If want to get through to a girl, you don’t need sparkly diamonds or a cute puppy dog. You can skip the Champagne and sexual healing.

Apparently, you just need stick people.

The love child of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and Annie Leonard of “The Story of Stuff” fame, “The Story of Cosmetics” gives us the dirty truth about the $50 billion cosmetics industry and its dependence on toxic chemicals to manufacture the products we use every day. Why now? Congress is considering passing the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010—the first governmental look at the industry in 70 years.

Why stick-figure cartoons? We say … Why the hell not?

Check out EcoStiletto TV’s (ESTV) video of the week to get the dirty secrets behind major brands like Proctor & Gamble and Estee Lauder ….

For more information, visit www.safecosmetics.org.

Think eco-style’s expensive? Not if it’s free! EcoStiletto’s giving away $250+ in eco-swag each week to free newsletter subscribers! Winners are randomly selected on Mondays, so sign up now and tell a friend: Your odds may be worse, but your karma’s better.

Good enough to eat. We say it about dessert—and that gorgeous guy on the second floor who hoses off his mud-covered mountain bike in the courtyard on Saturdays.

Yummy.

But what about beauty? If you consider that 60-percent of what goes on our skin goes in our bodies, wouldn’t it make sense to use products that are safe enough to eat in the first place? No shit.

Cosmetic chefs David Parker and Margaret Skarin are organic beauty veterans—he as a NorCal spa owner and she of Blue Lotus Organic Skincare fame. When the two joined forces in 2002 to create The Body Deli, their goal was to take it a step further with products so clean you could eat them. Hence the refrigerators in their flagship Palm Desert, California store—and the allegiance of local farmers in the California Central Valley. With a truly unique range of products for women and men—our favorite, hands down, is the sandalwood-heavy, Spanish Fly line of scrubs, washes, lotions and soaps—The Body Deli truly serves it up. Take a number. www.thebodydeli.com

Golden Path Alchemy

A pinch of salt highlights the sweet, and nowhere do we find this to be truer than in Golden Path Alchemy’s Kiwi Coconut Exfoliating Mask, crafted with brightening kiwi enzymes, antioxidant-rich coconut milk and acerola cherry fruit acids, complemented by Himalayan sea salt. Handmade in small batches from USDA Certified Organic food-grade ingredients—many of them sourced from the company’s own organic farm in Montecito, California—the entire GPA line is chemical-free, edible and based on the five elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine.www.goldenpathalchemy.com.

Sibu Beauty

For a long time, Danny Seo sang the Kermit song. Although being green was a piece of cake for him, the rest of the world didn’t really know what the heck he was talking about. But being a trendsetter does indeed pay off. 

Today Danny is the Living Green contributing editor for Better Homes and Gardens and an environmental lifestyle contributor to CBS “The Early Show.” You can even find Danny Seo mattresses at JC Penney, along with his own beauty and bath line, Whole Earth Beauty. Oh, and P.S. Danny was voted one of People’s “50 Most Beautiful People in the World.” (We’re still waiting for our call back … Any day now)

Our friends at EcoStiletto sat down with Danny Seo to get some hot insider tips on eco-friendly BBQ’ing. Because with Danny around, it really is easy being green.

Say Bye-Bye to Mosquitoes. “We love to eat outside in the summertime, but nothing makes guests run for cover faster than a swarm of mosquitoes,” Danny says. But rather than automatically reaching for the bug spray, he recommends planting marigolds, rosemary and catnip around your garden or in pots on your patio—Mosquitoes hate them. And make sure to empty any sources of standing water, where mosquitoes can breed, Danny says. Dump a birdbath, throw in some ice and bottled drinks and you just upped your chic factor by about a thousand percent.

A Rosemary Roast. Danny’s partial to an old-fashioned charcoal grill (we like the carbon-neutral Green Hearts Briquettes) and to start it, he recommends lighting a few branches of rosemary wrapped in newspaper rather than using a regular match. “The newspaper starts the fire, but the rosemary continues to burn while you grill, infusing your meal with a little extra flavor.”

Corn on the Stick. We love Danny’s novel take on traditional grilled corn and s’mores: Take small twigs from surrounding trees and sharpen the ends with a pencil-sharpener. Then use them to create corn handles and marshmallow sticks, which you can warm over the grill and serve with organic, fair trade chocolate.

Next Task: Learn how to use a damn BBQ …For more on Danny SEO and his Backyard BBQ tips, visit EcoStiletto. 

Think eco-style’s expensive? Not if it’s free! EcoStiletto’s giving away $250+ in eco-swag each week to free newsletter subscribers! Winners are randomly selected on Mondays, so sign up now and tell a friend: Your odds may be worse, but your karma’s better.

Attention all book worms! In the spirit of finding a pastime that has the tendency to keep us sane, we crawled up on the couch withEcoStiletto to wrangle some of the season’s newest book releases for our fellow nerds. What did we achieve? For starters, some freakin’ painful paper cuts. But what really caught us off guard were some supafly books on sustainable living.

From small lifestyle changes, to the new eco-teen scene, to ultra-easy organic cooking—there’s something for everyone in this fresh crop of green reads.

Conscious Cooking. Forget Kermit. With Anna Getty’s Easy Green Organic as your guide, it is easy being—and grocery shopping and cooking and, best of all, eating—green. Before we even got to the drool-worthy recipes, Getty got us all geared up with practical tips on greening our kitchen, decoding common packaging labels and composting our kitchen scraps—which, in her emphatic words, are “not garbage” but “a banquet loaded with life-sustaining food that the microorganisms in your composter will just love to get a hold of.” Take that, trash man.www.chroniclebooks.com

Badass Girls, Goodass Deeds. Inspired by her work on Al Gore’s eco-opus, “An Inconvenient Truth,” Hollywood exec and children’s book author Lynn Hirshfield puts young ecoistas in the spotlight with Girls Gone Green. Hirshfield’s book abounds with eco advice from young celebs like Alicia Silverstone, Mischa Barton andHayden Panettiere, with stories from young women who have made a difference in their environment. Take the tale of 17-year-old Erin Schrode, who got so disgusted with the glut of yuck in all those cosmetics she’d started using at age 13, that she started an organization—Teens for Safe Cosmetics (nowTeens Turning Green)—and fought backlash from the beauty products lobby to rally her peers to the cause of safe, eco-friendly personal care products. www.us.penguingroup.com

Everyday Green. Elizabeth Rogers, co-author of The New York Times bestseller, The Green Book, has done it again. Her follow-up release, Shift Your Habit: Easy Ways to Save Money, Simplify Your Life, and Save the Planet continues her crusade to get ordinary folks to (subtly) change their behavior in ways that can add up to thousands of dollars in annual savings while conserving resources and reducing environmental impact. We’re especially enamored of Rogers’ handy at-a-glance charts on everything from making homemade cleaners to buying gently used baby essentials. A nice alternative to the mistaken notion that it takes a lot of green to go there. www.shiftyourhabit.com

Green Between the Sheets. Sex: It’s the most natural thing on Earth. Except that these days, it’s not⎯especially when you factor in non-biodegradable latex condoms, paraben-laden lubes and potential environmental hormone contamination caused by discarded birth control pills. [Insert Deep Breath Here] And what about those sex toys we’ve got socked away in our sock drawer? It’s questions like these that are at the heart of Eco-Sex: Go Green Between the Sheets and Make Your Love Life Sustainable by Stefanie Iris Weiss. Weiss fills Eco-Sex with input from pros, ranging from celebrity chefs (offering seductive vegan and raw recipes) to botanical perfumers (serving up recipes for DIY libido-stimulating scents), plus her own wisdom on sex-related topics from green dating, to tantra, to the environmental impact of overpopulation. Bring it on. www.ecosex.net

For more book recommendations and insights, visit our partner-in-crime, EcoStiletto.

Eco Chic is powered by EcoStiletto, our go-to resource for all things eco-fashion, beauty, lifestyle and celebrity related. Think eco-style’s expensive? Not if it’s free! EcoStiletto’s giving away $250-plus in eco-swag each week to free newsletter subscribers! Winners are randomly selected on Mondays, so sign up now and tell a friend: Your odds may be worse, but your karma’s better.

It’s one o’ clock in the morning and you’re staring at the ceiling. You’ve tried a sleep mask, indulged in a warm bubble bath, and have counted so many sheep that you’ve moved on to water buffalo. Then you remember that you don’t know what they look like. Shit. It’s official: You’re losing sleep over losing sleep.

It’s a fact: Daily stresses often lead to insomnia. If your mind can’t seem to shut off once the lights go out, there’s a good chance that your sleep disorder is stress-related. Luckily, an easy fix comes in the form of yoga—one of the best all-natural stress relievers around. Our favorite is the Slip into Sleep Pose, created by David Romanelli, author of Yeah Dave’s Guide to Livin’ the Moment: Getting to Ecstasy through Wine, Chocolate, and Your iPod Playlist.

In typical Yeah, Dave style, the best way to perform this pose is in bed. Add to the atmosphere by heating an organic cotton, rice-filled Wellness Wrap by Melissa Graves and placing it under your neck or over tense shoulders. Then cover your eyes with a flax-and-lavender filled silk eye pillow from Barefoot Yoga.

Yeah Dave’s “Slip into Sleep” Pose

1. Lie on your back with your legs slightly apart and your arms a few inches from your sides
2. Turn your palms face up
3. Take deep belly breaths and focus on them to quiet your mind
4. Flex all of the muscles in your body—from your toes to the top of your head
5. Lift your limbs and head a few inches off of the mattress. Hold for a breath.
6. Release them back down and relax all of your muscles
7. Focus on completely relaxing each individual part of your body, beginning with your toes and slowly making your way up to your head
8. Imagine that relaxation is a warm liquid oozing through your body, flooding your insides and melting away all tension
9. Stay in this place of stillness for 15 to 20 minutes, then allow yourself to drift to sleep

For more tips and tools for fighting insomnia, or tidbits on why beauty sleep is so important, visit EcoStiletto.

Eco Chic is powered by EcoStiletto, our go-to resource for all things eco-fashion, beauty, lifestyle and celebrity related. Plus they give away $300 in awesome eco-swag each and every week to members! So sign up, then tell a friend. Your odds may get worse, but your karma’s better.

It’s not often you can wrangle Casey Affleck, Joaquin Phoenix, Liv Tyler, Jenny McCarthy, Daryl Hannah, Gus Van Sant, Michael Cera and HBD’s leading lady, Kim Barnouin, in the same room. And even rarer that what they came for was tofu, quinoa and tempeh. But, vegan chef and co-owner of Plum Bistro in Seattle, Makini Howell, knows just how to bring all the boys and girls to the yard.

And she doesn’t need a milkshake.

On Earth Day, Makini showed this ridiculously star-studded group the biggest thing they could do to limit their carbon footprint –eat meatless. Hosted by Casey Affleck and Joaquin Phoenix at the home of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner in Pacific Palisades, the A-list dinner planned by Simone Le Blanchad people talking for days about the power of food.

Guests ranged from hardcore vegans like Mike White—wearing a “vegan mafia” shirt made especially for the occasion—to admitted carnivores. All were curious about Makini’s innovative cuisine—what she calls “bridging the gap between carnivores and plant eaters”—which brought fans Casey Affleck and Joaquin Phoenix on board as investors to launch Plum Bistro LA this fall in Los Feliz.

A lifelong vegan, Makini represents the third generation of a nearly 40-year-old family business. She and her family own four vegan restaurants in Seattle, all of which serve certified organic food and are operated with environmental consciousness in mind.

For Makini, veganism is a natural progression of environmentalism. “You have to see the big picture of veganism and sustainability and how it affects the planet,” she said. “By the mere act of being vegan you reduce your carbon footprint.” Her stance is backed up by facts: Livestock production is now responsible for 51-percent of greenhouse gas emissions—that’s more than all modes of transportation combined.

But back to the food: This is not your mother’s tempeh. Makini served up mouthwatering dishes like her signature “mac and yease,” cornmeal-encrusted seitan sliders and ricotta tofu served with pears as examples of what she calls “rustic vegan, American food.” After introducing the finale—a coconut-lime cheesecake with a chocolate cookie crust—Makini concluded, “We want to make sure you don’t miss the meat.”With Makini in town, it’s not likely.

EcoStiletto’s Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff joined the party to nab an exclusive interview with the chef, who might just do for vegan food what Alice Waters did for organic.

Plum Bistro doesn’t look like what you’d think of as a vegan restaurant. It looks like a beautiful, elegant, upscale restaurant—that just happens not to serve meat.

I think it’s more effective than going around throwing paint on people. It’s hard to change people’s minds that way.

 Why vegan food? Is it just about avoiding cruelty to animals?

Yes, it’s about that. But I was raised vegan. I want to bring a plant-based diet to people. I want to build a bridge between carnivores and vegans. People don’t realize how good vegan food is. I want to create a space where it’s not viewed in a negative light; where people realize how important it is to have a plant-based diet as part of our lives.

When my brother was born, my mom went to the pediatrician and said that she was going to raise him vegan. The doctor threatened to call child-protective services. But the health benefits are incredible. When you put meat into your body it basically rots in your intestines. When you don’t eat meat you’re stronger, faster and your brain moves quicker.

 Do you think veganism is a natural extension of environmentalism?

I do. You have to see the big picture of veganism and sustainability and how it affects the planet. By the mere act of being vegan you reduce your carbon footprint. I don’t believe animals are made for food. Violence begets violence; cruelty begets cruelty. When you kill an animal, all the violence that the animal feels goes into its body and you ingest it. Veganism feeds a vision of peace. But it’s a process. It’s hard to go from carnivore to vegan. It’s a process of elimination. I don’t expect people to go completely vegan immediately because your body will go into shock.

 What about free range, organically fed animals?

I hear that it’s a bit of a kinder way of raising animals, but I think that our society as a whole is so addicted to meat that I don’t know if it will gain a foothold. Most people who are aware of what’s going on, go vegan, versus going to smaller farms and grass-fed cows. Once people realize what’s happening they’re so turned off by it that they stop altogether.

 What’s your worst eco-sin?

The shower. I never want to get out, but I know I’m wasting water.

To read the rest of the interview and learn more about Chef Makini, click here or visit EcoStiletto

.Eco Chic is powered by EcoStiletto, our go-to resource for all things eco-fashion, beauty, lifestyle and celebrity related. Plus they give away $300 in awesome eco-swag each and every week to members! So sign up, then tell a friend. Your odds may get worse, but your karma’s better.

It’s only natural to cry your eyes out at weddings. Between the bottomless Champagne, embarrassing 80s cover bands and the uneasy panic of discovering that it was the groom’s Dad that grabbed your ass at the rehearsal dinner, you have a reason to cry. But, while the typical American wedding is an occasion for self-loathing and opulence, it is also an occasion for excessive resource use, unchecked wastefulness and extreme environmental impact.

Eco-wedding planner Paige Anderson Appel of Bash Eco Eventsrecommends checking in with carbon-offsetter TerraPass’s weddingcarbon-footprint calculator when planning your nuptials and avoiding traditional wedding staples like pesticide-laden gowns, asthma-inducing paraffin candles, tree-gobbling invitations and non-recyclable gifts and favors.

No wonder we weep.

Wish your big day could have a smaller footprint? EcoStiletto has put together quite the list of nuptial plannin’ tips for the socially conscious bride and groom. Feel good when you walk down that aisle, honey.

RESOURCE

Recycled Bride. Think Craigslist with everything you want, and nothing you don’t. Recycled Bride is a free marketplace for brides who want to maximize their budget while minimizing their carbon footprint. Just one surf through Recycled Bride leads you to all kinds of prize finds: Gently used gowns (like the gorgeous frock pictured above) from in-demand designers Romona Keveza and Pronovias, Stuart Weitzman bridal sandals, silver cake knife sets and much more.www.recycledbride.com

DRESS

The Way We Wore. Demi donned their vintage wear for her wedding to Ashton. Nicole Kidman picked up some of their unmentionables for her wedding trousseau. If you love the idea of saying your vows in a wedding dress that has virtually no environmental impact, you’ll want to pay a visit to celeb-favorite The Way We Wore, for one-of-a-kind wedding gowns. Not only will you turn heads while you turn back time, but you’ll give a labor-intensive wedding dress a second turn, as well.www.thewaywewore.com

FLORALS

Brooch Bouquets or Recycled Magazine Florals. Traditional florals are so 90s. Remind guests why the groom chose you with bridal bouquets made from vintage brooches. A trend created by Fantasy Florals, these bouquets can easily be matched to your wedding colors and will last a lifetime. (Remember brooches don’t die.) For those who really want to make a statement, hire an artist to create bouquets made from recycled magazine, newspaper or your favorite childhood fairytale books. To purchase paper florals, you can also visit Paper Platypus on Etsy.

INVITATIONS

Copper Willow. Eco-luxe letterpress and paper studio Copper Willow takes green seriously, not easy for a purveyor of paper products. Using materials like tree-free, recycled-cotton paper, 100-percent soy inks, and letterpress machinery that’s greased up with Earth-friendly solvents, female-owned Copper Willow turns out some of the most beautiful wedding invitations and paper gifts we’ve ever seen.www.copperwillow.com

WEDDING GIFTS

Deposit a Gift. Do you really need another toaster? DepositAGift.com is a cash gift registry service that makes sure you get exactly what you need and want. Much friendlier than requesting or receiving a check, the registry looks and feels exactly like a traditional registry. And it should: It’s modeled after the original gift registry that was started by Marshall Fields in 1924, with a database of images available to personalize the gift-giving process. www.DepositAGift.com

BRIDESMAID GIFT/CENTERPIECES

Organic Salvage. When it comes to your party, anOrganic Salvage candle is a must-have. Presented in salvaged glass bottles and packaged with recycled materials, these candles are made from certified-organic plant wax — no petroleum or GMO soy here — for a clean and even burn. 
Great for centerpieces or as bridesmaid gifts. (They deserve something for dealing with Brideszilla for the last year.)www.maurapeters.com

HONEYMOONING

Tashi Lingerie. On your wedding night, slip into something slinky and sustainable, too! Tashi Lingeriefounded by holistic nutrition and Ayurvedic medicine expert, Natalie Steiner, carries natural-fabric naughty bits from some of our favorite designers.www.tashilingerie.com

We now pronounce you husband and wife.

Eco Chic is powered by EcoStiletto, our go-to resource for all things eco-fashion, beauty, lifestyle and celebrity related; plus they give away $300 in awesome eco-swag each and every week to Members! So sign up, then tell a friend–your odds may get worse, but your karma’s better.