The 3 E's: Earth Day, Eco-Fashion, Events

It goes without saying that everyday should (obvi) be Earth Day. But hey - if it takes a special day for everyone to come together and get excited about the environment, we're all for it. One of the best parts about Earth Day (especially in recent years as the green movement gains momentum) is all of the events that take place around the globe to celebrate. In our world, the best of these events involve eco-fashion. This year, there is an abundance of them. Here are some of the most prominent ones for your eco-fashion pleasure.


Green with Fashion

Held at the famous F.U.E.L. House (aka MTV's Real World Philadelphia House), this charity eco-fashion show will spotlight the top eco-fashion designers (more than 30 of them, to be exact) from all over the country. Our friends at Carbon Fund are not only donating five tons of carbon offsets in order to make the event carbon neutral, they're also covering the day's "carbon footprint" of everyone who attends the show. We like. Look for "celebs" like Gretchen Rossi of Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Orange County" and five Miss Philadelphia winners, among others, to be walking in the show. Pieces from our very own Mountains of the Moon spring/summer collection will be among the designs showcased at this event.
When: April 22nd (Earth Day) at 7 PM.
Where: F.U.E.L. House, 249 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
Cost: Tickets are $20 (advance purchase only), with proceeds donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.


Stanford Sustainable Fashion Show (Stanford, CA)

A bay area Earth Day must, Stanford University's first-ever Sustainable Fashion Show will be a groundbreaking event on campus promoting a sustainable lifestyle on all fronts. The show's mission will be to celebrate diversity in the context of environmental consciousness through a wide variety of styles and artistic expression. Twenty unique professional designers will be showcased in individual sets (including Mountains of the Moon, oh yes!), and as well as several student designers from the Stanford Community.
When: April 22nd (Earth Day) from 7 to 9 PM.
Where: Toyon Hall Lounge, 455 Arguello Way, Stanford, CA.
Cost: Free


Fashion Takes Action Launch Party

In partnership with Earth Day Canada, the new members-based organization and producer of green events Fashion Takes Action will be officially launching this Earth Day, and will be throwing a party/fashion event to celebrate on April 24th. We like parties a lot and brainstormed on ways to teleport to Toronto for this event, but alas... With really swell things like DJs (including Brendan Canning of Broken Social Scene), Ryerson fashion students participating in a live eco-challenge to create garments from packaging, and an open bar (mmm, organic vodka), it should be quite the grand ole' time.
When: April 24th at 9 PM.
Where: 639 Queen Street West, Toronto, Canada.
Cost: Tickets are $40 in advance (with a limited number for $50 at the door), with proceeds supporting Earth Day Canada and Fashion Takes Action.


If you're not up for a fashion show, and happen to be in the Cape Cod area during Earth Day week, take a little stop-sy by Solstice Day Spa in Hyannis for a simply mahhhvelous eco-fashion sample sale from 5:30 to 8 PM on April 21st (we like to call it Earth Day Eve, just for kicks). Hosted by fashion writer and stylish Amy Dufault, this sample sale will include samples from your's truly as well as other eco-designers at incredible prices.


xoxo,
melissa & all the other motm eco.fashion ladies too

P.S. We adore you!

In the Spirit of Sustainability

Hello! So, you're here because you want to green your life, you say? How's your hybrid driving, farmers market shopping, canvas toting, Kleen Kanteen- carrying, Brita-on-your-sink-faucet, wind harvesting, bike riding, eco-fit ass doing this lovely fall morning? Wonderful? Fabulous!

We hear so much these days about ways to go green. Odds are, you've already taken many/most/all of the steps above. We write about them in blogs, newspapers, television, festivals, conventions...we make Youtube and box office hits about the eco-movement and we seem- pending Nov. 4th- to be headed in the right direction as a country.

It's easier than ever to make eco-friendly lifestyle choices, from the clothes you wear, to what you choose to eat (and where you choose to buy it from), and now, (YAY!!) the spirits industry has stepped up to the plate with their contribution...that's right folks, ECO VODKA!

Maybe I'm getting a little to excited about this, but maybe not. Sustainable products- whatever they are- have countless benefits. It's about the quality of the product, but also about the quality of the ethos behind it. It's about the plain sight benefits- the superior taste, texture and image, but also take into account the hidden values like creating more American jobs- green jobs- especially for the struggling agriculture industries, creating the product organically, without pesticides, artificial hormones or fertilizers in the corn-base, and also packaging the final product in recycled paper, soy-based ink printed labels, bamboo casing, etc, etc.

Let's look at a few top notch organic vodkas on the market and why they're better than your average Smirnoff, Ketel or Goose...

Square One Organic Vodka
Check out the packaging on this one. They forgo the popular "frosting effect," to avoid a slew of nasty chemicals, they print their labels on sustainably harvested bamboo, cotton and bagasse, and (i LOVE this), once the bottle is finished, the label peels off and the glass bottle is reusable for a water jug, carafe, flower vase- whatever!

Prairie Organic Vodka
Apart from tasting awesome, this distillery converts corncobs and other biomass into bioGAS for powering the stills! They, literally, use their product to run their own distillery...how cool is that?

This next vodka, I have not personally tried, YET, but I can't wait to sample after being WOWED by their corporate ethos of sustainability. This is a company who (at least strongly appears) to really be doing it right:

Vodka 14
Their tagline is: "The Height of Purity"...I'll bite. Check this out: They draw their water from a 200 ft. deep aquifer in the mountains, purchase their grain from individual farmers (grown all in the U.S.A.), every step in the distillation is free from chemicals (even chemical cleaning products), and every element in their packaging is completely recyclable.

Finally, Rain Organic Vodka, probably the most widely seen in bars, at least in the Chicago area. Truth be told this is my favorite tasting of the organic vodkas mentioned here, but doesn't really compete in other areas of sustainability- mainly packaging. Their frosted, chemically- treated bottle isn't the most eco friendly one in town, but it's still light years away from the Gooses of the world.

So, in conclusion, it turns out the only "green" cocktail around isn't the appletini. Organic vodkas can raise your social consciousness...unless of course, you drink too many and become socially unconscious :)

Oh! How could I forget! Make sure to join the lovely ladies of MotM as we celebrate our fall line launch part with ORGANIC VODKA MARTINIS at Crust- Eat Real restaurant...the first all organic restaurant in the Midwest, this coming Tuesday, October 21st at 7:30pm. See Melissa's blog below for details!

Always drink responsibly.

xo,

Eco-Rachel