Locali Yours, An All-Organic Convenience Store!

An environmentally conscious convenience store? That's right. It's time to... vegan-ize! We found this new little gem in the heart of Franklin Village in Los Angeles, started by husband and wife duo, Greg Horos and Melissa Rosen. Everything about Locali, from the design to the way the business is operated and all of the products sold, is environmentally conscious, including their solar-powered website!
A neighborhood market that combines the idea of environmentally conscious living with the element of convenience, Locali offers in-the-know customers a healthy destination for all of their food and lifestyle needs. By making locally and sustainably sourced, organic, vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and other eco-friendly products accessible to people in their everyday lives, the community-minded concept is launching a movement to change the way the world thinks about, and eats, grab-and-go food.

Locali also has a deli where they make fresh sandwiches to order every day showcasing the finest meats, cheeses, and produce from organic growers and local suppliers as well as the nearby Farmers Markets. Any sandwich can be "vegan-ized" and many are available gluten-free.
What's more, Locali goes mobile at the end of May with its own frozen dessert delivery tricycle dubbed “THE ICYCLE,” making its selection of Sno-Cones, Ice Cream, Popsicles, and other frozen desserts, more accessible to Angelenos. How cute is that? With the launch of THE ICYCLE, Locali brings its in-store summer sweets directly to its customers. Dressed in an old fashioned soda jerk outfit, a Locali employee will tour the streets of Los Angeles visiting different neighboring communities each day. Locali’s Twitter page, @Locali, will unveil the day’s selected destinations with specific cross streets where people can meet for a cool summer treat in neighborhoods like Hollywood, East Hollywood, Sunset Junction, Los Feliz, Griffith Park, Silver Lake, and Larchmont Village. Locali will also offer delivery for specific locations upon request for large orders. Sno-Cones are made with ultra pure Reverse Osmosis Water and Organic Syrup sweetened with all natural Brown Rice Syrup or diabetic-friendly Xylitol, available in flavors like Banana, Mango, Cherry Cola, Grape, Pumpkin, Coconut, Cinnamon, and Key Lime Pie (2 flavors for $2.75 each). Customers can also visit Locali for a full selection from up to 30 different Sno-Cone flavors. Other options from THE ICYCLE include a variety of sweets from local artisans like Carmela’s Ice Cream and Popshop Popsicles as well as Cookies, Handmade Vegan Ice Cream Sandwiches, Raw Vegan Cheesecake, Gluten-Free Ice Cream, and Frozen Organic Wheatgrass Shots.

How's that for Locali Conscious Convenience?
Greening the hood, one Locali at a time...

5825 Franklin Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 466-1360

www.localiyours.com

Eco-Conscious Travel Style: Organic Rain Tees

In the Winter of 2007, Beth Doane changed her life forever. "I was running my clothing distribution company, Andira, for about two years when I started to feel this odd sense of emptiness and lack of respect for the fashion industry," Doane admits.

"I was learning so much about import and distribution of international brands through my travel internationally, trade shows, and fashion weeks, but none of what I was learned was fulfilling. I started to see the toxicity of mass production and began asking questions about price points and color-ways, when I also asked who was making this handbag or that line of dresses, where they lived, how much they were paid and what kinds of fabrics are used and how they are developed... questions the industry seemed to conveniently avoid. It seemed no amount of yoga or red wine could make my real questions or concerns about fashion go away. The more I had all this running through my head, the more miserable I became so I decided to do something about it."
Alas... Rain Tee was born.

Rain Tees, her 100% organic apparel line for women and children is designed by youth living in endangered rain forests across Central and South America, each featuring their own thoughts and illustrations regarding their tropical homeland. For every Rain Tee sold, a child involved in Kids Saving the Rain Forest, Costa Rica will receive a tree they can plant to replace one that has been destroyed.

Why tees for the rain forest?

"I knew that rain forests act like a delicate balancing mechanism for our entire planet. By keeping them intact we can control weather patterns globally. I knew this was an area in desperate need of global attention, so I started with combining nature (which affects everyone in the world)- with apparel - something that can reach everyone in the world," Doane explains. She traveled to the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, areas of La Selva Maya in Mexico, worked with teams of volunteers in Ecuador and Bolivia, researchers in Brazil, and NGO's in Peru that traveled deep into the Amazon Jungle to do art sessions with the children.

Manufactured in Peru, the tees give new employment opportunities to people who are often forced out of their homes to work for oil companies, cut trees, or poach animals illegally to feed their families because the waterways have become polluted due to industrialization. Using family-owned, vertically-integrated factories that pay their workers 25% above average wages, Doane tries to keep the manufacturing process as eco-conscious as possible, from the way the fabric is selected to the way the tees are packaged to ship. With each Rain Tee purchase, you're not only supporting fair trade and fair labor practices, but you're promoting reforestation, creating environmental education for youth living in both endangered tropical forests and in our local communities, and creating green jobs for workers in rain forest communities so they do not feel forced to work in deforestation, animal trafficking, or oil industries.

And really... if you're going to wear something cute, you might as well make the most of it.

www.raintees.com

A Flair Necessity: Pangea Organics

Pangea. How many bars, restaurants, and companies have promised you the world by taking this great concept and making it a reality? It's certainly an honorable name for such an ambitious ideal. Deriving from the Greek, the word literally means 'Entire Earth' and is based on the super-continent that existed during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras (that's about 250 million years ago), long before the continents split apart and shifted to become the earth we now know.

And what do we know?

Egyptian Geranium with Adzuki Bean & Cranberry Scrub ($33) by Pangea Organics, that's what. It may sound like something good enough to eat with a side of brown rice, but that's exactly why we covet it. These exotic organic products are earth-friendly right down to their Zero Waste bio-degradable box with, get this... basil seeds planted right inside! Yes, you can wiggle your green thumb with pride by simply slipping off the label, soaking the box in water, and planting it into the ground!

So scrub your porcelain cheeks knowing full well that you're also able to directly have a hand in creating some much-needed oxygen in the world. Now listen up. They might be charging a bit more than your run-of-the-mill grocery store brands, but they're certainly much cheaper than Chanel or Creme de la Mer.

If that's not all, they're developing the Pangea Institute, a non-profit dedicated to researching and teaching all aspects of sustainable living and business practices. An education center and 'incubator for earth ideas,' under the leadership of Civil Engineer Jon Previtali, they've invited architects, designers, visionaries, artists, students and amateurs to design a mixed-use community plan that will house the Pangea Institute, the Pangea Organics manufacturing facility and community housing.

Talk about Entire Earth.

Pssst... we also heart their Pyrenees Lavender with Cardamom lip balm rich in vitamins, nutrients and a deliciously awesome scent. $13

www.pangeaorganics.com