Eco-Friendly & Green Living Blog

Now that I’ve found an eco-friendly bug repellent that works (see my post from a few days back), entertaining and eating outdoors is no problem, and these attractive solar lanterns from Restoration Hardware light up the night beautifully.

They’re made from weather-resistant cast aluminum and you can either hang them or put them in the ground with the stake that’s provided, plus they come with a switch, unlike many solar lights, so you can turn them on and off as needed. Available in a zinc or rust finish, in a set of six. Shown in rust.

Available at: www.restorationhardware.com

Price: on sale for $183 US

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No doubt you’ve been taking advantage of the weather and entertaining outdoors of late.

Light up the night in a natural way with Rittenhouse’s Aurora Glow Solar String Lights. Each string has six hand-blown glass orbs that you can put up anywhere in your garden, since they’re solar-powered, so no worries about plugging them in! Just plant or mount the solar panel up to 13 feet away from the first light on the string in a place where it will receive direct sunlight, then as night falls a photo-sensor will automatically turn on the lights – magic!

The lights come in three colours: clear with yellow LED (shown) clear with a white LED, and blue-green sea glass with a white LED.

Available at: www.rittenhouse.ca

Price: $49.90

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Just got back from London and am suffering serious jetlag, but wanted to let you know quickly about a fabulous organic shop/bakery/food shop I found while there.

Daylesford Organic not only has amazing food products, but also absolutely lovely home and beauty products. So if you’re heading to the U.K., it’s a must-see for organic fans. In the meantime, check out the website at www.daylesford.com. Cheers!

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Eco lovers rejoice! Pistachio, a new store from Indigo and Chapters’ Heather Reisman, has opened in Toronto just up the road from the Yonge/Eglinton Indigo. (Another will open on Nov. 15 in Yorkdale, a third some time after in Square One in Mississauga, Ont., and Reisman says that they’ll roll out even more in coming months and next year.)

Reisman says the idea behind Pistachio is simple: “Buy less, buy a little bit better, buy forever.” And buy you will! I became the very first customer because I couldn’t resist the Bruce Mau Optimism spiral notebook, and the buckwheat honey.

All products come from local artisans or are sourced from Fair Trade suppliers, and signs tout impressive eco credentials. Example: gift cards are are made in Canada with soy inks and 100% post-consumer waste fibre, using a chlorine-free process and green-e certified, wind-generated electricity to boot!

Masses of great stuff from face creams to throws, all enviro-friendly, all beautiful, make shopping easy and stylish. (And with Christmas coming, gift-giving will be a breeze, too!)

The stores themselves feature formaldehyde-free MDF, reconstituted wood floors, locally quarried stone, non-toxic resins and zero or low-VOC paints.

Some Pistachio products will also be sold at 50 select Chapters and Indigo stores in Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver. Check out www.epistachio.com for more info.

Mourning the passing of summer? Extend the season a little with these indoor growing kits.

From mini peppers, tomatoes, sprouts, herbs and basil to more simply decorative flowers, you’re only limited by the amount of space you have to devote to an indoor garden.

And when summer rolls around again, transplant your garden outdoors into bigger containers on your deck or balcony! People at the Montreal offices where these kits originate say the moonflower vines will grow endlessly and wrap themselves around anything they come into contact with!

Available at: www.seracon.ca

Price: $20

Do you have a product you’d like to recommend for this blog? Email Laurie at naturalchic@styleathome.com!