Archive for organic cotton
Welcome back for another edition of weekly green news featuring some articles from the past week focusing on the green movement. This week: the world’s most energy efficient office courtesy of Sanyo; Harvard studies BPA levels with canned soup consumption; and prison inmates creating an eco-friendly product line in Eastern Europe. Click on the links to learn more.
Kasai Green Energy Park Photo Credit: Sanyo
Amanda Wills from Earth911 headed just outside Osaka, Japan to check out the World’s Most Efficient Office named ‘Kasai Green Energy Park’. This Sanyo operation “serves as a massive testing facility for energy-saving technology.” The Kasai Green Energy Park includes “1MW Mega Solar System, a 1.5MWh Lithium-ion Mega Battery System with the world’s largest level of capacity, energy management system that efficiently control each equipment, and a smart energy system which combines and coordinates all of the systems above using an SES controller. By using all of these systems to maximize energy efficiency, we are able to reduce approximately 2,480 tons of CO2 emissions every year without sacrificing convenience and comfort.” Amanda took some great pictures of Kasai Green Energy Park during her visit.
Kasai Green Energy Park also features side solar panels on the outside of the Sanyo building, a solar parking lot, hybrid bike recharging stations (popular in Japan), electricity storage at night for use during the day, plus small tables with built-in solar panels that store energy which can be used to charge any electronic device while it’s on the table. Heck it even knows when people come and go to help control air conditioning. The lobby also includes a wall of TV screens indicating the energy savings the facility is currently generating. You can read more about the Kasai Green Energy Park here.
BPA levels soar after lunching on canned soup. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health conducted a study in a quest to determine how much canned food will increase the level of the compound bisphenol A (BPA) in a person’s urine. The results were higher than expected. Study participants ate a serving of canned soup every day for five days; they reported “BPA levels of 20.8 micrograms per liter of urine, whereas people who instead ate fresh soup had levels of 1.1 micrograms per liter, according to the study.” Researchers noted a 1,221 percent jump in BPA levels over those who ate fresh soup. “To see an increase in this magnitude was quite surprising,” said study leader Karin Michels, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health.
In some offbeat green news, Eastern European prison inmates produce and design an eco-conscious fashion line. That’s right, Heavy Eco provides edgier eco-friendly fashion options constructed by prison inmates. Why not turn the process of rehabilitation in prison into an environmental positive? Discarded PVC advertising billboards are recycled and upcycled to make messenger bags, wallets, iPad bags, Mac sleeves and tote bags. Heavy Eco states “Durability and practicality of our bags is most important to us. As a basic bag material we use dead, discarded billboards, made from PVC, that are designed to stand up for any weather conditions, be it heavy rain, snow or wind. We know that our bags last a lifetime, so we feel secure in giving all our bags a lifetime warranty.” They also sell custom designed t-shirts and underwear made from 100% organic cotton from India. Co-financed by the European Social Fund, inmates are paid for their efforts in both the design and manufacturing of the eco-friendly product line.
And that’s a few tidbits from this past week in the green news.
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Planet Forward is an online retailer of ethically-made, earth-friendly products designed for everyday use with a distinctly urban feel. Products include reusable stainless steel bottles, stainless steel thermal travel mugs, waste-free lunch bags, reusable shopping bags, Make-it-Yourself toxin-free Green Cleaning kits, organic fashions and other accessories. SALE 50% OFF ALL PRODUCTS – SHOP NOW !
Tags: Bisphenol A, BPA, BPA levels, co2 emissions, eco-friendly product, eco-friendly products, energy efficiency, Green Energy Park, Harvard, Harvard School of Public Health, Heavy Eco, Kasai Green Energy Park, Make-it-Yourself toxin-free Green Cleaning kits, organic cotton, organic cotton t-shirts, organic fashions, planet forward, reduce CO2 emissions, reuable products, reusable bags, reusable lunch bags, reusable shopping bags, reusable stainless steel bottles, reusable water bottles, Sanyo, Sanyo Kasai Green Energy Park, solar energy, solar panels, stainless steel thermal travel mugs, waste-free lunch bagsH&M Expands Sustainable Style with Conscious Party Collection
Posted by: | CommentsSustainable is in fashion thanks to retail giant H&M. The retailer developed a “Conscious Collection” featuring sustainable fabrics that debuted on April 14, 2011. They expanded with a beautiful Fall line, and now they’ve added the “Conscious Party Collection” for Winter 2011 to celebrate the holiday season.
Photo courtesy H&M Conscious Collection Fall 2011
The original line featured organic cotton and linen, as well as Tencel and recycled polyester pieces in shades of white. The line had a flowy and romantic feel to it, not to mention that white was one of the biggest trends for Spring/Summer 2011. It was able to draw in consumers because it embodied not only what the Conscious Collection was about, but was on point when it came to style savvy shoppers. Once again constructed from sustainable fabrics, the Fall 2011 Conscious Collection was equally as beautiful with embroidered wool coats, lace blouses, floral printed dresses and shoes.
Building on their vision for the line and the company as a whole, the Conscious Collection is expanding this holiday season. When people think of holiday wear they think of beading, shimmer, metallics, lace, and different textiles that could not be more different than the soft and flowy pieces of the Spring/Summer line. H&M has launched a Conscious Party Collection for the Winter 2011 holiday season that delivers on all fronts. Again they are using recycled polyester, organic cotton and Tencel. This line has everything that people want from a holiday collection because it’s perfect for cocktail parties and holiday gatherings. Even though it’s environmentally friendly, it doesn’t lack style. The Conscious Party Collection is fun, trendy, simply on point and even a little forward thinking. These pieces won’t become out of date anytime soon.
Photo courtesy H&M Conscious Party Collection Winter 2011
“It’s not just about organic cotton any more, the possibilities for creating a complete fashion statement with eco smarter materials are huge now. By designing recurring Conscious Collections we have the opportunity to show in a variety of ways what’s possible using more sustainable fabrics,” says Ann-Sofie Johansson, H&M Head of design.
Their head of Corporate Social Responsibility Helena Helmersson, who has been with the company for over ten years, is taking to her new role. Her job description is simple, but entails a lot: make H&M’s entire operations, from sourcing to store, sustainable. This is a lofty goal and one that Helmersson is passionate about. Helmersson said in an interview with fashionetc.com that, “the goal for H&M is to be in the forefront of sustainability. That demands quite a lot of work, but that’s a goal and we have peers that we compare ourselves with that are also front-runners, but we also collaborate with them. We have a sustainability strategy for the company; the responsibility for sustainability lies with everyone. It should be completely integrated in the business.”
H&M is a large multi-national corporation, but they understand where the retail market is moving. Though they are a mid-price point company, they recognize that their customer wants to be able to wear clothing that is not harming the environment; and H&M is delivering. The popularity of their line, and the fact that they are creating clothing that is chic and hip shows that this model can be adopted by other companies. This holiday season anyone can be a sustainable fashionista on a budget thanks to H&M.
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Planet Forward is an online retailer of ethically-made, earth-friendly products designed for everyday use with a distinctly urban feel. Products include reusable stainless steel bottles, stainless steel thermal travel mugs, waste-free lunch bags, reusable shopping bags, Make-it-Yourself toxin-free Green Cleaning kits, organic fashions and other accessories. SALE 50% OFF ALL PRODUCTS – SHOP NOW !
Tags: Conscious Collection, Conscious Party Collection, corporate social responsibility, environmentally friendly, H&M, H&M Conscious Collection, Make-it-Yourself toxin-free Green Cleaning kits, organic cotton, organic fashions, organic linen, planet forward, recycled polyester, reusable bags, reusable shopping bags, reusable stainless steel bottles, reusable water bottles, stainless steel bottles, stainless steel thermal travel mugs, stainless steel water bottles, sustainable, sustainable bottles, sustainable choices, sustainable fabric, sustainable fabrics, sustainable fashion, Sustainable Practice, sustainable practices, sustainable product, sustainable products, sustainable stainless steel bottles, sustainable style, Tencel, waste-free lunch bagsBack to School Green Tips Part Three – Clothes
Posted by: | CommentsWelcome to the third and final installment in our three part series of back to school green tips that will help you make this school year a little more eco-friendly. Our previous green tips covered school supplies and school lunches, so let’s move on to wardrobes.
organic cotton shirt on sale $11 at planetforward.ca
When it comes to clothing, there are many ways you can add to your green lifestyle. These green tips include sustainable solutions that are not only eco-friendly, but budget-friendly:
- Host a Swap. We posted a detailed article on how to host a swap, not long ago. Basically gather friends who have children both older and younger than yours and trade gently used clothing. This is also fun for teens to do with their friends. Not to mention it is a great way to trade sports equipment, if your kid just decided they want to jump into hockey, football etc… see if any friends have equipment their size from when their children played.
- Hand-me-downs. Recycle clothing through your kids’ closets. Not to mention mom or dad may have some great basics to pass on to teens and young adults.
- Look for clothes made of organic cotton and other fibers. Even at large retail chains or big box stores you can find organic lines. These clothes not only have few to no chemicals in them, but are better for the environment. You can even check out Planet Forward’s cute and affordable organic fashions.
- Thrift stores. These are great not only for the little ones, but also high school and university students. You’ll find everything from basics to vintage and can express your individual style for a fraction of the cost.
- Donate old clothes. After taking inventory and cleaning out a closet, donate old clothes. You can bring them to local clothing drives and thrift stores. This not only makes your child aware of what they have, but it will help someone else as well. Not to mention if frees up much needed closet space. You can even call your church and see if any families in need require clothing.
- Footwear. You can purchase shoes that give back like TOMS shoes one-for-one policy where they give a pair of shoes away to someone in need for every pair purchased. If you need a pair of running shoes try to find an eco-friendly brand.
- Eyewear. Check out warbyparker.com. Not only do they create stylish and affordable frames you can try on virtually, but they also donate one pair to someone in need for every pair purchased.
- Uniforms. If your child goes to a uniform school and has outgrown their clothing see if the school has a donation program. This way kids that can’t afford to buy new uniform pieces can get what they need.
These back to school green tips for clothing can help you and your family save a little money, help the environment, even help support a good cause, while looking great. Remember to be creative when it comes to where to look for new school clothes. Also, as pointed out in the first green tip, these are also great ways to help find sports equipment for your kids that won’t cost you an arm and a leg. Think outside the box…the big box stores that is. Good luck this school year.
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