The other night as Jeff’s +1 for
the SF Weekly Best Of award party (in which The Café won best pickup bar and
best gay bar!), I had the chance to taste VeeV Açaí Spirit. I actually didn’t need a chaser when I tasted
it by itself (which never, ever happens)
and it was absolutely delicious when mixed in a basil gimlet. When you buy a bottle of VeeV Açaí, $1
is donated to the Sustainable Açaí Project, benefiting the farm communities
that harvest Açaí berries.
VeeV is fabulous because it is the
only certified carbon neutral spirits company in the world, they get their
power through renewable wind energy, and they are involved in several social
efforts such Business for Social Responsibility in San Francisco, California
Climate Action Registry in Los Angeles, and Co-Op America in Washington DC, all
of which are geared toward sustainability. Not to mention their boxes are made from post-consumer
waste, their bottles are made from partially recycled glass, AND they use
recycled paper. VeeV is the coolest, most socially responsible alcohol companies I’ve ever come
across. And it’s delish.
Just to be clear, I am not
advocating that you should go and guzzle bottle after bottle of VeeV; if you do
decide to buy it, at least you know that your drink is made from quality
ingredients and your money is going toward special causes.
Check out their website to learn
more. Also please drink
responsibly!
It’s official, I’m in
love with
Rainbow Grocery. During my trip
there the other day, I literally caught myself giggling down the chip
isle and
saying things to myself like, “La la la, what to buy?!” Sounds
excessive, right? It was simply a natural reaction
toward the mountains of natural and organic goodies inside Rainbow
Grocery. There are local products
in big tubs and bins, organic fruits and
veggies, pre-packaged meals like
salads and veggie sandwiches (the quinoa salad looked especially
delicious), baked goods and
desserts, stationery, wine and spirits, cleaning products, body
products, yoga
products… you get the picture. It
was, in a nutshell, a supermarket heaven.
Not only does Rainbow
Grocery have
the most enormous selection of organic
goods in all of San Francisco, it
involves the community in its business too. Par example, they put on
cooking demos, compost, and recycle
electronics. Part of the reason I
love them so much is simply because of their mission:
Providing
affordable vegetarian food products which
have minimal negative impact ecologically and socially
Buying goods from
local organic farmers, collectives,
bakers, dairies and other local businesses whenever possible
Providing our
customers with the best possible service
Providing Rainbow
Grocery Cooperative's workers with a
livable wage
Creating a
nonhierarchical work space based upon
respect, mutuality and cooperation
Offering low-cost
health care products and resources
Supporting other
collectives and worker-owned
businesses
Supporting fair
labor practices
Donating to local
non-profit organizations and schools
Encouraging
bicycling, mass transit, and alternative
transportation
Composting all
in-store green wastes; recycling,
reducing and reusing resources whenever possible
Creating a diverse,
non-discriminatory multilingual
environment
How can you not want to support a business like this? In
my opinion, this is the optimal
structure for any type of organization.
Consider yourself
warned: upon
visiting Rainbow Grocery, you will most likely find yourself aimlessly
wandering the aisles, neglecting any list you brought with you in order
to
avoid aimlessly wandering the aisles.
Just roll with it.
During the never-ending research process for my final thesis
project at the Academy of Art University, I came
across some truly admirable (and truly awesome) eco-friendly brands based on the west coast. I feel it is all too appropriate to
include them in my sadly neglected, yet still active eco blog; some of them you may have already seen in previous posts. What can I say? I just love these brands and the various causes they support. I have seen these products in person and I highly encourage
y’all to check out their websites.
Without further ado: the brands of my hypothetical
showroom.....
Vicarious by Nature is a men’s and women’s eco-friendly
clothing brand based out of Los Angeles. Their organic apparel is soft, stylish, and represents
an environmentally conscious lifestyle.
They are “inspired by the notion that we can substitute old ideas for
new ideas by promoting a proactive approach to environmental friendliness,”
which includes organic production.
VBN is very education friendly and strives to spread their knowledge of
ethical fashion “with local and global communities.” They also give back to the community through partnerships
with Econation and Ocean Conservation Society.
http://www.vicariousbynature.com/
Sub Urban Riot was founded by Pacific Northwesterners who
eventually started this apparel company in Venice, CA. They combine sustainable materials with
fun images and words, creating a laid-back aesthetic and simple, tailored
clothes. Their shirts have become
increasingly popular due to their exposure on the TV show It’s Always Sunny
In Philadelphia. Sub Urban Riot collaborates with 1% For
The Planet.
http://www.suburbanriot.com/
Stewart + Brown was launched in 2002 in Los Angeles by
Karen Stewart and Howard Brown.
Karen and Howard previously worked for established designers; Karen is a
trained painter and Howard a graphic artist; they “oversee every aspect of the
product and brand themselves.”
Nature and “all aspects of life” inspire them. The company only uses organic cotton, top quality surplus
fabrics, and renewable fibers including non-toxic, low-impact methods, as they
believe in “optimizing their designs and lives to attain the highest standards
of quality and functional style while extracting the bare minimum from Earth’s
precious capital.” Stewart + Brown
donates a minimum of 1% sales to environmental and community organizations.
http://www.stewartbrown.com/
Juleselin is based out of San Francisco and is made from
organic cotton, bamboo, and recycled fabrics in a sweatshop-free environment. Founder Julia Burnbaum is a self-taught
designer who previously worked for Macy’s West and eventually decided to follow
her passion for designing women's clothing, particularly jackets with classic
silhouettes. She uses sustainable
manufacturing practices and low impact dyes, as well as “green office
practices” such as recycling shipping and packing materials, using low energy
lighting, non-VOC paints, and recycled furniture. One tree will be planted for every Juleselin item sold, and
they also support several charities: Dress For Success, Susan G. Komen Breast
Cancer Foundation, Stephan A. Communale, Jr. Family Cancer Foundation, and
Marin History Museum.
http://www.juleselin.com/
PACT is based out of Berkeley, CA. Created by Jason Kibbey and Jeff Denby,
PACT is made up of an established design team, an underwear consultant/former
designer, an organic and ethically responsible cotton factory in Turkey, a
sustainable marketing and public relations firm in San Francisco, and Planet
Access Company, an organization committed to “social purpose.” Their underwear is made of 95% organic
cotton and 5% elastane, eco-friendly dyes, is packed in its own reusable fabric
bag, shipped in 100% compostable packaging, and works closely with manufacturers
to minimize excess transportation.
Each pair of underwear is designed for and donates 10% of their sales to
specific causes such as ForestEthics, 826 National, Oceana, and Global Green.
http://www.wearpact.com/
Annatarian was created by Anna Mkhitarian in Los Angeles
after September 11th, 2001. She
worked for various manufacturers in LA before deciding to begin her own
eco-friendly brand and curate art exhibits “with the focus being on peace, eco
design, transformation, and animal rights.” A designer of eco couture, Anna creates eco-friendly jewelry
called Peace Love Earth while “giving back to the environment, making a
positive impact and designing in a way where there is no waste.” Peace Love Earth jewelry was launched
in 2007, inspired by those very words. Annatarian supports many organizations including
CARE and Urban Possibilities.
http://www.peaceloveearth.com/
Ashley Watson is based in Vancouver, Canada, and uses
recycled leather products to handcraft their one-of-a-kind accessories such as
bags, wallets, clutches, and belts.
Ashley’s background in studio art gives her product a practical and
sophisticated aesthetic through incorporating worn leather jacket pockets and
seams into each piece while maintaining an “environmentally sound approach to
fashion design.”
http://www.ashleywatson.net/
Hard Cards, a stationery company based out of Los Angeles,
employs local designers and printers and donates 5% of their proceeds to
several various social causes.
Their cards are printed with soy ink on 100% Post Consumer Waste
Paper. Each card depicts
beautiful, colorful graphics with sarcastic, “irreverent messages” about
occasions from birthdays to babies to weddings. Hard Cards “saw the need for greeting cards that make people
laugh at the truth,” and is “committed to creating a line of products with
minimal environmental impact.”
http://hardcardsrule.com/
Yellow Owl Workshop, based out of San Francisco, creates
hand-made paper goods and home items that are “ready for the gallery wall, but
formatted for everyday enjoyment.”
They use non-toxic water-based inks, 100% PCW recycled paper and their own
screen-printing mitts. Yellow Owl
products include cards and postcards, stamps, ceramics, “correspondence sets,”
prints, paintings, as well as producing designs for individual clients.
http://yellowowlworkshop.com/
Indosole is a San Francisco based company who
manufacturers men’s and women’s sandals in a sweatshop-free environment in
Bali. The sandals are made from
old bike tires found in Bali, and two pair of Indosole sandals save one tire
from a landfill. Indosole also
uses sustainable materials like banana leaf, burlap coffee sacks, Indonesian
grass, canvas, and grass mat for the upper soles with water based glue and hand
stitched reinforcement. Each pair
of sandals is handcrafted in safe working conditions, providing well-paying
jobs for Balinese workers.
