NRDC’s OnEarth site has an educational article out on blue jeans that states:

“Some 450 million pairs of jeans are sold in the United States each year — 1.5 pairs for every man, woman, and child. The average woman has eight pairs in her closet. Chances are that to make those jeans, cotton crops were drenched in pesticides; fibers were stained with toxic dyes… There is another option: the eco-minded can invest in a pair of jeans woven from organic cotton, dyed with natural indigo, and faded with nontoxic ozone.”

In the post they cover the truth about growing cotton, making denim, dying, hardware, distressing and fit. Here is a quick recap of the downside to wearing denim from the Natural Resources Defense Council:

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It’s time for the Gorgeous & Green

WHEN: Tuesday Evening, December 2, 2008 ~

• 6:00 Reception
• 7:30 Cocktail Party
• 8:30 pm Eco-Chic Fashion Show (see designer list below)

WHERE: LEED-certified Bently Reserve, 301 Battery Street, San Francisco

WHO: The party fundraiser is hosted by Global Green which is the American Arm of Green Cross International (GCI). They are working to solve some of the greatest challenges facing humanity.

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In celebration of their two year anniversary today, the ethical, environmentally conscience and eco fashionable Equita is offering a whopping 40% off all eco-fashion today and tomorrow only.  Its no secret that we’re all holding onto our wallets a little tighter these days and trying to plan for Christmas without overdoing it.  Now is the perfect time to take advantage of this great sale and cross some items off your list while you have a chance at a huge savings.  They carry eco-fashion brands FIN, EDUN, Stewart+Brown, Loyale, Autonomie, Del Forte Denim, Perfectly Imperfect, Loomstate, Ecoist, Vega, Tom’s Shoes, Josh Jakus and more. 

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NY Fashion Week kicked off in eco-sartorial style last night with the Be EcoChic event, held at the incredible American Museum Natural History. Hosted by uber model and eco-activist Angela Lindvall (wearing bright green re-purposed DKNY - cut short to show off her endless gams), the roster of brands made for some diverse mixology on the runway. Well known eco-designers such as Debra Lindquist (who has dressed celebs like Gwen Stefani, Demi Moore, Paris Hilton & Charlize Theron), Loomstate (Rogan Gregory), Del Forte and more, rubbed shoulder pads and bamboo fabrics with brands like DKNY, Levi’s, Nicole Miller et al. Celebrity walkers included Tamara Feldman (Gossip Girl), Dominique Swain (Alpha Dog, Lolita, Face Off), MTV VJ Coltrane Curtis, with appearances by the eternally chic & gorgeous-at-sixty-something Lauren Hutton.

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I love Method cleaning supplies, candles and laundry products, was looking forward to the organic collection designed by Rogan all spring and was thrilled to find ADORABLE baby clothes, crib bumpers and a number of other supplies there in the “eco-friendly” shopping section of their website.

Finally, a mass-merchandiser who get’s it and is offering great looking, organic clothing at convenient prices. I am thrilled to be able to still shop Target for all of the upcoming baby showers I’m attending and have a few sustainable choices on hand.

The catch is for participants to drop off old t-shirts at all Barneys’ locations nationwide and Loomstate will then re-style the tops for a limited edition collection for Barneys Holiday 2008. Clearly the retailer is gearing up early for their smashing green holiday guide.

 Starting today, those interested in donating will receive a 20% discount on Loomstate for Barneys Green , and the promotion will go on for the next two weeks. Project proceeds go to 1% for the planet.

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When Amy wrote about green magazines, she mentioned GOOD as being one of her favorites. I, too, a self-described magazine junkie, am a big fan of GOOD since it’s inception last year. With all the depressing news out there on any given day, GOOD always reaffirms my faith in humanity. Its focus is, like its name implies, good stuff: those things that are making our world a little bit better, and when I’m feeling down about what’s going on around me, GOOD usually perks me up. It’s a rare magazine that doesn’t need an annual "green" issue: sustainability has been a priority since the magazine was founded.

The latest issue (Sept/Oct 07) is no exception. The issue, which commemorates their one-year anniversary, focuses on design solutions. A topic I covered a while back, green schools, gets a feature nod from Eva Steele-Saccio. Steele-Saccio highlights different schools’ efforts to reduce their footprint and become more energy efficient, and acknowledges that there are benefits beyond energy savings: "Green schools create a healthy atmosphere for learning that has measurable results. The combination of natural light, fresh air, open plans, and multi-use facilities that encourage community involvement has helped student test scores rise by 20% and reduced asthma rates by 39%."

There’s also a feature about a village in England that launched a community effort to reduce their carbon footprint, with the ultimate goal of becoming the first carbon-neutral village in the U.K. GOOD’s product reviews almost always include items produced with sustainability in mind, and in this issue, they create a proposal for better CFL packaging: create a package that can be used to ship burned-out bulbs back to the producer for proper disposal. There’s also a profile of Rogan Gregory, founder of clothing company Loomstate, who was virtually responsible for bringing organic cotton to the fashion industry though his work with Loomstate, and his other two companies, Rogan and Edun

Even subscribing to GOOD can make you feel good: 100% of your $20 subscription costs goes to your choice of twelve charities, including the World Wildlife Fund and Oceana. Good is printed on 30% recycled post-consumer paper that is EcoLogic certified, and 100% offset by projects Good is actually involved in.

The September/October issue of GOOD is on newsstands now.