TREND: Earthy gear for the modern day greenie, just launched!

Fresh on the net  this week Tree Hugga offers earthy souls a funky eco-friendly online shopping spot and an active social hub to share, learn and purchase natural alternatives to mass produced products.

Tree Hugga’s philosophy is to ensure they provide ethically minded people with a diverse range of organic, sustainable, recycled and/or fair trade products from Australia and around the world.  If a product is not one or all of those things, you won’t find it on the shelves of the Tree Hugga e-store.

With the ever growing trend for modern day men, women and children to do their part to look after the world and their bodies without forgoing the gorgeous luxury items that we have become accustomed too, it’s clear that quality boutique stores such as Tree Hugga will have an ever increasing following.

 

Organics alone has been reported to now be one of Australia's top five growth industries and is becoming main stream.  (Biennial Independent Australian Organic Market Report 2012), so goods which are recycled, sustainable and fair trade are bound to be soon following a similar trend in popularity.

Tree Hugga's product ranges fall under several categories which have been developed to ensure there is something available for everyone:

• Eat & Cook
• Live & Play
• Wear & Explore
• Beautify & Nurture

Organic coffee, tea and chocolate... recycled and hip shoes for children... organic t-shirts and beauty products... fair trade toys and gifts... bamboo I-phone cases and sunglasses... jewellery and much more...

Tree Hugga aims to inspire, motivate and empower shopping enthusiasts to make responsible choices which will have a positive impact on their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of the earth.

The company aims to be a company with an international outlook, dedicated to supplying high quality products inspired by nature which are only organic, recycled, sustainable or fair trade products whist supporting local and international environmental and charitable groups along the way.

Created and developed by Peter and Kylie Davies whom both have a passion for beautiful earth friendly items, Tree Hugga operates from the relaxed coastal beach town of Copacabana, NSW Australia.

e-shop now open: www.treehugga.com.au


                                                                              

JUST RELEASED: Sustainable Bamboo Sunglasses, 2 Hot New Styles

Just loving Pandas two new styles... they will be coming soon to Tree Hugga.  We have a great section on our website where you can pop in your pre-orders!  Check out the Jackson and Victoria below!

Victoria Bamboo Sunglasses in Brown

Jackson Bamboo Sunglasses in Black

Bamboo Sunglasses case - free with all purchases!

Israeli Man Creates Bike from Recycled Cardboard!

Israel-based Izhar Gafni has invented a working bicycle which is constructed almost entirely from recycled cardboard...  we think this is pretty exciting and pretty damn clever!

The cardboard bike is being touted as an ideal solution for city-dwellers who require an inexpensive and environmentally-friendly way to commute, in addition to a potential mode of transportation for people living in emerging countries.

Gafni, a mechanical engineer and a cycling enthusiast, was inspired to make the cardboard bicycle after overhearing a conversation about somebody who had made a canoe constructed from cardboard. Thus began a project of three years, during which the inventor busied himself in his workshop, producing several prototypes, before settling upon a design which is cheap to make, robust, and suitable for daily use.

The cardboard bike is constructed in stages. First, the cardboard is cut into the desired shapes to be used as parts, then they are folded and pressed several times, the strength of the structure increasing markedly as a result. The cardboard is then made even stronger by being treated with a secret coating of the inventor’s own design, before finally being painted and assembled.

Weighing around nine kilograms the cardboard bike is on the light side for an adult-sized bike, which generally weigh somewhere in the region of 14 kg and it can withstand exposure to water and humidity, while supporting a rider who weighs up to 220 kg. It requires no servicing or adjustment, and the solid tires are made from reused car tires, with a car timing belt serving as a chain.  Not quite sure how smooth the ride would be without suspension and solid tyres.... but we wont knock it until we see the end result.

While the manufacturing process is still being refined, Gafni believes his design could eventually be sold in stores for just $20, making it an attractive solution for commuters who do not wish to worry about an expensive bike being stolen and reducing their environmental footprint. Additionally, the cardboard bike could be a useful method of transportation in emerging countries, where a standard metal bike is often too expensive to produce and maintain.

In the future, the cardboard bike will be produced in both children's and adult's sizes, with the latter model also featuring an optional electric motor. 

We think it has potental - good work Gafni!

 

The cardboard bike can support a rider who weighs up to 220 kilograms,
and it won't fall apart in the rain.

 

Source: ERB via www.gizmag.com

Sustainable Living Festival...for eco warriors!

Just spotted the Sustainable Living Festival which is happening soon in Melbourne!  The festival attracts over 150,000 each year and engages organisations to host and promote sustainability events. 

Including attractions such as: demonstrations, workshops, films and live performances, this event looks like a heap of fun.  With the aim of educating people on a more eco-friendly and sustainable way of living it doesn't get much better... oh apart form the fact its all free! 

Hoping to try and time my Melbourne meetings with the event which runs between the 9-24 of February 2013!

www.festival.slf.org.au

Ethical. Sustainable. Handcrafted. Eco-Friendly Sunglasses.

Panda Sunglasses are responsible for unleashing a new accessories trend in eco-conscious sunnies!

They are on a journey to change the environmental and social impact of sunglasses by producing high-end sunglasses handcrafted from sustainable bamboo. What’s more, each purchase gives the gift of vision to someone in need.  Through their partnership with The TOMA Foundation, they have found a unique opportunity to help grow organically alongside a non-profit organization.

Started by a group of college friends and initially funded by a successful Kickstarter campaign (they met their fundraising goal in three days!), Panda officially launched in early 2012 and is now moving from strength to strength.

Available in five styles, the shades are handcrafted from sustainable bamboo and recycled polycarbonates, which means they're lightweight, durable, and — the best part — they float.  For every pair purchased, Panda donates a pair of prescription glasses and an eye exam to a person in need – now that makes purchasing a pair of Pandas pretty guilt free!

Tree Hugga will eventually be bringing all 5 styles to you.  We have a selection here now and know you guys are going to love them. Register to stay in the loop at www.treehugga.com.au , our store goes live soon!

We're digging the Monroe, with its classic wayfarer styling.  Which Panda will you choose?

Deck the halls with green decorations

Trimming the tree this week? After scanning the Internet it became clear that there are so many gorgeous green and hand made ideas out there for Christmas decorating.  Its time I started pinning some on our Pinterest page I think... and I have every intention of getting super creative next year when we are not moving house just days after Xmas! 

There are some fabulous fair trade decorations that will definitely appear in the Tree Hugga e-shop in 2013. Choosing sustainable ornaments and decorations gives a new look and new meaning to Christmas traditions.

Enjoy creating your family traditions and memories this festive season xx

All stores deliver... sounds good to me!

A clever little friend of mine has created a fabulous new way to shop online so I thought I had better share this little gem with you!  All Stores Deliver (created by the lovely Kate!) is a Newcastle-based company revolutionising online shopping for Australian consumers. The website allows users to search thousands of stores from Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom with the assurance that all stores deliver. This user-friendly site opens up a world of shopping by including the most distinguished department stores to the smallest boutiques.

"Like most new companies what I set out to achieve was a solution to a common problem" says Kate Outtrim, an average consumer and owner of All Stores Deliver. "Too often I would become easily frustrated when shopping online if I spent time adding items to a shopping cart only to find that the website did not deliver to Australia. So I decided to build a shopping search engine that catalogued international stores that deliver to Australia and that still allowed users to shop the way they were most familiar. My concept quickly evolved to include national online stores with the aim of providing Australian shoppers with a level of convenience and simplicity not offered by other shopping sites and search engines. I also wanted to promote a lot of great online stores that I found during my research that do not rank in other search engines because of the competition against larger names."

The website caters for every person and all occasions by providing access to a vast array of products including; men’s, women’s and kids’ fashion, house and garden, health and beauty, sports and outdoors, and technology. Online shoppers have shown enjoyment at the convenience of our ‘Free Shipping’ icon, which highlights stores in the search results that offer this service, and the regularly updated ‘Popular Search’ option. Additional features of the website also include useful shopping links to department stores, discount & comparison stores, fashion portals and kids’ portals; and a hand-picked "Store of the Week" that is published on the website, Facebook, and Twitter to alert savvy shoppers to the best bargains.

New features that the team at All Stores Deliver are currently working on include:

·         A ‘Save Your Favourites’ option which will allow users to save their favourite stores and   search results.

·         A sales area that promotes stores having a large sale such as a mid-year or clearance sale.

·         A ‘Best Stores’ page that will list the most visited online stores.

·         A foreign exchange rate table to help users when buying from overseas which is now more common with the high Australian dollar and;

·         Other international stores in addition to the United States and the United Kingdom.

These features will combine to provide users with a truly unique shopping website.

Kate says: "The feedback I have had from users has been overwhelming. I am very excited to be catering for everybody’s needs including the strong presence of male shoppers, and providing a service that reaches even the most remote and rural communities. Whilst my company is relatively new it has grown exponentially due to the demand for online shopping and from the premium service that we provide our shoppers. My goal of creating a website that offers the convenience of having every shopping need in the one place is coming to fruition and has me very excited for the future of the company."  Go Gal xx

Visit Kate and All Stores Deliver for Christmas!  www.allstoresdeliver.com.au