Monday, November 16, 2009

Born on Earth launches on GreenEdgeKids




We are thrilled to be the latest designer eco brand to launch on GreenEdgeKids! Annie Kinkaid, GreenEdge's owner, is a passionate eco-mom committed to finding the most fashionable, eco-friendly designers for kids. GreenEdgeKids has the most adorable selection of kids eco-wear I have ever come accross, and Annie does an incredible job of finding unique high-end style for kids from age 2-14. We are excited to be in the GreenEdgeKids family!

We also spent last weekend with Annie and her husband Jim at the SF Greenfest where Born on Earth showcased our hip eco-tees for kids in GreenEdgeKids' booth. It was so much fun seeing parents and kids get excited about our sustainable tees, and really understand the importance of made in the USA, organic cotton, water-based inks and the fact that we plant a tree for each purchase.
Born on Earth tees paired with GreenEdge Denim in the GreenEdge Kids Booth at SF Greenfest

GreenEdge Kids SF Greenfest Booth
Julie, Annie and Jodi at SF GreenfestTa Da!

Annie and Jim have also just launched an incredible line of premium eco-denim for kids...think True Religion for kids but 100% sustainable! They are the first to do this and there jeans should hit stores in the next few months - check them out at GreenEdge Denim.

Monday, August 24, 2009

NEW: Product Reviews on Born on Earth and giveways!





Hi, I'm excited to share that Born on Earth organic kids tees have been very positively reviewed on DK Mommy blog, check it out here: http://dkmommyspot.com/born-on-earth-nature-rocks-kids-tee-giveaway/

Also, we are currently being profiled on Ecobunga as well:-)

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Born on Earth Website Goes Live














I am excited to announce this morning that our Born on Earth website has gone live! Just in time for back to school, we are launching our brand new website with our first line of limited edition eco-chic kids tees. Please come find us at http://www.bornonearthkids.com/ , and check out our unique line of eco-friendly tees for kids.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

L.A. Baby - Where It Happens



L.A. is where the magic happens they say, (I think - or is that Hollywood?) and for our business, Born on Earth, this is the truth. Jodi and I made an important visit to Los Angeles last week to visit our manufacturing contractors, get a close up look behind the scenes while our organic tees are in production, and to take pics and video (more to come) of where 'the magic' happens. Jode with Danny, owner of the print and dye house

Zoila at work on our girls tees, at her sewing shop

Zoila, hand-crafting our tees

Jodi with Zoila at the sew shop...so exciting to see OUR shirts being sewn!

Jules with Danny - proudly holding up our finished product
While there is a glitzier side to the fashion industry, the behind-the-scenes, of where it gets made, stands in bare-boned, stark contrast. There is nothing glamin' up these manufacturing businesses, like the lovely specialty shops where the finished product gets sold...and its not needed either, its just people at work 'gettin it done.' There is a lot that goes into the making of a tee - many people hard at work before it gets to that specialty clerk, and many stops on their journey to completion. Sharing this journey seems important and of interest, because in a world of mass consumption, where cheap and disposable fashion is desired, it is often lost upon the consumer what all goes into the making of a single clothing item. And let me tell you people, there is a lot! We hope to share more of what goes into the making of our tees, their journey, and to share as well the people behind that journey, because what they do has a lot of value, and they are the ones hard at work making it happen.

Photo Shoot!




Voila! A few candid shots from a magical photo shoot in Santa Barbara....enjoy! Our ecommerce website will launch in about 2 weeks - we'll keep you updated and the site will have all the gorgeous professional shots on it.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Photo Shoot and Other Updates

There has been so much going on with Born on Earth these last few weeks as we near our launch date...I wanted to share a little update:
beautiful Santa Barbara

Tomorrow the girls, Jacques (my hubby) and I are headed down to Santa Barbara - our photo shoot location. We are very excited to be working with Sara Fretwell Photography who is a total pro and a great artist. And the two locations in SB are just gorgeous. We hope to create a fun, untamed, spirited shoot with amazing kids, to embody the Born on Earth brand.

While Jules and I are there, we are also going to catch up with Kelly from Kelly B Couture (our amazing advisor who has helped us newbies along our journey), and go visit our manufacturing partners in LA. We are working hard to keep all parts of our manufacturing local - cutting, sewing, dying, washing, printing, applique-ing, tagging, etc. - and we are working with a number of great small shops and artisans. We will post some photos / videos on the blog after we meet with our LA team.

We are blessed to be surrounded by so many skilled artists, artisans and business people!

Born on Earth 2009 line officially launches on July 7th! We will be at www.bornonearthkids.com. It has been an incredible journey and I can't wait to see us actually online with amazing clothing to sell to other eco-moms! We are also going to be rolling out a really fun promotion on July 7th (that is also for a good cause!) - stay tuned for more info soon.

Finally, Jules and I are also SUPER excited about our 2010 line which is in progress right now. While we are in LA, we will also be working with our manufacturing partners for this line to get samples done by August. We have learned that the fashion business never sleeps - we are literally always in the midst of juggling three balls - future line design, manufacturing of next line, and marketing of current line.

Monday, June 8, 2009

White House Veggie Garden

Check out this fun video on the White House's vegetable garden - organic, healthy food for the first family and staff! Love it!

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Born on Earth: our new clothing line samples!





4 out of 5 of our design samples basking in the sunshine
Well everybody, we are almost there! Today feels like Christmas! After working for many months and finalizing countless details and decisions, we finally got our 'close-to-final' eco-clothing samples today for Born on Earth. We have one more design that we are waiting for and then we can move forward manufacturing our unique, fun and fresh, limited-edition totally eco kids line!

We are nearing the finish line to go to manufacturing (which by the way we will video for everyone to see).

The almost official unveiling...

Introducing 'The Bluebird T'

Introducing 'The Birdwatcher T'

Introducing 'The Everest T'

Introducing "The Breathe Free T"
Born on Earth Ts are designed to be unique, hip and artistic and to have a hand-made feel to them. We make them extra special with fun, fresh graphics, creative embellishments, appliques, embroidery and little rhinestones (for girls only of course!). They are made with 100% organic cotton that is buttery soft, and are cut, sewn, dyed, manufactured, embroidered, printed and finished all in the USA right in LA. They were designed by a couple of hot LA designers, and manufactured by people who share our passion for the environment.

Some of the fun details

The samples you see above are not final yet - they are missing some elements like rhinestones on The Birdwatcher T, and we will be tweaking some of the art pieces a bit, but they are close. We are on our way! They should be through production by early June and available mid-June. Please let us know what you think!

Blessings,
Jodi & Julie

Friday, May 8, 2009

Little Green Star




Today I found a fresh fun line for eco-babes...'little green star' - this company makes cute little onesies and Ts for eco-babies. Started by two environmental consultants turned mommies, their goal is to create a line of organic baby clothes that promotes green living. Their designs are fun and fresh, and they are available online and in many retail outlets. One of my favs is 'Nature Lover'...enjoy!


Also FYI I found this fun company through a neat new tool - GenGreenLife.com - a company focused on connecting people with local, green resources.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Happy Earth Day!





Earth Day 2009 :-)
It is estimated that 1 billion people will celebrate Earth Day today, in 175 countries. Earth Day events are happening all over the world - you can find an event near you with the Earth Day Network's event finder.

On Earth Day 2009, as I listen to the many chirping birds outside my window, I feel inspired to be a citizen of this Earth. We are moving towards an new era of consciousness, and I believe that we will come together as global citizens to work towards environmental solutions. I believe in the passion, creativity, ingenuity and hard work of humankind, which I think will help bring forth an exciting era of new thinking and innovative green technology - all spurred by the environmental crisis we are facing and the resulting critical need to think differently.

I am also very excited by the progress we are making with Born on Earth kids clothing. We will launch our new line in about a month, and have carefully figured out how to do just about everything sustainably...from the materials and processes we use, to the way we package, to our hang tags, to creating the clothing from scratch in the USA. It is very fulfilling to be able to create environmentally sustainable, socially just products while enabling green jobs and partners.

Today I also feel very excited about the opportunity for green innovation. Just as we have rethought and innovated through the entire process of creating t-shirts with Born on Earth, there is a vast opportunity to innovate in all aspects of society. In order to become a truly environmentally sustainable society, we need to rethink everything that we do...the way we manufacture, create, consume, eat, transport, build, work, educate, & dispose...we need to rebuild the way the entire system works. This simple fact makes me bullish that we are going to see an enormous amount of green innovation in the coming decade. Organizations like the EPA are working to ignite green innovation, check out what the Director has to say about green technology and innovation.

Grassroots organizations are also organizing people to make a difference. The Earth Day Network (the people who organize Earth Day) launched a new campaign today, called the "Green Generation", which is a two-year initiative that will launch in 2009 and culminate on the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day in 2010. The core philosophy behind this campaign focuses on civic participation and meaningful action. The Green Generation core principles include: a carbon-free future ending our dependency on fossil fuels and based on renewable energy sources; an individual commitment to sustainable and responsible consumption; and the creation of a green economy that helps lift people everywhere from poverty, by transforming the education system around the world and creating millions of green jobs.

According to Earth Day Network,

"the Green Generation includes ordinary people who are engaged in individual and collective activities to improve their health, to improve their schools, to participate in building a solution to urgent national and global issues, such as climate change or the world’s water crises. The Green Generation is open to everyone: people of all ages and all nationalities, consumers who are committed to buying green; community leaders who are focused on greening their communities; parents and teachers who work to provide healthy foods and green schools for their children; those who work in green jobs; academics whose research is focused on innovative products and services; scientists and engineers who develop new green technologies; and governments that seek to implement policies and support research that will build a green economy and healthy population, and the religious community who are committed to a vision of a just, sustainable, green planet. Corporations will play a key leadership role in the Green Generation campaign, particularly those that recognize that their future success is tied to sustainable products and socially just endeavors."

You can join the Green Generation here.

I love being a part of Born on Earth because we are creating consumer products and jobs that are both environmentally sustainable and socially just. Hooray for the Green Generation!!!

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Preserve Everyday




Today I found a very cool company who fuses hot design with sustainability....they are called Preserve, and they make everyday stuff that works great, looks cool and is from 100% recycled materials. They also manufacture all of their products in the USA and the products are designed to stay out of landfills when they are finished.

I am a particular fan of the Preserve Jr. toothbrush, a great option for kids age 2-8. Each toothbrush supports the National Wildlife Federation's mission to protect our wildlife, and each toothbrush highlights different endangered species.

They also have great tableware and other kitchen items (mixing bowls, cutting boards, food storage, colanders, measuring cups, etc.)...all BPA free and 100% recycled.

Friday, April 10, 2009

EcoMom - Sustain Yourself with this Website


There is a great website out there for eco-moms to connect, shop, think green and take action, called aptly, EcoMom. This site, is several things in one - a social networking site for 'ecomoms,' an eco lifestyle brand, a green news media channel, and a website promoting sustainable living - all inspired by the power of women! It's really chock full of all kinds of eco-info and is worth checking out. The creator of EcoMom, Kimberly Danek Pinkson, founded in conjunction the Eco-Mom Alliance, a not for profit organization, with the belief that women as a network, possess the ability to instigate change in the world and to help create a shift towards sustainability. I am totally inspired by this belief; one of the core foundations and inspirations for our company, Born on Earth, is to help create positive change for the environment as working eco-mamas, or what we have dubbed, 'Ecomomprenuers,' by creating a sustainable and environmentally friendly business.

By the way, not only does EcoMom have an inspiring raison d'etre, they also (on the fluffier side) :) are selling some cute Eco duds. EcoMom is selling these really sweet-lookin' jeans in their EcoMom Market, and I think I need a pair:
J Brand Green Label Low Rise Pencil Leg in Woodstock
How cute are those! Really, something for all the aspiring eco-moms out there. Check it out!

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Eco-Mowing for a healthy you and a healthy planet




Today I learned a new term: ecomow. According to ecomowers.com, the term 'ecomow' means: 'to mow without gas, and without noise, just a naturally clean cut.' I became intrigued...as I read more, I was horrified to realize that today's gas mowers emit as much hourly pollution as 11 cars! And the riding mower is even worse - 34 cars! YIKES.Never fear! Ecomowers.com is here! They provide a simple solution - they offer a number of modern push mowers you can chose from like the RazorCut pictured below (not your grandmother's old mower). And to top it all off - by using an ecomower, you burn over 400 calories each time you mow your lawn. I'm going to have to think hard about switching to ecomowing...beautifying my lawn while getting fit using a safe, quiet and eco-friendly ecomower. Win, win, win.