiple orders, but for right now, check out our Cat Moon series (below) along with the Witchy Night Top (left).
The handwarmers and scarves make equally fun gifts at Halloween, Christmas, Hanukkah or any Fall or Winter birthday, especially for cat lovers, full moon romantics, or astronomers. 😉 We have more designs and colors coming in November, too.
This iconic Cat & Moon Design can be worn any time of year, but is particularly fun for Halloween.
4. Donate Your Pumpkins and Compost Your Jack-o-Lanterns
Whole pumpkins and carved jack-o-lanterns shouldn’t wind up in landfill! Jack-o-Lanterns can easily be composted or cut up and added to your yard waste bin. Cut them up before they start “melting” on your porch.
If you like to decorate with whole pumpkins around the house and yard, consider donating them right after Halloween while they’re still in good condition. Who wants whole pumpkins? Why, big cats of course! Check out this big guy having some fun with his first pumpkin.
In Oregon, Wildcat Ridge Sanctuary takes pumpkin donations. Call them at (503) 625-0812 to set up a donation.
In Florida, visit Big Cat Rescue or call them at 813.920.4130.
I’m sure there are many others around the country. Do a local search to find out if there is a wild cat sanctuary near you that would love a post-Halloween treat.
There are so many ways to green Halloween and all your holidays. Just take a moment to evaluate each purchase or decision. Buy decorations from charity shops and reuse as much as possible year over year. We can all still have fun while doing just a little better. Wishing you all a glorious, frightfully fun Halloween.
Our final episode in the 10-part “Finding Your Perfect Organic Bra” series deals with special occasion bras. These are bras you may not wear every day, but you definitely want to have one or two in your wardrobe. From glamorous Swarovski crystal embellished bras for weddings and special date nights, to workout bras, to nursing bras, this video highlights beautiful, organic bras for every occasion.
We also forgot to mention strapless bras or bandeau bras. Our current selection of strapless and bandeaus is pretty slim. We’ve had a number of options in the past, but they tend to be short-run lines that we cannot restock. Of course, we’re always looking for new organic bras. Sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of any of our eco-fashion pages to get regular updates on new items that come in. We only send e-mails once per month, so you won’t be overwhelmed by too much e-mail.
In this penultimate video in our Find Your Perfect Organic Bra series, we address camisoles with bra liners. These are full-length camisole options that have built-in bras to keep you cool in summer and offer a warm layering piece in winter without the extra bulk of a separate camisole and bra.
The “typical” bra-lined camisole has an internal shelf-style bra for light support and modesty. We show one in organic cotton and one in bamboo though we have a number of others at FaeriesDance.com under Camisoles. The last one we show, Cateline, is rather unique as it’s a camisole with shaped, padded cups. Since No Wire Padded Bras are our most requested bra style, Cateline offers another option for those looking for that specific type of bra.
We’re back from vacation and ready to continue our 10-part organic and natural fiber bra series.
Today we’re discussing a specialty line of Allergen-Free Bras that are 100% organic cotton, spandex-free, latex-free, dye-free, and chemical-free. These bras have been medically tested to reduce rashes and inflammation caused by eczema and dermatitis. There are several different styles to fit a variety of body shapes while still providing light support, modesty and most importantly, rash-free comfort.
Of the ones we show in the video, the Side-Tie version runs a little larger than the Front Close version in the same size. We’ve had several customers tell us this as well. While the Side-Tie doesn’t fit Kayla well since we don’t have the correct size for her, it’s actually a very popular style for women with C cups and above as it provides a little more coverage than any of the other Allergen-Free bras.
If you do have allergies or skin sensitivities, feel free to contact Dr. Luhrs to discuss treatments as well as wellness plans at MoonCycleMedicine.org
Running a business with your life partner has so many wonderful benefits. However, the single main drawback is being able to go on vacation together when just the two of you are working the business. While we were still located in Los Angeles, I had some friends helping out. So Glen and I were able to take a 2-week vacation together and have my friends watch the business. That was in 2011.
Since then, we closed the business once for one week to go to a wedding in Florida. We’ve had one week of vacation together in the last 7 years. 🙁 Don’t get me wrong, we both get away a good amount. We both went to Los Angeles this year to visit friends and family. Glen went in January, and I went in March. Last year I went to the Berlin Eco-Fashion show and met with Swegmark in Sweden. We planned a one-week cruise together, but some logistical issues required us to postpone the cruise. So I had an amazing 10 days in Europe on my own, and he stayed home and watched the business.
We make a concerted effort to get away for 3-day weekends as much as possible. Since we ship via the post office, we generally take every postal holiday off. But when you own your own business, burn-out is a thing. To keep that excitement and positive attitude going year after year, you really need to sharpen the saw.
So we are closing the store for two full weeks. This is the first time in nearly 13 years in business that the shop will be “closed” for that long.
We’ll be closed from June 22 – July 8, 2018
So what does that mean?
The website will be up and working, and orders CAN be placed during the entire period of our absence.
We’re offering an AUTOMATIC 15% discount for the entire time we’re away as a thank-you for your patience. No coupon need!
Orders will ship in the order they were received staring July 9. All orders will ship by July 11.
We will have no e-mail or phone support for the entire period from June 22 – July 8
Refunds and exchanges will be give priority and processed FIRST upon our return on July 9
I am confident that our wonderful customers will be supportive during this time, and the discount is just an added bonus. 🙂 If the store does well during our absence and everything runs fairly smoothly (i.e. no one initiating expensive chargebacks while we’re gone or getting frustrated with the delays), then we are considering making this a permanent thing.
We’re even considering closing for two weeks every year. Since this particular vacation coincides with our regular yearly anniversary sale (the ONLY time all year that bras go on sale), we’re even considering making the two weeks at a different time of year for 2019 and running two yearly sales instead of just one. That’s all still just ideas, though.
In case you’re wondering where we are going, we’re taking that postponed Baltics Cruise from last year, and then spending a week in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Thank you!
PS – We will resume our bra video series upon our return. We still have 3 episodes left.
Learn more about organic cotton, natural and sustainably produced bras. In this 10-part video series, we discuss bra fit, seaming, styles and features.
Episode 7 takes a quick look at Underwire Bras without padding. Underwire bras overall tend to give you more support than no wire bras, and the underwire gives a distinct shaping. The shape of an underwire bra without padding can be quite different than a similar style with padding. The padding tends to mask your own natural breast shape, while the underwire without the padding will highlight your personal shape. The seam design, whether vertical, horizontal or seamless, has a much bigger impact on your overall look when wearing an underwire bra without padding. So seam style is definitely something you’ll want to test to see what works best for your particular body and shape.
If you’re concerned about any connections between underwires and breast cancer, please check out last weeks post on Padded Underwire Bras. We address that issue both in the description and in more detail in the video.
You can also fine the other bras and matching panties in the Sublime line.
Please visit Kayla’s community nonprofit website Moon Cycle Medicine to get whole-life wellness information. Kayla is a board-certified medical doctor.
Watch and Learn
