For a mani-pedi with an eco touch, drop by Recess, a new L.A. salon with an eco-chic feel. Here you can soak your feet in a scented bath, dry them on bamboo towels, then add a massage with organic essential oils followed by a moisturizing treatment with paraben-free lotions.
The swanky and spacious 2000+ sq. ft. salon has a green mission, though the environmentally free details aren't readily noticeable. Recess' owner Nidhi Lal outfitted the salon with FSC-certified wood, low-VOC paints, LED lights and repurposed materials and is working on getting LEED certification.
Especially considering the swanky look of the place, Recess' services are quite inexpensive. A 30-minute manicure -- complete with a scented soak, warm towel treatment, and moisturizing -- costs $25, a similar 40-minute pedicure's $35. For $6 a pop ($8 for feet), you can add on extras like a salt and sugar scrub or an organic essential oil massage.
At the end of the treatment, you even get to take home the buffer, orangewood stick, nail file, and foot file used during your treatment. Recess prides itself in never re-using these items, and so gives them to you free.
The least eco part of of the salon, unfortunately, is the nail polish itself, even though the nail polish lines Recess uses -- SpaRitual and Zoya -- avoid the worst three ingredients found in some nail polishes: toulene, formaldehyde and DBP. That said, everyone from L'Oreal to Wet 'n' Wild have removed these three baddies, so Zoya and SpaRitual aren't exactly much more eco than conventional nail polishes today. Recess does still have that strong chemical smell you get at conventional nail salons; so to call the polish non-toxic may be a bit of a stretch, though it could be called less toxic.
Still, for those who can't give up their nail polish habits, Recess offers a greener option. The gorgeous interior even works well as a party spot, making Recess the perfect salon for mani-pedi parties.
Recess. 8408-B Beverly Blvd. Los Angeles. 323.782.9919
Self-described as an "eco-living general store and design center," Green and Greener will carry everything from sustainable clothing to clay plaster to gardening supplies. In addition to the products, Green and Greener will showcase eco-living inspired art, as well as offer eco-consulting services. Alegre Ramos, who owns Green and Greener with her husband Sean, is an LEED-certified Accredited Professional as well as a businesswoman, and will continue her work in green interior and landscape design too. In fact, Alegre re-did the Green and Green building itself in eco-fashion; you can see the green transformation the building went through here.
Get there on opening day, June 10 from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., and you'll get 10% off your purchase -- in addition to a free gift with your purchase.
And while getting around the Valley without a car isn't always easy, Green and Greener shoppers will be rewarded for their de-car-ing efforts. Customers get a 10% discount on their purchase any day they get to the store without driving. Green and Greener's put together a handy public transportation map to help you out -- and bike racks are right out front!
Green and Greener. 4838 Laurel Canyon Blvd., Valley Village. (866) 337-5602
>> L.A. lifeguards get into hybrids. Ford presented 10 Beach Patrol Escape Hybrids to the L.A. County Lifeguard Headquarters in Venice last week. "With four-wheel drive, it'll return 29 mpg in town (or on the beach), and 27 mpg on the highway." The fleet will grow to 45 vehicles. (via Treehugger)
If your shopping list includes everything from a $3 natural wood crayon set to a $26 make-it-yourself eco-cleaning kit to a $500 Linda Loudermilk designer jacket, your new favorite eco-shop's just opened its doors.
Visionary, a new eco-boutique in West Hollywood, celebrated its launch on Wednesday with a fundraiser for Global Green, featuring organic cupcakes, fair trade Steaz tea, and carbon neutral Parducci wines. Self-described as "your one-stop eco-chic boutique," Visionary offers a very eclectic collection of household goods and green fashions -- with a price range to match.
Some of the items were oddly inexpensive -- like the handcrafted wooden toy motorcycle above, yours for just $15.99. Others were more high-end luxury products -- organic towels that ran $100+, eco-fashions at designer prices. Most goods fell somewhere in between.
What makes the products at Visionary eco? That depends on the product. According to owner Magda Rod, Visionary's products meet one or more of the criteria listed on the Visionary tag (pictured below) attached to each item:
Some of these qualities -- such as the use of organic, recycled or reclaimed materials -- are clearly environmentally desirable. Others -- like handcrafted or locally-made -- are concrete, positive attributes, but are not necessarily eco in my book. A handcrafted toy cat made with sustainable wood I saw didn't seem so green, since it was covered with synthetic glitter that came off in my hands.
Yet other criteria, like promoting "peace and love" or being "enlightening" are just totally nebulous and rather arbitrary, IMHO. Fridge magnets of hands giving the peace sign don't qualify as "sustainable" if they're made of unsustainable materials. I wouldn't want kids putting that in their mouths.
Still, these less eco items stuck out mainly because most of the products at Visionary are sustainable and environmentally-friendly. Magda says that she expects the boutique's collection to evolve as she continues her research and learning about environmental issues.
I expect Visionary will get quite popular with the well-heeled West Hollywood crowd, especially since the store's located right across the street from Urth Caffe, making the boutique a nice post-organic coffee stop.
Visionary. 8568 1/2 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood.(310) 659-1177.
"Project Runway" fans: Did you know there's an online shoe design reality show? "FN Shoestar," sponsored by Nine West, recently challenged its designers to create sustainable uppers for a sandal. The result: Pretty crunchy-looking shoes.
"Shoestar" isn't a particularly creative show since it basically copies "Project Runway's" format, down to the inane interviews ("The green challenge is ... definitely challenging," explains one girl). The gaffes are somewhat funnier though, with one girl talking about "fox suede" -- then explaining that "fox" is spelled f-a-u-x.
The designers make eco-mistakes too. For example, Tyvek -- the like-paper-but-stronger-than-paper stuff used to make some FedEx and USPS envelopes -- is no friend of the environment. Like Styrofoam, Tyvek's usually made to create one-use products that unfortunately last forever in landfills (yes, industry people will say Styrofoam and Tyvek are recyclable, but they rarely do get recycled as most cities don't have recycling programs in place for these expensive-to-recycle products that have little to no post-recycling value).
Still, the show covers a bunch of more environmentally-friendly materials used in shoes, so eco-fashionistas might find the episode an interesting crash course in sustainable shoes.
For cute every-day eco-shoes available today, I highly recommend Simple Shoes' ecoSNEAKS, available for both men and women. These are made of hemp, organic cotton, recycled PET, recycled car tire, and 100% post-consumer paper pulp!
I ordered a pair of the “Stop Global Warming” edition Women’s Retire shoes a month ago, partly because $5 from each $60 pair sold gets donated to StopGlobalWarming.org. Just two days later, the shoes arrived at my doorstep via free shipping. Now, I wear them all the time because they're so comfy -- and because they attract a surprising number of compliments, especially considering that they're just sneakers.
>> How to bring smart growth to your city. Experts name a variety of ways you can take action as an individual to encourage less sprawled, more vibrant cities.
>> Smart Faucet: A small gadget for your sink to help save water. Potential shortcomings I see: The gadget won't prevent the waste that happens when one runs the water waiting for it to warm up, and the gadget might get in the way if you wash your face in the sink. I haven't tested it out myself though. Anyone tried it?
If Loomstate's $88 organic T-shirts make you dismiss enviro-fashion as a sales gimmick for the Barneys crowd, stop looking down your nose at them -- because soon, you might be wearing the same clothes they are.
How? Barneys New York and Target have teamed up -- over eco-fashions. Yep, eco-ethical designer Rogan Gregory of Edun and Loomstate fame has created a fashionable collection for Target. And somewhat strangely, that collection's debuting at Barneys for a few days, before moving to Target's mass market racks on Sunday, May 18.
Stop by Barneys in Beverly Hills this weekend and you can get organic cotton T-shirts, jeans, and other breezy summerwear for Target prices. We're talking $15 to $45 per item!
All the cotton used in the collection is organic; other more eco-friendly natural fibers -- such as flax linen -- are also used. However, not all items are so eco. One swimsuit, in fact, seems very synthetic and un-eco-friendly. Check out the tag below, for the swimsuit to the right:
I highly recommend making your eco-shopping decisions on a per-item basis, instead of simply assuming everything in the Rogan for Target line is eco.
Last night was Barneys' sneak-peek shopping party in L.A. (New York had its Barneys party last week), and hordes of well-heeled regular Barneys shoppers snapped up Rogan for Target clothes. My friend Summer and I thought we'd browse around at the beginning and shop at the end -- to find that many items in our sizes had already sold out!
The Barneys racks'll be restocked though, at least during this weekend. After May 19, the cheap duds will be excised from the high-end retailer, to reappear on Target's more plebeian racks for six weeks.
Why're these items so inexpensive? Obviously, a company the size of Target can bring down prices simply through economies of scale. But labor justice activists may raise an eyebrow about the fact that these clothes are made in China and Bangladesh.
Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean the clothes were made via exploitative labor. But what I've found interesting is that the details about the production of this collection are scant, and never even mentioned in the Wall Street Journal's or New York Times' coverage.
The omission's especially odd considering the fact that Rogan made his name not just through his use of eco-friendly materials, but also due to his commitment to social justice issues. EDUN, for one, was basically founded to foster fair trade and labor. According to EDUN's website, "EDUN's primary goals are to create beautiful clothes using ethical conditions and to help create long-term sustainable employment in the developing world, particularly sub-Saharan Africa."
Loomstate too describes itself as being "dedicated to creating demand for certified organic cotton using socially and environmentally responsible methods of production," and says its "factories must use the highest environmental and labor standards, controlling factory pollution, and enforcing fair labor as the cornerstone of the effort."
All of that makes me want to believe that Rogan's new line has also been produced under such rigorous labor standards -- except that Target isn't exactly known for its commitment to fair labor and trade. I'm waiting to hear back from the Rogan for Target people for details on its labor policies.
So stay tuned. I did end up buying a cotton-and-linen T-shirt (right) for $19.99, which I'm wearing now as I type this. I love the design and fit -- though I do find the linen a tad scratchy. I also own a Loomstate T-shirt, for which I paid $50 a year and a half ago. That shirt's held up very well and still looks like it did when I bought it. I'll report back on how well the Rogan for Target tee stands the test of time.
After all, the Rogan tag on the tee encourages me to "enjoy these clothes and don't hesitate to wear them forever." The tags, by the way, were printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper -- a small consolation for the fact that each item of clothing came with three separate tags -- two attached via those non-recyclable plastic wires.
Update, 6/08: Target responded to my inquiry about fair labor -- by letting me know their cotton purchase, handling, and use methods were organic certified. I wrote back asking them to actually answer the question I asked -- and was pointed to Target's own "business ethics practices" page. It seems the Rogan for Target line used the same labor standard employed for the usual Target products -- an industry-defined, self-regulated standard that often comes under critique by fair labor organizations and advocates.
>> If your bicycle needs a post-week tuneup, check out "The Chainbreaker Bike Book," a new "seat-of-the-pants, low-budget ... do-it-yourself bike maintenance guide that keeps things simple, straightforward, and, most importantly, real," according to Keith Goetzman in Utne.
>> A bold water conservation plan's coming to L.A. The plan includes mandatory water-use restrictions on residents, changes in building codes, and waste water recycling programs. "Administration officials say the point is to act now so the city can meet increased demand through a combination of conservation and recycling. They note that Los Angeles is an arid metropolis that has grown by dipping long straws in far-flung water supplies."
Sure, you've heard your shampoo might have unhealthy synthetic chemicals in it. But scary stories about one chemical or another -- contained even in supposedly "green" personal care products -- hits the news so often that many people throw up their hands and just keep using what they've been using, health scares be damned.
Now L.A.'s getting a green beauty event based not on fear, but around organic fun. Organized by Opportunity Green, "Beauty and Sustainability: An Eco-Evening of Networking, Pampering and Discovery" brings enviro-health education together with a fun night of pampering, complete with organic appetizers and wines, manicures from water-based nail polish company Acquarella and mini-facials from paraben-free beauty company Jurlique.
When: Tuesday, May 13, 7:30 to 10 pm Where: lululemon athletica, 334 N. Beverly Dr., Beverly Hills Cost: $20, of which an unspecified portion will be donated to the Breast Cancer Fund. RSVP online.
The night will feature a panel of experts, including Stacy Malkan, co-founder of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and author of the "Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry." (Read her recent interview with Grist here). Joining Malkan will be Rachelle Carson (a.k.a. Mrs. Ed Begley Jr.), Jolene Anello of Jurlique, Renata Helfman of Venice's Vert beauty store, and Mark Deason of Acquarella.
I'm most curious about the Acquarella nail polish, having recently read Sarah van Schagen's review of "less toxic" nail polishes from major companies. Van Schagen's conclusion: "The chemical smell from all of these suggests that pursuing your polish habit may not be the best bet for your health." However, she stuck to the major brands, none of which are water-based, as Acquarella's line is. Will Acquarella nail polish work as well as the "regular" stuff? RSVP online to attend the event and find out.
Opportunity Green, originally an annual green business conference, is keeping busy lately. Its launch party last night for Room 367, a green business networking event for young professionals, brought out a diverse crowd of twenty- and thirtysomethings to talk enviro-biz over organic wine and appetizers (above). No news yet, however, on when the next Room 367 event will take place.
The Sundance channel will be featuring eco-fashions on its show "Big Ideas for a Small Planet" tomorrow night, but eco-fashionistas will likely find the program rather bitter sweet. Why? Unless Sundance makes a last-minute major edit to the episode, Nau -- the now-out-of-business sustainable fashion company -- will be one of the three eco-companies featured.
Watching the Nau employees talk enthusiastically about the do-gooder green business model is very bittersweet, knowing that between the taping and the air date, the company became no more. But what's even sadder one Nau exec's comment in the episode about how many Nau employees joined the company by leaving their former jobs of 15 to 25 years, AND taking a 50 percent pay cut. The Nau team "walked over the edge together," the exec says. Indeed they did.
The "Fashion" episode isn't all sad though. Del Forte Denim -- maker of stylish, U.S.-grown, U.S.-milled, and U.S.-made organic cotton jeans -- is also featured and still doing quite well as a company; you can find Del Forte jeans at Avita Co-op, Vie, GreenROHINI, and other local eco-boutiques. An eco-friendly dry cleaning company in Colorado seems to be doing quite well too; CO2 cleaning apparently is quite effective at taking the "blood" out of the costumes from a Macbeth theater production! Watch the episode, then check out eco-friendly dry cleaning services in L.A.
The show airs tomorrow, May 6, at 9 pm on the Sundance channel. If you missed previous "Big Ideas" episodes, you can catch up via iTunes. I especially liked the feature on biodynamic farming in the "Food" episode last week. Thanks to the Benziger Family Winery in Glen Ellen, Calif., I now understand how biodynamic farming differs from organic farming -- sort of.
I guess the L.A. debut was very, very bad timing. According to Nau's website, the company "simply could not raise the funds to continue to move forward."
The news is a bit of a blow to the sustainable fashion community. After all, Nau was a company that was out to prove that you COULD do everything eco-friendly and socially-conscious -- AND make money at it. In addition to making sure all its clothes were made of sustainable materials under fair labor conditions, Nau donated 5% of each sale to progressive causes.
"Nau set out to show that business can be a force for positive social and environmental change. Although our current financial obstacles have proven to be insurmountable, it does not mean our fundamental goal is unattainable." That's part of the statement on Nau's website.
I hope that's true. Of course, many companies -- eco or not -- go under during its first few years. And certainly, there are many eco-conscious fashion companies that're doing just fine -- Patagonia being one fine example. In addition, new enviro-friendly boutiques are opening up at a rapid pace.
The upside: All of Nau's lines are on sale for 50% off! Enjoy.
Valley girls looking for the latest eco-fashions don't have to drive to West Third Street. greenROHINI, an environmentally-conscious boutique that opened the doors to its LEED-certified shop in Sherman Oaks last year, carries everything from Del Forte jeans to Deborah Lindquist designs to recycled tire purses.
The spacious boutique invites browsing -- especially since the items made with pre-loved fabrics are often one-of-a-kind. Shoppers can sip on the complimentary organic tea and coffee -- served in reusable mugs, of course.
Not all items will meet with choosy environmentalists' seal of approval, however. Some organic jeans were available, but many others were made with conventional cotton, despite the anti-conventional cotton message on greenROHINI's website. Apparently, these non-organic jeans' claim to eco are the sustainable dyes used in the manufacturing process.
Still, most of the fashions here are made of recycled, organic or sustainable materials such as bamboo and hemp. And Lorin Becker, the owner who also runs the store, is very knowledgeable and will answer any eco-questions you may have about specific pieces.
I splurged on a reversible halter top made out of vintage fabric by Aster Park in Portland. Since it's reversible, it's really like getting two halters for the price of one... Cost: $115 -- except when I declined a bag and pulled out my reusable tote, Lorin gave me an unexpected 10% off!
Deborah Lindquist, the queen of recycled eco-couture, has a cute little boutique in North Hollywood, I found out. So a couple weeks ago I tried to drop by this stained-glass-decorated, sign-less store next to a tattoo parlor -- only to find that the front door was locked, despite the fact that the store was officially open. "The owner just went out and took the key," said the woman who let me in the back door.
One benefit to coming in the back: I got to see how Lindquist's fashions get made! Three women were working at their sewing machines in a big, cool back room. I wound around them to get into the store.
While many eco-fashion designers use virgin fabrics (albeit organic or eco-friendly in some manner), Lindquist made her name by reusing pre-loved fabrics, turning outdated clothes into fashionable new ones. She's dressed everyone from Gwen Stefani to Paris Hilton, according to her website.
Such detailed attention to metamorphosing dated duds into today's IT items doesn't come cheap. Get ready to fork over about $400 if you're dying to own that recycled cashmere sweater. The sticker price is the downside, though you'll walk away with your purchase knowing your new fashion item is truly eco-friendly AND locally made.
Well-heeled mamas can get their kids matching mini baby sweaters, modeled here by a ruddy, slightly petulant doll. Dog lovers with money to burn can get designer re-fashions for their pooch too. Cooler, summer-friendly fashions, from vintage fabric skirts to intricate corsets, also adorn the racks. Too bad the boutique isn't where the Rodeo Drive or Robertson Boulevard crowd can find it.
Deborah Lindquist. 10500 Magnolia Blvd. North Hollywood. (818) 762-7199
Eco-fashion-conscious angelenos have already been shopping at Nau's online store, but now Nau fans can try on their organic cotton or sustainably-harvested merino wool clothes before buying them. The newest Nau boutique opened at the Beverly Center last weekend in all its sleek, techy glory.
Nau's like a more stylish Patagonia. Both companies have great outdoorsy clothes made with eco-friendly materials, but Nau's designs tend to be more edgy. On Saturday, I tried on a soft, merino cap sleeve shirt (right), asymmetrically designed with a creative, double-layered bottom edge.
I also liked the Chrysalis (left) -- a puff-collared jacket-dress-vest combo made of 100% recycled polyester, which has the feel of a thinner, more pliable windbreaker but can be modified endlessly. The hem and fit can be changed by little cinchers, and the sleeves can be removed entirely.
Unfortunately, I discovered that it took forever to piece the 'fit back together once I took it apart, and decided I didn't have the patience to deal with it.
The sleek Nau boutique doesn't scream its eco-conscious mission, but shoppers will nonetheless be surprised by the unique retail practice. For one, you can get 10% off any purchase -- if you elect to have the item shipped to you for free instead of carrying it out of the store. This policy allows Nau to stock and ship (and ship back) fewer items, allowing for more energy-efficient stores.
Each item has a number of little bar-coded cards next to it. To buy my merino cap sleeve shirt, I took one of these cards to a self-service kiosk, which read the card, asked me to select the size and color I wanted, and had me put in my shipping info.
In addition, because Nau donates 5% of all sales to progressive nonprofits, I got to pick from a list of four local groups -- Heal the Bay, Homeboy Industries, California Wilderness Coalition, Chrysalis -- to give the money to. I went with Heal the Bay.
When I got home I had an email from Nau confirming my order and letting me know my purchase sent $3.24 to Heal the Bay. And earlier today, my shirt arrived in a recycled padded envelope! I'm wearing it now as I type --
Nau. Beverly Center. 8500 Beverly Blvd., Space 724. Los Angeles. 310.358.0600.
West Third Street is officially the one-stop shopping strip for eco-fashions. On Earth Day yesterday, boutiques Romp and Vie threw their opening parties, joining the now 1-year-old Avita Co-op, which also threw a party to celebrate its anniversary.
Avita Co-op's party (above) was definitely the most crowded -- perhaps because the boutique is more established or perhaps because it has the smallest space. Eco-fashionistas squeezed past each other to get to the bar, which was serving an interesting sake-soda drink I'd never tried before.
"But the fashion show starts in five minutes!" said the people at the door as I was leaving. "But there are these other eco-boutiques," I said. Turns out the boutiques didn't really know about each others' existence! Avita Co-op's PR person walked the two blocks to Vie with me to find out where the competition was.
The as-of-yet website-less Vie boutique (above) offers higher-end eco-fashion from brands like Del Forte Denim and the local company California Rising, whose husband-and-wife team joined the party. Style's never compromised for green-ness; browsing the racks, I kept finding out about different eco-designers I'd never heard of. The eco-fashion market's really heating up.
The store has a gorgeous courtyard in the back, where guests -- some wearing fashions from the store -- drank champagne and organic beer. In keeping with Vie's environmental mission, much of the store's furnishings were acquired second-hand!
Down a block and a half, Romp celebrated what some environmentalists consider an oxymoron: Eco-leather. Live mannequins (above) punctuated the corners of the store, which had a rather pungent odor. "They must've used paints with VOCs," I said to Katie. Then we realized that what we were smelling was the leather itself!
The boutique also offers some organic cotton shirts (above), but leather is Romp's raison d'etre. Romp's leather does seem to be much more eco than conventional leather, which often comes from factory-farmed cows whose hides are treated with noxious chemicals and dyes. According to Romp's website:
We buy only Certified Organic Raw Materials for this brand, and from there, we have certified organic manufacture, certified organic processes, certified organic plant and bug dyeing, and then certified organic fabrication of everything in house ourselves with our 668 craftspeople in the only certfied (sic) organic fascility (sic) of its kind.
The L.A. area's got yet more new eco-fashion stores. Nau opened an L.A. store in the Beverly Center last weekend (more on that later), and Fred Segal Green will celebrate its opening in Santa Monica this weekend. Shop green, but remember that the greenest closet is the one you already own! Reduce and reuse first.
Avita Co-op. 8213 W. Third St., Los Angeles. Vie Boutique. 8032 W. Third St., Los Angeles. Romp. 7928 W. Third St., Los Angeles.
West Third Street's suddenly becoming the eco-fashion center of L.A. Apparently, Avita Co-op started a trend -- because two new eco-boutiques on West Third St. will be celebrating their openings on Earth Day tomorrow, April 22:
First, there's Romp (7928 W. Third St.), a self-dubbed "certified organic couture" boutique. Romp's launch party -- complete with organic food, cocktails, and a DJ -- kicks off at 7 pm.
Vie Boutique (8032 W. Third St.) will throw a competing party starting at the same time. There'll be hors d'oeuvres, cocktails, and a sneak peek at the eco-fashions. Proceeds from the night will be donated to Unicef's Tap Project.
Last but not least, Avita Co-op (8213 W. Third St.; photo above) too will be having a party to celebrate its one year anniversary. The party starts at 6 pm; stop by for complimentary drinks, hors d'oeuvres, and music from DJ Eric Jag.
Since Avita's party starts first, I suggest starting your eco-fashion party-hopping there and slowly heading east to hit the other stores --
Big clothing companies offering eco-friendly items isn't really new anymore, since Levi's, Guess, Urban Outfitters, and many others have been offering organic jeans and T-shirts for a while. Still, this Earth Day will bring more new companies into the green market, making eco-friendly wear cheaper, easier to find -- and more confusing than ever.
First, the cheaper and easier to find part: Forever 21's teamed up with BBC's Planet Earth to offer a 100% organic cotton "Freeze" T-shirt (right) at a very affordable $14.80. I'm hoping these T-shirts are made to last, unlike most of the clothes offered at Forever 21, a store's that helped make clothes "disposable." The shirts are available now.
Second, the more confusing than ever: Banana Republic's come out with a green collection -- but would-be eco-shoppers must read the tags wisely! Notes Emili Vesilind of the L.A. Times: "A knit tank top is made from a fabric that's just 5% soy silk. That's diet green, at best." The collection will be available starting Earth Day.
If your closet's already full, get rid of those unwanted conference T-shirts by dropping by Barneys New York. There, you can take advantage of a new T-shirt recycling program dubbed "Tune In. Turn In. Drop Off," created via a partnership between Barney's, green clothing company Loomstate, and the Sundance channel.
Just drop off an old T-shirt in exchange for a 20% discount on women’s Loomstate for Barneys Green and men’s Loomstate merchandise until April 27. The donated T-shirts will be recycled into new Loomstate T-shirts for Barneys Green Holiday 2008 Collection.
Eco-fashionistas will be getting still more choices in the coming weeks. A couple new L.A. eco-boutiques -- Romp and Vie -- will be celebrating their grand openings on West 3rd Street (in L.A., not the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica) on Earth Day itself.
And the eco-company Nau will finally be opening an L.A. store in the Beverly Center at the end of this month. More on that to come --
Top photo courtesy of Planet Earth; bottom photo by Siel
Think your organic cotton shirt deserves better than that wire hanger from the dry cleaner's? You're in luck -- because you now even have a few options to pick from.
The best option seem to be these EcoHangers (right). These hangers are made of 100% recycled paper -- and are 100% recyclable to boot. Plus, EcoHangers apparently hold up better than wire hangers in strength tests. And for dry cleaners or other businesses eager to promote their business, the hangers are customizable with your logo. Get them online: $8.99 for 12.
A second option is biodegradable hangers, which look much like plastic hangers. However, because these newfangled hangers only biodegrade under high temperatures in commercial composting facilities -- and because we don't have a composting system set up in L.A. -- the products are less than ideal, albeit better than plastic hangers. My advice: Use them for a long time. You have a couple options here:
Wheatware Clothes Hangers (left). These hangers are made of U.S.-grown wheat! I have one of these in my closet; I got it as a parting gift from an eco-event. Cost: $4.95 per 5.
Earthsaver hangers (right). Made in the U.S. by Merrick, these biodegradable hangers are made of corn grown in the U.S. According to Sustainable is Good, Earthsaver hangers are available at Wal-Mart: $3.50 for 5.
As with all eco-goods, reducing and reusing comes first -- so if you already have enough hangers, it's greener to keep using those than to swap them all out for new ones. And if you have wire hangers, take them back to your dry cleaner's for reuse. My own dry cleaner Cleaner by Nature even has an easy-to-use recycling system set up in front of the store!
If the Green Guide magazine is too big a dose of green for you, maybe bpm (beats per minute) magazine's
more your style. Each issue of this "music.tech.nightlife.style"
magazine's got a sizable green section on the back that reports on
everything green and now, thanks to a collaboration with green
lifestyle site The G Living Network.
bpm brings pop culture together with environmentalism. There's an
article about Shepard Fairey of "Obey Giant" fame, making The 11th Hour
posters. There's a feature on green L.A. gallery Eco-Logical Art.
TempoHousing, stackable little homes, gets an article too, as do Illy
insta-cafes made entirely from recycled materials.
Tightwads might not like bpm, because -- sort of like Wired -- the magazine
reports on the newest goods and gadgets -- which tend to be higher-end,
design-oriented, pricy stuff as opposed to more quotidian, practical
green goods. In many ways, bpm and gliving are about exposing
eco-potentialities as opposed to giving DIY eco-advice.
Some articles are really more about popular stuff with a barely-green slant. A few issues
ago, Avalon Hollywood was featured as a music venue going green, but
really, Avalon was making only the teensiest steps: recycling, using 25%
recycled paper, and switching to CFLs -- after each incandescents burns
out. And in the latest
issue, a blurb about Blackle -- a website that's basically the Google homepage turned black -- doesn't include the fact that the black screens only save energy on old CRT computer screens.
Still, the mag's generally a fun, informative read -- and available for free reading online!
The current issue includes a review of MOMA's pre-fab exhibit and a
feature on the newest and coolest bikes. Check it out for yourself.
Suddenly, bamboo products seem to have infiltrated every store around me. I see bamboo toothpicks at the grocery store, bamboo ladles at Sur la Table, bamboo T-shirts at Natural High Lifestyles. Clearly, bamboo's hit the U.S. market in a big way -- perhaps because bamboo products tend to be very affordable, winning the love of many would-be eco-consumers who complain eco-products are financially out of their reach.
But wax lyrical about bamboo clothes in front of some environmentalists -- especially those in the organic cotton or hemp clothing business -- and they might try to burst your bamboo bubble, arguing that bamboo isn't a green fabric. What gives?
Let's start at the beginning: What's so eco about bamboo clothing? Most of the enviro-benefits of bamboo clothes have to do with bamboo farming. There is no USDA organic certification for bamboo, which is why you
won't see any bamboo clothes with the familiar organic logo. However, unlike conventional cotton, bamboo grows quickly without requiring chemicals or pesticides. Even better, bamboo fabrics have antibacterial, anti-fungal, and deodorizing properties -- meaning you likely won't need to wash them as often. (Right: Bamboo / organic cotton T-shirt from CertainTees)
Processing that sustainably-grown bamboo into clothing, however, is not so green. Aside from the small amount of mechanically processed bamboo clothing (which feels like linen) on the market , most bamboo clothes are made through chemical processing. This processing makes the bamboo cloth feel like soft cotton -- but also requires some un-eco chemical use. As Lee points out at Organic Clothing, most bamboo fiber is "chemically manufactured by “cooking” the bamboo leaves and woody shoots in strong chemical solvents such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH – also known as caustic soda or lye) and carbon disulfide in a process also known as hydrolysis alkalization combined with multi-phase bleaching." Both of those chemicals are linked to health problems for the workers creating the stuff.
Still, proponents of bamboo maintain that the eco-benefits of bamboo fabrics far outweigh the downsides. After all, synthetic fabrics are generally made with non-renewable products AND require chemical processing, and conventional cotton is produced with a huge amount of pesticides. And of course, no fabric is perfect. Environmentalists generally embrace bamboo fabrics as a step in the right direction, while enviro-activists and entrepreneurs continue to push bamboo manufacturers to develop new technologies for greener bamboo processing. (Left: BambooBaby Panda from Bamboosa)
To address both environmental and health concerns about this chemical use, many factories that produce bamboo clothing get certifications regarding both their practices and their products. For example, many factories get the ISO 14001 certification, which shows the factory has put in place some environmental guidelines to green its practices (For an informative closer look at the benefits and limits of ISO 14001 certification, read "Costs, Benefits, and Motivations for ISO 14001 Adoption in China" [PDF]).
Many bamboo products also get the Oeko Tex Standard 100 certification (right), which shows that there are no harmful chemicals in the finished fiber (even if chemicals were used in the processing of that fiber).
In addition to the environmental issues, bamboo products also bring up labor issues, as most of the goods are produced in China. To address them, some Chinese factories have the ISO 8000 certification, which stipulates some basic social accountability standards. However, these standards have often been critiqued because they are guidelines set by the companies and corporations that have been known to abuse sweatshop labor (for the pro argument for ISO 8000, read eco-store Shirts of Bamboo's description; for the con argument, read "No Illusions: Against the Global Cosmetic SA8000" [doc]).
To make things even more difficult, the ISO certifications are generally meant for business-to-business use (for ex, the retailer might require that their supplying factory have ISO 8000 certification), not for consumer education. Thus, finding out if a company has ISO 8000 certification is nowhere as simple as looking for, say, a USDA organic label. For these and other reasons, many labor activists in particular are not satisfied with the ISO 8000, pushing instead for the stricter Fair Trade Federation membership standards or the Workers' Rights Consortium (especially popular on college campuses) membership standards.
So to sum up:
Bamboo clothing is greener than conventional clothing, even though the processing of bamboo brings up some environmental and labor concerns.
To ensure that your clothing is free of dangerous chemicals, try asking about Oeko-Tek 100 certification. This certification usually isn't on the product tag, but many bamboo retailers with this certification will mention it on their literature or websites.
Whenever possible, buy from companies that clearly state their labor policies and back them up with certifications. Remember that the "Made in the U.S.A." label does not necessarily mean that the bamboo was processed into clothing fiber in the U.S.
Give your consumer decisions SOME deliberate thought, but don't stress yourself out too much with finding perfectly green clothes, or any other perfectly green products -- They don't exist.
Some green bamboo shops I like:
Organic Rush. This eco-friendly store in South Pasadena carries many bamboo products, although most of its clothing is made of organic cotton. Visiting a local sore carries the side benefits of letting you see and feel stuff first-hand before handing over the cash, while helping to stimulate the local economy.
Bamboosa. This Co-op America approved company prides itself in its sweatshop-free, U.S.-made clothing! The company's sewing plant located in South Carolina. Morris Saintsing of Bamboosa is also active in educating others about both the benefits and shortcomings of bamboo.
CertainTees' cute T-shirts. This eco-conscious, fair-trade-friendly company also makes some really cute, well-fitting T-shirts. I own this cow-on-wheels design; the "relic" light bulb design's also a favorite.
When: Feb. 29, 12 pm - 4 pm
Where:Avita Co-op , 8213 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles
Cost: $75 before Valentine’s Day, $100 after. RSVP to weddings@pinkcloudevents.com
This event promises to bring together "sustainable solutions for everything from the ring, the catering, make up, hair productions, the wedding dress, to the invitations, the photography and even the honeymoon." Eco-experts from various green companies will dole out wedding planning advice while guests receive complimentary mani/pedis, make-up tips, and green gift bags.
A salon-style fashion show of environmentally conscious wedding dresses is also on the schedule. Prefer an eco-lingerie fashion show? Check out The Daily Green's Go Sexy and Green with Valentine's Lingerie slide show for green ideas.
>> Knowledge is power savings. When people can track and adjust their energy usage, power use declines by an average of 10%, a study found. This suggests that "if households have digital tools to set temperature and price preferences, the peak loads on utility grids could be trimmed by up to 15% a year." (via Grist)
>> Walking is experiencing. Crenshaw High School's Eco Club/Venture Crew event has students walk the length of Wilshire Boulevard. "Distances familiar to me from long, dull drives shatter into scores of small discoveries. I spot storefronts and building facades I never knew were there, and the blocks melt away." Relatedly, Franklin Avenue blog organized a similar stroll down Wilshire in 2006.
>> New local green fashions. Revolution Malibu offers cute clothes and art made by local artists, mostly with recycled materials manufactured either by hand or with only green energy. They have a blog too!
>> California is getting a new ocean-focused academic center. The Center for Ocean Solutions, launched by Stanford University and Monterey Bay Aquarium and its research institute, will focus "not on the problems plaguing the world's oceans, but on how to solve them.... The center aims to bring together scientists and experts in economics and business to meet with government policy makers so they can work out solutions and begin their implementation, said Buzz Thompson, a Stanford law professor."
Looks like the Olsen Twins have really pissed off the PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) people. Due to their fur-wearing ways, the Olsen Twins now have their own section on the PETA website dubbed "Meet the Trollsen Twins." (via ZapRoot, a weekly RocketBoom-esque vlog on green pop news)
Here, Hairy-Kate and Trashley are panned in the Full House of Horrors, a video that intercuts cute footage from "Full House" with gruesome shots of the fur trade industry (below).
After the video, you can "Dress Up the Trollsens," and maybe even send an e-mail to the Olsen twins encouraging them to go fur free.
To be clear, I disagree with some of PETA's messages, and I'm not totally against fur. However, I'm against fur farms, where most furry clothes come from today. Read Umbra of Grist's latest on inherited fur coats to learn more about this enviro-ethical issue.
Got an eco-holiday wish this season? Then the Seven Wishes Bracelet might pique your interest.
These pretty bracelets -- a recycled pure sterling silver charm on surplus string -- are for the hopeful wishers. Make seven knots in the string for each of seven wishes -- and when the string breaks by itself, your wishes will come true!
OK, I don't really buy the knotting string, wish fulfillment connection -- though Anna Mkhitarian, the Sherman Oaks-based eco-designer who makes these bracelets, seems to. I just think the bracelets are cute. Still, if you've been looking for locally handmade recycled jewelry that doesn't look kitschy, consider that wish fulfilled.
When she's not working on her jewelry connection at Peace, Love, and Earth, Anna -- via her eco couture company Annatarian -- makes one-of-a-kind dresses from recycled or remnant fabric, organic cottons and Peace silks. These are made by commission only, though -- and have prices to match, starting at $1,200.
Oh, and did you know there's now jewelry made via solar power, using that old magnifying glass technique we learned about in science class way back when?
Maybe it's still not easy being green, but shopping green is becoming much easier -- and very popular -- judging by the big turnout at the Eco Gift Expo today.
My friend Summer and I dropped by around 1 p.m., paid the $10 admission, declined the free Whole Foods tote bags that were being given out (we brought our own) -- and fought the crowd to make a beeline to the food court for a spicy eggplant-tofu stir-fry from Organic to Go.
Then we started browsing. Eco Gift Expo is actually a lot like the Green Festival in San Francisco -- sans the cool speakers. There was booth after booth of people selling everything from hemp T-shirts to soy candles to shea butter -- ranging from die-hard green companies to less-committed ones making dubiously green claims.
Best edible item: Theo Chocolate's 3400 Phinney bars. I loved the Coconut Curry Milk Chocolate bar in particular -- a mix of unexpected spices mixed with chocolate -- and organic and fair trade certified to boot. Theo also offers beautiful boxed chocolates.
Some of my fave booths were the stationery stores -- partly because I still haven't bought holiday cards yet. Verde Paperie, a boutique that's brought together some really smart-looking cards (right) with modern designs, stood out.
Then there were the paper shops with detailed, inspiring stories: Mr. Ellie Pooh offers whimsical journals and scrapbooks and other goods, made mostly of elephant dung. That's right, elephant dung. Using this stuff, which is mostly raw cellulose, is part of an effort to improve human-elephant relations in Sri Lanka, where elephants are being killed as they're forced to share limited space with the growing human population.
Banyan Paper also makes gorgeous fair trade journals (above) with imprints of leaves on the pages, as well as intricate cards made from handmade recycled paper created by orphans in Rwanda.
Summer ended up buying a pair of Ethletic olive green, low-top shoes, which are fair trade sneakers from Autonomie Project made with a rubber sole that is produced with FSC-certified all natural and sustainable latex.
While it was great seeing all these eco-conscious companies collected in one place, I still wanted more variety. What eco-shopping has no shortage of: reusable tote bags, T-shirts (organic cotton, bamboo, soy -- take your pick), yoga clothes and mats, crunchy-looking hemp clothing, and lots and lots of jewelry, made of everything from rain-forest nuts to recycled silver. There are also plenty of items I can only catagorize under "weird hippie stuff." You know, all the crystals and incense and these strange sculptural things (example left) from Shambhala Meditation.
What's still tough to find: Business-friendly, more dressed-up eco-clothes and shoes. Yes, a few booths did offer some less casual stuff. Juleselin Clothing, for example, had some well-designed coats (though I'm not sure why these 100% cotton coats used only 70% organic cotton). But in general, the pickings were slim. Maybe we'll see more of these practical things at the next Eco Gift Expo.
One more thing the Expo needs: bike valet or at least more bike racks. Many in Santa Monica biked over, and bikes had to be awkwardly tied to pretty much every odd stationary object around the Civic Center.
Eco Gift Expo continues tomorrow, Dec. 15, 2007, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Clearly, I picked a bad time to go out of town. First of all, people're keeling over and dying of heat in Chicago, where I'm traveling to. And secondly, all sorts of fun stuff's going down in L.A. this weekend -- including two very cool parties.
Let's start at the beginning: What's so eco about bamboo clothing? Most of the enviro-benefits of bamboo clothes have to do with bamboo farming. There is no USDA organic certification for bamboo, which is why you
won't see any bamboo clothes with the familiar organic logo. However, unlike conventional cotton, bamboo grows quickly without requiring chemicals or pesticides. Even better, bamboo fabrics have antibacterial, anti-fungal, and deodorizing properties -- meaning you likely won't need to wash them as often. (Right: Bamboo / organic cotton T-shirt from 
Many bamboo products also get the 
