That’s right — Barney’s New York’s gone cheapo — at least this weekend — bringing eco-fashions to the masses. More deets in my Emerald City post here, but really, all you have to do is stop by Barney’s New York in Beverly Hills this weekend to get first dibs on Rogan’s new collection (Rogan’s the designer for EDUN and Loomstate).

To the right’s the shirt I got. Like most designer fashions that flatter you into buying stuff, sizes run a tad bigger — That shirt’s an XS.

Also, Summer makes a great mannequin, yes? She’s not actually wearing Rogan for Target though, but a one-of-a-kind eco-friendly dress. Want your own one-of-a-kind eco fashion? Check out Summer’s eco-boutique BTC Elements, where everything’s not only eco-friendly but also fairly made.

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So about those cotton tote bags. Own one? Many of you do — cuz I gave ‘em to ya! Tell me this: Is your cotton tote bag 1) organic and 2) made in the US?

Because according newest companies selling tote bags made in the US, getting organic cotton isn’t cheap. Want both US-made AND organic? Then get ready to pay $40+, they say. Want a bag for under $20? Then you gotta pick between US-made OR organic, not both, according to them.

The bag companies I’ve been hearing from, however, are making more design-and-longetivity oriented stylish bags, not just the basic tote.

Take Savior Bags (meaning “save your bags”; above left), for example. This company makes what they call the “most durable natural product” possible — a roomy cotton tote (with what feel like synthetic handles and metal rings) designed to hold its bucket shape without collapsing. Cost: $19.95. According to the owners, an organic version would cost $45 — a price point they don’t think the US market will bear.

Pretty Green (right) says the same thing. This local, Sherman Oaks-based husband-and-wife team company created cute, durable bags with water resistant lining and cushioned handles, made locally and fairly right in L.A. Cost $15, with 1% of sales going to Water Partners International. The owners say that an organic cotton version would cost $40 a bag — but still plan to have an organic bag out by this summer.

Mind you — we’re not even talking about US grown and milled cotton. We’re simply talking about US sewn / assembled. Pretty Green says its lining is made with US-grown cotton, but doesn’t think its outside fabric is. I’m not certain of the details of Savior Bags’ cotton, but my guess is that the stuff wasn’t grown and milled in the US.

I want to point out, though, that you CAN get a no frills, organic cotton tote made in the US for just $9.99 at Amoeba Music. It’s a nice, sturdy bag, though perhaps a bit plain jane. Part of the reason why the bags I’m talking ’bout here are more expensive is because Savior Bags are designed for maximum durability, while Pretty Green bags are more stylish than the regular grocery tote.

Still, I wonder why these tote bag companies think $20’s the max the US market can handle for stylish totes, when American Apparel’s selling conventional cotton tote bags at $34 a pop.

I’m not saying any of these companies are “bad” or are greenwashing. I’m just trying to sort out some of these ideas. Let’s keep in mind that Anya Hindmarch’s “I’m Not a Plastic Bag” totes — which were neither organic nor fair trade — sold like hotcakes at $10 a pop.

And it’s not as if non-US-made, non-organic totes are much cheaper. Take EarthTotes (right), for example. Started by two SoCal moms, this company’s totes are made with conventional cotton AND made in China — albeit by a company that is part of the International Labor Organization. Cost for “The Jumbo Tote” that’s about the same size as, but not as sturdy as, the Savior Bags: $14.

Lots of eco-initiatives and orgs still have no qualms just buying the cheapest tote bags possible for distribution (especially if it’s for free distribution). Most of the free totes given away at L.A.-area eco-events are synthetic, petroleum based crap. Even the City of L.A.’s Zero Waste Plan people opted for conventional cotton bags made in China.

And of course, I get lots more tote bag emails from companies touting their new “eco-friendly” tote bags. I’ll ask how their bags are eco, and they’ll reply they’re eco cuz they’re reusable. Nevermind the pound of chemical pesticides that goes into growing the cotton for every conventional cotton tote bag and the many labor and trade issues that arise both from taking advantage of cheap international labor to NOT supporting our more local economies. Those concerns are not so important, they say. At least we’re moving in the right direction. We’re reusable and that means we’re eco, they say.

Some will go so far as to say that to get Americans to reuse, we need to make reusable bags as cheaply as possible (I often get the same argument from reusable cotton napkin makers). It’s the typical the ends justifies the means argument.

Is a tote made with US-grown organic cotton that’s milled in the US, sewn by local US workers and printed locally wit non-toxic, eco-friendly dyes delivered to me by bicycle too much to ask for? :P

So here’s a survey for you. Assuming you MUST buy a tote bag, which bag are you most likely to buy — taking style, cost, materials and place of production into consideration?

Lastly, I also want to point out that your organic cotton bag NOT made in the US could still very well be ethically made. Some of you may have organic cotton totes made under fair labor conditions — probably in in India, Pakistan, China, or another country where employing people under fair labor conditions is still cheaper than paying US minimum wage…..

[crossposted on BlogHer]

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We’ve all read about the Okinawa and Mediterranean diets, usually promoted as weight-loss remedies. But in addition to their slim figures, Okinawans have a very low rate of breast and prostate cancer, while Cretans enjoy a low rate of heart disease. What in the diets prevents these diseases? Could we adopt these diets as our own to live healthier lives?

That’s what Daphne Miller, a doctor in San Francisco, set out to investigate in her book, “The Jungle Effect.” Miller travels to the “cold spots” — places with a low incidence of a certain disease — all over the world to figure out what in that region’s diet serves to protect its residents from common ailments in the U.S.

Got a family history of diabetes? Then read the chapter on Copper Canyon, Mexico. Depression? See what the Icelandic people eat; they’re a happy bunch, despite the fact that their country’s cold and dark for big chunks of the year.

In each chapter devoted to one of six “cold spots,” Miller combines the story of a patient of hers suffering from a common disease with the story of her own foodie travel to the cold spot for that disease. The end of each chapter has instructions — organized into basic, intermediate, and advanced levels — for mimicking the diet of that cold spot. Plus, lots of recipes are included in the back.

Some very clear commonalities emerge in the diets of all six of these cold spots. For example, meat is rarely the main dish in any of these places. Animal products are generally used very sparingly, much like a condiment. And all use primarily unprocessed organic, local ingredients that are grown or raised sustainably. Turns out, a disease-free diet’s also an earth-friendly diet that sounds quite similar to Michael Pollan’s haiku-esque advice: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

Adopting any of these diets by the letter, however, will take some serious lifestyle changes for many people. In addition to just eating different food, would-be cold-spot dieters will need to hunt down unfamiliar ingredients — like nopales or horta — as well as cook them according to precise instructions. After all, it’s not just the individual ingredients that make up a cold-spot diet, according to Miller. It’s the food “synergy” — or the combinations of these ingredients — that works the magic.

But you don’t have to change your entire to benefit from reading “The Jungle Effect.” In fact, Miller offers lots of easy-to-implement, practical tips in her sidebars, with titles like “How to choose a slow release corn tortilla,” or “How to buy olive oil.” As both foodies and dietitians know, not all tortillas are made equal.

Herein lies the difference between, say, the burrito I get at a typical restaurant in L.A. and an authentic burrito as made in Copper Canyon, Mexico. The former’s usually humongous, cooked with a lot of lard and oil, stuffed with factory farmed meats and cheeses, then wrapped up in a pizza-sized white flour tortilla. In contrast, Miller discribes the Copper Canyon burrito as “no larger than a big cigar,” stuffed with black beans, red chili sauce, and a little shredded meat and wrapped in a handmade corn tortilla.

Whether or not you decide any of the specific cold spot diets are for you, “The Jungle Effect” will likely inspire you to cook more often, using fresh, in-season, local ingredients. And you’ll likely start paying attention to product ingredient lists, which’ll help you avoid unhealthy fats and colorings and preservatives. It’s no secret at this point that that what passes as food at many grocery stores isn’t really food at all. Kraft even got sued for its “guacamole” which contains just 2% avocado. What’s the other 98%? Partially hydrogenated soybean and coconut oils, corn syrup, whey and food starch. Yummy….

[crossposted on BlogHer]

Tags: thejungleeffect, daphnemiller, diet

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If you’re prone to eco-stress inspired heart palpitations, don’t read this book. At least not now. Save it for later. Because Sandor Ellix Katz’ “The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved: Inside America’s Underground Food Movements” can be more than a little overwhelming for the newly-initiated would-be socio-environmentally-conscious foodie.

That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy this book! “The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved” is both informative and inspiring — and comprehensive and absorbing! The main point of the book: Despite what seems like an increasing number of consumer food choices, it’s harder than ever to get healthy, sustainable food — and we need to change that. Writes Katz: “The scandal of our contemporary food system is that not just a few exotic luxuries but virtually everything — including the most basic and mundane staples — is transported such vast distances, traveling thousands of miles from producers to consumers.”

Still, the book’s also not for the faint-hearted. There’s the more obvious out-there stuff, like a “recipe” for — eating dirt! Talk about getting back to nature. If you’re not ready to put the earth into your mouth, literally, then maybe you’d be into foraging for weeds — though that’s no simple task if you’re living in the middle of a city. Or if you’re really ready to take “waste not, want not” to the extreme, read the chapter on eating road kill. And you thought freeganism was adventurous!

What’s really anxiety-inducing about the book, however, is simply that it’s so wide ranging and detailed. You may be ready to read about and denounce genetically-modified, patented seeds that wreak financial and environmental havoc on independent farmers — information that may lead you to support local, independent farmers instead. But the book also delves into the the isolationism and racism that’s present in small farming communities, pointing out that family farms aren’t all automatically happy, idyllic places.

Still, “The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved” is helpful in showing the connections between the many current issues that’re often considered independently. covers so much stuff. marijuana. From urban community gardens in New York City to AIDS medication to intentional communities in Tennessee to herbal medicine to marijuana and hemp legislation, “The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved” covers it all.

I don’t agree with everything Katz says, but his book certainly made me think more deeply about the environmental and social issues I care about, and consider some of the more radical ideas out there. In the end, “The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved” left me with two important and practical desires: Support the yummy local food at the farmers’ market, and work on expanding my own private balcony garden.

[crossposted on BlogHer]

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[Part of my challenge to give something away every day for 29 days]

Last night started with happy hour at Bodega — to which Hannah and I wore the same Pop Rock & Roll earrings!

I know you can’t really see them in the red light from the windows — which made all of us look strange in the photos — so to the right’s how they look in normal light. Re-made from vinyl records, these cute light earrings are available at BTC Elements, Summer’s eco-chic boutique, for just $18!

It’s great having a friend who runs a boutique because I hadn’t gotten Kristen a present yet and her party had already started! Summer came to the rescue — We biked over to her place where I picked up some Pop Rock & Roll earrings for Kristen.

And since I was taking a bottle of Grey Goose to the party (didn’t have time to hunt down a bottle of organic Square One Vodka — sorry), I bought a bottle of Modmix, an organic cocktail mixer, as well.

There’s Kristen with the earrings on. Happy birthday Kristen!

We played a game of scrabble at the end and I discovered two things: 1) My game’s miraculously improved despite the fact I haven’t played in like years, and 2) in each round, it’s a long while before it’s my turn again.

Meaning that while others were thinking letters, I got slightly obsessed with this drawing figurine of Kristen’s. There it is, starting Surya Namaskara B –

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Most beauty regimens prescribe washing your face twice a day, but not the newly-launched Sophyto skin care line. The products in this UK company’s petrochemical and paraben-free line all have instructions for use that don’t involve any water.

I found that weird. Especially because the Sophyto product that would basically take the place of water — Purify & Energise Super Bioactive — costs $35 per 250 ml bottle.

To be fair, you don’t HAVE to buy the Super Bioactive. That product’s description says this: “If the water in your area contains high levels of chlorine, or other impurities, use Super Bioactive in its place. Chlorine plays havoc with our skin because it causes oxidative damage and chemically bonds with the protein in our bodies, which disrupts the skins natural protective barrier.” That seems to imply that just washing your face with water’s fine in most places in the U.S.

Yet the instructions for Sophyto’s cleansers all instruct you to use cotton pads soaked in the Super Bioactive to wipe off the cleanser. The option of simply washing off the cleanser with water isn’t mentioned at all.

Weird, isn’t it?

Still, I tried out Sophyto with an open mind — mainly due to the company’s seeming green heart. The entire line contains an average of 95% certified organic ingredients and really is free of strange petrochemicals — and has the stringent certifications to prove that.

Unfortunately, Sophyto didn’t grown on me.

First of all, this waterless cleansing thing isn’t actually very cleansing, IMHO. I tried to follow the instructions for the beauty regimen as closely as possible, first applying the Ultra Mild Silken Cleanser with a cotton ball to remove my makeup, then taking off the cleanser with the Super Bioactive with more cotton balls. Four cotton balls later, my face felt slightly greasy and just not quite clean. I ended up splashing my face with water to really cleanse it — and found that indeed some of my makeup was still on my face, because it came out in the water.

I tried the waterless thing again that night using a stronger cleanser — Purifying Active Mask — which also was supposed to be removed with the Super Bioactive. Again, my face felt greasy, and I ended up washing my face.

It may simply be that I’m set in my ways. I don’t use those toners that seem so harsh as to strip the skin, but I guess I expect a mild cleanser to take all the makeup and the grit of the day off. But perhaps others like what I’m going to call the cast iron skillet method of skin care. That regimen might be a less rigorous cleanse that leaves a lil extra greasiness behind.

I could see an argument for this method. Some might say it doesn’t make sense to take all facial oils off then reapply some oils via moisturizer each day. But IMHO, this method doesn’t work for those who wear makeup and want to get that stuff off before bed.

And Sophyto certainly doesn’t cut back on the moisturizers for the not-totally de-oiled face. Post-”cleanse,” I was instructed to put on Polyphenol Skin Drops — basically a mild moisturizer — before Skin Energizing High Potency Concentrate — which appears to be another moisturizer — before a Normalising Day Face Moisturizer. Three moisturizers? Seriously?

The High Potency Concentrate wasn’t included in my samples, so I went directly from the Skin Drops to the Moisturizer — to find that because my face was already moisturized enough by the Skin Drops, the Moisturizer wouldn’t absorb. At this point I was afraid all this moisturizing would make me break out, so I wiped off some of the Moisturizer.

So again, my review’s biased. I’m not of the cast-iron skillet school of face cleansing, and I generally use just one v. light moisturizer. If you ARE of the cast-iron skillet school and DO like heavy moisturizing, then Sophyto might be for you.

But what really, really did not work for me with Sophyto is the amount of waste created by its recommended regimen. In addition to the cotton balls, the Polyphenol Skin Drops and Skin Energising High Potency Concentrate both come in “monodose” — or 5 mL — single-use packaging. If you followed the instructions as given, you’d have a small mound of cotton balls and two empty plastic canisters every time you cleansed your face.

And considering the fact that a $95 box of Skin Energising High Potency Concentrate contains just 15 monodoses, I can’t afford it. Especially not on top of $75 for a 15-monodose box of Skin Drops. I’ve actually been buying fairly high-end skin care products lately, but dude — this is just crazy. According to Talking Makeup, Sophyto’s being used by “trend gurus” A-list celeb clientele. They, I’m sure, could afford this — but not I.

Of course, you could just not follow the instructions and make Sophyto better fit both your beauty routine and your budget. You could forgo the cotton balls and use the Cleanser with water, then just pick one moisturizer of your choice. This seems to be what Cybele of CybeleSays did. Her review’s much more positive than mine.

But I guess I’m turned off by the fact that this green company — with honest-to-goodness v. green products — recommends such an over the top regimen that’d make both you and the environment pay so dearly. Plus, the only product I was really impressed with was the Polyphenol Skin Drops, because it was nice and light and had this sweet, honey scent. But I’m not going to buy moisturizer in single-use plastic packs.

Think I’m being too harsh? Try ‘em yourself and lemme know what you think. One lucky reader can win a Sample Kit of the 5 Sophyto products that I tried. To get it, leave a comment or email me by Thursday night and I’ll put you in the Friday drawing.

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[crossposted on BlogHer]

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Save the world by — shopping? Such Bush-esque advice makes many an environmentalist raise a weary eyebrow. But Diane MacEachern’s new book, Big Green Purse: Use Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World, turns out not quite to be what the cover seems to advertise. In fact, “Big Green Purse” shows how using one’s spending power might in fact be exercising the power NOT to give in to marketing ploys and sales pitches.

After all, rampant consumerism’s what got us into our current environmental dilemma. Title of the book aside, Diane never loses an opportunity to preach the reduce, reuse, recyle mantra. Of the 7 shopping tips “Big Green Purse” espouses, the first is “Buy less.”

So why the rather misleading title? Perhaps it’s a lure to entice otherwise blithely oblivious shoppers into picking up the book. Once opened, “Big Green Purse” loses no time getting right into the middle of things, kicking off with a doom and gloom chapter that points out all the problems caused by “regular” consumption, depicting a world full of cancerous chemicals marked with the looming fear of potential ecological collapse. Yikes!

The book does gets cheerier from there, emphasizing that individuals — especially women — can make a big difference by spending less, and spending differently. Chapters are divided into different aspects of life, covering everything from healthy food to eco-cleaning to, of course, clothes and purses. For the caffeine lovers, Diane actually dedicated an entire chapter to coffee, tea and cocoa!

“Big Green Purse” actually has much in common with another recently published book, “Healthy Child, Healthy World,” (I reviewed it here) — though the titles make the books sound vastly different. For those who get easily overwhelmed, Big Green Purse might be easier to handle, as Diane’s list-making proclivities — arranging the eco-advice in order of practicality and importance — make it easier for newbies to prioritize their eco-actions.

While taking in the environmental messages, “Big Green Purse” also urges consumers not to get sucked in by the alarming, pseudo-scientific marketing messages, such as those that erroneously encourage people to buy antibiotic soaps or synthetic “age-defying” creams.

Of course, even die-hard anti-consumerists still need to buy stuff. Veggies and undies come to mind, for example (though I suppose some might go so far as to grow or sew their own). And for these necessary purchases, “Big Green Purse” gives some smart, practical advice for making the greenest purchasing decisions depending on your circumstances.

Perhaps “Big Green Purse” should be renamed “Think before you shop.” Okay — That isn’t exactly catchy, but I’m still trying to get my head around the fact that the title seems so incongruous with the content of the book. Already-environmentalists are likely to be turned away by the seeming rah-rah-shop-now message, while the newly eco-curious might be disappointed (and perhaps scared) by the first doom-and-gloom, stop-shopping-so-much chapters.

Is that a pessimistic view? I hope so. Maybe angry environmentalists will pick up the book and be assuaged by the dark green message, and eco-newbies will be scared into their senses….

[crossposted on BlogHer]

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[Part of my challenge to give something away every day for 29 days]

My second indirect donation to Heal the Bay this month! I bought a sustainably-harvested merino shirt at the newly-opened Nau store at the Beverly Center. And because Nau donates 5% of all sales to progressive nonprofits, I was able to designate 5% of my purchase — which ended up being $3.24 — to Heal the Bay.

I guess I technically “gave” this money on April 19 when I bought the shirt — but I took advantage of Nau’s 10% off deal for getting it shipped to me instead of carrying it out of the store. And the shirt just arrived today –

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Tags: nau, beverlycenter

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[Part of my challenge to give something away every day for 29 days]

Did I see you at Green Drinks? If so — Hello!

The Green Drinks Earth Night event tonight asked for a $10 donation. Post-donation, I got 5 rocks — which I could put into 5 different vases, each dedicated to a different enviro-related non-profits.

I put all my rocks in the Heal the Bay vase — May plastic bags get banned everywhere –

The food was yummy, the drinks were plentiful, the people were nice, the music was fun, and the roof was rather cold but the view was great.

I took pictures, but none of them really turned out :( Included are a couple that weren’t totally fucked up, to be supplemented later with some better ones that Summer took, once she gets around to uploading them –

About a dozen people asked me when I was going to speak. Dammit Barent! One person actually asked when my set was — she thought I was one of the DJs. I’ll work on my DJ Siel persona for the next Green Drinks –

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To the kind readers who emailed to say you’re looking forward to hearing me speak at Green Drinks on Saturday: You are v. kind, but I will not be speaking.

To Hannah and other people who thought I’d be standing at a podium doing a Q&A for an hour: No, I will not be forcing would-be drinkers to listen to an hour-long Q&A on a Saturday night.

Here’s what’s actually happening. In celebration of the upcoming Earth Day, LA Green Drinks is having a special Saturday event at the Whole Life Times office downtown. You’re all invited, BTW:

When: Saturday, April 19, 7 pm - midnight
Where: Whole Life Times, 1200 S. Hope St., Ste. 300, Los Angeles.
Cost: $10 donation, which gets you organic beer, wine, and snacks. There’ll be live DJs too :)

Barent, the organizer, asked me if I’d come early and, during that first slow hour while people are trickling in, hang out behind a lil “ask green LA girl!” sign in the corner, so people with eco-related questions could ask them. Sure, I said. Can you make the sign? he said. Sure, I said.

Somehow, that was written up thusly in the Green Drinks email that went out:

Share in organic wine, beer, and munchies (and, yes, they are yummy!) along with DJs, Green LA Girl - Siel, and guest speaker Jonathan Parfrey, Director of Green L.A. (as well as other speakers)

This is when I started getting emails from people about how they look forward to my speech. I asked for a revision — and this is what went out in the second email:

Green LA Girl, Siel, will start the night informally answering your eco questions and Jonathan Parfrey, Director of Green L.A., as well as other speakers will bring us up to date on the efforts to Green LA.

7 pm Green LA Girl - Siel, informally answering your environmental questions
8 pm Green LA Director - Jonathon Parfrey followed by other speakers

This is when people started wondering why I was doing an hour-long Q&A.

Before that email went out, I pointed out this might happen — but it’s v. hard to convince people who think something is already clear that it only seems clear to them because they already know what the event is about. Try explaining the difference between the above with my suggestion — “the night will begin with some informal mingling over drinks and snacks, with Siel available to answer any eco-related questions and conundrums you may have” — without coming across as a nitpicky bitch….

Luckily all the people involved with Green Drinks are nice and, even though I still think the text is confusing, did try to mollify my concerns…. My main concern was that people would think, from the description, that this event would be a boring, hour-long Q&A, followed by one speaker after another — and decide not to come.

Please come — It’ll be fun, and you’re all invited.

Back to the nitpicky bitch thing — Yesterday I met a couple friends for happy hour at Bodega Wine Bar in Santa Monica. They’d changed the menu a bit — and I found typos! There were wines from both Fance and Framce; a nice reisling was being offered as well.

I pointed it out to our waitress. Oddly, she got really psyched about it, laughed, and went to show someone the typos right away. Maybe Bodega’ll get its money back from the printer? I dunno —

So you might wonder why this blog has so many typos and confusing sentences, despite my constant editing of other people’s work. Suffice to say most people find it hard to edit their own writing –

Photo by Don LaVange

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