The longer sunny days and sweltering heat can only mean one thing—the summer is here. And what better what to kick-start the season than by sprucing up your work wardrobe and dressing accordingly? To help you sizzle in the office this summer while simultaneously working to be eco-friendly, consider giving-in to these fashion-forward trends.

White Hot

Nothing screams summer more than a crisp white blouse, like this one offered by Bodkin Crocus. Made of organic cotton, this blouse gives a new twist on the basic button down office shirt—it’s longer in the back and shorter in the front which means you can pair it up with some high-waisted pants or skirt for the office, or you can tie it up in the front and add some shorts for
a sexy summer look on the weekend. Not to mention, the color will help your sun-kissed skin glow a little brighter.

If you would prefer to let your legs breathe a little bit, go for a white hot summer dress—like this one from Kelly b Couture. While it’s a bit pricey, this dress (which is made from organic cotton voile) is a great investment due to its versatility—have to meet up some friends for happy hour or have a hot date after work? Pair this dress with a blazer or light cardigan for the office and then simply take it off whenever 5 o’clock strolls around to be ready for any after-work occasion.

Light and Airy

Because the summer is all about keeping cool, if you’re going to wear pants to work at least try to wear pants made from less constraining material like linen. Not only are linen pants like the ones offered by Ellen Fisher perfect for the summer because they’re light and airy, but linen is also one of the most sustainable materials in the world.

Fun and Flirty Footwear

While sandals are usually the go-to summer shoe, if you aren’t too fond of flats or your office has a strict policy about open toe shoes, another summer alternative are some eco-friendly wedges, like these offered by vegan-company Beyond Skin. The flower accent and bright tropical color makes them the perfect shoe for the summer—and as a plus they’re made from recycled material.

If you ever decide to take a break from heels and want to opt for some flats, try these Natural Crochet Canvas Split Body Flats from Rocket Dog or these flats from Tom’s—not only is crochet a popular summer material that is safe for the environment, but they also let your feet breathe a little bit too.

This guest contribution was submitted by Pamelia Brown, who specializes in writing about associates degree. Questions and comments can be sent to: pamelia.brown @ gmail.com.

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Must-Have Items for Summer Office Wear

As recent headlines suggest, going green in the workplace is a steadily growing trend. There are even awards for companies that can do it the best. While going paperless and switching to recycled office supplies is usually an executive decision , because going green can be challenging, inconvenient, and let’s be honest, expensive—employers might not be so gung-ho about turning their facilities into an eco-friendly workplace. But that doesn’t mean that you as an individual can’t do small things around the office
that will help in the preservation of the environment. Here are some simple yet effective ways you can go-green at your place of employment.

Green Transportation

Rather than driving to work every day, risking the emission of harmful toxins into the environment, try arranging a carpool with co-workers. Not only will you reduce your carbon footprint, but you can also save a bundle on gas money as well. If your place of employment is generally close in proximity to your home, you can also consider riding a bike to work. You don’t have to necessarily ride your bike every day, but once or twice a week can substantially reduce the amount of carbon released into the air. If your job doesn’t necessarily require you to be in the office, let’s say for instance you’re some sort of writer and can theoretically work anywhere as long as you have computer and internet access, ask your employer about the possibility of working from home. Make sure to tell your boss telecommuting is a good way to eliminate cars on the road and can  also be very cost effective—one less person in the office means less toilet paper and office supplies will need to be ordered.

Green Office Attire

Even if you have to wear stockings and a blazer to work every day, that doesn’t mean that you can’t wear clothes that are safe for the environment. Believe it or not, there are tons clothes made from organic cotton, wool and hemp-based materials. Another option is to buy clothes from thrift stores and consignment shops rather than purchasing them new at department stores. And if at all possible, try to avoid purchasing clothes that need to be dry cleaned as most facilities use cleaning chemicals that are harmful to the environment.

Green Office Practices

There are tons of easy things you can do in your office to go green. The first is to bring a few desk plants to decorate your cubicle. It will make your desk look more pleasant and absorb many indoor pollutions. Bring reusable containers for your home lunches and reusable dishes, silver and glassware to prevent the waste of paper products. Also remember to bring a dishtowel—you’ll need to wash these items and drying plates with paper towels is a no, no. You can also try to eliminate paper all together by emailing letters and converting all you files digitally. If you need to use paper for printing purposes, print on both sides of the paper. Whatever you do, make sure that if you do use paper to dispose of it in the proper recycling bins.
Another good way to go green in the office is to invest in a power strip chord. Because all electronics can be inserted into this strip, including computers, printers, lamps and chargers, conserving energy can be as easy as flicking off a switch.

Strike Up A Conversation

If you want to persuade your coworkers to go green as well, sometimes it’s as simple as leaving your bicycle helmet on your desk. It can spark a lot of questions of why you ride your bicycle to work and you’ll have plenty of answers.

This guest post is contributed by Kitty Holman, who writes on the topics of nursing schools. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: kitty.holman20@gmail.com.

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Guest Post: Simple Green Office Practices

I know I promised and promised and it’s finally here… a long awaited Flaunt It! Monday.  This has got to be my all time favorite to date, too! So, let’s not prolong things.  Natura where have you been all my life? Nautra’s mission statement:

“To help our customers achieve a superior night’s sleep, alleviate pain, and increase comfort through unique and exceptional sleep systems that aid overall health and well-being. With our commitment to excellence in service, quality, and attention to detail, we will serve our customer with the greatest care, with the intention of helping them sleep better and live better.”

I met Julia Rosien, Communications Director, in the Twitterverse many months ago and we had a brief exchange about doing a Flaunt It for Natura.  Time went on and I let Flaunt lapse as we all know.  So, when I decided to ramp it back up I contacted Julia to see if she would want to help me kick things off.  She was more then happy to have me check out a few of their products and sent them right over.

I got to try out the:

Organic Latex Pillow – “Luxuriously soft, organic cotton cover, lined with a plush layer of organic Natura Grow Wool™.”

Washable Duvet Mate – Conveniently compact and portable, the Duvet Mate features a lightweight duvet that folds easily and neatly into a throw pillow, eliminating the look of messy throws and blankets. Filled with a silky batt of Natura Wool™ and covered in soft, unbleached 100% cotton, the Duvet Mate also has a cozy foot pocket to protect feet from cold and drafts.

Aromatherapy Spray – Re•Groove•N8™ with the relaxing scents of green tea and aloe.  Spritz a room.  Spray your body.  Mist a pillow.  Then inhale its calming essence and feel your body immediately relax.

Let me be honest, as much as I appreciated their Green initiatives I was a little skeptical about the products. I mean there are a few options when it comes to pillows; firm, soft, feather etc. but was there going to be any difference between a $5 non-organic pillow and Natura’s Organic pillow, besides the materials it was made out of? My curiosity had the best of me.

So, let’s move to the first night. This is a true account peeps, no exaggeration.  I went to bed with my new pillow and blanket. I can’t even explain how cozy I was, but that wasn’t the kicker.  At some point after I fell asleep I woke up, it was still dark and I was alone in the room. My husband was gone? WTH?! I jumped up, looked around and had no idea what was going on… until I realized it was 6am!! Yes, I had slept so deep and comfortable I thought it had only been an hour at best. I never even changed positions. I had stayed curled up in the same position all night long!  My husband said he had kissed me good bye when he left and I didn’t budge. That is so not me! Not that I have trouble sleeping, but I don’t ever remember sleeping so soundly in my life.

The blanket is also so very cozy. I love the little foot pocket.  The foot pocket is actually what you fold the blanket into to make it a travel pillow. Now I have tried to show two people how the blanket is supposed to fold into itself, but it ends up very lumpy, so I have to work on that. That’s just my own malfunction nothing to do with the concept of the pillow, mind you. For now it’s just my awesome blanket with a foot pocket.

The spray, let’s stick with the theme… LOVE IT! It is a very nice, subtle scent and I go crazy spraying it everywhere!

Natura has got the secret to sleep for sure. Plus, they use organic materials, they’re chemical free, they even re-purpose leftover mattress material in the pillows! I love this company and would love to have every product in the line!

So, check this out… Natura is giving one of my readers TWO Organic Latex Pillow!  That’s a $224 Value!! Do as many of the below as you wish and leave a separate comment for each one:

• Visit Natura and comment here on which product you would love to try (Dream BIG there’s so much to choose from!)
• Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post.
• Follow @JuliaRosien, @naturaworld, or @ecoofficegals and comment that you did.
• Tweet this giveaway
• Stumble this giveaway
• Use other forms of social networking to spread the word about this giveaway.
• Subscribe to my feed to stay up to date with the latest from Eco-Office Gals.
• Buy anything from Natura and comment 5 times that you did! (I will confirm)

The deadline for entering is Wednesday 9/30/09 at 8pm EST at which time one winner will be randomly chosen.  Please don’t forget to leave a separate entry and any entries that show obvious laziness i.e. a simple “Thanks for the great giveaway” will not be published therefore not counted. It’s just not fair for the people that do know how to follow simple directions. US and Canadian residents only. Thanks!

Here are your random numbers:

311

Timestamp: 2009-10-01 01:40:16 UTC

R Hicks ENJOY!!!

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Flaunt It! Monday – Natura

Yeah! Flaunt It! Monday is officially back! We took a break last month to honor Earth Day with the Green My World Earth Day Giveaway.

This week I bring you the company WeeBGreen. Teresa started WeeBGreen to promote buying local & handmade.

WeeBGreen’s philosophy from the site:

• What we are here for is to do our wee part in caring for the one earth we have & instilling positive values in our wee ones.
• We are here to help you find items that are handmade by wonderfully creative & talented folks & promote buying locally / regionally.
• We are here to help you find that unique, one of a kind gift for a wee one in your life.
• We are here to share information & tips we find useful for ourselves & our community in an effort to be friendlier to our earth.

• Hand-dyed organic cotton French Terry cloth
• Organic cotton thread
• Solar Polar has a stitched side loop for easy-peasy drying on a hook
• A printed recycled paper sleeve includes materials used (as listed above) and care instructions.

This bath mit was SO cute and the girls love playing with it in the bath, all while getting cleaned up.  WeeBGreen also offers adorable apparel, blankets, belts and so much more. You can additionally shop by available state to make sure you are shopping locally! The site is very well laid out and Teresa has been a pleasure to meet and network with.

So, Let’s get back on a roll with Flaunt It! Monday! One of my readers will win a $25 gift certificate to spend on any of the great products WeeBGreen has to offer.  Do as many of the below as you wish and leave a separate comment for each one.

• Visit WeeBGreen and comment here on which product you would love to try
• Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post.
• Tweet this giveaway
• Stumble this giveaway
• Use other forms of social networking to spread the word about this giveaway.
• Subscribe to my feed to stay up to date with the latest from Eco-Office Gals.
• Buy anything from WeeBGreen and comment 5 times that you did! (I will confirm)

One winner will be chosen on Wednesday 5/06/09. Please don’t forget to leave a separate entry and any entries that show obvious laziness i.e. a simple “Thanks for the great giveaway” will not be published therefore not counted. It’s just not fair for the people that do know how to follow simple directions. US residents only. Thanks!

Here are your random numbers:

27

Timestamp: 2009-05-07 12:38:08 UTC

Congrats to Susan Varney – “i like the Elements Organic Cotton T-Shirt” Enjoy!

Grow Green!

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Flaunt It! Monday: WeeBGreen