Nau There’s Recycled Jackets

Nau offers up recycled weather-protection in some great cuts. Created from post-consumer and post-industrial polyester waste, these jackets employ cradle-to-cradle ECOCIRCLE® technology, so that at the end of a long life it can be sent back to Nau and recycled once again into polyester fibers for reuse. Unfortunately, some Nau products contain cruel and exploitative down and merino wool, so stick to these cruelty-free choices:

Sonic Neckties, Land O’ Aches, The Conscious Cook & Green Porn

• Tal Ronnen, the notorious chef that got Oprah to go vegan, shares his enticing, unexpected vegan dishes with everyone who relishes eating beautiful, flavorful, and filling food. In the Conscious CookEvery recipe delivers on his promise to omnivores and foodies: “You won’t miss the meat.”

• It’s so cool that the Girlie Girl Army crew pointed out these Limited Edition “Sonic Neckties” made from recycled audio cassette tape! Get them in skinny or wide at Supermarket for 90$

• Where simple goodness begins? The picturesque, historically inaccurate and greenwashed imagery on the cover of Land O’ Lakes products can not hide the cruelty under the wrapping. A new PETA undercover investigation inside a Land O’Lakes supplier facility in Pennsylvania has revealed routine neglect and cruelty to cows who are milked for the Fortune 250 company’s products.

• The only porno I’d ever recommend to you guys is the amazingly clever Green Porno by Isabella Rosellini on the Sundance Channel. Hilarious, hot, and the best biology and ecology lesson you’ve ever had.

OCTOBER CONTEST: Win an Italian-made, organic shirt from Culturata!

Seen on celebs like Matt Damon, George Clooney, and Michael Cera and gracing the cover of MR Magazine, Culturta has earned worldwide respect as an international brand that represents a higher standard of contemporary clothing. Culturata is changing the way people choose clothing by pioneering sartorial sustainability. This concept is based on the balance of old and new. By combining old world tailoring traditions and hand craftsmanship with new sustainable fabrics and practices Culturata elevates  our expectations .

You can win an Organic Culturata Shirt in a few simple steps:

1. Send an email to TheDiscerningbrute@gmail.com listing “The Top 3 Things You Can Do to Promote Organic Cotton“. The Subject line must read: OCTOBER CONTEST: CULTURATA (otherwise it may get trashed)
2. The best and most creative submission wins!
3. Deadline is October 31st.
4. The winner will be announced November 1st.

DBTV: Girlie Girl & The Brute at The Green Shows, Pt 2

This is part 2 of our series about The Green Shows at NYC Fashion week. In this installment we meet Tara St. James of Study, Suki Kramer of Suki, and Eric Dorfman, founder of The Green Shows. Look out for part 3, coming soon!

Leather Jacket: The Rebel Icon That Lost Its Gall

by Joshua Katcher

Since the first Harley Davidson Motorcycle Jacket appeared in the United States in 1919, there might not be a symbol that resonates more clearly in almost every subculture than the leather jacket. From rock stars, punks, bikers, to hipsters, fashionistas, greasers, goths, metal-heads, and even the not-so-subcultured like military aviators and the police – the leather jacket has largely defined ‘cool’ since the word cool was made to mean something new by jazz legend, Lester Young, in 1933.  In addition, many fashion experts regard leather as having unsurpassed sex-appeal – so much that it has one of the most popular fetish followings. Originally made for its functionality of durability and protective properties, it has come to suggest masculinity, and strength – and more recently as high-end designers cash in our desires to look cool and strong, wealth.

Sid Vicious’ suicide note instructed: “Bury me in my leather jacket…” Images of James Dean, Elvis, Marlon Brando, The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, Michael Jackson, The Fonz, Cathy Gale, Indiana Jones, and even the Black Panthers and the Russian Bolsheviks come to mind when we think of leather jackets.  Hollywood helped launch the leather jacket as a symbol of intimidation and rebelliousness early on with Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne in Leather Bomber Jackets, and films like The Wild One, Easy Rider, Grease and Mad Max .

What is a leather jacket? Well, to be simple, it’s the preserved skin-organ of an animal, torn from its body, treated with chemicals, dyed, and cut up into pieces to be used as a “fabric”.  Like all flesh, without the toxic tanning process, leather would rot and decompose. Horses, goats, cows, calves, lamb, sheep, pigs and “exotic” animals like crocodiles, ostrich, and many kinds of snakes are all used for their skins. Other species are hunted and killed specifically for their skins, including zebras, bison, water buffaloes, boars, kangaroos, elephants, eels, sharks, dolphins, seals, walruses, frogs, turtles, and lizards. Dairy cows are also turned into leather once they are “spent” and their calves become expensive calfskin once slaughtered for veal. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the global leather industry slaughters more that a billion animals and tans their skins each year, globally.

tannery pollution in Bangladesh

The tanning is especially problematic. If a billion animals are killed for their skins per year, you do the math on how many gallons of toxic chemicals are used to turn that into leather jackets. Communities surrounding tanneries in India, Kentucky, and Sweden report high instances of leukemia and cancer, and the chemicals used to tan leather, including heavy metals like chromium, find their way into water supplies and river systems. Animals on factory farms in the U.S. produce 130 times as much excrement as the entire human population, without the benefit of waste treatment plants. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has even acknowledged that livestock pollution is the greatest threat to our waterways. Turning skin into leather also requires mineral salts, formaldehyde, coal-tar derivatives, and various oils, dyes, and finishes, some of them cyanide-based.

Eco-friendly leather is a myth and a travesty. Based simply on the amount of resources it takes to raise animals – from feed crops, pastureland, water, and fossil fuels, to the record-breaking amounts of greenhouse gasses emitted by cattle (livestock production is the #1 cause of greenouse gas emissions), even if, at the very final stage of this environmentally devastating process, a “vegetable-based” tanning process is used, it does not erase the colossal leather boot-print that raising livestock has on ecosystems . What also becomes clear is the myth that synthetics are environmentally inferior to so-called “natural” materials like leather.

Many people see leather as by-product of the meat and dairy industry, and justify wearing it with the rationalization “ The animal is dead already, so we may as well make use of the skin”. But would the animal be dead if there weren’t a demand for it’s flesh and skin in the first place? According to the USDA,  the skin of the animal represents “the most economically important byproduct of the meat packing industry.” So it isn’t just someone making use of scraps – it is a profitable industry in itself.

It’s clear that the leather jacket is a force to be reckoned with, but as our relationships to animals and ecosystems evolve, what does the leather jacket really mean, now? It all boils down to power – like Keanu Reeves in the Matrix, the leather trench represents his potentially intimidating and powerful appearance. Much like the meaning of fur, which has come to represent arrogant indifference towards animals, leather is headed down that same path, towards being a symbol of ignorance and indifference.

“The image of leather no longer defines outcasts, rebels, and counter-culture; instead, it is the epitome of mainstream, problematic relationships with ecosystems and violent and exploitative relationships with animals.”

The gorgeous illusions spun by the Goliath fashion industry are, indeed, spellbinding. And it’s no wonder the leather industry, with its orthodox relationship to the oldest, largest and most powerful fashion houses, has seen such consistent success. We hear writers, journalists and experts avow the nature of leather – how this “material” molds to our shape, breathes, and can withstand extreme punishment. But, it is not a “material” per se (any more than the Jewish hair used to stuff mattresses and pillows from the Nazi death-camps was a “material”). It was someone’s very skin. How can anyone be taken seriously as a compassionate, conscientious, and ecologically responsible individual, while boasting such a powerful symbol of both ecological devastation and animal suffering?

We know better. This isn’t a leap of faith – the evidence is right there in front of us. Not only are there countless documented cases of animals being boiled and dismembered alive, but in India, one of the largest leather exporters, the cows have their tails broken and chili-peppers rubbed in their eyes to keep them moving on their exhaustive journey outside the boarders of India where they can legally be killed specifically for their skins. Snakes and lizards may be skinned alive because of the belief that live flaying makes leather more supple. Kangaroos are slaughtered by the millions every year; their skins are considered prime material for soccer shoes. The conditions and treatment these animals face are horrifying.

Losing its gall. The image of leather no longer defines outcasts, rebels, and counter-culture; instead, it is the epitome of mainstream, problematic realtionships with ecosystems and violent and exploitative relationships with animals. It is woefully ordinary, and painfully tired. When you wear leather, you are no longer saying “I am powerful, individual, and cool“, you are saying “I am environmentally irresponsible and I hate animals“.

Circus Exposed & Mighty Menswear

Don’t forget the organic menswear sale at GILT GROUPE today starting at noon! If you’re not a member of GILT, click HERE.

Ringling Bros is in deep dung. A new undercover video contains footage of “beating, whipping and hooking,” according to PETA.

Check out these stripes and solids from Splendid Mills – made with organic cotton and recycled poly:

KUYICHI

KUYICHI is an organic, fair-trade line launched in 2001 in the Netherlands that captures a young, casually-edgy and effortless cool aesthetic. Kuyichi was born when the Dutch NGO Solidaridad discovered how harmful conventional cotton was while setting up fair-trade programs with food. They were the first denim and fashion line to use organic cotton, and they continue to pioneer innovative and sustainable methods of production including recycling water and natural dyes, considering both labor and environment. Every KUYICHI garment has a “Track & Trade” code on the tag, and using this code, you can track the history of each garment using this amazing web tool. KUYICHI is SA8000 certified which means no child labor or discrimination, no sweatshops, fair pay and hours, and heathcare and safety for workers.

With influences ranging from grunge-rock and vintage military to yippis and bikers – KUYICHI features materials like organic cotton, bamboo denim, linen denim, spare denim, hemp denim, recycled PET and Lenpur.  Find out the details about these materials by clicking HERE. Unfortunately, they do use some vegetable-tanned leather, which, according to the UN, still comes from the #1 cause of global warming: Raising animals for agriculture. I hope they nix the leather all-together in favor of waxed and treated plant-based materials, or eco-friendly fauxs.

You can purchase their garments ONLINE.

NYC’s Lower Foodprint & Running On Air

Tuesday, July 21st is FoodprintNYC Call-In Day to your City Council representative!

You know by now that farm animal production wreaks havoc on our environment. By increasing the availability of local, just and sustainably-produced fruits, vegetables and whole grains, New York City can decrease its ecological Foodprint. This resolution would help the city meet its goals of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, while increasing access to local, healthy plant-based food, particularly in New York City’s underserved communities. The Foodprint resolution, organized by the NYC Foodprint Alliance – a collaborative network of organizations, including Farm Sanctuary – also builds on the environmentally-friendly policies and programs recommended in the Manhattan Borough President’s 2009 report “Food in the Public Interest.” Get involved!

What, You Think This Runs on Air?

Actually – yest, it does. A car manufacturers and developers in France have developed a car that runs on compressed air. The fruit of more than ten years of researches, MDI’s mono-energy engines operate on a totally eco-friendly basis using compressed air stored at high pressure.

These engines are used on vehicles designed for urban use, backup generators or industrial tractors. They are particularly tailored for applications where the torque has an importance and when an averagely moderate power is needed.

Loomstate, Edun, and Rogues Gallery: Organic Menswear Online Sale

Loomstate, Edun, and Rogues Gallery will be showcasing organic menswear at up to 70% off retail at the exclusive GILT GROUPE on Friday 7/24/09 starting at Noon EDT.

Gilt Groupe provides access, by invitation only, to Men’s, Women’s and Children’s coveted fashion and luxury brands at prices up to 70% off retail. Each sale lasts only 36 hours, and it’s first-come-first-serve.

Raw Fig & Pear Herb Salad w/ Cashew Cheese & Sweet Almond Vinaigrette

I am on a summer salad kick! They are so easy to make, and you really can’t go wrong. This Raw Fig & Pear Herb Salad with Cashew Cheese & Sweet Almond Vinaigrette is so satisfying that you might want to double the recipe. As always, try to buy organic and go to the farmer’s market, for crying out loud.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED (serves 2):

• 2 cups of baby herb salad
• 2 pears (of your choice)
• 10 dried black mission figs
• 1 wheel of Dr.Cows Aged Cashew Cheese
• 2 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 Tbs Agave Nectar
• 2 Tbs Raw Almond Butter

DIRECTIONS:

1. Chop the pear, half the figs, thinly slice the cheese, and toss with the herb salad.
2. Pour the *Dressing on, and serve!

*DRESSING: in a cup or small bowl, mix the Apple Cider Vinegar, Almond Butter, and Agave.