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Do you recycle?
The seemingly innocuous question comes with all sorts of ethical baggage these days: for many Americans, recycling is not just an initial step into a greener life, but also an activity suffused with moral weight. While many will argue about the significance of individuals and families recycling items they might otherwise throw away, there’s no doubt that creative and innovative reuse of materials is critical for the health of the planet… and the people who reside on it (along with all of those other species). Tonight, the Sundance Channel’s Big Ideas for a Small Planet goes beyond the blue bin many of us place on the curb, and looks at three organizations that are taking recycling in some interesting, and effective, directions.
While I wrote a preview of tonight’s episode of Big Ideas for a Small Planet this morning on sustainablog, Lucille’s right: it deserves a mention over here at Feelgood Style. So tune in (in about 45 minutes Central time) for the award-winning series’ focus on fashion tonight. Get a look at Del Forte Denim’s use of organic cotton, Nau’s sustainable methods of both creating and selling outerwear, and Revolution Cleaner’s greener alternative to traditional dry cleaning. And keep an eye on the extra coverage that appears during BIFASP, and the documentary that follows: word is that our own Jessa Brinkmeyer’s Pivot Boutique may be on tonight.
And while I’ve got you, throw your name in the hat for a green giftbag from the Sundance Channel. It’s easy to do: just subscribe to Green Options Media’s biweekly newsletter.
Impatient? Can’t wait 45 minutes? Here… take a sneak peak at tonight’s episode:
As I mentioned in this week’s preview of the Sundance Channel’s The Green, we’re hosting our own little contest here at Green Options Media. “Contest” isn’t the exact right word, though, as we’re not asking you to participate in any games of skill or knowledge. Rather, we’re sweetening the pot for an action you may have already taken: subscribing to GOM’s new biweekly newsletter.
The folks at Sundance have given us a bag full of green goodies, and we’ll give it away to one lucky newsletter subscriber. All you have to do: subscribe to the newsletter by May 20th. On the 21st, we’ll one name from our subscribers, and that person will win the bag. What will s/he win?
After previewing tonight’s episode of the Sundance Channel’s Big Ideas for a Small Planet, I couldn’t help but think that this week’s topic — fashion — tied in very closely with last week’s show on food. After all, we all eat, and we all dress. Our clothes, like our food, generally start off as crops in fields, and the process of transforming those crops into garments typically involves heavy chemical inputs and many miles traveled (especially in this era of globalization). The fashion industry has a heavy environmental footprint, but a number of designers and manufacturers are challenging those norms, and creating clothing that’s both fashionable and sustainable. Take a sneak peak at one of these companies featured in tonight’s episode: Del Forte Denim
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Regardless of how “green” we consider ourselves, we’re all concerned about the quality of the food we put on our own plates and serve to our families. Tonight, the Sundance Channel’s The Green explores the world of food, from farm to plate. It’s award-winning series Big Ideas for a Small Planet profiles a large food processor, a wine-maker, and a New Mexico high school student who are all doing their part to reject industrial-scale agriculture, and the bland, homogeneous food it produces. Following that, Sundance presents the documentary All In This Tea from directors Les Blank (Burden of Dreams) and Gina Leibrecht.
By Lucille Chi •
April 13, 2008
Tune in. Turn on. Drop off! starts this week as the GREEN on Sundance Channel helps promote a series of t-shirt recycling events by joining forces with Barneys New York and Loomstate.
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.
To follow up on Shirley’s post about The Good Fight… next week, the Kansas City chapter of AIGA will hold a fundraiser for Greensburg, Kansas’ efforts to rebuild (and rebuild green at that). According to the organization’s web site:
Simran Sethi, host of the Sundance Channel’s The Green will moderate a panel on the green redesign of tornado devastated Greensburg, KS. The green salon will feature BNIM Architects’ urban planner, Stephen Hardy and Greentown director, Daniel Wallach. The Sundance Channel will screen segments from The Good Fight Series.
Unfortunately, my preview mailer on this week’s The Green episodes didn’t make it me, so I can’t review tonight’s features. As last week’s were just stellar, though, I wanted to make sure to give you all a “heads up” in time for tonight.
At 9 pm EDT, Big Ideas for a Small Planet will focus on the theme “Decorate.” The press materials from Sundance note that “it IS possible to have stylish furnishings without messing up the planet,” and will feature some of the designers that are working within this context. sustainablog and GO readers know this, of course, but I have no doubt we’ll all learn new things from this show.
At 9:35 pm, the aesthetic focus will continue with the documentary Manufactured Landscapes. The film profiles photographer Edward Burtynsky, and his work documenting China’s transition to an urbanized society (and the environmental costs associated with it). Ansel Adams he ain’t: think mines, factories and lava flows vs. stunning natural vistas.
Nope, not another April Fool’s joke: the Sundance Channel will be rolling out the second season of The Green starting tonight, hosted by Simran Sethi and Majora Carter. At 9 EST, a new episode of the award-winning series Big Ideas for a Small Planet will air. Subtitled “Power,” tonight’s show “explores the booming field of alternative energy as it introduces several individuals who are working to develop clean, renewable energy from resources like the sun, wind and even cow manure.”
Following that, Sundance will air its original documentary Garbage Warrior. I got a chance to screen this film a few weeks ago as part of a package I received from Earth Circle Cinema, and it’s well worth staying up past your bed time (if that’s an issue). Garbage Warrior tells the story of architect and Earthship creator Michael Reynolds, and his thirty-five+ year quest to create self-sufficient, sustainable buildings made from natural materials and society’s “waste”: “tires, beer cans, glass, and plastic bottles.”
