Alternative Apparel Blog

Healthier, Wealthier and Wiser

 
The Case for Creating Green Schools Now

By Matt Petersen of Global Green

Today, millions of children and teachers go to school every day in unhealthy, inefficient schools that waste money, make kids sick and provide poor environments for learning. The state of aging school infrastructure is truly a national travesty. When I first visited New Orleans shortly after Hurricane Katrina to see how my environmental organization Global Green could help rebuild the city green, I toured a local high school and was overwhelmed to discover such decay and disrepair. I later learned this didn't result from the storm, but from years of neglect. Sadly this is not an isolated school or city.

Fortunately, we do have the solutions to help rebuild our schools to be healthy, efficient and productive centers of learning. California is leading the way with $100 million dollars in bond money to support building green schools and thanks to Global Green, Los Angeles Unified is building all of its new schools to healthy green standards. New Orleans is considering doing the same and this year Congress approved $40 billion in the stimulus package to build green schools.

Global Green USA has been pioneering smart climate solutions for schools, homes and communities for more than a decade and has helped more than 40,000 students and teachers by greening hundreds of millions of dollars of green school construction in California and New Orleans. Building Green Schools is one of the most effective ways to improve academic performance, improve health and lower costs of operating schools.

With the support of the Annenberg Foundation, Global Green has already partnered with the LA Unified School District to build more than 34 new green schools resulting in:

• 25,000 students and staff benefiting from reduced exposure to air pollutants such as formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds, many of which are asthma triggers
• 23,600 children provided with improved learning environments through the provision of natural daylight and improved acoustics
• 38,779 tons of carbon dioxide emissions avoided - equivalent to planting 116,338 trees annually, or removing 6,463 cars from the road each year

These statistics are impressive, but more importantly, Green Schools protect and improve student and teacher health, improve student performance by as much as 25%, lower operating costs by 20-40%, and reduce water usage 32%.

Read more about Green Schools after the jump.

Greetings from Australia

Got a letter and some photos yesterday from Martie, our UK BFF - you may remember her from our "Show Us Your Summer" campaign back in July of '09.  Martie hit up Australia over the holidays and she sent us some pics of her adventures while she was stylin' and profilin' in our burnout tank, among other Alternative faves from her closet.

Hiya Jarod!

Well, my latest adventure in Australia has been completed, back in the office boo hoo... so while my tan quickly fades in the English weather, thought I would send you some pics. As per usual I wore my Alternative threads with pride whilst jaunting around Aussie land....that burnout is just the thing for Australia summer weather FYI !!  ;)  Hope you had a fabulous holiday season and rock on!

-Martinique

Enjoy the photos - maybe you can close your eyes and pretend you're in the middle of an Australia summer, too.

And a completely crazy coincidence - today is Australia Day. Wild!

New Music from Vampire Weekend!

Our new music this week is the single "Horchata" from Vampire Weekend's new album Contra. I'm guessing that you've heard of this album, because just last week it was the #1 album in the U.S. - a pretty impressive feat for a small indie band on an indie label.  But you know what that means? It means it's really good!  Well, it means that, or it could mean the VW boys were make satanic sacrifices in order to achieve major fame like that band in Jennifer's Body... but let's just assume they're good kids and it's because the album is awesome to the max.  Once you have a listen, you'll agree we me and also assume the latter; it's a fun and festive album that will definitely inspire little moments of eyes-closed-and-dancing-in-place euphoria.

If you need more convincing that this album is the best of the best (and that these boys are not making deals with the devil), I present Exhibit B - the video for "Cousins" which is also a track from Contra:



The folks at XL Recordings sent us some goodies for this giveaway!  We've got two copies of the album that we'll give to two lucky winners, plus we're gonna throw in our soft and most wonderful Dean slub crew (which is unisex, FYI) to our lucky winners. I think there are some Vampire Weekend stickers laying around here, too...

How do you enter to win? Just leave a comment on this post by Sunday, February 7, 2010 - we'll announce our two winners on Monday, February 8. Good luck!

Alternative's Spring 2010 Lookbook

It's possibly chilly wherever you're at right now (it's still winter, after all) but there's nothing that warms the soul more than a sunny outlook!  We encourage you to take a peek at our Spring 2010 Lookbook and start planning your wardrobe for golden afternoons in the park and cool evening hangouts.



Here's a little snippet about our Spring campaign:

Le Coeur du Spring
Incorporating bright pops of color in violet and cobalt, retro-style prints and mixed media pieces, the spring 2010 collection was inspired by the romance and vibrant allure of 1960s French pop culture. From music, art and cinema to the unforgettable cultural icons themselves—Brigitte Bardot, Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin—the 60s French pop scene was abundantly rich in style and creativity. Shot in L.A.’s Laurel Canyon in a mid-century architectural home with a Danish modern interior design influence, the spring 2010 campaign captures the casual luxury and effortless, unequivocal coolness of a bygone era.

Tell us what you think about our Spring 2010 campaign!

Burnt Out and In Style

 
Most of you Alternative fans are probably already familiar with our one-of-a-kind Burnout fabric. If you’re not in the know, basically we knit together a blend of cotton and polyester and then burn the cotton out to produce a sheer, weathered fabric with a killer retro look and feel. And the best part? Burnout fabric undergoes an extensive process to produce years of authentic weathering, so no two pieces are exactly the same.

Anywho, our unique Burnout collection just got a whole lot better with the addition of an array of new styles and colors perfect for spring. Super-soft, breezy and right on trend, Alternative’s latest Burnout styles are definitely must-haves for spring. Here are a few of our new favorites:

• The Mama Cass Burnout Oversized Top – Perfect for day and hip enough for a night out, this is our go-to top for spring.
• The Petecia Asymmetrical Burnout Tank – Asymmetry is still huge this season. This fashion-forward style also makes a great poolside cover-up, or a dress for you shorter ladies (including myself).
• The Molly Crop Burnout Rolled Sleeve Tee – Crop tops are a top trend for spring 2010 and this one comes in an array of basic and vibrant hues.
• The MK Burnout Throw-Over – Don’t leave home without it. This sleeveless throw-over puts the finishing touch on any outfit.
• The Ian Burnout Leisure Shirt – Now you gentlemen can dress up your Burnout with this sleek, collared shirt. Check out the Kelly Green and Cobalt colors to brighten things up.

Now through February 1st, get 15% off select NEW Burnout Styles & Colors with our Spring 2010 Preview Sale. Just enter code CES111 at checkout to receive your discount.

New Music from Surfer Blood!

We've got new music this week from Surfer Blood, a band that's also relatively new. Who is Surfer Blood? Just four dudes from West Palm Beach, Florida who like to make good music. With their first album Astro Coast out on January 19, they've already gotten praise from publications like Pitchfork and Spin. But if you don't trust them and you don't trust me, just listen for yourself. "Swim" is the first single from their new album and you can hear it now on our music player!

I got to chat with band member JP Pitts to help clarify some things about the band. It's not a common practice for us to interview bands we feature, but after I saw their crazy fun band photos on Myspace, I knew I'd get some good laughs out of a one-on-one convo. So first and foremost, are they surfers? No, but they do like the beach. The name "Surfer Blood" was just something they came up with, although JP did mention some dislike for surfers because they're "too serious" about their culture and lifestyle. Which is totally understandable - if I was a five minute bike ride from the beach like JP is, I'd be more into hanging out and enjoying myself and less worried about being serious with anything. With all that being said, however, they do make some serious good music, y'all.

I also asked JP for some clarity about the track "Twin Peaks," as I'm a huge fan of the show and wanted to know the scoop. Unfortunately, JP tells me it's not really about the show - it actually deals with a long distance relationship from his past. The title for the song came from the odd vibe that his relationship had, much like that of Twin Peaks: "it started out normal, but it just got weirder and weirder." Yeh, that definitely sounds like a David Lynch drama. The second half of the album has darker and more melancholy themes much like "Twin Peaks," but be forewarned that the first half of the album has some great pop songs that will definitely rock you.

The boys of Surfer Blood have plenty of tour dates on the schedule for the next few months - check out their stops on their official Myspace page. JP promises that each of their live performances will offer something new and different from the album. "They're more raw," says JP of their live shows, "We're always changing them, trying new things to keep the shows live and fresh."

And now for the giveaway! I've got three copies of Surfer Blood's album Astro Coast to giveaway, and each of those three winners will also score one of our unisex Big League burnout baseball tees plus some really awesome Alternative promo sunglasses. I know it's cold outside right now and you maybe want to win something super warm like a hoodie, but I can't help myself. All this talk about the beach has got me ready for some sunny days.

How do you enter to win? Just leave a comment on this post by Sunday, January 31, 2010 - we'll announce our three winners on Monday, Fabruary 1. Good luck!