Alternative Apparel Blog

Bamboo in the 21st Century

 
By Bruce Dear of Pure Bamboo

Alternative and renewable materials have been around for thousands of years. So why is it now that we are getting back in touch with what we’ve known all along? A recent surge in alternative materials has flooded the marketplace and bamboo is at the center of this trend—and with good reason. As one of the fastest-growing plants on the planet (with some varieties growing up to three feet a day), bamboo has seen a spike in demand over the last few years. Praised not only for its eco-friendly status but for its versatility and beauty, bamboo is well-positioned to meet the demands of a growing population.

According to the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR), the global bamboo industry supports over one and a half billion people, and one could argue that most everyone on our planet is touched by bamboo in one way or another. The global bamboo industry is currently worth around $11 billion per year and is estimated to reach $15–$20 billion per year by 2018 (source: Prosperity Initiative). Currently, about one billion people live in bamboo houses, as indicated by INBAR.

Since bamboo is actually a grass, once harvested, the root system is left intact, which allows for rapid re-growth to maturity in as few as five years for the purposes of lumber. For weaving baskets or consumption, even less time is needed—as little as one year. An equivalent grove of bamboo will absorb 45 percent more carbon from the atmosphere than a similar grove of trees. It’s even been postulated that if enough bamboo was planted, it could reverse the effects of global warming. Bamboo requires no pesticides or fertilizers to maintain these rapid growth rates, making it an eco-suitable alternative to many other crops which require even minimal amounts of chemicals. There are over 1,300 species of bamboo, and it grows on all continents which also naturally inhabit people.

Two little-known facts about bamboo: Alexander Graham Bell used a bamboo needle to produce the first sound recording on a phonograph and Thomas Edison used a bamboo filament which helped lead to his invention of the light bulb. The filament shone for 2,450 hours! Subsequently, General Electric made bulbs with bamboo filament for the next 14 years.

Read more about bamboo--the ultimate natural resource--after the jump.

New Music! Rockin' Steady with The Shaky Hands

Our new music this week comes from The Shaky Hands with a sound that walks the fine line between classic rock and indie rock.  Their latest album Let It Die - which features the song "Allison and the Ancient Eyes" that's up on our music player - was recorded in a studio in only ten days, with most of the songs finalized after one or two takes.  The result?  A classic sound that's natural and relaxed without the polished sheen of like The Strokes or The Hives.

This week we've got a super duper gift pack which includes the band's latest album Let It Die as well as the preceding album, Lunglight.  Two of our readers will get both of these albums plus our unisex long-sleeve Eco-Heather pullover hoodie!

How do you enter to win? Just leave a comment on this post by Sunday, Jan 10 '10 - we'll announce two (2) winners on Monday, 1/11. Best of luck!

Wearing Winter White

 
Thankfully, fashion has come a long way since your granny’s "No white after Labor Day" rule. While wearing white shoes in winter is still a bit of a faux pas (unless you reside in L.A. or Miami), clothes, outerwear and accessories in shades of off-white, cream and ivory are white-hot this season.

The key to pulling off a chic winter white look is a rich, textured fabric. Wool, cashmere, tweed, silk, satin and corduroy are all perfect for winter, while super-lightweight cotton and linen are too summery and will look out of place.

To make your winter white look even more seasonally appropriate, partner your ensemble with unquestionably wintery pieces. Head-to-toe monochromatic white will make you look like a yeti, so you want to mix things up a bit. For example, wear your cream-colored dress with black leggings or opaque tights and suede pumps, or pair your ivory cardigan or sweater with knee-high brown riding boots and a dark scarf.

Free Music For Everyone! A Gift From Alternative's Atlanta Crew

So typically we add new music to our player each week and offer a giveaway where you can enter to win copies of the album.  As a special holiday treat, I'm adding two songs to our music player this week, and get this: two FREE albums to download!  For everyone!  Everyone walks away a two-time winner today.

This free music and holiday greetings combo comes from me and the rest of the gang here in Alternative's Atlanta office.  We've got two tracks grown right here in our very own backyard!  The only thing that could possibly make this better is a free download of Real Atlanta Housewife Kim Zolciak's single "Don't Be Tardy For The Party."


The first song on our music player is entitled "Timid Young Ones" from a super talented little lady by the name of Adron.  Adron is an Atlanta local, although you might not know that from her righteous tropical tunes.  Her songs are smooth and melodic and definitely have me dreaming of a warmer climate, which is perfect considering I'm currently stomping through a few inches of snow in NYC.  Here's hoping Adron's music keeps you sunny and smiling on these super chilly days.

Enjoy! This song is actually one of my top faves for 2009, and I'm really happy to share it with you all.  To download this song and the other tracks from her EP Burdworld, visit Adron's official site at www.adronworld.com.



And on the other end of the music spectrum, our second new song up on the player is the Danger Beach remix of "Give It All You Got" by Lil Jon featuring Kee.  This super danceable track is off the new release ATL RMX, a compilation of rap and hip hop remixes assembled by the good people at Adult Swim.  Oh yes, didn't you know?  The Adult Swim crew is based in Atlanta, too.  I don't think it's possible to have cooler neighbors.

This song should definitely be adequate enough for you to move it, okay?!  Just like Ciara says, "You betta shake that thang like a donkey."  To download this song and the other tracks from ATL RMX, visit Adult Swim's official site at www.adultswim.com.


Hope your iPod is happier with all this new music, and we hope everyone has the happiest holidays ever!

Max Lugavere and Jason Silva are Bringing Techno-Optimism to the Green Scene

 
Max Lugavere and Jason Silva are best friends, roommates and the founding hosts of Current TV, the online-integrated cable network launched in 2005. And just in case Lugavere and Silva didn’t already spend enough time together, the duo are also producing and anchoring Current’s new late-night show, Max & Jason: Still Up, and wrapping up work on the documentary Power. Directed by Hunter Richards (London), the film puts an optimistic spin on sustainability, investigating the sources of clean energy just waiting to be tapped. Here, Lugavere and Silva, both 27, talk to us about turning that climate change frown upside down.

When you guys met, was it like, bro-love at first sight?

Jason Silva: Well, we met over our mutual interest in a girl.

Max Lugavere: But then we very quickly realized we had a lot more than that in common. We were at the University of Miami at the time, and Jason was a double-major in Film and Philosophy, and I was studying Film and Psychology—

JS: So, we’d wind up having these long conversations about cinema that always wound up going someplace pretty cerebral. That was what led us to work together on the short that we submitted to Current, before the network launched—

ML: Which got us our hosting gig. I think there were, how many?

JS: 4,000 submissions?

ML: The people at Current, I guess they loved our passion, and the whole "buddy" thing we had going, so they hired us.

I see the buddy thing. But what made you want to host Current TV in the first place? I mean, the network launched before YouTube—the concept of airing user-generated video seemed a little wackadoo, back then.

JS: We just really, sincerely believed in the message—this idea that you can empower a generation of storytellers to tell their own stories. Citizen journalism. Grab a cheap camera, edit on your computer, send it our way.

MO: There’s been a void on television, which our chairman, Al—

Or, former Vice President and Nobel Laureate Al Gore, if you prefer.

ML: That’s the one. The way he sees it, TV is still the most powerful medium. There’s a credibility. Even on Current, you have to be voted on-air by the network’s audience of discerning and passionate and socially conscious viewers. But if the work is good, we provide a platform for people the world over to get out these stories that need to be told, and that aren’t being covered by the traditional news media. We’ve made that our calling.

JS: This is definitely a vocation, not a day-job.

To get Max's and Jason's eco-friendly style, shop the Alternative Earth collection. Read more after the jump!

Bree Turner Sheds Light on the Small Stuff

 Bree Turner is taking it one day at a time. The dancer turned actress, who co-starred with Katherine Heigl in this summer’s rom-com The Ugly Truth, has resolved to make her lifestyle a little greener, day by day. Sometimes that means switching out her incandescent bulbs for compact fluorescents; sometimes that means heading to Malibu to help the good folks from the Surfrider Foundation clean up the beach. And sometimes, Turner does the Los Angeles unthinkable: She walks. Here, she talks to us about her sustainable style.

You grew up in the Bay Area. People always think about that part of the country as being really progressive on the environment; was eco-consciousness something you grew up with?

God, not at all. My upbringing was very typically all-American. We ate fast food, we went to Costco. And I have three brothers, so for my parents, it was all about, how do we feed our family? The environment wasn’t on my radar at all. I mean, it’s not like I was out clubbing baby seals and burning tires, but…. [Laughs.] Now, finding ways to reduce my carbon footprint, that’s part of my day, everyday. I figure I can take one action each day to be more carbon-conscious. And even if it’s a small thing, it’s still relevant.

What are some of the changes you’ve made?

It can be as simple as, today, every time I walk out of a room, I’m going to make sure I turn off the lights. I’ve switched the bulbs out in my house, I’m eating more locally grown foods, I’m driving less. In L.A., that can be hard, cutting down on the driving. But there are bonuses to walking. Like, if I walk to the market, I’m getting exercise and fresh air, and I’m meeting my neighbors. I feel like I’m part of a community when I walk.

Have you noticed other bonuses to living more sustainably?

Absolutely. If you’re turning off the lights, you save money on electricity. If you eat fresher food, you feel better. And the food tastes better—I taste the difference now. I think that a lot of these choices make for a nicer lifestyle, really.

I know you’re involved with the Surfrider Foundation, which works to conserve the ocean and the beaches. How did you get interested in that cause?

This sounds kind of silly, but honestly, I saw a bunch of bumper stickers. Bumper stickers—they work! I was curious, so I went online and looked up Surfrider, and what really appealed to me was the fact that it was this local startup launched by a few surfers in Malibu, and initially, it served the beaches I actually go to. I’ve been involved for, I guess, five or six years; now Surfrider is global. And that’s great, but it was the local-ness that made what they were doing so meaningful to me. I started out donating money, but then I decided I really wanted to donate my time, too—they really need manpower. So when I can, I go to Malibu and do weekend beach clean-ups.

What’s your biggest challenge, in terms of "going green?"

Well, sticking to the little things, on the one hand, and on the other hand, not getting overwhelmed by the idea that I have to totally remake my life. I’m redoing my bathroom right now, for example, and I bought all green materials for the bathrooms, but then I see these brand new, all-green homes in the design magazines and I start to panic about the fact that I live in a 1974 condo with poor insulation. Not getting stressed out about all the thingsthat are out of your control and instead embracing the changes that you can make—that’s my biggest challenge. I have to keep reminding myself, the small stuff counts, too.

To get Bree's eco-friendly style, shop the Alternative Earth collection.