sustainable style foundation*

Thursday December 10, 2009 from 5pm-9pm 241 Yale Ave N, Seattle, WA

The Shops at South Lake Union's Alley 24 in partnership with Sustainable Style Foundation bring you Cocktails for a Cause ~ A unique shopping experience that supports both local charities and highlights sustainable lifestyle choices.

For more info visit SSF on Facebook: http://bit.ly/5aN6fX

Kickoff the season in style while enjoying signature cocktails from regional micro distilleries with festive bites from local kitchens.

Holiday shopping includes:
Snowboard Connection- a full service snowboard, skateboard, and surf shop
Tottini- A modern children's furnishing store
GolfTEC- delivers real, significant improvement in tee-to-green skills
Velocity Art and Design- Home furnishings and artwork embody standards of innovation, accessibility, humor, responsibility, and visual joy.

Sip hip cocktails from three Washington State Micro Distilleries:
The Ellensburg Distillery El Chalán pisco-style brandy,
Dry Fly Distillery award winning Vodka and
Soft Tail Spirits LLC small batch craft Grappa.

Enjoy upbeat sounds of DJs Pnapper, Marcell Marias, and Leif- three DJ's to set your holiday shopping mood.

Join us in celebrating the joy of giving back. Cocktails and bites provide. Donations strongly encouraged.

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From Sustainable Sean...Being the Lifestyle Ambassador & Co-founder of SSF and all, I thought Josh Dorfman had written the perfect book when he penned his first opus, The Lazy Environmentalist back in 2007. Many authors have attempted to write the next big guide to going green, but none quite compared to Josh's first 'guide to easy, stylish, green living'. As it turns out...Josh himself has written the next big guide to going green...and its AWESOME! Once again, Josh is able to make going green totally down to earth and accessible. When Joe the Plumber decides to go green, I'm pretty sure he'll read The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget. In his new book, Josh once again runs down the list of the best products and resources for green living, but this time he's on an even higher mission...going green while saving both time and money. Clearly, given the economic situation we're all in, his new book is timely but it is also a resource that will serve as a guide in any era as it is essentially a road map for how to make affordable and sustainable lifestyle choices whether you're a college senior living on student loans or a hard-working soccer (or hockey) Mom. Recently laid off or just getting out of school but still want to get your green on? Don't fret, Josh even has a section on the booming green job market. Once you've dog-eared your dozens of pages, hit the computer and surf over to Josh's website The Lazy Environmentalist to get new tidbits and pointers. Even better, tune in to Josh on the Sundance Channel starting in June of 2009.

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From Sustainable Sean, originally posted on Opportunity Gardens...

Do you remember when you were a child and you had a favorite book or blanket that you took everywhere with you? You couldn't imagine going somewhere without it? Organic Kitchen Garden by Juliet Roberts, editor of BBC Gardens Illustrated, has become THAT BOOK for me. I picked it up on a whim at a local grocery store and I haven't been able to put it down since. I can't leave the house without it in my bag and it has been at the top of my stack of books by my bedside nightly. Certainly it was the combination of 'organic', 'kitchen', and 'garden' that caught my attention as these are three of my favorite things right now, but when I opened the book and started looking through the pages and pages of unique insights, helpful hints, and beautiful photos I'd found my favorite blanky all over again. With a setting like Audley End House in Essex, it should come as no surprise that the Roberts' work is a fairy tale dream come true for any gardener.

The book has bushels of great information and advice on organic gardening including a fantastic monthly calendar of activities. The photographs by Gavin Kingcome of the organic garden at Audley End are pastoral, idyllic, and completely alluring. One aspect of the photos that directly drew my interest was the traditional materials that were used in the garden. In our modern garden world of PVC piping and plastic pots, it was incredibly comforting to see terracotta forcing vessels and glass cloches. Perhaps it is a bit too quixotic to consider reviving these traditional tools and procedures, but they do bring a sense of romance and grace back to the garden that seems to be missing in our modern times. I could write so much more about this book but alas, I need to go thumb through the pictures again...I'm completely addicted.

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Hello London! SSF Co-founder & Senior Stylist, Rebecca Luke and SSF Board Member Patrick Napper will be in the city and would love to connect. We know this is last minute, however, please stop by to say hello, join us for a drink and
learn more about what we are up to, in person.

Date: Tuesday, May 5th
Time: 7:00pm
Location: The Botanist located at No 7 Sloane Square, London SW1W 8EE

While not necessary, we would love to know if you plan to stop by. Please kindly rsvp on Facebook or directly to rebecca@lesegoistes.com

This event is no-host.

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From Sustainable Sean...

The Sustainable Seattle office where I spend most of my time these days happens to be located right next door to the office of the Seattle Chapter of the American Jewish Committee and the Seattle Jewish Film Festival (SJFF). So I was really excited to see that SJFF was going green this year. WAY green! In fact it the major theme of this year's festival. The festival not only features films that feature an environmental theme, such as Lemon Tree, it offers many resources to help filmgoers go green as well, like The Jewish Climate Challenge. Want to know more about the films and resources? Follow the link above or you can find the full SJFF program here.

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From Sustainable Sean...

It's always great when sustainability sneaks up and surprises you. That's exactly what happened recently to me at Serious Pie, one of Seattle chef Tom Douglas' restaurants. Chef Tom Douglas is a big supporter of local, organic produce so I always look forward to eating at one of his several restaurants in Seattle. Serious Pie is all about pizza...but not just any pizza, some of the best pizza you'll ever eat. If you stop in during the rush our, you might think you're in Manhattan because every seat is filled and your usually elbow to elbow with your neighbor. Come in during the off hours though and the atmosphere is comparable to a favorite pizzeria in Italy. Regardless of how busy they are, the service is always sincere, attentive, and gracious. One of my favorite pizzas is the chantrelles truffle cheese pizza. Love chantrelles (I used to forage for them personally when doing wildlife fieldwork in the Cascades) and love truffles. So as you might tell, I'm a big fan of Serious Pie and have been for quite some time. The surprise came in the salad special. The main ingredient...Miner's Lettuce! Also called Indian Lettuce, Winter Purslane, and Sweet Beauty, Miner's Lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata) is a native plant that has been a nutritious staple in local diets for centuries, from the first people of Seattle - the Duwasmish - to modern day pizza buffs. The salad was magnificent with D'Anjou pear and a white balsamic dressing. Serious Pie just notched up the sustainable food trend...who needs local organic when you can go NATIVE organic.

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I have combed through 100’s of emails over the past couple of weeks and these are my top picks for Earth Day related events, products and thoughts. Be kind to Earth today.

Events |

Thursday April 23 Project Earth Day in NYC
Project Earth Day is a high-energy annual event held in the dynamic fabric of New York City’s built environment. It is put on by EGBNY (Emerging Green Builders) as part of Earth Week celebrations. A fashion show and design competition.

Here is what they say:

Project Earth Day challenges the next generation of designers to survey the current landscape and reevaluate the way they think about environment and development. Bigger does not necessarily equal better, and so we’ve asked our designers to suspend disbelief here, to start with an any inspirational image, and to play with scale and proportion, to exaggerate telescoping ideas or images that are important to them, while still executing the highest of technical design, and following the good, better, best philosophy of our Eco Design Principals Check List. We know that without sacrificing creativity, innovation is happening and today’s designers are continuing to find new sustainable solutions to old problems.

Travel through the looking glass to our wonderland, present-day New York City, viewed through a distorted lens where big is small, small is big, and the worlds of building and fashion collide through an exploration of scale.

In these modern times, individuals, companies, and even countries often consume more than they produce, using resources and creating waste in disproportionately large shares. This has seemed to work until now, but things are clearly not as they seem. The time has come for us to shift the weight and take a step back to consider a different reality – one where size is relative and small changes can have a huge impact. True sustainability is ultimately a carefully achieved balance between commerce, humanity, and the environment.

Product |

Green on the Go App from 3rd Whale Mobile for your Iphone or Smart Phone.

Usually I would pick a fashion related item, but these days, everyone I know expresses their style through their pda; Not only is their “phone” an expression, their apps are a topic of at least five minutes of conversation. This app for your Iphone is super cool for those of us who are on the go, and want to know how to make a green choice. I haven’t had a chance to check it out in practice, but can’t wait too.

Thoughts |

From Frank Scura at ASEC (Action Sports Environmental Coalition)

I met Frank once and thought he was awesome and hilarious, but he is one of those folks who “walks the talk”. Here is what he sent out this week along with his tips. I wanted to abbreviate it, but it was all too entertaining and right on…so, here you go, Frank’s options in their entirety….

“Correct me if I am wrong but the idea of Earthday is to honor & celebrate this wonderful Planet that gives us everything and asks us for very little in return. The earth gives us our very life, our sustenance, our family, our friends, our cars, our cities, our air and virtually everything but our soul and our free will. So why not use a little bit of that free will to honor our precious provider the best way you can, and do it with soul by treading as lightly as possible for just one day a year. I mean feel free to go as crazy as you want don’t let me stop you, celebrate it for a week, or a month or 364 days a year and go pollute on just one. Knock yourself out, have fun with it, express your self, release your inner tree huggin hippie and go play in the mud. Now I am not going to tell you how you should celebrate this (my favorite of all holidays) day, but her are a couple of suggestions we put together to get you started. As my late father Luigi used to say, “this is just asuggestion, it’s free information, and I’m just offering it to you, what you choose to do with it is entirely up to you.

Option #1 (The Most High): Don’t do anything, call in well (not sick) to work or whatever you got goin or planned, don’t drive, don’t eat, fast, do a mini vision quest and don’t eat or drink and stay in one spot without moving for 24 hours. Go plant stuff, restore local watershed as long as you can get there by walking or riding a bike. Install solar power, water catchments & gray water at your house along with a permaculture garden. Emulate Daryl Hanna’s lifestyle!

Option #2 (The High): Walk, skate or ride a bike to work, school or whatever. Pack an organic lunch in all reusable containers and don’t use anything disposable. Pick up trash along the way or go to the beach or a scenic area before or after and clean up. Clean up the beach when you are done surfing. Plant an organic garden, buy nothing and use no electrical appliances. After all of that hard work and sweat don’t take a shower. Buy local, go to the farmers market!

Option #3 (Be Stoked): Car Pool or use public transportation, don’t watch TV, bring your own coffee mug, reusable mug, to-go-ware for take out food so you don’t use disposables (by the way, who ever told you that there was such a place as “away” was lying, there is no “away” you can’t throw anything away, it goes somewhere, usually to a land fill, a barge or somewhere else lame and that somewhere it goes sucks). Recycle everything and don’t use anything you can’t recycle. Plant a tree or an herb garden or something organic and positive and make sure it survives and thrives. Shop at Whole Foods. Take a Dr. Bronners bath, that is wear you just heat up a little bit of water and add some Dr. Bronners soap and wash yourself and rinse with a wash cloth (as the Doc said “alvays washing towards the heart!”)

Option #4 (The Bro-bra & Sista): Eat some organic food, try to use a high mileage vehicle, eat less food, don’t drink any soda’s, recycle all of the containers you get. Pick someone up hitchhiking, pick up some trash and recycling, be friendly to people. Get a vasectomy or a hysterectomy, eat fresh not packaged food, and plant something. Shop in the natural product section of your grocery store.

Option #5 (The Cookamongus): Drive your Hummer (or any other SUV or low mileage vehicle) everywhere, even to the corner liquor store, go terrorize people who are using non motorized transportation. Eat nothing but fast food all day and throw the trash out the window; go throw a bunch of plastic bags and bottles in the ocean. Believe that the Bush administration environmental policies were cutting edge and good for the economy and the department of the interior did a great job from 2000-2008. Believe that Obama’s “Clean Coal” & “Nuclear” energy programs are environmental solutions. Subscribe to the idea that we can’t hurt the Earth we will just kill ourselves and the earth will be just fine. That is like cancer thinking it can’t kill it’s host, yo dumb ass that means that even if you are right we are all dead and we were the cause of it. Go spotted owl & Bald Eagle hunting. Do all of your shopping at convenience stores like 7-11.”

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from Sustainable Sean...

Once again NBC/Universal (NBCU) is going CRAZY green on Earth Day as part of their Green is Universal initiative. Even better, each of Universal's 'brands' has its own green page as well...take NBC's green page and the Sci Fi Channel for example. NBCU actually has quite a bit of programming throughout the year but each year on Earth Day, they go hard core green. This year is no different with green (literally sometimes) showing up all over the place whether its the logo during the Today show to special editions of "The More You Know", to Oprah's Earth Day show.

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From Sustainable Sean...

I love, Love, LOVE writing restaurant reviews and my recent visit to Tidbit Bistro makes this review all the more savory. I'd heard wind of Tidbit from several friends, both foodies and susties (sustainability types), so when a friend invited me to join an ad hoc visit to Tidbit, I was pretty excited. My experience was everything I expected and more. Tidbit has combined a bit of Italy and a bit of Spain to create a ambiance and menu that makes the most of both. The space is both urban and nostalgic while the menu offers contemporary takes on traditional favorites. I started with the crostini con fungi that may have been small on size (as stuzzichini should be) but it was big on flavor leaving me completely satisfied. I chose the whole leaf caesar with grilled chicken for my entree and I can now say I've had the best caesar of my life...seriously. The quantity of salad was perfect, the dressing perfectly creamy, and the chicken delicious in its own right. I honestly think of that salad nightly and will continue to do so until my next visit. To top it all off, I had one of the best tiramisu in my life as well...and I've had LOT of tiramisu, including several in Italy! But the icing on this cake, for me, was the commitment to sustainability that came through loud and clear throughout my experience at Tidbit. From being a certified member of the Green Restaurant Association to their commitment to community, they truly get it. Tidbit happens to be the ONLY certified GRA restaurant in Seattle as of April 2009. Add to all this, the staff were fantastic bringing two of my favorite elements of European restaurants to a little corner of Seattle...fantastic service and a personal connection between staff and customers. You really do feel like any one of the staff that you interact with during the night could be your next best friend. So here's an accolade that works in any language...Bravo to Tidbit Bistro!

January 22, 2009
11:30 am–1 pm
Olympic Sculpture Park, PACCAR Pavilion

Following last summer’s event, Art and the Environment: A Dialogue, SAM and the Cascade Land Conservancy present the next panel discussion exploring the intersection of art, culture and the environment. How can artists and design professionals support today’s cities and make them
more functional, culturally rich and sustainable? What are the near-term priorities in sustainable design? What steps can be taken to support designers and businesses furthering sustainable design principles? Join us as we consider these and other questions.

Moderator: Lucia Athens, Senior Sustainable Future Strategist, CollinsWoerman
Panelists: Tom Kundig, Principal, Olson Sundburg Kundig Allen Architects
Rebecca Luke, Style expert and co-founder of Sustainable Style Foundation
Roy McMakin, Northwest artist

Art, Design and Sustainability is part of SAM’s Pivotal Perspectives series. Bringing together some of the most compelling thinkers on a given cultural subject, Pivotal Perspectives is a timely and innovative forum that addresses pressing issues in art and society.
Free and open to the public; limited seating is available. Register by January 21, 2009 online at
seattleartmuseum.org or by contacting the SAM Box Office (boxoffice@seattleartmuseum.org
or 206.654.3121).

SSF Contributor Deborah Barnes reports on her visit to The Fashioning the Future Summit that took place at the Centre For Sustainable Fashion at the London College of Fashion...

The Fashion show last night with student designs was amazing with good tunes and gracious hosts. The show was very professional and a delight with a good soundtrack; we've come a long way from the beige hemp canvas that started it all.

This morning, I caught the underground and navigated to the 'circus' of Oxford Circus. The day started with speakers and then we broke into one of 3 groups. I was in the luxury group and discussed topics like: what is luxury and how do we design it, how it has been appropriated by the likes of Gucci and Louis Vuitton who have democratized it with a fast fashion business model, and how now all that needs further debate....thinker's stuff. I have met and will connect back with some great people and a woman from a college in Scotland...who wants to know more of what we do in Seattle and more about fashionRIP! Yahoo! This has been one of the most exciting sustainable related events I have ever been involved with or even attended as a spectator.

The Sustainable Fashion Centre Summit stimulated a slew of lively discussions on fashion as an ethical economic, socially just and environmentally concerned industry while maintaining fabulous design. The three main topics were divided further into 3 groups per topic and lucky me I was in the lively group. It was a joy to be with so many intelligent, talented, caring and responsibly minded people that I am determined to start this kind of support network here in Seattle. Lucky me, I was in the radical group with Orsula de Castro ("From Somewhere") and Kerry Seagen (Junky Skyline") who coined luxserious - the new luxury...where the technique (craftsmanship ousted as a word formerly abused by media!), quality and personality of the designer outrule the license BS and the rest of the evils of the fast fashion curse. My work in recyCouture goes happily along this line as a matter of course! I feel so validated and "hugged" after this expressive, optimistic, mindful, international event!

From Haberdash for Humanity...When it comes to a food staple around the world, few would argue that rice tops the list. Many would be surprised to know that rice grows around the world and one of the most innovative rice growers, Acquerello, hales from the Vercelli province of the Piedmont region in Italy. The history of rice in Italy goes back to the 1400s and is rich with culture and connection to the land. The family behind Acquerello, the Rondolino family, has been growing rice in the area for three generations and has brought rice cultivation firmly into the 21st century. One of their boldest innovations was to go completely organic in 1998. Along with this committment comes an appreciation for the land and ecosystem connected to rice farming. Today, the paddy fields, known as Tenuta Colombara, are thriving with fish, frogs, and rare birds. Even the product can reflects this committment and appeciation for the natural world. Acquerello is also a support of the Slow Food movement, even more reason to sit back and savor a fine dining experience with some responsible rice.

Here are 5 reasons to get excited about Wheatware guitar picks and drumsticks:
• They reduce our reliance on foreign oil.
• They’re renewable. We have an abundant surplus of American wheat every year.
• They reduce our need for wood and trees, saving our forests, which help to cool the planet.
• They’re completely natural and non-allergenic.
• They’re biodegradable. If you bury them in the ground, they turn to compost in 90 days.

Wheatware drumsticks deliver all the performance advantages of wood, yet are made of a sustainable material. The Wheatware compostable guitar picks offer an alternative to the millions of plastic picks manufactured each year -- without sacrificing performance. Far from being fragile, Wheatware music products can withstand a musicians' beating. And both products are ultra-functional: the picks come in an easy-to-grip design and the drumsticks are slightly textured to resist slippage.

Here's what Violent Femmes drummer Guy Hoffman has to say: "I checked out Wheatware 5A drumsticks. Love those 5A's. That cored out handle, love it. I think they're incredible. The cored out handle makes obvious the difference in weight between that of the handle and that of the shoulder to the tip of the stick. I like the result in that the stick carries more weight toward the tip. Remarkably, they are biodegradable."

Wheatware™ guitar picks won "Best in Show" in the accessory category at the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Show in Austin, Texas on July 29th, and the drum sticks won "Trendsetter Award" at the NAMM show in Nashville, summer 2008. The company donated 272 pairs of Wheatware Compostable drumsticks, 3,240 Wheatware Compostable guitar picks, and 4,100 Wheatware Compostable clothes hangers to Live Earth musicians last year.

Affordably priced, Wheatware Bio-Compostable drumsticks are available in two sizes: 5A and 5B. Wheatware Compostable guitar picks come in three varieties: wedged-light, medium, and heavy. Other Wheatware products include Bio-Compostable hangers, multi-use dishes, drink coasters and golf supplies, as well as reusable Wheatware™ Biomass-75 chopsticks, wasabi dishes and disposable flatware. For more information on Wheatware music products, or any of the products distributed by Wheatware.com, check out:

The latest edition to the Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSLO) family of multimedia products is www.wholeliving.com, the online home of body+soul magazine. I have to say, as sustainability resource websites go [and I know many of them], Whole Living is truly impressive. There are numerous green living ideas and resources, ranging from organic gardening and green cleaners to eco travel and sustainable fashion. But the site goes farther by really taking a broad view of health with resources on topics such as fitness, nutrition, money, and more. The site is very easy to navigate and yes, there are lots of great tips and small projects along the way to keep you busy. I must say, I think Martha Stewart may be one of the earliest adopters of 'sustainable style' out there. She's recycled and/or repurposed everything under the sun, she's advocated local/organic/home-grown food for many years, she's promoted high quality/long-lasting products AND maintaining those products for longer use, and she's always made a point of telling the story behind a recipe, project, or product she's demonstrating - including the connection to people and the community these items may have. Martha Stewart mainstreaming sustainability...you know the line...it's a good thing.

from haberdash.org...As a rower and occasional sailor, I have a strong affinity for the water. Perhaps that's why I couldn't pull myself away from the display booth of Sea Bags, Inc. while attending the 2008 ECOLLECTION event at MAGIC. Or perhaps it is the fact that the bags have a great utilitarian design, that they are made from recycled sails, or that they are the perfect gift for anyone that is connected to water in some way (I have plenty of those). But I think what really grabbed me is that this is the perfect manbag. Sure its appealing to everyone from your Aunt Sally in Maine to surfers on Maui, but it truly is a perfect manbag. Its durable, its manly, its all about sailing, etc. Plus they also offer duffels, storage bags, and weekend bags that are just as cool as their totes. Each bag is different which in the end only made me want to by all of them.