sustainable style foundation - education & awareness

Seeking New Materials for Interiors, Products and Fashion

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 20:21:36 -0500

This week I've been focusing on materials research as I've been working in my office to update our NBBJ NY Studio Resource Library with innovative and sustainable materials. One great resource is cradle to cradle materials - which is great! A few of the intriguing ones were: beautifully etched concrete, coated offset paper that's more sustainable, particleboard that's formaldehyde free, beautiful cork disk floor, acoustical wall fabric 100% wool, and drapery with natural fibers. Another great resource was developed by a former colleague of mine at NBBJ, Blaine Brownell. It's called Transmaterials. His second book, Transmaterial 2: A Catalog of Materials That Redefine Our Physical Environment, was just printed at the beginning of this year, and has a greater emphasis on materials with qualities that make them healthier than others. Have fun exploring...

Portland Fashion Week and Better Living Show Eco-Panel Update

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 23:22:48 -0500

Portland Fashion Week organized a great opportunity to educate folks at the Better Living Show about the sustainable stories behind the landmark designers/brands showcased this weekend. Nau, Lizzie Parker and Anna Cohen all have one thing in common and that is, they are pioneers in the industry. With limited resources in the past available to fashion designers, each of them have been innovative in their use of and sourcing sustainable options. With great design that is appealing and yes, even stylish and sexy, consumers have options now more than ever to make a sustainable choice with the clothing they wear. My favorite quote to this end of the evening was Lizzie Parkers observation that "in the end, it's about a hot chick in a dress."

The Eco - Panel was a well attended event that garnered many excellent questions and observations from the attendees. We can look forward to future practices by the fashion industry that will help consumers make sustainable choices by a seal of sustainable approval by Sustainable Style Foundation, as well as, a standard by fashion designers that includes a baseline of sustainable business and design practices. The lively discussion led by myself and Leslie Hoffman (Earth Pledge/Future Fashion - NYC) had a honest and open tone that led to sharing and creating a sense of community that will be necessary for us all to make sustainability a mainstay in our world.

SSF - PDX

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:59:09 -0500

Hello from Portland. As you know from my previous blog I am down here for the weekend's activities around Portland Fashion Week and the Better Living Show. Last night was a fundraising event and highlight of some fab designers whose pieces were showcased and auctioned off for a cause. Great cause and fun and oh so stylish folks. For our PDX folks, there is a definite feeling that SSF-PDX will be starting soon. Stand by.

Wind Power

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 14:23:03 -0500

Stop buying fossil fuel power today! Support wind power by choosing 100% wind power. Did you know that burning fossil fuels to create electricity is one of the largest producers of carbon dioxide? By demanding to buy wind power we can help create more wind farms to decrease our dependency on fossil fuels. Look to this site for information on how you can buy wind power.
[Wind Power]

Volunteer Match

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 13:08:59 -0500

Want to volunteer somehow but you don’t know where to begin? VolunteerMatch was created to help everyone find a great place to volunteer! VolunteerMatch is an award winning service that brings together non-profits, volunteers and business leaders committed to civic engagement. Non-profits are welcome to post their volunteer needs and people like you are encouraged to search opportunities to match your skills, interest, schedule and locations. VolunteerMatch is ranked #1 on both Google and Yahoo! search.
[VolunteerMatch]