(On Left: Shirt: No One Without Sidewayz Navy, Jeans: Levis 8979, Sunglasses: Moral Eyes Bleeker Unisex Zebra Striped Wayfarer; On Right: Tank Top: No One Without Charcoal Yer World Tank Top, Necklace: Falling Whistles Gun Metal, Bag: Wayuu Taua hand-woven in Black with Multi-Color Strap Shoes: TOMS Black Canvas Classic)

As the Fall weather descends upon most of the country, many of us are swapping out our sandals and searsucker for boots and blazers. This season, why not combine style and social impact for the ultimate fashion statement?  Shop for your Fall look from the top eco-friendly, globally-responsible designers that Roozt has found to kick off your Autumn style.

One of our new favorite brands is  No One Without, a “for purpose” company offering fun graphic tees and hoodies in an array of colors. With each purchase, 20% of the profits will go to one of five charities of your choice. Each organization is involved on the ground and help young people escape poverty through education and enrichment. Add some N.O.W. tees into your wardrobe and let your inner beauty shine through.

On Left: No One Without White Yer Werld Tank, Looptworks Kampung Shorts, Hat: Krochet Kids ‘5207.5’Hand knit slouchy Beanie, Sunglasses: Proof Bud Stained Bamboo Grey, Sandals: Indosole Black Canvas; On Right: V-neck Tee: No One Without Set Er Free Depp V, Shorts: Stewart Brown Earthy Apparel, Bracelets: Light Gives Heat Neon Lights Bangle & Anchored White Bracelet, lPriti Nail Polish Color Cambridge Scarlett, Shoes: TOMS Ivory Women’s Glitter

For those of you fortunate enough to still be basking in sunshine, pair these fabulous socially-responsible accessories with your N.O.W. tees for the perfect look good, feel good ensemble.

If you are in Downtown LA tomorrow, please join Roozt in bringing your dusty, unused, or broken electronics to be recycled for a chance to win gift cards and prizes!  Roozt will be at the 7th and South Park View corner of McArthur Park from 11am – 6pm Saturday for the ReGreen Corporation’s Electronic Recycling Fundraiser.  The proceeds will go towards building a solar panel for local radio station KPFK.  Participants who bring in electronics will also be entered into a raffle to win cool prizes, including a $10 gift card for Roozt!  Twenty Roozt gift cards will be raffled out by ReGreen and if you stop by the Roozt booth and don a cool Rooster hat for a picture, you will be automatically entered for a chance to win a $50 gift card!  Please come support your Roosters and ReGreen at a day of fun, food and music.  We look forward to seeing you there!

September 21^st marks the United Nation’s International Day of Peace.  The event was established in 1981 as a way for the UN to commit itself to the spread of worldwide peace and encourage individuals, communities, and nations to work in cooperation towards this goal.  By creating one day of global truce, the UN along with various international groups such as the World Health Organization and UNICEF have been able to reach previously inaccessible at-risk populations to provide them with vaccinations, food and humanitarian aide. We at Roozt believe wholeheartedly in this mission and are inspired to make our small mark on World Peace Day 2011.

To celebrate this movement, Roozt could not have teamed up with a greater life-changing, awe-inspiring company than This Shirt Helps to give away a free premium-quality shirt to one lucky winner!  Company founder and apparel expert, Joe Huff, created the company after going through some tragedy of his own. In just one year, Joe had lost his father, his dog, and was separated from his wife.  The painful chain of events forced him to reanalyze his life and figure out what really mattered.  Instead of dwelling on his losses, Joe found strength and focused his attention on ways to positively impact the lives of others.  He wanted to commit himself to making a difference for those who wouldn’t get the opportunities he was privileged enough to receive.

Thus, This Shirt Helps was born.  Joe combined his skills for creating upscale, trendy apparel with his multiple philanthropic passions to create his dream job.  TSH takes conscious consumerism to the next level by developing a transparent business model that allows shoppers to choose the cause they wish to promote with every purchase.  When adding a shirt to your cart, you can decide if a portion of the proceeds will:

• Provide clean water for a year for a person at risk of
life threatening waterborne illnesses
• Enable a child to receive one week of schooling
• Plant 3 trees through much needed reforestation projects, or;
• Save an animal in a shelter, either through spay and neuter
programs or food and health services

A quarterly report will reflect all the aid the sales have contributed to and show customers just how many lives were improved through their purchases.  TSH hopes to inspire and engage more companies to get involved in social contributions and work together to change the world.

The Contest:

Through the generosity of This Shirt Helps and the celebration of World Peace Day, Roozt is giving away a TSH shirt to one lucky winner!  The winner will get to pick the shirt of their choice and also their preferred cause.

To Enter:

Simply “Like” This Shirt Helps on Facebook then “Like” and leave a comment on Roozt’s Page telling us what humanitarian cause you’d like to contribute to for World Peace Day and why.  Enter before Sunday Night 11:59 P.M. PST.  The winner will be chosen at random on Monday, September 26th to receive his or her free feel-good tee!

We’re so excited to watch Joe and his team bloom and prosper and hope everyone out there participates in World Peace Day on September 21st!

This Shirt Helps apparel will be displayed at Conveyer in Fred Segal, Santa Monica this month. Additionally, to celebrate its launch, TSH will be giving an extra week of schooling for every shirt purchased in the month of September! Want to know more?  Find out about the company’s mission in this video.

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On the left: Ray Ban Woody Wayfarer sunglasses

Price: $600+

Pros: They’re the original wayfarers, they’re impossible to find collectors items, and they take shabby chic to a whole new level

Cons: One pair (if you can even find them) will cost about the same as 10 pairs of nice sunglasses.  Losing them at the beach would pretty much guarantee heartbreak for a week.

On the right: Proof Bird Sunglasses

Price: $95 – $125

Pros: They have the same retro-chic factor as traditional Ray Bans at a fraction of the cost of the Woodies.  Also, with every pair purchased, Proof donates 10% of the proceeds to a life-altering sight surgery to an individual in need in India.  The person also receives a free pair of Proof sunglasses to protect their eyes after the surgery. If that’s not enough, Proof only manufactures their glasses with sustainable wood sources and is also giving back to the process by planting trees in Haiti.

Cons: Your wallet will be a lot heavier

One-of-a-kind vintage classics may elevate your cool status, but it sure doesn’t give you the same warm fuzzies as knowing you’re changing someone’s life with the gift of sight.

Bulge up your wallet even more today by purchasing the daily Roozt deal for $50 of $100 dollars worth of Proof products!

Learn more about the Proof philosophy HERE

We’re all about helping each other here at Roozt, and it’s always great to be able to support new organizations that further the advancement of social innovation!

Our friends at The Compass Fellowship are currently accepting applications for their competitive college freshmen initiative program.  The Compass Fellowship, now in its second year of growth and supported by The Kenneth Cole Foundation, is seeking the most ambitious, passionate freshmen in 12 campuses for training as social entrepreneurs. It’s an exciting process: almost 2,000 will apply, but, given 15 fellowship openings per campus, only the best 180 will be selected.

Once selected, Compass Fellows will join the incredible Compass Community, a growing global network of young, passionate, and like-minded social innovators. They will work alongside committed peer mentors for a year on their campus and be granted numerous opportunities to interact with business leaders locally and nationally. Together, Compass Fellows and Mentors will form a tight-knit community of student leaders on their campus, actively seeking to change the world together.

The strength of the program really is this Compass Community, which will:

·      Connect Fellows with peer mentors who will inspire them to think adventurously
·      Provide Fellows with resources to empower them to live and work consciously
·      Demand that Fellows participate proactively, pushing them to start a social venture and learn by immersing themselves.

Through the peer-driven curriculum based on personal development and the philosophy that talented people learn best by doing, Fellows are inspired, pushed, and empowered to start their very own social venture during their freshmen year of college.

Through the Compass Fellows community, these freshmen will have access to countless resources and a tremendous network of social entrepreneurs and business leaders. They will develop friendships and hands-on experience that will alter how they see and work in the world forever after.

To learn more about the Compass Fellowship and why we love what they do, please visit check out this video.

If you or someone you know are qualified and would like to apply, please visit: www.CompassFellows.org/apply

Hurry, the deadline for applications is September 10th!

VS.           

On the left:  A bottle of your favorite Cabernet

Price: avg. $20 – $30

Pros: It’s delicious, shows you’re sophisticated, and is convenient to pick up on the way to a fancy dinner party

Cons: Everyone will be bringing wine, the host may not like Cabernet (gasp!) and your gift will be gone before the night is over

On the right: Indego Africa Wine Coaster Set

Price: avg. $30

Pros: They not only help your host preserve her vintage furniture in a fun and stylish way, but also support the artisans of Cococki – an Indego Africa co-op in Rwanda who create these one-of-a-kind crafts to end the plight from poverty in their village.

Cons: You may stand out from the crowd by thinking outside the bottle

After all the wine has been long drained, your friend will still be left with a sweet reminder of your thoughtfulness and probably be thanking you for a night free of wine-ring removal duty – now that’s a gift that gives and gives.

Indego Africa’s handmade crafts are featured at high-end boutiques like Nicole Miller and Anthropologie but for the next few days, you can snag your set for more than half off at Roozt!  To learn more about the women of Cocoki and the impact of your gift, check out this inspirational YouTube video:  A Day with Emilienne and Cocoki

          VS.   

On the left: Rainbow Sandals

Price: avg. $40 – $50

Pros: They mold to your feet, go with pretty much any casual outfit, and everyone has them.

Cons: Everyone has them, so you miss the chance at receiving that ever-gratifying question, “where did you get those?”

On the right: Freewaters Sandals

Price: avg. $40 – $50

Pros: They have the same great design, comfort and laid-back feel of Rainbows, but with every pair purchased, Freewaters provides clean drinking water for one individual for an entire year!

Cons: You won’t have a pretty 2cm rainbow on your shoe.

A chance to share your individuality and potentially save a life?  Priceless.  Even more reasons to buy Freewaters: purchase a $25 gift card from Roozt for $50 worth of credit.  Hurry, this deal won’t last long!   To learn more about the powerful impact your purchase will make, check out this YouTube video:  FREEWATERS: Clean drinking water and innovative footwear

Over two months have passed since we made our New Year’s Resolutions. Sure, we may have pledged ambitious undertakings, like remembering to feed the pet fish every day or that ever popular, getting in shape resolution. Hopefully, you are still on track for both.

But even if you find that you haven’t been as good about following your original plans, fear not. With Earth Day just around the corner, you have the opportunity to take action and Pledge an Act of Green! Join over 45 million people around the world to make this Earth Day a success.

And as you continue working on that original New Year’s Resolution of getting in shape, consider cutting down on more than just a jean size – consider decreasing your Eco Footprint as well. Next time you are shopping around, think about your size – the size of your footprint.

Whether you’re looking for a shirt or shoes, take the time to consider your impact, and make educated consumer decisions with your purchases. We always talk about impact on the planet, but what does that really mean? How are our actions directly affecting Mother Earth? Are you living a sustainable lifestyle? Use this interactive Earth Day Network Footprint Calculator to calculate your impact on the planet!

We, here at Roozt.com, are dedicated to helping you, the savvy, socially-responsible consumer, keep up with this resolution. Consider some of our featured companies, who take your Eco Footprint very seriously. Whether you are in need of actual footwear (in which case Indosole’s reused rubber sole flip flops got you covered) or if you want to welcome spring with other fun accessories like scarves or tote bags, be sure to stay up to date on all of our Daily Deals! Because shopping and social responsibility were meant to go together.

– GB at Roozt.com

The school year is in full throttle and decorating your apartment has quickly fallen to the bottom of your agenda.  In fact, you no longer even see your roommates during the week.  “We never hang out anymore!” Heard that before.  “I want to have people over, but our apartment is kind of boring and I can’t afford Crate and Barrel, Urban Outfitters, or even Target decor.”  Neither can we.

Fun, planet-friendly solution:  Why not save some money, bond with your friends and roommates, and spruce up your apartment, all in one fell swoop?  Put on a movie this weekend and make some tea-tin candles, jewelry magnets, and a frisbee bird feeder for your porch.  Country Living has 31 chic ideas for “recycled crafts,” and lucky for you they’re all right here at your fingertips (literally)!

Just as a reminder to always remember your four R’s: Roozt, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (in that order of priority).  Enjoy!
Peace,

GG at Roozt

So in case you missed it Monday night, the Do Something! awards were on VH1. After myself and Christina went to the Do Something! bootcamp this weekend, all of us at the ROOZT office were excited to see the winners of the awards show. There were some definite surprises but in the end it was a fun little ceremony with an awesome cause behind it. Without further adieu, the winners:

THE Do Something! Award:

Jessica Posner

From her own bio :

Sad fact: 66% of girls in Kibera (the largest slum in Africa) trade sex for food as early as age six and only 8% of women in Kibera ever attend school. Jessica co-founded Shining Hope for Communities to combat gender inequity and poverty in Kibera. Through the Kibera School for Girls, the first free school in Kibera, and the Shining Community Center, Jessica has helped over 5,700 residents gain education and employment.

Awesome girl that’s making an amazing impact. She won the $100,000 prize and the top honors at the event. A BIG congratulations to her from ROOZT! For this achievement and her efforts in Kibera she is also our WOMAN OF THE DAY.

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Do Something! Movie Star of the Year:

Leonardo DiCaprio

And no not for Inception (although it might have changed your life for better or worse). His most noted contribution was his $1 million donation to the Haiti Relief Fund as well as his continued Executive Producer role of “Greensburg”. Mr. DiCaprio beat out Jessica Biel, Matt Damon, Salma Hayek, and Natalie Portman for his title as the reigning Do Something! movie star of the year.

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Do Something! City of the Year:

Austin, Texas

This was a shocker to me. I wasn’t aware how awesome the city of Austin was. The local slogan of “keep Austin weird” could refer to that Austin has a huge car sharing program in the midst of the state with the largest average cars. Or it could refer to the fact that the city is the only major Texan city with no ordinance against women being topless in public. Either way the huge amount of bike users and social entrepreneurs have earned Austin the title of the Do Something! City of the Year. Runners up included Portland, Salt Lake City, and Boston.

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Do Someting! Twitterer of the Year:

Alyssa Milano

Alyssa Milano has been tremendously successful in using Twitter as a tool to raise money for Charity: Water, a nonprofit working to supply clean water to those in need. On her birthday, she asked her followers to donate money to the charity instead of purchasing birthday gifts. Today she has raised $92,568 for the charity.

The runner up twitterers include Hugh Jackman and Edward Norton (who raised $1.2 million for the Maasai Wilderness Conversation Trust).

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Do Something! with Style Award:

Tyra Banks

First off, congrats to Tyra. The reason for her award was her mission of “celebrating inner and outer beauty and owning and rocking what you’ve got.” I think that translates to wanting to end the unhealthy expectations of women’s bodies but I’m not sure… Ms. Banks beat out Donatella Versace and Victoria Beckham.

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Do Something! Comedian of the Year:

Kathy Griffin

Apparently Ms. Griffin’s big contribution this year was getting a pap smear poolside at a hotel in Westwood. Her cause was her “Smear Campaign” for increasing awareness about different types of cervical cancer. A very aggressive awareness campaign to say the least. Despite the aggressiveness of Kathy’s Smear campaign the cause is awesome and admirable.

Griffin beat out Eddie Izzard who ended up running 42 marathons in 53 days for the sake of Sports Relief and Ellen Degeneres who auctioned her wardrobe with the money going to the Humane Society. It will take a lot for someone to top the public pap smear bar raised by Kathy Griffin.

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Do Something! TV Show of the Year:

Glee

I personally have never watched the show but love their idea of auctioning screenings and backstage type of tickets. Glee raised money for the Grammy Foundation and Grammy In The Schools by selling preview screening packages to the public. Little things like this add up to make a huge change and a what cost? Virtually none.

Among the runner ups, American Idol’s “Idol Gives Back” raised over $45 million. Yes over $45 million.

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Do Something! Athlete of the Year:

Hannah Teter

Wow if anyone deserved an award it’s Hannah. She wins by a landslide. It’s to even start with her. For one she sells underwear online (called Sweet Cheeks), 40% of the proceeds going to benefit Doctors Without Borders. On her personal website, Ms. Teter sells maple syrup to help provide water to a village in Kenya (I will definitely be ordering some soon), Ben & Jerry’s has released a flavor which she endorses with all proceeds going to charity, and last but not least Hannah has raised over $250,000 for Kirindon. An amazing Social Entrepreneur who challenges us all to step up our philanthropic game.

Runners up include Reggie Bush for his Haiti relief and New Orleans High School Relief, Derek Jeter, and even Ryan Sheckler…

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Do Something! Music Artist of the Year:

The Jonas Brothers

Apparently the Brother’s Jonas do more than captivate the tweenage female market nationwide. And apparently they are so highly regarded in the field of Diabetes benefit that they testified before congress to promote further diabetes research. Do they testify individually or as a group?… Either way I’m proud of the Jonas’. On top of their Diabetes support, they have also helped other organizations including the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, the Special Olympics, and multiple appearances on shows and fundraisers. Congratulations to the Jonas Brothers from all of us at the ROOZT team.

The big name runner ups include Lady Gaga for donating the proceeds of one of her shows to Haiti relief and Shakira for her charity work with both the Chilean and Haitian earthquakes.

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Do Something! Docu Style award:

I Am Because We Are

This documentary follows the lives of orphans living in Malawi. Inspiring, shocking, painful, “I Am Because We Are” is a wake up call for the Social Entrepreneurship industry and philanthropy groups worldwide. Check out the website here. Definitely a must see documentary

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Do Something! Charities on Facebook award:

The Bali Orphanage

I wasn’t personally familiar with this organization. Do Something’s descpription:

The children of the Tuka, Bali, Indonesia orphanage have a “fan” page on Facebook. The orphanage is located in a remote village and had few visitors. Once Facebook users started to discover their page, it took off rapidly and now has over 1,500 members, many of whom joined after asking how they could come meet the children and bring gifts.

An amazing story about how social media can have a positive impact on the world if applied correctly. In the wake of all the Facebook controversies with privacy it’s refreshing to see the amazing potential that people wanting to do good can have through new mediums.

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A huge congratulations from ROOZT to all winners of the Do Something! Awards. The show was fun and went well and we look forward to seeing the winners next year!

Cheers,

The ROOZT Team