IronClads Lures

Summertime and the fishin is...greener. Whether you fish as a hobby, a sport, or a profession, you know how many of those soft, easily-lost lures you go through when trying to catch your prize. Many of those lures end up on the bottoms of lakes and rivers. Since they are made of polyvinyl chloride (aka PVC), a synthetic material that has come under much scrutiny lately due to its possible impacts on human health and the environment (you may recall PVC was banned in children's toys in CA in 2009), they have become a major contaminant in aquatic ecosystems. Wisconsin fisher and inventor Ben Hobbins has figured out a way to save fishermen money, reduce waste lures, and reduce the impact of the lures on the environment. Hobbins partnered with University of Wisconsin-Madison business and engineering faculty and students to prototype a new lure material that doesn't break off the hook as easily which in turn reduces the need to constantly buy new lures and the millions of lures that end up on lake and river beds releasing the PVC phthalates and other synthetic petrochemicals. The new technology is essentially a micro polyester fiber that strengthens the lure material. Yes, polyester still has issues of its own but the fact that the IronClads won't break loose is a HUGE first step. To that end, Hobbins and the UW-Madison partners continue to look for ways to make the lure materials even more sustainable. Brings a whole new meaning to the fishing term, 'greenies'.

>> Article in June 2009 Popular Science
>> UW-Madison College of Engineering news article

Book Review | Style, Naturally

Too much, TOO MUCH! There is simply too much information packed in Summer Rayne Oakes' Style, Naturally for me to take it all in. But it is exactly that fact that makes Style, Naturally so fantastic. Add to that a level of graphic design in the book that could easily win an AIGA award. Add to that Summer 'gets it'. Its clear in the book that Summer gets sustainability and she gets that it must have a great sense of style and design to appeal to a broad range of people. Most importantly, she gets that style isn't about buying into trends or brands, she gets that true style - the essence of style - is about expressing yourself and your individuality. As she puts it,

"Style doesn't start wtih big-name, fancy brands as some advertisers would have you believe. Style starts with you. it starts with who you are, what you choose to wear and how you wear it, how you carry yourself, how y ou go about the day, what you do with your time, and how you feel in your clothes and your skin.

Style, Naturally is part catalogue (of fabulous things), part encyclopedia (of fabulous people and resources), and all straight from the enthusiastic heart and mind of Summer. Indeed, throughout the book it feels as if you're reading a page out of her personal diary with her unique insights and insider knowledge of sustainable fashion and beauty. She shares her 'tips of the trade' and profiles the designers who are are truly creating big, fast change in the world.

Having known Summer personally for many years now, I also think that Style, Naturally is the perfect synthesis of her background in both fashion and science. Yes fashionistas, its true...Summer has a BS in Natural Resources from Cornell where she studied Entomology (that would be insects). Her science mind is evident in the organization of the book, from the academically inspired title "Eco-Fashion 101" to the color coded product notes. She also systematically and thoroughly marches through fashion and beauty categories that range from bags and bras to accessories and athletic wear. Given her science background, perhaps Style, Naturally could also be described as part fieldguide to sustainable style...actually, make that 'the' fieldguide to sustainable style. And yes, I have adopted several of Summer's face and body tips.

Learn more about Style, Naturally and Summer's work in the video below:

Leading Ladies - Cameron Diaz

The June 2009 issue of Vogue crowned Cameron Diaz as the "Queen of Green". Indeed, Ms. Diaz has been a member of the environmental movement's royalty for some time as an advocate, activist, and ambassador. Ms. Diaz's fashion editorial features all organic and sustainable designs that reveal the true beauty of both Ms. Diaz and the clothing while the accompanying article by Mario Testino reveals Ms. Diaz's inner beauty. Jump to the online article here and watch the making of Ms. Diaz's shoot below.

Leading Men | Nelson Philippe

The Indy 500 organizers have raised the green flag for expanding the use of ethanol at the event. Ethanol has been around the Indy and other races for a while, but its use is gaining in popularity. Even better is that Indy organizers and promoters are using the opportunity to educate fans about the issues as well. One team that's getting a lot of interest is that of rookie driver Nelson Philippe who has plans to "shift the Indy 500 into neutral" - carbon neutral that is - with his iDrive Green initiative. At age 20, Philippe was the youngest champ car drivers when he debuted and was one of the youngest drivers to win a race. Now he's pushing green driving bigtime, partnered with Eco Driving USA, and helped launch Indy Goes Green. Watch an interview with Philippe on Fox below:

Book Review | The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget

From Sustainable Sean...Being the Lifestyle Ambassador & Co-founder of the Sustainable Style Foundation and all, I thought Josh Dorfman had written the perfect book when he penned his first opus, The Lazy Environmentalist back in 2007. Many authors have attempted to write the next big guide to going green, but none quite compared to Josh's first 'guide to easy, stylish, green living'. As it turns out...Josh himself has written the next big guide to going green...and its AWESOME! Once again, Josh is able to make going green totally down to earth and accessible. When Joe the Plumber decides to go green, I'm pretty sure he'll read The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget. In his new book, Josh once again runs down the list of the best products and resources for green living, but this time he's on an even higher mission...going green while saving both time and money. Clearly, given the economic situation we're all in, his new book is timely but it is also a resource that will serve as a guide in any era as it is essentially a road map for how to make affordable and sustainable lifestyle choices whether you're a college senior living on student loans or a hard-working soccer (or hockey) Mom. Recently laid off or just getting out of school but still want to get your green on? Don't fret, Josh even has a section on the booming green job market. Once you've dog-eared your dozens of pages, hit the computer and surf over to Josh's website The Lazy Environmentalist to get new tidbits and pointers. Even better, tune in to Josh on the Sundance Channel starting in June of 2009.

Serious Pie

From Sustainable Sean...

It's always great when sustainability sneaks up and surprises you. That's exactly what happened recently to me at Serious Pie, one of Seattle chef Tom Douglas' restaurants. Chef Tom Douglas is a big supporter of local, organic produce so I always look forward to eating at one of his several restaurants in Seattle. Serious Pie is all about pizza...but not just any pizza, some of the best pizza you'll ever eat. If you stop in during the rush our, you might think you're in Manhattan because every seat is filled and your usually elbow to elbow with your neighbor. Come in during the off hours though and the atmosphere is comparable to a favorite pizzeria in Italy. Regardless of how busy they are, the service is always sincere, attentive, and gracious. One of my favorite pizzas is the chantrelles truffle cheese pizza. Love chantrelles (I used to forage for them personally when doing wildlife fieldwork in the Cascades) and love truffles. So as you might tell, I'm a big fan of Serious Pie and have been for quite some time. The surprise came in the salad special. The main ingredient...Miner's Lettuce! Also called Indian Lettuce, Winter Purslane, and Sweet Beauty, Miner's Lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata) is a native plant that has been a nutritious staple in local diets for centuries, from the first people of Seattle - the Duwasmish - to modern day pizza buffs. The salad was magnificent with D'Anjou pear and a white balsamic dressing. Serious Pie just notched up the sustainable food trend...who needs local organic when you can go NATIVE organic.

NBC/Universal - Green is Univeral

from Sustainable Sean...Once again NBC/Universal (NBCU) is going CRAZY green on Earth Day as part of their Green is Universal initiative. Even better, each of Universal's 'brands' has its own green page as well...take NBC's green page and the Sci Fi Channel for example. NBCU actually has quite a bit of programming throughout the year but each year on Earth Day, they go hard core green. This year is no different with green (literally sometimes) showing up all over the place whether its the logo during the Today show to special editions of "The More You Know", to Oprah's Earth Day show.

Seattle's Colin McCrate in May GQ

From Sustainable Sean...That's right, Seattle's own Urban Ag/Local/Sustainable food expert Colin McCrate of Seattle Urban Farm Company is in the May GQ. Colin is showcased in the "Men who do this for a living" area of their group of articles titled "Grow Your Own: a man's introduction to gardening". The group of articles have some great products, tasty recipes, and lots of great tips on how to get your green thumb on whether you're a rooftop or backyard gardener.