Sierra Club

Movie Review Friday -- Lewis & Clark

This Ken Burns documentary is a classic, blending history and remarkable scenery together in two disks. Burns accurately traces the Corps of Discovery as they make their way across the uncharted wilderness of the western United States to the Pacific coast and back, subsequent to President Jefferson's purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803. Burns' sources include the journals of the men who participated in the expedition, and interviews of historians, authors and native Americans with knowledge of this remarkable exploration. (read more)

Be EcoChic Event and Campaign

We've posted tips this week on how to green your wardrobe by washing clothes in cold water and giving new life to unwanted clothes and jewelry. If you've been bitten by the eco fashion bug and want more tips on this topic--or more environmental responsibility in the fashion industry--consider visiting BeEcoChic.com. It's the just-launched web site for a new campaign sponsored by the Sierra Club to promote environmental awareness through fashion and in the fashion industry itself. Lest you think this is vapor-wear (all talk and no green clothes), the campaign kicks off tonight with a bang: Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope will hit the red carpet at a runway show featuring designs from Tierra Del Forte of Del Forte Denim (which uses organic cotton), Donna Karan of DKNY, and others using recycled or otherwise low-impact fabrics. It all starts tonight at 7pm at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. (read more)

Eco Fashion Week -- Ethical Jewelry

Determined to declutter? Mad about mining? Then the nonprofit Ethical Metalsmiths has a project for you: A Radical Jewelry Makeover, in which artists recycle donated jewelry into new designs--eliminating the pollution-heavy step of mining for new metals. The group has asked San Francisco Bay Area residents to "mine" their homes for unwanted gold, silver, and other jewelry and drop off or mail the pieces to collection sites before September 11. Students learning the art of designing jewelry with alternative materials will then handcraft new pieces for a fall gallery exhibit, where donors can use discount coupons to buy the madeover metals. Those who buy the jewelry will help support Ethical Metalsmiths' mining reform efforts. (read more)

Big Time Recycling

It's a snap to recycle small things, like cans and clothes. But what about those really big items, like planes and trains? Here's what happens when the retired giants of air, land, and sea take on new careers: Grounded jets make great "staycation" destinations: Airplanes can be revamped into houses, libraries, pavilions, and hostels, while an entrepreneur in India uses a retired airplane to give "virtual journeys" to locals who can't afford a real plane ticket. Even retired trains can get you where you're going: A Montana-based construction company turns flat railroad cars into bridges. Trains cars also make charming cabins and cafes. Old ships are at home in the water: Retired aircraft carriers (and subway cars) have been intentionally sunk to create artificial underwater reefs. While freighters might be reincarnated as marine habitats, the shipping containers they once carried remain on shore as houses for land-dwellers. (read more)

Eco Fashion Week -- Recycled Clothing

An average American throws away 68 pounds of clothing and textiles every year, according to the Council for Textile Recycling. Local second-hand shops, Goodwill, and the Salvation Army make it easy to keep your share out of landfills--so why the waste? If you think an item is too worn to warrant donation, think again: A professor of textile and apparel management at the University of Missouri-Columbia tells E Magazine that even scraps can find new life in products ranging from paper to blankets and fencing. If you would rather give your beloved but outgrown items directly to a new wearer, try listing giveaways on a site like freecycle.org, which can help you connect with people in your city who will make use of your fashion finds. (read more)

Campus Car Ban

Incoming freshmen at the University of Miami can bring their laptops, dorm room decorations, and fall fashions to campus, but they'll have to leave their car keys at home. As part of their Green U initiative, the UM has banned cars for all freshmen. (Maine's Boudwin College plans to enact a similar ban in 2009.) To handle any transportation withdrawal, the university sells bikes at low cost and provides access to ZipCars. UM's vehicle ban will remove about 500 rides from the road. There's no exam involved, but these students could learn a life-altering lesson in low-emissions living. How does your school rate? Check out Sierra's "Cool Schools" roundup to find out. (read more)

Eco Fashion Week -- Chill Out

With hundreds of new designs hitting more runways in New York City this week, you can give your style a fashionably green flair with these tips--no catwalk required. Tip #1: Chill out The environmental impact of an item of clothing lasts long after the fibers have been harvested, woven, dyed and shipped. So without making a single new purchase, you can begin to green your fashion by reducing the energy used to clean and maintain your current wardrobe. First step? Rethink your laundry. Heating water accounts for 90 percent of the energy used to wash a typical load. Yet with the exception of bed linens and grease-stained fabrics, most items don't need to be washed in simmering hot temperatures and too-hot water can reduce their longevity. To cut back on energy use, consider choosing clothes labeled for washing in cold water, turning your water heater down to 120 degrees, and using the cold setting whenever possible. If you're not ready to go whole hog, you can cut energy use in half by simply switching the temperature setting from hot to warm. (read more)

Slow Food Nation Thinkers

Marion Nestle, author of What to Eat and a professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at NYU, lives in what she calls Junk Food City. More commonly known as Manhattan, the city has some competition for the title, but Nestle today used her experiences in the Big Apple to illustrate for attendees of a Slow Food Nation forum how she sees nutrition and public health connecting with waste and the environment. (read more)

Taste of Slow Food Nation

Slow Food Nation, a celebration of flavorful American foods from small-scale producers, took over San Francisco's Civic Center Plaza this morning. Hundreds of foodies, hungry downtown office workers, environmental activists, and others lined up at booths run by more than 50 California farmers and artisans to sample and purchase fresh organic peaches, handmade pickles, heirloom tomatoes, and dozens of other carefully cultivated foods around city hall's new "victory garden." (read more)

Movie Review Friday -- Medicine Man

Escape to the movies with one of our Movie Friday selections. Each week we review a film with environmentally or socially-responsible themes that’s currently in theaters or available on DVD. Seen a good eco-flick lately? Send us a review of 100 words or less and look for your review in the next Movie Friday! Medicine Man (1992) Available on DVD Amidst the magnificent greenery of the Amazon, Dr. Rae Crane (Lorraine Bracco)--a Bronx-bred scientist with impressive credentials and scant field experience--is transformed from fish-out-of-water to impassioned jungle girl. The motifs are dated, but if you can get past Bracco's histrionics, the movie examines very real, serious threats to the Amazon and its indigenous inhabitants. The "Crocodile Dundee" to Bracco's damsel is Dr. Robert Campbell (Sean Connery), a cantankerous and eccentric scientist who thinks he's found a cure for cancer among the native flora and fauna. When I first watched this movie over sixteen years ago, I felt an overwhelming sadness which developed into a desire to advocate for the rainforest. During a more recent viewing, Bracco's overacting and a few exaggerated plot elements distracted me from strong emotion. Nevertheless, the rainforest still stole the show. --Review by Della Watson (read more)

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