Green Cotton

We are definitely going through rough times right now: from the bad housing market, bad credit markets, and rising unemployment to increasing health care costs….the list of negatives goes on. Somehow however, it seemed (up until this week), that greener businesses, those focused on sustainability such as conserving energy, conserving resources, investing in the future, were somehow more resilient. In fact, this is exactly the message I heard in a series of talks I attended 10 days ago from various environmentally-driven companies. Yet, today, we hear some unpalatable news– that Plenty magazine (which I happen to appreciate greatly) is going under (and being subsumed by Mother Nature Network) and the environmentally-focused and fair trade online retailer Hip and Zen is also going out of business. Such a disappointment.

Though there are many more conventional retailers going out of business at the present time, it is sad to hear of those whose committment to sustainability, to making a difference, to conserving the environment are also going under. If these companies cannot survive, then who will be our stewards into the future? Lets hope this does not become a trend.

On a brighter note, if you are looking for some organic and environmentally sustainable clothing, you can find some great deals right now on the Hip and Zen website. And for those of you searching for green news, well there is still a plethora of sources out there, and even Plenty still has their site online for the time being , as well as grist.org, treehugger.com, sundance channel, and GreenTV.com to name a few.