<H1>Why Green is the new black: 30 ways to save the planet in style
Last updated at 02:03am on 8th September 2007
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While black is never out of fashion — green may soon overtake it. The eco movement has an army of celebrity devotees, from Sienna Miller to Colin Firth. This week, fashion bible Vogue published a list of the top 30 ways to stay ahead in the sustainable style stakes. NICOLE MOWBRAY and MISHAAL KHAN report
ECO-TOTE
Who could forget the furore Anya Hindmarch's 'I'm Not A Plastic Bag' caused this summer? It was the start of a movement that has since seen scores of other eco-friendly designer shopping bags on our High Streets — made of muslin, burlap or organic cotton. The most feted tote is courtesy of Lauren Bush, 23-year-old niece of the U.S. President, whose new Feed 2 bag goes on sale at Harrods this month. Each sale provides meals for two Third World children for one year.
CONFETTI Those brightly coloured scraps of paper are the bane of many a parish council, but there is a more environment-friendly solution. Charles Hudson has created confetti from delphinium, rose and wildflower petals, which biodegrades naturally. It's available from
www.confettidirect.co.uk.
Green is the new black
SURFBOARDS Surfing may be the height of hippy chic — but most surfboards are made from synthetic fibres. These not only harm the environment during production, but are also hard to recycle. Ride the crest of a wave on Homeblown boards, priced from £350, which are made in Cornwall from sustainable resources. Tel. 01209 314 446.
PAINT
The fumes from paint don't automatically stop once the topcoat is dry. In fact, paint gives off toxins long after you've put your brushes away. Earthborn natural paints are different — and they can match any shade you desire. Prices start at £17.50.
www.earthbornpaints.co.uk
SHOP
He was divine as Mr Darcy, and now actor Colin Firth has turned his hand to eco-retail, with the help of his wife, Livia, her brother, Nicola Giuggioli and entrepreneur Ivo Coulson. With the view that it's 'practically immoral not to care about the planet at this time', Eco aims to be on hand with advice to help people live a more sustainable lifestyle. Eco is at 213 Chiswick High Road, London W4.
www.eco-age.com
GIMMICKS
If you thought you couldn't get greener than gardening, think again. Decorate your garden with recycled planters made from old tyres (£50) or a bird box with a roof planted with seeds (£30).
www.henand hammock.co.uk
SPA
Chill out and forget your worries about the planet at an Irish spa which uses 100 per cent eco products and goes to great lengths to minimise its impact on the environment.
www.monart.ie
LIPSTICKS
Cargo lipsticks are one of the most innovative eco beauty products in the world. The tube is compostable and the packaging contains wild flower seeds which you can plant. Available from
www.pout.co.uk
FASHION LABEL
People Tree is named by Vogue as the ethical fashion brand most people try to copy — which is high praise indeed. Best of all, it's available at Topshop's flagship store in Oxford Street. If you don't live in the capital, pick it out online at
www.peopletree.co.uk
TRAINERS
While big names such as Nike are working hard to clean up their reputation, you could consider stepping out in a different brand of shoe. Levi's are making recycled jeans to make trainers, while smaller brands such as Veja, Simple and No Sweat are already using sustainable materials. Now you can chill out with a clear conscience. Simple shoes are available from simpleshoes.com, Veja from backintenminutes.com
NOTEBOOK
With this green eco notebook, you won't lose your To Do list in your handbag. It costs £28 from classic stationery retailer Smythson.
www.smythson.co.uk
BALLOONS
Brighten up any party with these fun balloons made of biodegradable plastic and shaped as stars and doves. From £1. Available fromwww.ecovy.com
DESIGNER CLOTHES
British clothes designers are following the example set by food suppliers and sourcing products locally. While Margaret Howell gets her shirts stitched in North London and uses cashmere from Scotland, both Katherine Hamnett and
www.adili.com do their very best to make sure all their materials are sourced and manufactured in the UK.
JEWELS
The box office hit Blood Diamond opened our eyes to the horrors of the luxury jewellery industry. Now, when buying diamonds, "conflictfree" is the criteria at the top of everyone's list. Jewellery designer Tom Binns has come up with a range of conflict-free necklaces (
www.tombinnsdesigns.com) and Katharine Hamnett designs ethically mined gold jewellery (
www.katharinehamnett.com).
WEEKEND AWAY
Take a holiday away from the hustle and bustle and pollution of the city. You'll find yourself as close to nature as possible, sleeping in a canopy bed, eating by candlelight and even collecting your own farm eggs. Choose your retreat from among farms in Hampshire, Somerset, Cornwall and Wiltshire. Prices start at £195. For more information visit
www.featherdown.co.uk
COUTURE
Maison Martin Margiela has been ahead of the eco-game for years, designing clothes for every new collection using recycled fabrics. Inspirational ideas include making a dress from oil paintings or even a jacket from ski gloves. The latest desinger to join in is Fisher Garcia, creating handmade organic silk clothes using Japanese dyeing methods.
www.maisonmartinmargiela.com and
www.fashionpublic.com
BOOKS
If you're interested in doing as much as you can to be eco-friendly, these are the must-read books: Green Is The New Black, by Tamsin Blanchard (£15, Hodder & Stoughton) The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook, by David de Rothschild (£8, Virgin Books) The Wild Gourmets, by Guy Grieve and Thomasina Miers (£20, Bloomsbury) The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism, by Naomi Klein (£25, Allen Lane) Sock And Glove, by Miyako Kanamori, (£10, Weidenfeld & Nicolson) The Fight For Fordhall Farm, by Ben and Charlotte Hollins (£17, Hodder & Stoughton) Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: Our Year of Seasonal Eating, by Barbara Kingsolver (£17, Faber and Faber) Bonfire Of The Brands: How I Learnt to Live Without Labels, by Neil Boorman (£13, Canongate) The Lazy Environmentalist, by Josh Dorfman (£8, Stewart, Tabori and Chang)
BANK
Got savings to invest or ISAs to take out? The only place to invest your hard-earned cash is in Triodos Bank, which promises to invest only in sustainable projects. Visit
www.triodos.co.uk
KITCHEN
Be one step ahead and install a bamboo kitchen in your home. Not only is it sustainable and biodegradable, but it's easy on the wallet, too. Take a look at
www.bulthaup.com
LINEN
Indulge yourself and sleep easy at night in high-quality, luxury organic-cotton bedsheets. Available from Luma at
www.lumadirect.com or Toast Home at
www.toast.co.uk
CLEANING PRODUCTS
Most eco-warriors swear by vinegar, lemon juice and Borax, but try out equally eco-friendly cleaning products from Daylesford Organic (available at Selfridges, Planet Organic and www. daylesfordorganic.com), Baileys (from
www.thenatural store.co.uk), Nest (
www.econestco.uk), Method (John Lewis, Tesco, Waitrose,
www.methodhome.com), and Maison Belle from Isabella Smith (isabellasmith.net)
CHOCOLATE
MMMM. Give yourself a treat while helping others — not something which can be done too often — with Montezuma's latest ranges of chocolate, sourced from Papua New Guinea and Peru. The company enforce the highest ethical and horticultural standards, so you can pig out with a clear conscience.
www.montezumas.co.uk
KNITWEAR
What you wear to keep you warm could benefit global climate change projects. Knitwear designers Tina Lutz and Marcia Patmos's new collection (
www.lutzandpatmos.com) uses environmentally friendly merino wool. What's more, 10 per cent of profts go to Al Gore's climate change project (
www.theclimate project.org). Or try Viridus Luxe, a new label guaranteeing you the softest cashmere and hemp — all eco-friendly of course. Visit
www.virisdisluxe.com
FOOD SHOPS
Eating healthily to help the environment seems to have become something of a national obsession. In London, check out organic supermarket Whole Foods on High Street Kensington or The Natural Kitchen on Marylebone High Steet
<strong>BOOTS </STRONG>
The latest eco-friendly offering from Patagonia is their Wild Thyme flat boots. Made of 100 per cent natural fabric, they feel just like warmwoolly socks when you wear them. Patagonia is also renowned for its fleeces. If the fabric wears out, you can send it back and they'll recycle it. Available at
www.patagonia.com or
www.adili.com
UNDIES
When it comes to undies, you don't have to sacrifice style for sustainability — not even if you want a sexy, underwired bra. Instead of metal, a growing number of manufacturers are using bamboo fibre for their underwiring. Bamboo grows very fast, so replenishing stocks of the fibre is easy. Look for the Ciel and Chantelle brands.
TAXI
Green Tomato Cars (
www.green tomatocars.com), based in London, is the most environmentallyfriendly way to get about town. The company uses stylish Toyota Prius cars — the greenest on the market — and will even quote you a fixed price at the start of your journey.
JEANS Major jeans brands such as Levi's, Notify, Howies, 1921 Jeans, Loomstate, Des Forte, Ascension and Wrangler all have eco-jeans available in many of their styles. Newer brands such as Sharkah Chakra (
www.sharkahchakra.com) are also joining in, promising fair-trade, naturally dyed, organic denim.
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gorgeous couture clothes, gorgeous Stam-perfection!! Anyone one of those shots would have made such a lovely cover!
I can't stand Keira Knightley but she looks gorgeous on the cover. 
