Get a little greener with jewelry, bags, shoes and more made with found, vintage, recycled, renewable, natural and organic materials.
• Traditional Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) running-shoe midsoles can take up to 1,000 years to break down. The Brooks BioMoGo midsole will biodegrade within 20 years of entering a landfill. In 20 years, it’ll equal a landfill reduction of 29.9 million pounds of waste, or 1,277 football fields blanketed in a one-shoe-deep carpet of runners. Shop: Brooks Women’s Glycerin runner with BioMoGo, $159.99, www.brooksrunning.ca.
• Naturally breathable and hypoallergenic, bamboo-fibre fabric is also a sustainable resource which grows sans chemical pesticides or fertilizers and is 100 per cent biodegradable. Shop: Mark’s Work Wearhouse bamboo socks, $9.99/2-pack.
• Toronto-based jewelry designer Dandi Maestre has a passion for organic shapes and natural materials such as shed antlers, driftwood, shells and bone, all found in shores, rivers, jungles and forests around the world. Shop: Dandi Maestre coconut cuffs, $230 each, stackable bone and horn rings, $75 each, www.dandimaestre.com and select Holt Renfrew stores.
• A purse hook keeps your beloved bag off the dirty floor. The hook part swivels to slide flat into a purse pocket until you need it. Shop: Purse hook, $24, www.eco-handbags.ca. This one’s made with recycled metal and rubber.
• Artisans with Nugaard Designs make jewelry and decorative ornaments using traditional weaving techniques and organic Golden Grass, which grows in the northwest of Brazil and is a main source of income for local area communities. Shop: Nugaard Designs sculpted grass earrings with 14-karat gold earwire, $164.30, www.anthropologie.com.
• Toronto-based designer Chrys Ioannou uses vintage elements from German, Japan, Czech Republic, France and the U.S. for many of her jewelry pieces. Shop: Red vintage glass earrings, $12, www.chrysdesignsjewelry.etsy.com.
• Organic leather, vintage ticking fabric and a kiss-lock clasp make the made-in-Canada Jack & Marjorie Clementine clutch, $110, a winning piece. Available at www.jackandmarjorie.com.
• Calgary’s Rexcana Studios uses old truck tarps in many of their designs. Their Los Angeles Tote, $110, also has a recycled-tire bottom and is lined with cotton. Available at www.eco-handbags.ca.
• For their Earthkeepers line, Timberland selects recycled materials, organic cotton and leathers from a tannery with reduced energy use, reduced waste and quality water treatment. Shop: Timberland Earthkeepers Benin Ballerina deck shoes, $100, at Sporting Life, and Armadillo Shoes in BCE Place.
• Roots introduces Source, their first eco-scents made with natural corn-based alcohol, natural extracts and natural oils, and without animal ingredients, silicones, sulphates, phthalates or parabens. Boxes are constructed using renewable energy, 50 per cent post-consumer waste and carbon-neutral printing. Fragrances include Red Tea and Bamboo for women, 50 mL, $49, www.roots.com.
