Category: Miscellaneous

Everything’s Green on St Patty’s Day!

Post author By Organic Comfort
Post date February 24, 2009

GREEN TIDINGS
column by Cheryl Hahn – Virginian Pilot, March 14, 2009

Everyone’s Irish and everything’s green on St Patty’s Day! Green hair, green beer and green food are common traditions, so why not take “green” to the next level?

Many people celebrate the holiday cooking at home for friends and family, singing Irish songs with pots of steaming ham and cabbage, and of course lots of beer. Unfortunately, most of the produce in our supermarkets is heavily sprayed with pesticides, picked months in advance, stored in freezers with added preservatives, and shipped thousands of miles, before finally reaching our local grocery store. Lucky for us, Hampton Road’s folks have the opportunity to buy the Irish fixin’s right here locally. Smithfield Virginia hams are readily available in many stores, and a quick trip to the local farmer’s market provides plenty of choices for greener menu selections.

I went to Five Points Farmer’s Market in Norfolk and found locally-grown fresh cabbage, potatoes, green beans and green eggs. The Peace & Plenty Farm in North Carolina has chickens that produce eggs with a green shell which puts a literal spin on the green eggs and ham menu. “Farmer’s use St. Patrick’s Day as the day to begin planting”, says Bev Sell, general manager of the market, which is located in an open-air warehouse not far from the Norfolk Zoo. Some of the food and produce comes from the Carolinas, Pennsylvania and Florida, all located on the eastern seaboard and much closer than Idaho, California or China. “Virginia has a few microbreweries as well”, Sell continues, “and we’re hoping to someday offer locally-produced wine and beer at the market.” Well, I’m all for products made in Virginia, so I’ll drink to that.

Choosing local food and drink supports our local economy while reducing our carbon-footprint and it’s healthier because small family farms don’t spray their crops with highly-toxic pesticides. And if you really don’t care about any of those things, then maybe taste will convince you because locally-produced food is fresh and yummy. According to Irish lore, there’s a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow. If we all follow our local rainbow, we’ll find a glowing pot of great products made right here in Virginia. Greener, cleaner, healthier choices support both our local communities and our environment. I can already see the Irish eyes a-smiling with our good fortune. Cheers to everyone… and may the green be with you!

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Cheryl Hahn, is the founder of Norfolk-based business “Organic Comfort Zone”, manufacturers of organic bedding and “Tomorrow’s World”, one of America’s first eco-stores. For more information visit www.organiccomfortzone.com or call 757-480-8500.

Miscellaneous

An Important Time to be Alive

Post author By Organic Comfort
Post date February 18, 2009

What an important time to be alive. Our world is in critical condition and it is during our watch that things must be changed to prevent further deterioration and create a path towards restoration.

For every action, there is a reaction, whether it is positive, negative or neutral.

Every choice of purchase and disposal makes an impact on the environment and the economy. That’s one of the reason I feel so good about the work we do here at Organic Comfort Zone. Our products are all natural and organic and made from renewable resources. As an added bonus, Organic Comfort Zone’s merchandise is American made, hence, keeping the money here at home rather than using overseas labor and shipping it into the USA .Our carbon footprint is tiny.

Take a moment and consider what a different state the American economy would be in if all American companies operated the way Organic Comfort Zone / CozyPure® does. Even further, image how cleaner and how much safer the environment would be.

Sure, I’m proud of what we do here. Our products are top quality, good for the planet, good for the health and welfare of America and we have lots of fun doing it!

-REX

Miscellaneous Natural Bedroom

Our New Vegan Mattress Collection

Post author By Organic Comfort
Post date February 2, 2009

Some exciting things are happening here at Organic Comfort Zone. Today, we introduced a new collection of mattresses! After nearly a year of research and development, our eco-Vegan mattresses are ready for customer enjoyment. The eco-Vegan collection features quality components and no animal by-products. The perfect choice for vegans.

Inside our eco-Vegan mattress features pure and durable natural latex support and comfort layers, while the exterior is colorgrown-Sage 100% GOTS-certified organic cotton damask fabric, quilted to our vegan batting derived from plant-based fibers which meet federal regulation flame resistant standards. No prescription required! The eco-Vegan collection is simply classic and beautiful.

Available in three levels of comfort ranging from firm to soft, the CozyPure® eco-Vegan collection is just one more wonderful addition to the full line of CozyPure® products. Check out the new eco-Vegan option at the CozyPure website or stop by our showroom in Norfolk, VA. We love to show-off the benefits of CozyPure!

Miscellaneous

Green Washing Machine

Post author By Organic Comfort
Post date January 26, 2009

Over the past few months I have noticed the emergence of so called “green” products and “green” marketing. Companies that have historically been known as chemical and environmental nightmares are surfacing with campaigns that gloat that these same companies are champions of the green movement. Apparently, by adding a slight percentage of natural and renewable contents to their existing line, then that makes them “green” and wonderful.

Don’t misunderstand me, any step in the right direction is a step towards a greener, healthier world and that pleases me but, let’s not allow our intelligence to be insulted.

Here at Organic Comfort Zone / CozyPure®, we have been researching and developing products that truly are green, safe and good for the environment for nearly 20 years. We are one of the “old guys” in the green industry and consequently, we can recognize “green washing” at a glance.

Our main object is and has been protecting our customers and the planet from unhealthy chemical exposure while gently using renewable resources and quality American labor. Rest assured that CozyPure® has and always will be top quality and truly “green”.

We don’t take short-cuts. Before introducing any new product, we make sure the contents and final results are tested and do not compromise our reputation of quality and safety. Add in Cheryl Hahn’s flavor of design and aesthetics and we have a blend of quality, function and beauty that cannot be surpassed.

Does it sound like I am bragging? Well maybe a little. I am proud of my association with Organic Comfort Zone / CozyPure®. We all work very hard here to ensure customer satisfaction and our products and service reflect that fact! So, to our many loyal customers that have become part of the CozyPure® family, thanks for your support and we promise to continue our long standing tradition of offering you the finest, most beautiful, truly green merchandise available.

Miscellaneous Natural Bedroom Organic Apparel & Textiles

Bring on the Cold

Post author By Organic Comfort
Post date January 18, 2009

Like most across America, we are in the grip of a cold spell. Folks here are wrapped up like Eskimos trying to keep warm. Our homes and heating systems are not designed for the low temperatures we have been experiencing and more cold and even the possibility of snow is forecasted. All this makes me more grateful for my newly acquired CozyPure@ Amaizing Wool Comforter.

I have always been impressed with the old world classic aesthetics of our comforters – the handcrafted, old-world styling, but until I curled up under one of my own, I never had the true appreciation of the quality and warmth.

Last night, as the Northern wind blew across my Southern city, I laid comfortably warm and content, almost cherishing the drop in temperature. I felt rich and indulged – safe and secure knowing that my CozyPure® was pure and simple through and through, created with no chemicals, pesticides or harsh acid washing. I slept sound and peaceful.

Bring on the cold! I am prepared! Thanks again Cheryl for such a wonderful, warm gift!

– REX

Miscellaneous Natural Home

“Natural Habitat”

Post author By Organic Comfort
Post date January 5, 2009

As a child, I remember a special trip taken with my parents to the famous San Diego Zoo. Wide-eyed and fascinated, I stared at the large array of animals – and they stared back at me. I stood in amazement and wonder but also contemplated their quality of life as they were confined to cages and concrete-condo unnatural environments. It was then that I became familiar with the term “natural habitat” and realized that no matter how hard we tried, a zoo would never be a “natural habitat” for wild creatures.

On the ride home from the zoo, my young brain was deep in thought, but not about things that most children would have been thinking about. Instead my mind raced with how different life must be for wild animals verses the captive ones that I had just seen.

When we arrived back home I looked around and thought how similar our house was to that of the artificial environments that the animals were housed in. What was our natural environment? Were we meant to live in a forest near a running stream? Certainly, prior to modern civilization there were not concrete, brick and vinyl structures. The air we breathed was not forced threw metal and plastic pipes. The water we drank was not filtered at some distant location before being piped to us. We didn’t sit, walk on nor sleep on petroleum based plastics. In essence, we live in an environment that is anything but the natural habitat of the human species.

Don’t misunderstand me. There is no way that I would trade my modern comforts for a life of foraging, hunting and sleeping on dirt. I enjoy hot showers and the protective structure that I live in, but I am attempting to get back to as natural of a life as I possibly can.

I am wearing mostly natural and organic fabrics. My home is decorated with used and reclaimed furnishings and I am in the process of upgrading my bedroom into an organic, natural sleep sanctuary. My head rests on a wonderful CozyPure® La’Noodle and I am snuggled under a CozyPure® Amaizing Wool Comforter and soon I will be sleeping on a new CozyPure® natural latex organic mattress. I am on my way to a complete organic lifestyle!

My environment may not be what the original “human habitat” was, but it is becoming as comfortably close to natural and healthy as can be expected in modern society – a warm, safe and healthy organic home and I think that is a perfect compromise.

– REX

Miscellaneous

Favorite green thing to do….

Post author By Organic Comfort
Post date January 2, 2009

Better late than never….
Here’s a pic of my daughter and me (boy, our bangs needed a trim) at Coop America’s Washington DC Green Festival. The question was: “”What’s Your Favorite Green Thing to Do?”” Well, DUH… of course you know what my answer was! My “little” girl added Biking… peace, love, and chill out. It all sounds good to me.

What’s Your Favorite GREEN Thing to Do?

from Co-op America and the Green Festival

HAPPY NEW YEAR from all of us!!
Our best wishes to you for health, happiness and good fortune.

-cheryl

Miscellaneous

Going Green is a Journey

Post author By Organic Comfort
Post date December 3, 2008

It’s time to replace my roof. I looked at solar options and of course, the wonderful selections of innovative green roofs, but alas, my budget is forcing me to either prepare for some leakage or revert back to traditional shingles. I am opting for the traditional, but this has given me much pause. Ever ounce of my fiber wants to be as kind to the environment as possible but sometimes my desires and budget are in conflict. It will only be when more people are actively purchasing eco-friendly products that the prices will be driven down. Currently, the rules of supply and demand have not devalued the cost of some of the sought after products by folks like me.

Every time a purchase is made here at Organic Comfort Zone I am grateful. I know that as Americans become more environmentally aware and purchase natural and organic American made products that the direct result will be lower prices. Every time an American made item is purchased, it helps to ensure an American job, which gives that worker more capital to put back into the economy. If everyone replacing their roofs this past year would have chosen to go green then my new green roof would have been affordable.

I do understand that my steps towards a greener world need to be small and very conscious and that at the least when I can; make the right choice. I need to constantly remind myself the going green is not a destination: it’s a journey and that I cannot expect myself or anyone else to become green overnight.

– REX

Miscellaneous Natural Bedroom

DC Greenfestival was Organic Comfort for Us…

Post author By Organic Comfort
Post date November 12, 2008

WOW!! It was so GREAT this past weekend at the Washington, DC Greenfestival. I’m glad we decided to go, even if it was last minute and thrown together so quickly. We just finished a 3-week local home show in Virginia Beach, so we weren’t sure we could squeeze the Greenfestival into the schedule but four days beforehand we voted “YEAH” and went. I want to thank Hans, Cris and Rex for getting there to setup and take care of things. They arranged our Cozy Caress organic mattress, stacked layered Cozy Cabin organic beds, a few bins of organic cotton loungewear, and LOTS of natural latex organic pillows. Considering this was all arranged in only one-week, they did a TERRIFIC job. My daughter and I drove up late Saturday afternoon to enjoy the last-half of the festival.

We were chilling-out in our organic cotton sleepwear – and you folks really seemed to love it! Thank you for the compliments on our booth and on our products. One woman commented that “this is what heaven would be like.” What a job we have… lounging around, laughing, chit-chat with our customers and always in an ultimate organic comfort zone. It was a really fun time. We SO MUCH enjoyed meeting and greeting the show visitors and speaking to you about the benefits of CozyPure bedding – better for your health and better for the environment.

Proving again to be our best-selling “got to have” organic bedding accessory…. We took one-hundred CozyPure® La’Noodle organic pillows and we only had three left at the end of show. Loved the elderly couple who returned Sunday for a second La’Noodle (they bought one Saturday). They even sang a little “La-La-La Noodle” jingle. It was wonderful. And then there was little Emily…

Emily was a darling four-year old who propped herself down on our layered Cozy Cabin organic cot beds and proclaimed “This is MY bed!” Ironically, mom and dad were looking for Emily’s new “big girl” bed. They were able to buy both of them Sunday night at the end of the show and tote them away in their Prius.

Speaking of…. Rex had to leave so I carpooled everyone back to Norfolk, Virginia in my Prius. We calculated a total cost of $15 in gas roundtrip. I love my car! I wish there was a bridge across the Atlantic Ocean .

Miscellaneous Natural Bedroom

2008 Young Eco-SuperHero

Post author By Organic Comfort
Post date November 9, 2008

Here he is… our top-title holder for the Hampton Roads Young Eco-SuperHero 2008 award. Christopher McElroy, of Norfolk, Virginia impressed all of us with his amazing presentation about Green Roofs. WOW, this kid had us wanting to install a green roof on every home in the country! As the winner, Christopher won his very own Cozy Haven organic mattress by CozyPure® – complete with his name and the Eco-Superhero title embroidered on the mattress. Four runners-up received personalized bed-buddy body pillows. We’re hoping these young eco-heroes sleep great and have green dreams that inspire them to become wonderful leaders of the future!