Hello Star Seeds,
As we start to feel the presence of seasonal gifting ahead, Green Friday is a welcome reminder of our responsibility as conscious consumers to vote with our wallet.
What started as a means of raising awareness of the impact our shopping habits, Green Friday – or the ‘anti-Black Friday movement’ – is an event that promotes mindful shopping and environmental appreciation. This year’s string of sales are forecasted to produce a staggering 429,000 metric tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from product deliveries, with 80% of products bought during this period ending up in landfill shortly after.
If you don't want to be a part of this, Green Friday is an opportunity to embrace spending time outdoors (over time on devices), enjoying time with friends and family, and giving, sharing and investing in worthwhile causes.
While Positive Luxury is not accessible to everyone, it is a choice that some, and now many people can make. As I look down at my garments & accessories, I feel a sense of pride & goodness for what I choose to wear and support. From my Vivo Barefoot shoes, Arket Jumper and Patagonia Backpack, I see more sustainable and even, regenerative brands holding space in our, and our communities wardrobe.
To celebrate this, we are offering 15% off our online shop until Monday 27th November. And to say thanks to our growers & communities in Kenya we will match this with 15% of all sales going directly to our Kilifi Regeneration Programme. You can use 'GREEN15' at checkout.
As a family-run business, we know what it feels like to be loved and celebrated. Enter Country & Town House. I grew up, almost surreptitiously, reading their articles on my mum's coffee table. Their presence in my house was a constant and comforting memory.
Today, they are the first glossy magazine worldwide to receive B Corp and continue to push the envelope on sustainability. So, it comes as an honour and privilege to join their Good Brands Directory as a Founding Member. Their curated list of brands, allow you to shop in the knowledge that you’re investing in the highest ethical standards, beautifully designed and effective products/services.
Bringing together the most sustainable and purpose-driven brands under one banner, feels like a family working through the hard times (climate change) towards a shared vision (a natural world). You can see Star Seed's latest feature on their Green Friday Guide, Green Coach Guide & Christmas Gift Guide.
Few moments prepare you for meeting your heroins. At The Earth Summit last week, we listened and learnt from Arizona Muse. A long-time climate activist & model, she saw the ugly truth in the fashion & beauty industry and challenged it. Meeting Arizona in person, I was humbled and enchanted by her positivity and unwavering commitment to changing a broken system. Today, we are so proud to play our part in Arizona's regenerative charity, DIRT and their Earth Shop. With a focus on soil, our life source, Arizona handpicks brands that prove their weight in goodness to the planet. To be part of a growing regenerative moment is proof that the world can be changed for the better.
And finally, a big thank you to Green Salon, a London-based Sustainable Lifestyle Directory, on a mission to turn the tide on the ecological crisis through conscious living. Brands are assessed across 4 themes (Planet, People, Animals & Business) with 70+ sustainability criteria, and Star Seed was ranked alongside Patagonia and Riverford as 'Top of Class.' Emilie and I are avid supporters of these brands and their positive impact. It is a life-long dream to get here and we're committed to a life-time of staying here. We praise Lucy Johnson, the creative force behind this exceptional consultancy house, for demonstrating how slow, conscious brands are the future.
We hope this article can serve as a guide to more conscious living, and therefore shopping. A very Happy Green Friday, and festive season ahead. Thank you reading.