TB Book Club: January 09, Green is the New Black

[corinneleigh]

http://forum.threadbanger.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=3252&stc=1&d=1230590995

Green is the New Black, by Tamsin Blanchard
(http://greenisthenewblack.typepad.com/green_is_the_new_black/)
buy on amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Green-New-Black-Change-World/dp/0061719307/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1230590735&sr=1-1)

Discuss!

[Daisykit]

Looking forward to getting this book and reading it. The discussion will be interesting I'm sure.

[corinneleigh]

a lot of the book talks about shops in london or london based designers but the ideas are universal. many great tips. i'm about half way through right now.

[Dkppunk]

just ordered it and next month's, waiting for them to come in

[SVicY]

I've just finished the whole book, really enjoyed it.
I have been using Stella's CARE product since last fall, I like how even tho its at the high end level of beauty product and its 100% Organic it is not very expensive. Apart from the Tonining Water, i like the whole line...and after using the product i dont want to put make up on as it feel like its contaminating my skin!!


From my job i learned that if a company make a properly planning ahead (about 5 years) and work with the organic cotton farm, they can get the cotton for a much cheaper price, which is close to conventional cotton. A lot of companies are not doing so because they dont want to make such commitment and that is why they have to pay more if they want to use organic cotton for their next season's collection, and who ended us paying for the cost? the consumers, us!!

I think the core message of the book is to have us be more conscious about how our actions are affecting other people and the environment. It will be hard to just switch to 'fully green' but every little bit counts. We are the consumers, and if there are enough of us demanding organic, fair trade, we will get it. Probably not tomorrow, or next month but we will eventually. Its a simply supply and demand thing. If no one is buying Tshirt that cost 5.99 companies would not produce them.

[corinneleigh]

I think the core message of the book is to have us be more conscious about how our actions are affecting other people and the environment. It will be hard to just switch to 'fully green' but every little bit counts. We are the consumers, and if there are enough of us demanding organic, fair trade, we will get it. Probably not tomorrow, or next month but we will eventually. Its a simply supply and demand thing. If no one is buying Tshirt that cost 5.99 companies would not produce them.

we vote each day with our dollars! thats one of my favorite quotes. we used to say it all the time on the SVO (straight veggie oil) runned bus i used to live on.

i love that this book talks about so many different options.

i always hear people saying "i'm just one person, i cannot make a difference." but if each person did just one thing everyday with the environment in mind, it would be such a different world.

its unfortunate that a lot of people buy the $5.99 shirt because they cannot afford to pay more. can we convince all those people to shop second hand? then again the more people who buy ethical clothing the cheaper (cost wise) it becomes. of course i always look to recycle before i buy anything new but there are some things that are very difficult to buy from a thrift store.

[Dkppunk]

i just got both this month's and next month's book yesterday. i had to work so i didn't really get to it til today. i just finished the first chapter...kind of. i tried to get through it but i only ended up skimming it because there was far too much name dropping. i'm still hopeful for the rest of the book, i know that many book's 1st chapters are similar so i'm going to keep going.

[SVicY]

its unfortunate that a lot of people buy the $5.99 shirt because they cannot afford to pay more. can we convince all those people to shop second hand? then again the more people who buy ethical clothing the cheaper (cost wise) it becomes. of course i always look to recycle before i buy anything new but there are some things that are very difficult to buy from a thrift store.

Agree. I think the market for the $5.99 shirt will always be there. As much as we want, there are many people who simply dont care, or they simply cant afford to care. High street fashion is like McDonalds, we know its not the best but we are still contributing to its growth somehow.

'Green' Fashion will grow bigger and will be mature so that consumer will be able to get more afforadble, and more fashionable clothing that are green but that can not replace the whole market. That should not stop us from wanting to change the world however. Rome wasnt built in one day (and by one person) so i think a simple thing we can do is start from ourselves and inspire others around us, like the movie 'paid it forward'.

[Penguen]

Okay, I'm gonna be the sour puss. I don't like this book. I can tell she's a fashion journalist. It reminds me of the "What's In and Out" page that is in all magazines, this is just 270 pages longer. The only highlight was when the designers had their own little excerts. These letters were insightful and really delivered the awareness that I was hoping from the book.
But I'm only half done, maybe it will get better. As for the over all message, so far it's hard but I'm getting the feel that it's you can be high fashion and still be green.

[Dkppunk]

i'm going to have to agree with penguen. i'm not liking the book too much, however i will finish it because i made a promise to myself that i will finish every book i start about 6 months ago. i've vowed to go through my entire collection of books (unless i give them away first, and ty btw to the person who suggested www.paperbackswap.com (http://www.paperbackswap.com) i love it already).

back on topic, i think this book is good for people who are more into fashion than i am. personally my fashion style is comfort over anything else. i worked at new york and company for about 3 years and although the people there were really awesome, i never totally fit in. this would be a book i would give to the people i worked with there. the ones that are more into fashion and keeping up with the latest styles. i do know a few of my friends i will recommend this book too however.

i will say though, that the second chapter was incredibly eye opening! i have never been one to eat or shop organic because personally i don't care too much about what goes into me (though at times i should), however when she talked about the woman who had lost 2 babies at the nipple because of her own malnutrition, that hit me hard. i had never thought about it in from that perspective. i have always been one to care more about others than myself, including strangers. i have actually started buying more organic, local, and fair trade foods since then. my mom has been going to a small health food store ever since i can remember, there are only 2 shops of it and it's run by a local woman and her son, i've been doing some shopping there as well as some from the health food section at the local super market.

i have also been on a quest to find local handmade clothing stores to start getting my clothing from. i have an old sewing machine (from the 60's) that i will be using much more often now, but i still want to support the local people of south jersey.

i'm going to skim the rest of the book and read the parts that are really interesting, then start in on next month's book. that one seems like it will be pretty good.

Dkppunk

[aymelovestrees]

Green is the New Black may not be the most inspiring DIY read, but I do think it's an interesting and appropriate place to start this bookclub. We are a nation (and with this book, we can argue a world) that can't see past the necessity of buying. Blanchard makes the case for doing the buying in a more ethical and responsible way, but her book does little to address the root of the problem: the buying in the first place. Her DIY contributions to the book were pathetic, which is understandable for someone who obviously shops instead of sews. But giving vague (and pictureless!) DIY lessons only makes the results they could produce (given ample instruction) seem less attainable that they really are. Blanchard would have been wise to either leave them out or commit more thought/page space to them. My biggest compliment to the author is for making the case for buying quality items. What sense does it make to litter the closet with $5.99 shirts that can only hold up to a few washes, when a higher quality (albeit higher priced) item could last for seasons, even decades? We tend to think of quality clothes as inacessible, then head to discount stores and throw money away on things that won't last. Green is the New Black seems like a first step in a Consumerists Anonymous 10-step recovery plan. If "Buy Quality over Quantity" is the first step, what is the second?

Corrine, do you know if there are companies like TraidRemade or like Junky Styling in the US? I'd be interested to hear how they're doing.

[sewdenimfabulous]

the book is AMAZING! im so glad that i saw this! Im actually only half way through, but i feel like so far she has a lot of great information on how the textile and clothing dying industry creates a main percentage of pollution. But i feel like the author not only told us why these big companies are bad, but also soem easy CHEAP ( and not so cheap) ways for us to make earth-friednly clothing choices. I especailly love the LIttle Green Book in the back of the book, that gives an entire directory full of eco-friendly designers, stores, websites, and sewing supply centers ( there is an entire DIY chapter!!!).

Thanx soooo much for suggesting the book! Cant wait for next month's to be announced

[Penguen]

Soooo... anyone want my book. If not it goes to the local thrift store in a week.

Damn spring cleaning I always accumulate a large amount of books even though I try not to buy books that I won't keep. Okay, I try not to pay full price for books I won't keep, it's those stupid $1 paperbacks and such that get me everytime.