I love shopping and I love clothes. I am a huge fan of second hand/thrift store/garage sale finds and well-matched clothing exchanges. Upcycling someone else's bleh items into my bohemian posh closet brings me a lot of happiness, eco-heart and monetary savings... a Win-Win-WIN!
But sometimes a girl has a need to walk into the mall and get herself something NEW! I am trying to buy more sustainably (eco-cotton, bamboo or hemp cloth, up-cycled materials) but it can be hard. I have my favorites (namely Prana and Xylem) but these labels tend to have limited variety, consisting mostly of casual and active wear, with a limited selection of sweaters and trousers I regularly professionalize for the office.
Variety is why I am so excited about the new 80-piece spring collection by H&M - The Garden Collection is being marketed as green fashion at affordable prices. Clothing will be made in organic cotton and linen, recycled polyester, and tencel (a renewable material - bleached wood pulp). The launch of this new collection will be in partnership with a revatalization of the H&M supply chain and water usage. The new program, based upon the recommendations of the WWF, will involve re-hashing the supply chain (fabrics and other direct suppliers); watershed-level stakeholder engagement in the Yangtze and Brahmaputra watersheds; a new internal employee training program on water issues; water conservation projects in China (a very timely effort, since there has been recent front-page new questioning if China will run out of water by 2030!); and public outreach. At present H&M self-reports to be the #1 user of organic cotton and 300 million Liters in water savings for demin production, with more to come in the future.
Things will be kicking off in late March/early April... just in time for my Birthday. Now I know where to direct inquiries for gifts. =)
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Watch Out for Elevated FIB!
Fecal Indicator Bacteria (or FIB for short) are used to measure the quality of water for recreational and a variety of other "beneficial uses." As a California-based environmental engineer specialized in watershed and water resources management, it is not at all surprising that I have been spending the last several years getting up close and personal with FIB. California is a big water recreation state and FIB are an important component of ensuring that the public health is preserved.
Lately I have been working in the Los Angeles area (Inner Cabrillo Beach), where there has been a long-term history of elevated FIB counts. I have spent over 1/10th of my life there over the last two years. I have become achingly familiar with the sand, wind, sun and water, the eel grass, and the bird exclusion structure and the people. I have learned to keep an eye out for sources of FIB. I have a masterful eye.
When I came across the Yahoo story about 30K-40K dead fish piled up on along the Georgetown County shoreline, and the government's plan to let rotting fish lie, my first thought was how high will the FIB counts be?
Lately I have been working in the Los Angeles area (Inner Cabrillo Beach), where there has been a long-term history of elevated FIB counts. I have spent over 1/10th of my life there over the last two years. I have become achingly familiar with the sand, wind, sun and water, the eel grass, and the bird exclusion structure and the people. I have learned to keep an eye out for sources of FIB. I have a masterful eye.
When I came across the Yahoo story about 30K-40K dead fish piled up on along the Georgetown County shoreline, and the government's plan to let rotting fish lie, my first thought was how high will the FIB counts be?
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