Featured Post | Women of Green

The Ethical Fairphone Is Conflict-Free And Easy To Repair

By wogwpa1358 on November 5, 2015 / Featured Post, Innovation / Leave a comment

Tags: ethical manufacturing, green business, repairable products, sustainable materials

Fairphone 2, the world's most ethical phone

Maybe you should reconsider that new iPhone. The Fairphone is a modular handset designed with repairability and ethical sourcing of its materials as headline features. It sold 60,000 units. Amazingly, for what sounds like a nerd-phone, almost half of those buyers had never owned a smartphone before. Now the Fairphone 2 is launching, and with a totally-new, in-house design. The new phone is even easier to repair, and because it was wholly designed by the FairPhone team, its supply chain is even more responsible than ever. The Fairphone is thicker than the latest iPhone or Samsung flagship, but that’s the point. Instead of packing everything into a tiny case and keeping it there with glue, the Fairphone is designed to be taken apart. The lightweight magnesium frame supports modules that can be easily replaced by the user. “We have designed it with an aim to last three to five years, looking at making it robust and modular—for repairability,” says Fairphone’s chief communications officer, Tessa Wernink. Obviously how long it lasts depends quite heavily on the user, so what we as a company are doing is offering an ecosystem around the phone that supports long-lasting use, first-hand or second-hand.” Inside the […]

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 Weaving A Home: This Woman’s Invention Can Help Millions of People Globally 

By wogwpa1358 on November 4, 2015 / Featured Post, Innovation / Leave a comment

Tags: ecological sustainability, green design, green homes, renewable energy, solar homes, women entrepreneurs, women in green, women's innovations

Prototype Solar Tent designed by Abeer Seikaly

A sustainable tent that collects rainwater, folds up for easy transport and stores solar energy? Sounds visionary, right? This is the invention of Jordanian-Canadian architect, designer and artist Abeer Seikaly. Abeer Seikaly designed these amazing multipurpose tents with refugees in mind, people who have been displaced by global and civil war, climate change and more. Inspired by elements of nature such as snake skin and traditional cultural aspects such as weaving, nomadic life and tent dwellings, this weather proof, strong but lightweight and mobile fabric tent gives refugees shelter but also a chance to “weave their lives back together”. The flexible dual layer tent structure has the ability to close out the cold of winter and wet weather. It also opens up to allow cool air in and hot air out in summer. Rainwater is collected in the top of the tent and filters down the sides so the tent does not become flooded. The tent also has the ability to become a showering facility with water being stored in pockets on the side and drawn upwards via a thermosiphoning system providing basic sanitation. Solar energy hits the tent fabric and is stored in a battery for use at night […]

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4 Ways For Millennial Women To Prepare For Leadership Roles

By wogwpa1358 on November 3, 2015 / Family, Featured Post, Leadership / Leave a comment

Tags: millennial women, women entrepreneurs, women in business, women's empowerment, women's leadership

Millennial Women prepare for leadership roles.

Millennial women are set to take on unprecedented leadership positions. Here’s how to prep for them. Coming of age for working women in the “lean-in” era isn’t easy. For millennial women (those born between 1980 and 1994), life and work are blended. The same technology that makes staying connected so easy makes staying “on” after working hours easy as well. Meanwhile, businesses expect more work for less pay, and parenting challenges are leading many women to take more time off work. That helps explain why 34% of millennial women say they aren’t interested in becoming a boss or top manager, according to a Pew Research Center study. Like their male counterparts, millennial women place a higher value on security and flexibility than on pay. But that doesn’t mean they’re satisfied with their working lives. In fact, 75% of millennial women say gender inequality in the workplace is an issue that needs addressing, compared with just 57% of millennial men. Here’s a look at some of those obstacles and what millennial women can do to get past them. No Shortage of Hurdles Despite the presence of several high-profile women at the national level, women hold only 4.6% (or exactly 23) of […]

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Fashion Industry Boosts Sustainability With An Innovative Match-making Tool

By wogwpa1358 on October 30, 2015 / Featured Post, Innovation / Leave a comment

Tags: ecological sustainability, green business, green business women, women entrepreneurs, women in green business, women in sustainability

The Ethical Fashion Forum wants to “do fashion better.” To achieve that, the London-based industry body is shoring up its arsenal of tools and services to help fashion professionals and businesses boost their sustainable and ethical profiles. The rebranded “Mysource”, which Ethical Fashion Forum founder Tamsin Lejeune describes as the organization’s “next phase,” will build on the current “Source” platform. One major improvement? A Match.com-style algorithm to pair users with people and resources best-suited to their needs, “so that fabric, manufacturer, market report, line sheet template, or business connection you were looking for will pop up straight away,” Lejeune explained. FASHION DONE BETTER Mysource will also rank users according to an “integrated bench-marking system” that includes social, environmental, and commercial criteria. “We’re working with partner organizations to make this as robust as it can be. The higher users are ranked, the more profile they get on the site,” said Lejeune. “So that small, Ethiopian shoe brand with a great product that is changing lives, could stand out to buyers and get extensive profile on the site.” But all these bells and whistles don’t come cheap. The Ethical Fashion Forum says it’s hoping to raise £400,000 through Crowdcube to take the […]

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 Compost For The Lazy – Throw It On The Ground 

By wogwpa1358 on October 28, 2015 / DIY, Family, Featured Post / Leave a comment

Tags: ecological sustainability, green home, Organic food, organic gardening, women and nature, women entrepreneurs, zero-waste kitchen, zero-waste lifestyle

Compost can save the world! It sucks carbon dioxide out of the air and not only that, a half-inch layer of this black gold can still increase yields years after its application. I had been composting in our community bins for nearly 10 years but decided to start a rogue pile in my yard several months ago. I can’t grow much out there in the shade but food scraps will certainly rot. In fact, I can’t possibly prevent the natural process of rot. When I composted at my house years ago, like many people, I believed I needed to buy a special bin. For my new compost pile, I wanted to create a simple, inexpensive system. I could have made a cylindrical bin out of chicken wire or built an upcycled bin from wooden pallets (both great options). But instead I bought nothing. I built nothing. I took what I had collected in the kitchen and threw it on the ground. I throw everything on my pile: Fruit peels, scraps and all pits. Even avocado pits break down quickly! Vegetable peels and scraps. I make vegetable broth out of most little bits of vegetables, after which they go on the pile. Corn cobs. I couldn’t […]

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 78 Women Scientists Head to Antarctica, Taking Collective Action On Climate Change

By wogwpa1358 on October 27, 2015 / Featured Post, Nature / Leave a comment

Tags: ecological sustainability, environmental justice, women and nature, women and the environment, women in sustainability, women scientists, women's leadership

Women Scientists head to Antarctica to address climate change.

In an awesome display of women power, 78 female scientists are heading off on a 20-day voyage to Antarctica in order to observe and discuss the impacts of a warming world. The voyage is part of the Homeward Bound outreach initiative, which will take place over 10 years in order to build a team of 1000 women in science. Their collaboration will enable for increased leadership, strategizing and group action when it comes creating a better future for the planet. The voyage, setting off in December 2016, will have a crew that will include globally recognised women of influence including Dr Jane Goodall, renowned primatologist and environmental activist. The project is the brainchild of Australian leadership expert Fabian Dattner and marine ecologist of the Australian Antarctic Division Dr. Jess Melbourne-Thomas. Their dream of uniting powerful women in science and engineering was inspired by the ability of women to have huge influence within their communities. A key focus will be the absence of women’s voices in science and government, especially when it comes to climate change. There is also a visible absence of women in key decision-making roles around the world, which is posing a challenge to gender equality and collaborative […]

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 How To Make Your Own Body Care Products–Without the Nasty Chemicals

By wogwpa1358 on October 23, 2015 / DIY, Featured Post, Health / Leave a comment

Tags: beauty on a budget, DIY, eco moms, green products, green women, natural beauty, non-toxic life

5 DIY Recipes that are good for you, the planet, and your purse. In a world where clever marketing distracts us from the actual ingredients in our toiletries, it’s hard to know exactly what we’re using to wash our bodies. In reality, 10,500 different chemical ingredients can be found in our vast body care market—some of which are thought to be carcinogenic or harmful to our endocrine system. Research done by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review in 2012 revealed a list of unsafe ingredients commonly used. The study exposed safety concerns ranging from skin depigmentation to reproductive problems. Other research on these chemicals remains inconclusive, but you can avoid any potential risks by opting to cook up your own body care products at home. Here are a few that we tried. SHAMPOO ½ cup distilled water ¼ cup unscented liquid castile soap ¼ teaspoon essential oil of choice Combine all of the ingredients in a bottle—any old bottle will work. Shake the ingredients well to make sure that the mixture is consistent. Pour some atop your head and lather. TOOTHPASTE ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 1 drop essential oil (peppermint, sweet orange, clove, or cinnamon bark is recommended) A […]

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