Eco Fashion World is an entertaining and informative window on Green fashion.

Are you a fashion junkie?

Do you eat, breathe and sleep couture?

And do you crave news of apparel that makes you feel good inside as well as looking nice?

Then you’ll go crazy for Eco Fashion World (EFW), a site devoted exclusively and deliciously to sustainable fashion. 

EFW is more engaging than the usual fluff you find in magazines devoted exclusively to external appearance.  A quick perusal of some of their recent and popular articles reveals that they cater to an audience who care about deeper issues as well.  For example:

•  “Something Wiccan This Way Comes” reveals the various ways designers have responded to inspiration from Nature… 
• “Classics With a Twist” profiles designer Chris Ambraisse, who understands that disabled people deserve beautiful clothes…and
• “Color Me Natural” is an exploration of natural dyes that will help you appreciate their subtle ranges of colors. 

The site offers intriguing content and a cache of useful information for budding and dedicated ecofashionistas alike.  Besides their magazine and blog, EFW features an Eco Fashion Guide so you can quickly and easily find the brands and items you’re looking for; and an eco-fashion glossary that will get you up to speed on the basics (and some of the finer points, too) of sustainable attire.

It’s not just static media, either.  Video buffs will have a field day with “Eco Fashion World  TV,” where you can see and hear interviews direct from the Ethical Fashion Show in Paris.

As if that weren’t enough, EFW might even play a part in landing you your dream job.  Their Education section highlights design schools offering coursework in eco fashion.  And there is also a job board where employers in the eco fashion industry post openings.

Hmmm…why don’t we see stuff like this at the supermarket checkout?

Soft Star Shoes promote healthy foot development without sacrificing fun and style.

Remember going to shoe store as a kid, and your mom insisting that you had to have shoes with arch support “so your feet would develop properly?

Well, it turns out that for once, Mom was wrong.

Nature almost always knows best. Turns out that the very best thing for proper foot and ankle development is… going barefoot! In fact, research by many prominent orthopedists indicates that flat feet can almost universally be blamed on ill-fitting shoes. Going barefoot helps children develop stronger muscles in their feet and ankles, and promotes better posture and gait as well.

Best Practice for Healthy Feet

Clearly, children should be allowed to go barefoot as much as possible. But it’s not always feasible. Footwear was developed for a reason – to protect feet from cold and injury. Children in both urban and rural environments are vulnerable to puncture wounds and gashes from natural debris and trash such as broken glass and rusty nails. Besides, footwear is required gear for entering most public and commercial buildings.

Soft Star Shoes, based in Corvallis, OR, has the solution. For 20 years, they’ve been creating soft-soled shoes and moccasins for all ages. Wearing a pair of their shoes protects children’s feet, while still allowing them to develop naturally.

Fun Fittings for the Whole Family’s Feet

Browsing through Soft Star’s website is like a trip to a fairy cobbler. The shoes come in a whole rainbow of colors and color combinations – and if you can’t find the perfect pair, you’re invited to design your own!   The styles are simple and comfortable, ranging from moccasin styles to low boots to sandals to something resembling Mary Janes (but not nearly as stiff!) Materials used include genuine sheepskin for insoles and locally-produced, formaldehyde-free leather. Vegan versions are also available.

The company as a whole is doing a commendable job to stay as sustainable as possible.  That includes having a solar-powered workshop, offering minimal-packaging options, recycling and donating all scrap material and factory seconds, and much more.

Soft Star handmade shoes are available from infant sizes through adult. They’re custom made for your feet, so even narrow, wide and long feet can find a comfy home. And best of all, wearing their shoes is just like going barefoot – only they won’t get you kicked out of the grocery store!

g.r.a.s.s. offers sustainable clothing for women who love both horses and the Earth.

Warmer weather has arrived, and with it riding season.  Serious equestrians are gearing up for the show circuit, while many of the rest of us just look forward to saddling up and hitting the trail. 

But whoa!  Most riding clothes out there are not exactly what you’d call sustainable.  Many are made from conventional cotton and virgin polyester fabric.  What’s the eco-conscious rider to do?

Enter g.r.a.s.s, the “green” branch of equestrian apparel company Kerrits.  g.r.a.s.s. offers women’s riding clothes made with sustainability in mind.

The line includes riding tops, tights and breeches made from a variety of eco-friendly fabrics, including bamboo blend, recycled PET and organic cotton.  So far g.r.a.s.s. has concentrated on women’s riding apparel.  Many of the garments appear to be well thought out and designed to be flattering as well as functional.  For example, the Waste-Not Tight,  made from 88% recycled poly Ecolux fabric, has a wide tummy-slimming waistband so you can take those jumps without worrying about the jiggle!

Details matter, and g.r.a.s.s. has them covered.  Little things like recycled zippers and the feminine cut of their low-impact-dyed organic cotton logo T indicate a commitment to quality.

The Hood River, OR company makes a point of sourcing  all its clothing from the United States, thus reducing unnecessary use of fossil fuel from transporting goods overseas.  They also take steps to reduce the impact of their packaging; they use recycled polybags and reuse packaging materials whenever they can. 

g.r.a.s.s. participates in One Percent for the Planet, a growing global movement of 1,145 companies that donate 1% of their sales a network of 1,764 environmental organizations worldwide.  

You can find g.r.a.s.s. garments at select U.S. and Canadian retail stores and online.

Working for fair trade company Global Mamas has helped Hannah Dodoo and other Ghanian handcrafters secure decent livelihoods not just for themselves, but for many others in their communities.

Just a few years ago, Victoria “ObaYaa” Koufie could barely make ends meet.  Despite making a name for herself as a talented seamstress, her lack of capital left her unable to make a decent living.

Today, Oba Yaa run her own workshop in a busy marketplace, where she employs three workers and seven apprentices.  Her new-found bookkeeping skills have allowed her to make informed business decisions and qualify for a business expansion loan, which she has already paid back in full.  She can afford insurance and new equipment.  She has adopted her sister’s three children and has also taken in a needy child, sending them all through school.  And she has secured land for her own workshop and store.

The difference?  Global Mamas.

Global Mamas is a nonprofit organization helping small women-led enterprises in Ghana. By helping the women find export markets and providing them assistance in business management, the fair-trade company is helping forge a more sustainable future for people in this African country.

Beautiful clothes, beautiful people

The clothes are gorgeous.  Each piece is unique.  The fabric is hand-batiked or tie-dyed by expert craftswomen, and then sewn into original garments in women-owned workshops.  Global Mamas’ collections for the entire extended family – men, women, children and babies – are eye-catching and colorful.  They also offer jewelry (including a recycled glass bracelet and necklace) and accessories for the home.

All the handcrafters are featured on Global Mamas’ website, and each item page has links to the women who created the pieces.  Their stories are heartwarming.  A common thread is the importance of family and community in Ghanian society.  Most of the women use the money they earn to help support aging parents and for tuition to send their – and others’ – children to school.  Many of them provide employment to others as they take in more work than they can handle on their own.  One batik artist, Marian Barker, even has plans to start an orphanage with the profits she makes from her business.

It’s a ripple effect.  By helping a few industrious women, Global Mamas is helping improve the lives of many.

Colorful bags made from rice sacks keep material out of the landfill and keep people employed. From World of Good.

“The global economic crisis has a human face. In Cambodia it’s not just people’s livelihoods at risk-it’s people’s lives” – UN Resident Coordinator, Douglas Broderick

Economy got you down?  Think you’ve got it bad?

Look at Cambodia and count your blessings.

In response to last fall’s spike in oil prices, 50% of Cambodian households were forced to cut back not on gas, but on food.

Still recovering from the atrocities of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970’s, the country’s economy remains tenuous at best.  About a third of Cambodia’s population lives below the national poverty level – and there’s no welfare system to fall back on. 

Reduced demand for products worldwide is hitting this Southeast Asian country hard – especially in the garment industry, where 60,000 workers have already lost their jobs.  And it’s not getting any easier.  Economists expect the Cambodian economy to shrink even more this year.

Women and children suffer the brunt of the downturn.  Sex trafficking and human slavery are pervasive.  Desperate families may pull their children out of school to work.  Higher food prices and lower wages are reflected in last year’s National Anthropometric Nutrition Survey, which showed an increase in acute malnutrition among poor urban preschoolers.

Fair Trade Cambodia

The sale of fair trade goods made by Cambodian workers helps keep families together with food on the table.  It’s especially important for women.  The opportunity to earn a living makes women less vulnerable to human trafficking, and allows them to raise healthy, well-nourished babies and children.

Many Cambodian fair trade items are both beautiful and ingenious.  Silk is the most common material.  Locally farmed silk is spun and woven in the rural villages, and transformed by artisans into rainbow-hued scarves, shawls, purses, little jewelry boxes and other accessories. 

Also popular are items made of discarded rice bags.  In southeast Asia, 25-pound rice sacks are made of colorful plastic fabric with eye-catching designs – a modern Asian version of the Depression flour sack.  But instead of curtains and quilts, Cambodian women stitch the sacks into striking and handsome bags and totes.

Listed below are just a few of many stores offering fair-trade items from Cambodia.

Retail:

Samatoa Silk Shop – men’s and women’s silk clothing; wedding and cocktail dresses.

Ten Thousand Villages – recycled rice bag totes and silver bracelet – items made by a fair trade cooperative employing people with disabilities.

Global Girlfriend – yoga mat bags in green, blue and orange made in a women’s cooperative in Cambodia. With each Recycled Rice Bag Yoga Mat Bag purchased, Global Girlfriend will fund 1.0 percent of a microgrant for a woman in a rural community in Africa to launch a small business, through Camfed. 

Wholesale:

Gecko Traders - silk bags and accessories, bags made from recycled rice bags.

Wild Boar Creek – silk scarves & shawls, purses, and bamboo/palm fans handmade by economically or otherwise disadvantaged Cambodians. Wild Boar Creek works directly with craftspeople in approximately 12 villages, and with several non-governmental organizations and handicraft shops. ]]> http://ecozeal.com/blog/fair-trade-in-cambodia/feed 0 http://ecozeal.com/blog/the-natural-step http://ecozeal.com/blog/the-natural-step#comments Fri, 15 May 2009 14:30:00 +0000 Anne http://ecozeal.com/blog/?p=1219

The Natural Step is a plan for sustainability in society based on the Laws of Thermodynamics.

Times change. 

Most of us grew up in an era of compartmentalization:  Science was science, business was business, art was art.  The various disciplines – at least in the public’s mind – were comfortably segregated.

Now, as the world matures and technology brings us closer together, we’re starting to realize that the world is interconnected in ways we’ve never dreamed of. The science of ecology tells us that what happens on the other side of the globe can have enormous impact on habitats and organisms close to home.  Could the same be true of human endeavor?  And are there universal laws governing this interconnection that humanity could use as a guide towards a truly sustainable existence?

Swedish scientist Karl-Henrik Robert thinks so.  In the late 1980′s, while studying diseased cells of children afflicted with cancer, he began to think about the interconnections that exist in the natural environment, and to devise a theory of application to the human environment.  The Natural Step (TNS) was born. 

The Natural Step: Philosophy Applied to Sustainability

At the heart of TNS philosophy are four system conditions based on the laws of thermodynamics.  These represent conditions that must be met before a given entity – be it a business, community, or society – can exist in a truly sustainable manner.  The four system conditions can be summed up as follows:

“In a sustainable society, nature is not subject to systematically increasing:

·                     concentrations of substances extracted from the earth’s crust;

·                     concentrations of substances produced by society; or…

·                     degradation by physical means;

And…

·                     in that society human needs are met worldwide.”

The Four Principles of Sustainability are simple and elegant…but are they achievable?

Clearly, we have a long way to go before we attain TNS’s utopian vision.  But around the world, individuals, companies and governments are setting their sights on achieving sustainability.  It’s in its infancy, but it’s beginning to happen.

Here are a few ways in which TNC’s principles are being applied to the textile industry:

·                     Use of natural fibers

·                     Production of fibers in ways that don’t result in harm to the environment (e.g., organic)

·                     Manufacturing processes that find ways to eliminate waste

·                     Use of alternative energy to power production

·                     Recycling and re-use of products

·                     Eliminating the use of toxic materials in production

·                     Engaging in fair trade and fair labor conditions

As consumers, we owe it to ourselves and future generations to make choices that reflect the values summed up in The Natural Step’s Four Principles.  Now, while we still have the chance.

Find out more about The Natural Step and how you can apply it to your business or community at www.naturalstep.org.

Versatile hemp makes great canvas, and paper,too!

By conservative estimates, the U.S. and Canada combined are home to over 55,000 professional or semi-professional fine artists.  Many if not most of these are painters.  Factor in art students and the multitudes more who paint for enjoyment, and you can imagine the piles of paper and canvas they must consume in a year.

Like most industries, art supply manufacturers are responding to the now-universal demand for greener products.  Artists, too, can now choose materials that leave a lighter footprint on the planet.

Sustainable Artists’ Canvas

Until recently oil painters had their choice of cotton or traditional linen canvas.  Of the two, linen is preferable from the standpoint of conservation.  Its cultivation and manufacture require half the pesticides and a fraction of the water use of conventional cotton. 

Artists now have a third option available.  Earth Friendly Goods offers a selection of  hemp and hemp/cotton blend (some certified organic) artist’s canvas in rolls.  It comes in various weave patterns and colors, including natural, khaki brown and black, in weights from 9.05 – 18.5 lb. The canvas rolls, which vary in width from 57”-59,” are sold by the yard.

Eco Friendly Art Paper

Hemp isn’t just for canvas.  At Eco Art Works, the environmentally-conscious artist can choose from a whole variety of watercolor and sketch papers made from this versatile and earth-friendly fiber. 

Some of the companies making eco-friendly art papers will be very familiar to artists.  Crescent now makes a 100% recycled mounting board.  It’s white on both sides, and features acid-free surfaces. And Strathmore’s Greener Options line includes fine art papers made with recycled fiber and hemp – and manufactured using up to 100% wind power.

Do-It-Yourself Recycled Watercolor Paper

Frugal watercolorists have long known that one side of a sheet of watercolor paper is as good as another.  It’s common practice to flip over a failed painting and start afresh on the other side.  But did you know you can take it one step further?  Artist Alina Bradford explains how to recycle your botched paintings and trimmed edges to create your own hand-made recycled watercolor paper. 

Now it’s easy for artists to paint their pictures green in more ways than one!

Bamboo the plant is a superstar of sustainability - but watch out when it comes to fiber production.

Bamboo is an incredible plant. It holds the vegetative world record for speed – some species can shoot up over 3 meters in a single 24-hour period! A bamboo stalk reaches full height in its first year – 20 meters or more for timber bamboo. What’s more, its fast growth and high carbon content mean that a field of bamboo can pull up to 30% more carbon out of the atmosphere than the same-sized stand of fast-growing trees – making it a powerful defense against the danger of global warming.

As long as it gets adequate spring rainfall, bamboo needs little or no irrigation, and because it is a perennial plant, a field of bamboo does not require the intensive cultivation of an annual crop like cotton. And it thrives on its own with few or no applications of chemical fertilizers or pesticides.

On top of it all, the plant is incredibly versatile. You can use bamboo to make a stir-fry, to build your home (as scaffolding as well as timber), to fish for trout, or dress for work. Bamboo is used to make everything from underwear to furniture – you can even buy a bamboo bicycle!

Bamboo’s amazing productivity, carbon-fixing ability, easy growing requirements and versatility make it a sustainability superstar. But when it comes to bamboo fabric, beware!

Not Everything Leafy is Green

Bamboo textiles are manufactured using two very different processes. The first, more traditional method is a mechanical process. The fibers are crushed and separated, then spun into fabric much in the same way as hemp or linen. This method is time-consuming and results in a fabric that resembles linen in texture. It also tends to wrinkle like linen.

A faster way to make bamboo fabric is through a chemical process similar to the way rayon is made. The bamboo is crushed and reduced to cellulose by various chemicals. The cellulose solution is then forced through a screen with tiny holes into a hardening bath, resulting in fine fibers to be spun into cloth.

The problem with the chemical method is that it’s just that – chemical. Two of the commonly used chemicals in bamboo fiber production are carbon disulfide and sodium hydroxide. Both are strong chemicals associated with health and environmental risks.

A Better Way

Fortunately, there’s an alternative. Some bamboo processing facilities have begun to use a newer, more environmentally benign technique in their chemical processing. The lyocell process – the same process used to make Tencel fabric – replaces the harsh chemicals listed above with N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (a relatively harmless chemical) and hydrogen peroxide. Furthermore, the fiber is produced in a closed-loop process. 99.5% of the chemicals used are recaptured and used again, so there is very little effect on the environment.

What Can You Do?

One could argue that the agricultural benefits outweigh the manufacturing harms when it comes to bamboo. But such an attitude is short-sighted and not easily justified.

A better approach is to be very selective when it comes to the bamboo clothing you buy. Look for independent third-party sustainability certifications, such as Oko-tek, Soil Association, SKAL and KRAG. If the manufacturer or vendor isn’t up-front about the garment being produced in a factory using a closed-loop system, it probably wasn’t.

Buy only bamboo that was manufactured mechanically or in a closed-loop process. And above all, communicate. Companies respond to demand. Ask your vendors and manufacturers for proof of sustainable manufacture. Bamboo fiber can be sustainable – and we can help it happen!

Indigenous Designs fair trade clothing blends old fashioned hand craftsmanship with modern fashion design.

Indigenous Designs began working with three groups of knitters in 1995.  Today they do business with 300 separate knitting groups of six to sixty knitters each in Ecuador and Peru.  The artisans hand-knit garments to the exacting specifications of the company’s in-house designers using high-quality eco-friendly fibers like certified organic cotton, Tencel, merino wool and alpaca. 

The result?  Boutique-quality handmade garments, which the company sells through high-end fashion outlets.  The knitters – who are not treated as employees but as independent businesspeople – make enough from their work to earn a decent living wage.  This allows them to stay with their families (and keep their kids in school) rather than having to seek seasonal factory work for supplementary income.

Overcoming Obstacles

For founders Scott Leonard and Mathew Reynolds, Indigenous Designs was a labor of love.  They first started out in 1994 hoping to do two things: to circumvent exploitation of talented South American artisans’ handiwork by seeking a direct connection with the knitters and weavers of the region; and to do so in a way that was respectful of the Earth.

Their biggest obstacle was financing.  “We had to finance everything,” says Reynolds.  We had to pay for everything up front, because the producers had nothing – we had to give them the yarn on credit.  We were borrowing from friends, family, credit cards, everything.” 

Eventually the credit problem was solved when the partners met the CEO of Root Capital (then Ecologic Finance), a nonprofit social investment fund that provides financing for grassroots businesses in rural areas of developing countries.  But that wasn’t the only stumbling block.

The rural artisans the company works with faced a lot of barriers that the partners worked hard to overcome.  One was simply availability of quality materials.  Typically a knitter couldn’t afford good yarn, so she’s walk to market and buy inferior goods.  Families lucky enough to own alpacas or other fiber animals still didn’t have the means to prepare the fiber properly.  So they’d produce inferior garments despite incredibly fine handiwork. 

There was also a lack of infrastructure and access to world markets.  And the issue of design.  

Patience and Persistence

“It took an incredible amount of patience,” says Reynolds of the process of teaching rural knitters the fine points of production work for Western markets.  “One time we’d gotten this really nice (big) order, we had the same sweater (being made by) three different groups.  We got the prototype, it was a medium, and we got this sweater back, and it was teeny – the sleeves were four inches too short and the waist was tiny.

“And it was one of our best knitters who’d done it.  So we went to her, and she says, ‘How do you like it?’ And we say, ‘Well, you weren’t following the specs.’  And she says, ‘No way is this a medium, it’s way too big.  Your specs were all wrong!  My cousin is a medium, I sized it to him.’  

“I had to explain to her, ‘Look at me.  I’m 6 feet tall, and I’m a medium.’  It took a while for her to get it.”

A Business of Passion

Despite the obstacles, Indigenous Designs has succeeded in their goal.  Their goods are all produced by free, independent cottage industry workers using a unique model of production.  And every item is produced using sustainable and organic fibers and low-impact dyes.

Says Reynolds, “This is a business of passion for Scott and me.  We always say, our life is chosen.  So many people told us it can’t be done.  And now to see everything going organic, it feels good!”

Visit Indigenous Designs online to find a store near you.