marqet: bringing the green to waikiki

 

one of my new favorite shops is smack dab in the heart of waikiki stocked with some of the coolest organic style around. if you are trying to go green, you must stop by marqet which is filled with hard to find eco-chic labels like loomstate, stewart+brown, livity and the islands' own oaks hawaii.

they even have a house brand green collection with tees benefiting the hawaii audubon society, hawaii organic farmers association & jack johnson's kokua foundation. for travelers searching for a different kind of memento to take home, marqet's green tees are a refreshing reinvention of the souvenir that not only does a little good in the islands but also makes a little less impact on the earth with its use of organic cotton fabric and vegetable & plant dyes.

audubon society * organic farmers * kokua foundation

there is limited shopping on their website or just stop by the shop (across the street from the duty free galleria. click here for a map) the next time you are in waikiki for the full marqet experience.   

carbon neutral holiday

ke'e beach, kaua'i

overall, our little household does our best to be good little humans . . . we go organic when possible at the market, recycle everything our town will take, clean our home & laundry with eco-friendly products, and when we finally moved into an apartment with washer dryer hookups (yay!) we became the proud owners of an energy efficient w/d combo.

now we have our eye on becoming carbon neutral with the first step being to offset our need to fly home to visit our ohana. you know this idea is getting more mainstream when more and more corporations, fancy ski resorts, and even the nfl pro bowl are going green[er].

if you are intrigued and want to do a little carbon offsetting yourself, check out the carbon calculators at sustainable travel international or terrapass to determine how much impact your lifestyle and travels have on the earth. it's a small step everyone who can afford it should consider since carbon offset purchases go to fund sustainable projects from tree planting to clean energy around the world.

perhaps one day an enterprising soul will start a program in the islands but until then this will have to do.

lost on stage

 

a few members from the cast of lost are hitting the stage next weekend to benefit the honolulu theatre for youth. barring any scheduling conflicts, matthew fox, jorge garcia, daniel dae kim, terry o'quinn, henry ian cusick, michael emerson, elizabeth mitchell & chris soldvilla will perform selected readings from the theatre's upcoming 2007-2008 season.

the ticket prices may sound a tad pricey however just keep the following in mind when you phone in your order:

one - your dollars are helping to fund hty programs (a very good thing)

two - the benefit will include a reception so you just may get a chance to rub shoulders with some of the cast members

details:

• when: sun, mar 4th @ 4:30p
• where: tenney theatre @ saint andrew's cathedral
• tix: $100, $200 & $300
• tel: 808.457.4263

a tardy kung hee fat choy

even though i didn't have a chance to revel in the chinese new year festivities while home, it seemed that everywhere we went last weekend we crossed paths with a troupe preparing to perform the celebratory dragon dance. that kind of thing just doesn't happen in my mainland neighborhood which is one more reason you are lucky you live hawaii.

anyhoo, if this is your year to shine (1911, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995 - double check if your birthday falls on the jan/feb cusp), you just may want to sport a sig zane tee featuring the pua'a'ehu'ehu print to honor the year of the pig/boar.

tees are available in both adult and keiki sizes.

stylus honolulu

 

on this last trip home, i was finally able to stop by stylus honolulu which is a small but sweet resource for those on a budget. stylus is one part recycled clothing boutique plus one part used record shop featuring an edited mix of vintage & gently worn clothing and a few new finds (including tees from threadless). let's just say if buffalo exchange and jelly's had a baby stylus would be its name.

the styles are geared to the young & hip so prices are super reasonable with most items under $10. if you go, stylus is just across the street from puck's alley so the location is convenient for all those starving college students at uh. and they validate which is good news if you must drive & park.

take a peek inside the shop on youtube.

{update | jan 2010: in-store stock updates can be found at the stylus blog}