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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>> Today is Endangered Species Day. To be honest, everything I hear about endangered species sounds both depressing and far away, partly because the Bush administration meddles too often in Endangered Species Act-related decisions, and partly because I just don’t see these species often enough (perhaps because they’re endangered) to have formed a deep, personal attachment to them.

>> Scenes from “Revel with a Cause” Santa Monica Festival. On Saturday, I took advantage of the free valet bicycle parking at “Revel With a Cause,” the eco-themed Santa Monica Festival happening at Clover Park.

>> Permaculture gets popular in L.A. Permaculture classes have been going on for years, but many of these are intensive, multi-week courses for the already-converted. This month, L.A. county’s getting some beginner-level events for the permaculture-curious.

>> Ed, or Santa Monica’s Environmental Directory. Ed’s Santa Monica’s favored cartoon dude, used to illustrate the city’s Environmental Directory. Hot or not, Ed’s your enviro man, educating Santa Monicans on air quality, farmers’ markets, transportation, and everything in between. If you live in, or are planning to move to, Santa Monica, I strongly encourage you to download this Environmental Directory to get a sense of the enviro-services and opportunities in the area.

And a couple linky posts:

>> A.M. Greenlist: SUVs, motercycles, bicycles

>> A.M. Greenlist: Bicycles and green events

>> A.M. Greenlist: More on Bike to Work Week

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Now whenever I publish anything about enviro-stuff, I can say it’s written by “Siel, PhD” — and pretend to be an academic expert on the topic. (My degree’s in Literature & Creative Writing)

From now on, I shall only answer to Dr. Siel. Actually, my degree doesn’t formally record until August, and my diploma doesn’t arrive until 4 - 6 weeks after that. So I’ll be just plain Siel for a while yet –

Thanks to my awesome friends for coming to the hooding ceremony and celebrating with me :)

Photo by Summer Bowen

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Today’s giveaway is a sturdy Savior Bag, made of conventional cotton in the US. I talked about the bag a bit in this post, comparing it to other reusable totes.

This roomy, bucket-shaped cotton tote’s designed to last a lifetime, according to the makers.

Comment or email by Sunday to get into the drawing, which’ll happen Monday. US addresses only.

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Today’s giveaway is a DVD copy of “How the Earth Was Made.” It’s one of The History Channel’s three most popular specials, released on DVD for Earth Day earlier this year.

Here’s the channel’s description for “How the Earth Was Made”:

From a seething, hellish mass of molten rock to the inviting world that cradles life today, discover the cataclysmic events that set the stage for life. Based on recent findings by renowned scientists and filmed on location across the globe, HOW THE EARTH WAS MADE puts the “Gee!” in geology. Visit sites planet-wide where you can still see evidence of Earth’s birthing process. Meet scientists at the leading edge of discovery. Thrill to the awesome power and unimaginable time-scale of world formation.

I’ll be honest and say I forced myself to watch the first 27 mins, then gave up. That’s not to say the film isn’t interesting. We have scientists excitingly trying to figure out the age of the earth. There are exciting debates over how old the earth is. There are exciting fights pitting science vs. scripture. And there’s an exciting description of “deep time” — aka a very, very, very long time.

I’m just not the kind of person who finds The History Channel terribly exciting. I mean, I AM interested in exactly how old the earth is, and I’m even vaguely curious about the plate tectonic process. I’m just not THAT interested or curious.

I am, however, sorta psyched that the DVD came in 100% post consumer recycled packaging.

Are you a fan of The History Channel? Comment or email by Sunday to get into the drawing, which’ll happen Monday. US addresses only.

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>> Your house without you, or nature’s demolition job. Visualize your house without you via this 2-minute animation. How long do you think it would take your house to disintegrate, leaving no trace of your having lived in it? Pick a number (of years), then watch this:

>> Soy story: Adventures in organic soy milk. What is “carrageenan” and why’s it in my soy milk? That’s what I asked Twitter after getting home with my Silk organic soy milk, bought at Vons yesterday after much indecision.

And a couple linky posts:

>> A.M. Greenlist: Last minute eco-Mothers’ Day prep

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Today’s giveaway is a pack of five ReSleeves — 100% recycled, plastic-free CD sleeves, brand new this year from Sustainable Group, written about here.

The Sundance CDs shown in the pic won’t be included — just the sleeves.

To get them, comment or email by Wednesday to get into the drawing, which’ll happen Thursday. US addresses only.

View my page on 29-Day Giving Challenge

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>> Write about “How selling goods under the Fair Trade label has improved the lives of people who produce goods such as coffee, tea, chocolate, rice, and flowers” to win a OneWorld’s Citizen Journalism Award, aka $125. I’m guessing it’ll help if you either 1) sell fair trade goodies, or 2) have visited people who produce fair trade goodies. That excludes me.

>> The United Farm Workers have wine: Black Eagle Wines, “a vintage of Napa Valley wines that celebrate justice and help organize people to earn a better living without having to rely on government assistance,” according to UFW’s press release. You must commit to at least half a case — that’s 6 bottles for $150 — to support the cause. (thanks for the tip, Genise)

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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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My header used to read “It’s not easy being green,” followed by some stuff about fair trade and environmentalism, back when green LA girl first started. At some point, I decided that was a too “sincere” and narrow filter for this blog.

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