sustainable style foundation*

from haberdash.org...Conde Nast Traveler has put out an outstanding September 08 issue featuring many articles and resources on socially responsible travel. The feature article showcases Matt Damon's work with H2O Africa and his recent project Running the Sahara which he both narrated and produced. Other articles include The Power of Travel, pioneers in the field of sustainable travel including Anderson Cooper, War and Peace about the role travel plays in healing a country after war, and a listing of the 38 winners of their 2008 World Savers Awards. Not bad for a mainstream magazine. Conde Nast has long promoted travel that treads lightly on the planet, but the looks of it, they're going to stay on that path.

Josh Dorfman is a busy guy these days. In addition to being the Founder & CEO of fab sustainable furniture retailer Vivavi and green home guide Modern Green Living and the host of "The Lazy Environmentalist" radio show on Lime.com, he's written a book of same name that's now available in stores. The Lazy Environmentalist is a positive, hip treatment of the idea that we can all make more sustainable lifestyle choices every day; it's not that we're all lazy, but we're busy people who don't always have the time to keep up with the latest in environmental activism. It's a realistic take on the topic, assuming that we aren't interested in living in the dark and wearing burlap (which, while a bit of an exaggeration, is true, right?); given that, it's still very proactive, and is really an excellent guide for folks who are interested in engaging in more sustainable lifestyles, but who may not know how to approach different facts of this, or know where to start (and, in the interest of full disclosure, we should mention that SSF is mentioned a handful of times as a resource for learning more -- thanks Josh!). Learn more about the book at The Lazy Environmentalist website, and order the book from Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Powells.com or pick it up at your local bookseller. Congratulations, Josh! [The Lazy Environmentalist]

Last night my friend Paul and I had an incredible five course meal at a nearby restaurant that offered several items from the local area. It's amazing that five courses made up of very small portions can fill you up, but it did. And did I say that the food was incredible? Just goes to show that local and fresh is the best way to go. With Italy being the home of the slow food movement, I figure I might as well make the most of it. After dinner, Paul and I spent a couple hours walking around central Turin visiting some of the sites, but more importantly trying to walk off the very filling meal. As often happens to Americans, we were blown away by the amazing architecture and bountiful history in the city. For example, we visited a small piece of the original wall protecting Turin during Roman times, dating back over 2000 years.

This morning, I had the honor of meeting Luigi (Gino) Bistagnino and Pier Paulo Peruccio in the Department of Architecture and Industrial Design at the Turin Polytechnical Institute. The department is located in the breathtaking Valentino Castle along the river PO in Turn. I can't even imagine trying to do work in the building, it is so beautiful. Gino and Pier Paolo are very involved with sustainable design work in Italy and internationally and are part of a sytems design Masters program that focuses on sustainable systems in industrial design. After some great discussion on their efforts and state of sustainable design in Italy, Pier Paolo gave a copy of his book on design in the Piemonte area that included a sustainable design project in Korea and a copy of Gino's book "Design con un Futuro". Apparently, I just missed Janine Benyus, founder of the biomimicry movement, who had lectured the previous Sunday. Pier Paolo also pointed me to a great company based in Novara, Novamont. Novamont has been working with bioplastics since 1990.

Later, I came across a great children's museum on environmental issues, Museo A come Ambiente, and on my way back to the hotel from the days events, I picked up the latest issue of Natural Style, an Italian magazine for "the woman who has chosen a new lifestyle: that natural one".

Supper was filled with another five course meal that would have made the slow food movement folks quite proud of me. We dined (I can truly call it that) at the famous Il Cambio, a restaurant that has been serving Turin's citizens and tourists since the 1700s. As usual, I tried to keep all my slections local. Not being a food critic, I cannot put worthy words forth about how wonderful everything was. The service was even better though. And eating in a restaurant that has existed for two hundred years...priceless.

Local is quickly becoming the new organic as the notion of eating food grown in season in your neighborhood (or within 100 miles or so) has grown increasingly popular. In many ways, it makes lots of sense; buying organic bell peppers from Chile hardly seems as sustainable as picking some up grown in the next county over, considering how far the organic version had to travel to get to your plate. Food & Wine has also caught wind of the idea, and they profile a couple of "Locavores" and give some good local recipes in their February issue. On their winter menu is a Yukon Gold Potato, Leek, and Fromage Blanc Frittata from California and Watercress Salad with Beets and Roasted-Garlic Crostini from Vermont, proving that it doesn't matter where you live or what season it is: local is more and more available, and it tastes dang good. Read the article for a profile of the "Locavores" and check out the sidebar for a quick list of resources for finding local food near you. [Food & Wine] via [Hippyshopper]

The good people at Natural Home Magazine are hard at work building their first show house in Brooklyn; upon completion, it looks like it'll not only be an excellent example of urban green building, but will be New York City’s first American Lung Association Health House. This means that the building must meet stringent certification standards that address moisture and humidity control, energy efficiency, air filtration and ventilation, and materials emissions, but that's just the start of its green credentials. Solar electric panels will provide electricity in the building, and an innovative hybrid solar-thermal and gas-fired system will heat and cool the home. Eco-friendly materials will include cement made from fly ash (waste from power plants), countertops made from recycled glass, bamboo flooring finished with low-VOC water-based poly, and kitchen cabinets made from sorghum stalks -- whew! Pictures of the burgeoning project are in the Jan/Feb 2007 issue of the mag, and online as well (looks like they'll be more pics in this month's issue, too), where you can also check out the plans and get more details about the project. The building was damaged in a fire and originally slated for demolition before being resurrected by Natural Home -- gotta love that! We can't wait to see it when it's done. [Natural Home Magazine] via [Apartment Therapy]

The Humanitarian International Design Organisation (HIDO) has announced a call for entries for their latest contest. Designers of all fields around the world are asked to submit designs that will ultimately help increase the awareness concerning the violence towards girls and women in developing countries. From the site, "Unfortunately the developing world is making less progress due to the fact that girls and women are still not considered equal to men," and HIDO is hoping that raising awareness is the first step to changing this inequality. If you're a designer (or know someone who is) who believes that design can help change the world for good, the following details are for you: "The poster should be graphically attractive for young African girls and women and a dynamic and inviting message should be used to attract girls/ young women in different African Cultures, who suffer in silence, to discuss these gender based violence issues." Entries will be accepted until Friday, May 11, 2007, with the winning poster announced in June. [HIDO call for entries] via [Core77]

The library of green magazine issues just got bigger. Genre, a US magazine for gay men recently published their very own 'green issue'. Not many people get to say they bought a gay magazine for the articles, but I just did. I have to say, I'm really impressed. The green theme actually shows up throughout the magazine (unlike some of the other green issue contenders in which a couple articles and a page on green styles seems to suffice). For instance, did you know that C-N2 offers a line of bamboo underwear, including briefs, tanks, boxer briefs and trunks? Finally, some cool stuff for guys. Lots of other green products, feature articles, and even some humorous green bashing to round things out a bit. Kudos to the good green gays!

Our friends at WorldChanging have been working really hard lately: a new site, a new book, and a tour to support the book, all at once. Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century hits the shelves today (we mentioned this before), and they need your help to make it as successful as it deserves to be. By ordering the book via Amazon today at 11:11 am PST (or anytime, if you can't make it by then), it'll boost it up the hugely influential Amazon bestseller list (learn more about how that works here) and spread the good word about ideas, systems and products that will drive the future in a more sustainable direction. We're all for it, we've added the book to our print media online sourcebook, and we'll be ordering along with the rest of the Worldchangers today. If you're interested in learning about how to guide the future toward sustainability, please consider ordering a copy, too. We think the 21st Century will be better off for it. [Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century] available at [Amazon]

In its November cover story, Inc. magazine has named The Green 50 -- "a new set of entrepreneurs" who are creating "a new way to think about being in business." Many of the companies named to the list are familiar to sustainability enthusiasts; they are superstars of the sustainable business and green technology marketplace. There's Ray Anderson and Interface, former OSSA Award nominees Clif Bar, New Belgium Brewery and Stonyfield Farm, and other heavy hitters like New Leaf Paper and Seventh Generation, plus some rising stars among clean-energy companies (like Tesla Motors); makers of green building products (many of whom can be found in the architecture online sourcebook, like Michelle Kaufmann Designs). All in all, there aren't many obvious omissions from the list; it's great to see those who really believe in sustainable business getting some well-deserved recognition; read more at The Green 50. [Inc. Magazine] via [Joel Makower: Two Steps Forward]

Ben Jervey's book, The Big Green Apple: Your Guide to Eco-Friendly Living in New York City, has been called the "bible of green living in New York City," and this Thursday (October 26th), from 7-9 pm, he'll be talking about it at SSF pal and sustainable super-retailer 3r Living. Join Ben, owners Mark & Samantha Caserta and other sustainable lifestyle enthusiasts for a quick discussion about the book & Ben's work, plus some snacks, organic beer, and 10% off everything at the shop during the event. 3r Living is at 276 5th Avenue between 1st Street and Garfield Place, Park Slope, Brooklyn (here's a map). Go feed your brain, have a drink and check out the latest from 3r Living. More details via [3r Blogging]

I am SO stoked to be reading the preview issue of Verdant Magazine. I think it is perhaps one of the best entries into the green mag arena yet. Lots of information and resources, some great articles with very novel perspectives. I find myself wanting to read EVERY article and sidenote. Best of all they really hit that we all need to make more sustainable personal lifestyle choices which I am all for. Fashion, food, interiors, architecture, automobiles...it's all there and very well done.

SSF's annual Membership Drive is moving right along; with the month half over, if you haven't signed up, we still need your support! Thanks to Greene Street Greetings, you have another reason to it; they've graciously offered our members a 15% discount off any purchase. They offer the perfect canvas to deliver any message while maintaing high standards of quality and consciousness, Greene Street's greetings are printed with soy and vegetable-based inks on one hundred percent post-consumer waste recycled paper that is processed chlorine-free. Their website is hosted on a solar and wind-powered server, and for customers located in Manhattan, they offer carbon-free bicycle messenger delivery -- now that's a green business.

Check out their holiday collection, or use your own photo or image for any occasion; they'll help you create something memorable and sustainable, and we think that's a great combination. SSF would like to thank them for offering their support to SSF, and we hope you'll consider doing the same. Check out what's in it for you and sign up right here. [Greene Street Greetings]

Our friends over at Worldchanging are counting the hours until the release of their new book. Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century will hit the shelves on November 1 (it's available for preorder right now from Amazon), and we're looking forward to checking it out. The book begins with a foreward from Al Gore and an introduction by Bruce Sterling, followed by 600 pages of innovative ideas for creating a bright green future, divided into seven main chapters:

• Stuff covers topics like green design, reducing one's ecological footprint, biomimicry, sustainable agriculture, clothing, cars and emerging technologies.
• Shelter includes topics like green building and landscaping, bright green home decor, clean energy, sustainable water systems, disaster relief and humanitarian design.
• Cities tackles smart growth, sustainable communities, transportation, greening infrastructure, product-service systems, leapfrogging and megacity challenges.
• Communities coverse education, women's rights, public health, holistic approaches to community development, copyleft, South-South science, social entrepreneurship and micro-lending, and philanthropy.
• Business takes on socially responsible investment, worldchanging start-ups, ecological economics, corporate social responsibility and green business.
• Politics offers their take on networked politics, new media, transparency, human rights, non-violent revolution and peacemaking, and
• Planet looks at the big picture -- everything from placing oneself in a bioregion to climate foresight to environmental history to green space exploration.

Good stuff! After the launch, the Worldchanging team is headed out on a six-week tour of the US and Canada, through 15 cities; they'll be hitting New York, San Francisco, Toronto, L.A., Chicago, Vancouver, Portland, D.C., The Twin Cities, Austin and Denver (as well as holding an event here in Seattle).

In each place, the WC team will be giving talks and parties to celebrate not only the book, but also the local community of people and organizations who are engaged in worldchanging work, and it sounds like it'll be a great time. Order your copy today, and help support our friends who are changing the world. [Worldchanging: The Book] and [Worldchanging: The Book Tour]

Sublime Magazine, the first ethical lifestyle magazine (and OSSA Award nominee), has released a 28-page "Taster" Issue as a preview for the full 120 page version due out in January 2007. True to their word, Sublime is ethical all the way down to the paper; the magazine is printed on Emerald FSC made from up to 75% recycled post consumer waste and 25% FSC certified fiber. Tackling issues and subjects like aesthetic eco-friendly architecture, pedalling in style through various cities and autumn & winter fashion, the content appears right in line with the ethos. Damian Santamaria, co-director of Sublime, says, "our intention is to inspire and stimulate readers towards a more enriched, sustainable and virtuous lifestyle, without resorting to campaigning or lobbying." Sounds great -- we'll look forward to the real deal next year. [Sublime Magazine] via [TreeHugger]

More and more people want to eat sustainably, but it isn't always easy to navigate grocery stores or restaurant menus. Happily, Jay Weinstein's The Ethical Gourmet: How to Enjoy Great Food That is Humanely Raised, Sustainable, Nonendangered, and That Replenishes the Earth takes all the guesswork out of it. Providing not only an excellent primer on the politics and business that drive agricultural systems and food production from start to finish, Weinstein tells where and how to get the most sustainable option for many foods. Love salmon? Go for wild-caught from Alaska. Foie gras? A big no-no. Bison can be an excellent replacement for beef, and always, always look for "Certified Human Raised & Handled" or the American Humane Association's "Free Farmed Certified" labels when buying any meat. He cautions against too much meat; the most ethical proteins of all, though, are grains, beans and legumes, so don't be afraid of them. When it comes to produce, go local organic, then local, then organic, then conventional.

As a chef and food-lover himself, Weinstein includes 100 recipes promoting not just his ethical dining ingredients, but his practices: eat less meat (or none at all), and when you do, make the portions smaller by pairing and prepairing it well. A smaller morsel of perfectly-cooked, well-flavored meat paired with other delicious ethical foods will be a much more complete, sustainable and enjoyable meal that a huge hunk of meat from a factory farm.

It excels as both a handbook and cookbook, and the extensive resource guide will keep ethical consumers busy learning more about sustainable foods for days. Throughout the book, Weinstein has a keen grasp on one very important idea: that knowing more about your food, where it came from and why that's important makes it taste better, and he applies to everything from coffee to chocolate to clams and crabs. The book is written in the belief that if each of us does his or her part we can make a difference, and the world will be a better place for it; following its advice allows responsible stewards of the Earth to enjoy delicious foods. It's available from Broadway Books, Powell's Books and other booksellers.