OK, when it comes to my bedding, I can be somewhat of a diva. I don’t like to sleep in hotels unless the sheets are soft, clean and cozy (which rules out an awful lot of hotels), and I have shamelessly purchased bedding for boyfriends whose standards for soft linens hasn’t quite matched mine! Hey, if I’m going to spend 8 hours a night sleeping atop something, it really should be soft and comfy!

LOOP is an organic linen company that makes fine linens for the home and for hospitality/wholesale. With a focus sustainability (the company’s mantra seems to be “Sustainability is our core value,” LOOP is concerned not only with producing high-quality organic products, but also strives to educate consumers about the harm that is done to the environment through conventional cotton growing practices. While I do not own, nor have I ever felt LOOP linens, they look like they’re pretty soft. And if I were actually in the market for new sheets (and not just vicariously window shopping through the research I’m doing for this blog), the company sends out fabric swatches upon request.

LOOP sheets aren’t cheap, but their prices are comparable to those of other non-organically produced, high-end sheet sets. For about $200, you can buy a sheet set that includes a full sheet, a fitted sheet and 2 standard pillow cases (all sheet sets I’m listing are for queen-sized sheets). According to the website, these organic sateen sheets have a 250-thread count, are made by expert weavers, and are cut with deep pockets to accommodate mattresses up to 14 inches thick, with strong elastic around each end to ensure a tight fit. The company also sells handmade hemp linen accent pillows with a “birch” design that is screen printed for an antique sun-faded look.

I found some beautiful organic sheets in a most surprising place - Pottery Barn! That’s right - the mammoth, over-priced furniture company is going green (or at least greener), and linens seems to be one of their prime organic focuses. Although I am somewhat skeptical about the manufacturing processes involved in mass-producing anything organic, I will also admit that I like how these sheets look, they aren’t horribly expensive, and the fact that Pottery Barn is trying is a good thing that should be recognized and (possibly) rewarded with my green dollars. The design gurus at Apartment Therapy also wrote about Pottery Barn’s switch to organics in a local post which you can check out here.

Check out this Tile Organic, a 200-thread-count sheet set that is made from 100% organic cotton percale, which is grown without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. The Moroccan-tile inspired sheets are sold in sets that include a fitted sheet, a top sheet and 2 pillowcases, are machine washable and emerge “smooth and soft from the dryer” after each wash. Sheet sets range from $79-$129 and are only available through the Pottery Barn catalog or via their website. You might also want to check out the Watercolor Organic Bedding Ensemble. On sale for $189.99-$269.99, this set includes a duvet cover, 2 shams, 2 pillowcases, a fitted and a flat sheet. This stripy sheet set has a 200-thread count and is made from 100% organic cotton.

Eileen Fisher is a designer best known for her women’s clothing line, but she has also started making luxurious organic bedding that’s beautiful and presumably soft too! While the sheet set offered on her website is a little expensive ($70 for one pillow case seems somewhat outrageous to me), the fitted and flat sheets retail for $80 each, which puts them on par with other high-end organic linens. The Pintucked Organic Cotton Bedding pieces are crafted with an attention to detail, have a 200-thread count, and are 100% organic cotton. Personally, I like how the comforter looks - it reminds me of my own (which is super fluffy and perfect for curling up underneath). Eileen Fisher is committed to working with eco-friendly fabrics in the production of her clothing and home goods, and has created a “Celebrate the Earth” page on her website that explains her company’s eco-policies.

If you’re looking for something warm and beautiful that’s also earth friendly, you might like this Organic Shaker Patchwork Quilt by Gaiam. I’ll admit that I’m kind of a sucker for quilts, though I usually prefer the handmade, personalized crazy quilts that my mom has been known to make. In this case though, the quilt looks so good that I don’t think I mind that it’s (most likely) mass produced and (definitely) imported. The quilt has a 180-thread count, is made from 100% organic cotton, and has matching shams that can be purchased separately. Priced from $240-$300, the quilt is fairly priced and looks like it could keep the most eco-friendly of us warm throughout the winter. Gaiam also carries a line of Organic Cotton Vintage Paisley & Solid Knit Sheets that are 200 gram-weight and made from 100% organic cotton, colored with low eco-impact dyes and finished without chlorine bleach or chemical softeners. The sheets come in muted hues like bark, mauve and green tea, and range from $15.99 (for 2 pillowcases) to $119 (for a set that includes a fitted and a flat sheet).

The items listed here include just a few of the many, many organic and eco-friendly linens I found online. Every time I write a post that includes eco-products I’m amazed at the wide variety of items on the market, and the growing number of eco-retailers and manufacturers out there who are committed to creating products using sustainable and eco-friendly practices. While I don’t have the time or the space to list everything I see, I am compiling a list (that will one day hopefully be a guide) of eco-products, so feel free to send me links to sites you like that offer the kinds of products I list here.

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So I am headed out for the next week on a well-earned vacation to The Adirondack Park in upstate New York, and I couldn’t be more excited. I’ve been vacationing on-and-off in the Adirondacks since I was an infant, and going back (after several years of not visiting) is like going home. Founded by the New York State Legislator in 1882, the Adirondack Park is unique among American parks, as it is a state park that encompasses 6 million acres, but includes plenty of privately-owned property mixed in with the state land.

Part of the beauty of the park is the overall commitment to minimizing development and returning previously developed lands to their original wild state. At the 1894 Constitutional Convention, the Legislature proposed (and passed) a covenant to achieve meaningful protection of the (Adirondack) Forest Preserve, this became the pledge that the park land be “Forever Wild.”

The lands of the state, now owned or hereafter acquired, constituting the forest preserve as now fixed by law, shall be forever kept as wild forest lands. They shall not be leased, sold or exchanged, or be taken by any corporation, public or private, nor shall the timber thereon be sold, removed or destroyed.

While the state is able to develop land for recreational purposes, the majority of parkland is meant to be kept wild (really and truly wild). Because of this, when lands are donated to the park, the structures on them are often left to fall into disrepair, and eventually turn into ruins over time. Some of my favorite Adirondack memories are of hiking back old roads and stumbling upon long forgotten homes that are little more than foundations and fireplaces. Plants and animals reclaim what was originally theirs, and after enough time has passed, it’s difficult to tell that people ever lived on the land.

In consultation with the Department of Environmental Conservation, the Adirondack Park Agency formulated the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan in 1972 to accommodate outdoor recreation without diluting the intent of the “forever wild” protection of the Preserve. The state has, and continues to make improvements on the park in order to expand access for recreational purposes, and has classified the park land into the following classifications: Wilderness, Primitive, Canoe, Historic Areas, Wild Forest, and Intensive Use. In maintaining the land, the Adirondack Park Agency has built roads, tent platforms, telephone poles, boat landings and campsites (among other things) in an effort to accommodate visitors. In doing so however, the Agency centers new development around already developed properties, so as to limit the expansion of man-made structures within the park.

For a kid from the suburbs (more urban than not), going to the Adirondacks every summer was a way to truly connect with this earth, and to understand that just because I lived among so many people didn’t mean that the animals weren’t out there too. This time around it’s my 11-year old nephew’s turn to watch for bald eagles and loons, and I hope he’ll want to have the same kind of connection to his environment and the other animals that inhabit this world as I did when I was his age.

The wildlife in the park really is spectacular, and (according to the Adirondack Park website) includes: black bears, white tailed deer, common loons, mergansers, bald eagles, beavers, coyotes, fishers, bobcats, brook and lake trout, land-locked salmon and more. Personally, I’ve come face-to-face with an adolescent black bear at Camp Santanoni Historic Area, watched loons dive and surface for hours on end, and watched beaver families devour trees and turn marshland into ponds with their busy work.

Another thing I learned about from my Adirondack vacations was the flora and fauna of the region. Both of my parents are “amature naturalists” (for lack of a better term I suppose), and can identify countless tress, plants, flowers and mushrooms. Hikes always involved my dad explaining the makeup of the forests - he would point out rare plants, identify trees, and explain how the old-growth forests developed over time. It wasn’t until I became an adult that I realized that not all dads knew this kind of information, and that I was a really lucky kid for growing up with people who knew which plants were native to a region and which were imported. And while I could have learned this kind of stuff in Maine or New Hampshire, or any number of other forested regions of this country, we went to the Adirondacks, and I learned it there.

Clearly the park is a special place, though I will admit that I am a little nervous to go back there and see how much it’s changed - if trees have been cut down - if people have developed their own lands… Every region needs some development, and the Adirondacks has a year-round population who protect the land, but also need to make a living and feed their families. It will be interesting to check out what’s happened in the 5 years since I’ve visited the park - let’s hope that the mantra remains “Forever Wild.”

See you when I get back!

All Photos by Jessica Bacon

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Seeing as this is the Green Buy Guide, I’ve been compiling a list of green companies, products, blogs, resources and organizations as the foundation for our upcoming buying guide. In doing so, I’ve discovered scores of (mostly small) companies that are dedicated to making environmentally-friendly products using sustainable production and manufacturing practices, Fair Trade standards and other earth- (and people) friendly initiatives.

Since discovering so many eco-friendly companies, I’ve decided to write several posts that highlight the supply-side of green consumerism. And while it’s difficult for me to think of any consumerism as being green, it’s gotten to the point where I have to admit that we all need to buy all kinds of things (clothes, furniture, linens, shampoo), so I might as well embrace consumerism as a necessary fact of life, and promote green goods as much as possible.

So, without further ado, check out these eco-tees, and drop me a line if you know of other t-shirt companies who should be on my radar.

Mission Playground is a California-based company that uses progressive visual designs, “…to make environmental awareness exciting, appealing and (to) breathe new life into environmentalism.” Made from 100% organic cotton, the company designs long and short sleeved t-shirts for men, women and children. If you’re looking to offer express your feelings about the nature of this planet, you may like the short-sleeved Intelligen t-shirt. Available in green and stone (for men), or white (for men & women), this organically made shirt retails for $27.

Both funny and poignant, Mission Playground’s “Daddy, what did forests smell like?” t-shirt is a witty way to express the consequences of ignoring the human impact on the environment. Made from 100% organic cotton, this t-shirt comes in chocolate and white and can be purchased for $24 on the company website.

If you’re looking for a radical eco-message, you might like the tees from Ban T-Shirts. With a range of political, environmental and peaceful messages, the company’s eco-line of? t-shirts are manufactured in sweatshop-free conditions out of 100% organic cotton.

The Think Green shirt fits both men and women, is 100% organic and produced in a sweatshop-free environment. Printed on American Apparel t-shirts, the Eco Terrorist design is also a sweatshop free product and comes in men’s and (limited) women’s sizes. You can pick up Think Green for $17.95 and Eco Terrorist for $16.95

If you’re looking for cool clothes for your kids, you might like Wire&Twine’s new Play Station design. While also available in adult sizes, this shirt conveys a great message that’s easily lost in our plugged-in world. With so many kids attached to their devices, it’s easy to forget that some kids still love to play in trees. Grown ups can get advocate for the environment too with the 50 Ways to Help the Planet cotton tee. Manufactured under sweatshop-free conditions in this country, this shirt is a conversation starter and is covered with tips for those looking to go green.

Headquartered in the UK, Tonic is described as an “ethical clothing company..created for people who want high quality cotton clothing with sound ethical sourcing and great designs.” Most tees from Tonic are ethically sourced (meaning they’re made by highly skilled laborers who are paid above the UK minimum wage), fairly traded and made from 100% organic cotton. Personally, I’m partial to this Egg Bacon shirt, because even though it doesn’t express any deep environmental messages or eco-friendly tips, it does have a picture of bacon on the front, and well, everything goes better with bacon…

Other companies making eco-friendly t-shirts include:

Turk & Taylor

Positivitee

Clothing of the American Mind

D.T.’signs

Green Label Organics

Tees for Change

Cleanslate

Since adopting the practice of carrying reusable shopping bags with me wherever I go, I’ve only ever bought plain totes for pragmatic purposes. Of the 7-8 totes I own, most were purchased for under $5 a piece at my local grocery stores, and none could be considered stylish.

Recently though, I’ve been researching eco-products, and in doing so, have found all kinds of cool companies that are making reusable totes. So if you’re in the market for cool reusable bags, look no further - I’ve found them for you!

Bring Your Own Bag (B.Y.O.B) makes reusable totes that are both stylish and ethical. Headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, B.Y.O.B. believes that “living an eco-friendly life is essential,” and strives to design bags that are fun to carry while still being produced in a sustainable manner. With a selection of chic totes made from natural, recycled and certified organic cotton, switching from plastic shopping bags to these sustainably made, reusable bags will help to limit your impact on the environment.

The Bold Tote organic cotton tote (above) is 17” tall X 16” wide X 4” with a bottom gusset for added strength. With double reinforced 2 inch straps, you can comfortably carry heavy loads. An added pocket inside provides a convenient home for phones, keys, or wallets - and if the bag gets dirty it’s machine washable. This, and other bags from B.Y.O.B, are ethically made in Vancouver British Columbia and range in price from $25-$40 each. B.Y.O.B. is also running a “Buy 1-Get 1Free” sale on their Natural line of bags, which includes the Tweet tote (to the left).

Lightweight, waterproof and easily portable, bags from Envirosax can carry the equivalent of two supermarket plastic bags full of food. Envirosax is committed to, “…helping create a better future for our planet by spreading the environmental message through color and script using the Envirosax eco-friendly reusable bag as the vehicle, and donates a percentage of their proceeds to several environmentally-based charities.

This funky orange bag is one of the 30 designs available in the Graphic Series of totes - the bags can be purchased in sets of 5, or individually. At $8.50 a piece, these lightweight polyester bags aren’t much more expensive than the reusable bags available at grocery store checkouts, but they are more stylish and will probably last longer too. If you’d rather buy a reusable bag made from all natural materials, Envirosax also carries an Organic Series of totes that come in linen, bamboo and hemp.

Personally, I like the bags from Pretty Green. Made out of 100% cotton sateen with a heavyweight cotton canvas lining, these bags look like they’d be perfect for taking to the Farmer’s Market and filling with flowers and produce. Based in Orange Country, California, Pretty Green believes in making products that help people live more sustainable lives, and the company works within their community to cultivate new ideas and affect environmental change. The Zeko Bag (to the right) is 11″ x 14″ x 6,” with a 8.5″ loop handle, machine washable and a funky find at $19.99.

GreenOne is another small company that makes fun-to-carry bags using organic cotton canvas, twill, hemp silk. Each bag is 15L x 14H x 7D, replaces 2-3 plastic grocery shopping bags and comes with an inside pocket for keys and wallets or other small items. With large handles that can be swung over your handlebars, these bags offer functionality for both men and women. Check out the Follow Your Bliss bag, the design on the front is cool, and it’s a steal at $16.99.

Happy Shopping!

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Let me start by saying that I love lingerie. When I have some extra cash, I like to buy all kinds of different panties, bras, camisoles and other underthings. I’ve never really seen any “green” lingerie (other than organic panties), so I took it upon myself to do a little digging and see what’s out there in terms of sustainable and sexy underwear.

Made from 100% natural Indian silk, these French Knickers and Sheer Camisole are produced by a small group of Indian women using traditional silk production methods. With a commitment to creating luxurious lingerie using sustainable practices, Eco-Boudoir products are made without pesticides, Methodene, bleach or bonded child labor. And according to their website, Eco-Boudoir “conforms to uncompromising ethical standards” in business and production processes, and strives to use renewable fabrics that do not bring pollution to people or to the environment.

Enamore is an environmentally sustainable lingerie company that makes beautiful undergarments out of? organic hemp, soya, cotton, and silk. Many of Enamore’s pieces are handmade from recycled fabrics and vintage fabrics, and are soft, lovely and certainly sexy.? This Mon Bijoux Lingerie Set is a mix of fine silk and organic hemp, and, for true luxury, can be? paired with a? matching eye? mask.

I also like these Boy Shorts from Ciel, a British company that applies sustainable and ethical practices in the production of their clothing. With an eco-attention toward the small (labels, bags and trim) to the large (fabrics, factories and farms), Ciel is the winner of The Observer’s 2007 Ethical Award, and details their sustainable practices on their website.

Perfectly Imperfect is committed to making organic cotton clothing without using pesticides or harmful chemicals in their production. While their collection of organic lingerie is relatively small, a few items - such as this Lace Babydoll Nightie is “sustainable sleepwear” that is made from fabrics grown under eco-friendly conditions and produced with low-impact manufacturing techniques.

Belabumbum, a favorite of celebrities looking for unique intimate apparel, uses recycled materials and bamboo in the production of their pretty lingerie line. With operations in Brazil, Belabumbum employs 70 people in an environmentally and socially sustainable factory. I like the Dori Lace Cami which comes in black, blue and champagne.

Lingerie from the French company g=9.8 is attractive, sexy and made from cultivated pine (a recycled material), with a touch of spandex for fit. Deemed an “Oekotex Standard 100 Certified” company, g=9.8 doesn’t use harmful substances at any point in the production or manufacture of their lingerie. As their online shopping site is currently under construction, you can find g=9.8 lingerie on Noblivity.

Other eco-conscious lingerie companies include:

Skin Lingerie - luxurious cotton bras, panties, robes and gowns

LuvaHuva - handmade organic cotton and silk panties

GreenKnickers - organic panties made from recycled materials

Stella McCarthy - the British designer is committed to creating clothes in a sustainable manner, runs a carbon neutral operation, and has just introduced a line of organic underthings.

bgreen - organic lifestyle apparel including camisoles, pajama pants and panties

Hanky Panky - attractive, functional underwear made from organic fabrics

Urban Fox - funky, environmentally-friendly panties, camisoles and stockings

I will admit that it was more difficult than I anticipated finding sexy, eco-friendly lingerie. Much of what I found was organic cotton panties, that while perfectly comfortable and functional, aren’t quiet as sexy as I like for underwear. Let me know if I’m missing any top-notch ecologically astute lingerie designers here and I will be sure to check them out.