It’s no secret the denim industry is extremely resource intensive.

We’ve learned just how intensive in recent years, thanks to research by eco journalists and, notably, an article in WWD by Ross Tucker in which Levi Strauss & Co. publicly “shared results of its life cycle assessment on what went into making one pair of its iconic Levi’s 501 style.”

Levi’s being to jeans what Kleenex is to tissue, people were listening.

According to Tucker, Levi’s found that making one pair of 501’s requires almost 920 gallons of water and 400 megajoules of energy while expelling 32 kilograms of carbon …

Tags: denim , denim Design Lab , EDUN , fair trade , James jeans , Joe's jeans , Linda Loudermilk , loomstate , nudie jeans , organic cotton , recycled denim , reuse denim , Ross Tucker , serfontaine , socially conscious , sweat-shop free , U2 , WWD

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Will you be in New York this February for Eco Fashion Week? (And do ya like how we’re slowly turning the tables on you, boring old Fashion Week?) The GreenShows should be your major focal point.

Touted as the only “premiere fashion event exclusively committed to eco-friendly, ethically sound, fair trade fashion in New York City,” the venue, now in its second season, has peeled some serious rubber (not to mention, appealed to some really great talent).

Thieves by Sonja Den …

Tags: carbon footprint , cmarchuska , Eco Fashion Week , eco friendly , ethically sound , fair trade , New York Fashion Week , organic , Samantha Pleet , Tara St. James , The GreenShows , Thieves , vegan , wool

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I’m  so over the annual mandatory retail blitz which prompts us to purchase scads of presents no one needs (and few can afford).

Enough is enough. Necessity is one thing; waste is another. Be an angel and give material items only to the needy. Give kisses,  homemade jam and DIY potpourri to your family, teachers, bosses, employees and friends. Stick to eco for everything else.

Here is my festive round up of gifts both you and Santa can live without:

A new cell phone

…

Tags: buying , calendars , cell phones , china , Chocolage , chocolate , Christmas , coffee , consumption , Dalmatians , diamonds , DIY crafts , fair trade , fashion , gift baskets , gifts , Gourmet , holiday , iPhones , ornaments , personal mugs , plastic toys , recycle , rescue pets , retail , reuse , saving , sustainable , toxic , Uggs

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Flashing and blinking colored lights are already setting my hood aglow at night, and my home looks a bit dark and subdued in comparison.

But step inside, and it’s beginning to look a lot like Hanukkah. You want tinsel? We got tinsel. You want some banners and dreidels? Come in, come in, have a jelly donut, sit by the fire. We know from decorating for the holidays. We’re yuppie Jews who majored in art.

For me, getting in the spirit of the season isn’t limited to peeling potatoes for latkes and lighting the menorah. I like going that extra mile (oy, …

Tags: banners , chanukah , chocolate , Christmas , coins , dreidels , entertaining , fair trade , glass , Hanukkah , holidays , lights , menorahs , napkin rings , napkins , ornaments , place holders , recycled , retail , seasonal , shopping , tableware , tinsel , winter

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Leave those disposable paper napkins in the grocery aisle and get busy adding style to the reusable pile!

Now that we are all invested in organic, reusable cloth (wash in cold, hang dry, of course), spruce up your table and thrill your guests with fun green napkin rings. Calories burned removing them? At least two. More if you juggle a set at the table for your guests.

Where to find ‘em? Here are a few highly tactile circles we trust:

Ring around the Rosy! Hand forged iron floral ring, Rain …

Tags: crafts , crochet , decor , design , eco , entertaining , Etsy , fair trade , felt , handmade , holidays , home , iron , leather , metal , napkins , organic , recycle , recycled newspaper , rings , rubber , shells , stainless steel , tablewear

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Spread the holiday cheer and hold your moral ground with these gifts

Tags: agriculture , cell , charger , coffee , CSA , eco , fair trade , gadgets , gifts , giving , GPS , green , holiday , ipod , PET , retail , reusable , shopping , solar , tumblers , vegetarian , zipcar

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Mmmm. CANDY! Just smell the bowl full of those darling, little bars of CANDY. Just look at those chewy bites of CANDY!

Now, walk away. That’s right. Walk away and no one will get hurt.

Halloween is really one of the hardest nights to stay disciplined, to focus on staying healthy and stick to your local, organic fare and not endorse one night a year when it’s okay for kids to rot their teeth and poison their bodies with sugar and trans fats.

We get hundreds of visitors to our suburban-esque San …

Tags: candy , cheating , Chocolage , diet , fair trade , green , Halloween , health , hydration , organic , pizza , sugar , water , water bottles , weight

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If you’re sending correspondence through the mail these days, why not design your own stamps to promote your green message?

Many sites, including Zazzle.com, allow you to either select from their designs or customize your own using photos or images downloaded from your computer.

If you decide to make stamps for a special occasion, remember to weigh whatever you’ll be mailing before you order so you can specify the correct postage amount. If you aren’t going the route of Evites or other email invitations, using stamps that say something …

Tags: conservation , earth , eco friendly , endangered species , fair trade , green , hang dry clothing , invitations , mail , messages , paper , post office , postage , postal , recycling , slogans , stamps

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Jewish is going greenish.

It’s a phenomenon I like to call Oy-Soy, the marriage of ethical Jewish values with eco alternatives – everything from the artifacts that help color our heritage to a back-to-nature approach to living more sustainably.

I guess it’s all in line with the goals of tikkun olam, the repairing of the world, which we Jews perform in a variety of ways, from donating to our communities with charity and acts of kindness to taking stock in our resources.

Is being green a blessing? Try these out and see:

Recycled Ketubah

The wedding contract, called …

Tags: candles , Conserve , eco , eco suede , fair trade , Jewish , ketubah , kippot , menorah , organic , traditions

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