Green Options

Vegala owner Deborah is a stay at home mom and former owner of a natural living store. When she had her son, she decided to move from her Seattle brick and mortar back to selling fabrics online so she could devote more time to him.

These vintage-inspired prints from Etsy seller Oliver Henry Organics are rocking my socks!

How sweet are these organic cotton prints from Baby Bird Design? I ran across Emily’s shop over the weekend, and I’ve got to say: I’m swooning from cuteness!

Laura Kurgan, Chris Jordan, Lorrie Vogel and Assaf Biderman - Pop!Tech 2009 - Camden, ME

In Part One, Lorrie Vogel explained some of the work Nike is doing to increase recycled and organic content in their products. Our conversation continues with discussing how Nike designers are encouraged to use sustainable principles in their work.

SS: You mentioned something about rewarding designers for innovating around sustainability, how does that work?

LV: As with any company centered on innovation, the process begins with Nike’s designers. To influence the designers to make responsible choices, Nike designers are scored against the Considered Index. In order to get new Considered innovations adopted faster, Nike gives innovation points to designers who come up with a brand new idea, as well as to teams who adopt considered innovations in the first year.

SS: And how are employees outside of the design department scored against the Considered Index?

LV: At Nike, there are so many different groups in different matrices, a lot of them are expected to calculate their CO2 footprint. But the Considered Index is primarily for designers.

SS: Sustainability 101 and Step by Natural Step (mentioned in this press release)- are they teaching personal sustainability practices, or teaching employees how to spot opportunities to be more responsible in the choices they make in their jobs?

I am totally falling in love with these nature-inspired prints from UK fabric designer Showpony!

Burning Torch has long been a pioneer in recycling clothing. Karyn has been buying up old cashmere sweaters, having them cleaned, sorted, cut up and re-sewn into new sweaters here in Los Angeles for many years. Over the years, she has expanded her recycled offerings to include army fatigues and even beaded antique gowns, to great effect. She also has some organic cotton pieces. One might think I’m biased because [...]

This impressive footprint is Nike’s Considered Air Jordan XX3, their first basketball shoe designed using the Considered Ethos.

Lorrie Vogel is the general manager of Nike Considered, Nike’s in-house sustainability think tank. She holds a degree in Industrial Design from Syracuse, and numerous patents. Her work in innovating around sustainability has helped put Nike on Fast Company’s Fast 50 list multiple times. Considering how aggressive Nike’s sustainability goals have been, it’s even more impressive that they are on track to meet their targets.

Sustainability is second only to performance when ranking the critical factors of a product. Nike is committed to making their entire collection as environmentally responsible as possible. Lorrie Vogel spoke at the Opportunity Green conference in Los Angeles, explaining some of the ways Nike is meeting these targets. In this phone interview, Lorrie expands on some of the points she touched on in her presentation. The conversation is split into two articles, in order to go deeper into the many changes that need to happen to increase use of recycled and organic materials in apparel and footwear. We begin with a discussion about materials, and conclude with the human element needed to ensure these changes occur in a timely manner.

From Nike: The long-term vision for Considered is to design products that are fully closed loop: produced using the fewest possible materials, designed for easy disassembly while allowing them to be recycled into new product or safely returned to nature at the end of their life. By 2011, 100 percent of footwear will meet baseline Considered standards, apparel by 2015 and equipment by 2020 – creating better performing products while minimizing environmental impact by reducing waste, using environmentally preferred materials and eliminate toxins.

Okay, so, I feel sheepish. The last article I posted I claimed that American Apparel is not eco-friendly. To my delighted surprise, American Apparel carries an organic line called The Sustainable Edition. This is not new news, but well, it’s new to me. I love American Apparel, so I’m incredibly pleased to know that this huge well known company is slowly trying to make the switch to carry only organic clothing.

Did you dig her Family Cottage collection? Get ready to fall for Betz White’s new Indian Summer line of eco fabrics!

Save endangered species in style together with WWF’s Holiday Gift Center.

“Make a donation to support WWF’s worldwide conservation efforts and select a special WWF themed thank-you gift.” too!

Now WWF offers stylish jute bags, pajama pants, large recycled and reusable totes, boxers, hats, reusable cups, pet items and stocking stuffers galore.

Stewart and Brown is one of our favorite eco clothing brands. They’ve added a “late fall, curtain call” line to their collections. This playfully staged organic collection features softly draping chemise silhouettes and creatively tailored jackets for blustery autumn days.