eco-friendly

Well, that depends, doesn't it? The green wave is in full force and its popularity is creating a volume game. That's where it's at - volume. If you want to make a change you can start small, the grass roots level is excellent, but you have to grow. Because to change things you need mass volume. So, do I care if my clothes are eco-friendly, yes! But am I going to go out of my way to only purchase eco-friendly clothing? Probably not, unfortunately. 

One of the BIGGEST perpetrators of our potential environmental demise is the cotton crop - it saps water from the world in remarkable amounts. And we all know, or should know, how scarce water is becoming. At least the kind you can safely drink.

To make a difference we would ALL have to start ONLY buying eco-friendly clothes. The demand in volume would be a game changer. First place to start, in my opinion, is with cotton items. If we only purchased items that came from sustainable farms AND factories that would create a massive shift. But that's not so easy to do. Chicken or the egg, wait for the good stuff to become readily available? Or, demand it now and forfeit ease in the process. I know what my heart says. I wish I could always follow my heart.

Source: getfd.blogspot.com

The team here at BBC often finds itself in the position of a proud momma when our clients score an amazing hit. Thus, it was when Untitled 11:11’s striped bustier Rita gown custom woven in an eco-friendly khadi material showed up on the cover of the UK’s Bliss magazine. Even more fantastic was the fact that young woman of substance and talent, Taylor Swift, not only modeled the gown on the cover but also specially chose it. It’s a big accomplishment for two talented designers holed up in a small studio in Brooklyn making clothes for the love of what they do. Think of it as bringing home an A+ on an AP calculus exam when you’re only a freshman in high school.  We say, “Bravo, Untitled 11:11! You can stay out past curfew this weekend!”

At a recent staff meeting that included champagne (we were feting the 5-year anniversary of our SVP), we started talking about our blog and the idea of “green” came up in the conversation. Basically, the team wanted me to write about our “green” policy and I had to point out that it wasn’t very hefty. They in turn disagreed. So here we go, writing about green…

We recycle! In fact, I had a dream about it last night after our discussion. In the dream I was remembering to take the paper out of my office trash can and to transfer it to the recycling bin. This morning, I am setting up a new system to make sure I do this on a consistent basis (the former VP of the lux team who is on a sabbatical around the world used to check in on my waste can—recycling was her idea). So, we do recycle, and apparently many offices don’t. I’ve set up a fairly unwieldy group of bins in our kitchen for this purpose and we have a recycle office maven who scolds people if they put the plastic refuse in with the paper (she is the new VP of the lux team so maybe there is something about fancy clothes and diamonds that also translates into a heightened green conscience. Apparently, not a lot of offices do this, so good for us!

We also use green cleaning products, or at least we try to use them. Our cleaning crew likes to install their own version of products behind our backs, but we do our best to keep the products environmentally safe. We also use natural scents to keep our bathroom smelling fresh (which is a MAJOR feat since unfortunately it appears something may have died in there before we arrived—it’s an ongoing source of frustration for an office that looks super fab). Plus, we have a chocolate brown sea grass carpet throughout the office that doesn’t require cleaning with chemicals (and absorbs any stain, thank goodness!) AND WE ALWAYS TURN OFF THE LIGHTS and generally keep them off during the day (yeah for big windows and sunshine!).

So, I guess there is a greener element to our office than I thought. Not as green as it could be, maybe. But here’s what the BBC staff said to me: Every little bit counts… Ok, so we’re doing our little itty bitty part. It’s definitely motivation to do more.