Looking for a great last-minute gift for a person you care about? Well, as you shop, try to do the right thing for the planet, too. Below, we've listed a couple of sites offering intriguing and affordable products that try to blend "fashion" and sustainability...just in time for the holidays!
You see, at A Renewal Enterprise we believe it's possible to clean up the toxic mess that has been made in so many of our organizations, movements, and communities. And we're committed to helping create Renewable Organizations, movements, and communities that honor, respect, and set people free to engage their work & world with purpose & passion. We are determined to help people learn to live and work together in ways that give life...rather than sucking the life right out of them. But we know that the way we treat each other is deeply connected to the way we treat our planet. In fact, we don't think the planet has a chance in hell at survival unless people on the planet start caring for each other a lot more.
This holiday season, we're trying to keep both the planet - and the people we care about - in mind. Here are some ideas for doing that:
According to their website at
English Retreads, they're turning recycling into a bold fashion statement with unique handbags and accessories. "Designed specifically for conscientious consumers and savvy fashionistas, each one-of-a-kind English Retreads product is handcrafted from reclaimed truck inner tubes—right in Boulder, Colorado. One hundred percent vegan, our materials are an ecologically sound alternative to animal products." The look pretty cool, too, and the prices aren't bad.
American Apparel is offering a whole line of organic clothing. Their description: "
American Apparel Organics are made from 100% USDA Certified Organic Cotton and are pesticide-free. In addition, our low-impact dyeing process eliminates chemical waste, providing innumerable environmental and health benefits. We are committed to minimizing our ecological footprint throughout all phases of our production process and are working to incorporate a higher percentage of Organic Cotton into our main production line." They don't have anything too fancy but everybody can use an extra T-shirt.
At Target, you can pick up reasonably priced organic clothing designed by
Loomstate, a company that directly manages all stages of manufacturing, from the fabric mills, to the cut & sew facilities and finally the laundries to ensure all partners are participating in responsible manufacturing processes. The company says it's also "fully committed to organic farming, which is a form of agriculture which avoids or largely excludes the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, plant growth regulators, and livestock feed additives. Organic cultivation requires managing and preserving the sensitive ecosystem as opposed to stripping the land of its resources as conventional farming does."
These and other innovative companies offering green products are featured in a fun slide show at
FastCompany.com. You might find some other gift-giving ideas there.
OK, we're off to celebrate the holidays. The offices at A Renewal Enterprise will be closed beginning December 22. We'll be back at work on January 5.
Merry Christmas, everyone! And Happy Holiday to you, whatever holiday you may be celebrating this season!!
- From all of us at A Renewal Enterprise
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