While I’ve been writing about lip gloss and pondering the use of dangling participles in chick-lit, my Columbia sorority sister, Ellen Gustafson, has been busy saving the world.

Together with Lauren Bush, CEO and Creative Director of FEED Projects, Ellen co-founded the now-wildly popular eco-friendly bag company dedicated to eradicating child hunger in developing nations.  (For more on FEED’s mission, I urge you to visit here!)

I chatted with Ellen and Lauren about their work, their travels and how their notions of beauty have been influenced by what they’ve seen.  (Plus, they spill about an upcoming collaboration with Bobbi Brown!)

Q:  The two of you have traveled extensively working with FEED. Have you picked up any unique beauty tips or tricks from your travels that you might otherwise never have learned?

A:  Through our work with FEED, we have travelled together in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In each region of the world there are traditional beauty remedies and regiments that women have used for centuries, but, unfortunately, many of the women we are meeting are struggling to keep themselves and their families alive. Still the traditional, colorful fabrics of every culture make even the most dim situation a little brighter. And women’s inner spirit also helps to enliven their faces!

Q:  What’s a typical day in the life for you when traveling for FEED?

A:  We always start our field-based travel days EARLY! We have to get ready and eat breakfast at the crack of dawn, because to get to the remote villages and schools we are working in, the roads are long, unpaved and often hilly. We want to make sure we are at each school in time to help with their daily meal and we DON’T want to make the children have to wait for that! We bring water bottles, sunscreen and lipbalm in our FEED bags and we often eat a packed lunch in the UN truck. We are out visiting schools all day and get to really do the best part of our work: playing with kids!!! As night falls, we return to a hotel in the closest main city and try to find some dinner before getting some needed sleep.

Q:  Do you exclusively use organic or eco-friendly beauty products? What are the favorite items in your beauty cabinet?

A:  We both try to use eco-friendly products. Lauren found Jurlique products when she was studying abroad in Australia and now we both love them! Also, Aveda, Dr. Hauschka and Whole Foods’ 365 line are great. We love mineral sunscreens and shea butter-based lip-balms. There are so many luxurious, eco-friendly products these days, it’s easy to find something for all beauty needs.

Q:  When you’re traveling, are you soap and water girls, or do you bring little luxuries with you?

A:  Although it feels weird to have your luxurious face wash waiting back at the hotel after a day traveling in an impoverished village, it is nice to try and keep a healthy skincare routine, even when we’re on the road! I have been using a JASON citrus face wash and Jurlique rosewater face spray which feel so good after a day of traveling.

Q:  Beauty can often have a narrow, media-driven definition in the US. Have your charity work and travels for FEED given you a different appreciation of what it means to be beautiful?

A:  Absolutely! We are constantly barraged with a very narrow definition of beauty here at home and there is so much out there in the world that teaches us otherwise. Women all around the world do creative and unique things to make themselves look and feel beautiful. Most of the women we see are not using make-up or other external “enhancements”. They are doing natural and traditional things to bring out their beauty.

FEED Read 3 Bag

We both love the jewelry and fabrics we find in African markets and to see how the local women use the fabrics to create beautiful silhouettes is so inspiring! Many African women use the small of their back as a safe place to carry a baby…what a great way to use our strong, curvy womens’ bodies. I have become so obsessed with wearing scarves from my travels that I can’t leave home without one, even in the summer!

Q: How do you balance what you see in your travels with the day-to-day realities of your home lives?

A:  It’s sometimes just shocking how differently we live from some of the people we are visiting in villages around the world. But, the biggest lesson you learn from traveling is actually how similar all humans really are. That is the coolest thing about the world, we may live differently, but we really all have the same basic needs: food, water, shelter, family, friends, and some fun!

That said, coming home to New York City after a week in Uganda, you realize just how lucky we are to have been born where we were born and to have the opportunities that we have! We also try to check ourselves when we say how “starving” we are–knowing that people are actually starving makes you feel a bit spoiled to suggest that a few hours after lunch!

Q: What’s next for FEED?

Kenneth Cole FEED Backpack

A:  We are continuing to create eco-friendly products that can include donations to supporting causes around the world! Our FEED Health Backpack is available at Kenneth Cole Stores nationwide and every bag sold will provide an additional bag for a Community Health Worker in sub-saharan Africa.
Launching Sept. 10 and Barnes & Noble stores nationwide, our FEED/READ 3 bag will provide 3 school meals (through the World Food Program) and 3 local-language children’s books, through Room-to-Read, an awesome non-profit that builds libraries and produces children’s literature for kids in the developing world.

This holiday season we are launching a few other new products, including a FEED 10 pouch to be sold with Bobbi Brown lipgloss!!

Check out our website store Feedprojects.org for more great FEED products!