Green Options

According to the Hanoi-based Prosperity Initiative, a shift toward more bamboo production by small scale farmers in Vietnam could bring 750,000 people out of poverty by 2020. It could also help circumvent worldwide demand for timber as a building material.

Due to its many benefits, bamboo has been touted as an environmental miracle crop. It’s a significant carbon sink, it grows fast, is more termite-resistant than timber, and can be used for everything from food to clothing material to scaffolding for building construction.

But are environmentalists being bamboozled? Despite its benefits, increased bamboo production could raise a lot of concerns too.

Check out these amazing and bright fabrics by Marina Cavalieri. These wonderfully designed textiles are hand-printed onto certified organic and natural fibers.

The textiles designed by Marina Cavalieri are perfect for home accents, soft furnishing, upholstery and fashion clothing and accessories.

On top of their small production company and printing in small batches onto organic and natural fibers, the company is also working towards Fair Trade certification, to ensure that communities receive a fair wage and adhere to ethical practices.

The setting is the foothills of the Himalayas. Giant Nettle, a/k/a Allo in Nepal, is a plant that grows wild, – up to three meters (or 9.84 feet) in forests. Like hemp, the plants don’t require fertilizers or pesticides. Also like hemp, the plants prevent soil erosion. In fact hemp grows well in this region too.

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…

Karen Stewart and Howard Brown, partners in life and work, call themselves “Organic Pioneers” because when they began in 2002 there wasn’t much demand for things like sustainable fabrics and eco-conscious style.  They decided to break out of the typical textile mold, had a vision for something greater and have undoubtedly been trailblazers in the industry. 

I was given an exclusive sneak peak of their Fall Collection which hits stores within the next couple weeks.  You can expect the same quality craftsmanship and romantic looks that are quintessential Stewart+Brown. 

Last week I had the opportunity to interview Howard Brown.  Check out the interview below…

In the green market, the interior design world is about healthy settings with visual appeal. The goal is to create rooms for physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual benefits. That means avoiding things like VOCs, chemicals, and clutter.

You can see that earth and human-friendly designers and decorators are increasingly riding the green wave. And we now know that natural wool, hemp, silk, seagrass, bamboo, cork, and other organic fibers are here for us. Ancient craft techniques are reviving and some know how to blend it all so well into the present. Recycling is one method that seems to create new artistic magic.

One such conscious professional creator is Marla Henderson. She identifies herself as more an artist/producer of interiors than a traditional designer. Marla frequently works with artisans to develop unique spaces. Her course of life leads us to the Babik rug collection she offers today.