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!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
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.
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.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Rain Tree Gear hosts The Kingfish show this Saturday
Please come out and support Rain Tree Gear as they host The Kingfish this Saturday at Trinity Three Irish Pubs in Milwaukee. Rain Tree Gear will be selling their line of organic t-shirts while The Kingfish jam out on stage! Watch Steve, Nathan, and Joe put on a great live show and buy a cool Rain Tree Gear t-shirt!
Start Time:
Saturday, January 31, 2009 at 9:30pm
End Time:
Sunday, February 1, 2009 at 12:30am
Location:
Trinity Three Irish Pubs
Street:
125 East Juneau
City/Town:
Milwaukee, WI
Start Time:
Saturday, January 31, 2009 at 9:30pm
End Time:
Sunday, February 1, 2009 at 12:30am
Location:
Trinity Three Irish Pubs
Street:
125 East Juneau
City/Town:
Milwaukee, WI
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Solutions from the Green Economy
Solutions from the Green Economy January 15, 2008
Everyone now understands that the economy is broken.
While many name the mortgage and credit-default-swap crises as culprits, they are only the most recent indicators of an economy with fatal design flaws. Our economy has long been based on what economist Herman Daly calls “uneconomic growth” where increases in the GDP come at an expense in resources and well-being that is worth more than the goods and services provided.
When GNP growth exacerbates social and environmental problems—from sweatshop labor to manufacturing toxic chemicals—every dollar of GNP growth reduces well-being for people and the planet, and we’re all worse off.
Our fatally flawed economy creates economic injustice, poverty, and environmental crises. It doesn’t have to be that way. We can create a green economy: one that serves people and the planet and offers antidotes to the current breakdown. Here are six green-economy solutions to today’s economic mess.
1. Green Energy—Green Jobs A crucial starting place to rejuvenate our economy is to focus on energy. It’s time to call in the superheroes of the green energy revolution—energy efficiency, solar and wind power, and plug-in hybrids—and put their synergies to work with rapid, large-scale deployment. This is a powerful way to jumpstart the economy, spur job creation (with jobs that can’t be outsourced), declare energy independence, and claim victory over the climate crisis.
2. Clean Energy Victory Bonds How are we going to pay for this green energy revolution? We at Green America propose Clean Energy Victory Bonds. Modeled after victory bonds in World War II, Americans would buy these bonds from the federal government to invest in large-scale deployment of green energy projects, with particular emphasis in low-income communities hardest hit by the broken economy. These would be long-term bonds, paying an annual interest rate, based in part on the energy and energy savings that the bonds generate. During WWII, 85 million Americans bought over $185 billion in bonds—that would be almost $2 trillion in today’s dollars.
3. Reduce, Reuse, Rethink Living lightly on the Earth, saving resources and money, and sharing (jobs, property, ideas, and opportunities) are crucial principles for restructuring our economy. This economic breakdown is, in part, due to living beyond our means—as a nation and as individuals. With the enormous national and consumer debt weighing us down, we won’t be able to spend our way out of this economic problem. Ultimately, we need an economy that’s not dependent on unsustainable growth and consumerism. So it’s time to rethink our over-consumptive lifestyles, and turn to the principles of elegant simplicity, such as planting gardens, conserving energy, and working cooperatively with our neighbors to share resources and build resilient communities.
4. Go Green and Local When we do buy, it is essential that those purchases benefit the green and local economy—so that every dollar helps solve social and environmental problems, not create them. Our spending choices matter. We can support our local communities by moving dollars away from conventional agribusiness and big-box stores and toward supporting local workers, businesses, and organic farmers.
5. Community Investing All over the country, community investing banks, credit unions, and loan funds that serve hard-hit communities are strong, while the biggest banks required bailouts. The basic principles of community investing keep such institutions strong: Lenders and borrowers know each other. Lenders invest in the success of their borrowers—with training and technical assistance along with loans. And the people who provide the capital to the lenders expect reasonable, not speculative, returns. If all banks followed these principles, the economy wouldn’t be in the mess it’s in today.
6. Shareowner Activism When you own stock, you have the right and responsibility to advise management to clean up its act. Had GM listened to shareholders warning that relying on SUVs would be its downfall, it would have invested in greener technologies, and would not have needed a bailout. Had CitiGroup listened to its shareowners, it would have avoided the faulty mortgage practices that brought it to its knees. Engaged shareholders are key to reforming conventional companies for the transition to this new economy – the green economy that we are building together.
It’s time to move from greed to green.
--Alisa Gravitz
Everyone now understands that the economy is broken.
While many name the mortgage and credit-default-swap crises as culprits, they are only the most recent indicators of an economy with fatal design flaws. Our economy has long been based on what economist Herman Daly calls “uneconomic growth” where increases in the GDP come at an expense in resources and well-being that is worth more than the goods and services provided.
When GNP growth exacerbates social and environmental problems—from sweatshop labor to manufacturing toxic chemicals—every dollar of GNP growth reduces well-being for people and the planet, and we’re all worse off.
Our fatally flawed economy creates economic injustice, poverty, and environmental crises. It doesn’t have to be that way. We can create a green economy: one that serves people and the planet and offers antidotes to the current breakdown. Here are six green-economy solutions to today’s economic mess.
1. Green Energy—Green Jobs A crucial starting place to rejuvenate our economy is to focus on energy. It’s time to call in the superheroes of the green energy revolution—energy efficiency, solar and wind power, and plug-in hybrids—and put their synergies to work with rapid, large-scale deployment. This is a powerful way to jumpstart the economy, spur job creation (with jobs that can’t be outsourced), declare energy independence, and claim victory over the climate crisis.
2. Clean Energy Victory Bonds How are we going to pay for this green energy revolution? We at Green America propose Clean Energy Victory Bonds. Modeled after victory bonds in World War II, Americans would buy these bonds from the federal government to invest in large-scale deployment of green energy projects, with particular emphasis in low-income communities hardest hit by the broken economy. These would be long-term bonds, paying an annual interest rate, based in part on the energy and energy savings that the bonds generate. During WWII, 85 million Americans bought over $185 billion in bonds—that would be almost $2 trillion in today’s dollars.
3. Reduce, Reuse, Rethink Living lightly on the Earth, saving resources and money, and sharing (jobs, property, ideas, and opportunities) are crucial principles for restructuring our economy. This economic breakdown is, in part, due to living beyond our means—as a nation and as individuals. With the enormous national and consumer debt weighing us down, we won’t be able to spend our way out of this economic problem. Ultimately, we need an economy that’s not dependent on unsustainable growth and consumerism. So it’s time to rethink our over-consumptive lifestyles, and turn to the principles of elegant simplicity, such as planting gardens, conserving energy, and working cooperatively with our neighbors to share resources and build resilient communities.
4. Go Green and Local When we do buy, it is essential that those purchases benefit the green and local economy—so that every dollar helps solve social and environmental problems, not create them. Our spending choices matter. We can support our local communities by moving dollars away from conventional agribusiness and big-box stores and toward supporting local workers, businesses, and organic farmers.
5. Community Investing All over the country, community investing banks, credit unions, and loan funds that serve hard-hit communities are strong, while the biggest banks required bailouts. The basic principles of community investing keep such institutions strong: Lenders and borrowers know each other. Lenders invest in the success of their borrowers—with training and technical assistance along with loans. And the people who provide the capital to the lenders expect reasonable, not speculative, returns. If all banks followed these principles, the economy wouldn’t be in the mess it’s in today.
6. Shareowner Activism When you own stock, you have the right and responsibility to advise management to clean up its act. Had GM listened to shareholders warning that relying on SUVs would be its downfall, it would have invested in greener technologies, and would not have needed a bailout. Had CitiGroup listened to its shareowners, it would have avoided the faulty mortgage practices that brought it to its knees. Engaged shareholders are key to reforming conventional companies for the transition to this new economy – the green economy that we are building together.
It’s time to move from greed to green.
--Alisa Gravitz
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Rain Tree Gear launches web-site
Rain Tree Gear is a new e-commerce company that sells its own designed organic t-shirts and other apparel on-line. RTG donates a portion of proceeds to the conservation and preservation of the environment. Check us out some of our cool designs at http://www.raintreegear.com/.
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