Pump up the volume on sustainability – Magno’s AM/FM two-tone Wooden Radios are made with love (of the earth!) and a commitment to building sustainable jobs and forestry in Indonesia.

Based out of the small Indonesian village of Kandangan, the man behind Magno, Singgih S. Kartono, builds sustainable industry through carpentry and craft – the radios are made by farm labourers-cum-craftsmen in communities hit hard by declining agriculture.

Kartono fights for forests by raising community awareness (for example, by starting a tree-planting program with the local high school by making his radios with only locally harvested new-growth wood, and replanting every tree used by Magno).

“As a wood consumer, I feel morally responsible for replacing the wood I’ve used,” Kartono says. “Currently, Kandangan has almost no forest land. The population is about 4,000 people. If we were to employ the whole population of Kandangan, we would abolish unemployment but most important, for every [person] we employ, we’d generate more woods through our forest regeneration programs.”

Pairing retro charm with social and environmental sustainability, these radios are playing my tune!

Available at: www.ministryoftheinterior.net

Price: $235 small (5 x 7.5 x 3.75″), $295 medium (7.5 x 7.5 x 4.25″), $352 large (7.5 x 12.25 x 4.25″)

More Information: www.magno-design.com

Introducing a chic, eco-friendly gift that really does keep on giving: Ecojot’s trendy, eco-friendly and socially responsible notebooks. Launched this year, Ecojot’s Buy One, We Give One campaign advocates children’s literacy in developing countries by donating one notebook for every one purchased. They’re distributed directly to schools and students via three foundations –
Ve’ahavta, Free the Children, and the Stephen Leacock Foundation for Children.

The notebooks themselves? Entirely eco-friendly! The funky notebooks, colourfully designed by artist Carolyn Gavin, are made from 100% post-consumer waste, using vegetable-based inks and glues and biodegradable packaging. They’re also made in Canada, and at a biogas-fuelled mill.

Price: $17 (6″x9″ Jumbo Journal, 150 pages); $10 (5″x7″ journal, 80 pages); $5 (3″x4″ notebook, 50 pages).

Available at: Grassroots, Midoco, Write Impressions, The Papery and more; visit www.ecojot.com for a full list of retailers across Canada.

Green & Black’s organic chocolate goes Fair Trade and I, for one (crazy chocolate lover that I am), couldn’t be happier! The line will be converted starting this year, and Fair Trade labels will begin popping up early in 2011, with full conversion expected by the end of 2011.

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

Plastic bags, out. Reusable totes, in.

Old news by now, right? Well, here’s what’s new: Trendy, earth-friendly totes for the stylish socially responsible shopper to storm the market in style. Below are just a few faves from Australian-based Envirosax, offering a proverbial grab bag of totes in various styles, fabrics and prints.

Graphic Selection

Size: 19.5” x 16.5” (unrolled), 4” x 1.5” (rolled)

Price: $9.50

Available at: www.envirosax.ca

Five fabulous green gift ideas for kids.

Mobiles by Petit Collage
Both peaceful and playful, these mobiles make an artistic, organic addition to a kid’s room. Made with sustainably harvested bamboo plywood, the retro animal motifs are super ‘70s and super cute!

Price: $75
Available at: www.saplings.ca 

 

 

Stylish Organic Cotton Bedding
I wish I could find these eco-chic sheets in grown-up sizes. They’re made in B.C. with sustainable, fair trade cotton harvested in the USA and India. The bright colours and funky patterns are created with low-impact dyes and inks, so little sleepers are not only snug and stylish, but safe from harmful chemicals, too. Wahoo!

Price: Blanket, $49-$175
Duvet Cover,  $114-$225
Available at: www.snugasabug-organic.com

 

 

 

Building Blocks
Aspiring architects and budding builders will delight in this 50-piece set of blocks, while parents will appreciate that they’re educational and eco-friendly. The blocks are made from 100% recycled and locally sourced maple that’s free of dangerous materials, so you won’t mind if some blocks end up in the young ones’ mouths… and, well, don’t they always?

Price: $55
Available at: www.grassrootsstore.com