sustainable style foundation*

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:

Boost Mobile recently created their Boosted campaign, essentially a lifestyle brand infused with art, music, and pop culture. What makes things different is they partnered with designers to produce a line of accessories and other devices that captures the essence of the today's mobile and youth lifestyles while highlighting people and planet issues. A great example is one of their first partnerships with Livity Outernational. The accessories pictured to the left are just such an example...100% organic cotton and great design. You can find these and other Boost x Livity merch at our alter-ego site www.sustainable-style.org. More 'Boosted' Partnerships to come soon so stay tuned...

iTunes is offering an historic collection of rare tracks from many top name artists (i.e. Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Joss Stone, KT Tunstall, The Hold Steady, Natasha Bedingfield and more...) who support WHY's Artists Against Hunger & Poverty program. The songs, whether "new" or "classic," "studio" or "live", "electric" or "acoustic," resonate with the common idea of serving others.

The SERVE2 CD enabled these amazing artists to use their philanthropic efforts to fight hunger and poverty around the world — one song at a time. The net proceeds will go to support the WHY campaign to make a difference to the 38 million Americans and 842 million people worldwide for whom hunger is an everyday reality. For more information check out:

The boys in Guster, long champions of the planet, sustainable living and green touring, have announced that they've teamed up with Warner Music Group (WMG) (we mentioned their green efforts in the Spotlight section awhile back) to make a pretty sustainable record. Star Pulse reports "The band has purchased renewable energy credits from Native American renewable energy company NativeEnergy to offset the manufacturing process. In addition, the packaging has been printed using soy inks on paper certified as sustainable by the Forest Stewardship Council." WMG also announced that it would make Guster’s entire catalog of nearly 1 million CDs completely carbon neutral through offsets. The band is currently on tour to support the 8-song EP, to be released on April 10; the majority of the shows are part of Guster's "Campus Consciousness Tour", which aims to "spread awareness and support for the environment as well as inspire students to get involved with earth-friendly causes." Go Guster Go! [Star Pulse] via [Ecorazzi]

Awhile back, we took note when British rockers Gomez signed on with Clifbar's Clif Green Notes program to help bands green it up while they're on tour. The program includes efforts like biodiesel in the bus, organic food backstage, offsets for carbon emissions and organic t-shirts for merchandise. All of these things sound great, but how can you be sure they get done? The boys at Gomez were serious enough about it to make a movie, following up on their efforts as they traipsed around the country, and it turns out that they really were doing those things. The bus driver became a biodiesel-finding pro, the organic orange juice flowed like wine, and the band and crew all started thinking more about how environmental issue affected their daily lives. Sounds like a pretty successful tour; check out the video below for all the details. [Ecorazzi] via [Hugg]

Shop. Donate. Feel Good. Buying books? Need a gift or more great music? Getting an iPod? Ordering your monthly contacts or prescriptions?

You can now support us at Sustainable Style Foundation at the same time! All you have to do is go to sustainablestyle.freepledge.com before you start shopping online and click on the desired store's webpage. When you make a purchase during that session, a portion of what you spend will go directly to supporting our work. Now you can donate to SSF through the online purchases you already make -- at no extra cost. Some stores donate more than 10% of each dollar spent!

Many popular stores have signed up for this great program, including Amazon.com, Macy's, 1-800-Flowers, 1-800-Contacts, Apple, Drugstore.com, eBay, and new retailers are being added every day: Armani Exchange, DKNY, Gaiam, Couture Candy, Hotels.com...the list goes on and on. So the next time you're shopping online, please consider supporting SSF by clicking here first. There is no obligation, no membership and no hassle. Thanks a lot for your support! [sustainablestyle.freepledge.com]

Al Gore announced the Live Earth series of concerts last week, with lots of media coverage (we mentioned it in the Spotlight section of our site). A few more details have emerged, and it's stacking up to be a fantastic, sustainable event. The sustainability initiatives are being organized by a team headed by sustainability guru John Picard, the award-winning sustainability expert and former member of President Clinton’s Green White House task force. Their job is to follow the wastestreams of the concert, in its various locales, and cover their tracks with offsets. They're talking about things like producing the first concert powered entirely from the garbage of the people attending...wow. Additionally, all electricity used to power the event will be from renewable sources (biodiesel, solar, wind, etc.) and all concession stands will be using biodegradable plastics; anything leftover will be taken care of with on-site recycling. When it comes to the performers and their time on stage, compact fluorescent bulbs and LED lighting will be used in both trailers and on stage. Taking it one step further, any hotel wishing to accommodate Live Earth staff must switch out any incandescents or other inefficient bulbs with either CFL or LED alternatives, and non-toxic cleaners will be employed in the rooms, along with a recycle bins provided for each room. Lastly (but certainly not least), all air travel for Live Earth will be offset with carbon credits.

This is quite an array of sustainable efforts. As with other large-scale events like this in the past, the concern is that they'll fall apart in the face of the huge crowds and difficult logistics of any large-scale event like this. They're certainly headed in the right direction to start. [Live Earth] via [Ecorazzi]

Fun loving Canadian popsters Barenaked Ladies are at it again. Jim Creeggan, who plays bass for the group, has written a nice piece in the group's blog about the group's recycling and carbon offset efforts while they're on tour. He tells an engaging anecdote about how his mom started a little recycling depot for glass and tin in his neighborhood; he's been a recycling enthusiast ever since. The group is also working hard to offset some of the carbon emissions from their current tour, and have put up some pretty impressive numbers. They're selling stickers at each of the shows; the revenue from the sticker sales goes to fund carbon offset programs. So far, the 175 stickers sold at the show in Washington, D.C., equaling 52,500 pounds of carbon offset, is the big winner, with Denver's 167 stickers and 50,100 pounds a close second. Jim finishes his post with this:

I told my mom about the recycling that we're doing on tour, and how proud I was of it. She congratulated me, and then said, “Recycling is Good, but Reduction is Better.” I hear you Mom. One step at a time.

Keep up the good work, guys! [BNL Blog] via [Ecorazzi]

Seattle-area sustainable style enthusiasts, please Save the Date on December 13, for the next Cocktails for a Cause. We're giving some extra notice before the official invitation because the venue is changing, and we're switching to the second Wednesday of the month (instead of the first), so please take note. Here is what you need to know, for now:

Location | Form/Space Atelier at 1907 Second Avenue, across from The Moore Theater
Date | Wednesday, December 13
Time | 6 - 8 pm
Cause | The Vera Project

Everything else stays the same; we'll have music, cocktails, munchies and fun; stay tuned for the official invitation, with more details, coming next week. We hope to see many of you there!

We first mentioned Gomez a few weeks back, in conjunction with their collaboration with CLIF bar to make their touring a little greener; we were also impressed by the news that they're staying in sustainable hotels and selling organic cotton t-shirts at their shows. Sarah van Schagen over at Grist got a chance to sit down with Tom Gray, the band's guitarist, vocalist & keyboardist, to chat about what it's like to be in a bad-ass rock 'n roll band that cares about the planet. It's worth a read. [Gomez] via [Grist]

Scissor Sisters, the piano-pop rockers who brought the world the infectious dance hit "Take Your Mama," have teamed up with Global Cool to play a concert to save the world (or so they hope). Tonight they're playing to a sold-out, Halloween dress-up gig at the Brixton Academy in the UK to raise awareness about climate change; even though it's sold out, you can listen to the webcast here thanks to Global Cool. It was scheduled to start at 10 pm GMT (which is about 15 minutes ago), but the latest word is that they'll be going on late, so you still have time. Rock out with the Scissor Sisters, and help 'em show the world that climate change is for real. [Global Cool] via [The Green Guy]

Craig Minowa, frontman and visionary behind the band Cloud Cult and Earthology Records, is featured on KEXP radio's latest episode of their "Music That Matters" podcast (we interviewed both Craig and KEXP for the latest issue of SASS Magazine, all about music). Morning host John Richards sits down for chat with Craig about his efforts to make more sustainable CDs and lifestyle choices, and talks about the kind of things we should all be doing to walk a more sustainable path every day. We really enjoyed the interviews with both Craig and KEXP, and it's great to see rock bands and independent radio really getting in to the sustainable lifestyle gig; the more they can show that rock 'n roll can be sustainable, the more other bands and radio stations will catch on and help spread the word. To hear what Craig & John have to say, subscribe to the podcast. [Cloud Cult] & [Earthology Records] via [KEXP Radio]

Just a day late to be included in the music issue of SASS Magazine, the good folks at CLIF bar have teamed up with bands like Gomez, Guster and Hot Buttered Rum to help them make their tours a little greener. Efforts like biodiesel buses on tour, CO2 offsets and organic cotton t-shirts underscore CLIF's commitment to a sustainable planet, brings the message to each bands' audience, and shows that rock can be (more) sustainable.

"We're really excited to have the opportunity to partner with Clif Bar to bring this program to life," says Gomez vocalist Tom Gray. "It's 50 percent about what we're doing and 50 percent about encouraging our fans to consider their own environmental footprint and to take small steps to reduce it. It's one thing for a band to do something it is another for a fan to say, 'Yeah, I want to know how I can do something.'"

We caught Gomez on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" last night for the debut of the single "See The World," and they sounded good. The song will also be featured in promos for ABC's show "What About Brian?".

SSF is excited to be launching the latest issue of SASS Magazine next week; it's all about sustainability and music, and we can't wait to get it out there, so here's a little sneak peek.

Kelley Stoltz, an artist on SubPop Records, made waves in the music industry earlier this year by recording his new album, Below the Branches, using 100% renewable energy. He teamed up with Green-e and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation to purchase enough renewable energy credits (RECs) to offset the energy he used to produce his record, a music industry first. We wanted to find out more, so we tracked him down for a chat. The full interview will appear next week in SSF's online publication, SASS Magazine.

SASS Magazine: What gave you the idea to take your gig as a musician and put an eco-friendly twist on it?

Kelley Stoltz: I’d always been conscious of throwing away my trash; I was never a litter bug and was always a recycler. I’ve used plenty of Styrofoam cups for coffee to go and always felt a tinge of guilt about it, so I started just bringing my own along. I was definitely not the most environmentally-aware person growing up, but going to from Michigan to California definitely opened my eyes to different things. I learned that it’s important to care about the world, in a way that isn’t taught in school; if your parents aren’t into it, it’s not always a big issue. Basically, I really started absorbing some new ideas when I moved to California. I’m good buddies with Sarah (Krasley, who works for the Center for Resource Solutions, which oversees the Green-e program), so she and I started talking about it, and, really, I was able to help her live one of her dreams, which is to introduce the ideas of green energy and energy efficiency to musicians, the music industry, recording, and any of the electronic processes, really, that we use. She was the main push behind it. After we talked about what it would take to make it happen, the financial commitment was so little over the 2.5 years or so that I was recording; I record at home, so I have a big tape machine, I have about three amplifiers, and a computer that I use for mixing, and I’ve got all these things on all day long: I start recording at noon and I shut ‘em off at 10 at night. The option to buy RECs was just very easy. It was a matter of doing a little math and figuring out how much we were using. It was really a painless operation.

Want to find out more? Come back next week to read the entire interview.

Toronto-based band Barenaked Ladies are asking their fans to get creative in the name of charity. In an effort to "[shift] the focus to the fan and letting them decide how they want to consume the music," the band inviting fans to remix their music, make their own t-shirts, and generally be as creative as they want with the band's work. Accoring to the CBC, "The band will re-package five of the best remixes in one CD, with proceeds going to charity." Always great to see artists giving back to both their dedicated fans and deserving charity, all while creating new music. Go, BNL! [CBC] via [Boing Boing]