Beth Fiteni

Eileen Fisher Rocks the Runway at Green Festival

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Eileen Fisher -- Green Festival NYC 2013
Eileen Fisher clothing is known for its simple, comfortable design. It is casual but stylish and high end, and can be found at well over 50 Eileen Fisher stores around the country. What makes it special is that the company is committed to using sustainable fabrics such as linen, hemp, and organic cotton. The company makes an effort to work with fair trade producers, and to use low impact dyes on many of its products.

At the Green Festival in NYC (April 2013), I had the pleasure of witnessing a fashion show of the Spring Collection. The best part was that the classic, chic designs were worn by real live eco fashionistas, such as Greta Eagen, Sass Brown, and Emma Grady, all who write about eco fashion. Each model explained why she chose her piece. Eileen Fisher also used the event to highlight its new clothing recycling campaign “We’d Like Our Clothes Back Now, Thanks Very Much.” For more, see eileenfisher.com.

Eco-Chick’s Sustainable Spring Fashion Party

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Fabulous eco fashion event last Thursday night at Green Spaces in NYC hosted by Starre Vartan from Eco-Chick.com, one of my favorite blogs.

Eco-Chick's Sustainable Spring Fashion Party
Eco-Chick’s Sustainable Spring Fashion Party | Photo by Rose Brook

50+ people came out to support sustainably-made clothing, mostly made right in NY, by designers including Elsa and Me, Feral Childe, Study NY, Sylvia Heisel, Carrie Parry, Auralis and others.

This conscious event included vegan and organic provisions, and generous goody bags filled with organic cotton socks by Pact, all-natural hand soap by Mrs. Meyer’s, and other green schwag.

Great to see so many new designers making beautiful clothing and accessories while keeping the planet in mind.

Ground for Hope: GreenFaith Inspires Environmental Stewardship in Long Island

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Reverend Fletcher Harper, GreenFaith, addresses the crowd

GreenFaith, a NJ based nonprofit, came to Temple Beth David in Commack, Long Island on 3/10/13 to enliven the community of faith’s efforts on stewardship of the earth.

Through their Ground for Hope event, over 100 people from different religious backgrounds came together to learn:

  1. How their institution can grow gardens that provide food for the needy,
  2. Opportunities to save energy & money in their buildings, and
  3. Ways to inform their communities about sustainability issues.

Inspiring and educational, it was a great opportunity for people of different faiths to meet local sustainability leaders and recognize that stewardship of our environment is a goal shared commonly by all. See Greenfaith.org.

Proud to have been a part of organizing this great event!

The Truth About Clothing Discussed at Columbia Forum

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Yael Aflalo, Catherine Tyc, Sass Brown, Gretchen Jones, and Raz Godelnik
Elsa dress

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On January 17th, 2013, the Columbia Business School Sustainable Business Committee held a packed forum in Manhattan entitled, “Sustainable Fashion- Timeless or Trendy?,” discussing the sustainability of our clothing. Many audience members were shocked to hear about how toxic the production of fabric is, given the amount of pesticides and chemical dyes used. The panel included several eco-designers (hemperjeans.com; gretchenjonesnyc.com, thereformation.com) who use natural or repurposed fabrics. Also speaking were film-maker Catherine Tyc, and Sass Brown, Dean at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC, and author of a beautiful book entitled “Ecofashion” and the blog Ecofashiontalk.com. Q&A centered around how to make more people aware of this issue, and the concept of transparency and labeling requirements for clothing. Several designers brought their designs, and particularly impressive was a NY-based designer who created the “Elsa” dress- simple and classic, made of organic cotton (See Elsa and Me) . Also of note was another NYC company encouraging clothing exchange, called Closet Dash. For more on this event see http://www.cbsacny.org/article.html?aid=1260.

The Perfect Eco-Vacation: Tulum, Mexico

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A recent trip to Tulum, Mexico convinced me that there is indeed Heaven on Earth. Aside from the gorgeous beaches lined with palm trees, Tulum also possesses significant green credentials. The main road in Tulum features a string of eclectic cabana-style hotels, restaurants and yoga centers (such as Maya Tulum) along the main road, some of which are powered by small wind turbines and solar panels. My own rustic-style hotel, La Posada del Sol, was one of these, and offered organic body care products in its guest rooms. Out of several vegetarian-friendly restaurants I found, one that blew me away was Restauraure, a vegan restaurant nestled among the palm trees, where the food was made with such fresh, local ingredients you could taste the love in it. The young owners used local materials for the tables and chairs, renewable energy, and are hoping to help start an organic market next door. The connection to nature is apparent in Tulum and is reflected in the remarkable ruins and artwork of the Mayans. An incredibly beautiful, inspiring place, full of friendly people, Tulum is perfect for a rejuvenating retreat.

Eco-friendly Yoga

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Mat by Jade Yoga, block by Gaiam
Organic cotton yoga strap

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you’re practicing yoga, congratulations- you’re doing something great for your body and spirit. But is there a way to make it great for the earth too? Yes! Here are 3 ways to make your practice greener.

  • First, check into your yoga mat and see what it’s made of. It may be made with PVC (polyvynil chloride) plastic. However, the good news is that there are biodegradable mats made with natural latex, which is tapped from rubber trees. See Jadeyoga.com and Manduka.com.
  • Foam yoga blocks are likely made from plastic (often ethylene-vinyl acetate or EVA). Remember that anything plastic will not break down in the environment for hundreds of years. Look for wood blocks, or these cork blocks from greener country.com. (Gaiam also sells recycled plastic foam blocks.)
  • Finally, wear your inner bliss on the outside with organic cotton or bamboo yoga clothing which can be found from numerous retailers. I’ve even found a strap made of organic cotton!

All of these items can be purchased through Gaiam.com.