Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Earth Day Special from your green friends at Rain Tree Gear

Celebrate Earth Day (April 22nd) with the purchase of an eco-friendly t-shirt from your green friends at Rain Tree Gear. All shirts are currently listed at 20% off on the Rain Tree Gear web-site at www.raintreegear.com. The Earth Day Special is good until April 30, 2009.

Have a Happy Earth Day!

Monday, April 20, 2009

Go green with eco-friendly fashion for a better tomorrow

Arches • NEWS

April 2009

Page 4

Go green with eco-friendly fashion for a better tomorrow

By Francisca Rodriguez

With the rising popularity of the “Go Green” movement, many people have been making changes, both big and small, to help improve the world we live in.

Along with making efforts to conserve energy and decrease pollution, purchasing and wearing organic clothing has recently become a popular method for individuals to do their part for the environment.

Organic clothing is made of all-natural, non-synthetic materials. One of the more popular organic textiles is organic cotton.

Organic cotton is grown from seeds that have not been genetically engineered, according Sandra Keiser, the head of Mount Mary’s fashion department, and is raised without the use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers.

In addition to organic cotton, eco-friendly textiles include hemp, bamboo, recycled polyester and nylon, and chlorine-free wool.

“This menu of fibers has the potential to give us the same range of functional and aesthetically-pleasing apparel that we are used to, while using agricultural and processing methods that are less harmful to the planet,” Keiser said.

Although some may assume that organic clothing could not be very fashionable, the organic clothing industry has come along way in the past few years and is branching into different styles and textiles in order to be more fashion-forward.

A local provider of organic clothing is Rain Tree Gear in Milwaukee. Although Rain Tree Gear currently sells only t-shirts, it is in the process of branching out to tote bags, hats and bamboo t-shirts.

“Anything we can get our hands on will be distributed in the future,” said Eric Sanchez, co-owner of Rain Tree Gear. To place orders, customers can also order from the Web site www.raintreegear.com.

From start to finish, the process used to produce Rain Tree Gear products is organic. The clothing is made without dyes, without chemicals and with all clean products. Rain Tree Gear even goes so far as to use water-based ink during the silkscreen process, which is an extra environmentally friendly step that many companies do not take.

With the mission statement “Today’s apparel for tomorrow’s environment,” Rain Tree Gear believes in giving back to the environment, and for this reason, has decided to give $1 dollar of every t-shirt sold to an environmental organization.

“It’s about the process of giving back,” said Sanchez, “Taking part of something bigger here.”

Olive Organic Living, located at 10910 N. Port Washington Rd. in Mequon, is a hip store that also sells organic clothing, in addition to personal products, such as toothpaste, mouthwash, shampoo and make-up, along with home decor, such as linens and towels. In Olive, shoppers get the feel of a New York boutique, while being able to purchase environmentally friendly products.

“We want to educate people of the benefits to living organically,” said Organic owner Michael Katarincic. “Environmentally-wise, it just seems right to live as pure as you can, and clothing is a part of it.”

Olive Organic living also gives a portion of its earnings to an environmental cause each month. For the month of April, one percent of its earnings with go to Schlitz Audubon Nature Center.

Another Web site offering a variety of sustainable apparel brands is www.greenloop.com.

Beginning as one woman’s effort to use fashion as a means for environmental change, The Green Loop is dedicated to offering sustainable products without sacrificing style. With more than 50 brands to choose from, customers are offered a wide array of choices of eco-friendly products grounded in good design.

The organic clothing market continues to grow, even during the current difficult economic times, and “companies that are becoming more eco-friendly are the companies that are succeeding and continuing to grow,” said Andrea Marcinkus, Mount Mary fashion professor.

“People are willing to spend a little extra on a company with the same values as their consumers,” Marcinkus said.

Although purchasing and wearing organic clothing, such as organic cotton, has extreme benefits for the environment, it is also about wearing sustainable fibers that require low amounts of energy for care (e.g., washing, drying and ironing). Textile sustainability is also impacted by decisions regarding the dyes and finishes used, according to Keiser.

“I think interest in sustainable fibers will continue to grow as the consumer becomes better educated,” Keiser said.

The popularity of organic clothing has increased greatly in the past few years. Even though it may be a bit more expensive than non-organic clothing, people are spending the money to do their part to improve the environment.

Consumers are now seeing the value that must be placed on the environment, and with recent planetary changes, they realize the well-being of our Earth cannot be ignored and must become a priority.

“It’s finally hitting people that we need to do something for the environment,” Marcinkus said.

Opened May of 2008, Olive Organic Living offers various organic products ranging anywhere from $20 - to $1,200 for any price bracket.

The popularity of organic clothing has increased greatly in the past few years ...people are spending the money to do their part to improve the environment.