my other human senses

in my last blog, i mentioned H&M's organic collection and expressed my advocacy for this clothing line. sustainable fashion is an avid trend because it make consumers correspond personal satisfaction with social responsibility. just as i was struggling to balance myself between peter singer's lecture at my college and my addiction to SATC, i came across Etsy, a social website that functions like eBay, except for that it only sells vintage goods and original, hand-made products.

what makes Etsy sustainable and eco-friendly:
for vintage goods:

• recycle and reuse: instead of investing your money in a brand new thing, you buy it from someone who needs it no more
• affordability: some vintage is still expensive, but it surely still costs much less than the original price
• look: what's more elegant than a taste of vintage in your wardrobe. a lot of renowned fashionistas have smart vintage styling, which makes them sophisticated, classy AND outstanding 

for hand-made products:

• reduce: because hand-made products are often made-to-order, there is no unwanted stuff to throw away
• price: most products are at reasonable prices, equivalent to their quality
• uniqueness: either the product is one-of-a-kind, or you can tailor it to match your style

my etsy finds:

if only i was born for vintage dress

jewelry can be fun sometimes

i'd kill for this dress

who isn't tired of the black fake leather case?

Over the last 9 months, inspired by my two college friends, Kiara and Mike, I've become very conscious of organic products. I started cooking organic foods, using organic clothes and cosmetics, and even going to organic restaurants. These products are a little bit pricey (but still affordable) for a student; however, in a humanitarian perspective, I believe they endorse a sustainable impact on both the farmers and the consumers.

On a personal level, I find organic products even dazzling. Thanks to organics, I had the opportunity to eat raw potatoes and squashes for the first time in my life (and they taste yummy!), the body lotion I purchased is comfy, and Mangetout has the best "faux" chocolate-pudding (by "faux", I mean that the pudding was actually made from tofu with absolutely no cacao ingredient) ever. That's to say, being organic doesn't necessarily mean giving up our daily habits. You can always stay cool with an organic product - check out H&M for example. They are currently carrying an organic cotton line, which still manages to look trendy (and I love the name: Garden Collection, very close to the nature and immersed with colors...).

Out of random, I did a little research on organic market in Vietnam, and was so so so excited to find several websites, all of which look super professional. These organic farms are well-organized, informative and successfully provoke a sense of environmentalism. Especially, the one of Bai Thuong Village is not only user-friendly, but the farm itself has an superb community outreach program. The one by The National Farmers' Association and ADDA (Denmark), unfortunately, too focuses on useless news and thus, is not "PR-able" enough. In my opinion, this section and other specific information (labels of organic products, customer services, public events...) should be on the front page, because that's what people ultimately want to know, not academic seminars or lectures. This one, based in Da Lat, is also very good, although it doesn't seem to target Vietnamese-speaking customers (what a pity). It has a wide variety of food and vegetables, which unfortunately cost an expensive shipping fee. However, this could be a good option for people living around the area.

What I'm contemplating about is how to promote these markets and help them attract a wider group of customers. Nowadays, most people are too accustomed (?) to dropping by the nearby outdoor market after their office hours. Others can not afford them and some just don't give a damn about what they are eating. Maybe it's time Vietnamese people changed their eating habits. I just sent my mom these websites with strong recommendation that our family start using organic products. As ignorant as I am, I'm sure to know how much they would strengthen their health [and yours, too]. Isn't it always good to be un-intoxicated?

And again, I'm soooo doing this for my tentative wedding!

Do you want a wedding that is not only fun and memorable, but also inspiring to all of your guests? The simple formula is to integrate the wedding theme with a critical cause. Of course, not everyone is powerful and passionate enough to hold a "bed-in" like John & Yoko, but there are other ways to influence people. One of these is to go for an eco-friendly wedding. It is in fact very simple and practical to do and to follow.

A wedding can be eco-friendly on the whole, but this blog only concentrates on wedding favors. In particular, a few days ago I was thinking of small plants. I believe everybody is a tree-lover by nature, but most of them, especially young people, do not have time, or do not even think of having one on their own. Given that attitude, green wedding favors have a double meaning, encouraging people to grow trees and at the same time symbolizing a growing love.

I did a small googling and was pleased to find numerous options. Here are some of my favorites (click on the image to be directed to the original site).






Problem is, these favors are quite expensive ($2-9) if multiply by 50 - 70 people. There are saving solutions, though. Firstly, deal with local gardening businesses. They grow small, beautiful plants for a cheaper price. Another economic way is DIY with your own creation and idea. Some easy experiments can be found here, and here.

I'm soooo doing this for my tentative wedding!