Clothing and Accessories
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.
Our landfills are filling up faster than ever, and the garbage problem, is only getting worse. Recycling the obvious cans, bottles, and cardboard are the first step. Beyond that, it’s our job to develop green shopping habits that will help us lead a more sustainable lifestyle. I’ve listed some of the eco-friendly shopping tips that have come in handy for me, as I’ve tried to rethink the way I shop, and develop more sustainable habits in my life.
Tips for eco-smart shopping:
- Try out your local thrift stores. Second hand stores are great, and they’re full of things for you to reuse. I live in a very affluent area of California, and the thrift stores are full of clothes and books that have barely, if ever, been used. Plus they are dirt cheap! I can find the greatest button up shirts and cookbooks at thrift st
ores. I not only get to feel great about reducing my monthly spending, but I get to feel good about buying used products instead of adding to the landfill.
- Give your old stuff to charity. Just as thrift stores are great for finding great stuff, they’re also a more eco-friendly way of getting rid of your stuff. Most charities for the homeless, or lower income families, are always in need of used clothes, books, or toys. This is a great way to give back to the community while reducing your net output.
- Cut back on your purchases. With the economy the way it is, it’s the perfect time to cut down on your purchases. Reducing your “stuff”starts by reducing what you buy, and keeping it down to the essentials. How many times have we found a screaming deal on something at our favorite store, only to watch it sit in our house unused, and wasted? › Continue reading
It’s Time to go Green
That sounds corny, right? It gets worse though. I almost said that as a response to somebody at a bus stop asking me if I had the time. It wasn’t without reason though, and it’s not as if absurd environmental phrases are constantly running through my head. The real reason is that I have a fairly decent-sized assortment of watches for somebody on a college student budget. Occasionally, one of them stands out – like today. A friend of mine, after noticing it and passing a quick compliment, noting my interest in green technology, suggested I check out a series of watches from the Citizen brand.
I
was never a believer when it came to solar-powered watches. Self-winding watches perform a relatively similar task albeit with some inaccuracy and cut the battery out of the equation completely. But it’s not that I thought this long-existent technology wasn’t feasible, I simply hadn’t heard much in terms of innovations in the market so I was never reminded about it and didn’t have enough initiative to give it much thought. The technology is relatively simple as these watches use solar panels not unlike those found in other common items like solar-powered calculators, the only difference being that a much greater amount of energy is than stored. I continued to be a skeptic though. I had always felt that these watches wouldn’t be at par with the ones I already owned. An inflated ego from a minor compliment and an all-to-human feeling of having to reciprocate for it forced me to give this concept some more thought and take the advice.
Green nPower Personal Energy Generator
Now you can be your own recharging station to all of your USB enabled devices. Cell phones, iPods, Kindles, GPS units, and just about any other hand-held electronic device can be charged by this renewable energy source.
A kinetic energy generator based on a wave energy converter, the nPower PEG (Personal Energy Generator) can go with you anywhere and will recharge your devices as you walk, run, hike or bike. By harvesting vertical movements of your everyday activities, they state that it is “able to charge handheld mobile electronic devices at the same rate as a wall charger, which means most devices reach an 80% charge with just an hour of walking throughout the day.” Just think of how much additional energy you could create at the green gym!
Some other great features of the PEG:
- Generating 4 Watts outputted through a USB 2.0 standard plug
- Constructed out of anodized aluminum
- Measures 9 inches tall and weighs 9 ounces
- Produces renewable energy
- 100% recyclable
- Components made of recycled ABS material
- RoHS Compliant
- Does not contain a battery
Finisterre UK Surf Clothing
As a Christmas gift this year I received a surfing video from a friend which got me not only dreaming of surfing, but also of some of the great surf gear out there. This being winter for us up in the Northern Hemisphere, warm clothes and green wetsuits are required to ride our eco-friendly surfboards.
A company called Finisterre, based out of the UK, is doing great things in the world of surfing, and really for all outdoor activities. Also founders of Offset The PLC, they are working to reduce the amount of waste found in consumer goods today. Less raw material waste, production waste, transport waste, and ultimate disposable waste.
“After a certain point the correlation between material goods and happiness breaks down to such an extent that it is questionable as to whether a relationship actually exists.
So again we find less is more.”
With company values like that, along with truly eco-friendly products, and a One Percent for the Planet member, they earn five stars with me.
Shoes that Biodegrade, even in a Landfill?
I was shocked, just as you might be after my last article on how long things take to biodegrade. It seems to be biodegrade month here on The Chic Ecologist, so I am very happy to be reporting on a company that has developed a way to allow their product to biodegrade in a non-compost environment – particularly a landfill.
Sustainable shoes are starting to gain some attention from Toms and Reef, to even New Balance, larger shoemakers are getting into it. There have been a few pioneers in this industry, shaping it as they go, one of these brands is Simple.
Simple Shoes are coming out with a new line of shoes called BIO-D with a biodegradable outsole and midsole with an impregnated pellet mixture containing millions of tiny microbes to ensure it’s journey to dirt. Like their existing line of ecoSneakssustainable footwear, they are made with materials such as recycled car tire bottoms, hemp uppers, organic cotton linings, recycled plastic bottles (PET) shoe laces and foot beds, and water-based glues.
The process only begins in landfill or compost-like conditions, so they will not be a pile of dirt in your closet overnight. Because they can degrade in both anaerobic (without oxygen) and aerobic (with oxygen) conditions, they actually will break down in a landfill.
New Balance 70 Eco Shoe (ME070 & WE070)
New Balance is breaking into the green shoe arena, and we aren’t talking colors. The just released ME070 and WE070 are made from recycled and sustainable materials, designed and developed with a real focus on eliminating waste. Boston-based New Balance is in the process of creating a new eco-preferred collection within it’s Outdoor category, of which the 70 will be the introductory model.
Billed as “part of a larger, corporate-wide sustainability initiative to operate our business in an environmentally sensitive manner,” the New Balance 70s are just the tip of the toe. Developed for eco-fashionable consumers, the New Balance 70 features a new eco-friendly construction with seventy-five percent of the upper components consisting of “environmentally preferred materials.” The laces, webbing, rand, quarter, tongue and saddle incorporate recycled polyester; the foxing and the tip of the shoe are synthetics made with fewer solvents than traditional materials. Rice husks filler in the outsole reduces the amount of rubber needed, thus reducing the amount of petroleum used. Water-based adhesives (rather than solvent-based) are used to join the upper and the sole unit and no paper stuffing or paper wrapping are used in the packaging of 70.
I was lucky enough to be one of the few to test out this new shoe before it hit the market. The first impression of the stylish burnt-orange model (MT070PB) I received in the model was › Continue reading
Eco-Friendly Underwear
Eco-chic clothing is popping up everywhere from small designers to large established companies, but what about that often overlooked bit of clothing that you first put on in the morning- the one piece that you wear everyday (well, hopefully everyday otherwise I don’t want to hear about it!) It sits close to the skin usually, so wouldn’t you want it to be of the most natural, non-toxic material possible? We explore some of the eco-friendly underwear and intimates so you know what’s what.
Designer: C-IN2
Material: Bamboo
Why they are Eco-Friendly: Bamboo is sustainable, biodegradable and produced without pesticides.
Why they are Cool: Very cool colors and cuts for men, and bamboo is naturally antimicrobial and a good option for those prone to skin allergies from chemical processing.
Cost: $20-$25
Designer: Enamore
Material: Organic silk and Soya jersey
Why they are Eco-Friendly: Enamore uses a minimum of 55 percent organic and recycled content and are colored using special Azo-free dyes.
Why they are Cool: These retro feel and romantic designs for women are both unique and eco-friendly.
Cost: $58-$110
Designer: Pact
Material: Organic Turkish Cotton
Why they are Eco-Friendly: Made from organic Turkish cotton, the production occurs 100 miles from the cotton farms reducing unneeded shipping. Packaging consists of a reusable cloth bag and compostable shipping bags.
Why they are Cool: Great colors and styles for men and women, plus 10% of Pact’s sales support one of 3 non-profits (826 National, ForestEthics and Oceana).
Cost: $22-$28 (mens and womens styles available)
Designer: Green Knickers
Material: Hemp, Bamboo, Fair Trade and Organic Cotton
Why they are Eco-Friendly: Made from eco-friendly and sustainable materials like hemp/silk blends, bamboo and organic fair trade cotton.
Why they are Cool: Activity specific cuts for men and women, and some designs feature heat sensitive non-toxic dyes (remember Hyper-color shirts?)
Cost: £10-£25
Designer: Chantelle
Material: Bamboo blend
Why they are Eco-Friendly:Womens bras, boyshorts and thongs, all crafted from a sustainable bamboo blend jersey without pesticides, and are biodegradable.
Why they are Cool:French intimate apparel brand is well know for it’s quality and fit.
Cost: $42-$80
Recycled Totes and Bags – UrthBags
I have always been intrigued by the many creative materials used for recycled content bags, especially things like juice boxes. I recently purchased a recycled fire hose bag which I have been delighted with, and I have several recycled cotton, plastic and vinyl bags for shopping and such, but UrthBags has taken the cake with their creative reuse and recycled materials.
With everything from bright and colorful recycled juice box clutches, to understated but exotic coconut & sea shell bags, UrthBags utilize just about anything that our society produces plenty of. Recycled Newspaper, Magazine, and Telephone Book Bags are formed into purses, messenger bags, tote bags, diaper bags and more.
They were kind enough to send me a juice box bag so I could get a closer look at the quality and composition of their products, and I must say it was impressive. They really take the reuse and recycling idea seriously as the bag was packaged and delivered in a re-used box (plus one for practicing what you preach!) The bag was woven together in a tight and sturdy pattern exploding with color. It had a feel similar to a vinyl or soft plastic, but did not appear ‘cheap’ or ‘flimsy’, rather the opposite- it was of exceptional quality. My girlfriend quickly snatched it from me to become her new traveling makeup bag.
Alex and Ani Eco Friendly Jewelry
I recently received a package from Alex and Ani, an eco friendly jewelry designer with a showroom in Tribeca, New York, that is extremely hot right now. Chances are if you have opened a celebrity magazine, seen an awards show or watched a movie lately, you have seen some of their jewelry and accessories.
I was lucky to get a bracelet from one of her patented Signature Expandable Wire Bangle collections that adjust to fit just how you like. Alone or grouped with several different designs, these eco-fashion accessories are sure to spice up your wardrobe.
Handcrafted in the United States (Rhode Island to be exact) from recycled metals, and avoiding destructively mined gold, Alex and Ani have courted Hollywood and Europe alike with their beautiful and green designs.
Eco Friendly Neoprene? Neogreene
As an avid SCUBA Diver, Surfer and water sports guy, (a few) neoprene wetsuits are a standard for myself, and anyone living above or below the equator.
Neoprene is not the most eco-friendly material out there, even so called ‘green’ neoprene. All neoprene is made from a petroleum or limestone derivative, therefore each suit is a product of either mining or drilling.
It’s not just the neoprene itself that can be environmentally harmful. Very effective as a chemical-resistant material, it is very difficult to adhere and form into products (which is why you commonly see it stitched at seams to hold better). The adhesives used are very toxic and can include VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), toluene, formaldehyde and more.
Now a company called GreenSmart has introduced Neogreene, a neoprene like material made with a water based chemistry allowing for less toxic adhesives to be used. › Continue reading
Atayne Eco Friendly Athletic Sportswear- Green up your Run
Having competed in a few triathlons, I am pretty familiar with the performance clothing out there. You know the stuff, the silky feeling ultra-wicking fabrics made of fancy polypropylene, polyester, and other plastic types.
The process of making these clothes is not the most environmental and has prompted many companies (like Eco-friendly Patagonia) to incorporate recycled materials to help to offset the harmful chemicals released in production. Some companies have chosen to take it one step further and make them out of trash.
I first heard about Atayne through the founders running blog The Story of A Red Shirt, more specifically his 4 Million Steps run from Maine to Florida. He describes a very unfortunate incident with a red performance shirt that changed his mind about sportswear and the creation of Atayne.
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