Behind the Scenes - 302designs

I have a friend who is a chemist with a Ph.D.  The last time I saw her, she told me all about why it is essential to eat organic foods only.  She explained that non-organic foods are chemically altered and can be extremely damaging to your health.  Though I haven’t made the switch to organic foods, I have been thinking about this a lot recently. 

I just spent a few months in another country and the whole time I was there, minor physical conditions I deal with were no longer an issue.  For months, aches, pains and indigestion were completely gone.  As soon as I returned to the States, however, they were back with a vengeance.  Anyone who has traveled can tell you that there is a big difference between preservative-laden food in the United States and the food in other countries.  And so, it really got me thinking about a change in the way I eat.

The New York Times Magazine published an interesting article entitled, “Eating Food That’s Better for You, Organic or Not.”  As the title suggests, the article contemplates how Americans can change their ways, even if they are not yet ready to take the organic plunge.  One example given is to reduce animal based product consumption (on average, we Americans consume nearly 2 lbs a day of this stuff!) and to increase plant based product consumption, a suggestion that comes from Michael Pollan’s new book, In Defense of Food.  (You might know Pollan as the author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma.)

If you are thinking about an organic diet, or simply a better one, here are some resources that might help:

• Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating
• In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto
• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
• To Buy or Not to Buy Organic: What You Need to Know to Choose the Healthiest, Most Earth-Friendly Food

Is anyone out there familiar with Freecycle?  If not, you should check it out.  It began as an ingenious idea that instead of throwing things away, you should first offer them to people in your area who might need them.  No more garbage trucks hauling away your old furniture that still has some life in it.  No more adding to landfills and waste each year. 

Participation is simple: Simply find a group in your area and sign up for the email list.  You will start receiving emails from people who have items to give away, which you can request and obtain from them, free of charge.  When you start to clean out your own closets, you have a group of willing recipients at your disposal, whom you can notify with the click of a button.

I have used Freecycle for over a year now, giving away craft supplies, beauty products, furniture and even food, and obtaining books and Halloween costume materials, among other things.  Everybody wins!

Green-Christmas.org is a website that offers some interesting tips on how to keep your holiday eco-friendly. One of them is getting a “living” Christmas tree, “which is delivered in a pot, remains alive through the season (don’t forget to water it!), and is picked up after New Year’s Day.” I had never heard of that before but if you Google “living Christmas tree” you will find some interesting information, like this article in the Los Angeles Times. It might be too late to get one this year but you might want to keep it in mind for next!

Another idea listed at the website is to reuse paper for gift wrap. I have done this for the last couple of years and I think it’s a great idea. I usually take Christmas catalogs that come in the mail that no one wants and use pages with photos of Christmas trees, gifts, Christmas cookies, snow, etc. for wrapping.

Then there is always purchasing and giving organic gifts that are sustainable and better for your recipients anyway.

How have you made your holiday more eco-friendly?

The United Nations Climate Change Conference that recently took place in Copenhagen, Denmark sparked a lot of media interest in environmental issues. A recent CNN article highlighted 3 apps that “claim to help you be more gentle to Mother Earth.”  GetGreen offers you daily green tips, A Real Tree plants a tree for every app purchased, and Find Green offers listings of green businesses in your area.

In addition, ComputerWorld reported on Microsoft’s and Google’s new climate change web applications.  Microsoft has created the Environmental Atlas of Europe that uses Bing’s maps to highlight climate change throughout the continent.  Google is currently working on “an online version of a tool that analyzes raw satellite imagery to compare deforestation over time.”

Any other eco-friendly technology out there that someone wants to share with us?  Add your comments to this post!

When buying clothes, we often consider the materials, quality, price, color, size, and general style. Most people I know don’t ask themselves, “Is this outfit eco-friendly and chemical-free?” Yet a recent article in The Seattle Times asserts that perhaps we should be asking.

“The cotton in your shirt was likely grown with a strong dose of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Many synthetic fabrics such as nylon, acrylic and polyester are petroleum-based. […]

Children commonly suffer from pesticide poisoning because of the closeness of their homes to cotton fields and the reuse of empty pesticide containers.

The environment pays a price as well. Hazardous cotton pesticides have contaminated rivers in India, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Brazil, Australia, Greece, Western Africa and the U.S., says the EJF. Petroleum used in synthetic fabrics contributes to global warming.”

Did you have any idea that the clothes that you choose to buy could make such a huge difference in the lives of people around the world? Just another reason to choose organic clothing for the holidays, and all year round.

Planning a wedding is hard enough, but trying to do so on a budget in an environmentally friendly way complicates things even further. Still, as I plan my wedding, I cannot help but think of all of the potential waste and resolve to avoid as much as I can. Some brides- and grooms-to-be are doing this through:

- E-mail invitations rather than paper ones. They can actually be designed quite beautifully as PDFs, and it is much easier for most people to RSVP through email than to mail back a card.

- Daytime weddings rather than night ones. Getting married in the daytime means plenty of natural light that will make you look more gorgeous in your wedding photos anyway. Extra points if you get married outdoors in a park, for example!

- Green wedding favors instead of traditional ones. This means that you can give your guests seeds, or plant a tree in their name - any number of options.

- Organic, eco-conscious attire, decorations, food… you name it.

There are actually plenty of resources for this on the web, in case anyone is interested:

The Knot: Green Weddings

Planet Green: Weddings

Martha Stewart: Eco-Friendly Wedding Planning

Inhabitat’s Green Wedding Guide

If you’ve been out or even just online in the past week, you’ll know that the holiday shopping season is upon us. People are searching in malls, department stores and on the web for the perfect gift for their friends and loved ones. It has become a large part of our culture to spend money on countless items each year, despite the fact that we consume more resources than we should at this point.

One way to address this issue without becoming a Scrooge and giving up holiday gift exchanges is to be eco-conscious in our shopping. This means that instead of just purchasing things, you could take some time to check out the companies that make them and make an informed decision. For example, does the manufacturer use organic  materials? Do they have a good reputation for respecting the environment (e.g.
not dumping toxic waste)?

In fact, there is a new website out that ranks products and companies this way called The Good Guide.  It is in beta so it doesn’t contain a wide selection but it seems like an excellent start and a useful resource.

As many of you may have noticed, 302 was a participant in Austin Fashion Week (AFW), which took place the week of July 13-19. It marked the first annual fashion week for Austin – and as many locals said, it was well overdue!

For those of you that do not live in Austin and/or are not familiar with 302’s hometown, it is packed full of local artists, designers, stylists, boutiques and more. Austin is well known for supporting local business, so AFW was a great way to unite the fashion community in a formalized way, and give recognition to the amazing talent helps the people here look trendy and fabulous, while keeping with our casual roots.

And if being a participant in AFW wasn’t enough, you can imagine how excited we all were here at 302 to hear that we were nominated for “Critic’s Choice, Best Men’s Clothing Designer!” What an honor!

302 partnered up with the stylish and quirky Orbit Salon to throw a rockin’ “East Side Block Party,” and it was great to see some of our local fans come out and get to meet some new ones too. All in all, our event was a success – with help from our sponsors Kohana Coffee and Cissi’s Market – guests sipped iced coffee or wine and got a chance to check out our new line of SUPER SOFT t-shirts. Be sure to check out the new tees – we’re expanding to include new styles, like V-necks for guys and girls, and scoop necks for the ladies!

An amazingly choreographed award show finalized Austin Fashion Week. 302 even got to walk the red carpet - check out the pics below of 302’s own co-founder, David Walker, sporting the new men’s V-neck “Immortality.” During the award show, designers, models, make up artists and stylists rocked the runway to showcase their talent. Special guest Kayne from Project Runway debuted a line of gorgeous dresses that were the hit of the show.

Here’s some photos from AFW and our East Side Block Party. Enjoy.

For many of us, 2009 is an exciting time. Regardless of your politics, most Americans would admit that the last presidential election had us on the edge of our seats, and engaged a number of people who never considered themselves “into politics.” The number of young adults alone who stood up to be counted for the first time was inspiring. And here we are, post-election, post-inauguration, in a new year.

Sometimes it seems that enthusiasm goes just as quickly as it comes. The people have spoken, the official is elected, and now we can go back to not caring until four years from now. Right?

Wrong!

If we only take action when we are bitterly unhappy, we are guaranteed to find ourselves bitterly happy again.. and again… and again. Why not take action before things grind to a halt? Why not stay engaged, even when things seem on the up and up, to be sure to keep them going?

Here are some ways that you can impact your government all year round, instead of waiting for the next big election year:

• Read the news.
• Stay current on elections within your own city and state. This is easy to do now that cities and states have websites!
• Keep yourself informed on what Congress is voting on, and write letters to your representatives to ensure that they know your opinion.

Those of us who are active can often find our energy sapped. Going to school or work, spending time with friends and participating in activities and hobbies are all positive things, but what do you do when you feel like you just can’t get up in the morning or you hit the pillow hard every night? Recently, I have been asking myself the same question. Here are some of the answers I found:

• Consume less stimulants like coffee and sugar. These things get you going in the short-term, but sap you in the long-term.

• Consume more protein. Nuts, meats, eggs, dairy, soy products… these foods can give you the boost you need when you are running low.

• Take some time for yourself. Relax. Meditate. Listen to some soothing music. Read a chapter of your favorite book. Slowing down and remembering to take care of yourself can work wonders.

• Exercise. This sounds like something that would make you even more tired, but the opposite is true. Even if it’s just a short walk, adding exercise to your routine will help boost your energy.