A Dose of the Delightful

How She Does It: Kate McGregor, Owner of Eco-Friendly Boutique Kaight

Kaight is one of my favorite shops in the nabe (the Lower East Side), and it only stocks ethically-made, planet-friendly items to boot. Kaight has become one of the most recognized boutiques in the green community; founder Kate McGregor was nice enough to answer a short Q + A! Read on to find out more about Kate and check out my picks from this eco-chic boutique.

 

Hometown:

Springfield, Ohio.

Resident of:
I live in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn.

How did you first become interesting in sustainable, environmentally conscious living?
I’ve been pretty environmentally conscious since I was a teenager, but I really became interested in sustainable fashion/design about 6-7 years ago.

Who are your role models?
My mom.

Fave restaurant in NYC?
Too many to name!

Best book you’ve read lately?
Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

Currently playing on your stereo or turntable?
INXS, Ellie Goulding, The Beatles

Do you have a DIY or décor tip?  
You can make a room look really polished and put together if your art – this includes posters, prints, etc. – is framed well. There are plenty of places to buy the materials to do it yourself. It’s also worth the investment to have things professionally framed. It’s a relatively easy and inexpensive way to update a room or space.

What’s the most memorable trip among your travels?
Probably the first time I went to Paris. I was 17 years old and I walked around the city for 4 days. I was in heaven. 

What gave you the courage/inspiration to start your own business, and help you weather recent tough economic times?
Family and a firm belief in what I was/am doing. 

For those that are interested in living more sustainably but don’t know where to begin, what advice would you offer?
I think people should focus on areas of their life that are most important to them; then the transition will happen naturally. 

You’ve got to be incredibly busy running two successful stores and being a wife and mother. What’s one thing you make sure to carve out time to do for yourself?
Read.  I try to set aside time each day – even if it is just on the train – to read something interesting and that is not pop-culture/fashion related.  

Clockwise from top left: 
1. Coco Mariniere by Wool & the Gang Made from pesticide-free cotton.
2.  IX Necklace by DLC Made from vintage deadstock pieces, rescued from shuttered jewelry factories. This piece also does double duty as a triple-wrap bracelet!
3. Certified Organic Honey & Mint Lip Balm by Apple & Bee I try and only put things on my skin that I'm comfortable having absorbed into my bloodstream. The balm tin is free of synthetics and pesticides.
4. September Charm Polish by Priti NYC These polishes are not only 3-free (no DBP, toluene, or formaldehyde) but is also is free of petrochemicals and mostly plant-derived.
5. Polish Remover by Priti NYC This remover is soy-based - no more worrying about inhaling gross fumes!
6. Recycled Duck Cotton Bag by Baggu I have a major love affair with Baggu; their canvas products are all made with recycled materials, and their nylon bags are a fantastic way to skip plastic.
7. Liberty Sandal in Pink by Melissa Melissa shoes are made from non-toxic plastic that has been recycled and is recyclable - imagine throwing your old shoes in the recycling bin!
8.  High-Waisted Linen Shorts by Samantha Pleet Made using eco-friendly materials & processing.

How She Does It: HAVEN Cleaning Products Founder Kayce Thompson-Russ

I'm a huge admirer of new cleaning products line Haven; on the inside, they're filled with powerful yet benign cleaning ingredients, and on the outside, they've got some seriously well-designed packaging. Haven was just featured in New York magazine's Best Bets, so I know I'm not the only one looking for eco-friendly products that mean serious business when it comes to cleaning up. Kayce's delightful concoctions bust dirt & grime with 100% safe, natural ingredients like baking soda, castile soap, citric acid, witch hazel, and vegetable glycerin.

This special How She Does It offers a look into Kayce's inspirations, motivations, and mission to make cleaning products truly clean. 

You come from a family of farmers who spent their lives growing whole ingredients and sharing them with the community, and you grew up watching them lead sustainable, natural lives. What’s the biggest lesson they taught you, and how does it fit into what you do every day at Haven?

The biggest lesson they taught me was that the most important and meaningful parts of life are the relationships you build with others through kind, selfless acts. They're really the reason why I'm so connected to the idea of home. Home is about so much more than personal possessions, it's a fundamentally important feeling. It's a space where you're most comfortable and most like yourself because it's carefully filled with the people and things you love. That's why it was important to me to create products that honored the safety of this space by caring for it with natural ingredients and making it easy to lighten the environmental footprint your home leaves behind.

Haven's Clean House Starter Kit includes All Purpose Cleaner, Air & Linen Spray, Furniture Polish, Hand + Dish Soap, Scrub, Canvas Cleaning Tote, and Pop Up Sponges

Though many self-described green products are better than their mainstream counterparts, they still leave much to be desired ingredient-wise. What does Haven leave out that others might be frustrated to find other ‘green’ products leave in?

While I respect chemistry for lots of reasons, I feel that the synthetically produced versions of the natural ingredients we've been using for thousands of years, like soap, are unnecessary. It's much cheaper to put irritating synthetic soap (like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and its variations) in a product than to buy the organic natural oils and saponify them. Although we've been making it the natural way for so long and know that the resulting product doesn't hurt us at all, we're finding that the longterm effects of constant exposure to synthetics are wreaking havoc on our health.

Another major problem is the use of synthetic fragrance. While reading "fragrance" as an ingredient can seem benign, loose labeling regulations allow this one little ingredient to hide lots and lots of other secret, petroleum-derived ingredients that can trigger asthma, allergies and skin sensitivities, as well as pose serious cancer risks. Several "green" brands use synthetic fragrances and the most common complaint I hear from people who are adopting Haven products are past woes related to overpowering chemical scents that caused severe irritations.

 My hope is that I can not only provide people with incredibly natural products but help them learn to identify and avoid potentially hazardous ingredients on their own.

Happy Earth Week - The Party Continues Here!

Last week got the better of me, and I didn't get to post anything as I'd planned - so even though Earth Day is technically from April 16 - 22, I'm extending the celebration! This week's posts will focus on what we can do to make our daily lives safer for both us and the planet. It's funny how those two things always go hand in hand!

Keep 'er classy, not trashy! You Stay Classy, Planet Earth print, available on Noodlehug

Check back this week for Q + As with women who started their own eco-friendly businesses: Kate McGregor of boutique Kaight, Alexandra Balahoutis of Strange Invisible perfumes, and Kayce Thompson-Russ of Haven cleaning products. I'll also post tips on simple ways to clean up your lifestyle, area by area.

Happy Earth Week!

Currently Delighted By: Ferm Living Spring 2012

I've been absolutely obsessing over Ferm Living's SS '12 line. I hadn't visited the online store in awhile, and have been totally bowled over with delight by the geometric patterns, muted, romantic colors, and general modern Scandinavian-ness of it all. Here's what I'd pick for my own home: 

The Living Room: Spear Cushion, Large; Geometry Cushion, Curry; Geometry Cushion, Rose The Kitchen: Copenhagen Tea Towel, Spear Tea Towel  The Office: Small Vase 5, Small Vase 6 The Tabletop:  Spear Tray, Small; Candleholder String, Nature; Napkin Ring Tower; Egg Cups

Recently Captured: Springtime in the City + Eye-Catching Colors

Here are some of my recent Instagram captures. Spring is in full swing!

Top Left: The view of flowering trees outside my office at Soho Grand Hotel. On sunny mornings, the way the sunlight hits these blooms is simply stunning. Top Right: Nearly every day, I walk home along Grand Street, crossing over from SoHo to Little Italy to Chinatown, and finally to the Lower East Side. Ferrara's is a familiar stop; their outdoor gelato cart is dangerous! Bottom Left: Now that the weather's nice enough, Vespas abound. I loved the shade of this minty one. Bottom Right: More mintiness: this vibrant spearmint building is right next to my office.

Top Left: My chunky knit, hot pink Zara sweater paired with a black & white striped tee.  Top Right: The pink gradient on the napkins at the Anthropologie presentation I went to matched my polish (Essie's Van D'Go). Bottom Left: Mad Men is back, and I've been very into zany, bright patterns and chunky jewelry. This giant cocktail ring and these floral pants are both from H & M. Bottom Right: All of the bodegas/delis have put out their spring flower selections. This orchid was the perfect purplish-pink.

I really enjoy being able to look back at my photos and use them to guide me down memory lane. I'll continue posting my favorite Recently Captured shots once in awhile here.