Green Options

Clif Bar, makers of energy bars and known contributor to environmental causes and sustainable practices, has announced more artists joining their GreenNotes program.  Artists Missy Higgins, Josh Ritter, The Duhks, Ben Kweller, and Steven Kellogg and the Sixers join existing GreenNotes artists (and festival circuit favorites) Brett Dennen, Mason Jennings, The John Butler Trio and Michael Franti as artists committed to sustainable touring practices.

Heads up, Midwestern fashionistas.  October 1-8 is Fashion Forward Chicago, that city’s fashion week.  Besides the typical runway shows, seminars,  and design competitions, the Windy City’s fashion community is contributing to a unique exhibition of green fashion.  Dubbed the Museum of Sustainable Style (MoSS), this exhibition will run from October 2-5, and will feature clothing, accessories, and furniture created with environmental sustainability in mind.  More details, after the jump…

One of the smallest rooms in your house is also the easiest to green.  But for many people, their bathroom is a sanctuary, a place they go to relax in a hot bath or shower.  You might not want a spartan existence for this place.  That doesn’t mean you can’t go green.  You can make your bathroom eco-friendly without sacrificing luxury by knowing a few tricks and where to shop.  Find out how, after the jump…

If you’re like me, you’ve been glued to your set watching Project Runway.  Why wouldn’t you be?  It’s a reality show where the contestants, though they may be obnoxious like other reality shows, actually showcase legitimate talent (well, mostly legitimate talent) by creating amazing garments under extreme time constraints.  Couple that with the snarky nature of at least a few contestants, the lovable Tim Gunn, the adorable Heidi Klum and a revolving door of fashion and celebrity guest judges, and you’ve got must-watch television every week. 

In Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability, and Peace, Indian physicist turned environmental activist Vandana Shiva calls for a radical shift in the values that govern democracies, decrying the role that unrestricted capitalism has played in the destruction of environments and livelihoods.  By no means a new release, Shiva’s book is incredibly timely as skyrocketing fuel costs jeopardize the rationality of globalization.  Through explaining problems with expanding globalization and privatization of public goods and services, then illustrating examples of communities rejecting the intrusion of corporations into communities, Shiva outlines core beliefs that should result in what she deems “earth democracy”, a global community that honors and respects diverse forms of life and their respective cultures.

Lauren Bush, niece to George W, granddaughter to George H.W. and former Tommy Hilfiger fashion model, announced last week that she will be debuting a ready-to-wear fashion line focusing on sustainable fabrics.  Dubbed Lauren Pierce, a connotation-free combination of her first and middle names, the line is tailored from hemp silk, bamboo, and organic cotton, and will hit stores next spring.

Etsy, the crafting gal (and guy’s) favorite marketplace is holding a Handmade Kids Challenge, which showcases all the crafts made for kids on Etsy.

Expert judging has started in seven categories, one of which is “eco-friendly”, and winners in each category will get a $200 Etsy shopping spree. Check out the eco-friendly entries!

More info, including a chance for you to win an Etsy shopping spree, after the jump…

HP has announced that their EnergyStar Pavilion dv6929 laptop will be packaged in recycled-content messenger bags instead of the traditional cardboard boxes.  As a result, they’ve won Wal-Mart’s Home Entertainment Design Challenge, a contest open to all suppliers of consumer electronics products that focused on good design and  innovative packaging design that facilitates reducing, reusing, and recycling.

With Alaska in the political spotlight, and with that spotlight showcasing someone with a less-than-stellar record when it comes to the environment, reading about sustainable life in Alaska, in this case, the rural Arctic, might just be a blast of cold, last frontier air.  Seth Kantner’s second book, Shopping For Porcupine (Milkweed Editions, $28), a collection of memoirs on his life in Arctic Alaska, documents his upbringing by transplanted parents and his current life with his wife and daughter in Kotzebue.  Accompanied by Kantner’s stunning photography of life in the tundra, Shopping for Porcupine is a beautiful tribute to land that, despite its remoteness, is slowly succumbing to the influence of globalization.

Performance gear-producing Patagonia, known for their forays into sustainable clothing produced with environmental ethics in mind, has produced the first recyclable-nylon shell and pants for technical outdoor wear.  The company has produced recyclable nylon gear before, in the form of pants and shorts, but these are the first shells produced in the industry that can be recycled.  Patagonia will provide recycling for their Shelter Stone products through their already-active Common Threads recycling program