Let Your Plate Save Your Planet

Happy Earth Day Everyone!! Today is a time to reflect on the impact our daily choices have on the planet which we all share.  Every day we make choices which either reduce or increase our carbon footprint. Have you ever stopped to consider the environmental impact of what you choose to put on your plate?

Did you know?

* A Worldwatch Institute study from 2009 found that that the meat, egg, and dairy industries (Factory Farming) now contribute up to 51% of greenhouse gases worldwide! 

*Factory farming produces more than 3 times the greenhouse gases of all transportation worldwide ( their contribution is 14%). That is more than all the trucks, cars, SUV's, trains, and plane's in the WORLD COMBINED!

*37% of those gasses are from Methane (YES from Cow Manure) - this is 23 TIMES more than the impact of C02 on Global Warming.

* According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), 35,000 miles of rivers in 22 states and groundwater in 17 states has been permanently contaminated by industrial farm waste.

* The average American already consuming more than 200 pounds of meat per year, the choice to support industrial farming is devastating from an environmental perspective, exacerbating global warming and jeopardizing a plentiful food supply for future generations that today we take for granted. (Farm Sanctuary)

There are SO MANY facts to support the destruction and devastation that factory farming and supportive industries are having on our planet. 

So when you sit down to dinner, consider the 200 pounds of another species flesh that you consume in a year and what effect this will have on the earth you will leave to your children, grandchildren and other innocent members of society after you are gone.  Eating meat is a CHOICE and not a necessity for health or survival. Many in the scientific community believe human's are natural Vegetarians

What Can You Do?

*Stop Making Excuses for Eating Meat and Animal Products and get Educated.

*Leave meat off your plate: 

*You can save more water by not eating one pound of beef than you do by not showering for an entire year  (Full Article)

*If every American skips one meal of meat per week and chooses vegetarian foods instead, the greenhouse gases savings would be the same as taking half a million cars off US roads (Full Article)

Try it today in honor of EARTH DAY! Try No Meat or Animal Products (Eggs, Cheese, Milk). Get creative in the kitchen tonight!

MEAT IS NOT GREEN:

Happy Earth Day! Be ECO-Fabulous

ECO-CHIC – Movement? Or Marketing? (Previously Posted, now expanded)

The term Eco-chic represents a current trend merging the concepts of high-fashion, global responsibility and sustainability. This term has been circulating in main stream media for a few years now but I have often wondered if it is just a genius marketing ploy for large corporations to ride on the heels of scientific information and the global concern for our planet, to capitalize on the demise of the earth as we know it; Or is there really something to the whole Eco-chic concept as a mind set or a movement in the right direction? It seems that the latest must have fashion accessory is a social conscience and I say it’s about time! Eco chic to me is a lifestyle. To merge global awareness and living green into your lifestyle in all that you do, including how you dress.

Try these facts on: The U.S. generates approximately 9 billion pounds of used clothing each year and only a small fraction of that is recycled.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Council for Textile Recycling, used clothing and/or textile waste (which is also includes shoes, household linens and accessories) represents up to 5% of U.S. landfills.
How can YOU make an impact on the environment through fashion?

1) Buy Vintage, Used or Resale clothing. Purchasing vintage clothing and taking a look into fashion’s past is a wonderful way to recycle fashion. Choose vintage pieces and style them with the clothing and accessories that you already have. You can visit your local thrift, consignment, or on-line boutiques for vintage and contemporary, previously loved clothing, shoes and accessories. Having a passion for the past and styling vintage current is also showing your respect for the future by limiting your consumption.

2) Re-Style what you already have. Take a stroll through you closet, drawers and storage facility and put your creativity to the test. Re-style new looks using the clothing shoes and accessories that you already have, thereby avoiding acquiring more. It IS possible to revamp your own wardrobe, be gentler to the environment and your wallet.

3) Donate clothes from your personal collection and pay it forward. Give someone else an opportunity to style your used clothing into their Eco chic wardrobe. Take your clothes to a consignment shop or a donation center and recycle them the same way you recycle your cans and bottles. Many organizations like women’s shelters or other social programs can always use clothing.

4) Re-purpose and re-design your clothing buy making minor alterations to make the garment new and fresh. You love your black long sleeved tunic what about removing the sleeves to give it a new appearance and style it with accessories, a bag and/or shoes you have never worn before.

This is not to say that you will never purchase any “new” clothing or accessories, that notion would obviously be unrealistic. Perhaps consider choosing selectively the new articles you bring into your wardrobe and try to merge, in a multi-purpose way with your other items. Also consider for every new item, donate, re purpose or pass an older item along to a friend or organization where women/men need it.

The concept of Eco chic should not encourage more consumerism but inspire a lifestyle change and adaptation to a new view of your wardrobe and all it’s possibilities. Give those creative muscles a work out and try to recycle, re-style fashion and respect the environment. Let’s face it, fashion is one giant business based on the premise of recycling; new designers use the past as a point of reference and recycle past silhouettes and ideas into something “new” – YOU can do it to!!

Be Eco-Fabulous today. Step outside of your usual fashion confines and try something unique AND Eco-Chic = VINTAGE SHOP: http://www.evolution-vintage.com/

"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children." ~Native American Proverb

Sustainable Fashion ~ Put Your Best Foot Forward

Earth Week is upon us (Earth Day April 22) and in honor of that I would like to take a look at a revolutionary new idea ~ Footwear as Fertilizer??


The concept of sustainable fashion encompasses all fashion products (clothing and accessories) that have been created and constructed from materials that contribute to a more equal and balanced world, reducing your impact on the environment. There are many companies who by innovation, creativity and a common love and respect for the earth we all share are creating products that are usable and fashionable. I want to focus on my favorite fashion accessory; SHOES! We all know how fabulous a great shoe collection can be but what do you do with them when they are damaged beyond repair and you are forced to dispose of your tired old soles? There are many programs that do exists who “recycle”, repair or re-use shoes but for the most part there is a cost to you to ship them and it can be a time consuming and inconvenient task to research, pay, package and send them. We want to minimize our footprint on the environment and try to avoid the discards ending up in the landfill, right?


There is a company called OAT shoes ( http://www.oatshoes.com/ ) that has come up with a resolution to your shoe sorrows. They have created a biodegradable shoe that leaves no footprint on the environment except the ones you have made by walking, dancing or running in them. They are merging attractive style with a green concept that until now has been unheard of in the shoe industry (at least by me). How does it work? Once you are ready to bid farewell to your shoes you bury (or plant) them in your garden, woods, or compost, water regularly and watch flowers bloom from your old sneakers. Watch your shoes go from footwear to fertilizer. Their vision: “The future of fashion lies in a reconciliation between nature and industry. OAT Shoes strives to lead the way to that future.” So far they have 2 different, high and low top sneaker styles in 4 colors (Green, Blue, Red, Yellow). The company is based out of Amsterdam and these sustainable sneaks go for approximately 149 EUROs ($215 USD). Regardless of the cost of the shoe the environmental cost is much higher when dealing with the disposal of their conventional counterpart. I am sure that they will be available in the US soon as we are a nation concerned about our planet AND fashion! I wonder how long the shoes last in comparison to a conventional sneaker? You can contact the duo of Sustainable Sneakers (Dirk-Jan Oudshoorn & Christtiaan Maats) via their website (http://www.oatshoes.com/) to inquire if you want to take your future flower pots for a spin or have any questions about their products. The site looks new since I first discovered it a few weeks ago.
They also have Facebook and twitter pages! and a section for frquently Asked Questions.


They need to contact ME when they make the first sustainable stylish stiletto or botany based boots. I would love to take a sneaker for a spin and write a review! I'm a size 9 and I'll take the low-tops in red please ;) *All Images courtesy of www.OATshoes.com*