Spring 2012

Fourth Annual Eco-Choice Awards By Kristin Larson Contino

Most Innovative

Winner – Elm 09 Petal Clutch from Walleska Ecochicc
ecochicc.com

Founder Walleska Tepping supports women and the arts in her native Brazil through her innovative accessories and apparel company. Brazilian artisans make each piece by hand from recycled aluminum can tabs and weave them together using a crochet technique.

The line features about 40 styles of bags as well as jewelry and women’s apparel. This petal bag, which was chosen “most innovative,” is part of a higher-end extension of the Dallas-based company’s traditional line of aluminum/crochet bags, with the crochet woven into a floral pattern.

In addition to making products of recycled materials, Tepping said the company strives to be green in other ways and has achieved an overall energy savings of 41 percent through efficient lighting and temperature control.

“I think the award’s a great door-opener for us as far as marketing and credibility,” Tepping said. “But for me the most gratifying part is I can go back to these women in Brazil and show them how they’ve been recognized.”

NOTABLES

Flourish Table Wrap from CAKE Vintage Table & Home
cakevintage.com

Manufactured and designed by Kitchen Papers in the USA, this product is made from 100% recycled paper with food-grade, soy-based inks. Once it’s used as a table runner, table wrap or wrapping paper, it can be recycled.

The Silva Lamp from Cerno
cernogroup.com

The Silva floor lamp is made domestically from recyclable aluminum, domestically grown and sustainably harvested walnut. LED light bulbs, as used here, are extremely energy efficient and long- lasting. The wood is sourced from a sustainable forest. The company’s business operations are vertically integrated; and design, manufacturing, and distributing all takes place at one facility.

Kristin Larson Contino

Kristin Contino is a freelance writer and copy editor based in Philadelphia. She writes for a variety of print publications and blogs, and also covers women's fiction for examiner.com.