Add your story to the comments below – remember, it must somehow relate to sustainability, living green, or karma – and we’ll pick a winner at random!

Details to follow, but for now, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and everything in between.

To enter, comment below by telling us one way you’ve made a difference between now and December 30th. Keep reading for the review and the details for your chance to win!

The company is The Sak, a brand whose philosophy is built on two premises: happiness and freedom. They claim that harmony and peace is interwoven in their spirit – and their eclectic line of handbags exude this same personality.

The beginnings

It was a combination of a love of the hippie lifestyle that drew Mark Talucci and Todd Elliot towards this entrepreneurship. Combined with this was their interest in artisan fabrics and unique objects, and they began a business importing them from overseas to their hometown San Francisco.

Handbags soon entered the mix with inspiration from one that belonged to Todd’s sister. The rest, as they say, is history. (Read the full story here)

From 1989, Mark and Todd have been involved in the world of fashion, which soon evolved in The Sak itself, a simple, relaxed handbag making use of their trademark style.

Sustainable style

We especially love when companies take the extra step to being sustainable, and The Sak is a perfect candidate for practicing what they preach. They build their company on three concepts: Trust, Action and Ownership; they combine that with six ideals: honest, humble, loyal, driven, confident and passionate. By giving back to international communities, supporting non-profit organizations, and recently introducing an eco-friendly line, The Sak is truly a karma-based company.

Giving back

The crew at The Sak has teamed up with The Nature Conservancy’s Plant a Billion Trees campaign, aiming to restore and plant one billion trees by 2015 on 2.5 million acres of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest.  Read more here.

This eco-friendly line is called sakroots, their first-ever eco-friendly collection of their namesake bags. We’ve had the opportunity to review one, and because we know you’ll love it so much, we’re doing a giveaway, too!

sakroots eco-friendly bags

The bag is far more than just a version of a planet-friendly purse. Instead, this bamboo-based bag can easily be unisex, featuring a long strap, vibrant colours, and a tie closure.

We love bamboo for it’s renewable ways (after all, we talk about it all the time), and its softness and durability is not lost in the sakroots use of it.

The roomy bag features an interior made of 100% recycled cotton, with a zipper pocket, as well as two elastic pockets perfect for all of your essentials. Easily storing a wallet, smartphone, sunglasses, and your other daily needs, the thick, well-stitched interior will meet all your needs – and more.

True to the soul of the company, the bag features a hand-carved and hand-painted mandala made of sono-wood. Sono-wood is indigenous to Indonesia and easily replenished – and in this case, gorgeous, too.

We love the vibrant colours, a mix of purples, reds and oranges, perfectly complementing one another in a crocheted, woven mix. The long, single strap allows for hand-free carry along, and the top tie closure and deep interior give you the peace of mind that your contents are secure.

Win your own!

But here’s the best part: we’ve partnered with The Sak for a giveaway! Because we love it so much, we want one of our lucky readers to have your own.

To enter, comment below by telling us one way you’ve made a difference between now and December 30th. You can enter as many times as you’d like, as long as each comment is a different karma-driven event.

(Please note, by entering this contest, you will automatically be entered into the sak and Elliott Lucca databases for future emails.)

sakroots bag by The Sak

• Eco Harmony Space Malboro, in Sangria
• 13″ Length, 3″ Width, 10″ Height, 18″ Strap Drop
• Exterior: 100% Bamboo
• Interior: 100% recycled cotton
• Tie closure, zipper pocket, elastic pocket
• Featuring a hand carved and hand painted mandala made of sono-wood

Buy now from Amazon.com!

Images courtesy of The Sak

We’re currently looking for recipes to refurbish to eco-friendly standards.

Send us your favourite recipe and we’ll find ways to make it low-carbon.

In our article, How Low Can You Go: Low carbon, that is, we talked about ways to reduce your eco-impact with your diet by relating it to carbon emissions created by your meals.

We want to makeover your top recipes to lessen their impact on the planet. The five factors include:

• Minimizing packaging
• Minimizing waste
• Eating seasonally and locally
• Trying alternative proteins

To qualify, your recipe must be high carbon.

If you aren’t sure, check out our article and read more about the low-carbon diet at EatLowCarbon.org.

Send us your name, recipe, and which category/categories it falls under, and you could win a copy of Simply Organic: A Cookbook for Sustainable, Seasonal and Local Ingredients by Jesse Ziff Cool.

Email us with the details here.

Image courtesy of wellingtons.com.au