Green Cotton

While October was officially Fair Trade month, Jute and Jackfruit is continuing to celebrate the cause by hosting an upcoming event that brings together several fair trade companies to delight and inform guests in the Cambridge area. On November 9th, they will host an eco-fashion and Fair Trade event in Cambridge, MA.

Jute and Jackfruit raises awareness on the importance of organic, fair trade and sustainable issues by delivering positive, simple messages about greening and making more ethical our every day lives.

At this upcoming event in Kendall Square, Jute and Jackfruit will present their latest ethical and sustainable clothing collections (including Indigenous Designs, Kelly Lane, Feral Childe and Rebe) as well as provide participants an opportunity to learn more about what it means to be fair trade and organic. Two other fair trade companies will be present to offer their perspectives as well, including free samples of their delicious products.

The participating Fair Trade companies include Dean’s Beans and Theo Chocolate. Each will demonstrate the quality of the products, discuss the ways in which they are fair trade, how they select their farms and more. Free samples of each product will of course also be available.

Dean’s Beans Organic Coffee Company is a 100% Fair Trade and Organic coffee and cocoa processor and wholesale distributor in Orange, Massachusetts, USA. Since 1993, Dean’s Beans has modeled how business can be a vehicle for positive social change while being profitable at the same time. Besides paying above fair prices for all of its coffee and cocoa, Dean’s Beans works directly with the grower communities to address needed social, economic and environmental concerns prioritized by the farmers (largely made up of indigenous peoples working hard to maintain their culture and lifestyles).

Dean’s Beans provides people-centered development design and funding for the communities in such areas as education, clean water and alternative income generation. The company’s business practices have been recognized by the United Nations and the Specialty Coffee Association of America.

How does Dean’s Beans make the difference?

Dean’s Beans promotes local empowerment and self-reliance through their Fair Trade purchases and their work with local grassroots development and human rights groups. The company also sponsors projects here at home with disenfranchised communities such as Native Americans, the homeless and disabled, and many other groups trying to improve their lives and that of their communities. Every cup you drink and every pound you buy contributes directly to the welfare of coffee growers and consumers.

Each player in the cycle of production and distribution, from the farmer to the consumer, participates in socially just and environmentally responsible trade. Each coffee batch they roast also comes from a unique place and society. For example, Dean’s Beans offers the first certified Organic Fair Trade coffee from Brazil. The grower’s cooperative, Association of Small Producers of Poco Fundo, is an amazing, dynamic group of farmers that has been working since 1985 to gain international accreditation for their work in organics and to be accepted on the fair trade registry. The group’s mission is to improve the social, economic and ecological conditions of the families of Poco Fundo, a small municipality of 15,000 people, located in the southern part of the state of Minas Gerais. This has required an amazing commitment of time, energy and money on the farmer’s part.

Moreover, Dean’s Beans is thankful for being a founding member of Cooperative Coffees, the first roaster’s cooperative created to buy direct, Fair Trade coffee from farmer coops, and make it available to any small roaster who wants to participate in the Fair Trade movement. They are also active members of the Fair Trade Federation, an international organization of dedicated Fair Traders.

Located in Seattle, Washington, Theo Chocolate Company is the first and currently the only organic, Fair Trade Certified roaster of cacao in the United States, sourcing cacao from small farmers in the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Panama, Ghana, Madagascar, Venezuela, and the Ivory Coast. Theo’s small team is guided by a passion for chocolate, care for the environment, and dedication to enriching the lives of everyone involved, including cacao farmers and chocolate lovers.

The founder, Joseph Whinney, pioneered the supply of organic cocoa beans into the United States in 1994.
As true chocolate makers, Theo Chocolate takes carefully selected cacao from bean to bar in their own factory, roasting, blending and conching to coax out the distinctive flavor imparted by each growing region. The result is superb artisinally made chocolate with real integrity. Whether you enjoy the 3400 Phinney line of chocolate bars, each “kicked up” with something extra, or prefer the pure cacao interpretations of single-origin and blended Theo chocolate bars, you’ll surely find a very enjoyable tasting experience.

In addition to being ethically-driven, all-natural, and public-friendly, Theo’s offers deliciously inventive chocolate. Classic flavors include orange, mint, cherry-almond, and chili; whereas Theo’s fantasy flavors include Coconut Curry , Coffee and Vanilla, Nib Brittle and Fig Fennel Almond. There’s also the 3400 Phinney Bar (named after the factory address in Fremont), which is milk chocolate liquor mixed with toasted and salted bread bits sourced from a local bakery.

Jute and Jackfruit will be showcasing their fair trade and organic Indigenous Designs collection as well as elements of their Kelly Lane and feral childe collections at the event. All clothing is made from organic and sustainable fabrics, handcrafted, and ethically made. They will also present several of their recycled handbag collections such as Escama Studios, recycled soda pull tab bags and recycled candy wrapper bags.

If you would like to join in on this event in Cambridge, MA email customerservice[at]juteandjackfruit.com to get on the guest list. The event is free. For more information you may also call 781-859-5232

Created by SUST, a sustainable eco-label, the “Sustainability Across America Tour” (SAAT) journey is to discover the roots of the movement, to meet the people who are the motor behind this lifestyle, industry experts, specialty clothing boutiques and friends along the way, which will be shared via social media like Twitter and Facebook as well as at their blog, getsust.

The “Sustainability Across America” tour is co-sponsored by a host of amazing companies from across the United States: EcoSalon, cmarchuska, Indigenous Designs, I love Ryann, Restore Clothing and Guayaki Yerba Matte tea.

The trip will serve not only to increase awareness of the SUST brand, but act as a grassroots marketing effort to create connections at the store level and garner a greater knowledge about how real Americans view words like “organic” and “sustainable.”

In an interview for the website Eco salon, Laura Jones, SUST’s brand ambassador hopes “ this journey will help promote the collaborative energy that fuels the sustainable movement. The movement itself seems like a very high-level, ethereal concept, but the reality is that it’s individual people, working to build and change the way we think and live. This trip is an effort to extend the hand, to engage our community and to build friendships so that together we can all help one another thrive and achieve in our efforts towards a common goal.”

She sees the future of sustainable design as “already going mainstream, continually making inroads into the fashion industry with something that not only feels good and has a sense of style, but is better for the environment as well”.

On Wednesday, July 22nd 2009, “Sustainability Across America” kicked off its national tour with a visit to Indigenous Designs in their beautiful solar powered office space in Santa Rosa, California.

Scott Leonard, CEO of Indigenous Designs explains that Indigenous is not simply a business, but part of a movement that is reshaping the way the world works. Scott has been immersed in the green movement for over 15 years and he gets to business setting us SAAT members on the right path, showing us the ins and outs of the industry.

The first SAAT stop was made at Northern California’s Redwoods National Park. The National Park Service is engaged in an extensive watershed restoration project to increase the longevity of this ecosystem, restoring the hillsides and stream channels to their natural condition before the construction of logging roads prior to the establishment of the park.

Then they went to Crater Lake National park (Oregon), Rogue Breweries (Newport Oregon), Toujours boutique (handmade jewelry and organic cotton hand-spun products) (Nye Beach Oregon). In Portland, they met Aysia Wright of Green Loop to talk about her history with Organic Fashion, they went to Umpqua Hot Springs outside of Diamond Lake in the Toketee Forest, they caught a windsurfing competition in the Columbia River Gorge…

It is just the beginning (Started August 6th), the tour will last 3 months. Haven’t heard any new updates yet, but stay tuned for more as the tour goes on…..maybe SAAT will stop at Green Cotton headquarters in MA?

We found sometime to catch up with Jannae Knopse, the winner of our Green Cotton Earth Day Contest, for an interview to hear more about what she is doing to make the earth a greener place. We are so pleased to learn more about her ethics, goals, dreams, and just exactly what she did for Earth Day! Jannae turns out to be a fascinating artist, true to her morals and sure in her goals.

Read our interview to find out more about Jannae:

Green Cotton (GC): What motivated you to become a designer?

Jannae (J): “I think of myself as less of a designer and more of an artist (granted one who mostly does design work…).

“In any case I had this really amazing art history teacher at a young age that convinced me that I had a future in the arts if I wanted it. Through his class I learned about the power art had in the cultural, historical, and political realms I was particularly inspired by the connection through propaganda and from there on out all I wanted to do was be a part of the arts.”

“I was so fascinated by the relationship that when I got to college (RISD), I majored in printmaking because of its use in propaganda and distribution.

“Printmaking led me to screen printing which led me to shirts which led me to think about cultural and political implications of production. Shirts became my way to affect the world around me.”

GC: Tell us about Slug of the Sea. What inspired you to create designs of insects, bugs and other creatures?

J: “Propaganda and political art often use animals to show an intended meaning. These meanings come from both cultural identities we assign the animals and how the animal is portrayed in the design.

“I started with ants.

“Ants tend to have a military identity and at the time that was the type of propaganda I was most interested in. I wanted to make the way I displayed the ants more honest to their actual behaviors. I realized that it was the relationship of reality to decorative identities which I found most interesting.

“The rest of the insect line followed as an exercise in trying to attract people to things they have aversions to as a way (hopefully) to make them think about what they truly have a problem with… the insect or the way we culturally identify it. Though I’m more then okay with people just thinking they’re funny or cute!”

“Cockroaches hiding out of sight” Unisex sweatshirt from Jannae’s Slug of the Sea line

Photosource: http://shop.slugofthesea.com/

J: “And lucky for me my name ended up fitting into my new aesthetic.

“My first name, Jannae (JUH-nay), is generally considered a pretty name (at least I think so). It turns out that it is also the species name of a sea slug found in Northern California and the west coast of Canada. A pretty name with an adverse secondary meaning! I couldn’t be more meant to be!”

GC: What is your goal with Slug of the Sea (SOS)?

J: “Oh my, what isn’t my goal? I really would like to figure out how to make Slug of the Sea my full-time job, but not just by selling clothes. Over the last year or so I’ve gotten to experience ways I would love to expand it:

“I love doing freelance designing for companies whose mission statements I really respect like the Wildlife Conservation Society, Edun Live, and Malaria No More. This work allows me access to the cultural and political missions I’m interested in. I couldn’t think of a better full time job for me. Anyone with a good mission statement and the need for some design work let me know!

“I also really enjoyed giving a speech at my old college about green washing and fairly made goods in the imprinted apparel industry. The more artists/designers make informed and responsible decisions, the better for all of us. The only way to make things better is to have the most people possible working towards and spending their money on it. That is what will make a difference.

“I also love selling my shirts. The more successful they are the happier I will be. Not only are they a great way to create art, but it allows me to produced clothes the way I preach it should be done. I’ve worked in the imprinted apparel industry as an eco and fairly made consultant for my customers at my day job at a print shop for about two years, so I have the inside scoop on the production policies for many blank apparel companies.

“I only use clothes made by American Apparel (I know all the drama but they are USA made in good conditions and they have an eco line, and I judge the company based on their production standards not their sex lives) or Edun-Live.

“For those who don’t know, Edun-Live is a company created by Bono of U2 and his wife Ali Hewson. The idea of the line is to create sustainable economies in sub-Saharan Africa through fair production. They also have a 100% organic line and they work with the Wildlife Conservation Society to create the Cotton Conservation Society, which is dedicated to insuring the growth of their cotton is as environmentally friendly as possible.

I’m classically trained in Fine Art print making so that will always be my first love so my goal is to sell as much as I can so I can keep producing them.”

GC: Is SOS an eco-line? (and if so how so)?

J: “I wouldn’t call it an eco-line. I’m dedicated to making as many eco choices as possible, but to call it an eco line would imply that everything about it is ecologically friendly. As much as I try, it isn’t totally possible yet (I don’t want what to be a green-washer!). I do have to admit that my main concern is social justice. To me insuring as many eco choices as possible is a part of that. The chemicals and pesticides in question not only harm the earth but the people who come in contact with them. Farmers touch and breath it etc. the ginners, weavers, and sewers touch their fair share too I’m sure depending on the processing of the cotton. Those of us in print shops are breathing some fun stuff from the inks too…

I am eco because: When I can afford it, I use organic cotton tees (though I always buy as fairly made as possible). I will be posting a new organic style shortly– keep your eye out! My packaging for the tees are all printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper and made in the USA. For the prints, I back all of them with the old cardboard boxes from shirt shipments. The inks that I choose to use produce minimal waste.

I am not eco because: Not all of my shirts are organic, I still have to have the blanks shipped to and from me, I have to use plastic to protect the prints, though there is very little waste my inks are not water-based inks (water-based textile inks create a lot of waste so they aren’t really that eco friendly either…)”

GC: Green Cotton awarded you our Earth Day award for your Eco-work in the month of April with Edun-Live. Can you tell us about a little more about your experience working for Edun-live?

J: “Edun-Live quickly became a favorite vendor of mine at my day job in the print shop. They had both fairly made shirts and even some organic styles. Then last summer I started to do some freelance designing for them during which I developed an even bigger crush on Edun. This crush has lead me to want to dedicate more time to such a great cause/company, hence the work I did with them for earth day and throughout the month of April. This opportunity combined my passion and talent for art with my love and desire to make the world a better place!

While there I was able to build up my portfolio while doing things to support a company I respect. Throughout the month I worked on marketing materials, some web design, and designs to be reproduced on tee-shirts. The stuff I was most excited about working on was the printed marketing materials.”

“Year of the Gorilla” T-shirt designed by Jannae while at Edun-Live

Photosource: http://slugofthesea.com/scrapbook.jpg

J: “I also designed posters, hand outs and an earth-day newsletter while I was there. Design and advertising is the best way to inform others about what you are doing and inspiring them to help too; not doing so is the downfall of many a good mission. Maybe it’s just my love of propaganda talking but helping a company create an advertising campaign that informs the public and potential customers of what they are doing right is one of the best things I could do with my time and talent.”

GC: If you had any recommendations for the apparel industry what would they be?

J: “Be honest: this green-washing crap isn’t really going to help anything or anyone in the end.

“It’s great that the public is pressuring big companies to consider what they are doing but the companies turning around and tricking the public isn’t going to change what people want. Maybe you’ll make more money in the short term, but I’ve got to believe (even if it is just to make myself feel better) that this isn’t going away and eventually you’ll have to actually do what you say. And how about while you’re at it be a little preemptive and see that fairly made goods are coming up as the next big thing. Maybe you can be the first to coin the great catch phrase for it, too.”

---

We loved becoming more familiar with Jannae’s devotion to her ethics, and honesty. Green washing can certainly be a step backwards. So once again, congratulations Jannae! Keep up the good work. We also hope more and more people will see the value in saving our environment everyday.

Please check out her own line, Slug of the Sea, at http://slugofthesea.com/index.html.