Join Us at Home for Idyllwild Earth Fair May 18th

Idyllwild Earth Fair www.ORGbyvio.com invites you to come to Idyllwild, CA on Saturday, May 18th, 2013. Join us this Saturday in magical Idyllwild to celebrate the Earth right from home at the 24th Annual Idyllwild Earth Fair with ORG by vio‘s Amazon Artisans’ Eco Jewelry Collection & Linda Loudermilk‘s Luxury Eco Fashion at Idyllwild Town Hall from 11am to 5pm.

Green America Awards ORG by vio Gold Seal of Approval

Green America Gold Seal Green America, a non-profit organization since 1983, has awarded ORG by vio Green America’s Gold Seal of Approval for our work and commitment to using business as a platform for social change. Green Deals, which is part of Green America is featuring ORG by vio and Violeta Villacorta on GreenDeals.org through the month of May.

Cofán Artisans’ Kango Jewelry Collection handmade with seeds and chambira plant fiber, and Violeta Villacorta hand embroidered Sun Vest in jute burlap, recycled silk lining and raffia straw embellishment. Photo by Scott Aschenbrenner. Model: Carol Jahshan.

Look for the Green America Gold Seal of Approval on our footer at right. We are committed to the communities we work with, the protection of the forests and the health of our planet, while bringing beautiful boho chic eco fashion for gypsetters around the world, handmade by Amazon artisans.

Topanga Earth Day 2013 • Earth Day is Every Day!

Earth Day is Every DayWe had a wonderful weekend at Topanga Earth Day this past weekend. We got to bring ORG by vio’s fun, boho chic, Amazon eco jewelry to all the gypsetters out there in magical Topanga! We ran into friends who came by our booth, made new friends, reconnected with so many beautiful people who fill our hearts with more love… And we added new direct clients to our roster. What a wonderful two days. See photos.

350.org Do The Math Movie

Do The Math from 350.org calls people to action to stop fossil fuel companies from committing more crimes against humanity and nature. Bill McKibben along with indigenous leaders, environmentalists, conscious entrepreneurs and concerned citizens are calling on institutions and people to divest from fossil fuel companies and financial institutions that fund the destructive fossil fuel projects around the world.

We focus our work with Amazon communities that have been disrupted by extractive companies without their consent. These issues keep us focused on the fossil fuel industry. What happens anywhere in the world affects us all. Divestment is a sure way to make the evolution necessary for a sustainable and healthy future for all that make this a beautiful, living planet.

Divestment for a Clean & Healthy Future

Divest for Change In the 1980′s the song “Nelson Mandela” by The Specials became an anthem during a time when people were calling for divestment from South Africa during the apartheid regime. Divestment worked to bring down the unjust government of South Africa. Nelson Mandela was released after 27 years in prison and in the 1990′s Mandela became the first black president of South Africa.

We are living in a critical time full of opportunity for much needed change. Corporations have our governments under their thumb, allowing them to wreak havoc all over the world with no accountability. The spill in an Arkansas neighborhood this past March is the latest of many harmful spills globally. We are outraged at the possibility of Keystone XL Pipeline being approved, which no doubt would have its share of spills. The Gulf of Mexico is still devastated from the 3-month long BP spill in 2010. Chevron has yet to pay $19 billion in damages to the Cofán and neighboring Amazon communities. Since the beginning of the fossil fuel boom, the planet has been exploited for these dirty resources. The Amazon communities that we work with, and the territories where they live, have been disrupted by extractive multinationals, leaving them unable to live traditionally. We focus our work with these communities, because they have been and continue to be victims of extractive industries. The rights of people and nature are continually violated. Yet, we continue to hold on to resources and practices that no longer serve us, which are doing more harm than good.

Bill McKibben’s 350.org is leading the fossil fuel divestment movement, getting schools, local, state and religious institutions to take their money out of fossil fuel investments and put it into solutions to climate change. You can also sign an open letter to President Obama to stop the approval and the ongoing operations of fossil fuel projects such as the Keystone XL Pipeline, Arctic drilling, fracking and so on.

We have a voice and we have the power to make a difference by becoming involved and by divesting from institutions and banks that fund harmful projects at home and around the world. Your purchasing power can create a shift. Just as the divestment movement made a difference in ending apartheid, fossil fuel divestment can make a big impact, which will move us to a sustainable and just future.

Enjoy The Specials’ song on this video… It is an inspiring call to action in honor of one of our most loved visionaries and promoter of justice, Nelson Mandela, as he recuperates in a Pretoria hospital.

Urge Ecuador to Respect Indigenous Rights & Nature

3 Million hectares of pristine Amazon rainforest to be auctioned off by Ecuador to Chinese energy companies. Last October, we shared the above video from Amazon Watch, which works with indigenous Amazon communities in efforts to protect their rights and territories from extractive companies. This time Ecuador is set to auction off millions of hectares that possess a wealth of biodiversity, affecting seven indigenous groups – that have not consented to the oil projects – as well as the stability of the Amazon, which is vital to global climate balance.

The Cofán, whom we work with, and neighboring communities won a $19 billion lawsuit last year against Chevron for the many violations and contamination left by Texaco since the 1970′s, before it merged with Chevron. Chevron continues to do all that it can to avoid paying the $19 billion, claiming that they are not responsible for the damages. It is a tragedy that after what these Ecuadorian Amazon communities have experienced through corporate irresponsibility and lack of corporate accountability, the Ecuadorian government is planning to sell off a large part of the Amazon to Chinese petrochemical companies.

We demand that public and private oil companies across the world not participate in the bidding process that systematically violates the rights of seven indigenous nationalities by imposing oil projects in their ancestral territories,” a group of Ecuadorean organised indigenous associations wrote in an open letter last autumn. Source: The Guardian.

Indigenous nations struggle to protect their traditional way of life and the territories they have inhabited for centuries from extractive multinational industries. They do not leave their lands to disrupt others, they live in harmony with nature. Our insatiable need for energy to power or lives drives corporations to tap into fragile areas that are vital to humanity. We, as users of these resources, have the responsibility to stop dangerous projects from destroying nature and people’s lives. Let’s raise our voices in support of the rights of indigenous people and nature. Urge President Correa of Ecuador to stop this devastating auction at AmazonWatch.org.

From October 2012 post:

We need to join together to protect nature and cultures in the line of fire.”

In July of this year, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) voted in favor of the Kichwa of Sarayaku that ended a decade-long legal battle after a foreign oil company was allowed to encroach on their traditional lands in the early 2000s without consultation. Today, the Kichwa of Sarayaku and other indigenous communities continue to struggle, as “the government of Ecuador plans to auction off oil development rights within nearly ten million acres of primary forest and indigenous land that has been inhabited for centuries, including all of Sarayaku territory.” Join Amazon Watch, Pachamama Alliance and Amazon communities, in urging President Correa to respect indigenous rights and nature by signing this letter.

Livia Firth’s SS’13 Selection on YOOX.com

When Livia Firth, style icon and eco fashion visionary – also wife of actor Colin Firth – received her beautiful Esta Collar Necklace last year, she wrote back saying she loved it and wanted to include some for her Spring/Summer ’13 selection on YOOX.com. Some of her favorite ORG by vio jewelry selection is shown above, handmade by Awajún and Cofán artisans. Visit yoox.com in the UK, yoox.com US and our online shop.

Happy International Day of Forests!

CelebrateThe Amazon Rainforest, People & Culture on March 21, 2013.

Happy International Women’s Day!

Celebrating Women all around the World. Empowering the feminine globally, as we unite  as a society and move into a new era of consciousness. Happy International Women’s Day!

Celebrando a las Mujeres en todo el mundo. Fortaleciendo la feminidad mundialmente, uniéndonos como sociedad en esta nueva era con una nueva consciencia. Feliz Día Internacional de la Mujer!

Others Can Just Follow The Frog

Some of us have done just that! Others can just Follow The Frog! Well, we gotta do more than that. Like reduce our own consumption and live a low-impact lifestyle. If you buy locally and support domestic organic products, reduce your shopping, bike, walk or drive efficient and electric vehicles, use less natural resources and choose sustainable solutions, you are doing your part. But if you still buy things made in other countries, you can choose products that have a lower carbon footprint and are supporting the protection of our planet and people… so look out for the Frog – the Rainforest Alliance Certified stamp. You can also support or invest in our work, organizations like Amazon Watch or our projects’ partners AND get an ORG by vio Amazon rainforest jewelry piece, which helps protect the arts and culture of Amazon communities we work with, as well as the forests they live in!

Yvon Chouinard on The Responsible Company