Eco-Chick · The modern girl's guide to living green & fabulous.

(Re)Fashioning Fiber Exhibit on NOW at Greenspaces, NYC

If you can’t make it to NYC, check out my visual tour of the (Re)Fashioning Fiber Exhibit

Abigail Doan curated the (Re) Fashioning Fiber exhibit (now through August 13th at Greenspaces in Manhattan) because she thought that among eco fashion and sustainable style showcases, there wasn’t enough focus on the basics- the very fibers that make up our clothes, and whose creation has a significant environmental impact.

Before clothes are sewn, the fibers are grown (cotton, hemp), manufactured (polyester, Tencel) or raised (silk, wool). And depending on the textile, they are dyed or processed and then knit, woven, or manufactured. All of this happens before it even happens into the hands of a garment worker, who cuts, sews, and creates a piece of clothing for us (hopefully at a fair wage).

Xing-Zhen Chung-Hilyard/Eko-Lab crocheted mixed media piece

By looking more closely at the fibers themselves, the artists deconstructed them in such a way as to get to the roots of what they were truly made of (a floor installation reminded one of nothing more than an unwinding ball of yarn seen from ants’-eye-view). From recycled yarns and reused ‘waste’ textiles to upcycled hoola hoops and vintage jewels and hemp, creative reuse was exemplified in each of the pieces.
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Glassphemy!: A Creative Recycling Center For Glass and More

Glass broken at Glassphemy is recycled. Image by Chris Mottalini.

David Belt, Creative Director of Macro Sea, is the man who last summer in Brooklyn conjured swimming pools out of dumpsters.

Belt and the team of creative developers at Macro Sea have brought their ingenuity to the fore again with a creative recycling center for glass and, more effusively, human aggression. The visceral energy of type-A New Yorkers invited to hurl and smash truck-loads of empty glass beer bottles from Brooklyn’s breweries make for one massive opportunity to let it all out, I mean, really let it go full-throttle!

Tossing the Bottles. Image by Chris Mottalini

Participants, who are invited to both hurl the glass and be under its direct line of fire, are given the chance to be on both ends of the spectrum of the cathartic glass throwdown. Inside the recycling cage—an artifice of bullet-proof glass and steel circuited with light sensors—colorful bottles whizz through the air, shatter with a glorious fanfare of noise and illumination, and then cascade into an evanescent silence and darkness like a glorious fireworks display.

Check out what goes down at Glassphemy! Video by Alicia Lubowski-Jahn.

Indeed, behind the gritty business of emotional outpouring or the shattered glass of a city street, GLASSPHEMY! reveals the astonishing beauty of fragility and breakage.

Lamps filled with glass recycled on site.

TOMS Wedges: Best Green Shoes for Summer, 2010!

TOMS wedges are available for $69 on their site, for any of the styles offered.

As originally reported by Emma Grady at Treehugger, TOMS, the company that donates a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair that we buy, is now offering these fantastic wedges in their signature style (but taller!).

Besides doing what shoes do (protect the feet from damage and disease), as it says on the TOMS site, “Many times children can’t attend school barefoot because shoes are a required part of their uniform. If they don’t have shoes, they don’t go to school. If they don’t receive an education, they don’t have the opportunity to realize their potential.” See? EVERYthing matters.

Honestly, these shoes are so damn cute and fit with my style so perfectly, I would consider getting them regardless of the good they do. I’m thinking the red and white stripe….

Starre’s Healthy Summer Coffee Energy Drink Recipe

Too many so-called energy drinks are missing key ingredients to give you truly sustained and healthy power. Too many refined sugars and caffeine, but no sustenance, and ingredients are processed and packaged months before you drink it. Fresh is always better and more life-sustaining– and if you’re looking for real oompf, ‘old’ ingredients just don’t cut it.

The drink below relies on plain old caffeine from (organic) espresso, yes, but it is moderated with a serious dose of protein, vitamins and minerals from raw nutmeats, and sweetness from raw honey, which in addition to sweetening the pot, also contains all sorts of fabulous enzymes which can help stomach ailments (ideal if coffee can bother your digestion at all), and contains anti-bacterials and natural anti-cancer properties. Look for local raw honey for the very freshest and healthiest versions. I live in Connecticut, so I either eat Andrew’s Local Honey (from right here in Fairfield County) or Apitherapy raw honey from Honey Gardens in Vermont.

Raw cacao is ridiculously tasty (I found mine at Whole Foods) and ups the energy ante in this drink through theobromine, a natural stimulant. It also contains plenty of magnesium, calcium and iron, as well as high doses of antioxidants (much more than processed or ‘cooked’ chocolate). Wilderness Family Naturals also makes an excellent raw cacao powder.
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Eco Chick Giveaway: Win an Everyday Minerals Smokey Eye Set!

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Everyday Minerals. What’s not to love? A dazzling array of colors to complement all skin tones, impressively natural organic & vegan ingredients, no animal testing and great prices make Everyday Minerals the kind of brand you’ll blab on to other women about whenever you get a chance. And that I do – so I’m really excited to give you all a chance to try some of this stuff for free!

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