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These awesome Handmade Journal Sets on the Daily Guff today come to us from the husband and wife team of This Is It! Creations. We love their eclectic handmade gifts that happen to be fantastically eco-friendly!
Founded in 2005 in southern Oregon, this duo creates products that are designed to help you reflect, appreciate each moment, and remember what’s important in life: peace, love, beauty and fun! (that’s a quote straight from them…we love it) All of their paper comes from environmentally sustainable sources (Nepalese lokta paper for these journals) and the Handmade Journal Set comes with individually wrapped journals in biodegradable sleeves. We enjoy the humor and thought behind the sayings on the covers of these journals – you get to pick your favorite 3!
Their motto is “Freedom from the ordinary – Freedom for the animals.” You know that’s something we get behind here at Guffly. What’s more is they currently donate 5% of their profits to animal welfare groups.
Family Picture!
Hat tip to you Jodi and Dan of This Is It! Creations – you’re fighting the good fight and we support you! Support them (and the animals!) by getting your very own Handmade Journal Set on the Daily Guff: http://guffly.com
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These Fair Trade Napkins are another great product from Market Place Handwork of India. Not only are they a great way to spice up your table but, they supports disadvantaged women in India. Market Place Handwork of India is more than just a company – they are a non-profit that supports the economic development of disadvantaged women so that they can build their own sustainable businesses.
They currently work with 14 coops consisting of 480 artisans in India. All of them produce high quality fair trade products. What’s more is each artisan’s community is also impacted by the work of these women. Leadership-building initiatives and decision-making in the workplace have given the artisans the tools and confidence to become social activists. They have tackled such problems as lack of clean water, corrupt shopkeepers, and insufficient garbage collection.
Lull in the dinner conversation? Tell the amazing story of these napkins to get the conversation flowing. Check them out on the Daily Guff: http://guffly.com
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A great new product is rockin the Daily Guff today, the Hipster Tee from the eco stylish company Holstee. The company is the product of two brothers, Dave and Mike at Incubaker (great name!), a NYC based innovation lab. What’s more, proceeds from the company are used to empower entrepreneurs around the world. Seeing how Guffly is an entrepreneurial endeavor as well, we have a special place in our hearts for companies doing this.
The Holstee tees are custom designed the fit of their shirts to make you look good. Their cut is fitting where you want it – in the sleeves and around the body.
The shirt fabric itself is close to magical, soft and light to the touch with inherent stain protection and moisture-wicking. This fabric is made from 100% recycled polyester (a combination of plastic bottles and industrial scraps – how cool is that?!).
Check out Holstee’s Manifesto, we think it’s pretty powerful and worth a read:
This is your life. Do what you love, and do it often.
If you don’t like something, change it. If you don’t like your job, quit. If you don’t have enough time, stop watching TV.
If you are looking for the love of your life, stop; they will be waiting for you when you start doing things you love.
Stop over analyzing, life is simple. All emotions are beautiful. When you eat, appreciate every last bite.
Open your mind, arms, and heart to new things and people, we are united in our differences. Ask the next person you see what their passion is, and share your inspiring dream with them.
Travel often; getting lost will help you find yourself. Some opportunities only come once, seize them.
Life is about the people you meet, and the things you create with them, so go out and start creating.
Life is short. Live your dream, and wear your passion.
So while you can go to any big box store and grab a 3-pack of the generic pocket tees that have been around for decades in not so environmentally friendly ways, instead you can choose to make an impact on the world and your wardrobe with these unique Hipster Tees from Holstee. You probably won’t see someone else wearing one…yet, anyway! Check them out on the Daily Guff: http://guffly.com
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The nice people at Vers create these attractive, functional Bamboo iPhone and iPod Cases while considering the environmental impact of said items. We appreciate the careful consideration of the effect of mass production on our environment and the great steps that Vers has taken to make a difference for today’s Daily Guff.
You may remember these too cool cases from back in October when we first carried them – we got an overwhelming response that you wanted to have more funcationality from your case with your iTouch and iPhone. Well, Vers must have heard a lot of that too because now they’re offering new styling on the cases that allows you to access full functionality and ultimate protection.
Their mission states:
Without a doubt, the creation of any mass-produced product requires the use of resources and energy to manufacture, transport and manage throughout their useful lives – which resources, how much energy and the length of a ‘useful life’ are where big differences can be made to reduce the total impact that a product makes on the world. Could you craft a more beautiful, better sounding system with LESS impact to the environment at the same time? We thought so, and it’s been the driving passion behind Vers from day one – to be better in every way imaginable.
The company also partners with the Arbor Day Foundation to replant for each tree they take! Bamboo grows faster than any other species, reaches a harvestable height in as little as 3 months, and produces 35% more oxygen per acre than trees – amazing stuff! The bamboo grass for these awesome cases are harvested by hand so they require significantly less energy (energy = CO2). Believe it or not, bamboo is harder and more dimensionally stable that Oak, with strength characteristics equal to steel! There isn’t a better, more eco-friendly way for you to protect your precious iPhone.
We think this a great option for a iPod case that will protect it for sure! These make great gifts (especially for those hard to buy for guys). Get one for you iPhone, iTouch, iPod Classic, or iPod Nano on the Daily Guff: http://guffly.com
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The Daily Guff today is featuring the Recycled Nylon Laundry Bag made by a company called Gorilla Sacks based in Atlanta, Georgia! They are not creating your average reusable bags down there. All of these bags are made from recycled aerial banners. Believe it or not they actually hand cut the pieces of their bags from the billboards!
Worried about the cleanliness level of something like this – no worries man, after the banner is unfolded, inspected and cut it’s sent to the washer with eco-friendly Charlie’s Soap and a bit o bleach to disinfect it (you don’t want sky cooties on your underoos do you?)
The cleaned up pieces then head to the master sewers at Gorilla Sacks – they get to work from the comfort of their homes in the good ol US of A! We like American made products that really are made in the US under great conditions!
Given the nature of recycled materials, each of these awesome, oversized Recycled Nylon Laundry Bags is one of a kind. We think these could be a great beach bag too! Make doing laundry fun on the Daily Guff: http://guffly.com
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It seems like year after year flies by and you are constantly striving to better yourself and how you interact with the world. The transition from 2009 to 2010 is no different –it has become crucial to look at your environmental impact and some people look to New Year’s Resolutions as their motivators. While some Resolutions, like giving up chocolate, are just crazy talk that usually is forgotten around the second week of February resolving to make a smaller footprint on our planet is a no-brainer smart decision.
Here are some great suggestions on simple ways to green up your lifestyle a bit without feeling as if you’re really sacrificing:
Recycle Everything You Can – Yes, yes…recycling is still as important as ever and chances are it will be for the rest of our lives. Studies show that 60% to 75% of garbage in landfills can be recycled. That means that if everybody recycled, we’d have 60% to 75% less garbage in our landfills, and we’d need at least that much less land for garbage disposal.
Ditch the Plastic Water Bottles – People in the U.S. throw away 2.5 million plastic water bottles in a hour. Now that’s embarrassing! With so many options of reusable water bottles out there, it’s not difficult to find one that works for your lifestyle – get two and rotate them. It’s a piece of cake to walk down the hall to the drinking fountain at work and fill it up.
Bring Your Own Bags – Many stores even offer discounts when you bring your bags! That’s even easier than clipping coupons and there are many great reusable tote options to choose from. Consider not only having grocery bags on hand but also bags for when your clothes, home, or pet shopping and even reusable produce bags. Leave a couple in your car for whenever you might need them and feel good by cutting down on your plastic (aka oil) use.
Keep the Washer on Cold – According to the U.S. Department of Energy, “about 90% of the energy used for washing clothes is for heating the water.” That’s no joke. Additionally, washing your clothes in cold water can be better for the fabric too! It’s a simple switch.
Buy Smart, Buy Local – How was that TV made? Where does that potato come from? Through purchasing items that are made with sound, fair trade, eco-friendly manufacturing practices you are supporting the companies that are supporting change in a real way. Also, whenever possible choose local products – it stimulates your local economy, builds relationships in the community and as an added bonus, if you’re purchasing food you’re going to be getting the freshest stuff out there!
Power Strips For the Win – Chances are many of your electronics around the home and office are already plugged into power strips – good thinking. Turn the whole strip off when you’re not using the devices connected to it to avoid phantom energy use. Just remember to group items on the strips in a way that makes sense for how you use them.
Even if each person made a solid effort to do just one or two of these ideas a difference can be made. Living a more eco-friendly lifestyle doesn’t mean you have to be a hippie, rich or Al Gore – you can choose simple modifications to your lifestyle that are kind to the environment without feeling like you’re sacrificing anything. You may also notice that your bank account feels a little fluffier since things like bottled water and energy bills can really add up! Try it – you might just like it and when you do, tell your friends!
Guffly is a one product per day online store featuring eco friendly products and fair trade lifestyle goods like home, pet, clothing, office and personal accessories. We know that people aren’t interested in ugly stuff, so you can bet Guffly’s green products are stylish, fun and attractive – eco stylish if you will. Shop the Daily Guff at http://www.guffly.com
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Back to the Daily Guff by popular demand are the Fair Trade Shoes but this time it is the High Top Fair Trade Shoes! These awesome kicks are brought to us by The People’s Shoe founded by Anton Brandt.
Anton discovered The People’s Shoe while in Shanghai working in public relations and we’re glad he did. The white and blue canvas sneakers are standard issue work wear in the country. Anton saw an opportunity to bring these eco-friendly shoes to the rest of the world and now they’re on the Daily Guff!
The company manufacturers in China (before you scream, keep reading…) and they spend a lot of time in the factory checking in on product quality and more importantly, workplace quality. They ensure that all workers get paid a living wage, the work conditions are fair and accommodating, and everyone is of age to be working in the factory. They also avoid the use of polybags during each step of their process and package their shoes in reusable totes instead of shoeboxes. We don’t doubt that this is a huge undertaking but it is a necessary one to be good to the planet and the people.
On top of all that, each pair purchased also contributes to LA Mission, and organization that fights homelessness and drug use in LA’s Skid Row. The People’s Shoe says, “We’re setting our sights high: donating money, sneakers, and planning an event to get the word out.” Right on.
Sport a pair of these incredibly stylish, eco-friendly, fair trade shoes and make people turn and look because they truly are unique. Get yours on the Daily Guff: http://guffly.com/
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From the Windy City to the Motor City comes the Recycled Cork Cuff Bracelet designed by the lovely ladies at Studio 1am. If you have not heard of them, you have to check them out! Donna Piacenza and Jody Work make up the design team for the studio and take an unconventional approach to their projects that we think makes you think twice about what you are looking at.
In their words, “Studio 1a.m. challenges and often subverts tradition through the design of everyday objects, environments, and graphic concepts. Their process enables the continuous flow and evolution of ideas. This experimental, cross-disciplinary approach results in meaningful and unforeseen outcomes.”
We dig that they are using sustainable cork as a material for their beautifully designed cuff. Each cuff is cut from a single block of cork that you can use for storage and display. Each piece is individually numbered and designed to fit both men and women. Learn more on the Daily Guff: http://guffly.com
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A warm welcome to the Daily Guff goes out to the Ladies ConFURtable Gloves that comes to us from the fine people at Hemp HoodLamb.
They make clothing according to their own Industrial Organic design philosophy – With new designs, styles and collaborations we try to reinvent eco-fashion and attribute to the movement reversing the negative impacts of the fashion industry on our environment.
A word on hemp from Hemp HoodLamb:
Hemp is the strongest natural fiber on the planet. This quality makes hemp fabric perfect for an outer shell that has to withstand the elements each and every day of winter.
Hemp has been used for centuries by mankind for thousands of different purposes, ranging from ropes to medicine and from canvas to clothing. Add to this the fact that hemp can be grown very environmentally friendly and it is not more than logic that more and more people all over the world are starting to realize that hemp works!
With the chill of winter really making itself at home in Detroit these days we think these super functional gloves are an awesome winter accessory. Learn more about this product and buy it on the Daily Guff: http://guffly.com
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Regardless of how easy going a guy can be somehow it is still more difficult to find a rocking gift for the men in your life. You just want to find something that makes him light up the second he gets his man paws on it.
Based on the feedback we have received from customers, the friendly gents we have been talking to, and our resident man expert Jordan we have compiled a list of Guffly man-favorites that are great for gift giving this holiday season.
Lego My Recycled Cuff Links – hands down our customer’s favorite man gift. Works for your main squeeze, friend, boss, brother…the list goes on.
Hemp Messenger Bag – is the man in your life always filling your purse up with this gadgets and whatnot? Get him his own tote that’s made from extra sustainable hemp.
Reusable Stainless Steel Razor Kit – a throwback to the way your grandpa used to shave! Keep your man smooth in the eco-friendly way.
Vegan Canvas Sneakers – a classic sneaker style made eco-friendly by being fair trade organic and sustainable to boot (haha!) Your brother would love you if you got him a pair of these kicks!
Eco Friendly Laptop Sleeve – pretty much every tech guy has a laptop and would be crushed if anything happened to it. Help him keep it safe with a neogreene laptop sleeve!
Recycled Cotton Hooded Sweatshirt – chances are the guys you know sport the standard hoodie anyway, help him green up his wardrobe with a recycled cotton & polyester (but still super soft!) sweatshirt.
Recycled License Plates Belt Buckle – made from vintage license plates into a totally eco-stylish buckle to keep any guy’s pants from sagging too much. Be sure to check the Top Guffs for other color/design options.
To top it all off we’ve got the icing on the cake – for every $25 you spend on Guffly in December, you get a $5 gift card back! Hello, stocking stuffers!
