Design by Anne-Claire de Breij

Inspiring eco-fashion night with Streetlab!

AMSTERDAM - Yesterday the “Streetlab Business Case” in Pakhuis De Zwijger was all about eco fashion, social media and the future of green design. Host Simone Weimans interviewed us about all things strawberry! We also revealed a few details about our next event: Strawberry Earth Wonderland! It’ll be an eco fashion and music paradise Here’s a quick summary of the other great speakers who were there yesterday evening.

Annouk Post from HipHonest talked about the latest trends in eco fashion, picking out some of her favourites like super creative eco fashion consultants, Refinity.

We were treated to a truly inspirational skype chat with Otto von Busch - Swedish fashion junkie and self proclaimed “hacktivist”!

Holly Syrett from Amsterdam International Fashion Week announced the first Green Fashion Competition for designers in Amsterdam (with 25,000 euro prize money).

And new Dutch sneaker label IsYou gave us an inight into the world of co-designed and sustainable sneakers. Invited guests for the evening From Somewhere (a prominent UK eco fashion label from Estethicafounder Orsola de Castro) unfortunately couldn’t make it. But we strongly advise you to check out their collection.

Photo by Tom van der Leij

What’s in store this summer for Strawberry Earth?

AMSTERDAM - There’s a buzz of activity at Strawberry Earth H.Q. this summer so we thought we’d give you a little round up of the highlights!

The next few days…: #StrawberryMob: If you like tasty strawberries and want to help us show your support for local farmers, join us this Sunday at 14.00 in Amsterdam. Follow @Strawberry Earth and @SamuelLevie on twitter - we’ll reveal the secret location on Sunday morning

Streetlab meets Strawberry Earth and Hiphonest: We’ve been invited to be guest speakers at a very special summer edition of Streetlab Businesscase this Monday in Pakhuis de Zwjger, Amsterdam at 20.00. Strawberry Earth co-founder Ikenna Azuike and Annouk Post from HipHonest.nl will be talking fresh ideas about eco fashion, social media and the future of green design.

The next few weeks…: Redesign of the Strawberry Earth Blog is well underway! It’s gonna look Ah-mazing!

The next few months…: Strawberry Earth Wonderland is a cross between a festival and a fair, showcasing our favourite eco fashion designers, artists and musicians. Sunday, October 17!

Youth Food Movement organises #StrawberryMob

AMSTERDAM - Hipster food collective, the Youth Food Movement (YFM), cares about good food and our planet just as much as Strawberry Earth. That’s why we’re supporting their #strawberrymob this Sunday in Amsterdam at 14.00. The location is a secret and will only be revealed via twitter on Sunday morning so follow Strawberry Earth and YFM co-founder Samuel Levie on twitter for the details! For more background on what the #StrawberryMob is all about join the facebook group and

read on…:

Jan Robben is a farmer. He grows environmentally friendly strawberries in Brabant. They’re called “Lambada” strawberries and they’re delicious But Jan has one problem…Only a few retailers buy his strawberries, because his strawberries are a bit more expensive and don’t have a long shelf life.

With the #StrawberryMob we want to show retailers, politicians and producers that we support local producers like Jan, care about tasty products en want to pay a fair price for good food.

That’s is why we would like you to join us for the StrawberryMob!!!

Biodegradable umbrella can weather a storm

NEW YORK - Venture outside on a wet, windy day and chances are the streets will be littered with broken, abandoned umbrellas. It was on just such a day that New Yorker Pam Zonsius had the idea of designing theBRELLI, the world’s first biodegradable umbrella.

Zonsius’ challenge was making something that was not only functional, but also beautiful. Modelled on an Asian parasol, the BRELLI has a bamboo handle and spokes and is covered with a clear, biodegradable PVC canopy. Despite its delicate appearance, however, it can withstand heavy downpours and high winds as a result of its wind-vent system, according to the designer.

When the BRELLI does eventually reach the end of its life and ends up in a landfill site somewhere, it will fully biodegrade within five years, compared to generations for conventional umbrellas. Green initiatives don’t get much more transparent than this. The weather in Amsterdam has been extremely good of late but our summers are notoriously unreliable so we have a feeling our Brelli could come in handy…

Strawberry Earth meets Streetlab and HipHonest

AMSTERDAM - Woehoe! We’ve been invited by Amsterdam based creative platform, Streetlab, to be guest speakers at a very special summer edition of Streetlab Businesscase. Strawberry Earth co-founder Ikenna Azuike has been invited together with eco fashionista Annouk Post from HipHonest.com to talk fresh ideas about eco fashion, social media and the future of green design.

Come along if you want to know what ‘next level blogging’ is all about, which cutting edge designers to watch, which brands are leading the way and why there’s a global buzz about a creative and green revolution!

The Dutch Environmental Film Festival 2010 - A video and photo round up!

AMSTERDAM - It feels like it took place years ago already, but it most certainly didn’t! The Dutch Environmental Film Festival 3 - 6 June 2010 was a great success! There were three days of awesome films about our environment and superb international live music acts on each evening. The winner of the very first Golden Strawberry Award for Best Film was DIVE!

We’ll be releasing details of exactly how much money you all raised to make the cinemas eco friendlier over the next few. In the meantime, be sure to watch this video about the festival and take a look at our photostaken by the superb Tom van der Leij, Jelmer ten Hoeve, Daria Mnych and Christina Theisen!

We got jiggy in Jagerland

EINDHOVEN - We told you Jagerland parties were fun and last night’s epic in Eindhoven was the cherry (or should that be strawberry) on the cake! DJs One Man Party and Ari Daily rocked De Stroomhuis, the city’s legendary music venue (and studio home to some uber talented Dutch artists) till the early hours. Photos will be online at the Jagerland website soon. In the meantime,you can check out their facebook page where you can keep up to date with more general Jagerland shannanigans.

An oasis of calm in the workplace

AMSTERDAM - Some people have a gift for making others feel good. Francesca Polo is one of those people. I spent an hour and a half with her and left feeling relaxed and inspired – and all we did was talk. As I cycle home, I wonder what her clients must feel like after a yoga session of the same length.

Polo talks animatedly about what she does, but at the same time exudes a calm confidence. If this is the result of years of regular yoga practice, then she is a walking advert for her company Office Oasis. Founded in 2005, Office Oasis offers yoga, chair massage and coaching in the workplace.

Prior to becoming a yoga teacher Polo had worked almost exclusively in offices. As a result, her programmes are very pragmatic. One of these is her ‘30 minutes yoga’ class, an adaptation of the Dutch government’s current campaign to get the Netherlands moving for at least half an hour a day. It’s also a format that fits well in a business environment where employees are often trying to squeeze in exercise or relaxation between sandwiches.

Yoga’s, ahem, flexibility is part of what Polo likes about it. “You can do it anywhere,” she says, adding, “It’s a great way of raising people’s awareness of the limits of their bodies. This is a huge stress-prevention tool. Economically, introducing yoga into a company is much smarter than giving an employee a one-off treatment.” Om shanti to that.

Jagerland is a good place to be…

AMSTERDAM - As you know, Strawberry Earth loves a good party almost as much as we love doing great stuff for our planet! That’s why we want to give you a cheeky heads up about an upcoming party on 29 May in Het Stroomhuisje in Eindhoven. It’s part of the Jagerland tour and you can register for free tickets by visiting their site. And if you can’t make it on 29 May, the Jagerland website has plenty more information about upcoming events, music acts and tips on fun parties…

Speaking of which, don’t forget the opening night of The Dutch Environmental Film Festival on Thursday, 3 June in Studio/K Amsterdam with Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip (UK) performing!

Aveda joins the pipe

AMSTERDAM – Aveda, producer of plant-based hair and beauty products, has joined the pipe. JoinedJointhePipe.org, the first social community of tap water drinkers, that is.

Every year, Aveda raises money for an environmental cause through its Earth Month campaign. The focus of this year’s campaign is clean, accessible drinking water for all. The aim is to raise $3.5 million.

One of the events being organised to reach this sum is a 6km Walk for Water on May 16. Anyone interested in taking part can buy a JointhePipe.org water bottle from any Aveda outlet (this also serves as proof of registration), fill it up with Dutch tap water - the best in Europe according to the European Commission – and head to Amsterdam’s Vondelpark where the walk will take place. All the proceeds from the sale of bottles will finance water projects in Africa and Asia.