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It's So Easy Being
Green!
Friday, August 26,
2005
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I love to shop; who doesn't?
Especially when there's a sale...or for a good cause...I'm always the one who will buy
something at charity events!
Lately I've found a whole new reason to
shop and it's not the regular back-to-school-get-the-groceries-stock the-house-kind of
shopping; this is the "real deal": Eco-shopping, green grabs, sustainable
threads, functional fibers, you get the point.
It's the new fashion rage, in response to a growing demand, green is sprouting up everywhere and is sure to
make the best-dressed list in your People magazine soon!
Recently the New York Times reported on an eco-fashion
show in March that, "...green is the new black."
"Approximately 30 percent of the adults in the U.S, or 63
million people, are curently considered consumers of Lifestyles
of Health and Sustainability
(LOHAS)," says Ted Ning, managing editor of LOHAS Journal.
The Natural Marketing Institute (NMI) reports that
20 percent of the U.S. population bought organic-cotton clothing in 2005, a 3
percent increase. In a random Internet survey of 2,000 people, 66 percent
said that the environment impact of the clothing they purchase matters, according to Gwynne
Rogers, NMI strategic marketing consultant.
(I'm pshyched to see one of my favorite stores, Barneys,
stock organic cotton clothes!)
"Designers from Europe have been working with
organic lines for a while," says Ambie Stapleton of Fred Segal Hollywood Trading
Company in Santa Monica, which carries Rogan Gregory's Loonstate organic-cotton
sportswear. "The jeans are a big hit, even at $180, and their T-shirts fly off
the rack at $55," Stapleton says.
The store is eagerly awaiting the fall Edun
line-"nude" spelled backwards-designed by Rogan, Bono and Ali Hewson
and made of organic cottton in family-run, fair-labor
factories.
Recently, on the TV show Desperate Housewives,
Andrea Bowen wore and Avita sweater, made by designer Amanda Shi of fast-growing
replenishable bamboo.
As we consumers do our part in
mainstreaming a greener lifestyle, it's
important that we also do our homework before we buy. Take PVC vinyl, whose production releases
cancer-causing dioxins. (more details on this subject another
time)
Along with the growing global
market come those who take advantage of the green trend, offering
"environmentally friendly" products of dubious origin.
"Claims such as
"green" or "natural" are actually so
vague as to be meaningless, says Urvashi Rangan, who vets labels at Consumers
Union.
Another example of greenwashing is when a
company employs a wildlife or nature theme. You may look like a
woodsman or ready to canoe in your moose-print shirt and chinos. But most likely you are
wearing clothes grown with pesticides and chemicals that contaminate fields,
trickle on down to water supplies and cause harm to all life.
An ironic take on
greenwashing can
be found in an "urban vermin" T-shirt, graced with pigeons and rats but
made of 100 percent certified organic cotton and packaged in recycled materials, by
glo4life in Australia.
Below are some ways you
can make smart green choices and feel and look good too.
What You
Can Do
- Buy organic cotton for
your event or team. Patagonia sells
low-priced blank "Beneficial" T's, totes and caps
that they
will customize with your logo or send to your
printer.
- When you see a label that
vaguely claims to be "green" or "100 percent natural," call
the company and ask for substantiation; also search www.ecolabels.org and www.thegreenguide.com.
Look for
These Labels
Certified Organic Cottonor Linen must
follow verifiable, no-synthetic-pesticides-or-fertilizer criteria monitored by an
independent (non-industry) third-party certifier.
Certified Organic or Puregrow Wool has not been
"dipped" in pesticides or processed into yarn with chlorine
bleach,petroleum soap or other hazardous chemicals.
Hemp, although naturally pest-resistant, is ot yet
certified organic or grown at all in the U.S., but hemp goods are legally
available in stores and online.
Recycled Fleece is made from post-consumer recycled
(PCR) materials such as plastic bottles. EcoSpun PCR fleece is used by
Patagonia, Wildlife Works and others.
Sweatshop
Free means that the clothing was made under safe conditions, for
fair wages. Look for clothes with union or Made in the
USA labels or Fair Trade Federation enndorsement ( www.fairtradefederation.org
).
Color-Grown
Cotton comes in soft greens and reds that the plant produces; look
also for undyed or untreated, phosphate-free or fiber-reactive dyes, free of
toxic heavy metals.
Certified Organic
Cotton or Linen must follow verifiable,
no-synthetic-pesticides-or-fertilizer criteria monitored by an independent
(non-industry) third party certifier.
Growing up, I remember
Kermit the Frog singing, "It's not easy being green." Well
Kermie, it just got a whole lot easier!
Enjoy the last bit of
summer,
Truly,
Beth Aldrich
Help us grow!! Pass us on to a
friend.
We welcome your story or ideas
for a future FHI Connection!
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Please, Log on to : www.thebreastcancersite.com and
click on the link to fund free mamograms for those in
need!
Click on the icon links at
the bottom of the page to read archive newsletters...They're really
good!
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Inform a Friend
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Upcoming
Shows
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Spend some time this
weekend with Paul Newman's daughter, Nell, and meet her pet
chickens! WCPX PAX 38 Chicago 5:30 a.m. 8/27 Sat.Talking Organic with
Nell Newman & Gardening Tips
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iLife
Schedule
Tues/Thurs 8/30 & 9/1
at 10am (Eastern Time)Spatial Solutions &
Hair Tips iLife
National Digital
Weds 8/31 at 12:30 p.m. (Eastern Time) Spatial
Solutions & Hair TipsiLife National
Digital
See a repeat of
the episode on Tuesday 8/30 at 2 and 5:30 p.m. (Eastern Time)
Check local listings for
channel
Share the FHI Connection with a friend, pass it
on!
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A few "green" apparel outlets we
like:
Certified
Organic Cotton Clothes
Nike Organics www.niketown.com 800-806-6453 (Nike
Considered)
American
Apparel
888-747-0070
Garden Kids www.gardenkids.com
541-465-4544
"Vermin" T-shirts www.glo4life.com
Loomstate by Rogan Gregory www.loomstate.org
Maggies Functional Organics www.organicclothes.com
800-609-8593
(My Fav)**Patagonia www.patagonia.com 800-638-6464
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For further
Information
If you can do only one thing green, steer clear of trendy but toxic
PCV-especially when shoppping for your children's raincoats, backpacks and bags.
Soft vinyl products contain phthalate plasticizers that "offgas" into the
air you breathe and can be ingested directly by chewing. See these Alternatives:
Adidas Tuttle($59) or Cope II Backback (4$44.99), www.sportschalet.com, 818-790-2717
Solar
Backpack ($229), made of nylon, geenerates enough power to charge small
electronic devices such as cell phones, digital camers and iPods, but not laptops; rechargeable
battery packs cost $75 and last about 55 hours, www.voltaicsystems.com 212-627-5012
Amazonas Purse ($95) and
other bags made from wild rubber trees in the Ajmazon www.jadeplanet.com
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