I’m taking hippie to new heights, literally.

That’s thanks to a pair of El Naturalista heels I got to review. Called the Dome N762, these shoes have a cute, red leather top — and a rubbery-looking, upside-down zigurrat-like heel. The result? A funky and functional — or crunchy and clompy, depending on your tastes — pair of eco-friendly heels.

These burlap-sack hued, nubbly rubber heels got their inspiration from another crunchy design — environmentally inspired architect Nader Khalili‘s Eco-Dome (aka Super-Adobe) houses, made basically by laying earth-filled sandbags on top of each other to form a coiled, terraced structure. That building technique’s still taught at the California Institute of Earth Art and Architecture in Hesperia — so by wearing El Naturalista’s Dome shoes, I’m sort of wearing a local design!

Whatever your opinion about the chunky, blocky heels, if you try these El Naturalista heels on, you’ll have to admit one thing: They’re super comfortable, despite the height. That’s because of the gentle cushioning provided by the natural recycled rubber used in the outsoles and heels. The stuff bends easily, absorbs impact, and according to El Naturalista, lasts longer on your feet but degrades faster than synthetic materials post-use.

The green aspects of the Dome heels extend to the shoes’ less crunchy parts — like the recycled polyurethane footbed and the pull grain leather uppers, which were treated with river stones and vegetable tanned. Want to wear domes on your feet too? El Naturalista has a boutique in Santa Monica where you can stop by to try these on in person. You can also find El Naturalista shoes — which come in many designs, most of them with less funky-looking heels — at local and online shops. Prices at Amazon range from around $55 for slip-on clogs to $300 for stylish boots.

Top photo courtesy of El Naturalista; bottom photos by Siel

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Trying to shop green can be a tortuous task. This pair of jeans has a tag that says it required less water to produce — but another pair proudly boasts it’s made with organic cotton — and yet another sports a fair trade label. Which do you choose?

GoodGuide‘s ratings aim to make that shopping conundrum disappear for green-minded consumers. GoodGuide has been giving out overall scores to big brands for environmental, health and social performance for several years now — but the guide recently released new apparel brand rankings, just in time for eco-fashonistas to peruse through before shopping for spring fashions.

Of course, a different nonprofit seems to release a new set of rankings on the relative greenness of companies about every week. From Greenpeace’s rankings of supermarkets on sustainable seafood to ForestEthics’ rankings of companies on their use of sustainable paper goods, the sheer number of rankings can be mind boggling. But GoodGuide aims not to add to the confusion — and instead, offer some simplicity and clarity. How? GoodGuide’s rankings don’t just rank companies on one eco-aspect, but instead consider all aspects of business — encompassing environmental, health and social issues — awarding a composite, overall score for each brand.

An overall score’s helpful for environmentalists who also care about health and social justice — and also helps the lay person get a more complete picture of a company. As you well know, many companies are adept at greenwashing — often by trumpeting the green changes made in one small aspect of the company while continuing to pollute, waste, and harm on all other fronts. An overall score for a company, then, could make people aware that the company making a big to-do about its new solar panels is also charged with labor abuses and water pollution.

Since fashion’s one of the topics I cover, I looked at the best-ranked companies in the apparel category. The contenders for the best scores? Patagonia and Levi’s, which scored 7.8 and 7.7, respectively, out of 10. That made me wonder — Is Levi’s really that green? (more…)

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Would you pay a grand for a pair of shoes? How about a pair of used shoes? Before you answer, keep in mind these shoes come gently worn with great stories — and attached to a great cause. Buy a pair of these pricy pre-loved shoes, and you’ll be sending a grand to the Rescue Union School District in Northern California, which is facing serious budget cuts.

Shoes to the Rescue is the brainchild of Michele Miller, the principal of Jackson Elementary in El Dorado Hills. According to Sacramento Bee, Michele decided to donate the shoes “hoping they will help close a budget gap she says is estimated at a minimum of $1.4 million.”

If you love shoes — but often have trouble justifying the high cost of new shoes both to your wallet and the environment — buying from Shoes to the Rescue should be a near guilt-free experience. After all, all your money goes to keeping libraries open and supporting personnel at public schools. And the shoes are pre-loved — so you’d be reusing!

Interested in the shoes? You can pick from a wide variety — from boots to sandals to sneakers — which come in sizes between 6 1/2 and 7 1/2. Each pair of shoes will be delivered with a little card with a handwritten story by Michele, recounting the favorite time when she wore that pair of shoes.

It’s unclear how many shoes are up for sale, exactly. Sacramento Bee says 285 pairs, Shoes to the Rescue’s website says 300 pairs, while Michele herself says 350 pairs in the video she made for her fundraising effort. What is clear is the price per pair of shoes: A simple $1,000, regardless of the type of shoe.

Of course, you can always give more than a grand to the cause. Want to give less? Shoes to the Rescue will take donations of any amount! You won’t get to walk in Michele’s shoes, but you’ll give support to Michele’s school district.

Earlier: How to shoe shop green while saving green

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Models have to learn to change into new ensembles multiple times during a single runway show — but one famous eco-model’s signed up to wear a single dress for an entire month. Summer Rayne Oakes will be donning the same LBD for 31 days as part of a bid to raise $10,000 for charity:water.

Summer’s eco-fashion challenge is part of The Uniform Project, a minimalist style initiative started in 2009 by Sheena Matheiken, who wore a single dress for an entire year. Now for 2011, The Uniform Project’s bringing on one eco-fashionista a month to show just how multifunctional and reusable a single piece of clothing can be by rearranging and reaccessorizing one basic dress — while raising money for a good cause.

This month, that fashionista’s Summer — and she’s already created some remarkably different looks from a single 50s-inspired dress designed by Summer with Terri and Sandy of Carasan Designs. Made with silk, hemp, and organic cotton, the eco-friendly dress will soon be available for sale on The Uniform Project’s website.

In the meantime, you can check out Summer’s blog, with photos of each day’s outfit — and donate to charity:water while there. Any money you donate will be doubled by Payless ShoeSource, which will match donations dollar-for-dollar — up to $10,000. Plus, there are fashion incentives for donators. Send $10, and you’ll get a coupon for 50% off Payless’ greener footwear line, zoe&zac. Send $50 or more, and you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a signed copy of Summer’s book “Style, Naturally,” as well as eco-fashionable items.

Earlier:
>> Project 333: Dress yourself with just 33 items for the next 3 months
>> The Great American Apparel Diet: Vow to wear what you already own
>> six items or less: A minimalist wardrobe challenge for the summer
>> Edit your closet with the One-Year Wardrobe Project

Photos via The Uniform Project

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A sad fact about environmental disasters is that the memory of them often quickly fades — sometimes before we’ve learned the lessons taught by our eco-missteps. Want to make sure the Gulf oil spill never gets forgotten? You can now wear its pollution on your sleeve — literally.

A new line of jewelry by Shondra Leigh is made using tarballs picked up from the beaches of Grand Isle, Louisiana. Why? “The goal is for the jewelry to serve as a reminder that our oil problem does not disappear just because headlines fade,” says Shondra.

Shondra Leigh’s “Stained” series takes the detritus of an environmental disaster — and turns it into something beautiful. The Atlanta jewelrer describes each piece of her jewelry as a unique “tar painting” — sealed under quartz and encased in recycled silver or gold. The tiny abstract “paintings” take many forms — Some look like broken shards of glass, others like leaves and petals, and yet others like soft, undulating bodies.

Wear them as earrings, necklaces, rings, bangles, or even cuffs made with reclaimed leather. Prices start at $85, with 20 percent of sales going to Vanishing America, a photography project by Holt Webb that documents nature’s changing ecosystems.

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