Wednesday, May 27, 2009

We Need Your Help!

Please listen to this short audio blog for details on how you can help us out in a big way! xoxo

Gabcast! Mountains of the Moon Audio Blogging Sessions #1




Once you have listened to eco-fabulous audio cast above (it's only a minute long, so never fear), pretty pretty please (with organic sugar on top) help us out by doing the following:

Watch our video: Passion, Perseverance, & Pigeon Poop: the Story of Mountains of the Moon Eco.Fashion

And then vote for Mountains of the Moon!

TO VOTE:
(NOTE: Please use Firefox as your browser if you can. The voting doesn't seem to work in some versions of Internet Explorer).
1. To the right of the video there will be three links (in blue) that say Inspiring, Useful, and Funny. Click on Inspiring.
3. You will be prompted to either sign in (if you voted on our story in the last round, you can use the same user ID and password; if you forgot your password, click on the forgot password link and they will e-mail it to you), or create an account. Creating an account takes less than 10 seconds, and you never have to use it again dear readers (and Intuit will not send you spam or e-mailers, we promise).
4. After that, click on Useful, then Funny. Once all of these links says "Thanks," you've voted for us!
5. Now pass it on! Post to your blog, Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, message boards, and forward to your friends, coworkers and family.


Just like you have helped us to exist over the years, you can also help us continue to create positive change and stay in business through economically uncertain times with the help of this grant.

If you have any questions or trouble casting your vote, e-mail us at customerservice (AT) mountainsofthemoon.com.


We love you ever MORE now!
xo,
melissa & all the motm team

Monday, May 18, 2009

We Made It! Now Pretty, Pretty Please Vote for Us!


Well dear readers, we've got some news for you, oh yes we do...

Recently, we entered a small business grant competition, where we told the story of Mountains of the Moon, and discussed owner/designer Melissa Baswell's (that's me!) challenges in starting an eco-friendly fashion company. 1,900 businesses entered, and our lo and behold, our lil' old story was chosen as one of the 50 finalists! We were then given about a week to make a short (less then 4 minute) movie telling the story. As we do with our company and clothing, we put a lot of time and passion into creating the video. (And stayed up until 3 AM way too many nights in a row for there to be no organic wine involved).

We hope that you love us as much as we love you, and that you will take a few minutes to watch our video and learn more about how we overcame struggles in an industry that wasn't always open to eco-friendly fashion. And then we hope you'll vote for us! Vote, vote vote! For a small environmentally and socially conscious clothing label, fighting to move forward and grow is a major challenge, especially in an economic crisis. This grant would help us to continue our mission.

Details on how to vote and a link to the story are below. If you like our video, we hope that you will also spread the word! Pass this on to your friends, your family, your cute little doggy, post it on your facebook pages or message boards or groups you are part of, write about it on your blog, paint it across your chest and run free through the forest - anything you can do is of course fabulous and appreciated. 60% of our score is up to the judges, but 40% is based on the votes that we get from all of you - our blog readers, customers, colleagues, shops/boutiques, and friends. The voting ends on May 31st.

Here is the link to our video: Passion, Perseverance, & Pigeon Poop: the Story of Mountains of the Moon Eco.Fashion

DIRECTIONS ON HOW TO VOTE:
(NOTE: Please use Firefox as your browser if you can. The voting doesn't seem to work in Internet Explorer).
1. Go to the link above and watch the video.
2. To the right of the video there will be three links (in blue) that say Inspiring, Useful, and Funny (hopefully you will choose all three!). Click on one of the links.
3. You will be prompted to either sign in (if you voted on our story in the last round, you can use the same user ID and password; if you forgot your password, click on the forgot password link and they will e-mail it to you), or create an account. Creating an account takes less than 10 seconds, and you never have to use it again (and Intuit will not send you spam or e-mailers).
4. After that, click on the other two as well (if you clicked on "Inspiring" before signing in or creating an account, now click on "Useful" and "Funny.") There is also a place to post a comment which is optional.
5. Now pass it on! :)

Finally, I'd like to thank my amazing boyfriend Robbie for his help with this. This man is on the road as Stage Manager Extraordinare for weeks at a time, and he spent the few days he is home and able to rest learning video editing and being my movie-making partner in crime. I'd also like to thank our wonderful friend and incredibly talented musician Jake Cinninger for the original music he donated to the story. Bost most of all, thank YOU. Mountains of the Moon exists because of you, period.

I hope you enjoy watching the story of our beginnings, and that you'll vote for us and help us continue our mission to design conscious, chic clothing that helps, not hurts, the earth.

Love, love, love,
Melissa (& Kari, Rachel, Morgan & Corinne too)

Chicago Green Festival Audio Blog Reports #greenfest : Final Green Festival Chicago Upate & Many Thanks!

Gabcast! Chicago Green Festival Audio Blog Reports #greenfest #11

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Chicago Green Festival Audio Blog Reports #greenfest : A 3-Time Attendee's Take on the Best Part of Green Festival - New Discoveries

Join Melissa from her final interview from the Green Fest floor as she talks with a local Chicagoan (and three-time Green Festival Attendee!) about the best part of Green Festivals and how Chicago plays a roll in the Green movement. Gabcast! Chicago Green Festival Audio Blog Reports #greenfest #8

Chicago Green Festival Audio Blog Reports #greenfest : Vince Iwinski, Umphrey's McGee Manager, Green Apple Producer, & Green Festival Attendee!


Live from the Green Festival floor Sunday afternoon, Melissa interviews Vincent Iwinski on his second day exploring Green Festival Chicago. Vince talks about the positive effects of different industries coming together to join forces in an effort to increase environmental awareness. Vince is a long-time part of Chicago's music industry, manager of local Chicago band Umphrey's McGee, an avid eco-warrior and lover of the outdoors (he rode his bicycle to the event both Saturday and Sunday), and produces Chicago's Green Apple Music Festival, held every year over Earth Day weekend.

Gabcast! Chicago Green Festival Audio Blog Reports #greenfest #7

Chicago Green Festival Audio Blog Reports #greenfest : Da Green Show!


Courtney Rioux and Chris Walsh of Da Green Show and Parker in the Park (a natural science musical!) stopped in our Green Festival booth this morning to interview Melissa. They asked lots of great questions about her recycled candy wrapper dress, being an eco-fashion designer, and exhibiting at Green Festival. Afterward, we turned the microphone on them, and Rachel asked them a little bit more about their own eco-projects.


Gabcast! Chicago Green Festival Audio Blog Reports #greenfest #6


Saturday, May 16, 2009

Chicago Green Festival Audio Blog Reports #greenfest : Rachel Interviews Two Very Young Green Fest Attendees on Their Take on Environmental Awareness

One of our favorite interviews of the weekend! Join Rachel live at Green Festival Chicago, as she interviews a 5 year-old and a 7 year-old, and listen to their take on how we can help save the planet.

Gabcast! Chicago Green Festival Audio Blog Reports #greenfest #5

Chicago Green Festival Audio Blog Reports #greenfest : Checking in at Green Festival Chicago, Day # 1


Mountains of the Moon's very own Melissa Baswell and Rachel Lowen take a quick break from their busy booth to enjoy a few minutes of the beautiful Chicago weather and fill you all in on their experiences so far on the first day of Green Festival Chicago 2009.

Gabcast! Chicago Green Festival Audio Blog Reports #greenfest #4

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Chicago Green Festival Audio Blog Reports: Preview!



The ladies of Mountains of the Moon Eco.Fashion are honored to have been chosen to podcast live from Green Festival Chicago this year. We'll be mobile blogging from the festival all weekend - talking with other exhibitors and attendees, interviewing our oh-so-wonderful-customers, and bringing you reports on our favorite parts of this year's event. Gabcast! Chicago Green Festival Audio Blog Reports #greenfest #2