“Water has no substitutes. We can transition away from coal and oil to solar, wind and other renewable resources, but there’s no transitioning away from water.” - Sandra Postel, Global Water Policy Project.

By Alexandra and Philippe Cousteau via Reader’s Digest

Consuming less water is easier than you think. Here are some suggestions about making smarter choices.

1. Clean Green
Sixty-nine percent of the rivers and streams analyzed in 2002 contained metabolites of strong detergents, and 66% contained disinfectants, so look for non-toxic cleaning products.

2. Vegetarian Once a Week
Did you know that more than 500 litres of water are required to produce a steak? As an alternative, why not opt for a vegetable casserole or whole grains from time to time?

3. Creative Landscaping
Select local plant species that will thrive with minimal maintenance. Remember to water early in the morning or at dusk.

4. Sustainable Fish and Seafood
If you’d like to be able to still enjoy eating fish in 40 years or so, make discerning choices now. Find fish that are healthy for you and the ocean at m.ed.org/seafood.

5. In the Bathroom
Adjust the thermometer on your water heater to 50 degree Celcius and install high-efficiency toilets.

6. In the Kitchen
Wash your fruit and vegetables in a salad spinner. You can reuse the water on your houseplants.

Elegant Watercolor Silk Clutch
A perfect compliment for all the year-end and new year parties for the diva of your life. This silk clutch from Naturally Knotty is beautifully-crafted out of scraps of silk from the factory, that would otherwise end up at the landfill.

Recycled Jewel-tone Glass Vases
These gorgeous frosted bottle vases made from recycled glasses have such unconventional shapes that will surely brighten up your space with the accompaniment of your favorite blooms. ‘Gift’ them in a set to make a bold statement or individually from VivaTerra.

Red Felted Wool Slippers
I’m totally in love with this cute little pair of wool slippers from VivaTerra! These slippers are handmade in Nepal by a group of women supported by the UN Global Compact’s Program. Plus, they’re made from luxurious New Zealand wool! A good enough reason to keep your loved one’s feet warm this winter season!

Recycled Chopstick Soap Dish
This soap dish has a very creative yet functional design by artist Bryan Parks. Handmade in the Yunnan Province in China from recycled chopsticks, this one makes a great conversational piece for the guests and it’s very affordable at $10 a piece. Here’s a little background story of this design by uncommongoods.

After living in China for several years and witnessing, on a large scale, the wasteful habit of disposable chopsticks, artist Bryan Parks decided he had to do something about it. So, he set to work designing functional, sculptural folding pieces handmade from recycled, sanitized bamboo chopsticks.

And now, to know what NOT to give for this holiday season, hop over to PlanetGreen to read Josh Peterson’s Anti-Gift List.

All orders from our Vase Bouquet Collection for this Christmas season will be accompanied with an adorable Christmas hanging ornament, just like these little ones featured on the card, while stock lasts. Also, not forgetting the exclusive hand-painted eco greeting cards (at selected areas) that will go with the beautiful fresh blooms.

Holiday Delivery Order Cut-off Dates: All orders for the Christmas Vase Bouquet must be placed by December 20, 2008.

Can’t find the flowers you’re looking for? Contact me at ammie@lefiores.com.

There is nothing really ‘groundbreaking’ about these bouquets. The flowers and designs are essentially the same as their ‘bigger’ counterparts in the vase bouquets series.

They are just, well, smaller

Eco-stream or eco-tampering? by Anil Netto
…He said he didn’t know what was so “eco” about it when they are clearing the vegetation from the banks of the stream, raising the level of the banks and putting in some kind of matting for the pedestrian walkway…

The same tender loving care applies!

This five-tier wedding cake in bold monochromatic red color is softened by its quilted fondant covering and the addition of cascading bows, made of colored white-chocolate fondant. However, pretty cake does not come cheap. This cake reportedly costs the couple a whopping US$40,000, since it was flown with an escort from Los Angeles to Paris - first class!

Source: Spring 2008, InStyle Weddings Magazine (U.S. edition).

I was assigned to design the floral centerpieces for Emirates Sky Cargo and Mercator, the IT division of the Dubai-based Emirates Group. Emirates had one of the most impressive stands at the convention centre, where they built up a 2-storey display booth complete with reception desks, bars, and meeting rooms.

To complement the Emirates’ logo, the color theme of the floral centerpieces for Emirates Sky Cargo is red, white, and green. For the reception desks and bars, I’ve used a mixture of tropical crab claws, red gladiolus, white dendrobium orchids, and some fatsia japonicas in elegant frosted glass vases.

As for the meeting rooms and coffee tables, the main flowers used were red roses, carnations, and Casablanca lilies. The overall look and feel of the floral designs that I wanted to achieve was understated elegance. I refrained from using fancy vases of different colors and shapes, as I wanted the focus to be on the flowers and the round clear vases helped complete the look.

On the left (below): Small round centerpieces for the tables. The texture of the full-bloomed carnations enhanced the visibility of the tiny hypericums.

On the right (below): One of the floral displays for Mercator, a blend of golden ramsies and green dendrobium orchids, and fatsia japonicas.

The Rural Schools Project was initiated by the American Assistance for Cambodia (AAfC) in 1999, and the project allows private donors to build schools with matching funds from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank for the kids and youths in rural Cambodia. To date, over 400 elementary and junior high schools have been constructed in most of the rural areas in Cambodia.

Most villages in the rural parts of Cambodia do not have access to clean water, electricity, and proper health care. One can hardly imagine how these students learn under such harsh conditions. At times, the weather can be so hot that it cracks the very earth and on the other extreme, major parts of the villages are flooded during the rainy season due to poor irrigation.

Imagine studying in a classroom without fans with an extremely dry weather out there. Forget about air-conditioner as there won’t be any electricity supplies at all. School works and readings must be done before the sun sets, unless candles or oil-lamps are used. Such are the life of the kids in rural Cambodia today.

In comparison, the youths in Malaysia are extremely lucky. We should all be grateful for everything that we have and learn to give to those who are more underprivileged than us. There’s no doubt that education is the best gift one can pass on to the next generation, and every little help from us can help these kids change their future.

To learn more about this project, please visit the official AAfC website at www.cambodiaschools.com.

The backdrop is from Mid Valley’s Raya decoration setting, notably one of the best in town. However, the best Raya decoration award would have to be One Utama, hands down.

The worst Raya decoration in town would have to be awarded to Suria KLCC. They had this LCD and the artificial pond settings with a small boat in it. It’s so lacking in aesthetic that I didn’t bother to take a picture of it (just can’t find a good angle).