sustainable style foundation*

Seattle - (Shannon) Have you ever walked or driven through an intersection and wondered just what happens to the traffic light when it has outlived its usefulness? No, neither had I, until recently. Cities all over the world are replacing their old-fashioned incandescent signal lights with more efficient LEDs. This is great in one way, as the LEDs require far less energy and last longer, but it's less great when you take into account that those old light lenses (the red, yellow and green glass) are ending up in landfills by the truckloads. The special glass used for traffic signal lights is complicated and costly to recycle, making dumping them a more "attractive" option. However, an enterprising company known as Greenlight Concepts has found a way to rescue the lenses and turn the situation into a win-win-win. San Francisco designer Daniel Krivens and partner Nicholas Lee had the brilliant idea of turning the discarded lamps into ... well, lamps. Genius.

And they are. Stunning in red, amber and green, these lamps are sustainable and stylish. Pendant lamps of 8" or 12" (there's even a clear version, rescued from train-traffic signals) run between $240 to $299; the 8" or 12" "bucket" versions ($90 to $120) incorporate parchment shades in the design and stand on steel legs (like the one pictured left). All the lamps emit a soft, intimate glow just perfect for creating the right atmosphere that has nothing whatsoever to do with sitting in traffic.

My most recent book review request came from Yale University Press. The title? Auto Mania: Cars, Consumers, and the Environment by Tom McCarthy. Now I am a sucker when it comes to anything history, biography, environment and so would probably give any book in these categories a pretty glowing review, but I must say I REALLY enjoyed this book. It is a very thorough look at our ever so addictive relationship with cars with all its eccentricities from the need for speed, keeping up with the Jones', to ever present power and greed. And he does it with a bit of humor tossed in here and there. Essentially an environmental history of the automobile, McCarthy points out early that scientists and engineers were well aware of the many challenges that came with cars and even goes into Henry Ford's sincere interest in reducing waste in his uber efficient assembly lines. Pop culture played a key role too, from Elvis Presley to Will Rogers. And, no surprise, even early observations of global warming - and how they were ignored - show up in the book. After reading McCarthy's book, we better understand America's romance with the automobile with all its wires, belts, and oh so many other social, political, economic, and environmental 'strings' attached.

Attention Seattle area SSF Members...It's time for another edition of our very popular Cocktails for a Cause (CFAC) events. As always, we'll have music, cocktails, munchies and fun while learning about great nonprofits doing important work in our community. See you there!

2008 Cocktails for a Cause Holiday Progressive Party
(all events are in downtown Seattle on First Avenue between Stewart & Virginia)

**Date Change** - Due to inclement weather on December 17th, 2008 we have changed the date of this event.
New Date: Wednesday, January 7, 2009

6:00-6:45 Peter Miller Books
6:45-7:30 Baby & Co.
7:30-8:15 Polite Society

>> more info on our Cocktails for a Cause events...

Seattle - (Shannon) Water is the new black. Everyone who’s anyone is quaffing the stuff like Henry the Fifth with a goatskin full of vintage mead. There are two distinct brands of water-guzzlers, though: those buying one-use, plastic water bottles by the pallet-load, and those who dangle a single, heavy duty, reusable water bottle by a beaten-up looking carabiner from the webbing on an even more abused backpack. As Americans currently throw away something in the vicinity of 28 billion single-serving water bottles a year, and more than 80% of those bottles end up in landfills or incinerators, perhaps a nifty Christmas gift for your favorite water-connoisseur this year is a water-filtration system and a stylish, unique, reusable bottle?

Personally, we fancy something in a SIGG (at left). These Swiss-engineered aluminum bottles are lightweight, leak- and leach-proof and extremely durable. With 144 bottles and 22 interchangeable lids, even the most discerning style maven amongst us can find the one that fits. Everyone from climbers to supermodels are carrying them, and many of their coolest models still squeeze in at just under the $20 mark.

Here in Seattle, it’s the ubiquitous Nalgene bottle. First developed to be used as laboratory equipment, some of the scientists found the durable bottles made great containers for the great outdoors. Fill ‘em with cool water for a hike or with piping hot noodles for an awesome improv sleeping bag warmer; most active types wouldn’t think of embarking on an outdoor adventure without one. And averaging around $8-9 for a standard model, your no-frills Nalgene is an excellent replacement for flimsy throw-aways.

With many states considering deposit laws on “disposable” water bottles (like the old laws for glass bottles), now may be the perfect time to make the switch. Ditching throw-away water bottles could save us 47 million gallons of oil a year (to produce the one-use plastic bottles) and untold tons of unsafe and unsightly litter. From high rises to high mountains, the sustainable water bottle is in, so quaff deeply and free from guilt.

Another sea monster emerges from Scottish waters. But this one is going on the grid. The Pelamis Wave Energy Converter (named "Pelamis" for the Latin name for sea snake) is kind of like three train cars, linked together, floating semi-submerged on the ocean and cranking out clean, green power. Since the waves it needs are of the type that will unmoor your lunch from your stomach, the Pelamis is tethered to the ocean floor by anchors and a power cable. The Pelamis is 150 m long (about 490 ft), with three power conversion modules -- one at each joint where the "train cars" are linked together. The Pelamis turns to face into the waves, and as the snake rises and falls, the sections move against each other. Hydraulic rams at the hinges drive generators which produce energy. Ta da! Creator Pelamis Wave Power (formerly Ocean Power Delivery Ltd) is currently working with the government of Portugal to get three of the snakes out into the ocean near Agucadoura. Each Pelamis is expected to generate 750 kw to feed back into the national grid. Future projects include “wavefarms” of up to 40 Pelamis machines deployed over an area of about a square kilometer. Such a farm could potentially produce enough energy for 20,000 homes. More on Pelamis here.

Torino, Italia (Pier Paolo) - Apologizing for my basic English I am starting blogging today, first post, first pictures, of course from Torino, the city where I live. A special thank to Sean who invited me to join SSF, I am really proud to do this. Why blogging from Torino? First because the city has been changing a lot for 5-6 years, when was appointed to be Winter Olympic Games in 2006. After the Games, the city has continued to enhance its development and now we are approaching the Year of Design. Torino has been changing very rapidly from One company Town (Fiat Group Automobiles) to a city of services, of culture, of creativity, arts and sports. And the city today shows all the signs of this profound transformation.

Now we are awaiting 2011 when we will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy. In the meantime the city will be the first World Design Capital for one year, a leading project of the International Design Alliance (IDA), currently managed by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID). Twelve months of events, exibitions in Torino and in the entire region to offer a clear vision on the design culture in Piedmont. A design approach that sometimes seems bold and multi-faceted, other times hidden, anyway almost always high level projects.

The real commencement of the World Design events was fixed for the New Year’s Eve of Design, December 31, 2007. After that the programme will tie up with the well established calendar of fairs, exhibitions and festivals that take place in the city’s major venues all through the year. For instance in October the main subject will be design and food, to coincide with the Taste Fair and Terra Madre World Food Meeting edited by Slow Food movement. In November the focus will be on the relationship between art, media and industrial design (Torino Art Fair and Torino Film Festival) and before the summer period two important appointments: “Changing the Change: Design Visions, Proposals and Tools”: this is the title of a conference that will be held on July 10-12, 2008 at the Politecnico di Torino in the framework of Torino 2008 World Design Capital. It will highligt new visions in the field of sustainability and outline the state of the art of ecodesign research. The second event is the 23rd International Union of Architects World Congress that will bring to Torino the International community of architects, planners and designers (June 29-July 3). Green will be the colour of the visual communication of the Year of Design. Why green? First because green represents the combination of the two “corporate” colours of Torino: blue and yellow.Second because it occupies a central position on the scale of human visual perception, it is the colour of reason and of course also the one of sustainable design (green design, eco-design, systems design).

Last but not least I want to mention the Luci d’Artista works and installations. It is a real art gallery en plein air set in streets and squares of Torino from November to February. It has become one of the symbols of the city for 10 years. The 2007 edition includes 19 installations with the well known works of Rebecca Horn, Nicola De Maria and Mario Merz (who used the first Fibonacci numbers written with red neon on one side of the Mole Antonelliana four-faced dome).

I attended the International Sustainability Institute's Trash Fashion Bash tonight and must say that I was totally blown away by the amount and quality of the designs. Many of the designs were from the fabulous design divas at Haute Trash but there were many local designers that wowed the crowd too, from a tofu packaging wedding gown by Chaco to women's business suit made from circuit boards. And then there were the models! Several SSF favorites including Lynne Baker (pictured at left) part of the City of Seattle's green building team (and frequent SSF OSSA Award judge), Diane Sugimura, Director of Planning & Develolpment for the city of Seattle, Joanie Parsons of Parsons Public Relations, Kaye Smith-Blum of Butch Blum who was one of the evenings MCs. There were many other architects, urban planners, and even several budding high schoolers striking a pose for sustainability as well. Any why did the models look so fabulous you ask, well, becuase SSF Co-founder and Senior Stylist Rebecca Luke was on the scene in wearing her les Egoistes hat training all those high-profile sustainability celebs how to strike a pose on the runway of course. All in all, another great example of how we all can look fabulous, live well, and do good.

We've all seen them, the Louis Vuitton ads featuring the likes of Catherine Deneuve, Andre Agassi & Steffi Graf, and Michail Gorbachev in support of the Green Cross International and The Climate Project. They've certainly caught our attention. So we were INCREDIBLY impressed to find how deep Louis Vuitton's committment and efforts truly reach. In their recent report "Naturally Creative", they take a moment away from their fast-paced industry of travel and accessories to sit down and reflect on how, as Yves Carcelle, President of Louis Vuitton puts it, "simple actions make big differences". Like any company starting down the sustainability path, they know they're not perfect but by reading the report, you can see how sincere they are in their current efforts. We were even MORE blown away when we checked out the parent company's environmental website, LVMH and the Environment, where you can learn more about their very broad social and environmental responsibility efforts. Again, the amount, breadth, and depth of their efforts are truly impressive and inspiring. Touchez Louis Vuitton!

We here at SSF are big fans of British cooking celeb Nigella Lawson (find previous blogs here and here). Her London studio kitchen is green powered, she promotes organics left and right, and - as we all know by watching the last segment of her show - she's all about making the most of left overs. Last night I had the honor and pleasure of meeting Nigella at a book signing here in Seattle. I must say, she was even more beauttiful and charming in person. Nigella's latest book, Nigella Express is Nigella's take on 'fast' food. It may be quick and easy to make, but the recipes are far from the stereotype. Consider it more the Slow Food Movement for busy people. Given her take on things expect to see more of Ms. Lawson on SSF.

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:

Well look what I just ran across. By the looks of Hollywood Goes Green it appears that Hollywood is taking the green stuff pretty seriously...which is good because they not only have a long way to go, they are positioned to really create big change on environmental (as well as other social) topics given the exposure Hollywood can provide on issues if they so choose. From their site "iHollywood Forum makes history with the first conference to specifically address environmental issues in entertainment and related industries. Hollywood Goes Green will offer industry insiders a forum to collaborate and develop partnerships for a sustainable future. Be part of this historic gathering for an in-depth exchange of ideas and make deals with influencers who share your passion for protecting the environment." Not bad and surfing through their list of speakers, I'm pretty impressed...some practitioners from the film industry, lots of nonprofit folks, and of course some celebs. Looks like it is 'lights - action' in Hollywood after all.

I can't believe I'm scooping Ecorazzi on this but yes eco celeb fans...the EMA Awards were aired on E! this very evening and for the most part were quite a success. Having attended three of the past award ceremonies it was pretty cool to see them live on TV. Well, mostly live. Based on the editing visible during the show there must have been a bit of delay so that they could cut ans paste everything together. The event was a major success in terms of getting envioronmental issues into the media. EMA really does a great job of this. Not so successful as far as jokes during the show...they're just as bad on TV as they are in person. The major sponsors, Toyota Lexus and Pepsi, were VERY visible as usual too (I think Pepsi must have designed the stage because it was very red and blue...hmm). Lots of celebs handing out awards and one of my favorite green celebs, Blythe Danner, presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Trudy Styler, another big fav of mine. Best of all though, Niecy Nash co-hosted the evening providing lots of backstage scoop...AND she was actually funny. But then how could she not be, she's fabulous.

Whoa Nelly. NBC has gone off the deep end with a whole week of green-themed programming aimed at entertaining, informing and empowering people to make more sustianable personal lifestyle choices. Their Green is Universal campaign is a huge initiative that spans their operations, their programming, Universal Studios park, etc. We were TRULY blown away by the amount of breadth of information, resources, and actions they are undertaking. Chuck, Heroes, Journeyman, and yes...even a green wedding on Days of our Lives. But wait, there's more...Telemundo will have environmental programming and even the Real Housewives of Orange County have 'less bling and more green. Like we said...WHOA, this is cool. Along with Green is Universal, keep an eye on the NBC Green homepage for more info.

I had the fortune to attend the last stop on Seattle-based musician Brandi Carlile's tour tonight. Um...WOW. I've been a huge fan for a long time but last night blew me away. I don't need to tell you how good the music was...it was awesome of course. A couple sustainable surprises to report...both on the music and 'cause' side. Brandi did a couple acoustic songs but then...BUT THEN...Brandi and her sidekicks, the Hanseroth twins - completely unplugged - stepped to the front of the stage and did a song completely off the grid, using just the power of their own voices. They not only pulled it off, they left us all with a memory we won't forget soon. After many more incredible songs, Brandi came back for her encore and announced that not only was her tour climate neutral (arranged through Reverb), all of the commuting miles of the audience had been offset as well. PARTY ROCK ON!!! Now that's going above and beyond the call for sure.

How fun is this! Celebrity arts and crafts!!! Sex & the City star Cynthia Nixon lent her hand to the American Red Cross today at the Time Warner Center in NYC. Cynthia's handprint joined the handprints of celebrities including Julianne Moore, Maggie Grace, and Sophia Bush on the Curél Skin Care Wall of Helping Hands. Per Cynthia, “The fires in California remind us how important it is that we all lend the American Red Cross a helping hand so they can continue to provide resources to those in need.” The wall will be visible until November 3rd and visitors can stop by and put their own print on the wall by making a small donation to the American Red Cross. Beginning Nov. 4th and running throughout the month of November, the celebrity handprints will be up for auction with 100% of the proceeds benefiting the American Red Cross. The Curel Skin Care Helping Hands Wall is part of Curel Skin Care Lends a Helping Hand, a program designed to help raise much-needed funds for the American Red Cross this holiday season and allow people from all walks of life to come together and “lend a hand” to families in need. Curél Skin Care has made a $250,000 donation to support the mission of the American Red Cross to help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.Lend your hand by bidding on a print at www.curel.com.