Deep in the coal mines, canaries gave warning - when to take action for survival. Everything is connected. Change. Be strong. Find what you love. Love what you do. Listen for canaries. - Anna Cohen introduction to her Spring/Summer 2008 collection

Inspired by urge to create a sustainable line of “Italian Street Couture”, Oregon’s Anna Cohen has created one of the most beautiful seasonal collections I’ve ever seen in my 15-odd years in the fashion industry. Her Spring/Summer 2008 pieces premiered at the October 2007 Portland Fashion Week to rave reviews and it is easy to see why! Trends from 1920s to 1950s have been channeled into subtle, architecturally appealing collection that focuses on black, white and … oddly enough … orange. Pieces that flatter each and every body type are an unexpected element of the retro-modern menagerie.

(more…)

Life is a journey, so why not make it a sustainable one? From blogs and forums to magazines, newspapers and cable TV -tips and tricks on how to live green come at us from every possible angle these days. While it is a refreshing change from McDonald’s ads and fake diet claims, all the info can still be quite overwhelming. How do you keep track of it all?

If you are like me and have been ‘betrayed’ by computers a few times in your life, you’ll be interested in The Green Journal, compiled by Pittsburg’s infamous Phipps Conservatory and Garden Center. Filled with mini-essays and helpful reminders on eco-projects of all sizes, The Green Journal also has ample room for you to “enter your own discoveries and epiphanies as they unfold, marking where you’ve been and where you still want to go.”

Feel a bit strange about keeping track of your sustainable changes in a paper journal? Don’t fret - publisher St. Lynn’s Press printed the hardbound “book” on recycled paper with soy-based inks. Thanks to The Green Journal, you won’t have to sacrifice your eco-intentions to your busy schedule - keep track of it easily and soon, everyone will be calling you ‘Emerald.’

How many times during the day do you take a break simply to rub your eyes? Whether to help relieve stress or induce relaxation, our eyes are vital parts to our well-being but, like our feet, are often ignore. A consistent yoga practice can easily bring your entire body into a pleasurable state.

During the final element of each practice, while in Corpse Pose, the opportunity to pamper our eyes presents itself. By using an eye pillow during Savasana, you block out nearly all light along with adding a gentle pressure to the area around the eyes, which helps to relieving tension and calm active muscles. Eye pillows are also often used to help people with chronic headaches.

So, eye pillows are great … but why buy one? In my second appearance within the pages of Yoga Journal Magazine (my first was in the September 2007 issue), I present readers with simple step-by-step instructions on how to make your own eye pillow (June 2008 issue; page 28), including how to customize the filling to your scent preferences. Not a superior sewer? No need to be! This is a beginner pattern that anyone can make.

Random note: the three eye pillows at the bottom of page 28 were made by yours truly out of HarmonyArt organic cotton fabric (specifically the Pink Moon, Let it Grow, and Graceland prints)! I also made an eye pillow for myself, from the Whispering Grass print, that I use during my daily yoga practice.

Just announced on both the company’s website and their blog, The Thought Kitchen, Portland-based cutting edge NAU Clothing is ceasing business. The company was just featured in Sundance Channel’s Big Ideas for A Small Planet “Fashion” episode and has been revered for its many sustainable and revolutionary concepts.

Below is the official letter that has been posted:

In the current highly risk-averse capital market, we simply could not raise the necessary funds to continue to move forward. We believe this is not so much a reflection of the viability of our business, but the result of an unfortunate confluence of events. Just as we could not have predicted the sudden groundswell of environmental consciousness that blossomed at the time we launched our business, we did not foresee the current crisis in the capital markets. At this time, investors are loath to invest in anything; especially, it appears, a company like Nau that has the audacity to challenge conventional paradigms of what a business should be.

We are, of course, eternally thankful to a large community of people, including the investors who got us this far—those who saw our potential and gave their support when the risk was greatest. We would also like to express our most sincere gratitude to our customers as well as our partner non-profit organizations, our business associates, our friends in the media as well as the countless others who have cheered us and challenged us along the way. It has been an honor working with and serving all of you. Your unflagging support and enthusiasm has inspired us to work diligently on your behalf and we regret we will not be able to serve you in the future.

(more…)

While you are out doing grocery shopping this weekend, make sure to stop by a Whole Foods Market and pick up an exclusive FEED 100 reusable bag. Why? Retailing for $29.99 and made from 100% organic cotton, the FEED 100 bag folds into its own base - a zippered burlap pouch. While stylish and sustainable, the FEED 100 bag has even more perks: each purchased bag “will provide 100 nutritious school meals for hungry children through the UN World Food Program (WFP).”

“This bold and innovative partnership between FEED Projects and Whole Foods Market will make a real difference,” said Josette Sheeran, executive director of the United Nations World Food Program. “Hundreds of thousands of Rwandan children, who might have gone to school hungry, will now go nourished and ready to learn.”

Debuting yesterday, May 1st, at Whole Foods Markets across the country, the bag was designed by Lauren Bush, fashion model and niece of current President George W. Bush. Fan of fair trade? “The bags are not only made from eco-minded materials they are being crafted in one of the world’s few certified facilities ensuring fair treatment of workers, livable wages, paid overtimes, safe and clean working environments, benefits and vacation time,” according to press information.

“Creating the FEED 100 bag was inspired by the need to take better care of children and the planet at the same time,” said Lauren Bush, co-founder and CEO of FEED Projects. “Whole Foods Market and its savvy customers’ commitment to caring for the planet by choosing reusable shopping bags, make Whole Foods Market the perfect place to introduce the new FEED 100 bag, which will enable WFP to provide millions of school meals to the children of Rwanda.”

Before bamboo, soy and coconut fibers, there was organic cotton. Arguably the most popular sustainable fabric available, organic cotton is grown without pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers, all of which are used on conventional cotton crops. Organic cotton is used in T-shirts, diapers, sheets and more. But is it truly the better choice?

Critics of organic cotton rant about water resources needed to grow it, chemical dyes and the significant carbon footprint created to ship it. Proponents of organic cotton remind us of its reduced or nonexistent chemical usage and the smaller farms where it’s typically grown, and of the GMO (genetically modified organisms) seeds used to grow conventional cotton. We delve into the fact and fiction about organic cotton to give you an honest look at how sustainable this fiber really is.

1. Chemicals

Considered one of the most chemically dependent crops in the world, conventional cotton uses 10 percent of all agricultural chemicals and 25 percent of the world’s insecticides—in the U.S., one-third of a pound of chemicals are needed just to grow enough conventional cotton for a regular T-shirt. “Organic cotton is a solution to the problem of chemical use in conventional cotton,” says Lynda Grose of the Sustainable Cotton Project. Additionally, Grose says growing organic cotton is a great transition crop to convert chemical-intensive fields to a future organic farm, whether it’s for growing food or fabrics. “The ecological goal is to convert fields from chemical controls to biological controls.”

Organic cotton crops are kept healthy with a number of natural methods that help control weeds and pests. According to the Organic Consumers Association’s Clothes for a Change program, these methods include mechanical or hand-weeding, crop rotation, planting several crops together (intercropping), use of mulches, adjusting planting dates and densities of crops, and introducing beneficial predator insects.

[[ KEEP READING! THE FULL ARTICLE IS AT LIFE.GAIAM.COM]]

[Image courtesy of chadmill on flickr.com]

You’ve probably noticed that there wasn’t a Top 5 post for March. It was nothing short of spaciness on my part (combined with an unusually busy writing schedule), but let’s get back on-track now that April has passed and May flowers are blooming!

1) VE on GaiamLife: Top 5 Ways to Lose More Weight with Your Existing Workout: “You’ve established a healthy workout schedule, working up a sweat three to five times a week—but why aren’t you losing weight? Depending on how much weight you have been trying to lose, you may have hit your fitness plateau. The solution isn’t necessarily longer …”

2) VE on GaiamLife: 5 Best Ways to “Green Out” Your Town: “Weekly recycling, home composting, grocery shopping at the farmer’s market – you’ve made some good changes to live greener. So what’s next? It’s time to take your eco-friendly inspirations out into your local community to inspire and support others in lightening their footprint …”

3) Unconditional Love and Surrender from Nicole Bridger: “Nicole has come a long way from making clothes for her Barbie dolls at age eight. Five years after graduating from Ryerson University, Vancouver native Nicole Bridger is setting a new standard for style mavens. Victoria Everman chatted with Nicole just before the Green Living Show …”

4) How Green Is Bamboo Fabric?: “Found in your favorite Chinese dishes and on the floors of many modern homes, bamboo has made its way into another key aspect of our lives - clothing. Green fabrics from organic cotton and wool to those even made from corn and seaweed, bamboo is one of the most versatile and features a wide variety of …”

5) Become A Sustainable Fashion Influencer with Nvohk: “Ever wanted to own your own green business? How about a clothing brand? With California-based nvohk [invoke], you can help to change the fashion world, one design at a time. Promoted as an “eco-clothing company managed by the people who wear it,” nvohk: … was inspired by …”

What did you enjoy this month?

What would you like to see less/more of?

[Image courtesy of mikebaird on flickr.com]

After their first critically-acclaimed season of Big Ideas for A Small Planet TV series, Sundance Channel has returned with a vibrant second season that borders on being even better than the first. Episodes about power alternatives, water, food, youth culture and home decorating have already aired, but the next BIFASP premiere is a subject close to my heart (and personal experience) - fashion.

From Sundance Channel’s website: In this episode, environmental consciousness hits the fashion world as style means sustainable fabric and earth-friendly manufacturing practices. Meet men and women who are bringing green to fashion, clothing stores and the dry cleaners.

Having reviewed their episode about fashion, called “Wear”, from season one of Big Ideals for A Small Planet, I was eager to see how they planned on expanding on the concept of sustainable style. The first thing viewers are greeted with is, “Americans have an extraordinary love affair with clothing. The problem is that every step of the clothing process generates pollution.” Spoken by now-infamous eco-journalist Simran Sethi, I could think of no better way to start an episode of fashion, especially one that is meant to both inform and educate.

I am resisting saying that this episode is better than “Wear” from season one, but it is a tough toss-up. Premiering next Tuesday, May 6th at 9pm EST and PST, the 25-minute installment focuses on three topics: organic denim, sustainable clothing, and green dry cleaning. Features within these segments, Bay Area-based Tierra Forte of Del Forte Denim is featured, along with the founder crew of Portland, Oregon’s NAU clothing line and Rusty Perry, Co-Founder of Colorado’s Revolution Cleaners.

(more…)

In our go-go society, don’t you miss the days of personal connections with … well … everyone! A large basis behind the sustainable agriculture movement is going to farmer’s markets and being able to meet those that grow your food face-to-face. What if we could start doing that in other areas too?

Enter: Skin - a new all natural beauty brand made by-hand in Kansas by founder Stephanie Simkins. “Skin is the culmination of my passion for all things real, natural, organic and living. Nothing fake. No chemicals. No additives,” Stephanie says.

“As a nutrition consultant, organic cook, and herbalist, I combine my love of holistic healing, whole foods, and nutrition, along with the use of organic oils and botanicals to create products I believe will nourish your mind, body, and spirit. Everything in the Skin brand line is made in small batches, by hand, with love. Real and Simple. The way it was then, the way it should be now.” Ah, made with love - what a novel concept, no?

When I received a delightful email from Stephanie offering to let me sample her new line, I couldn’t say no. My collection of samples and full-size products arrived swiftly in my mailbox; the package (with recycled bubble wrap inside) was I promptly ripped open and shared with my mother, who was then visiting from Connecticut.

(more…)

Nicole has come a long way from making clothes for her Barbie dolls at age eight. Five years after graduating from Ryerson University, Vancouver native Nicole Bridger is setting a new standard for style mavens. Victoria Everman chatted with Nicole just before the Green Living Show where she will be displaying her fashions.

London calling
After graduation, Nicole jetted off to London for the unique opportunity to intern with cutting edge fashion icon Vivienne Westwood. From her, Nicole learned that knowing the business world is just as important as designing. Upon returning to Vancouver, Nicole teamed with Lululemon founder to create Oqoqo, the company’s casual sustainable brand that is still gaining new fans.

Awards follow
After two years at Oqoqo, it was time to do her own thing. Creating her own self-titled company, the Nicole Bridger collection first premiered in Spring 2007 and won British Columbia Fashion Week’s Generation Next Designer award.

Though not nearly as edgy at Vivienne Westwood, Nicole’s designs clearly have their own sense of personality and passion for living life. “My designs are for a particular person. She’s 35, lives a healthy lifestyle, professional, expressive, current, and daring,” said Nicole in an interview last month. “I get inspired by painters such as Monet and Van Gogh. However, mostly I get my inspirations from what I am going through in life. The clothing I design portrays my emotions and life lessons. For example, my last fall collection is called Unconditional Love. For fall ‘08, the collection is named Surrender.”

Socially conscious clothing
A strong philosophy stands behind the Nicole Bridger line. (more…)

A warm hello and Happy (late) Earth Day to everyone out there reading Victoria-E.com!

I just wanted to drop in and let you know that I haven’t forgotten about my ever-growing blog - new posts will be up soon. For the past few days, I’ve been spending my time on the couch with a bag of cough drops and a number of tissue boxes. Yup, you guessed it - a Spring cold.

Thankfully, I was able to check the San Francisco Zoo for the first time with my mother (visiting from Connecticut) during the weekend, before this cold really took hold. Below are some pictures from our visit. Enjoy!

(more…)

Weekly recycling, home composting, grocery shopping at the farmer’s market – you’ve made some good changes to live greener. So what’s next? It’s time to take your eco-friendly inspirations out into your local community to inspire and support others in lightening their footprint, too.

Making a difference doesn’t have to involve a boatload of time or money, either. These five ideas make a big difference for the environment — and they’re among the most likely to succeed in any type of neighborhood. Start simple, start small, start making your community a better place to be.

1) Organize a Walk-to-School Group

According to Mother Earth News, almost a third of the air pollution in the United States comes from passenger vehicles. “More than 12.5 million children and adolescents 2 to 19 years of age are overweight,” says U.S. Surgeon General Rear Adm. Steven K. Galson, M.D. It may seem like a lofty goal, but addressing two issues (automotive pollution and childhood obesity) with one solution is easier than it sounds.

Organizing a walk-to-school program within your neighborhood or entire school is as easy as getting the word out. Talk to your neighbors about getting together at a certain time each morning to walk your kids to school. If you want to go bigger, talk to the school’s principal or ask to take the idea citywide at the next town meeting (see #5). You and your children get some much-needed exercise — plus you’ll be reducing harmful vehicle emissions.

Resources:

+ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Kids Walk-to-School program (includes Power Point presentation and extensive resources)
+ National Center for Safe Routes to School

2) Create a Monthly Swap Get-Together

Any season is a good time for spring cleaning, but what to do with that collection of unwanted stuff? Swap it! Arrange a once-a-month get-together with your friends and neighbors to exchange anything you’re ready to part with.

[[ KEEP READING! THE FULL ARTICLE IS AT LIFE.GAIAM.COM]]

[Image courtesy of ikhlasulamal on flickr.com]

You’ve established a healthy workout schedule, working up a sweat three to five times a week—but why aren’t you losing weight? Depending on how much weight you have been trying to lose, you may have hit your fitness plateau.

The solution isn’t necessarily longer workouts. We consulted two of our favorite fitness professionals to find out their favorite strategies for kicking up your workout. The best part? Their methods won’t make you add more sweat sessions!

1. Vie for Variety

If you’ve been doing the same moves for months on end, your body is probably bored. “Each time you perform an activity, your body gets efficient at that activity and it remembers the movement and gets better at doing it. This in turn allows the body to go on autopilot, which decreases the number of calories burned,” says Patricia Moreno, a fitness professional for more than 20 years and the founder of intenSati™ fusion exercise techniques.

Adding variety can be as simple as doing your usual workout in reverse order or picking out a few new moves from a fitness magazine. When working on your cardio, vary the incline and don’t hold onto the handles—your glutes will work harder than ever. “If you love to go fast, slow it down and add some resistance. If you love to go slow, increase the speed and lower the resistance,” Moreno advises.

Feeling adventurous? Try a new exercise class! Curious about yoga? Longing for the days of ’80s step-aerobics classes? Replace one of your usual workouts with a class you’ve wanted to try or one you wouldn’t normally take.

2. The Joy of Jump Ropes

Not only will adding jump-rope intervals to your workout shock your body into burning more calories, it may shorten the time you spend sweating. Jumping rope between lifting weights “creates an interval workout with bursts of energy, and you will burn many more calories,” says Tanja Djelevic, Los Angeles celebrity trainer, fitness writer and founder of Loud Teenz health and self-esteem program.

[[ KEEP READING! THE FULL ARTICLE IS AT LIFE.GAIAM.COM]]

[Image courtesy of mikebaird on flickr.com]

Ever wanted to own your own green business? How about a clothing brand? With California-based nvohk [invoke], you can help to change the fashion world, one design at a time. Promoted as an “eco-clothing company managed by the people who wear it,” nvohk:

… was inspired by our vision to create a new kind of company. A company that stands for more than just the ‘widgets’ it produces. A company that truly puts consumers and the environment in the forefront. We are dedicated to building a company that balances social responsibility with financial performance.

How does it work? Currently, nvohk has nearly half of the 5,000 sign-ups that it needs to get the company started. Once the 5,000 mark is reached, each person who signed up will be asked to pay a yearly membership fee (only $50).

What are the benefits? “Basically, you can get free products, 25% off any products you buy and the privilege of participating in developing and managing a new eco-friendly clothing company.” Members will receive regular business updates and vote on major business decisions (e.g., logo design, product designs, advertising, sponsored athletes and musicians, etc.). I assume that, in those cases, majority would rule, similar to a stockholder situation. Ten percent of the company’s profits are donated to eco-conscious charities (which ones in particular is still to be seen, but hopefully will be selected by the company members as well).

I personally signed up for nvohk a few months ago and eagerly await for the other 2,500 members to join so we can start building a truly unique and sustainably styled brand. In just the first two months, nvohk signed up over 1,250 members - if this trend continues, we should have the brand launched by June/July 2008!