Foxythings

Foxy footwear is Worn Again

This is "The Bigger Shoe" brought to you by Worn Again. The UK-based footwear-maker has teamed up with The Bigger Issue Foundation to create these limited edition shoes for men and women. They're pretty amazing things to wear on your feet when you consider that they're made from recycled firefighter trousers, scrap leather from car seats, jeans, shirts and recycled rubber. Only 400 pairs of this shoe is available but check out Worn Again's parent company (?), Terra Planet, for more footwear that is both beautiful and responsible.

(via Inhabitat)

Shake your booties proudly

Depending on what part of the world you're in, it's about that time of year when you lace up your boots and snap into a wintry adventure downhill. Snowboard boots and apparel maker Thirtytwo recently announced that all of its snowboard boots are now PVC-free. Widly used PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is toxic and so instead of worrying about the environmental threat of your boots while speeding down the slopes, you can concentrate on dodging trees and other obstacles.

Ecoist: green hearts on sleeves

 

Ecoist uses waste-bound materials like candy wrappers, food packaging and billboard paper to create its lovely handbags and belts. The items are not only for the green-hearted, but for the style-conscious.

Treehugger says that the American company has teamed up with Luna (an energy bar made for women) to create a limited edition handbag line. Every Ecoist product is 100% handmade by workers in Mexico and Peru, but before you shout "sweatshop," Ecoist is a supporter of fair trade practices and works with fair trade suppliers and manufacturers around the world, including Grupedsac. For every bag sold, Ecoist plants a tree in partnership with Trees for the Future. Now that's smart fashion you can wear proudly on your sleeve.

Sustainable wrap

Creating your own wrapping paper with newspaper or other previously enjoyed paper is one way to reduce holiday waste. But for a professional alternative, Paporganics creates sustainable stationary and gift wrap. This year, the New Hampshire-based company offers a great looking holiday collection of wraps, cards and ribbon — all 100% environmentally friendly. The hemp wrap is printed with 100% vegetable inks on hemp blend paper and comes with 100% biodegradable packaging. The gift cards are made with 100% recycled material and the ribbons are 100% biodegradable.

Clean cleaning with Method

Method is the company known for creating safe home cleaning products with biodegradable ingredients and sexy recycled packaging. In the spirit of getting your home (and you) clean, without giving the earth more toxic chemicals, Method has introduced a series of seasonal products specifically for getting in the mood for holiday cheer. In holiday fragrances of peppermint vanilla, frosted cranberry and spiced pear, you can get air enhancers, "aroma pills," aroma soy candles, hand wash and counter spray. With competitive prices, why would we ever need to use toxic chemical cleaners again?

Method products are widely available in Canada (Shoppers Drug Mart), U.S.A. (Target) and the U.K. (John Lewis). For more location, click here.

Floorist

Headed by Melissa Clements, Eco Friendly Flooring prides itself as a woman-owned operation that supplies sustainable flooring products across the United States. The Madison, WI-based company transforms bamboo, cork, stones, reclaimed wood, recycled metal and recycled glass into beautiful planks and tiles. Now you can transform your environment — create that old-world-style kitchen or a colourful backsplash heaven — without killing other environments. We're floored.

Cottage Pepper Mills

 

Canadian furniture-maker and designer Cam Lavers has a line of pepper mills called the Cottage Mills. Taken from fallen tree branches, every mill is one of a kind. As the site says, "Since Mother Nature makes these, no two are alike." Cam also holds the world record for the largest pepper mill ever with his 300 lbs pepper mill. The Cottage Mills (along with his other lines of pepper mills) are available on the site or if you're in Toronto, the Christmas One of a Kind Show later this month.

Yes pigeons

Toronto-based Passenger Pigeon is made up of OCAD grad Heather Schibli and George Brown Fashion grad Wendy Traas. Together, they design Passenger Pigeon's women's line, created from enviro-friendly materials. Pictured here is the double-breasted hoodie made of 55% hemp and 45% cotton fleece which appears in this year's Fall collection.

World Changing Book

Change is good, especially when we're talking about Worldchanging: a Users Guide for the 21st Century. Of course, I say this without having read the book but based on the WorldChanging website, the hard copy is worth buying. About the book:

"From consumer consciousness to a new vision for industry; non-toxic homes to refugee shelters; microfinance to effective philanthropy; socially responsible investing to starting a green business; citizen media to human rights; ecological economics to climate change, this is the most comprehensive, cutting-edge overview to date of what's possible in the near future -- if we decide to make it so."

The WorldChanging folks are  touring the new book around North America. Check the tour dates here. Maybe I'll see you at the Toronto date.

My single beef with World Changing is that its list of contributors are all from the U.S., Canada, or Europe. I hope that in the future, they'll include more contributions from Africa, Asia-Pacific and South America. To create change, we need to engage as many people from as many places as possible.

Bread winner

Adopting Stanley Kubrick's sterile, eerie desolation of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Our Daily Bread focuses its lens on the world of industrial food production. Directed by Austrian Nicolaus Geyrhalter, the film contains no narration; only the whir of machines and the silent activities of factory workers provide the soundtrack to Geyrhalter's beautifully shot images of modern architecture and the mechanization of getting grub to our tables.

The 90-minute documentary won the Best Film award at the Ecocinema International Film Festival in Athens this year, and will be shown during Toronto's Planet In Focus International Environmental Film & Video Festival, which runs November 1-5.