Green news for April

So it feels like I've been gone for ages! Either that, or April is an exciting month with a ton of news and great new (or new-to-me) green sites. Let me catch you up to date:

Delight's 22 Days of Eco Fabulous Items: Ever heard of Delight? Back when they were just a a blog, I use to adore their well edited finds. Now, they're a perfectly selected item-of-the-day shopping stop, with a fantastic focus on eco friendly finds. In celebration of Earth Day, they've got 22 days of eco friendly items, plus are donating one tree for every single order made on Delight for the month of April. You know what's extra cool? Mention you heard about Delight on Chartreuse Chic, and they'll match that donation with a second tree!

National T-Shirt Recycling Program: Got some old tees you keep forgetting to donate? Lusting over some Loomstate for Barneys that you can't quite afford? Barneys, Loomstate and the Sundance Channel have got the promotion for you -- from April 13th through 27th, drop off your old tees at any Barneys nationwide and receive 20% off both men's and women's Loomstate for Barneys. Why cash for rags, you may wonder? Loomstate is collecting your old tees to be "re-Fashioned" into Loomstate for Barneys Green Holiday 2008 Collection. And if the discount (and the prospect of seeing your used clothing transition from potential dishrag to potential trend setter) weren't enough to get to pawing through your unused clothing, proceeds from the program will benefit 1% for the Planet.

Anthropologie picks up Stewart+Brown

I'd always thought of Stewart+Brown as a great eco friendly version of Anthropolgie's signature style. Apparently, I'm not the only one! I spotted two Stewart+Brown tops on Anthro's website. Even more interesting is the fact that the big A isn't advertising their eco-friendly background, which means they didn't just chose the tops to try to jump on some green bandwagon. Maybe this eco fashion thing isn't just a passing fad!

Stewart+Brown Cotton Gin Tunic $78. Stewart+Brown Season's Change Turtleneck $78. Props to Anthro for those names, which are way more charming than Gathered Strap Shell and Twist T Neck. But can anyone explain to me why Anthro's got one tee for $7 more and the other for $1 less?

NYTimes on Anya Hindmarch

Just the Thing to Carry Your Conscience In. Mostly about plastic bag ands and the Hindmarch hip-factor (why is this in "Dining"?) without mentioning the tiny uproar over the Hindmarch bag's non-fair-trade origins. It's always funny to see mainstream media's take.

p.s. So this probably doesn't deserve its own photo, but I finally got Photoshop, and I'm just really excited.

p.p.s. Anyone want to take bets on whether I'll get an email from a Times lawyer for snatching their photo?

Fifty Rx3 on NYTimes

Fashion is the deliberate inculcation of obsolescence.

In defense of, well, THIS

The disclaimer: I've read the Times every day since high school. See? I still call it "the Times" not "The New York Times" and I probably always will. So I love the Times. It's like an old friend. That's probably why I'm so bugged by Sunday's article.

The article: Buying Into the Green Movement

The discussion (Apartment Therapy): Is Green Consumerism Diabolically Stupid?. (I'm a little disappointed in you, AT, for being kind of thumbs up on this article. Back when I lived in NY, you were one of my ideals of light green -- beautifully living with a small footprint without yelling too hard about it.)

The discussion (Treehugger): Buying into the Green Movement. Best quote: "If you want a movement you need a membership and you don't build that by mocking their first steps."

The rant: Are you ready?

First of all, it's a stunningly oblivious article. Yes, buying green is suddenly trendy. And a lot of people are making a lot of money with greenwashing. But the idea that eco friendly shoppers think they're saving the world by spending money? Ridiculous. I dare you to find a quote from someone who actually subscribes to this strange belief you've centered your article around, Alex Williams.

Bashing eco consumerism is like promoting abstinence in schools (and we know how well that's going.) It's unreasonable to expect normal people to buy nothing. So if you slip up and shop, isn't it better to do so responsibly? That's what eco friendly shopping is all about -- not wiping the slate clean or turning back the temperature, but making good choices when you're making purchases.

Being green isn't a religion, people. It doesn't matter what your reasons are for reducing your impact, as long as you do so. And that's what this blog is all about. Helping to make it easy for people to find clothing that fits into their lifestyle and is better for the world around us. It's one small step, and honestly, it's one of the few feasible steps for some of us. But I'm not going to be embarrassed out of taking it by any old guard environmentalists or oblivious NYT journalists.

Whew. Ok, off the soap box. Stay tuned for a little more light green shopping this afternoon -- yet another "why buy Anthropologie when you can buy _______."

Is greenslinging just greenwashed sensationlism?

It's a busy week (and it's RAINING in JUNE... yuck) so I haven't read this week's eco news too closely. But here's the gist as I understand it: Daily Mail yelled. Worn Again shrugged. Treehugger shrugged. Inhabit shrugged.

I think it's sad there's so much greenslinging (it's like watching the Dems battle it out in 2004... isn't anything at this point better than the norm?) But I'm still probably going to buy Simple Shoes sneakers when mine fall apart because they might not be perfect, but they're half the price.

The Expose: The dirty truth about Cameron's 'green' trainers, Daily Mail

The Defense: Response from WA, Worn Again

The Summary: Greenslinging: Recycled Shoemaker Not Perfect, Says Newspaper, Treehugger (if you're short on time or fear reading, this will give you everything)

The Interview: Manufacturing & Sustainability: Two Brands Weigh In, Inhabit (also represented is Stewart & Brown, who made the lovely dress I wrote about last week)

p.s. Terra Plana is Worn Again. Just in case you get confused about that Inhabit interview.

p.p.s. I really can't wait until "greenslinging" and "greenwahsing" are added to the OED, because not only do I think they're cool words, but I really want to know who used them first.

Is the medium the message?

I'm not really into grandstanding in general, and even less so on a blog about eco-friendly things. So I'll just lay out the news the way I watched it unfold: There was a bag. It had a message. Celebs carried it. Celeb-watchers went insane. The bag wasn't perfect. Everyone wondered: was it worth it?

Missed out on the controversy? I've sumarized some highlights below. Make sure to read down into the comments; I think the public reaction is way more interesting than anything to do with the bag itself.

The Hype: "I'm Not A Plastic Bag," Bag Snob

The Expose: "I'm Not an Ethical Plastic Bag," Treehugger

The Debate: "You're Not Pretending Anymore; You're Plastic!" Fashionista

The Defense: "'I'm no hypocrite' insists Anya Hindmarch," Daily Mail

The Knock-Off: "I'm NOT a smug twat," Marissa V (currently out of stock)