SSF's blog

SAM Remix with a Twist - June 6th

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 19:15:15 -0500

Attention Seattle-area SSF members!
We are pleased to announce that SSF is co-hosting the upcoming Seattle Art Museum event:

SAM Remix with a Twist.
Kick off your summer with Remix at the Olympic Sculpture Park!
DJ Kid Hops teams with Sun Tzu Sounds for a dance-until-dusk party, followed by a sing-along screening of Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge (2001).

SAM Members Free, Nonmember Price: $5.

This event is open to guests age 21 and over only.
ID required for entry. Tickets will be sold on-site the day of the event (cash only).
To reserve your space in advance, please call the SAM Box Office at 206.654.3121.

An Interview with Eric Sorensen, Author of Seven Wonders for a Cool Planet

Mon, 19 May 2008 10:26:54 -0500

Our very own Shannon Perry chats with Seven Wonders for a Cool Planet author Eric Sorensen to get his thoughts on the little things we call can do to protect the planet. Read the full interview here.

Seven Wonders for a Wilting World

Thu, 01 May 2008 16:56:25 -0500

Seattle - (Shannon) New book by Eric Sorensen and the staff of Sightline Institute, published by Sierra Club Books. Read Shannon's interview with Sorensen here.

To be a good environmental citizen—and I mean a good citizen, not just an OK-I’ll-turn-off-the-lights-when-I-leave one—requires commitment and some meaningful lifestyle changes. Many of us know the yo-yo-dieting style of eco-consciousness: we dutifully recycle everything that can be recycled until we find in the fridge an open jar of spaghetti sauce that we’ll either need to throw out or enter into the Antiques Roadshow. The idea of opening it up in order to clean it out sufficiently for recycling is simply too much for us to bear, and pushing our ideals to the side for a moment, we toss it in the trash. But to make the world a better, healthier place for all the critters that live on it, we can’t only be good when it’s easy.

However, in the new book Seven Wonders for a Cool Planet: Everyday Things to Help Solve Global Warming, author Eric Sorensen has laid out some lifestyle changes that are (1) very manageable, and (2) highly effective in the war on warming. Unlike many other books in the eco-ilk, this one is light on the gloom-and-doom, offering instead some exceptionally sensible ideas on how to reduce one’s contributions to global meltdown.

The Seven Wonders of Sorensen’s book are a bit like George Carlin’s Seven Words You Can’t Say on Television: we all know, or can guess, what they are, but we don’t like to say them out loud. Lifestyle changes are hard. Ride a bicycle to work? There are a million excuses not to. It’s too far; I don’t want to get all sweaty; I live in Seattle which is riddled with rain and really big hills; how can I carry my groceries, my kids, my laptop, my life? And yet, nearly 2 million Americans manage it every day, says Sorensen. We all know the automobile is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gases (11,350 pounds of CO2 per American passenger car, according to Sorensen), but giving up driving seems impossible to most of us.

And herein lies the genius of Sorensen’s book. Not only does he present an array of cogent arguments in favor of abandoning the Beemer for the bike, he does so in a way that sounds imminently do-able. This isn’t just a call to action, it’s a (bicycle-friendly) road map. The same is true in all the other sections: here is something you can do, here are some very smart reasons for doing it, here’s the best way to go about it. (He is, thankfully, shy on details in the “how-to” section for condoms.) He makes the hard changes seem possible, even fun. How hard is it, really, to install a ceiling fan? Says Sorensen, a couple of hours’ work can net you 9°F (5°C) of cooling, and a one-third savings on your cooling bill. Wasn’t that easy? Don’t you feel better? Now, let’s talk about insulating your attic…

Sorensen understands the necessity of offering baby steps that go beyond the standard “buy the better light bulb.” Don’t sell your car, at least not yet, just substitute the bike for that trip to the post office or that one-thing-I-forgot run to the grocery store. You don’t have to pull up your air conditioner by the roots, just turn it up a little and make up the difference with a ceiling fan. Keep the dryer—but opt for the clothesline when you can.

This does not mean that Sorensen doesn’t have much bigger and more ambitious ideas—he certainly does, and they’re in here. It means he understands that a little improvement is better than none, and small steps often lead to big leaps forward. Changing behavior, even behavior we know is unhealthy, is hard: just ask the 62% of Americans who are overweight. A book that combines humor, accessibility of information, an optimistic outlook and best of all, baby steps, may just be the book to get us started on the path to sustainability.

May Cocktails for a Cause

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 18:24:17 -0500

Attention Seattle area SSF Members...It's time for another edition of our very popular Cocktails for a Cause (CFAC) events. As always, we'll have music, cocktails, munchies and fun while learning about great nonprofits doing important work in our community. See you there!

>> more info on our Cocktails for a Cause events...

Java Jacket Junkie

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:02:40 -0500

Seattle-(Shannon)

Seattle is notorious for its coffee consumption. In the home of such illustrious caffeine pushers as Starbucks, Tully’s and Seattle’s Best Coffee, Seattleites are Buzzed by the Bean pretty much constantly. Walk around the downtown any time, but especially first thing on a rainy workday, and you’ll discover that cups of coffee are as ubiquitous as fleece, as numerous as raindrops.

Being the generally eco-conscious city that we are, many Seattleites carry their own travel mug to work and enjoy coffee that stays hotter longer without contributing to global warming. But what to do when you forget your travel mug at home? Or when you forgot to wash it out on Friday, and now, come Monday, you dig it out from the bottom of your bag only to discover that Horton’s Whos have built an entire civilization at the bottom of the cup?

Promising yourself that you’ll send a check to Greenpeace, you enter your favorite coffee establishment and order something complicated in a disposable cup. You reach for one of those cardboard sleeves that keep your fingers from roasting along with the beans—but wait! That beautiful, bird’s-eye-maple bangle you chose to accentuate your khaki capris and earth-toned tunic is also a java jacket!

Another sustainable brainchild from Vancouver, BC-based contexture design, the coffee cuff is both bangle and friend to the fingertips and is made from reclaimed veneer offcuts generated by furniture makers. Only $68 Canadian, the cuffs are satisfying in both form and function(s), turning the quotidian experience of a double-tall, non-fat vanilla latte into a sustainable, stylish statement.

Girl Power Hour goes green in Seattle

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:18:05 -0500

That's right, on Thursday, April 17th, 6:30-8:30pm at the fantastic Sole Repair Shop private event space, Seattle's popular Girl Power Hour goes green. Presented by none other than The Finerie.

Green roofs, OUT- green walls, IN

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 20:14:22 -0500

Just when you think green roofs are catching on, an innovative architect gives us green walls. Mass Studies' principle Minsuk Cho recently designed Belgian fashion designer Ann Demeulemeester's new store in Seoul with forests, ferns and lizards in mind. The latest of six projects that incorporate living surfaces, Cho feels this is his best yet.

Contest - One Good Chair

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 23:21:59 -0500

Are you ready to be a world class eco-designer? Now's your chance to be featured on Treehugger, Inhabitat, Western Interiors, and in a variety of other press outlest. The Sustainable Furniture Council and World Market Center have combined forces to sponsor a design competition "One Good Chair". Designers are invited to contribute their vision for a new kind of eco-chair, one that focuses first and foremost on form, that minimizes resources while maximizing comfort and enjoyment, that truly combines great design with ecology and ergonomics. Designs should demonstrate a new attitude toward an old problem. A cash prize of $4,500 will be awarded to a designer or design team (of 2-5 designers). If all goes well, the award is intended to support the fabrication of a prototype of the winning design. Registration ends May 16, entries are due June 9 and the awards will take place Las Vegas Market, July 30. Check the website for more details.

SSF in the Press - April Seattle Magazine

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 13:31:38 -0500

For all you Seattle SSF fans, pick up this month's issue of Seattle Magazine and check out Kelly Moore's latest contribution to eco-entertaining. SSF Co-founders Rebecca Luke and Sean Schmidt, along with friends and green gurus Lynne Barker and Megan Griffiths, chat about environmental issues and green giving for Earth Day. You can get a sneak peak online: "Entertaining: green goes glam".

Hickory Dickory Toggery

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 09:58:43 -0600

Its a fairy tale come true! In a world where a lot of sustainable fashion has barely made it out of the earthtones, we were super thrilled to come across the latest collection from Toggery by Kate D'Arcy. Not only is her line made from organic textiles, the dyes are eco-friendly AND it is manufactured in the USA reducing the carbon footprint of the product and supporting US seamstresses. And color, LOTS OF COLOR!. Best of all, Kate's designs are distinctively Kate, showing that a fashion designer can still maintain their design voice while being sustainable.

Illuminated design

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 10:06:53 -0600

There is a light at the end of the compact florescent tunnel. The hipster design crowd at Hulgar have come to our rescue by creating a product that we can only describe as a new icon of sustainable style, the Plumen. Described as a "reaction to the lack of real diversity, imagination and personality offered by the market today", the Plumen bulb is poised to revolutionize an industry that disparately needed it. Several years back, the very sustainable land stylish Julia Butterfly Hill said we have to make sustainability "irresistible". Without question, the Plumen is a giant leap in that direction.

All hale Etsy

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 22:08:48 -0600

We here at SSF are big fans of Etsy, the little website that is packed full of handmade crafts and artwork. Its a great way to support emerging artists. A search feature even lets you focus in on local artisans. Our latest fab find is Florid Designs. Seattle designer Tyesha Snow has a whole line of sassy little neck sweaters and scarves that give new life to old sweaters. Its full on sustainable style. Start with Florid and then take a surf through the rest of Etsy. You think Facebook is addictive, try logging off of Etsy.

Ecofashion forward in Poland

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 09:05:24 -0600

The latest addition to the eco-fashion show frenzy occured in Cracow on January 26th. With the Cracow School of Art and Fashion Design (Szkola Artystyczego Projektowania Ubioru) educating students in creating innovating eco-fashion clothing made of recycled materials-paper and plastic, its no surprise all eyes were on Polish designers for their interpretation of the global trend. Over 300 garments were presented during the show titled "Recykling Multiplikacje". The show was also an opening event of the international competition for young designers createeurope.com's The Fashion Academy Award.

Images by Pawel Kaminski

Livity gives sustainability a Boost

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 01:59:25 -0600

Boost Mobile recently created their Boosted campaign, essentially a lifestyle brand infused with art, music, and pop culture. What makes things different is they partnered with designers to produce a line of accessories and other devices that captures the essence of the today's mobile and youth lifestyles while highlighting people and planet issues. A great example is one of their first partnerships with Livity Outernational. The accessories pictured to the left are just such an example...100% organic cotton and great design. You can find these and other Boost x Livity merch at our alter-ego site www.sustainable-style.org. More 'Boosted' Partnerships to come soon so stay tuned...

Interior Design Scholarships

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 13:48:13 -0600

Gradon over at Design Boston has put together an awesome list of scholarships for interior design students. IFDA, ASID, and IIDA are all there and as Gradon points out, there aren't many folks applying for them. As they say in Vegas...them's good numbers.