Fall into Naya Shoes, Ultimate Eco-Chic Footwear

I will start out by saying, I am a flats kinda girl ... give me my sandals or slip-ons and I am in heaven, but when Naya asked me to test out one of their shoes I decided let me be daring and really give these shoes a challenge and ask to try a pair of heels, trust me it was a very hard decision to pick one. This fall they have the most visually pleasing array of eco-chic footwear I have ever seen (flats and heels, teehee). So being gitty as a schoolgirl I picked the Artemis boot coming in a delicious chocolate color. These enticing boots had me grinning from ear to ear, so I couldn't wait for Mister FedEX man to arrive.

This is where I must hold you in suspense, a little bit about Naya shoes ...

Their mission with Naya shoes is to make eco-friendly choices whenever they can, which they have done with materials like bamboo heels, natural or recycled content fabrics, vegetable tanned leather, water-based cements, and outsoles containing natural materials.

I was begging the question why they weren't they vegan as well as eco-friendly, Stephanie Fedler, Naya Shoes, responded "we feel that consumers should have choices. We respect and understand the consumer who wants to wear a product that does not use animal by-products. However, vegan footwear is often made from petroleum based plastics, which are made using chemicals and solvents. These may not breakdown in a landfill. At Naya, we have taken conventional shoe making methods and changed the materials to make them more environmentally friendly. We believe leather is a good option in our shoes, as it is a by-product that would otherwise go into a landfill. Leather lining in our pumps and boots provides breath ability and flexibly for our customers foot health and comfort. Leather is very durable and keeps the same properties over long periods of time. So this amazing quality means our customers will be able to wear the shoes longer."

So they arrived, a sample pair *drool* ... I tried them right away, tearing open the box *giggle*. The shoe was sturdy, but light with very soft and exquisite materials. Construction was extremely high quality, but here was the ultimate test I slipped them on and walked around. Remember, not a girl who wears heels ... *omigosh* it was shocking how comfortable they were and as soft inside as out. Never thought my feet could be in heaven in heels. As you see their designs this fall, as well as past seasons are exquisite, eco-chicness and beyond. Have you ever tried or bought a pair of Naya shoes? If so what do you think?

Where can I buy Naya shoes? Click here.

Naya on twitter, facebook, and website.

eG Recipe: Autumn Noodle Salad (vegan)

Autumn Noodle Salad

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and diced
1-1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon thyme
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons of butter or vegan butter
1/2 Package of Noodles of your choice (I used fettucini)
handful of Spinach or Arugula for each plate
Walnuts
Dried Cranberries

Serves 4

Mix olive oil, thyme, salt, cayenne pepper with the squash
Roast squash 425 degrees for 30 mins or tender
Boil Noodles , drain them when they are just right. pour your dry noodles into the dish with the squash. Mix thoroughly. Prepare plates with a bed of greens, then serve out a serving of the mixture over the greens. Sprinkle the dried cranberries and walnuts. Serve warm.

© Copyright 2010 All recipes on this site are creations by Cheale of Experience Green.

eGreen Scripture: God's Calls for Respect of Animals

If you see your brother's donkey or his ox fallen on the road, do not ignore it. Help him get it to its feet. - Deuteronomy 22:4

A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel. - Proverbs 12:10

Our world seems to put animals so far below us that we abuse them to no end. Especially the ones that are killed for food. One thing we are called to do is care for animals - to be respectful. I think the "consumer" does get forgetful when they look at that plastic wrapped meat as they take it in their hands to purchase. That neatly packed meat contains an animal that lived in horrible conditions and treatment. What we do need to remember as consumers that if you are choosing the path to eat meat to buy organic meat. At least then we know that the animals are being feed and treated the way God called them to be. We are supporting that call out from God. I personally choose the path of vegetarian, but I know that is not an easy path for some, but my prayer is that the consumers that are consuming meat not only choose organic meats and support that industry, but also reduce the amount of meat they are consuming. This is not just a environmental issue, but a health issue. Have at least one day a week of no meat and reduce the amount you are serving your family. How do you feel about these issues?

There are starving kids all over the world - don't waste food ...

I am one who always had an aversion to leftovers, I will admit I have this fear of rotten food. I think it comes from growing up in the restaurant business and hearing all the health department requirements; which obviously are more severe then what the typical person does at home. Suffice it to say I am a little obsessive about food going bad, haha. Through this journey of taking better care of God's creation I started to really look at my leftover aversion and got over it. I also made an effort to try to make just enough food versus too large of portions. Like Mom used to say "there are starving kids all over the world don't waste food". But then I went a step or a few steps beyond just making sure to eat our leftovers and looked at what waste over buying was causing. I will tell you it wasn't pretty! I have always been a just in case buyer and a mood cooker "what if we feel like ...", well this not only makes my grocery bill higher, but causes a lot of potential food wasted.

One thing I realized also was, like most Americans, we love variety. It isn't a luxury for us, it is a requirement. But with that requirement we can waste a lot of food. I had some friends go to Africa and one thing they said that really struck me in my line of thinking on this whole issue was that "the people there eat a lot of the same thing all week", so it was challenging for them because we are spoiled with so much variety. That gave me a lot of insight as to how we needed to approach being last wasteful in regards to food. Here are a few things I am doing to make sure that what doesn't even make it to our meals doesn't end up in the compost or garbage either:

1. Planning meals appropriately - now this means more than just ok we will have this on Monday and this on Tuesday ... one thing I realized, like in other countries they have a few items to cook for the week (creative opportunity here too hehe), so I basically think ok for the week we will have e.g. rice, these veggies, this fruit, eggs. So I am selecting certain things I can make in a multitude of different types of meals while at the same token using up everything I buy.

2. More trips, less purchased - so either I walk or I drive when I am already out for some other reason ... this method I found makes it easier for doing the first step ... I plan to go to the store at least 2 times a week. One thing that happens in other countries is they go out every day buy only what they need and it is all fresh, well I am taking this to a 2 times a week event, this way I can plan for narrower plots of time and everything is so fresh. Believe it or not I am spending a lot less money.

This is the two major things I am doing to reduce the waste and I have to say it is working amazingly. What are way you are reducing your food waste outside of leftovers?

Become an eG Follower - WIN $20 GC for Whole Foods

Are you a follower of the experienceGreen Blog? If not here is your chance to win something in addition to join our ring ... just click on the follow button on the right hand column to join. All followers of eG will be entered to win a $20 GC for Whole Foods ... Deadline for the contest is September 22th at 9 pm EST (we extended the deadline) ... we will announce the winner below in comment, Facebook, and twitter. Thank you all for becoming a follower and good luck.

If you RT the following you will have an extra entry:

Become a follower of our blog and be entered to win a $20 GC from @wholefoods http://cot.ag/ckD5Yj #giveaway #green #organic #vegetarian