Fall 2012

Eco-Choice Awards By Sue Marquette Poremba

Most Sensitive Use of Materials

Winner – 100% tree-free cotton note cards (Robbinsville, New Jersey)
areyoudesigns.com

are you? is an eco-friendly gift line carrying stationery, apparel, jewelry, and soy candles. “Each product we carry has either a motivational or inspirational question on it, beginning with ‘are you?'” says president and founder Jessica Leale.

Leale says the company launched the award-winning note cards “because we thought the note card market was missing a luxury, simple, eco-friendly note card and one that was beautiful, as well as spread an inspiring message.”

Tree-free cotton paper is made from recovered cotton which comes from waste by-products of the textile industry. This cotton is a renewable resource, and will decompose in a landfill. The cards are made, printed and packaged in the USA.

NOTABLES

Golden grass handbag from Alegria Imports
alegriaimports.net

Made from natural golden grass; hand-spun thread made of buriti palm; and natural seeds.

These handcrafts are sourced from partners certified by Naturatins, the environmental agency of the State of Tocantins, Brazil.

By producing these crafts, artisans in Jalapao, Brazil, maintain their cultural legacy and enhance their living conditions.

Felting giraffe from Woolbuddy (San Rafael, CA)
woolbuddy.com

Designed by Jackie Huand. Wool is a material which can be reused and recycled. The traditional wool-felting process uses water but this product is needle-felted, so water is not needed. It is 100% handmade.

Sue Marquette Poremba

Sue Marquette Poremba is a freelance writer based in State College, PA. She specializes in technology, engineering, energy, and IT security topics. She has also published over a dozen essays and is the author of a book about the Philadelphia Phillies.