super, sexy, sustainable - Thinx

How excited could one possibly get over undies? The answer is quite! I am quite crazed about these deliciously sexy, well-designed and logical undergarments! Thinx is not only covering booties...but kicking booty as well!

As women, girls, gals...we have all had the experience of leaking through a tampon or pad and ruining a pair of fantabulous undies. This is a bummer...but not nearly as bad as not having access to tampons or pads in the first place.

This is mad but true: 100 million girls in the developing world fall behind in school because of their periods. In some countries, girls are made to feel shame about their periods, and very often are not able to afford disposable pads or tampons. Over time, many are forced to drop out. (In Uganda, girls miss around 11% of their academic year because of their periods, according to a report on menstrual management.)

The gals behind Thinx (self-absorbing underwear) are sisters Radha and Miki Agrawal and Antonia Dunbar, who saw a need and filled it...handily!

The women patented their THINX QuadTECH technology, and created these ingenious undies that come in three different styles: Thong, Cheeky, and Hiphugger, with prices ranging from $24 to $34.

Here's how it comes together for all of us:

~ You buy a pair of Thinx panties (or build a cycle set)...for your needs and comfort during the month.

~ Thinx then send funds to their partner organization, AFRIpads (which is on the ground in Uganda with 130 employees and four factories.)

~ AFRIpads trains women to sew and sell washable, reusable cloth pads, turning local women into entrepreneurs!

~ A girl is then able to purchase an affordable and sustainable pack of pads, keeping them in school every day of the month.

These undies are brilliant and I am Smitten.

beautiful black birds - The Bird Project

The (exquisite) Bird Project soap was born in 2010, after the extraordinarily tragic BP spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Tippy Tippens, a design expert and social entrepreneur, was living in New York at the time of the catastrophe and felt the desire to help. After many visits, she decided to relocate to New Orleans and start her (very cool) business, Matter Inc.

Matter Inc. is devoted to “making the world a better place by making meaningful products that matter.”

These delicate, black, bird-shaped soaps are made with natural, locally sourced ingredients: biodiesel glycerin, fair trade olive oil, aloe, activated black charcoal, and exude a light cypress scent…evocative of the bayous of Louisiana.

Soon, wash after wash, the black bird melts away to reveal a white, ceramic memento, handmade by Louisiana Clay.  A marvelous symbol of the creatures affected…a lasting token of life, restoration and hope.

The best part is that 50% of the profits go towards the Gulf Restoration Network and International Bird Rescue.

The artistry of the bird…to be cradled in the hand, caressed and cleansed is just brilliant symbolism and an extraordinary literal expression.

I am Smitten with these sumptuous soaps.

kick a** socks - Conscious Step

These socks walk the walk they talk! Conscious Step helps “give an ordinary purchase an extraordinary purpose.”

Can socks change the world…why yes, they can! Conscious Step is surely going  to make a difference “one pair of socks at a time” – 50 percent of all profits go toward 3 partnering charities. Currently Conscious Step offers three exclusive sock designs, each reflective of the cause it supports:

One pair funds Action Against Hunger that provides three therapeutic food packages for malnourished children living in refugee camps in Kenya, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The second pair funds Trees for the Future, which plants 30 trees in rural Ghana and provides an education in agroforestry to women and children, giving them the ability to replenish degraded soils and generate sustainable sources of food and fuel.

The third pair funds Engineers Without Borders that sends Australian engineers to Nepal to build clean water sources in schools so that young girls can have the same education opportunities as boys.

The wonderful entrepreneurs behind Conscious Step are Dr. Hassan Ahmad and Adam Long from Sydney, and Prashant Mehta from New York City. All three, firm believers in “the more profitable you are, the greater your impact”…and “knowing that my sock drawer planted a forest in Ghana”, is more motivating than donating $5 to a charity and having no idea how it will be used or what difference it will make,” says Dr. Ahmad.

These socks are made from 200-needle count, organic, fair trade cotton and are sweat resistant. Each style is embroidered with it’s own unique distinguishable symbol…and did I say they kick a**!

Smitten with these socks.

simply red - the Red Thread Movement

This is about a movement, and it is called the Red Thread Movement. It is a call to action with the sale of red thread bracelets. This is what one little vibrantly colored, handsomely crafted little bracelet can do! 

The Red Thread Movement battles human trafficking and has partnered with a Nepalese anti-trafficking organization that has set up border units between Nepal and India (which is open and allows for citizens from both countries to travel freely with no visa or passport.) As there is an estimated 12,000 victims of sex trafficking between these countries every year, the success rate of these border units is extremely high, each rescuing up to 15 girls a month. 

Many girls are not able to return to their villages after rescue, as social rejection and shame are common. Safe houses are established to provide shelter, counseling and vocational training for girls who cannot return to their villages. It is at these safe houses that the girls make the Red Thread Movement bracelets.

The bracelets make a difference in 3 important ways:

1. They provide a Fair Trade income for rescued girls who do the craftsmanship and hand weave the bracelets themselves.

2. Additional proceeds fund anti-trafficking border units and safe houses through the work of Red Thread’s partner, Kingdom Investments Nepal (K.I. Nepal.)

3. Wearing the bracelet generates awareness and declares sex trafficking as human rights crime.

These bracelets are an outstanding way to fundraise and spread the word!

I am Smitten.

socially conscious since 2007 - FEED

I cannot do a blog about conscious gifts and giving and not write about Lauren Bush Lauren, who had the brilliant idea in 2007 of founding FEED. 

As an Honorary Student Spokesperson for the World Food Programme she had witnessed the effects of hunger firsthand and decided FEED’s mission would be: "Creating Good Products That Help FEED the World."

The conscious company’s first creation was the FEED 1 Bag, a reversible burlap and organic cotton bag stamped with "FEED the Children of the World" and the number '1' to signify that each bag would provide enough meals to feed one child in school for one year.

Every product sold has a measurable donation attached to it. To date, FEED has been able to provide nearly 84 million meals globally through the WFP and Feeding America. FEED has also supported nutrition programs around the world, providing over 3.6 million children with Vitamin A supplements through the WFP and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

Throughout the years, FEED has also forged successful partnerships with Target, Disney, Pottery Barn, Clarins, Whole Foods Market, Gap, Tory Burch, Rachel Roy, DKNY, Links of London, Godiva and TOMS, among many others.

Smitten with FEED.

put your money where your lips are - Yum Balms

Who knew that an attractive little tube of delectable shiny lip balm could do so much good in the world? Jody Weiss did! 

In 2002 Jody created an all-natural cosmetics line called PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics, the first cosmetics line to donate 100 percent of all profits (after taxes) to women’s health and human rights organizations.

Their focus is to help bond the exceptional, fortuitous women of this country, with the women who by chance of birthplace, have been born into a world with challenged resources and opportunities. 

Jody’s own personal journey is a potent and inspiring one!

She’s also conceived an efficient way to participate effectively as a philanthropist with PeaceKeeper, and help end the cycle of poverty and exploitation for millions of women and girls around the world for just a dollar a day!

Please check out the rest of the Cause-Metic line: Mega Balms, Lip Sticks, Glosses and Nail Polish. 

Smitten.

breathe, love, dream - The Giving Keys

It was late in the month November 2013. I had waited until the last minute (surprise!) to get my husband a 4th year anniversary gift. This was actually not so much about my procrastination issues, more the lack of inspiration for a unique, meaningful gift.

I don’t go for all the traditional elemental gifts: paper, brass, china...all that. I just wanted to get him something that had significance and expressed love.

As it was the eleventh hour, I had very little time before dinner reservations at 8:30. I landed at a tried and true, happening boutique off of Melrose that I frequent for gifts. I scanned the men’s section with keen eyes and landed on a case filled with colorful, sporty, rubber watches. They didn’t necessarily scream “significant”...but they were hip, manly and fun.

Out of the corner of my eye to my left, I spied some dangly well-worn chains swinging. At the bottom of each chain was an intriguing tattered key with an imprinted word on the front: HOPE, FAITH, FEARLESS, COURAGE, LOVE. I was instantly attracted. The placard on the wooden display read:

The Giving Keys

"When you get this key, you must give it away at some point to a person you feel needs the message on there. Then write us the story of why you gave it away."

The chains with keys were delicious looking, I loved the instructions, but the last sentence on the mission statement knocked me out:

We employ those who are looking to transition out of homelessness.

The Giving Keys was founded by Caitlin Crosby (an actress and singer/songwriter,) when she began wearing a NY hotel room key around her neck as decor. She had the idea of engraving old keys with inspirational words. She felt we were all like these keys...unique, scarred, flawed, and at risk of being discarded.

The idea was for the keys to be repurposed over and over. The message on the key is yours until it has served you, then you pay it forward to inspire someone else.

The charitable dimension came to be after Caitlin met Rob and Cera sitting under an umbrella on Hollywood Boulevard with a sign that read: Ugly, Broke & Hungry. Over dinner, Caitlin discovered that Cera made jewelry. Both Rob and Cera joined the team and started making Giving Keys the next day.

Later, the business partnered with the United Way and PATH (a reputable transitional home in Los Angeles,) to help to find workers to employ and help build The Giving Keys team. 

Since the beginning, The Giving Keys has employed 19 people experiencing homelessness, helping to provide opportunities for the team members to move into permanent housing.

The 'Pay It Forward' blog is really terrific!

So I found the one that was imprinted with LOVE. There were a few ancillary gifts that evening...the chain with the aged key was the one that made the impression I was hoping for. 

I’m Smitten with The Giving Keys. 

They are carried in over 500 stores in the US and internationally. Anthropologie, Fred Segal, Henri Bendel and Kitson to name a few local to Los Angeles.