Friday, January 22, 2010

And Now a Word from our Sponsors...

What do sweet honey drinks, delicious chocolate, an online fashion magazine, sparkling water, a building materials surplus warehouse, and a social networking community all have in common? The keyword is GREEN. Honeydrop, Divine Chocolate, Ecouterre, Perrier, Build It Green! NYC, and Ecohookups.com all share in their efforts to sustain the environment, utilizing individual methods such as recycling, reusing, and raising eco-awareness, to promote the preservation of a healthy planet. In addition to these commonalities, these companies have all banded together this year to support the NOW Fall 2010 Showcase, featuring sustainable fashion by independent designers.

Honeydrop is a healthy honey beverage brand, founded by David Luks, which carries an assortment of fantastic blended honey drinks. Based on the simple idea of creating a drink that is natural and not from the lab, Honeydrop features products that are made from 100% organic honey, free of harmful pesticides and chemical additives. To add to the flavor, the drinks are then induced with ingredients such as organic apples, blood-orange juice and orange peel, blueberry juice, and chamomile. In an effort to save energy and keep the planet healthy, Honeydrop uses fully recyclable plastic bottles and gathers their honey from organic bees that are sustained in natural habitats and are not exterminated at the end of each harvest cycle.

Starting as a small farmer's co-op in Ghana, and now recognized as a leading Fair Trade brand in the UK and a pioneer in the world of socially responsible enterprise, Divine Chocolate represents not only a product that is divine, but also a green endeavor that effectively supports its workers and the environment. With a firm belief in environmentally friendly cultivation of cocoa, Divine Chocolate stands out as an eco-tasty treat that is simply delicious!

As an online fashion magazine that supports the future of sustainable fashion, Ecouterre makes many efforts to raise the level of eco-awareness in the realm of clothing and design. Though many might not realize, clothing production uses a lot of energy and also accounts for a large amount of toxins being released into the ecosphere. Ecouterre believes that clothing production can be accomplished in a better, smarter, and more socially and environmentally sustainable way. Through a steady supply of daily postings, articles, links to blogs, featurettes on new green fashion trends, clothing items and designers, Ecouterre provides a forum for fashionistas and greenies alike to learn more about eco-fashion while supporting our environment.

What comes to mind when thinking about crisp, refreshing, sparkling mineral water? Perrier. With its famous green bottle standing as an emblem for its quality and taste, the brand contributes to the sustenance of the environment while at the same time providing water that sustains its consumers. Each glass bottle is recyclable, and their new plastic take-anywhere bottles are made from 100% recyclable materials. Inside each of these classic green bottles is water that is completely natural, caffeine-free, and free of additives.

Build It Green! NYC is a retail outlet for salvaged and surplus building materials, as well as other items including furniture, small odds and ends, and movie props. This non-profit organization promotes reuse as an alternative to more manufacturing. By keeping these materials out of landfills, Build It Green! helps to reduce the amount of carbon being released into the air, and prevents the clogging of landfills.

Tagged as a social network with purpose, Ecohookups.com takes the theme of sites such as Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter, and gives them a big green makeover. Featuring eco-fashion, beauty, lifestyle, food, technology and design, Ecohookups.com is an online network where people can support each other as a green community. Members are called "peeps" and everyone has their "yard," and through blog posts, comments, and inter-web dialogue, useful tips are traded, and everyone is kept up to date with what's new on the green scene.

In supporting fair trade and sustainability, Honeydrop, Divine Chocolate, Ecouterre, Perrier, Build It Green! NYC and Ecohookups.com all make efforts to create a healthier environment. NOW is glad to have these groups as our sponsors. With their help, the NOW Fall 2010 Showcase can further make an impact in the fashion world, presenting an alternative to conventional and ecologically harmful designs. Fair. Sustainable. Forward. NOW Showcase. It's about time.

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