Chicago’s Greenheart Shop is declaring that Black Friday will be Green Friday this year at their store, which sells Fair Trade, eco-friendly and socially conscious gifts, food, clothes and accessories.

Greenheart, a non-profit cultural exchange and storefront (at 1911 W. Division) will be serving free Fair Trade wine, cocoa and snacks to shoppers. Visitors can also see a make-your-own gift wrap demonstration. The event, on Friday, Nov. 27, when shoppers traditionally swarm the stores keeping retails in the black, will run from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Those who can’t attend can still buy Greenheart products online.

The goodies sold at Greenheart benefit disadvantaged workers, coops in developing nations and support ecologically sound growing methods, like shade-grown cocoa. They include:

• 

  Clutch made of recycled saris.

  Purses and clutches made from recycled saris, such as this one made by a family of artisans near New Delhi, India, through WorldFinds, a Chicago-based organization that partners with fair trade organizations, women’s self-help groups, and small families of artisans in India, Nepal, and Indonesia.

• Beeline Honey, an all natural raw honey produced by (bees and) Sweet Beginnings, LCC, a social enterprise and transitional job program of the North Lawndale employment network in Chicago. The program helps people who face barriers to employment, particularly those with histories of criminal conviction. The Beeline enterprise helps workers establish a work history and learn productive work habits.

• Eco-friendly gift wrap that is 100 percent tree-free. Made out of recycled cotton rags, each sheet of gift wrap
  

  Wrapping paper made of recycled rags.

  offers unique colors and patterns. Customers can specify a color preference for these 22 x 32-inch sheets of wrap made by Artisans at the Eco Friendly Papers workshop in Rajasthan, India, who collect cotton waste, such as rags, and turn it into a pulp.

The shop also sells soy candles, women’s dresses, baby accessories, reusable water bottles, Fair Trade cocoa and more.

To read more about Greenheart and its work around the world, see the history on their website.

The Greenheart storefront is open  M-F 11-7; Sat 11-6; Sun 12-5; products are available online.

Rummaging through sweaters? Trying on last year’s jackets? Tired of that same old gray hoodie? It is possible to make a fashion statement this fall and express concern for artisans of the world with an assortment of fair-trade apparel. Your choices range from high-end big-name designers to small, globally conscious entrepreneurs. We’ve piled up a lot of crisp, autumn goodies for you to sort through.

Start at the top of the fashion pecking order with some pieces from Stella McCartney’s collection. In addition to being a lifelong vegetarian (and Paul McCartney’s daughter), the fashion-forward designer uses no leather or fur. Some — but not all — of her offerings are made of natural materials by workers co-operatives in Senegal and Burkina Faso. Sticker shock time: her boucle Porrima motorcycle jacket (above, left) is $1,645, and her shaped gray wool Olesia coat (above, right) is $1,795.

School groups, sports teams and others, may want to consider going organic with their group shirts this year.

It’s easier than ever before to take your organization into greener territory.  Now organic Ts, ready for imprinting by your group, are available in reasonable prices from more vendors than ever.  Edun Live, the company formed by Bono and his wife Ali Hewson, now sells bulk organic cotton Ts made by workers in Sub-Saharan Africa. Assisi Garments also produces organic cotton T-shirts and other clothing, all made in Fair Trade shops in India.

One T-shirt we’re fond of is the Anvil organic cotton tee, because we know it to be soft and reasonably priced. Anvil, based in New York with factories in the US South and Central America, also is proactive in this area. The company is trying to help cotton farmers transition to organic practices by developing signature shirts, such as the new AnvilSustainable (shown at left), made of recycled plastic bottles and cotton from farms that are in the midst of going organic.  These farmers’ first crops can’t be certified organic until their land has been chemical-free for three years.

Each AnvilSustainable T-shirt is made from the fibers from three 20-oz recycled PET plastic bottles (soda bottles typically) and cotton from transitioning farmers.

This unique shirt will be on display this week at the Magic Market apparel trade show in Las Vegas. (Their booth will be in the North Hall in the Eco section.)

Anvil Knitwear  is the largest domestic purchaser of U.S.-grown certified organic cotton and was ranked by the Organic Exchange as being the sixth-largest purchaser of organic cotton worldwide in 2008. Its eco collection includes 15 T-shirts, fleeces and bags made with 100-percent organic cotton.  The company also developed the AnvilRecycled tee, which is made with pre-consumer recycled cotton (factory scraps) and is certified “carbon free” by the Carbonfund.org.

Buy Anvil products at BuyAnvil.com for individual t-shirts, or through wholesale distributors for bulk purchases.

By Hosea Sanders

CHICAGO (WLS) — Now you can look good while protecting the planet. Clothing made from bamboo or plastic bottles may not sound appealing — or comfortable. But once you experience it, you might be pleasantly surprised. >> Read the full story

The school uniform of choice for tweens and teens is pretty simple: a T-shirt and jeans (or anything denim).

For the student who is a humanitarian or environmentally oriented, we’ve collected a line-up of Ts that are not just made of organic materials and under fair-trade conditions – they carry messages of support for Earth-friendly concerns.

• Common Threadz is a non-profit group working to aid orphans and vulnerable children in Africa. Every T-shirt purchase helps the group pay for a school uniform or food. Check out Orphan Collection – Ts designed by the African children, complete with a picture and some information about each child. In one, Wandile Dindi of South Africa (above, left) displays his design for a T-shirt (above, right). The site provides information about each child. For Wandile: ”His father has passed and his mother is unemployed and cannot support him. . . .” The Orphan T-shirts range from kids sizes ($29) through adult ($38 for women’s and $44 for men’s).

• The World of Good site on eBay offers thousands of items – from art to musical instruments – that are handmade, fair trade and “ethically sourced.” That means lots of holistic T-shirts. Examples: “Make Tea Not War” organic cotton, by The Greater Green, for $22; or a guy’s “Fight Globally” shirt, $28, (right) by AutonomieProject.

• Seattle-based Greenloop features lots of eco-friendly Ts. Everything they sell is made of natural or recycled material, and they say they buy from environmentally friendly and fair labor shops. Project Green Label has a cute Earthy statement on their organic cotton T-shirt ($38), and Andira’s pretty “Rain Forest” sky blue shirt ($38) is graphically pleasing.
  For guys, Sub_Urban Riot makes an energy statement with an organic T festooned with graphic wind turbines ($34). Green Label Organic has a funny “tree mugger” picture (left) on their green ring-spun organic cotton T for $30.

• If artistic and handmade items are what your tween or teen prefer, Etsy is a great place to shop. The site allows creative artisans and designers around the world a place to sell their singular wares. Among their green-statement Ts, the “Peace, Love and a (picture of a bicycle)” ($26) would suit either sex, young or old. It’s made by Lofty Mornings. A flat-out statement of self may suit your student: “100% Ethical” (at left) is the message on a plain white T made of un-dyed organic cotton. The T Shirt Project creation is only $14.
  An environmental message – “In the trees I do believe” – is front and center on Perusha People’s T-shirts for men and women ($23).
  GreenWorks’ “Organic Couture” shirt ($26) is a flashy T for girls. They point out that the graphic’s ink is low-impact and water-based.
  Another commentary – “Local is beautiful” – adorns Rectangle Design’s T ($24). Kitten In The Engine offers up a lengthy statement of our environmental needs (It starts with “It is too bad that we messed things up . . . “) on their organic ring-spun cotton shirt ($24).

• HinixTees has a lovely lineup of women’s earth-oriented T-shirts, such as the “Back to Roots” burnout organic option for $20 (at right). Many of their selections are selling quickly, so check it out fast.

• At California Rising’s website, there are plenty of trendy green messages on men’s T-shirts, although at $65 they’re a bit pricey.

• Edun is a popular clothing line aimed at providing sustainable work for people in developing countries. A guy’s V-neck shirt features the company’s “Freedom Respect” message for $50 (that’s a reduced price). The shirt is made in Uganda.

• If you’re a girl with Zen-like leanings, the Om Girl Freedom Buddha T-shirt of organic cotton at Vickerey will make your mindfulness known (for $44). Students who have opted to stop eating meat will love the Herbivore line, including their uni-sex “Herbivore for Life” shirt (at right, $23).

• Subtle, simple holistic messages (such as “Today matters”) are on Buy Green’s scoop-neck girls’ bamboo/organic cotton T-shirts, on sale for $29. Made by Tees for Change, the shirts are made with low-impact dyes, water-based inks, and are sweatshop-free (they’re made in Turkey).

• Oh Buggy’s line of organic Ts are hot-sellers. They are selling out quickly, but you can still grab the Pandamonium shirt for guys or girls (it’s a “mini-commentary” on the destruction of pandas’ natural habitats) for $30 (below, left).

• And girls will find short- and long-sleeved Ts and tanks that sport their favorite eco-foundation logo at PositiviTee. The company sends 10 percent of the cost of the shirts to their matching charities. For example, the tangerine T with a swinging chimp supports the Jane Goodall Institute and the turquoise shirt with fish benefits Greenpeace. (below, right; $48.95)

Copyright © 2008 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Satchels, messenger bags and lunch containers seem to be magnets for green innovation these days. We’ve seen them made of PET plastic, gum wrappers, vegan materials and adorned with solar collectors. Why not fashion them from rice bags?

A group of women in sustainable coops in the Philippines thinks these colorful receptacles should get a second life (and we agree). The women recycle large rice bags, and other post-consumer materials, weaving them into shoulder purses, carry-alls, messenger bags and lunch boxes. A stateside retailer, A Healthy Green Home, sells the bags and donates some of the proceeds to the Lymphoma & Leukemia Society, in honor of Ray Molina, husband to Rebecca Molina, a leader of one of the coops.

The “Magnolia” purse (shown at left; $48) has a certain panache. It’s slick surface wipes down easily and the bag is foldable for travel.

Also offered: A rice sack lunch bag ($12.50) and a juice-wrapper tote ($58; below).

A Healthy Green Home describes itself as “a multi-platform licensing and entertainment portal dedicated to the design and manufacture of accessible and affordable green products”. HGH brings designers and manufacturers together to “ensure that our customers are purchasing quality products that are value oriented and environmentally friendly”.

We like the recycled credentials of these bags, and that they support Philippo artisans. Value-oriented? You’ll have to be the judge.

The online retailer is a subsidiary of Danger Management & Media Inc., a branding and media think tank based in Miami.

Here’s a product that gives new meaning to the phrase, “tread lightly.” The Timberland Company has unveiled the Earthkeepers 2.0 boot, designed to be disassembled and recycled rather than discarded at the end of its product life.

The company says consumers who buy the Earthkeepers 2.0 boots can simply return them to any Timberland store for recycling at the end of their use. Timberland says it will launch a “second life” program to pilot reusing components from the returned boot to make a new pair of shoes.

Eighty percent of the Earthkeepers 2.0 boot can be recycled or re-used, including:

• Leather that is refurbished at the company’s factory in the Dominican Republic
• Green Rubber soles that will go back to a Green Rubber factory in Georgia for recycling. Green Rubber’s patented D-Link technology effectively breaks down tire-rubber so that it can be recycled repeatedly back into new products, including Timberland outsoles
• Removable metal hardware that can be reused in new footwear or recycled
• Polyester lining that can be recycled into new polyester products

The Earthkeepers 2.0 boot, part of a broader Earthkeepers collection, will be available to consumers in Fall 2009.

“We can be deliberate about designing the ‘greenest’ footwear out there — but if at the end of the day those products still end up in a landfill, we haven’t really closed the loop on our environmental responsibility,” Brian Moore, Timberland’s VP of Men’s Product, said in a statement. “With Earthkeepers 2.0, we have an opportunity to influence the environmental impact of our products in a way we haven’t before – after the point of purchase.”

This Father’s Day go green and sustainable with gifts that support eco-friendly clothing, are made with recycled products or help de-toxify dad’s bath and body routine.

• Whether dad is a rugged outdoorsman or just likes to trek around the ‘hood and occasionally go off-road, he might appreciate these Finn Vegan Hiking Shoes by Patagonia. Made without any animal by-products, they’re topped by a breathable mesh and have a footbed composed of 70 percent recycled foam containing carbon and cork bits to wick moisture and control odor. (Making for a lighter footprint!). The insole board is made from recycled polyethylene and the patented “Vibram Ecostep” outsole is composed of up to 30 percent recycled scrap rubber. Patagonia has been producing green clothing and gear for many years, so these shoes are backed by eco-experience that newer green shoemakers are still acquiring. About $100 at Zappos, which carries many more vegan shoes.

• Exercise is good, but so is relaxation. Any pop would like to hang out on this Envirorope Double Hammock, made from recycled soda bottles. It’s available at Greenfeet, which promises that the Envirope is “softer than virgin polyester and shares the same durability”. It’s mildew- and UV-resistant and measures a generous 5 feet x 7 feet, with an overall length of 13 1/2 feet. So no surprise that it is listed as capable of holding up to 450 pounds for familial group naps (you’ll have to figure out how your family adds up). The Envirorope Double Hammock is made in the USA and the spreader bars are white oak from second growth Virginia trees. $134.95 at Greenfeet, which also sells other hammocks, including a single hammock made of hemp.

• What is it about electronics and guys? They seem perpetually delighted with the latest blinking gadget. This year try giving dad a way to power his gadgets, his iPhone or iPod or handheld game devices, with a Solio Classic Hybrid Solar Charger. The Solio is compact and green, collecting power from the sun to recharge small electronics. A fully charged Solio is listed as able to recharge the average phone once and perhaps twice, or power 15 hours of MP3 music. (The rough calculation is 15 minutes of talk time or 40 minutes of music for one-hour of sun charging time.) You charge at about the same rate of speed as if the gadget were plugged into the wall, except there’s no “charge” because solar energy is free! Great for outdoor excursions, or just use a clear, sunny windowsill to collect the rays. The Solio comes with adaptor tips to fit iPhones, Samsung, Sony-Ericson, Nokia and LG phones and devices. Available many places, including at Green Home for $95.00 

• Get dad started on natural body products with this new Burt’s Bees Men’s Natural Grooming Kit, containing a small body wash, soap bar, sponge, lip balm and aftershave. Good Guide gives Burts Bees products an 8.2 rating, on a scale of 10, for health and social responsibility criteria and notes that the company is a member of Safe Cosmetics and on PETA’s “no animal testing” list. As for the actual ingredients, the Burt’s website lists the ingredients of each product. The body wash, for instance, relies on coconut, citrus and sunflower oils and contains no parabens, phthalates or synthetic fragrances.  $19.99 at Target. Get bigger portions by buying the 12 oz. bottle of  Natural Skin Care for Men Body Wash or the Natural Skin Care Shaving Cream, 6 oz.  These retail for $8 each and are available at many stores.

• Improving the wardrobe — always a good bet and often, necessary. Combine practicality and fun by treating padre to an upscale Loomstate Organic Cotton T-shirt with arty graphics. Loomstate, a collaboration between designers Rogan Gregory and Scott Mackinlay Hahn created in 2004 to create demand for responsibly made, organic cotton clothing, does it better than just about anyone. Check out this breezy “Peace Signs” SS Crew Tee, with whirring wind turbines. It’s $54 at the Loomstate website and there are plenty other designs to choose from.  Loomstate T-shirts, hoodies and shorts are also available at Barneys New York and other retailers.

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

As I unloaded my groceries onto the conveyor belt, I realized I was buying more than could fit in my reusable bags.

“Can you try to fit everything in these?” I asked, handing over my assortment of canvas totes.

“I can try,” the cashier answered. “But it’s no big deal, I can just use plastic bags for whatever we can’t fit into  the ones you brought.”

“Oh no,” I said. “No plastic bags. Please.”

She stared back at me. She had already stretched out a plastic bag and was ready to load.

“I have this thing,” I told her. “I just really hate plastic bags.”

I wasn’t lying. I really do hate plastic bags, and I was on the last day of my one-week challenge to only use reusable bags for every purchase I made.  I wasn’t going to let the two gallons of milk, a watermelon and a Gatorade six-pack that wouldn’t fit in my totes stop me.

“Just put the stuff that doesn’t fit right into the cart,” I told her.

I made it to the car and my groceries made it to my home without the help of a plastic bag. I learned after going a week without them, shopping bags were simply unnecessary.

I got used to the idea of refusing plastic bags at the grocery store during the year I studied in London. Some stores would charge you if you needed a plastic bag while others would give you credit if you brought your own. And it made sense to bring a sturdier bag since you’d most likely be walking your groceries back home.

Carrying a reusable bag in London was trendy and cool. The U.K. is the birthplace of the ubiquitous “I’m Not A Plastic Bag” tote created by activist organization We Are What We Do, which encourages people to use small, daily actions to change the world.

Reusablebags.com reports an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. That comes out to more than one million per minute. And the bags that get dumped pollute soil and water sources and are the cause of death for thousands of animals each year. Plastic bags do not biodegrade. They photodegrade, which means they break down into smaller and smaller pieces that contaminate the environment.

And paper bags aren’t much better. Research shows that more greenhouse gases are emitted during the manufacturing and transporting of paper bags than plastic bags. So the best solution is to use a reusable bag.

So the What We Do organization asked British bag guru Anya Hindmarch to create an affordable and environmentally friendly bag people could use instead of plastic or paper bags. And when 20,000 of them were released at 450 supermarkets across England in 2007, women got in line at 2 a.m. and all were sold by 9 a.m. Women in the States had a similar reaction. Within three hours of it being offered for the first time across the U.S., it had sold out of every Anya Hindmarch boutique across the nation.

Paul Dorn knows that getting Americans to ride a bike to work instead of driving a car is quite the uphill battle. Even on a good day, he says, only a tiny percentage of the nation’s commuters use pedal power to get to their jobs.

He remains undeterred.

Given that this is national Bike to Work Week, it’s an apt time to pick Dorn’s brain on the subject. Between co-authoring a book (The Bike to Work Guide: What You Need to Know to Save Gas, Go Green, Get Fit) his bike commuting advice Web site and his commuting tips blog, he is well-versed in the subject.

“I’m fairly typical of most Americans in the sense that the day I got my driver’s license, the bike went into the garage. I didn’t really touch it again until my mid-30s, when I was living in San Francisco, and didn’t have a car,” he said. His frustrating mass transit commute took 90 minutes. So he hopped on a bike, cut the commuting time in half, felt healthier, stopped paying bus fare and just generally started having more fun.

He’s still doing it at age 48, (now living in Sacramento and working at The University of California at Davis) and hasn’t owned a car since 1992.

Of course, starting out in San Francisco helped. It’s a generally bike-friendly city, and Dorn (pictured at left) found  a supportive cycling community to tell him about equipment, routes to avoid traffic and other advice. He started the website in 1997 as a class exercise. “People started finding it and at the time there weren’t a lot of online resources on the subject,” he said. So he offered guidance in bikes and equipment, dealing with bad weather and traffic and now has a loyal following.

“I’m just trying to provide inspiration and information for people who might be traveling by bike.”

Bike to Work Week is the brainchild of the League of American Bicyclists (which traces its roots to 1880). The organization offers support, advocacy, resources, education and information to their 300,000 affiliated cyclists. It’s all about creating a more bicycle-friendly America.

To that end, they have a project guide for cyclists interested in organizing events and support for Bike to Work Week as well as Bike Month (which is now). Part of the guide includes suggestions for overcoming excuses not to ride your bike to work (if you say you’re too out of shape, they say ride at an easy pace, and try it on a weekend; if you say it will take too long, they respond that car commuters travel an average 10 mph, and you’ll eventually go faster on the bike; it’s too far, you say – then combine riding and mass transit to shorten your commute).

A Peace Treaty:  This line was created by partners Farah Malik, a Muslim from Pakistan, and Dana Arbib, a Jew from Libya. Their scarves, stoles and bandanas are made by artisans working in war-torn parts of the world.

The colorful items are inspired, they say, by the “hand-crafting cultures of the Middle East, Asia, Europe and Africa.” The design duo travel to a new part of the globe each season to track down artisans. They also donate, their Web site says, to Counterpart International – this season’s proceeds will go to reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan.

Their designs – for men and women — range from fringed, dip-dyed lightweight silk scarves (such as the Neino, above right, for $109) to hand-blockprinted silk stoles (the ELS, left, $148) to elegant block-printed bandanas (the Hasani black, $72, right).

You can see their full spring lineup on their Web site, A Peace Treaty.

Eairth: Unfortunately, we didn’t get to Oak’s lineup of Eairth items in time and they’re sold out, but we found a sampling of designer Melissa Dizon’s Phillipine-made women’s clothes at Revolve Clothing.

Dizon uses natural fibers, such as organic cotton jersey, that is then hand-dyed using everything from leaves, flowers, roots colorful spices and even tree bark. The shirts, pants, shorts, etc. are hand-sewn and embroidered by members of two Filipino indigenous tribes. The results are some slightly space-age, softly shaped clothes. And, like the pink Scarfie at left, they’re not cheap (this one’s $239).

If you’re in New York City, you can find Eairth designs at Steven Alan, 103 Franklin St.; (212) 343-0692.

Bantu: This hot new line of African-made and inspired swimwear (pictured at bottom) is getting some attention. The itsy-bitsy Brazilian-cut bikinis (and a few less daring one-piece suits) are made of Lycra, with colorful patterns inspired by West Africa’s old wax-cloth textile industry.

The suits this season were made in Ethiopia, but next season will be made in another African country. The colors have special significance as symbols of emotions.

The bikinis cost $74 on Oak, the one-piece suits are $118, but the selection is limited. The line is also sold at several chic L.A. boutiques. You can see all of designer Yodit Eklund’s lineup at her Web site, Bantuwax.

Many people who strive to live an environmentally aware life may often find that their “green” ways end at their feet, encased in leather.

Try as you might, getting the leather out of your life can be a challenge, especially when it comes to cute boots and shoes. But the tide is shifting, and more lines of 100 percent natural, organic and free-trade footwear are available.

Olsen Haus may be the first “vegan” line of shoes. If they aren’t the first, they’ve certainly got a leg up on the competition with their collection of cute, sometimes zany shoes.

What is a vegan shoe? Not only does it not have leather, it is made with “alternative, sustainable and renewable plant-based and man-made non-animal materials.” They don’t even use wool or silk. Olsen Haus shoes have soles of rubber, and colors that are vegan via non-toxic paints.

The company’s green ways don’t stop with their shoes. They practice fair-trade, manufacture close to home, use recycled paper for shoe boxes and try to minimize shipping materials.

Enough about that: Let’s look at their shoes.

The spring collection features trendy platform shoes with high heels  and peep-toes.  The “Balance” shoe (above right) is made of natural linen with microfibers, with kicky neon green platforms. The “Swim” (at left) is a striking mix of stripes and bright blue – all made of faux patent .

And check out the red “Groove” booties made of Italian ultra suede splattered with paint that is tres chic (right).

Olsen Haus’ shoes range from $100 for flat gladiator sandals to $235 for the black version of the Groove booties.

Designer Elizabeth Olsen is no fashion newbie: she was creative director at Tommy Hilfiger and designed for Calvin Klein, Nine West and others.

Copyright © 2008 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media