I'm usually willing to pay a little more for fashion that claims to be sustainable. But for those of us on a budget, buying fashionable eco-friendly clothes is not always an option. So ladies, here's your chance to get some good deals on quality eco-duds. I've done a round-up of some of the sales going on at eco-fashion web shops.
Tops ($70 and under)
Piped tunic by Sustainable Collective
(bamboo/organic cotton/spandex)
Was $94/Now $50
[Fashion Ethic]
Cassidy Camisole by Edun
Was $125/Now $65
[The Green Loop]
Crisp blouse by Kelly B
(organic cotton/spandex)
Sale price $70
[BTC Elements]
Half-sleeve hoodie by Stewart+Brown
(organic cotton)
Sale price $42
[BTC Elements]
Bottoms ($95 and under)
Hemp trouser pant by Ryann
Was $128/Now $95
[Fashion Ethic]
Beach shorts by Loomstate
(organic cotton)
Was $129/Now $64
[The Green Loop]
Tutor skirt by Loomstate
(organic cotton denim)
Was $129/Now $65
[The Green Loop]
Wide leg pant by Habitude
(organic cotton twill)
Was $176/Now $90
[The Green Loop]
Dresses (under $170)
Sexy soy halter dress by Anna Cohen
Originally $281/Now $168.60
[Green with Glamour]
"Alison" pleated dress by Sublet
(30% organic cotton, 67% bamboo, 3% spandex)
Originally $242/Now $130
[Fashion Ethic]
Tularosa dress by Loyale
(bamboo/cotton jersey blend)
Originally $160/Now $145
[Bohmo]
Pinstripe jumper by Bahar Shapar
(organic cotton)
Was $270/Now $135
[Kaight]
Aurora dress by Perfectly Imperfect
(organic cotton)
Not on sale, but reasonably priced at $130
[Green with Glamour]
Leigh dress by Kelly B
(bamboo)
Not on sale, but reasonably priced at $113
[Green with Glamour]
10 July 2008
on sale: eco-fashion
09 July 2008
what's going down your shower drain?
Petrochemicals, parabens, chemical surfactants, these are just a few of the things that are washed out of our hair and down the drain when we use conventional shampoo. Most of us don't think twice about it, bye-bye chemicals! I can't see you!
I started thinking more about these things a few years ago. What am I washing down the drain? Where is it going? Well it's not really going away. These toxins end up in our waterways and cycle back to us in our tap water.
Not to mention the direct effects of some of these ingredients when you're actually using them on a daily basis.
In light of all this, I'm so happy to have found Max Green Alchemy. They make hair care and other beauty products with good stuff in them -- no petrochemicals, no sodium laureth/laurel sulfate (skin irritants), and no parabens. I swear by Max's shampoo and conditioner. I won't use anything else. They have a nice herbal scent and leave my hair shiny and bouncy. I introduced Max to a friend of mine who does beauty product advertising, and her industry colleagues immediately took notice of her lovely locks. So Max isn't just eco-conscious, he makes you feel beautiful, too.
08 July 2008
why smoking stinks
(Image: Chris Jordan. Cigarette butts, 2005. 5 x 10 feet)Ok, now let's get down to it.
Aside from the obvious: cancer, emphysema, COPD, brittle bones, yellow teeth, yellow nails, stinky breath, smelly hair, and stinky everything-one-owns, there's the health of the world to consider.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), tobacco is the second major cause of death in the world. What? That shocked even me. (More alarming facts about tobacco from WHO here.) What other evil do cigarettes impose on the planet?
Tobacco poisons land and waterways.
Large amounts of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers are used in the farming of tobacco. In the US, one estimate puts yearly use of pesticide on tobacco in the US at over 25 million pounds. Some of these toxic pesticides are linked to birth defects, cancer, and/or nerve damage.[1] Naturally, what's put into the soil soon runs off into waterways, poisoning lakes, streams, and eventually the ocean.
Today, like many other industries, tobacco production is moving out of the US to developing nations. These countries don't have the same environmental regulations as the US, so the ecological toll could be greater.
Tobacco production contributes to deforestation.
Trees are cut down to build tobacco curing barns and to fuel the curing process.[2] There's also the paper the tobacco is rolled in to consider. It's estimated that one tree is sacrificed for every 300 cigarettes (~10.5 packs) produced. [3] We all know by now that deforestation is a major contributor to climate change.
Tobacco crops also eat into land that would be viable for farming food.
Unextinguished cigarettes cause forest fires.
And the butt...
The most littered trash in America (and some say the planet) are cigarette butts. While estimates vary on how long it takes for them to break down (from 10 months to 12 years), the plastic toxins in the butts never go away. They find there way into waterways and can adversely affect (read: kill) aquatic micro-organisms at the bottom of the food chain. And if we remember anything from grade school science class, what happens to the creatures at the bottom of the food chain affects us all.
So how can you or someone you care about quit smoking?
I know people who've quit cold turkey, using the patch, taking Chantix, or reading a book (like this one by Allen Carr, which gets a ton of good reviews). There are several online resources to help kick the habit. Here are a few:
In New York City, dial 311 to get free nicotine patches.
Sources:
1. US Geological Survey, Pesticide National Synthesis Project. National Totals by Crop and Compound. March 1998. In: Pesticide Action Network.
2. Geist, HJ. Global assessment of deforestation related to tobacco farming. Tobacco Control. 1999;8:18-28.
3. Muller, M. Tobacco in the Third World: Tommorrow's Epidemic? London: War on Want, 1976.
Additional sources:
afternoon eco news
- Bloomie making NYC eco-friendlier to the tune of $2.3billion
- Oregon governor to boost green-tech jobs
- Price driving organic purchases down?
- Bush craps up the place with oil policies (surprise, surprise)
- Maker of plastic food packaging moving toward sustainable packaging
- Concerned Barbadoan cries out for environmental help
07 July 2008
plastic pile
I have a confession. I have a large collection of plastic that can't be recycled in NYC. Mostly #6 (PS or polystyrene) and some #5 (polypropylene) objects are piling up in our "office" (aka, second bedroom; aka, junk room). Coffee cup lids, containers that held mushrooms, yogurt containers -- I can't get myself to throw them away. I have a big project in mind for them, but yesterday I was thinking, maybe there's a place I can send this stuff to be recycled.
And I found out today, there is! Thanks to Ideal Bite, I found out that Park Slope Food Co-op in Brooklyn will be happy to take my #5s and some of my number #4s (although these aren't as common) to send to Recycline. As I've mentioned before, they have a partnership with this maker of Preserve products. So the plastics that were destined to go to the dump (or the ocean) are now the stuff of toothbrushes, razors, and other household goods.
Now what to do with those #6s?
made in my backyard
It's nice to see when things are made close to home. While I can't be sure of the origins of their components, at least I know these finished products don't have far to ship. Check out some quality Made-in-Brooklyn goods courtesy of, funnily enough, Manhattan User's Guide.
And a few more Brooklyn-made goods:
- Copper pots
- Handbags and Manbags
- Dresses from AngelRox
robot love
Robots aren't always so cute. Think RoboCop, Terminator, HAL (well, I guess he's technically a computer). But what about Number 5 (Short Circuit), V.I.C.I (Small Wonder, okay, she was annoying), Twiki, or Artoo-Detoo?
In the cuteness department, WALL-E's got 'em all beat. He's freaking adorable. And not only is this fictional, computer-generated animation cute, the story surrounding him is an allegory about what we're doing to the environment. Could it get any better?
I don't want to give anything away, so go out and see it!
06 July 2008
the dr is in
Dr. Hauschka makes some really great stuff. One of the key ingredients that makes their products so great is not really an ingredient at all: quality packaging. According to Dr. Hauschka,
Our Eco-conscious packaging and natural botanical preservatives help keeps products fresh without the use of chemical additives. In this way, we're able to maintain the vitality of our Biodynamic and organic plant ingredients, delivering their nurturing, supportive qualities directly to you.Plus much of their ingredients are organic or biodynamic, the products don't contain parabens, and there's no animal testing. These features have been part of the principles of the grower of their ingredients, WALA Heilmittel, for over 60 years.
I've used the Rose Day Cream (on the heavier side, making it better for winter) and Cleansing Milk (well worth the price, it lasts a long time). They now make a Rose Day Cream Light for warmer months. And Sunscreen Cream SPF 20 to protect yourself from the summer sun.
They also make a Deodorant which I'd like to try (see my other post about natural deodorant here).
Not ready to commit to any specific products? Try the Daily Face Care Kit, a sampler of products small enough to pack away in carry-on luggage.
the sound of sleep
For years, my boyfriend used an air conditioner to drown out the noises of the city, just to get (and stay) asleep. It wasn't something I was accustomed to, but I learned to get used to it. But then I started thinking about how much energy sucking that air conditioner did, 365 days a year. We tried one of those noise machines with the varying sounds: rainforest, jungle, waterfall, plain old white noise. The problem with those things is that they're a recorded loop of sound. Whoooosh Whoooosh (hic) Whooosh. You can hear the slight skip where the loop starts again. Focusing on that hiccup is not conducive to a sound night's sleep.
Finally we found a sound machine that works. The Marpac SleepMate 980A Electro-Mechanical Sound Conditioner (quite a mouthful, but if you want to experience one, just click the link). It uses a small internal fan to make a whooshing sound. So now we're using a lot less energy and sleeping like babies. Whoooosh Whoooosh zzzzzzZZZZZZZZ
vast expanses of america
Nothing but peaks and valleys, green fields, vast plains for as far as the eye could see. Nothing but cows and their calves, destined for a CAFO (concentrated animal feeding operation). Nothing but horses and ranches, for hundreds of miles -- from park to park, nation to nation.
On the US side, little in the way of renewable energy resources. With the abundance of land and sunshine, I expected to see solar panels gracing the pastures. None that I could see. On the Canadian side, adjacent the cattle were wind farms.
On both sides of the border, much talk about the consequences of receding glaciers. Drought. Fires. The lengthening summers and conversely shortening winters. The related changes in animal behavior.
Passing Butte, MT, my jaw dropped. As if someone had a giant chisel, the entire landscape was sliced out.
This is the America I experienced on my recent trip out West. Both amazing and alarming, at least from a passerby's perspective. It was beautiful, but I can't help but eco-scan everything I see.
03 July 2008
something to cheer you up
Sorry about that nasty post about Wal-Mart, I just had to get it out. So how 'bout some sunshine to counter the gloom and doom: some philanthropic flowers. And how apropos, these flowers can help provide sustainable health care to people in need.
Project HOPE Siberia Lilies
Project HOPE's mission is to achieve sustainable advances in health care around the world by implementing health education programs and providing humanitarian assistance in areas of need. They have most recently sent 1.5 million dollars of medicine to help Indonesian Tsunami victims. Now you can support their critical humanitarian efforts while bringing a smile to a loved one's face by ordering this 10-stem bouquet of abundantly fragrant Siberia Lilies. 5% of each purchase will be donated to Project HOPE.*Vase not included. An optional vase is available at checkout.*Caution: Siberia lilies may be harmful to cats if ingested. Please consult your veterinarian for more information.
To order, click the image above.
02 July 2008
why wal-mart isn't green
Warning: This is not an uplifting post.
I have the luxury of disliking Wal-Mart, simply because I don't have one in my backyard. Plus, being in the city I can support a multitude of small, local businesses when I need housewares, clothing, hardware, etc. But many people across the country don't have much choice over where they shop. Wal-Mart may be their only option for getting the daily necessities, from groceries to clothing to beauty products (in many cases because Wal-Mart put the little guys who couldn't compete with their low prices out of business). (Illustration: BusinessWeek)
A couple of weeks ago, I visited two different Wal-Marts, once out of necessity (in Cody, Wyoming) and once because I was dragged there (Virginia Beach). While I didn't completely scour the stores to examine every item for its eco-friendliness, I did notice a few things which irked me.
No organic produce (at least none that I could see)
In 2001, Wal-Mart became the largest food retailer in the US. If all (or even most) of their produce is conventional, they are contributing to a health and environmental disaster. Conventional farming methods rely on pesticides, herbicides, and synthetic fertilizers for production. The run-off of treated soil and nitrogen fertilizers has led to the huge dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico (a simple explanation, here and here). Not providing customers with the option of organic is definitely not green.
Read more about conventional vs organic farming
No antibiotic-free/hormone-free, free range or organic meat
In the Virginia Beach Wal-Mart I thought I'd check out the meat department. I thought I'd see at least one organic or free-range meat product -- chicken at the very least. All I saw was unsustainable chicken, beef, and pork. These animals are most likely from a factory farm, which in itself is an environmental nightmare.
Ok, this is where I really go off...
Cheap is not sustainable: The 'China Price'
What a cruel joke that Wal-Mart's tagline is 'Save money. Live better.' because their cheap values are ultimately costing people their lives. I recently read the China Issue (May 2008)
of National Geographic. While I was already aware of the negative health and environmental impacts of unregulated manufacturing in China, I still found myself shaking my head in disbelief. China's ecology hangs in the balance. The Yellow River, once China's lifeblood, is polluted to the point that it is undrinkable, and is drying to a trickle in some spots. The rate of cancer along the river is up to 23%. The river literally runs red (and other colors) from chemical runoff. (Image: Dang Yun/ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images)
Cheap at any cost simply cannot last. As the world's demand for cheap goods (and cheap labor) continues, China -- the world's manufacturer -- is running out of natural resources. Not to mention the abuses of workers' rights, and disregard for human rights in and out of the country (ie, Sudan).
So, why do I hold Wal-Mart responsible for all of this? Simply because they have the greatest reach of all the big box stores. And according the National Geographic, 9% of all Chinese goods imported to the US end up on Wal-Mart's shelves. That might not sound like a lot until you really think about it. Think of the hundreds of thousands of retailers in this country. Now think about the piece of the China-goods pie that's going to Wal-Mart. It's staggering.
They say the are trying
It's not like they're doing nothing at all to try to be more sustainable. In 2005, Wal-Mart announced their goals for reducing their carbon footprint and being more environmentally responsible. They recently announced they'll be offering more local produce (probably to save money since these days local is cheaper due because it doesn't have to travel far). They sell CFLs, but soon that will be the only lighting option that can be sold by law. I'm sure I'm not covering all of the good things they have planned for the future, but I'm just not optimistic about the ability of a giant like Wal-Mart to be sustainable.
Haven't read enough bad news about Wal-Mart? Here's more about their negative enviro-impact from Grist.
Want to know where to shop instead? Keep reading this blog!
