New Balance just came out with a new trail running shoe that I’m super excited about!  This is on my list for when I’m ready for a new pair of gym shoes.  They’re made from recycled materials and are leather free!

Here are the details:

New Balance 070 Product Details

• C-CAP® midsole provides cushioning and support
• Reduced waste design for an eco-friendly shoe
• Upper: Natural and recycled components
• Outsole: Rice husk rubber
• Insert: Recycled materials
• Synthetics on shoe are made from recycled materials
• Reduced impact synthetics
• Water-based adhesives
• Color:  Green & Gray
• Shoe Weight:  245 grams (8.6 ounces)
• Shoe Last:  RL-3

I have a baby gift to purchase and am super excited to check out Nat & Helens.  I’ve been looking at the website but can’t wait to go into the store.  Check out the online site or visit their Chicago store – I’ll let you know what I think once I make it in there but the online store as lots of super cute stuff – organic cotton, bamboo, etc.

I think this is such a great tool!  Rank A Brand helps you to be an informed consumer and make smart choices when purchasing goods.  You can either continue to purchase blindly or you can choose to purchase from companies that are socially responsible.  If that’s important to you check out Rank A Brand.

Here’s what they say about themselves:

The challenge
Rank a Brand was born out of a common and reoccurring problem in our everyday lives. You walk into a (virtual) shop and wish to purchase a “good” brand that considers the (potential) effects their activities have on the environment and on people. In other words, you would like to support companies that adhere to high standards of ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ (CSR). Although you do your best, you aren’t well informed about the policies of the brands and don’t have a way to compare them.

The solution
Rank a Brand  a transparent, simple and practical solution to this challenge. Our rankers screen the publicly available policies of brands regarding labor conditions/human rights, the environment and climate change. This screening is based on a short list of robust questions which check if a given brand adheres to select best practices of CSR within its sector. As a result, a score is attributed to each brand and presented on our website, together with an insight into how the score was compiled. This allows you to quickly and easily identify which brands show that they adhere to best practices of CSR and also show this to society at large in an open and transparent way.

Creating change
We believe that people make different consumption choices when they are more aware ofcan identify  “good” brands: those that succeed best in designing a transparent, clear and credible CSR policy. Scoring high on Rank a Brand can therefore increase the image and sales of a brand. This works as an incentive to brands to further improve the openness and the quality of their CSR policies – we want to set this loop in motion.

It was a remarkable year for animals in 2009. Please take a minute to see what the Humane Society Legislative Fund helped achieve for animals.

I just love Stella McCartney’s line for Gap Kids.  The clothes aren’t just the typical classic Gap look – they have a fun flare to them – ballet tutu skirts, vintage looking British army jackets – super cute and fun stuff for little ones!  The great news is that she’s going to do another line with them which will of course still be fur and leather free!

These bags by Corx are so cool!  I love how unique they are!  What a creative idea to use cork as an alternative to leather!

Better Than Leather, Corx bags are:

• As durable and supple as leather
• Silky-soft to the touch
• Easy to clean
• Stain and scratch resistant
• Water resistant
• Lightweight
• Impervious to fading
• Tolerant to extreme heat
• Unique due to the nature of cork
• Environmentally friendly
• Versatile, they go with everything!