What is a thought leader? Someone who comes along and is recognized by their peers for an innovative idea that changes the landscape of our world.
Each month at Gorgeously Green we are going to interview "Green Thought Leaders" to give you a inside look at the lives and companies that make up the eco-friendly landscape.
Ron Gonen
Co-Founder/CEO Recycle Bank
Ron Gonen is the Co-Founder and CEO of RecycleBank. Prior to RecycleBank, Ron was a Senior Consultant at Deloitte Consulting, where he focused on developing CRM and strategic account management programs for clients. His clients have included Bank of America, Bank of Montreal, Bank One, GE, and DIRECTV. Ron was a co-recipient of Deloitte Consulting's National Impact Award in 2002 for his development and management of a consulting unit that provides pro bono consulting services to non-profit and charitable organizations. In addition, Ron was a founding member of the National Conference for High School Students Against Hunger and Homelessness. Ron received an MBA from Columbia Business School where he was a Eugene M. Lang Center for Entrepreneurship award winner and received a BA in History and Economics from the University of Massachusetts where he graduated cum laude and was awarded Massachusetts Commonwealth Scholar honors.
What is RecycleBank?
RecycleBank is a reward program that motivates people to recycle. With RecycleBank, you earn Points for every pound recycled, similar to frequent flier miles for flying. Residents can use their Points to shop for rewards like groceries, gift cards, and so much more…RecycleBank dramatically increases household recycling rates wherever we launch by making the process so easy and rewarding people for doing the right thing.
What inspired you to start it?
While at dinner with a friend, we were discussing ways to become a socially responsible business that can do well by doing good. At the same time, NY was considering excluding recycling from the list of services for its residents and we thought…”What if we rewarded people for recycling?” I spent the next two years creating a business plan and taking in all the feedback that I could from people I trusted and respected. After maxed out credit cards and some seed funding from Columbia University School of Business, RecycleBank was launched in 2004. I am proud to say that to date households in our program have diverted over 49,512 tons from the waste stream, saved over 500,000 trees and over 33 million gallons of oil through our recycling reward program.
How can RecycleBank make a difference to our lives?
To quote Forbes Magazine, “Everybody wins!” RecycleBank provides meaningful and valuable rewards for residents, which is especially helpful during tough economic times like these. An average resident in our program earns about $200 - $250 in rewards value each year through their recycling efforts. Local economies get refreshed and revitalized as 40-50% of rewards redeemed are for local businesses. Communities save money through landfill diversion and earn on recyclable commodities in a healthy market; and as an added bonus, they stay cleaner as litter is down to a minimum with large, lidded carts. And obviously we make a huge difference for our planet by saving our raw and limited resources and re-using products.
Where does our recycled trash end up?
All recyclables go to a MRF (materials recovery facility) where they gets sorted and then sent back to industry for reuse.
Is there a market for recycled goods?
The market for recycled goods is a multi-billion market and recycling is more important than ever before.
What items are currently made from our recycled trash?
You name it and you can find things made from recycled products. Did you know that 5 water bottles can become a large t-shirt, filling for a parka or 1 square foot of carpet? Paper is the most obvious and cans become cans again almost instantly. There is recycled art, recycled furniture…really you name it and you can find it.
In some states, paper that we put in our curbside recycle bin is shipped to China. How can RecycleBank change this?
They only way to change is for U.S. manufacturing to increase. The Chinese are manufacturing products and so they have a high demand for recycled materials since that is more cost effective than using raw materials.
What’s the difference between “made from recycled paper/plastic” and “made from 100% post-consumer content?”
Not a big difference. Both are good.
What’s wrong with landfills?
What isn’t wrong with landfills?! Why use up valuable land to store discarded products and packaging. Discarded products and packaging should be reused or recycled. Over 40% of trash that goes to today’s landfills is comprised of paper—that’s paper that is totally recyclable.
Some municipalities don’t offer a recycling service for offices, companies and schools. How should people who live in these areas, deal with this situation?
People should contact their local municipalities or private haulers and demand recycling services.
What can the Gorgeously Green Girl do to make a difference?
There is a lot of great technology in the world to help us with the growing environmental problems that we are facing, but recycling is something that everyone can do today to make a difference. All Gorgeously Green Girls should recycle and spread the word of recycling to everyone. The Gorgeously Green Girl can definitely help us to make a difference.
What is your hope for the future?
My hope is that all products and packaging are either reused or recycled.
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Farmer Bill Spencer
Organic Farm Owner
Owners Bill & Barbara Spencer have been registered as an organic farm with the State of California since 1993 and certified with C.C.O.F. since August 1999. The farm has been "clean" for ten years; since its purchase in 1990. For the first three years, Bill worked to bring life back to the soil with compost and cover-cropping yearly. Windrose has the luxury of adjacent horse farms, one of whom delivers!
Tell us about Windrose Farm and what inspired you to start an organic farm?
Windrose Farm is wonderful series of symbiotic events for both Barbara and me, and in truth with nature over the millennia. We met in December of 1989, found, or was found by the land that is now Windrose in July of 1990, closed escrow September 1990, and began ‘playing’ in the ‘dirt’. As Barbara is chemically sensitive, organic (natural) farming was the clear path. As Barbara continued to work in LA & came home for two or three days a week, we began planting a few things; tomatoes, potatoes, roses, herbs, etc., the rewards in quality, flavor, and all that well grown food was our reward and our invitation to become farmers. We answered in the affirmative, still do.
What do you grow?
We grow a great many roots, fruits, and greens, our self-descriptive phase for what we grow. We began, as most, with annual vegetables; tomatoes, potatoes, herbs, squash, etc., this only expanded over time and then on to the perennials; peaches, apples, grapes (table), plums, and more landscape trees, mostly deciduous. Today we have over 1700 apple trees, & 45 varieties, for the longest time it has been our heirloom tomatoes that received the most praise though the apples are catching up. The truth is we are guided by “Nature” as long as we are careful to follow, we have consistently had very good ‘roots, fruits, and greens’.
How do you deal with pests?
“Nature in Balance”, we are a very diversified family farm, slowly we are adapting to this amazing micro-climate, more than two thirds of the land is left to natural habitat as is much of the neighboring lands so by growing many things, and providing vast amounts of habitat, both natural and planted where beneficial organisms make their homes so pests have stayed in check. Yes we have damage to crops, but never very much, balance is the operative word, and the foundation is great soil fertility, which we pay a lot of attention to. It is the soil and the trillions of organisms that do the hard work in it and make the very complex nutrients required for health, theirs, the plants, and ultimately ours.
What are your thoughts about Genetically Modified Foods?
GMO’s are anathemas to life! Man’s hubris is simply amazing, GMO’s may very well be our undoing. Our current ‘global’ agro-economy is based on them and petrol-chemicals, and therefore: NOT SUSTAINABLE!
What is wrong with our global food system?
The ‘global food system’, is simply NOT SUSTAINABLE, much as the GMO’s. With the added “unintended consequence” that processed food kill people, destroys communities, the environments, cultures, and reward greed and avarice. Now can so many humans feed themselves “naturally”? YES! But comes with a great many challenges and rewards, requiring the very best that mankind can be. Decisions must be based on the very simple premise ‘what is best for US and our community, not ME’.
Agribusiness argues that industrial farming is the only way to feed a global population of almost 7 billion – what are your thoughts on this issue?
This ‘global agro-economy’ is providing “cheap” food today that we the “natural” food farmers can not compete with. Until the public clearly understands the actual costs of this “cheap” food and the attending loses; health, community, environment, & long term consequences, as for us at Windrose the new food system will be based on interconnected, interdependent communities. The answers will come from small groups and communities, and will take a great deal of nurturing.
What do you believe to be the healthiest kind of diet?
Balanced for the individual from as local as possible natural foods; roots, fruits, greens, & fish and meat, with the least amount of processing, and consumed fresh and raw as much as possible.
Which is more important: seasonal, local or organic?
All; local, seasonal, and “natural*”, are equally important and ultimately best for the eater, the environment, and their community. *The word “ORGANIC” has been co-opted by International Corporations and the USDA’s oversight is non existent and so serves only the corporations and never the consumer, or ‘natural’ farmers, so we refer to ‘real organic foods’ as “natural”.
Are you vegetarian?
We are not vegetarian, but are very selective on what meat we do eat, much is our own, or from farmers we know.
What is your dream meal?
Our dream meal, thankfully, is one we have often, is from our fellow farmers and our farm. An example would be: fresh greens; kale, chard, etc, braised with onions garlic, in local olive oil, over pasta, or potatoes with or without some of our lamb or local sausage. We do this often as a stack: carbohydrate, then greens with feta cheese, then any meat, and all leftovers go onto soup. Great diets vary with the season and what’s at it’s peak of goodness.
What advice can you give to the Gorgeously Green girl in the food department?
Don’t forget to advocate ‘raw’ foods. Seeing the orange juice piece, there was no mention of squeezing your own from raw oranges and other mixed raw fruit, a great treat and a oh so good.
What is your hope for the future?
Our vision for Windrose Farm has always been to become a ‘template’ for how our community can and will create a local, sustainable food systems and thereby demonstrate a possible future path, for us and others. The creation of a non-profit foundation has always seemed the best approach.
In the 1930’s the USA had over 30 million true family farmers with a wealth of agronomic knowledge tailored to there locals, they and all that wisdom are gone. Now we must relearn and adapt that knowledge to a new world, with oh so many more to feed. Clearly many, many more people will have to be involved with food production.
It is each of us making decisions on so many levels that will determine our future. Like most things a future that is rushing towards us much sooner than we are prepared for, but prepare we must!
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Maude Barlow
Author and Activist
Maude Barlow is a Canadian author and activist. She is the national chairperson of The Council of Canadians, a progressive citizens’ advocacy organization with members and chapters across Canada.
She is also the co-founder of the Blue Planet Project, which works to stop commodification of the world’s water. She is also a director with the International Forum on Globalization, a San Francisco based research and education institution opposed to economic globalization; fellow with the Washington-based Institute for Policy Studies; a board member of Food & Water Watch, the national US organization fighting for corporate and government accountability as it relates to food, water, and fishing; and a founding member of the European-based World Future Council.
What inspired you to become an environmental activist?
I have been an activist all my life, first in the women's movement, then around issues of trade, globalization and corporate power, then around the effect of the power politics of water. It seemed all roads led to the earth and its protection. I cannot imagine how anyone could not be a champion for the earth right now.
Water is running very low in 36 states – why has it got to this point and does it have anything to do with global warming?
Global warming is a factor for sure. As the earth heats up, surface water on lakes and rivers evaporates too quickly. Also, snow packs, ice covers and glaciers all melt faster than they should. But the water crisis is not just a consequence of climate change. The way we are destroying water-retentive landscapes and displacing water from aquifers, rivers and watersheds for our needs is contributing to climate change and the desertification of the planet.
Why, in the last few years are we experiencing serious droughts and flooding in the U.S.?
The population of the U.S. is exploding in the parts of the country without abundant water resources. As well our way of life in North America is amazingly water intensive. We are not just living simply on the land, but placing enormous pressure on our water sources to have golf courses, ski resorts, swimming pools and huge lawns. As well, growing water intensive crops in the desert is destroying huge amounts of water in the dry South and Mid West.
We hear that clean water is running out across the globe – why?
Clean accessible water is running out everywhere as we over-allocate rivers and over pump aquifers to supply lifestyles and food production methods that are both water intensive and unsustainable. It is not that the water is not somewhere on the earth. But increasingly, it is polluted, salinated, or pumped too fast for recharge.
What about desalinization?
Desalination is not a good answer in the long run. While there probably is a place for small scale desalination projects, the big plants are energy intensive, expensive and polluting. They produce a lethal by-product of intense brine, dead aquatic life and chemicals used in the reverse osmosis process that is very damaging to our oceans. It is urgent that we put our collective priorities on source protection and conservation rather than expensive technology that holds out the false promise of an instant panacea.
What are “hot stains”?
Hot Stains are parts of the earth running out of water. these are not areas in cyclical drought. they are literally running out. they include Northern China, Southern India, twenty two countries in Africa, most of the Middle East, Australia, Mexico City and the U.S. Southwest.
What is the U.S. government currently doing to help the situation?
The U.S. government is in denial of this crisis in all but one way. It has cut spending to protect watersheds, lake and rivers and has also cut funding infrastructure restoration, allowing the continued loss of water in urban areas as well as the pollution of water from hundred-year-old pipes. It has also promoted the interests of private water corporations who profit from the water crisis everywhere. The only area under serious consideration is water as a national security issue and the possibility that the U.S. may have to look outside its borders for new water sources.
What should the U.S. government be doing?
The U.S. government should be re-committing to the Clean Water Act; going after polluters in a serious way; promoting clean accessible public water supplies over the interests of private utility companies and big water bottlers; promoting (with the states) the notion that water, including groundwater, is a commons and a public trust; and setting up a Clean Water Trust Fund - a dedicated fund to re-build dilapidated water infrastructure across the country.
At Gorgeously Green, we’re a community of women who really want to help make a difference, what can each one of us do?
It is essential that women become involved in this issue. We can all do so much, from conserving in our homes and buying local sustainable food products to giving up bottled water. To learn more about what you should be demanding politically, please go to the terrific food and Water Watch at FoodandWaterWatch,org
What is your hope for the future?
My hope for the future is that, rather than becoming a source of conflict, that the water crisis will become nature's gift to humanity to teach us how to live in peace with one another and in harmony with this beautiful earth.
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Martha Chang
Co - Founder of O!burger
Martha Chang, as a producer of feature films and entertainment products, has focused on creating and furthering projects that have branding potential. Through her experiences, she's executed on the issues and success elements that are instrumental to a franchisable project. She is currently working on developing projects within this framework with projects at Miramax and Universal Pictures.
Martha Chang was the producer of "3 Ninjas" which became the most profitable film in cost 'vs.' revenue in 1992. It spawned three sequels and continues to generate interest in other media forms. Martha is also developing, a Monster Truck feature film and "The Diva Chronicles". She supervises creative, financial, and production aspects of projects.
In June of 2008, she and her business partner, Andy Soboil, founded and launched the first completely organic burger joint in Los Angeles: O!burger. Its purpose: to deliver a healthy, delicious meal, free of any additives. Beyond just the food, O!burger’s mission is for everything to remain healthy both for our bodies and the environment. All of their eco-friendly packaging is recyclable, compostable or biodegradable, and their cleaning products are all green/non-toxic. Even the paint on the walls is eco-friendly!
What inspired you to create an eco-friendly burger joint?
Like many things in life, it starts out with a simple thought: wouldn’t it be great to have a spot where we can go and just order a great burger and not have to ask what’s organic? - at O!burger, everything is organic, down to the ketchup and black pepper - and having an inspiring and talented partner as I do in Andy Soboil. We are each others’ rudder.
As we thought about packaging, waste, and the environment where our customers would enjoy their burgers, we didn’t want the “organic” concept to be limited to food alone—but to everything within the restaurant. It’s important for us to be a part of the natural process instead of impeding it.
Fortunately, there are products like wrappers sprayed with soy film that allow the paper to go through its life cycle, production, use and decomposition. Our cups, straws and “to go” boxes which all look like clear plastic are made from corn and therefore won’t be around when our great-great-great-great-grandchildren have become grandparents.
For us Gorgeously Green girls, what’s the most important thing about eco-friendly eating?
There are so many facets: health, less waste, portion control (which shows up or not on the hips)…but I think it’s also the fact that we’re acting on our beliefs and are willing to manifest it in our choices. It’s the assertive nature of living that makes each life one’s own.
Why have regular burgers got such a bad rap?
The idiom “the sum is greater than the whole” comes to mind and it can be positive or in this case “not”…we can start with the beef: when our cows are fed food (and sometimes items that can’t be classified as such: chicken manure, stale candy in their wrappings, etc) that they’re not designed to eat, they will become ill.
Cows are ruminants. They’ve evolved to feed on grass so when they’re fed grains and a potpourri of items that belong in the trash, they’re bound to get sick. That demands antibiotics, steroids and hormones that end up in our beef and ultimately in our bodies.
Then, we move on to our vegetables…pesticides, insecticides, food coloring so it looks familiar…the bun, genetically engineered grains, sauces that contain high fructose corn syrup (something even the ants won’t touch) and put that all together in a burger…it’s like delivering an explosive package into our digestive tract…a food version of the Unabomber.
What makes your burgers earth-friendly?
Organic foods, the only thing we serve at O!burger, do not use pesticides, insecticides, chemical fertilizer, antibiotics, steroids and hormones that ultimately accumulate in our land. And to me, “earth-friendly” also means not playing with what mother earth does so well…therefore “no cloning” “no genetically engineered product” … just food as nature intended. An evolutionary scientist told me that it takes 50,000 years for a species to evolve and it doesn’t evolve in a vacuum but in a symbiotic manner with its environment. When we take one product and genetically engineer it, we’re collapsing the whole evolutionary process and eliminating the relationship it’s developed with its surroundings and other living entities.
5. What is the scoop on grass-fed versus regular organic beef?
Organic beef generally means that the cow has been fed an “organic diet”. That can mean organic grain. But we’re back to the evolutionary discourse. Cows are ruminants. They are meant to eat grass! Anything else is stressful on their bodies. A grass-fed cow is lower in overall fat and in saturated fat, but it has more omega-3 fats. When cattle are shipped to a feedlot and fattened on grain, they immediately begin losing the omega-3s stored in their tissue. Grain fed cattle contains 85-50 percent less omega-3s than grass-fed livestock. And grass-fed cattle is up to four times higher in Vitamin E and much higher in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a nutrient that’s proven to fight cancer in lab tests.
So, organic grass-fed beef means that the cattle have grazed solely on grass and on land that has been free of insecticides, chemical fertilizer and pesticides for a minimum of 3 years.
6. What about your fries – surely a French fry is a French fry?
I think it’s all in the taste. I find organic potatoes sweet and incredibly delicious. In fact almost all organic vegetables and fruit abound with flavor. And again, the potatoes and our soy oil have not been genetically engineered and do not have traces of pesticides or chemicals on them.
You use eco-friendly packaging – what is it and why do you use it?
Our packaging is created from corn, soy or sugar cane. These items decompose and return to the earth. But even eco-friendly packaging is an active dialogue and I think in order for all of us to remain relevant we have to engage in constant discourse.
Today as the price of grain and especially corn rises and the cost of food becomes more and more costly, we have to visit the question, “should we be removing corn from the food sector to create packaging and burden the cultures that rely on it as a staple, etc.” There is no right answer just a willingness to be a part of the process.
You burgers cost a little more than the average burger joint – why should we pay the extra?
As our nation struggles with diabetes, weight gain, high cholesterol etc….I think if we can reduce our medical bills by preventing illness, the gains are immeasurable.
When are you going National?
National!!!! From your mouth to God’s ear.
What is your hope for the future of food?
My hope is that we take responsibility for what we ingest and look at foods as a complete system and not reduce it to its parts. I don’t believe that creating a list of “good and bad foods” is beneficial for us. And finding a new villain every so often, whether it is carbohydrates, fats or protein is counterproductive. Rather, we should examine the quality of our food and the quantity we consume.
And as we continue to make our individual efforts and choices, collectively we should move to a public forum and press for a system of agriculture that’s healthier, more humane and less reductionist. Nothing exists alone or in a vacuum.
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Louise Galvin
Founder of Sacred Locks
Celebrity colourist Louise Galvin has over 20 years' experience in the hair colouring industry. Based at her father's famous Daniel Galvin salon in London, she has coloured the hair of countless fashion and beauty icons including Sophie Dahl and Patsy Kensit. . Her in depth knowledge of coloured hair has led her to create the revolutionary Louise Galvin Sacred Locks haircare line.
Louise is also passionate about the environment and is committed to creating products that mean you can achieve luscious locks guilt-free. No animals are harmed in the testing of her products and any greenhouse gasses that are produced in their manufacture are off-set by investment in The Carbon Neutral Company. The products use only natural or naturally-derived ingredients such as essential oils, natural extracts and vegetable-derived moisturising and conditioning agents in place of harmful, artificial preservatives. They are also free of sulphates, parabens, slicone, petrochemicals, synthetic fragrances and polymers.
As a busy working mother herself, Louise knows that time can be a luxury. Her luxury range of shampoos, conditioners and hair masques means that you too can have nourished, glossy hair on the go. 'Less is more,' says Louise. 'Maximum impact with minimum effort.'
What inspired you to create an eco-friendly hair- line?
I have always eaten healthily and taken an interest in what I put on my skin and hair. When I decided to create my own haircare brand I felt it important that the ingredients were as natural as possible without compromising the efficacy of the product.
You say your company is “carbon-neutral” – what exactly does that mean?
I offset the carbon emissions that are created in the manufacture of my products with The Carbon Neutral Company. My company is assessed on its annual carbon output and then the company is charged a fee which is used for projects around the world that create sustainable energy sources, reforestation and other environmental projects. The current project I am supporting is a hydro-energy project in China.
When did you first start going Green?
With the advent of organic produce being more widely available more than ten years ago, I became concerned with the chemicals that were being sprayed on crops, the quality of meat and fish that was available and the impact we were having on our environment. Making my own products environmentally friendly was natural progression when I started out developing Sacred Locks four years ago.
Are people more Eco-Friendly in England than in the U.S.?
Huge advances have been made in environmental schemes including recycling, farmers markets, governmental policy is changing slowly but all are steps in the right direction. England is a much smaller territory to manage the level of implementation that is required but I think globally changes are afoot and I believe every little thing we do helps. I think education of our children has a huge part to play in sustaining the world’s resources.
What are the worst ingredients in conventional hair products?
* Parabens which are used as preservatives in both skincare and haircare are thought to be carcinogenic, I use grapefruit extract to preserve my products.
* Sodium Lauryl Sulphate – a harsh chemical detergent that is an irritant to skin, environmentally this washes into our drainage and studies have shown that sulphates are now affecting our marine life.
Silicone – builds up on hair and leaves hair feeling coated necessitating a change of shampoo, my products are silicone free so you can use the same shampoo forever!!
Why do so many “green” hair products NOT work?
Many green products are too heavy for hair and leave hair feeling ‘soapy’ and weighed down, many still contain silicone which will build up on the hair
Who are some of your favorite celebrity clients?
Emily Blunt, Sohie Dahl and Patsy Kensit all love the products, Emily Blunt says "I love Louise Galvin’s Thick and Curly haircare collection, it leaves my hair incredibly smooth and shiny and they have no chemical nasties!"
How are you Gorgeously Green?
First Carbon Neutral beauty company, endeavour to be as green as possible in my personal and work life and strive to be greener each day. I use a ‘green’ energy company for my home company, walk and cycle in London as much as possible, buy food with as few ’food miles’ as possible and continue to research natural ingredients to improve and develop my hair care line.
Any advice for the girl who wants to dye her hair, but stay gorgeously green?
Have highlights or lowlights for easier maintenance (more subtle re-growth!), try to avoid tints which damage the hair and are in direct contact with the scalp – and use environmentally friendly products like my Sacred Locks shampoos, conditioners and treatment masques.
Have you any other products or lines in the pipeline that we should look out for?
I will be launching my new silicone free volumising spray in the Fall which is great for volume, with citrus oils for added shine. The spray will also revitalize curls and freshen hair
www.LouiseGalvin.com
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David Crow
Founder of Floracopeia
David Crow is the founder of Floracopeia, which supports ecologically sustainable agriculture through the production of essential oils and aromatic treasures. He is the founder of The Learning Garden, one of the country’s largest school gardens, which has helped bring cultivation of organic food and medicinal plants into the Los Angeles public school system. Through writing, teaching, and activism, he is promoting the creation of a grassroots healthcare system based on community gardens.
What initially sparked your interest in natural medicine?
There was no one specific event; instead, it was more like destiny. I have been interested in the wisdom traditions of indigenous cultures since I was a child, before I was conscious of what they were or of their importance.
I had the good fortune to spend a lot of time in my early years traveling through Central America and Asia seeking out ethnobotanical traditions from physicians, healers and shamans. As I learned more about how valuable medicinal plants are - not just for healing illness, but their economic, ecological and spiritual benefits as well - my interest grew and continues to grow.
Now I know that plants in general, specifically medicinal plants and the traditions of their use, are one of humanity’s most valuable natural resources, and that preserving them is one of our highest priorities.
Can you tell us a little about the ecological destruction that you have witnessed first-hand in many parts of the world.
All over Asia and from North to South America, I have seen the same things. Deforestation. Unregulated industries pouring poisonous wastes into the water, air, and soil. Melting glaciers, flooding, drought and other signs of global warming. Toxic agribusiness poisoning the land and food. Urban and suburban sprawl destroying the last natural habitats. Most of humanity now lives with this degradation of life and loss of cultural sanity to some degree.
You co-founded the incredible Learning Garden in Venice High School, Los Angeles. Other than learning about where their food comes from, what else do visitors to the garden learn?
The Learning Garden in Venice has been an eye-opening experience for the students. They not only learn that food actually comes from plants – which many are not aware of - but that nature’s seasons are happening outside, that plants and soil and insects all interact. They are getting the chance to discover the rewards of a personal relationship with nature that many of us take for granted.
But the most important lesson the kids learn is respect for life. They’ve never grown a plant from seed to fruit, and so they have never really had responsibility for taking care of anything.
For the students of the universities of Chinese medicine that work in the herb gardens, it is an opportunity to learn about the healing plants and their powers firsthand, instead of working only with capsules and powders in the pharmacy.
For the community, The Learning Garden is a place of beauty, friendship, and pride. For the teachers at the school, it is a place of peace and solace away from the stress of work. For everyone, it is a place to remember how important it is to have food, medicine, flowers, birds and butterflies in our local neighborhoods, and how easily we can create this kind of culture anywhere and everywhere.
Can anyone create a mini-garden in their own backyard?
Of course! What each garden looks like depends on where you live and what you would like to do. However, in many places people can have not just mini-gardens, but mega-gardens for their entire neighborhood. Either way, the benefits, rewards and joys are enormous.
What are some of the most important herbs we should plant?
We should plant medicinal plants that will help us with our specific health concerns and that will thrive in our local environment and community. First, learn what plants are good for your personal health needs. Second, consider which of those plants grow in your region naturally. Third, consider what plants from other parts of the world would do well in that soil and climate that are not invasive or destructive.
How is peak oil going to affect our food and medicine supply in the near future?
Our addiction to oil is already causing widespread hunger in the world, and it appears that there is much more to come. When there is hunger, political instability and epidemics naturally follow. The longer we remain dependent on oil, the more we will suffer.
On the other hand, the decline of the fossil fuel economy might be the best thing that could happen to us. Many of the positive lifestyle changes that we know we can and should be making as a society, such as converting to alternative energy sources and planting community gardens, will come more quickly as the price of oil increases.
What do you think is the most important thing that each of us can do to protect our environment?
Contemplate how the body is inseparable from the planetary biosphere. If we can feel that the food we eat is the earth, the water we drink is the rain and rivers, the warmth of the body is sunlight, and our breath the atmosphere, we become sensitized to our biological unity with the environment around us. When we live with this awareness, our experience naturally gives rise to spontaneous appreciation, respect and reverence for the sacredness of all life and the elements that sustain it.
What is the most pressing environmental problem we face?
Our most pressing environmental problem is human greed and ignorance. The governments of the world, especially here in the US, are squandering vast wealth and probably our last opportunity to create a sustainable world civilization. All money that is now spent on weapons and war, toxic unsustainable energy, wasteful consumer products, and environmentally destructive practices should be immediately reinvested in replanting the global garden - the source of all natural abundance, health, beauty, and peace - before humanity descends further into poverty, hunger, and chaos.
What is your hope for the future?
I find it deeply satisfying to accomplish positive goals such as assisting a person in their healing process using natural medicine, starting a large community garden, or creating a successful reforestation project. At the same time, there is very little that one individual can do to change the collective karma that humanity is now creating and will be facing in the future. Therefore, I view my own life and work not so much as a path toward a goal that I hope to accomplish, but as a path of meaning.
To be guided by a vision of the world as a sacred healing garden makes life deeply fulfilling. This vision has the power to become a unifying spiritual force that helps us transcend all racial, ethnic, religious and economic boundaries and identities, and to bring us together in the common cause of humanity’s survival, wellbeing, and the realization of our deepest potential. If I have a specific hope for the future, it is that this day will come soon.
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Howard Brown & Karen Stewart
Founders of Stewart & Brown
How long have you been in the eco-fashion business?
Karen and I came up w/the concept for Stewart+Brown in 1993. Karen went to work for Patagonia as a designer in 1998 – to learn about sustainable design. This was essentially her first professional foray into eco-clothing. We began laying our plan to launch S+B on September 11, 2001 as 911 was really the catalyst for us to know that it was now the “right time” to launch our ethical fashion brand. Stewart+Brown was incorporated on September 11, 2002…it is worth mentioning that Karen and I were married on 9/11/99.
What initially inspired you to want to be “green”?
What inspired us to start a green fashion brand was a desire to be part of the solution and not part of the problem; we are lovers of life and feel strongly that nature = life and by destroying nature / the natural environment we are essentially destroying human life and life on this planet. We believe in “the future” and understand that without significant cultural and technological change there wouldn’t be a future. We felt that the world didn’t / doesn’t need another fashion brand but what the world did need was an ethical fashion brand that would prove to the world that you can be socially and environmentally responsible and still make great products and be profitable. In the world of fashion in 2001 (not to mention 1993) that was a radical idea.
What is the most important thing that each individual can do, to ensure a better future for our children?
Realize that decisions you make now may affect the future that your children and grandchildren will inherit. This puts direct responsibility on the front burner. Teach them a sustainable values system early in their development; respect for nature and all living things, recycle, don’t leave the water running, don’t waste food, turn the lights off, learn how to plant and care for a garden, etc.
You make the most beautiful cashmere sweaters and dresses: where does your cashmere come from?
Our cashmere comes from a sustainable cashmere program in Outer Mongolia.
Is cashmere sustainable?
It can be. If cashmere is originating in Inner Mongolia - officially labeled as “Chinese Cashmere,” then it most likely is not sustainable and probably the opposite of sustainable.
Can you talk a bit about some of the “green-washing,” that is going on in the fashion industry?
Well, I can talk about it for hours but don’t have the time or space to do it here. Let’s just say it’s a big problem and leads to confusion and contradictory information for the consumer. The end result is that “green-washing” is compromising the green movement in general and we all loose when this happens.
What should a green girl avoid when she’s out clothes shopping?
If you are serious about supporting the green movement in fashion then I’d strongly suggest only buying clothes from companies that are independently owned and ONLY use organic cotton or true sustainable fibers or recycled fibers. If a company is positioning itself as being “green” and they have any conventional cotton items or programs at all or use any chief value petro-based textiles (such as polyester) then you know that they are only opportunists and not serious about sustainability. Same thing goes if they have other divisions or brands under their corporate structure that deal in conventional or petro-based fibers. If you applied this standard to your research I think you’d be surprised at who makes the cut and who does not.
Your wife and partner Karen talks about your clothes making women feel gorgeous from the inside out – can you elaborate on this?
What Karen means it that when a customer purchases Stewart+Brown, or any other REAL green fashion brand, they can do so with the satisfaction that the designs they are wearing have been made with the strictest fair labor and environmental standards, and designed with the love and care that only an independent designer can offer. This give our gals the confidence and satisfaction that they are not only looking great in the clothes but feeling great about their investment in the future sustainability of our planet. And that’s a beautiful thing.
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Natalie Chanin
Founder & Head Designer of Alabama Chanin
Natalie is the founder and head designer of Alabama Chanin (formerly known as Project Alabama. She grew up in Florence, Alabama and learned to stitch from her mother, grandmothers and aunts.
Her clothes are exquisite: made from old jersey t-shirts and recycled fabrics, each piece is a creation that is hand-stitched with love. Her new book, Alabama Stitch Book, is a must-have for the Gorgeously Green Girl. I have gifted one to almost every close girlfriend, as it inspires everyone to pick up a needle and start stitching something, however small.
Don’t worry if you can’t sew because she painstakingly shows you how to stitch in a way that even a seven-year old can understand.
As being Green is so much about using and re-using what we already have, the Alabama Stitch Book takes the whole thing to a new level. I am so excited about teaching my almost seven-year-old to sew and we’ll start off with all her old and stained t-shirts, which we would otherwise throw away.
Your wonderful new book Alabama Stitch Book has inspired me to pick up a needle and thread again. Can a virtual beginner learn to sew by following the directions you give?
Yes, anyone can sew. We have had a mother/daughter team (daughter 10 years old) send us pictures of projects they have completed together.
Is it all about hand sewing or will we be using a sewing machine too?
It is all about hand sewing! Sewing in this way affords a great luxury that you can take it with you anywhere. All you need is a needle, fabric, thread and enough light to see clearly… very simple and straightforward.
Your fashion collections are heavenly – what or who inspired you to create them?
It has been laughingly said that I am channeling my grandmothers – which I love! But, I am inspired to make clothing for women. We are modern women who want to look good, feel good and do good which I think about every time we make a new piece. I have a very full life that includes children, working, dancing, gardening, laughing and living. I need clothes that can make this journey with me!
You use old cotton jersey t-shirts to create many of your pieces – is this relatively easy to do? Is it worth a newbie like me, saving my old cotton tees in the hope that I can make something like an Alabama Chanin creation?
Absolutely, that is the beauty of this way of sewing… we are trying to use EVERYTHING. Use what you have and recycle it into your own life. This is a motto I try to live by…
In the face of rising costs for food and clothes and a tough economy, do you think that sewing, mending and darning (socks) will come back into vogue?
Yes, I believe it is inevitable. We are beginning to turn away from “fast” everything to think about how to keep beautiful things in our lives. It reminds me of this saying from the American interior designer Sister Parish:
"Even the simplest wicker basket can become priceless when it is loved and cared for through the generations of a family."
This kind of attention to detail will automatically include sewing, mending, darning and all of the “living arts”.
What do you think is the most powerful action that women can take to ensure a cleaner, healthier future for our children?
Constant attention to detail is the key to a healthy future. We live in a time where we must scrutinize everything that we choose, everything buy, everything that we touch and support. As your book so lovingly describes, there are so many small things that we can do every day to provide a healthier future for our children. Right now, the details are where we need to be looking…
Is there anything “spiritual” about sewing?
Sewing by hand is a very meditative process… we have a small mantra that we use to make the process easier. This is an excerpt from the book about infusing your work with love:
Loving Your Thread
Loving your thread should be the basis for all of your work. It infuses the work with kind intentions, but it’s also a very practical step that removes excess thread tension and prevents pesky knotting.
Here’s how to love your thread: Cut the thread twice as long as the distance from your fingers to your elbow. Thread your needle, pulling the thread through the needle until the two ends of the thread are the same length. Hold the doubled thread between your thumb and index finger, and run your fingers along it from the needle to the end of the loose tails while saying, "This thread is going to sew the most beautiful garment ever made. The person (insert name) who wears this garment will wear it in health and happiness; it will bring joy and laughter."
Continue loving that thread, wishing it all the good that you can think of, and running the thread through your fingers again and again. What you’re actually doing is working the tension out of the high-strung thread with rubbing, pressure, and the natural oils in your fingers. In the process, you’ve also taken a moment to calm the tension in your mind, concentrate on the task at hand, and add just a little bit of love to your garment or project. Now you’re ready to tie off your knot and start sewing. Love your thread well, and it will never tangle or knot up on you again.
If you could sit in a sewing circle, with any 5 women (dead or alive), who would they be?
This question makes me laugh – I LOVE it! Does it have to be only 5?
Alice Waters
Zora Neale Hurston
Betsy Ross
Oprah
And you, of course…
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ADAM LOWRY (pictured on right)
Co-Founder of Method
What initially inspired you to create the Method Line?
What initially inspired my co-founder, Eric Ryan, and I to create method was the desire to revolutionize a stale cleaning product category. We wanted to change the way people regarded cleaning. We set out to evolve the household cleaner from an object that lived under the sink to a countertop accessory and must-have item by providing cool-looking, effective, non-toxic products that are healthy for both the environment and the home.
Since day one, the method philosophy has been to rid the world of dirty by developing premium formulations that are highly effective, simple to use, and both socially and environmentally responsible. And that philosophy has helped us expand from just the cleaning category into a complete line of environmentally friendly, design-conscious cleaning products for home, body care, fabric and air care.
Adam and Eric took careful measures to ensure that all products were non-toxic, biodegradable and never tested on animals.
I understand that you don’t use pthalates in your fragrances – why not?
We specifically require that no fragrances used in method products contain phthalates or other materials with health or environmental risks.
Phthalates are one of roughly 60 materials on method’s “dirty ingredients list” that we won’t use in our products. Phthalates have shown a few worrisome characteristics, primarily endocrine disruption and potential for accumulation in the body. Although the science regarding the risk of their use is far from concluded, we employ the precautionary principle and choose not to use any material unless we are sure that it is safe – not something we could not say about phthalates.
Method’s products smell so great – how do you guys scent them?
Our fragrance blends contain both essential oils from natural sources and complementary components that are man-made. The essential oils are selected to best capture the essence of natural scents, while the man-made materials are selected to deliver the broadest possible palette of aromas by enhancing or complementing the natural oils. Materials from either origin are healthy, environmentally friendly and responsibly produced.
How can I be sure than none of these hormone disruptors crept in to the products?
Hormone disruption is one of the characteristics we screen all of our ingredients for, with the help of EPEA, an environmental science research group based in Germany and led by Michael Braungart, author of Cradle to Cradle. Any ingredient that shows potential for hormone disruption, parabens for example, would be flagged by EPEA, and would thus not be included in our products. In the case of phthalates, we not only exclude them from fragrance formulations but we also select plastic types that do not contain them, so they do not leech into the products from the packaging.
What other toxic chemicals should I look out for in cleaning and skincare products?
method has a list of about 60 chemicals commonly found in many cleaning and skincare products that we never use - we refer to this guide as our “dirty ingredient list”. Here are a few examples of these chemicals we never use in our products:
• 2-butoxyethanol, which is a solvent used in many floor cleaners and all-purpose sprays and is known to be a hazardous chemical.
• EDTA, which is found in many hand washes, body washes, bar soaps and shampoos and is damaging to the environment.
• Triclosan, the active chemical in many antibacterial hand soaps, and is also found to persist in the environment.
• Parabens, which are preservatives in many personal care products and have been found intact in human breast cancer tumors.
Again, many of these are smoking guns rather than concluded science, but there are plenty of ingredients that are widely understood not to pose these threats to people or the environment, and these are the ones method chooses to use.
What else makes Method Products Earth-Friendly?
Other than selection of ingredients that are healthy for the people and the environment, we constantly look for environmentally innovative materials and ingredients - such as degradable cleaning wipes made from bamboo, spray bottles made from 100% recycled plastic, or minimal material use in packaging. We also focus heavily on the environmental footprint of how we make our products – for example by using facilities that respect the environments around them and by buying renewable energy credits to make the products. We want to be catalysts for sustainability in our relationships with our suppliers, and are constantly pushing them to bring these same factors into their business model.
Describe some of the environmental changes that you would like to see happening over the next ten years.
We’d love to see all personal care and cleaning product companies incorporate green and sustainable principals into their practices.
We feel that design of all goods and services should integrate environmental intelligence – be it a bottle of hand wash or far more complex things like transportation, electronics, or buildings.
More specifically, we see carbon reporting and mapping as one key area of environmental change, and are helping ensure that industry develops the ability to address the carbon implications of its activities. Responsible use of water is also a key part of good environmental design that we’d like to see more frequently.
What are your three top tips for living green?
At method, we stay focused on aligning environmental benefit with the growth of our business, and this concept of alignment can apply in people’s lives as well. When environmentally responsible behavior becomes an element of an enjoyable lifestyle, then it truly becomes sustainable, and not something people do occasionally. Some tips:
- Ride a bike! Healthy, fun, super sustainable transportation. Sure beats gridlock.
- Look for quality goods that incorporate environmental design – there are some great examples on the market like reusable water bottles made of safe plastics and clothing made of renewable fibers.
- Go for a hike! Get to know your natural environment and remember why preserving it is important.
