a tale of two handbags

Ahhh, the life of a sustainable fashion researcher . . .

I promise it's not filled with endless purchases (endless online 'window' shopping, maybe), but I did recently make two exciting purchases I want to share with you.

First, I ordered this stunning Moa Tote by Angela & Roi from Modavanti.

I had been looking for a structured tote for awhile, something to take with me to interviews and meetings, and researched a lot time before making this decision. And now that it's arrived, I couldn't be happier with my choice.

I was so excited when it arrived I took a picture of it in the box!

It is a black vegan leather tote, and the colour of the bag corresponds to the charity Angela & Roi donate to with each handbag purchased - my black tote meant that Angela & Roi donated $5 to the Melanoma Research Foundation. They currently work with 11 charitable foundations - have a look at their gorgeous (reasonably priced) handbags, and see where you'd like your money to go.

* * * *

My second purchase was this delightful black beaded vintage clutch.

I've been in the market for an evening bag for awhile, and my patience paid off! This charmer jumped out at me on my trip to Wollongong last week (for my first ever academic presentation - success!) when I stopped in the Fairy Meadow Antique Shop.  The detailing and quality is remarkable.

So, two bags, two very different styles, two ways of enjoying fashion sustainably.

* * * *

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness...

I wonder if Charles Dickens imagined that his famous opening line from A Tale of Two Cities would be as relevant in 2014 as it was in 1859?

Today we have the best knowledge and resources available to us at the touch of a button, our health and wealth is higher than ever, yet the world remains plighted with concerns of security, inequality and, of course, climate change. It can be so depressing to even turn on the news these days.

I know my handbag purchases won't halt climate change or sweatshops today - and some people will say I'm adding to the problem by making new purchases. But I also know that with each conscious choice I make, I'm shifting the way of the world ever so slightly. And when we all join in, and let these conscious choices flow into all aspects of our lives (including how we vote), we have the power to truly change the world.

xxLisa

finders keepers

I'm excited to announce I'll be at the Finders Keepers markets in Sydney (Eveleigh) on 13 December and will be signing books all day. Please come and say hi! 

I'll be with Carlie Ballard, so you can check out her gorgeous (sustainable) fashion pieces at the same time. If you don't know of her label yet, check out this article I wrote for Green Lifestyle Magazine a couple of weeks ago.

 

Have a great rest of the week!

xxLisa

celebrating

Last week the United States and China gave us something to celebrate - an agreement on limiting carbon emissions.

Wahoo!

In case you haven't been following the climate debates as closely as I have, here's the very basic rundown:

• International climate negotiations have been at a stalemate for years as countries debate how much action they should each take. 
• A major sticking point was that America wouldn't put a limit on its carbon emissions unless developing nations - like China - put a limit on their carbon emissions. 
• Now China and the United States have agreed on a deal - America will cut its emissions to 26-28% of 2005 levels by 2025, and China will reach peak emissions no later than 2030.

Sure, the details need sorting out, and President Obama now has to contend with his Republican Congress, but overall, as Paul Krugman says, "a major part of the anti-environmentalist argument has just collapsed."

And in my world, this is definitely cause for celebration.

Cheers, fellas, thanks for your dedication to the environment!
(Do you think this was organic wine?)

xxLisa

finding balance

There is a reason 'Finding Balance' is a chapter in my book - living 'sustainably' is a constant balancing act.

Don't get me wrong, there are many effortless days, when it has become routine to use all natural body and beauty products, separate my rubbish into various recycling elements and use my trusty travel pass to dash around the city via public transport.

Then there are days like these, when I find myself in an interesting eco-conundrum; the latest confusion is due to the delicious Pressed Juices store that has recently opened up in Manly.

I am seriously obsessed with these little bottles of goodness!

In addition to fashion and the environment, I have a passion for what I'll call 'health foods'. I am by no means an expert, there are plenty of other bloggers with that expertise. But I have been known to follow health food fads. First it was goji berries - I didn't love the taste but I kept tossing them into my cereal anyway. I quickly fell in love with Acai bowls (I could go for one right now, actually). And quinoa, kale and I have been in a serious relationship for awhile.

I've never been big into juicing, generally preferring to eat my fruit and veggies whole to take advantage of the fibre in the pulp. But something about the cold pressed juice craze has sparked my attention. I think it has to do with the claims of "up to 5 times more vitamins, minerals and enzymes" of other juices. Well, that, and knowing that with one green juice I can get a serious serving of leafy greens. It also helps that they are crazy delicious.

If you can't see the eco-conundrum I'm facing based on the photos I'll tell you - it's the plastic bottles. I confess I've had 4 green juices over the past 5 days, and I think I may get another one today. Yikes! That is a serious increase in my plastic consumption! Of course I am recycling the bottles, but I know that recycling plastic requires energy and the quality of the plastic is lessened with each recycle. There has to be another way!

I don't know that I'll follow this cold pressed juice craze for too long, and unsure it would be worth investing in a machine for myself. Besides, based on my schedule I don't know that I'd have the time to source all the ingredients and make myself one a day.

So, I'm afraid this isn't an eco-solution today, readers. In fact, I'm seeking your guidance. Do you have any suggestions on how I can participate in this delicious health fad without all the plastic? Or shall I just start communicating with these lovely companies, asking them for refillable containers?

xxLisa

give a fork

Last week I attended the fantastic Give a Fork launch dinner hosted by Sustainable Table at the fantastic Studio Neon. This year's Give a Fork theme is #wastefree, and the dinner was an excellent (and delicious!) excuse to talk about shifting our food habits so we waste less food and food packaging. We were treated to a scrumptious meal cooked by eco-wise Aaron Teece, the owner of Studio Neon.

The table centre piece featured produce from Harris Farms' Imperfect Picks.
Guests were allowed to take home the produce at the end of the night!

Smoked Onion Risotto with Organic 62 degree hen egg. As a way to
make this a #wastefree dish the chef used the skin from the onion
to create the stock to cook the risotto. Clever!

Imperfect Orange dessert - I'm drooling again just recalling
this orange zest sponge cake served with orange rind puree,
Jannei goat's curd, and dehydrated orange. Heaven!

Why the emphasis on food waste? Well,

• Australians throw away 1 out of every 5 bags of groceries they buy? That's 20% of our grocery budget right down the drain, about $1,036 per household. Ouch!
• 20-40% of edible produce is rejected before it even makes it to the shops, because they don't meet our expectations of the 'perfect' piece of food. So it is wasted at the farm level.
• Australians only recycle 36% of eligible plastic bottles, and globally we add 6.4 million tonnes of plastic into the ocean each year, a large proportion being food packaging.

This is the 'imperfect' produce I took home - I'm making eggplant parmesan
tonight, and last week that quirky potato made it into a soup and the asparagus
into a frittata.  Just because they look different doesn't mean they taste different!

Two Give a Fork ambassadors were on hand to share their personal experience - Take 3 Founder Tim Silverwood and writer Sarah Wilson of I Quit Sugar fame. We also heard from the effervescent Ronni Kahn, CEO and Founder of OzHarvest.

Good onya Tim! My hubby is a devout 'Take 3er', which
can easily turn into taking 4, or 5, or, you get the idea.

I didn't realise that the I Quit Sugar recipes also work
toward a waste free kitchen (or pretty darn close, anyway)

Aside from the speeches, we viewed a short documentary titled Waste Deep, which covered everything from the problems with plastic in our oceans (here are some stylish solutions to the current problem) to how we buy and cook our groceries.

This is all the waste that was generated from feeding 40 people - incredible.

* * * *

I left feeling inspired to host my own Give a Fork dinner - my hubby and I decided to tackle a low-food waste Thanksgiving meal next month - why don't you consider hosting one as well?  Sustainable Table has provided a free eBook talking you through easy ways you can reduce your food waste at a dinner party, and in your kitchen everyday.

Any money you raise goes directly to funding Sustainable Table and the great work they do in educating Australians on sustainable food practices, and working with projects in developing nations to ensure communities have a safe and ongoing provision of food. 

I'll be in touch with an update after Thanksgiving!

xxLisa

plastic fantastic

- I love plastic, I want to be plastic -

Andy Warhol

Well, I don't feel the same way as Andy Warhol, but it's fair to say I have a love-hate relationship with plastic. The convenience and safety aspects are hard to beat, but the environmental damage being done as this material infiltrates our land and oceans is beyond destructive. (You can find the shocking statistics at the end of this post).
 

This image is from the film Midway, a stunning (in terms of beauty
and shocking destruction) documentary about the island in the North Pacific
and the havoc being wreaked by plastic on its animal communities.

The situation is bleak, I don't want to sugar coat it, but there are things we can all do to improve the status quo. The rest of this post highlights some very clever and creative people out there who are doing their part to reclaim and recycle (and upcycle!) our plastic pollution into beautiful new products. Perhaps you'll be inspired to find yet another use for our used plastic.

What do you think of these solutions to our plastic problems?

G-Star Raw for the Oceans
The much-hyped range of G-Star, in collaboration with Pharrell Williams, has hit stores. This line of denim, tees and sweatshirts uses Bionic Yarn - created from plastic collected along the coastline - to divert plastic from the oceans and make a sturdy fabric.

As Pharrell and Bionic Yarn founder, Tyson Toussant, say, "Wear the responsibility for Big Blue."

Bureo
I'm oh-so-proud to say I know one of the founders of this ingenious company that turns used fishing nets from Chile into new skate decks for everyone. (Special prize if you can guess which character he is in Sustainability with Style).

Bureo, which is the word for waves in the native Chilean language of Mapuche, completed a successful Kickstarter campaign this year. Between working with Chilean fishers, setting up a recycling and manufacturing facility, and telling the Bureo tale around the globe, this team has been busy! Thank goodness they have new boards to get around in style.

The Minnow is now available - order yours on their website -and take 30 square feet of nets out the ocean.

                                                    

Teeki
This is not the first time I've mentioned Teeki - and probably won't be the last. This activewear label pushes all the right buttons - recycles plastic into clothing, creates some of the hottest prints and designs I've ever seen on yoga pants, uses Zero Waste printing technology, and celebrates health, the environment and self-love.

Thank you Teeki!

* * * *

So now there is even more you can do to help with our global plastic problem. In addition to saying no to plastic bags, using a refillable water bottle and recycling all your household plastic, now you can also take some of that plastic back out of the oceans and landfill with some eco-conscious choices. And maybe just make plastic fantastic, again.

* * * *

Why is it a love-hate relationship with plastic?

I love my lipstick tubes. I love the convenience of my click-and-seal food containers. I love the sleekness of my computer-mouse. I know this shiny, flexible material has made our lives safer through medical supplies. Once you start looking around, you can see how much plastic is part of our daily lives and instances where it has, in fact, improved our way of life.

But our reliance on this petrochemical-based material has gone too far. And I hate the environmental damage caused by our irresponsible use of plastic.  Just a few stats:

• Australians use enough plastic bags each year to wrap around the globe 42.5 times. 
• Australians only recycle 36% of their plastic bottles, sending at least 373 million bottles to the landfill each year - if they make it that far. 
• Globally, 6.4 million tonnes of plastic are dumped into our oceans every year. 
• An estimated 40 million pounds of plastic has accumulated in the North Pacific Gyre alone.
• Between 57,000 and 135,000 whales are entangled by plastic marine debris every year, and likely millions of birds, turtles, fish and other species are affected by plastic debris - including digesting it.

Between convenience packaging, poor recycling rates, and fishing lines and nets being discarded, plastic has taken over our land and our water, and it's impacted us all. So please, start taking action today.

sustainable style : amour vert

Hello!

I know, I've been absent during the past month. But with good reason. I've just returned from a wonderful few weeks in the US where I spent invaluable quality time with my family, including a celebration of my in-laws' 40th wedding anniversary. Congratulations!

Part of my time away was spent in charming San Francisco. While there I did a bit of research, and also a little bit of shopping. I mean, I couldn't be in the same city as one of my favourite sustainable fashion labels and not go in, could I?

Can you spot the Selfie Bench?

I first discovered Amour Vert about a year ago when I purchased this delightful striped dress made of organic cotton.

Worn here with a fave vintage poncho I picked up
in Melbourne a few years ago.

Amour Vert creates stylish and chic fashion from sustainable fibres, and all the pieces are made right in San Francisco. I love the style, and was thrilled to visit their new store in Hayes Valley. It was an eco-fashionista's dream come true!

Buy a tee, plant a tree.

The green wall, wooden light feature and hanging
plants made my experience all the more delightful.

I certainly didn't walk out of here empty handed - but I also didn't buy one of everything, as much as I wanted to. I spent at least 30 minutes in and out of the fitting room trying on nearly everything in the store (the sales assistants were just gorgeous - so friendly and helpful, and I loved hearing them spruik sustainable fashion to the customers!). And before committing to any purchases I thought about when I would wear something, and if it easily fit in with my wardrobe and personal style. Just because it's 'eco' doesn't mean I can buy one of everything!

This is what I did buy:

Blair Dress - made of silk and
perfect for Sydney's summers.

 

Mika Tee - made of Micro Modal
and spandex. And helped plant a tree.

This bracelet made of recycled metal - it was at the
counter and not available on the website.

All in all a delightful visit. Though I can't help but feel envious of the lucky San Franciscans who can visit this store whenever they please (sigh). 'Till next time!

xxLisa