Beth Fiteni

Terra Madre 2014, Turin, Italy

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Quinoa farmer from Bolivia
Quinoa farmer from Bolivia

In October, I got to attend Terra Madre (“Mother Earth”), the international conference of Slow Food that takes place every 2 years in Turin, Italy since the 1990s. It is basically the United Nations of food, focused on sustainable food production, small scale farming, and preserving food traditions. The goal is “good, clean and fair” food. Thousands of people attended from all over the world, and most countries had a table displaying their native foods. I don’t know what was more interesting—meeting all the people –many dressed in their traditional clothing—or tasting all the diverse types of foods, many of which I had never seen before. The Slow Food movement was started by revolutionary thinker Carlo Petrini whose mission started in response to the expansion of fast food establishments that were changing the food industry for the worse. Italy was a beautiful place to have this conference, and I got to visit 2 local vineyards. My only comment is that there was still too much meat featured at the conference and I hope the movement continues to encourage plant based foods. For more pictures see the Green Inside and Out facebook page.

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My Top 15 Countdown of Favorite Signs at the Climate March

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No blogpost could do it justice–the Climate March in NYC (9/21/14) was absolutely fantastic beyond words! I was so happy to be a part of it along with 310,000+ others from all walks of life—many races, many religions, all ages, and multiple points of view from across the states and Canada, with marches taking place in other countries as well. It was inspiring to have such a diverse group come out and share their creative messaging, so I thought I’d give my top15 favorite signs:

15) Disrupt fossil fuels
14) The Climate Changes, Can we?
13) Windmills not Weapons
12) Keep Fossil Fuels in the Ground
11) I don’t believe in climate silence
10) Your carbon is stressing me out
9) “Cool It” on a picture of a burning globe
8) Save spiders—stop cutting down trees (hand-made by a 7 year old)
7) Stop the war on mother earth (carried by veterans)
6) New Orleans: The seas are rising… and so are we!
5) Cook Organic, not the Planet
4) Change the System, not the Climate
3) There is no Planet B
2) It’s getting hot in here, so take off all your coals
1) I can’t believe I’m having to protest… is it not obvious?

And a special shout out to the vegans carrying the cow float saying “Do you have a steak in it?,” reminding us of the impact of our food choices. Let’s hope all this effort impacts UN & government decision-makers. For more on the March and what you can do, see 350.org. For more pictures, “like” the Green Inside and Out Facebook page.

Example of a Simple Sustainable Choice

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shampoo
Can you guess why I chose the bottle of all-natural shampoo on the right over the bottle on the left the last time I went shopping? It was not only to be more economical– yes, the one on the right does save money because you pay less per ounce for the larger size, which is why buying in bulk often makes sense (economy of scale). But it was also for another reason—the larger bottle is made with plastic #1, which is recyclable in my hometown, and the smaller bottle is made with plastic #4, which, though recyclable in some places, is likely to end up in our local incinerator. It only takes a second to check this, since almost all plastic containers tell you the type of plastic, and your town recycling calendar/information is sent to each home. Small decisions we make every day do make a difference.

Bonus eco-choice: Choose a re-usable razor (pictured above) that you just replace the blades of, instead of throwing away whole plastic razors when they wear out.

Be Social Change Holds Series on the Future of Fashion

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Paper No. 9The final of a series of 3 gatherings on how to create a sustainable clothing future, the group Be Social Change sponsored a packed July lecture at Wix Lounge in NYC on future trends in fashion production. The panel of experts, moderated by Summer Rayne Oakes, author of “Style, Naturally,” focused on new people breaking into the business and how it can be difficult to do everything they’d like to do to be sustainable when first starting a business – but with a continued ethic, fashion companies can build up to include more green measures over time. They discussed product durability as a factor in sustainability, customization & 3D printing of clothing, banding together with like-minded others to reach target markets instead of competing, and standards for determining product sustainability levels. A very interesting textile featured was made from processed recycled paper. See Paper No. 9.

The Future of Fashion panelFind these panelists on Twitter:
@besocialchange
@paperNo9
@Sroakes
@Shethinx
@twinmiki
@haggarco
@rhoniball

Trashion Fashion with Skraptacular

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The lovely Dominique Drakeford and friends from Scraptacular at Earth Day, Union Square, NYC 2014
The lovely Dominique Drakeford and friends from Scraptacular at Earth Day, Union Square, NYC 2014

My friend Dominique Drakeford of Drake Natural has informed me of a fun and worthwhile organization that I want to share.

“Skraptacular is a grassroots, non-profit organization based in northern Manhattan. We inspire community and environmental awareness by teaching children how they can make the world cleaner and greener by transforming trash into art.” It educates about concepts of sustainability, waste reduction, and smart consumerism, while encouraging children’s creativity.

Founded by Michelle Del Guercio, Skraptacular recently celebrated its third anniversary and fundraiser “A Springing Affair,” and numerous activities for Earth Month. Coming up in May 2014 – two “Trashion” shows, one at the High Line on May 18th and one at the beautiful Brooklyn Grange on May 31st.

Skraptacular is always in need of craft items, funds, and volunteers. Visit their web site to get involved.

Green Festival NYC 2014 – the Latest Green Products & EcoFashion

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(April 26-27, 2014) The Green Festival in NYC is always a fantastic venue to discover the latest in green, such as biodegradable handy-wipes, educational games to help kids learn about nature, electric cars, vegan snacks, and clean energy organizations.

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A main focus was ecofashion, including:

  • An ecofashion show hosted by the nonprofit Fashion Fights Poverty, and several local designers showed their eco-friendly and creative designs. My favorite was Janelle Funari, who makes beautiful children’s clothing from organic materials.
  • A vendor was selling hats made out of clothing donated to thrift stores and another sold organic baby clothes
  • A panel of experts led by Kate Black explained the current state of sustainable fashion and its importance on the earth and workers. See: Bhoomki, Shop Ethica, Mode Marteau (vintage), and Love is Mighty (shoes)
  • Ecofashion expert Sass Brown spoke about her new book which features designers who repurpose fabrics, such as a dress made from discarded Speedo racing suits.

I am always struck by the ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit of the exhibitors. See Greenfestivals.org

nature game   panel   men's fashion

Post by Green Inside And Out Consulting.