my UNvogue columns

Green Issue

The Informer Goes Green
Gabrielle Sierra- UNVOGUE Issue 2

Green Feet
Natalie Portman is one of my all-time favorite brilliant babes. As smart as she is
beautiful, the young actress can now add Green Designer to her ever growing resume.
Ms. Portman has teamed up with the vegan shoe line Te Casan (‘A Woman’s Path’) and
created her own collection. I had a vegan roommate in college; she wore a lot of
hemp and kept her pants up with a long lanyard necklace. Needless to say, I didn’t come
away with the best image of vegan fashion. The phrase ‘vegan shoes’ conjures to mind
some sort of cloth sandals decorated with pinecones and leaves. But Natalie Portman’s Te
Casan shoe line ranges from flats to high heels, and is made from various satins and faux-
patents, not dirt and sand. Although some of the shoes may seem a bit pricey (most of the
heels run at around $265.00 per pair), this limited edition line is certainly a wonderful
step in the right direction. Just don’t wear them with your snake skin jacket.


Recycling is a girl’s best friend
Talk about trash becoming a treasure! Your recycling has never looked better thanks to the smarty-pants at Cool Planet Jewelry. The company has partnered with StopGlobalWarming.org to produce a line of entirely eco-friendly designs created from recycled precious materials. Celebrities like Sheryl Crow and Kristin Cavallari have been sporting the recycled gold, silver, and platinum jewelry, which features the Stop Global Warming insignia. These simple pieces come in both men’s and women’s, and what they lack in intricacy they made up for in purpose, as fifty percent of the proceeds are donated. The straightforward style would go great with a plain white t-shirt and pieces range from $35.00 to $450.00. Even the website itself is green, as it is run on solar power and all orders are sent in hemp packaging.


Radiohead tours naturally
Summer is coming and so is the wave of music festivals that go along with the warm weather. Music lovers everywhere have already begun buying their tickets for events, eagerly positioned at the edge of their seats in anticipation for the outdoor concerts, drum circles, and overpriced falafels. But rumor has it that eco-friendly rock band Radiohead will not be performing at this year’s Glastonbury Music Festival in England. Lead singer (and my future husband) Thom Yorke has said that the band will not participate in any festivals or events that do not provide public transportation for its attendees. The Glastonbury Festival website does suggest some other means of reaching the grounds including ‘lift sharing’ and the frightening idea of hitchhiking; however, they are one of the few large festivals that will not be providing any public bus or car transportation. Radiohead has long been active in trying to reduce its carbon footprint on the world. In the past Yorke has stated that he has a hard time dealing with the harsh environmental impact of touring, and it seems that the band has begun to take action with their new 2008 schedule. Radiohead will be playing many other festivals and venues around the world, so get your bongo drums ready.
Treat yourself (and the earth)
Being eco-friendly doesn’t have to go hand in hand with limiting your luxury. Nowadays many top resorts are being designed with going green in mind. No longer will you feel required to go camping and roast organic tofu hot-dogs; these vacations are crafted for style, adventure, comfort, and relaxation. Chaa Creek was one of the first eco-lodges opened in Belize and now has a spa, horseback riding, and a five star rating. El Nido Resort in the Philippines is also a turtle sanctuary, and therefore provides amazing diving opportunities to its guests. Vacations aren’t the only way to green the luxury in your life; you can indulge in fine dining while still going green. Dinegreen.com allows you to find eco-friendly restaurants of all different cuisines in all different areas. Or you can green your massage and facial treatments at an eco-friendly spa, many of which are listed on Spaindex.com. Thanks to these various environmentally sound services, being eco-friendly doesn’t mean that you ever have to give up your favorite treats.

Models lend a hand
It’s not just designers who are getting in on the Green Movement; models are showing their environmentally friendly side as well. Super-beauty Cindy Crawford is teaming up with PUR Water Filtration and launching a new campaign called “Thirsty for a Change”. This program aims to cut down on the massive amount of water bottles that are piled up in garbage dumps everyday. Natalia Vodianova is another model who is striving to make the world a better place. In 2007 she was a part of Al Gore’s ‘The Climate Project’, through which she designed an organic tee shirt. She is also the board president of the Naked Heart foundation, an organization that was created to fund and construct play parks around Russia. Summer Rayne Oakes shows that beauty, brains, and a green lifestyle can all go hand in hand; Summer is an environmental scientist and a model who travels the world participating in sustainable development programs. These ladies aren’t just pretty on the outside; they are making wonderful steps to help our earth and raise awareness.

Ecopalooza
Want to go green but don’t know where to start? Look no further than Ecopalooza.net, a site entirely dedicated to Green event listings. Sorted by date, time, type, and location, this site makes it hard to find an excuse not to get involved. Contributors are able to post their listings for all types of events, ranging from arts to business, health to design; visitors are able to search and link to their exact interests.
Larry Sheehy is the creator of Ecopalooza.net, and he is just as warm and kind as you would expect a green-site-maker to be. “For now I would say the main purpose of the site is to increase awareness of the sustainability of the revolution/green living movement by way of publicizing the events of this growing-by-the-day revolution.” He places all credit into the hands of Ida Tremblay, the creator of the green living expo aptly and originally named Ecopalooza. Larry has high hopes for the green revolution. “Simplify, Switch and Join together in cooperation!” Larry says. “The easiest and most effective ways we can green our lives is to simplify by purchasing fewer things and when we buy, buy recycled or green. Switch to a plant based diet and eat as local as possible. Join in a community and cooperation with our neighbors to create cooperative green ventures that promote green living. If there’s not a green living event near you, then think about creating one. Let a thousand Ecopaloozas Bloom!”