orGLAMic - almost always organic, always glamorous!

I was lucky enough to be invited to the launch party for an awesome eco-lifestyle website www.ecostiletto.com last night.  One of the party’s sponsors was Veev, the very orGLAMic and tasty spirit.  Veev is the world’s first acai spirit.  Acai is thought to be one of the healthiest fruits on the planet and is loaded with vitamins C & E.  It also has 57% more antioxidants than pomegranates and 30 times more than red wine.  Veev, the company, is the only certified carbon-neutral spirits company in the world…so if you want to get drunk and still be orGLAMic click here!

With BBQ season heating up it is the perfect time to invest in Verterra dinnerware.  These plates, bowls, cups and platters are perfect for entertaining and are the most orglamic that I’ve come across.  Each piece is made from 100% renewable and compostable plant matter and water.  They literally collect fallen leaves, apply steam, heat and pressure, and transform the leaves into durable products that will naturally biodegrade in 2 months!  The dinnerware is chemical-free, non-toxic, sustainable, renewable, reusable, compostable and even microwave safe!  Click here to purchase one of my favorite items that I have posted on orGLAMic.

Most of you are probably familiar with SIGG aluminum water bottles.  Just like water bottles were a status symbol in the 90’s (remember Cindy Crawford and her Evian bottle?), carrying a reusable water bottle is the new orglamic way to go.  While there are hundreds of options out there, the new SIGG “I Am Not Plastic” one caught my eye.  A play on Anya Hindmarch’s ever so popular and orglamic “I Am Not A Plastic Bag” canvas shopper, it is made of aluminum and is 100% recyclable.  It also has an interior lining that’s effective against leaching and combats residue build-up, so your water always tastes like water and not like plastic chemicals!  Click here to check out the hundreds of differently designed, orglamic SIGG Water Bottles.

While, I usually try to go straight to the source when displaying my latest orGLAMic offering, 3r Living is too wonderful of a resource to ignore.  The east-coast based home decor and lifestyle store dedicated to “future friendly products” has a fabulous online shop just a click away.  Among the items that are hand chosen with an eye for organic and fair-traded items was one of my favorites, the utterly orGLAMic Bamboo Sushi Gift Set.  For more orGLAMic items, browse their entire collection here.

Cowgirl Creamery is an organic, sustainable dairy farm just north of San Francisco.  Their cheeses are superbly orGLAMic and made with love.  Now, just in time for summer picnics, Cowgirl Creamery is offering the Summer Cheese Club!  The three aged cheese selected for the months of June, July and August (Fromage Blanc, Clabbered Cottage Cheese and Creme Fraiche) are perfect accompaniments to the fresh produce available at your local farmers market this time of year.  Mmmmm!  Check out the wonderful selection of cheese available by clicking here.

Among Viva Terra’s amazing and unique gifts perfect for Mother’s Day is the uber-orGLAMic Tea Lover’s Root Basket.  The variety of organic loose-leaf herbal teas are coupled with pecan cookies and rare black sage honey.  The best part is that once the goodies are gone the one-of-a-kind basket hand-carved from the root of a reclaimed Chinese fir lasts forever and can be used to hold anything from towels to magazines.  Click here to order this phenomenal gift or check out the tons of other great finds.

It has been absolutely sweltering here in Los Angeles, and I can honestly say (no pun intended) that the only thing that got me through the weekend were Honest Tea’s products.  While I haven’t tried a flavor I didn’t like, the Orange Mango Honest Ade (pictured above) is my absolute favorite.  All the company’s products are USDA certified organic, which is especially important when it comes to tea.  This is because unlike other products, such as fruits and vegetables, a tea leaf is never washed. The first time tea leaves touch water is when they are brewed moments before the tea is drunk. That means that any pesticides used in the growing process are likely to end up in your beverage, and ultimately in your body.  Check out the naturally low calorie, never too sweet, orGLAmic beverages by clicking here.

My motto in life is that everything tastes better with chocolate or cheese (if you can think of something-other than cucumbers-that is an exception to that rule leave a comment and try to prove me wrong!)  and when you add Vere chocolate to the equation then you have found heaven.  Vere’s line of Certified 100% Organic Dark Chocolate Bars comes in an array of unique flavors such as Espresso+Anise, and Cayenne + Cacao (pictured above).  They are made from single origin organic Arriba cacao beans and organic raw cane sugar grown by members of the Maquita Cushunchic Foundation (which promotes fair and equitable trade), and have superior levels of antioxidants and polyphenols.  Enter the world of Vere Chocolates by clicking here.

Since over half of orGLAMic readers are based in the LA area, I’m going local for this post and telling you about a fabulous restaurant that I ate at earlier this week.  Akasha opened this past Valentine’s Day smack dab in the middle of Culver City’s booming restaurant district.  The menu will satisfy everyone from vegans to carnivores, providing tons of comfort food along the way.

Sustainability is the key element in Akasha’s kitchen, which sources from small family farms, organic growers, sustainable and fair trade companies, and artisan food makers.  I loved that even the waitstaff wear organic uniforms consisting of Levi’s Eco Jeans (which you heard about here on orGLAMic last month!), organic T’s and aprons made of hemp and recycled polyester.  Make a reservation to indulge in the shittake, roasted squash and basil pizza, a glass of organic wine, and the bakery cookie plate which comes with a shot of organic milk, by clicking here.