Shoes.com Promotes Green

Shoes.com sends an eco-friendly shoe promotion to their email subscribers. Featuring styles from 9 eco brands, there are styles from Fashion, Comfort and Athletic collections.

3 companies offer styles that rock your inner-Fashionista.
Jambu's story:
"Inspired by the beauty and mystique of the rainforest, Jambu™ Footwear is designed to guide you in style and comfort on your next personal journey – at home or across the globe. Let Jambu™ join you as you zip line through the rainforest, stroll the beach, navigate the city, or travel the world. Be you with Jambu™.

JAMBU™ uses only 100% recycled, recyclable and re-usable packaging. Jambu™ outsoles are made with partially recycled and re-usable compressed rubber. In this small way we hope to preserve our great outdoors for future generations. Renew with Jambu™."

Corso Como shoes are available through many major retailers - Zappos, Piperlime, and Nordstrom's among others.

From the Zappos website: "About Corso Como Corso Como women's shoes are hand-assembled in Brazil in the most elite boutique factories. Every design is manufactured with the finest material available in the marketplace. The Corso Como footwear collection features innovative silhouettes that will complement your fashionable lifestyle.

Corso Como shoes are made of naturally treated leather. A soft leather lining is also used, which allows your feet to breathe while reducing humidity. All Corso Como women's shoes, women's boots, and women's sandals offer superior quality, fit, and comfort.

Corso Como shoes promote the idea of style with a conscience. As an advocate for various environmental and social causes, Corso Como donates a portion of every sale to charity. Further supporting their eco-friendly philosophy, Corso Como shoes uses fully recyclable boxes and tissue."

Owned by Chrysler, LLC (hmm?) J-41 footwear's tagline is 'Adventure On'. J-41 summarizes their brand: "Combining a highly-functional design with exceptional style,
J-41™ Footwear sets a pace well above the crowd. From leisurely outings to more intensive activities, J-41™ is a high performance “go anywhere” shoe that looks and feels great. A roadmap — gently imbedded in our soles — symbolizes the unique and very special adventure that each of us embarks upon."

Fashionable, comfortable and good for the planet - a no-brainer - feed your shoe fetish with one of these brands today!

--till next week Restore, Refresh, Recycle & Renew.

Green Spring Things

We certainly have been having some great full on Spring weather in the Northeast. It's time to spring clean and revitalize your wardrobe.

First sort out what you have. It's time to get the boots and sweaters away and bring on the pumps, sandals and summer dresses.

I suggest 3 piles of clothes you are putting away and then repeating the process with your Spring/Summer items as well.

Pile 1 - Keepers
Pile 2 - Maybes
Pile 3 - Let it go!

Keepers go right into cleaning and storage. The maybes need a good try on and inspection. You need to do this with each item and move it to Keepers or Let it Go! Make a list of the Let it Go! pile and package them for reuse at a consignment shop, reuse program or charity shop, or arrange a clothing swap with your friends followed by a trip to one of the stores listed.

I suggest you do this at the beginning and end of each seasonal change. Once this is done, you have a good picture of the items you need to replenish and then you can make responsible choices.

Here are some items you may like to pick up:
A smashing new umbrella for your inner Anglophile. Beat April showers with a brolly from London Undercover.

A Claudi Garzesi recycled necklace from Recycled Planet Store.

A coin purse from the Go Green collection at Ecoist.

Clothing from Stewart & Brown.

A Market/Beach bag from Rising Tide Fair Trade.

Bandeau and boy shorts from Daughters of the Revolution.

Shoes from Terra Plana - no stranger to How Green is Your Closet?

Enjoy the purge and the binge - Happy Spring!

till next week - Restore, Recycle, Refresh & Renew

Iceland Inspired Scarf Part 3

We've made it back from Iceland and now it is time to get serious about finishing our scarves. Here's an inspiration from uncommon goods and here's what you do:

1) Layout your t-shirt pieces in 2 strips of 8 squares. Arrange them until you are satisfied with the sequence on each set. Then place one set on top of the other so you can see what is underneath.

2) When you are satisfied with your arrangement, use a running stitch or a back stitch to connect the squares on each side. You can use various colored thread - we used metallic which was grand.

3) Select a couple of squares with interesting colors behind them and slit the fabric with your scissors to reveal the color beneath. (Note: you could do this before stitching like making paper snowflakes) You could also cut the end squares into fringe if you like.

4)Stitch the front and back together. If you use a running stitch, you can also gather your scarf to create interest.

5) Finally, add beads or other adornments as you see fit.

Voila - you have created your very own scarf from recycled and reused materials.

--till next week Restore, Recycle, Refresh & Renew

Asos Green Lounge

UK online fashion retailer Asos launched an eco-driven section on their website on February 19th. Asos features the latest trends and celebrity looks - a bit more sophisticated and mature Forever 21.It is one of my favorite sources for that bit of something different. Sign up for their email newsletter and enjoy a real treat. They sell internationally so don't fret if you don't live in the UK.

According to their blog: "...THE GREEN ROOM will fill you in on all the latest stories from the real people behind your favourite finds on ASOS.com. We'll be asking the brands who sell in THE GREEN ROOM and anyone who plays a key roll in bringing you the latest fashion that support people and the planet.

SOCIAL & ENVIRONMENTALLY AWARE BRANDS – features amazing labels that promote people and planet, from Swedish Hasbeens much-feted ecologically prepared, natural grain leather footwear to the hotly anticipated Emma Watson for People Tree collaboration.

ASOS.COM OWN LABEL – We launched our first Fairtrade cotton jersey pieces back in December, here you'll find an ever increasing number of own brand creations designed inhouse by our super designers and suppliers - there will be some basics but well be dropping a few styles with a twist on site - search 'FAIRTRADE' onsite now - don't miss out! (check out the fab Chrissie Abbott designed tee). The Fairtrade status of these products ensures that the cotton farmers have been paid a fair price for their crop. Each farming community also receives a social premium that they invest in social projects such as building schools and hospitals (see one of our next blogs for commentary directly from the Fairtrade Foundation)

BEAUTY– a range of products that pamper without using any ingredients that are damaging to the environment - and of course your skin! Includes well-known brands such as Cowshed, This Works and Neal’s Yard. Lush!"

Ahh another reason to practice retail therapy online and feel good about your choices.

--till next week Restore, Recycle, Refresh & Renew.

Late but in earnest

Well Tuesday certainly got away from me. While I should have been posting a blog message for you, I was skyping with a colleague in Hong Kong who I am working with on a cross-institution course via the internet. Anyway - onto our green topic.

So boot socks are in and the way the weather has been they seem to be a necessary accessory. Here's an easy way to get that chunky, funky look and your legs warm at the same time.

Sort through old sweaters in your home. Select one that is 100% wool. If you can't find one, ask around or hit a local thrift shop.

Felt the sweater - this is quite easy to do. Place the sweater inside a white cotton pillow case with a zipper. (I learned this the hard way) Felting without the pillow case can lead to fibers in the washer's motor and a $175 repair fee. That's one expensive pair of boot socks;)

Felting occurs through the agitation of the wool fibers in hot water. I like to let it go for about 5 minutes and check. Then I estimate - 5 more, 3 more, 2 more and so on until the felting has occurred. If you can still see the knitting loops in the sweater you need more time.

Take the sweater out and roll it in a towel to remove most of the moisture. Lay flat to dry. Cut the sleeves off the sweater. Even off the shoulder end. Voila you have a footless boot sock.

Cut slits around the top, feed through a pretty ribbon and tie them under your knee for a gathered look. Cut along the seam and resew to fit your leg for a more fitted look. Run elastic around the top in a fold over band or use garters to hold them up.

Now you've got the rest of that felt. There are so many projects - stuffed creatures, handbags, hats, gewgaws...Get surfing and get going;)

--till next week Restore, Recycle, Refresh & Renew

Ambitiously Green

Now I know you all recycle your magazines and catalogs, but on my trip to Hong Kong I ran into an artist doing it in a really unique way - she's knitting paper! That's right. Movana Chen's first project used fashion magazines and her current project uses books.

I have a long history of knitting many materials - wire, fishing line, trash bags, ribbon, etc. Since I had most recently tried to knit pre-consumer chip wrappers while working on a project with TerraCycle, I was enthralled by Movana's work. Interestingly, I used a similar process to Movana, but I never perfected it like she did.

My Process: 1) I fed the wrappers from their pre-use rolls through a shredder. This didn't work really well since the wrapper is rather thin and the shredder was powerful. I didn't get uniform shred. 2)I tried to melt the ends together with an iron - no go. I tried to find a proper adhesive - no go. I settled on a tried and true method of tying the ends together - worked but created knots and fringes. 3) Even loose tension made the wrapper tear.

Movana's Process: 1)Tape pages into long sheets. 2)Feed multiple sheets through the shredder. 3) Connect the ends with double stick tape. 4) Knit several layers of paper as one thread.

I have lots of magazines to try so I am going to see if I can give it a go. It is the perfect project for our next really Big Snow!

--till next week Restore, Recycle Refresh & Renew-- Happy Holidays

Have a Hand Made Green Holiday

So Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone. You're shopped out. You still don't have all the gifts you need and the funds are getting tight. Not to mention you need a festive wardrobe update for the holiday social rounds.

I've said it before, but I'll say it again. Make It!!!!

Here is a new to me blog that has a wide range of items with easy DIY instructions - P.S. - I made this... Self-proclaimed a movement, P.S. - I made this... describes itself as "a call to action to re-imagine, re-use, and re-invent. I see it. I like it. I make it."

Recent posts feature a variety of fashion(Chunky necklaces, Art deco earrings, etc.) and home accessories (textured pottery) that are on trend and oh so easy to make, many from things you may already have kicking around. Remember what MacGyver could do with a little string, duct tape and chewing gum? Now you won't necessarily escape from the bad guys, but you can have a festive runway inspired hair bow with a trash bag, lace ribbon, gorilla tape and scissors - a quick fix to your personal fashion emergency;)

Now there really are no excuses. See it. Like it? Make it! Give it. Wear it. Use it.

--till next week Restore, Recycle, Refresh & Renew