Monsanto - The Evil Villain

So picture you are an organic farmer. Your farm is a few acres away from a non-organic farm that uses genetically modified seeds from Monsanto, the corporate agriculture giant. A few seeds drift over to your field permanently ruining your certified organic field yet now you can be accused of stealing Monsanto's seeds. This unimaginable thought has already happened believe it or not. Monsanto has actually sued hundreds of farmers for patent infringement.
Many of our food supply has quickly become genetically modified. Original heirloom canola seed has actually become extinct. Monsanto has so widely taken over so much of farming that their seeds have taken over and pretty much pushed out the only surviving heirloom seeds. Sounds like no big deal right? It's just a seed. But do we really know what these genetically modified foods will do to us in the next 50 years? There's an alarming rise in cancer rates. What's it going to be like in 50 years from now as we continue to pollute and scientifically modify our food source. Even animals have been genetically modified. Pigs are not meant to be these massively huge animals who can not even walk on their legs. Have you ever seen a wild pig? That is the true size pigs were meant to be. But they are bred today to grow bigger and faster so they can be slaughtered sooner.
Public Patent Foundation director Dan Ravicher writes "It's actually in Monsanto's interest to eliminate organic seed so that they can have a total monopoly over our food supply." Scary thought. Sounds like a futuristic horror film. Only thing is, it's happening to us right now.

Baby Elephants abused in circuses

Did you ever stop and think where they get all the elephants in the circuses? They look so cute all performing their acts. They look so well behaved and sweet and docile. Even the babies running along behind the others holding their tails look so happy and playful. The truth is that elephants are stolen from the wild, being beaten and tranquilized to endure a usually long and terrifying journey to their new captivity and horror, the circus. Typically babies are stolen since they can be beaten and abused into performing unnatural acts easier than the adults. They are beaten bloody with bullhooks to force them to stand on their hind legs or their front legs, on each other or even on their heads. They perform these acts due to sheer terror of being beaten again. This is their whole life and elephants live well into their 60's. Can you imagine being chained every day in a concrete cell, only able to move a few feet left to right and then forced to perform and also travel thousands of miles in crowded filthy conditions? Sounds slightly familiar doesn't it? Well, this is pretty close to how we treated human slaves in the United States as recently as 100 years ago (and as we know, many countries continue to still enslave others today). We finally realized this was cruel and barbaric even though we had to kill each other in a war to finally end it. So why is it so different for the animals? Why did we finally "get it" that it was not ok to abuse and hold another human being in slavery yet the animals have no rights and don't deserve to be protected and saved?


Ringling Bros is constantly being sued for acts of abuse towards their animals. Their CEO has admitted to these claims in a courtroom. But what happens? They get a fine and they just keep on doing what they do and millions and millions of people continue going to the circus. We don't like to feel uncomfortable, we don't like to think of things that make us sad so we just go and try not to think of how the animals might be treated behind the scenes. I urge you to think about the suffering they endure their entire lives. Do you really want to support an industry that is based on cruelty? Can you ever go to a circus again and not think about it?

Fun for the summer!

Well it's finally here! The longer days, the sunny weather, the beach that's calling you. And we have plenty of new products for your green lifestyle. New in this season are sustainably made all natural rubber flip flops. Did you know that rubber is made from the sap of the rubber tree? They gather the sap similar to how maple syrup is collected by tapping the tree and allowing it to run into a bucket. This process doesn't hurt the tree and allows it to grow on for many many years. These flips flops are ultra comfortable, made by a podiatrist and you will feel good knowing that they are eco-friendly.


We also have lots of new jewelry and bags from Guatemala. The artisans are so skilled at making tiny beaded designs into various flower shapes. They also make recycled Huipil bags, made from the colorful tops the women stitch for themselves. Intricate flowers are handsewn onto cotton fabric. The women take great pride in their clothing and when a piece becomes older, they reuse the fabric and turn them into these beautiful bags.



Our local jewelry artist, Krista Lynn Designs, has been making a lovely selection of handmade jewelry. Crystals, gemstones, seeds and ceramic are used to make one of a kind creations. Her jewelry never lasts long in the shop but don't worry, she is always busy making us new items.






Another of our favorite new items is our Fab Mats. These are recyled woven plastic outdoor mats that are perfect for your deck or patio. They are available in 3x5, 4x6 or 6x9 in a variety of colors and designs. Just hose them off from time to time. They are extremely easy to care for.



So stop in and say hello, we are always happy to see old friends and make new ones! Have a great summer!

No more US made clothing?

I recently had a customer who came in to the shop and was very disappointed to see very little baby clothing made in the US. I explained to her that most of all organic baby clothing is now made in India. Some are thankfully made in a fair trade environment but the basic truth is that manufacturers can't afford to produce their products in the US. I’ve seen many US made organic companies come and go in these past few years. It’s sad to see but America is just not willing to pay the price for US made clothing and therefore these companies can not afford to stay in business.

Price differences are sometimes as much as 100% more for an organic item made in the US as opposed to made in India in a fair trade shop. Are you willing to pay $70 for yoga pants as opposed to $35? Most consumers are not even willing to pay $35, they would prefer to pay $20 at Target or Walmart and hope to even get that on sale for maybe 40% off for a price of $12. $12 retail for an organic fair trade pair of pants will never support the families who make the products. It just won’t work in today’s society. And unfortunately the pants sold in the big box stores are absolutely made in a sweatshop most likely with child labor.

Let’s take a closer look at today’s US made items. In the mid 1800’s, many Americans were still making their own clothing. It was rare for most to shop and buy their clothing pre-made. We had one good outfit for church and one working outfit and that was it. During the Civil War, there was much demand for sizes of uniforms. It was so time consuming to make custom clothing for each soldier so garment manufacturers were asked to start making pre-made uniforms in specific sizes. Consumers also started asking for ready made clothing and the garment industry (and “sweatshops”) was born. In those early days, much of our clothing was made in New York city in the garment district in the Lower East Side. Immigrants were paid extremely low wages to sew clothing and often did so in their own homes turning their living rooms into a “factory” employing 2 or 3 local girls to assist. Child labor laws were lax in those days and most likely these girls were as young as 12 years old even though the requirement to stay in school at that time was till age 14. As time went on and the garment industry grew, larger shops opened and the true sweatshop as we know it today was born. Many illegal immigrants hoping to just get by and possibly send some money home to their impoverished countries worked in these deplorable conditions. Long working hours, no breaks, extremely low wages and hot and sweaty factories was what they had to look forward to. But as time went on, these factories could no longer afford to pay the newly enforced minimum wages so they turned to those workers who were willing to work for less. Still to this day, many factories employ a large majority of immigrants who are not US citizens. This is what your US made clothing is today. Once manufacturers realized they could have their apparel made more cost effectively in other countries, they began to look outside the US. Many manufacturers looked to countries such as India and Bangladesh for their production. If you thought conditions were bad in the sweatshops in the US, you can only imagine the conditions in an impoverished country such as India. Imagine working 18 or more hours in a day, getting paid pennies per item that might take you almost an hour to make, no real toilet facilities, no breaks, no healthcare, barely enough money to buy food for yourself or your family. This is the reality of your clothing today.

Fair labor and fair trade certified producers began within the past couple decades and it has enabled many to finally be paid fairly for what they make. Middlemen have been cut out who might typically take a large cut of profits so purchases are now made directly with the producers. The fair trade worker just wants what we want. Enough money to put food on his table, a safe and clean working environment, opportunities to get an education and advance in their career and access to medical care for their families. We take these things for granted here in the US, but most in under developed countries do without these necessities.

Some closing thoughts….organic does not necessarily mean fair trade. There are many companies producing organic clothing but it is still made in a sweatshop environment. Look for fair labor and fair trade labels. There are certifying agencies that have extremely strict guidelines as to what can be called fair trade. Who has time to research what is and what isn’t fair trade? Let us do it for you. We research all of our vendors extensively to make sure they are certified organic and produced fair trade. We listened to customer feedback and do not carry any clothing made in China. There are a few organic companies who choose to manufacture in China and even though the factories are monitored to make sure the workers are treated fairly and paid fairly, we chose not to carry these products.
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns about where or how your clothing is made. We are more than happy to help and appreciate your input!

Eating Our Way Through NYC

We were offered free tickets to see the Rangers/Canadiens game in NY last Friday night so we decided to turn this trip in to the city into a ‘not so free’ event and stay the night. We always talk about staying over in NY even though it’s only an hour away but there’s something about leaving a game late at night and not having to rush home or get stuck in tunnel traffic. We found a pretty decent price for a room at the Holiday Inn a few blocks away from the Garden and off we went. The game was awesome, so many Canadiens fans that made the night really energetic and exciting. I love Canada and love to respect them and their country and gladly sang along to their national anthem ‘O Canada’ along with the other couple hundred Canadiens fans we were sitting near. I even enjoyed chanting along to their “Go Habs Go!” chant. I didn’t expect to see so much red in the stands! And so much French being spoken around us. Very fun night and the Rangers won 6-3. So Saturday we awoke in the city and felt so relaxed to know we had the whole day to enjoy. We really like the Lower East Side for their veggie restaurants and bakeries and the Tenement Museum. If you haven’t been, it is a must stop if you’re in the area. The Museum folks were able to purchase a Tenement building in the late 1980’s that hadn’t been inhabited since the 1930’s. It was left exactly as it was back then and you can go on a tour to see what it was like to live there at the turn of the century. Very cool stuff. They are located at 97 Orchard St, http://www.tenement.org/ . This time we did the tour “Piecing it Together” where you see the home and garment shop(their living room) of Jewish families and hear about their struggles at that time. It was really interesting and makes you wonder why we complain about anything today….we have it so easy now.

A few doors down from the museum is one of our favorite shops, Mooshoes, 78 Orchard St, http://www.mooshoes.com/. They sell non-leather footwear and a few accessories including bags, wallets and belts. We love the kitties who roam freely throughout the shop. They know they own the place.

Our next stop was Babycakes, 248 Broome St, http://www.babycakesnyc.com/. Vegan bakery extraordinaire. I wanted all the cupcakes with their pastel pinks and lavender frostings. They all looked so good to eat so we indulged in one those heavenly cupcakes and a scrumptious pumpkin loaf.
There are so many great veggie restaurants in this area but I had made a list before we left home of what was where and I was determined to go to a new place since we always wind up at Red Bamboo in the Village, our absolute favorite place in the whole world. This time we opted for Organic Grill, 123 First Ave (East Village), www.theorganicgrill.com. We had been here before many many years ago and it was worth the trip back. They were serving brunch for the day and since I had previewed their menu online, I was really salivating for the tofu frittata with bits of vegan sausage, home fries, peppers and onions all mixed in. I enjoyed it immensely along with my black current iced tea. My other half had the tempeh portabella burger with home fries which was just delectable. They also have a huge selection of hot teas and desserts which would be perfect to linger over.
And off we were again. Since it was only 2 blocks away, our next stop was Live Live, a raw, living foods shop, 261 E 10th St, http://www.live-live.com/. They sell all kinds of yummy raw packaged foods and whole food vitamins and cosmetics too. It’s the ultimate place to go if you enjoy Living Live. Tiger the cat was most welcoming to us and all the other patrons as we mingled about and chose some treats for ourselves.

Next to Live Live is Quintessence, a raw foods restaurant. We’ve eaten here before and it is amazing but how much can one eat in one day ? A new bakery just opened up a door or 2 down, Cowgirl’s Baking. Since we were heading home soon, we thought why not get some more goodies for the ride. We got a peanut butter and jelly bar(picture crumb topping, with gooey jelly and a peanut buttery crumb bottom) and a glazed donut, all vegan, all yummyness. So this ended our journey as we found a quick cab back to the train station and back to home. It was a really fun filled day as we ate our way through the veggie big city!