The Footprint Chronicles

by Tim Yu

While most companies are just getting up to speed with their green initiatives, environmental activism has been a core value for Patagonia since day one and is the driving force behind their recently announced web initiative, The Footprint Chronicles. Taking social and corporate responsibility one step further, the well-designed interactive site allows consumers to track social and environmental impact of specific garments. Offering unrivaled corporate transparency, users can learn of the good and bad involved with manufacturing outdoor clothing facilitating discussion about the environment and ultimately leading to more educated decisions about what we consume.

Patagonia is working to have all their clothes be fully recyclable by 2010 (more info on some of the new products that fit this criteria soon) and the Footprint Chronicles in some ways helps to accomplish this goal. Not only does it offer insightful information on the impact of a Patagonia product (they hope to highlight five new products each season), but it also serves as a re-evaluation of product development, allowing Patagonia to focus their energy on improving areas of their methodology that need it most and where they can truly make a difference. Featuring interviews and slideshows of workers, farmers, owners and designers each product featured is appended with the Good, the Bad and plans to make the product even more environmentally friendly. For example, one of my favorite coats, the Eco Rain Shell Jacket, is made using 100% recycled polyester but the water-repellent coating is not so eco-friendly.

The Footprint Chronicles is further proof that few companies compare to Patagonia when it comes to environmental initiatives that make a measurable difference. Opening up like this takes guts that should be commended (vote for them to win the People's Voice Webby Award ) and hopefully this will inspire other companies to increase their transparency to raise environmental awareness.

Vintage Terrycloth Stuffed Animals

by Ami Kealoha

Made from reclaimed cotton terrycloth dating back to the '50s, '60s and '70s, these stuffed animals are a worthy challenge to their classic plush counterparts. Each neo-Boho monkey, pig or polar bear is handmade in Germany and is one-of-a-kind. The animals start at €28 from the new eco-friendly online retailer Matteriashop.

Burton Snowboard Clipboard

by Doug Black

Last week we had the pleasure of visiting Burton's New York showroom where we got a sneak peek at the forthcoming 2009 collection, which had plenty of exciting new additions. The most consistent theme throughout the new line was green engineering. Making a concerted effort to lower their environmental impact, Burton's efforts can be seen in the many recycled materials going into their apparel.

One interesting example of this philosophy isn't even part of the line. We left the showroom with a complimentary clipboard attached to various press materials (primarily on DVD, to avoid the wasted paper). Upon further inspection, the clipboard was constructed out of a sliced up snowboard. Instead of scrapping used boards, Burton repurposed them into handy clipboards. Although it's currently not slated for mass production, we think it'd be an excellent addition down the line. (Also, in case you're wondering about the Burton products you can buy, don't worry. We'll be covering the actual goods very soon.)

Early Future Lamp by Ingo Maurer

by Ami Kealoha

Here at CH we think every day should be Earth Day, but we also think 38-year-old holiday deserves honoring as a way to single out projects and products that keep the environment in mind. Today we'll be bringing you the best of the eco-web, as well as a few of our own finds.

The first of its kind to use organic LEDs (OLEDs), Ingo Maurer's Early Future lamp is a limited edition that uses Osram prototypes of the innovative material. Unlike the more familiar LEDs, OLEDs are actually a printed film which means the light comes from everywhere on the film simultaneously making for a light source that is not only more pliable but also lightweight, transparent and two-dimensional.

For the plant-like lamp, Maurer took advantage of the unique capabilities of the energy-efficient technology using it create 10 ultra-thin leaves of light. There's no word yet on pricing or availability, but more exciting are the lighting options the design might inspire, as Maurer states it "represents an important stage in the transition from abstract object to functional designer lighting."

via Inhabitat via EcoGeek

New Klaus Tees

by Jacob Resneck

Two years ago Klaus Industries proclaimed that 2006 was the new 1984.

While the fledgling experiment of democracy is still fledgling, the Portland, Oregon-based company has expanded their line of irreverent and humorous wears. Aside from an update on that particularly ominous theme, these hand-dyed printed shirts extol the tough-guy Abe Lincoln and the need for some domestic humanitarian intervention.

“Our shirts are intended to be thought provoking, without provoking a fight,” reads the site's introduction.

Each shirt is hand-dyed on an American Apparel t-shirt that's guaranteed to be sweatshop free, if not a little sweaty. That's how it is at Klaus Industries, headquartered in the industrial outskirts of Portland. Like the soap company in "Fight Club," “except 70 percent less homoerotic.”

Also, a dollar is donated from every shirt to Kiva, a website that links lenders with entrepreneurs in the developing world.