Sustainable Fashion and its Future

As it was reported by Refinery 29 , a  live-panel discussion took place in  Vogue Headquarters at Condé Nast Auditorium to determine the course of Sustainable fashion future, and its place in  the industry.

Participants:

Jasmin Malik Chua, the managing editor at Ecouterre,

Helena Helmersson, global head of sustainability at H&M

Catarina Midby, Head of fashion and sustainability communications at H&M

Scott Mackinlay Hahn from Loomstate,

Bruno Pieters, founder of Honest By

Julie Gilhart , fashion consultant 

Simon Collin ,dean at The New School for Design at Parsons

Brainstorming on some of  the ideas suggested making sustainable practices work like taxes — mandatory and government-regulated. 

Interactive customer-incentive programs, that  hopefully  would encourage consumers to bring old 

clothes back to the store for “points, reinforce the idea of utilizing only sustainable fabrics and production 

practices by fashion students, so that future designers are trained in sustainable clothing production. “People think a good price means a bad quality and also garment…we’ve started to measure this and have set internal goals in how to make customers more aware,” says Helmersson of H&M, a leader in Eco Fashion Industry. “We want to prove that it’s actually possible to make fashion more accessible and durable and make it...affordable.”

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Other resorces for Eco Fashion & Upcycled Clothing

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Eco Friendly Clothing continues to be a focus for H&M

Eco Friendly  Clothing line by H&M:  

As reported  by  Fashion magazine , H&M has  launched   "Conscious Exclusive ". It includes a variety of partywear and accessories that promises to bring a touch of Hollywood glamour to the fast fashion chain by attracting eco conscious consumer  with affordable price tag. Just in time for prom and wedding season!

Like the rest of H&M’s Conscious Collection, the Conscious Exclusive line is made from sustainable material such as recycled polyester and organic cotton. According to H&M’s head of design Ann-Sofie Johansson, the inspiration behind the collection came from thinking about glamour and style in an environmentally conscious way. “For us at H&M, it’s natural to think about sustainability, and to have it at the heart of our work,” Johansson explained.

Clearly, they are doing just that. Standout pieces include a stunning floor length ombre gown, a bohemian off-white loose kimono, and a romantic white dress with an asymmetrical train and bird embroidery.

With so many beautiful pieces to choose from, this collection certainly does a lot to break the stereotype of sustainable fashion as being uncomfortable and unglamourous. Prices range from $19.95 – $399, making the collection an affordable way to invest in glam party attire for spring.

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Northern New Jersey Artisanal Organic Catering & Weddings

Rustic Food Custom Catering ~ Committed To Locally Grown Organic Produce And Whole Foods   Your Specialty Menu Requirements ~ We Offer Unique Vegetarian, Vegan & Gluten Free Menus ~ Your Guests Won't Know What They're Missing! Rustic Food Custom Catering prepares all menu items at our state of the art catering kitchen in Clifton, New Jersey. All of our food, including all of our desserts and baked goods, are freshly prepared for your event. Rustic Food Custom Catering avoids pre-fabricated, frozen and processed products. We are committed to using whole ingredients, fresh produce & herbs, real cream, butter & eggs, pure honey and maple syrup and the quality imported specialty items. Rustic Food Custom Catering cultivates herbs, tomatoes, peppers, squash, eggplant, beets, leeks, shallots & edible flowers in season in our on-site garden. We employ organic methods without the use of pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers. Our plant and seed stock are obtained from organic nurseries in New Jersey and Oregon. Rustic Food Custom Catering has catered thousands of events of all sizes, throughout New Jersey and metro New York. We retain our own in-house staff of chefs, waiters and bartenders, most of who have been associated with Rustic Food Custom Catering since its inception in 2001. From set-up to service to clean up, our professional staff does it all! Elaine Rust, President/Executive Chef Elaine has been a culinary professional since 1983. She has held back-of-the-house positions at The Griswold Inn in Essex, CT, The Dock at Saybrook Point in Old Saybrook, CT and The Gelston House in East Haddam, CT. She served as Sous Chef at The Sovereign in Branford, CT under Chef Mark Baker and became Executive Chef at Hot Tomato's in New Haven in 1986. During her tenure, Hot Tomato's was awarded "Very Good" designation by the New York Times Connecticut edition and was voted "Best Italian Restaurant" by the New Haven Advocate Reader's Choice Poll in 1987 and 1988. Elaine has held numerous food service executive and kitchen management positions, including banquet coordination and production, at Patzo in NYC, Madison Square Bistro in Hoboken, Arthur's Landing in Weehawken and Tomato's in San Diego, California. She catered for private clients while working in financial services until the inauguration of Rustic Food in 2001. Similar Services provided by GreenPeople.org Directory members: The Organic Grill, New York Organic Vegan & Vegetarian Catering Your Personal Chef catering, Organic catering & personal chef service for allergies, weight loss or a medical condition? OrganicDirect , Organic Food Delivery Service GreenPeople.org, a largest Eco Directory, founded in 1998  Sign up for Exclusive Green Deals & Coupons?  Know of an Eco Business that should be in Green Directory?

Organic Healthy Eating at the office?

People engaged in sedentary office jobs are most likely to suffer from health problems like obesity and lower productivity. One major culprit for these issues is unhealthy and improper eating. While being fully engrossed in work is a good attribute, eating healthy foods is one important practice everyone must follow.

There are unlimited options available in the form of foods that are healthy, as well as tasty. You can rely on these foods to satisfy your appetite and enhance the working capability as well.

 Save the Healthy Food Delivery Number

Another good idea is to save the contact number of one of the suppliers of healthy foods in your area. These suppliers have delivery services that can be availed by you and your office. If you forget to carry these food items on a given day, you can place your order on the phone and get it delivered to you in no time. For this, you must look for a delivery service that is efficient and can deliver your order according to the set schedule.

 Motivate Others

You may have many people around who are suffering from the same habit of unhealthy eating. If you have chanced upon the benefits of eating healthy foods, you can motivate your colleagues and your seniors to eat right. You can even make suggestions to your boss or manager to introduce health food bars in the office so that all employees can make the most of it. This in turn will enable the business to benefit from increased productivity and better employee health.

Adopt healthy foods in your routine eating habits to improve at least one aspect of your busy work schedule. You can further extend these healthy eating habits to your home and also motivate other working members of the family in this direction.

People engaged in sedentary office jobs are most likely to suffer from health problems like obesity and lower productivity. One major culprit for these issues is unhealthy and improper eating. While being fully engrossed in work is a good attribute, eating healthy foods is one important practice everyone must follow.

 There are unlimited options available in the form of foods that are healthy, as well as tasty. You can rely on these foods to satisfy your appetite and enhance the working capability as well.

 Avoid Vending Machines

 Most workplaces have vending machines that serve junk food and drinks that add nothing to overall wellness. Instead, they reduce your productivity and leave you feeling hungry. This has been proven in research studies which cite that unhealthy eating at workplaces is one of the main reasons for decreased output. As a result, many offices all over the country are replacing vending machines with health food bars.

 Shop in Advance

 There are many organic and healthy foods that you can carry in your office bag and enjoy during the lunch hours. Organic fruits, for example, are good replacements not only for the junk foods, but also for conventionally grown fruits. The conventionally grown fruits are less nutritious and rather unhealthy to eat as they are grown using artificial fertilizers and pesticides.

 The same holds true about other conventional food items. You can carry other organic food items like organic yogurt  nuts and seeds, and oatmeal that lend the right taste and contribute to good health to keep you active throughout office hours. You can shop for these organic food items from organic food stores available online. Make sure that you have enough storage space in the office where you can store these items. working members of the family in this direction.

OrganicDirect is your go-to source for organic snacks, Serving  offices  of New York & New Jersey, Shipping  Nationwide

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Eco Friendly Organic Clothing: Xylem Clothing, Member of GreenPeople.org Directory

Organic Clothing Materials – Cotton, Hemp, Silk and Soy

Eco-Friendly Organic Clothes

At Xylem Clothing, our dedication to sustainability, appreciation for beauty and commitment to durability lead us to the finest organic and Eco-friendly fabrics available.

Meticulously chosen for quality, purity and comfort, our fabrics embrace the body in natural beauty.
Being both ecologically and socially responsible, all our fabrics are fair trade and sweatshop free.

Safe for the earth and safe for your skin, each garment is hand colored in small batches using low impact dyes, and the vibrant colors stand the test of time with enduring beauty.

Using the highest quality organic cotton, recycled soy fiber, hemp, tencel, silk and wool fabrics Xylem brings you quality Eco-conscious clothing rich in style and natural elegance.

Recycled Soy Fabric Fiber

Known as “vegetarian cashmere”, soy protein fiber is soft and supple with luxurious luster and elegant drape. It has a cashmere feel only smoother. The moisture absorption is similar to that of cotton but its ventilation is superior.

Soy fabric has high breathability, excellent absorbency, great color retention, natural wrinkle resistance, and does not shrink from heat as much as other natural fabrics.
Soy fabric is extremely durable with a breaking strength greater than cotton, silk and wool.

The structure and pigment of the fibers makes soy fabric easy to color with low impact dyes. And its ultra-violet resistant properties protect it from fading and splotching. So it has vibrant longevity of color.
Soy fiber fabric also contains bacteria resisting compounds that actually help protect the body from harmful bacteria.

How its made:

This exceptional Eco-friendly fiber is made from the renewable resource of the unused soy protein remaining after the production of other soy products like tofu, soy milk and soy oil. While this is a chemically intensive process it is a closed loop system, meaning they reuse the chemicals over and over rather than dumping them.
This practice, of converting waste materials into other products of better quality or higher environmental value is known as up cycling.

Our up cycled soy kashmere is blended with organic cotton and a little spandex for the perfect fit to create an Eco-friendly fabric that is both sensual and practical.

Soy Fabric history:
Although it’s explosion into the fashion world is relatively new, soybean fiber actually made its debut in 1937 when it was invented by Henry Ford. During the great depression Ford was dedicated to the use of soy beans for food, fuel and fiber. He promoted soy beans as a natural nitrogen fixer for soil, a health food, a biodegradable plastic, a clean fuel, and fabric. He was often seen decked out in his snazzy soy suit and tie. Using soybeans as a miracle crop that provides many products was seen as a way to support family farms, create jobs and stabilize the economy.
However after WW2 the use of petroleum and other chemicals stimulated the growth of the rayon, nylon and cotton industries. Soy fiber was all but forgotten about until the search for a truly sustainable fabric re-birthed the soybean into the fashion world in 1998. This time it was Mr Li Guanqi of China who perfected the process, creating the even softer, cashmere-like soy fabric that is revolutionizing the Eco-fashion industry today.

Our Soy Bikini Panties are a popular organic intimate item this year.

Organic Cotton Clothing

Why use organic cotton?
Non-organic or conventionally grown cotton is considered one of agriculture’s dirtiest crops. About 25

percent of the world’s insecticide use and more than 10 percent of the world’s pesticide use is for cotton crops. Conventional cotton also requires very large amounts of chemical fertilizers to replace nutrients into the soil. These nitrogenous fertilizers seep into the ground water harming wildlife and poisoning drinking water.
The conventional conversion of cotton into fabric also depends on heavy use of toxic chemicals at each stage. Silicone waxes, harsh petroleum scours, heavy metals, ammonia and formaldehyde along with others get flushed into the water and leave residues in the fabric that can potentially harm the wearer.

Many of the chemicals used in the production of conventional cotton are considered to be some of the most toxic chemicals in the world and do great harm to people, wildlife and the environment.

Organic cotton, on the other hand, is an ecologically responsible and green fiber. Organic cotton is grown and processed without the use of toxic chemicals and is never genetically modified. Instead organic cotton farmers use innovative techniques to enrich the soil and protect cotton plants from insects and pests. Crop rotations along with composting systems build healthy soil. Integrated pest management strategies use natural predators and certain companion plants to keep pests away. The natural process of growing organic cotton supports healthy ecosystems and the biodiversity that is crucial to a livable planet.

The process of turning organic cotton into fabric uses only chemicals that are approved by organic certifying agencies. There are no harmful residues left behind which endows organic cotton with the comfortable assurance that you are not absorbing toxic chemicals through your skin.

Working conditions for all stages of our organic cotton fabric production are certified fair trade. The work environment is safe and healthy, the employees are treated with respect, paid fairly and have health insurance and maternity and sick leave.
When you make the choice to use organic cotton you not only support the preservation of a livable planet, you also support conscientious farming and production communities who have been producing cotton fabric without toxic chemicals for years. Their dedication and diligence produces organic cotton that is far superior to conventional cotton in both quality and safety.Our Organic Cotton Bras are a popular organic cotton item this year.

Hemp Clothing

Hemp has a sensuous drape and hang, similar to that of linen. It is also extremely durable, yet insulating making it desirable for both blistering-hot summer and bitter-cold winter wear. We use 100% pure hemp, as well as tencel, wool, and silk blends.

Tencel Clothing

Tencel is the trade name for a human-made, natural fabric called “Lyocell” that is cool and breathable, like rayon, with a gorgeous, flowing drape. Tencel is made from the cellulose of farm-raised trees, grown on land that has been deemed unsuitable for food growth or animal grazing.

Pictures of products of   Xylem Clothing company:

Other Sustainable Clothing  Brands &  Eco Fashion Online Stores 

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Holistic Dentistry Anaheim, California

Holistic  & Mercury-Free (Amalgam Free) Dentistry in  

Anaheim,  California.

  

As an Oral Health Doctor, Dr. Zraiqat

is aware that mercury vapor, dental infections, can have a negative impact on oral and overall health. Because of this concern, the office focuses on patient education and strive to remove mercury amalgam (silver) fillings in a safe way.  

To accomplish this, Dr.Zraigat utilizes removal protocols for safely removing amalgam fillings. The protocol is  based on the recommendations of the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT) and New Directions Dentistry (NDD), which has set the standard for practicing mercury safe dentistry.

Dr. Zraiqat has completed the NDD course, and received his Certification, in How to Make Your Practice Mercury Safe - Minimizing Occupational Exposure to Mercury in the Dental Office. This is the only course of its kind offered to dentists and qualifies him to remove mercury amalgam fillings safely, protecting himself, his staff, his patients, and the environment from excessive and unnecessary exposure to mercury vapor at the dental office. 

Holistic & Biological Dentistry is a philosophy that recognizes that the teeth and associated oral structures are a part of the whole body.  
This Whole Body philosophy stresses the use of bio compatible dental materials whenever possible.   


Dr. Zraiqat is a founding member of the American Academy of Ozonotherapy and has had extensive training in ozone therapy. Ozone Therapy in dentistry has a number of uses to support traditional dental treatment. These include disinfecting the bacteria that causes tooth decay, support for periodontal treatment and as a support treatment to help disinfect root canals. This effective, non-toxic, non-invasive treatment has been shown to be effective in the right situation.  Dr. Zraiqat is certified by the American College of Integrative Dental Medicine (ACIDM) and is a member of the International Association for Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT).  
 Mercury Free Dentistry in Anaheim, California

For more info about Dr, Zraigat's office you can visit  his page on GreenPeople.org , a largest Eco Directory, founded in 1998

Sustainable Furniture 101!

Sustainable Furniture  has been built in a way ,which is deemed sustainable, and  environmentally friendly. Companies may independently determine that their products adhere to sustainability guidelines, or they may pursue certification through an organization which conducts audits and inspections to verify claims that products are sustainable.

Eco Friendly Children Furniture

The goal of sustainability is to create products for consumers which will meet their needs while having a minimal impact on the environment. In the case of sustainable furniture, this can include everything from the materials used to the way in which the furniture is manufactured. Many sustainable furniture manufacturers utilize only natural products, avoiding synthetics due to environmental concerns, and they place a heavy focus on renewable natural products, ranging from fast-growing bamboo to recycled wood products. They also tend to use products which have been certified as environmentally friendly by independent groups such as the Forest Stewardship Council.

 

       Amish Pacifica Convertible Baby Crib (4 in 1)

      
Eco Friendly Furniture is constructed in a factory which is designed to be environmentally friendly, including features like energy efficiency and measures to avoid waste. The factory may also have features such as a green roof which contributes to energy efficiency while providing a habit for plants and animals, and it may be located in an area which minimizes the need for shipping. Other shipping considerations can include reduced and recyclable packaging, the use of fleets of trains and trucks which run on alternative fuels, and so forth.

Sustainable Designs are intended to minimize waste while highlighting the natural beauty of the products used. Instead of using a chemical wood finish which seals the furniture in a pristine state, for example, the manufacturer might just oil the furniture, which will allow the finish of the furniture to change with age as it is used. Some companies also make contributions to environmental causes as part of their stated missions, allowing people to benefit the environment indirectly every time they make a purchase.

Sustainable Bedroom Set

Another feature of sustainable design is the promotion of a healthy workforce. Companies which pay workers well, provide benefits, and stay active in the communities where they operate are generally believed to be more sustainable than companies which do not help their workers, for example.

  To summarize, here are the main parameters  that make furniture sustainable:

Eco Friendly Materials:

Sustainable furniture is made of material that has certain characteristics. It is recycled or re purposed renewable, and uses safer materials.

Manufacturing Practices:

Using sustainable materials is only part of producing sustainable furniture. Responsible Manufacturing practices matter just as much.

Transportation:

Since transportation also uses energy, responsibility in transporting is also part of producing a sustainable product.

• It can be efficiently transported and does not use excessive space and energy during transport.
• Locally produced furniture using only locally-sourced materials has a reduced carbon footprint.

Use:

The piece of furniture should also be usable and durable.

• Furniture that increases efficiency by providing greater utility for the user, such as multi functional furniture is always preferable.
• Durability matters because well made furniture with a longer functional lifespan contributes to the health of the planet by not adding to the landfills.

  Database of Green Businesses & Services Worldwide, GreenPeople.org, a largest Eco Directory, founded in 1998

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