Eco-Friendly & Green Living Blog

Back to school always came way too soon as far as I was concerned, but one of the best things about it – aside from seeing school friends – was buying new school supplies.

For your own kids, go natural and eco-friendly this year with this selection of cute goodies from Indigo and Chapters.

Visit www.chapters.indigo.ca for store locations.

Smencils: Yummy-smelling pencils made from 100% recycled newspapers that come in a corn-based biodegradable tube; what a fun idea! $15.

Textliners: Superfluorescent highlighters made with FSC certified wood. They come in yellow, orange, pink, blue and green and won’t ever dry out! $2.50 each.

Staple Free Staplers:You’ll save on steel staples with these wee hardworkers! They come in blue and green (shown), as well as purple, orange, clear and silver. $7 each.

Pistachio Notebooks: Canadian-made from 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper and printed with vegetable- or soy-based inks. I can feel the inspiration coming on already!
Doodle Notebooks, from $6 each.

Be the Change Notebooks, from $6

Punctuate Notebooks, from $6

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

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.