Back in April we talked about Dell and it’s eco-ambitions; both with products and operations. We talked about their eco-products here and Dell’s eco-operations here. We mentioned that Dell’s Chief Executive, Michael Dell, previewed a desktop PC at the Fortune Brainstorm: Green conference in Los Angeles on Earth Day that would be 81% smaller and use 70% less energy than current minitower Dell desktops. On top of that - the packaging will be recycled. Though Dell doesn’t have a name for the new eco-friendly desktop, Dell plans to make the more eco-friendly computer available by the end of the year. Dell anticipates that the “ecoputer” will retail in the $500-$700 range.

Thanks to the the crew over at the greenset for the news on the world’s first sustainable biodegradable umbrella. The Brelli, the first 100% biodegradable umbrella, is made of bamboo and a clear bio-plastic parasol-like frame and breaks down within the first 2 years of showing up in a landfill. Unfortunately, the umbrella is not for sale yet but maybe if you give them a holler and are really, really nice they’ll let you order over the phone.

Eco-Friendly & Fair Labor Clothing
http://www.sattlerclothing.com

We’re not alone. Apparently Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia came to the same conclusion that we did about Bamboo clothing back in November of last year. (see post) In a recent interview with treehugger.com Yvon stated; “Right now, there’s a lot of green glossing going on, green marketing. And right now a lot of companies are saying, “Oh yeah, we’re making sustainable clothing out of bamboo.” Well, we don’t use any bamboo, because it uses really toxic chemicals in that process. Bamboo itself is grown without chemicals, but the process of converting it into cloth is very toxic.”

I recently read an article over on planetgreen called “Fix Your House to Go Green, Not to Make Money” by Lloyd Alter. In the first post of what looks to be a blog series, Lloyd recommends buying a programmable thermostat to regulate the temperature in your home. Not a bad idea - but nothing revolutionary. Don’t get me wrong, if you don’t have one I’d have to agree with Lloyd – go get one – however the U.S. home building industry is so chock full of amazing innovations and products that it is a shame to be talking about a thermostat. Besides, done right, greening your home doesn’t have to be something you do just because you have a eco-friendly conscious - it should decrease your energy cost and at selling time green renovations retain their value better. If you really want to up the value of your home, consider some of my favorite, and easy to implement eco-friendly options.

Marmoleum
Think earth-friendly linoleum. The entire lifecycle, from production to disposal, is eco-friendly. Marmoleum is made from renewable raw materials: linseed oil, rosin, wood flour, cork flour, limestone, and Jute. Marmoleum is easy to install and you can make custom designs. Check out these pages to learn more.

http://www.themarmoleumstore.com/Default.aspx?MenuId=867

http://www.themarmoleumstore.com/default.aspx?menuid=29

Bamboo
The guys over at Smith & Fong have become quite the experts of using bamboo in just about anything – flooring, paneling, cupboards, and plywood. With all the talk about bamboo, see our earlier post about bamboo in clothing, Smith & Fong grow their bamboo in managed forests and harvesting is done by hand minimizing the impact on the local environment.

Another company, Totally Bamboo, recently unveiled solid bamboo countertop sheets that are 16% harder than maple and laminated with a completely non-toxic, food grade adhesive.

Just want to do a paint or plaster job?
Check out American Clay – manufactured in the U.S. from natural clays, recycled and reclaimed aggregates, and eligible for LEED credits for you LEED Builders!

Paint
American Pride paints exceed the most stringent environmental and performance testing standards including those by Green Seal and Master Painters Institute. Apparently the pain was originally designed by polymer scientists at the University of Southern Mississippi for the Department of Defense with the objective of eliminating the off-gassing and odors of traditional latex wall paints. Most paints contain VOCs (Volatile Organic Compound) that is essentially any compound of carbon that catalysts photochemical reactions in the environment.

Insulation
Last one – Insulation made of recycle denim. Yeah, and it works just as well if not better than the itchy pink stuff. Definitely not a product we could pass up here since it was one of the Top 100 Products of 2006 by Architectural Products. Check out http://bondedlogic.com/ and Idaho Blue Insulation.

Are you lucky enough to live in or around beautiful Boise, Idaho? Want to talk to some experts on eco-friendly home renovations? Check out http://www.greenrem.com/ and http://www.sustainabuilt.com
Want to get some more renovation ideas and cool ways to make your home more eco-friendly? www.greenfoundations.com 

Looking for a new, eco-friendly home? Check out http://www.onpointadvantage.com/

There is a lot going on with bamboo these days - flooring, bedsheets, baby blankets, and even clothing. Here at Sattler Clothing we have received several inquiries as to why we don’t carry any bamboo apparel. Now we aren’t experts, but this is the latest and greatest data we have. First, there is no debating that a naturally-growing grass that can be harvested after 3 years is more renewable than let’s say - an oak tree, which can take 120 years to grow to maturity. Bamboo is even considered a green building material under current LEED regulations. (Article)

With the salient eco-friendly benefits of bamboo, unfortunately we run into some problems with socially-responsible harvesting. According to a post on treehugger.com, “bamboo expansion has come at the expense of natural forests, shrubs, and low-yield mixed plantations…As forestlands tend to be in hilly and mountainous areas with steep slopes clearcutting has resulted in an increase in erosion until the bamboo becomes fully established.” According to a report published by Dr. Jim Bowyer of Dovetail Partners the best way to know if the forest has been harvested in a sustainable is to check for Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification. As of the date of the report, FSC has not certified any bamboo harvest. Beyond the environmental impact there are several responsible trade concerns.

Sattler Bamboo clothing? Maybe someday. Right now our research leads us to conclude with other respected experts that although we may be able to find some sustainably harvested bamboo”the manufacturing of bamboo into fabric raises environmental and healthy concerns because of the strong chemical solvents used to cook the bamboo plant into a viscose solution that is then reconstructed into cellulose fiber for weaving into yarn for fabric.” (Michael Lackman) I am excited about the prospects for bamboo as a sustainable replacement and if we find a way to identify a supply chain that can both harvest and convert to fabric sustainably then we’ll reconsider. For now, many experts suggest that very, very little bamboo clothing would qualify as sustainable or organic clothes due to the dominant manufacturing process of hydrolysis alkalization and multi-phase bleaching that use caustic soda and bleach. These chemicals are known to create a myriad of health problems and neural disorders and if the manufacturing facility lacks adequate pollution control systems - a common backburner issue for developing countries - these toxic chemicals find their way into the environment through smokestacks or waterways.

What about Oeko-Tex, Soil Association, SKAL, KRAV or some other kind of certification? Of all of them, Oeko-Tex is the most comprehensive certification, but does not certify the manufacturing processes that produced the garment as eco-friendly or sustainable. One process that may show promise is a process that mirrors the lyocell process for wood. In this process the chemicals used are supposedly non-toxic and are closed-loop so that 99.5% of the chemicals used are captured and used again with only trace amounts escaping into the atmosphere, waste water or products.

The facts about Bamboo Clothing article