Green Cotton

BoB’s 100 % eco-friendly clothing hangers offer a refreshing alternative to the ubiquitous plastic hangers that most of us buy (or accumulate through purchases), which are made from toxic and difficult to degrade polystyrene or polycarbonate materials.

Of the 8 billion hangers purchased every year, a mere 15% of hangers are recycled after use. That accumulates into enough waste to fill the entire Empire State Building four times, every single year! BoB provides an easy alternative that can do wonders for reducing that waste, not to mention toxic build-up.

“BoB”, the name of this innovative new environmentally friendly hanger system, stands for Bottle “Object” Bottle. As the name suggests, this is how one puts the hanger to use. Simply buy the holder and use two plastic bottles of any type to complete the hanger (a perfect way to recycle plastic that otherwise would be piling up landfills anyway!).

Designed by Joan Nadal, the hanger system reuses P.E.T. bottles by integrating them into the hanger system as part of the practical and lightweight clothing hanger. This product is meant to help reduce waste and increase recycling, while also serving as a reminder that we continually need to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

Joan Nadal’s design reduces energy use during production and eliminates use of toxic substances. The fact that BoB hangers come as one lightweight pieces of cardboard reduces the carbon footprint of transportation, and because the consumer constructs this object themselves, this process uses no energy, and BoB’s hangers come with no packaging, which is often a huge waste consideration.

Check out the short video on BoB’s website http://www.bobhanger.com/how the hanger can be put together, and taken apart to be reused again somewhere else:

Primary sources: TreeHugger and BoB’s website.

Doo.Ri at NY Fashion Week

Last week, fashion lovers saw a scaled-back version of New York’s Fall Fashion Week. Fewer designers showed at the tents than usual; many regulars, like Vera Wang and Betsey Johnson, opted for showroom presentations instead. The recession was reflected in many collections, but, in most cases, this turned out to be a good thing. Doom and gloom may be prevalent in the economy, but Fashion Week’s spunky designers showed that it doesn’t rule the runways.

Donna Karan, DKNY and Victoria Beckham offered modern, minimalist designs with mix-and-match potential, perfect for stretching a wardrobe budget.
Marc Jacobs drew heavily upon eighties’ excess for inspiration, resurrecting slick, spiky hairstyles and even shoulder pads to recall a time when “creative people could afford to live in [the] city.”

DKNY, NY Fashion Week

Michael Kors, too, had an eighties moment, applying unexpected splashes of neon to an otherwise neutral palette. And to drive home the point that the eighties are back in full force, Kors one-upped Jacobs’ shoulder pads with another bygone accessory: arm warmers. And he even managed to make them look office-appropriate!

Michael Kors at NY Fashion Week

Christian Siriano seemed to have the most fun with neutrals, showing luscious silks and organza clothes drenched in shades of chocolate, mocha and latte, paired perfectly with mauve, bronze and turquoise. And he was, perhaps, the most budget-friendly, outfitting his models with Payless shoes of his own design.

Christian Siriano at NY Fashion Week

Alexander Wang, Doo.Ri and Rag & Bone all showed updated versions of fall 2008’s glam rock goddess. Alexander Wang added polish with a sparkling dress and snakeskin blazer. Doo.Ri (featured top) used sophisticated touches of silver atop basic black and a slim silhouette. Rag & Bone made rock ‘n’ roll look downright cozy, topping leather leggings with chunky knitwear, scarves, and pops of blue and red. Later, the same leggings were paired with a snug charcoal-hued coat.

Diane Von Furstenburg gave us exotic patterns, animal prints and opulent hats straight out of a global bazaar. Matthew Williamson also went the exotic route, but with a distinct Native American flare.

Diane Von Furstenburg at NY Fashion Week

And the always-entertaining Izaac Mizrahi delivered a zany range of colors—and an inventive new way to wear handbags!

If this year’s Fall Fashion Week has taught us anything, it’s that a fall wardrobe – on any budget – need never be boring, and you can always accessorize with whatever you have on hand!

Isaac Mizrahi at NY Fashion Week

And some eco-friendly ideas on how to rock the best fall fashion styles? If you bought any trendy pieces last fall, use ‘em again this year. Update them with those special touches, like a global necklace, wide belt and sky-high footwear. Buy vintage, organic, or fair trade as often as you can, and have fun mixing and matching! Don’t let the recession put a crimp in your style—let it inspire you to get creative with the pieces you already own. What do you think of the New York fashion shows? Tell us about your impressions.

*All photos are from New York Magazine, nymag.com and hyperlinks to the sources are listed for each designer above.

By Erin Dale

Photo Source: END Footwear

END Footwear symbolizes the beginning of a new generation of environmentally conscious shoe manufacturers. They go to the extreme to ensure that their products meet the demands of sustainability. The symbol of END was developed as a vision of a line being drawn in the sand between the old way of manufacturing shoes and the new sustainable way, and bringing and END to the old way: “Our name is our promise to work everyday on designing & manufacturing world-class footwear whose environmental impact is lessened and lessened every season.”

END offers a couple different styles of men’s and women’s running shoes appropriate for ‘road’, ‘trail’, and ‘water’. In all shapes and styles, END stays true to their environmental sustainability commitment. All END shoes are made from 100 % post-consumer waste. But how do they do it?

END keeps their shoes oh-so-environmental by using rice based glues, soy based inks, 100 % certified recycled PET for the laces and webbing, and a 25 % Bamboo infused collar and tongue lining, to name just a few. All of these materials lead to END Footwear being some of the lightest to ever grace the market. The running shoes weigh in at only 9.3 ounces, making exercise less of a strain on the body and the environment.

Photo Source: Souls4Souls

But END goes beyond sustainable shoes to give back to their community and others around the world. They have teamed up with the NGO Souls4Souls to hold shoe drives, and have donated over 400 shoes to children in the developing world who do not have any shoes of their own. END is also devoted to the four R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Responsibility. END sees their commitment to corporate responsibility and transparency as one of the most important aspects of running a corporation successfully.

Check out their styles. Everyone deserves a lighter run and with so many unsustainable shoes out there that can never be used again, END products are a refreshing choice for the environmentally conscious consumer.

END’s goal is to eventually manufacture shoes that are compostable (e.g. biodegradable), and they have hired one of the best teams in the world to achieve this goal. For now though, they are pretty darn close to being the most eco-running shoe we have ever seen.

For more information, see END’s website as well as the recent post by TreeHugger focused on END.